Crossroads/Borrowed Lives — 2026-03-04 (Patreon)

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Chapter 23: SHELTER IN PLACE by Shay Ryder

I just got off the phone with Dad. There’s a lot about my security plan that no one has mentioned, and one part of it is a prepaid phone. I have an anonymous email, too.

Dad called to say that, in light of what’s going on in the world, I either need to come back to Chicago to the family estate or—the phrase he used—shelter in place.

“Shay, there’s no reason to think anyone is looking for Mara Voss, but I talked to Ronald Regent, and he really wants you to minimize exposure.”

“Dad, I live with a guard. Devon’s licensed now, and Conner isn’t 50 yards from me. I don’t need to come back to Chicago.”

“Promise you’ll call Eric Marsten if you plan to leave the building and give him time to get his guys in place?”

“Olivia does that every time I go out.”

He went on to tell me that the real Mara and Evan are going to be picked up. He used Mr. Regent’s word for it—extracted. It will look like Shay Ryder went to Chicago and took Devon with her.

Meanwhile, I’ll be here, where, for what feels like the first time in my life, I have real friends, and I’ll be doing regular-girl stuff with them. Dad handed the phone to Mom, and I told her I’ve never been happier.

“Well, if that’s the case, everything we’re doing to make this happen is worth it.”

When things in the world settle down, she said she’d come to New York and we can have some time together. Then she laughed.

“The plan will be worked out by Ronald, but it will be worth it.”

Chapter 24: FLIRTING WITH DANGER by Evan Calder

Mara and I pulled over where Georgia Route 121 crosses the Altamaha River just to stretch our legs. We stood there looking off to the east, just breathing in the morning.

After a few seconds, I felt her head and hand on my shoulder.

I rocked gently into her touch. “You know you're kinda flirty a lot, right?”

Without flinching a muscle, she replied. “You know you kinda like it a lot, right?”

A car passed by in the west lane, then I said, “Do you think this is going to be a problem?”

She didn’t move but I could feel her sigh. “Probably not.”

Chapter 25: SLOWING IT DOWN by Hannah Madison

Two afternoons on Long Island doing what Mr. Robertson calls “flying the company flag” to keep the client happy, and I’m kind of over it. The alleged problem had to do with a vendor to one of the contractors. It had absolutely nothing to do with the plans, the designs, or anything remotely connected to NYC SysCo’s services.

“Hannah,” Will said, “this isn’t an engineering lesson. It’s a business lesson. And without the business, there wouldn’t be any need for engineering.”

Mic drop. Or as they say these days, clock it.

I got home about an hour ago, put on something comfortable, made cocoa, and headed to the common area. Conner was staring out the window, so I moved up beside him.

“Looking for threats?”

He smiled. “Sort of. Crazy times. Truth is, you’re probably in more danger than Mara Voss. You’re out there. She’s safe in here.”

I didn’t weigh my words before I spoke them. “Maybe you should go with me and be my body guard.”

I’m well aware that could have been taken as flirting. It wasn’t. He didn’t seem to take it that way either.

“If I didn’t have a job, I’d take you up on that. It’s kinda boring.”

“I hear you’re in the dropship business now.”

He laughed. “The crazy thing is, Best Price Office is blowing up. Like Fortune 500 companies purchasing departments. Customer comments say that it’s easier to browse for what they want than to search Amazon one item at a time.”

“That is crazy.”

Conner let the silence hang for a few seconds, then said, “Feel like a game of backgammon?”

We went to the table and started a game. Emma came over and joined us, and we all chatted about our days.

Circling back to the could-have-been flirty remark, I will say this: My lifetime relationship radar has gone off. Conner is indeed on the screen. I’m not plotting intercept vectors yet, but I know he’s there.

He’s definitely one of the good ones.

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