AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Prologue
FINLEY
FINLEY, AGE 17
If you’d askedme two years ago if I’d be handcuffed against a squad car, I would’ve first asked if you realized you were talking to me, the school nerd, and second, told you there wasn’t any dimension where I, Miss Perfect, would be arrested.
Funny how trauma can change the whole trajectory of your life.
I might still be a nerd, but I was far from perfect—current circumstances solidified that fact.
“Do they really need to be so tight?” I huffed, pulling at them.
“You’re lucky it was me, Finley. I know you think this is all fun and games, but kids get shot all the time for doing the stupid shit you do,” Officer Friendly sighed, heavy disappointment in his voice as he read me my rights.
And yes, that was his real name. I often wondered if he went into the profession just because of how it would sound, making him the perpetually good cop?
I’d known him for most of my life, his daughter being part of the same skating club as my brother and… Well, yeah, I didn’t hang out at the skating club much anymore, and Officer Friendly liked to remind me of who I’d been back then. I think he was just tired of arresting me and having to see my parents be even more disappointed in me.
Me too, Officer Friendly, me too.
And yet, here I was, making another reckless decision in order to fill the ever-increasing void in my life. Though, shoplifting, changing grades, making fake IDs, and driving without a license were all minor compared to this.
In the past, I’d always been let off with a warning and a call to my parents to pick me up at the station. But not tonight.
Fudge, I’d messed up. Big time.
Sighing, I banged my head against the window, cursing Blackhawk under my breath. He was supposed to be here, but he and our other teammate, Obsidian, had never shown. I was beginning to think I’d been setup. Shuffling in my red stilettos, I cursed my outfit of choice for the evening.
Double fudge, I was a gullible idiot. Ihadbeen setup. It was official. Finley Reyes was a loser. Blackhawk hadn’t been interested. Just another guy to make me look like an idiot.
“I need to search you; spread your legs,” the female officer said dryly.
Rolling my eyes, I sighed and did as she asked, spreading my legs. I tried not to think about the fact that this cop was getting further than any boy had before. Just another reminder of how much of a loser I was.
“Clean,” she reported before opening the door. “Duck your head.”
I had two seconds to process what she said before my head was pushed forward to get into the car. Climbing in, I tried not to flash the cops as I awkwardly flailed around with my hands behind me. Sitting sideways against the seat, I tried to figure a way out of this mess. When nothing came to mind, I dropped my head and noticed my red dress had risen up, reminding me how stupid I was. I looked more like a hooker than a spy.
Who wore a red cocktail dress with matching stilettos to steal something?
Me, that was who.
The girl who thought it might be her first actual date, but instead, apparently was a setup to take the fall. Not that I was entirely innocent, I’d gone into this mission knowing what I was doing. It was my last test before I was inducted into, The MidKnight Guild, the dark web club I’d stumbled upon a year ago.
Though, since I’d gotten caught, I probably hadn’t passed. I’d just add it to the list of things I’d lost tonight.
My freedom—I was sure to be grounded until I was thirty by my parents after this stunt.
My friends—if you couldn’t hack the initiation, you didn’t belong.
My first crush—it was a pretty clear sign of rejection when the boy you liked let you get arrested.
I couldn’t deny it any longer. I was an absolute mess, and now everyone would know it, too. It was hard to pretend you were okay, hiding behind white lies to everyone you knew, when your guilt would be splashed across the front page of tomorrow’s paper.
I’d like to say I had my reasons, my best friend had disappeared, and no one seemed to care. But at this point, I’d done it for myself. Something about the rush of the job, cracking into a system you weren’t supposed to be in, and taking what you wanted filled my veins with more emotion than I’d felt in years. And I craved it like an addict.
Sariah might’ve been the reason I started, but I kept going because I liked how it made me feel—alive. I just never meant for anyone to get hurt, myself included. It was dumb to think that no one would. I could see that now.
