Never Too Late (Fever's Edge #7) - Lynn Hagen

Chapter One

Shane Blackburn was going to die. He sat on the floor, his back to the wall, scared out of his mind. He’d followed his brother to his last known location and had stepped into a shitstorm. No one believed that Shane was innocent, that he had nothing to do with whatever was going on.

“Sheriff Greeley is on his way,” the tall guy who looked like a biker said. The guy had long black hair, light gray eyes, and a goatee. He also wore a leather jacket and biker boots. “I took the time to call him on my way here.”

Shit. Shane had never been involved with cops, not when they were sicced on him, and he was ready to wet himself. He would be arrested for something he had no part of. Yet again Shane had followed Damien to try and keep his brother out of trouble, and yet again Shane was in hot water.

When was he ever going to learn? Shane just needed to cut his losses and wash his hands of Damien.

“What?” the guy with dirty-blond hair asked.

“Nothing.” The stranger who looked the scariest of them all shook his head. “Nothing at all.”

Shane raised his hand. “I swear I wasn’t a part of this. I only ended up here because this was the last location on Damien’s phone when I tracked it. Can I go now?”

He had to convince these men that he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. This was Shane’s life story. For as far back as he could remember he’d been trying to keep his brother Damien out of trouble. Damien was a good seven years older than Shane, but it was Shane who had always had the common sense.

Their parents had pretty much given up on Damien, washing their hands of his waywardness. And when Shane tried to defend his brother, tried to clean up his messes, their parents had finally tired of Shane enabling Damien and had given up on him, too.

The guy with dirty-blond hair glared at Shane. “No, you can’t go.”

Shane jumped to his feet. “But I didn’t do anything wrong except try to keep my brother out of trouble. I don’t want to die because of his screw-up. I’m just a cashier. If I were in on this, wouldn’t I have money? Trust me, I’m not rich, and I would never sell anyone, no matter if they were human or other. That’s just wrong.”

Shane stiffened when the dangerous one moved closer. Not the dirty-blond or the biker guy or even the one with whiskey-colored eyes. The one who studied Shane a little too closely. The one who made Shane think of hot, passionate nights on a beach.

Mr. Danger.

Was he going to knock Shane around to shut him up? Shane didn’t like the way the guy was looking at him.

Then he moved so fast that Shane didn’t have time to register what he was doing. Mr. Danger threw Shane behind him as Shane heard something hit the floor.

When he peeked around Mr. Danger, he saw Reaper crumple. Reaper, the guy who Damien had stupidly fell into trouble with and the reason Shane was in the cannery plant in the first place.

Reaper wasn’t moving. Shane slapped a hand over his mouth, stopping the scream from escaping. The guy with whiskey-colored eyes had just killed Reaper.

Was Shane next? Was this his fate? Shane did not want to end up on the floor next to Reaper. He was still freaking out that Reaper had said he was selling vampires and shifters. Did those creatures really exist? Shane had to have gotten into a car accident on his way here and was in some strange dream.

This couldn’t be real. It just couldn’t.

And even if it were, Shane had been accused of being in on selling people. He couldn’t think of a more despicable thing to do. He wouldn’t have the heart or guts to sell his own enemies, let alone strangers.

Oh god. He was going to pass out. Too much was happening and he hadn’t been given any time to process any of this. This was the worst thing Damien had ever gotten himself into, and now Shane was going to pay for his brother’s sins.

“I’ll get the men out of the cells,” the dirty-blond said. “If you don’t mind, you can take care of these humans.”

Humans. Shane really was going to be sick. What crazy dark world had he stepped into? Up felt down and his head was spinning. He