Women
Under Fire Grayce
Walters Mystery # 2
By:
Jacki Delecki
Releasing
September 12th,
2014
Self-Published
Blurb
Life
has heated up for animal acupuncturist Grayce Walters: thrust into
the public eye and hounded by the media after solving an arson case
with a critical clue from a French Poodle. When Ewan Davis, the sexy
arson investigator Grayce has been steaming things up with, starts
talking commitment, she definitely feels the burn.
Then a
desperate mother begs Grayce to help find her missing daughter—an
Afghanistan war veteran suffering from PTSD, and Grayce reluctantly
takes on the case, following a disturbing clue provided by the
missing young woman’s cat. Calling once again on the aid of her
cross-dressing best friend and her shrewd assistant, Grayce uncovers
a terrorist plot with chilling international implications.
Grayce
races to rescue the young veteran before the escalating danger
explodes. But if she manages to escape the threat, will she find the
courage to commit to the fiery passion that awaits her wrapped in
Davis’s arms?
Author
Info
Descended
from a long line of storytellers, Jacki spins adventures filled with
mystery, healing and romance.
Jacki’s
love affair with the arts began at a young age and inspired her to
train as a jazz singer and dancer. She has performed many acting
roles with Seattle Opera Company and Pacific Northwest Ballet.
Jacki
has set her Grayce Walters Mystery Series in Seattle, her long-time
home. The city’s unique and colorful locations are a backdrop for
her romantic mystery.
Although
writing now fills much of her day, she continues to volunteer for
Seattle’s Ballet and Opera Companies and leads children’s tours
of Pike Street Market. Her volunteer work with Seattle’s homeless
shelters influenced one of her main characters in An Inner Fire and
Women Under Fire.
Jacki’s
two Golden Labs, Gus and Talley, were her constant companions. Their
years of devotion and intuition inspired her to write dogs as main
characters alongside her strong heroines.
A geek
at heart, Jacki loves superhero movies—a hero’s battle against
insurmountable odds. But her heroines don’t have to wear a unitard
to fight injustice and battle for the underdog.
Look
for more heart-pounding adventure, intrigue, and romance in Jacki’s
Code Breaker Series. A Code of Love is the first book in the series.
A Christmas Code—A Regency Novella, now available at all retail
sites, is second in the series. And A Code of the Heart will be
released on Valentine’s Day 2015.
To
learn more about Jacki and her books and to be the first to hear
about contests and giveaways join her newsletter found on her
website: www.jackidelecki.com.
Follow her on FB—Jacki Delecki; Twitter @jackidelecki.
Excerpt
Ambushed
by Aunt Aideen, Grayce Walters was trapped. The bonds of social
pressure gripped tighter around her wrists and ankles, holding her
captive in the kitchen chair. She couldn’t escape tonight’s
séance.
Dressed
in a flowing cobalt-blue caftan, Aunt Aideen ceremoniously placed a
scarred, black box on the table and then carefully opened a chest
lined in red velvet and raised a glimmering crystal ball into the
air. “This Keek-Stane has been passed down through generations of
Scottish witches.”
The
enormous kitchen suddenly went airless. Grayce gulped for a breath.
Mitzi, who had been sleeping under the table, protectively covered
Grayce’s feet with her paws.
Grayce
knew nothing about tarot cards or witches. Why hadn’t Davis warned
her that his aunt considered herself a witch? Grayce had recognized
Aunt Aideen as a gifted intuitive, but not a witch, whatever that
meant.
Aunt
Aideen placed the ball in the center of the table spread with tarot
cards. “The Keek-Stane guides me in the reading of the cards.”
A call
to a suspicious fire had interrupted the cozy dinner with her
boyfriend, his aunt and dog. If Davis had stayed, she’d be eating
dessert instead of having a metaphysical experience.
Aunt
Aideen’s enormous moonstone ring flickered in the candlelight as
her hand hovered over the cards. “We must look to the future.”
Grayce
couldn’t see the card. She felt light-headed from the burning sweet
flag incense or from the ominous energy swirling from the crystal
ball.
As she
turned over the first tarot card, the large woman’s usual booming
voice grew quiet with a mysterious Gaelic lilt. “The Knight of
Swords.”
Prickly
sensations lifted the fine hair on Grayce’s neck. Mitzi came from
under the table and sat next to Grayce’s chair.
Aunt
Aideen opened her massive hand to allow Grayce to see the card—a
medieval knight in armor on a powerful white horse rode toward a
battle in the distance. The horse’s harness was decorated with
butterflies and birds. The sky behind him was filled with storm
clouds and the trees, tossed wildly by the wind. The knight resembled
St. Michael the Archangel.
“The
Knight of Swords is hard to resist,” Aunt Aideen intoned.
Davis
obviously fit the Knight of Swords. His commanding presence, physical
strength, and his commitment to fight crimes made him the perfect
archetypal hero.
Heat
moved across Grayce’s cheeks in embarrassment. “Davis was hard to
resist.” Grayce knew first hand. As a witness to arson, she had
been interviewed by the sexy fire investigator and had fallen in love
with the irresistible man.
“My
nephew, Ewan Davis, is in no way a Knight of Swords. Davis is an
Emperor, a man of the logical world, like his Scottish forebears. The
Knight of Swords is a messenger, a call for adventure. He does not
see, nor does he care about risks or dangers and instead moves
forward with his strong determination and strength to succeed, no
matter what.
Grayce
wasn’t going to discuss Davis’ ability as an adventurous lover
with the aunt who had raised him after his mother’s death.
“The
knight will call to you from your dreams.” Aunt Aideen’s solemn
voice and the shimmering moonstone known for clairvoyance were doing
strange things to Grayce’s perceptions. The images in the room
faded in and out. The heightened energy from the ball moved in
undulating waves.
“His
call will challenge you to leave your present way of being.” Aunt
Aideen’s eyes were in the shadows, but Grayce felt her focused
stare. “The Knight of Swords can also be seen as a warning.”
With
the soft burr of Aunt Aideen’s Scottish inflection, the wavering
candlelight and the nutty scent of sweet flag, Grayce was floating
into deep relaxation.
Aunt
Aideen’s voice lost its soothing rhythm. “And it doesn't take a
seer to predict that Davis will have trouble with the knight’s
appearance in your life. Davis needs to be your protector.”
Grayce
came immediately out of her meditative state. Davis tried very hard
to control his fear of unforeseen disasters by guarding all those he
loved.
“Does
the knight have to be human? Maybe I’ll have a new patient?”
Grayce asked.
Aunt
Aideen kept her eyes closed. Her muted voice was firm. “I see a
tall, dark man in a uniform. He holds a gun.”
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