Sunday Snippet: No Escape

Happy Easter to those who celebrate. For everyone else, I hope your weekend is rocking with good vibes!

We got some terrific news this week. My youngest, who will graduate from university in May, got accepted into grad school! She's so excited and will have a Master of Arts Administration when she finishes.

Had a fairly busy week with work projects. Discovered one ended up with a corrupted file and had to fix some weird, random code that inserted itself into the file. What a pain!

Decent week of viewing television. I'll admit some was mainly background noise while I worked on editing. But not bad overall.

Ended up getting two episodes of The Batman in this week. Enjoyed both and should be on track to catch another one this week.

Also caught two episodes of Classic Rugrats. Weirdly, I remember two but from different episodes. They always did two per show and I distinctly remember one from each of the episodes I watched. Weird.

Watched another episode of My Life Is Murder and, once again, enjoyed it. Dueling bakers isn't something I would normally think of as a premise for murder.

Enjoyed another episode of Midsomer Murders. I have one left for this season and then it's time to wait for more again. Good thing there are plenty of other mysteries to keep me occupied.

Started the new season of Silent Witness. Another new face or two for this season and I'm okay with that. I have a feeling things are going to get very interesting this season.

Caught another episode of Death in Paradise. We're getting closer to Humphrey's exit and Jack's entrance. I'll be able to start Beyond Paradise in the near future.

Watched another episode of Elementary. The new vibe between Holmes and Watson is fun. I'm enjoying a slightly softer version of Sherlock.

Started an episode of Peak Practice. I skipped one because I really didn't care one bit about the whole saga of Andrew and Kate. But it's interesting that Will is back. Should be a wild ride.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from No Escape, a novella that explores what happens after Viable Options.

Here's the miniblurb:

Lissa Albrecht, an unwitting enemy agent, questions everything she believes when she's faced with the reality of what war really looks like. Caught in the heart of enemy territory, she won't give up her secrets … not until she speaks with Matt Kandigan, a former substance addict and the only person who cares if she lives or dies. At least she hopes so.

And a sneaky peek…

Matt Kandigan paced back and forth in the landing bay. "What if Karlin fucks this up?" He needed to close the chapter with Lissa and start a new book.

And he couldn't do that if he didn't see and speak to her. Therapy taught him to face his demons head-on instead of fighting in the shadows. And Lissa ranked as the top challenge he'd ever face. Harder than kicking the stimulants. Tougher than suffering through the withdrawal. Cutting her from his life might be the most difficult thing he'd ever do.

Because he'd fallen for her. Totally. Completely. 10,000 percent.

Raking a hand through his hair, he snorted. "Which makes me the biggest chump in the galaxy." Possibly the entire universe.

"That's not anything new. You've always been a bit of a clod, Matty." Karlin breezed into the space and planted her hands on her hips.

Matt rolled his eyes. "And you've always been a righteous pain in the ass. Good to know that'll never change." He appreciated the levity … he didn't have much to smile about lately. "What's the plan? Do I get some closure or what?" He almost dreaded seeing Lissa again but couldn't move forward until he did.

Karlin gave a nod. "You do. And the plan hasn't changed. You get one visit. Say your goodbyes or whatever." She reached out and grasped his palm. "She knows it's a one-time thing. If she chooses to help, great. But you two are over." Lifting her chin, she met his gaze. "Right?"

Matt jerked his head up and down. "Right. I'm done being an idiot. Lissa won't be able to use me as cover anymore." His heart gave a hard twist in his chest. "I'm sure the admiralty will manage to keep her occupied if she can give them any intel." And keep her out of his reach.

Karlin's head bobbed slowly. "True. They have contingencies in place for defectors." Her eyes narrowed a little. "One of which is a road to becoming one of us if she meets all criteria. What if Lissa goes for that option? How would you feel about that?" Her voice held zero censure.

Which Matt appreciated more than he could say. Karlin didn't trust Lissa almost from the beginning. The lack of judgment now meant a lot.

He did a gut check and took a moment before answering. "I honestly don't know. But I can't base a future on what if." Hell, he considered himself lucky to even have one.

Karlin's lips curved, and she patted him on the shoulder. "Matty, my friend, you're so wrong." She shook her head. "The entire galaxy is basing their future on asking what if." Pointing toward the exit, she lifted her chin. "That includes your enemy-agent girlfriend, who's probably wondering a lot about that question right now. Maybe you should do the same…" She squeezed his bicep and nudged him toward the corridor leading to the containment cells.

Matt slowly made his way forward. His mind filled with possibilities, and they crowded everything else out. No matter what happened, when he met with Lissa, he'd be on a new trajectory, one way or another.

I'm just getting started with this one and I'm excited to see where things go with Matt and Lissa.

 

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

ML Skye