Sunday Snippet: Guarded Chance

Final Sunday of August. I'm kind of looking forward to the fall season even if it's going to very different. With a global pandemic and an election coming up, I don't think it'll be the lovely season I always look forward to. That said, cooler temperatures will be welcome. Even though it hasn't been overly hot this summer, I really love the crisp air of fall.

Had a decent week of office reorganization and not a bad one for television viewing, considering I had no power for twenty-one hours thanks to a thunderstorm with wicked nasty lightning. A tree not far from our house got struck and it took out a couple of pole transformers. We were really lucky that we caught a break from the heat of the day before.

Not a bad week for television viewing but not great either. I caught an episode of Peak Practice and enjoyed it. I'm halfway through the second season.

Watched the third episode of Ms. Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries and it's definitely my favorite of the four episodes. I love the sci-fi feel and the background with Bertie.

Caught the Classic Who run of Genesis of the Daleks arc. I've seen this group of episode before and enjoyed them. It's especially fun because New Who brought in big tie-in to these episodes.

Also watched another episode of Danger Man. I'm on the last two available on Amazon, which makes me sad.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Guarded Chance, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Echo Dart, a brilliant soldier but hot mess of a woman, becomes a captive of the enemy who try to recondition her for their purposes. During the process she realizes there's only one person who has ever touched her soul, Race Markinton. But she's already burned the relationship bridge with Race and once she's free, she has to figure out how to make amends or lose him for good.

And a sneaky peek…

Echo followed the twisted and confusing path of hallways, hitting a dead end three times before she got herself headed in the right direction. The eerie silence and lack of personnel explained by the swiveling cameras she avoided with training and stealth. She turned yet another corner and found herself … stuck.

Completely, utterly stuck. She'd made it out of the stupid maze of corridors, navigated around the blasted motion detectors only to hit a brick wall. Literally. The doors might be smooth, clear glass, but they looked at least six inches thick. And she knew they'd be reinforced with some high tech material she'd never be able to pronounce.

"Dammit, dammit, dammit. Now what?" Giving up, she sank to the floor, resting her head on her knees.

No way would she go back. When the staff found her, they'd have to kill her. She did not have the drive to hold out anymore.

Lifting her head, she gazed through the doors. So damned close. At least she'd see the sun and sky, green leafy trees ones last time. Hell, even the prickly scrub brush surrounding the complex looked good.

She rolled her eyes. "Geez, how lame." She shook her head, letting it rest on the wall behind her.

So tired, yet she didn’t want to sit still. Loathe to give up the view of the outside, she kept her eyes trained on the doors. The illusion of freedom, almost within her reach, acted as a comforting balm.

Echo caught a flash of movement outside the perimeter of the clearing. "Wait … that can't be right." Another flash, barely perceptible, but there nonetheless. "What the hell?" Scrabbling on her knees, she got up close to the door, squinting against the sunlight spilling through.

Holy hell … a lone figure, a man, stealthily made his way toward the compound. Criminy … it couldn't be—oh, yes, it could—tears pricked behind her eyelids. A wave of emotion almost knocked her back.

"Race."

Race had come for her.

He edged closer, taking cover behind the plentiful sage brush with each forward move. Reaching the wire mesh fence surrounding the clearing, he climbed up and over, avoiding the nasty barbs at the top. His long legs ate the space between the barrier and the building with a mad dash across. Echo almost felt his back hit the bricks when he reached the wall.

Tears streaming, unbidden, down her cheeks, she actually laughed when he ducked around to look inside and his jaw dropped. He hadn't expected to find her practically waiting on his arrival. Why would he?

He blinked and recovered quickly, moving to stand in front of the glass. His eyes scanned for surveillance equipment. Finding none, he placed a hand on the door and Echo's rose to meet it.

Six inches. The only thing separating them … physically. The rest … well, who knew? God, he looked good. Tired, ragged, but so damned good. A feast for her eyes.

Race didn't bother trying the door. Digging into his vest pocket, he motioned for her to take cover and stuck a small incendiary device in the center of the clear surface. Echo moved several yards away, turned and ducked down, covering her head with her hands.

The explosion barely registered before Race scooped her up and carried her over the shattered glass and out to freedom. The palpable relief hit her so strongly she almost blacked out. Race's lips brushed over her hair, his strong arms holding her close. Echo clung, longer than necessary, but God, he felt so solid and real she couldn't help it. And for once she understood the notion of taking strength from someone else. Training kicked in and she wriggled down, ready to run.

Making sure she was steady, his lips quirked. "Figures you pretty much rescued yourself. You never cease to amaze, Echo."

She let out a shaky laugh. "Yeah, well, I didn't much like the company." Her gazed dropped and she hoped she hid the pain and uncertainty from him.

Race lifted her chin and gave her long look, but he didn’t push. They had to get moving. He silently led the way, dropping proximity mines behind them. Reaching the fence, Echo started to climb, uncaring if the metal shredded her bare feet. Raced tugged her down and quickly cut through the mesh, shoving her through and following once she got clear. He walked fifty yards due east, her hot on his heels, then stopped and uncovered a rucksack. Reaching inside, he pulled out a pair of boots, socks stuffed inside, and a set of fatigues.

The damn man thought of everything.

Using hand motions and a quiet voice, Race told her where to find the egress point in case they got separated. Fat chance of that. She stuck to him like glue.

Weak from the ordeal, the hike away from the compound took its toll, but Echo managed to hold it together. Shoving the haunting memories of the past aside, she refused to think about anything but the broad shoulders and hard ass in front of her. And not in a sexual way. The hard body represented her freedom and she wouldn't quit on Race now. He'd risked his life to come for her. That had to mean something. And she finally wanted to have a long overdue conversation about what.

This story is taking some interesting twists and I'm completely here for them. I like it sages throw something unexpected into the mix.

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

ML Skye