Shockwave Character Blog - Kate Weiss

I have a problem with no solution. I think I'm in love with a man I can never be with. Just thinking about him makes me weak. No one has ever had this effect on me and I have to say it is really pissing me off. This is not the way it is supposed to work. I don’t want or need a relationship. I don’t have the time or energy. But…oh the way I feel when I am with him. His control over me is palpable, scorching and addictive. I lose myself in the warmth of his touch, his demanding embrace and his liquid gaze. 

The memories of our night together are still fresh in my mind. While I struggle to push them away they always return. We can never be together, we come from two different worlds and I know how that works. I can’t do it again. So if my brain knows this, why won’t my heart listen? Why does it continue to call his name in the dark of night? 

I left for a reason, he rejected me. He thinks I lied to him, that I was keeping the truth hidden from view. The betrayal shining in his eyes still stabs at me. How could I ever ask for his forgiveness when any relationship we could build is doomed to failure?

Taking a deep breath, he moved across the parking lot and to her door. He was about to knock when he heard his name.

“Jack?” He turned to see her walking toward him, her male companion at her side.

“Hey…Kate,” he managed with a smile while she stared at him in confusion.

“What are you doing here?”

“I needed to see you,” his eyes locking with hers.

“You two obviously need to be alone,” Kate’s friend said giving Jack a look of warning. “I’m going to head inside.”

Kate simply nodded, not breaking Jack’s gaze. The man disappeared into her house. She stood staring at him and Jack realized she was waiting for him to say something.

“I wanted to apologize for the way I left things in Vegas.” She looked away from him.

“Thanks, but it’s over. I’m --”

“I know I messed up. I didn’t mean to push you away and I--”

“Jack--”

“I don’t know what this is. All I know is that since you left 

everything…stopped.””

“You don’t know what you’re saying.” Her eyes filled with emotion and he saw a ray of hope.

 “Listen to me,” moving closer, looking down into her eyes. “I know that this isn’t what was supposed to happen, but it did and I want to start over.”

“I’m not good for you, Jack,” hugging herself as if a chill had fallen between them.

“That’s not true,” shortening the space between them. The ocean air swept through her hair, her scent filling him. “I have never been more alive than I am with you.”

“It’s a fantasy. It isn’t real.”

“Yes it is,” seeing the denial in her eyes. “I’ve tried to forget, Kate! I’ve told myself that it wasn’t real--”

“No, Jack…”

“But I was wrong! It is real and I can’t let it go,” refusing to let her push him away, keeping her eyes locked within his. “And I don’t think you can either.”

He watched her struggle and wanted desperately to wrap his arms around her.  He forced himself to stay where he was. She gulped something back and took a deep breath.

“I have nothing to give you.”

“I’m not asking for anything,” searching her eyes for some sign of hope.

“Yes you are.”

“Kate…”

 “You are…you are looking for Texas Kate. Problem is that laid back, nice, Texas Kate doesn’t exist! My life is complicated, dangerous and all consuming! At the end of the day there is nothing left.” she purposely stepped back, out of his reach. “You think you know me, Jack, but you don’t.”

“You’re right I don’t, not all of you. But I do know the Kate I rode the stratosphere with, the woman who prefers an orange soda over a beer, who didn’t hesitate to tell me when I was being a selfish ass. The exquisite creature I held before the world exploded.”

“Please…stop.” the words sent her spiraling away from him her hand running through her hair as she refused to meet his eyes.

“I’m useless without you.”

“I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for!”

“Yes there is. I was trying to run away from who I am and you got caught up in it.  None of it was real. The Kate you are talking about doesn’t exist, she never did. I’m sorry that I misled you—“

“Don’t do this. Don’t stand there and tell me it was a lie when you know it wasn’t! I know you felt it too. I saw it in your eyes when you looked at me. It was overwhelming and I can’t forget. I don’t want to forget--”

“It’s a fairy tale,” breaking away from any connection he had made with her. 

“It’s not real. She’s not real! I created a character to cope, to hide and you fell for her, but she doesn’t exist. She never did! Let it go.”

“I can’t believe you’re doing this.”

“Believe it, I’m not as understanding as your Kate. I don’t have the time or the patience. It’s unproductive and does me no good.”

“Fine,” blocking her eye line, forcing her to face him. “Look at me and tell me that you don’t want me here. Tell me that I am crazy. Tell me there is nothing but air between us and I’ll go.”

They seemed frozen in time. Jack saw a flicker of light in her eyes but it disappeared, as if she had consciously decided to extinguish their last ray of hope, and his heart ached.

“I’m sorry, Jack.” He watched her turn and walk away from him. He wanted to stop her, tell her that she was being stupid. They could make it work, but he didn’t. He let her go.

He let her walk away.

~

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Romantic Suspense Excerpt - Dead Air Collection

Shockwave

 

The light show lasted about fifteen minutes. When it ended, the crowd began to shift. The mass of people pushed them closer together and Kate turned into him, her hands resting on his chest. He looked down, her eyes lifting toward his. He could feel the heat rising in his neck, and he struggled to contain the need beginning to stir within him.

The crowd around them got aggressive and they almost lost their balance.

“Piggyback?”

“Sounds like a plan.” She grabbed his margarita and he turned and squatted in front of her. She climbed on his back, wrapping her legs around his waist, and within moments, they were fighting through the crowd. He pushed, and she navigated.

It took a little time, but they managed to make their way out and hail a cab back to the hotel. Stumbling into the hotel laughing, they managed to navigate their way to the elevators. They stepped in and concurrently forgot the floor of their rooms.

“Twenty-three is sticking in my brain.” She leaned against the back of the elevator.

“Twenty-three it is.” Jack pushed the button and leaned against the wall next to her.

“You‟d think they would put it on your key or something.”

“What‟s your room number?” His brain flipped

like a coin in mid-air.

“2509.”

He looked at her with a smile.

“Seriously?”

She reached forward, pushed the button for twenty-five.

He laughed.

“What‟s your room number, Tucker?”

“Ah…I…well…I have no fucking idea!”

“See!” She stepped back leaning next him. “So I don‟t want to hear any sass out of you about my twenty-three!”

“My sass will remain closed.” The heat of her body made his head spin more than it already was.

“That‟s why!”

“Why what?”

“I finally understand why she calls you Sass. I didn‟t see it before, but now I definitely agree that you are…”

Abruptly the doors opened and they turned to move out of the elevator. He realized they were on the wrong floor and pulled her back.

“What are you doing?”

“Twenty-five remember, not twenty-three.”

“Oh yeah.” She turned to him with a lopsided smile. It hit him like a hammer. He realized it was the first time he had ever really seen her smile. It lit up her face, and he couldn‟t help but smile.

back. “Do you know that saying?”

“What saying?”

“The whole, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas thing.”

“Yes, I am familiar with it.” The doors of the elevator opened again and he gently turned her around, moving her forward into the hallway.

“Well you need to make sure you understand that saying because well…” She rummaged through her pockets for her key. “I am breaking so many rules right now you wouldn‟t believe it.”

“Rules?”

She stopped at her door, leaning against it, key card in hand. Jack watched her struggle to maintain her mental and physical balance.

“Yes, rules. Many, many, rules.”

“What kind of rules?” Warmth enveloped him, and he felt himself pulled to her. Her scent and deep eyes drew him in, and he was powerless to resist.

“Important rules.”

His palms rested on the door, trapping her between his arms, and a deep sigh escaped her lips.

“Very important rules.”

“Kate…” He breathed her in, just inches away from her lips.

“Yes?” Her emerald eyes shone brightly up at him.

“Forget the rules.” He caressed her cheek with his thumb, his heart pounding against his chest. Jack let go of his fear and covered her mouth with a passionate kiss.

He expected the moment of surprise. Then she kissed him back, her arms wrapping around his neck pulling him closer. After a hesitant but passion-filled exploration of the other‟s lips, their touch parted, and he bit back a groan. He didn‟t want to stop. He wanted to keep kissing her forever.

“Jack.”

Breathless he stared into her emerald eyes.

“I should go…”

His forehead rested against hers, keeping her trapped against the door. His left hand wrapped in her hair, while his right rested on her hip. He had no snappy response, just the need to kiss her again. It started hesitantly, his lips caressing hers, and then exploded into a passionate need. He explored her mouth, feeling her softness beneath his hands, and he thought he would go mad. Never consumed with such intense need in his entire life, he felt high within her scent, and silently protested when she pulled back.

“Jack, we can‟t—” She gasped for air.

“Why?” His pounding heart drowned out everything but the sound of her voice.

“You know why.” Her eyes smoldering, she turned her back to him, and pulled out her key.

His arms remained around her, and he pulled her against his chest. He shifted her hair off her neck, and began to nuzzle. He heard the door lock beep, his arm holding her trapped against him. She was making him crazy, her supple body sending shivers of need through him,“Katie.” 

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Dead Air Collection - Excerpt

Worlds Apart

 Is their love enough?

 Jack Tucker's life as a morning radio host is uncomplicated, attachment free, and without regret. Until Kate Weiss entered his life, that is... She knows all of the ways to annoy him and yet takes his breath away with just a look.

 Special Agent Kate Weiss is hiding from a kidnapping she doesn't remember. Morning Radio Host Jack Tucker serves as a nice distraction, but she knows the flirtation could never be anything more.

 When tragedy descends, grief pulls them together, forcing them to trust each other and face the undeniable connection between them.

 In an effort to make the pair walk away from a conspiracy greater than they can imagine, a target is put on their heads. This does little to deter Kate or Jack from wanting to find the truth.

 Chasing shadows, the answers are closer than they realize. Forced into isolation, can Jack and Kate uncover the buried secret that is getting people killed? Or will one misstep destroy all of their hopes for the future?

***

Heated bodies were pushed together like fish caught in a very expensive net. Jack maneuvered his way to the bar, and requested a whiskey sour. He stood waiting patiently, his eyes staring unfocused at the design etched into the marble top of the bar. He felt a heat on his back. He turned in curiosity when his shoulder smacked into something.

“Whoa,” he heard, and then saw Kate, her drink dripping from her hand.

“Sorry,” He found himself staring at her, a lump in his throat, his neck heated. “I didn’t see you.”

“It’s okay.” She moved to the spot next to him at the bar. She placed her drink on the bar and began to clean the alcohol from her hands and dress.

“You should know better than to try and navigate through a crowd with a full drink.”

“I’ll make a note for next time, thanks.” She tossed the used napkins on the bar and then looked back to him. “This is quite a place.”

“It stands out.” His focus went back to the crowd.

“Are you having a good time?”

“Can’t complain.”

“I haven’t seen Chris. Is he having a good time?”

“Wouldn’t know, he disappeared about an hour ago.” The bartender arrived with his drink. Jack laid some money on the bar before grabbing the glass.

“I’d better get back to Mike.” She excused herself stepping away from the bar.

“I’ll go with you.”

What are you doing?

They made it halfway across the floor, before engulfed in a deadlock of people. Jack instinctively grabbed Kate’s hand pushing a path through to the other side. Not realizing the warmth of her hand within his until they reached Mike, he quickly released and shoved his own in his pocket.

“Hey, Jack, I see you found her,” Mike said with a grin, scotch in his hand. “I thought you got lost.”

“Not exactly, just delayed.” Mike’s blackberry lit up and he grabbed it and began to read.

“Crap,” Mike said, looking to Jack and Kate. “There’s a problem at the station. I have to go. Jack, will you do me a favor and take Kate home?”

“I can grab a cab, Mike. Jack doesn’t need to--”

“You’re not taking a cab, Kate,” Mike looked to Jack for support.

“It’s fine,” Kate’s expression crinkled in discomfort. “We have plenty of room.”

Kate finally nodded in agreement and Mike smiled.

“Great, you guys have fun and I’ll see you later.” He stepped forward squeezing Kate’s hand. Mike moved away from them and Jack looked to Kate, his heart pounding uncontrolled.

“We should probably get back to the VIP room.” The area around them began to fill with an overflow of people.

“Okay.” Jack led the way to where their party was congregating. Once again, they ran into traffic between point A and point B. Jack consciously kept his hand to himself, letting her push her way through behind him. The crowd swayed taking them with it and he found himself trapped against the far wall.  He looked to his left and saw Kate in the same situation. She made her way along the wall toward him. A tornado of thrashing dancers erupted around them and Jack instinctively used his body to protect her. The crowd once again crashed like a wave against the wall.  He felt the pressure lessen and he looked down meeting her emerald eyes.  His body tingled, reacting to the softness against him. “They really need to do something about crowd control.”

“I’ll be sure to mention it in my review,” he said, her scent filling him.

Peaches

“Should we try and move?” She pushed her hair off her shoulder, revealing a gently curved neck begging to be nibbled.

“I don’t know.” Catching her eyes. “Usually, this where I get thanked for my selfless act of chivalry.”

“You’ve already gotten one blow-job this evening, Tucker,” she hit back. “I would have thought the Viagra would’ve worn off by now.”

Her eyes breathed fire. She shoved him away and dove into the crowd. Jack followed and arrived on the steps of the VIP area a few moments behind her arrival. He saw Melissa meet her with a wide smile.

“Kate!” Melissa cooed while embracing the woman. “I was looking for you, when did you get here? Where’s Mike?”

“He had to take off. Kate is going to hang out with us for the remainder of the evening. I offered to give her a lift home,” Jack said with a little too much enthusiasm. Like a dog that caught a rabbit and was proudly displaying it to his master.

“Awesome, this gives me a chance to introduce you to some of our friends!”

Melissa whisked Kate away to fashion and celebrity heaven.

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Knight of Cups - Backlash (The Dead Air Chronicles)

In the grip of fate there is no escape

They were worlds apart, drawn together by an undeniable passion. Ripped apart by fear, they ran from each other and now struggle to stand alone. Tragedy descends, and they are pulled together in search of a killer.

Kate returns to Dallas in search of Mike’s killer. Within hours of her arrival, events quickly spin out of control. Jack struggles to keep his distance, but when Kate becomes a suspect, his instincts take over and he rushes to her defense. As danger looms, all of the reasons they walked away from each other disappear, leaving the passionate fire that brought them together.

Unknown forces set their sights on Jack and Kate, and the pair is forced to run or become the latest in a long line of victims. In a desperate search for the truth behind Mike’s murder, they fight their way through the lies, discovering that not all is as it seems.

Excerpt 

Kate Weiss pushed her way through the doors. She just wanted to get this over with. After three weeks of being undercover, she’d gotten the collar and closed the case. Now all she wanted was a glass of wine and a nice long, hot, bath.She would have to wait, paperwork first, always.

She made it halfway through the bullpen when she heard her name. She turned and saw Andy waving her down.

The sight of him stabbed at her, the memory of her return from Dallas creeping from the back of her mind. She tried to push the memories of her time in the lone-star state out of her head. It was the whole reason she’d jumped back into work. Taking the first deep cover assignment she could get.  It was ironic really she’d gone to Dallas to regain her memory. Not only did she fail at that attempt, but she also managed to mangle her own heart in the process.

Jack

She pushed it away and made a u-turn toward Andy’s office.

“What’s up?”

“Come in and close the door.”

“Is everything okay, you don’t look like the boss of someone who just broke a two year old case?”

“Kate, there is something I need to tell you.” His face was hard and set in a pained expression. Her stomach immediately dropped when he met her eyes, and she pushed the air from her lungs.

“What is it, what’s wrong?”

“Kate…I…”

“What is it, Andy? Spit it out!”

“Mike’s dead.”

Kate felt all of the blood draining from her face and her body became unbearably heavy. “How?”

“He was shot in the head, it looks like a hit.” She was speechless. She stared at him, feeling the walls closing in and sat in the chair behind her. Clasping her hands together, she tried to collect her thoughts and bring her buzzing mind under control. “There has to be some kind of mistake, Andy. There’s no way…”

“It’s been confirmed. They just finished the autopsy. We should have the ballistics in a few days.”

“What— wait, autopsy? When did this happen?”

“Ah…we got the news last week.”

“Last week, and you are telling me now?”

“Kate, there was no way to get a message to you without compromising your cover.”

“God damn it, why didn’t you…” Her body began to shake but she reeled herself back in, not wanting to show the weakness in front of him. “So I assume Washington is handling the investigation?”

“No, the Dallas office is handling it,” he replied looking at her, somehow knowing she was going to object. “Don’t start, there is no way to transfer it here I have already asked.”

Kate decided to leave it. The less she involved him the better.

“Do we know when the funeral will be?”

“Not yet. I have a call into the AD in Dallas. A lot of it is going to depend on when they release the body.”

“Yeah.” She stood from the chair hiding the shaking of her limbs.

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” she said with a nod. She watched him move around the desk. He touched her arm before pulling her toward him.

Andy wrapped his arms around her, and she reluctantly let him. He was trying to comfort her, so she humored him, laying her head on his shoulder. They stood silent before she pulled back. “Thanks, Andy.”

“Why don’t you take the rest of the day off? Let it settle in,” he suggested and she nodded in agreement. “I’ll stop by later and see how you are doing, okay.”

“Call me if you hear anything else?”

“Definitely.”

Kate opened the door and exited the office. She moved through the bullpen, grabbed her things from her desk, and headed out of the building. Once she reached her car, she pulled out her cell and dialed.

“Jane. Hey, it’s Kate. Are you busy, I need a favor?”

***          

Jack’s cell rang and he answered seeing the number from the mortuary.

“This is Jack Tucker,” he said into the phone as he cleaned out the coffee pot. “Yes. Yes, please that is fine. Thank you.”

The entire situation was frustrating, and he was glad it was almost over. Everything was put on indefinite hold until the FBI released Mike’s remains. Something they were told would take a few days had dragged on for over two weeks.

He'd found his boss and friend dead in his own kitchen two weeks ago. He had dropped by to deliver his laptop as requested and that was when he found him. The memory chilled him to the bone, and everything since had been a dizzy haze.

Mike had no immediate family, so Jack and his on-air radio co-host, Melissa, took it upon them-selves to make all of the funeral arrangements. This, if nothing else kept them both busy, stalling the impending shock of emotion going to rain down soon enough. His mind went to Kate. He'd attempted to call her several times with no response. He wasn't sure why he would have expected her to answer. He'd gone to California to apologize for the way he rejected her when he discovered she was an FBI Agent, but she shut him down and walked away. Telling him that she wasn't who he thought she was. Despite their recent history, he was sincerely worried about her. Jack knew how much she meant to Mike, he could only imagine that the feeling was reciprocated.

Jack shook himself out of his head and immediately got to work. His first order of business was to call Melissa, and let her know that they were a go. He started at the top of the list and worked his way down. He had accomplished half of it when his phone rang.

“This is Jack.”

“Jack, it’s Elisa.”

“Hey, what’s up?”

“The FBI is here, and asking about Mike’s laptop. Do you still have it?” Her voice was strained and he could only imagine how she was handling things. She was, after all, Mike's assistant. All of this must have been horrible.

“Ah, yeah, do they want me to bring it there?”

Jack heard her asking someone something in the background, and then she came back to the phone.

“They want you to bring it to the field office downtown.”

“Yeah okay I can run by there. No problem.”

“Okay, I’ll tell them, thanks.”

He decided it was a good excuse to get out of the house, and he grabbed his keys. Half way to the federal offices, his phone rang again and he saw Melissa’s smiling face.

“Hey Miss, what’s up?”

“Are you busy?”

“Not really, I was just going to drop something off downtown. What do you need?”

“I am at the funeral home and I have no idea what I am doing,” she replied sounding frustrated and breathless. “Do you think you could come by and help me with all of this?”

“Sure, where are you?”

Melissa gave him the address and he veered off course to the funeral home. When he arrived, she was shaking her head in indecision. He didn’t offer any suggestions just acted as a sounding board and support. This enabled her to make the necessary decisions.

Two hours later, he was able to walk out of the funeral home knowing that the arrangements were all made. Now it was his job to send everyone the information.  He wanted to put together a respectful email so he decided to head to the federal office and then back home. Melissa wanted him to meet him for dinner later, so if he hauled ass he should have time to get everything done, and be able to clean up before dinner.

Jack pulled into the parking lot, grabbed the laptop off the back seat, and headed to the main doors of the federal office. As soon as he walked in, he saw a reception desk. He stood behind a man, and a woman, who were both waiting their turn while the receptionist talked on the phone.

A few minutes later, it was his turn and he looked to her with a smile.

“Hi, my name is Jack Tucker. I was asked to bring this down,” he said, motioning to the laptop.

“Mr. Tucker,” she said scanning her computer screen. “There you are. They are expecting you. Just go through security and up to the fifth floor.  Talk to the receptionist, and ask her to direct you to Agent Mitchell.”

“Great, thanks.” He turned and moved to the security station. Once through, he made his way to the fifth floor. “Hi I’m here to see Agent Mitchell, my name is Jack Tucker.”

“Mr. Tucker, if you can fill this out for me I can take the laptop for you.” The receptionist handed him a clipboard and a pen. He looked over the form and began to fill it out. Abruptly Jack heard the faint echo of shouting voices followed by the slamming of a door. Looking up, he watched a suited man cross the room of cubicles. The man, seemingly irate, stopped, yanking open the door of a glass walled office. “Get Andy Whitaker in Los Angeles on the phone now!”

 Jack watched in curiosity while the surrounding agents scurried through the cubicles like frightened mice looking for a place to hide.

“All set, thanks for bringing this down, Mr. Tucker.”

“Sure, no problem,” he replied with a nod before turning toward the elevator.

“Carol, Nighton wants the files on Kate Weiss,” a man said as he leaned over the counter.  A chill went up Jack’s spine, and he turned to get a look at the man. He was a bald middle age man, but he quickly disappeared into the maze of cubicles. Jack turned back to the elevator and stepped on just as an angry male voice bellowed through the office.

***

Shockwave, Backlash and Fallout are the three short novels that comprise the Tarot series by Amy Romine. T This series was a little jewel that I recently stumbled upon. Quick, addictive and sexy are probably the first three words that pop into my head when recalling this series.- Amazon Reviewer

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