Desperate Times

  I smiled at the half jest, "Look at us, huh?" I knocked on my right leg, which responded with a dull thud, "Quite the pair."

  She glanced down at my leg, "I heard. How's that?"

  "Sucks. Ted, you know, 'doesn't do humans' and all. Total crap."

  She frowned, "And there was no one else?"

  I swallowed, "No. Apparently not."

  She smiled, "Yeah...well..." she handed me my cane and walked around me.

  "The last two henchmen ratted out the rest, you know."

  She stopped and turned back to me, "I heard. Saw the Dirtwater report." She looked like she wanted to say more, but she turned away.

  "They weren't good people, Liz."

  She didn't turn back to me, "I know." She walked away, head down, hair hanging forward.

  I watched her go, wanting to say more. To do more. I knew that later on, I'd think of all the cool, clever things that I could have said to get her to stay, to repair our relationship. But for now, the only thing I could think was that I wanted to run after her, to grab her and shake her until we were friends again. Instead, all I could do was turn and continue toward the elevators.

  "Sensors are clear, Bob."

  I lost my limp, swinging my cane freely, "Did you do that?"

  Mind, paused, almost humanly, "Yes. It was clear she wasn't going to return your calls so I rescheduled her appointment."

  "That was presumptuous of you," I smirked. Mind had gotten more and more assertive over the last months.

  "It seemed the thing to do."

  "Who was her appointment with? DeSoto?"

  "Yes."

  I shook my head. It seemed we had more in common than lasting injuries. I stepped into the elevator and pressed the button. "Get the reporter on the phone. It's time to get to work."

  "Of course. How was your appointment?"

  "Fine. The best one yet," I smirked.

  "Was it Ted again?"

  I smiled, knowing that Mind was making the call to Alan even while talking to me through my earpiece. The elevator doors slowly closed, "No, not this time. Ted can never resist hiding those moles on the real DeSoto's face. Supers," I spat, "so predictable."

  # # #

  About the Author:

  Tom Andry is the Associate Editor of Audioholics.com, the largest AV website in the universe (as far as he's concerned) and host of the AV Rant podcast, the rantyest AV podcast on the net. He's the father of three boys affectionately nicknamed Punkalicious, Captain Evil, and Neo. He's happily married and currently resides in Perth, Australia. His background is in drama, creative writing, and research psychology, which basically means his kids are in for a pretty rough time. His wife, Tanel, doesn't have it so easy either. If you liked what you read, he'd appreciate checking out his other works, reviewing the book so he'll actually do other works, and telling your friends.

  Note from the Author:

  Thank you for purchasing this book. Bob Moore: Desperate Times has been a labor of love for what seems like forever. Of course, I have to thank my beta readers/editors Rob, Angie, Theresa, Liz, and my wife, Tanel. I’d also like to thank my father who, surprisingly, seems to like my books, George, for being the only person who has asked me to sign a print copy of No Hero, and to all the people that have emailed me their support. You can’t know how important each one of those emails is to me. Thank you. Because of you and your letters, I’m already working on the next Bob book.

  For those of you that want to know more about the making of Bob Moore: No Hero and Bob Moore: Desperate Times, check out my website. You'll find deleted scenes, insights into such things as how I named the characters, and even behind-the-scenes podcasts. You'll also be kept abreast of the progress of other Bob books and writings.

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