Snippet Saturday – Secondary Characters
Oct
23
2010

Big favorite topic of mine! I LOVE secondary characters and I think they make a book, they add texture and reference because no one sees a character better than the people around them.The only difficulty is choosing which story to use a snippet from. I thought about my Chase books, after all I am pretty sure Polly Chase is my most favorite of all my secondary characters, but I’ve done that one before. Then I considered Alexander or Deimos Lyons from my Federation novels and then I realized – why not Wilhelm Ellis? He’s the Comandante of the Federation Military and I feel like I get to know him a little better with each book. He’s like a father to Daniel Haws and the other members of the Phantom Corps team and he’s Roman Lyon’s right hand man. He’s the man who does what needs to be done, even when it’s very difficult.

I’ll give you all a sneak peek of April 2011’s MESMERIZED…

PHANTOM CORPS: MEZMERIZED by LAUREN DANE
Copyright 2011, Lauren Dane
All Rights Reserved, The Berkley Publishing Group
Releasing April 2011

Eleven Standard Years Ago
Asphodel Portal City Lockup

“Sir, you can’t go in there!”

Andrei Solace didn’t bother looking up. Not that he’d have been able to see much with one eye swollen shut from the butt of the rifle he’d taken to the face. The pain had subsided to a dull, all-consuming ache, but the anger burned, low and steady, in his gut. Enough to get through another day.

The outsider spoke again, his tone nearly amused, partly chiding. “I’m afraid you’re incorrect about that.”

Andrei did risk a glance, curious about who spoke to a jailer that way.

Andrei expected another social worker. Gods knew he’d seen enough of them over his lifetime. Instead, what he got was the biggest man he’d ever seen. It was enough to have Andrei ignoring the pain from his injuries to swing his legs from the narrow cot to stand and edge closer.

“Look, sir, I’m sure you think you’re entitled to all sorts of things with your shiny shoes and soft hands, but this is my lockup, and I’m telling you there’s no entry to the cells without the proper paperwork.”

The big man looked down his nose, not a difficulty. Andrei committed the expression to memory as the man looked as if he’d smelled something awful. So much was communicated without a single word. Smart.

The jailer flinched just a tiny bit when the big man reached into his pocket and pulled a sheaf of papers from it. “Will these do?” He opened a portfolio to show the jailer.

The jailer read, his lips moving, until he paled and stumbled back. “I had no idea, sir. I . . .”

“Now that we’ve taken care of the formalities, I’d like to see the prisoner.”

With a new target for his anger, the jailer sent Andrei a glare over his shoulder as he led the big man through the hall, unlocking as he went. Andrei didn’t want to appear weak, but he really had to sit down again, so he made his best attempt at nonchalance and strolled back to his cot to sit.

Wilhelm Ellis, newly minted Comandante of the Federation Military Corps, came to a halt just outside the boy’s cell. Andrei was a mess of bruises and bandaged wounds, one eye swollen shut. His eye, the good one, held a quiet, burning anger.

Barely eighteen standard years, and he was hard. Harder than most adults, even those Ellis dealt with in the corps. Hard wasn’t a bad thing. Especially out here. It could be a very good thing indeed, especially in a soldier.

Sighing with annoyance and no small amount of disgusted anger, he rounded on the jailer, pinning him with a glare. “Has he been seen by medics? I was under the impression he’d been here for two weeks.”

“Two weeks and four days. Not that I’m counting.” The jailer sent a sneer toward the boy that had Wilhelm clenching his fists momentarily.

Instead, he kept his voice very, very calm. “Care to explain the state of his face?”

Finally, the jailer understood. He stumbled back, his gaze on the ground. “He has anger problems. Always attacking. Seven hells, sir, he was brought in here after nearly killing a man. He’s been picked up on assault and theft charges multiple times in the last years.”

“Did. You. Give. This. Boy. Those. Bruises?” Wil wanted to punch this petty little bully for the damage he’d done. Instead, he bullied with his size and position. He rarely did, but sometimes it was necessary to scare the spit out of a man before he got the picture fully.

“With all due respect, sir, the boy attacked one of my men. He’s the reason why we have to chain him like a horse in a pasture. The boy is garbage. A dirt rat just like his mother was. If he’d had a father around to instill some discipline, he wouldn’t be here. I don’t think you can come in here and second-guess when you’re not up to sp . . .” The jailer’s words died away when the boy jumped toward the bars, held back by the shackle on his ankle.

“Fuck you. You don’t talk about her,” he snarled, yanking on the chain so hard Wil wondered if he’d break his ankle. This was some will. A good sign if it could be channeled correctly.

“Unlock the cell and the chains and get out of my sight before I show you some discipline myself.” Wil kept his eyes on the boy as he spoke to the jailer.

“He’s dangerous. Didn’t you hear what I just said? He attacked an armed man. Why don’t we get you a chair and you can interview him on the other side of the bars? Safer that way.”

Wilhelm touched the personal comm on his wrist. “Operative Haws, inside with me, if you will.” He didn’t look at the jailer as he spoke. “I’m quite capable of handling myself. Do as you were ordered, or you can join him in the cell next to this one.”

The jailer appeared to begin to mumble, but Wilhelm sent him a look so severe, he clamped his lips together, unlocked the cell and shackles and got out.

“Get out of my sight.” Wil walked past and into the cell, towering over the boy who shook with his desire to lash out. At Wilhelm, at the jailer, at anyone. Wil knew that expression, having seen it in the mirror enough as he grew up.

He sat on the rickety chair they’d provided, stretching his legs before him, purposely taking up as much space as possible. Daniel would have his back. And most likely he’d learn something from a boy he’d been not too long before that. It’d be good for Daniel to see how far he’d come. How much discipline had straightened his life out.

This one. He shook his head as he took in the wild-eyed Andrei Solace. “Why are you so angry, Mr. Solace?” Slowly, taking the boy’s measure, he pulled a pouch from his pocket and rolled a smoke.

The boy tried to hide behind an uncaring facade. Keeping his mouth closed, choosing a shrug.

Wil inhaled the rich heat and exhaled, enjoying that moment very much. “This place is a dump, Andrei Solace. This ‘Verse, this cell, your life, all a fucking dump.”

He enjoyed the flare of anger in Andrei’s eyes, the tension of his muscles as he trembled with the effort not to punch Wilhem right in the nose.

Wilhelm nodded, satisfied when the fists unclenched and the spine relaxed slightly. “Good. See? You can control yourself. When you want to. I’d wager you were simply never taught any discipline.”

With a dismissive wave, he went back to the smoke, wondering how long it would take to get Solace to speak. The boy now had about a 30 percent chance of making it back to Ravena with him.

Each interview he’d done over the last four years as he’d built his special teams had been different. Some he knew before he even saw the person if they’d be a yes. Other times, he’d been convinced one way or another and had his mind drastically change at the last minute.

Andrei Solace was, at first glance, another in a long line of kids from rough backgrounds who fell into violence and criminal activity from a young age. Not unusual at all. This one though had scored off the charts on his testing.

The way he’d reacted when his family had been insulted indicated a sense of loyalty. Loyalty when given by a boy like this one would create a bond for life.

“Your silence is interesting. I’m going to take it as you wanting to hear more about why I’m here. Shall I?” He narrowed his eyes at Solace, who stared back stonily without speaking or moving.

Inquisitiveness was something he wanted to see in one of his people. He had no room for people without intellectual curiosity. He’d always found candidates who thought critically operated at far higher level of functionality, especially in the field.

Wilhelm stood, straightening and brushing the front of his uniform. The percentages were dwindling.

“Yes.” Andrei said it, and the word sounded as if it were dragged from him.

“Progress.” Wilhelm sat again. “My name is Wilhelm Ellis. I’m the Comandante of the Federation Military Corps. I might be in a situation to ease you from this place and set you on a new path. One that won’t end with you in permanent hold.”

Andrei watched him with careful eyes. He wasn’t an idiot; he knew the giant blocking his escape was more than capable of felling him in one swipe if Andrei made to run. He also noted the man’s power.
Something underlined when he introduced himself. Gods above and below! This guy was the top guy of everything. What the fuck was he doing on Asphodel in a lockup cell with a delinquent?

Be Sure to Visit Today’s Other Snippeters!

Mari Carr
McKenna Jeffries
Taige Crenshaw
Vivian Arend
HelenKay Dimon
Lauren Dane
Lissa Matthews
Shelley Munro
Shelli Stevens
Jody Wallace
TJ Michaels
Ashley Ladd

8 comments to “Snippet Saturday – Secondary Characters”

  1. Stacie
    October 23rd, 2010 at 6:52 am · Link

    I love how stoic Andrei was in Insatiable. He only seems to let down the facade around Daniel and the other members. Wilhelm is a badass! He deserves a woman of his own. Momma Haws perhaps? You could always kill off her horrible husband. 😉



  2. Mary
    October 23rd, 2010 at 10:54 am · Link

    I love Wilhelm. You have given him such depth and I have really grown to care about what happens to him. While I think Wilhelm is a father figure to the Phantom Corps to me he is a sexy prime character. I hope that you will let him meet his match and have a HEA ending he so deserves. I want his book just as much as I want Polly and Edward’s. No I want his more since I know Polly and Edward have thier HEA Wilhelm needs his story told more than P & E.



  3. Diane Sadler
    October 23rd, 2010 at 4:10 pm · Link

    I love when secondary characters become the her/heroine of a next book!



  4. azteclady
    October 23rd, 2010 at 5:52 pm · Link

    I. Want. Wil’s. Story!!!!!!!!

    *sigh*



  5. Allie
    October 23rd, 2010 at 8:31 pm · Link

    Can’t wait for this book!

    I notice Amazon has a different cover picture. I really hope it is this one you give here and not the Amazon one. I like this one much better.



  6. Christine
    October 24th, 2010 at 2:47 pm · Link

    Two of my favorite secondary characters. Polly is just a whirlwind. She is everyone’s favorite momma’s but I can’t wait to see her and Edward’s beginning. Wilhelm just gives us that air of authority that is so sexy that just screams that he needs his own book.



  7. Kris
    October 25th, 2010 at 1:43 am · Link

    We have to wait until April for this one! Too far away. I love secondary characters and love when authors can ad a secondary storyline to a book. It is not always possible but fun when it can be done.



  8. Lori
    October 25th, 2010 at 7:41 am · Link

    Want!

    I agree that secondary characters make a book so much more. Nobody goes through lie in utter isolation, and seeing the people around the main characters helps form who they are.