“A used-car salesman?” Smoke eyed Kane’s head. “A bad hairdresser? Mmm, perhaps the world’s ugliest belly dancer?”
Kane’s eyes flickered for a moment. He took a deep draw through his nose. “When you go through the change, perhaps you should become a jester. You’d make a great fool with that clever tongue of yours.”
Smoke gave his hand a nice nonchalant flip and said, “Hey, then there would be two of us. A funny fool and one who has the personality of a rock.”
“I certainly won’t miss that clever wit of yours. As I was saying, back when the blood ran warm in my bones, I was a physician. A good one. I saved many lives. I stitched countless men on the battlefield and gave them life again. It was a grand thing. But you see, for all of my good intentions, hard work, and study, I realized I couldn’t save them all. I couldn’t even save myself. I would die one day.”
“And yet you’re still here. How disappointing.”
Continuing with just as much intensity as before, Kane said, “Yes, I am here. I’m here because I would not let death defeat me. I became obsessed with beating it. I found the Drake—or rather, the Drake found me. That was a very long time ago, and since then, I’ve become wiser in the ways of this world. More powerful than I ever dreamed of. It happened because it was my destiny. I didn’t collide with it so much as it collided with me. That path you are on, Smoke, it’s the same one I was on. You are here because it’s meant to be. You are one of us, special. You just need to embrace it.”
“You really were a used-car salesman in your former life, weren’t you? I can tell, because that pitch was horrible.” Smoke started laughing. Then he said in Kane’s own voice, “You are one of us, special. You need to embrace it.”
Kane’s expression didn’t change. “You know I speak the truth. My words go straight to the heart. No mortal man can do what you can do. You sense things before they happen. I used to have that ability too. I saved many lives because of that.” Kane turned his head to the side and gave a quick nod. “But if my words won’t convince you, then perhaps the first test will.”
A guard stepped partially into view and handed Kane a rubber gas mask. Kane put it on. With a second nod, the guard slipped on his own gas mask and handed Kane a gas grenade. He pulled the pin and tossed it inside the bars. Pink smoke started streaming out of the metal canister.
Kane said, “I can’t wait to see your face when you wake up forever changed.”
Smoke squeezed his eyes shut. He held his breath as long as he could. Minutes passed before he finally succumbed to the power of the life-draining mist. His world became a flowerbed of pink and purple.
CHAPTER 7
Sidney rolled into Las Vegas with the Hellcat smelling like cold coffee and fast food wrappers. She’d made a handful of stops to gas up and eat, but the entire trip—driving day and night—had taken just over thirty hours. She drained the last drop of coffee she had at the first stoplight she hit in Las Vegas. The traffic was heavy, just short of noon.
She rolled down the windows. The hot, dry air was a slap in the face that opened her eyes. She wasn’t sure if the sauna-like heat was a good thing or not. She needed rest. Her strength was ebbing. Her eyelids were heavy. She turned down the radio and soaked in the sounds of traffic. Her yawn caught a mouthful of air. It also garnered the attention of the landscaping crew loaded in the back of the pickup truck in the next lane. The grubby little men were all hoots and smiles. One of them gave her a thumbs-up. Another wanted her to rev up the car. When the light turned, she blew right by them.
I should have flown.
But there were too many rules on the airways, and she didn’t have any connections in Vegas. She needed her guns and ammo. The sweetheart suit. If she was going after Smoke, she was taking the entire arsenal. The Hellcat had it all. All by Smoke’s company.
She cruised through the city stoplight to stoplight, checking the bright billboards and scenery. The towering casinos were landmarks in the skyline that she wanted to visit one day, hopefully with Smoke. She checked the navigation on the screen. She was only a few miles from the funeral home and mortuary she sought. Her phone buzzed in the seat beside her.
Not again.
There was a message from Sam, Smoke’s half sister. She’d sent ten messages in the past twenty-four hours. Sid had replied to one, stating that she’d let them know when she was there. Sid texted back, “I’m here. Getting a room. Check later.”
She didn’t have any intention of getting a room or checking back. The less distraction she had, the better. She needed the element of surprise. The Drake shouldn’t even see her coming. A few blocks away from her destination, she pulled into a motel and backed the car in. Donning a ball cap and sunglasses, she locked up the car and headed down the street. The pedestrian lunchtime traffic made it easy to blend in. People were coming in and out of fast food restaurants and small retail shops. Sid jogged by a tattoo parlor called Manny’s. Motorcycles half filled the parking lot, and she could see men in barber chairs getting tattoos inside.
Sid took a knee and tied her shoe at the intersection adjacent to the funeral home. The building was dated compared to its surroundings. It was out of place, like many of the old casinos that had fallen by the wayside. It was easy to assume the old establishment had been built far enough away from the strip, only to see the expanding city grow around it like a jungle of concrete ivy.
Chin up, she spied the dated sign in front of the building. Drake Funeral Home. The sign looked like the old signs that led into state parks from the fifties. It was made up of wood and sandstone. The large front porch was empty of life. The windows were grimy. A wrought-iron fence surrounded the building, but the gate to the driveway entrance was open. She searched the edges of the building for security cameras, but she didn’t see any.
She finished up retying the lace on her sneaker and aimed herself toward the other side of the street. A man called out to her, “Hey, chica, where are you going? Hold on, I’d like to speak with you.”
The man approached. He was a tall Mexican with tattoos covering his bare arms from the wrist to the shoulder. His long jet-black hair covered his ears to the neck. Dressed in biker’s garb, he came right at her, but he wasn’t alone. Two other men followed in behind him. “I’ve never seen you on this street before. You lost, chica?”
“Do I look lost?” she said.
“Hard to say, judging by those shades you are wearing.” His hard eyes grazed over her body. “I saw you roll in on those hot wheels. Very nice. Maybe you are looking for a custom paint job, eh?”
Keeping her attention on the man, she said, “I’m just passing through. It’s been a long drive, and I needed to stretch my legs a little.”
Grinning, he said, “Why don’t you let me stretch those legs for you?”
Fighting the urge to stuff his nose back into his brain with a blow from her fist, she said, “I can handle it, thanks.” She started to walk away. Just as she did, a black hearse, the same as the one Smoke was seen in, pulled out of the driveway and headed down the street in the direction from where she’d come. Her eyes followed it.
“Chica, what are you searching for? I’m sure I have whatever you need.”
“I’m not looking for anything.” Wanting to follow the hearse, she tried to pass by the men.
All three of them closed around her. They each had a gun on her. The leader said, “You might not be looking for something, but you found something. Come with us now, chica.”
CHAPTER 8
The men walked Sid into the tattoo parlor and led her into the back. Her escorts seized her wrists with strong, calloused hands and pushed her into one of the tattoo chairs. They held her fast as the bigger man drew the curtain, closing them inside.
He put his face close to hers. “You aren’t a bit frightened, are you?”
Sid didn’t reply.
The leader stuffed his semi-automatic into the back of his pants. “I like that. A strong woman. I can see you have some fight in
you. Let’s take a look at those eyes.” He removed her sunglasses. “Nice eyes. I like nice eyes. Nice people have nice eyes.”
He tossed the glasses down on a metal toolbox and picked up a tattoo gun. “Do you have any tattoos, chica?”
“What’s your game?” Sid strained against her captors a little. The muscles in their jaws flexed. “Only a fool snatches a woman off the streets in broad daylight.”
“I did it for your own good. Only a fool snoops on the Drake in broad daylight. Chica, they could see you coming from a mile away.”
“So you’re their watchdog?”
He held the tattoo gun up to her cheek. “No, I’m the dog watcher.” He hung the tattoo gun on the back of the chair. His tone softened. He gave his men a nod, and they let her go. “My name is Mark.” He showed her his bicep. Among the many colors and patterns was a picture of a church and steeple. The pillars in the front were swords. “Do you know what that is?”
“I’m tempted to say art, but art is in the eye of the beholder, so I’m just going to call it a tattoo.”
“No, that’s a church. The Church of Nigil.” He watched her, waiting to see if his words sank in.
Sid’s sharp mind was as weary as her body, but finally, the Church of Nigil rang a bell. They were the old knights that fought against the shifters. “I know it.” She eyed the curtain.
“Don’t worry about speaking out loud here, Sidney. That curtain is a sound baffle.”
“How’d you know my name?”
“I know all about you and John Smoke. The question is, what in the world are you doing here? You’re supposed to be in Delta Charlie.”
Sid fought a yawn. Despite the rugged appearance, Mark had a warm glow when he spoke that he hadn’t had before. “No offense, Mark, but I don’t know you from Adam. I think I’ll keep that information to myself.”
Mark rubbed his stern jaw. “Don’t rush out of here yet. Just give me a minute.” He took his phone from his pocket and sent a text. “Well, maybe a little longer. Listen, Sid, if you got something going on in that hive of darkness across the street, you need to tell me.”
“And if you’ve had eyes on it all this time, then you should be able to tell me.”
“Good point. The hearses come and go, day and night, but it’s always quiet within. Aside from the days they have actual funerals. They do many. It’s all a front for the drugs they turn loose on the streets. Dead dealers need burials.”
“Drugs? Are you sure that’s the extent of their operation? I’m not so certain you know as much as you think about the shifters then.”
“I know plenty.”
“I don’t think you do.”
Mark’s eyes slid over to his men. “Give us a moment, eh.”
The men vanished through the heavy curtain.
Mark’s phone buzzed. He checked the message. “Huh? I didn’t realize. Smoke isn’t with you because you think he’s in there, don’t you?” He shook his head. “So sorry.”
“What? How did you know that? Who are you texting with?” She started to reach for the phone but pulled back. “You didn’t know, did you.”
“Sorry, I called your bluff, Sid. I texted my wife and told her I wanted Chinese tonight. She responded, ‘Then don’t forget to pick it up on your way home.’ She has a wonderful sense of humor. She needs it. She’s a terrible cook but excellent with takeout.”
Mad with herself, she said, “Mark, I don’t have time for this. I need to go. If Smoke is in there, then I can’t afford to waste any time. I have to find him.”
“Ah, I see. You think he’s targeted for the transformation. That’s bad.” He started toggling through his phone screen. He fished out a pair of reading glasses from his pocket. “Sometimes the lettering is so tiny.”
Sid caught a wisp of gray hair on his jet-black head that she hadn’t noticed before. “You know, Mark, you don’t look like a knight, at least not how I’d envision a modern-day version of it.”
“I know, it’s the tattoos. I became a knight after the fact. The knights are mostly watchers now. They seek out men with good hearts who can blend in. The truth is, despite my age, I’m still new to it. This hub is my first assignment.”
“So the knights have eyes on the Drake everywhere?”
“Everywhere we can keep up with, I’d say. But when the Drake catches on to our presence…” He slashed his finger across his throat and made a sound. “It’s all over.”
She watched him intently study his phone. “So, did you find anything? Any funerals in the near future?”
“No, they don’t advertise so much on the web. I’m just checking the Chinese menu. I’m hungry, but the wife has me on a diet where I only eat breakfast and dinner.” He rubbed his stomach. “I could eat a cow right now.”
CHAPTER 9
Smoke’s eyes opened. He was strapped down to a hospital bed with a bright white light shining in his face. The bed he lay on was tilted up almost forty-five degrees, to the point where he could see his toes. The only stitch of clothing he had on was his boxer-briefs. Electrode patches covered his chest and shoulders. An IV was running into his vein. A heart monitor beeped at his side.
Great Dane, what’s going on now?
He thrust against the straps. The leather cuffs binding his arms and ankles held him fast. His breathing quickened. The air from unseen ducts was chill and icy. It broke him out in goose bumps. He twisted his head around from side to side. He was in an operating room not much different than any such room he’d ever been in before. This time, however, he was the patient.
He searched the room, eyes sliding from place to place. A round clock reading 12:12 hung crooked on the wall. The red second hand didn’t work. There was another bed pushed to the side of the room. The sheets on it had dark patches of blood all over. The smell of formaldehyde hung in the air. There was the stench of something sour, too. Behind his head, he heard drops of water splattering on the floor with a steady drip-drip-drip.
Smoke closed his eyes. He breathed in and out, easy. Until now, he had felt in control of things. The tide had turned. The Drake meant business, and the time to put him through the wringer had come. They were going to change him even if it killed him.
The double doors popped open. A meaty woman entered the room, slouched over a hospital cart whose wheels wobbled and squeaked as if it were a bad grocery cart. She brought it to a stop alongside his bed. She didn’t look at him, but she made an awful chewing sound with her mouth.
“Excuse me,” he said to her, “but could you call my medical insurance carrier? I don’t think I have coverage for this operation.”
She turned. Her saggy face had milky eyes.
Under his skin, he felt invisible spiders crawling up his bones.
She sucked her gums. “My insurance didn’t help me none either, funny one. But your blood makes a fine deposit.” The blind woman shuffled away, muttering to herself, “Days like this, I wish I was deaf instead of blind. I hate the sound of a man screaming.”
The chill wore off. Smoke’s blood started to churn. He studied the shiny medical tools and concoctions. Everything on the table was more than enough to take a man apart and put him back together again.
Maybe bounty hunter wasn’t such a good career choice.
Kane kicked open the doors. His hands were up in the air and clean. Allison was with him. They both wore dark-gray hospital scrubs. So did the handful of nurses who came in with them and surrounded the table.
Allison loomed over Smoke’s head. Her scrubs were skin tight. “Miss me, Smokey? I look good in everything, don’t I?”
“I’ll admit, I haven’t seen you look bad in anything yet. It’s the company you keep that makes you look bad. Well, that and the fact that your heart is three sizes too small.”
She stroked his face. “Oh, don’t be a grinch, Smokey. We’re going to be one happy family once all this is over. You’ll see.” She looked at Kane. “I can’t wait to see what becomes of him.”
“Assuming th
at he survives.” One of the nurse assistants covered Kane’s mouth with the surgical mask. A second assistant added gloves to his hands. “Ah, Mister Smoke, just so you know, much of what we are about to do is very painful.”
“I suppose it’s too late to ask for anesthetic.”
“No, we wouldn’t want to do that. You’re being given a great gift, but you’ll have to earn it. Just like the rest of us did.” He picked up a scalpel. “But you’re a tough guy. I’m sure you won’t scream out so much as the rest.”
“Did you scream when they did this to you?”
Kane’s brows lifted. “You know, it’s been so long that I can’t remember. But I assume it’s safe to say I did.” He leaned close. The scalpel hovered inches from Smoke’s abdomen.
“Hold on. I don’t willingly succumb to any of this.”
“We know,” Kane said. “That’s why we’re doing it this way.” He nodded at Allison.
Allison stuck another needle into Smoke’s arm. She hung a new bag filled with green liquid on the IV pole. There was an arcane symbol on the transparent bag.
“If that’s antifreeze, it better be Prestone,” Smoke remarked.
“How are his vitals?” Kane asked Allison.
“He might as well be sleeping.”
“Good, but that will change soon enough. Turn the juice on.”
Allison gave Kane a funny look. “This one, or that one?”
“The electrodes. Set them to number three.”
“Say, that’s my lucky number.” Smoke started to sing, “Man and a woman had a little ba-a-by, and there was three-ee-ee-ee in the family.” A current of electricity coursed through his body. He lurched on the table.
“I said three! Not six!” Kane said.
“Sorry.” Allison turned down the dial. “I just didn’t like that song, but I don’t want you biting your tongue off. I’m certain it can be useful.” She stuffed a mouth guard in his face and secured it with a strap over his head. “There, Smokey.”
The Supernatural Bounty Hunter Files: Special Edition Fantasy Bundle, Books 6 thru 10 (Smoke Special Edition Book 2) Page 41