Promptly Penned ~ Make a Scene

Welcome to the first 2019 edition of Promptly Penned. And it looks like we’re starting off with a bang, lol. Here is the prompt…

Excuse me. I have to go make a scene.

It can appear anywhere in the story. I think we all know mine will be dialogue, lol. I’m going to dive a bit into what will be my next WIP… Six’s book from Wayward Souls. Six is kinda a cool guy. Has a bit of an extrasensory perception thing going, though he doesn’t see himself as that. Just a guy who sometimes gets lucky. Anyway, here’s a brief (LOL. Right. I freaking hope it’s brief) bit. Not sure if this will make it into the book, but it’s fun to dive a bit into his head while working on Colt’s book.

“Well, this is a clusterfuck.”

Casey “Six” O’Reilly groaned as Kameron’s words hit home. She only ever said that when shit was about to go sideways. Not because of bad intel or them making a mistake. But because she was about to take matters into her own hands.

Which likely meant a brawl.

He snagged her wrist, tugging her against him. The flowery scent of her perfume surrounded him, making the air dense. Saturated with her essence. One he’d gotten so accustomed to, he noticed when his clothes didn’t smell like her. When it didn’t fill his truck or cling to every surface of his loft.

Odd, since they were just colleagues. Partners for most of their cases the past six months. Six wasn’t sure why he’d gotten teamed up with her. Why Cannon seemed to think they were a good match. Six was calm. Level-headed. Had a habit of seeing the way things would play out before they actually happened.

Kameron Monroe was about as impulsive as they got. Always looking to charge in. A complete contrast to how she’d been in the service. She’d worked MI, Military Intelligence, and had always come across as quiet. Subdued. 

He’d heard a rumor she’d been involved in an IED incident during a routine reconnaissance trip into a shit two-bit town near Jalalabad. Had been one of only two survivors from the eight-man team accompanying her. Six had also heard she’d had to evade Taliban forces, half-carrying her injured teammate for two days before finally getting picked up.

Since then…

His sources said she’d changed. Had remained in MI but had put herself through some brutal training, coming out the other side skilled in far more than hacking codes and image interpretation. 

Basically, she’d turned herself into a warrior.

Not that he minded. Having a partner who could throw a punch or kick and have it land—take out a tango—was invaluable. Being able to take a few hits and keep fighting even more impressive. And knowing she could handle herself with a variety of weapons… It made his job that much easier.

Except for the part where the damn girl went looking for trouble. Was quick to not only jump into a fight but start one. She was cocky and reckless, and giant pain in his ass.

And he was hopelessly falling for her.

Which made pairing up with her borderline torture. Spending endless hours with her, so fucking close but stuck in the damn friend zone was taking a toll. He was edgy. Restless. And so preoccupied that his sixth sense he’d been so aptly named for took a damn siesta. Just shut down because it was too busy focusing on how their future could play out. If he’d just grow a set and make a move.

Shit. Cannon knew. 

That’s why he kept matching them up, the sadistic bastard. He was pushing Six. Daring him to lose his cool. To go outside his comfort zone. And Six would kick his buddy’s ass as soon at they got back, but for now…

Kameron looked up at him. Hazel eyes catching the lights behind the bar. Making those beautiful irises gleam. Her blood-red lips curled into a smile, and he felt his damn heart kick him hard in the chest. An actual thump he was sure moved his damn shirt because it hurt. Staring at her like that. 

She arched a brow, glancing over at the men gathered around their mark. A dickbag named Clive Martin—wanted for assault, among other nasty habits. Cannon had sent the two of them to hunt the bastard down, then bring him in—a nice twenty-grand to show for their efforts. They’d followed his ass all the way to Vegas. Not that they’d tell Cannon that. Crossing state lines wasn’t exactly encouraged. Not when each one had different rules bounty hunters had to follow. And Six was pretty damn sure the Nevada authorities wouldn’t take to kindly to him and Kam claiming their prize in a bar off the Vegas strip.

“Something wrong, partner?” Kameron stepped in closer, pressing against him. Something she did on purpose to distract him. Sway him.

Six clenched his jaw. He would not develop a boner in the middle of a biker bar when they were greatly outnumbered. “Yeah, you. You’ve got that look.”

“Do I? Which one is that?”

“The one that says we’re not getting out of here without spilling some blood.”

“I don’t plan on it being ours, so—”

“That’s not the point.”

She lifted her hand—ran a perfectly manicured nail along his chest. “Don’t tell me you’re worried about duking it out with a few red-neck boys. I thought you Delta soldiers chewed on tanks and spit out bullets?”

“We do—back in Washington. Our licenses don’t have this long a reach. Which I told you before we followed the bastard here.”

“That’s only an issue if we get arrested. Which we won’t.” She rolled her eyes. “Jesus, Six, it’s not going to be much of a fight. I’ll take the two on the left. You take the two on the right, and we’ll have Martin all to ourselves.”

“Is that before or after the bartender calls the cops?”

She sighed, then took a moment to scan the bar. The hairs on Six’s neck prickled and he knew he was about to regret allowing her to talk him into this. And he didn’t need his damn extra senses to see it coming. It was a giant neon sign flashing above them. 

FUBAR.

Yup, things were about to get fucked up but good.

Kam paused, her eyes doing that shifting thing when she was working out a puzzle, before she gave him another stunning smile.

“Kameron—”

“Relax. You’re right. We need a different approach. So, stay here until you get my signal, then ride to the rescue like a good little soldier.”

He tightened his grip on her wrist. “What are you going to do?”

“Nothing bad. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” She slipped her hand free then took a few steps away, glancing back at him still smiling. “I have to go make a scene.”

And that’s it for me. I hope you enjoyed a bit of a preview into Six and Kameron. Now, hop on over and give the other two ladies a read.

Jessica | Siobhan