Into the Paranormal World: Sometimes the truth is even stranger than fantasy.
Officer Tian Chavez goes undercover at a college in Durango, Colorado as Tian Whithern, a gangster. It’s not the first time he’s taken such an assignment, since he looks years younger than he actually is. Finding out who’s offering strength-enhancing drugs to students and other townspeople takes a jaunt around the crazy maypole when he discovers the truth. It’s not drugs that give the ability, it’s completing a mate-bond with a paranormal creature. To his shock, he learns that gargoyles, shifters, and even vampires are real. Now, he needs to come up with a viable cover story.
To make matters even stranger, Tian runs across Chef Roman, a gargoyle who seems to think they’re mates. While he finds the huge male attractive, Roman isn’t an exceptionally personable individual. Tian isn’t certain what to make of him or his gruff, bumbling attempts at seduction. When he realizes accepting a life with Roman would mean the end of his work... plus other drastic changes to his life, can he decide on what’s the right path?
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The Truth is even Stranger
Copyright © 2017 Charlie Richards
ISBN: 978-1-4874-1089-6
Cover art by Carmen Waters
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The Truth is even Stranger
A Paranormal’s Love: Book Nineteen
By
Charlie Richards
Dedication
Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.
~Arthur Conan Doyle
Chapter One
Officer Tian Chavez closed his laptop and slid it into his bag. As much as sitting through college classes and taking notes sucked, it was part of his cover as student Tian Whithern. He didn’t have to complete the assignments, at least.
Tian’s captain—Captain Chris Cain—paid another to do them. He wasn’t even certain who. Tian didn’t really care, either, as long as he received grades that coincided with his assumed identity—a gangbanger from Phoenix.
Several rumors had been circulated about Tian. His father had been murdered by a rival gang. His brother retaliated, but he didn’t, so they were on the outs. Even that he was supposed to be going legit.
In truth, Tian used all that to try to figure out if there was a new drug on the street. Some odd rumors had been passed on to his police department in Chicago, all spread about this town. Most of them revolved around average people able to do above-average feats—strength-wise. The messages made is sound as if a Chicago gang was setting up shop around there.
Tian had been sent in to see what he could uncover.
He wondered if it was some new kind of steroid since none of the incidents reported made reference to inhibited senses, dilated eyes, or impaired abilities. Hell, maybe it was a synthetic adrenaline. Could an illegal company be operating out of that mysterious estate north of town?
Just what the hell is going on around here?
Exiting the classroom, Tian paused in the central common park area. He peered around, sweeping his gaze over the area. Taking in the clustered students, people seeming to be taking in the warm early-spring day, he spotted several fellow football players.
One of the men was a guy Tian had heard a rumor about—Andre Capston. It was a recent story, within a couple of months. Tian figured it’d be a fair bet that whoever he’d recently started hanging out with was involved.
As Tian closed the distance between himself and the group, an idea formed. Praying he could make it sound convincing, he limped just a little on his left leg. “Hey, guys,” he greeted, curving his lips into a smirk. “Ya get all that about the Industrial Revolution?”
Tian directed his question at Aziel Boltson. According to the information the police pulled on the huge lineman, he had a genius IQ. Of course, the big black man didn’t flaunt it, so Tian kept it to himself, too.
Seeing Aziel’s furrowed brows, Tian continued, “Man, the prof talks so fast, I can’t even keep up with a laptop.” He twisted his lips into a wry smile. “Don’t know how anyone does it.”
Aziel’s tight shoulders eased, and a smile curved his wide lips. “Oh, yeah.” He tightened his fingers into a fist, then released again. “Makes my hand cramp sometimes. You’re lucky you have a laptop.”
“Guess I should have worked harder in those typing classes in middle school,” Tian responded, shaking his head.
“What’d you do to your leg, man?” Mitch asked. The tight end on the football team pointed at his leg. “Saw you limpin’, dude. Nothing serious, I hope. Long weekend won’t get you out of weight lifting on Monday.”
Tian grimaced. “Tweaked it on the stairs,” he claimed, rolling his eyes. “Thought I just hyper-extended it. Ya know? Now I’m not so sure. It’s been a couple of days, and the tendon up my thigh has started to hurt.”
“Do you want me to take you to the emergency room?” Andre asked. “Maybe get it checked out, huh?”
“Yeah, uh... about that.” Tian cleared his throat and peered to the right, expressing disconcertion. “I don’t have any insurance. Uh—” Grimacing, he leaned over and rubbed the back of his left thigh just above his knee. “How much, uh, how much do you think a check-up would cost?”
The other three men exchanged looks. “Uh, not sure,” Mitch responded, his brows furrowing. “A couple hundred at least, probably.”
“Shit,” Tian muttered. In truth, he had great health coverage through the department. Playing it up, he rubbed his thigh again. Widening his eyes, he pretended to think of something as he turned to look at Andre. “Hey, maybe you could get me in to see Doc Perseus.”
Andre’s brows drew together. He shoved his hands into his pockets as he shifted from foot to foot, betraying his nerves. He also glanced at his buddies.
“How’d you hear about Doc Perseus?” Aziel asked softly, his brows furrowing. “He doesn’t have a clinic, ya know?” He frowned at Andre. “You think he’s google-able?”
“Uh, I don’t know about that,” Tian claimed, holding up a hand to stall any more discussion of that nature. Really? Google-able? Lifting both palms in placation, he told them, “I overheard Aaden telling Coach that Doc Perseus checked out his black eye. Told him he said he’d be fine to play.” Rubbing the back of his neck, he shifted his stance so all his weight was on his right leg. “You, uh, think Aaden could do me a solid? I mean, since I helped him out with his sister’s shit-boyfriend?”
Just before the December holidays, Aaden Hauser, the team’s quarterback, had hooked up with a big man living at the Falias Estate�
��the place north of town. His family had taken exception to the fact that Aaden had come out as gay. The guy’s sister’s boyfriend had attacked Aaden.
Tian had helped fight the guy off. In truth, it’d been the first bit of fun he’d had in ages. Being undercover caused so much stress, both mentally and physically. The exertion of a brawl had been a fantastic relief.
As a gangster, the request for a favor to be returned was understandable. Hopefully, these guys would get that.
“Uh, maybe,” Andre responded slowly. He again exchanged looks with Mitch and Aziel. Both men wore concerned expression. “I’ll, uh, I’ll call over there. See if he’s in.”
“Hey, maybe we can go to Wren’s,” Mitch tossed out as Andre pulled out his cell phone. “He has a few supplies there.”
“Supplies?” Tian asked, putting hope in his tone.
What kind of supplies?
“Sure,” Mitch continued, seeming oblivious to the way Aziel shook his head and how Andre’s face paled. “Probably not an x-ray machine or anything, but he could, ya know, feel around and see what you need at least.”
Wait, huh?
Andre huffed a sigh. “Sure. Okay. I’ll call and ask.” After he’d tapped his phone’s screen a few times, he turned away and took a couple of steps away from him. “Give me a sec.”
“Hey, I really appreciate just ya checkin’, man,” Tian claimed.
Tian limped a few steps off the pathway and eased onto one of the many wooden benches littering the common area. As he relaxed on the bench, he set his bag on the ground next to him and rubbed his leg with his other hand. Heaving a sigh, he lowered his eyelids to half-mast and pretended to relax as he watched the myriad of expressions that crossed the other young men’s faces.
They were definitely hiding something.
While Tian knew he wasn’t as young as the others, most people he met seemed to think he looked it. It wasn’t his first young man undercover gig. Hell, he’d been at it for almost a decade. When he looked in the mirror, he thought he saw every one of his twenty-nine years. Others, however, always guessed him at twenty-two. It’d been that way since before he actually hit that age.
Eight years doing undercover work. Surely I’m not going to look like a twenty-two-year-old forever.
When Andre returned, his lips were drawn down in a concerned way. He thrust his empty hand through his hair as he cleared his throat. Once again, he glanced between his friends.
“Well, uh, we’re to actually bring you to the infirmary at the estate.”
“Really?” Aziel responded.
“Why?” Mitch frowned. “Is it safe?”
“Shush,” Aziel hissed, smacking his friend upside his head. Then, he turned to Andre. “So, uh, okay. I’m assuming the chief is going to warn everyone?” He turned to focus on Tian and lowered his voice. “It’s a nudist colony. Most of the people there don’t bother with much in the way of clothes.”
Tian found his jaw sagging open and his eyes widening. Surprise flooded him. That explanation for the place sure hadn’t been on his radar.
Well damn. That actually explained a lot about the place.
And shit. It also means I’m gonna be back to square one.
Rubbing a hand over his jaw, Tian scrubbed away what he figured was a bit of pink. With the heat that had flashed through him and the way his prick had decided to plump, he wasn’t certain if it was embarrassment or arousal. A bit of both, probably.
Been too long since I got laid, I guess.
Tian’s last assignment had ended abruptly when their suspect had made a bad gambling bet and had somehow ended up in a lion’s cage. The mauling had been extensive. Unable to learn more, Tian had been pulled and sent to the college—no downtime, unfortunately.
God, that happens way too often between assignments. No down time.
Tian hated to think badly of Captain Cain, but sometimes...
“I’m sure he will,” Andre responded. He picked up his bag and asked, “Was that your last class? Or do you have one more?”
Even if Tian had one more class, he would have skipped it for the opportunity. He’d never been to a nudist colony, after all. It would be easy to explain away to his superiors.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m done for the day,” Tian claimed, glancing between the men. “Now?”
Andre nodded, then lifted a hand to stall Tian from rising from where he sat. “You, uh, you’ve never said anything about me and Aaden being gay,” he began slowly.
Cocking his head, Tian lifted a brow, wondering where the man was going with his comment. He didn’t have to wait long.
“They don’t discriminate at the estate, and there are a lot of gay couples,” Andre told him. “If you say anything rude, well, you’ll probably get kicked out before getting help.” He pointed at Tian’s leg. “They’re not shy about protecting their own.”
“Oh! Oh, you don’t have to worry about that,” Tian told Andre, waving his hand. He scoffed as he smiled wryly up at the young man. “I’m as gay as the day is long.”
Tian appreciated that in claiming to be homosexual, he wouldn’t be lying. While not many people on the force knew his orientation, his handler—Misha Leander—and his captain did. When he’d started going undercover, that had been one of his rules—he was never to be put in a situation where he had to sleep with a woman to get what he needed. After all, it wouldn’t have worked.
“Really?” Aziel’s dark eyes narrowed, his expression turning to disbelief. “You never said anything.”
Shrugging, Tian claimed, “Shit like that gets back home to Phoenix, to my brother, and even being in another state won’t stop him from coming after me.”
“You still a gangbanger?” Mitch asked bluntly, crossing his arms over his chest. He appeared more excited than upset by the prospect. “Did a rival gang really whack your dad?”
Tian hesitated, then rolled his shoulders in a half shrug. “That the story going ‘round?” he asked. When Mitch nodded, he peered over the man’s shoulder and responded cryptically, “Close enough.”
That, of course, was a bald-faced lie. Tian had been raised in foster care. It was what made him so good at undercover work. He knew how to blend in.
“Close enough?” Mitch repeated. Then his eyes grew wide. “Was it really your brother who took out your pops, so he could rise in power? Is that why you fled?”
Good god, the man has an imagination.
All I gotta do is feed Mitch a tidbit, and he’ll be spinning a wild tale around campus in no time.
Blowing out a breath, Tian muttered, “I don’t want to talk about this.” He glanced around, shifting uneasily on the bench seat. “‘Specially not out in the open.”
“Oh, right.” Mitch’s cheeks took on a slightly pink hue as he, too, glanced around.
Aziel rubbed the back of his neck and shifted his big bulk from one foot to the other. “Anyway.” He scowled at Mitch.
“Let’s go, then,” Andre urged, beckoning him. “You wanna follow me in your Camaro?”
Tian grinned as he levered to his feet. “Yeah, man. Just let me drop my shit off in my room.” He picked up his laptop bag and slung his backpack over his shoulder. “Meet you in the parking lot.”
“Sounds good,” Andre responded, grabbing his own bag. “I’ll be there in ten.”
Nodding, Tian headed away, calling, “See you shortly.” He just remembered to limp.
Ten minutes later, limping mildly, Tian arrived at the parking lot. He shoved his hands into his pockets as he stopped by his midnight blue ’87 Camaro. Glancing around the area, he searched for Andre.
Tian didn’t have to wait long. He spotted Andre’s old step-side pickup and recognized the man behind the wheel. After waving, he opened his door and slipped behind the wheel.
After bringing his old Camaro to life, Tian shifted it into reverse and backed out of the parking space. He followed Andre’s truck out of the lot and down the road. A moment l
ater, he found himself on the main street out of town, heading north.
The drive wasn’t a terribly long one, but Tian still took the time to put in a short text to his handler. He kept it cryptic, saying only he should be able to clear the Falias Estate for wrongdoing shortly. Claiming that he’d have new information would mean a report and a phone call, but it’d be worth it to move things along.
Tian pulled into the estate’s gated driveway behind Andre. He watched as the man leaned out the window and punched in a code. The gate instantly began swinging outward. As soon as the opening was wide enough, Andre led the way down the long, winding driveway.
Glancing left and right, Tian took in signs for heavy security. Cameras were openly mounted on trees as were motion sensors. In his experience, for every camera that a person could see, there were at least two that one could not.
What does a nudist colony need with all this security?
Surely protecting a naked person’s privacy didn’t need all that... did it? Was it an insurance thing? Tian made a mental note to find out.
When the estate came into view, Tian’s jaw sagged open. The place was immense. There were three stories of stone and wood, with balconies, gables, and even stone statues on the roof.
Tian had never seen gargoyle statues outside of on a church, but this place had a number of them.
Andre parked his truck to the left of a massive garage. Tian followed his example. Turning off the engine, he slipped from his car. Immediately, the hairs on the nape of his neck stood on end, telling him someone watched him.
More security?
Rubbing the back of his neck, Tian responded to Andre’s shouted, “Come on,” by waving and heading toward the younger man. The guy led him through the front door and into a parlor on the right. Inside, several big men waited, two who appeared of mixed Native American or African descent and another pair with lighter features.
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