People sometime ask where a writer gets their ideas. I just released
BAD VIBES, the third novel in my romantic thriller series: THE EDGE OF TEXAS. This series was inspired by the beautiful south Texas coast, close to the border with Mexico. I used to enjoy sailing catamarans and raced on a circuit for 7 years. One of the most enjoyable places to race was off the South Padre Island beach. South Padre is a semi-tropical resort built on a strip of sand separated from the mainland by a 2.5 mile causeway over the Intracoastal Waterway. This channel was dredged and is maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers and it runs from the tip of Texas all the way to Florida. It is part of the coastal defense system built to protect our shores from enemy submarines during WWII. This was a favorite place to sail and my family enjoyed the many weekends we spent there. However, the mind of a writer (and perhaps even more so, the mind of a mystery/suspense writer) can find evil anywhere, so I have corrupted this paradise and my heroes and heroines get into all kinds of trouble there.
Here is the description for BAD VIBES:
When government agent Mike “The Iceman” Burke invades her South Padre Island turf, Deputy Darla Calhoun is assigned as liaison officer to his team. Her skills as a sniper come in handy when a gang of human traffickers strikes close to home, kidnapping local women including her best friend. Darla is recovering from her husband’s suicide and trying to be a good parent to her twin sons. The ICE assignment takes her out of her misery and plunges her into a dangerous mission and a steamy affair. Mike and Darla tear up and down the Intracoastal Waterway in search of the kidnappers and the captive women while Rafael and Javier conduct their own investigation. Will they rescue the captive women or will the kidnappers slaughter them as they have done in the past? Two teams race to find the answers before it's too late.
When government agent Mike “The Iceman” Burke invades her South Padre Island turf, Deputy Darla Calhoun is assigned as liaison officer to his team. Her skills as a sniper come in handy when a gang of human traffickers strikes close to home, kidnapping local women including her best friend. Darla is recovering from her husband’s suicide and trying to be a good parent to her twin sons. The ICE assignment takes her out of her misery and plunges her into a dangerous mission and a steamy affair. Mike and Darla tear up and down the Intracoastal Waterway in search of the kidnappers and the captive women while Rafael and Javier conduct their own investigation. Will they rescue the captive women or will the kidnappers slaughter them as they have done in the past? Two teams race to find the answers before it's too late.
The following excerpt takes place when Mike has gone ashore to pick up the sheriff's liaison officer assigned to work with his team. He isn't especially happy about working with local law enforcement, thinking that they are too territorial. He was blown away when he finds out that the sheriff's "man" is the petite, female deputy who arrested him. This scene opens on the boat transporting them back to the
Long Shot, the agent's boat.
EXCERPT:
Mike Burke shouldered the two green duffle bags and hoisted them into the
rubber rigid hull boat that was to return him to the cabin cruiser with the
sheriff’s “man.”
Another tall, Hispanic deputy, beefier than the Sheriff, manned the
craft. He seemed to hold Darla in high regard, chatting affably with her during
the short trip.
The air was damp to begin with and droplets of water hit Mike’s face as
the boat thudded over the water. In a short time, the rigid hull bumped against
the side of the larger craft and the deputy handed Darla on board.
“You be careful now, Darla. You hear me?”
She leaned down to grab his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “If I don’t
come back, I’m willing my kids to you, Adriano.”
He grinned, patting her hand. “My wife thinks we’ve got something going
on anyway.” Adriano tossed the duffle bags aboard and turned to Mike, a Jekyll
and Hyde transformation coming over him.
He jammed a finger into Mike’s chest. “If Darla doesn’t come back in
mint condition, I will fucking kill you. Got that, Iceman?” He glared at Mike,
his teeth gritted together in a threatening grimace.
Mike maintained his cool gaze, thinking that this big bull of a deputy
could do some damage, even to a man of his own size. “You just threatened a
Federal Agent.”
Adriano gave him a mirthless smile. “Good. You did get my message.”
Mike nodded. As he climbed aboard, he wondered what was so special about
Darla Calhoun, other than her pretty face and fine body. He’d noticed that she
was no longer wearing her wedding band. He figured that she’d taken it off for
the assignment. It was probably on her nightstand at home. But still, he had to
wonder.
Freddy’s eyes lit up when he saw Darla and he grinned from ear-to-ear.
He took the hand she offered in both of his. Mike wondered if Freddy was going
to slobber all over it, but his partner managed to control his drooling.
Mike did a mental eye roll. This is going to be a nightmare.
“Where am I going to sleep?” she asked.
Mike bit back the answer that sprang to mind. “There are two bunks below
deck. You can sleep in which ever one is empty at the time.”
She gave him a look that was somewhere between a smile and a smirk. “No,
you will show me which bunk is mine, and which bunk is to remain mine for the
duration of this assignment. I don’t care where you sleep.”
Freddy was about to wet himself, he was trying so hard to keep from
laughing. “I’ll show you the bunks, Darla,” he said. “You can take your pick.
Mike and I can share the other. One of us will be on watch at all times
anyway.”
Darla nodded and followed Freddy below deck.
Mike swallowed something that felt like a boulder at the back of his
throat. He stood, gripping the railing, sorry now that he’d given up
cigarettes.
In a short time, Freddy returned topside, a big grin on his face.
“Sweet!”
“Shut up!” Mike snarled.
“Our girlfriend is getting settled in. I may have to brush my teeth.”
“We’ve got a job to do,” Mike bit out.
“Right and it just got sweeter.” Freddy leaned closer. “Do you know what
she’s got in those bags?”
Mike snorted and gave him a look intended to denote disinterest. “Her
lace teddies and her collection of Victoria’s Secret catalogues?”
“She’s got her clothes all rolled up in one and the other--” He thumped
Mike on the shoulder. “It’s full of weapons and ammo. She is so my kind of
girl.”
When Darla came on deck, she was wearing shorts and a cotton shirt tied
at the waist. She looked the part of a tourist on a rented fishing boat.
A giant fist slammed into Mike’s gut, He lifted one side of his mouth as
a form of reluctant approval. “So, are you going to fish?”
“If need be,” she said. “Don’t worry. I can bait my own hook.”
Mike digested this, wondering briefly what she was going to use for
bait.
~*~
The order of this series
is
(4) BAD DREAMS <Under
Construction>
I hope everyone has a
chance to visit South Padre Island and the Lower Rio Grande Valley. In the
meantime, you can visit through my series and keep up with the happenings. My
goal is to entertain…and keep you up nights. ;-)
*hugs*
~J.D.
