Page 106 of Crossroads of Love

I thought I’d bring Lena lunch, a little break in the day, and do something nice for her outside of the norm.

When I push open the door to the diner, the familiar ding of the bell rings overhead. The place is buzzing, packed with people hunched over their tables, leaning in close and talking in low voices. It doesn’t take long to catch bits and pieces of their conversations.

“SWAT teams, I’m tellin’ you,” one old-timer at the counter mutters to his buddy. “Never seen anything like it in my life. They had armored trucks, helicopters… the whole nine yards.”

Another voice chimes in from a nearby booth. “Heard they swarmed Jerry Cooper’s place out by the country road. Took him and two of his boys out in cuffs.”

“Yeah, well, what about the sheriff?” the server pipes up from behind the counter as she pours coffee. “Whole damn department’s under investigation now. I saw them pull three deputies outta there this morning in cuffs. Can you believe it? The sheriff, too.”

I guess David finally finished his job.

I grab the cup of coffee waiting for me at the counter and shake my head. It’s the same all over town. People are buzzing about the raid, about how the sheriff’s office was swept up, and how all of this has finally come to a head.

Seems we were all clueless.

“Gavin,” Marge, the server, calls out as she shuffles over with the bag of food I ordered for Lena and Tatum. “Here you go, hon. Anything else you need today?”

“No. This’ll do, Marge,” I say, offering a smile. “Thanks.”

She nods, but her eyes narrow slightly. “How’s Lena holdin’ up?”

I pause, adjusting the bag in my hand. “She’s good,” I say, trying to keep my tone light. “But you know her—strong as ever.”

“Well, you tell her we’re all pullin’ for her,” Marge says, leaning against the counter. “Half the town’s talkin’, but we know who’s real and who’s just tryin’ to stir the pot. Keep away from the general store, though. That old bat is feeding off this chaos and looking for as much dirt as possible.”

I nod, appreciating the sentiment. It’s true. This town can be ruthless with rumors, but good people like Marge still see past the noise. And Miss Turner at the general store has always been one to have her nose in all of the business in town.

As I step out of the diner and head back to the truck, the conversations linger in the air, bouncing around in my head. SWAT teams, the sheriff in cuffs, and deputies hauled off too. It’s like the whole town’s been turned upside down, but now... now it’s over. Whatever threat was looming over Lena and Jayla isgone. I hope it’s true, but part of me is still on edge, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

By the time I get to city hall, the sun’s baking the sidewalk, and the old brick building stands like a monument to everything that’s gone down. I take a deep breath and push through the doors. The air inside is cool but charged with energy. People are moving around fast, papers in hand, and everyone is talking in clipped tones.

I’m making my way toward Lena’s office when I spot David coming down the hallway from the other direction. He looks as worn out as the rest of us, but there’s something lighter in his expression. He stops in front of me.

“Gavin,” he says, giving a nod. “I was just heading to see Lena.”

“Got lunch for ’em,” I reply, holding up the bag. “You, uh... got news?”

“I’ll tell you both at the same time.”

I follow him into Lena’s office. She stands and gestures for us to sit down on the other side of her desk.

“Everyone has been apprehended. They’ll remain in custody and await sentencing. The threat is gone right now.”

“Can you tell us what the charges are?”

“At this time, no. They will be part of the public record soon. The sheriff and three deputies were taken into custody this morning. It will get out soon that Aaron was a part of this.”

“The guys in the department will start talking in hopes of clearing their name.” Lena sighs.

David nods. “I’m not telling you what to do, but you’ll need to put an interim sheriff into place, and you’ll need to make a statement to the public before it gets out about his involvement.”

“Which means I need to talk with Jayla immediately,” she murmurs as she stares out the window.

“I need to get back to the department for questioning and paperwork, but I wanted to tell you in person,” David says.

“It’s the talk of the town,” I say dryly.

“I have no doubt. A lot of prominent businessmen in town also went down today.”

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