Sunday Snippet: Specter's Masquerade

Okay, I forgot to mention Strike Back last week. I seriously want the female antagonist to die a slow, painful death. It can happen anytime now. LOL

The Dread Doctors on Teen Wolf are creeping me out. Something tells me Peter is going to be involved, which is actually quite okay with me. He makes a good villain.

Defiance had a great episode. I really love the smaller personal beats paired with the big, somewhat sweeping arcs this season. Great stuff. Killjoys is heating up, too. Can't wait to see next week's episode. And Dark Matter did the impossible by adding a layer of emotional nuance to Three. I'm surprised and thrilled. LOL

The Last Ship took a turn I totally didn't expect and I love it. I enjoy how the new characters are being worked in without taking a lot away from the established ones. And, seriously, Tex rules. Just saying.

Tonight's post is from Specter's Masquerade, a novella with sexy intrigue and a masquerade ball.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Jana Newberry starts her new position as head of security on the Specter Spacestation under fire. She walks into the job two days before the biggest gala event of the solar year, a threat is made on the personnel, including the principal owner of the station, Maddox Specter, all while fighting her attraction for the sexy entrepreneur.

And a sneaky peek…

Jana Newberry squared her shoulders and entered the main security hub of Specter Spacestation. Conversations ground to a halt and weapons were drawn.

She quirked an eyebrow. "Is that any way to greet your new Chief of Security?" Her hand reached for her shiny new credentials. "Jana Newberry, reporting."

Several mouths dropped open and everyone started talking at once.

"No one said we were getting a new chief."

"Who decided to hire a newb two days before a gala event?"

"Holy hell… the wife is going to have a stroke. She thinks I'm the new chief."

Jana's gaze swept over the assembled group, seeking out the last commenter. She found a tall, lanky man with frazzled red hair shaking his head, his eyes closed. Another quick study and Jana got a decent handle on the steaming pile she'd apparently walked into.

Striding across the space, she held out her hand. "Ned Granger? Acting chief?" His firm grip when he grasped her palm kicked her respect up a notch. "I believe we should have an immediate briefing, would you agree?"

He gave a sheepish grin. "Yes, uh…" He lifted a shoulder. "I'm not sure what you want to be called."

Jana jerked her head toward a small alcove in the corner. "How about we start with Jana and figure out titles later?" She ducked into the small room, discovering it served a myriad of purposes.

Interrogation room, witness holding area, secondary comms section, and quite possibly overnight accommodations if the sliding panels on the back wall hid a sleeping berth. Jana admired the ingenious use of space, her keen observation taking in small details along with the broader implications of how the central hub could be used. She liked the set-up, currently the only thing she could put in the plus column.

Ned shuffled in and hovered, clearly uncomfortable. "Jana it is then. I'm so sorry you were greeted with side arms." He frowned. "We had no idea the board filled the position… at the worst possible time if you don't mind me saying so." He pulled out a chair and sank down, his shoulders slumped.

Jana leaned against the wall, one booted foot braced for support. "First, you don't need to apologize. Clearly I walked into a situation where the right hand has no damned clue what the left hand is doing." She crossed her arms over her chest. "I'll be taking that up with the Chief Station Operator in about five minutes." She met Ned's gaze. "Gala event? Give me the bullet points so I can go in armed with information."

Ned straightened. "It's an annual event. A masquerade affair with the whole station involved. Everyone from level one to the top executives wear costumes." His lips curved in a half-smile. "My wife says it's the one reason she's willing to stay out here with me." His gaze met Jana's. "Living on a spacestation can get lonely, even one as busy as ours. She always looks forward to the big gala."

Jana nodded. "I can understand the appeal even if I'm not a big fan myself." She moved away from the wall. "My first order of business is to straighten out this whole debacle. Why anyone thought bringing me in two days before a huge party boggles my mind. The timing couldn't be worse." Moving to stand by the table, she met Ned's gaze. "I don't want my arrival to be any more awkward than it already is, but I'm ready to kick ass and take names." She squared her shoulders. "Starting with Maddox Specter."

To be fair, Maddox is less than thrilled his board hired someone without informing him, but he'll have to do some fancy footwork to avoid the wrath of Jana.

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye