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Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Monday, April 9, 2018
Saturday, March 31, 2018
Book Trailer! - No Easy Way Out
After the brutal murder of his first wife, he thought all he had left was his job in an alphabet agency as a spy. Then Jack got lucky when he found the courage to live again. He met Maria, a talented agent that he worked with and eventually he married her. But what he didn’t know could have killed him. Maria had made her way out of a troubled past. Together, they discovered what they had lost, but it wasn’t long before Jack recovered to find history repeating itself. He did the only thing that made sense; he sacrificed himself to save Maria. Jack is now a captive of a very dangerous man, and he doesn’t expect to see many more tomorrows. His only hope is that Maria can find their friends, friends that have their own set of problems. Jan and Ward nearly escaped death on their last assignment, and after years of being out of their government’s control, they have landed back in the middle of a mission no one was supposed to know. To get what he wanted they had to sign up to work with the only man they could trust, but could Turner come to grips with his demons and work along side the only woman he ever loved? Even Turner has his secrets, secrets that may compromise this mission and cost someone a life.
Friday, March 30, 2018
Hidden Promises - Chapter 1 - Part 2
‘How did Eddy get the information?’ Jan thought she knew. Eddy worked construction as a sideline and would easily meet up with lots of illegal aliens that were hired to work there as well. ‘Works with some of the relatives. Overheard their worries while on the job. He started talking to a few of them. Not an easy task since he doesn’t quite fit the mold of someone they would trust. He slowly got the information over the last week or so. Seems as if he might have some good information,’ Ward knew that Eddy would never contact him unless he had enough information.
‘The leads could be pretty cold by now,’ there was no doubt in Jan’s mind about that; ‘It could make the job a bit more difficult. Not impossible, just difficult.’ She looked at the passing seagull and then spoke, “Are we going to do the job?”
“No,” and just as quickly as he said the word, his hand came up, effectively blocking the next words coming out of her mouth, as well as her thoughts. He had to play his cards right at this point. “To do the job properly your life would be put in too much danger. I can’t choose to do that to you. Plus you’re right, the leads are too cold,” now he put up the blocks in his mind to keep her out as well.
“Isn’t the first part for me to decide?” Jan turned onto her side balancing on her arm and looked at Ward, studying the line of his jaw. Jan already knew that Ward had closed off areas of his mind to her and she wanted to know why.
“Another time when there are no right answers, huh?” Ward closed his eyes. This was the hard part for Ward, but he kept his focus. He knew what he needed to do and he needed her to be sure of the path she was about to take.
‘What do you mean?’ She forced her thoughts back into his mind, ‘The only right answer is to find these people and put a couple of coyotes out of business for good. It may not stop what’s happening completely, but it just may slow it down for a while. It’s bad enough people are forced to cross the border in this way, but to make the journey even more dangerous, that’s why we need to stop it. And stop it now. Haven’t we always said we wanted to make a difference? Isn’t that one of the reasons why I’m here?’ Jan looked into Ward’s eyes as his head turned toward her, and made sure he was looking back into hers, neither one was new to the underground world and the risks. Without breaking her gaze, she needed to make sure he understood what she was about to say.
“If I had wanted to retire, I could have stayed at the department,” Jan knew those words had hit the soft spot she wanted, it wasn’t fair play, but then again he wasn’t playing fair either. There was another agenda here she hadn’t seen to begin with. She could feel Ward’s mind tighten around that thought and then she felt how he let it go along with his anger. She just stared at him. He needed to know that by not letting her work, he just might lose her.
The problem was that Ward did know it, and didn’t like it. He closed his eyes, he knew what was coming next, “And if you think I am going to spend my time raising a herd of children like Mama Garcia suggests, you need to think again. That’s not us. We were meant to change lives for the better. We were given the skills to help and you’re just going to throw that all away?” Jan sat up and crossed her legs, looking at Ward’s closed eyes.
Mama Garcia, as they both affectionately called her, was the wife of the beach property’s caretaker. Ward had once helped his family with a problem they had had with their son and a nasty group of people. Now, they took care of the house and apartment that Ward and Jan owned. Jan and Ward lived in the apartment, and the Garcias lived in the house and kept the secret.
Jan wasn’t sure what bothered her most. Was it the fact that Ward might think he was in control of her life, or that someone needed to control it? Was it that he just lay there hoping the whole conversation would be washed out to sea? Or was it that there was still something else, something he wasn’t letting her in on.
“Let’s go,” Ward’s voice was flat, lifeless. He swiftly got to his feet and started down the beach again at a quick pace. He knew she wasn’t there yet. His mind was filled with thoughts and emotions, all of which Jan was picking up on until she got a message, ‘Stay out,’ plain and simple, and that was the only hint she needed. He was focusing on a thought that she was not welcome to see. She followed Ward back to the hideaway at the steady pace he set and she let him keep his thoughts to himself for now. Jan worried that this may signal a change in the relationship between them, a change that she had been warned about by an old and dear friend.
Rob, her former partner in the department once told her that Ward would never be happy with any one thing, especially a relationship, for long term. As the years passed, Rob had become more of a father figure, wanting what was best for her. At first it had been her happiness, later, he got protective about the events and sincerity in her relationship. He had known about them, but he hadn’t known about the marriage.
The Ward she had come to know and love, though, had never showed tendencies that would even lead her to believe he was anything but trustworthy and true. In days of old he would have been called a gentleman, but that was not a persona he had shown to anyone but her. Even after he left the department as a wanted man, he kept in contact with her, couldn’t leave her. Each time they had met, it had been dangerous for him. In fact, he had begged her many times to come and join him, to work with him, to make her own choices.
Jan knew they worked well together, played well together, loved well together and that was a bonus. Jan knew that leaving the department and working with Ward was a big step, for both of them. In the department they had been told what case they were to work on and who they worked with. Would they be able to transition into this equal partnership, and share the risk? Now, was the first time that he had ever given Jan cause to worry about whether he was ready for this change as well. Jan was deep in these thoughts when she felt his thought drift onto the edge of her mind.
‘If you want the job, we’ll do it, but,’ he couldn’t bring himself to say it, only through his thoughts could he tell her. Even with the ‘but’ it was enough for Jan. Ward had spent the time on the way home contemplating just how he thought the rest of their lives would be now that the future, a future, had finally presented itself to them. It was hard. She was right; he really did enjoy working as a free agent, and the time he had taken off from it had been hard. He had missed the work. He had also missed working with her, even though he had enjoyed the time off with her. He smiled as he thought about the days, and the nights. Ward also knew there were things he could have done, maybe even should have done. Now that she knew the jobs were coming in, he was also sure, really sure, she wanted to work on them with him. They could now become a team. He had wanted this so much and now it was right in front of him, just one last step.
There were lots of ways to lose someone. He knew that more than any one else. One sure way was to stifle them. If he stifled her, he would lose her and not just for a while, but forever. He had thought about some of the jobs he had done after leaving the department. How would she have felt all those times if she had known what he had been up to? He didn’t want to think about that. As he approached the steps she jumped in front of him, blocking his way.
“Do you mean it? I don’t want to do a job, any job, halfway,” Jan stood there and waited for his answer. Ward could see the spark of life in her eyes, the smile that just barely touched the corner of her lips, but what he really saw was the woman he had fallen in love with.
“Yes,” although he couldn’t bring himself to look her in the eyes after he said it. There was the last bit of realization she had to reach yet. He had gone through it, now it was her turn.
“Are you okay with this?” she could tell that something was bothering him. His eyes avoided hers, his muscles were taut and his face expressionless.
“About as okay as I will ever be with it. But you’re right,” he moved around her and went up the steps, “We’ve always thrived on this type of work, and it is what we do best, and we’ll do it together,” there, it was done. She still had one last step, and Ward would have to let her get there on her own. Soon.
Jan knew this was the partnership he had always promised and what she had given up everything for, but there was still something he wasn’t telling her. That was bothersome. When would they get to that open and honest communication? They couldn’t work together if he wasn’t willing to share. People got killed that way. She took a deep breath, and the sense of calm that had escaped her for days began to creep in as she carefully followed him up the damp stairs. Jan remembered the mantra that Ward had needed and repeated as she had recovered, patience, but just how much longer could they wait?
Even as Jan and Ward walked back up the steps into what they called their safe place they knew that Mexico was not a place everyone would call safe. For many, braving the dangerous and illegal crossing into the states and leaving Mexico was their only hope. It would give them a chance at life, for them and their family. Over the last few years the borders in each state had been reinforced, all except for one, Arizona. The desert was a harsh and brutal place, even in spring. Daytime temperatures could reach into the nineties and nighttime temperatures back into the fifties. Without protection it wasn’t the place to be, boiling and then freezing. Most knew this but with the stronger border enforcements on the neighboring states, it left them very little choice of where there were going to try and cross. Arizona was still the best place to make it across the border and not get caught.
Things were changing though and that meant using coyotes, or smugglers, to increase the chances of success to get across safely. Most coyotes were open about what they did here in Mexico and they knew the type of people to look for. Prowling the bus stations they could almost be assured of a couple of fares.
‘The leads could be pretty cold by now,’ there was no doubt in Jan’s mind about that; ‘It could make the job a bit more difficult. Not impossible, just difficult.’ She looked at the passing seagull and then spoke, “Are we going to do the job?”
“No,” and just as quickly as he said the word, his hand came up, effectively blocking the next words coming out of her mouth, as well as her thoughts. He had to play his cards right at this point. “To do the job properly your life would be put in too much danger. I can’t choose to do that to you. Plus you’re right, the leads are too cold,” now he put up the blocks in his mind to keep her out as well.
“Isn’t the first part for me to decide?” Jan turned onto her side balancing on her arm and looked at Ward, studying the line of his jaw. Jan already knew that Ward had closed off areas of his mind to her and she wanted to know why.
“Another time when there are no right answers, huh?” Ward closed his eyes. This was the hard part for Ward, but he kept his focus. He knew what he needed to do and he needed her to be sure of the path she was about to take.
‘What do you mean?’ She forced her thoughts back into his mind, ‘The only right answer is to find these people and put a couple of coyotes out of business for good. It may not stop what’s happening completely, but it just may slow it down for a while. It’s bad enough people are forced to cross the border in this way, but to make the journey even more dangerous, that’s why we need to stop it. And stop it now. Haven’t we always said we wanted to make a difference? Isn’t that one of the reasons why I’m here?’ Jan looked into Ward’s eyes as his head turned toward her, and made sure he was looking back into hers, neither one was new to the underground world and the risks. Without breaking her gaze, she needed to make sure he understood what she was about to say.
“If I had wanted to retire, I could have stayed at the department,” Jan knew those words had hit the soft spot she wanted, it wasn’t fair play, but then again he wasn’t playing fair either. There was another agenda here she hadn’t seen to begin with. She could feel Ward’s mind tighten around that thought and then she felt how he let it go along with his anger. She just stared at him. He needed to know that by not letting her work, he just might lose her.
The problem was that Ward did know it, and didn’t like it. He closed his eyes, he knew what was coming next, “And if you think I am going to spend my time raising a herd of children like Mama Garcia suggests, you need to think again. That’s not us. We were meant to change lives for the better. We were given the skills to help and you’re just going to throw that all away?” Jan sat up and crossed her legs, looking at Ward’s closed eyes.
Mama Garcia, as they both affectionately called her, was the wife of the beach property’s caretaker. Ward had once helped his family with a problem they had had with their son and a nasty group of people. Now, they took care of the house and apartment that Ward and Jan owned. Jan and Ward lived in the apartment, and the Garcias lived in the house and kept the secret.
Jan wasn’t sure what bothered her most. Was it the fact that Ward might think he was in control of her life, or that someone needed to control it? Was it that he just lay there hoping the whole conversation would be washed out to sea? Or was it that there was still something else, something he wasn’t letting her in on.
“Let’s go,” Ward’s voice was flat, lifeless. He swiftly got to his feet and started down the beach again at a quick pace. He knew she wasn’t there yet. His mind was filled with thoughts and emotions, all of which Jan was picking up on until she got a message, ‘Stay out,’ plain and simple, and that was the only hint she needed. He was focusing on a thought that she was not welcome to see. She followed Ward back to the hideaway at the steady pace he set and she let him keep his thoughts to himself for now. Jan worried that this may signal a change in the relationship between them, a change that she had been warned about by an old and dear friend.
Rob, her former partner in the department once told her that Ward would never be happy with any one thing, especially a relationship, for long term. As the years passed, Rob had become more of a father figure, wanting what was best for her. At first it had been her happiness, later, he got protective about the events and sincerity in her relationship. He had known about them, but he hadn’t known about the marriage.
The Ward she had come to know and love, though, had never showed tendencies that would even lead her to believe he was anything but trustworthy and true. In days of old he would have been called a gentleman, but that was not a persona he had shown to anyone but her. Even after he left the department as a wanted man, he kept in contact with her, couldn’t leave her. Each time they had met, it had been dangerous for him. In fact, he had begged her many times to come and join him, to work with him, to make her own choices.
Jan knew they worked well together, played well together, loved well together and that was a bonus. Jan knew that leaving the department and working with Ward was a big step, for both of them. In the department they had been told what case they were to work on and who they worked with. Would they be able to transition into this equal partnership, and share the risk? Now, was the first time that he had ever given Jan cause to worry about whether he was ready for this change as well. Jan was deep in these thoughts when she felt his thought drift onto the edge of her mind.
‘If you want the job, we’ll do it, but,’ he couldn’t bring himself to say it, only through his thoughts could he tell her. Even with the ‘but’ it was enough for Jan. Ward had spent the time on the way home contemplating just how he thought the rest of their lives would be now that the future, a future, had finally presented itself to them. It was hard. She was right; he really did enjoy working as a free agent, and the time he had taken off from it had been hard. He had missed the work. He had also missed working with her, even though he had enjoyed the time off with her. He smiled as he thought about the days, and the nights. Ward also knew there were things he could have done, maybe even should have done. Now that she knew the jobs were coming in, he was also sure, really sure, she wanted to work on them with him. They could now become a team. He had wanted this so much and now it was right in front of him, just one last step.
There were lots of ways to lose someone. He knew that more than any one else. One sure way was to stifle them. If he stifled her, he would lose her and not just for a while, but forever. He had thought about some of the jobs he had done after leaving the department. How would she have felt all those times if she had known what he had been up to? He didn’t want to think about that. As he approached the steps she jumped in front of him, blocking his way.
“Do you mean it? I don’t want to do a job, any job, halfway,” Jan stood there and waited for his answer. Ward could see the spark of life in her eyes, the smile that just barely touched the corner of her lips, but what he really saw was the woman he had fallen in love with.
“Yes,” although he couldn’t bring himself to look her in the eyes after he said it. There was the last bit of realization she had to reach yet. He had gone through it, now it was her turn.
“Are you okay with this?” she could tell that something was bothering him. His eyes avoided hers, his muscles were taut and his face expressionless.
“About as okay as I will ever be with it. But you’re right,” he moved around her and went up the steps, “We’ve always thrived on this type of work, and it is what we do best, and we’ll do it together,” there, it was done. She still had one last step, and Ward would have to let her get there on her own. Soon.
Jan knew this was the partnership he had always promised and what she had given up everything for, but there was still something he wasn’t telling her. That was bothersome. When would they get to that open and honest communication? They couldn’t work together if he wasn’t willing to share. People got killed that way. She took a deep breath, and the sense of calm that had escaped her for days began to creep in as she carefully followed him up the damp stairs. Jan remembered the mantra that Ward had needed and repeated as she had recovered, patience, but just how much longer could they wait?
Even as Jan and Ward walked back up the steps into what they called their safe place they knew that Mexico was not a place everyone would call safe. For many, braving the dangerous and illegal crossing into the states and leaving Mexico was their only hope. It would give them a chance at life, for them and their family. Over the last few years the borders in each state had been reinforced, all except for one, Arizona. The desert was a harsh and brutal place, even in spring. Daytime temperatures could reach into the nineties and nighttime temperatures back into the fifties. Without protection it wasn’t the place to be, boiling and then freezing. Most knew this but with the stronger border enforcements on the neighboring states, it left them very little choice of where there were going to try and cross. Arizona was still the best place to make it across the border and not get caught.
Things were changing though and that meant using coyotes, or smugglers, to increase the chances of success to get across safely. Most coyotes were open about what they did here in Mexico and they knew the type of people to look for. Prowling the bus stations they could almost be assured of a couple of fares.
Sunday, March 25, 2018
Hidden Promises - Chapter 1 - Part 1
Just a side note: I have had a very busy few weeks with very unexpected happenings so I am sorry this is so late in getting up.
She sat on a rocky outcrop out in the mist of the ocean waves and waited. Maybe that wasn’t the right word. It was the third day that week she had sat in the same place, at the same time, and was unable to meditate. Her ability to meditate had once saved her. The warmth of the sun on her face, the mist from the waves that cooled her and the steady beat of the waves on the rocks should have seduced her into a deep meditative state, but she felt nothing.
This had become her favorite spot over the last six months, but not anymore, and it was way past frustrating. She looked for a loose rock or shell to throw. Not seeing anything, she realized that she must have pitched them all off earlier this week. Turning, she looked back up the cliff and into the windows of the apartment that she shared with Ward. Low and behold there he was, on the balcony, and she realized that the source of her current problems originated with him. He didn’t look down as Jan stared up at him, and he didn’t smile. She couldn’t quite read his mind, but she was sure he was reading hers. His range was greater.
‘Damn you,’ she thought as she unfolded her legs and slid down into the cool waves. Determinedly, she walked back through the surf, the waves pushing her back to shore. Jan marched towards the steps. It had been more than five months now since they had been on an assignment, any assignment. In fact, the last assignment they had worked on had freed her from the department that Ward had left over two years before. Leaving the department wasn’t the plan, but as the events unfolded she saw an unfavorable pattern playing out before her.
It was that bureaucracy she learned she couldn’t live with any more. Ward, her husband and true champion, had been caught in the department’s web. Even though he had warned her, she allowed herself to become entangled in it as well. They both ended up leaving the department for the same reasons. She was no longer a mindless peon following orders ready to believe what they told her. The last assignment had almost cost both of them their lives.
The Paranormal Enforcement Department, or ‘PED’ for short, had identified and cultivated them both as mind readers in college. It had started out as an experiment by the CIA in the sixties, long before they were commissioned. Although all experiments had supposedly been stopped for lack of results, they hadn’t. The PED had gone underground and taken on a life of its own. They were sure the department would go on for a long time.
The sad thing was that by joining the PED, they literally had given up their life, all aspects of it. Agents inside the department were removed from regular society, forever belonging to the department. After unofficially leaving, Jan and Ward could never go back to who they were, or live normally without the department looking at them like human guinea pigs. Until six months ago, Ward had been the only agent to live outside of their control. Instead, Ward and Jan had chosen to live life as hunted people. Their only crime was in wanting a life.
Now, fully recovered from the injuries that assignment had brought both of them, Jan knew she was ready, itching, to get back to work, and back into life. Although Ward had not talked about it to her, she knew that he had turned down three assignments over the last few months. Once Ward had left the department, he had set up shop for himself. Picking his assignments based on need and not always on payment. Sometimes they paid him; sometimes the results were pay enough. What she found out was that most of the time he took no pay.
Somewhere out there, there were three people that wouldn’t get his help because he had said no, because of her. The people he chose to help sometimes existed only on the edge of society, with no other advocate to come to their aide; he was their last hope, their only hope. This was the part of the career change that intrigued Jan and finally drew her in.
She walked up the beach deep in thought. Jan knew that Ward had received another request three days ago. She wasn’t sure, but from what she had picked incidentally from his thoughts, she knew the request had come from Eddy and he hadn’t replied. Putting all the pieces together, it was no wonder that she could no longer meditate, and she wondered if he could.
Each time Jan had tried all she could see were faceless people still looking for someone to help, and what had they been doing the last few months? They sat here, hidden, doing nothing, safe from the world. Jan’s thoughts twisted around to Ward, and what she hadn’t been able to read. Was he afraid to lose her? Six months ago he almost had. What he needed to remember was that she had almost lost him as well. And how many other times had she nearly lost him without even knowing it? The thoughts darted through her mind, as she got closer to the cement stairs that wound their way up the cliff’s side to their patio. What Jan needed to explain to Ward, was that he was at risk of losing her again, but this time from stifling her. She needed to do what she did best, and so did he.
Focused and intent on what she was about to do, she had almost gotten back to the steps when she heard Ward move through the foliage. Stopping, she read his mind, ‘Running,’ and knew what was coming next. Jan looked at the gap in the brush just as Ward walked through. Ward was about six feet tall, toned, proportionally perfect, and nicely muscled. Jan never got tired of looking at him, he was easy on the eyes, and with the time they had spent in Mexico, at their beach hideaway, he had become evenly bronzed as well. It wasn’t his body she was tired of skirmishing with it was his mind.
He walked over to her and gently kissed her on the cheek. He knew there was a problem, and when she didn’t reciprocate he read just enough of her thoughts to see what was coming next. He also read enough to avoid it.
‘Ready to go for a run?’ He silently asked as he completely avoided the issue. He had read that she had not meditated for the past week and the reasons why she suspected she hadn’t. He had also not meditated for the last week, and his conscious was also bothering him, for the very same reasons. He had read everything in her mind and she didn’t know how close she really was to the truth. Soon she would though. Ward knew he couldn’t stray from his plan, no matter how much he wanted to. He had to be sure, very sure, before they took the next step. Ward left the subject alone for long enough, afraid that he would have to deal with the consequences of his actions, his conscious, as well as hers. It hadn’t been the right time until now.
“Okay,” and that was all Jan had to say. They went off down the beach at a steady pace for about ten minutes. The talent Jan and Ward shared, one that had been developed, used and abused by the government, was strangely not in use.
Jan and Ward had been empathetically sensitive all their lives. The government had harvested them, as well as others, in college to train them to become exceptional mind readers. Some had made it, others had not. Jan and Ward were now sure that the ones who had not made it into the department might have been the lucky ones.
Now, the tables were turned. They were the ones who were on the run from the government and society. They could live in neither and were needed in both. Today they ran for exercise and away from the people they had once been. And on this run, unlike the others they had taken on many other days, they chose not to share words or thoughts. They were avoiding the obvious, for the last five or so months they had been on the run from everything and everyone, even themselves. They couldn’t run from themselves much longer.
1
She sat on a rocky outcrop out in the mist of the ocean waves and waited. Maybe that wasn’t the right word. It was the third day that week she had sat in the same place, at the same time, and was unable to meditate. Her ability to meditate had once saved her. The warmth of the sun on her face, the mist from the waves that cooled her and the steady beat of the waves on the rocks should have seduced her into a deep meditative state, but she felt nothing.
This had become her favorite spot over the last six months, but not anymore, and it was way past frustrating. She looked for a loose rock or shell to throw. Not seeing anything, she realized that she must have pitched them all off earlier this week. Turning, she looked back up the cliff and into the windows of the apartment that she shared with Ward. Low and behold there he was, on the balcony, and she realized that the source of her current problems originated with him. He didn’t look down as Jan stared up at him, and he didn’t smile. She couldn’t quite read his mind, but she was sure he was reading hers. His range was greater.
‘Damn you,’ she thought as she unfolded her legs and slid down into the cool waves. Determinedly, she walked back through the surf, the waves pushing her back to shore. Jan marched towards the steps. It had been more than five months now since they had been on an assignment, any assignment. In fact, the last assignment they had worked on had freed her from the department that Ward had left over two years before. Leaving the department wasn’t the plan, but as the events unfolded she saw an unfavorable pattern playing out before her.
It was that bureaucracy she learned she couldn’t live with any more. Ward, her husband and true champion, had been caught in the department’s web. Even though he had warned her, she allowed herself to become entangled in it as well. They both ended up leaving the department for the same reasons. She was no longer a mindless peon following orders ready to believe what they told her. The last assignment had almost cost both of them their lives.
The Paranormal Enforcement Department, or ‘PED’ for short, had identified and cultivated them both as mind readers in college. It had started out as an experiment by the CIA in the sixties, long before they were commissioned. Although all experiments had supposedly been stopped for lack of results, they hadn’t. The PED had gone underground and taken on a life of its own. They were sure the department would go on for a long time.
The sad thing was that by joining the PED, they literally had given up their life, all aspects of it. Agents inside the department were removed from regular society, forever belonging to the department. After unofficially leaving, Jan and Ward could never go back to who they were, or live normally without the department looking at them like human guinea pigs. Until six months ago, Ward had been the only agent to live outside of their control. Instead, Ward and Jan had chosen to live life as hunted people. Their only crime was in wanting a life.
Now, fully recovered from the injuries that assignment had brought both of them, Jan knew she was ready, itching, to get back to work, and back into life. Although Ward had not talked about it to her, she knew that he had turned down three assignments over the last few months. Once Ward had left the department, he had set up shop for himself. Picking his assignments based on need and not always on payment. Sometimes they paid him; sometimes the results were pay enough. What she found out was that most of the time he took no pay.
Somewhere out there, there were three people that wouldn’t get his help because he had said no, because of her. The people he chose to help sometimes existed only on the edge of society, with no other advocate to come to their aide; he was their last hope, their only hope. This was the part of the career change that intrigued Jan and finally drew her in.
She walked up the beach deep in thought. Jan knew that Ward had received another request three days ago. She wasn’t sure, but from what she had picked incidentally from his thoughts, she knew the request had come from Eddy and he hadn’t replied. Putting all the pieces together, it was no wonder that she could no longer meditate, and she wondered if he could.
Each time Jan had tried all she could see were faceless people still looking for someone to help, and what had they been doing the last few months? They sat here, hidden, doing nothing, safe from the world. Jan’s thoughts twisted around to Ward, and what she hadn’t been able to read. Was he afraid to lose her? Six months ago he almost had. What he needed to remember was that she had almost lost him as well. And how many other times had she nearly lost him without even knowing it? The thoughts darted through her mind, as she got closer to the cement stairs that wound their way up the cliff’s side to their patio. What Jan needed to explain to Ward, was that he was at risk of losing her again, but this time from stifling her. She needed to do what she did best, and so did he.
Focused and intent on what she was about to do, she had almost gotten back to the steps when she heard Ward move through the foliage. Stopping, she read his mind, ‘Running,’ and knew what was coming next. Jan looked at the gap in the brush just as Ward walked through. Ward was about six feet tall, toned, proportionally perfect, and nicely muscled. Jan never got tired of looking at him, he was easy on the eyes, and with the time they had spent in Mexico, at their beach hideaway, he had become evenly bronzed as well. It wasn’t his body she was tired of skirmishing with it was his mind.
He walked over to her and gently kissed her on the cheek. He knew there was a problem, and when she didn’t reciprocate he read just enough of her thoughts to see what was coming next. He also read enough to avoid it.
‘Ready to go for a run?’ He silently asked as he completely avoided the issue. He had read that she had not meditated for the past week and the reasons why she suspected she hadn’t. He had also not meditated for the last week, and his conscious was also bothering him, for the very same reasons. He had read everything in her mind and she didn’t know how close she really was to the truth. Soon she would though. Ward knew he couldn’t stray from his plan, no matter how much he wanted to. He had to be sure, very sure, before they took the next step. Ward left the subject alone for long enough, afraid that he would have to deal with the consequences of his actions, his conscious, as well as hers. It hadn’t been the right time until now.
“Okay,” and that was all Jan had to say. They went off down the beach at a steady pace for about ten minutes. The talent Jan and Ward shared, one that had been developed, used and abused by the government, was strangely not in use.
Jan and Ward had been empathetically sensitive all their lives. The government had harvested them, as well as others, in college to train them to become exceptional mind readers. Some had made it, others had not. Jan and Ward were now sure that the ones who had not made it into the department might have been the lucky ones.
Now, the tables were turned. They were the ones who were on the run from the government and society. They could live in neither and were needed in both. Today they ran for exercise and away from the people they had once been. And on this run, unlike the others they had taken on many other days, they chose not to share words or thoughts. They were avoiding the obvious, for the last five or so months they had been on the run from everything and everyone, even themselves. They couldn’t run from themselves much longer.
Friday, March 2, 2018
New! Serialization Coming Soon
Do nothing,
...or risk your life for what is right.
Available at: www.amazon.com/Hidden-Promises-Annay-Dawson-ebook/dp/B01M09HTR0
Friday, December 15, 2017
Werewolf Whisperer - Final Segment
"LAPD!" Gabe shouted as he and Lucy burst from the shadows.
Tuti, tilting a red plastic gas can, hunched over the injured pit bull.
"Down on the ground!" Gabe followed up. Tuti froze.
An incredulous roar rose from the surprised Locos as Lucy rammed her full force
into Tuti, taking him down and knocking the gas can from his hands. She jumped to her feet and buried her boot in Tuti's midsection. He gasped and curled in on himself.
The crowd of Locos reacted with indecent speed, scrambling down the alley, climbing fences, grabbing dogs and cash as they fled.
A few took in the fact that all that was threatening them were two cops — alone, and one of them was a woman. Like pack predators they closed in, toothy smiles flashing in the glow of the streetlights.
The back door of the bar flew open. A skinny teenage boy wildly waving a handgun ran toward Gabe in a straight line.
"Manny! No!" A screech Lucy barely recognized as belonging to Xochitl Magaña rang out from inside the hallway.
Gabe clotheslined Manny effortlessly and sent his gun flying through the air. Hitting the ground it went off, prompting other frenzied Los Locos to fire blindly in return. The sound of feet running from both sides of the alley, the whirring sound of helicopter blades overhead, the sudden warning shouts of police and ACTF overlapped with the howling and barking of dogs and hollers from Los Locos escaping over the fence. Bodies in flight and pursuit, knocked over cages, men crashing or being thrown into the chain-link — the chaos all around made Lucy feel a weird calm.
She noticed Flaco holding up his phone, filming the entire scene, turning his narco-pop to full blast while tears flowed freely down his scrunched up face.
Freak.
Near her, Gabe scooped up the injured pit bull and bolted towards the safety of the door propped open by Xochitl Magaña.
"You idiots weren't supposed to grab the dog!" Xochitl sounded furious.
Men came at him from all sides, shouting and flailing. Gabe barreled through them as if they were nothing.
Screeching, Flaco raised his Browning to take aim at Gabe's back. Lucy clocked the boy in the face with her Beretta. He went straight to the ground.
"You fucking weasel!" she spat and bent down to scoop up his gun.
Someone grabbed her from behind, but she twisted out of the way, losing her grip on Flaco's 9mm. There was nowhere to go now but to follow Gabe and the pit bull through the open back entrance to Xochitl's Cantina. Lucy sprinted ahead, tripped over the stoop and gracelessly crashed onto the cantina floor, cutting her hands and bruising her pride.
Crap!
A shot rang out, and for a moment everything seemed to slow down. Lucy saw Gabe, who'd been in front of her and was already in the room, go to his knees on the blue linoleum. He bent forward unnaturally, releasing the pit bull who scrambled under a wooden table.
Lucy lurched forward on the floor to half push and half drag Gabe out of range of the shots that were continuing through the backdoor. From behind the bar, Lucy heard Xochitl scream, "Stop shooting, you assholes!"
Tuti, tilting a red plastic gas can, hunched over the injured pit bull.
"Down on the ground!" Gabe followed up. Tuti froze.
An incredulous roar rose from the surprised Locos as Lucy rammed her full force
into Tuti, taking him down and knocking the gas can from his hands. She jumped to her feet and buried her boot in Tuti's midsection. He gasped and curled in on himself.
The crowd of Locos reacted with indecent speed, scrambling down the alley, climbing fences, grabbing dogs and cash as they fled.
A few took in the fact that all that was threatening them were two cops — alone, and one of them was a woman. Like pack predators they closed in, toothy smiles flashing in the glow of the streetlights.
The back door of the bar flew open. A skinny teenage boy wildly waving a handgun ran toward Gabe in a straight line.
"Manny! No!" A screech Lucy barely recognized as belonging to Xochitl Magaña rang out from inside the hallway.
Gabe clotheslined Manny effortlessly and sent his gun flying through the air. Hitting the ground it went off, prompting other frenzied Los Locos to fire blindly in return. The sound of feet running from both sides of the alley, the whirring sound of helicopter blades overhead, the sudden warning shouts of police and ACTF overlapped with the howling and barking of dogs and hollers from Los Locos escaping over the fence. Bodies in flight and pursuit, knocked over cages, men crashing or being thrown into the chain-link — the chaos all around made Lucy feel a weird calm.
She noticed Flaco holding up his phone, filming the entire scene, turning his narco-pop to full blast while tears flowed freely down his scrunched up face.
Freak.
Near her, Gabe scooped up the injured pit bull and bolted towards the safety of the door propped open by Xochitl Magaña.
"You idiots weren't supposed to grab the dog!" Xochitl sounded furious.
Men came at him from all sides, shouting and flailing. Gabe barreled through them as if they were nothing.
Screeching, Flaco raised his Browning to take aim at Gabe's back. Lucy clocked the boy in the face with her Beretta. He went straight to the ground.
"You fucking weasel!" she spat and bent down to scoop up his gun.
Someone grabbed her from behind, but she twisted out of the way, losing her grip on Flaco's 9mm. There was nowhere to go now but to follow Gabe and the pit bull through the open back entrance to Xochitl's Cantina. Lucy sprinted ahead, tripped over the stoop and gracelessly crashed onto the cantina floor, cutting her hands and bruising her pride.
Crap!
A shot rang out, and for a moment everything seemed to slow down. Lucy saw Gabe, who'd been in front of her and was already in the room, go to his knees on the blue linoleum. He bent forward unnaturally, releasing the pit bull who scrambled under a wooden table.
Lucy lurched forward on the floor to half push and half drag Gabe out of range of the shots that were continuing through the backdoor. From behind the bar, Lucy heard Xochitl scream, "Stop shooting, you assholes!"
The gunfire stopped.
"Lucy." The deep rumble of Gabe's voice took her complete focus. Something was very wrong. Gabe's face had turned pasty white and glistened with sweat. Lucy locked onto Gabe's eyes — normally deep chocolate brown, they now glowed a mesmerizing amber.
Before she could react, five Locos burst into the room, shouting and waving their guns. Gabe sprang up, knocking Lucy on her back, and crashed into the Locos with breathtaking force and speed.
Gabe's already large frame now appeared monstrous, the muscles of his back and arms bulging and pulsing, his bones lengthening and cracking. Clean-shaven a moment ago, his face looked dirty with dark stubble. His hair, always cut high and tight — a remnant of his time in the service, now brushed his shoulders and rolled down his back like a messy lion's mane.
Gabe roared like an animal in agony and ripped through one of the men's throats with the startling long, curved claws of his bare hand.
He grabbed a gangbanger with the other hand, dangling the man off the floor and shaking him by the face like a rag doll.
Lucy started to black out as what felt like a massive shockwave rocked through her body. She fought to keep her eyes open. The small coherent part of her brain observed that Gabe's Kevlar vest had a small rip in the back. Even if the vest had stopped a bullet from going through, it couldn't have saved his ribs from being broken. Yet Gabe moved unencumbered, with the power of ten men.
She fixated on the shaggy black layer of fur that covered her partner's head and arms. Just then he turned in profile; large pointed, fur-covered ears swiveled back like those of an aggressive dog. Razor-sharp teeth flashed in a tapered lupine jaw, and he bit down on the last gangbanger.
My partner's a werewolf?
Lucy convulsed as hysteria shot through her like an electric shock.
"SWAT! Drop your weapons! Nobody move!" At that moment, the SWAT team burst through the front door of the cantina.
Gabe spun on the armed men, ready to attack.
"No, Gabe! Stop!" Lucy screamed the command, instinct trumping fear. Gabe hesitated and looked at her with curiosity.
Holy shit! He's listening to me.
"SWAT! Get on the floor!" an officer roared as the team closed in.
"LAPD. Don't shoot," Lucy yelled out and lurched ahead to put her body between Gabe and the SWAT officers. "Don't shoot. Don't shoot. Don't shoot." Lucy's voice gave out. Tears streamed down her face as she tried to squeeze sound from her throat, but her vocal chords wouldn't obey anymore and violent coughs shook her.
She felt Gabe's hot breath on her neck and turned to face him, slowly and deliberately.
"Down, Gabe." She pointed to the floor. "Down."
For a split second, everyone in the room stood still and watched Gabe. The massive man swayed briefly and then dropped to the floor like a puppet that had had its strings cut.
"Officer down. Code 33. Echo Park. North Alvarado and Clinton. Officer down.
"Lucy." The deep rumble of Gabe's voice took her complete focus. Something was very wrong. Gabe's face had turned pasty white and glistened with sweat. Lucy locked onto Gabe's eyes — normally deep chocolate brown, they now glowed a mesmerizing amber.
Before she could react, five Locos burst into the room, shouting and waving their guns. Gabe sprang up, knocking Lucy on her back, and crashed into the Locos with breathtaking force and speed.
Gabe's already large frame now appeared monstrous, the muscles of his back and arms bulging and pulsing, his bones lengthening and cracking. Clean-shaven a moment ago, his face looked dirty with dark stubble. His hair, always cut high and tight — a remnant of his time in the service, now brushed his shoulders and rolled down his back like a messy lion's mane.
Gabe roared like an animal in agony and ripped through one of the men's throats with the startling long, curved claws of his bare hand.
He grabbed a gangbanger with the other hand, dangling the man off the floor and shaking him by the face like a rag doll.
Lucy started to black out as what felt like a massive shockwave rocked through her body. She fought to keep her eyes open. The small coherent part of her brain observed that Gabe's Kevlar vest had a small rip in the back. Even if the vest had stopped a bullet from going through, it couldn't have saved his ribs from being broken. Yet Gabe moved unencumbered, with the power of ten men.
She fixated on the shaggy black layer of fur that covered her partner's head and arms. Just then he turned in profile; large pointed, fur-covered ears swiveled back like those of an aggressive dog. Razor-sharp teeth flashed in a tapered lupine jaw, and he bit down on the last gangbanger.
My partner's a werewolf?
Lucy convulsed as hysteria shot through her like an electric shock.
"SWAT! Drop your weapons! Nobody move!" At that moment, the SWAT team burst through the front door of the cantina.
Gabe spun on the armed men, ready to attack.
"No, Gabe! Stop!" Lucy screamed the command, instinct trumping fear. Gabe hesitated and looked at her with curiosity.
Holy shit! He's listening to me.
"SWAT! Get on the floor!" an officer roared as the team closed in.
"LAPD. Don't shoot," Lucy yelled out and lurched ahead to put her body between Gabe and the SWAT officers. "Don't shoot. Don't shoot. Don't shoot." Lucy's voice gave out. Tears streamed down her face as she tried to squeeze sound from her throat, but her vocal chords wouldn't obey anymore and violent coughs shook her.
She felt Gabe's hot breath on her neck and turned to face him, slowly and deliberately.
"Down, Gabe." She pointed to the floor. "Down."
For a split second, everyone in the room stood still and watched Gabe. The massive man swayed briefly and then dropped to the floor like a puppet that had had its strings cut.
"Officer down. Code 33. Echo Park. North Alvarado and Clinton. Officer down.
Start me additional units and medical. Code 3. Officer shot. Approach from northwest."
"On their way."
Lucy heard the shouting but didn't comprehend the words. She crouched down beside her partner, holding him tight as convulsions wracked his body. She saw blood drip to the floor. Gabe had been hit despite the Kevlar.
"Don't die. Don't die. You can't die." Lucy's words ran together in an incessant chant. She was lost in his pain, unable to focus, oblivious to the pandemonium all around her.
Lucy heard the shouting but didn't comprehend the words. She crouched down beside her partner, holding him tight as convulsions wracked his body. She saw blood drip to the floor. Gabe had been hit despite the Kevlar.
"Don't die. Don't die. You can't die." Lucy's words ran together in an incessant chant. She was lost in his pain, unable to focus, oblivious to the pandemonium all around her.
Visit their Amazon pages:
https://www.amazon.com/Camilla-Ochlan/e/B00OBOOBF6/
https://www.amazon.com/Bonita-Gutierrez/e/B00OFB9ZVK/
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