NOTE: In Too Deep is paranormal horror with a touch of romance
and graphic details when it comes to the horror aspect.
BOOK OVERVIEW:
Meghan Sterling—CIA agent.
For six months, she's been living in Central California under
the name Clara Osbourne—and not by choice. The Cold War is over; however, she's
still tasked with infiltrating a potential cell of Russian sympathizers,
possibly ex-KGB operatives. The CIA has heard they've found a way to render the
vast agricultural hub of Fresno, California useless, tainting the produce as
well as beef, milk, and poultry produced in the county.
The problem is, the CIA has Meghan following the wrong group.
She doesn't realize their mistake until she's already in too deep and working
with Jarlan and his partner, Rich, in what she thinks is a security company
guarding Emerald Produce. She'd never have guessed they were vampires. Until
Jarlan forgets she's off the lunch menu and attacks.
Meghan helps Jarlan control his bloodlust, but she can't ignore
her duty to her country. Someone in California wants to wreak havoc on the
economy and food supply. If it isn't the vampires, then who is it?
___________________________________________________________________
EXCERPT:
February 1992
Fog in California’s Central Valley was a creature not to
be trifled with. It swallowed up buildings, cars, and people without a second
thought. The fog took more lives than automatic weapons. A trickster on par
with Loki, it manipulated distances, making people believe they had plenty of
time to slow down, when in actuality they were seconds from becoming intimate
with the rear bumper of a semi truck. Surviving the fog was the most difficult
part of life in the valley. Or so Meghan thought.
Meghan Sterling tugged the scarf around her neck tighter
and tucked the ends into the too-big uniform jacket hanging off her shoulders.
Cold crept in on the heels of the fog. The warehouse parking lot she patrolled
was damp, freezing, and didn't make her job any easier. Whose brilliant
idea was it to become a security guard? She cursed and shoved her
gloved hands in her pockets. It was time to make another pass around the back
quarter of the property. Whoop-dee-doo. More weeds and fog. And
being forced to deal with the two men stuck working the graveyard shift with
her.
Walking with her chin tucked into her scarf, Meghan made
her way to the rear of the massive warehouse. Why farmers were so protective of
a warehouse full of oranges, she had no clue. The money paid her expenses, but
it wasn’t worth the frostbite and vampire-like work hours. She’d need a
month-long vacation on the beach when the job was finished.
“Let’s grab a bite to eat,” a male voice said from around
the corner of the warehouse.
Meghan stopped before she stepped into view, listening to
her coworkers, despite the lack of movement, which made her colder. She had no
desire to trade not-so-witty banter with them any time soon. They were okay on
the eyes, actually possessed brains, but ran out of non-manly things to talk
about after five seconds in her company. She couldn’t make herself pretend to
be interested in the Superbowl.
“All you think about is your stomach, Jarlan. Give it a
rest. We’re not done here. You can eat on the way home.”
“I’m tired of fast food. When’s the last time you sat down
to a nice warm meal, Rich?”
“Too long to remember, but we agreed to this job. We can’t
leave Clara to watch the place by herself.”
Jarlan laughed. “She’d piss herself watching shadows if
she knew the truth.”
Meghan held her breath. Six months of lurking and waiting
were about to pay off. She tucked in closer to the warehouse wall. The heel of
her boot caught a pebble and ground it into the asphalt. The noise was
deafening to her ears. This is why I’m not a ninja.
Cover blown, she plastered a smile on her face and stepped
out to meet them near the back door, measuring her pace so it didn’t look like
she’d been listening in. “Have the oranges turned into man-eating monsters
yet?”
Rich shook his head and grinned. “No, not yet. All’s quiet
here. What about the front, Clara?”
Meghan rolled her eyes, afraid for just a second they’d
stick from the cold. “Not even a roach. What’s the point of babysitting produce
at three in the morning?”
“Money.” Jarlan clapped Rich on the shoulder with one of
his massive hands.
Could the guy be any bigger? He
should be in the WWF, not in the middle of nowhere California. Then again, if he
was who she thought he was, his size had a purpose. She needed to keep an eye
on him.
“Money isn’t everything, friend.” Rich tucked a strand of
his long brown hair into the knit cap pulled down over his ears. “We’re almost
done for the night. Will you be okay by yourself until dawn?”
Nodding, Meghan waved them off. “Nothing ever happens out
here. If something does, I’ll eat my boots.”
Jarlan’s hazel eyes fell to her feet. “Not much leather
there. You’d have better luck getting a full meal out of a rat. They’re big
enough out here, away from the city.”
Rats? Meghan had
been trained to face a lot of things, but rats made her skin crawl with their
naked tails and sharp teeth. Out in the sticks, they were the size of cats. She
stole a look around the employee parking lot. Something skittered over the
pavement near the eastern fence line. Her shoulders tensed. Please,
don't let it be a rat. She'd much rather face anyone stupid enough to
cut the fence with three security guards standing in eyeshot.
A leaf tumbled into the jaundiced light puddled on the
asphalt. Meghan shook her head and rolled her shoulders to shake off the
tension.
The big man laughed. “Try not to bludgeon any foliage to
death while we’re gone. If something posing an actual threat does come along,
use the phone in the guard’s office. Stay out of the warehouse. Without the
code, you’ll send an alert to the police and I’ll be stuck doing enough
paperwork to level a forest. Take care, Clara.”
___________________________________________________________________
In Too Deep will only be available on
Amazon for the first three months of release before it is moved to other
markets (Nook, ARe, etc.).
About
the Author
R.C.
Murphy spends her nights writing urban fantasy novels and a slew of short
stories for her blog, The Path of a Struggling Writer. By day she is a
not so mild-mannered housewife, wrangling vampires, demons, and various other
nasty creatures. R.C. has joined forces with fellow writers, artists, and
actors to form the Zombie Survival Crew where she reviews movies, TV shows,
as well as penning articles on important survival skills.
Email: RC.Murphy5150 (at) gmail (dot) com
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