Shadow’s Surrender Read online

  Shadow hugged his mother. “If he makes you happy, then I’m good, but the minute this rich dude gives you any trouble or pain, I’ll bash his damn face in.”

  “Deal,” she whispered.

  A few months later, Shadow and his mother were living on the top floor of a luxurious apartment building overlooking the Rocky Mountains and the Colorado River. His bedroom was bigger than the whole trailer they’d lived in. His mother didn’t dance anymore and she was always smiling.

  Shadow hadn’t met the new man in his mom’s life—didn’t even know his name, but several times in the past two weeks, she’d hinted that he may have a rich stepfather very soon.

  It was a late summer’s night and school was starting the following week. Shadow sat on the couch staring at the television screen when he heard the familiar click of his mother’s heels on the hardwood floor.

  “You know the rules about staying in, right?”

  He tore his gaze away from the screen and glanced at his mother. “We’re in a good neighborhood now.”

  “I know.” She approached him and the scent of coconut swirled around him. “I just worry about you being out when I’m not home. You’re not sixteen yet.”

  “Is that the age of freedom around here?” He rolled his eyes then switched his attention back to the screen.

  “I know I’m being overprotective, but a young boy can get into a lot of trouble—even end up in jail.”

  “I’m not Dad, and I’m not gonna do anything stupid. You gotta trust me sometime, Ma.”

  She crossed over to him, then bent and kissed the top of his head. “I do trust you—it’s all the others out there who I don’t.” She threaded her fingers through his hair. “I was so wild when I was your age and I made so many mistakes. I just don’t want you to screw up your life. Learn from my experiences.”

  Shadow knew what she was talking about—falling in love with his dad and getting pregnant by him at seventeen. Her parents had thrown her out of the house, so she’d married his dad and spent fourteen years in hell. He grasped his mother’s hand and squeezed it. “I don’t plan on screwin’ up my life, and I’ll never be like Dad … ever.”

  “You never could be—you’re a good person and he wasn’t. It’s just that I couldn’t live if something happened to you.”

  He let go of her hand. “Nothing’s gonna happen to me, Ma. Now go and have a good time with your rich boyfriend. I’m good with watching TV.”

  “Someday when you have your own kids, you’ll understand,” she said, walking toward the front door.

  Shadow pushed up from the couch and followed her to the foyer, then he opened the door. “Don’t worry about me, Ma.”

  “I can’t help it.” She walked down the hall toward the elevator.

  He stood just outside the door watching her. When the metal doors opened, she stepped inside, smiled, then waved. He returned her smile, then went back inside and crossed over to the window facing the street. Shadow looked down and saw a chauffeur open the door to a black limousine and his mom disappeared inside it. The man then walked around to the driver’s side and slid in, and in a few seconds, the car pulled away from the curb.

  Shadow stood staring at the street long after the limo vanished from sight. The cellphone in his pocket vibrated, jarring him back to the present. He fished it out and smiled when he saw the text was from Maggie—the cute blonde he’d met the week before at the pool hall. She was twenty-two years old, stacked, and had a reputation of being fast, at least that was what Dirk had told him. Upon learning that piece of information, Shadow set up a date with her, and she was texting him at that moment to find out when he was going to come by her place.

  A stab of guilt pulsed at the back of his skull, but he ignored it. Maggie was most definitely not the type of girl his mother would approve of for him, but what his mom didn’t know wouldn’t hurt.

  After texting Maggie back he walked to his bedroom to change his clothes and then rushed out and strode briskly toward Main Street to hail a cab; he didn’t want to keep Maggie waiting.

  It was late and he knew his mother would be angry and disappointed when he arrived home. The anger he could deal with, but the disappointed look on his mom’s face crushed Shadow each and every time. He swore under his breath as he crossed the street—only six more blocks to go. He should’ve left Maggie’s place two hours before, but the chick was such a wildcat that Shadow just couldn’t tear himself away from her. She was nothing like the high school girls he’d fucked. Yeah … he’d be hooking up with her again real soon.

  He glanced at his phone again, surprised his mother hadn’t called to ball him out. The glowing numbers read 2:08 a.m. He shoved the phone back into the rear pocket of his jeans and walked past big houses with manicured lawns.

  All of a sudden the scream of a police siren ripped through the night, shattering the quiet. Flashes of red and blue lights penetrated the darkness, and Shadow jumped back into the bushes and waited for them to stop in front of him. Curfew was 11:00 p.m., and he grimaced when he pictured his mother’s face as she came down to the police station to take him home. But the cars sped past him, and he watched as they disappeared over the hill.

  As Shadow approached he saw cop cars with flashing lights and an ambulance up ahead; they were stationed in front of his apartment building. His steps faltered, and then he began to run toward the chaos.

  When he reached his building, he saw the yellow crime scene tape cordoning off the area. Several people gathered in front, and he recognized the man with the black and tan Pekingese, who lived on the second floor of the building.

  “What’s going on?” Shadow asked, his heart pounding.

  The man shrugged his thin shoulders. “The cops aren’t telling us anything.” He looked at Shadow. The reflection of the flashing lights made the neighbor’s eyes glow a weird reddish color.

  “Somebody’s been murdered,” a woman whispered.

  Shadow spun around and saw the old lady from next door standing behind him, her hair in curlers, her white robe held closed by one bony hand.

  “Who is it?” he asked, panic tugging at the pit of his stomach.

  “I don’t know.”

  Shadow searched the small crowd for his mother, but she wasn’t there. A bitter bile rose up the back of his throat. Stop being a fuckin’ wimp! Ma’s just fine. She wouldn’t come down with all these people. She’s not a damn looky-loo. I just gotta get inside—get to her.

  He glanced around again and noticed that a lot of the residents hadn’t come down. This fact should’ve reassured him, but he couldn’t stop the dark fear creeping inside him, threatening to smother him. Shadow ducked under the police tape and bounced up the front steps.

  “Whoa, kid. What the hell do you think you’re doing?” a tall cop asked as he approached Shadow.

  “I live here.”

  “You can’t go inside.”

  “I’m pretty sure my mom’s worried about me ’cause I’m late.”

  “I’m going to say it again—you can’t go inside. Call her.”

  A smile spread across Shadow’s face. Why the hell hadn’t he thought of that? Of course, he’d call his mom and explain that he was stuck outside and would be upstairs when the cops let everyone back into the building. How fucking simple.

  As he took out his phone he saw a man in a dark suit walk toward him.

  “What’s your name?” the man asked.

  Shadow stopped tapping in the number and glanced up. “Steve Basson.”

  The man glanced at the doorway to the building then back to him. “Do you got something saying that?”

  “My school ID.” Shadow fished it out of his wallet and handed it to the man. “Who are you anyway?”

  The man studied the card then handed it back to Shadow. “I’m Detective McCue.” He motioned to one of the police vehicles. “Can you go over there for a minute?”

  “No. I have to call my mother. She’s going to be real worried why I’m not home.” He force
d himself to focus on tapping in the last four digits of his mom’s phone number. Panic skittered up and down his spine, but he ignored it and held the phone to his ear.

  Detective McCue reached out and gripped Shadow’s wrist. “I need to talk to you, kid.”

  “About what?” Blood rushed to his temples, echoing in his ears, burning through his veins.

  “Just come on over.”

  “No. I have to talk to my mother.”

  The chattering of the crowd subsided and Shadow looked over his shoulder and saw the paramedics wheeling a stretcher toward the ambulance. A body lay on it, covered with a white sheet.

  “Take it to my office,” a medium-built man said. The medics nodded and lifted the stretcher into the ambulance.

  Shadow bolted toward the vehicle, but the detective’s hands gripped his shoulders, pulling him back.

  “Lemme go! I need to get to my mother.” The fear he’d been trying to ignore overwhelmed him as cold sweat poured down his face. He turned around and stared at McCue. “Who’s on that stretcher? Why do you wanna talk to me? Why didn’t my mom call me to see where I was? Why!”

  The detective’s grip loosened and he fixed his gaze on Shadow. “It’s never easy, but I’m going to tell it to you straight—your mother was murdered. I’m sorry, kid. I’m so fucking sorry to have to tell you. Do you have anyone you can call?”

  The sirens, the flashing lights, the cop’s voice grew dimmer, and he clutched his middle as pain clawed him from the inside out, his anguished cry catching on the breeze and carrying it away.

  Ma’s dead. Murdered. Fuck! Ma …!

  In that moment, Shadow vowed that no matter how long it took, he would find the bastard who did this and make him pay.

  Chapter Two

  Pinewood Springs

  Present day

  The clump of his boots bounced off the walls as Shadow reached the bottom of the stairs. He stopped just short of entering the main room, his forehead wrinkled, his lips flattened, as he struggled with the cuffs on his sky-blue collared dress shirt.

  “Fuck this shit,” he muttered as the buttons eluded him.

  “Need some help, handsome?” Tania’s voice washed over him and he glanced up.

  “I can’t get this damn thing to work.”

  The club girl laughed and walked over to him. She swatted his hand away, then quickly buttoned the starched cuffs and straightened his dark-blue patterned tie. She stepped back and her large brown eyes raked over him boldly.

  “Damn, you dress up real good,” she said as she reached out and ran a finger down the front of his tailored shirt. Tania then squeezed his sculpted biceps and licked her lips. “Real good, baby.”

  Shadow moved around her. “Thanks.”

  She cozied up beside him. “And you smell so good too.”

  He chuckled and stepped away from her. “That’s good to know.”

  “You want a little something before you go?” Tania squeezed his tight ass.

  “No time—maybe later.” He winked at her then walked into the main room.

  “Fuck, we got a GQ model who’s been posing as a damn biker, dudes!” Helm’s voice rose above the din of the room.

  “Turn the damn TV down,” Bones said. A huge grin spread across his face. “What the fuck, bro?” he asked Shadow, who took the shot of whiskey one of the prospects offered him.

  “Don’t you look fancy,” Smokey said before breaking out into laughter.

  The members in the room had now diverted their attention to Shadow, and he gritted his teeth.

  “Fuck off,” he said as he set down his empty glass.

  “Are you having tea with the Queen?” Rags sniggered.

  “Or the fuckin’ president? We got a turncoat in our club—hobnobbing with the rich.” Hubcap stretched his legs in front of him as the other brothers guffawed.

  “Get a fuckin’ life. I’m going to Eli’s damn engagement party.” Shadow fished his keys out of the side pocket of his dark-blue pants.

  “Eli’s getting married? His woman must be a rich bitch for you to be dressed like a pansy,” Smokey said as he brought the bottle of beer to his mouth.

  “For me, a party is barbecue, jeans, weed, and women who spread their legs easily. That would be my engagement shindig if I were ever fuckin’ stupid enough to get saddled down with a chick,” Blade said, and the other guys mumbled their agreement.

  “It’s Eli’s fuckin’ deal, not mine, and I’m wasting time talking about it with you losers. I gotta go.” Shadow shrugged on his suit jacket and started walking toward the door.

  “Maybe you’ll get lucky—isn’t that what happens at that kind of shit?” Bones asked.

  “It’s weddings that people fuck strangers, dude, not engagement parties,” Rags replied.

  “How the hell do you know that? Is there some damn rule book on that?” Bones scrunched his face.

  “Maybe Shadow knows. What is it, dude?” Helm said.

  Ignoring them, Shadow walked out into the blaring sunlight and crossed the parking lot to his Ford Ranger. Normally, he’d hop on his motorcycle, but he didn’t want to arrive at the function dripping in sweat. Even though it was early evening, it was still hot as all hell, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.

  Shadow pulled himself into the driver’s seat, switched on the engine, cranked up the air conditioner, and sped out of the parking lot. As he drove to the Pinewood Country Club, a few chuckles escaped his lips as the voices of the members flitted through his mind. He had to admit they’d let him off easy, and if he had been sitting there and one of them had come into the room looking like he did, Shadow would’ve ribbed him real good.

  “I’m doing this for you, Eli,” he muttered under his breath as he took a left on Willow Road. He’d decided that he’d talk to Eli for a few, be polite to the chick he was marrying—he never could remember her name—have a couple of drinks, and then get the hell out of there. The club was having a big party later that night with several of the brothers coming in from different chapters. Shadow didn’t want to spend his night with a bunch of stuffy suits.

  He pulled up to the front of the club and a guy in his early twenties rushed over to the truck and opened the door for him.

  “Where do I park?” Shadow asked.

  “Just leave your keys in the ignition, sir. What is your name?” The guy held a card and a pen in his hand.

  “I’m not gonna let you drive my truck.”

  The man shook his head. “This is valet. I’ll be careful with your vehicle, sir.”

  Shadow narrowed his gray eyes. “The first thing you need to do is stopping calling me sir, and the second is to step away and just point to where I need to park.”

  “But, sir—” The valet stopped short and looked down at the ground.

  “Fuck, dude, this shouldn’t be complicated.”

  “I … uh …” the young man began.

  “What’s the trouble?” a man in his thirties asked. He wore a red jacket with a name tag that said “Jay Paille – Supervisor.”

  “He doesn’t want me to drive his truck,” the younger man said in a low voice.

  Streaks of anger shot through Shadow and he gripped the steering wheel and inhaled deeply, trying to calm the storm that was beginning to rage inside him. Ever since he could remember, he hated living by arbitrary and stupid rules, something his dad had imposed on their household for pure evil spite. Shadow also didn’t go in for complications; he liked his life simple, his whiskey neat, and his women easy. Drama didn’t do it for him, so his patience at this point was wearing thin. All he wanted to do was park his damn truck, and these two guys were making something so simple into a convoluted mess.

  “Sir,” the supervisor said. “We can’t let you park your own car.”

  Shadow jerked his head at a space to the right. “Is that one free?”

  “Yes, but—”

  Shadow closed the door and pulled into the parking space. He shoved his keys into his pocket and glanced over
at the two men as he walked by the valet station.

  “We’ll need your keys,” the supervisor said.

  “No, you won’t. My truck’s not blocking anything.”

  “This goes against the rules,” the man replied.

  “Rules are for breaking, isn’t that the way the saying goes? I like to live dangerously—I’ll keep my keys.” Chuckling, he strode up the stone sidewalk, then walked inside the country club.

  The sweet scent of roses wrapped around him when he entered the small ballroom, and he spotted several large vases filled with the flowers against the walls and on a small stage at the back of the room. Chandeliers hung from the coffered ceiling, glittering like crystal stalactites. Flickering candles shimmered on numerous round tables that dotted the room. Shadow made his way through a sea of crisp suits and summery cocktail dresses until he reached the bar. After throwing back a tumbler of whiskey, he placed the empty glass on the edge of the counter and walked away.

  “Champagne, sir?”

  Shadow looked sideways and saw a waiter carrying a large tray of flutes. He reached out and took one then jerked his head at the man, who scurried toward a cluster of people standing near the buffet table.

  There were a lot more people at this party than Shadow had expected. From the looks of it, he surmised that the majority of partygoers were from the fiancée’s side. He brought the champagne glass to his lips and glanced around the room in search of Eli.

  “Fuck,” Shadow muttered under his breath as his gaze fell on a woman standing across the room near one of the floor-to-ceiling windows. She was gorgeous. Tall and curvy in all the right places, her golden hair cascaded down her back in waves. His eyes slowly traveled over her body, admiring the way the tight pink dress hugged her so damn deliciously. A slit up the side of the dress revealed a shapely tanned leg that made his mouth go dry. She’s one fuckin’ sexy woman. Shadow knocked back what was left of the champagne, his gaze still fixed on the beauty across the room.

  As if sensing his stare, the woman ran her hands over her bare arms then glanced over. Shadow whistled softly through his teeth as his gaze met hers. Fuck, she’s stunning. The look on her face was rebellious and dangerous and beautiful all at once. Her gaze didn’t waver from his and he liked that. There was something about her that captivated and held him.