An Interview: Carly

“Thank you for coming in for the interview today.”

“It’s my pleasure,” Carly said as she folded herself into the chair. “It’ll be fun.”

“What do you like about your job?”

“Helping people,” she said easily. “I like helping to get people on their feet again and will do so however I can.”

“What made you pick a coffee shop?”

“I like coffee,” she said with a grin, leaning back into the chair. “It also provides a community space. Anyone can come in and sit. Everyone knows I don’t tolerate bullshit in my establishment. They are safe there.” She looked thoughtful, tilting her head to the side. “I think that’s why Vanessa and I get along so well. She’s a little… abrasive. However, she doesn’t let people get away with bullshit either.”

“You two would make a formidable team.”

“You know Vanessa would roll her eyes at that, but she would be secretly pleased.”

“Would you ever consider changing jobs, and if so, what would you want to do?”

“I don’t think I would,” she said, running her hand through her hair. “I don’t need to work. I have more coin than I could ever spend. I didn’t open that place to make money. It was just to help people. A safe space, a job, food, etc.”

“You truly are happy there.”

“Very much so,” she said with another smile.

“What’s a hobby you have?”

“Baking,” she said. “It relaxing, and it’s also something you can experiment with. Flavors, textures, even the products themselves.”

“Baking is a part of your job, though. Is it really a hobby?”

“Very much so,” she nodded. “I don’t serve everything I bake at the shop, but it can give me ideas.” She leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees, lacing her fingers. “I’ve been working on a few new things I want to bring into the shop. It’s a fun challenge to find a way to make it work. As long as a batch is edible, I give to various groups living in the streets.”

“How did baking come to be hobbies of yours?”

“My mom wanted me to bake with her all the time,” she replied, fidgeting with her laced fingers. “She liked to experiment too. She told me it was a productive way to keep your brain sharp. After she died, I kept it up in her honor.”

“What skill do you have that might be surprising?”

“Fancy bar tricks and pool,” she said, leaning back with a mischievous grin. “For the bar tricks, I use syrups, whipped cream, and coffee paraphernalia. I don’t often do it in the shop, but it can be fun. The pool… I like to go into bars and hustle the arrogance off those that are rude to barmaids. I’m surprised I don’t already have a reputation for it.”

“That sounds a like it’s more of a hobby for you.”

“It is, in a way. Playing pool very well is a skill; hustling the arrogant assholes with attitude is a hobby.”

“Speaking of, how do you feel about Thomas now? You dressed him down in your shop at least once.”

“Thomas is one of the good ones,” she said with a warm smile. “He was a little lost and needed someone to stand up to him.”

“Do you credit James for some of that transformation?”

“No,” she said adamantly. “If you ask him, he would say it was all James, but that takes away from the work he put into himself. The people around him helped to guide him. He was the one to make the decision to listen and grow. I won’t take that away from him.”

“That’s a good way to look at it.”

She flashed a smile and shifted in the chair. The calm mask she wore was belied by the movement.

“People are ultimately in charge of their own lives. The rest of us can only provide support.”

“What does the perfect vacation look like to you?”

“Anything with horses. Caring for them, riding them, training them. I’ve always loved being around horses.” Her body relaxed some as a memory flashed across her face. “They are smarter than people give them credit for. While only fairies can talk to them directly, they do still speak to you; you just have to be willing to listen.”

“What about a perfect date?”

“I don’t date. I’m not really interested in it. I never have been. I just can’t put my heart into it. I’d rather cultivate deep friendships.”

“Those friendships sound wonderful.”

“They are. I cherish every one of them,” she said fondly.

“Thank you for taking the time to come and chat with me.”

“Anytime,” she said as she stood. “I’m sure I’ll be back once things settle down a little back in Kadence.”

“I look forward to it.”

She strode to the portal and tossed a wave and a smile over her shoulder before stepping through it.

Super Interesting and Unique Title

I try to name things somewhat related to something for the week. This is not the week. I don't know what it is, but sleep has not been my friend. I'm exhausted all the time, more so than usual. I had a whopping 1.5 hours of sleep the other night. So. That has been really fun lol 

The words have been hard. I'm behind. Again By like 2700 words. I need to get over 6k today to be on track again. I'm running out of days to play catch up. NaNo ends on Monday. I think a major part of it is because it's so close to the end. The first chapter is hard. The last quarter of the book is hard... at least for me. So. I'm struggling. 

I don't toss too much of this out there because... well, just because... but there is a person in my life determined to drive what's left of my sanity away. There is nothing I can do about it but attempt to ignore them. My noise canceling headphones help, but on Tuesday it was not enough. My nerves are already shot and I can tell you... that didn't help any. 

This has just not been a good week overall. There were some good things. I'm trying to focus on those. Like some of the crows and I dragged another crow into a whole new world and that has been endlessly entertaining lol My best friend put in an offer on a house and it was accepted! It's the cutest house omg. Him and his wife already have so many plans for it. I'm excited for them. There have been a lot of good conversations with several people in my life. So, I'm focusing on that. 

I need to be writing this book. I'm actually writing this TODAY. Not just making sure it's good to go like I do most weeks. So I think that will be all for now. 

Until next week ♥

Lyrics in my head: 

Pulled the car off the lookout
Could've followed my fears all the way down 
And maybe I don't know quite what to say
But I'm here in your doorway

First Assignments, Onyx

 

It sounded easy enough.

He read through the file, staked out the target for a few days, and then made a plan. He was prepared. Unlike the other recruits in the academy, he didn’t want to show he was the best at anything. He was already the youngest recruit, and he wasn’t pulled from Blade like the rest of them. He hadn’t wanted any more attention called to himself. He had done all his real training behind closed doors. He waited until the others were in bed or at lunch to make sure he could handle all the weapons. He kept himself in the middle of the pack.

He hadn’t thought twice about the job. At least until he stood on the rooftop across the street from his first target. It had become real. He was going to kill this man. His heart rate accelerated the longer he stood there. Even with all his skill and training, his hands trembled as he watched.

Easy had been the wrong word.

This man, Caleb, was a businessman. Onyx had followed him from meeting to meeting, looking for anything that could’ve landed him on Garrote's radar. It wasn’t until the third day he figured it out. Caleb spent some of his nights as a bookie for the humans. If they got behind… Well, then, he would use his magic to torment them. He had taken out two Blade teams that had come for him. Now, he just needed to be dealt with. Why Onyx had to follow him.

It needed to be an accident. Caleb was too well known to disappear and had too many friends to let it become an unsolved murder. He checked over all this gear for the fifth time before watching for Caleb to go to bed for the night. That night, he took longer than the others. It made Onyx fidget. There was a deadline. He didn’t want to wait.

When Caleb finally got in bed and turned off the light, Onyx glanced at his watch. He wanted to wait at least an hour. It was an agonizing hour. It was freezing on the roof as he waited.

After exactly an hour, Onyx got to work. He picked his way back across the U-shaped roof until he was standing above Caleb’s apartment. It would be the most dangerous part. Scaling the side of the building, past another apartment, without being noticed. He had attached the thick nylon rope when he got there before he settled in to watch Caleb’s night. He ran it through his harness and tossed the end over the side.

He took a deep breath as he stepped up to the ledge. He couldn’t believe he was going to go through with it. It was surreal. He hopped back and let his feet plant firmly on the smooth taupe wall. He made quick work of dropping two floors. The window he had chosen was always left cracked. People aren’t as worried about locking their windows on the 12th floor. Even in a city.

Onyx pushed the window open slowly, listening for any sounds inside. He sat on the window sill and waited to see if anyone noticed. When everything stayed silent, he swung his legs in and unhooked himself from the rope. He patted his pocket to make sure the vial was still secure.

He set his jaw and moved quietly through the apartment. When he got to the bedroom, the bed was empty. He bit back a curse. He didn’t know where Caleb could’ve gone, but he couldn’t be caught there. Onyx heard movement from down the hall and slipped into the shadows of the bedroom. When Caleb ambled into the room and flung himself on the bed, Onyx was hesitant to even breathe. He couldn’t be seen.

He stood perfectly still, keeping a careful hold on his breathing, until Caleb started snoring. Onyx slipped the vial and a syringe from one of the pockets on his vest. The Garrote healers had been working on a new serum, adalite. It was supposed to nullify magic and cause heart failure. He didn’t know how they had done it, but it made jobs like these easier, so he wouldn’t complain. It had to be kept warm, and once the seal on the vial was broken, he only had minutes to use it before whatever magic in the adalite would vanish, rendering it useless.

Onyx slowly pushed the needle in by the rim of the vial. In all the tests he had done, it was the quietest way to break a seal like this. As soon as the needle punctured the thin layer of aluminum, there was a hiss. Caleb bolted upright and looked right at him.

With a growl, Caleb launched himself to his feet. Onyx swore as he drew the fluid up into the syringe. He had to make it fast, or he couldn’t finish the job as instructed. Even with two more vials on him, he couldn’t leave any other marks. He couldn’t mess up his first assignment.

He dropped to the ground and rolled under Caleb’s strike. Onyx struck out with the needle but only managed to graze him. A mark he shouldn’t have left. Caleb grabbed books from the bookcase and hurled them at him. They were easy to dodge, and it didn’t take long to figure out why. He had been going for his gun. Onyx whipped his air magic in a frenzy to fling the gun away, but Caleb had been training with metal. It was weak, but there. The gun was caught between the dueling magical forces.

Onyx knew that would be the best way to strike. He leapt forward as he dropped his magic. Caleb snatched up the gun and turned it on Onyx, firing just as he was tackled. The bullet tore through Onyx’s left shoulder as he jammed the needle into Caleb’s bicep and pushed the plunger down.

Caleb tried to bring the gun around to fire again, but his body seized up. Onyx stumbled back from him and collapsed on the floor as he watched the spasms that took over his target. He watched as the life slid from his body. He couldn’t move. His breathing came in ragged bursts.

He had been trained for this. He knew what he was supposed to do. He knew he was supposed to push aside the feeling until later. He knew he was supposed to stand. He knew he needed to clean up the scene. He knew all of it, but he couldn’t move. He was rooted to the floor.

Murderer.

It was the only thought that would slide through his mind, twining to his heart as it squeezed. He didn’t know how long he sat there. Something in him snapped, and he climbed to his feet. The pain in his shoulder was overwhelming. He reached for a tin of salve in his vest. He had to go into the bathroom to examine the wound. After applying the salve, he returned to that bedroom and got to work. The gun was put back in its place, and the books had to be returned to the shelf. He had to drag Caleb closer to the bed as if he had collapsed out of it. He used his air magic to remove all of his blood.

He didn’t have a way to fix the bullet hole in the wall. It couldn’t stay there. He paced as he went through his options. Finally, he pulled the bullet out of the hole and used his air magic to align the pieces. It wasn’t perfect, and if anyone looked too closely, they would see it. It was the best he could do.

He checked the room over one last time and let his eyes linger on the man he had killed before he went back to the window and hoisted himself up. He slid the window closed to where he’d found it. His shoulder protested the climb back to the roof.

He had finished his first assignment.

The Lions Look Good This Year

 I know we say that every year, but this year is different! I swear! This really is our year. It has to be. We looked good at the end of last season. We have so much promise for this season. As of the time this posts, there is exactly 49 days until the Lion's first game of the regular season! Which is actually the opener of the whole NFL regular season. It's going to be great. Trust me. 

I'm on a little behind on NaNo... I've hit the halfway point in the book. Which makes it easier and harder all at the same time. I don't plan my books out. Vanessa lives in my head and tells me things. I know some things I want to happen or a general direction the book is going in, but none of the specifics. I'm just as surprised by a lot of the things as everyone else. The thing about being at a halfway point, is things need to start pointing to a resolution. I have to make sure to reign the story in. Sometimes it works better than other. Edits makes it all look intentional lol 

I've been reading more again, and it's awesome. I'm still working on Empire of Storms. That's how much reading I haven't been doing... Usually a book this size can be done in under a week (and that's if I'm on top of limiting time reading, otherwise like two days). I think I've had this one open for... I don't even know, but it's been a while. After this one, there is only two more books left in the series and I move on to Crescent City. I'm still salty at how long I have to wait for the ACOTAR book... I need to know things there. TOG is a completed series, so I will get an ending. I guess CC is still running too. It's like torture I tell you. 

I'm pulling it all back together again this week. I'm not going to be morose. I have a lot happening and most of it is good. Going to focus on that. C.O. would be proud. I'm also doing some reading for a couple of the crows. So that's something else for me to focus on. I haven't decided how healthy it is, but we can just pretend the bad stuff isn't there and find other things to do lol I know there has to be a balance in there, but I'm not good at balance 

The castle in the sky in Terraria is complete. Now I'm working on the second one while also deciding I need to do some more progression stuff. So my evenings have been relaxing with Terraria and watching Suits. I need that time to do nothing of importance to keep hold of my sanity. 

Until next week ♥

Lyrics in my head: 

Let's go to hell together
We can burn forever 
I've got nothing better to do 
You know that I'm not a rebel 
I just know the devil 
Can't be much worse than me and you

AND

This night is sparkling, don't you let it go
I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home 
I'll spend forever wondering if you knew
I was enchanted to meet you

Matchstick Excerpt 5: Smores

Once I got the fire going, I plopped down in front of it. I saw the people in the cabin next to us. They were a young couple, and they raised a hand in greeting as they got their own fire going.

“Ok, ready to eat?” Onyx said as he settled in next to me.

“Can we eat the smores first?”

“You are going to end up eating all the smores, and then you won’t want a hot dog,” he said laughing.

I just grinned. He rolled his eyes, but the smile never left his face. He handed me a stick and I popped a marshmallow on it. I stuck it immediately in the fire and waited for it to be engulfed in flames before bringing it slowly back to me to blow it out. Onyx shook his head.

“They are better if you burn the outside, and it doesn’t take as long before you get to eat them,” I said as I smooshed it between the chocolate and crackers.

“Patience is a virtue,” he said.

“One that I do not possess.”

I squealed as he reached over and scooped me up, placing me in his lap. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my cheek. I leaned back into him and rested my hands on his arms. I could stay like this all night. I tipped my head back and laid it on his shoulder.

(All excerpts are taken from a lightly edited first draft. The content may change or be removed entirely from the final novel.)

To My Crows, With Love

For distractions on the worst of days. 

For listening to all the crazy in my life. 

For the lack of judgment. 

For silly conversations. 
For GIF spam, both with love and with wild inappropriateness.
For the shared love of explosions and murder (fictionally speaking).
For the word count races. 
For planning impossible road trips.
For the help. 
For motivation and inspiration. 
For a special brand of weird. 
For a place I feel comfortable in. 

With another hard week running, having the crows has been a life saver for me. It's been a place I spend a lot of time in now. I have discord open almost all time. The turns tabling have been pushed away. I feel better. I mean, I'm still struggling, and I can still feel the weight of the stress, but it's been easier to carry with me. Even when I don't talk about the exactness of it... Just being in there brings me a level of peace. I am forever grateful. 

The writing has been going. One of the crows in particular races me all the time. It's one of the best ways to getting writing done when you are as competitive as I am! Due to some events yesterday, I'm behind for CampNaNo. I'm going to get it back on track by the end of the weekend and hope to get ahead next week. Having a cushion in there is nice when days like yesterday happen. I'm feeling more confident in my ability to get this done. Writing Vanessa again is coming easier. I know I will have to push some stuff in the beginning around since I couldn't nail her voice down in the first few chapters, but it's doable. 

Vanessa's story means a lot to me. After writing my first book way back when, I was going through some stuff. I was struggling with my identity as a writer. I didn't write anything for years. Vanessa gave me the spark back. When I started her story, I was still struggling. A lot. buuut she was persistent. While Harley and her story will always be close to my heart, Vanessa brought back my passion for stories. 

Parenting is one of the hardest things I've ever done. Seeing all the problems she might have and knowing I can't stop them... I can't make her listen to me. I remember what it's like to have grand plans with a naïve expectation of how the world will be. No matter how many conversations we have, no matter what insight I can give her... I'm still just mom, and mom's just don't get it. The entirety of is has been weighing on me a lot. In five months she will be an adult. There is this spiral of guilt that I didn't do enough or that I should've made different choices. I guess that remains to be seen. I've had a lot of conversations with my mom about how she handled this transition. It helps some. Maybe in a few years I'll feel better about it all. We'll see. 

The music has been hitting so much harder lately too. I'm feeling everything deeper than normal, and I already feel things hard. Some of it is just my personality, some of it is being an empath, and I know some of it is the bi-polar. I live my life in extremes. I'm not happy, I'm ecstatic. I'm not sad, I'm devastated. I'm not angry, I'm furious. Even my baseline runs high or low depending on the day. Music has this ability to pull the emotions even harder, but sometimes (like now), it's even more impactful. I'm still obsessing over Taylor. Speak Now (Taylor's Version) just dropped, and I'm all about it. Everything is so good. I've got a lot of Ed Sheeran in there too. After listening to his two newest albums... I'm obsessed there too. 

Because of the crows talking all about the Steam Summer Sale... we got to talking about Terraria. One of them teamed up with me to get people to buy it lol Soooo I've been playing it a lot again. I love this game so much. It's so fantastic. I really want to play all day, but I know I can't do that. So it's become my reward for doing all the writing things. Currently working on a castle in the sky. Do you know how much stone it takes to make enough grey brick for a castle to house all the NPCs? A lot. It takes a lot. I keep running out lol 

Ok, I think that's enough. I'm a little morose this week, sorry lol

Until next week ♥

Lyrics in my head:

My bad habits lead to late nights ending alone 
Conversations with a stranger I barely know 
Swearin this will be the last but it probably wont
I got nothin left to lose, or use, or do

AND

And there we are again when no one had to know 
You kept me like a secret, but I kept you like an oath 
Sacred prayer and we'd swear
To remember it all too well

An Interview: James

 “Thank you for coming in for the interview today, James.”

“Thank you for having me,” he said with a genuine smile as he gracefully folded himself into the chair, unbuttoning his suit jacket. “How are you doing this fine day?”

“I’m very well. You?”

“Spectacular,” he said, crossing his ankle over his knee. “I do have some things I need to get back and attend to, though.”

“Of course! I know you’re all very busy, so we’ll get right to it. What do you like about your job?”

“The security,” he said easily. “V and I only answer to each other, and we only rely on each other.”

“But you have clients to please. So there is some accountability to others.”

“To a degree, yes,” he said thoughtfully, tipping his head. “Growing up like we did leaves you… wanting, for a lot. It’s something we don’t have to worry about now. We don’t get involved in things we don’t want to be involved in. We don’t have to be afraid anymore. That’s what matters to us most.”

There was a shift in him. It was subtle, but his muscles tensed, and his spine straightened. The easy smile never left his face, but darkness clouded his eyes for a moment. He held himself with a disarming grace. That darkness was gone in the blink of an eye like it had never been.

“Would you ever consider changing jobs, and if so, what would you want to do?”

“I can’t imagine doing anything else,” he said. “Vanessa and I would find a way to make this work, no matter what we had to do.” His smile faltered a little, but he righted it again. “She and I have been through a lot together. We will always make it work.”

“The two of you have a very close relationship.”

“It was just the two of us for a very long time,” he said, the warmth returning to his features. “When you very literally put your life in someone else’s hands for almost your entire life… it has that effect.”

“What’s a hobby you have?”

“Hobbies are something I’m still working on. Gus has been showing me things about woodcarving. I’ve been thinking about starting a collection of daggers, too. Cassidy was doing some flower weaving the other day that looked interesting, too,” he said thoughtfully. “I just want to try everything. There is so much of the world out there. Why would I want to settle for only understanding part of it?”

All the tension from earlier drained from his body as he talked. There was an air of wistfulness about him. It projected the same kind of vibe as Cassidy’s wanderlust.

“Is there anything you don’t want to try?”

“Cooking,” he said without hesitation. “I have cooked precisely one time, and I hate it.” A smirk spread across his face as he leaned forward. “Vanessa and I almost caught the kitchen on fire trying to make grilled cheese. We swore off it soon after. Luckily Thomas is an excellent cook when he wants to be.”

“How would you set the kitchen on fire with a grilled cheese?”

“Well,” he said, laughing. “Apparently, you don’t actually fry them in oil. When we dropped them in, there was too much oil, and it started overflowing and bubbling. We both ran. Some things were melted. It was a mess. Cassidy never let us forget it.”

He was trying to stifle his laugh, but it wasn’t working. He let his head fall forward as he got himself under control again.

“Other than that… I’m open to most things. I don’t know that I would want to take on a high-risk hobby. I already have enough of that in my life, but I wouldn’t be opposed to it if someone I cared about wanted me to try it.”

“What skill do you have that might be surprising?”

“I can sing,” he said bashfully. “I don’t do it often because I don’t like to have all the attention on me, but sometimes I will do it.”

“Want to try something now?”

“Ah, I’m running short on time…” he said, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck. “Maybe another time.”

A little bit of a blush was creeping over his cheeks.

“Of course. We are almost done. What does the perfect vacation look like to you?”

“Having time with Vanessa and Thomas without anything blowing up or danger of any kind,” he said, biting his lip. “There always tends to be one thing or another keeping us on our toes. It would be nice to have some time with just the three of us.”

“How would Vanessa and Thomas feel about that?”

“Now?” he laughed. “They would be happy with it. While they had a very rocky start, things between them are much better now. They have a better understanding of each other.”

“What about a perfect date?”

“Stargazing with a bottle of wine,” he said, leaning back in the chair and lacing his fingers together in his lap. “It gives you something to focus on if you need it, but also something to talk about. It can be anything you want it to be in the moment without pressure.”

“That does sound like a fantastic date. Well, that’s all I have for you. The portal over there will take you back.”

“It was a pleasure,” he said as he stood and re-buttoned his jacket. “I’m sure I’ll be back soon.”

He gave a slight bow before walking back to the portal.

The Turns May be Table-ing

 I seriously hate the fourth of July. Yes, I know, fun killer... whatever. I live in a city neighborhood. The houses are close together and close to the street. There are 100 year old trees everywhere. Yes, lets set off professional grade fireworks in the street. PERFECT. Why not. This year someone has taken to setting off M80s in the neighborhood too. Nothing like sitting outside and then having what amounts to a bomb going off. For like two weeks I get to be increasingly more paranoid someone is going to set the street on fire (a few years ago, they did set a tree on fire) until my final anxiety fueled spiral on the fourth itself...  Which this year included people down the street knocking the power line off their house with a firework and knocking the power out to half the block. 

It's always bad. I hate it. My cats hate it. So, I hate the fourth, and I'm always happy when it's over.

Said stress about the fireworks only adds to the other stress I've got going on right now. Thankfully, the fireworks are about done. Probably a couple more days of occasional ones, buuuut for the most part, it's better. I'm really hoping there is a light at the end of the tunnel for the rest of it soon. Some of it is parenting related. The Child Unit will be an adult in six months. I don't know how that happened, but I'm a little bit freaking out about it. So. That's a thing I'm worried about. The other stuff isn't mine to tell. It's hitting in waves, but it's been hard. 

The music has been a rollercoaster lately. I'm bouncing between a playlist with nothing but Taylor Swift songs, a playlist a friend of mine made for summer, and the one I use to write Trust. There is some overlap there, but all of it has been a whirlwind in my head. It's fantastic. Music is one of my favorite things, and it helps everything so much. 

There hasn't been as much reading lately as I would like, but I'm working on it. CampNaNo has introduced some stressed of it's own in my life. I'm spending a lot more time in front of my laptop trying to make it happen. I'm keeping up, but barely. I really want to say I pulled it off. It would be so fantastic to know for sure I can write at this pace on the regular and that Matchstick wasn't a fluke. That remains to be seen. There is a lot of July left still. 

I said before, I'm productively adrift. I can feel myself pulling closer and closer to adrift and I need to stop that from happening. There is too much for me to do for me to get lost in the chaos of my mind... but I am overdue for it. Maybe I should be happy I've held on for this long. Here's to pushing through and hoping to retain some level of sanity in the process (although anyone that knows me will tell you I lost what was left of my sanity years ago lol). 

Until next week ♥

Lyrics in my head:
I see your monsters, I see your pain
Tell me your problems, I'll chase them away
I'll be your lighthouse, I'll make it ok
When I see your monsters, I'll stand there so brave
And chase them all away

AND 

They told me all my cages were mental

So I got wasted like all my potential 

And my words shoot to kill when I'm mad

I have a lot of regrets about that 

When Arthur Met Annabell

I never liked the jobs I had to work with other people. It was easier to get things done by yourself. Having someone else around was a wild card. If they got sloppy, you would get wrapped up in it. I was supposed to be meeting whoever it was at the airport. They had to fly in. International jobs were always harder too. Human customs, laws, passports, etc., had to be respected. It didn’t matter that I was in what was equivalent to their military black ops. We didn’t get special treatment. We didn’t have workarounds.

I was already here when they told me someone else would join me. The job had gotten more complicated. Instead of just a warlord, three of his wives had to go too. Apparently, they were a party to whatever this was. They decided I couldn’t take on all four by myself. It was possible, not ideal, but possible. Yet here I was, standing in an airport, holding a sign that said, Bellamy. I knew that wasn’t a real name. We weren’t allowed to have those until we showed up.

The plane had finally landed. People were streaming off. Most happily chatting amongst themselves. A few were on their own. I eyed everyone carefully, trying to determine who I was there for. That’s when the small blonde ambled up to me.

“You must be my ride,” she drawled.

“I think you’re mistaken,” I said. “I’m here for Bellamy. We have a job to do together.”

“Then I’m in the right place, sugar,” she said with a wink.

She walked passed me and forced me to catch up. I sized her up as I approached. She was built like a debutante and was much too… happy. Very few Garrote members showed up to a meet like this with a smile on their face. I hoped this wasn’t her first job. I didn’t want to be responsible for getting us both out of there.

“I’ve got a few bags to grab,” she drawled as I matched her pace. “You can go on and get the car. I’ll meet you out front.”

I didn’t answer her. I was too annoyed by the entire situation. I walked off in the direction of the doors. I didn’t want to have to train her. That would add more time to this. I was supposed to get back home as soon as possible. Harley had started to come into her magic. I was so proud of her; I wanted to see her wielding it. Her birthday was coming up too. I promised her I would come to her birthday party this year. I had to miss the last three because I was working.

I climbed into the car and sighed. I had to be nice to her. If I was nice to her and tried to match her energy, it would be easier for us to work together. I put the car in gear and got in the line for picking up travelers. The line was moving relatively quickly, but it was still taking longer than I wanted it to.

I saw her walk out of the building. She didn’t know what car I was in, so she wasn’t going to come looking for me. A man started to approach her. I didn’t like the look of him. He was leering at her. Raking his eyes over her body like a dog checking out a steak. He reached out and touched her arm. She pulled away. I couldn’t hear what she said, but he didn’t look happy. He reached for her again. I was about to get out of the car to help her.

She grabbed his arm, twisted it behind his back, and slammed him face-first into the ground. Somehow she had a gun in her hand, pressed into his back. People started to scurry away, but she produced something from her shirt that made them feel better, but only just.

She leaned down and said something to him. He nodded franticly, and she let go. She readjusted the bag over her shoulder that she hadn’t bothered removing before flinging that guy onto the ground.

I finally got up to where she was and popped the trunk. She tossed her bags in there before plopping down in the passenger seat and holstering her gun.

“How in the hell did you get away with having a gun on the plane?” I asked her incredulously.

“I have an air marshal badge,” she said, grinning as she flashed it at me.

“They let you go through a human law enforcement training?”

“I didn’t say I was an air marshal. I said I have a badge,” she said, tucking it back in her shirt. “I probably shouldn’t have flipped him like that. Drew too much attention to myself. It’s one of those things, though. He approached me because I’m small, cute, and I look friendly. Maybe next time, he will think twice before accosting a woman.”

“What did you say to him when you had him on the ground?” I asked her as I pulled the car back into traffic.

“That if he ever did that again, I’d find him and cut his balls off. Then I told him he owed me an apology, which he offered up very quickly.”

“How long have you been in?” I asked.

“About a year and a half now,” she said thoughtfully. “This is my first time going overseas, though. Maybe after the job is done, I can get away with some sightseeing before they send me off again.”

It was right then I knew I liked her. She didn’t hesitate to capitalize on a situation. Scare the living daylights out of a sleazeball and then ponder tourist spots. It was a good trait to have in this field. I would be happy to work with her now and in the future. There were very few people I could say that about.