by Gamal Hennessy
Teasers, trailers and samples are an expected part of modern entertainment. Movies, games and TV shows try to build up excitement by offering a sneak peak of new releases. Well, what’s good for them is good for me. I want you to get excited about my new novel A Touch of Honey, so all this week I’m offering a sample chapter to get you ready for the release on March 17th.
You can find Part One Here, but if you already read about the handcuffs and the international spy operation, please feel free to jump into part two.
Enjoy…
Part Two
Nikki wanted to say something to end this torment. She wanted to scream or lash out at Baker’s intense and animated face. She couldn’t handle his fascination with her nightmares. She couldn't listen to this, but she couldn’t open her mouth to stop him.
Baker must have noticed the pain on her face. His tone lost its enthusiasm, but he continued. "Unfortunately, Nikki had a problem. Actually, she had three problems. First, her case officer was a man named Christopher Carpenter. That was a problem because Carpenter is mentally and emotionally unstable, completely unfit to run field operations. He'd gone so far off the reservation a Congressional committee considered investigating him for acts of genocide. And Carpenter wasn't really interested in the op. His obsession focused on controlling Nikki more than anything else."
“I don’t want to hear anything about him.” The nausea churned in Nikki's stomach at the word genocide. The idea of sharing a bed with a mass murderer made her feel like she’d bathed in blood. She didn’t challenge Baker’s accusations. She'd seen Chris’ true nature on video. He revealed his demonic passion and used Dominique as his disposable prop.
"Ok. The second problem involved Dominique. Nikki fell in love with Manuel’s wife. That made the mission of betraying Cruz Maritime almost impossible. Finally, Dominique presented the most complex problem of all. She claimed to be an agent from another intelligence service who also wanted to spy on Manuel. Based on unconfirmed reports, Dominique might have worked for British, French or even Russian intelligence. Near the end, the operation went sideways in a big way. Every op hits some kind of snag, but this was fucked beyond all recognition. Do you want to know how it ended?"
"I know how it ended." Nikki's voice sounded so tiny in her ear. She didn't want to admit anything, but she couldn't listen to Baker talk about the night Dominique died.
Baker's voice became a whisper to match hers. "Then you know how important that drive is. A lot of people suffered for that information."
The emotional manipulation took its toll when she snapped. "If you know what happened, then you know the USB is useless."
"Why do you say that?"
Nikki let out a long breath in an attempt to focus. "When Manuel died, Cruz Maritime became compromised. The assets were seized and Argentinian authorities started a full investigation. Any smuggling Cruz might have been doing died when he did. You can't use what's on that drive."
Baker gave Nikki his inside joke smile again. "Luckily for you, compromised assets can still be useful in the right hands."
"What the hell does that mean?"
He shrugged. "It means that if you still have the drive, then it is possible for us to form a relationship based on mutual exploitation."
"And if I don't have it?
"Then we both have a problem."
A Touch of Honey will be available for all major book platforms on March 17th, 2015. If you’d like to get my first novel Smooth Operator for free while you’re waiting, just click on this link to get your e-book.
Have fun.
Gamal
