Sunday Snippet: Place of Honor

November 6, 2016

Wow, October flew by and I have no doubt November will do the same. It's crazy how fast time speeds along toward the end of the year.

The Walking Dead had a great episode. I really wanted to see where Carol and Morgan ended up. Will probably watch The Talking Dead first tonight.

Gotham keeps me coming back. Very interested in the potential twist thrown in at the end of last week's episode.

The Flash and Agents of SHIELD had great episodes. Very cool to see movement on both fronts.

Arrow, as always, makes me happy. I really like where everyone is headed and I'm definitely interested in discovering who's behind the armor pulling strings. Gonna be really disappointed if it ends up being Malcolm Merlyn. LOL

Legends of Tomorrow delivered an excellent episode. I'm kind of excited about the changes in Ray's status and situation. I love the idea of pairing him with Mick.

MacGyver had a fun episode. I love Jack's weird brand of humor. Looking forward to seeing the rivalry with Murdoc begin next week.

Finished up my rewatch of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries and getting ready to start the fifth season of Longmire. Looking forward to watching Katee Sackhoff again.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Place of Honor, a novella based on a prompt about writing one character going on a rescue mission for the other.

Here's the mini-blurb:

A band of bounty hunters go after urban legends, bagging, tagging, and removing the threat from cities, towns, villages, and sprawling rural landscapes. Wiley Star has a score to settle and Hex Harrigan can't deny her quest for vengeance—but when Wiley lands on the wrong end of a double-cross, it's up to Hex to track her whereabouts and save the day, which proves difficult because his personal feelings keep getting in the way.

And a preview snippet…

Two fucking weeks and no word from Wiley. Hex paced the chapel, back and forth, over and over. His night watch commander entered and Hex stopped. A quick shake of Seth's head confirmed nothing new on her status.

Hex slammed his fist into the wall. "Dammit!" He rubbed his split knuckles. "We should've at least heard something." Spinning around, he stalked to the altar and braced his palms on the surface.

He needed to think with a clear head. The day crew would have to dig into their well of informants. Hex hated to put up a red flag, especially when snitches notoriously played both sides. But Wiley's quest for payback wouldn't stay under wraps for long.

If her hunt for justice didn't serve to put her directly in danger's path.

Hex snorted. "A predictable move. I never should have let her go." His head hung low. "Sending up a red flare, announcing her intentions, would've been a safer option."

Seth broke his silence. "Since when has Wiley ever gone the safe route?"

Hex made a garbled choking sound. "Since never." He straightened. "Doesn't mean I'm not going to kick her ass when we get her back."

Seth's lips twisted in a sly grin. "Remind me to be far away when that happens. Better yet, you two should mount up and take a long ride into some backwater town and have at it." He leaned against the altar. "Gotta be more fun than an ass-kicking."

Hex shot Seth a look. "What makes you think Wiley would be onboard with that idea?" His mind replayed the kiss they shared.

The hint of promise lingered even two weeks later.

Seth rolled his eyes. "Are you kidding? Obviously she goes out of her way to leave a lasting impression. Why else would she work so hard to be the bane of your existence?" He slapped Hex on the back. "Get a clue, man."

Hex didn't take offense. "Yeah, yeah. I already had one. Didn't know everyone else did."

Seth flashed a cocky grin. "Well, now you do." He sobered when a shuffling sound echoed outside the door.

Holding a hand up, Hex reached for his sidearm then nodded for Seth to open the door. When the heavy oak swung inward, a body toppled to the floor. Seth dropped to his knees and Hex hunkered down beside him, keeping his weapon handy.

He glanced at Seth. "You know him?" The man had been beaten and battered and the wheezing sound coming from his mouth indicated a collapsed lung.

Seth gave a nod. "One of the bowery informers. Usually has good intel." He and leaned over the guy. "Bonnet, what happened? Who did this to you?" Seth did a quick assessment, feeling for additional injuries.

Bonnet spoke between labored breaths. "Got a location on the pretty hunter." He could  barely get the words out, but he shifted his attention to Hex. "P-pr-promise that my family will be moved to a safe location."

Hex nodded. "You have my word. Where did you find my hunter?" He called on every shred of patience. "Did her captors do this to you?" The man's life force drained with each passing moment.

Bonnet gave a quick shake of his head. "N-no. I got caught in the c-cr-crossfire between the Reavers and a new rival gang." He slid his gaze back to Seth. "I-I did what you said. Kept my ears open and my mouth shut." His tongue darted out, wetting his cracked lips. "The fight broke out over her. Some guy got all toasty over having your girl. Said they—" He broke off, wheezing for breath. "Said they stole her right out from under the Reavers." He grabbed hold of Seth's forearm. "S-sh-she's in a bad way, Seth. She's in the Dungeon, in Darkwing hands." Bonnet's breathing went shallower. "Th-they're, they're b-bad n-news." His eyes went wide and his final breath seized in his throat before his grip loosened and his hand went slack.

Seth brushed his palm over Bonnet's face, closing his death-frozen eyes. "I'll handle getting Winnie and the kids to one of our safe houses." He glanced up at Hex and lifted an eyebrow. "Who the hell are the Darkwings?"

Hex leaned back on his calves. "I sure as shit don't know, but you can bet your ass I'm going to find out." Rising, he strode across the floor to the makeshift workstation behind the altar, pulling out a laptop to open a search engine. "Got a feeling Wiley's life might depend on it."

This one is going a little dark. The sages are being very insistent on the direction they want to go in.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye