Teenagers must be a parent's biggest fear. And having teens in your mid-sixties might be a heart attack waiting to happen. Well, the Raifords are in their sixties now. Ray got his little Firecracker surprise in Cherie, and Raif got three little girls, one who is only year younger than Cherie, his Princess Lydia.
Whatever It Takes doesn't have a serial killer. It deals with prejudice and racism with two teenage girls right smack dab in the middle, not to mention controlling raging hormones.
His almost black eyes revealed no emotion. The
young man sat in the barber chair and stared ahead stoically as clumps of
chestnut locks hit the floor. He looked to be about seventeen. Rising, his lean
frame stood well over six feet by at least three inches. He left the shop with
an older, smaller man and walked next door to a tattoo parlor.
The older man said, "You have to have a
tattoo."
He ran a hand across his shaved head and
frowned, and then selected a Celtic guardian. "If I must have one, I want
this. Maybe it'll protect me. I don't mind telling you: I'm terrified."
"I know." He reached up and
clamped a hand on the other's shoulder. "I remember the first time I went deep.
Don't trust anybody. I'm your only contact. Not even the locals know about this.
Some of them could be involved according to our last plant."
The older man handed the younger man a
folder filled with pictures and reports. "Memorize it. We'll be stationed
at the old farmhouse, Son."
"Oh, yes, Dad. Maybe I'll call
you, 'Pops.'"
"Baldwin, remember you're twenty-four. Don't
fall for a teeny bopper. And code ninety-nine only if you have no other
alternative, no matter how heinous or cruel, short of murder. Or rape, but
occasionally, even rape is necessary—murder only when it becomes a necessity of
survival. What we do can sometimes be sick, almost as sick as the bad guys."
Baldwin took the phone the older man handed
him and lay on the table for the tattoo artist. His heart pounded, but he knew
this group had to be infiltrated and stopped. He was the only one on the team
that could pass for a high school boy. That's why they had brought him in, even
with so little field experience. His dark eyes showed a moment of fear and
sadness for he had no idea how far he might have to go not to blow his cover. He
sighed, "Whatever it takes."
Cover by Christopher Chambers.
I'm not giving you a picture for this post. I'd like to see your ideas on who you visualize. So, please post a pic for your comments. I'll PM the person(s) who matches my thoughts.
Very suspicious. I picture Baldwin as Ed Norton in American History X. All evil looking!
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