LITMIR.BIZ

      Was it her imagination, or had those guns just moved in closer?

      The gun muzzles pointed at Selena, and her partner, Dobry, trapped her gaze and didn’t let her look to the people beyond. Inside she raged for freedom, wanting to strike and fight and even lose rather than stand here unresisting.

      Dobry’s next words shocked her. “This woman is one who knows your people. She saved your homes in the past.”

      The pause was excruciating. The magistrate, an older man with a full, gray beard, walked deliberately around Dobry to examine Selena. She knew this man would not hesitate to order their deaths if he truly thought they were a threat. “I was here this past winter,” she said. “I called for help when the Kemeni rebels attacked.”

      “There was a woman here,” he agreed. “We know she was Selena Jones, of the American FBI. That she worked against terrorism.” Then he smiled. “What we don’t know,” he said, “is who you are.”

      She opened her mouth. Closed it again. Eyed Dobry and found him eyeing her back.

      Because of course, they didn’t have any papers on them to prove their identities.

      Dear Reader,

      Offered the chance to go back and revisit Selena’s world, is there anyone here who thinks I so much as blinked before leaping to my feet and wildly waving my hand— “Me! Me! Oh, pick me!” (The muse has no shame, really.) For while I had an extensive chance to explore Selena’s character in Checkmate and to learn a little about Cole, I didn’t really have the opportunity to see how they were together. How would they work as a team, at home and in the field? And given more “air time,” what sort of fellow would Cole turn out to be?

      Along with all that, I wondered, what would it be like to be Selena, trying to cope with the events of Checkmate as she went on with her life? The answers made for a delightful writing experience, and I hope they make for good reading, as well. Enjoy!

      Doranna Durgin

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       Doranna Durgin