Jack Addison vs. a Whole World of Hot Trouble - The Complete Series

by K. A. Merikan

  Some of the salespeople suddenly forgot English when he told them his request, others outright said that things like that were bad for business, and that he should put up the posters somewhere else.

  There were, of course, many places that accepted, at least verbally, but the sheer percentage of the businesses that denied their help left Jack with a sinking feeling in his gut. In this beautiful place on the shore of a warm, shimmering sea, people did not care for their neighbors enough to put minimum effort into finding a child. He could not understand that kind of attitude.

  He was glad to finally see the local police station and marched in with purpose, headed straight for the front desk, where two members of the force sat hunched over an open newspaper.

  “Good afternoon.”

  A policewoman with a tight black ponytail and looked up at him with a smile. “Is everything okay?”

  Jack gave her a polite nod. “Nice to meet you. I’m Jack Addison,” he said, making sure the male officer got an equal share of his attention. He didn’t want to neglect either if he was to win something here.

  The policeman put down his paper and raised his eyebrows. “Like that venator device.”

  Jack nodded but kept his gaze lowered, as if he were embarrassed. “Yes, my grandmother was the inventor. But I am here about a personal matter,” he said, now that the importance of his person has been established. He whipped out one of the posters and put it on the desk. “The young brother of a close friend of mine is missing. They suspect he’d been abducted. I wanted to offer my will to cooperate in any police searches and enquiries,” he said, knowing they couldn’t just sit still on their asses once he put the matter in front of them. Shaming into action wasn’t the perfect way to motivate people, but it was something.

  The policeman’s brows twitched, and for a moment he said nothing. “We already searched, and there’s no proof of abduction. He most likely ran away from home.”

  The woman sighed. “Terrible business, but centaurs can be so wild when they’re on the cusp of adulthood. I think watching his older brother has had a detrimental effect on the boy.”

  Jack frowned. “Excuse me?”

  The policeman opened his palms. “He is family of Calix Equus, right? That centaur is well known to the police and everyone who looks for a good time here. If you know what I mean,” he said, and his gaze told Jack that the policeman knew Jack understood too.

  The policewoman pushed the poster Jack’s way until it almost rolled off the edge of the desk. “A young centaur doesn’t have many perspectives in these parts. He likely believes he could be as successful as his brother. A witness told us he’s been seen at the train station.”

  Jack’s stomach clenched unpleasantly. Could this be true?

  “So you won’t be looking anymore?”

  The policeman shrugged, with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I’ve heard centaurs take care of their own. I’m sure he’ll be back soon.”

  Jack left the police station stunned, unsure where to turn. He hadn’t even seen a search for the foal advertised as a job for venators. What would he say to Calix? Where else to search?

  He dragged his feet toward the fountain and managed to leave some leaflets with a bunch of foreigners enjoying late night drinks, but he still felt ineffective. And Jack Addison always succeeded, damn it!

  He sat on the edge of the fountain, watching the water glint in the lamplight when he noticed the sound of hooves. He knew it was Calix before he even looked up. He realized he’d talked so much about himself he hardly knew anything about him. It had made sense at the time, yet felt depressingly selfish now.

  “Jack, any news?” Calix asked. His hair was tied back and he wore a cape over the horse part of his body.

  Jack stood, approaching him with the remaining posters. While still beautiful, Calix was no longer a glamorous creature that existed only for Jack’s pleasure, and just thinking that was how Jack saw him before left him guilty. There was a tension to his features, and his gaze darted to various points around them, as if he hoped to see his little brother somewhere.

  Jack didn’t feel comfortable sharing that he’d had no success, but he restrained the urge to hug Calix, because maybe he wouldn’t have appreciated it without money involved. “I asked around, distributed leaflets. I even talked to the police. They tell me Ezio was seen boarding a train.”

  Calix made a broken sound and took a deep breath. “Ezio wouldn’t run away. He’s a good boy. He wants to go to art school. My parents are devastated and don’t know where to look anymore. They’ve organized the other centaurs, but we’re not allowed in town in large groups. Jack, please, there must be a way to find him. I’ve been saving money so that he can go to Athens. He would have told me if he changed his mind.”

  Jack licked his lips and gently squeezed Calix’s forearm. He couldn’t get over the injustice of this. Someone had to do something. And that someone would be him. “If we’re to investigate, I think it’s best to ask the people who have seen him last. Your family? Friends?”

  “Anything?” Roux asked, and Jack had to stop himself from a yelp, because the chat had sneaked up on them without alarming any of Jack’s superior venator senses. Then again, Roux was no ordinary man.

  He shrugged. “The police don’t want to get involved. They claim Ezio ran away, but Calix says that’s impossible.”

  Calix took a deep, laboriously-sounding breath and briefly hid his face in his hands.

  Jack cleared his throat, meeting Roux’s gaze, angry with himself that he hadn’t asked about the other matter while he was alone with Calix. It was an embarrassing topic for them both, but with the foal’s safety at stake, there was no point stalling. “They also suggested he might have decided to try the same kind of work you do. What do you think?”

  Calix went silent, watching Jack with a blank expression that was nothing like the seductive smiles he’d given Jack at the beach. “Ezio… I didn’t exactly advertise to him what I do. I wanted him to follow his dream, not my lead.”

  Roux stepped closer to the centaur who towered over him. “Do your parents know? I know this is hard, but anything could be helpful now.”

  Jack lowered his gaze, noting how Calix was so clearly distancing himself from his job. He wouldn’t even call it by name, as if out of the context of pleasure, he found the whole business nothing to be proud of.

  “I’m sorry people are making any assumption about you or your brother. We just want to help.”

  Calix reached to Jack’s shoulder. “I know, Jack. You seem like a genuine person.”

  Roux’s whiskers twitched. “Is it possible that he’s already been taken off the island?”

  Off the land. A pony.

  A foal. A pony. Tourists might not even grasp the difference.

  Jack’s brain lit up with fireworks of realization, and he dropped the posters, staring at Calix while his heart beat so hard it would have been frightening in any other situation. “Oh fuck… this guy I met at the beach, Dru… he told me there was a pony who could keep me company. I assumed he meant… like a small guy, not a kid, but maybe—”

  Calix grabbed Jack’s shoulder harder. “Dru is a piece of shit! What did he say? I’ll fucking rip him apart if this is his doing!”

  Jack swallowed, not even daring to look Roux’s way, because beautiful Calix was terrifying in his anger, his hooves clicking against the cobbles, muscled body twitching. “He said the pony will be leaving the island at midnight.”

  Calix stomped his hoof on the cobblestones so hard Jack was afraid for his foot for a second. “Port. Now. Get on my back!”

  Chapter 4

  Jack’s blood pumped through his body as if his heart had absorbed all of his energy and was now using it to work like an industrial piston. There was nothing comfortable about being on Calix’s back when he was speeding breathlessly through the cobbled streets toward the port, and the hard bones of the centaur kept punching Jack’s groin and thighs as he struggled to stay on
without a saddle. His arms wrapped around Calix’s torso were the only thing keeping him in place, and he was glad that the long mane obscured his view, keeping him from noticing the sheer abruptness of this run.

  Behind him, Roux held on for dear life, his slender limbs—and surely his tail—clung to both Calix and Jack, with two of his upper paws digging into Jack’s chest and his furry head resting on Jack’s nape. So maybe there was something nice about this hellish journey.

  Jack’s comfort wasn’t a priority when Calix’s brother could be leaving the marina in a matter of minutes. Dru had said the pony was only ‘available’ until midnight, and Jack hated himself a little bit that he’d chosen pleasure over investigating what that meant.

  They could already see the water, and a fishing boat was setting off as Calix galloped onto the long wooden pier, his hooves creating thunder and sounding so hollow, that for a moment Jack believed the wooden planks would break under their combined weight. But they did not, and Calix practically flew down the pier, toward the boat, where Jack caught a glimpse of centaurs and humans moving in haste.

  “Ezio!” tore out of Calix’s throat, and when a loud, frightened whinny answered, all questions were put to rest.

  Fighting through his fear, Jack dug his knees into Calix’s flesh and shouted at full volume, “In the name of the law, stop!”

  Calix slowed at the edge of the pier so rapidly Jack hit his head against the centaur’s back. Roux let go of him, and before they could coordinate any plan, Roux crouched on Calix’s back. With the amazing strength of his legs, he pushed himself forward and floated through the air, onto the boat that was already out of Jack’s reach.

  Calix yelled his brother’s name again, his hooves on the edge of the pier, but he was unable to do anything. Jack could only dream of jumping as far as Roux, but he didn’t think much more about it when he saw the chat brawling with the people on deck.

  He jumped off Calix’s back and straight into the water.

  Even through the shouting, he could hear the engine working once his body submerged. The sparse light coming from lamps on the pier offered him little guidance, but the water was warm, so he quickly swam back to the surface, blinking away the salt stinging his eyes. There was no time to waste. He had no idea how many Roux was up against, and poor Calix couldn’t possibly board without a gangplank. All was in Jack’s hands now, and he furiously rowed with his arms, intent on catching up with the boat, which was already gaining speed.

  Behind him, Calix was calling for help, and drumming alarm with his hooves. Each noise he made was like a boost to Jack’s efforts. Jack could barely catch his breath by the time he reached the boat and grabbed the metal ladder on the side, but he still used all the energy left in his muscles to haul himself up. His shoes slipped on the damp hull of the boat, but a moment later, he crawled onto the deck, looking for weapons.

  He stalled for half a second at the sight of Roux taking on three opponents at once. Kicking, clawing, hissing, he was a sight to behold, but without his rapier, danger was just a whisker away. A fourth man approached Roux, not noticing Jack.

  This was his moment.

  He forgot all about being unarmed, and tackled the backstabbing fucker all the way to the deck, smashing his elbow into the guy’s temple and when the head rose, eyes glancing at him without focus, Jack smashed it down with his fist.

  One down.

  Without thinking, he searched the unconscious opponent, and when he found the familiar shape of a knife, he swiftly took hold of it and rose. “Give up the foal or be ready to bleed out into the sea!”

  His words distracted Roux’s opponent. He pounced the man, who was already bleeding from his side, and toppled him to the deck as well. “We are both venators and have the right to arrest you!”

  It was then that Jack spotted Ezio behind a huge bundle of rope—inside a cage far too small for his size.

  The remaining men looked at one another before jumping into the sea at the same time.

  Jack put his hands into a tube. “Two are swimming to shore! Don’t let them get away,” he shouted, before dropping to his knees and using some of the thick rope on the deck to restrain the unconscious thug. Roux was dealing with the other across from him, and when their eyes met for the briefest moment, Jack almost felt as if the feline mouth was smiling at him in the dark.

  Roux tied the man’s hands proficiently, and attached the bindings to the railing of the boat. “You’re going nowhere.”

  “I didn’t even know what the job was until tonight!” The man’s face darkened with every passing second. He knew he wouldn’t be getting away with this. “It was this massive centaur, Dru, he arranged it all. Told me this was his cousin or some shit!”

  Jack’s frown deepened, and he shook his head. “The keys.”

  The thug didn’t hesitate telling them where they were, and soon enough, Jack approached the cage where the pretty long-haired pony was cowering, with his hands squeezing the bars. Jack tried to be as gentle as possible when he opened the lock and offered the boy his hand. “It’s all okay now. We will return you to your family.”

  Roux approached them once he’d turned off the engine. “You’re safe.” He smiled and put his bloodied paw on Jack’s shoulder.

  Jack glanced at the stained fur before tapping Roux’s chest. There was a lot of commotion going on at the pier, but Jack’s attention was on Roux gently hugging Ezio. The foal crawled into the furry arms, wordlessly asking for reassurance.

  People with lanterns ran down to the shore, including several centaurs, who galloped into the water, splashing about as they chased the two runaway thugs. A powerful-looking female whinnied, standing on her hind legs, and the stance shocked one of the abductors to the point where he dropped into the sea like a log.

  Jack left the boy in Roux’s care, before going off toward the helm. “Time to go home.”

  His heart pounded, and he’d never felt prouder. Not when he’d slayed the gorgon, or when he’d chased away a herd of giant flesh-eating worms. This was different. And the sense of contentment didn’t just come from holding his chin high and weighing a sack of gold in his palm. It came from looking at Roux stroking Ezio’s hair and knowing that the child would be safe.

  It was the type of pride that didn’t need to be seen, and he didn’t expect praise, even though he knew it was coming. The satisfaction of knowing that he’d protected someone whose safety had been neglected made his heart full, regardless of the cheers erupting from the shore.

  For once, he really felt like a hero, not just a celebrated hunter.

  Calix was at the end of the pier, among a group of policemen, who were arresting the two captured men. His eyes were focused on his baby brother, his arms stretched toward him while his hooves tapped the planks of the pier with anticipation. He was too large to board the boat, but as soon as Roux and Jack secured the vessel and helped Ezio onto the pier, the two brothers fell into one another’s arms in the most perfect moment of Jack’s entire existence. He actually had to rub a speck of dust from his eye.

  With the police swarming around the victim and perpetrators, Jack and Roux were left on their own at the edge of the pier, and Jack rather liked it.

  Roux pulled out the little brush he never parted with. He dipped it into the water and started combing away the blood and dirt left on his paw. Jack watched, mesmerized by how someone who’d fought so viciously could also be so gentle.

  “You’re not so bad Jack,” Roux said, looking up at him.

  Jack snorted and leaned against the railing next to Roux. “Oh really. You hate me a little bit less now? Who’d have thought,” he said, stroking the scars left behind by the very paw Roux was holding the brush with.

  Roux stilled, eyes going wider. “I’m sorry about that. I just find it hard to trust, but your heart’s in the right place. And thank you for saving me from werewolves, even if you enjoyed it, you perv.” His words sounded good-natured, and he leaned closer, rubbing the top of his furry head
against Jack’s neck, right under the jaw.

  The soft hairs tickled Jack, making him stiffen and dig his nails into the other hand to stop himself from shivering. Okay, this was getting interesting. “I did walk funny for two days after, so I guess I learned my lesson.”

  Roux snorted and pushed at Jack’s wet chest with his padded hand, but wasn’t moving away. “What’s that lesson? Don’t moon werewolves?”

  “Huh? I don’t get it…”

  Roux whined and once more pushed his head under Jack’s jaw, which was getting dangerously arousing. “You never get my puns! Mooning is when you show someone your ass. But that joke’s lost now.”

  “You know me, all muscle, little brain. You need to talk straight,” Jack said, chuckling, but when Roux stilled, pushing against him like a loving cat would, Jack cleared his throat. “Sometimes, I went to the same places as you, applied for the same jobs, but each time people would tell me you already left. Are you avoiding me?”

  The long silence made Jack swallow hard.

  “I freaked out after the werewolf thing. I figured you’re a fur junkie.” Roux’s hand on Jack’s chest made his heart pound quicker by the second.

  Jack sighed. “I mean... some people like blondes, some people like red fur,” he said, grinning, even though his body was already boiling hot. Would Roux rise to his bait?

  Roux arched his head up and dragged his cold nose under Jack’s chin, but it was the barely-there touch of claw tips against his skin that made his balls heavy.

  “Watch it, Addison,” Roux warned, even though he laughed.

  The stomping of hooves was like a hammer breaking the bubble around them, and Roux instantly pulled back when Calix stopped in front of them.

  “Jack, Roux, I can’t thank you enough.” Calix said both their names, but stared into Jack’s eyes with such awe, it was impossible to look away.

  Jack still missed the touch of Roux’s soft fur, but he was nevertheless entranced by Calix’s hands squeezing his.