The Brownstone Army rushed inside, and half kept their weapons at the ready while the other half began securing prisoners. The lobby area was clear of threats.
Adaptation potential minimal, Whispy complained.
Shay hurried over to James. “That’s awful that he did that to those innocent people.”
“That shit was just to slow people down.” James shook his head. “No wizards or witches in that crowd. Nothing magical or Oriceran.”
The elevator dinged, and everyone glanced that way. The doors opened to reveal an empty elevator.
“What’s that about?” Shay asked.
The elevator doors closed.
James frowned. A few seconds later, two elves winked into existence on the opposite side of the elevator doors. One elf threw a white energy bolt at a nearby bounty hunter without an anti-magic deflector.
Lachlan threw himself in front of the attack, stumbling back, his anti-magic deflector darkening. Several people fired their rifles at the elves. Their shields flashed when each bolt struck, neither fell.
The second elf raised his hands and started chanting. A wave of wind shot through the lobby, knocking several bounty hunters over.
“The fucking deflectors can’t do shit about actual forces,” Shay muttered. She yanked out two of her gnome-crafted knives. “These should get through normal shields.”
James shook his head. “We can’t kill them. They might be mind-controlled.”
“Can I mention how boring that is? Let me test a theory, then—something Maria mentioned to me once about a takedown when you weren’t around.” Shay sheathed the knives and threw a sonic grenade. Both elves crumpled to the ground, clutching their ears.
The sustained blasts from dozens of stun rifles finally made it through their shields, and the elves twitched and writhed as the high-powered bolts pelted them. Their eyes rolled up, and they started drooling.
Maria waved from the corner to James. “We’ve got this under control. You keep going.”
James nodded to Shay, and they ran to the stairwell. Taking an elevator in an enemy-controlled building was never smart. He flung open the door, and they bounded up the stairs. The door at the second-floor landing already stood open, which was not a good sign.
A wide hallway was on the other side, but there was no one there. James stepped inside. The path finally turned again, leading to the senior partner’s office.
According to what Weber had passed on to Maria, thermal scans indicated that someone was in the office. Everyone agreed that the kind of man who mind-controlled innocent people would pick the most important office in his building. They weren’t attacking directly from the opposite side because they couldn’t be sure it was in fact Lassom.
“Aircraft carrier,” Shay announced.
“Huh?” James looked over her way, ignoring Whispy as the amulet again complained about adaptation potential and primary directives.
“We’ve never fought anyone on an aircraft carrier. I was just thinking how we’ve cleared out office buildings, museums, tombs, haunted forests, and all sorts of other places, but never an aircraft carrier.” Shay shrugged. “Would be fun.”
James grunted. “We’re not military. We’ve got no reason to fight people on aircraft carriers.”
Two Kilomeas stepped into the main hallway from the junction and glared at James.
Shay went for her gun, but James threw up his hand.
“Poor mind-controlled bastards,” he muttered.
“Nah,” one of the Kilomeas replied, “we’re mercenaries. We like getting paid, and this Lassom guy is paying a lot.”
Shay rolled her eyes. “What about now?”
One of the Kilomeas pulled back his jacket to remove a huge gun. “You go for your gun, we go for our guns. It’s just like in—what do they call it?—the Ancient West.”
“The Old West,” James corrected.
“Whatever. I don’t really give a shit, but we could do this a different way.” The Kilomea pulled a set of glowing brass knuckles out of his pocket, and the other did the same.
Shay frowned. “What’s all this about?”
“If you want to shoot, we can do that, but I want to see the great Brownstone in action,” the Kilomea taunted. “They say you can punch a bastard through a door. I feel like I’ve been wasting these magical knuckledusters on worthless garbage, but maybe you can provide a challenge.”
Moderate adaptation potential, Whispy observed.
James stepped forward and cracked his knuckles. “Let me handle these assholes.”
Shay sighed. “This is like Grandfather all over again.”
“Maybe. But I’m done talking sooner this time.” James charged the Kilomea.
The two huge Oricerans waited, smug smirks on their faces. The first Kilomea threw a wide punch. He landed a solid blow, but James’ head barely moved. The bounty hunter’s shoulder crashed into the Kilomea’s chest, and he flew backward and crashed onto the floor with a loud crack.
James wasn’t sure if the noise was from the floor or the mercenary.
The bounty hunter blocked the second Kilomea’s punch and knocked him out with a solid uppercut that launched the huge Oriceran into the ceiling, where he left a dent before falling to the floor.
Near maximum adaptation previously achieved, Whispy explained.
Magic I’ve already run into plus just some straight-up punching, huh? Well, it was worth a shot.
The first Kilomea winced and scrambled to his feet. James marched over to him and jumped into the air to slug him hard at face level. The mercenary’s head snapped back, and his eyes rolled up in the back of his head before he collapsed unconscious on his back.
James glanced down at his anti-magic deflector. It was slightly cloudy.
Oh, it was canceling their magic, too. Poor stupid assholes. You didn’t even have the tiniest chance.
Shay shook her head. “I think Lyle is depending too much on numbers to win. A man doesn’t become a general just because you give him an army.”
James pointed down the hallway where the senior partner’s office waited. “He was hoping to hide. The cops didn’t know where he was.”
“Good point. How did Tyler know?”
James shrugged and walked over to Shay. “Who the fuck cares? I don’t think I want to know how that guy finds out half the shit he does.”
Shay snickered. “Let’s go finish thi—”
A bronze sword smashed through the wall and Shay rolled to her side, narrowly dodging the blow. Another sword crashed through and struck James.
What the fuck?
25
The blade didn’t pierce James’ defenses, but it did send him crashing hard into the wall across the hallway, leaving a huge crack.
The bounty hunter let out a low growl and looked up.
Two bronze statues resembling ancient Chinese soldiers ripped through the office walls and came into the hallway, their movements jerky and slow.
Shay scrambled backward and dropped her stun rifle on the ground. She pulled out her gun and opened fire, but the bullets did little more than scuff the solid metal.
“Well, shit,” she muttered.
A witch held a glowing wand in the office on the other side of the new holes. James recognized her as May Wu. He’d checked into some of the other bounty hunters who’d gone after the Council before him.
James smashed a fist into one of the statues and managed to knock the heavy metal construct to the ground, but it pushed itself up immediately.
The other statue swung its sword at Shay, and she leapt out of its reach. “How the hell do we win against statues? Melt them?”
“No. We take out their controller.” James dropkicked the statue closest to him and sent it sailing into the other. They clanged together and fell to the ground, splintering some of the wood.
Shit, I better be careful. If these things fall through, they might kill someone. Got to figure out the situation first.
James turned back tow
ard May. “You’re a merc now too? Last I heard, you were still a bounty hunter.”
May looked at James, her eyes glassy. “I must defend him,” she replied, her voice a monotone. “Mr. Lassom told me to defend him. He ordered it.”
The two statues disentangled from one another and rushed toward James, their heavy footfalls cracking the wood beneath them.
One of the statues swung its sword. James blocked it with his arm, a loud clang echoing down the hallway. The other stabbed at him. He grunted as its powerful blow struck, but the attack left only a tiny cut. A follow-up attack severed the chain holding his anti-magic deflector. It fell to the ground and one of the statues stomped on it, shattering it into dozens of small, sharp pieces.
James roared and grabbed the necks of both statues. He shoved them into the wall. “Stun the witch, Shay. She’s under mind control.” He struggled to keep the statues in place as they clubbed him with the backs of their swords and landed hard blows with their free hands.
Shay scrambled for her dropped stun rifle, snatched it off the ground, and fired three quick stun bolts at May. The witch crumpled to the rug of the office, her wand rolling out of her hand and a quiet groan escaping her mouth.
The two statues struggled with James for a few more seconds before they froze and fell on their sides.
James pointed at May. “Get her downstairs. I’m gonna go end this shit.”
“Be careful.” Shay nodded and rushed over to the fallen witch. She draped the woman’s arm over her shoulder and carried her toward the elevator.
James took a few deep breaths and headed down the hall to the large office at the end. He didn’t run toward the door, but when he arrived, he kicked it off its hinges. It landed on the ground with an echoing thud.
Lyle stood in front of the huge desk dominating the room, his hand on his chest. “You know something? Ever since I came to LA, I've been asking myself what would happen if James Brownstone came after me. I worked through all sorts of scenarios in my mind. Kind of worked myself up over it.”
“And what did you come up with?” James rumbled.
“That it’s stupid to be scared of you when you’re as awesome as I am.” Lyle smiled. “You’re really scary and people shouldn’t fuck with you, but you’re known for being tough, not for anything else. You can’t win against me, so what reason is there to be scared?” He shrugged.
Adaptation potential high, Whispy reported.
James cracked his knuckles. Imminent ass-kicking potential high.
He eyed the unassuming man and shook his head. “You’re a complete piece of shit, Lassom. Some of the lowlifes I’ve taken down are saints compared to you.”
“No, I’m a god who is still reaching his maximum potential.” Lyle licked his lips. “And you’re an arrogant idiot, Brownstone. You had one chance at defense, and you aren’t wearing it.” He pointed at James’ chest.
What? Is this about Whispy?
James looked down and grunted. He’d forgotten about the destroyed anti-magic deflector.
“You’re going to go downstairs and kill everyone you see,” Lyle said cheerfully. “After you finish them off, you’ll go outside and kill every cop you see.”
The words repeated in James’ mind over and over and he turned slowly away from Lyle, his eyes going glassy.
Kill everyone you see. Kill every cop you see.
Kill, kill, kill.
James growled as rage flowed through him. The armor shot from his amulet, covering his body, and a helmet settled over his head. His blade didn’t extend, but the claws on both hands did.
Kill, kill, kill. Kill everyone you see. Kill, kill, kill.
“Destroy them all, Brownstone!” Lyle shouted, laughing. “Show them the power of James Brownstone.”
James halted. A long, low snarl followed.
Kill, kill, kill.
Initiating thought filter.
The voice telling him to kill faded to a buzz in the background. James turned around, growling.
Lyle blinked. “Wait.” He held up a hand, resting his other on his chest. “Stop.” His eyes widened. “Oh, I get it. It’s like an anti-magic deflector. I just have to get through its limit.”
James took a step forward. “Limit?” He flexed his clawed fingers. “I’m pissed now. There’s no limit.”
“Go kill everyone downstairs,” Lyle commanded, his eyes wide. “Hop on one foot. Throw yourself out the window. Go get me some water. Hum the main theme song from Ancestor’s Quest.”
James took another step forward, still growling.
“Go to Disneyland. Jump in the ocean. Order a quad-quad at In-N-Out.” Lyle shook his head. “No way. This isn’t fair. I’m a god. This isn’t fair.”
“Tell that to all the people you fucked over, you sonofabitch.” James raked down Lyle’s chest, ripping open his shirt and undershirt and leaving deep gouges. The bounty hunter’s attack tore the bone charm from the Lassom’s bloody chest.
Lyle screamed and fell to his knees, and James kicked him into a nearby wall. The would-be mastermind fell to the ground, the side of his face bloody, but still breathing and alive.
James growled as he looked down at the charm. He brought up his armored foot and stomped on it several times until it was nothing but a pile of jagged pieces.
Some things just didn’t need to exist.
James watched as they loaded Lyle into an ambulance. A single officer sat in the back of the vehicle with him. Without his charm, Lyle was nothing but a two-bit hustler, and the grave threat he had presented was gone. The destruction of the charm released the lingering magic and freed all the other victims. The police and bounty hunters could only wonder how many people in the city had been under the influence of Lyle Lassom.
Shay patted James on the shoulder. “A few minor injuries here and there, but I’m pretty sure Lyle’s the only one seriously injured. Maybe you should have given him a healing potion. If he dies, you might not get the bounty. It looked like you tore half his chest off.”
“I’ve got plenty of money.” James grunted. “If he dies, he dies. I’ll make sure everyone gets paid. I should have just wasted that fucker for what he did. I kind of regret not doing it.”
“Think about it this way: now he gets to sit in prison and realize how far he’s fallen.”
James chuckled. “I didn’t think of it that way.” He looked over as someone walked their way.
May Wu made her way through the crowd toward Shay and James, a pensive look on her face. “I haven’t had a chance yet to thank you and apologize.”
James shook his head. “It’s not your fault. And I was just doing my job.”
“I thought because of my statue magic I could take him. I’m…still getting used to working alone, and I’ve made sloppy mistakes because of it.” The young woman’s face darkened. “But it’s really not Lassom I wanted to thank you for, Brownstone. It’s for taking out those Council bastards. I know my family will rest easier because of what you’ve done.”
James nodded slowly. “They killed one of my guys, too.”
May sighed and offered him a shallow nod.
Shay watched the two, understanding on her face.
“Why are you working alone?” James asked. “Don’t you have a younger sister?”
May shook her head. “She’s given up on bounty hunting. She can’t get over what happened, but I don’t know what to do other than go after bad guys. Just have to get used to doing it by myself. I’m getting there.”
“You don’t have to do that if you don’t want to.” James gestured at the crowd of black-suited agents. “I could have come in here and killed hundreds of people, but I was able to save hundreds instead because of my team. We’re always looking for new people for that team, and we could use another witch, especially one who is willing to go somewhere besides Vegas.”
“I don’t know.” May sighed and looked down at her hands. “I have to think about it, and after this, I might want to take some time off. Thanks, B
rownstone. I’ll let you know.” She nodded and turned to leave.
Shay smiled. “That was nice, James. I think she needed that.”
“Like I said, we could use another witch, and someone who fought the Council will understand how dangerous shit can be.” James stared at the windows he’d shattered earlier. “And sometimes it’s not about how much force you use, but where you aim it.”
26
“Yeah,” James rumbled into his phone. “I still kind of wish I had killed the fucker. I know he’s gonna rot in prison forever, but I’m still annoyed.”
Shay looked over from her side of the bed. James had been talking to Lieutenant Weber for the last fifteen minutes, but she couldn’t follow the conversation because of her fiancé’s general laconic tendencies.
“Thanks for letting me know, Weber.” James turned off his phone and tossed it onto his nightstand.
“What did he say?” Shay asked.
“We got Lassom at the right time,” James replied. “The fucker was bragging to those Kilomea mercs about a big plan he had to do some major hostage shit and hide through mind-controlled puppets, including a plan at a stadium. The little piece of shit understood he needed to keep people between himself and others, but he still thought he could get away with it.”
Shay rolled onto her side to face James. “Subtlety’s a lost art. If I had a power like that, I’d be using it in ways people would never notice.”
“Like blowing up a cartel?” James grinned.
“I said a power like that. My ass-kicking ability isn’t subtle by its nature.” Shay furrowed her brow. “You called me away from the bridal show. I have to admit I’m still having trouble thinking up an epic fucking wedding.”
“This shit is hard, isn’t it?” James chuckled.
“Yeah. I’ve got all the bridesmaids figured out, at least.”
“That reminds me, I’ve got another wedding request.”
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