Page 189 of Crew
Drake latched onto that movement, his gaze jumping from Cross to me and back again, then dropping and lingering on the hand that still brushed against mine. I felt singed, but Cross didn't move.
"What do you want, Drake?" Cross asked.
Drake flicked his eyes to Jordan, noting the change, but nodded. "Okay. Things have changed around here." Before anyone could respond--or growl in my case--he smiled the most fake smile I'd ever seen on his face. Then it was gone, along with any polite pretense. He stepped closer, right between Jordan and Z, and all amusement left his tone.
"I'm back for my crew, and to take care of my family." He looked over at me. "I don't need to tell any of you that, but I am, as a sign of good faith. I know my brother messed things up, and as a further sign of good faith, I left a present for you at the top of that cliff you guys love so much. It's there just for you, just to show you things will be different under my leadership. I hope you all appreciate it."
He looked at each of us in turn. He was wrapping this in a nice shiny paper, as if he truly meant what he was saying.
I grunted. "We'll see."
His eyes found mine and lingered. "Yes. You will." He stepped back. "Text me when you get there," he told Cross. "I have one more thing to add."
It took us ten minutes.
When we pulled up, Jordan's truck was first, pausing at the mouth of the clearing before pulling over and parking. Cross' truck lights lit the way, and we could see Drake's present.
"What the fuck?"
Cross texted Drake.
His phone buzzed back, almost right away.
He showed the screen to me. Don't kill him. Don't cause any permanent damage. Beyond that, this is my crew sending their apologies for what happened to Taz.
This was payback for her, payback we'd never collected.
In the middle of the lot, sitting cross-legged with his head hanging down, was Alex Ryerson.
Drake had left his brother for a beatdown.
This is the end of Crew, book one.
Stay tuned for book two coming Spring 2019.
And get ready for Heather's book, coming Fall 2018.
More information and more reading can be found at www.tijansbooks.com
If you enjoyed Crew, please leave a review! They help so unbelievably much!
The idea of Crew started a long time ago. I wrote a few chapters. My agent shopped it around. No one wanted it, so I knew I was going to self-publish it, but it was set aside for other projects.
A few months after that, I started Ryan's Bed. I wrote eight chapters, and then set that aside. (That's all explained in the back of that book!) And then eight months later, a new beginning for Crew spoke to me and out came Bren's story.
Bren's life is similar to some of my other characters, but so not at the same time. She really is like a feral wolf at times. She yearns for family, for love, but she puts up a tough shield to break through. She snaps and snarls and she bites back, though not literally. But she's got a heart of gold for who she trusts not to hurt her, and that was the real story for me.
I want to thank all those publishers for passing on Crew, because this might've been a whole different book.
I want to thank my agent for always trusting me to do 'my thing.' Thank you to Nina for helping this book being seen everywhere it is! I want to thank Crystal for becoming someone I rely on so much. I want to thank Eileen, Heather, Autumn, Amanda, Christina, and Pam for helping me out anytime I popped in their private messages. I'd like to thank Elaine for always being so quick with a change in my books. And Jessica for being soooo flexible with me. I know I send you a lot and you're always amenable. It means A LOT! And thank you to Chris, Amy, Paige, and Kara. You guys catch the little details I'd never catch and your suggestions help mold my books every time. Your input is so golden.
Thank you to Katy Evans! Woman, you literally cheered me on with this book. That time we messaged, you have no idea how much I needed to hear some of the encouragement you were giving me.
And last, I want to thank the readers. You all have no idea how you're the rockstars. The support, the cheer, the kindness, the smiles, the happiness--it is so needed on those days where you're questioning everything. A simple post in the reader group might be a little thing to you, but not to us authors. We can't pay someone for that support, so thank YOU!
Okay. I'm wrapping up.
I'm beyond excited for Crew 2. (Not the title!) I hope you guys are too! I hope, hope, hope you enjoyed this one from me.
