“I understand,” Nadina replied. “And let me be clear: I’ve never been offended by you turning me down. Honestly, at first, I wondered if you had something against me because I was a Light Elf, even though you respected my food.”
James frowned. “My daughter’s a half-elf. Everyone seems to forget that. Her looking human doesn’t change that. It’d be pretty stupid for me to have something against elves.”
Nadina nodded. “I haven’t forgotten that, but that’s one of the reasons I also wondered.”
“Huh?”
“It’s not like the Drow and Light Elves always get along.” Nadina shrugged.
James grunted. “Oh. That makes sense.”
“After dealing with you long enough, I realized your gruff nature is very much you and not a show. If I had to live in a country filled with honest but gruff men like you, I’d gladly do it.” Her gaze flicked to Jericho Cartwright. “Whatever else you are, you’re honest, unlike a lot of the celebrities I’m around. That said, I’ll never lie and say I don’t like the fame. It’s fun. I’ve always liked being the center of attention, but I also like making other people happy. This career is a good way to do both. Win-win.”
“I like people enjoying my food.” James reached for another rib. “But I’m not sure if I really care if they’re happy. I want them to have good barbeque.” He turned his head, frowning slightly at a security guard passing the window. “Lots of security tonight. I expected some, but maybe not this many. You were really that worried about the HDL coming back?”
“It’s complicated.” Nadina sighed and raised her hand. “Would you mind if I made our conversation a little more private?”
James shook his head. “Go ahead.”
A few quick movements of Nadina’s hand followed. She opened her mouth, and a layered melody poured out—her native tongue. The air around the table shimmered for a second.
“It’s a silence spell,” Nadina explained, lowering her hands. “I’m sure the reporters will be trying to read our lips on their recordings later, but if I do anything else, it’ll only make our discussion stand out more. It’ll be the same if I disappear with you into the back. I’ve learned as a famous woman that sometimes the best place to hide is in front of everyone.”
“I’m fine with not hiding.” James bit off a chunk from his rib. Maybe if he looked casual, no one would pay extra attention. “So the security is more than you usually need?”
Nadina offered a shallow nod, disappointment creeping onto her face. “I’m used to death threats. I get them constantly, but there has been an uptick in the last few weeks. The FBI even contacted me to say that though they couldn’t go into details, they did want to make me aware of the ‘terrorist chatter’ concerning me.”
“HDL?”
Nadina nodded. “One of the splinter factions that is more violent.”
“Terrorists are going to blow up a barbeque joint?” Even verbalizing the question offended James on just about every level possible. His put his rib down and curled both hands into fists.
Nadina shook her head. “The threat was against me specifically. I thought about canceling the opening, but if I do, they win. Even the FBI told me they didn’t believe the HDL would target the restaurant while there were humans inside. They might be full of hatred, but they aren’t as bad as New Veil.”
James grunted. “Are there are any FBI agents around? Undercover?”
“No. They said they would send agents when they had a specific and credible threat.” Nadina sighed. “They just wanted me to be aware in general, so they’re worried enough to pass along the warning but not any personnel. The local police have said their hands are tied unless they have a specific and credible threat as well. Unfortunately, with the background level of threats I receive, they are concerned it’s not a good use of their resources.” She shook her head. “It’s almost ridiculous when you think about it. Someone wants to kill me for cooking.”
James frowned. “You have a head of security, right? I know you have bodyguards, but I never paid much attention to that kind of thing at competitions or when I was visiting one of your places.”
“It’s not like I have a huge team normally, but I do have somebody who coordinates that for me, yes. I’ve gone through a few, but the man who works for me now has worked for me for a year.”
“Have him pass along the information the FBI sent you. I want to check if they have a bounty.”
Nadina’s eyebrows lifted. “Does that you mean you’re getting involved?”
“This isn’t about bounties, it’s about barbeque. But I don’t want to reinforce bad habits, so I want to make sure there is at least some money involved.” James picked up his stout and took a sip. “I’m not some do-gooder. I’m just a bounty hunter who likes barbeque, so I can’t promise anything, but at the least, I can look into it.”
Nadina’s face brightened. “Then I thank you on behalf of myself and the world of barbeque. I’ll introduce you to my chief of security later tonight. I don’t want to provide too much fodder for the reporters. I need them and they need me, but I also know they’d love to spread stories about me, given the chance.”
“Fine.”
So much for my relaxing road trip. Those assholes should have gone after a seafood place instead.
Chapter Fifteen
Spending hours lounging around drinking beer and eating barbeque while waiting for people and the media to filter out of the restaurant wasn’t a very painful challenge for James. The only annoying part was the occasional reporter wandering over for a quote or a question. He responded with a stock answer praising the spareribs, and they quickly lost interest. It wasn’t like he had a reputation for deep insight or witty remarks.
It was one time James didn’t mind being underestimated.
Nadina circulated throughout the night, the few minutes she had spent with James earlier not seeming any more special to observers than the time she spent with some of the other pitmasters and celebrities.
Time whittled away the crowd, the packed room becoming a crowded room, and finally a mostly empty room.
When almost all the media had abandoned the event, Nadina approached James. “Why don’t you join me in the back office, James? I’ve got a few things to show you.”
They slipped around the corner to a door leading into the back. The hall led off in two directions: to the bright kitchen at one end, the layered scents of the night’s meals leaving a trail anyone could follow, and a series of closed doors down the other path in the austere white hallway.
Nadina led James into a small, mostly unadorned office with a glass desk and a single tablet. A few cabinets rested against the wall, and a black leather loveseat was a more comfortable place to talk. A framed picture of the elf woman smiling as she was declared the winner of Barbeque Wars hung on the wall.
James had seen it before. She had one in each of her restaurants, a reminder of where her career had started.
All that humility talk isn’t total bullshit.
Nadina nodded to the sofa as she pulled out her phone and tapped in a quick message. “My security chief Cyrus will be here in a moment. Thank you for agreeing to help.”
“I’m not guaranteeing anything.” James plopped down on the couch. It was comfortable, with the right balance of give and push.
Why can’t I get my couch at home to be like this?
“Of course. I understand. It’s a relief, though, to think a man of your skills might be helping. I have nothing but the highest praise for Cyrus’ work, but let’s be frank, James—you might be a famous pitmaster, but you’re a legendary bounty hunter.”
James shrugged.
Nadina sat behind the desk, her face lined with weariness. “It’s strange how six months of preparation goes into one night. I’ve done this enough times you think it would be easy, but it’s always so stressful, even when I’m not worried about death threats.”
“I think I’ll stick with one place for now,” James replied.
/>
“It’s a lot less stress.” Nadina smiled. “I wish I could be more like you.”
“How so?”
“Satisfied with one place.” Nadina leaned her head against her chair. “I never really tried, you know, but I also kind of knew I wouldn’t be.”
“We all have our different ways of appreciating barbeque,” James replied.
A dark-haired, broad-shouldered man in a dark-blue suit entered. He scowled after glancing at the two pitmasters.
Nadina nodded toward the door. “Shut the door, please, Cyrus.”
The man complied and stared at James. “I haven’t had the pleasure.”
Nadina smiled. “Cyrus MacNamara, James Brownstone.”
The security chief offered a thin smile. “Of course, I know who he is. Everyone knows who he is.”
James grunted, thinking back to the punks in Utah. “You’d be surprised. Normally I don’t give a shit, but every once in a while it becomes a problem.”
“I can’t imagine a man like you has a lot of problems he can’t handle.”
“That’s one way of putting it.”
Nadina took a deep breath. “James has generously offered to at least look into our potential security problem.” She held up a hand. “He’s not guaranteeing anything, though.”
Cyrus folded his arms, the scowl returning. “May I speak freely?”
Nadina nodded. “You know I always prefer that you do.”
Cyrus turned toward James. “We don’t need a loose-cannon retired bounty hunter’s help. No offense, Brownstone, but bodies tend to pile up whenever you’re around, and I get paid to make sure Nadina stays alive and her restaurants undamaged.”
James snorted. “Yeah, bodies pile up, of people who have it coming. You got any proof I’ve killed an innocent person? And if I damage anything, I pay for it.”
Cyrus’ nostrils flared. “You have a nasty habit of escalating problems. You don’t bring a nuke to a gunfight.”
“Escalating? Nope. I end the shit I need to end, and I do it quickly, so assholes don’t go on being assholes.” James shrugged and looked at Nadina. “I’m not here to bust his balls. If he doesn’t want my help, I’m fine with that.”
Nadina rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Cyrus, I don’t want James’ help because I’m concerned about your performance. Let me make it very clear that I respect you and your team. I’m viewing him more as an unexpected resource. One who happens to be the strongest proponent of barbeque on the planet, and…” She sighed. “I apologize, James, since this is going to sound totally self-serving, but if something does happen and this becomes any sort of media incident, your involvement has good symbolic and PR value. If people hear that James Brownstone helped me, it might deter a future incident.”
Cyrus’ expression softened. “Using his reputation could work to our advantage. I see what you’re saying.”
James frowned. He didn’t want to get in the middle of an internal work struggle, but walking away because the other guy was being pissy didn’t suit him either. “All those people I saw outside aren’t your normal team, are they? I’ve never seen Nadina travel with an entourage that big.” He nodded at Cyrus. “I didn’t even see you earlier. You were in the back?”
“I was coordinating things from the security office, yes,” Cyrus replied. “There are cameras everywhere in this place. Several of our drones, too.” A lopsided smile appeared, a hint of pride overcoming the suspicion in his eyes. “It’s not like we need that level of hardware all the time, but we wanted to be ready for the big event. And you’re right about the guards; we’ve got a lot of temporary contractors right now. The core team is a lot smaller, with me and a small group of rotating bodyguards working as Nadina’s personal protection. We have security at individual restaurants as needed, but it’s usually just a couple of guys at most. Everyone ultimately reports to me, but it’s not like I need to tell guys at individual restaurants to wipe their butts, and most of the threats are targeted directly at Nadina.”
“You have dedicated security for barbeque restaurants?” James furrowed his brow. He was having trouble processing the idea, but Nadina using her magic to boot out an unruly customer might not play as well reputationally as James growling at a guy and ordering him out.
“You’ve been to several of her places.” Cyrus gestured with both hands. “All big places, and all popular, but because of who she is. She gets the whackos, whether they love her or hate her. They also don’t always realize where she might be. You have to understand that she doesn’t like to make too much trouble for the local police.”
Nadina shrugged. “It’s the price of fame. I’ve found that if I shoulder it more directly, it improves my relationship with the authorities, and I can better call on them when I actually need to rather than wasting their time with every man who wants to offer me flowers.”
“When you actually need them?” James asked. “You mean, like now?”
“I will admit I’m slightly surprised the local police aren’t being a little more aggressive in their response. It’s kind of a loop. I didn’t explain it in detail earlier, but the locals don’t want to get too involved unless the FBI does, and the FBI, based on what they told Cyrus, feel that if the local police aren’t worried too much, there’s no reason to get more involved.” Nadina stared into the distance. “Maybe it’s all an overreaction. If the authorities aren’t more worried, it might be silly that I am.”
Cyrus shook his head. “Complacency is what gets people hurt.”
James looked at Cyrus. “The FBI gave the locals all the information they need?”
Cyrus nodded. “Yes, but if the cops had the resources to handle all crimes, they wouldn’t need people like bounty hunters, now would they?” His voice dripped barely concealed contempt.
I know this guy thinks I’m making him look like a pussy in front of Nadina, but he should get the fuck over it.
“Your guys,” James began. “What’s their training?”
“All well-trained. All ex-military or ex-police. I’m ex-AET myself.”
Is that why he doesn’t like me? He thinks I’m some leftover threat who should have ended up in an ultramax years ago?
James nodded, deciding to let it go. Maria had hated his ass when they’d first met, but had ended up working for him for years. The AET experience meant Cyrus had dealt with some of the same kinds of threats James had, and the bounty hunter could respect that. It meant Cyrus wouldn’t panic in a firefight.
“You ever deal with LA AET?” James asked.
Cyrus shook his head. “I spent most of my career in DC.”
“Okay. Forget about that. Was just wondering if you knew some of the people there.” James’ gaze lingered on a subtle line in Cyrus’ jacket marking a concealed holster. “What kind of gear do your guys have?”
“We’ve got stun rods, stun rifles, conventional rifles, and sidearms.” Cyrus’ voice became easier. “We’ve also got access to sonic grenades when we need them, and anti-magic bullets and deflectors if we have specific magical threats. Every man who works for me has unarmed combat training, too. These aren’t Rent-A-Cops, Mr. Brownstone. These are highly trained personal-protection specialists. This is why no one dangerous has ever gotten close to Nadina.”
James glanced between Nadina and Cyrus. “Any magicals on the team other than your boss?”
Cyrus shook his head. “No. That’s not really a concern.”
James frowned. “How do you figure?”
Cyrus rolled his eyes. “You’re thinking like a bounty hunter, Mr. Brownstone.”
“Cyrus, please,” Nadina begged. “He’s only trying to help.”
Cyrus sighed. “What I’m getting at is that Nadina’s not being hunted by crazed magical criminals. Oricerans don’t care that she’s into barbeque. All the hatred comes from the human side, and even then, most of our threats are just overzealous fans, or the occasional stalker convinced Nadina should be his wife. That kind of thing.” He sucked in a breath. “T
he HDL and other groups like that might make noise, but other than their stupid little speeches, we’ve never had anyone from those kinds of organizations come after her directly to hurt her.” He smiled at Nadina. “And it’s not like she’s defenseless. She is a Light Elf.”
Nadina smiled back.
“One anti-magic bullet from a rifle could kill her,” James rumbled. “Knowing magic and having experience in life-or-death battles aren’t the same thing. I’m sure you took down a few magicals during your time in AET because they didn’t realize that.”
Nadina grimaced.
“True enough.” Cyrus looked at her and James. “And this latest thing? It’s a little more trouble than normal. We’re usually the ones going to law enforcement, not the other way around, but they also admitted it could all be talk.”
James grunted. “So, who’s doing all the talking?”
“An HDL splinter faction who call themselves the Defenders of Hope. They’ve not assassinated anyone, but they have bombed Oriceran-owned buildings in different parts of the country, Canada, and Mexico. People have been hurt, but not killed, and the Defenders haven’t made it sound like they were sorry about it. They claim they’ll never kill a human being, even a ‘species traitor.’” He shrugged. “But it’s hard to know with terrorists. The HDL is supposed to be non-violent too, but they keep breeding groups like the Defenders.”
James pulled out his phone and brought up his bounty-hunting app. “And those assholes who were here the other day didn’t say they were with them?”
Cyrus shook his head. “No. At least online, they have disavowed any violence and any connection to the militant HDL factions.”
James perused the information on his phone with a few swipes. The most important piece was highlighted in a bounty summary field.
Organizational [LIVE] Bounty: Defenders of Hope [US STATE DEPARTMENT-DESIGNATED DOMESTIC TERRORIST ORGANIZATION] Level 3.
Road Trip: BBQ And A Brawl (The Unbelievable Mr. Brownstone Book 19) Page 12