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

  He turned and put his hands on his hips. “I don’t know who the hell you are, but you need to get the fuck out of my apartment. How the hell did you even get in here in the first place? Is there no bartender downstairs?”

  The woman laughed and stepped forward into the light. He looked at her once and then snapped his head back to stare at her face. She was so familiar— Damn. Her face told him clearly that she was the same woman he’d found lying in the sand outside the Zoo, dying from her wounds. His mouth dropped open and he shook his head.

  Billie chuckled. “What’s wrong, JB? Cat got your tongue?”

  JB stepped forward and studied her face. “Hickok? You look so…so…so…”

  She laughed. “Young? Sexy? Stylish with my new hairdo? I know. I am a vision of the woman you once knew. But I’m also a vision of the woman who will spend an eternity annoying the living hell out of you.”

  He scoffed. “If we live forever. With my luck, I’ll get all young and hot and turn into a fucking duo-bear right down there in the bar. I’ll die from a gun blast from my own patrons.”

  Hickok walked forward with a sexy smile. “It’ll be the sexiest young duo-bear they’ve ever seen. The bar will go down in infamy as the first outside place to have an alien take a shot at it.”

  JB shook his head and ignored her nonchalant joke about what was, in fact, his imminent death. “You said a woman could go to jail. Great, are you telling me that fifteen will get you twenty? I’m a damned teenager now? I’m sure I look younger but not that fucking young.”

  Billie shrugged, raised her hands, and walked to the counter. She put her palms down and pulled herself up on the sink, then crossed her legs in front of her. “If it weren’t for that manly five o’clock shadow, I would say you could pass for high school. Have you seen how they make kids these days? They look like grown-ass men.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Not out here. And by the way, how did you— You know what? Never mind.”

  JB snorted as he grabbed a second towel and dried his dark hair and glistening wet muscles. She could bypass any security and systems way more superior than the one he’d set up, so it was no real surprise that she’d gained entry without alerting him. “So you’re here for the show, right? The death of a legend?”

  She smirked. “I am, but I have an even bigger role to play. I worked out the entire scenario for you. That’s why I’m here—to give you the step-by-step so you know exactly what will happen.”

  He leaned against the counter as a shaft of pain seared through his leg. “Okay, what do you have?”

  Billie clapped her hands excitedly. “I love a good plan. So, first, you make a couple of appearances downstairs with your makeup on and look all old and sickly. That is when you announce that you will go into the Zoo. Personally, I’d prefer to see us set your death up instead of killing you and bringing you back to life with a second dose of serum, but we will have to see what works. I know the guys down there will not settle for a half-baked setup. They might even decide to search for you, so it’s important that there can be no doubt that you are dead and gone.”

  JB smiled as he donned a T-shirt. “I have a good group of friends down there. They want to make sure that the legend never fully dies.”

  She blinked but continued without comment. “So, you will essentially die—either for real and be brought back, or by setup. That is when I will get you out of the Zoo and into hiding. We will lie low for a while, at least until the group is satisfied that you are dead. During that time, Paula runs the bar as per your will that must also state that you have a nephew.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “Okay. So I have to write a new will.”

  Billie shrugged. “Yeah. It kind of won’t work otherwise. Anyway, a few days later, I will escort you back into town. You and I will be cousins, and we will have a story all put together to tell everyone. They won’t accept it otherwise, stubborn assholes.”

  JB laughed. “And I love them for it.”

  She grinned. “You are JB’s long lost nephew and you were contacted by Paula to tell you that you had a bar to run in the Zoo. It seems you always wanted to come here, but your mother kept you protected. Do you have a sister?”

  He shook his head. “No, but no one knows that.”

  Hickok nodded. “Good. You have to tell everyone that your mom died two years ago and that you had decided to come out and see your Uncle JB. That’s when you got the call that he died. You will then take the bar over and fall right into place. Ta-Da!”

  JB scratched his head and wrinkled his nose. “I don’t know. Doesn’t that all sound a little complicated?”

  She jumped down from the counter and grabbed his cheeks. “Honey, dying is always complicated.”

  Author Notes - Michael (Todd) Anderle

  February 12, 2019

  THANK YOU for not only reading this story but these Author Notes as well.

  (I think I’ve been good with always opening with “thank you.” If not, I need to edit the other Author Notes!)

  RANDOM (sometimes) THOUGHTS?

  So, I took a late nap (really, really late) and figured I would just sleep until the morning.

  Apparently, that is not going to be a thing this evening. I woke up about 10:00 PM and “somehow” (uh huh) I started watching videos and ended up watching the Queen Live Aid snippet on YouTube.

  (TOTAL SQUIRREL)

  It reminded me of the Freddie Mercury biopic and how Rami Malek did SUCH a good job with his rendition of the QUEEN front man. While looking up how to spell his name (sorry, not on the tips of my fingers), I found a person who put together a comparison of the 172 MILLION views clip from Live AID in 1985 vs. the film.

  It is pretty spot on. In just two months, it has garnered fifteen million views. That is almost ten percent and (to me) a desire for Mr. Malek to take an Oscar with his BAFTA award. I get that some people believe that mimicking a person is not acting.

  Perhaps they are right. However, to do the job Rami Malek accomplished is a cut above.

  I will never ever treat anyone who can write like another author and tell a gripping story with anything but respect.

  If I am entertained, I don’t care if it is video, audio, or words; I’m impressed by talent. My mind doesn’t care if you learned your chops by reading a thousand books (me) or at the feet of James Patterson or from a school.

  Just write. We need more entertainers in this world.

  I get overwhelmed like anyone else, and I think God for entertainment (specifically books and stories). They have helped me get through some pretty damn dark times.

  Now, I’m here—honored to be delivering stories through LMBPN from authors who live around the world to fans around the world who read them.

  Blessed.

  AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS

  One of the interesting (at least to me) aspects of my life is the ability to work from anywhere and at any time. In the future, I hope to re-read my own Author Notes and remember my life as a diary entry.

  Las Vegas, NV

  Yeah, remember a moment ago when I said I took a late nap? That nap was in bed. I’m still not up.

  I have my Apple laptop, and I’m typing away on these author notes. It is 12:11 AM at the moment, and I’m sure Stephen Campbell and Lynne Stiegler will appreciate me finishing these any minute now. (Editor’s Note: The not nice #WhiteHairedManWhoIsNotSanta won’t care, but I do. Thanks, Mike! Going to bed as soon as I turn these in (and change out of the lawn pixie outfit I wear to fool you into thinking that’s who edits your Author’s Notes))

  It’s not like the story has to be loaded and released on Amazon in a few minutes or anything.

  (See that name dropping above? That’s to grease the wheels so they don’t get too pissed at me when they realize I almost SLEPT THROUGH DELIVERING THE AUTHOR NOTES.) (Editor’s Note: We still love ya, Big Guy!)

  ;-)

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  Ad Aeternitatem,

  Michael Anderle

  Ghost Redemption

  Soldiers of Fame and Fortune Book Eleven

  Chapter One

  JB thrust his short sword into the sheath on his hip. He stepped over a fallen log and glanced at the carpet of leaves beneath his feet. His gaze panned his surroundings and his previous instincts immediately kicked in as he walked through the Zoo. He could feel the preparation, the anxiety, and the watchfulness return to him like time had never passed since his last trip years before. What he didn’t realize was exactly how much he had forgotten of the wonder of the jungle.

  The colors were wild and the trees swayed in sync as the Zoo breathed in the familiar subtle but steady rhythm. The underbrush was much higher this time around, some of the shrubs taller than he was. Still, it had the same distinct character. A world of its own, like something out of a movie. Everything made him remember the old days, the cascade of moments in his life that fit together like a puzzle to create his own personal story. The whispers of voices seemed to echo around him as he pushed through the brush, voices of the people who represented the individual pieces of the bigger picture that was his life.

  He paused and peered into the canopy of the trees, drew in a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. A monkey swung high across the overhanging branches and paid little attention to him below. The years had been long and hard on him but now, he had begun the walk into a new beginning.

  JB drew his gun from its holster and sighed as he pushed forward. “Finally.”

  There was a strange sensation in the pit of his stomach. After all, he had never walked into the place with the sole purpose of getting himself killed before. Everyone in the bar had been told he was dying. That provided a more believable and fitting end to his story than some random surprise trip into the jungle. The patrons had wanted to come with him to be there for him when he died, but he’d been able to convince them not to. Actually, Paula had. She had reminded them of his pride, of his strength, and of the deliberate quietness of his life. He had done everything else alone, and this was something he needed to do alone as well.

  Of course, dying wasn’t actually in the cards. He merely had to make it look like he had died. There was no reason to have to be brought back to life again—besides which, who knew what another dose of goop serum would do? The Zoo had more than enough dark corners, shadowed creatures, and unexplained weirdness to cover up his goodbye. All the more reason why he needed to remember to be careful so that he didn’t actually kick it out there. Setup or not, the Zoo was a damn dangerous place and he hadn’t been in for quite a while.

  JB scoffed as he walked and chuckled quietly. “Holly would resurrect my ass and then kill me all over again simply to prove a damn point.”

  He continued cautiously and brought up the list of animals in the HUD database. There had been many new creatures added to the mix since he had been there last. A fair number of them were much bigger than the ones he had faced before and deadlier, too. He sighed when he realized that things had been a lot simpler when he had first started out in the Zoo, although he would never have thought it back then. Plagues of locusts, a couple of big monsters here and there, and the occasional man-eating plant with venomous thorns.

  As if his body knew he had thought of the deadly plants, his leg shivered slightly in pain. He rubbed the side of his thigh even though he knew it was all in his mind. The disease had gone, and there was no trace of it in his blood anymore. Of course, knowing that didn’t erase the years of pain he’d endured, convinced that one day, it would be the thing that killed him. Little did he know that instead, he would be healed and would walk into the jungle alone to hand-pick the story they told of his death.

  JB grinned. “If the liquor route wasn’t already taken, I would definitely be down for that. I could use a shot right about now. A little liquid courage in case anything decides to poke its head out today.”

  An alarm blared harshly in his HUD. He switched out of the library of creatures to his heat sensing tool. Tense and alert, he gripped his gun tightly and focused on a rapid scan of his surroundings to identify the threat. A low beep on the sensor grew quicker and quicker as the creature approached. JB looked up, cleared the heat sensors from his vision, and stopped dead in his tracks. All he could hear was his own breathing.

  A creature launched out of the undergrowth with a vicious growl before he could even focus on it. Man and beast careened away in a tangled motion from the impact.

  They rolled back through the leaves and slid to an abrupt halt as the beast appeared in the corner of his HUD. He tried to pay attention, but it was difficult while the six legs attempted to wind around him. It was medium-sized, about the same as a koala or bear cub. Its long snout was lined with sharp, jagged teeth and its body was covered in slimy fur.

  JB struggled to grasp it and break its hold, but his hands slipped through the sludge. “What is this fucking thing?” he muttered.

  The HUD replied in a robotic female voice. “Orbiter. Travels on all six legs in a head to foot circular motion. Body is covered in fur and slime secretes constantly from pores. To kill, shoot in chest, center, top. Does not regenerate. Not poisonous. Number of human casualties, zero.”

  He nodded. “Now that’s helpful.”

  His pistol pressed painfully into his spine and he fumbled to retrieve it from where it had fallen beneath him. With a mutter of triumph, he closed his fingers around it and brought it to the front to aim it at the beast’s chest. Its eyes widened and JB laughed. “Oh yeah. That’s exactly what you think it is.”

  The report rang in his ears when he squeezed the trigger and shot the orbiter in the chest. The close-range shot catapulted it back and the body sprawled a few feet away. JB released a sharp breath and let his head fall forward. He panted a little as he pushed himself to sit upright. After a quick, wary look at his surroundings, he scrambled to his feet and holstered his weapon before he approached the orbiter and poked it with the toe of his boot. The thing was definitely dead, and its blood seeped into the soil below it.

  The sun was high overhead, which made the entire Zoo steam with heat. JB leaned down, grabbed the beast by one of its legs, and swung it out into the brush. “There’s no need to let you sit here and get all nasty. You, sir, were not the one to be the cause of my death. I’m JB. I will never be a species’ first human casualty.”

  He glanced at the slimy goo on his hands and winced. “Especially not something covered in fucking snot. Gross, dude.”

  JB wiped his hand down the side of his suit and drew his gun once more. He checked the number of bullets and continued. “No one would ever have believed that thing could take me down, even on my deathbed.”

  His thoughts shifted to the guys at the bar who had all sat there and stared as he walked out with his suit in hand and his fresh, smooth skin covered with aging makeup. They might have thought he was on his last legs, but they also knew he was a motherfucking fighter. Even his decision to end it all in the Zoo didn’t mean he wouldn’t put up a fight until the end.

  He stopped at the edge of a small stream. The water ran faster than he would have expected in a waterway that tiny. He stepped onto a rock near the center and jumped to the other side. When he landed, pain flared from the stump of his leg and up to his hip. He grumbled and bent in an attempt to adjust his artificial leg through his suit. “The damn thing doesn’t fit right. I couldn’t make a run for it if I had to.”

  The sound of gunfire in the distance caught his attention. He paused and his gaze shifted back and forth as the underbrush shook as if in echo. The barrage repeat
ed, a sign that there was some sort of fight in progress not far from him. “Bring up battle site.”

  He wished the HUD could scan and pull up a map. With his disability, it would be good to avoid delays and head directly for the location. He listened intently and decided that, only half a klick away and directly ahead, a battle was in progress. It didn’t seem like anything too large but was still a fight. Still, it was a pity the damned equipment couldn’t identify numbers and tell him clearly what he would be letting himself in for.

  JB straightened his pant leg and stood with a smirk. “A fight? I’m down. Why not?”

  He straightened and headed off in an ungainly gallop. It was difficult to move at any kind of speed as he had to push off his good leg to not put too much pressure on the artificial one. With the slight breeze that stirred the canopy and the spray of mist from the dripping branches, he almost felt twenty years old again. He felt rejuvenated by the thought of running into a conflict.

  Progress was awkward as he had to leap over fallen trees and duck under branches. As he approached the edge of the battle, he slowed to study the scene. Across from him, three mercs stood spread out about twenty feet apart with their weapons at the ready. Along the edge of the clearing, three jags and one duo bear growled and snarled at them, ready for the fight.

  He opened his comms and located the right channel. “Do you guys need a hand?”

  The mercs looked at him as one and the leader exhaled a deep breath. “Sure could, JB. I didn’t think I would run into you out here today. But we heard you would be out, though. It’s good to see you still standing.”