Shift shadow crew series.., p.1
Shift (Shadow Crew Series Book 3), page 1
CONTENTS
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Epilogue
Afterword
About the Author
Acknowledgments
Also by Author
STALK US
Copyright @ 2022 by Cala Riley.
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher, except brief quotes used for reviews and certain other non-commercial uses, as per copyright laws. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Shift Cover Photo by: Books and Moods
Editing by My Brothers Editor
Formatting: Wicked Gypsy Designs
To our insecurities. Without you, this book wouldn’t exist. Also, fuck you.
PROLOGUE
I don’t know why I do this to myself. Why do I continue to torture myself, knowing how the night is going to end?
Because you love him, that nasty little voice inside reminds me.
It’s the truth, though. No matter how many times I see Blaze flirt, kiss, or run off with other women, my love for him never dies. Instead, my heart cracks a bit more.
Case in point. Right now, I’m standing on the outskirts of the races watching as Blaze flirts with some tramp.
That’s not fair, Hannah. The girl doesn’t know you have feelings for him, I chastise myself.
It’s really not the girl’s fault that Blaze can’t keep it in his pants. I mean, he’s supposed to be by my side right now. We patrol together. Yet as soon as a fight broke out, he waded in to break it up. Instead of coming straight back to me, he stopped to find his fling for the night.
As he leans in to whisper in the girl’s ear, my heart clenches in my chest. I don’t want to feel this way. I hate the way the tears burn in my eyes as I watch the man I have fallen so deep in love with mess around with another woman, but this was the choice we made.
Either she’s part of the crew or she’s your girl. You can’t have both.
I still remember when Roman said those words to us. I was a kid, only eighteen, looking for a place to belong. I would have been happy with only Blaze, but he wanted more. He wanted me to be part of his family.
So he petitioned to have me join.
Neither one of us imagined the cost.
I should feel grateful. Blaze is my best friend. I have my family inside the crew. Even more so now that my cousin is basically married to Roman, the leader.
Yet I can’t help this crushing weight that settles on me every time Blaze passes me over for another.
If I could go back, would I do it all over again?
I’m not sure I would.
Turning away from the heartbreaking scene, I walk farther away from him.
“Hey guys. We have a suspicious package.” Axel’s voice comes over the comms.
Roman sounds angry as he growls, “Where?”
“Hannah, you’re closest. Approach with caution. It’s about three hundred yards to your left,” Axel guides me.
“Ten-four.”
“Watching cop shows again without me, Hannah?” Blaze’s tone is teasing, but I can hear the underlying concern in it.
He knows he was supposed to be with me. It’s not that unusual for us to split up for a bit, but he would rather be the one doing the dangerous shit.
Approaching the area Axel sent me to, I see the package on the ground. As I make my way closer, I strain my eyes using the flashlight I keep on me to look at it.
The top is open slightly, allowing me to see several small baggies inside. A reaper looking marking is on the bag. It almost looks like our crew symbol. Almost, but not quite.
As I move to get a closer look, Axel’s voice filters to me.
“Whatever you do, Hannah, do not, I repeat, do not touch whatever it is.”
“U-um guys…” I swallow hard. “I’m pretty sure this is drugs. There are markings on the bags.”
“What makes you say that?” I hear Roxy ask, but I don’t get a chance to respond.
Several men jump out of the woods with all their guns pointed at me. My heart races in my chest as I drop the flashlight, holding up my hands.
“Police! Put your hands up.” I can hear their commands, but I can’t process them.
Of course, tonight would be the night I get arrested. Over something not even related to us.
As discreetly as I can, I pull the comm out of my ear, fisting it in my hand.
They direct me to the ground until I’m lying flat on my stomach. I make sure to stay away from the box, not even wanting a strand of errant hair to land on it. Once they are sure I’m subdued, they rush me. I can see a flurry of people as they work to contain the scene. I can hear the sound of vehicles leaving the area quickly, their tires squealing on the pavement.
I’m all alone in this. I want to be bitter, but it’s the contingency plan for the crew. Better only one of us gets nicked than the whole crew. Besides, Axel is probably already working on a way to get me out.
As one of the officers cuffs me, I keep my hands fisted. He doesn’t question it, thankfully. I’m sure Axel has severed the communications line already, but I’d still rather they not know I had someone talking in my ear. I glare at the officer as he helps me stand.
He ignores me, moving on to his next task.
I grunt when the male office begins to frisk me.
“What the hell? What about my rights? Shouldn’t a female be doing this? I’m going to sue the shit out of you for sexual harassment.”
The man pauses but continues to search me, taking my phone, keys, and wallet. Thankfully, he kept his hands respectful, so maybe I won’t sue him.
As he turns me toward him, I awkwardly behind my back toss the comm toward the dark woods. Axel will be able to find it. Then I take in the officer’s uniform. It’s a local Chita officer, but I don’t recognize him. He must be new.
Then another officer passes, but his uniform is different.
It’s not until the officer is leading me to his car that I realize how messed up this situation is.
Not only is Chita here, but the county sheriff and the FBI as well. Whatever is going on is truly and utterly fucked up.
I stay silent the entire way to the local station, letting out a breath when I realize they aren’t taking me somewhere different.
I give a small smile to the receptionist, Sherry. She’s a Shadow, so even if Axel hadn’t already informed them I’d be coming in, she would have alerted them. She will also make sure that I’m as comfortable as she can.
After being led to an interrogation room, the officer leaves. Glancing around, I sigh.
It’s going to be a long night.
My mind flashes back to Blaze with that woman. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be here. Had he been with me, he would’ve checked out the box and gotten arrested. Not that I want him to be arrested, but at least I would know where he was.
The thought of him with that skank while I sit here locked up turns my stomach. I want to believe he’s waiting outside to take me home, but that small, insecure part of me believes he wouldn’t waste his time.
He might be my best friend, but it wouldn’t be the first time that he left me for a quick lay.
I don’t even think that I minded it as much in the beginning. We were young. He liked me, but Roman made a good point. What if we fizzled out? Could we remain civil, knowing that we were once intimate?
So I ignored my feelings. Buried them deep in order to become part of the family.
The problem with that is that they never disappeared. The more time I spent with Blaze, the more I fell in love with him.
It’s too late now. I’m afraid I’m damaged beyond repair. I watch Roxy with Roman and Susie with Axel, knowing I’ll never have that.
Not because of Roman. I know he gave Blaze his blessing years ago because he gave me the same one. He explained that he wanted to establish me as part of the group first. He wanted to be sure I was getting what I needed instead of what I only wanted. He made a good point about young love often fades over time, leaving resentment. So he forced our hand.
When he told me, I was ecstatic thinking I would finally get to be with Blaze the way I wanted.
That night, I walked down to Blaze’s house and let myself in. I didn’t need to be a detective to figure out what he was doing.
He finally got the go-ahead to give us a real shot, but instead he ran off to fuck some floozy.
That’s when I realized I might be in love with him, but he didn’t feel the same way about me.
“You look deep in thought,” a female voice ca lls from the door, startling me.
I shrug, not saying a word.
“A woman of few words. That’s okay.”
“I want my lawyer,” I manage to tell her, my mind still trying to claw itself out of the depression it had fallen into.
“Of course. We will get you a phone to call your lawyer. In the meantime, let’s have a chat.”
I grimace. “Lawyer.”
I won’t say anything else. I know the score. They want you to talk so they can incriminate you. Not that anything I say can be admissible in court at this point. They never even read me my Miranda warning.
“Oh honey. I’m not asking you to talk. I just want you to listen. Want some water?” She holds out a bottle, but I shake my head.
That’s how they get your DNA or fingerprints. Act like they are your friend and offer you comforts only to take the bottle later and take what they need. Besides, my hands are still cuffed behind my back. Not sure what she expects me to do.
“Fair enough.” She pulls out a seat across from me. “My name is Agent Simmons. I’ve been called into your little town to investigate claims of a gang running drugs, specifically targeting children. I’ve heard they call themselves the Shadow Crew. Now, I know you are a part of said crew. That handy little tattoo proves it. I’m not here to get you to slip up and give me information. I’m here to impart some truths to you. First, your crew doesn’t give a shit about you. They let you find that package, which was a setup, by the way. I don’t mind telling you because I know your lawyer will get it thrown out. We wanted to throw a net and catch a small fish. That’s you. You think they really care if you sit in here all night? I’m sure once we let you out, they will tell you that they were worried and waiting for you, but were they really?”
I swallow hard, that familiar insecurity of feeling unwanted settling in. Wasn’t I just thinking that Blaze might not be waiting for me?
“I can see you are hearing me. So let’s move on to the second point. We are going to catch them red-handed. You can’t do illegal shit without getting caught eventually. Sure, the police look the other way while you have your little races, but when you start dealing drugs to kids? No one is going to turn a blind eye to that, no matter how much money or threats you throw their way. The question is, will you be going down with them?”
My eyes fly to hers. I won’t betray my family even if I’m now questioning everything.
“Don’t worry. I’m not asking you to tell me all their dirty secrets. Not yet. I want you to think long and hard about this. I know that betraying the people you think are your friends is a tough decision. I had to do it once too. Before I became an agent, I ran with the cartel back in SoCal. They made me believe we were a family. That they would take care of me. Then they turned on me. Left me to rot in jail, taking a rap for something I wasn’t even involved in. I hate to see it happening to you the same way it did to me. There’s a way out, though. You have to be brave enough to take it.”
I focus on the table in front of me, not letting her know that every word she’s saying is feeding into the insecurities I try to keep locked up.
“Onto the third truth. You will make a decision here soon. One that will either make or break you. It will be the hardest thing you ever have to do, but if you choose right, your life will only become better. You will claw your way out of the darkness I can see you have fallen in. However, if you choose wrong? It will be the beginning of the end. This is a one time offer. I’m willing to give you time, but once the time expires or you make your decision, there will be no going back. Either way, you will have to live with the decision you make.”
She slowly stands, walking over to the two-way mirror.
“I like you, Hannah. I see a lot of myself in you. I only want what’s best for you. I hate to see you walk out of here, only to find the people you put your trust in aren’t worthy. If you decide to take me up on my offer, I’ll make sure to relocate you. I’ll help you find a new home and people who are worthy of your time. Think it over. I’ll be back in a little bit.”
As she leaves the room, I frown.
She’s wrong. My family loves me. They care about me. I’m sure if Blaze isn’t out there, Roxy and Susie will be. Maybe even Roman and Axel. They wouldn’t abandon me.
I keep repeating to myself how much my people love me until Agent Simmons comes back.
“You’re free to go.”
I stand up, my hands still behind my back. Turning, I show them to her.
“Oh yeah. I forgot they cuffed you. I should’ve taken them off before.”
It takes her a moment, but she finally finds the key, unlocking me.
My arms ache as I stretch them.
“Come on, then.” She gestures to the hallway.
I head out of the room and into the waiting room. My heart catches.
It’s empty.
I glance over at Sherry. She gives me a worried look, standing.
“I can give you a ride home, Hannah.” Her voice is a whisper.
I clear my throat, walking over to her to get my items.
“No need. Rox will come pick me up once I call her.”
She hands over my things, that sad look still on her face.
I try Roxy first, but she doesn’t answer. I consider calling Blaze, but push the thought away. If he’s with a chick, I might not recover from the rejection.
Instead, I look back at Sherry. “She must be asleep. I’ll take you up on that ride.”
A throat clears from behind me. “How about I give you a ride?”
I look over at Agent Simmons. Grinding my teeth, I nod.
I let her lead me out to her dark nondescript car. After a moment of silence, she turns to me.
“I’m going to need directions.”
I sigh. “Go to the end of the street, take a right. I’ll let you know where to turn from there.”
As she does what I say, she keeps quiet.
She doesn’t speak until we pull up in front of my house.
“I didn’t want to be right. I hope you know that. Think about what I said and if you ever need anything, call me.”
Clearing my throat, I huff out, “Thank you for the ride.”
I wait for her to pull away before I climb onto the porch.
I’m about to open the door when a figure moves from the ground of the porch, startling me.
“I’ve been so fucking worried. Are you okay?”
As he steps into the light, my heart clenches.
Blaze has always been the most gorgeous man I have ever known.
He wasn’t there though.
“Why are you here?” I say through clenched teeth.
He looks pained. “You were arrested. Axel told me to let the lawyer handle it. Since he didn’t want me at the station, I waited here.”
Irritation flares inside. Of course he did.
“You’re taking orders from Axel now?”
“Damn right I was. Roman left him in charge while he went to check out a lead about Zade.”
His answer makes sense, but I’m over it. I’m over everything.
“I’m so sick and tired of playing by everyone else’s rules. Do you know that our lawyer never showed? Hell, I wasn’t even offered my one phone call. They let me leave because they wanted to let me go. They wanted me to think I was safe with them, so I would talk. Yet I didn’t. I never fucking talk. I never step out of line. I always follow all the rules and for what? For not one single person who claims to be my family to be there to pick me up? To be abandoned like I have been my entire life. I’m over it, I’m done, and fuck you!”
Turning, I jam the key in the door, turning to unlock it.
“Whoa. What happened, Hannah? Did they hurt you? I’ll kill them.”
Huffing out a breath, I turn to him. “It should have been you. Where were you, Blaze? Not by my side. You were with some slut trying to get your dick wet, you son of a bitch. I can’t do this anymore.” I choke out a sob on the end. He goes to move toward me, but I wave him off. “I can’t. You need to leave.”
