Spin Out preview

A short snippet of the WIP which I'm finishing off at a mad pace. If everything goes right, you'll have Joe/Kabe book 2 by Mid August:

(c) 2011 James Buchanan

Stepped out of the shower and dried myself off, still messing with the thoughts in my head. To my mind, lots of folks might have tried to shuffle the blame onto the odd man out. ‘Course, Austin up and left town right about the same time as the boys went missing. Maybe they figured he was out of the picture and wouldn’t mess up their story none.

‘Bought that time someone banged on my door. Lord Almighty, there I was nekkid as sin. Wrapped the towel around my middle and leaned out the bathroom door. I had a straight view from the kitchen, over the breakfast counter and to the front door. “Who’s there?”

I heard a key in the lock. Since my folks were still in Russia on their retirement mission, it had to be Kabe. No one else had one. I didn’t have a clue why he came over, but I weren’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. I tucked the towel in over itself and padded towards the front door. Kabe’d seen me with far less on.

“Kabe?” I mean I figured it had to be him, but I asked anyway.
Got a, “Yeah,” in response as he walked through the door. He still wore the resort parka with the embroidered logo on one side and his name badge tucked in a little plastic pocket on the other.

Everything I kinda wanted to say vanished right out of my head with him standing there. Best I could manage was, “You’re here.”

“Finished work.” He unzipped the parka and shrugged it off. “Thought I’d come by.” Toss the coat over my chair as he walked through the living room.

“Yeah.” I shook off the worst of my slack jawed stated. “Hey, well, ah I got a Christmas present for you.” That was no where near what we needed to talk over, but it was a start. “Let me get dressed, I’ll makes some sandwiches or something and you can open ‘em.”

By that time, Kabe’d come right up against me. “I had something else in mind.”

“What?” I mumbled that one word as he hooked his hand in my towel and yanked it off. “Oh, Lord, that.” Ran my hand up along his arm. “We could do that.”