Sunday Snippet: Surf's Up

February 19, 2017

Okay, I ended up watching The Walking Dead and enjoyed having the group back together. As always, The Talking Dead made me happy, too.

An off week for The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow, which meant I got to start a binge watch of Daredevil. So far, so good. I have two more episodes of season one to watch and I'm loving it.

Arrow's episode with the origin of Wild Dog ended up being terrific. I'm so happy they got a season six order. Arrow is consistently one of my favorites.

Riverdale continues to be must see for me. It's not perfect, but I like that. Lots of room to grow the characters and plot threads. I'll be waiting patiently for the next person to slap Alice Cooper… or to bring her down. Either is okay with me.

Caught up on Murdoch Mysteries and happy to see Brackenreid back. I enjoy him a lot. Looking forward to this week's episode.

And that's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Surf's Up, a novella that got a prompt from a writing community. I veered a little off course from the main set-up of having the main characters be secret service agents on vacation in Hawaii with the president. But I'm really thrilled with where this one is going.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Marla Siff and Farley Osbourne protect a wealthy businessman as part of his entourage. People assume tech geek Farley is the muscle, but Marla is the combat trained protective detail. When a threat looms, they retreat to the private shores of their client's own island and Marla and Farley fight their attraction to keep their boss safe.

And a snippety peek…

Marla Siff lounged at the loft railing in the VIP section of Amberlane, owned and operated by her employer Lane Pennyworth.

She gazed down at the dance floor and checked the comms. "Farley, security mark-in. Can you hear me from here?" She didn't turn, waiting on her counterpoint's reply.

Farley cleared his throat and responded. "Coming through, loud and clear." He muffled his voice but the blonde draped on his left side asked who he spoke to.

Marla's lips twitched. Farley Osbourne made computer programs, apps, and anything technological purr under his capable hands. Dancing around explanations should give his skill set a boost.

Marla checked in with suit one and suit two, strategically positioned by the steps leading down to the main bar, one at each stairwell. She never remembered their names and Lane rotated about a dozen different burly guys to act as his front men. They could protect him if necessary, but Lane mainly used the "suits" for show. Marla and Farley always took point on Lane's security detail and traveled with him twenty-four seven.

She angled around, pirouetting on her four-inch heels. Lane insisted she and Farley look like part of his entourage. She'd kill to be in boots and fatigue pants right now.

Lane had a buxom beauty on either arm and both women hung on every word coming out of his mouth. Marla didn't bother checking in with him. He rarely remembered to put his earwig in.

She glanced around the VIP section. Not a big crowed, which surprised her. The lower level looked to be standing room only. Usually the bouncer sent up a steady stream of club dwellers to entertain Lane.

Marla filed away the detail and walked the perimeter, stopping to chat with a super-hot six-footer with wavy, dark hair and an impressive physique. His gaze lingered on her cleavage and his hand wandered to her hip. The short hemline of her sequined dress inched upward when he tugged her closer.

Stepping away, she deflected his interest. "Sorry, hot stuff, maybe another time." Glancing back over her shoulder, she gave him a flirty wink.

Movement at the top of the steps caught her attention and she frowned when a waiter breezed directly past suit one. She edged closer to the lounge area, keeping a close eye on the guy while he served drinks. When he'd emptied the tray, he reached into his vest and a flash of silver kicked Marla into action.

She maneuvered into position. "Gun!" Shouting the word sent the guests into a frenzied escape.

As expected, the fake waiter went for Farley, assuming him to be the biggest threat.

Marla smiled and kicked off her shoes. "Never fails."

Farley's physical attributes fooled the best, but his genius lie with the programs, apps, comms, and equipment. Not that he couldn't handle himself in a brawl, but Marla lived for combat situations. She had the special forces training and loved using those skills to thwart anyone after her employer.

With a quick glance to Lane, she indicated he should duck and roll. He immediately complied. Atta boy! Lifting her hand, she struck a trigger point on the fake waiter. His grip loosened and the gun fell to the floor. Farley swept it aside and moved into action, covering Lane while Marla engaged the would-be assailant.

The suits flanked Lane and Farley, getting them to the private, hidden door. One stayed behind, already in communication with local law enforcement. Marla made short work of the assassin and suit two stepped up to keep him subdued until the officers arrived.

Marla led the way down the elevator and out the rear entrance where a limo awaited them.

Marla shot Farley a sideways glance. "Looks like your remote app saved the day." He'd pinged the driver the moment the altercation started.

Farley shrugged. "It's what I do." He got Lane into the car and climbed in after him.

Marla followed but didn't let Farley hand-wave his action. She sent him a pointed look, silently giving him kudos for thinking ahead. And he'd to a lot lately. The attempts on Lane, whether kidnapping or assassination, continued to get more frequent and bolder. The man needed to scale back on his appearances.

And maybe stop pissing people off. His Midas touch often included playing hardball with hostile corporate types and an occasional third-world kingpin. Not taking no for an answer didn't help.

Lane sprawled on his seat, shaking his head. "I think it's time to go to the island. You two deserve a break." Translated, Lane wanted to chill and hide for a while.

Marla couldn't agree more about taking a break. The thing Lane forgot? She and Farley continued to work whether they were on a private island with Lane or in the field.

But she wouldn't say no to a sunny, tropical reprieve.

Marla and Farley might have just a wee bit of time to smell the lush foliage around them on the island. Stay tuned to find out.

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin