Detroit After Dark Series by K.S. Adkins

My name is Venessa Cross. I'm a Detroit DJ with issues. I know it, my friends know it, and even the enemy knows it. The problem is, now the Detroit Police Department knows it, too. I was wrong to think my nighttime activities would go unnoticed. Eventually I wound up on his radar. He lives for the law, I exist outside of it. I expected the rules to change, but I didn't expect that one simple handshake would also change… everything else... moreMy name is Venessa Cross. I'm a Detroit DJ with issues. I know it, my friends know it, and even the enemy knows it. The problem is, now the Detroit Police Department knows it, too. I was wrong to think my nighttime activities would go unnoticed. Eventually I wound up on his radar. He lives for the law, I exist outside of it. I expected the rules to change, but I didn't expect that one simple handshake would also change… everything else. When he's assigned to protect me, he gets a back stage pass to my world. Now I make him question the very oath he stands for, and I hate myself for it. I’m convinced I’ll ruin him. Yet, he wants to save me. If you thought the streets of Detroit were brutal, you haven’t seen me in action. Follow me and watch me do what the police can't: deliver punishment. My name is Venessa Cross. I am justice. less

My name is Jules Allen. I’m a street kid who let the military turn me into a killer. When a professional favor brings me home, I find myself forced to deal with a city that spit me out, a man that couldn’t be bothered to keep his promises, and friends who’ve gone through changes I never saw coming. I haven’t had a lot of opportunities or people that care about me, so anytime I’ve had either I’ve done everything possible to make the most of ‘em... moreMy name is Jules Allen. I’m a street kid who let the military turn me into a killer. When a professional favor brings me home, I find myself forced to deal with a city that spit me out, a man that couldn’t be bothered to keep his promises, and friends who’ve gone through changes I never saw coming. I haven’t had a lot of opportunities or people that care about me, so anytime I’ve had either I’ve done everything possible to make the most of ‘em. Now I’ve got a husband who’s more likely to be an ex than anything else, a career on the verge of collapsing, and a thousand reasons to give up on all the people that need me. But that’s not me. When I commit, I see things through, and I don’t bother to explain myself along the way. When I flip the switch, I move mountains with explosive intensity or glacial patience… whatever it takes. So when I see my calm, collected, and non-confrontational club owning husband Maxwell show off his crazy side, I can’t help but wonder if I’ve been wrong about him all along. And why I hope that I was. less

My name is Macy Kowalski. I'm a registered nurse, a pharmaceutical scientist, a founding member of the Detroit Police Department’s barely-legal Shadow Squad, and a walking case study in 21st century man problems. I like things calm and orderly. I have a soft spot for people, so I spend my days developing a formula to help cancer patients escape their suffering... moreMy name is Macy Kowalski. I'm a registered nurse, a pharmaceutical scientist, a founding member of the Detroit Police Department’s barely-legal Shadow Squad, and a walking case study in 21st century man problems. I like things calm and orderly. I have a soft spot for people, so I spend my days developing a formula to help cancer patients escape their suffering. My research has caught the eye of some dangerous members of the self-medicating community, and now I have to make sure my plans aren’t polluted by unsavory people who’d rather destroy me, my friends, and my city. By night I have a part-time partner and full-time guardian, Detective Jonas Rafe, fellow member of the Shadow Squad. He is as volatile and unpredictable as anything I’ve ever dealt with in a lab. I’m smart enough to protect myself when handling chemicals, but I’m still learning when it comes to him. He’s sweet when his mouth is closed, but there’s no way to prepare for when it opens. In time, his actions speak louder than his words, and though I vowed to never put my trust in another cop, he makes me want to take chances. He’s the law, and he wants to protect me. They all do. But I’m neither as fragile nor as pure as he wants me to be. I’m a nerd with a gun fetish. I’m tired of observing, and it’s time for me to be in on the action. When he finds out what I've been up to in Detroit after dark, our relationship is tested, loyalties are divided, and lives are put in jeopardy. When our team is under fire, Jonas will finally see the real me. When he does, will he see what he wants to see, or will he be the one who finally breaks me? My name is Macy Kowalski. I am a brawler. less

My name is Lina Tomek. I have a laundry list of issues, but the biggest is simple: I am a human lie detector. Literally. It isn't something I picked up on the streets or a cheap parlor trick someone decided to teach me. I was born with this curse and made a career out of it. Now I live in the depths of loneliness, rejection, and abandonment, all because I know what a lie feels like. Truth be told – and with me, it always is – it’s driving me out of my mind... moreMy name is Lina Tomek. I have a laundry list of issues, but the biggest is simple: I am a human lie detector. Literally. It isn't something I picked up on the streets or a cheap parlor trick someone decided to teach me. I was born with this curse and made a career out of it. Now I live in the depths of loneliness, rejection, and abandonment, all because I know what a lie feels like. Truth be told – and with me, it always is – it’s driving me out of my mind. You've already met my friends Venessa, Macy and Jules, but the fight for our city didn't end with them. In fact, it was gearing up. Detroit needed to get right, and I knew I had to light the fuse, even though it meant embracing the ability I hate. Blinded by my need for the truth, I made a deal with a tall, determined, ultra secretive male rocking designer clothes and lethal eyes. His name is Anthony Gallo, and though he spoke no lies, I could still sense a hidden agenda. Turns out that agenda is me. When a girl with nothing is finally given something she knows is real, you best not try and take it. To protect it she does what any girl from the streets would do... She goes ballistic less

You may not have heard of me, but no worries. Detroit knows me. I’m the old money that new money tries to be. Elite company that you wish you could be in. But if you’re ever lucky enough to get to see my life up close, you’d find that what I want more than anything is to be like you. No privileges. No status. No trust funds. The life I have, the same you seek, is costing me and I knew of only one way out. My escape was the reason for my downfall. Death... moreYou may not have heard of me, but no worries. Detroit knows me. I’m the old money that new money tries to be. Elite company that you wish you could be in. But if you’re ever lucky enough to get to see my life up close, you’d find that what I want more than anything is to be like you. No privileges. No status. No trust funds. The life I have, the same you seek, is costing me and I knew of only one way out. My escape was the reason for my downfall. Death. When I’m finally close to it, I meet the man who attempts the impossible. He tries to convince me to live. She is a job, the final payment for a debt owed. I’m not supposed to want her, but I have to have her. When she offers me money to kill her, I make her a deal instead. Now I’ve got seven days to change her mind or risk losing her forever. Convincing Bet to live will be the toughest job I’ve ever had. The payoff will be worth it… as long as we both live to see it. less