Page 99 of Crossroads of Love

Dammit.

I watch as the sound of the engine fades into the distance, my heart still racing. I couldn’t see their faces, couldn’t even tell if they were men or women. But I know one thing for sure—it wasn’t Hank. The body type wasn’t right, too lean, too quick on their feet. Whoever they were, they knew what they were doing.

I stand there for a moment, trying to catch my breath, replaying the scene in my head. They didn’t look like they were carrying anything when they ran.

Did they even have time to grab anything? Or were they after something specific?

I turn and head back into the house, my mind racing. The kitchen looks untouched—no drawers open, nothing out of place. I make my way to the hallway, checking each room as I go, but everything seems normal, undisturbed.

Then I reach the office.

The door is cracked open, and my stomach sinks as I step inside. The drawers on the desk are pulled out, papers scattered everywhere, but nothing seems to be missing. I scan the room quickly, my eyes landing on the filing cabinet where Dad hadkept the files on Aaron. Relief floods me as I remember that I took them with me. They’re in my laptop bag, safely tucked away in the car.

I don’t waste any time. I rush out of the office, practically sprinting to the front of the house. My car is parked in the driveway, with no damage done to it. I peer through the window to see my laptop bag is still there, untouched in the floorboard.

Thank God.

I breathe a little easier now, the tension in my shoulders loosening just a fraction. Whoever broke in was looking for something, but they didn’t find it. They were in the office, but they didn’t take anything—or at least nothing important. They didn’t have time.

I glance back toward the house and see Lena and Jayla standing on the porch, both of them wide-eyed, waiting for me. Lena rushes toward me, her face pale.

“Gavin, what happened? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I say, pulling her into a quick hug, needing to feel her warmth and safety for a second. I can feel Jayla’s eyes on us, her small frame stiff with worry. “There were two people. They ran when I got inside. I tried to catch them, but they had a four-wheeler waiting. They’re long gone.”

Lena pulls back, her eyes searching mine. “Did they take anything?”

I shake my head. “No. Nothing important, anyway.”

She exhales sharply, and I can see the tension start to ease out of her, though her hands continue to tremble as she brushes a strand of hair behind her ear. “Thank God.”

Jayla steps closer, her voice small and uncertain. “What if they come back?”

“They won’t, sweetheart. We’ll make sure of that.”

Before I can say anything else, sirens approach in the distance. The police finally show up, and two squad cars pull intothe driveway. The officers step out, their expressions unreadable as they approach. A tall, broad-shouldered man in his late forties with a sheriff’s badge pinned to his chest steps forward, his gaze sweeping over the house and then back to us.

“Sheriff Joe Dajen,” he says to me, his voice gruff. “What happened here?”

Why didn’t he acknowledge Jayla and Lena? He has to know them if he took Aaron’s job, right?

I give him a quick rundown of the break-in, explaining what I saw and how the intruders got away. Dajen listens, but a look in his eyes rubs me the wrong way. It’s like he’s already decided this isn’t worth his time.

“Hmm,” he says, scratching the back of his neck as he glances over at the house. “Doesn’t seem like they took anything, huh?”

“No, but they were in the office,” I say, my frustration bubbling to the surface. “They were looking for something specific.”

Dajen shrugs, clearly unimpressed. “Could’ve been some kids messing around. Are you sure you saw two people? Maybe you’re jumpin’ at shadows.”

My jaw tightens. “I know what I saw. They were masked, fully covered, and they had a getaway plan. This wasn’t some kids playing a prank.”

Lena steps closer, her eyes narrowing at the sheriff’s dismissive tone. “There’s broken glass everywhere, and Gavin chased them through the woods. This was serious.”

Dajen barely glances at her, his attention still on me. “We’ll take a look around and see what we can find, but I wouldn’t get your hopes up. These kinds of things happen, but if nothing was taken…” He lets the sentence trail off like the break-in doesn’t really matter because no one got hurt, and nothing is missing.

I grit my teeth, biting back the urge to argue. There’s no point. He’s not going to take this seriously, not unless something bigger happens.

Lena isn’t as restrained. “Are you kidding me?” she snaps, crossing her arms over her chest. “We just had two people break into our house, and you’re acting like it’s no big deal? Do your job, Sheriff.”

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