Red-Line: The Shift (Volume One) Read Online Free PDF

a feature which consistently irritated Ramsey since he’d never once seen Leroy set foot in a gym or do an ounce of exercise.
    “Leroy,” he said as he came into the room and sat down next to his friend.
    “Sherlock,” Leroy responded.
    “Wow, is it that serious?” asked Ramsey. “You’re not your usual vivacious self, my friend.”
    Leroy’s expression didn’t change. “I did some digging on your assignment for you. I may have an idea as to why Morgana is so interested in this case. Why all of the councilors are interested.”
    “Well, don’t keep me in suspense,” said Ramsey. “Lay it on me. What is it that’s got you and Morgana so squirrely?” Sitting there, he could feel Leroy’s ambivalence. They had been friends for a long time, and he couldn’t recall when he’d seen his friend this concerned. Well, there had been one previous time, but that had been a long time ago.
    “What did they tell you about her?” asked Leroy.
    Ramsey thought about it. “She’s a Gray-Line human, so I’m going to have to be careful not to reveal too much. The Council thinks she could experience some unusual symptoms.” He recalled Sarah’s past from her file. “As expected, her year’s been difficult. Her mother died eight months ago. She lost her corporate job and the family home not long after. For the past five months, she’s been working at the bookstore where her aunt helped her find work. It’s the typical upheaval for anyone about to transition.” He paused. “I was planning on playing this by ear. She could be a simple case, or I might have to get more involved. I’ll have to wait and see.”
    He waited for Leroy to say something. “Well?” he asked. “What is it?”
    “She’s a Shifter,” said Leroy.
    Ramsey stared dumbly at his friend. “Please tell me you’ve got more than that, Leroy, and that I didn’t just drive an hour for you to tell me something you could have told me on the phone. I know that. Why else would the C squad want me on this, when they could have easily gone with another Protector.”
    “It’s more than that.” Leroy stopped for a moment, as if unsure what to say, before finally deciding to be direct. “I think she might be a Red-Line.”
    Ramsey didn’t say anything. After a moment, his smile broke out, his posture relaxed, and he chuckled. “Leroy, what are you talking about? There hasn’t been a Red-Line in over sixty years. It’s not possible. You know that.”
    Leroy did not respond in kind, his expression remaining sober. “It’s possible,” he said. “I haven’t figured it all out yet. Don’t know the how or why, but I think that’s what she is.”
    Ramsey sat still, judging whether or not his friend had taken some sort of behaviorally altering substance. He knew of Red-Lines because two of them still lived and were on the current council, although how much longer they would last was questionable. They weren’t spring chickens, so to speak. He tried to imagine how such a thing could happen, but he couldn’t wrap his mind around it. The two still alive were the only ones who’d survived, leaving only Gray-Lines to exist on the planet. Even now, the reason for the untimely deaths of the Red-Lines years ago remained a mystery.
    “You’re not making sense, Leroy. If that were the case, the Council would’ve taken her off the streets months ago. They’d be handling it personally. They sure as hell wouldn’t give her to me. That’s the last thing they’d do.”
    “Is it?” asked Leroy, leaning forward. “Think about it, Sherlock. They don’t want to draw attention to her. If she is what I think, she’s the first female Red-Line in a very long time. We don’t know what she’s capable of, and likely neither does the Council. The two Reds left remember little from the past and are basically figureheads now. She may be the key to answering questions about our people we wouldn’t even think of asking. If they bring her in and handle it