September is off to
an okay start. Still feeling a little off … not really frustrated more like
being stuck in limbo yet feeling like there's something that needs to be done.
It's weird.
Had several
thunderstorms roll through, which did a lot of back and forth with the temperatures.
Today is cool and sunny, but midweek was steamy hot. Pretty sure it'll get to
boiling again in the near future.
Not a bad work
week. Finished up the proofread and started a new copy edit. I had a great call
with a new author, and I'll be starting on a manuscript evaluation this week.
Really excited about this book. Also had some breakthroughs on several of my WIPs,
which is always a bonus!
Had a decent
viewing week. I made it through my usual slate of shows and binged some Death
in Paradise again. This show has kind of nudged Midsomer Murders out
of the top spot of my go-to shows.
Started the week
off with Marple and, again, I really enjoyed the mystery. Kind of fun to
see Tommy and Tuppence in their later years.
Watched another
episode of Britain's Most Scenic Counties. I enjoy seeing all the green
areas in Kent. Also loved seeing the different types of boating available.
Caught another Beyond
Paradise. Loved that Kelby's girl actually made it to Shipton Abbot. Kind
of hated the awkwardness of the dinner party Anne threw with Mister Smith. But
I loved the vague ending when Humphrey went to confront Smith with his
decision. Methinks Smith let something very important slip during the dinner.
Can't wait to see if I'm right.
The Halloween
themed episode of Poirot ended up being such a fun ride. Well, as fun as
murder can be anyway. So many twists and turns.
Elementary ended up being pretty interesting. I'm kind
of holding my breath with the small clues and hints about the possible serial killer
luring Sherlock into a dangerous situation. Also kind of interested in Joan's
situation with becoming a mom.
Watched another episode
of Young Justice. Thoroughly enjoyed the fallout from the training exercise
and also loved seeing Connor interact with the New Genesis team.
Caught another episode
of Star Trek Lower Decks and once again loved it. This show is so good.
That's it for the
life update this week. Tonight's post is from Guarded Chance, a novella
about how a couple navigates their way back to each other after a terrible
situation.
Here's the
miniblurb:
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…
Wilson Prewitt hated the position
he'd been put in. Echo gone, the base commander breathing down his neck, and
the man Echo couldn't let go of looking like he'd happily shove his fist down
Wilson's throat if he didn't start talking in the next three seconds.
Wilson figured he'd better just
spit it all out. "It's my fault. I thought—" He stopped and shook his
head. "It doesn't matter. I was fed a bunch of lies."
Race looked toward his father.
"Is he going to start making sense any time soon, Dad?"
The elder Markinton nodded.
"He'd better. I warned him you wouldn't be patient." Rick shot Wilson
a stern glower.
Wilson blurted, "I handed Echo
over to the enemy." He cowered back into the seat, expecting two hands
around his throat at any moment.
Race blinked and his head jerked to
the side. "You did what?"
The quiet tone did nothing to ease
Wilson's fear.
"I don't think I heard it
right. You handed Echo over to the
enemy?" Race snorted. "No one hands Echo anywhere. She'd fight or die
trying."
Markinton didn't have all the
pieces yet. But he would.
"She didn't have a choice. I
used a neurotoxin to immobilize her."
Wilson shrank back further when
Race leaned forward, his face an unreadable mask.
The other man studied Wilson for a
moment. "You better explain yourself, quickly, if you want to live."
Wilson complied. As if he had any
other option. The Markinton men didn't make idle threats.
Wilson dropped his gaze, looking at
the floor. "I wanted Echo to love me." He finally glanced up and
managed not to flinch when he continued. "The enemy raiders have had Echo
on their radar since the rebels altered their tactics and started gaining
ground. Since it happened after we moved to the camp, they assumed it was based
on her instruction." And they weren't wrong. "At first, they left us
alone. Echo never talked about serving in the military and neither of us missed
our shifts at the power plant. We were making a life and building friendships,
the stuff typical couples do." He didn't miss the clenched fist of Echo's
former lover.
Wilson wanted to take a measure of
satisfaction from the action, but reality reared its ugly head. If any of them
wanted to see Echo again, Race had to get on board with trying to find her. The
elder Markinton made it clear Wilson didn't stand a chance on his own.
He cleared his throat.
"Anyway, that's when the trouble started. Things were fine until the enemy
started launching attacks—"
Race cut in. "Look, spare us
the sob story and get to the part where you handed Echo over to said enemy
because I'm not seeing a reason to get involved here." He leaned back and
folded his arms across his chest.
Wilson closed his eyes for a
moment. "The short answer is the writing's been on the wall for a while
now with Echo. She's not exactly subtle when she's not happy about
something." Not even their shared experience broke the steely-eyed
countenance of the man across from him. "That's when two men approached me
one night after I got off work. They knew about her helping the rebels, knew
about the problems in our civil union, and made an offer I couldn't
refuse." He stopped; corrected. "Thought I couldn't refuse. They
wanted to try a new technique on someone who used to be military but not
currently serving for obvious reasons." Namely anyone on an active roster
would be listed as missing. "If I gave them Echo, they'd return her with a
whole new outlook on life, me, our union. They pretty much guaranteed she'd be
mine for life." What an idiot he'd been.
And nothing he said seemed to shake
the chilled rage coming from Race. Wilson wanted to bolt; he freaked out a little
by the level of coldness that crept into Race's gaze. With each new revelation,
more icy shards filled in the blue irises until Wilson would swear the
temperature in the room dropped a couple of degrees. Unable to deal with the
frigid vibes, he shifted his attention to the elder Markinton.
Rick shook his head. "They're
going to break her." He pinned Wilson with a hard stare. "And you
knew, somewhere in the deep crevices of your mind, you knew." He got up
and stalked back and forth. "If they succeed with Echo, turning her
against us with drugs or programming protocols—" He broke off, his fists
clenched at his sides.
Race finished the thought.
"We're fucked." He met his dad's gaze. "And they'll use both.
Don't doubt that for a moment." He swung his attention back to Wilson.
"If you have any hope of staying alive, you'll find somewhere to start
over. Because the men you gave Echo to … won't need you if they succeed. And if
they fail, they'll clean house by killing her and you." He barely kept the
disgust out of his tone. "But first, you're going to get the hell out of
my quarters and give me time to come to terms with how badly you betrayed
her." He got up and crossed over to the hatch.
Wilson followed, shrinking an inch
with each step he took. Not physically, obviously, but internally where all the
wrong he'd done heavily weighed.
He paused at the threshold.
"How long do you—"
Race pointed. "I'll let you
know. The old man will show you where you can park your ass—well away from
me—until I'm ready." He turned away and addressed his dad. "That a
problem for you?"
Rick lifted his chin a notch.
"I'll find a place for him. Contact me when you're ready." He crossed
the space and nudged Wilson out of room.
Without another word, Wilson fell
into step beside the elder Markinton. What else could he do? He didn't dare ask
whether Race would actually go after Echo.
Even if Wilson would give his left
nut to know the answer.
I loved writing this scene. Sometimes inserting a point of
view that isn't the main character(s) can add a lot of weight to the story.
That's it for this
week. Catch everyone on the flipside.
ML Skye
