She beamed a smile at Trey and James.
A few hours later, James stood outside, his arms crossed, watching as the entire bounty-hunting crew minus the Vegas team but including Trey, took on the obstacle course—this time in vests and tactical harnesses. Learning to move in a variety of situations with normal loadouts was vital. Royce had stressed it, as had James.
Maybe I should make them wear some of those gray coats that Shay hates so much.
Alison wasn’t holding up the rear only because some of the men had purposely slowed to make sure they could help her if she needed it.
I’m spending a fortune on that magic dust so she can see, but I think it’s worth it. She’ll gain more confidence doing these obstacles than just normal exercise shit.
Royce walked over from the edge of the obstacle course to the bounty hunter. “Just to be clear, what do you want me to do with her?”
James arched an eyebrow. “I want you to train her like anyone else. Like any of the other men.”
The drill instructor shook his head. “But she’s not like the other men. She’s got magic.” He pointed to the girl as she jumped between logs. “Maybe all this physical training is a distraction.”
“From what?” The bounty hunter grunted. “She goes to a magic school already. Nothing we’re gonna be able to teach her there. Doesn’t matter anyway. You know how this shit works. You can’t assume you’re always gonna have your best weapon working. She may have magic, but what if someone blocks it somehow?” He shook his head. “It’s a dangerous world, and I want my daughter to not only be able to protect herself, but protect others.”
Royce nodded slowly. “Makes sense. Hell, I’m interested to see what the Corps will do once magical people enlist in bigger numbers. All this shit is changing, and it’s hard to know how it’s gonna end up.” He watched Alison move from a log obstacle to a net. “Protect others, huh? She going to follow you in the family business?”
“Don’t know about that, but hell, she might have to protect me someday.”
Royce laughed. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. You know my rep, and you’ve seen the kind of shit I have to deal with. She’s like most kids. I love her, but she’s also like a 401k plan. I invest in her, and I’ll see benefits down the line.” James shrugged at the other man. “If she’s able to protect herself better, it’ll lower my anxiety and help me focus. So, yeah, I want you to basically turn her into a little Marine with magic.”
The other man grimaced. “Okay, you’re the boss, but I’m going to throw you under the bus here.”
“Huh?”
“I’m going to make it clear who’s calling the shots about training. She won’t hate me because I’m giving you all the glory.”
James chuckled. “No problem. I’ve got broad enough shoulders to handle that shit.”
Royce gave him a quick nod. “I’ve got to check something real quick before they finish the course. Be right back.”
The bounty hunter waited until the man stepped inside to utter his final concern over the situation. “Shit, I hope I’ve got broad enough shoulders.”
He looked up in time to see Alison reach the top of the net.
Tyler looked up from the bar as the front door opened. A teen girl with white-tipped black hair stepped through, and he frowned.
Come on. You think your weak-ass fake ID is going to fool me, kid?
He snorted. It’d been a while since he had a kid try and talk their way into booze at his place.
The Black Sun might be neutral ground, but he didn’t want some annoyed soccer mom coming after him. They were scarier than the criminal scum he dealt with, and he doubted the cops would be all that happy with him serving minors.
A moment later, Brownstone stepped through the door and murmured something to the girl. She laughed and shook her head. They both walked toward the bar, navigating around tables and chatting patrons. A few people glanced Brownstone’s way but said nothing and didn’t let their gazes linger too long, as if afraid they might earn his wrath just from looking at him.
Who the fuck is she? Oh, fuck, wait. I knew he had a kid he was looking after. That must be her. What was her name? Alison…yeah.
The bartender watched, eyes narrowed, as the bounty hunter and Alison approached the bar. He couldn’t understand why he’d bring his underage soon-to-be adopted daughter to a bar filled with criminals and known for illegal gambling.
Tyler was proud of his place, but probably the only places less appropriate for minors in LA were brothels.
Alison reached out and ran her hand along the bar before dropping it to her side and finding a stool. She hopped on, and Tyler found himself staring. If he didn’t know better, given what she’d just done and the distant look in her eyes, he might suspect she was blind, but the girl had managed to navigate through the room in front of Brownstone and to the bar without trouble.
Huh. Weird.
“You have Coke, right?” the girl asked. “Without the alcohol?”
Tyler nodded. “Yeah. We have Coke.” He nodded to Brownstone as the man sat. “You think this is a good idea bringing her in here? There are a lot of bad people in here.”
Alison nodded at her dad. “He’s right, you know. I can see it. Pretty disgusting, a lot of them.” She made a face.
The bartender laughed and set a glass filled with ice and a can of Coke in front of her. “Damn, girl. It’s true, but maybe you shouldn’t be saying it out loud.”
Her cheeks reddened. “Sorry.” She poured her soda into her glass and took a drink.
Brownstone grunted and shrugged. “If there’s anyone stupid enough to try messing with her after seeing she’s with me, it’s gonna be a sad day for them. Plus, she can do stuff on her own. I’m not worried about her in here.”
Tyler turned to grab a bottle of Irish Stout as he considered what that might even mean. Do stuff? Any daughter of Brownstone’s probably was packing heat and ready to put bullets into people. The man just brought on too much trouble otherwise.
Or does he mean something else? She doesn’t look that tough.
Brownstone’s phone chimed, and he pulled it out of his pocket. His eyes narrowed as he read a text. “Call from the adoption lawyer.” He looked up at Tyler. “I need to use your office so I can talk to him.”
The bartender laughed. “What?”
“You heard me. I need to use your office. This shit is private.”
“We have some sort of bromance now? You get to use my office…” Tyler’s voice trailed off under the bounty hunter’s heavy glare. “Man, too bad it’s not Kathy’s shift.” He nodded toward the hallway leading to his office. “Fine. Just don’t break anything.”
Brownstone hopped off his stool. “I’ll try not to, but no promises.” He turned to Alison. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
The girl smiled as the bounty hunter wandered into the back.
She turned her attention toward Tyler, her slightly unfocused gaze unnerving him.
Is she playing mind games on me? Is this some sort of Brownstone family double-team?
“This is the famous Black Sun, huh?” the girl commented.
“Famous?”
Alison nodded. “My dad’s told me a little about it.” She smirked. “He’s also told me you’ve made a lot of money off him.”
Tyler shrugged. “I’m a businessman, first and foremost, and your father is a good investment. Nothing more, nothing less.”
Her smile disappeared. “Yeah, like when he and you came up with that stupid plan to have him fight a scheduled bounty?”
The bartender took a deep breath and slowly let it out. The last thing he wanted to do was go over the damned fight promotion plan again. Maria wouldn’t ever let him begin to forget about it. He only shrugged.
A loud thump caught his attention as a small crew of four twenty-something guys in too-slick shirts and pants strolled into the Black Sun. Their smirking expressions adorned punchable faces as they strolled up to the bar.<
br />
The first man grinned and looked around. “You see this? We’re in the Black Sun. I’m amazed we haven’t been knifed already.”
The night is young, asshole.
One of his friends laughed. “You’re so right, Brock.”
Tyler sighed and shook his head. Nothing worse than slumming out-of-neighborhood tourists. “What can I get for you gentlemen?”
Brock licked his lips and looked Alison up and down. “Look at you, hot thing.”
Oh, fuck. Don’t, asshole. Just don’t. Even if you’re not a criminal, Brownstone is gonna punt you into fucking orbit.
Alison rolled her eyes. “Please. If you could see what I can see, you’d know why I’d never give you the time of day.”
One of the friends laughed. “Ouch. Talk about getting shot down.”
Brock snorted. “You think you’re something? Because you hang out at this place?” He sneered. “Oh, I get it. You’re the kind of chick who gets off on being around criminals and scumbags. I can show you what a real man with a real job is like.”
Tyler searched the bar for any cops, but his typical luck prevailed. Nothing but criminals in the crowd. He’d need to intervene for the girl’s safety and the continuing existence of his bar.
“Now wait one—” Tyler began before stopping at Alison’s raised hand.
The girl hopped off the stool and smiled. “A real man, huh?”
A huge grin split Brock’s face. “That’s right, baby. I’ll show you something you will never forget.”
Alison leaned forward and reached toward his crotch. “Like this?”
“Damn. Yeah, that’s right. Slow it down.”
The girl reached forward and stopped a few inches in front of Brock’s pants. She smiled. “Or how about this?”
A purple flash erupted from her hand. Brock yowled and stumbled backward, the crotch of his pants blackened and smoking.
Tyler stared at him, his brain taking a while to understand what was going on before he winced.
Brock danced around, holding himself. “Son of a fucking bitch. Oh, fuck. You stupid bitch.”
Tyler glared at the man. “Get out now.”
“That bitch just burned my dick, man!”
“Don’t make me ask again.” Tyler frowned and wondered if he’d need to go for his gun to make his point. He prided himself on not having to rely on petty threats of violence, but these assholes weren’t from the local scene. They didn’t understand the subtle rules that defined a place like the Black Sun.
Fucking civilians.
Brock’s friends squared their shoulders and stepped in front of their wounded friend.
Several large men on either side of them stood, including Ralph.
“Black Sun is neutral ground, boy,” the thug growled. He loomed over the men. “And you don’t go attacking the bartender. Who the fuck is supposed to give us our drinks?”
Alison rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.
Brock panted in his pain, and his friends looked around at the angry men surrounding them.
Ralph smirked. “That’s Alison Brownstone. Even if you managed to beat her, you think you can beat her dad?”
“Let’s get the fuck out of here,” Brock shouted. “This place is full of cunts anyway.” He hurried toward the door, wincing with each step.
His friends followed him out, with one holding up his middle finger.
Ralph and the other patrons sat down once the assholes had exited the building.
Alison sat back down on a stool. “What a jerk.”
Tyler stared at the door for a moment before nodding. “That was an interesting trick. That something Brownstone taught you?”
She shook her head and took another sip of Coke before replying. “That wasn’t from Dad. It’s from my mom.”
“Well, in any event. Thanks.”
“Thanks?”
Tyler nodded. “Yeah. If you hadn’t taken care of them so quickly, your dad might have come out and seen what was up. I don’t know what kind of father Brownstone is, but I know the kind of bounty hunter he is, and I figure this would have ended with my front door being broken from Brownstone throwing them through it.”
Alison blinked. “Seriously?”
“Yeah, seriously.” He pointed toward the door. “Yeah, your dad came in here after a bounty once. The guy was a pretty serious thug. He wasn’t about to give up just because James Brownstone told him to. The fight pretty much started with your dad throwing him through my door.”
“He really did that?” The teen laughed.
“Yeah.”
Alison smiled. “It does kind of sound like him. Sorry about that.”
Tyler shrugged. “At least he paid for the door.”
James emerged from the hallway, a deep scowl on his face.
The bartender’s stomach tightened. Maybe Brownstone knew what had happened and was about to go run the men down.
I hope the fuckers are already out of my parking lot. Don’t need bodies there.
The bounty hunter walked over toward Alison. He scrubbed a hand over his face and sighed. “I thought that was the lawyer calling to say everything was finalized, but it turns out there’s a small issue.”
Alison frowned. “Issue?”
“Yeah, the State of California is fighting the adoption. We’ve got to go to court. Something about your Oriceran heritage making things different, but mainly because I’m a bounty hunter, they say that I can’t provide a good home environment for someone with your unique background.” He snorted. “It’s like they think I’m prejudiced against Oricerans or some killer thug.”
Oriceran heritage? That explains the trick and the weird hair. So the girl’s magical. Huh.
The teen swallowed. “What’s that mean? Are they going to take me?”
James shook his head and gritted his teeth. “No one’s gonna take you. I won’t let them. I don’t give a shit if they are the government.”
Tyler frowned but remained silent. He didn’t always care for Brownstone, but he didn’t like the idea of the government coming in and screwing with a man trying to adopt a kid. Oriceran shouldn’t make a difference.
“Come on, Alison,” the bounty hunter rumbled. He stomped toward the door, and the teen followed him, a defeated look on her face.
Tyler could only watch.
A few minutes later, Maria stepped into the building and made her way to the bar. For once, she didn’t look like she wanted to stab Tyler when she sat on a stool.
“Hey,” Tyler offered. He poured her a drink and set it in front of her. The cop was out of uniform, so he figured it was time for some hard liquor.
Maria gulped down half the glass. “Hey.”
“I didn’t hear anything about any AET showdowns today.”
She shrugged. “Things have been slow. That’s a good thing.” She blew out a breath. “Look, I’m still miffed, but I can’t stay mad at idiocy forever or I’ll never be happy, especially considering all the idiots I have to deal with at work.”
Tyler shrugged. “Glad to hear that.” He glanced back up at the door. “Hey, maybe this isn’t something you’d know about, but you’ve got connections. You know anything about the government trying to block Brownstone’s adoption because the girl’s part-Oriceran and because he’s a bounty hunter?”
Maria furrowed her brow and shook her head. “I knew he had a girl he was trying to adopt, and that her dad was a piece of shit Brownstone took down, but I didn’t know she was part-Oriceran. I’ll ask around, though. That sounds like some bullshit. Like saying an American can’t adopt a kid just because he’s from another country.” She snorted. “That’s the government for you.”
“Says the cop.” Tyler smirked.
She narrowed her eyes. “Yeah, now I remember why I was mad at you.”
7
James paced his living room floor, his fists clenched and his pulse pounding in his ears. Alison was in her room. She claimed she was tired from the long day of training, but the
look of pain on her face haunted the bounty hunter.
I was supposed to protect her, and the fucking government is coming at me? This is complete bullshit.
“Those fuckers,” he growled. “How fucking dare they. Hasn’t she been through enough pain? Don’t they give a shit about her suffering?”
The bounty hunter took several deep breaths. The complexity of the situation was helpful in that it’d kept him from marching somewhere to kick down doors. He didn’t know who to beat up or threaten to solve the problem, which meant he had to rely on his lawyer.
He pulled out his phone and dialed Shay.
“What’s up?” she answered.
“I have to go to court,” James rumbled. “Those fuckers are making me go to court. Can you believe this shit?”
Shay laughed. “After all these years of doing your thing, someone finally has the balls to sue you? I’m only surprised it took this long. It’s not a big deal. The way the laws are written, as long as they were a legal bounty, it’s hard to win in court.”
“Not that.” He growled. “The state is trying to block my adoption of Alison.”
Shay’s tone turned serious. “What the fuck? Are you kidding me?”
“They say because she’s half-Oriceran and because I’m a bounty hunter with a history of ‘extreme violence and an unstable home environment’ that I’m not a good fit. That I can’t provide for a child of her unique familial needs.” James sucked in a breath. “Fuck them with a rusty nail, every last one of them.”
“Yeah, fuck those assholes. You’re gonna fight them, aren’t you?”
“Hell, yes, I’m gonna fight them. There’s no way I’m letting them take Alison from me.” James glared at the wall, wishing he had a punching bag to demolish. “I’ll do whatever I need to. I don’t give a shit if it’s the government I’m against. I’m gonna protect Alison.”
Shay sighed. “Okay, I get that you’re pissed, and I’m pissed too, but you still have to keep a clear head about this. Promise me you won’t do anything stupid, okay?”
“Like what?”
“Meaning, you can’t throw the first punch. They already have this idea that you’re some dangerous out-of-control bounty hunter, and it sounds like that’s what’s mainly fueling this. If you give them any reason to believe that, you’ll lose this.” Shay inhaled sharply. “I wouldn’t even be surprised if they eventually start trying to get you to blow up. This might be some petty asshole mad at you because you’re famous.”
Alison Brownstone: An Urban Fantasy Action Adventure (The Unbelievable Mr. Brownstone Book 9) Page 6