MY RIDE is a BITCH Snippet 10 of …
TQB Base – Colorado, USA
Mason held his wife’s hand and carried Anne. For a twelve-year-old, she was still quite small and light.
Thank God.
His arm was dying a second time.
“Mason,” Sheila whispered, “what is happening?”
The family had time to spend together, to just enjoying being a family. The lady here at the base had provided all of the food they wanted. Anne had sat in Sheila’s lap the whole time. No matter how much Mason tried to convince Anne differently, she was sure that her mom had been taken because she’d been ugly to her. Mason had tried to tell her, that is what girls did.
Now that Anne had her mom back, she was the most obedient daughter ever. Or at least until she wasn’t scared anymore of her mom being taken again.
Which led Mason back to Sheila’s question.
“We are going to TQB’s home base,” he equivocated, “I’m to speak to the CEO.”
“I thought the lady said you need to speak to the Queen?” Sheila asked as they followed Jasmin out of the main office doors into the early evenings darkening skies.
“Same person, apparently,” Mason said, “Her group has pulled off of Earth, so she is setting a Monarchy.”
“Why does she want you?” Sheila continued.
Mason noticed the black shipping container with two men, both with weapons, standing at the back, one door open.
“I think she wants answers,” Mason admitted.
“Why did they help us, is it your job?” Sheila asked, “I know I’m not supposed to ask, but you have to give me something here. Those men were looking for information from you.”
“Yes, they did and no, I don’t think they were helping us because of my job. I don’t know why they are helping us.”
Anne squirmed in his arm and lifted her blond head, “I asked.”
“What?” Mason said, looking down, “Asked who?”
Anne flipped her head, blew on some errant strands and then used her left hand to pull the last hair out of her face, “I sent a letter to Ms. Bethany Anne, asking for help.”
“How did you do that?” Mason asked.
“I heard the men talk to you when Mom first disappeared. I used my crayons to write a letter and send it. No one at school asked me about it, well Josephine made fun of me a little saying I was writing to Santa Claus.”
Sheila chuckled, “I imagine she did.”
Jasmin nodded to the two men, “These are the three the Queen wants to speak with, VIP soft delivery.”
“Aye ma’am, VIP soft delivery,” answered the first guy. He was blond with huge arms, Sheila noted. He smiled to the family.
“My name is Scott,” he nodded to the other gentleman with him, “He is Darryl. Trust me when I say you will absolutely be safe with us.”
“Not to be rude,” Mason asked, “but in a container?”
Scott grinned and turned his hand over and pointed up, “No. The Queen said VIP soft delivery.”
Mason and Sheila looked up. There were four sleek fighters hovering a hundred feet in the air. “Are those…” Mason’s question stopped.
“Yes, those are Black Eagles,” Darryl spoke for the first time. “There is nothing on this Earth, that I’m aware of, that is going to get through your guard. The Queen wants you safe. We tend to go overboard for her.”
“I see…that.” Mason admitted. His group had tried to pull as much information about these ships as they could. With what he did know about them, and what he knew about his own group’s abilities, he had to agree with Darryl.
These four planes could probably decimate a small country.
Darryl spoke up again, “Sorry, we don’t have our best quality multi-seat Pods yet. Those are in production. But, if you would jump on board? We need to be over on the ArchAngel in about twenty-five minutes before we drop back in.”
“Drop in…where?” Sheila asked as Mason stepped ahead of her and into the large black rectangular box.
“The gravity well,” Darryl answered, “We need to be prepared for Bethany Anne’s introduction in a couple of hours.”
Scott closed the door behind the group as Darryl made sure everyone was getting clipped in correctly. This Container, modified for larger groups, had fifteen seats on each side of the long walls.
“Sorry sweetie,” Darryl said, his voice soft, “but we can’t let you sit in your Dad’s lap. It’s against regulations.”
Sheila watched as Anne stood up and sat between her parents, “Am I going to get to meet Ms. Anne?”
“Hmm?” Darryl asked as he carefully belted in the fragile looking little girl, “Ms. Anne? Oh, sorry, her full name is Bethany Anne.”
“Well then, what is her last name?” Anne asked, “I thought my first name was her last name, that is kind of embarrassing.”
Mason noticed the man was huge as he stood up, “No, you share parts of your first name,” Darryl told his daughter. “Trust me, your letter got to Bethany Anne just fine young lady and I’m sure she will speak with you after her next meeting.”
“Who is she meeting with?” Anne asked as Darryl crossed to the other side and buckled in a seat apart from Scott who was talking with someone sub vocally.
“The Japanese Leadership and Royalty,” Darryl answered.
FROM MICHAEL >>> So, I’m writing this right after publishing the last snippet. So, I really don’t have much ‘new’ to say ;-). I’m going to schedule this snippet to go live tonight some time. I’d say I was sure, but I have never really figured out (perfectly) WordPresses scheduling system.
I’m kind of annoyed about that. The not figuring it out part because I SHOULD be able to. It seems to be based on maybe server time? Right now, it’s 8:33 my time, and the scheduling is for 13:33. So, five hours ahead of me. Which is…Off the east coast somewhere. I don’t think my servers are ON the East Coast… dammit. I still don’t know where they pick up the time from.
Stupid Computer Programmers. (Good thing I’m not one anymore 😉 )
I hope you have a FANTASTIC weekend (what is left of it).
Michael
MY RIDE is a BITCH Snippet 09 of …
QBS ArchAngel – Above Japan
Tabitha’s Pod slowly moved through the gravitic shield blocking the air from leaving the Pod bay on the Archangel. She noticed Barnabas waiting for her as the Pod settled down and the doors cracked open. She unclipped herself and smiled to him.
“Hey you, Big ‘B’!” Her grin grew a little bit when she noticed Barnabas frowned a little at her new nickname for him. She had decided that if she was going to live for the next few hundred years, she was going to do her dead level best to tweak him just a little bit each and every month. Her newest effort, you always have to be hacking and testing what you think might work, was giving him little pet names. She wasn’t sure if this was going to last for more than a couple of months, or hell, it could last well into the next century.
Barnabas turned his grimace into a smile, understanding that she had just laid down a challenge. “Hello Tabitha, I trust your trip was enjoyable?”
She followed him as he walked towards the Pod bay exit. He looked over his shoulder at her and asked, “Do you know why we wanted you to join us here on the ArchAngel?”
She shrugged, “Honestly, Big B, I figure you’ve got something that needs accomplishing, and you need just the right sass and ass to get the job done.”
Barnabas hung his head. Tabitha might be more of a challenge than he had ever encountered in his many, many centuries. “I don’t recall too many ladies ever telling me that they have the right, and I quote, sass and ass, to get the job done. Usually, they tell men to stop looking down there and that their faces are up here.”
Tabitha shrugged, “Hey, I can’t help it if European women don’t understand just how overpowered they are compared to men. We not only have the brains, but we also have the bodies to confuse the best of them and, in the fog of war, men are putty in our hands.” She thought for a second, “Ok, some women have the brains, not every one of us.”
When Tabitha had finally caught up, so that she was walking beside him, he asked, “the fog of war, Tabitha?”
“Sure, anytime a man is around an attractive woman, it’s war. You might not think it, but their wives know it, their girlfriends know it. It just happens. It’s chemical. Do I have to pull up the physiological books to discuss this with you? I would think after a thousand years this would be old news to you. Hell, you’re practically a cadaver that’s walking around.”
Barnabas snorted. “I am not, nor have I ever been, a cadaver,” he stated.
Oh, this is so delicious. She just gave herself three points, and she was up five to two so far. He had earned two secret points for making her catch up to him.
“Big B, I bet I wasn’t even alive the last time you got horizontal and did the mambo. I’m probably willing to bet you weren’t even assaulting with a friendly weapon when my parents were children.”
“Tabitha, please remember I was living in a monastery until relatively recently. What are you talking about?”
“Buttering the biscuit? Checking the oil? How about doing squat thrusts in the cucumber patch? No? Damn number one, just how long were you in that cave? All right let’s try filling the cream doughnut? No? Posting a letter? Of course not, you probably don’t even remember or know what letters are.”
Barnabas grunted, “Yes Tabitha, I have been around to know what letters are. You do realize letters are something that happened many centuries ago, yes?”
She had to be up twelve to two, at least.
“Fine, I’ll try to see how far back I can go. Latina women are good at euphemisms, and I have a ton. I’m just trying to remember which ones an old dried up husk of a man like you might know. So, let’s try this Dr. Acula – how about shrimping the barbie? Oh crap, that’s something from Australia, never mind. Slamming the clam? Taking old one eye to the optometrist? Sorry, I forgot an optometrist is the last couple of hundred years. How about something more fantasy driven. Let’s try taking the bald headed gnome for a stroll in the misty forest? No? Taking the magic bus to Manchester? Here’s one for someone of your age, how about cleaning the cobwebs with the womb broom? Fuck, Big B, didn’t you ever just screw a chick?”
Tabitha finally realized that Barnabas was barely hiding a smirk on his face. His eyes, however, gave him away. “How long have you known what I was talking about?” She asked, annoyance coloring her voice.
He finally let loose with the smile he had been holding, “Since five to two.”
“What?” She asked, confused. “Hey, I didn’t say that out loud…” she stopped in the hallway as Barnabas kept walking. She closed her eyes, “Fuuuuuck!”
She forgot he could read minds.
She jogged to catch up to him and find out about her new case, right after she tried to apologize…if only a little.
FROM MICHAEL >>> I hate allergies. Like, seriously. My wife suffers from them (horribly) and I’ve only been moderately bothered over the last few years, however over here in the Dallas / Fort Worth area Ragweed spiked early this week and it floored me. It started Tuesday night and by Wednesday night I was dying (I think it turned into something else, I thought it felt like a fever…so, I’m not a doctor and all…) Anyway, by Thursday the medicines were mostly effective and Friday as well. Moving around and mostly just doing my thing if a little slower.
Until the massive afternoon nap on Friday, that is. That’s when I realized I was a walking weak person. 🙂
So, I’m going to try and slow down this weekend (still writing, pushing chapters 7 and 8 to the editing team and moving forward and all – got to get out the next Book! Woohoo!)
By the way, THANK YOU SO MUCH for jumping on Barry Hutchinson’s Space Team book, you guys have MADE his week, I assure you. He was up to over 100 pre-orders for his book, a first for him and is he ever excited ;-).
Want to read a short about Michael’s first few days? Don’t forget you can in GLIMPSED – an anthology (FREE) Here: Glimpse_Amazon_US. I am excited to admit that the cover of Michael’s coming 4-book series The Second Dark Ages (set after book 14 in The Kurtherian Gambit and ending at the same time as TKG 21 (hint, hint)) is being worked on right now.
Michael made a promise, and death isn’t going to be able to hold him down.
Planning for a pre-order setup for The Dark Messiah and trust me, I think you WILL be surprised in with the setting ;-)…At least, I hope so.
Have you read Tabitha’s Short yet? Do you like Tabitha? Her little brand of humor? You can read about 8,000 words of it in the BEYOND THE STAR’S – At Worlds Edge (Free in KU, $3.99 to buy) with other authors such as Nick Webb, Chris Fox, E.E. Giorgi and many others. Check out the book on Amazon here: TabithasVacation.
Want to peruse the latest Kindle Paperwhite for Military author list? It is here (new one coming soon!) http://kurtherianbooks.com/2016/09/16/rhr_03_sept_15_2016/
Next snippet coming out tonight or tomorrow morning 😉
As always, THANK YOU for supporting me, these books, the other Indie Authors and each other as we go about changing the Universe, one book at a time!
Michael
MY RIDE IS A BITCH Snippet 08 of …
UNEDITED
TQB Base, Colorado – USA
Mason Jayden woke up, his arm numb from Anne’s grip holding it tight like she had. He heard people coming down the hall. His mind foggy, he was trying to remember how he and his daughter had ended up in the meeting room and realized he must have only nodded off for a few minutes.
Then he heard it, he heard her voice, “Shiela?” he whispered. He couldn’t quite make out the voice speaking, it was still too far away, but Mason thought it was his wife. Mason looked down to figure out how to extricate himself from his daughter, but she was already waking up.
“Mom?” She called out, eyes half-closed, “MOM?”
She pushed her chair back when they both heard a ‘baby?’ come from down the hallway and another, louder, “Mason?”
Mason’s chair shot back to the wall, he grabbed Anne’s hand as they reached the door and came around to see Shiela running down the hall, crying. The family reunion was intense as the three hugged, all crying pretty loudly.
“Ma’am?”
Bethany Anne turned around. She and John had left some personal space for the three to reunite. “Yes?”
The woman, one of the base logistics and planning employees who had been helping smiled, “Ma’am, what do you want me to do for the family?”
Bethany Anne turned towards the family. John noticed she frowned and whispered to herself, “I hate this.”
Her eyes went vacant for a second, then she frowned as her eyes came back into focus. “Well, fuckity fuck.” She sighed, “Call ArchAngel. We need this family with us,” she told her, “John and I will grab Ashur from the cafeteria and head out. When Mason asks, tell him the Queen has said she will be able to protect his family much better than those who failed him.”
“Yes ma’am.” She said.
“C’mon John, let’s fetch the white wonder dog and get back to the AA.”
The two walked past the woman, who continued allowing the family some personal space. She listened to them talking as they walked down the hall.
“Did I understand,” he started, “that Ashur is looking for a bitch or is that your idea?”
“Nice, nice play on words, Mr. Grimes.”
“I try my best when speaking to trophy wives,” he snorted.
“John,” she heard Bethany Anne say as the two tracked around a corner, “I swear if you keep up that shit, payback will be a bitch.”
“Oh, you pray to him, too?” his voice trailed off.
FROM MICHAEL >>> We keep plugging along, and now I’m down sick…Da##it! I had plans to be another couple of chapters to my editing team, and all I’m good to do is cutting and pasting this stuff up to Amazon for my awesome fans.
I really, really want my own Pod Doc right now!
I am looking so forward to reading this book below, just because of his covers (you need to see both, I find them hilarious). Barry (Hutchison, the author – name drop!) has been kind enough to allow myself and my awesome fans access to DOWNLOAD THE BOOK FOR FREE.
If you like it, please consider offering a review and certainly, if you are up on Kindle Unlimited, another read through helps as well.
Check it out, let me know what you think!
Space Team – Screwing up the galaxy, so you don’t have to
Cal Carver is having a bad day. Imprisoned and forced to share a cell with a cannibalistic serial killer, Cal thinks things can’t possibly get any worse.
He is wrong.
It’s not until two-thirds of the human race is wiped out and Cal is abducted by aliens that his day reallystarts to go downhill.
Whisked across the galaxy, Cal is thrown into a team of some of the sector’s most notorious villains and scumbags. Their mission should be simple enough, but as one screw-up leads to another, they find themselves in a frantic battle to save an entire alien civilization – and its god – from total annihilation.
A hilarious, fast-paced space adventure from the author the Independent calls “the new Terry Pratchett.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THIS FOR FREE (At least, for the next couple of days until it releases…)
My Ride is a Bitch Snippet 07 of …
UNEDITED!
Etheric
The three men could hear the voices before they could discern the vague outlines of two people walking towards them.
They heard a woman’s voice, “I’m saying that killing them here is easier to clean up. As in, there isn’t any clean up.”
A third figure became a little distinct trailing the first two. They heard a chuff from a dog come through the mist.
The gargantuan figure beside her, his voice deeper seemed to be trying to argue for the three of them.
“I understand you didn’t like returning and getting singed in the fire.”
Another chuff.
“You either, Ashur.”
“I might have been unlucky enough to come back into a broken piece of wall, that would have been a real downer.”
The two were getting closer.
“How come you guys didn’t?”
“I can peek out, now. I’ve figured out how to barely look and make sure. The fucking fire was still damned hot. That shit burns like a motherfucker.” She was close enough for the three men to discern her features. “Ah, here are my three camel tea-baggers now.”
The dog stopped and laid down on the ground.
“So, where is the wife?” She asked the three of them. All of them kept their mouths shut.
“Oh? You are so out of your league, penis tips, that life as you know it doesn’t exist. You aren’t even school grade sports against a pro. This is like a pro team against a tank full of goldfish.”
She looked the three of them over and then added, “dead goldfish.” She looked to her left, then her right and reached under her jacket and pulled out a scabbarded short sword, “You know, for some reason there is this misunderstanding that good people should be nice to Gosse Schweine such as yourself. Personally, I don’t agree and since my overly large friend here,” she thumbed the man next to her, “really isn’t my conscience and this isn’t a good-cop bad-cop routine like you are thinking, you can all kiss my ass.” There was a chuff behind her, “I know, stay back, you hate getting blood out of your coat.”
She took the scabbard off, “Eenie meanie miney moe, Dieter my friend, you can go.” She was ten feet away and then Gunter and Klaus jumped back, because she had stabbed Dieter through the gut with her sword. Her left hand was choking him, as she easily held him off the ground, while he struggled. She looked over her shoulder and spoke to the man behind her, “I told you, much cleaner here.”
The big man shrugged, “All I said is it would be easier to get the wife’s location from people that were alive, even if you had to leave them alive.”
When she turned around, Gunter and Klaus took another involuntary step back. The figure in front of them was from a nightmare. Her face had red glowing eyes, her teeth had grown, and she smiled at them like they were snacks. “I never said I had to have live people to get my answers, John. I can always ask them when I kill them the second time.”
“She’s in a warehouse!” Gunter screamed, “On the East side out by Green Valley in Vegas, I swear!”
“Shut up, Gunter.” Klaus hissed, “That is our only negotiation card.” Scared or not, Klaus knew that the woman was one thing that might get them out of this predicament.
Dieter had stopped struggling in her grip. His lifeless body still lifted above the ground, his blood puddling at her feet. She seemed to finally notice he had expired. “That was uneventful,” she acted annoyed and tossed the body. Both men were shocked. Dieter’s lifeless body had been tossed twenty feet away into the mist. She never noticed his weight.
She took a step towards the two men, “Who paid you to do this?”
Klaus spoke up, “Will you let us go if we tell you what we know?” His voice, usually assured, was cracking.
“Klaus Weber,” her voice changed, softer but unyielding, “stand still and tell me what you know. Who paid you to do this?”
Klaus bit down hard, trying to keep the information to himself. He kept hearing her command resonating in his mind, he played what he would say to her over and over and finally stopped thinking about it when she said, “That is enough, you don’t need to tell me multiple times.”
Her man spoke, “Bethany Anne, we don’t have time to track all of this down right now. We need to get back to the ArchAngel. We have a meeting with the Japanese pretty soon.”
She looked disgusted, “Ok … fine. I don’t think this prick knows anything, sounds like a typical dark web merc job. I know someone bored who needs something to do.”
Why? What do trophy wives do except check on truant children and blow up houses?
Shut. Up. TOM.
Klaus, aghast that he had been talking the whole time he thought he was keeping the secrets to himself never saw the flick of the blade that cut his head off. Gunter, his mouth open as Klaus’s body dropped to the ground, finally recognized she was cleaning her sword on Klaus’s shirt.
Her face, eyes normal, looked up to him, “and now, we come to miney moe.”
FROM MICHAEL >>> Ok, life is passing strange at times. Eventually, I’ll explain but for right now I can say I went on an unplanned trip to Vegas on Friday for the weekend for other reasons than the obvious, although I did get a little gambling (I mean, giving the casino money for the rooms by playing their games). Then, on Saturday, I noticed I left my laptop power brick back in Texas.
Sum-bitch!
So, I had 20% power and NEEDED the laptop to not go dark while I was there for business reasons. So, no writing or much social stuff (which is business BTW), either. SORRY!
I will be pretty busy for clients next 48 hours … then should be back on track by Thursday…So, GO GO GO!
If you didn’t see the stuff on the Authors / Readers helping Military books for this edition, check it out!
BE BACK SOON WITH ANOTHER SNIPPET!
MY RIDE IS A BITCH Snippet 06 of …
UNEDITED!
One half day’s march from Shennongjia Peak, Hubei
Bai leaned back against a tree, pushing his pack into a small area between the branches, allowing him to take some of the weight off of his back. Zhu nodded to his friend as he came up.
Bai said, “Any idea if our trackers have any clue where we are going?”
Zhu nodded, “Yes, we were chosen to take the second group. I listened in on the conversations and it seems that there were some who met this group. They stopped for a little while and then left.”
“That’s good, right? That makes them slow down and we won’t have to follow them too far?” Bai asked.
Zhu shook his head, “Bai, they stopped and had a meeting with something that joined them with cat’s tracks our hunter said. He wasn’t happy about it at all.”
“Why not? We know they can turn into some sort of werecat, what is their problem? We all have some silver on us.”
“Bai, what do cats do more than most animals,” Zhu looked into the forest, looking up into the limbs in the trees above them.
Bai followed his friends glance and thought about it. “They hunt.”
Zhu nodded, “They hunt. And now, they are hunting us with the intellect of a human and a cat.”
“That’s not good,” Bai agreed, trying to peer harder into the foliage above them. “You think they are setting up a trap?”
Zhu looked at his friend, “Jian told Shun and myself to count on it.”
Bai nodded and checked his rifle, making sure his silver rounds were loaded for the fourth time this morning.
Etheric
“I’m saying,” Gunter ground out, “How do we know she wasn’t lying to us?”
“Do you know where the fuck we are?” Klaus asked, looking into the grayness tracking in every direction, “I can’t see shit. Neither can either of you. So, she says she would find us unless we moved.”
“Like I trust that woman with anything! Have you finally figured out who she is?”
“Yes, I know where I saw her face,” Klaus admitted.
“And?” Gunter pushed.
“She is the head of TQB,” Klaus looked into the distance, but nothing changed for him. He still couldn’t see anything, like looking through fog on a cold morning.
“What kind of shit does she have if she can send us to some other part of the Earth,” Dieter snapped his fingers, “like that?”
“What makes you think,” Klaus asked, turning to Dieter, “that we are on Earth?”
TQB Base – Colorado, USA
Mason accepted a cup of coffee from Jasmin. She had taken him and his daughter from the room where they had appeared after the gray … place.
Now, he was sitting at a meeting table, with Anne asleep in the chair next to him, her head on his shoulder. Her arms were wrapped around his, making sure he didn’t move while she slept.
He knew his job was super secret, but honestly hadn’t thought it would ever affect his wife or his children. Now, the reality of how casually he had played with their safety shamed him. The last week and a half had been a nightmare.
With some of the secret technology he worked on, he had never expected to be so easily awed by the abilities of someone outside the group he worked with.
Mason wished he had some paper, or something to write his thoughts down. He kept going through the events, trying to sear them into his long term memory. Maybe one day he would understand the technology she must have used to accomplish the act.
He had let her in the house when the dog had taken off upstairs. He couldn’t let Anne off of her bed, or the bombs would go off. He had run after the dog and stumbled on the steps. Like he had been pushed aside.
Pushed…aside.
His face tightened up. Did she run by him that fast?
He made it up the stairs to see the woman already in the room, speaking in a quick, clipped voice to the dog. She hadn’t moved Anne yet, but she noticed him running into the room. She popped him on his forehead, and he remembered gray. Then, she was there with Anne and the dog, “We have to go,” she told him and gave him Anne. When he took Anne, she grabbed his arm and the dog again.
And then the four of them were in a rock room. “Wait here,” she said in a commanding voice, “someone will come get you.”
Then, gone again.
Where the hell was he supposed to go? He was still holding Anne tight to his chest, just holding her as she cried, when there was a knock on the door hard enough to get his attention. He opened the door and a woman brought them to this meeting room and then brought the two of them some breakfast.
Anne fell asleep and here he was, wondering what would happen to Shiela, now.
FROM MICHAEL >>> DAMN, I should give you an update what is happening, but I could be a little too early. Suffice to say I’m in Vegas, and not for gambling (although I have won a $100 playing before I got to work this morning…Woohoo Vegas, You’re My Bitch!) ….
Yeah, probably not for too long.
OUR THIRD PAGE for readers helping the military is UP with 16 books! Please, go check it out and if any of the books appeal to you, just click and go to Amazon.
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CLICK HERE TO SEE THE BOOKS!
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Readers Helping Readers Third EDITION! Mid Sept, 2016
There is always the next email which might have a book you like. – Michael
The Hunter of Voramis is the perfect assassin:
Ruthless, Unrelenting, Immortal.
In Kindle Unlimited.
Fantasy is my genre of choice, and I love to explore the darker side of human nature through the filter of fantasy heroes, villains, and everything in between
Logan is fighting a different kind of battle; one no one realizes he’s in. While he’s focused on managing his PTSD, something much more sinister enters his world and he must battle to save Samantha’s life and their growing love.
Lori Ryan is a NY Times and USA Today bestselling author who writes romantic suspense and contemporary romance.
A dead planet. A rogue AI.
A secret mission.
Tara Royce’s first day as the Academy’s newest Earth Defense Engineer was anything but ordinary.
************
In Kindle Unlimited.
Preferring spaceships to airplanes, he has settled into his little slice of rainforest paradise, escaping reality through Science Fiction.
What would you do if you’re suffering from gangrene and help is NOT on the way?
What natural remedy can you grow to help to stop bleeding or help to arrest heart attacks?
This book answers these questions and more!
Are you ready to break free, take control and to rely on yourself?
Jill writes under the pen name Jill b.
Amanda Graham inherited a rundown bed and breakfast, a starving cat, and some dead guy who’s buried in her garden!
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In Kindle Unlimited.
I’ve been writing and making stories in my head as early as I can remember. In third grade I came home, set my lunchbox down, and told my mother I wanted to be a writer. Luckily, Mom was supportive.
Kaylin has been on the run, hiding her untapped abilities for six years, but rescuing a mysterious young man risks exposing the depths of her power. Life has never been easy, but fighting back is even harder.
************
In Kindle Unlimited.
An author of sci-fi and young adult fiction. After several years in the Pacific Northwest, he recently returned to his native southern California to focus on writing.
Mercy Kincaid is a fugitive from her own family. Her dangerous telepathic gifts make her a target. So is anyone she gets close to. When her best friend is captured and tortured, Mercy’s only hope is to reunite with the family that tried to murder her as a child.
************
In Kindle Unlimited.
Carysa Locke is the pseudonym for writing team Carysa Locke and MaLea Holt.
Their obsession with pirates and adventure goes back many years, when they started another hobby together – costuming.
The Hudson’s were the perfect couple, the ideal for all other couples. But when Clark and Abigail lose their most precious gift, that perfection begins to slip away right before their eyes.
************
In Kindle Unlimited.
When she’s not writing, she spends her time watching movies and hanging out with her family.
Meet the stars of the hit TV show Destiny in An Unconventional Meeting, the first of the Fangirl books; a series of books dedicated to women over thirty who love TV shows, computer games, the internet, and everything else geeky!
************
In Kindle Unlimited.
E. V. Darcy is a high school teacher. When Evie isn’t writing (or planning lessons!) you can find her binge watching shows, playing computer games, walking her dog, or trying to fathom how to make her next cosplay!
The end of the world is just a game.
Dark forces are at play in Apoc Hill. The inhabitants will become unwilling pawns in an ancient game between the darkness and the light. An ancient game that could see the entire world laid waste.
************
In Kindle Unlimited.
Matthew Stott writes strange stories.
Influenced by the likes of seminal TV show ‘Doctor Who’, and writers Neil Gaiman and Stephen King, he crafts stories full of creep, wonder, fantasy, and adventure.
The life Charlie’s built in space ends suddenly when she finds out her brother is alive and needs her help. And she needs to get revenge on the alien who took everything from her.
In a broken world, Charlie has to find the strength to save her brother, her planet, and herself.
Creating stories has been a part of her life since she could form coherent sentences. In addition to writing fiction, she is also a songwriter and loves playing the guitar.
A-SIST
Anthropomorphic Sentient Individualized Servile uniT.
Rogan is a robot. More specifically, he is an Asist – a personalized humanoid servant that provides protection, assistance, and companionship for a lonely young woman living on her own in the city.
************
In Kindle Unlimited.
Her favorite genres to tackle are Young and Clean New Adult with a supernatural element…though she generally steers clear of vampires and werewolves.
For now.
She acts like she’s your new best friend, but is she really a deadly enemy?
************
In Kindle Unlimited.
Lorna Dounaeva is a quirky British crime writer who once challenged a Flamenco troupe to a dance-off. She is a politics graduate and worked for the British Home Office for a number of years, before turning to crime fiction.
When a Demon werewolf attacks you in a New York Alleyway, and you fight back with Magic you didn’t know existed, it’s fair to say life’s going to change a bit!
************
In Kindle Unlimited.
As I started a family and gaming became something I didn’t have time for any more, I knew i wanted to do something with the characters that I had created.
My first book, Epic Calling in the The Magi Saga series is a direct result of wanting to keep telling those stories.
They call me a thief. A murderer. The killer of worlds.
The people who know the truth call me the Saint of Shadows.
I didn’t set out to destroy the world, but somebody had to do it.
************
In Kindle Unlimited.
Unfortunately Mr. Witt hasn’t shared any information with us at this time.
Ripped from Earth by a horrifying translocation accident, Eliana Fisk finds herself stranded on a strange planet whose denizens want her as a human sacrifice.
************
In Kindle Unlimited.
Matthew Gilbert Herron writes science fiction thriller stories. His first novel, The Auriga Project, was published in 2015.
My Ride is a Bitch Snippet 05 of …
UNEDITED
“She is a school helper?” Gunter asked, puzzled.
“American school’s get paid by how many children are in the classroom each day. It is very expensive for local school district when a child is out sick.” Klaus explained as he walked into the room, adjusting his holster and slipping in his pistol.
“This could be a problem,” Dieter explained. “We only need him to go to work one last time. Do we snatch her, or what?”
Gunter shrugged, “We only do something if she won’t leave.”
—
The lady’s voice changed, sweeter somehow and yet more commanding, “Let me in, Mason.”
Mason shrugged, opened the door wider and stepped back, “Why don’t you come in, Ms. Anne.”
Bethany Anne stepped into the home behind Ashur who had jumped in ahead of her, looking around. “My name is just…you know, never mind.” She looked down at Ashur, “Find out if we have a problem.” Ashur took off, running up the steps as Mason shut the door.
“NO!” Mason scrambled behind Bethany Anne, pushing her out of the way as both of them heard a chuff from the room up the stairs. Mason grabbed hold of the railing, swinging to jump to the third step. He was running up the stairs and was surprised when he stumbled off balance, like he was pushed aside. He righted himself and continued racing to his daughter’s room.
She absolutely, positively couldn’t leave that bed.
—-
“Gott Verdammt!” Klaus bolted out of the room, running down the hall to the front door. “If that bitch pulls the child off the bed, the operation is a bust,” he yelled, frantically trying to unlock the door.
Gunther and Dieter were hot on his heels as he yanked the front door open, all three men racing down the front sidewalk.
“ArchAngel, get me down there!” John commanded as he started unbuckling. The Pod came down screaming out of the sky.
The three men hadn’t made it to the street when the top of the house exploded. They all turned, covering their heads, jumping back onto the lawn as house parts pelted them. One larger piece of board impaled the grass just a foot from Gunter’s face.
Standing back up, pulling their pistols when the large flaming pieces stopped landing they turned back towards the home. There was flame pouring out of the top windows.
“Shit!” Klaus stomped his foot, “We were so close!” They jogged over to the home’s front lawn
Dieter noticed the object falling from up to their left first, thinking a large part of the house was landing, and jerked his head, “Look out!”
Then men ducked. But nothing hit the ground. When they looked up again, a large white man, vitriolic hatred painted on his face promising a painful death stood to their left in the yard, staring at them with two unique looking guns in each hand aimed at them.
The three men pointed their guns, “Who are you?” Klaus demanded.
“I am,” he responded, barely restrained emotions holding John in check, “the man who is going to kill you for who you just blew up.”
They eyed each other for a few seconds.
A woman’s voice came from behind the three. It started low and slow, but raised in both pitch and volume as it continued, “You cock-biting-ass-backward-fuckfaced-sodding-tea-bagging-wrinkled-old-dickless-twin-headed-alien-tramp-wackers!” She then screamed, “Flames fucking hurt!”
One of the three men turned around, the two facing John didn’t like the grin that graced his face, or his comment, “Boys, I was just going to kill you. Now, you’ve done gone and fucked up real well. You will have wished for death by the time she get’s done with you.”
The one on the left, looking back exclaimed, “The trophy wife?”
John snorted as the lady spoke in a clipped fashion, “You, I kill first.”
The white dog beside her barked. “No,” she said, “you may not bite his nuts off. I’m not smelling nut-sack breath all morning long.”
“Dieter, would you just shoot the bitch?” Gunter asked, “We have to get out of here!”
“Gentleman,” her voice went sweet, sweet velvet over hardened steel, “I command you, put down your guns.”
“Like…” Gunter started to say before he felt himself complying with her command, “the hell?” he finished.
John, keeping his guns trained on them, walked over and kicked each pistol behind him.
“Bethany Anne, we do need to go. Where are the people in the house?”
“Colorado,” She turned to look at her car, “Fucking ape-titties!” She yelled, exasperated, “That was my new Ferrari you cooch-virgins!”
John looked and had to agree. Her car wasn’t looking too good from the explosion damage.
She breathed slowly. “Well, that settles it,” She walked to the man who was still looking at her. “Hope no one has video going,” she mumbled and slapped him. The slaps ‘crack’ was loud, but the man she slapped had disappeared
“What the hell?” Gunter exclaimed as he was hit in the back of his head and he disappeared.
She told the last, “Don’t say a fucking word. And if you and your two goons want to live, I wouldn’t suggest walking much from where I send you. Because I might not be able to find your useless ass.”
“Send me whe…,” was all Klaus was able to get out before the back of his head exploded in pain and he disappeared.
Ashur chuffed behind her, “Yeah, good point.” She turned to John, “Pod?”
“Up above us.”
“Leave it.” She turned to look at Ashur, “Let’s go boy wonder,” Ashur chuffed, “No, I’m not your damned sidekick you four-footed walking rug.” She reached out and grabbed John, “Now come here or I won’t get you a date.”
Ashur jogged up and chuffed to her again, “I don’t care,” she replied, “I won’t help you with any female and we won’t go on the Internet to search, either. So take that and chew on it, my dear opposible thumb lacking pain-in-the-ass.”
ADAM, find and destroy their surveillance equipment if you can.
>>If I can?<<
What if it isn’t connected to the Internet?
>>I was surfing the radio waves…<
TOM, take care of the Pod and the car, please.
Yes, oh careful Wife of Trophies.
TOM.
Yes?
Doghouse for you, Alien for brains.
She could hear TOM’s snickering in her mind.
Grabbing Ashur, the three of them disappeared. The Ferrari took off into the sky, leaving behind a mess, a lot of questions, and not many answers.
FROM MICHAEL >>> I know, I know…More Bethany Anne beating up helpless mercenaries, it’s so boring, right? No? You want more mercenaries introduced to the Queen Bitch? Yes, well, let’s save that for next time 😉
Want something to play with today? A little read before bed time perhaps? Here is a book from our August Readers for Military list, but it was at the bottom (which, unfortunately, didn’t get as many eyes as those at the top).
Pirate Nemesis (Telepathic Space Pirates Book 1)
K
illers. Thieves. Pirates. Family.
Mercy Kincaid is a fugitive from her own family. Her dangerous telepathic gifts make her a target. So is anyone she gets close to. When her best friend is captured and tortured, Mercy’s only hope is to reunite with the family that tried to murder her as a child. She trusts few among her blood relatives, but finds herself intrigued by an enigmatic and dangerous killer.
Reaper has spent a lifetime watching his people die. He’s vowed to kill anyone who jeopardizes their survival. Mercy’s gifts are the biggest threat they’ve faced in eleven years, since a biological weapon nearly annihilated the pirate colonies. But Reaper realizes her talents can either destroy them, or save them. He must decide if he’s fallen victim to her power, or if he can truly trust the beautiful woman and her compelling abilities. If he makes the wrong choice, everyone dies.
Pirate Nemesis is the first book in an ongoing science fiction romance series. If you like compelling world-building, fantastic characters, and sizzling romance, then you’ll love Carysa Locke’s new twist on an old genre.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT PIRATE NEMESIS ON AMAZON!
My Ride is a Bitch Snippet 04 of …
UNEDITED!
TQB Base Denver, Colorado
Bethany Anne arrived at the Colorado headquarters with Ashur in one of her arrival rooms. It took her a little while to sneak outside.
Unfortunately, her personally modified F12berlinetta was locked up and had a guard for the garage area. It had required her to command him not to speak about her taking the car for twenty-four hours.
Leaving the base required her to command two additional security checkpoints to not mention her presence. At least for twenty-four hours.
Bethany Anne enjoyed the crisp air for a couple of hours as she and Ashur drove through the mountains heading towards Las Vegas. She looked in her rear view mirror to confirm no one was behind her and then told TOM to punch it.
Their car lifted off the road and started flying through the night sky.
Within fifteen minutes, she was arriving and setting down on a small road outside North Las Vegas. She entered the address into the onboard navigation and drove into town as the barest hint of dawn was cracking the sky.
“Hey, no shedding on my leather,” she reached over and brushed a few of Ashur’s white hairs off the seat. “We should look for a girlfriend for you.” Ashur look over at Bethany Anne, cocking his head to the side and chuffed, “I don’t know how to tell if she is smart,” she said, “probably will be the one that bites you on the ass the first chance she gets.”
He chuffed and looked out the window as Bethany Anne laughed.
>> I could have easily told you the directions.<<
I know that ADAM, sometimes the little computers need some attention too.
You just wanted to play with your new toy.
You say that as if it is a bad thing, TOM.
The directions took her to the west side of Las Vegas, and she pulled up to a neighborhood security gate. Bethany Anne could see the Red Rock Casino a couple of miles away and the Red Rock Canyon just beyond it.
—
Casper was reading the latest Vegas news when a car pulled off Spanish Trail, and the headlights flashed through their window as the beginning of another bright day started. He looked up in time to see the Ferrari when his partner, Jocelyn said, “Ten bucks says it is an old man with gray hair wearing a toupee.”
While he couldn’t see inside too well, but he did notice what looked like a large white dog in the front seat, “You got a bet,” he replied and stepped out of the air-conditioned guard house, closing the door behind him. The Ferrari smoothly pulled up beside him and the tinted window started dropping.
So did Caspers jaw, “Hello,” he managed to croak out. Jocelyn owed him ten bucks, now. No mistaking this lady for an old white fat and balding guy using a car to market himself. She didn’t look like she needed the car to sell herself, either. But, this was Vegas. Casper supposed she could be an Elite Companion. If she was, then Casper couldn’t afford her.
“Hello, Casper is it?” she smiled and nodded to his name badge, “I’m here to surprise my brother,” her voice, velvet smooth over steel warmed his soul, “would you mind letting me do that without putting me down on your notepad?”
Moments later, Casper stepped back inside and put his clipboard in the slot. He barely noticed when Jocelyn slid the ten dollars in front of him. “You win the ten bucks. She wasn’t an old fat guy.” Then, Jocelyn started sliding the money back towards herself, “But, you lose the money for not putting her name down on the clipboard. It’s now hush money.”
Casper just nodded his agreement to the deal.
—
Bethany Anne pulled up in front of the four thousand square foot two-story. It had a Spanish brick roof and a nicely kept lawn. All of the homes in this gated community were well kept.
She slid out of her car and walked around to open Ashur’s door. He jumped out and looked around, sniffing the air.
A few cars were leaving for work already, but her car tended to show everyone living in this neighborhood she belonged.
The two of them walked up to the door.
—
“He has visitors,” Dieter said as he looked out the window with his binoculars, “Attractive woman, and … a dog.”
“Not exactly your standard military rescue team,” Gunter commented, as he drank his coffee and walked up beside his partner, “Maybe his family?”
“Cannot tell,” Dieter pulled off the glasses, “Here, take a look, I’m going to wake up Klaus in case we have a snag in the plans. Today he is supposed to pull the data in exchange for his wife.”
Gunter put his coffee down, accepted the binoculars and put them up to his face, “Yes, attractive. Weird she is wearing a jacket for Las Vegas.” Gunter looked back at the car, “Dealer plates, I can’t see what area. She is perhaps not from around here?”
Dieter called back from the room across the hall, “I don’t know.” There was a knock, “Klaus, wake up. We have an unexpected visitor.”
“Here?” Gunter could hear the sleepy man ask.
“No,” Dieter replied, “across the street, we might need to intercept so get prepared.” He stepped back into the front room, “What now?”
“She is knocking on the door,” Gunter said. “Is the volume up?” Seconds later, they heard the door open from across the street, and Mason’s voice came in loud and clear.
“Hello?”
The female’s voice answered, “I’m sorry, Mr. Jayden, but the Clark County School District is concerned about your daughter, Anne. She has missed two days of school already.”
“Anne? Yes, she’s sick.”
“May I see her?” the lady responded.
“What? No. I’m sorry, who did you say you were again?”
“My name is Bethany Anne…”
—
If anyone had looked straight up, they would be looking in the right area to see a tiny little black dot up in the sky.
Would they be able to see it? No.
John was listening to the conversation below, “ArchAngel, you are capturing the audio from wireless signals?”
“Yes, John. Small wireless signals are coming from the house Bethany Anne is at and sending in the direction of a couple of houses across the street.”
“You can’t tell which one?”
“No, only direction. It is either the house directly across, or the one to the south of it.”
John continued listening to the conversation as Bethany Anne spoke.
“My name is Bethany Anne, and I help the Clark County School District maximize their income by confirming all able body children are attending school. It reduces truancy.”
“In a Ferrari?”
John chuckled, wondering how his boss was going to answer this question. He could hear the pause, almost seeing her turn around to confirm that yes, she had driven a Ferrari.
“Well, yes. It’s my new car. You see, I’m a helper for the school district in the mornings. The rest of the day, I play a trophy wife.”
Up in the sky, John was slapping the side of the Pod trying to control his laughter, “Oh God!” He screamed, “ArchAngel, please tell me you are recording this?”
“I am, John.”
He wiped a tear from his face as he tried to stifle his laughter, “Sweet blessed mother of Saint Payback-is-a-Bitch, I’m going to use this sometime in the future.” John had to stifle any further comments as the two beneath him continued talking.
FROM MICHAEL >>> I love John’s new Saint. Hopefully, the church recognizes it as a fun comment, and not a dash at the value of true Saint’s, we shall see.
Hmmm… Just a few clues to what is coming up – Tabitha is in this story, Japan (obviously), and…others! Including, two reader-favorite vampires Gabrielle is fond of smacking around.
See you next snippet!
INTERESTED IN READING SOMETHING FUN?
One of my Indie Author friends, TS (Scott) Paul is working on his first Urban Fantasy series. He has had a successful science fiction series and often sticks ‘TQB’ references in it. So often, that some fans have thought he was a pen name for myself. No, no he isn’t. However, it is a funny joke between the two of us.
So, he has four books planned in his new series, but decided he wanted to do something as an intro short and get it out in advance of book 01.
If you like witch’s, I’ve heard through the grapevine that this one is a lark! The Paranormal exist, but they aren’t too happy with regular humans as they’ve been screwed back in World War I and World War II. You know, when evil witch’s forced Vampires to fight on the bad guys side?
Check it out, it is in Kindle Unlimited and sells for $0.99 (the cheapest you can do on KU).
Born a Witch… Drafted by the FBI! (The Federal Witch Book 0)
Agatha Blackmore came into her powers early as a child.
Her first spell was a thing of beauty and wonder. It brought terror into the hearts of her family. Who wanted to accidentally become a pink chicken? Now that she’s older, her magic is out of control.
She needs a teacher and none of the Witch Schools will take her. How about a career in law enforcement? The FBI needs serious help in catching law breaking Paranormals.
It’s a match made in heaven – or is it Hell? God only knows what happens next.
CHECK OUT THE BOOK ON AMAZON! – CLICK HERE.
My Ride is a Bitch Snippet 03 of …
UNEDITED!
QBS ArchAngel Over Japan – 16.5 hours before meeting in Japan
John shook his head as he walked into the Pod Bay, Gabrielle striding behind him, was continuing her tirade, “Why are you going instead of me or why not you and me? At least answer that question you poor excuse for a walking mime.” she huffed in exasperation.
John grinned. The last four hundred feet, all the way from the Bitch’s quarters he had been listening to Gabrielle’s constant complaining about John not taking her along. He allowed his go bag to slide off of his shoulder, and he put it into his Pod before turning around and looking down at the vampire, “Because, I’ve got one beautiful female to deal with out in public. I don’t need two, especially since you just got nominated to be here to represent Bethany Anne.”
“Who the hell told you I was the best solution for that role?” Gabrielle retorted.
“ArchAngel, she said Bethany Anne would most likely nominate you, as you had the role when we all went to China.” John continued his staring contest.
Gabrielle stared up at John for ten seconds, “Shit,” she finally spat. Gabrielle turned around and started walking back out of the bay, “Don’t think I’ll forget this, John!” she called over her shoulder
John turned around, “No, that would make life too easy,” he agreed.
John heard Gabrielle yell right before stepping through the doors, “I heard that!”
John looked back to make sure the doors had closed, “Of course you did, that’s because you can hear an ant fart in a hurricane.” John sat in the pod and started locking in, the Pod doors closing and sealing, “ArchAngel, how is Gabrielle?”
“She is telling me that I need to discuss ‘girls sticking together’ with her some time.”
John chuckled, “Does she not realized you could just as easily look like a guy?”
“Probably, but since my avatar is Bethany Anne, I doubt it comes to mind.”
“No, probably not.” John finished clicking his straps, “Take me out.” He paused before asking, “Why did you want her staying behind?”
“Because I’ve analyzed the data, John. You will go and support Bethany Anne. You won’t judge her, and you won’t condemn her. In all things, you are her rock, and she leans on you. You are the best choice.”
The Pod slipped through the gravitic shield into space. In moments, it was streaking through space eighty miles above Earth.
“You might as well take me to the address, ArchAngel.”
“Understood, John. You will arrive in eighteen minutes.”
FROM MICHAEL>>> Ok, Beats are complete on the book (which means I have all of the scenes mapped out and installed on Scrivener, the software I use to write and publish the books).
YAH!
Now, it is lots and lots of writing between me and publishing the book…and help from the Beta readers, editors, and JIT readers as well…subject matter experts, random internet research nights. You get the idea.
The cover is going to be done by Jeff Brown again, in fact I snagged him to work on all of Arc 2 covers. Here was my direction for this cover: “Hey Jeff – the idea is the pretty, svelte alien research ship has been ‘upgraded’ and the new ride (the alien) spaceship is a bad-ass-bitch doing something…badass (what else do bad ass spaceships do?)”
That should be enough, right? That was most of my suggestion (except a talked about a Kessel run through a meteor grouping shooting a bunch of rocks like it is on a practice or something.) Let’s see what Jeff comes up with!
Now, Let’s talk JM Chaney. Do you like dystopian? Do you want a free book? Mr. Chaney (or, his MIB friends just call him ‘J’) has the option to buy his book, or if you know the secret link, you can download it for free (you give your email for it to be emailed to you) here: http://jnchaney.com/stay-up-to-date/
The Amber Project: A Dystopian Sci-fi Novel (The Variant Saga Book 1)
In 2157, a mysterious gas known as Variant spreads across the globe, killing or mutating most organic life. The surviving humans take refuge in an underground city, determined to return home. But after generations of failures and botched attempts, hope is beginning to dwindle.
That is, until a young scientist makes a unique discovery—and everything changes. Suddenly, there’s reason to hope again, and it rests within a group of genetically engineered children that are both human and Variant.
Terry is one of these children, modified and trained to endure the harsh conditions of a planet he cannot begin to understand. After years of preparation, Terry thinks he knows what to expect. But the reality is far stranger than anything he can imagine—and what he will become is far more dangerous.
CHECK OUT THE AMBER PROJECT ON AMAZON
Don’t forget, you can get it for free (email) here as well, two choices 😉 –
My Ride is a Bitch Snippet 02 of …
UNEDITED
QBS ArchAngel Over Japan – 18 hours before meeting
Bethany Anne reached out to grab the offered letters, “Thanks, Kevin.” She nodded to the guy and grabbed an apple from the fruit available on the sideboard, “Ashur!” She called over her shoulder. She heard Ashur get up from his location under the table where Team BMW were eating. They were such wusses about feeding him. One sad face and all three men caved and tossed him food under the table.
Yet, they blamed each other for being the one who fed him.
Ashur caught up to Bethany Anne on her way to the suite. She nodded to a few in the hallways and ruffled Ashur’s head. She would swear he had gained a couple of inches.
TOM.
Yes?
Could Ashur gain in size after coming out of the Pod?
Yes, that is possible. The nanites might have decided he needed to change for some reason. Possibly due to his continued physical efforts during your training. We can always put him back in the Pod and have a look.
No, it’s not that important. At least, not yet.
Bethany Anne nodded to the guards up from the doors leading to the Bitch’s and the Elites areas and finally, down to her own suite. She might have just walked Etherically to her suite, but it was good for everyone to see her.
She entered her room, the door already opened by ArchAngel and mumbled ‘thanks’ as the door shut behind her. Biting into her apple, she walked into her bathroom. Ashur jumped up on her bed.
“Hey!” She turned towards her door, “Don’t shed all over my bed. I had to get the last cover cleaned. What the hell were you pissed about, anyway?”
Ashur chuffed from her bed room.
“That’s not my fault! Your lazy ass didn’t go to the cafeteria in time to catch them.” Another chuff, “Bullshit, they aren’t required to eat at the same time everyday because you have a preference. Besides, you have dogfood always available.” Bethany Anne grinned when she heard Ashur’s whined response.
She turned and tossed the eaten apple into the trashcan and then started going through the mail.
She picked up the first letter, “I’ve won an island, toss.” Then the next, “I’ve been asked to join a symposium on technology next month, toss. I have unpaid speeding tickets in Florida. Huh, wonder if I should frame this one.” She shrugged, “Toss.”
She saw an envelope in nicer block handwriting, but done in a crayon. Weird. She opened it up and read the letter inside.
Then, she read it again, slowly.
ADAM, track this address. Is this legitimate?
>>Yes, there is a family of three living at that address in Las Vegas.<<
Who does the dad work for?
>>Security Blocked, Unknown at this time.<<
Seriously? Fuck. Bethany Anne tapped the letter on her palm a couple of times. Can you figure out if there is a problem?
>>The daughter, Anne, is twelve. She has been absent from school for two days. Previously, she had not missed the last one hundred and eight-two days of school.<<
“Trap or real, trap or real,” Bethany Anne said aloud.
Are they mutually exclusive? TOM interrupted.
“No, they are not,” Bethany Anne agreed.
Are you going to send someone to check it out?
No, I’m going to do this. It needs a deft touch, a woman’s hand.
What about Gabrielle?
I don’t want to mess up her time with Eric.
What about … huh… Right.
What do you mean ‘right’?
You are bored.
I’ve always heard that the problem with Royalty is that they aren’t connected with the people. I am not going to have that happen to me.
You are bored.
And that, too.
Just the three of us?
No, it will be the four of us.
Well, thank God. For a second I thought you would go out and not have any support. TOM sighed mentally.
“Ashur,” Bethany Anne started towards her closet, “Let’s go rescue a little girl.” His chuff came back, excited. “I know, right? Silly of my guards to leave me alone allow me to get into mischief all by my little lonesome.” This time, Ashur sounded like he was laughing, not chuffing.
“Oh, shut up.” Bethany Anne rolled her eyes, “be happy your lazy ass is going or you would be stuck in here.”
She switched clothes and loaded her weapons. Seeing the wakizashi, she smiled and grabbed her shorter blade, “Come here, you. We haven’t partied in a while.” She looked down at her boots on the floor, “Ugh, no boots this time, Puma’s it is.”
She grabbed a jacket and hid her weapons, “ArchAngel, lock this door.”
Why did I think you were going to be mature about this? TOM asked.
“Beats the fuck out of me,” She replied, “Let’s go, my furry white guard.” Bethany Anne grabbed Ashur’s neck and took a step forward, disappearing.
A minute later, the light went off in the closet.
>>>From Michael – Hello! Here we go again, another season of Snippets before the release of Book 13 My Ride is a Bitch. However, I want to remind you about the awesome Mug for WE HAVE CONTACT I’m giving away if you have any interest. Check it out here: http://kurtherianbooks.com/2016/09/07/giving-away-one-we-have-contact-mug/
Looking for something to read?
Sam (S R) Witt is another author in our 20Booksto50K group. He has (under another name) a fair amount of cool books. However, so he doesn’t mess up his brand (confusing readers) with completely different genre’s, he has published this book as S R Witt. I LOVE his story of completely changing genre’s looking for something he wanted to write more, and seeing early success! (It is listed at #2,175 in the store as of the time I type this.)
Maybe we can boost him up into the 1,000’s? Check out his book and see if it is something that you would like to read.
I didn’t set out to destroy the world.
Honest.
Dragon Web Online promised its players a virtual world filled with simulated adventures and real treasures. Play games, get rich. It seemed like the perfect way to make the cash my family needed to keep us off the streets. It seemed too good to be true.
It was
I didn’t set out to destroy the world, but somebody had to do it.
Somebody had to set you free.