Romance Writers Behaving Badly

For those who read It Takes a Cat Burglar and wanted to know more about the secondary characters my monthly tease is a bit of the raw first draft of Cade and Bassinae's story. This excerpt gives you a little of the back story for both.

It Takes a Cat Burglar is available wide:
https://books2read.com/cat-burglar

Cade and Bassinae's Story - Title yet to be determined. Planned release in Spring 2018.

Bassinae watched the fifteen women before her move in slow motion through the technique she had just taught them. They were of varying sizes, shapes, and ages, but they all held one thing in common. They were battered women who had sought shelter at Do It Now. Bassinae’s part of the program was to help the ladies get in shape and teach them how to defend themselves.

Her hour was up. “That’s all for today ladies. Good effort everyone. We’ll continue to work on that last technique in our next session. Tomorrow is a rest and absorb day. Spend time mentally working through each movement of your body for what we’ve covered so far.”

The women broke ranks, talking as they made their way out of the exercise room, offering Bassinae a wave or a nod as they left. An incoming comm flashed a tell-tale in her mind. She answered the call.

“Hey, it’s Bassinae.”

“There’s been an accident.” Even though her voice was thick with emotion, Darcelle St. Croix was easy to recognize.

“Who? What—”

“Cade was driving Sebastian to pick up his mother at the spaceport. They were hit by a truck.”

Oh my gods.

“Sebastian is okay, but Cade was badly hurt. They had to cut him out of the car.”

Her body tingling from the adrenaline flushing through her, Bassinae asked, “How badly hurt?”

“I don’t know for sure, but Sebastian called to tell me. Max is taking me, and I thought you might want to come.”

For a moment Bassinae was dizzy, unable to think straight, but one thing was certain, she had to be there for Cade. “I do. I’m at Do It Now, but I’m finished for the day. I’ll meet you in the garage. Bye.”

She looked down at her clothes, tight leggings and a cropped, sleeveless workout top. No time to change. She dashed to the staff break room, grabbed her jacket and messenger bag, and hurried to the elevator that would take her from this secret floor of Sebastian St. Croix’s high rise. Darcelle and Max would be coming from the penthouse.

Bassinae nodded at the guard stationed by the elevator and placed her hand on the security panel. She drummed her fingers against her thighs, waiting to drop the sixty-seven stories to the garage level. How badly was Cade hurt. He was a tough guy, former marine, but still…hit by a truck. She’d only known him a few years. He was a stray that Sebastian had seen something in much as he’d done with her when she was a scared young woman, hiding on the streets to avoid her brutal ex-boyfriend.

Sebastian didn’t do anything by half measures.  He’d seen her panhandling outside one of the businesses he owned, and rather than call the police, he’d taken her inside and demanded she tell him her story. Do It Now had been the end result of that encounter.

She didn’t know what mess Sebastian had pulled Cade from, but there was no doubt he’d saved the man. Now he served Sebastian as his bodyguard, driver, and handy man. Not that Cade was good with household projects. No, his kind of handy had more to do with getting things done that skirted the law. Like the ninjas of old, you never saw Cade coming unless he wanted you to. Sebastian had adopted them both into his personal cadre of repossession experts, thieves who stole from thieves.

Cade had been bristly and defensive much of his first year as though he felt the need to prove himself, to wipe away the taint of his past. But like the mouse who’d pulled the thorn from the lion’s paw, Bassinae never had to deal with his swipes. Perhaps he’d recognized another wounded soul, but it was more likely that she always returned his roars with her own brand of sweet sunshine. She’d tamed him, and they’d become good friends.

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