He paused for a round of applause from the crowd, and I felt sour. “What the hell is this?” I asked.
“Gondry kissing your sister's ass,” Augustus said. “Probably hoping if he stands next to her, it'll make people forget that we almost got nuked to hell yesterday.”
“But why is she even there-” I started to ask.
But my question got answered first.
“I am pleased to announce,” Gondry went on, “vis a vis this lovely ceremony, the creation today of a new unit of the FBI to replace the old Metahuman Policing and, uh...” He froze in the middle of it, seemingly trying to conjure the name of the old agency we'd worked for. “The...uh...” Finally he gave up. “In any case, effective immediately, we begin creation of a new legacy, one to wash away past failures and half measures, one focused on upholding the newly-passed laws surrounding metahuman conduct with their powers. It will, of course, carry forward the highest tradition of ethics, coupling that with an emphasis on proven leadership and keeping the public safe. To that end, I'm pleased to announce the new head...” He looked back behind him, right at Sienna. “...This very minute, in fact. Please give a hand to Ms. Nealon.”
There was a round of applause, long and stunning. At least, to me. My ears rung with the clapping, filtered through the television.
“Are you freaking kidding me?” Kat asked, eyes narrowed to thin slits, staring up at the TV.
“What...the...hell...?” Jamal asked. Maybe it wasn't just me.
Sienna unfolded her arms like she'd just come back to life and stepped up to the podium. There seemed to be almost nothing in my sister's expression – no joy, no anger, just...
Nothing.
“Thank you, Mr. President,” she said, and finally a small, familiar smile appeared on her face as she clutched the edges of the podium and looked right into the camera. It gave me a little chill, like she was talking to me...even though I almost didn't recognize her at this point. “It's good to be back.”
Sienna Nealon Will Return In
COLD
OUT OF THE BOX, BOOK 24
Coming February 8, 2019!
Get it here!
Author’s Note
Thanks for reading! If you want to know immediately when future books become available, take sixty seconds and sign up for my NEW RELEASE EMAIL ALERTS by CLICKING HERE. I don’t sell your information and I only send out emails when I have a new book out. The reason you should sign up for this is because I don’t always set release dates, and even if you’re following me on Facebook (robertJcrane (Author)) or Twitter (@robertJcrane), it’s easy to miss my book announcements because … well, because social media is an imprecise thing.
Come join the discussion on my website: http://www.robertjcrane.com!
Cheers,
Robert J. Crane
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Editing was handled by Lewis Moore, with Jeff Bryan and Jo Evans batting cleanup. Many thanks to all of them.
Once again, the illustrious illustrator Karri Klawiter produced the cover. artbykarri.com is where you can find her amazing works.
Nick Bowman of nickbowman-editing.com provided the formatting that turned this into an actual book and ebook.
And thanks as always to my family – wife, parents, in-laws and occasionally my kids, for keeping a lid on the craziness so I can do this job.
Other Works by Robert J. Crane
World of Sanctuary
Epic Fantasy
Defender: The Sanctuary Series, Volume One
Avenger: The Sanctuary Series, Volume Two
Champion: The Sanctuary Series, Volume Three
Crusader: The Sanctuary Series, Volume Four
Sanctuary Tales, Volume One - A Short Story Collection
Thy Father’s Shadow: The Sanctuary Series, Volume 4.5
Master: The Sanctuary Series, Volume Five
Fated in Darkness: The Sanctuary Series, Volume 5.5
Warlord: The Sanctuary Series, Volume Six
Heretic: The Sanctuary Series, Volume Seven
Legend: The Sanctuary Series, Volume Eight
Ghosts of Sanctuary: The Sanctuary Series, Volume Nine
Call of the Hero: The Sanctuary Series, Volume Ten* (Coming Late 2018!)
A Haven in Ash: Ashes of Luukessia, Volume One (with Michael Winstone)
A Respite From Storms: Ashes of Luukessia, Volume Two (with Michael Winstone)
A Home in the Hills: Ashes of Luukessia, Volume Three* (with Michael Winstone)
The Girl in the Box
and
Out of the Box
Contemporary Urban Fantasy
Alone: The Girl in the Box, Book 1
Untouched: The Girl in the Box, Book 2
Soulless: The Girl in the Box, Book 3
Family: The Girl in the Box, Book 4
Omega: The Girl in the Box, Book 5
Broken: The Girl in the Box, Book 6
Enemies: The Girl in the Box, Book 7
Legacy: The Girl in the Box, Book 8
Destiny: The Girl in the Box, Book 9
Power: The Girl in the Box, Book 10
Limitless: Out of the Box, Book 1
In the Wind: Out of the Box, Book 2
Ruthless: Out of the Box, Book 3
Grounded: Out of the Box, Book 4
Tormented: Out of the Box, Book 5
Vengeful: Out of the Box, Book 6
Sea Change: Out of the Box, Book 7
Painkiller: Out of the Box, Book 8
Masks: Out of the Box, Book 9
Prisoners: Out of the Box, Book 10
Unyielding: Out of the Box, Book 11
Hollow: Out of the Box, Book 12
Toxicity: Out of the Box, Book 13
Small Things: Out of the Box, Book 14
Hunters: Out of the Box, Book 15
Badder: Out of the Box, Book 16
Nemesis: Out of the Box, Book 17
Apex: Out of the Box, Book 18
Time: Out of the Box, Book 19
Driven: Out of the Box, Book 20
Remember: Out of the Box, Book 21
Hero: Out of the Box, Book 22
Flashback: Out of the Box, Book 23
Cold: Out of the Box, Book 24* (Coming February 8, 2019!)
Southern Watch
Contemporary Urban Fantasy
Called: Southern Watch, Book 1
Depths: Southern Watch, Book 2
Corrupted: Southern Watch, Book 3
Unearthed: Southern Watch, Book 4
Legion: Southern Watch, Book 5
Starling: Southern Watch, Book 6
Forsaken: Southern Watch, Book 7
Hallowed: Southern Watch, Book 8* (Coming in 2019!)
The Shattered Dome
(with Nicholas J. Ambrose)
Sci-Fi
Voiceless: The Shattered Dome
The Mira Brand Adventures
Contemporary Urban Fantasy
The World Beneath: The Mira Brand Adventures, Book 1
The Tide of Ages: The Mira Brand Adventures, Book 2
The City of Lies: The Mira Brand Adventures, Book 3
The King of the Skies: The Mira Brand Adventures, Book 4
The Best of Us: The Mira Brand Adventures, Book 5
We Aimless Few: The Mira Brand Adventures, Book 6
The Gang of Legend: The Mira Brand Adventures, Book 7* (Coming in Late 2018/Early 2019!)
Liars and Vampires
(with Lauren Harper)
Contemporary Urban Fantasy
No One Will Believe You: Liars and Vampires, Book 1
Someone Should Save Her: Liars and Vampires, Book 2
You Can’t Go Home Again: Liars and Vampires, Book 3
In the Dark: Liars and Vampires, Book 4
Her Lying Days Are Done: Liars and Vampires, Book 5
Heir of the Dog: Liars and Vampires, Book 6* (Coming November 2018!)
Hit You Where You Live: Liars and Vampires, Book 7* (Coming December 2018!)
&
nbsp; * Forthcoming, Subject to Change
Flashback (Out of the Box Book 23) Page 27
