Alison smirked, then bit into one of her ribs with a mocking glint in her eye.
What? Does she not like my sauce either? She never cared that much before.
Enough ribs and brisket to feed a small army lay on two large trays in the center of James’ dining room table. The girl sat on one side, James and Shay the other. Everything about it was relaxed, and they resembled a normal family eating a delicious meal.
Sure, one participant was a half-Drow girl attending a government magic school, another a tomb raider and former killer, and the last an alien bounty hunter, but their mutual love was as normal and warm as any three people’s.
Is this what it means to be normal? I like this. I didn’t even know I needed this for so long but damned if I don’t love it. But what’s up with that shit-eating grin? Is this more teenage shit? Or do I have something on my face?
James furrowed his brow. “Something funny, Alison? Or were you just thinking about that mall training thing and how you got one over on Shay.”
Shay snorted and eyed Alison. “Don’t get too cocky, kid. Two out of ten is a good start, but it’s not exactly a passing score.”
The girl shook her head. “Nothing like that. I had always wondered how long it’d take before we had our first home-cooked barbeque meal together. It took a lot longer than I would have bet.”
“Nothing wrong with a little barbeque.” James shrugged.
“Not saying that. If anything, it makes me feel more relaxed. It’s just so…James Brownstone. I truly know I’m home now.” Alison laughed, the sound light, airy, and free.
James grunted. If anything, barbeque might be a more fundamental part of him than the amulet. Maybe he came from the Planet of Pit Masters.
The weight of Alison’s use of “home” filled him with even more warmth. He’d visited her several times, but she’d been away for a long time. He hadn’t been sure whether she’d started thinking of the school as her real home.
“Guess we’ll be having a lot of barbeque over the summer,” James rumbled.
Shay snickered. “Yeah, use any excuse for that. Convenient. I’m sure we would have had less barbeque if she’d said she hated it.”
“I don’t know. Maybe.”
Shay rolled her eyes and turned to Alison. “Forget barbeque. You’ve completed your first year at magic school, so how does that feel? It’s not exactly something the average teen girl gets to experience, even these days. I don’t know if that’s ever gonna be the case.”
Alison shrugged. “I feel a lot better than I did at the start. I have much better control of my magic now, and you know how much I was worried about that when I started. It might not be home when I’m there, but I’m comfortable there. Every day I get a little stronger, even if it’s not obstacle-course strong. And I have friends.”
“Friends are good,” James rumbled. “Even I have a few nowadays. It’s weird.”
Shay held up a rib and pointed at Alison with it. “Friends are good to have, especially if they’ll help you bury a body.”
Alison burst out laughing. “Aunt Shay, seriously? That’s what you think friends are good for?”
The tomb raider winked. “Just saying. A good friend will help you move, but a real friend will help you move a body.”
The teen broke into even louder laughter.
It took a good ten seconds before Alison regained control. She wiped away a few laughter tears.
“Plus, I’ve learned so much about the history of Oriceran, including the history of the Drow, but I have to admit it’s weird reading about them. I…don’t know if I’ll end up like them.”
James shrugged. “Just because you’re half-Drow doesn’t mean you have to do what they do.”
“I know. It’s just I grew up in a country that gets a new president every four to eight years. Laena has ruled the Drow for centuries.”
“Laena?” James grunted, not having known the name of the woman sending people after him.
“Yes. She’s the current Drow queen. Anyway, the point is that I still have so much to learn. So many different races, and so many thousands of years. It’s hard to take in, but I feel like I’m getting closer to the truth, and it makes my head spin.”
“Good.” Shay gave her a warm smile. “History’s important.” She chuckled. “The fact that we didn’t know our true history on Earth until recently means we’ve misunderstood things, and made more than a few mistakes because of it. You’ve grown up your entire life knowing more of the truth than a lot of adults.”
James put down his latest rib, which had been stripped of meat in half a minute. “And you’ve been okay there at the school? No problems with bullies or anything? I can always come by for a little one-on-one chat session with any bullies.”
Alison gave him a sly smile that suggested she was holding something back. “I’m doing fine, Dad. It’s not like anyone wants to mess with the daughter of the great James Brownstone.” She rolled her eyes. “If anything, you coming by more might scare too many people away.”
“Good.”
“Good?”
The bounty hunter decided to go for some brisket this time. “That’s the power of a reputation. You use mine until you develop your own.”
“Sure, if you say so.”
Again, something about Alison’s smile made him feel like there was stuff he didn’t know.
Should I press her on it? Nah. My reputation is following her around, and both Shay and Alison have beat it into my head that I need to give her some independence. She’ll be fine, especially after we finish training her this summer.
James cleared his throat. “Seems like you’ve gotten used to training with both Shay and me. You’re doing better than I thought you would.”
Alison laughed. “Not like I had a choice, but, sure, I get it. And the tactical room is fun, especially when the guys yelp.” She grinned. “And also because I can see their energy so easily, and most of them haven’t figured it out.”
Shay took a sip of her drink, a bottle of beer, and nodded. “Good. Here’s a nice lesson to absorb: Never give up unnecessary information, even to your friends.”
James shrugged. “It took me a while to figure out. You don’t exactly move like a normal blind person.” He set his food down. “Hey, I had something I needed to ask you both before, and now is as good a time as any.”
The two women in his life stared at him expectantly.
“We’re doing that mud pit challenge stuff again at the Brownstone Agency, and they are gonna be changing the rules a little bit. Royce is gonna get us vests so you can take people out just by touching them. It’ll be more tactical and crap that way, instead of just a contest of strength. Because I just win too easily when it’s about nothing but strength.”
Shay and Alison both nodded.
James grunted then continued, “So anyway, the last round was the winning team against me, but I think this time it should be the winning team against Team Brownstone.” He pointed to Alison and Shay in turn. “And that means you two on my team.”
Shay shrugged. “Sure? Why the hell not? Just don’t blame me if I hurt any of your guys’ feelings. I wonder if a lot of them can handle getting their ass kicked by a woman.”
The bounty hunter chuckled. “I think most of them are already afraid of you.”
“Good. That means they aren’t idiots.”
James turned to Alison. “And you? It’ll be easy to keep track of people since it’ll just be Shay and me on your team.”
Alison sighed. “You want me to roll around in mud?”
“Not roll around, just push or trip other people. Or touch their vests to shock them.”
“Shock them? Your agency is so twisted.”
“Got to have some way to even things out.”
Alison grinned. “Fine, Dad. I’ll do it for you. I can’t wait to go back to school and tell all my friends how I spent the first part of my summer running obstacle courses and rolling around in mud while they were probably off
vacationing on tropical islands and swimming.”
All three laughed.
James’ laugh drifted into silence as a warm smile took over his face.
Eating as a family, taking down bounty hunters in a mud pit as a family. That was what it meant to be a Brownstone.
The next morning, James was thumbing through a list of county barbeque competitions when his phone rang. It was his lawyer.
The bounty hunter frowned. Even though his lawyer might be calling to deliver good news, he doubted it.
“Yeah,” he answered in a rumble.
“I take it you haven’t been reading or watching any news this morning, have you?” the lawyer asked.
James grunted. “I don’t pay that much attention to the news in general unless it’s barbeque shit or bounties. What difference does it make if I know what the fuck is going on?”
The lawyer sighed. “I guess that’s a good thing, but as your attorney, I still have a duty to advise you about this matter.”
“What matter?”
“The media is suddenly very interested in this adoption case, and they’re really playing up your violent background and how you were even responsible for killing Walt Anderson.” The attorney clucked his tongue. “The Brownstone-as-Thug meme will be the main thrust of the government’s case against you.”
James’ hand tightened around his phone. A little more pressure and the glass would crack. “The LAPD didn’t have a problem with that, and the guy was a scumbag. I’m not in fucking prison, so that should mean something.”
“The court of public opinion can be a nasty thing.” The lawyer let out another long sigh. “We’re not talking about criminal culpability here, though. We’re talking about a family court judge deciding whether you’ll be a good guardian for an orphaned girl.”
The bounty hunter gritted his teeth. “So what are you saying?”
Hope crept into the lawyer’s voice. “Look, right now, I think it’s not a big deal. We both knew something like this might be coming, and we’ve got official statements of character coming in from police and city officials in LA, Las Vegas, Detroit, and even Tokyo. Father McCartney is working on a statement, and he’s getting his bishop to write one, talking about how your financial support has been critical to keeping that orphanage open. I just got off the phone before calling you with a government official from Mexico who wants to write a statement on your behalf. Most of these people have also agreed to testify on your behalf.”
James gritted his teeth and took a deep breath. “So this news stuff is just bullshit, right?”
The lawyer swallowed, the sound audible even over the phone. “I called to warn you that this is just the beginning. They are going to do a full court press, James. I don’t even think this is about poisoning public opinion. The judge is fair, and he’ll take into account every character statement and other evidence we submit.”
“Then what the hell is this about?”
The lawyer paused for a few seconds before responding. “I think they are trying to get you to react. A video of you punching a reporter would be enough to doom your adoption, especially given their general thug strategy.”
James grunted. “Why does everyone assume I’ll get violent?”
The lawyer didn’t respond.
I only kick the asses of people who really have it coming. I spent my life cleaning up trash, and now some assholes want to say that means I shouldn’t get to adopt Alison?
“I’m not a fucking thug.”
The lawyer yelped. “Calm down, James. It’s important that you remain very calm over the next few weeks. Also, you need to not react even when you’re not the target.”
“What do you mean when I’m not the target?”
A few beats of silence ticked by. “The main media sources will generally leave Alison out of this, but the tabloids are going to play up her half-Oriceran nature. I’ve already seen some of that sort of thing. It’s nasty, to be honest, and unfair to the girl. Racism or speciesism, whatever you want to call it. Quite frankly, I’m surprised the news is already everywhere. I think someone leaked her heritage information to the press.”
James growled. “They should leave her out of this. If I get my hands—”
“Restraint, James. They want you to react. Ignore them. If you can keep yourself under control, it doesn’t matter what the press says, tabloid or not.”
“I’m fine,” the bounty hunter responded, his voice still low and full of menace. “I just have to put up with a bunch of fuckers calling me a piece of shit for a few months, no big deal. I can do this.” He blew out a breath and resisted the urge to smash his phone against the wall.
Those fuckers. They better hope Shay or me never meet them in a dark alley.
The lawyer let out a nervous chuckle. “Well, at least in regards to how long you have to control yourself, I have some good news.”
“Good news?” James loosened the tight group he had on his phone.
“That was the other main reason I called you. I filed a motion for an expedited hearing. It was a long shot, but they’ve agreed to it.”
James frowned. “Meaning what?”
“You won’t have to put up with the character assassinations for months, only a week. I’m honestly surprised they accepted the motion, but I think that no one wants such a high-profile case lingering around making the government look bad. I don’t know who is involved in spreading the negative media stories about you and Alison, but there’s a lot of online pushback against the fact that the government’s even fighting this adoption.” The lawyer laughed. “Multiple petitions coming in from your fans all over the world, along with both human and Oriceran groups advocating for assimilation and coexistence. A few have filed some amicus briefs on your behalf.”
“Will any of that shit help?”
“Not sure, but at a minimum, it’ll keep the state’s lawyers on the straight and narrow. Any appearance of impropriety on their part will be blasted around the world via the net in an hour.”
James nodded. At least something was working to their advantage.
As the lawyer explained a few more details, the bounty hunter’s thoughts drifted to other plans. No matter what, he wouldn’t let anyone take Alison. He had a duty to protect the girl and not only that, he loved her like he’d been her father his entire life.
Don’t worry, kid. I won’t let them take you, no matter what I have to do.
Maria trudged into the Black Sun with a deep frown on her face. She moved through the crowd, the crowd of men parting instinctively as she made her way to the bar. No one wanted to be on AET’s radar.
Tyler set a beer down in front of her before she’d sat on her stool. “You look pissed. Not that it’s a new look for you, but just saying.”
The cop gulped some beer before answering. “I’ve just been looking into why the state’s pushing back against Brownstone’s adoption. Getting a lot of suspicious stonewalling. I was wondering if you could look into some of that. I know government snooping isn’t your normal wheelhouse, but something smells here, so I thought you might be able to find shit that I can’t.” She smirked. “Besides, most politicians are criminals, and criminals are your thing.”
The bartender shrugged. “When I asked you about Brownstone earlier, I was curious more than anything. It’s not like we have to help him.”
“Don’t we?” Maria quirked a brow.
Tyler blinked. “Why would we? This isn’t some crazy bounty coming after him. This is the government we’re talking about.”
“Maybe you don’t give a shit, but it’s my job.”
“How is it your job? I mean, the girl seems cool enough and all, but how is helping Brownstone by poking the government your job?” Tyler stared at her, confusion written all over his face.
Maria took another long drag of her beer. “My job is to make the city safe, right?”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t have fuck-all to do with an adoption.”
She shook her head. “W
rong. One of the reasons this city is safe is because of Brownstone. I bet if Brownstone had been in town when Tessa Vansant showed up, there wouldn’t have been a farmer’s market massacre. So, anyone fucking with Brownstone is fucking with the safety of the city.” She pointed her beer bottle at Tyler. “So, yeah, my job.”
“Okay, fair enough.” Tyler shrugged. “But that doesn’t make it my job. I’m not a cop.”
Maria smirked. “It’s in your best interests that this city not be turned into a crater.”
“Still…”
She leaned forward. “And if you want that date Friday night, you’re going to help me.”
Tyler blinked. “What date?”
Maria winked. “Going to play along, or what?”
“Okay, okay.” The bartender shrugged. “I’ll sniff around, but I’m not guaranteeing anything.”
“That’s all I ask.”
12
James eyed Shay’s obstacle as Alison moved toward it in Shay’s training course in Warehouse One. He was still unsure whether letting the teen move around the tomb raider’s course was a good idea, even just part of it.
“It’s okay.” Shay laughed. It was as if she could read his mind. “She won’t be able to do them all, but I’ve got them coated with the powder, so she can at least try some of them. Plus, I put down mats, so it’s way safer than when I do it.”
“I’m doing fine, Dad,” Alison called. “Just part of doing the Tomb Raider Dance.”
Peyton leaned toward Shay and James. “Isn’t she, like, you know, blind?” he whispered. “That was the excuse you used for bringing her to the warehouse—that she wouldn’t exactly be able to give people directions.”
Shay snorted. “Not like she’d ever betray me anyway.”
James shrugged. “She can see some. I don’t know. Enough? Like Shay said, we’ve got the shit set up so she can see what she needs to do the obstacles. Anyway, she’s fine. What we need to do is figure out this adoption stuff.”
The bounty hunter nodded toward a corner, and the three walked that way so they could discuss things more privately.
Alison Brownstone: An Urban Fantasy Action Adventure (The Unbelievable Mr. Brownstone Book 9) Page 10