Page 29 of Small Town Secrets

One thing was certain. Harlow had entered a new world. A new era. One filled with heightened danger, where life as they’d known it ended. Mysterious LLCs were buying out businesses or destroying the property and livelihoods of those who refused to obey. From now on, no one got a choice over whether they were involved. The syndicate could pick anyone, and no one was safe.

By late evening, news of the fire had become common knowledge, and town hall filled to capacity with locals wanting answers. Laila sat amongst the fray of creaking chairs, clearing throats, and echoey whispers, the sheriff out front already addressing a line of questions in his usual measured tone.

“We have roadblocks set up on each end of town, as well as a few checkpoints throughout.” His jaw hardened as if he hated being here just about as much as anyone else. “I’m sorry for any inconvenience on that front, but we need to be clear on who is coming in and out of this town in order to keep the syndicate at bay. We will, of course, continue to monitor and reassess the situation.”

An audible grumble spread through the room, and she glanced back just in time for one of her old high school classmates, Lenny Brooks, to stand, his face already red and crumpled. “I’d leave this hell hole if not for all this syndicate bullshit making my property unsellable.”

His abrasive shout jolted her where she sat, making her glad someone had had the foresight to organize a separate monitored room for the children to play while the parents attended this meeting, Whitney being one of those children.

Of course, Lenny wasn’t done, and he threw his hands out to gesture at the people around him. “Now this? The syndicate has no beef with me or most people in Harlow, so why not ship off all the people attracting the trouble? A good few of ‘em aren’t even from this town, anyway.”

His gaze skimmed the crowd, perhaps searching out Dean, Emilia, and Adrian. The out-of-towners he no doubt referred to.

“Sir, I understand your frustration.” The sheriff paused to clear his throat amongst the inordinate silence that now enfolded this packed room. “But these are only precautions to protect the safety of everyone here. Sending anyone away is disproportionate to the issue at hand, nor is it a guarantee of peace around here. So—”

“Lenny’s right.” Another former school acquaintance, Gerry Gibbons, rose, his face set in a similar hard scowl to Lenny’s. “Get rid of those people and the syndicate will have no reason to trouble the rest of us. Emilia, Blaine, Dean, the Overtons, the Egans, too. Oh, and that guy”—he stabbed a finger to the front where Ramos sat. Though too many sat ahead of her to view Adrian’s reaction, she imagined him not giving much of anything away. “Get rid of them all.”

Gerry’s casual shrug made her body tensed all over. That she and Whitney were Egans too. That he could be so indifferent about tossing them out of town. That the room’s energy had changed into what could only be described as a heavy moment of pause…

Are these people—people I’ve always regarded one step away from family—really considering his heartless idea?

She’d always assumed her place in Harlow as a God-given fact. As natural as having fingers on her hands and air in her lungs. The Egans had been part of this town for countless generations and never had she felt she didn’t have a place here.

But how quickly could these people turn and how far would they go to assure their own safety?

Her face burned with the sensation that so many here potentially watched, judged, and rejected her. She wanted to run and hide. To uncharacteristically seek out support. From Ramos in particular. That said, Gerry had singled Ramos out too, and that had her wanting to defend him. To defend her family’s right to be here too.

“Hey!” Before she could grasp what she was doing, her legs shot her to standing, the heat in her face now centered on her eyes and the stare she leveled at Gerry. “We are not the problem. The syndicate is the problem. And Ramos, for one, came here to help this town. So much for gratitude. I refuse to believe that you, and everyone else here can be so cowardly and hostile. We’ve all been through a whole lot of stuff together, haven’t we? We supported each other in the past, why not now?”

Knowing she couldn’t show weakness, she shook her head in her strongest expression of disappointment and disgust. “We’re better than this.”

Some people around her had the grace to dip their chins and avert their stares, a few went so far as to nod in agreement. She lifted her chin and stood a little taller, catching sight of Ramos and his soft expression. A mix of surprise and pride.

“Thank you, Miss Egan.” The sheriff’s voice brought focus back to him. “You make a valid point. We are all—”

“Screw that, I’m not taking any chances with my family.” Lenny Brooks piped up again, stabbing a finger at Laila. “You got a kid of your own to look out for, don’t cha? You know I’m gonna put me and mine before anyone else in this room. So, if the old sheriff here won’t put his foot down, maybe me and some others will.”

Lenny cut loose with a twisted grin, his gaze flicking over to Gerry, who nodded and smirked back—a pretty rich response given Gerry was well-known for stepping out on his wife and having next to zero cares for his three children.

Laila’s heart sank and her gaze slipped instinctively to Ramos shaking his head slowly at her to drop the subject. And he was right. Nothing she could say would convince certain people in this town. Some would take matters into their own hands, even if that meant turning against their own community.

And, as much as she hated to admit it, Lenny was right too. She did have a child to protect. One she would, once again, be leaving in her parents’ care tonight. She couldn’t be there for Whitney all day, every day. Trying to match others’ rage would only entrench deeper resentment toward her and anyone else caught in the syndicate’s sights.

She didn’t need another target on her back. Whitney even less so. So, Laila would go against her urge to defend herself. She’d sit back down. She’d stay silent. She’d do absolutely nothing.

Mark Farro read the email detailing the new roadblocks set up around Harlow and an unstoppable smirk pulled at his lips. He could just feel the drowning fear emanating from that town so many miles away. Each update offered new opportunities to adjust his plans in ways he would never have thought of. This one was no exception.

The blocks presented the thrill he always searched for. A challenge he could tinker with. Just when Harlow’s sheriff no doubt figured he’d have Mark stumped. Those roadblocks gave him something to aim for beyond his grand plan of buying up the town’s key businesses. Oh, he’d still make the place unlivable. Just in other ways. And the roadblocks would render these townspeople further cut off from the rest of the world.

He would be shut out, but they would be caged in.

Now, how to use this chance?

A new idea formed just at the tip of his brain, and he chuckled, even if he didn’t yet have any concrete plan to hold onto. All he had was a spark. Just a spark. A feeling that this could all somehow work to his advantage. All he had to do was put the pieces together in the right order. That he would find other ways in…

He bumped his clenched fist to his dark wood desk, then shot to his feet, skimming his attention over the small office in this dingy, rented cabin.

What could he work with here? A captive town. He peered out the window at the cloudless sky. The summer heat. And, at least for now, he had the syndicate.

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