Sunday Snippet: The Truth Hurts

Greetings! It's been another busy week and I'm still excited about my ongoing projects. They're completely different genres and it's fun to have that variety while working.

Somewhat limited viewing week again. I've been in a place where background noise is more distracting than helpful, which occasionally happens. I notice it more on day when I didn't get solid sleep the night before.

I did catch most of Pennyworth. I have the last act of the episode to watch. This show is dark in all the ways I like shows to be. And I love getting to see Alfred actually grieve. And having Ripper be the catalyst that pulls him out is kind of a master stroke. Such a great show!

Also continued my Battlestar Galactica rewatch. We started season two and the first ten episodes are so terrific. The second half of the season is also excellent, but I remember so much about those first ten.

That's pretty much it for the life update. I am hoping to get some gardening in this week so stay tuned.

Tonight's post is from The Truth Hurts, a novella that brings a couple back together after one receives bad news.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Mardi Darr discovers her current lover is an enemy agent with an enchanted chip in his head. She gives the okay for a risky surgery, and it lands him in a submersion chamber with no brain activity. Heth Santiago is responsible for Mardi being with Staz and he needs to help Mardi accept the truth … even though it hurts like a bitch.

And a preview snippet…

Halfway through the second bottle of Abernath, Mardi finally chewed through her chaotic feelings. "I'm not pissed about the surgery, you know. I enjoyed Staz's company, and he was there when I needed someone, but … I ruined a man's life." And she loved Heth.

Always would—even if the stupid man thought she didn't know her own mind.

Heth set his empty glass aside. "Hence the reason you're here, drinking to soothe the hurt." He gave a nod of understanding. "What do you want to do after getting stupid drunk?" Leaning back in his chair, he arched his brows.

She shrugged. "Not sure, but planning revenge sounds pretty good." She'd take on every sorcerer on the planet if she could.

Heth grunted. "Want some help?" He straightened and poured another shot.

She nearly choked on her surprise. "Why? You don't even like Staz." A fact he'd made clear more than once.

Heth leaned in close. "Liking him has nothing to do with wanting to help. I love you."

Her mouth dropped open. "You can't say that to me. Not now." She shook her head, even while she wanted to bask in his words.

Heth downed his shot. "Yeah, my timing sucks. But I realized how stupid I was right after you got together with Staz." He pinned her with his gaze. "And I wouldn't get in the way of what you two had going on."

She huffed out a breath. "Which turned out to be nothing. Or did you miss the part where they used him as a pawn?" Somehow that fact did nothing to ease her guilt.

Heth shook his head. "I definitely didn't miss that part. But Staz being a pawn rests on my shoulders as much as yours."

Because he walked away. He didn't have to say the words. His meaning came through every with crystal clarity.

Her shoulders slumped. "I want to hate you so much right now." But she'd never be able to.

Heth inclined his chin. "I know. And I don't blame you. But I will help you seek justice for Staz. I owe both of you that much." He nudged the Abernath toward her.

She shoved the bottle aside. "You know what? I'm gonna put everything on the table here. We will get payback for Staz. But we can't do that until you and I work out your issues with us being a couple." She settled back. "So start talking."

This story is making me happy. I like messy characters because they're fun to write.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Truth Hurts

I can't believe there's only one more week and a few days of June left. This year seems to be flying by so fast—even with a pandemic and social distancing.

Slow week of television again but a good one for client phone calls. I have a couple if potentially interesting new projects to be excited about.

I did finish up Danger Man with the last few episodes of season two. I'll be starting the color episodes this week along with the new title of Secret Agent. Should be fun.

I also got through the Riverdale episode I started last week and, surprisingly, it got better. I kind of understand where Alice came from but it still annoys me to no end. Veronica's savage takedown of Hiram made my week. I also ended up really enjoying the Cheryl session with the guidance counselor—whoever tagged Gina Torres for that role deserves a raise. I'm very intrigued by the cutaway end scenes. If not for my absolute complete and utter loathing of Hiram, I would be so set to keep watching this show. As it is, I literally hate that character so much, I'll probably only skim through the season.

I caught another episode of Roswell, New Mexico and thoroughly enjoyed it. I like Alex and Michael working as a team without the usual UST between them. Having them become actual friends is a great thing and I'm totally there to watch that happen. Loved having the former Max back as a Mains ancestor. Here's hoping he'll be available for more flashback scenes. I like where Isabel is headed and love what she did for Arturo and Liz. Also loved, loved, loved Kyle's scenes with his mom. I'm not quite sure how I feel about the dean's daughter storyline, but I'm down with whatever happens. I kind of have a tiny hope Kyle ends up hooking up with Cameron at some point … but that's only if Jessie doesn't have her abducted. I totally don't believe he's been shackled by anyone or anything. In fact, I'd lay odds he's the actual private security firm's leader. That's my prediction and I'm sticking to it.

Last but not least, I watched another episode of Peak Practice. I've been staying with the chronological order for now and I'm working my way through the second season. Should have it finished up within the month. I hope.

And that's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Truth Hurts, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Mardi Darr discovers her current lover is an enemy agent with an enchanted chip in his head. She gives the okay for a risky surgery and it lands him in a submersion chamber with no brain activity. Heth Santiago is responsible for Mardi being with Staz and he needs to help Mardi accept the truth … even though it hurts like a bitch.

And a preview snippet…

Mardi pulled up behind the nondescript ranch house on a quiet street two towns over. "This should work until we can get Joannie in for a debrief." She cut the engine.

Staz rubbed the back of his head and around to his temples. "Man, my head hurts." He craned his neck from side to side.

His brows furrowed and he exhaled on a long breath.

Mardi frowned but turned to face Heth. "We weren't tailed, but it probably won't take long for the hawks to figure out we've got her." She slid a quick glance in Staz's direction, concerned when he kept rubbing his fingers across his forehead.

Heth nodded. "We bought some time but not much. Getting her inside then relocated should be a top priority." He angled sideways to address Joannie. "Are you good with going into our protective program?"

Mardi rolled her eyes. Whether Joannie wanted to or not, she didn't have a choice. She either went into seclusion or she risked losing her life.

Joannie twisted her hands in her lap. "Will I have any contact with you?" She asked the question of Heth.

Mardi bit back a rude snort. Of course Joannie wanted to maintain a line of communication with Heth. Probably had serious heart eyes for the guy.

Which shouldn't concern Mardi in the least. Not anymore. Her case of romantic infatuation with the man ended when he walked away from her.

Except it didn't … not really.

Staz groaned. "Mar, you got any painkillers? This throbbing won't stop." He popped the glove compartment open and riffled around.

Mardi reached out and placed her fingers at his nape. She pushed a soothing vibe, hoping to alleviate some of his discomfort. A niggle of guilt licked along her consciousness because she'd been focused on Heth instead of Staz.

Heth answered Joannie. "I'll help handle getting you moved but, after that, you're better off severing all ties with us. It protects you. But we'll keep tabs on you and you'll have an emergency number you can call if anything hinky happens." His gaze flicked to Staz, who continued to mumble complaints about his headache. "Look, Mardi, cancel the crew. I'll get Joannie into alliance headquarters for a debrief." His shouldered his way out of the SUV then motioned for Joannie to follow.

Mardi barely refrained from snarking about the change of plans. If Heth wanted to spend his time with a beautiful woman, it didn't matter to Mardi. She wanted to get Staz home anyway.

She rolled her window down. "Standard perimeter wards and hex locks?" She'd have to let the team know so they didn't trip anything when they came to pick Heth and Joannie up.

He nodded. "Have them approach from this side via the back door. I'm going to reinforce the front out to the street. If we get any surprises from the hawks, it'll buy us time to get out." Grabbing Joannie's elbow, he led her up to the house.

Mardi waited until they got inside then pulled away. "You're going in to have a brain scan, Staz. No more arguments. We've gotta find out why your headaches are getting worse." Easing out onto the street from the alley, she glanced in his direction.

He gave a twitchy nod then leaned back against the headrest. His eyes closed and he took slow, even breaths—a sure sign her healing magic had little effect. Surprising, since her ability had grown in recent months.

Hence the reason the Street Hawks were so damned determined to get their hands on her. They wanted a powerful mage to control so they could enhance their sorcery and act as a conduit between their mage and wizard sides. Her direct descendancy from a line of pure blood mages had them frothing at the mouth. Lucky her.

Staz opened his eyes and angled his head toward her. "I'm sorry for this, Mar. I'm such a pain in the ass." He straightened again and drifted back out.

Mardi shook her head. "No reason to apologize." She should be the one begging forgiveness.

She enjoyed their time together, and she wanted to love him, but Heth obviously still had pull with her thoughts and her heart. As for being a pain in the ass … no one but the hawks had that particular claim right now.

A little longer than usual with the preview but this scene came together better than I'd hoped. The sages were on fire.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Truth Hurts

Coming off a very rainy week with lots of thunderstorms. That means I need to save after every paragraph I type. LOL

Watched another episode of Killjoys and, yeah, this is a great season! I love the banter and snark and pretty much everything.

Dark Matter is truly messing with everything and I'm quite enjoying it. I wouldn't mind if the pacing moved a little faster and I'm not completely sure I like having Four off on his own. That said, I'm willing to exercise patience and see where everything goes.

Wynonna Earp keeps blowing my mind. I'm excited to see what happens now that the baby news is out. The season feels a little off kilter but I like that because Wynonna is off kilter. My fingers are crossed for a third season because there's no way this story is over at the end of two.

Got another few episodes of Young Justice watched and still very much enjoying the dynamic of the group. I'm hoping the whole mole thing is wrapped up by the end of the season or at least the person is revealed. Should finish up in the next week and move on to the second season.

Can't wait for next month when I can start talking about The Last Ship. I'm so bummed they delayed the start of this season.

That's it for television. Tonight's post is from Truth Hurts, a novella that started with a writing community prompt of having one character comfort another after a loss.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Mardi Darr discovers her current lover is an enemy agent with an enchanted chip in his head. She gives the okay for a risky surgery and it lands him in a submersion chamber with no brain activity. Heth Santiago is responsible for Mardi being with Staz and he needs to help Mardi accept the truth… even though it hurts like a bitch.

And a preview snippet…

Mardi Darr crouched along the corner of the bar in Stinky Pete's tavern. "Staz, if this goes sideways, you need to take me out of play." She angled her head around. "I mean it. Kill me and make it quick." She turned her attention back to the front entrance.

Staz Manchun stared at her a moment then gave a brief nod. "Sure, Mardi. I won't let them get their hands on you." He shifted his position, clearly uncomfortable with the idea.

Heth Santiago frowned. No way in hell would Staz have the stones to end Mardi's life. The Street Hawks, a gang of sorcerers, had a collective hard-on for her. If they got ahold of her, they'd manipulate her mage skill to boost their power. They salivated over the idea of capturing her before she hit her prime. A pureblood mage made a prime target for the sorcerer's quest for equality.

Heth focused on a way to get them out of the building before the crazy techno bastards stormed the place. Last count showed five hawks rolling up to the tavern. Heth's quick hex cast would buy them time, but not much. And if the members grew in number, the combined magick and tech could spell major trouble.

Joannie Blanchard leaned in close to Heth. "I'm sorry. I didn't know who else to call." Her gaze darted to Mardi. "Is she serious? About the killing her part?" She swallowed hard, probably to stop the wobble in her voice.

Heth didn't hesitate. "Yes. Absolutely." Most people wouldn't understand, especially outsiders like Joannie.

She enjoyed the intrigue of feeding information to the Wizard Mage Alliance and no doubt appreciated the accompanying pay. Heth didn't know much about her personal circumstances, but she'd provided good intel and they wouldn't leave her unprotected. The fact her dilemma brought Mardi back into his orbit couldn't be helped.

Mardi turned and met Heth's gaze. "Three more approaching from the rear. We need to make a move before they do." Her attention moved to Staz. "Don't forget. If they storm the bar, end it." She went back to scanning the perimeter of the tavern.

Staz gave another nod, but it lacked conviction. Heth rolled his eyes. Manchun wouldn't follow through.

Joannie lowered her voice. "He won't do it, will he?"

Heth shook his head. "Nope."

She met his gaze. "But you would." She waited a beat. "Because you love her."

Yeah, he would and, yes, he loved Mardi. More than anything.

Heth tilted his head to one side. "Thought you weren't dialed in." She listed as straight human.

Joannie smiled. "I'm not like you guys. But I do have some ability with attunement. I can read people and often get a sixth sense about them." She lifted her shoulder. "Nothing big."

Heth didn't let her downplay her gift. "Big enough to help us. I take it that's how you've always got accurate information?" His gaze scanned the side wall, seeking a weak spot or opening in the hex spell.

Joannie flashed a smile. "It helps. But I don't need ESP to catch the vibes you two throw off." She directed a look toward Mardi.

Heth narrowed his eyes, testing an area on the back wall. "For all the good those vibes do. We've got history, and baggage, and truckloads of crap between us." And if he could do things differently, he might… but he doubted it.

Joannie placed a hand on his arm. "I'm sorry. Just poked a stick in a gaping wound, didn't I?"

He shook his head. "Nah. It's alright. Maybe not the time to—"

Mardi turned around. "Dammit, Heth. If you can't make yourself useful and find a way out, I'll never work with you again."

Staz quirked a brow and glanced back and forth between Mardi and Heth.

Heth focused on the soft spot he'd detected and whispered an incantation. The area wavered, shimmered, and finally opened enough for him to push his will forward and blast a hole through the concrete and wood.

He huffed out a breath. "Done. Let's move." He grabbed Joannie's arm and propelled her toward the exit.

Mardi hopped up. "Good timing. They're ready to rush the place." She grasped Staz's shoulder. "Let's get out of here."

She went through first, followed by Staz. They took up point positions and motioned for Joannie to come out. Heth brought up the rear, sealing their escape route and adding a ward to keep the Street Hawks from pursuing.

He tapped Mardi's shoulder. "We're good. Let's get Joannie to a safe house."

Mardi shot him a rare smile. "Copy that."

I love writing tension between characters and Mardi and Heth have loads of it.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: The Truth Hurts

Hi!

Okay, I can't discuss Strike Back just yet, but I will say I love shows where NOBODY is safe. Speaking of no one being safe, Sons of Anarchy returns Tuesday and I'm ready to start marking the death toll. LOL

Now for something a little less morbid. Tonight's post is from The Truth Hurts, which yeah, sometimes it can—especially if the characters don't want to admit it. J

Here's the tagline:

Mardi Darr discovers her current lover is an enemy agent with an enchanted chip in his head. She gives the okay for a risky surgery and it lands him in a submersion chamber with no brain activity. Heth Santiago is responsible for Mardi being with Staz and he needs to help Mardi accept the truth…even though it hurts like a bitch.

And the preview snippet…

Heth hated dive bars with a passion, but he had a mission—to seek out Mardi and make sure she had a handle on the day's events and to stop her from doing anything extremely stupid. He shoved the door open and stalked inside, adding a healthy dose of bad ass attitude to his gait. He wanted no part of petty brawling or pissing contests.

He quickly scanned the dim interior and spotted Mardi sitting alone at a table near the back entrance. A half empty bottle of Abernath stood in the center of the surface, keeping a lonely vigil over the shot glass by its side.

Heth sighed. "Great. She's got a jumpstart on a drunk-fest."

Moving forward, he elbowed his way through the crowded area and stopped in front of the table. Mardi glanced up and rolled her eyes, but said nothing. Heth took her response as the only invitation he'd get and snagged a chair from the neighboring corner then dropped down across from her.

Resting his forearms on the surface, he jumped right in with the first part of his self-imposed task. "You okay?" A stupid question after the shit she'd been through, but it broke the ice.

She tilted her head sideways for a moment then downed a shot. "Sure," She shrugged. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Heth clicked his tongue against his teeth. "Is that the way you really wanna play this?" He should've known she'd make him push hard. She rarely did anything else.

Mardi poured another round. "How else should I play it, Heth? He wanted to wait." She tossed the green-hued liquor down her throat. "He begged me to wait, but I told the doc to go ahead." She slammed the glass on the table. "And look where it got him."

In a submersion chamber, no brain activity, but still breathing. Heth figured it better than death, but he kept his opinion to himself. Mardi wouldn't take hearing it well at all.

Heth grabbed the shot glass and filled it. "He would've done the same for you." Lifting it to his lips, he drank the fiery liquid down in a gulp.

Mardi lips twisted in a sad smile. "No. No he wouldn't." She snagged the small tumbler from Heth. "In fact, he didn't. He backed every decision I made, without question." She filled the shot and drank.

Heth didn't agree, but, again, refrained from telling her so. Her gaze turned shadowed and she glanced away. Mardi saw the times Staz didn't follow through, too. He didn't question her decided course, but he wouldn't always go along either. When Mardi ordered him to kill her if the Street Hawks attacked—she couldn't fall into their clutches—he made the right response, but he'd never have gone through with taking the shot. Heth had been witness, the guy didn't have it in him to do whatever it took.

Which made what he turned out to be—an enemy plant in their camp—harder for Mardi to deal with. Even though Staz had no idea he'd been spellbound to protect her at all costs, it didn't make the bitter taste any easier to swallow.

Heth had to cut her some slack. "Except when those decisions involved you." He left the topic there—no need to rip a scab off another old wound.

Mardi lifted a shoulder. "Can't blame him for that." She emptied the bottle into the shot glass. "But he can blame me—for not listening. For not letting him give us more intel once the spell master discovered the enchantment." She gulped the alcohol and signaled the bartender to bring another bottle.

Heth leaned in close and snapped. "And what if he'd had a stroke because the enchanted chip burned a hole in his brain?"

Mardi answered. "Then he'd be dead."

Progress. Finally.

Heth nodded. "Exactly."

She shook her head. "No, not exactly. He would've gone out doing something he thought important." Pain filled her gaze and she glanced away. "I just wanted to get my Staz back. The guy who made me laugh. The one who healed my hurt…" Her eyes met his again. "When you walked away." A cold look settled over her face. "I didn't care about the enemy, or what Staz wanted. I just wanted that damn chip out of his head."

Her words hit Heth with brutal precision. He finally got it. The agony had nothing to do with the surgery and Staz's comatose state. She hadn't fully accepted him being an agent for the other side or the sacrifice he'd wanted to make…

Until now.

Heth laid a hand over hers. "Mardi…"

Mardi opened her mouth—no doubt to blast him with a scathing tirade—but clamped it shut when a waitress brought another bottle of Abernath.

Mardi reached into her bra and withdrew a twenty. "Keep the change." Her tone dismissed the pretty blonde before she could even blink.

The waitress quickly set another shot glass on the table and walked away. Mardi slowly broke the seal on the cap and twisted it off. She placed the liquor on the table and exhaled on a long breath.

She met his gaze again. "Look, Heth. Just don't. Okay?" She filled the two glasses. "I'm going to sit here and drink until I can't think anymore. You can join me, or not. I don't care."

Oh, he'd join her. Heth didn't plan to go anywhere. Not this time. He'd left her once before and look where she'd landed.

He picked up the shot. "I'm staying. Until you're ready to come home."

A brief smile flitted across her lips before she joined him in downing the alcohol.

And so it begins—the painful truth and accepting it. An even bigger truth lies waiting for Mardi to discover…if she's game to find it.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye