Hello! How have you been? Is it really the middle of November already? My Autumn has been a bit of a whirlwind so far. I wanted to publish The Betrayal (Soul Protector series #2) before our Florida holiday at the end of October, which I did, but then I forgot to blog about it - doh!
While we were away we had a bit of a nightmare. To set the scene; hubbie had a tooth extracted a few days before our trip. We stayed at a hotel near Gatwick airport the night before our flight and he got up in the middle of the night in excruciating pain. He went to the local hospital for pain relief and they gave him something nice and strong which worked for a while, but the day after we landed in Orlando he was literally rocking in agony. We went to the local ER where he was prescribed antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and more strong painkillers, (total cost $1300 - how? So glad we had insurance!). Anyway, they promised the meds would give 6-hour's worth of pain relief but they only lasted one hour (and made him spaced out) :/
We ended up making a trip to a nice Florida dentist who x-rayed his jaw and revealed the UK dentist had drilled right into the bone, and then he'd got a dry socket on top, meaning everything was raw and exposed. Ouch! The dentist started proper treatment and arranged a follow-up appointment and he started to improve until he eventually got to the point where he was enjoying his break rather than enduring it!
So, now I'm back, I thought I would share the first chapter from The Betrayal on my blog. It's only out on Kindle at the moment, but will be available on other platforms in the near future. I hope you enjoy it....
The Betrayal
by
Amanda Leigh Cowley
CHAPTER 1
(From Dan’s
Point of View)
A Shout
Dan
swiped his keys off the hall table and headed for the front door. He reached
out to grip the handle but before he could pull it down the phone jumped to
life in his pocket.
He
closed his eyes and swore under his breath. A text on the work mobile meant one
of two things; he was either being summoned to the Office, or worse, being
called on a shout. Whichever it was, he knew he’d have to call Gracie and ask
her to cancel their table at the restaurant.
He
shoved a hand deep into his pocket and withdrew the phone, tapping the message
icon with the side of his thumb. He skimmed his eyes over the text and when he
finished reading he swore again.
Your presence is
required. Reports of female CSP seen entering house in Chesham area. Call
Office immediately for details.
Not another one. Christ, he
used to love his job, but lately it was taking up every spare minute of his
time. He knew Gracie wouldn’t give him a hard time for cancelling on her yet
again, but it didn’t make him feel any better about it.
He
ran a finger under his shirt collar, wondering if he had time to get changed;
no point ruining another good top. He took the stairs two at a time, undoing a
couple of buttons on the way. When he reached the top he headed toward his bedroom,
yanked the charcoal material over his head and threw it on the bed.
He
placed the phone on speaker and selected the Office contact. In the time it
took for someone to answer, he’d grabbed a plain black t-shirt from the top
drawer and whipped it on, and while Harry from Monitor Control filled him in on
the finer details of the shout, he kicked off his chinos and replaced them with
a pair of black combats. On the way out of the room he unhooked his stab vest
from the inside of the wardrobe door and slung it over his shoulder.
Within
two minutes of receiving the text, he was briefed, suited and booted and
grabbing his backpack on the way out the door.
Four
monitors were summoned in total; Dan, his brother Tom, and two of their
colleagues; Jace and Nigel. They met up at London Gateway Services and piled into
Tom’s black Audi Q7.
Dan
slid into the front passenger seat beside Tom and turned to greet his
colleagues in the back.
Tom
sniffed the air theatrically. “Mm, nice aftershave, Danny boy. Glad to see
you’re making an effort for us.”
“Yeah,
don’t flatter yourself,” Dan said, directing the vent so the cool breeze hit
his face. “I was supposed to be seeing Gracie.”
“I
feel your pain, bro,” Tom said, putting the car into drive and wheel-spinning
out of the parking space.
“I’ve just left a smoking hot girl mid-conversation
in the King’s Arms. I didn’t even have time to grab her number.”
Dan
turned to look at his brother and his lips twitched into a smile. Tom didn’t
look disappointed. In fact he looked anything but; his eyes were alight with
anticipation and everything about him seemed extra animated. He knew Tom was
never happier than when he was knee deep in danger and chasing down hostiles.
They
headed north up the M25, Tom weaving in and out of the lanes as fast as he could
without attracting the attention of the traffic police. Meanwhile, Dan, Jace
and Nigel passed around an iPad checking the address the suspect had been seen
entering and sussing out the layout of the neighbourhood to find the best route
into the property.
It
took just over half an hour to reach the street in question; a respectable looking
neighbourhood lined with a mixture of terraced and semi-detached properties and
a row of mature trees separating the front gardens from the road.
There
were a few people outside making the most of the light summer evening. A man
wearing shorts, socks and sandals was busy mowing stripes into his lawn, a dad stood
shaking his head while two boys ran around, covered in more foam than the hatchback
they were supposed to be washing, and two women; one armed with a trowel, the
other with a pair of gardening gloves, took a break while they chatted across a
dividing hedge.
Dan
wondered how they would react if they knew a body snatcher was hiding out in a
vacant property just up the road.
Tom
eased the car to a stop a little way up the street from the house in question.
“Okay
then guys, ready for the cross-over?” Tom asked, referring to the switch they
needed to perform before they could continue. Monitors had to be switched in order
to spot other Soul Protectors’ auras. Instead of doing a single switch, they
‘crossed-over,’ meaning they switched into their partner’s body at the same
time their partner switched into theirs.
Dan
nodded and twisted round to face him, gripping hold of Tom’s forearms, closing his
eyes and visualising himself transferring into Tom’s mind. He felt the familiar
force of heat as Tom channelled his own energy into the cross-over.
When
his head began to swim, he knew the cross-over was complete. He opened his eyes
and blinked a couple of times, registering he was now sitting in the driver’s
seat facing his own body as expected. He twisted round and saw the other two in
the back shaking their heads as they adjusted to the effects of their own
cross-over.
“We
all good?” Dan asked.
The
others nodded.
“Right,
Jace you’re coming with me,” Dan said, confirming what they’d discussed on the
way up. “We’ll go round the back and enter via the rear boundary. Tom and Nigel,
you two are going to walk down the street and try to gain access from the front
of the property.”
Jace
nodded while Tom and Nigel pulled on their fake delivery jackets. The disguise
wasn’t to fool the CSP; she would spot their auras way before she could pick
out their faces. The delivery jackets were well-used props enabling them to do
their job without attracting too much attention from the civilians in the
street.
“Good
luck, guys,” Jace said, his voice thick with tension.
Dan turned to face him,
noticing how anxious he looked. His mouth was set in a determined line and his
jaw muscle twitched beneath his ginger stubble. It was obvious he didn’t relish
the idea of coming face-to-face with a Corrupt Soul Protector as much as Tom.
But that was a good thing, Dan thought. They all needed to keep in mind that people
who had everything to lose would stop at nothing to avoid being caught. And
just lately CSPs had been working together, so you never knew if you were going
to be up against one hostile CSP, or a whole group of them.
“Keep
your wits about you,” Dan said. “If she sees any of us, she’ll make a run for
it.”
“Okay,”
Tom said, grabbing the customary parcel from the foot well and somersaulting it
through the air in front of him. “Let’s go catch us a CSP.”
Dan
stepped out of the car, and Jace jumped onto the pavement next to him. They gave
a nod to the others and turned right to head down an alleyway toward the allotments
which backed onto the gardens. They made their way along the perimeter fence
until they drew level with the property the CSP had been seen entering.
This
part of the fence was dilapidated. Weeds, thistles and thorny plants competed
for supremacy on both sides. Dan and Jace stomped down as many as they could in
order to get close to the fence. Before they’d finished, Dan stopped and placed
two fingers behind his ear. Jace stopped too; his foot suspended in mid-air as
he turned his head to listen.
The
soft sound of footsteps on dry grass came from the other side of the fence,
followed by the unmistakeable noise of a door creaking open.
Dan
got a foothold on the fence and jumped up, peering into the garden beyond. There
was an abandoned washing machine, sofa, and rusty bike visible through the mass
of weeds. A few metres from where they stood was a small timber shed with peeling
blue paint.
He
turned to Jace and pointed toward the shed. Jace nodded and the pair of them scaled
the fence, dropping down silently on the other side. They stooped low and ran
toward the shed, over to a small window on the side.
Dan
slowly straightened and peered through the smeary, scratched glass. He saw a
young woman crouched on the floor, hugging herself. She didn’t see him; she was
staring wildly toward the door, and above her head, pulsing erratically, was a
dark red aura.
He
moved away from the window and leaned back against the timber wall. Damn, she only looked about twenty. He closed
his eyes for a moment, wrestling with his conscience about having to overpower
a terrified young woman. When he opened his eyes he saw Jace watching him, his
eyebrows pulled together as he waited for instructions.
Dan
blew out a deep breath. He forced himself to remember the girl’s face he’d just
seen belonged to the victim, not the CSP. And the CSP who had taken over that
body had no right to be using it.
He
knew he’d have to kick the door in and use the element of surprise. He’d learnt
from past missions not to underestimate anyone, no matter what.
He
raised his palm, indicating to Jace to stay put as he took another quick peek
through the window. He registered the CSP wasn’t holding a weapon, and was sitting
far enough from the door that he could break it down without injuring her.
“Call
the others,” he mouthed to Jace, pointing to the microphone concealed in his
stab vest.
Jace nodded and adjusted his earpiece before lowering
his head.
Dan
stepped round to the front of the shed and examined the door. Then he silently
counted to three and took a deep breath before side-kicking the area directly
below the latch.
There
was a loud cracking noise as the frame splintered and the door flew inwards.
Dan
forced his way through the gap and came face-to-face with the CSP. She took
short gasping breaths and her eyes jerked from the wrecked door to Dan’s face
and then up toward his yellow aura. Her own aura throbbed rapidly, pulsing in
time with her heartbeat.
“Stay
where you are,” Dan shouted, his eyes staying locked to hers as he moved
closer. “Don’t move.”
She
stayed in a squatting position, wrapping her arms tighter around her body. Her
eyes were wide with terror; two dark orbs contrasting against her pale skin. He
couldn’t get over how tiny she looked.
“Please,
don’t hurt me.” Her voice was breathy and high-pitched.
Dan
wasn’t planning to hurt her. But they both knew it was his job to take her to
the Switch Enforcement Chamber; returning the body to the rightful owner, and
unavoidably ending hers.
He
crouched down beside her, his senses on high alert, expecting her to run or
kick out at any moment.
“You
know why I’m here, right?” he said.
She
was still over-breathing. “Because of my red aura.”
He
gave a small nod. “So you know I have to take you to the Office … let this girl
have her body back?”
She
met his eyes steadily and a tear spilled onto her acne-scarred cheek. “Yes, I
know what happens next.”
Dan
looked away, shifting his focus to her hands. He couldn’t let personal feelings
stop him from doing his job. He reached into his pocket and withdrew a set of
wrist restraints. They made a jangling sound and her eyes fixed onto the metal.
Her brow creased and she peered up at him. “Th-they’re not necessary. I’m not
going to put up a fight.”
“Maybe
not,” he said, giving her a sad smile. “But I can’t take any chances.”
He
held the restraints up and raised his eyebrows, encouraging her to hold her
wrists out. He saw her eyes flick toward the broken doorway, but she made no
effort to move. It would be pointless anyway; he was blocking her route and he
knew Jace would have been joined by Tom and Nigel; all of them standing just
outside the doorway. There was no way she would get past all of them.
She
dipped her head and slowly raised her wrists. He placed the cold metal around
her tiny bones, fastening the jaws and taking care to make sure they weren’t
too tight. Her skin looked tissue-thin and already had plenty of bruises and
track marks running up her arms. He didn’t want to add to them.
As
he worked, he felt her eyes burning into him. It made him uncomfortable. When
he couldn’t bear it any longer, he looked up and met her gaze.
“I
… I feel really ashamed,” she said, her lips forming a wobbly line. “I just
want you to know that.”
He
looked away again. Why did she care what he thought? The damage was done. She’d
gone corrupt and there was only one way this was going to end.
“It’s
just … I don’t want you to think badly of me,” she added, as if she’d read his
thoughts. “I’m not a bad person. I never broke the code before.” She stopped
speaking to look down at the body she inhabited. “Until this happened.”
Dan
frowned. “Look, don’t worry about it.” He let her shackled hands drop onto her
thighs. “I’m not judging you. I just need to make sure you do the right thing
now.”
She
nodded and the movement caused more tears to spill onto her cheeks. She tried
to lift an arm to wipe them, but the handcuffs restricted her movement.
Brushing
her tears with his thumb seemed too intimate. He’d spotted an old pack of paper
towels to his side so he grabbed the pack and pulled one out, running it along
the damp tracks on her face. He noticed again how marked her skin was. The
person this face belonged to was definitely a user.
“Thank
you,” she said, sniffing and gave him a crooked smile.
Dan
nodded, thinking how pitiful she looked. He shook himself mentally, clearing
his mind. This job was testing him to the limit. Most CSPs were male, and the
majority were aggressive making it much easier on his conscience when he had to
restrain them and take them to the Switch Enforcement Chamber. She was
different; about as far from the usual type you could get. He couldn’t
understand what had possessed her to go corrupt. It reminded him of the first
time he met Gracie although, thank Christ, her aura hadn’t advanced to the red
stage.
“Let’s
get you standing up,” he said, placing his hands under her arms and supporting
her into an upright position. She was about five foot he guessed, and
ridiculously light.
“I
need you to tell me your primary name.” he said, releasing her as soon as she
got her balance.
She
swallowed. “It’s Marie … Marie Stapleton.”
Dan
repeated the name in his mind a couple of times, and although he recognised the
surname; it was common among Soul Protectors, he was certain he didn’t know
Marie. It wasn’t that surprising; there were too many regular Soul Protectors
to keep track of.
“Okay,
Marie,” he said gently, “Can you tell me what happened - why you went corrupt?”
She
took a deep breath, looked up at the shed roof and let out a small laugh. “Would
you believe me if I told you it was an accident?”
He
didn’t take his eyes off her. “Try me.”
She
looked back at him, sizing him up. “Okay,” she said, shrugging. “I switched into
a friend of a friend. She’s a junkie and I knew she was struggling to break a
heroin habit. I thought I could help her to stay strong, you know, maximise her
chances.”
Dan
nodded. He’d helped with similar cases before he became a monitor.
“But
then after I switched, her so-called boyfriend came round and wanted a fix
buddy. I tried to refuse, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer.” She stopped
speaking and pressed her lips together, frowning as she struggled with the
memory.
Dan
swallowed, a sick feeling growing inside him.
“He
gave me too much. An overdose. I didn’t know anything about it until I came
round in hospital a day later, and by then it was too late. My aura had gone
red.”
Dan
shook his head.
“I
was too scared to report it in,” she carried on, rushing her words. “I didn’t
want to die. I didn’t even meet up with my primary body in case she … my other
self … wanted to do the right thing and make me go to the Office. So I ran.
I’ve been in hiding for the last couple of weeks.”
Dan’s
mind was stuck at the part where the boyfriend gave her an overdose. His blood
felt like it was heating to the point of boiling as it pumped round his body.
“None
of this is your fault,” he said.
She
shrugged her shoulders. “It doesn’t change anything though, does it? There’s
only one way this girl is going to get her body back.”
He
shook his head, trying to kill the emotion. He had to stay focussed on the
task. “I’m sorry, Marie,” he said quietly. “I wish there was another way….”
Her
face creased as she tried to prevent a fresh wave of tears. “Me too.”
Dan
clenched his jaw and took hold of her upper arm. He was amazed at how easily
his fingers wrapped around her tiny bicep.
She
looked up at him. “Please … I don’t want you to feel bad. I know there’s no way
round this. Believe me, I’ve thought of nothing else for the past two weeks.
It’s almost a relief to get caught.”
He
raised his eyebrows.
“I
always knew I was on borrowed time,” she said, giving in to a nervous laugh. “You
guys have a reputation for always getting the bad guy. Especially you, Dan.”
His
eyes widened. She knew his name?
Her
pale cheeks flushed with colour. “Or are you Tom? You guys have quite a fan
base among the female Soul Protectors.”
“Dan,”
he said, his eyebrows pressing together. He couldn’t share a laugh with her at
a time like this. He dragged his fingers through his dark hair. “Come on, we need
to go.”
The
other monitors watched silently as he led her out of the shed, parting to allow
them through. Dan knew they would have heard every word, so there was no need
to brief them.
Dan
hopped over the fence first, and Tom helped Marie over the fence toward him. Dan
took hold of her, easily lifting her tiny frame above the weeds and placing her
down on the grassy area beyond. He noticed she was shivering and asked Tom to
hand him the delivery jacket he was wearing. He placed it around her shoulders
before they continued walking up the alleyway.
Once
she was secure inside the Audi, Nigel climbed in next to her, and Jace jumped
into the front passenger seat.
Dan
remained outside the car. He slammed the door behind Nigel and closed his eyes
briefly. When he opened them, he swore and punched the side of the Audi.
“Hey,
take it easy,” Tom said, eyeing him warily. “That’s my car you know.”
“This
whole situation is messed up.”
“Buddy,”
Tom’s voice came calm and deep. “We don’t have a choice here. We’re just
following protocol.”
The
skin round Dan’s eyes tightened. “That doesn’t make it right.”
“Maybe
not, but you, me, and her,” his eyes flicked toward the inside of the car. “We’re
all bound by the Soul Protector code. You have to remember the owner of this
body didn’t do anything wrong either. We have to get this girl to the Office
for the switch-back. It’s what we’re paid to do.”
Dan
placed both hands on the roof of the car. “She was just trying to help someone,
Tom.”
“I
know, I heard. Some dickhead gave her an overdose. If she was a normal person
she could sue for compensation ... but we don’t live in the normal world. And
we’re bound by a different set of rules.”
“But
shouldn’t we challenge them at times like this? The minute her mind is
extracted, her primary body will keel over and die.”
Tom
sighed. “And a post mortem will be held, a pathologist will scratch his head as
he tries to work out what happened, and the death certificate will read ‘cause
of death: unknown, leaving her family and friends devastated. It’s a crap
situation, I agree. But there is nothing we can do to change it.” He gave Dan a
warning look. “You need to stay focussed, bro. Our priority is to enforce a
switch back.” He opened the driver’s door, climbed in and shut it.
Dan
stayed where he was for a few moments, breathing heavily. Then he walked round
to the other side of the car, climbed in next to Marie and slammed the door
harder than was necessary.
No
one spoke. The mood in the car was black and heavy as they headed back round
the M25.
When
they reached the Office, they filed into the monitor’s holding area.
“Just
give me a minute,” Dan said, wanting to speak to Lehmann before they entered
the Switch Enforcement Chamber. Tom nodded and sat next to Marie, taking over custody.
Dan
knocked on Lehmann’s door, walking in without being asked. He told Lehmann everything
Marie had told him, and then watched as Lehmann logged onto his pc and searched
the files for a Marie Stapleton.
A
profile popped up of a twenty-two year old woman. Dan flicked his eyes over the
brief text and saw she came from a long line of Soul Protectors and had an
exemplary record. Lehmann clicked on a thumbnail and the small photo enlarged,
filling the screen. Smiling back at them was a vibrant young woman with long dark
hair, sitting on a picnic blanket raising a plastic glass of bubbly.
Dan
dragged his eyes away from the screen while Lehmann shook his head. “What a
waste of a young life.”
“Do
we know where her primary body is?” Dan asked impatiently. “Can we go and warn
her or something?”
“And
what, exactly, are you planning to tell her?” Lehmann said, the grooves on his
forehead deepening. “Oh, you must be
Marie. By the way, in about five minute’s time you’re going to drop dead?’
How the hell will that help?”
Dan
frowned.
“This
is just one of those situations where there is no happy outcome,” Lehmann
added. “It doesn’t matter if we think it’s right or wrong. It’s out of our
control. I know it’s unfortunate, but there really is no other choice. Marie
Stapleton has to go into that chamber.”
Dan
narrowed his eyes and his hands balled to fists by his side.
“Daniel,”
Lehmann said, looking down at his hands. “You can’t protect her. It’s not your
job.” He pointed to the plaque which took pride of place above his desk.
Dan
glanced up at the engraved writing and formed the words in his mind. ‘Above all else, protecting the innocent.’
Lehmann
moved closer to the plaque and slapped it with his hand. “That’s our priority,
right there,” he said, his cheeks reddening. “We protect civilians from Corrupt
Soul Protectors. It’s that simple.”
Dan
took deep breaths, trying to get his emotions under control.
“I
need to know if you’re having a problem with that right now,” Lehmann said, a
patronising tone creeping into his voice. “Because if you are, I’ll gladly hand
the job to someone else and take away your rank.”
Dan
looked down at his hands, forcing them to relax. Then he dragged his eyes back
to meet Lehmann’s. “Sir, I’d like to request you do hand it to someone else. I
can’t be a part of something I don’t agree with.”
Lehmann’s
jaw dropped, his chest heaving with fury as he glared at Dan. This was the
first time Dan had ever failed to do his duty, and Lehmann looked like he
wanted to knock him out for having the audacity to refuse.
Dan
stood still, meeting Lehmann’s glare and saying nothing.
A
few seconds passed before Lehmann broke the silence. “As you wish,” he said,
forcing each word through clenched teeth. “I’ll do it myself.”
Dan
gave a single nod and turned to walk out of Lehmann’s office.
“Daniel.”
Dan
stopped in his tracks, pausing before turning to face his boss. He noticed the
tension round Lehmann’s eyes had smoothed a fraction.
“Sir?”
“I
wasn’t serious about taking away your rank. Go home, get some rest and I’ll see
you back in the morning.”
Dan
nodded before pulling the handle down and walking back into the holding area.
Tom
was leaning forward on his plastic seat talking to Marie. When they heard Dan’s
footsteps, they both turned toward him.
Dan
noticed Marie holding her breath as she waited for him to speak. He crouched
down in front of her and put his hands on her arms. “I really am sorry,” he
said gently. “You don’t deserve this.”
“Is
it happening soon?” she asked, her eyes jerking between him and the door to the
chamber.
He
nodded, a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. “Someone will be along to take
you to the room shortly. I really am sorry.” He clenched his jaw, sick of
repeating the same useless line over and over. He took a deep breath. “You’re a
good person, Marie. You put yourself at risk to help someone. You did a good
thing.”
He
was surprised when she smiled at him; a smile filled with genuine warmth.
“Thank you,” she said, her eyes filling with tears.
He
swallowed hard and managed a smile in return. Then he straightened up and turned
to walk away.
“Dan,”
Marie called out.
He
stopped and twisted round to face her. Her smile had gone, and she looked even
smaller somehow. “Will you be the one who does it? The one who operates the
switch?”
He
shook his head. “No, it won’t be me.”
Tom
tipped his head to one side, a puzzled look creeping onto his face. Marie just looked
relieved.
I hope you've all had a lovely Christmas/ holiday/yuletide with your family/ friends/loved ones. I love this time of year and have, as usual, completely over-indulged on the Ferrero Rocher, mince pies, cheese and Baileys ... but boy did I enjoy eating/drinking them all, hic! We're off to friends' tonight to see the New Year in with bubbly and games, and then rounding off the celebrations with a trip to the in-laws for dinner on New Year's Day. More eating and drinking (well, it would be rude not to!) :D
