The Awakening: A Sisterhood of Spirits Novel by Yvonne Heidt Read Free Book Online

before pale hands and a white face appeared.
    “What, Officer? I wasn’t doing anything.”
    “Get out.”
    The man climbed out slowly. His eyes seemed to be bugging out of his skeletal face. He was emaciated, and his clothes hung from his skinny frame.
    Jordan could almost see him think of one excuse after another, looking for a way out of his predicament.
    Vince kept his flashlight on the man. “Jack.”
    The man grinned, showing black gaps and jagged teeth. “Hey, Officer Abbot.”
    “Aren’t you on probation?”
    The smile disappeared. “Aw, c’mon. I’m not hurting anyone here.”
    Vince’s eyes narrowed. “You know the routine. Hands on the back of the car.”
    “You’re not going to arrest me, are you?”
    “Depends on what I find on your person and in your car, Jackie boy.”
    Jordan pulled evidence bags out of the cruiser. She was certain they would find needles and drugs on this man. You didn’t get to look like a walking corpse tweaking through garbage in the middle of the night any other way.
    Jack leered at her. “You’re new. Want to frisk me instead?”
    Swallowing actual bile at the thought, Jordan snapped on her rubber gloves. “Not happening, Romeo.”
    “What’s this?” Vince asked, pulling a full syringe out of Jack’s pocket along with a small plastic bag of crystal shards. “Jackie, Jackie,” he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm while he continued to empty his pockets of assorted change, buck knife, two large white pills, a little black book, and a melted mini candy bar.
    Vince read Jack his rights and put him in the back of the police car while they waited for the tow truck to take the old car. It too had yielded more needles, empty baggies, old computer parts, and garbage bags of clothes.
    Jordan radioed the jail advising them of incoming. She looked back at Jack and saw he was out cold and drooling. Vince got in the driver’s seat and glanced in the rearview mirror. “Probably been up for days.”
    Having firsthand experience with junkies, Jordan simply nodded and was silent for the rest of the trip into Port Orchard, memorizing landmarks and the locations that Vince pointed out that were known drug dens and hangouts along the way.
    They made two more trips to the jail that night to take in a domestic violence perp and an obnoxious drunk driver. After the paperwork was done near the end of their shift, they drove back to Bremerton.
    “So,” said Vince. “Do you want to talk about the big pink elephant in the room?”
    Surprised, Jordan turned. “What?”
    He continued on in his pleasant voice. “Not that it matters to me. I think you’re going to prove to be a good partner and that you did the right thing by testifying with Internal Affairs. But you know how the rest of the force feels about IA, and there are rumors about what really went down in that alley.”
    The treachery still burned in her chest. No, she didn’t want to discuss it. “Let ’em fucking talk.”
    Vince grinned. “Okay, maybe later.”
    Jordan appreciated him backing off so easily. “Thank you.”
    “No problem. Good shift. See you on Tuesday.”
    Jordan got into her own vehicle. The next two days loomed in front of her, and irritation sat on her tense shoulders before she made a conscious effort to relax them. Rumors, just fucking awesome. As if the reality of being shot by and betrayed by one of their own wasn’t enough dirt to play in.
    Now wasn’t the time for introspection. Yeah, right. Like there will ever be a good time.
    Jordan stopped at the red light, looked out her passenger window, and saw a sporadic beam of light bouncing on the top floor of a house that was otherwise dark. She turned the corner, cut her headlights, and spotted a dark van parked in front. Was that a light shining from under the back door? Suspicious, she unclipped her phone from the visor, ready to call it in.
    Suddenly, the van’s back door swung open, and a tall, dark figure raced to the front door, a