Terry Odell | Getting Sidetracked Can Be Good

When I set out to write DANGEROUS CONNECTIONS, the fifth book in my Blackthorne, Inc. romantic suspense series, the first thing I had to do was decide on whose story it would be. My first four dealt with field operatives, but Jinx, the man who rode the computer desk back at the compound thought he deserved a turn. Since these books are all about yanking my characters out of their comfort zones, I tried to figure out what I could do to torment Jinx.

Since he worked with computers, it was obvious that I'd have to deny him access to all things cyberspace. The original spark of an idea came after being in White Plains, NY for a conference just as Hurricane Sandy was bearing down. I managed to get the last plane out of the White Plains airport, but my cousin and her family live nearby, and they were stuck without power for almost two weeks. Bouncing this idea around, I thought I'd figure out a way to stick Jinx in some small town in middle America, and have him faced with solving some kind of crisis that would have been a piece of cake had he been able to get on line. (I don't plot much in advance—that's about as much of an outline as I ever write.)

But, all my other Blackthorne, Inc. books begin showing the covert ops team in the field, doing what they do best, even though the actual story takes place elsewhere. (My daughter refers to these scenes as my "MacGyver Gambit" Openings.) I was writing the opening scene, where Jinx is watching a hostage rescue go south from his basement office at the Blackthorne, Inc. compound. In order to add some realistic details, I thought the rescue should be set in Mexican cartel territory. What I discovered, quite by accident, was an article on Google saying that the Mexican cartels were kidnapping American engineers in order to build private cell-phone networks for the cartels. And, just like that, my story changed.

No more middle America. No more post-storm power outage. Because he had the technological skills, poor Jinx got sent to Mexico to infiltrate the cartels and find not only the hostage the field team had been sent to rescue, but also the field team itself. And, since it's a romance, there had to be a heroine. At the Mexican resort, Jinx meets up with Elle, a California cop who's looking for her missing sister. After all, I had to give Jinx some help with the covert stuff.

Here's an excerpt from DANGEROUS CONNECTIONS, of the first meet between Jinx and Elle.

Backlit against the glare, a silhouette appeared in the passageway between the sitting room and bedroom.

Still too shadowy to make out details, there was no mistaking the curvaceous figure of the voice's owner. Or the gun clutched in front of her chest.

"Hey, take it easy." Jinx kept one hand on the towel as he raised the other above his head. "I'm unarmed."

"You could have a weapon strapped to the inside of your leg under that towel," she said.

He wondered if she was going to check. Or if he'd mind. In the light, her features went well with her body. Her hair, shiny and brown, was braided into a plait hanging over a shoulder. Diamond stud earrings caught the light.

Tanned skin, high cheekbones, deep brown eyes, and wide, full lips glistening with peach-colored lipstick.

She wore a see-through, white blouse unbuttoned low enough to reveal what he assumed was a blue bathing suit top, not her bra. Under other circumstances, he'd be glad to confirm it.

White slacks hugged her legs—and he'd bet she had a great ass, but again, circumstances didn't warrant wasting time thinking about it. She wore low-heeled sandals, and her toes were painted a coral that matched her lips, and—his eyes returning to the gun she held—matched her fingernails as well.

There was a vague familiarity about her, but nothing he could place. One of the poolside women, he decided. One of the smiley, flirty ones, although she wasn't smiling now.

"I assure you, I'm weaponless," he said.

Her gaze ducked to the towel, and she smiled. "You're right."

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DANGEROUS CONNECTIONS

For Jinx, interacting with people is highly overrated. Computers are his life. On the job, he's an intel gathering expert for Blackthorne, Inc. Off duty, he's a shooter in computer role playing games. But what happens when he's sent into the field to face real enemies with real guns?

Josiah Ignatius Nix—Jinx to all who know him—is the glue holding the Blackthorne, Inc. covert ops teams together when they're on a mission. In the comfort of his basement office, with his favorite companions—his computers— a click of the mouse provides him with up-to-the-minute intel, which keeps the team alive.

Until the intel fails and a hostage rescue mission goes south. Both the hostage and team are captured, and the boss sends Jinx to the jungles of Mexico as an undercover field agent. The cartels have been kidnapping American engineers to build and maintain their private cell phone networks. Jinx's skills make him a prime target for capture, a way to infiltrate the cartel and rescue not only the company's client, but also the missing team of operatives.

Soon, he finds himself paired with Elle Sheridan, a cop whose missing sister is in the middle of a human trafficking ring. Will Elle be able to convince Jinx that Blackthorne's mission needs to be expanded to include rescuing her sister? And if she does, will the two of them be able to stay ahead of rival cartel leaders and get out alive to make some private connections of their own?

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