Almost September! I can’t believe it. This seems like a recurring theme with me – Where did the days go?

I’m working hard on finishing up Dirtied Water, Book 3 of the Jeopardy Directive, and hoping to have it available in September. Although it’s a space fantasy, it has turned out to be both a suspense espionage noir and a strong romance. Here is an excerpt of a smuggling deal:

Corbin hesitated for the briefest moment before following the others inside. The cave opened suddenly into an enormous chamber. Corbin slowed despite himself. The vaulted ceiling disappeared into darkness overhead, broken by countless stalactites. Tiny crystals embedded in the stone caught the lantern light, scattering faint flashes across the cavern whenever someone moved beneath them.

The place was strangely beautiful. It was also unmistakably a smugglers’ headquarters. The cool air carried the familiar scent of damp limestone mixed with old timber and something faintly salty drifting in from the nearby sea. The stone floor showed the smoothness from years of traffic. Crates, barrels, and sealed cargo containers lined the walls in neat stacks, leaving narrow paths between them.

Lanterns hung from iron hooks driven into the rock, their light revealed shelves crowded with merchandise from half the known worlds.

Corbin recognized crates marked with shipping symbols from several systems. Others bore no markings at all. Weapons, rare spices, liquor. Artwork and gemstones. If they could buy or steal an item, it probably passed through this cave at some point.

Water dripped steadily somewhere in the darkness, each echo lingering through the chamber.

The men they passed spoke in low voices that stopped the moment Coquillion approached. Eyes followed them from every corner of the cavern before quickly looking away again. Corbin fought the urge to look over his shoulder. Nobody smiled. Nobody looked relaxed. Even the men who worked here seemed careful not to say more than necessary.

Coquillion turned into a narrower passage that gradually gave way to something Corbin hadn’t expected. The rough stone opened into a large operations room. Banks of sophisticated computer equipment lined one wall, while holographic displays floated above polished workstations. Soft strips of blue and green lighting traced the edges of the room, giving the cavern an eerie glow that reflected off the damp rock.

Several surveillance drones drifted silently overhead. One paused as Corbin entered. A narrow beam of blue light swept over him from head to foot before the drone moved on to its next patrol. Corbin resisted the urge to tense. “Wonderful, even the machines don’t trust me.”

Corbin straightened his shoulders, hoping he looked far more confident than he felt.

Coquillion walked beside him as though he owned the cavern. The tailored suit fit him perfectly, hiding whatever weapons he carried beneath the expensive fabric. Everything about the man radiated quiet confidence.

Corbin envied that. Fake it, he told himself. You’re the supplier. They need you.

A lone figure stood at the opposite end of the room, deliberately hidden in shadow. Seriously? The distorted voice that emerged sounded as though it came through a machine. Good grief . . . the drama is overwhelming.

“You must be Corbin Daily,” the man said. “I am known as Kirill. Are the guns here, Coquillion?”

“They are, as well as the ammunition. We’ve checked and double checked, it’s all in order as requested.”

“Good, good,” the creepy artificial voice said. “We will test the weapons first. Payment will follow.”

“That wasn’t our agreement,” Corbin said. Corbin’s pulse quickened. His eyes swept the room. One entrance. Six armed soldiers. Two drones overhead. No cover worth mentioning. If shooting started, he’d be dead before he reached the doorway.

“Now wait a minute,” Coquillion said to the silhouette.

Corbin looked around, hoping for an escape route if things escalated, but his search only confirmed his entrapment.

“We’ve done business for years,” Coquillion said evenly. “You’ve never questioned the merchandise before. Why start now?”

“It’s not me. The Groterians are balking,” the shadow said.

“The Groterians are your problem, not ours,” Coquillion went on. “That gold needs to be loaded onto his ship right now.” He made a call on his link and several soldiers entered the room. “I know you brought it with you, but you cannot take it back with you along with the guns.”

Kirill said nothing.

“Load the weapons back onto the ship from Astua,” Coquillion demanded.

One soldier spoke in Ulmyrian onto his com.

“You have one minute to decide,” Coquillion said. “Or you can return to Frisia empty-handed and see how the Groterians feel about it then.”

“Frisia has changed.”

Coquillion folded his arms. “Explain.”

“Gal tolerated men like us. Tak Verhoeven doesn’t.” Silence settled over the room. “He’s dismantling everything his father built.”

“That’s not our problem,” Coquillion said. “You should all the more be willing to make this deal if it will be your last.”

Kirill’s altered voice became quieter. “There is another problem.” No one spoke. “A man has appeared on Frisia.”

Coquillion raised an eyebrow.

“They call him the Revenant.” Even the soldiers seemed to grow still. Kirill continued, “the old regime branded him the deadliest criminal on Frisia. There is an enormous bounty on his head.”

***

Meanwhile, a man named Zachariah Mason has unexpectedly walked into my imagination. He’s living in Chicago in the early 1920s, although that isn’t where he began—and Zachariah Mason isn’t the name he was born with. His family believes he’s dead, and he has every intention of keeping it that way. For the moment, that’s probably all I should tell you.

I haven’t started writing the story yet. At least that’s what I keep telling myself. But I moved it up the queue. Once I get Dirtied Water published, Banker Prince finished and started back on my Nova Scotia murder mystery, Welcome to Dunbrae, I’ll be working on Zach’s story beside it.

***

It's been another one of those months where I have been phenomenally busy but can't seem to remember everything I've been working on or doing. Next month I’ll tell you about an updated book and a new historical gothic romance that’s found its way into the queue.

Here is a PDF for you if you’d like it. Just something for my subscribers. You can print it out if you'd like, or just save it. Either way, enjoy. If you'd like a printable PDF just let me know and I'll send you one.

Until next time, keep reading

Helen

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