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Hostage by Tekla Dennison Miller

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What happens when the balance of power in a prison is turned upside down? Warning: gritty, realistic and disturbing.

The porter’s mop hissed as it glided across the linoleum floor and slapped against the cellblock’s moldings. His muscles flexed with each push and pull working in concert with the constant swish, swish. The methodic rhythm interrupted the early Sunday morning quiet. A prisoner rolled over on his bunk. A toilet flushed. Officer Sherwood took a routine count. Her rubber-soled shoes squeaked as she made her way down the gallery.

When Sherwood approached cell 103, the door swung open. Suddenly, a hand thrust out, grabbed her arm and yanked her through the opening.… Read the rest

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Interview Room C by Josh MacLeod

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A high-profile murder case. A hot-shot cop on the rise. The wrong kind of killer.

“It’s strange. Sitting here is all strange. I suppose I should say I never thought I would get caught, but everyone who says that is caught. Still, I would have thought Internal Affairs would have more important things to do: I gave the press what they wanted. I was already a hero before that case. I suppose sleeping with Shapiro’s wife started your investigation, eh? No, no, don’t bother to answer. It’s not as if you people investigate yourselves.

“Am I bitter? Of course I’m bitter.… Read the rest

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The High Road by Sarah M. Chen

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The morning after the night before. Sometimes you’ll do just about anything to make the day more bearable, and sometimes you should have just stayed in bed.

As Jay staggered to the bathroom to take a piss, the last thing he was thinking of was his pickup truck. Why should he? It was, well who the hell knew what time it was, but it was daytime and Jay had just woken up. So obviously his first thought was smoking a bowl. It was always his first thought, but this morning he was feeling particularly crappy. His head felt like somebody hammered a nail into it and his tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth.… Read the rest

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A Week Abroad by Tom Ward

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The south of France, a beautiful woman, obsession, murder. What more could a man want from a quick jaunt across the Channel?

He raised the cup to his lips and took a sip of the rich coffee. He held the cup there a moment and looked at her over the rim, like a spy looking over the top of a newspaper. She sat a few tables along, half hidden in the shade of the parasol. Where the sun hit her it lit her up like dynamite. He lowered the cup. That’s right, she was dynamite. He looked over again, trying to only move his eyes, not his head too.… Read the rest

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The Way to a Man’s Heart by Gary Cahill

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Enjoy this sneak preview of the first story on Plan B, here in its entirety for your reading pleasure. It is a tale of felonies, fishermen and foodies, not for the faint of heart. Of course, the faint of heart wouldn’t be here in the first place.

Diver Joe slipped and slithered and stumbled through the pre-dawn dank, between the lobster pots. Less than an hour to sunrise, running way late, riding the edge the way binge drinking makes you—sure, one more, plenty of time. Until the clock runs out.

Rockport had been a dry town forever; archetypical, right down to the de rigueur liquor store just across the city line, decked out like a Christmas tree; winking, beckoning.… Read the rest

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