Page 85 of In the Shadows
Ronan saw heads turning, people exchanging glances. She was telling them. Not explicitly, not yet—but she was preparing them. Giving them a handhold before the ground dropped away.
"But I want you to remember something." Lila gripped the edges of the podium. "This town isn't the people who hurt it. This town is you. The teachers who show up every day. The shop owners who remember your coffee order. The neighbors who check on each other after storms."
Her gaze swept the crowd, and for just a moment, it landed on Ronan.
"My father believed in that. The real Blossom Springs. The one that exists in the spaces between corruption and compromise." Her voice dropped, and the crowd leaned forward to hear. "I believe in it, too. And today, I'm asking you to believe in it with me."
She stepped back from the microphone.
Silence.
Then someone started clapping. Someone else joined. The applause spread through the crowd like a wave, building until people were standing, until the whole park was on its feet.
Lila stood at the podium with tears running down her face, accepting something she'd spent five years fighting for.
Ronan didn't think about protocol. Didn't think about cover stories or operational security or any of the rules that had governed his life for twelve years.
He walked through the crowd, climbed the stage steps, and pulled her into his arms.
The parade wound through Main Street at noon.
Ronan watched it from a bench near the fountain; Lila pressed against his side. Fire trucks with their lights flashing. The high school marching band slightly out of tune. Floats decorated with palm trees and dolphins, and a papier-mâché shrimp that was bigger than the car pulling it.
Normal. Ordinary. The kind of celebration that happens in small towns across America every summer.
Except today, it felt different. Today, it felt like something worth fighting for.
“Ms. Bennett."
Lila turned at the familiar voice. Harrison Montgomery stood behind them, a paper cup of lemonade in one hand, the other raised in greeting. He wore a pale blue oxford shirt with the sleeves rolled to his forearms - casual for a man who usually appeared in tailored suits.
"Harrison." She smiled, and Ronan noted it was genuine. Whoever this man was, Lila trusted him. "Are you enjoying the parade?"
"Enjoying it? I'm in awe of it." Harrison gestured at the floats rolling past, the crowds lining Main Street, the bunting fluttering from every lamppost. "You've outdone yourself, Lila. This is exactly what the town needed. A reminder of who we are and where we came from."
"It was a team effort."
"Don't be modest. Everyone knows you're the engine that made this run." His attention shifted to Ronan, polite curiosity in his expression. "And you must be the security consultant Warren mentioned. Cross, isn't it?"
"That's right."
"Harrison Montgomery." He extended his hand. His grip was firm, his eyes steady - the handshake of a man who had spent decades reading people across boardroom tables. "Good to have you here. Warren spoke highly of your work."
"Mr. Caldwell was very helpful."
"He usually is." A slight smile. "How are you finding our little town? Not too quiet for someone used to bigger operations?"
"Quiet isn't the same as simple." Ronan kept his tone neutral. "Small towns have their own complexities."
Something flickered behind Harrison's eyes - there and gone, too quick to identify. "They certainly do." He turned back to Lila. "I won't keep you. I know you have a thousand things to manage. But I wanted to say - your father would be proud. He always believed this town was worth fighting for."
"Thank you, Harrison."
He raised his lemonade in a small salute and disappeared into the crowd, stopping every few feet to shake hands and exchange greetings.
Ronan watched him go. "Who was that?"
"Harrison Montgomery. He owns Montgomery Lighting - manufacturing plants in Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, and Tallahassee. Made his fortune, kept his home here because he loves the town." Lila's expression was fond. "He's been a fixture here forever. Donates to everything, knows everyone. Spoke at my father's funeral."
