Here’s the link to the Weekend Writing Warriors central page, so you can visit all the participants sharing excerpts today…a fun way to sample new books and find new authors! (Also welcome to the Sunday Snippet visitors!)

May be edited a bit from published version.

Sharing excerpts from STAR CRUISE: RETURN VOYAGE, my full length novel in the Pets In Space 5 anthology for 2020! Last one from this book since my new release JAMOKAN is now available. I’ll switch books next week.

The excerpt: As I warned last week, the trip isn’t all fun and games and shopping. Trevor has put in a call to the Sectors Criminal Intelligence Agency (SCIA) about two passengers who are showing a lot of interest in Gianna.

“Agent O’Meara here.” The voice was gruff, no nonsense and apparently there was to be no vid. “All right, Nebula Zephyr, why the inquiry on my two persons of interest?”

Trevor spoke up. “Lt. Hanson, sir. I’m assigned to do personal protection on a high value passenger this trip and something about this couple doesn’t ring true to me. I think they arranged what was supposed to look like a chance encounter at the casino to meet my protectee and then popped up in an unexpected place the next day too. Invited the passenger for drinks. I’ve learned not to ignore my instincts.”

“I should try to hire you away from your ship, you’ve got good instincts,” O’Meara said. “The couple calling themselves Semma and Dant on your ship have more aliases than we’ve got stars in the Sectors, but they must be getting careless. Used this Provimter name before, about ten years ago, which pinged my AI to be curious when you sent in your request. Slick characters. We tried to nail them more than once but they’re detail oriented and professional. Based on persuasive evidence we believed they were dead, in fact, in a high profile murder attempt gone wrong a few years ago but my gut talks to me like your instincts do to you and I never quite bought the story, despite the DNA evidence.”

“Who exactly are these people?” Jake (Trevor’s boss) asked.

“Independent contractors, loosely affiliated with the Amarotu Combine. The two of them do assassinations, kidnappings, high end and expensive. I’d say you’ve got yourself a major problem, especially if they’re showing interest in your special passenger. Better surround the man or woman with ten guards, keep them locked in their suite and then say a prayer to the Lords of Space. These two you’re asking about are capable of anything.”

Trevor’s blood ran cold at having professional killers like these taking an interest in Gianna. He had the urge to bolt from the office to make sure she was secure and safe.

“We’ll advise our captain right away and keep you posted,” Jake said, having retained his calm facade.

“I’ll open a few inquiries on my end, put out feelers to our sources and snitches as to who might have hired them,” O’Meara said. “It would have to be a huge payday for them after going to all the trouble to stage their own ‘deaths’. I’ll be in touch if I find anything. And of course we’ll want to meet your ship once you’re in orbit, see if we can take them unawares. Capturing them would be a feather in my cap for sure. I’ll co-ordinate with you on that later.”

“If we find out anything on our end, we’ll call,” Jake said and then the connection closed. He turned to Trevor. “Could there be a mistake? Why would criminals like this focus on Gianna?”

Trevor shook his head. “It doesn’t make any sense but they singled her out all right.”

PETS IN SPACE® 5 ANTHOLOGY BLURB:

It’s time for an escape! Pets in Space® 5 is back for the fifth amazing year! Escape to new worlds with twelve of today’s top Science Fiction Romance authors. They have written 12 original, never-before-released stories filled with action, adventure, suspense, humor, and romance that will take you out of this world. The giving doesn’t stop there. For the fifth year, Pets in Space® will be donating a portion of the first month proceeds to Hero-Dogs.org, a non-profit charity that supports our veterans and First Responders. If you are ready to forget the world around you and make a difference while you are having fun, grab your copy before it’s gone!

STAR CRUISE RETURN VOYAGE blurb: Gianna Nadenoft is a reclusive survivor of one of the worst interstellar cruise ship disasters in the history of the Sectors. Now a renowned artist, she hasn’t left her home planet in decades, not since returning there after the wreck as a traumatized three-year-old. With her service animal at her side, she’s going to attempt to travel across the star systems to attend her brother’s wedding and reunite with her fellow survivors.

Trevor Hanson is a security officer aboard the cruise liner Nebula Zephyr with his own traumatic past as a former Special Forces soldier and prisoner of war. He’s assigned to provide personal protection to Gianna during her time aboard the ship but soon finds his interest turning from professional to romantic.

Onboard the Nebula Zephyr, powerful enemies are watching Gianna and making plans to seize this rare opportunity to gain access to her and the secrets they believe she’s still keeping about the wreck. Can Trevor overcome his personal demons and rise to the occasion to save Gianna from the danger waiting on his ship, or will she slip through his fingers and suffer a terrible fate deferred from her last disastrous voyage?

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