Monday Morning Thoughts & A Snippet

Sitting here this morning, I’m shaking my head and wondering if I might not still be in bed, sleeping the morning away. After all, we survived yet another Super Bowl. Object #4 has been shot down over US or Canadian airspace and there are now certain folks speculating that the reason the government hasn’t told us what’s going on with all these unidentified objects is that at least some of them are extraterrestrial in nature.

I guess that’s easier for them to consider than the possibility of China or another nation not exactly friendly with the US is sending over these sorts of objects for who know what reason. I will admit, suddenly having the government scrambling to shoot down so many objects in such a short period of time does raise questions. Now it will be interesting to see if we get any answers–and they make any sense–or if the government and media sweep this under the rug like they did for so long with Hunter’s laptop.

Time will tell. And now for the snippet with apologies for not getting back with it on Friday. The day slipped away from me and I just didn’t get to it. Remember, this is raw, unedited work. Myrtle the Evil Muse still isn’t telling me where it’s going. It picks up immediately following the previous snippet that you can find here.

*

“No worries, Red. Just don’t say something like that in front of anyone else.” That was all the warning he’d get. “Now, I take it this warm greeting is your way of saying you need me for something.”

He nodded and reached for one of the stacks of files. Then his hand paused, and he seemed to think twice before dropping that hand back into his lap. Surprised, I waited, wondering what was going on.

“Red?”

“Something’s going on, Sam.” He lifted a hand when I opened my mouth to say something. “I don’t know what it is or I’d tell you. But Gemma called me t. his morning. She’s terrified. Said she Saw something and it’s bad. And it’s coming this way. She asked—asked, Sam—if I’d send you to see her.”

My mouth fell open and I did an imitation of a fish out of water. At the same time, my blood ran cold. As far as the government was concerned, Gemma Blackrock was a Native American. I knew better, as did Red. Gemma was a Seer, one of the most reliable I’d ever known. If she said trouble was coming, I believed her. What worried me is she didn’t say more.

At least I assumed she hadn’t since Red kept quiet.

“She asked for me specifically?” 

It probably said a lot that the request scared the shit out of me. Hell, who was I kidding? Gemma might look like someone’s sweet old grandma, but I knew better. Behind that innocent-looking exterior lay one of the most powerful witches and Seers around. The very few times she asked Red to have me deal with something, I’d come damned close to losing my life.

“She did. Said for you to come soonest.” 

He didn’t look any happier about it than I felt. This was so not good.

“I want double my usual rates and hazard pay and that’s just to go out to see her.” We’d argue about the rest of it later, after I found out why she wanted to see me. 

“Agreed.” He levered his bulk out of his chair and moved around the desk. “Sign and add your thumbprint.”

I took the tablet from him and scanned the contract. I trusted Sam, but I also knew he was a shrewd businessman. That meant making sure I understood what I was signing. For once, I saw nothing I needed to clarify. The terms were simple. He’d pay what I asked and in return I would meet with Gemma as she requested. I was no obligated to do anything else and he would contact her once I signed to let her know when to expect me and to make sure she knew I was not obligated to do anything more than hear her out and then return back to him to report in.

Simple enough. So why did I have this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that it would come back to bite me on the ass?

With my luck, it would not only bite me there but take out a big chunk and I really liked my ass, especially the way my faded jeans hugged it this morning. 

I signed and added my thumbprint before handing the tablet back to him. He took it with a single nod. 

“I have a bad feeling about this, Sam. I want you to gear up, including weapons. I know better than to tell you not to ride that damned bike of yours. But keep your head on a swivel. If Gemma’s worried, you know it’s not good.”

“Agreed.” I stood and thought for a moment. “I’m going to stop by and see Razor. If I’m heading out to Gemma’s I want all the mundane and arcane protections I can have.”

“Go. Once you talk to him, contact me and tell me how long you’ll be. I’ll let Gemma know your ETA then.”

“Thanks.” Seeing the worry lurking in his dark eyes, I smiled in reassurance. “Don’t worry, Red. I won’t take any chances.”

With that, I turned on my heel and left his office. If I stayed any longer, I’d start second guessing my decision to go see Gemma. Tempting as it was to suddenly come down with a case of the “I don’ wannas”, I couldn’t do that. Not to Red and not to Gemma. Hell, not to the rest of us. 

After all, I was an enforcer and that meant it was my job to deal with problems like the one it seemed was about to land in my lap.

Welcome to my world and when can I get off?

Featured image created using Midjourney AI. The snippet is copyrighted by me and all usual protections apply.