Free The Syndicate by Shelena Shorts Page A

wasn’t expecting you to say that.”
    It’s quiet for a moment, and then she offers to get me something to drink. Oddly, she reminds me of my mom.
    The way my mom invited people in with her smile made even me believe our house was the warmest on the block. Little did our guests know that Dad was the leader of the Syndicate. A beast killer. Protector of the town.
    Warm. That describes my mom and her natural ability to accommodate guests, but we all knew there was a deeper layer than what any of our “friends” or neighbors saw.
    Looking at Riley’s eyes, there’s definitely something soft and inviting about her, but I get that same sense of layers.
    “So let’s talk about your neighbor,” I say, refocusing.
    She clears her throat. “Oh. Okay. Um…” She grabs her long curls with both hands and, with one sweeping twist, it’s in some sort of ponytail-knot thing, only I didn’t see her use anything to pin it up. I’m mesmerized, wondering why I’m staring at this girl’s hair. It’s pulled away from the soft skin of her neck, and I blink away thoughts of moving closer to her—just in time to hear what she’s saying.
    “He lives right upstairs. He’s in my Econ class, and that’s pretty much it.”
    That’s it?
“Have you noticed him missing at all over the last few weeks?”
    “Not really. We had break, and he could’ve gone away then, but I really didn’t notice. Why?”
    “Because when they’re infected, they can’t maintain the same demeanor and focus. Once they’re too far gone to blend in, they’ll start to hide more.”
    She shudders, and something in me mimics the flutter. Concentration is hard, and I’m almost wondering if this girl is the devil, because I don’t want to talk about anything right now. I’m wondering if the skin on her exposed neck is as soft as it looks.
    “Are you okay?” she asks, brows raised.
    I shake my head. I’ve never been entranced this way, and the wisdom lurking underneath the hormones is telling me to leave. Honesty finally kicks in as I admit to myself that thoughts of Hybrids didn’t bring me here.
    I’m not ready to take out a Hybrid with stitches in my side and my mind clouded by a pretty face.
    “Hello?” She’s waving a hand that gets my attention.
    “I have to go.”
    “What?” I can hear the panic in her voice, but I don’t take back my words.
    “Look, I believe you about the Hybrids, but I’m not in the right mindset to do anything tonight. I need to go home, get one of my brothers, and look into it tomorrow or something.”
    “I don’t want to stay here alone. How am I supposed to sleep?” She stands and makes a beeline toward me as I fight the urge to jump over the back of the chair. She
is
the devil, luring me into something I’m not supposed to be doing.
    My feet step to the side. “Seriously, Riley, this is dangerous. There may be more than one. I won’t go into this blind. Now you just stay in your apartment with your gun and lock the doors. I’ll take care of it tomorrow with one of my brothers.”
    She argues. “Those guys really freaked me out. Can you just take me with you?” She grabs my arm, but I pull it back, needing to stay firm.
    “Listen to me. I
cannot
stay here, and you
cannot
go anywhere with me. Just—”
    A knock at the door stops me short.
    “Who’s that?” I ask, instinctively whispering.
    “I have no idea.”
    A second knock. A near pound on her door, so I put my finger over my mouth.
    Leaning closer, I whisper for her to see who it is. Nodding hesitantly, she slides past me, takes a look through the peephole, and then quickly jumps away from the door.
    “It’s him,” she mouths.
    Just…fantastic.
    My head drops, and my feet find themselves gliding over to look myself.
What does this guy want?
Through the hole, I can see he’s nervous. No, not nervous, but losing composure. He’s tapping his foot and looking around, biting his lip impatiently. He wants in here, and this whole damn