Boo! It's the month
of Halloween and creeptastic treasures! I love October. That said, it's also
the time I need to start thinking and doing my holiday shopping. I do not want
a repeat of last year when I waited way too long to get stuff done.
Had a busy week
driving all over the place with my daughter. We had a college visit on Monday.
I picked her up from the district tournament for golf on Wednesday. And I
picked her up from her band competition because she needs to be up and out
early in the morning. I forgot how much windshield time driving gives me. LOL
Not a bad week for
television. I haven't started any of the new seasons of my faves yet. But… I
did finish up Peter Gunn. I have a few ideas of what to replace that slot with
but haven't landed on a specific one yet.
I caught two
episodes of Blue Heelers. I'm still at the beginning of season two but I love
this show. It has a great cast.
I started season
nineteen of Midsomer Murders. I can honestly say I took the death of Sykes
really hard. Seriously. Which is actually kind of sad but, man, that was one
cool dog. The new one, Paddy, is also fun, but I had years' worth of Sykes
antics to enjoy. Anyway… I like the new DS guy but I miss Charlie. I'm watching an
episode with Jones in it and it kind of makes me nostalgic.
I got to watch two
more arcs of Classic Who. The Claws of Axios and Colony in Space. I'll be
starting a new one this week.
I also plan to
watch the new Passionflix movie that released this week. I'm looking forward to
it.
That's pretty much
it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Bad Chemistry, the opening
novella in the Uncivil Revolution series.
Here's the
mini-blurb:
Lex Durban and Charlotte Martin do their best to survive in
new world hierarchy, each with a different kind of target on their back. But
when they have to undertake the dangerous task of moving refugees to a new
location, Lex wants Char to stay behind so only one is in danger, but Char
has other ideas.
And a sneaky peek…
Her rescuer drove at least a
couple hours north out of the city. Char nodded off a few times, exhaustion
claiming its due. She hoped they stopped before nightfall. Her ass ached from
the ride and she'd kill to stretch her legs.
Okay, not the best choice of
thoughts.
Dom didn't do much for
conversation. He'd said nothing since he told her to hang on. Not that talking
would work over the sound of the cycle. Char chose not to think about how fast
they traveled along the road. Everything blurred when they flew past… enough
for her to get dizzy if she tried to focus on an object.
Or maybe hunger made her feel
that way.
An hour later, the bike slowed
down and they turned off onto a bumpy, rutted lane. Char freaked out a little.
On the back of a motorcycle, in the middle of nowhere, with a man she'd never
set eyes on before. She had to be insane.
For all she knew, he could be
leading her to a secluded spot to kill her. Nah. He could've stopped anywhere
on the way. He meant no harm.
"You okay back there?"
Char jumped, his voice
unexpected. She gave a jerky nod. "Yeah. Fine." As long as he didn't
kill her.
The bike hit a deep rut and she
gripped the jacket covering the man tighter. He maneuvered the cycle over to
their right and the ride smoothed out. Another mile or so and he slowed down
again, making a sharp left turn. Char held on and leaned with him, expecting to
continue further onward. It took her a moment to realize he'd rolled to a stop.
He cut the engine. The lack of
motion and sudden quiet brought on a wave of dizziness. Char swayed and Dom
grabbed hold of her thighs to keep her upright.
"Whoa. Stay vertical. Just
for a little bit longer." His foot kicked out the stand and set the bike.
Char let go of him, less shaky now, and unfastened her helmet. She let the
strap dangle and reached up, stretching her arms over her head. Closing her
eyes, she tilted her head side to side. Movement in front made her eyes snap
open.
Dom had removed his helmet and
sunglasses, hanging both on the handlebars. He angled toward her, gaze solemn
when it met hers. His hair, black as midnight, had rough, jagged waves from the
protective head gear. And his eyes, cool and blue, looked tired.
Char licked her lips. "Who
are you?" Stupid question, but she only knew his name… nothing else. And
she really wanted to know.
Dom grabbed her hand and shook
it. "Dom. Marinelli." He let go and continued. "Charlie called
me. Right before—" He stopped and looked away, his mouth thinning down to
a tight frown. Glancing back her way, he finished. "Charlie asked me to
find you and get you to safety."
Tears pricked behind her eyelids.
"Then I thank you." She reached up and removed the borrowed helmet.
"Are you Charlie's outside contact?" She shoved the headgear toward
him.
Dom took it and draped it over
the other handle. "One of them." He eased back and swung a leg over
the barrel of the bike. "But not the one he regularly leaked information
to." Rising, he held out a hand.
She grasped it and all but slid
off the bike in a heap. Dom caught her under the shoulders and kept her standing
on two feet. She leaned into him for a moment then got her legs under her.
"Thanks. Need to walk out
the kinks." She wandered around the area, taking in a tent, a ring of
stones for a fire, and a small stack of something hidden under a big tarp.
Dom went over to the oil cloth
and pulled out several large sized logs. Char decided to help and walked over
to the tree line, gathering smaller twigs for kindling. She made her way to
Dom's side and offered him her findings.
Dom's lips quirked.
"Thanks." He stuffed the bits and pieces under the trio of logs.
Char crouched down beside him and
her stomach growled. "I've never cooked over a fire before, but I'm
willing to learn how."
And learn she did. Pretty basic
stuff, they had canned stew, but Dom taught her how far to hang the pot over
the flames. Not much of an accomplishment, but Char admired his patience. She
worked with test tubes and samples and he seemed to understand.
After cleaning up, they stretched
out by the fire and Char got lost in the flames. She mourned Charlie's loss,
but said a silent thank you.
Dom broke into her thoughts.
"Do you know what you want to do?"
Charlie blinked. "Honestly?
No."
Dom nodded. "You've got a
couple of options. You can try to gain access to one of the other sectors, seek
refuge there. Or you can maybe find a spot in one of the refugee
stations."
Char shuddered. "I'm pretty
sure I'll have a price on my head. Coburn won't want to leave loose ends, and
I'm definitely one of those." She gave him a questioning glance.
"What are the stations?"
Dom gave her a level stare.
"Have you heard the rumors? About the pipeline?"
Char shook her head.
He explained. "All around
the country, families are being displaced. Some are locked out of the cities by
the Sector Police. Some are forcibly removed from their homes in the outlying
areas because the new districts are annexing their property for water and
mineral rights. And some find ways to escape the oppressive atmosphere of the
districts. It's not pretty in most of them."
Charlotte supplied an honest
observation. "I had no idea just how bad things were. I can't believe we
didn't get stopped on our way out of Chicago."
Dom's lips turned up. "I
know three different weak spots in their patrol areas. We slipped out under
their noses."
Char shook her head. "That
seriously makes my head hurt to ponder." She shot him a sideways look.
"I don't know what to do, here."
Dom watched her for a moment.
"Take some time and think about it. I'll take you wherever you'd like to
go."
Charlie felt tears well.
"Are you sure? You did what Charlie and asked and got me out. Everything
else is above and beyond."
Dom shrugged. "I usually
make my way around to the stations anyway. Check in and see who's in charge and
find out if they need anything." He chuckled. "If they do, I find a
way to procure it."
Char's lips quirked. "Do I
want to know how you do that?" She had a pretty good idea.
Dom gave it to her straight.
"I liberate things not in use or left unguarded."
Char laughed. "You're a
damned resourceful man." And she truly liked him. A lot.
I honestly love
this story and how it has kind of grown and spawned a few more ideas. Dom is so
much fun to write the sages decided he needed his own story.
That's it for this
week. Catch everyone on the flipside.
ML Skye
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