Sunday Snippet: Zip Line

Whew. How about that Arrow finale? I'm pretty happy with season three overall and look forward to four. Now we'll find out what happens with The Flash and then patiently wait for Legends of Tomorrow. If you haven't seen the trailer, go find it and watch. :D

Orphan Black? So much love for the show. I was actually pretty thrilled to see some Paul and Sarah interaction. My fingers are crossed he stays firmly on her side. And the Helena one-liners were totally golden. On a freakish note, I'm really interested in what's going on with the women the Castor clones have slept with. I kind of want Gracie to be okay.

Bitten and Lost Girl are rolling right along. Looking forward to having Defiance and Dominion back on my television, and I hope Killjoys and Dark Matter prove to be good viewing fare. Nothing beats new episodes of my favorite shows in the summer months.

And last but not least, my mainlining of Teen Wolf continues. I'm up to the second part of season three and quite engrossed. Each season seems to be better than the one before, which always makes me happy.

So… enough TV talk. Tonight's post is from Zip Line, a South of the Border novella where my main characters have to escape with their lives and hopefully their hearts intact.

Here's the tagline:

Vaughn Dyson is a relic hunter who goes out of her way to save old treasures and preserve their place in history. But when Faulkner Roush gets word she's trying to smuggle a priceless artifact out of South America, he has to track her down before a rival, out for profit, group gets to her.

And a snippety peek…

Faulk gave full rein to his pissed off attitude. "You know what? Save it, Vaughn." He stomped over, mainly to keep his voice from echoing through the abandoned building. "Another time, another place, and maybe it would be okay. But right now?" His tone dropped to a snarl. "It's not. It's so not."

Vaughn slumped against the surface of the stucco. "So what? That's it? You don't feel like dealing. End of story?" She straightened. "No way, Faulk. It's not gonna work like that. You don't get to decide this time." Her determined gaze met his. "I didn't ask you to come down here. I don't need you to swoop in and save me." She slapped her palm against the wall. "I'm not leaving without the jaguar. No way am I letting Bishop's goons get their hands on an artifact from a lost tribe." Her gaze hardened. "Either get out of my way or expect to be shoved aside."

Faulk growled. "Is your life worth nothing? They're not just here to take the jaguar, Vaughn. They've got orders to kill you. Bishop's done letting you muck up his plans." He turned, frustrated he couldn't get through to her. "That's the only reason I'm here, because he put out the word to end you."

Vaughn tilted her head to one side. "Then what would you call last night?" A small smirk tilted her lips.

Faulk frowned. "Caving in to my baser instincts, which I always do whenever I get within five feet of you." He met and held her gaze. "I'm over the momentary lapse of my usually good judgment and back on task—getting you the hell out of here while you're still breathing."

Vaughn went very still. "Considering last night was such a huge mistake on your part, I'll say it again. Thanks but no thanks. I'll get back to the states on my own." Her face impassive, she turned and gathered up her gear. "I stupidly thought you wanted more than a quick fuck." She whirled and faced him. "That maybe we had something again, or we could start fresh—"

He jumped in. "When, Vaughn? Exactly when do you see this whole starting over thing happening?" The stupid woman never stayed in one place long enough to put down any roots.

She snapped her mouth shut then shrugged. "When you're done being pissed off at me?"

He snapped. "Our lack of a relationship is never about me being pissed off. It's about distance, Vaughn. You never stick around." On a roll, he continued his tirade. "Good Christ, I'd need a zip line to traverse the chasm you're constantly making wider between us—"

Her head jerked and she cut him off. "Wait. What?" She dropped her bag to the floor and yanked the zipper.

Faulk growled. "A zip line, Vaughn. I said—"

She threw up a hand. "Shut up. I heard you." Rifling around for a moment, she stopped and a wide grin split her face. "Hot damn." Grabbing her bag, she rose. "Let's go. I know exactly how we're going to get back across the border." Not waiting for a response, she dragged the door open and stalked outside.

Faulk blinked, his gut still churned with anger but he'd follow. If for no other reason than to see what totally lame idea she had to get them back into Mexico without getting killed.

I always love it when a lively discussion leads to the solution of a problem.

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin