Sunday Snippet: Justice is Served

Happy Mother's Day to all the terrific moms out there! Enjoy the day and may you all be pampered and treated to your fondest wishes.

This week in television had some terrific stuff. Starting on Monday with Gotham, which is supposed to get a third season—yay! Hunters is still kind of dragging for me, but I'll finish out the season just because.

Tuesday's episode of The Flash ended on quite the cliffhanger. Looking forward to this week's follow up to find out what, exactly, happened. Agents of SHIELD kind of disappointed me but I did like the interaction between Daisy and Mac. And Fitz and Simmons are completely adorable.

Wednesday's Arrow proved very interesting. I had a sneaky suspicion Alex would turn out to be kind of cagey. Here's hoping he's not a total asshat… or that Thea makes him hurt a lot if he is. J

Thursday's Legends of Tomorrow made me so happy. I really do love this show. And the team is starting to mesh together in a great way. Orphan Black continues to blow my mind in wonderful ways. I wish I could say the same about After the Black, but maybe they'll find a good footing in the near future.

Wynonna Earp is still one of the best shows on TV right now. I'm very intrigued about Dolls's situation and look forward to more revelations on that end. I'm still a little behind on Banshee, but slowly catching up. Considering it's the last season, I'm not in a huge hurry to say goodbye.

And that's it on the television front this week.

Tonight's post is from Justice is Served, a novella based on the prompt of one character is convicted of a crime they didn't commit, the other character handles their appeal.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Derby Stack is a cold-blooded killer, but not by choice. She's convicted for her crime, but makes a last ditch appeal to Nate Mobius's legal firm. He takes the case and together they uncover a trail leading back to her childhood therapist.

And a snippety peek…

She finally broke the silence. "Why am I here?" She didn't move from her location by the door, but she folded her arms across her chest.

Nate angled his head around. "Would you rather be somewhere else? Back in the interview room, maybe?" He couldn't wait to hear her answer, his curiosity revved to maximum.

Derby lifted a shoulder. "I know what to expect in an interview room." Her gaze zoomed in on him again. "I don't here. What do you want from me?" Her tone had an edge to it.

Nate liked the reaction. Throwing her off balance drew new responses, things she couldn't have prepared for. Headway won, fought for with sheer instinct.

Nodding toward the seating arrangement, Nate indicated she had a choice. "I want you to sit, be comfortable, and know you're safe here." He swept his arm out. "For as long as you're in this room, no harm will come to you."

She reacted immediately. "No place is safe. Not for me." A shudder rippled through her, but she loosened her arms and quietly made her way to the loveseat. "You're an idiot if you think otherwise." Instead of plopping down on the cushions, she ran her fingers over the fabric then turned and gracefully got settled, tucking her legs up under her.

Nate counted the snide comment as another win. She'd said more in those few sentences, with an honesty she probably didn't know she'd provided, than she had in their previous meeting. Getting her out and away from an institutional environment gave him an opportunity to observe her in a new light.

Something he needed to do if he had a hope in hell of winning her appeal.

Nate perched on the edge of the recliner. "As long as you're in here, just you and me, you won't be hurt. You have my word." He waited until she met his gaze. "This room isn't wired or rigged for outside viewing. It's the best I can offer." He watched her closely for her responses.

She frowned. "Lots of ways a person can get hurt, but you couldn't possibly understand." She opened her mouth to say more, but a succession of quick knocks on the door drew her attention.

She sent him an accusatory glance.

Nate held up a hand. "I've been expecting the interruption. Stay put, I'll be right back." He got up and crossed the room, tapping twice on the door.

The deputy opened it and handed Nate the stuff he'd ordered. "You sure this is a good idea?" His skepticism rang through loud and clear even though he kept his voice lowered.

Nate juggled the food and beverages. "I'm sure." He nudged the door closed with his foot, shutting down any additional questions.

Turning toward Derby, he caught the quick flick of her tongue over her lower lip and the twitching of her nose at the aroma of a fresh pizza pie from his favorite hole-in-the-wall restaurant.

Carrying the boxes over, he deposited them on the free end of the loveseat.

Her mouth dropped open. "Is that beer?" She reached out to snag a bottle, her wide-eyed gaze colliding with his. "I'm allowed to have one?" Her tone held a note of disbelief.

Nate flipped the lid up on the pizza box. "Why not? You're over twenty-one and we'll probably be here for a while. And I'll clear it with the jail, so you won't be put on lockdown."

She twisted off the cap and tilted the bottle to her mouth, letting some of the amber liquid slide down her throat, before responding. "Thanks. Appreciate it."

Nate blinked, a little stunned she hadn't put up her defenses. The pizza and beer? Best call ever. He settled into the recliner and snagged a piece of pizza, content to let their session unfold at Derby's pace.

Nate has his work cut out for him. He'll fight hard to earn Derby's trust.

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin