Sneak Peek from Masters

There is no greater motive than bloodlust, DNA, and revenge mixed up in a cocktail of hatred…

Masters has joined Jasper's investigation team, when they realize another investigator went missing four months ago, yet his case is on hold. Part of the issue is that Masters needs to figure out who on the existing team is trustworthy. He reaches out to the missing investigator's sister, looking for answers.

Elizabeth has been seeking answers over her brother's disappearance ever since the last time she spoke to him. With no leads, no tips, and no sign of him, the case ran cold. To her, it seemed no one cared. Having Masters show up at her door, asking questions all over again, sparks anger and hope in her.

Maybe this time they can find out what happened to the only family Elizabeth has left…

Find Book 2 here!

To find out more visit Dale Mayer's website.

Masters Woodrow entered the building where the investigators worked, which was dark. Turning on the lights, he headed to the small area that Jasper had used as an office. Sitting down and using his log-in credentials, Masters started the research he needed to do. When he heard a noise, he looked up to see Sam glaring at him. Masters stared back at him. "You got a problem? You take it up with Jasper." Then he returned to his research.

"It's Jasper I've got a problem with," he barked.

Masters shrugged, refusing to face Sam. "Then take it up with the brass. Not my problem."

"Seriously, you're on this team now too?"

"I am," he declared.

"What about Jasper?"

"Jasper is too. He's getting some much-needed rest right now. In case you didn't hear about the mess happening today, he's been busy."

Sam shrugged. "It wasn't all that bad."

"If that's what you think, you don't have all the details." Masters stopped, looked up at him, and intensely studied the man for the first time. Sam looked to be about late forties, a hothead by the sound of it, and a little bit gone to pot. He had a good-sized middle rim of flab all the way around his belly, just above his belt loops. His coloring was pale, a little bit blotchy, and his hair was thinning on top already. "What's your problem with Jasper anyway?"

"He walked in here like he was the boss and took over. He already knew Morgan's the boss."

"Morgan was an acting boss," Masters clarified, narrowing his gaze at Sam. "How come you didn't tell your bosses how you felt?"

Sam shifted uneasily and scoffed. "You're just like him, aren't you? You're probably friends. Is that how you got the job?"

"I don't have to do things like that," he replied. "My reputation precedes me, as does Jasper's, as does Mason's. This is what I do. I was coming in to take a job on this base as it was, yet in a slightly different position. However, after seeing Mason shot down right in front of me, you can bet I wanted in on it."

"Oh, yeah, shot in front of you, but you didn't do anything to stop it, did you?"

"It would be a little hard to stop a sniper plan set up days, if not months in advance," he stated. He noted Sam stood unsteadily in front of him. "Are you drunk?"

"No, I'm not drunk," he snapped. "What are you doing here at this hour of the night?"

"What are you doing here at this hour of the night, drunk or not?" Not liking anything about him, Masters added, "Either you need to get the hell out of here or sit down and do some work. I am working myself. So you choose what you're doing, but make a decision now."

"And if I don't?" Sam asked, his hands in his pockets, but, sure enough, he remained unsteady on his feet.

Masters got up, walked closer, and smelled the alcohol. "You get your drunk ass out of here," he ordered. "Leave your key card behind, and do not come in until you contact me and I've met you outside of work somewhere long enough to confirm that you're sober."

"What are you gonna—"

"And, if I find out that you're not sober and that you can't stay sober for forty-eight hours straight, you'll be under drug testing and suspended from work," Masters declared calmly, as he turned Sam around and gave him a shove toward the exit door.

Protesting the whole way, Sam started to slur his words to the point that Masters was worried he would have to pick him up to toss him out.

When he got him outside the building, a couple other guys were hanging around, loudly laughing and talking and drinking. "Are you with them?"

"So what if I am?"

"That's fine, but, in the meantime, you are not allowed to drive tonight either."

"You can't stop me," Sam bellowed.

But Masters braced him, quickly shoving him against the wall, taking his car keys and his office key card. "Now get yourself home."

"How the hell am I supposed to do that? You just took my wheels."

"I did, and I'll take even more, the longer you stand here. Now get lost," he snapped. Then he watched as Sam stumbled away.

Shaking his head, Masters returned to the office and quickly sent Jasper a text. Masters wasn't sure what the hell was going on, but how the hell did that guy Sam keep his job here? Maybe they did need a couple new people on this investigation team. He sent a quick text to Morgan, asking him about Sam's condition as well.

When the phone rang, Morgan was on the other end. "What the hell are you doing there?"

"I'm here because Jasper is at home after an incident tonight," he explained. "I'm working on Mason's case. Found Sam in the office, stumbling drunk."

Silence came on the other end. "Oh, damn."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, he fell off the stupid wagon again."

"And how much of a problem is that?"

"It shouldn't be a problem at all."

"I just took his car keys off him and his access card." He picked up the card and frowned. "Except for one thing."

"What's that?" Morgan asked.

"The card key that I took off Sam doesn't have his name on it."

"What do you mean?"

"The key I have in my hand, which I just took off Sam, has a different name on it.… Nicholas."

"Nicholas, Nicholas Woodrow?" Morgan asked.

Masters frowned at the last name. He had no relative that he knew of by the name of Nicholas. Yet easier to remember the guy's name, for sure. Masters twisted the key card in the light to see it better, noting the tone change in Morgan's reply. "Yes, Nicholas Woodrow. Why? You know him?"

"Yeah, he disappeared from our department and the base about four months ago," he shared. "He was involved in another case on Coronado base."

"What do you mean, another case?"

"Nicholas was working on another shooting."