Welcome to the Riptide Publishing/Cari
Z/L. A. Witt blog tour for Risky Behavior,
book 1 of the Bad
Behavior series!
It’s day one of Darren Corliss’s career
as a detective, and not only has he been assigned a notoriously difficult
partner, but the guy might also be a pill-popping dirty cop. Internal Affairs
needs proof, and Darren gets to be their eyes and ears whether he wants to or
not.
Detective Andreas Ruffner doesn’t play
by the rules, and he doesn’t play well with others. With bodies piling up and a
list of suspects who are way above his pay grade, the last thing he needs is a
wet-behind-the-ears kid for a partner. Or babysitter. Not even if that partner
is easy on the eyes.
As Darren gains Andreas’s hard-won
trust, they both realize there’s more than just mutual suspicion simmering
beneath the surface. But their investigation is heating up as quickly as their
relationship, and Darren has no choice but to go along with Andreas’s
unorthodox—and borderline unethical—methods. As IA puts the squeeze on Darren
to give up the man he’s falling for, he has to wonder—is Andreas the only cop
left in this town who isn’t dirty?
Risky Behavior is
available from Riptide Publishing OR Amazon
Excerpt...
I planted a hand against the wall and breathed slowly, willing the dizziness to pass and the tunnel vision to clear. This new set of pills was screwing me all up. What was going to happen come summer? It was cool and drizzly today, but before the weather turned hot, I needed to get some—
“You sure you’re okay?” Corliss’s voice was somehow even more irritating when filtered through the cotton in my ears.
I squeezed my eyes shut. “You’re still here?”
“Well, yeah.” Was that sarcasm? Now? Really? “My partner starts wobbling after a half-block foot chase? I’m not about to leave you alone.”
I blinked my vision into focus and glared at him. The edges were still black and sparkling, and I kept my palm against the wall so my balance wouldn’t waver any further. “I’m fine. Look after the suspect.”
Corliss didn’t move. “He’s in good hands. You want to tell me what’s going on here?” He nodded toward my hand on the wall. “This have something to do with that?”
I looked the direction he’d indicated, and my stomach lurched. My silver medic alert bracelet was peeking out from under my sleeve. I jerked my arm back and tugged my sleeve down over the bracelet.
“Talk to me, Ruffner.” Corliss stepped closer. “Because if you can’t even run half a block without—”
“I’ll be fine.” I gave my sleeve another tug, then turned and headed out of the alley. “Now let’s get Carter back to—”
“No.”
I stopped and turned around. “Pardon me?”
“Before we go anywhere, I want some answers.” He closed the distance I’d created, and looked me right in the eye. “One, I want to know if I’m going to be able to count on you if a suspect runs. And two—” he stabbed a finger toward Carter’s house “—I want to know where the fuck that heroin came from.”
“Funny,” I said, and stepped closer to him. “I’ve got some questions about that too. You said you already searched the bedroom, but you didn’t find it? How thoroughly did you search it, Detective?”
“Don’t try to gas-light me, Ruffner,” he snarled back. “I searched it, and I searched it thoroughly. So you tell me—where the hell did it come from?”
“Exactly where I said it came from. And while we’re on the subject, don’t ever question me in front of a suspect. You want to tag along on my investigation? You play by my rules.”
“I’ll play by your rules, but not if it means breaking every code of police ethics.”
“Yeah, and ethic code number one—you don’t throw your partner under the bus in front of a suspect.” I turned to walk away again. “Now let’s get the fuck out of here. We need to get down to the station and get a statement from him.”
I fully expected him to call after me or run up and continue our conversation on the way back to the house. Instead, he muttered something under his breath, then walked back with me in silence.
I just ground my teeth and stared straight ahead.
This was a new record. One hour working together and I already wanted to choke him.
Cari Z was a bookworm as a child and
remains one to this day. In an effort to combat her antisocial reading
behavior, she did all sorts of crazy things, from competitive gymnastics to
alligator wresting (who even knew that was legal!) to finally joining the Peace
Corps, which promptly sent her and her husband to the wilds of West Africa,
stuck them in a hut, and said, "See ya!" She also started writing,
because some things she just thought she could do better. She's still climbing
that ladder, but can't stop herself from writing, or from sharing what she
creates.
Cari enjoys a wide range of literary
genres, from the classics (get 'im, Ahab) to science fiction and fantasy of all
types, to historical fiction and reference materials (no, seriously, there are
so many great encyclopedias out there). She writes in a wide range of genres as
well, but somehow 90% of what she produces ends up falling into the broad and
exciting category of m/m erotica. There’s a sprinkling of f/m and f/f and even
m/f/m in her repertoire, but her true love is man love. And there's a lot of love
to go around.
Cari has published short stories,
novellas, and novels with numerous print and e-presses, and she also offers up
a tremendous amount of free content on Literotica.com, under the name
Carizabeth.
Connect with Cari at http://cari-z.net/ or via her blog, http://carizerotica.blogspot.com/
L.A. Witt is an abnormal M/M romance
writer who has finally been released from the purgatorial corn maze of Omaha,
Nebraska, and now spends her time on the southwestern coast of Spain. In
between wondering how she didn’t lose her mind in Omaha, she explores the
country with her husband, several clairvoyant hamsters, and an ever-growing
herd of rabid plot bunnies. She also has substantially more time on her hands
these days, as she has recruited a small army of mercenaries to search South
America for her nemesis, romance author Lauren Gallagher,
but don’t tell Lauren. And definitely don’t tell Lori A. Witt or Ann Gallagher.
Neither of those twits can keep their mouths shut . . .
L. A.’s backlist is available on her website, and updates (as well as random
thoughts and the odd snarky comment) can be found on her blog or on Twitter (@GallagherWitt).
To celebrate the release of Risky Behavior, one lucky
winner will receive an ebook from each
Cari and Lori’s backlist and a $10 Riptide credit! Leave a comment with
your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern
time, on May 6, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget
to leave your contact info!
I love cop stories. And this one sounds absolutely amazing. Adding to my list - the top
ReplyDeletedebby236 at gmail dot com
sounds great congrats
ReplyDeletejmarinich33 at aol dot com
Usually I'm not a fan of the first person narration (not a lot of authors can execute it well), but here it sounds good. And after just reading this small excerpt, I've become Ruffner's fan :). I wonder what happens next.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing!
Barbara
himilika[at]gmail.com
Congrats and thanks for the excerpt. This sounds great. I love good detective stories (with a novice at that), and I'll also like the political intrigue and age-gap. - Purple Reader,
ReplyDeleteTheWrote [at] aol [dot] com
Congrats on the new release! It sounds fantastic =)
ReplyDeletehumhumbum AT yahoo DOT com
Very engaging excerpt!
ReplyDeletevitajex(at)aol(Dot)com
Congrats on the release & thanks for the excerpt!
ReplyDeletelegacylandlisa(at)gmail(dot)com
Thanks for the excerpt!
ReplyDeletebungalowbarbara(at)gmail(dot)com