Teaser Tuesday: "Allegiance"

Since Allegiance is with my beta readers, I figured I'd share a teaser from the upcoming novelette. Please, do not read this if you have yet to read Program 13. I don't want to spoil anything for anyone.

Allegiance (The Emile Reed Chronicles, #1.5) by Nicole Sobon
Expected publication: December 25th 2012
Description from Goodreads:
No one was supposed to get hurt.
Both Hayden and Emile had.
I was supposed to retain an emotional distance from them.
I hadn’t.

ALLEGIANCE is a digital short complete at approximately 7,000 words.

Teaser:

The door to the office flew open, and I hurriedly slipped the folder back onto the desk, but it was useless. “What part of 'do not touch anything' do you not comprehend?”

“Well, the folder was just sitting there calling my name,” I said, shrugging.

He shook his head, and he lowered himself into his oversized office chair. I slouched down in the chair I was sitting in and rested my feet on the desk, completely ignoring the glare my uncle was shooting my way.

“Why am I here?” I asked, eager to know what the heck was going on.

“I have a surprise for you.” The corners of his lips tugged into a wide smile, and I knew that, whatever it was, I didn’t want to know.

“I’ll pass.”

He leaned forward, resting his hands on the edge of his desk. “I’m afraid that isn’t an option.”

He looked down at the folders on his desk and reached for the one with Hayden’s name on it. I felt my heart tighten in my chest. No, I thought, please, no. “You didn’t,” I choked out. “Tell me that you didn’t.”

Allegiance bridges the gap between Program 13 and Deprogrammed (coming May 2013).

<3 Nicole

P.S. If any of you are a Goodreads librarian, can you help me with something? I'm trying to add the Emile Reed Chronicles series to Goodreads, but it won't let me. If you can, can you please group Program 12, Program 13, Allegiance, Deprogrammed, and Rebooted into the Emile Reed Chronicles series on Goodreads? I'd love you forever! <3