Author: HK Savage (Book 2, The Admiral's Elite)
Genre: Adult
Publisher: Staccato Publishing
Blitz Host: Lady Amber's Tours
A vicious serial killer is on the loose in Wisconsin and it's up to the Admiral's Elite to stop him. Admiral Black's second in command, Captain Michael Rossi, has been tasked with finding out who or what the killer is and put an end to his reign of bloodshed while avoiding some pitfalls of his own. Like hiding the fact that he's falling in love with Becca from the admiral who would be sure to use it against them. Ghosts from Gabrielle's past threaten her place with her unit and Ryan's bed.
Local police are puzzled and the town is terrified. The Admiral's Elite must find a killer, stop him without anyone finding out their true identities, and not be torn apart in the process.
Excerpt:
Becca’s eyes
searched the dimly lit space to find Black easing out of his office,
a nearly invisible opening in the wall on the far side of the room,
and gliding forward to stand at the head of the long rectangular
black table in the center of the room. An overhead set of lights
washed his alabaster skin clean of details until she got close. A
thick bunch of tan folders were set neatly on top of the black
surface.
“Admiral
Black, Sir.” Becca refrained from saluting when she reached the far
end of the table; she learned in the beginning they didn’t do that
here.
Obsidian eyes
showing no whites, only an expanse of flat black set into white skin
and topped with equally under-pigmented short hair, regarded her
without expression. By some trick of the light, the immortal,
soulless creature appeared strained. Could it be? She shook off the
thought as impossible.
“Please, take
your seat, Rebecca.”
His towering
six-foot-four frame stationed at the head of the table was even more
daunting when she sidled up the table to take her usual seat on his
right. She tried not to be obvious as she scanned the room for
Michael.
“I have asked
Michael to give us a few minutes alone, if you don’t mind. We have
not had the opportunity to speak without his company for some time.”
Tapping a long white finger on his pointed chin, he appeared to think
for a minute. “Not since you returned from the hospital, I
believe.” Those flat black eyes turned toward her and his thin lips
tightened into what might have been a smile. On him it was more of a
grimace. Then, gracefully, he folded and took his seat.
That simple act
had her heart racing. Becca had never seen the man sit before, much
less smile. It freaked her out even more than his hovering aloofness.
Keeping herself from making direct eye contact for long enough for
him to manipulate her mind, she glanced to his nose and back every
few seconds.
“Calm
yourself, Rebecca. I assure you, you have nothing to fear from me.”
The corner of his mouth twitched again. Another smile. “We have not
had an opportunity to discuss how you are finding things here with
us. You have had ample time to settle in and see how things are done
here, I trust.”
If the admiral
wasn’t the admiral, Becca might have been tempted to laugh. It
wasn’t like she’d had a choice in her place here. Once Black
decided he wanted someone that was it. It didn’t matter whether she
liked it there or not. One thing was for sure, if she had to be
around the chilling admiral as often as she had her previous
commanding officers, she would have had a breakdown or at least
developed a nervous tic or ten by now. Fortunately, she had Michael
acting as a buffer between them. While that would have bothered her
in her old unit in the Navy, it didn’t so much now. The less time
she spent with Black the better, and Michael was her immediate
supervisor. That was another can of worms entirely and not one she
could open while she was with Black. One stress case was enough,
thank you.
“Things are
fine, Sir. Everyone is teaching me about the sorts of creatures I’m
encountering and we train every day we aren’t on a mission.”
Black blinked.
With his coloring and lack of visible corneas it lent him an uncanny
resemblance to a snake. “Yes, Michael has kept me apprised of your
progress. He reports that you are a quick learner. What has it been,
five missions in two months? All presenting different obstacles, none
quite so challenging as the one that nearly cost us your gift.” His
white fuzz covered head wagged, more disturbed by his unit’s
possible loss than the pain of the human who wielded said gift. Trust
Black to leech any hint of sentimentality out of something. “However,
I did not ask what you were doing. I asked how you are
doing.”
“Uh…”
Becca’s heart and mind went into overdrive. Immediately, she tried
to calm herself. The fact that her eyesight wasn’t dancing lent her
a tiny modicum of solace. If she were in danger from the admiral, her
preternatural sight would have let her know. Only recently she’d
discovered she could somewhat control how debilitating the effects
were and since mastering that control, she hadn’t lost her vision
for more than a few seconds at a time. That didn’t stop her stomach
from clenching nervously now. She feared she knew where this was
leading. They hadn’t spoken about the new twist on her ability
since she’d jumped into Michael right in front of the their scary
boss. If her damned vision hadn’t been so blurred at the time with
her lover and old partner about ready to face off, she would never
have done it. Now she realized what a mistake it had been. “It’s
good, Sir. Everyone is very helpful and I find the work challenging
as well as rewarding.”
The black eyes
narrowed slightly. “Thank you for the sanitized version, Rebecca.
However, I know that you are an intelligent woman. You know very well
what I am asking you. Have you learned more about this jumping
ability of yours?”
Author Bio:
HK Savage has been a voracious reader of anything she could get her hands on going back to the second grade when she would set her alarm two hours early to read before school. Her passion for the written word has continued and flowed into writing going back nearly as far. Her books have fans in twenty countries on six continents with hopes of attracting attention on Antarctica if for no other reason than to check a box.
Currently, HK is a mother, wife and black belt in Karate as well as an avid dressage rider. Her three dogs: a Doberman she uses for therapy dog work and two ancient Doxies keep her busy when she is not writing or working or whatever else.
In addition to editing for the past ten years in advertising, HK has been an editor for several newsletters over the years; her favorite being for Heifer International where her ideas were put into effect and complimented by those on high. Currently her skills are being focused on clients in the writing world.
Paranormal is her favorite genre and science fiction because both address the possibilities we have not yet realized and the darker things we have. Her favorite premise: “what if?”
Thank you so much for hosting today! This is such a fun series to write, I am just giddy people are even liking reading it.
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