Friday Excerpt: Deadly Chai

It makes sense to post an excerpt from my new short story, just released yesterday, right? Here's a taste:








Excerpt from Deadly Chai (Jan. 17, 2013)



“Anna?
Are you okay?” Strong hands grasped her upper arms and pushed her
back a step as she looked down in dismay.


“What
the hell, Detective? You couldn’t just say my name or something?”
She dropped the empty cup and swiped ineffectively at the front of
her coat as the last drops of tea slid down. Lucky she’d been
wearing it, or the hot liquid would have scalded her through the
thinner material of her shirt. Glancing up as he released her arms,
she noted his irritated look.


“I
told you not to drink it,” he said, brushing liquid off his own
jacket. “I thought you were in trouble, so I was coming to rescue
you. You’re sure you’re okay? Do you feel queasy or anything?”


Anna
shook her head. “I’m fine. I don’t feel weird or anything, but
I thought you might want to test it at least. It sure tasted good.”
She looked back at The Trusty Mug, wondering how weird it would look
if she went back right away. She could see the counter behind the
windows, but Will wasn’t in view. He must have gone in back after
she left.


“So
does this mean Will didn’t do it, because I’m okay? Or do you
need another cup of tea to test? Because I told him I’d be back
later for more. I could go now and just tell him I spilled it...”


Erik
looked over her shoulder and then grabbed her hand, pulling her away
from the windows and toward her car.


“I
think Will’s probably okay, though I’d still like to come with
you later, just to make sure. For now, you need to just go to the
office, like always. I’ll meet you there in a little bit.”


“Fine.
See you later.” Anna sighed, tossed her damp coat into the back
seat and got into her car, the spicy flavor still lingering on her
tongue. She tried to remember if there were any other coffee shops in
the area where she could get a replacement. Facing the day without
caffeine wasn’t an option.


She
pulled out of the drive and turned right, back-tracking three blocks
to a small coffee kiosk that inhabited the corner of a grocery store
parking lot. It seemed deserted, but she imagined most people would
have gotten their morning coffee by now. Pulling up to the window,
she ordered a tall Chai from the handsome young man inside, admiring
the muscles that rippled under his tight t-shirt as he worked. She
stifled a grin, wondering if he’d ever considered underwear
modeling.


He
gave her the cup as she handed over the money, and she took a small
sip as she waited for her change. It was good. Maybe even better than
what Will had made. Another, bigger sip, and she held out her hand,
surprised when there were suddenly two figures swaying in front of
her eyes. She fought the urge to pass out as someone opened her door,
pushed her over to the passenger seat and crawled behind the wheel.
One of the back doors opened and shut, and she felt the car begin to
move as she succumbed to the fog in her mind.

Enjoy
this post? Support your author:

Romantic Suspense
| Erotic Romance | Suspense/Thriller 
| Flash Fiction | Non-Fiction

**Please
note - If this is your first time posting, your comment
will be moderated. Once you have been approved, future comments will post automatically.