Soldiers of Fame and Fortune Full Series Omnibus: Nobody’s Fool, Nobody Lives Forever, Nobody Drinks That Much, Nobody Remembers But Us, Ghost Walking, 12 Book series...

by Michael Todd

  Seconds after a click sounded inside her purse, an explosion erupted behind her and blew out the windows of the top condo of the building she had just come from. People screamed and ducked as glass and balls of fire belched from every open space. She chuckled and walked on without paying any attention to what was going on.

  Billie turned right and wandered briskly toward the shopping district. She smiled at a couple of cops who sipped coffee on the corner. Suddenly, their comms crackled to life and they scrambled from their seats, ran to their car, and slid inside. She hid her smile and continued her journey. “Too bad all you will find is the dead, burnt crust of a soulless bitch who deserved everything she got. Oh, yeah, and that dead guy too. He has a headache the size of his hidden bank account.”

  As she walked, she focused her eyes directly ahead and eased into the crowd of shoppers along the streets. In the background, the Eiffel Tower loomed high overhead. She still didn’t have time to actually enjoy the city, but that was fine. She enjoyed her hits way more. It was really refreshing to know the people she targeted this time around were actually the bad guys. She was tired of wondering what side of the fence she played on.

  She was a badass, that was for sure, but one thing she’d never wanted to be was the bad guy. Despite this, she had a strong feeling that there had been too many times in her life when she actually was the villain. Hickok shuddered slightly as she walked and pushed the thoughts from her mind. She knew she would never move forward if she dwelled on that. While she couldn’t let the past define who she was, she sure as hell would learn a lesson from it. There was no way she would ever be the bad guy again, not unless she purposely chose to do so.

  Finally, she turned a corner and headed toward a small, older complex ahead on her right. It was a hostel she had checked them into late at night and paid the owner off to forget that they’d been there. The woman was more than happy to keep everything off the books and had even helped to get Marcus up to the room. He hadn’t recovered from death as quickly as she had.

  Billie retrieved her burner phone from her bag. She stopped and glanced around her, then backed up a few steps into the shadow of an alley. After another cautious glance at her surroundings, she typed in a number and began to text. I’m coming back. Be there in about five minutes. Don’t be trigger-happy.

  She dropped the phone into her bag and stood there for a moment, mesmerized by two people who walked down the street across from her. They hadn’t seen her in the shadows and were young, in love, and held hands with no idea of the dangers of the world they lived in. The girl giggled and laughed while the guy held her close and drew her shoulder against him. They were in their very own world, and it made Billie a little envious.

  Irritated by the unexpected bout of nostalgia, she shook her head and shoved her sunglasses up. “Get it together, Jean. You missed out on that a long time ago. There’s no use in getting sappy about it now.”

  With her tough expression once again in place, she stepped out of the shadows and turned toward the hostel at the end of the block. She shook her head and realized that her black ops mindset slipped more and more each day. While she might not be an operative for the man anymore, she needed to keep her wits about her. She walked up to the ornate door of the hostel and grabbed the handle. “Besides, you get to kill assholes. What could be better than that?”

  Chapter Four

  Marcus rested his head on the pillow and stared at the watermarks on the ceiling above him. His eyes shifted to the window and the Eiffel Tower in the background. The bed coils creaked as he shifted his weight and pain surged through him. He stared at the white clouds that drifted intermittently in the bright blue sky. There was absolutely no doubt that he had wanted to be out of the game. But now that he was there, he had no idea what life would be like. Money wasn’t an issue, but his comfort zone had been breached and that was something he never really knew how to deal with.

  He rolled his eyes and turned away from the window and onto his side. Without conscious thought, he slid his hand under the pillow and over the barrel of his gun. He tapped his fingers against the cold metal and stared at the uneven wood floors, the dust gathered in the corners, and small holes which seemed a perfect fit for a mouse. He still wasn’t sure why Billie had picked a run-down piece of shit place when they could have simply used her new name to rent a decent place in an upscale hotel. There were more than enough of them in Paris to not be noticed.

  Suddenly, a few hard knocks sounded on the door. Marcus narrowed his eyes and gripped the gun tightly to yank it out from under the pillow. He groaned as he pushed himself into a sitting position and held the weapon in front of him. A lump had lodged in his throat and he swallowed hard as he listened intently. After a few moments of silence, there were more knocks, a pause, and a few more. He scooted to the edge of the bed and his heart beat wildly, his nerves on edge.

  The handle turned slowly and the hinges creaked as the door opened slightly. He raised his pistol as Billie stuck her face into the crack. “Hey, dipshit…”

  Marcus’ whole body relaxed, and he lowered the gun to his lap. A long, deep breath pushed from his lungs and he motioned to the door. “Fucking shit. Come in already. You will either give me a fucking heart attack or I’ll shoot you in the leg or something.”

  “I messaged you,” she retorted. “I suppose you let your battery die again.”

  He shrugged, put the safety back on, and shoved the gun under his pillow. Leaning to the side, he rubbed his neck, closed his eyes, and tried to work a little of the soreness out. She walked in, shut the door behind her, and clicked the lock into place. Without a word, she removed her glasses, set her bag on the table, and checked her bright red lipstick in the mirror.

  Marcus blinked at her. “Since when have you been worried about your makeup?”

  Billie’s eyes looked at him through the mirror. “If I have to be in disguise, I won’t walk around with red lipstick on my teeth. It’s unsightly and will draw attention.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Whatever. I am only trying to stay awake and maybe even walk. You know, those normal things people do on a regular basis.”

  She chuckled, turned, and leaned against the dresser. “The goop is working on you so you will be tired. It’s not like you died from a wound. I injected you with a serum. The stuff has to clear the drugs out of every part of your body. It’ll take a little while so be patient.”

  Marcus leaned his body against the wall and placed his hand on his stomach. “I’m starving, though. I feel like I’m fucking sixteen again and all I want to do is throw my head back and squeeze Cheez-Whiz down my throat before I stuff my face full of Cheetos.”

  Hickok wrinkled her nose. “That’s gross.”

  He raised his shirt and patted his oddly muscular six-pack. “All this with no exercise.”

  She tilted her head to the side. “Did you have that before I killed you?”

  “I was in shape, sure, but this kind of defined beauty?” He shrugged. “No. I don’t think I’ve ever had a six-pack like this before. Mine was more of a four-pack loosely defined in shape and size. The kind I had to turn the right way to appreciate. This is an amazing side effect.”

  Billie made a mental note that she should probably let Holly know about things like that. “Well, remember that you had to die for it. It’s not like you simply took a pill and bam.”

  Marcus pulled his shirt down and pushed himself up straighter. “It wasn’t so bad, really. I felt the injection and there was a moment of euphoria before everything went blurry and I felt really tired. I was completely fine with whatever was going on. Then I died, I guess. Although I am a little worried that I didn’t see the white light, the tunnel, and the whole nine yards.”

  She smiled as she rifled through their things for her tablet. “If I were you, I would simply be glad you didn’t smell brimstone.”

  He chuckled. “That would definitely have set me straight this time around. I would have woken up a fucking saint.”

/>   Billie walked over to the small wooden desk and sat. “Right, and saints use the word fucking all the time.”

  Marcus grimaced. “I guess these days, it really depends on the saint and the church.”

  She stopped what she was doing and looked slowly at him as she tried not to laugh. “That, sir, was a low blow.”

  He shook his head. “No. That was what the Holy Father said. Ba-boom, ching.”

  Hickok shook her head. “Terrible. Terrible joke. I’m firing you from my friendship right now.”

  “Is that all it took?” He laughed. “If that were the case, I would have rolled out with priest jokes a long time ago and thrown in a few dead baby jokes for good measure.”

  Hickok turned to her computer and ignored him. She opened it and inserted a scrambler into the side port. Typing in a secret web address, she pulled up her bank account. It was exactly as it should be and the money for the job had transferred over without an issue. She smiled and closed it out, shut the lid to her laptop, and turned in her chair. Marcus watched her for a moment as she leaned back, put her legs out in front of her, and crossed them at the ankles. She looked satisfied and happy, something he wasn’t used to seeing.

  He raised his eyebrows. “Soooo…how did the job go? I heard talk about an explosion on the radio and assumed it had something to do with you.”

  She looked at him and grinned. “It was both profitable and personally satisfying, if you must know. Who knew those two had such high bounties on their heads?”

  Marcus put his hands in his lap and clutched them together as if he tried to hide his nerves. “Yeah, well, they were protected by some very powerful and very influential people. No one wanted to touch that job with a ten-foot pole.”

  Billie shrugged. “The money was transferred before I even stepped foot back into the hostel. I moved it through several different systems into the other accounts and closed the original ones. If anyone even tried to follow the trail, they would find themselves so wrapped up in red tape and dead ends, it would take twenty years to get through it. I’m sure they will look everywhere for the elusive killer.”

  Hickok chuckled and Marcus relaxed enough to smile in response. “But he will disappear into the jungle—or Zoo. I knew that we set this up well. It makes me feel good to know that even though I died, it doesn’t mean I lost my touch.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “You do know you didn’t do any of the heavy lifting on this one, right?”

  He waved his hand dismissively. “Without my knowledge of the system, you would have been caught red-handed. Besides, without me, you wouldn’t have even known about those hits or who to contact to carry them out. It’s okay, I know you find it difficult to show gratitude where it is due. I’ll simply take your success as a thank you.”

  Marcus gave her a grin and Billie shook her head. “I missed you. I won’t lie. You are a complete ass-wipe sometimes and your ego really needs to be deflated, but how could I live my new life without my weird technologically obsessed partner at my side?”

  “I don’t know.” He breathed deeply and shrugged his shoulders. “I couldn’t imagine living without me either. It would be a dull and lonely life sitting around waiting for someone as smart as me to enter the picture.”

  Billie laughed and stood, moved over to the bed, and sat. She turned and crossed her legs, then looked at him.

  He narrowed his eyes and tilted his head slightly away. “Why do I feel like I’m part of a sleepover and you’re about to pull nail polish or something out and ask to do my feet?”

  She gave him a deadpan look. “I’m simply getting comfortable. So, have you put any more thought into your new life?”

  Marcus pursed his lips and shook his head. “I don’t know. I’ve laid here all day and thought about it. I have been really good with money, so I have enough squirreled away to find a third world country and live a nice life.”

  Billie chuckled. “You are so cute, thinking you could give up your love affair with technology. I give you six months.”

  He feigned shock for a moment before he sighed. “Honestly, I gave myself four, so you were generous. But I owe it to myself—and to you in some ways—to at least try. I have an opportunity not many people have. I need to know what I’m capable of. Who knows? I might decide that I like being a programmer for hire. I don’t know if I could do it in the living world with all-day programmers and their pocket protectors, though.”

  Hickok tilted her head back and howled with mirth. “I am struggling so hard to picture you in a pinstriped, short-sleeved button-up with a pocket protector and a partial bald spot on the top.”

  Marcus shuddered. “Yeah, that will not happen. But I could definitely do something with the dark web. My own version of a ghost, but not out battling sharp-toothed animals like you. I have plenty of experience with that side of the web.”

  She smiled sadly and slapped her hands against her legs. “Whatever you do, I’m sure you will be fantastic. You were the best in the organization, so I can’t imagine it being different out here in the fake world. Besides, you need something to bring in the cash. I know you can’t live without your toys and your weird robot girls.”

  He sighed and stuck his bottom lip out. “They are the true victims here. Left to be dismantled in the basement of the government building.’

  Billie pulled up on her knees and leaned forward to kiss him on the forehead. “You do whatever you think is good for you. But remember to give me your location in case I have to come running for you.”

  Marcus nodded as she stood and grabbed her purse. She walked to the door and looked back at him but didn’t say a word. With a final sweet smile, she opened the door and closed it quietly behind her. As usual, Marcus couldn’t even hear her walk down the hall, but he leaned toward the window and saw her step into the street and disappear into Paris.

  He sat there in the quiet hostel room for several moments. Finally, he sighed deeply. “I’m sorry, Billie, but I’m not meant to be in the Zoo like you.”

  As she walked down the alley, she paused at a dumpster and pulled her wig and under cap off. She shook her long brown hair out and changed her clothes. While she shrugged into a T-shirt, her normal green cargo jacket, and a pair of fatigues, she thought about her new life. “Oh, they will really have to watch out.”

  She laughed and tucked her phone, tablet, and wallet into a smaller bag and threw everything else away. After a furtive look around her, she retrieved one of the special matches she had filched from the lab, struck it, and flicked it into the dumpster before she threw her bag over her shoulder and continued along the Paris street. No one paid her any attention during her walk. She stopped in front of a barbershop and smiled, opened the door, and walked inside.

  The barber wiped his hands off and twirled the chair around. “What can I do you for today?”

  Billie was surprised at his American accent. “I want you to shave the right side of my head. Leave the top and left side long and flip it over.”

  The man raised an eyebrow and grabbed his sheers. “Whatever floats your boat.”

  After a generous tip for the man, she left, feeling impish and carefree. As she turned the corner to cut through the alley, though, she walked into a small group of guys. They stood around and smoked as they joked with one another about girls until they spotted her.

  The apparent leader of the group pushed away from the wall and walked toward her. “Well, lookie what we have here. Nice fucking haircut. You must be one of those lesbian protestors. I bet I could change your mind about that.”

  Hickok rolled her eyes and walked past him while she muttered under her breath, “I doubt you could get a hetero woman to sleep with you, much less one you think is a lesbian.”

  The guy growled and grabbed her by the arm. “What did you say, bitch?”

  She sighed, turned, and slugged him hard. He teetered back and forth for a moment and his eyes rolled back in his head. She blew a puff of air at him and watched as he fell like a tree to lan
d painfully on the ground. The others stopped and raised their hands in a conciliatory gesture.

  Billie looked at them for a moment and then at their unconscious comrade. “I’m on vacation. Tell him I thought he was cute. If he had asked, he might have had a chance.”

  Two of them opened their mouths but she narrowed her eyes and stared them down. They hoisted their friend up and hurried down the alley and out of sight. She laughed as she walked the last few blocks to her destination. At a small door, she looked right and left before she knocked three times. A small window on the door slid open to reveal a dark-skinned man’s eyes and nose.

  “Yeah?” he said gruffly.

  She leaned forward. “Captain Jack.”

  The doorman studied her for a moment and slammed the window before he opened the door. Billie smiled and stepped into the darkness.

  Chapter Five

  The apartment was quiet with only a low murmur of music from Holly’s laptop. She always worked better with music. The signal out there was hard to find, though, so she’d signed up for a streaming service. Classical had always been what she listened to when she was in college. She wasn’t even sure how she would have made it through the long nights without Tchaikovsky and Beethoven humming melodically through the college lab. Recently, she had completely forgotten about music, so this was a nice change of pace for her. The work, though, was not at all what she wanted to do in that moment. She wanted to work on her company but instead, she was stuck doing research on useless shit for a company she had no more patience for.

  She straightened in her seat to read through the notes she had taken. For the sake of expediency, she’d decided to use the lab Dan had suggested. Secrecy was no issue with work for the company, and their state-of-the-art equipped saved her hours and brought better results After a few tests, she had figured out some of the chemical properties from the plants that she had retrieved from the Zoo. While they had brought back quite a few, some of them were damaged and she didn’t want that to affect the results. Still, she’d made headway, whether she really liked it or not.