“I’m not very fond of games, Russ.”
“Me neither. Since you’re being up front with me, now I’m going to be up front with you.” He reached back and found the local newspaper. “Your friend Big Jake. Huh. He wasn’t the only one dead. The truth is, I was too scared to report all that I found, and anyway, the cops did a pretty good job covering up the rest.”
“What do you mean?”
“Big Jake was shot with his own gun.” He winced. “Poor guy was in the middle of a Matlock marathon, too. And that ain’t all.” He opened the paper up to the crime section and jabbed at it with his meaty finger. “In that same area, a woman was killed with a knife and another man was run clean over. Dead. Those were witnesses.” He eyed her. “How come you think you know who did it?”
She told him the story about the two goons at the range.
Russ’s face turned pale.
“What is it?” she said to him.
“I’ve heard about those guys before. They call them the Buffalo Brothers Assassins, and they say they can’t be killed.”
CHAPTER 6
“Where do you come up with this stuff?” Sid said. “I’ve never come across any files dealing with any Buffalo Brothers. And why would they take out Jake?” She hit the arm of the plaid sofa. “Damn!”
“He probably shouldn’t have stuck a gun in their face. Guys like that, they don’t take threats lightly.” He wheeled his chair back and eased his way in front of his computer. He started typing. “Sounds like they were making a point.”
“If they can’t be killed, why worry?” Her nostrils flared. Her face got flushed. Were the Buffalo Brothers the ones that had put the paper on her window? “Sickos!”
“My guess is they wanted you to know about it. Look, Agent, er, well, Sidney—that all right?”
“Yes.”
“Seems to me they wanted you to know about it. Or somebody did for some reason.” He eyed his screens. “Huh, this is interesting. Seems Big Jake had quite a unique history.”
“What do you mean?”
“He was an ex-cop that worked a lot of strange cases. Looks like they made him retire early.” He clicked through some more articles. “Yup. The top brass didn’t like him. Hmmm, now that I think about it, his name’s pretty familiar. When I started my rag ten years ago, he was one of the few that would talk. Not much, but better than nothing.” He pulled up a picture of Jake, younger. Clean shaven and in uniform. “That’s him. Now I remember what he said. I quoted it in one of my papers. He said, ‘Monsters pull the strings, not men.’ Huh.” He rubbed his lip. “I burned my lip with my coffee when he said that one.”
“That was the last time you saw him?”
“Yep. Of course, I was pretty self-absorbed back then. I moved on. He retired. He had an edge about him, though. I wouldn’t be surprised if ol’ Jake knew something. Or made some enemies. They decided to take him out.”
“When you say they, who does that mean, to you?” Sid asked.
“Oh, well, you have the Black Slate. The Drake. The Hierarchy Enslaving You. Probably several more they go by.” He plunked away on the keyboard. “Who do you think they are?”
“The same, I guess.” Sid’s fingers drummed on the sofa arm. Were the Buffalo Brothers coming for her, or were they satisfied having gotten Jake? Who had put the paper on her car? It all seemed so convenient. It didn’t help that she felt like someone was watching her all the time, either. The people she passed. The cameras in the streets and stores. They controlled all of them. “How do you know about the Buffalo Brothers?”
“Huh. It’s another one of those dirty little DC secrets. That pair’s been killing people around here for years. They’re assassins. Hit men. It was the weird earrings, sunglasses, and the one’s long neck that gave it away. When they show up, death follows.” He guzzled down some of his beer. “Yep, real spooky. And they take out criminals mostly. Rats. People no one even cares about. The faces that don’t make the papers. I think they’re part of the Drake’s cleanup crew, to be frank. Those monsters that leave tracks in the blood they spilled. They need looking after, too.” He shook his head. “I sure hate to see someone go like that. Seems Big Jake was one of us.”
“Us?”
“Yeah, us. People who aren’t scared to shine the light on evil.”
Sid nodded. “Tell me more.”
“There was this one fella, worked the door in town at one of the strip clubs. Well, he said there was a scuffle in the alley. Said he saw a guy in sunglasses take a few gunshots at point-blank range and walk away.” Russ finished off his beer. “The guy doing the shooting survived because the guy he shot vanished just as police arrived. The bouncer said it was lucky, because he saw murder in that assassin’s eyes. The bouncer said that look scared the piss out of him. And he was a big dude.”
“Maybe he wore a vest,” Sid suggested.
“Well, that’s one account. There was another club, the Night Ranger, where I met a pair of gals who’d stumbled on a murder victim. A guy was stabbed to death. No one saw anything.” Russ turned toward Sid and leaned forward. “After the detectives left, I asked if they noticed anyone standing out in the crowd. They mentioned those guys. The weird earrings and glasses. Their eyes haunting them. One gal said she blacked out just from looking at him. ‘Hypnotic,’ she said. ‘Evil.’”
Sid’s throat tightened. Those sound like the guys. “Why do they call them the Buffalo Brothers?”
“Good question. Simply put, they started this stuff in Buffalo, New York. Oh man, I haven’t talked about them in a long time. Uh, could you reach behind you? See those ratty books on the shelf?” He pointed. “Grab that one in the top right corner, third book over.”
She turned, got up on her knees, reached over, and grabbed the book. “This it?”
“That’s the one.”
It was a small hardback book with a brown cloth cover. The title read The Buffalo Murders, by Jim Johann. She scanned the title page. “This was published in 1955.”
Russ tossed his beer bottle in the trash can. “Yep.”
Sid leafed through the pages. In the middle were some black-and-white photos of murder scenes. At the end of those pictures were mug shots. Her blood curdled. It was the faces of the two men from the range. “Impossible.”
“You don’t really believe anything is impossible, do you?” Russ said.
She’d already encountered more than a few corpses that came back to life. It was unsettling. “Says their names are Warren and Oliver Ratson. They were convicted. Went to prison for life and disappeared.”
“There’s a lot of people that have gone to prison and disappeared. You’d be surprised. Especially back in those days.” He rubbed his thighs. “Legs’re starting to tingle. That’s a good sign. Anyway, the Buffalo Brothers are ghosts. Living and breathing ghosts. But you’ve seen them for yourself. Now what do you do?”
She thought about Jake Miller. He had been a good man. You took him seriously, but he was warm and friendly. He was the kind of fella that would help you move furniture on a rainy day. “So no one investigates these guys.”
“Seems so. Not unless they trifle with someone that really matters.”
Sidney got up, still holding the book. “Can I take this?”
“Sure. So what are you thinking about doing?”
“I’m thinking I’m going to find these bastards and take them down.”
CHAPTER 7
Driving down the road, Sidney thought to herself, Who am I kidding? She had to take care of Megan. That didn’t leave her any time to launch her own investigation. But what had happened to Big Jake ate at her. She had to do something. Protecting people. Serving people. It drove her. Damn my pride!
She missed being an agent, and it was beginning to catch up with her. She’d had access. Authority. The badge had given her an air of invincibility, and now that was gone. She’d given it up because she’d gotten mad. Because she felt guilty. She’d convinced herself that she couldn’t trust her
fellow agents anymore. Cruising down the highway, she pulled over into a Wendy’s parking lot. She put the car in park, took out her phone, and sent a text.
The text read, “Looking for the Buffalo Brothers.”
Her thumb hung over the phone. She was about to dig into something that she might not be able to finish. But those men! The arrogant sneers on their faces riled her. They had a dangerous air about them. Same as all the other monsters she’d encountered.
Morning glory, think about what you’re doing, Sid.
Somewhere in her heart, she knew that she and Megan were safe so long as she didn’t go nosing around. That was the deal she suspected Allison had made with the Drake. It was a cop-out, too, but a sacrifice nonetheless. But if Sid moved out of that lane, trouble might quickly find them. She held her breath.
I have to do the right thing. I have to be me.
She pressed send. The text went out to Phat Sam and Guppy. Sid let out her breath. She figured they’d probably changed their numbers anyway. She gave it a few moments. Nothing happened. Probably for the better. She put the car in drive, eased on the gas. The engine rumbled, and the muscle machine surged ahead to the thrill of a few gawkers that showed a thumbs up as she passed by. She smiled.
Maybe I should come here more often.
While she was merging onto the highway, her phone buzzed. There was an emoticon with an excited mouth wide open.
The message read. “Never heard of them. Doing research. Very interesting. We’re in. Meet at Smoke’s. Tonight.”
At the stoplight she texted back. “No, tomorrow.”
“No,” Sam’s text read. “Tonight. Bring Megan. We have plenty of ice cream.”
Morning glory! I was afraid of that.
***
“Where are we going, Aunt Sid?” Megan asked.
They were heading down the highway after finishing up homework and dinner at Sid’s apartment. She’d chewed one of her nails off contemplating what to do. She needed to get back in the action. But it killed her to think she might be putting Megan in danger.
“We’re going to go see Sam and Guppy. Remember them?”
“Oh, that really pretty lady. Yay, I like her. She’s funny.” Megan checked her nails. “Do you think she’ll give me another manicure?”
“I’m sure she’d love to.”
“Good,” Megan said. Her face had brightened. “I love getting my nails done. BTW, it looks like you need yours done, too.” The little girl, now eleven years old, always carried some sadness within her.
Sid felt guilty. She couldn’t keep Megan isolated all the time. They needed to get out. Be around people. It was finding people you could trust that was hard. Sam and Guppy could be trusted.
“I know.”
“So, are you going to be doing cop stuff again? I hope so.” Megan straightened the bow on a purple stuffed bear with burnt-orange plastic eyes. “I know you miss it. You can’t just sit around on your butt and babysit me all the time.”
“Megan!”
“Well, it’s true. Listen, Aunt Sid, I know I’m only in the fifth grade, but I’m reading at a twelfth-grade level. And I’ve always been able to take care of myself. Not that I don’t need you. I do. But you can’t stop living your life because of me.”
Sid’s mouth dropped open. Recovering, she said, “You’re starting to sound like your grandmother Sally.”
Megan slapped her head.
Sidney laughed. Megan was a little adult. She had been since she was five. A lot of that came from taking care of her mother. Sid reached over and brushed her hand over Megan’s soft hair. “You’re something else.”
“I know.”
“Look, Megan. What I did before was dangerous, and I don’t want to dive back into that. If something happens to me, who’s going to look after you? It’s not worth it.”
“Nothing’s going to happen to you, Aunt Sid. Besides, at some point you’re going to have to go get my mother. That’s what heroes do, right?”
Sidney sank behind the steering wheel. Her eyes started to water. Of course Megan would expect her to go get her mother. Why shouldn’t Megan expect her to save her own sister?
“Besides,” Megan said, “most of the time, Mom doesn’t know what’s best for her.”
“Well,” said Sid, swallowing the lump in her throat. “I wish it could be easy.”
“Haven’t you been looking for her this whole time? Like when I’m in school?”
Lord, I’m a fool! How do I explain this? Megan was staring at her with her round pretty eyes. The young girl deserved an honest answer. “Megan, the people your mother is with are very dangerous. If I go after her and get too close, they’ll come after us. I can’t risk losing you again. Do you understand that?”
Sadly, Megan nodded her little chin and curled up into her seat. She hugged her bear tight to her chest.
“Megan, do you trust me?”
“Yes,” the girl said, still looking away.
Sid took a deep breath. “Then I promise I’ll find your mom, my sister. But you have to be patient.”
Megan’s face brightened. “Okay. Thanks, Aunt Sid.”
It’s going to be hard to find someone that doesn’t want to be found. And they’ll be waiting for it. “You’re welcome.”
CHAPTER 8
Smoke’s gas-station apartment hadn’t changed a bit since the last time she had been in there. The room was warm, and there was a lingering sent of oil in the air. Even after only being there a few times, Sid felt at home there.
“This place is cool,” Megan said, gazing up at an old King Kong movie poster on the wall.
Sam shook Sid’s hand. The gorgeous older woman was casually dressed in Buckle jeans and a snug designer T-shirt with a sequined design. She gave Megan a hug. “How about some ice cream while we get those nails of yours done?”
Megan clapped her hands and bounced up and down like the kid she was supposed to be. “Yay!”
It made Sid smile before she looked expectantly at Sam.
Sam winked. “Good to see you. Once we finish with this little angel, we’re doing you next.” She took Megan by the hand. “Come on.”
Eyeing the studio apartment, Sid’s eyes landed on Guppy. The short, burly man stood up from behind the computers as she approached. He gave her a warm embrace, locking his powerful forearms around her waist. “I was starting to think you weren’t going to come around.”
“It’s not easy staying away. I’ll admit that.”
“It’s in your blood,” Guppy said. “It’s who you are. It’s probably who you’ve always been.”
Nodding her agreement, Sid sat down in the chair beside Guppy. “So, what have the two of you been up to?” She eyed him. “Have you still been bounty hunting?”
“You know we keep our jobs confidential,” he said, smoothing his hand over his bald head. “But we’ve been paying the bills, if that’s what you’re concerned about.”
She wasn’t. She wanted to know if they’d seen Smoke, but she wasn’t going to ask. She set Russ Davenport’s book, The Buffalo Murders, on the desk. “Have you dug up anything yet?”
“Maybe. Are you hiring us for a job?”
She leaned back. Her chest tightened. “Well, no. I just thought—”
“I’m teasing you, Sid. You’re family to us. You know that. Any friend of Smoke’s is a friend of ours.” His chestnut eyes locked on hers. He patted her knee. “Till the end.”
Relieved, she said, “I don’t want to be any trouble. I just … you know … this guy, Jake Miller. He’s dead. I feel like I’m a part of it somehow. She clenched her fists. “Oh, I don’t need to drag you guys into this.” She went for the book.
Guppy covered the book with his rugged hand. “Take it easy, Sid. Look, I’m not going to lie to you. We have things going on. That doesn’t mean we can’t squeeze you in.”
Oh man, they’re going to blow me off. “Are you shelving me?”
“No, no,” he said, picking up the book. “Now
you should know better than that. We trust each other, right?”
“A lot can change in a matter of months. For all I know, you have a really cushy gig.” She tipped her head toward the window. “I noticed that Porsche Cayenne outside. That looks pretty new. Nice cream color.” She started to get up.
“Sid, please sit down and let me finish my thoughts. Geez. I guess I do talk too slow. Either that or all women are impatient. At least to me. Sam really wears me out telling me to spit it out all the time.”
“You’re rambling now.”
He sighed. “Okay, let me spit it out, then. Me and Sam have been talking. We want you in.”
“In? What do you mean, in?”
“Become a bounty hunter. Like us. It’s got great hours, and you’d be good at it.”
Something ignited behind her chest. A spark. A flurry. She liked the idea. “I’m at a loss for words. Uh, how’s your dental plan?”
Guppy rumbled a laugh. “And you’d fit right in.”
“How do you do what you do and fly under the radar?”
“We have a legit operation that’s our cover, and then we do other things as well.” He shrugged his heavy shoulders. “We manage.”
“I just thought that Smoke—”
“Did all the field work? No, no.” He rolled up the sleeve of his plaid shirt. “Dog bite.” He exposed his neck and ran his finger down a white scar. “Knife wound. I have many more, but I’m a gentleman. And nothing against Smoke, but he hasn’t been around. We don’t close shop without him. If I gotta bust heads to get my dough, so be it. ”
“I didn’t realize you did that. And so does Samantha?”
“Oh yeah. She’s the hook and I’m the hammer. Her face works like a stun gun. Men are putty in her hands.” Using his hands, Guppy made goggle eyes. “Thugs get that deer-in-the-headlights look.” He glanced at Sam, smiling. “Never seen a mortal man that can resist her wiles.”
Sid laughed. “You make her sound like one of Charlie’s Angels.”
“Lord, don’t tell her that. The last person that said that to her got punched in the throat.” He made a bitter face. “She just hates that show for some reason.”
The Supernatural Bounty Hunter Files Collector's Set: Books 1-10: Urban Fantasy Shifter Series Page 44