Sunday Snippet: The Baracas File

Had a rough week with an ear infection and a cracked tooth. The antibiotic is definitely helping but functioning with a fuzzy brain from discomfort is not fun.

I did get a lot of Batman: The Animated Series episodes in. I started with season one number forty-eight and ended with sixty-four. I'm not all the way through "Paging the Crime Doctor" yet but should finish it up today.

Again, there were a few forgotten but so good episodes. "The Mechanic" and "The Man Who Killed Batman" are two that were excellent. Interestingly, Sid the Squid is mentioned later but it's not the same character from "The Man Who Killed Batman."

Two of my favorite two-parters were in this bunch, "Robin's Reckoning" and "Shadow of the Bat." I loved both. The first because it dives into Dick's backstory and shows how much Bruce and Batman care for Dick / Robin. The second because it introduces Batgirl. Another two-part arc with Ra's and Talia, "The Demon's Quest," is also pretty solid.

I also forgot about the second concluding (I think) episode "Day of the Samurai" that wrapped up Bruce's history with his instructor and rival.

"Zatanna" is another one I always enjoy. I love seeing the journey Bruce took to become Batman. I also enjoyed "Read My Lips" that introduced the ventriloquist. One I forgot about is "Fire From Olympus," which feels a little out of place in the Batman realm but I kind of like it because of that.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from The Baracas File, a novella that puts the characters in a precarious position when they go after corruption.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Briggs Felderzon, an investigative reporter, will stop at nothing to discover what's in the Baracas File, the contents of which results in his brother's death. Myrrh Gold, his brother's partner in the Inter-Stellar Police, decides to help him … but Briggs isn't sure he trusts her.

And a sneaky peek…

Myrrh spent the two days following a departmental debriefing about Zell's death reading the entire contents of the Baracas file.

Two things became very clear. "He died because of me." Inadvertently, but the burden didn't lessen because she'd walked away from her not so straight and narrow family business.

He'd been right about being targets. Obviously. But she'd been so certain no one could possibly know they had the file.

Her fingers practically burned holding the assortment of reports, court documents, and communiqués. "Yet less than five hours after I liberated it, Zell is targeted and eliminated." Only someone in the department would miss it.

The big question? Who? Unless someone did a daily check—and that had to be the case—the file shouldn't have been missed. The plan had been she and Zell would scan the contents and return the bulky package to the evidence room.

Rising from her couch, she paced back and forth. "I got away clean. I know I did." She'd learned from the best and put her skill to use from the age of eight to seventeen.

She kept up with the latest safeguards and equipment, too. As an inter-stellar police officer, she had access to the newest technology. Zell used to challenge her to test her knowledge.

She paused. "Testing my knowledge got him killed." And put her in the line of fire … unless her family connections gave her cover.

Several distant relatives were listed in the file. The ones with ties to organized crime. And one or two appeared to have connections to bigwigs in the police department hierarchy.

She huffed out a breath. "That's new info." And the one person she'd normally share the intelligence with, the only one she trusted, no longer existed.

Sinking back down onto her sofa, she fought a wave of grief. I'll bring down the person who murdered you, Zell. Justice will be served.

If she lived long enough to mete it out…

I like how this story is coming together even if it's a little slow going. We might also see a character or two pop up from other books set in the Queen City universe.

 

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Wait No More

Well, hello May. I'm not quite sure where April went but it's nice to have a nice shiny new month to get started.

Had a very busy work week with lots of movement on my projects. I'm finalizing a few and getting ready to start new ones. I love have a full calendar!

Kind of a slow week for television. The weather got a little nicer and I tried to take advantage of getting outside for a while.

I watched an episode of Peak Practice and it ended up being really good. I think there might end up being a new doctor coming to the practice, which will make things interesting.

Caught another MasterClass with Neil deGrasse Tyson. He spoke of cultural bias and I ended up getting a lot out of the lesson.

Got another episode of Young Wallander: Killer's Shadow in and pieces started falling into place. I loved the reveal at the end of the episode and can't wait to see what happens next. I have a feeling Kurt is going to be on the hot seat through no fault of his own this time.

Enjoyed another episode of The Ready Room. Anthony Rapp is such a fun interviewee to watch and he offered up some great insight into his character.

Watched another episode of Chicago Med and found it kind of interesting. I really love how the episode title tends to be a through line for the whole episode.

Caught another episode of The Snoopy Show and enjoyed it. The three or four vignettes are a lot of fun.

Got another episode of Cuffs in and should be close to the final episode of the season. I'm kind of interested to where they end up leaving things for the characters.

Started season eighteen of Silent Witness and ended up loving it. There's a bit of a different vibe this season and I like how the characters are interacting. I can safely say I really don't like Thomas's wife and I'm kind of hoping there's not going to be a lot of his personal drama. That said, I totally get his concern for his daughter.

Watched another episode of Classic Who and I'm liking how this arc is moving along. Even though the budget for Seven's turn as the Doctor is kind of lacking, the actors do a darn good job with what they have.

Enjoyed another episode of The Laundry Guy. I'm truly hoping there will be more episodes of this show. If not, I guess I can scour YouTube to see if there's anything else with Patric.

Last but not least, I watched the finale of Hawkeye. Really happy with how the season ended. I loved the three-way conclusions and the intermingling with the LARPers. I so hope there will be more of them if another season ends up happening.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Wait No More, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Zoey Blythe pushes Cash Mateson out of her life when she sees how much good he can do as an elected official. Ten years later, their paths cross again and Zoey realizes she should have fought a little harder to stay by Cash's side. Heading up the security detail for Cash's campaign, Zoey feels the spark again, but marriages and careers are on the line, even if she doesn't want to wait anymore.

And a sneaky peek…

Zoey stripped off her clothes to change into something way more comfortable than her standard uniform. "Can't start over where we started." Meaning her in a uniform and Cash in a suit. "That would super-bad mojo."

A knock sounded on the door. Still naked, she debated throwing on a pair of shorts and a tank top, but she didn't expect anyone but Cash. She wrapped a blanket around her then went out to answer.

Cash stood outside. His eyes flared when she greeted him. He entered, never looking away. When he pushed the door shut, the change in the air became electric.

Zoey let the blanket fall; all bets were off this time. Each knew what cards were out on the table. Didn't mean the stakes weren't still high. Their future, whatever they made of it, would ride on what transpired from this moment forward.

Holding her gaze, Cash shrugged out of his jacket and loosened his tie while walking toward the bedroom.

There were still a few glitches, like officially ending his marriage and figuring out what the hell he would do now that the election had been lost. The former … all but a formality. The latter … didn't really matter in the moment. They were both on the same page with that. And each of them ended up where they wanted to be.

Needed to be.

Zoey's hands loosened Cash's belt while he unbuttoned his shirt, pulling the shirttails free. No illusion or pretext. No urgent sense of what-if or pretending this couldn't happen. They were beyond needing to do that now. Each step they took toward each other now would be of their own choice. Feels good.

And right.

Finally.

Zoey pushed Cash's pants and boxers past his hips, while he shed his shirt. Her hands grasped his erection, fondling the hard length as Cash stepped out of the bunched up clothing at his feet. She settled on the mattress and scooted back on the bed, letting her thighs fall open in welcome when he settled over her, pressing kisses along her shoulder and up her throat.

Her head fell back and all thoughts of where the future would go fled. Amazing how easy it is to focus on the here and now when I'm not worried about it anymore. At the moment, her only concern was making Cash feel the depths of pleasure he generated in her.

Running her hands down his back, she flattened them against his butt, urging him to enter, to consummate the feelings they shared. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she lifted her lips to meet his, slipping her tongue in his mouth, moaning deep in her throat.

Raising her groin to meet his, she arched against him, drowning in the sensations that spread throughout her body. Grasping his forearms, Zoey held her held her hips aloft, drawing Cash even deeper inside, every thrust teasing at her clit until she hovered on the brink. Grabbing his thighs, she moaned and cried out on the next inward plunge, shuddering and shaking when an orgasm tore through her.

Cash followed right behind, his body tensed and taut with pleasure when he broke, his ragged breathing coming in harsh gasps. His mouth descended, capturing hers in a kiss very tender and gentle but left no doubt there would be more to follow … as soon as they recovered.

When he settled down beside her, she turned and molded herself to his side, head and hand resting on his heart. His arms wrapped around her, holding her securely, but not tightly. He didn't have to worry she'd be gone in the morning.

They were moving forward, not back.

Together.

Finally.

Zoey and Cash think they have everything sorted out but there might be a few more hurdles to jump before they do.

 

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

 

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Luck Runs Out

The shortest month went by really fast. I can't believe we're headed for March again. It's been such a weird year and I'm actually kind of blown away that it feels like the last twelve months have flown by yet also seemed to last a decade. Seriously.

Had a somewhat busy work week and didn't get a lot of television watched. But I got a few things viewed. Started with Silent Witness and finished up the first episode of season nine.

I actually got two arcs of Classic Who watched. I think I'm almost finished with season thirteen. I like this season. There have been some interesting episodes and I love Elisabeth Sladen a lot.

Caught an episode of Peak Practice. I had to do some downloading with the IMDBTV app to get back into this one. That's what happens when I take a longish break.

As usual, I caught my mystery shows on Ovation and some Classic Perry Mason. Also caught a binge marathon of Hawaii Five-0. I'm hoping to see the last two seasons at some point.

That's pretty much it for television. Tonight's post is from Luck Runs Out, a novella that started with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Domino Montgomery and Webb Wellesley are totally different personally and professionally, but they work seamlessly together. When they land an off world transport assignment, they have to babysit a condemned prisoner and deal with an impish captain who's hiding a wee bit of a secret of his own.

And a sneaky peek…

Domino Montgomery loved her job with the Inter-Stellar Emergency Services Unit. Based out of Queen City, Mars, her work could take her to a penthouse at the top of a skyscraper or down to the tent squats where communal living took on a whole new meaning. Sometimes she even went off planet, when the ISP needed an assist.

Seeing such a broad spectrum of life always held Domino's interest, especially since she grew up around it. "I mean half my family works in the care-giving sector." Domino used to wonder if the thrill and adrenaline rush would taper off or she'd experience burnout. "But I haven't."

Nothing got her juices flowing faster than hearing the tones drop from central dispatch when a call came in. Hell, she'd been almost seven before she realized most normal people ran from burning buildings and the wail of sirens instead of toward them.

"Then again, normal depends on the way a person defines the word." Domino prided herself on not fitting the mold for the standard description. "Who wants to be the same as everyone else?" She sure as hell didn't.

In fact, she'd just returned from an out-packing trip to Mars's equator. The guys on station thought her plan to spend two weeks trekking around and transporting to and from the location in a stripped-out military plane completely insane. Whatever. Domino learned at an early age to enjoy downtime and live life. To the very fullest if possible.

Hence the reason she took her allocation each quarter and found something fun, exciting, and different to experience. "Even if one particular person tries to shit all over my party." Namely Webb Wellesley.

He'd blinked in surprise when he heard her plans. "Do you have a death wish? The equator is half a planet away from here. What if you get stranded?" He'd looked to the other guys, seeking backup.

They all shook their heads. The general consensus being she could do whatever she wanted on her vacation—even if it sounded really out there. Kind of standard for Domino.

And, hey, she made it back with time to spare.

Entering the station, she greeted two of her coworkers and made a beeline for her room, stopping short when she got there. "Oh, hell, no. This will not do." The space had been cleaned to within an inch of its life and the sickly, disgusting green carpet made Domino want to heave.

She dumped her bag and crossed over to the small dresser along the windowless wall, pulling open drawers and flinging clothes out.

Her captain poked his head inside the room. "Montgomery, welcome back." He stepped in and his lips twitched but he said nothing. "Go check your gear. You're up for a prison transport drop run but you'll need to sign off on the equipment first." He started toward the door. "I'll send your ride-along partner to get you for the briefing." He didn't wait for a response.

Domino frowned but grabbed her rucksack and headed out to do as ordered. A prisoner transport should be straightforward. Why did they need a briefing?

This one is going in a direction I didn't expect and the captain isn't playing as much of a role as I thought he would. I love it when the sages throw me curveballs. LOL

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Wait No More

That raging upper respiratory ick from last week is still going strong. I'll be very happy to see the end of this one. But… it made for a good week of television. And my daughter's seventeenth birthday ended up being pretty great.

I started the second episode of Endeavour's fifth season. I truly love this show and I'm enjoying the guest stars also. Caught another episode of The Sarah Conner Chronicles too. I seriously miss that show.

I went ahead and watched the first episode of Roswell, New Mexico. I'm intrigued and it should be fun to watch the reboot and the classic show at the same time. I hope.

Caught a few episodes of Classic Who this week while catching up on dishes and laundry. Also got to watch another episode of Birds of Prey. It's back on the CW Seed app.

I'm almost done with the first season of Pensacola Wings of Gold. I'll probably watch the first few eps of season two and decide from there if I'm going to continue. Caught another episode of Lexx, too.

Watched Gotham's second episode and, man, this show. It really found its footing and embraced the crazy. I'm going to miss it a lot.

Finished the week out with Strike Back and Chicago Fire. Gracie is fast becoming a favorite of mine. She's an amazing character. Also really great to see some character bonding on Chicago Fire.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Wait No More, a novella set in Queen City Mars universe with a tie-in to Furlough 99.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Zoey Blythe pushes Cash Mateson out of her life when she sees how much good he can do as an elected official. Ten years later, their paths cross again and Zoey realizes she should have fought a little harder to stay by Cash's side. Heading up the security detail for Cash's campaign, Zoey feels the spark again, but marriages and careers are on the line, even if she doesn't want to wait anymore.

And a sneaky peek…

Zoey Blythe entered the venue for the political rally and glanced around. Hot guy alert, twelve o'clock. She'd ask him where to find the person heading up this so-called debate between Queen City's two mayoral candidates.

Politics. Definitely not her top choice for a first assignment. Bleh.

She tucked her cover, still bright and shiny, under her arm and crossed the floor, dodging workers that were setting up chairs, and made her way to the incredibly handsome guy. "Excuse me, can I ask a quick question?"  He finished his conversation then turned to face her.

Whoa, boy. Seriously blue eyes gave her a brief once-over. She'd love to see if they changed color during sex.

Stop it, Zoey. You're here to work. Get your head on straight.

He gave her a quick smile. "Hi, can I help you with something?" His voice rumbled from his chest.

Zoey resisted the urge to fan her face and got down to business. "Yeah, I'm looking for a Cash Mateson." The campaign coordinator for one of the hopefuls.

What a boring job. Maybe as dull as working security detail.

The man's smile went lopsided. "It's Ma-te-son." He met her gaze and held it.

I could stare at him for days.

Zoey blinked. "What?" She really needed to stop daydreaming about this guy.

He chuckled. "The name. It's Ma-te-son, not Mate-son." He made the correction with affable grace, like he probably had to often.

Slightly embarrassed, Zoey shrugged. "Oh, um, whatever. I'm Constable Zoey Blythe, here to check in before I start my shift checking badges for the evening's debate." Maybe if she did a decent job, she'd get moved to a more exciting post.

The guy's smile grew wide again. "You're new, right?" He motioned for her to walk with him in the direction of a long table with clipboards littered across the top.

Zoey liked his casual informality. "Gold star for you. Graduated the ISP academy a week ago and got stuck with the shit job right out of the gate." Although, meeting him didn't suck.

He lifted a brow. "Not interested in politics?" He snagged a clipboard and glanced at the list of names on the top page.

Zoey wrinkled her nose. "Hell, no. When I want backstabbing drama, I head down to the wharf and find all I need. Out in the open all nice and neat." She leaned in and lowered her voice. "You can also tell who the good guys and bad guys are without a playlist." Hoping she didn't go too far with the observation, she waited for his reaction.

Her handsome new friend snorted. "Okay, you've got a valid point, there." He checked her name off on the clipboard and thrust his hand forward. "By the way, Cash Mateson. It's good—and refreshing—to meet you."

Zoey shook her head. "Aw, damn. Where's the magic hole that opens up in the floor when I need one." She grasped his palm, giving it a firm shake. "I hope refreshing isn't a code word for 'how soon can I transfer this constable out of here'."

I'm having a lot of fun with this one. I love the challenge of writing a story about people who find their way back to each other.

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Luck Runs Out

Howdy!

After crap tons of rain, we got a really steamy, summery day today. I forgot how the humid air can blast you in the face when you go outside. LOL Relearned very quickly today. J

Tonight's post is from Luck Runs Out, a short novella with characters from Queen City, Mars. This location also features briefly in the Furlough 99 story, Shyler: Finding Home. The sages are whispering they'd like to see Shyler and Marsh, but the story hasn't lent itself to having them make an appearance yet. Maybe a bonus scene/free read can bring the couples together. J

Here's the tagline:

Domino Montgomery and Webb Wellesley are totally different personally and professionally, but they work seamlessly together. When they land an off world transport assignment, they have to babysit a condemned prisoner and deal with an impish captain who's hiding a wee bit of a secret of his own.

And the sneaky peek…

"Wellesley! You got a minute?"

Webb ducked into his captain's office. Even if he didn't have time, he'd make it. He owed the man a debt for choosing Webb's name from the long list of personnel waiting to get into one of the busiest station houses in Queen City.

Captain Bilar Christian sat behind his desk and looked up from the ream of paper, pointing to a chair, indicating Webb should take a seat.  

Webb dropped down and nodded. "What's up, Captain?" His eyes noted the large file and Webb hoped it meant they'd get a new recruit in soon.

It sucked being the new guy for two years running.

Christian leaned forward and got right to the point. "We just received notification regarding a prisoner transport to Venus."

Webb groaned. He'd rather spork his eyes out than spend several days babysitting a criminal on a drop run. He wouldn't be the only one either…no one like making them.

Maybe the captain wanted him to take over as shift supervisor. "And?" He wouldn't voice the question, might jinx himself.

The captain gave it to him straight. "You're going."

Webb leaned back in the seat. "Shit." He sat forward again. "Did I do something to piss you off, Captian?"

Bilar laughed. "No, Webb. You're name popped as next up for the haul. Luck of the draw, I'm afraid."

Webb sighed. "Who's my lucky partner?"

The captain sat back in his seat. "Montgomery."

What? No way.

Webb gave his superior officer a sharp look. "Now I know I did something to make you mad." A thought occurred. "Wait, isn't she on leave?" Anyone would be better than Domino for a transport run.

The captain gave him a grim smile. "Just got back a few hours ago."

Well, shit. Webb made an attempt to squirm out of the detail. "Are you sure someone else—"

Bilar interjected. "Already told her, Webb. She's packing, check that, repacking, as we speak." He rose and gathered the stack of papers. "Go grab her and we'll have a briefing in fifteen."

Poor Webb. He's actually got it bad for Domino…he just won't admit it. LOL

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

ML Skye