The Unbelievable Mr Brownstone Omnibus

by Michael Anderle

  Alison’s opponent repaid her comment with a powerful side hook. The force of the blow had her spinning, and she collapsed to the ground with a yelp.

  The man slammed his gloves together. “Kickboxing’s no game, little girl. If you’re going to get into the ring, you better take it seriously.”

  Shay sighed. “Get up.”

  Alison pushed off the ground. “Dad’s going to freak if I come home with a black eye, you know.”

  The tomb raider patted her pocket. She hadn’t shown it to Alison, but she’d brought a healing potion. “Don’t worry, I’ve got a little something for that. Once I’m done, there’ll be nothing bad left.”

  It was an expensive way to finish up her sparring, but the girl was right. James wanted her training and learning to be independent, but if Shay brought her home with her eye swollen shut and her lip split, he’d probably march right over to the Steel Gloves gym, and level the place with his bare hands. That was after he got done leveling every warehouse Shay owned in an angry rage.

  He was like a lot of dads. He wanted his girl to be strong and independent, but he also wanted to lock her up in a tower and protect her from anyone who might even make her feel bad.

  Alison sighed. “I don’t even understand what this is supposed to be teaching me. There’s a reason boxers fight people who are the same size.

  “What it’s teaching you, little girl, is how to take a punch and get back up.”

  “This is just unfair.”

  Shay snorted. “Unfair? Fights are often unfair. Thugs and muggers don’t pick targets who look like they can beat them. Learning to protect yourself is about learning to accept that nothing is ever fair, so you need to do what you can to even the odds.”

  The teen rubbed her swelling cheek with her glove. “Wow, tough love, Aunt Shay.”

  Shay leaned over until she was right at Alison’s ear and could whisper, “Okay, you did it my way with no magic, but in the real world, if you’re in a fight, you use whatever tool you have to win. Like I said, even the odds. So, round two, you do what you need to do.”

  Alison nodded and headed into the ring. “Where you going?”

  Her opponent was already half-way over the rope. “What? Seriously?”

  The teen gave him her best angry glare and shook her head. “I’m more serious than I’ve ever been. We’re not done.”

  He laughed. “You didn’t get enough the first time? I was holding back, and you still went down like nothing.”

  “You afraid? If you’re afraid, that’s okay. Feel free to run away.”

  His smile vanished. “I told you kickboxing isn’t no game, kid.” He sneered and looked at Shay. “I thought you said she was some sort of magic chick, but this is embarrassing. Don’t blame me if she ends up getting hurt.”

  Shay feigned yawning. “You want her to use magic? You sure?”

  “Better than beating down some toothpick and calling it a victory.”

  The tomb raider shrugged. “Let’s keep the screaming down to a minimum, then.”

  He snorted. “That’s on her. I’m not holding back anymore.”

  “Oh, you don’t get it. I wasn’t talking to you. I was talking to her.” The tomb raider grinned.

  The man immediately rushed toward Alison. She yanked off her left glove and held up her hand. The man brought his arm back to throw a punch, but a bright flash from her hand blinded him. He stumbled back with a grunt and shielded his eyes.

  The girl didn’t give him a chance to recover. She rushed forward and delivered a series of quick blows to his face and body. She spun into a roundhouse kick, just like Shay had shown her at her warehouse during their last training session.

  The man’s initial quick forward motion served him poorly. He stepped right into the girl’s foot, providing just enough extra force for his head to snap back. He groaned and slumped to his knees before falling forward with a thump.

  Alison tilted her head. “As Sun Tzu said, ‘Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.’”

  Shay climbed through the ropes and over to Alison, snickering. She patted the girl on the shoulder. “Oh, they got that Marine filling you with all that ancient wisdom crap, too?”

  “Why? What would you say about this situation?”

  The tomb raider grinned. “Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.” She glanced at a clock on the wall. “We better get you back home and cleaned up. The last thing James needs is to be late for the hearing.”

  The man on the ground pushed up slowly, still groaning.

  Shay offered him a wave. “Better luck next time.”

  Shay stepped out of her Fiat and made her way toward the courthouse. James and Alison had already exited his truck in a parking spot closer to the front, and they were heading to the stairs leading to the courthouse.

  Although Shay liked the look of James in his black suit, the discomfort on his face and the way he kept tugging at his jacket made his opinion of the clothes clear.

  She swallowed and wondered if it was smart for her to be entering a place with cameras like this, but given her experiences with the CIA, it was obvious that Peyton’s efforts had done enough to create a fake background that wasn’t so easily pierced. If anyone dug into her background, they’d just find that she was a professor at UCLA who specialized in archaeology and revised history.

  She took a few deep breaths as she reminded herself of that.

  Shay stopped and let out a long sigh when she spotted a half-dozen drones circling the area.

  Of course, the damned media vultures would be out for this. The State of California versus the Scourge of Harriken. How could they not show up?

  It didn’t matter. She didn’t give a shit about them getting their scoop.

  She pulled out her phone and dialed Peyton.

  “What’s up?” the hacker answered.

  “A swarm of news drones, from the looks of it, at the courthouse.” Shay frowned. “I want them all down.”

  “All of them? You sure?”

  “Yeah.”

  Peyton laughed. “Someone doesn’t like being on the news.”

  “This is more for James’ sake. I don’t want these fuckers lucking into him doing something stupid and splashing it all over the world. One wrong move and the government can take the girl from him, but that’s gonna involve him destroying half of Los Angeles. This is not just for his sake, but for the city’s.”

  “Okay, fair enough.” The click of typing came over the line. “Just give me a few minutes.”

  Shay made her way slowly toward the stairs, a smirk on her face as she awaited the doom of the drones. These news assholes got high ratings, clicks, and readership from writing about James, but the minute they had a chance, they turned on him and started writing rude stories about Alison.

  You get what you deserve, vultures. I hope those things are insured.

  Peyton chuckled. “I’m too good.”

  Shay glanced up. “I don’t see anything hap—”

  The drones’ rotors all cut out at once, and they spiraled to the ground.

  The tomb raider snickered, imagining a bunch of panicked drone operators sitting in their control rooms watching tens of thousands of dollars fall to the ground. The machines smashed when they hit, pieces flying everywhere.

  Yeah, that’s got to hurt.

  Shay snickered. “And one last thing…”

  15

  James and Alison waited outside the courthouse until Shay caught up. She sauntered up the stairs with a huge grin on her face, whistling a peppy tune.

  Yeah. I thought so.

  “You look too damned happy.” James looked past her to make sure she hadn’t kicked the shit out of some random mugger on the way there. “Or are you the reason all those drones just fell?”

  “Strange things happen when you rely on technology too much.” She shrugged. “Anyway, we won’t have a problem with drones or external news footage for the next few hours. I’m guessing a lot of c
ameras are also going to have some trouble uploading their footage today. Just saying…”

  Alison rolled her eyes. “Overkill much, Aunt Shay?”

  “Always prepare the battlefield ahead of time.” Shay winked. “I’m sure Sun Tzu said something like that.”

  James nodded toward the dense pack of reporters standing inside. “I think they only haven’t come after us because they want to wait until we get inside. Enter the belly of the beast.”

  “Might as well give them what they want, then. We just need to walk past them. It’s not like they can block you from going to the courtroom.”

  “Oriceran freak!” someone screamed from above.

  James’ head snapped up. A grinning man was leaning out the third-story window, flipping them off. “Yeah, I heard about it. Fucking freak little girl that Brownstone wants to adopt. Not even human. Fuck you. Go back to Oriceran.” The man ducked inside the window and ran toward the other end of the building.

  Alison sighed and looked down.

  The bounty hunter gritted his teeth. Fucking with him was one thing, but screwing with his daughter was another. Screw self-control.

  I’m gonna fuck tear you apart, asshole.

  “Don’t do anything, James.” Shay placed a hand on his shoulder. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s been paid to try and make you overreact. I’ll take care of him. Peyton’s got the drones and cameras in this area disabled.”

  “Meaning what?” James growled.

  “Meaning I can go wherever I need to without looking suspicious. I’ll make sure this guy regrets screwing with Alison.”

  The girl looked up with a pained smile.

  James gave Shay a nod. He’d do anything to protect Alison, but he also knew that Shay was better about delivering pain in a way that didn’t end with her getting caught.

  He grunted and opened the door, motioning Alison through before entering himself. He nodded to Shay, and she gave him a little salute before jogging off to the side of the building and glancing up at another open third-story window near the end of the building.

  Huh. Time for Parkour Penny?

  Like a dense school of fish, the dozens of reporters inside the courthouse turned as one, shoving out microphones while their camera operators flipped on their equipment. Everyone was eager for that dramatic clip they could run for the next few days.

  Given what Shay said, I wonder if they can record but not transmit, or if Peyton’s hacking their computers somewhere else. Huh. Don’t know. Maybe it’s best that way.

  Sorry, assholes. I’m not gonna flip out and give you what you want.

  “Mr. Brownstone, Mr. Brownstone,” shouted a reporter.

  James put his arm over Alison’s shoulder as he marched through the thicket, ignoring all the questions and keeping his expression neutral. He’d leave it to Shay to handle the heckling asshole.

  Shay finishing jogging around the side of the building. Fortunately, there wasn’t anyone on the small side street, but she doubted that would last for long. She needed to move fast.

  After a final quick check for witnesses, she broke into a sprint. She jumped and grabbed an air conditioning window unit, swinging back and forth before jumping to another unit.

  She pulled herself up and leapt off the unit toward a small ledge on the second floor. She swung back and forth a few times to build up momentum and swung up to another ledge on the corner of the building.

  This is almost too easy.

  The tomb raider climbed around the edge of the building and grabbed the edge of the open window. It was some sort of storage room filled with cardboard boxes on shelves. She waited a few seconds and then jumped from the ledge into the building, rolling a few feet before hopping to her feet.

  I guess I could always start a second career as a cat burglar like Marcus if I ever felt like it.

  Shay threw open the door and sprinted in the direction she’d last seen the heckler. A few seconds later she spotted the man running down a hallway. She looked back and forth and grinned. No witnesses.

  That made everything even easier than she’d hoped. Now she wouldn’t have to fake anything to justify beating him down.

  Shay continued charging, and the man blinked, surprised to see her suddenly on the third floor.

  “Hey, asshole, remember me?” she shouted.

  The man skidded to a start and sneered. “You got up here quick. What? Oriceran magic shit? Probably. Fucking traitor bitch.”

  Shay sauntered up to the man, grinning the entire time, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “When you’re as good as I am, you don’t need magic.” She sighed. “But here’s the problem. You insulted that girl, and I care a lot about that, so I can’t let it go. Her dad there wants to punt you through a wall. I’m not gonna do that, but you are gonna feel a little pain.”

  “Screw you, bitch. Earth is for humans. The Oricerans shouldn’t even be here. Fuck off, we’re full.”

  The tomb raider let out a long sigh and then looked around. Perfect position. No cameras in the hall. It was like the universe wanted her to beat the man down.

  Shay gave the man a cool smile. “Last chance. Apologize.”

  “I’m not going to apologize for defending the Earth from Oriceran freaks. I’m a proud Earthling.”

  “An Earthling? Geeze, that sounds fucking lame.” Shay took a step forward. “And Alison was born here, asshole.”

  “Doesn’t change the fact that she’s a—”

  Shay threw a fist into his stomach, and the man’s eyes bulged as he doubled over. She slammed her knee into his nose, enjoying the crunch before she dropped his unconscious ass to the floor.

  The tomb raider took a few deep breaths, resisting the urge to break a few more bones. It’d be satisfying, but she didn’t need police attention, even with her currently CIA-proof background.

  If we were in an alley at night, I probably would have crippled you, asshole. You’re damned fucking lucky.

  She knelt and ran her hands through his pockets. She found a butterfly knife, not the kind of thing he was allowed to have in a courthouse. She left the weapon in plain sight and jogged away.

  Eventually, someone would find him, and even if he tried to complain about her beating him up, he’d still have to explain his illegal weapon. Now he’d have to deal with a broken nose and jail.

  Next time just apologize, asshole.

  James’ lawyer straightened a pile of papers on the table in the conference room and placed them back into his briefcase, a grim look on his face.

  Shay, James, and Alison sat opposite the man at a long table. The hearing was going to start in less than fifteen minutes.

  James balled his hands into fists.

  This is the beginning of everything. We can do this. We can win. Fuck the government. I won’t let them take Alison from me.

  The lawyer’s expression softened. “The statements of support I’ve received from the community have been very, very helpful, and I’m confident that these witnesses will have nothing but good things to say about you. The state’s complaints rest mostly on concerns about your profession, but the fact that you have so many law enforcement officers speaking on your behalf does a lot to blunt that line of attack. It’s just hard for them to claim you’re some sort of clear and present danger when the local police and even local priests claim the opposite.”

  The bounty hunter grunted. “Sounds good, then. Right?”

  “The state’s documentation doesn’t support the idea that they had a problem, so that also undermines their case. That is, they had no issue with the girl staying with you before, so it’s a bit rich for them to suddenly complain. They had plenty of opportunities to take her.” The lawyer shook his head. “Most of their evidence involves video clips of you fighting bounties or committing property destruction. There are only a few people they’re going to put on the stand who are worrying me.”

  “Like who?”

  The lawyer frowned. “For one, the AET lieutenant, Maria Hall. Her off
icial reports aren’t always kind to you.”

  James grunted. “Yeah, I thought she didn’t have it in for me anymore, but I guess I blew that by upsetting her recently.”

  Fuck. Is she pissed over the whole Tyler thing? Maybe I fucked up more than I realized. Damn it.

  “Don’t worry. We have a pile of statements from other officers, and several of them will be testifying.” The lawyer held up his finger. “The point is, Mr. Brownstone, as long as you don’t make a scene, we should be good. That’s also why we’re going to avoid having you testify unless absolutely necessary. It’d be far too easy for the government lawyer to trip you up and make you look like a maniac on the stand. They’ll be calling several of your associates to ask questions, but I’ll be able to respond to those attacks.”

  James frowned. “Why does everyone keep assuming I’m gonna make a scene?”

  Shay sighed and looked at Alison. “Explain it to him, kid.”

  The girl placed her hand over his. “Dad, you’re James Brownstone. You’re the Scourge of Harriken, the Granite Ghost. A class-six bounty hunter. Your way of saying ‘hi’ is kicking someone through a door.”

  “That’s not true, unless someone…” He shrugged. “Okay, so it often is. Big deal. I don’t deal with nice people. I deal with people like the Red-Eyes Killer or King Pyro. You can’t talk them down. I’ve been trying to be more polite because tactically it’s smart, but it just doesn’t work so well, so I still have to kick ass a lot of the time.”

  The lawyer cleared his throat loudly. “Be that as it may, Mr. Brownstone. This won’t be a situation where kicking ass, as you put it, will be necessary. Understood?”

  James grunted. “Yeah. Let’s just get this shit over with.”

  When James, Alison, and Shay stepped inside, the bounty hunter blinked at the number of people crammed into the small family courtroom. It was filled to capacity, but at least there were no news cameras.

  He didn’t recognize several people, but the look in their eyes made him think they were either criminals or bounty hunters. Among the more recognizable people present, in addition to hungry-looking reporters, was Sergeant Mack, along with several other cops, including Detectives West and Lafayette from Las Vegas. Charlyce, Trey, Shorty, Royce, and a few other of his guys were there. Father McCartney gave him a polite nod from the corner.