Sunday Snippet: Good for the Soul

We're almost to the end of August and it's been a month. I'm glad we're closing in on the last quarter of the year. 2020 definitely provided a roller coaster ride. And we're not quite through yet.

Had a solid week of work and reorganizing. Made some terrific progress on the office clean out. Got two of my six bookcases put together and shredded a bunch of old stuff I don't need to keep anymore. I still have a buttload of shredding to do but progress is progress.

Got a little bit of viewing done this week, mostly Danger Man episodes. I wanted to finish season three then realized there are only two episodes of season four. I'm disappointed.

I also did a couple of marathon viewings on Ovation. The morning mysteries are a lot of fun and the Monday block of A Place to Call Home is pretty good also. I also caught Partners in Crime, which ended up being better than I thought.

That's pretty much it for television. Tonight's post is from Good for the Soul, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Dex Thurgood has ideals he upholds and wants to keep it that way. But when he's forced to confront a sinister underground trade leader, he has to face his darker nature to bust up the extortion racket, which won't be easy because Ramsey Markum knows one of Dex's deeply buried secrets. Lana Denman steps up to help Dex deal with the fallout of not being perfect.

And a sneaky peek…

Sitting in the transport, Dex observed Leon's open-mouthed awe as the child stared intently out the window. Amazed at his resilience, he seemed to have bounced back from the last few days relatively unscathed. Dex hoped the arrangements he’d made for Darcene and her son were part of the something good. The duo would head to Queen City where Darcene would oversee helping other families in the same situation as hers.

Darcene unbuckled her safety harness and moved to the seat next to him. "You haven't said much and I didn't want to ask in front of Leon, but Ramsey's dead isn't he?"

Dex slid his gaze toward her and nodded. "Yeah." He adjusted the straps on his restraint.

She placed her hand on his forearm. "I'm sorry. For dragging you into this, for telling him about Erica, for, well, everything. You trusted me and I let you down."

"No, you didn't. Markum already knew about Erica. Used to be in business with her father back when he kept a foot in the legitimate world."

Clearly surprised, Darcene commented. "I still gave him the information. Or at least confirmed it."

Dex shook his head. "Look. You didn't have much choice. I get that." He looked back at Leon again. "Don't be twisted up over it."

His driver gave him a heads-up. "Arriving in five, sir."

Dex motioned for Darcene to strap in again. He settled back and listened to the driver request clearance.

When they entered the base, Darcene held Leon's hand along with the boy's small overnight bag. It contained the medication that put Darcene in dire financial straits and prompted her to work off the payment in trade.

She stopped just outside the transport. "You did a good thing. Some of us have a chance now."

Dex shrugged. "There were other ways. I could've chosen a different option." He frowned. "Instead I went with the easiest option." Things always went wrong when he took the easy route.

Darcene tsked. "Perhaps, you think so." Her gaze swept the activity in the huge garage. "And maybe you're feeling the weight of your decision, but others wouldn't. So many of them wouldn't give a damn about a woman and her kid or how they ended up in our situation." Turning to face him, she met his gaze and arched a brow. "And ask yourself this—could you live with yourself if another child got used?" She lowered her voice, hoping to keep Leon from hearing.

Dex didn't have an answer. He had trouble living with right now.

"It would've gotten worse, Dex. You stopped Markum before it could." Her free hand reached out and clasped his. "That does mean something."

He still didn't respond. Couldn't at the moment. Too many thoughts crowded his head.

Darcene flashed Dex an understanding smile. “Go to her, Dex.” She paused and Leon tugged at her sleeve so they could leave. “Give her a chance to fill the empty spots.” Leaning forward, she kissed his cheek. “What more do you have to lose?” Turning, she let her excited son lead her toward the petty officer who waited to show them to quarters.

Darcene had pegged things both right and wrong. Right in that he didn’t have anything else to lose. His ideals were gone. By killing Ramsey, Dex had compromised himself to the point he had no room to judge others. The chancellor, his father, Lana. Things weren’t as black and white as they used to be.

If nothing else, getting to the bottom of the black market showed him how much the shades of gray saved as well as how much they cost. Just how compromised they all were. Every last one of them.

He got it now. He really did.

And oddly, he could live with the new reality he faced … maybe more so now after everything else that had happened.

The part he worried about living with? Telling Lana. Everything. Because the drama went way back … to before the attacks. And he sort of understood where she'd been coming from now … the guilt she had over Mac … for not letting him go out as soon as the battle started. He'd been the first casualty … and Dex's best friend. She considered his death on her head.

I know the feeling. But he'd buried his guilt. Deep.

This story keeps taking twists and turns I didn't expect. It's actually a mess right now, but I've got a block of time scheduled to tear it all apart and piece it back together.

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

ML Skye