This is a later book plot point.
A chip that Biden has to play in this high stakes poker game.
Both Biden and Trump have realized that Carter is now sitting at the table, and the game is evolving into a three way race.
Cockroaches don't like the light.
Peter is good for this kind of thing, he understands, better than the others, what Ned went through and what it cost him.
Our resident erstwhile Carter lad who plays at being dumb, and hides behind his dumbass demeanor, is just as much a Carter as the others.
Peter has never bought the dumbass Ned act, out of all of them he's known Ned the longest, and they have the most in common.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT: THE QUIET ROOM
Location: The Sunroom, Private Residence, Newfoundland Coast
Time: Evening, July 30th
Status: Alive, just about
The silence in the sunroom overlooking the North Atlantic was a palpable thing. It wasn't empty; it was full. It was full of the ghosts of generations, the weight of the cliffs in the granite foundations, and the thick, humid Newfoundland air that pressed against the tall windows.
Outside, on the wild, wind-scrubbed g
I do, at times, put sex into my stories, I just felt, after the abuse suffered, it would be very difficult to do in a way that didn't feel... rushed.
Though I am sure Orel is quite happy with an expeditited time frame, it's Finn who is the more damaged in that fashion (As we saw in the Asset and the liability)
Do not worry, Orel features HEAVILY in : The Loyal and the Betrayed (the next chronological book)
Uncle Andrew, and the fate of Pastor Jensen's father is the feature of : Carter's Echo, a stand alone book that will be out tomorrow.
It's a soft introduction to the character that a lot of people love.
Alex has to earn his Ninja Giraffe first. It's on the list, just swept off with the muse at the moment, and writing something called After Zero Hour... sort of techno apocalypse like the Division, just with robots.
Yes, but it will be their own story. I didn't want to marry them off in someone elses tale.
Besides we're all owed Best Man Brian at his Best Mannliness
He can run, but you know he's not getting far. Penniless, friendless, ally-less, bereft of family and influence... Tarquin Merrick is run out of town.
:: shrugs :: Tried to keep it close to Tarquin last King of Rome.
Orel is happy, safe, and in control of his fortune.
Oliver is Free, and able to go on to find his own destiny.
The next Merrickville story is Carter's Echo, staring tomorrow.
There will be a follow up to this book after that. The Loyal and the Betrayed. Which will deal with the fall out of Tarquin Merrick's legacy as Lydia et al try to save the town from bankruptcy in the wake of his fraud.
That's my story, I hope it lives up to expectation.
Please leave a recommendation (where you like the chapter, there is a black and white button that looks like a medal)
Review, it ALL HELPS
Thank you for reading, and um... ISOPODS RULE!
Chapter Twenty-Four: The Grady Declaration Protocol
The silence in the grand ballroom was a vacuum created by Tarquin Merrick’s ego. To Orel Grady, standing at the back of the room with his husband’s hand in his, it was a high-pressure zone, dense with the cloying, almost physical scent of forced lilies and the low-frequency drone of four hundred people holding their collective breath. It was the silence before a seismic event, the air ionized by the coming strike.
Orel conducted a f
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN: THE ASSET
Location: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Georgia. Time: July 30, 2024. 14:00 EDT. Status: Surveillance State High Alert.
Yani Levchenko hated airports. They were, in his professional opinion, architectural manifestations of human anxiety. They were hives of bad data, inefficient queuing algorithms, and biological contaminants.
He stood in the Customs line, clutching a British diplomatic passport that felt less like a shield and