Sunday Snippet: Hart's Masquerade (a Specter Station novella)

It's spooky month!! Kind of happy to the end of September. It was definitely a rough month. October is starting with a few bumps but here's hoping they'll smooth over soon.

Got my new tires and what a difference. Hit a snag with the husband's tires. We can't do two. It's all-wheel drive so they'll only replace all four. Sigh. We now have to wait until this weekend to get them replaced. Tires are expensive.

Had truly lovely weather. Mild temperatures that feel like fall are such a surprise. I'm not holding my breath that we won't end up with a big spike again, so I'm enjoying while I can.

Had a decent work week. Had another super challenging copy edit but got through it. Almost finished up with the evaluation read through. And I might be able to get back to my lingering project, which needs attention. I'm also hoping to make headway on my side project, which I'd really like to launch soon.

Good viewing week. I made it through my usual group of shows. I also included two binge marathons of Death in Paradise. The show makes me happy.

Began with Marple. Interesting episode that had some wild twists and turns. Very fun to see Tom Baker on screen.

Started the new season of Britain's Most Scenic Counties and enjoyed the introduction to Cheshire. Another area I'd love to visit at some point.

Caught another episode of Return to Paradise and enjoyed the mystery. Also really enjoyed seeing Mackenzie try to figure out the appeal of dating apps. Loved the interaction between her and the team also.

Watched an episode of Poirot and I'm really enjoying Ariadne Oliver. She's such a fun character. The mystery also ended up being twisty, which I also enjoyed.

Elementary had a great episode. I'm enjoying Sherlock's challenge with recovering from the concussion. Not sure how I feel about the serial killer getting away. Kind of hoping he gets caught without taking out anyone else.

Enjoyed another episode of Young Justice. I remembered some of this one and liked the pacing of the plot. Always fun to see Wally learn life lessons.

Caught another episode of Star Trek Lower Decks and loved the callbacks to Next Generation and Voyager. This show knows how to pay homage to its ancestors.

That's it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Hart's Masquerade, a Specter Spacestation novella.

Here's the miniblurb:

Wicek Hart deals in precious gemstones throughout the galaxy and he's the premier wholesale supplier for jewelry boutiques. Nettie Strand is an accomplished jewel thief, but only because she's trying to reclaim her family's stolen property. Wicek smells a setup when Nettie applies for the job as spokesperson for the gala event to be held on Specter Station, his new base of operations, during the Lover's Holiday. Nettie knows the business inside and out and Wicek takes a chance by hiring Nettie, if only to keep a very close eye on her actions.

And a sneaky peek…

Wicek liked Nettie Strand and couldn't wait to hear her story.

Nettie rose from the loveseat, her shoulders squared. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Hart." She turned away. "I appreciate it." Taking a step forward, she started for the outer office.

Wicek came to his feet. "Hold on, Ms. Strand." He moved around the ottoman. "Wouldn't you like to know your starting salary?" His lips twitched.

Nettie whipped around. "My what? You're—" She broke off, shaking her head, shock in her eyes.

Wicek grinned. "Yes, I'm hiring you." He waited a beat. "But I have one condition." An important one.

Nettie exhaled slowly and met his gaze. "And that would be…" A note of wary caution entered her voice.

Wicek motioned for her to sit back down. "Tell me why." When she frowned, he clarified "You pulled the heists. You're too intelligent for there not to be a reason, and my guess is it's gotta be a good one."

Nettie's eyes closed and she gave a nod. "I didn't technically steal the nine pieces. I reclaimed them for their rightful owner." Her voice took on a hard edge.

His curiosity went off the chart.

Leaning forward, he withdrew another list. "I did some digging. The items all belonged in a collection owned by the Bettrici family. At least at one time." How did she connect?

Nellie lifted her chin. "That's right. The ownership goes back multiple generations and several centuries."

Wicek cocked his head. "How do you know so much about the collection?"

Nettie huffed out a breath. "That's easy. The listed owner is Sophia Bettrici, and she's my maternal grandmother." She paused a moment, her fingers curling into her palms. "And it's my fault her collection is scattered across the galaxy."

Wicek leaned back and got comfortable. "You might as well tell me all of it then." Yep. She's definitely got a story.

I'm having so much fun with this story and this series. Gotta get cracking so I can get them out into the world.

 

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

ML Skye