“And?” Asked Sasha in a tone of voice that demanded the truth and all of it. “And what do you mean by he changed after leaving home?”

“He says he’s trans and goes by the name of Harriet. I suspect that’s why Bert treated him so badly. He never was much of a lad and as a boy he was a natural victim just waiting to be picked on. When he telt me he was trans it all kind of made sense. He seems to be doing all right. He says he doesn’t get bullied now he’s living as a girl and he is much happier. He’s waiting on doing silver service in a big hotel in Didsbury as a waitress.”

“Bollocks! You need to start understanding how these sorts of things work, Pete. Her name is Harriet, and your niece is a waitress. Start thinking Harriet, female, she, her, hers and all that goes with that, and just forget everything before that. There is no Alex. Get her up here. Is that going to cause any problems between you and Gladys? Or do I have to have a word with her, Pete?”

“No. Gladys knows about Alex and is sympathetic.” Pete paused and after a few seconds, during which Sasha could see Pete was making efforts to change his thinking, he continued “I think she’d have asked Harriet to come up here a while back, but she was bothered about how I would cope.”

“You’re supposed to be a man, so you’ll stiffen your spine, and behave, act and cope like a man. Which means if necessary you’ll tell those who cause Harriet problems to fuck off and drink somewhere else. Write to her, Pete. Get her up here to speak to me and we’ll go from there. Send her enough to cover the train fare and be generous.”

“Hey Terry, those Border Patrol agents are still following us.” Shade was watching the rear-view camera systems.

Terry glances at the radar system on his side and notices he had four cars following behind them. A sly smile appears on his face “let’s have
some fun with these agents.”

“Oh, goodie, we get to play!” Aylin slaps her hands together and rubs them.

“I think Terry has a different idea.” Shade knew how excited Aylin gets when action is required.

“Man, you take all the fun out of things.” Aylin crosses her arms under her breasts.

Jacked Up Part 11

I followed Maisie to a bedroom which was huge and very well equipped. She said that she would be back in time for me to get ready for dinner but all I need to do now was have a good bath which she had already drawn, then pop into bed and have a good sleep as she was sure that I had already had a full day.

CHAPTER 51
He looked up from his till, mouth open slightly, and I could see him trying to make sense of what was in front of him. After a couple of seconds, he shook himself and offered up a slightly puzzled smile.

“Debbie?”

I tried not to grimace, keeping my own smile as genuine as I could manage.

“How are you keeping?”

The answer

By Lynda Shermer

Chapter 2 - Desperately Avoiding Susan

My jaw dropped. I was still talking like Susan?

Alice walked around the end of the desk, "Look at how you are sitting. Normally, you sprawl in that chair. But you are sitting upright, straight spine, feet together, no! Now, legs crossed at the ankles!"

Dan Murphy was larger than life. His presence filled up the room more than Brian Blessed’s booming voice. People were naturally drawn to him. Dan being the center of attention wherever he was at was just the natural outcome of Dan being there. Some people think it was his striking blue eyes, or his physical frame also being larger than life. The truth was that Dan was an extrovert who took great interest in others. The personal stake he put into who he met, made him a man of action. Dan not only would say the right thing to make people like him, but also do the right thing.

Erica's trial resumes after further evidence comes to light as her memory is jogged during the hearings.

CHAPTER 50
There was an inquest, of course, and by that I mean the one in Heidi’s office. Paul dropped me a word after we had returned from the mountains, and I was relieved to hear that two women I had grown to feel a deep affection for were out of the firing line. It wouldn’t be the last time we lost a girl, by far, but at least that time we had someone to blame, blame properly, rather than a family member.

Enough on that subject. Old wounds still hurt, hurt even more, when they are opened again.

Pas de Deux A novel by Bronwen Welsh A Sequel to 'Antonette's Story' Copyright 2021

Chapter 13   Stop All the Clocks*

Jacked Up Part 10

Thursday evening I looked through my belongings. The bulk of my clothing was army supplied so that would not be a problem. The stuff I had brought with me added up to not much at all. I packed a bum-pack with my credentials and then a small back-pack with spare underwear, a tee shirt and a few other light items.

For 35yrs the border between the Human Empire and Gorgonzola Empire as remained mostly peaceful. The citizens for the Human Empire of this border region are loyal to the last man, woman, and child to the Empire. It was on one of these worlds that gave birth to a legend. The world of Apollo 6 is one of the harshest worlds within the Empire. One so harsh that only it could claim to be the birth world of James J. Owens, the most feared of Death Dealers. A world that is even now poised to give birth to a new legendary warrior. One who shall be baptized in the blood of the Empire’s enemies. Robert Wolff youngest great grandchild of James Owens’ sister Cecilia Owens.