Page 86 of Shattered By the Currents

She shook her head. No. She wasn’t letting the darkness slip in now. “I’d had suspicions about Xander’s business activity for months. I even found documents in his office with my signature that I never signed. I told Sampson about it because he was my best friend. He told me it would all be okay. That he’d look into it. I trusted him to help. And I found himdeadin Xander’s workshop that same damn day.”

Connor’s brows pulled together. “Raven?—”

“You think I would risk anyone else? He put a tracking device on my car! He has reach and money and power, and you wanted me to tellyou, the man I was falling in love with?”

“I can protect myself.”

“Are you bulletproof?”

He was silent.

She shook her head. “You’re not. No one is. And even if you didn’t become the next target, he’s already threatened my parents. And they havenoprotection except for a meager guard on the door at the residence. All he needs is tosuspectI’ve told someone. Then he’ll hurt more people I love to punish me. Hell, he killed the PI I hired.”

“We’ll put one of the guys on your parents’ apartment. We can protect themandyou.” He took another step forward.

“Stop.”

Her word was barely a whisper, but he listened. His feet slammed to a halt, frustration cutting into his features. “I can’t let you leave, Raven. It’s not safe.” He lowered his head. “I’m sorry about what I said.”

She swallowed, wiping a tear before it could hit her cheek. “You thought I was like him.”

Real pain etched his features. “I have trouble trusting after Margaret, but I should have known your heart well enough to know you’d have nothing to do with this.”

It was only when he pulled her into his chest that she let the first tear fall. She thought she’d feel fear after telling him. The kind that gripped her throat and prevented the next breath. She didn’t. All she felt was relief. That she wasn’t carrying the weight of her past alone anymore. That Connor was shouldering just a little bit of the load.

20

Raven tapped the screen of her phone. Still no response from Sampson.

Where was he?

She nibbled her bottom lip, looking around her dark bedroom from where she lay on the bed. A bedroom shared with Xander. But he wasn’t here. He rarely got to bed before two a.m. these days. Supposedly, he was working. She’d always assumed that meant he was in his shop downstairs, fixing cars.

But she wasn’t so sure anymore. She wasn’t sure ofanythinganymore.

She sent another text.

Raven: Sampson, I really need you to call me.

Long seconds of silence ticked by. No response. Not even the three dots to show he was typing.

He was probably sleeping. It was almost midnight. Most people were sleeping.

But he always texted her back, no matter the time or the day. And today she’d told him something big. Something potentially dangerous…

She’d revealed her suspicions about Xander.

Raven: If you get this, call me right away. Please. I’m worried.

Should she be worried? She had no idea. Even if her suspicions were correct and Xander wasn’t making his money legally, that didn’t mean he’d hurt Sampson.

She squeezed her eyes closed. Sleep…she needed to sleep.

She couldn’t. Thoughts of Xander and worries about Sampson flickered through her mind.

Xander had been so different since moving to North Dakota. Distant. Cold.

No, if she was honest, it had started before the move. She’d just hoped that by coming here with him, their relationship could go back to what it used to be. Easy. Comfortable. Safe.