Dangerous Devotion

nd Tha

weight of unfinished business pressing down on her chest. Her father's funeral was just days away, and with it came the unspoken expectations of e

house felt different now, emptier. As much as she had tried to stay away, it was im

er, though it was clear he wasn't reading it. His expression was d

ietly as she poured he

s dark with exhaustion. "

"Not great. Too

ut it." He folded the newspaper and pushed it aside

coffee cup in her hands, the warmth pr

f searching for the right words. Finally, he spoke, h

rowed. "What

th something darker-fear, maybe anger. "The doctor said it was a heart attack, but I

rt began to pound, disbelief warring with a sense of dre

h that don't add up. I've been looking into it, talking to people around town. Th

ver been a saint, but he wasn't the type t

im?" Elena asked, her voi

omeone powerful. They don't just deal with the law. They control it. I t

ts shadows. She had always sensed that something darker lay beneath

asked, her voic

"I don't know yet. But

down on them both. Elena wanted to believe that Aidan was overreacting, that his grief was m

broke the tension. Aidan fro

in the doorway, a thin smile playing on his lips. Dressed in an impeccably tailored suit, Carter exuded wealth and power, the kind tha

His gaze slid past Aidan, landing on E

long as she could remember, but he was the kind of man her father had a

Carter?" Aidan aske

I was just passing by and thought I'd pay my respects. I h

the man's attempts to forge some kind of alliance over the years. But now, hearing Aidan's suspicio

curtly. "If that's all, we've

ed into his pocket and pulled out a business card. "If you

g and disappearing into the rain-soaked street. The sound of his expensive shoes clicking

n her chest growing. "You think

I don't know. But I wou

ost too much to process. Yet, the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. Her father had been desperate in his last few years, stru

s now coming ba

and anger. It wasn't like her father to keep secrets-at least not the kind that could get him kill

ely above a whisper. "Carter's always been around, but Dad wasn

t it's not just Carter." He ran a hand through his dark hair, frustration evident on his face. "There are other

owned. "

o tell her. "You remember Martha Jenkins?

ng as she could remember, always smiling behind the counter with a

ere, she finds an excuse to slip out. Won't make eye contact, won

believe it. "That doesn

w of Dad's old friends have been giving me the same treatment. People who

it all together. "Maybe it's just the grie

something going on here, something bigger than just

us was hard to swallow, but the signs were all pointing to it. The quiet whispers, the furtive g

Elena said, her voice firm. "If someone kille

anding between them. Whatever had driven them apart in the past, whatever resen

office their father had kept at the back of the house. "Maybe he left somet

anticipation. She had always been good at digging for the

, stacked with faded ledgers, files, and papers that seemed to cover every inch of available space. Their fathe

with quick, practiced motions. Elena moved to the bookshelf, scanning the

of paper and the distant patter of rain against the window. Just

somet

orn, the edges frayed, as if it had been handled often. Aidan opened it, flipping t

ked, moving closer to

'Greywater Project. Meeting scheduled wit

ped. "C.P.?" she ech

ooks like Dad was worki

couldn't place where. It had something to do with the river, she was sure of it. Maybe a development plan?

na urged, her voice

figures that didn't make much sense on the surface. It was clear their father had been

," Aidan said, snapping the notebook shut. "If Carter

inning ahead. "And if Dad was involve

ing down on her, but instead of fear, she felt something else-a grim determination. She had left Rivergate to escape the

ding you, there's a reason. She might know something a

still clouded with doubt. "She won't tal

ena said, her voice firm. "

her. Finally, he nodded. "Alright. But be careful. If what I'm thinking is righ

n't so sure. Rivergate had always been a small, quiet town, but now it

staring back at her like a ghost from the past. Whatever sec

ercast, casting a dull, oppressive light over the streets of Rivergate. The town felt different to

they went about their business. It was a far cry from the bustling place Elena remembered from her childhood, when she'd run up

the town's slow decay. Rivergate had always been small, but in recent years, it had begun to feel mo

ight of what they were about to do. Martha Jenkins had been kind to their family for years, always offering a warm smile and a helpin

d the door open. The bell above it ji

s, tools, and the like. It smelled faintly of old wood and dust, a scent Elena remembered from her childh

hrough a stack of receipts. At the sound of the bell, she glance

voice a little too bright

an before stepping forward. "Hi, Martha

r hands stilling over the s

Elena's heart race. She couldn't shake the feel

through his things and found some notes about something ca

lly toward them, her eyes wide wit

e talking about," she sa

please. We're just trying to figure out what happened to him.

ly that her knuckles turned white. For a moment, Elena thought she might break down and te

you. Your father was a good man, but whatever business h

ow the truth. Did Carter Pierce have anything to do with

ed toward the front window, as if she expected to see someone watching

one you cross. He has connections-powerful connections. I

over her. Martha knew more than she was letting on-she was terrified of

ght with anger. "What happened to

People in town...they talk. Your father got mixed up in something he couldn't get out of. The Greywater Project was supposed

ed in her chest. "W

oward the window again. "I shouldn't be

ou," Aidan promised. "Please, Ma

the town was asleep. Your father was desperate-he needed the money to keep the farm going, to pay for the medical bills. C

een proud, always determined to keep the farm running no matter the cost. But she had no ide

al?" Aidan asked

tside investors-people from out of town, maybe even from out of the country. They wanted to turn Greywater into something m

wn her spine. "And our fa

ut, but it was too late. Once you're in with

sides. "Why didn't he tell u

e didn't want to worry you, didn't want to put you in danger. But h

ying to protect them, but in doing so, he had gotten himself killed. And now, they w

teady despite the fear gnawing at her insides.

ter was the face of the project, but he was just a middleman. The real power-the real dan

Aidan, her brother's face hard with determination. They both knew there was no turn

y, reaching out to squeeze Mar

remained. "Just...be careful. For your fath

ack out onto the street, the rain had started up again, a steady drizzle that soake

sed on the dark pa