EXERPT FROM BLOOD COUNTRY
Meet Marco's Mother
Excerpt from Blood Country.
I was going through the book, looking for things I could turn into snippets for X.
I came across this, and had to share.
In the Honeymoon from Hell series, we get to meet Marco's mother, Crystal. And she gets to meet their mafia friend, Enrico.
Enrico laughed. “Stupid politicians! Now that’s a redundancy!”
Rodgers rolled his eyes. “It’s a good thing no one asks you for your after-action reports. Otherwise you risk being shut down entirely, depending on the administration.”
Merle scoffed. “No kidding. It feels like everyone above the rank of Colonel is more politician than soldier. If it weren’t for guys on the ground giving us unofficial support, we’d be toast by now.”
Crystal Catalano cleared her throat. Marco’s mother may have been the most beautiful woman in a ten-block radius—even in a room containing Bosley. She was athletic without being skinny. She was a classy blonde who seemed too young to have birthed Marco. Her voice was steady and clear as she said, “Here is what I truly worry about. What happens when these weapons are fielded by governments in a war zone? These are terrible now, when they’re being used for cults in the backwaters of the planet. What happens when thousands of them are unleashed all at once? Imagine any war in the 20th century where one of these weapons were the primary armament of any one side. A single country could have cut a swath through any other in their path. Tanks would be leveled by the common infantryman. Snipers could destroy air fields. And does anyone in this room want to imagine what a single piece of ordnance would do if it were the size of a AMRAAM or surface-to-air missile?
Rogers nodded. “You know what would be worse?”
Crystal sighed and nodded. “If every side had them?”
Merle cringed. “Any single war would be genocide.” He frowned, thinking it over a moment. “Come to think of it, that’s a good question. Why don’t governments have these by now?”
Enrico furrowed his brows. “What do you mean? Dealing to gangs and terrorists isn’t enough?”
Merle shrugged. “Most arms deals are to nations. That’s where the money is.”
Crystal nodded. “Yes. There’s only one good reason I could think of to start small like this.”
Enrico barked a laugh. “Lack of inventory?”
Bosley groaned in realization. “No. Field testing and proof of concept.”
Rodgers winced. “Because no one will buy a supernatural weapon unless there was definitive proof that the weapon worked. Which means the next step might be to sell to China or Russia, or maybe even Iran or North Korea.”
Merle barked a laugh. “Please, if everyone in North Korea had weapons like these, they wouldn’t need to worry about invading South Korea. They might just want to invade China direct.”
Enrico frowned. He slid forward, propping his elbows up on his knees, and looked at Crystal. “That’s interesting and all, but I have one question.” He pointed at Crystal. “Why are you here? No offense, I know you’re mother to the groom, but I’ve never seen you at one of these meetings before. Closest I’ve gotten has been your husband, when I helped rebuild his hospital. Even he doesn’t usually show up in these meetings. Not to mention that it was a particularly astute observation you just made. I didn’t know you were in intelligence analysis.”
Crystal smiled, but said nothing. While she looked radiant, looks didn’t distract Enrico. He was perfectly business oriented and pragmatic. That was probably why it never worked out between Bosley and him—they were too much alike.
“I pay attention,” Crystal answered. “I also read the newspapers. Did you think my son was the only one in the family with an IQ?”
Enrico chuckled, but shook his head. “You’re avoiding the question. Why are you here, now, in this conversation? I didn’t even know you were aware that the supernatural was a thing. You know about Amanda?”
Crystal smiled beatifically. “She’s my daughter-in-law. Of course I know.”
Enrico nodded slowly. “Uh… huh. Right. Aren’t you related to the nut job at the wedding who thinks he’s out of Asgard? Isengard? Midgard?”
“Middle Earth,” Crystal corrected gently. “Tolkien, not Norse.”
“Uh huh.” Enrico leaned back. “Sure. And Marco isn’t a … special something.”
“He’s my son,” Crystal answered. “He’s very special to me.”
Enrico rolled his eyes. “There are days I find it hard to believe he doesn’t have a certain something extra. Like he’s yet another supernatural monster.”
Crystal’s eyes narrowed. She leaned forward. She didn’t raise her volume as she spoke, but her tone brooked no argument. “Now listen to me, you petty little gangster. Marco is a man of focus and commitment. If he has a superpower, it is only a matter of pure will.”
Enrico chuckled. “Really? You’re quoting John Wick?”
Crystal blinked in confusion. “Who?”