Brawler Read Free Page A

paying for it. Luckily, for now, so is he.
    Growing up, my parents were a lot of things: drunk, high, abusive, absent. And in the end? Dead. Lucky for me the Cross’ pretty much raised me, and my “parents” did me the decency of checking out when I was eighteen, so I avoided foster care.
    Venessa’s house was the only escape I had. Her mom was a real mom. She cooked, cleaned, assigned chores, asked how our day was, and gave hugs. Her dad was a man’s man. He taught us to defend ourselves, work hard, pay attention to our surroundings, and appreciate what we had. I was at Venessa’s house every chance I got. Though she and I were in the same grade, I’m almost a year older. I was barely eighteen when Venessa lost her family; that night I lost them, too. To this day, I miss them more than my own family, and the guilt I feel about that is zero. Even nine months later, when Venessa and I buried my parents, it was hers I cried for. You may think me insensitive, but those parents of mine? They were high when they ran themselves into the Detroit River. Fortunately, they didn’t take any one else with them.
    Venessa has always been the sister I never had. She’s the one who encouraged me to see college through,  she’s the one who offered to use my “secret sauce” on the bad guys so I could deliver the strongest data, she’s the one who stands up for me when I’m too weak to do it myself. It wasn’t always like that, though; back in the day, I was the wild card. No one, and I mean no one, messed with Venessa, or they’d deal with me. Coming from an abusive home, I had a lot of anger. So I had no problem taking that anger out on assholes that picked on Venessa because she was so tiny. As we got older, though, Venessa withdrew more and more, and our roles sort of shifted. I can still get scary, but it takes some doing. V, though? Not so much.
    That’s why Shadow Squad is so important to me. Venessa does for others; I want to do for others, too. Yeah I know, being a nurse helps others, but that’s not what I mean. I mean I want to make Detroit a better place, too. Women are being taken. I saw it with my own eyes. Women are also being abused every day. I should know; I was once one of them.
    I’m over being pushed around; I want to take down the bad guys, too. There’s also this dark side of me that wants to be let out to play. I’ve always been labeled the “good one,” which is hysterical if you actually know me. But I’m far from good. I’m just a better actress. I’ll never be like Venessa, and I don’t think it’s expected of me.
    But I can help.
    And if I can use live subjects to test my data for the trials?
    All the better.
    As always, my thoughts go right back him. He sits out in front of my house almost every night, so while he thinks I’m asleep, I sneak out and perfect my own skills and gather data by injecting those up to no good. So far I’ve only tracked down a few, but trust me, they had it coming. A lot goes on in Detroit after dark, so until I get what I need I’ll continue to watch and be a part of it. I have a feeling the day that I do get caught will likely be the day that Jonas Rafe decides I’m no longer worth the effort, and he’ll walk away. Until then, Venessa covers for me, and I do what I do best. I research.
    That’s my motivation this morning, finding my place within the group and showing Jonas what I’m made of. It’s obvious the guys are the muscle, right along with Venessa. After all, she’s the one you don’t see coming. Me? I’m gunning for position of brainiac. I analyze data for a living, right? I also have no social life, so I watch every crime TV show available. So now I’ll analyze the bad guys. I’ll only get physical as a last resort. I know my strengths and I know my weaknesses. Venessa and I both keep in touch with two girls from the neighborhood, Halina aka Lina, and Jules aka Red. Venessa and I are pretty tough for chicks, but Lina favors me in the