Okay, that explains why he’s carried so much cash on him. I thought he was just using it to pay informants. But kid informants?
The kids all shook their heads. “Don’t have much left, just the blocks near the grocery store and the old warehouse. The target hasn’t been sighted.”
He nodded. “That’s about eighty percent of the neighborhood. Remember, you’ll get a finder’s fee as well.”
The children saluted James. “Yes, sir, Mr. Brownstone. We’ll find him.”
They all turned and scampered off.
James closed the door and grunted.
“What the fuck was that?” Shay gestured to the door. “Please don’t tell me you’re using kids to look for bounties now. Kids are stupid. They won’t know to stay away. They’ll get excited and draw attention to themselves.”
She winced at a sudden thought.
Lily’s not a kid, she’s an older teen, and she can see into the fucking future, even before counting her reflexes.
James headed back to the couch and dropped down across from Shay. “Nah, I wouldn’t need kids to look for a bounty. I’ve got them looking for something else.” He shrugged and scratched his chin.
Shay narrowed her eyes. The last thing she needed was an evasive James Brownstone.
“Care to elaborate?”
He blinked. “About what?”
“On what exactly they’re looking for?” Shay gave him a wicked grin. “I could get Peyton involved and save you some time.”
“It’s not a big deal. Just a way to get some help and give the kids extra money.” James grunted and shrugged.
Shay laughed. “You’re a shitty liar. Even Alison’s better at lying than you.”
He frowned. “What’s she lying about?”
She smirked. “Just saying. But we’re not talking about her, we’re talking about you and what you’re keeping from me.”
James muttered something under his breath. “Dog.”
“Dog?” Shay frowned. “Huh?”
“I told you about that dog I saw the other day. I’m sure it’s the same one I almost ran over with my truck.”
Shay nodded slowly. “Yes, and…”
James shrugged. “I think it’s still in the neighborhood. I don’t have time to go all over the neighborhood myself, so I’ve been paying the neighborhood kids to keep an eye out for it. It’s not like I have Alison around to see his soul energy in the distance.”
She sighed and shook her head. “Don’t you think you’re obsessing a little over one stray dog?”
“No.” He pursed his lips. “Tyler, maybe?”
“Tyler?” Shay blinked. “Are you saying you’re going to call Tyler up and ask him to help you find a stray dog?” She laughed. “Seriously?”
James nodded. “Yeah, good point. That fucker would never let me hear the end of it.”
Shay stared at James.
That’s not what I was getting at, and why the hell would Tyler even know where the dog is? I should do something about this. I should stop this. If he’s this OCD about the dog now, he’s probably not ready for it.
James nodded, mostly to himself. “I’ll figure something out.”
Shay just sighed and slumped in her seat.
“What’s wrong?” James asked.
“Nothing. Just thinking about dogs. Ever thought about getting a poodle?”
He snorted. “No.”
Shay smirked. “Just asking.”
Kathy stepped out of her car and took a deep breath. The nearby streetlights flickered. The last thing she wanted was to wander around in pitch-black darkness after a long shift working at the Black Sun.
Geeze. Can’t they do something as simple as make sure our street lights are working? Welcome to LA, where the politicians love your taxes, and they love spending them all on hookers and blow.
She slammed her car door and locked it with her key fob before heading toward the stairs leading to her apartment. Her heels clacked on the cold concrete.
Kathy’s feet hurt. Tyler insisted she wear heels while she worked at the Black Sun to play up her sexiness. Of course, every little advantage led to extra tips. She was under no illusion that she wasn’t attractive. She depended on it.
Only an idiot didn’t use every advantage available. She’d always been smart, probably too smart for her own good, but careful cultivation of her sexiness ensured a lot of men would evaluate her with their dicks and not their brains, which meant they underestimated her. Even Tyler.
Still, sometimes playing up that sexiness hurt, especially after a long day on her feet.
At least now I have some chance at a future, rather than when I was stuck as a pet of that mob asshole in New York.
Kathy blew out a breath. She had a new life now in a new city, and she needed to take advantage of all her chances to build up her own business and not be so dependent on Tyler.
She slowed as she closed on the stairs, listening, and her heart sped up. There was nothing but the distant sound of cars and wind, but she couldn’t get over the feeling of eyes watching her.
Maybe I just let that freak in the warehouse get into my head. I’m fine. I don’t…
Movement in the shadows by the bushes caught her attention.
Damn it. Shit.
Kathy ripped her gun out of her purse and pointed it toward the bushes. “Don’t think I won’t put every bullet in this gun into you. Turn around and run the fuck away with your hands above your head.”
The shadow continued to move, but she couldn’t see anyone.
Still hiding under the bushes, asshole?
“Show yourself, or I will blow your head off.”
She only didn’t fire because she didn’t want to risk nailing some poor cat or teen who’d been running around without his parents’ permission.
A shadow shuddered and moved, detaching itself from the wall and moving past the bushes until it reached the sidewalk. She blinked, trying to find the source of the shadow, but there was nothing.
“What the fuck?”
The form stalked toward her in the shape of a large man, an insubstantial twitching mass of darkness.
Kathy gasped and stumbled backward, keeping her gun up. “I don’t know who or what the fuck you are, but this is your last chance before I open fire.”
The shadow man continued to stalk silently forward.
Kathy shattered the still of the night with a single shot at the advancing mass. Surprisingly, the sound was muted, as if something were swallowing it. The shadow vanished when the bullet struck it.
She blinked several times, not wanting to believe what had just happened but unwilling to dismiss it. Magic made all things possible.
Swallowing, she marched toward where she’d seen the strange sight. Something glinted in the dim illumination from the streetlights—the crumpled remains of a bullet.
Shit. I definitely hit something.
Kathy took a deep breath and ran toward the stairs. She hurried up them toward her apartment, ignoring her sore feet. Upon arrival at the top, she tapped the code into her lock, and the door clicked open.
She stepped inside, turned on the lights, and slammed her door shut. She slapped the lock button and took several deep breaths.
What the fuck was that all about?
Kathy stared down at her gun and took several additional deep breaths before tossing it back in her purse. That was why she carried the damned thing. Protection. She’d just never expected she’d need protection from a random shadow monster.
She slumped to the floor, her back against the door.
It wasn’t her first time ever killing someone. She’d been forced to when she left New York, but it was her first time killing some weird shadow man.
Her phone rang, and she pulled it out of her purse and frowned. Unknown number.
What now?
“Hello?”
“Excellent,” replied a hollow and wheezing voice. She recognized it instantly. The Eyes.
Of course.
I should have fucking known. The son of a bitch.
Kathy sighed. “I take it the weird shadow man was your doing?”
“Yes. I needed to test you.”
She snorted. “Did you test Tyler this way too?”
“No. Every relationship is unique, and every relationship must be tested in its own way.” He let out a wheezy laugh. “It was interesting.”
At least I don’t have to look into his creepy eyes without a body this time.
Kathy blew out a breath. “Okay, so what was the test? To see if I walk around armed?”
“No. Many carry weapons or magic to defend themselves. A weapon proves nothing. No, I needed to test if you are brave enough to live. I value relationships only with creatures who possess such bravery.”
“So I passed?”
“Yes.” Another quiet snicker followed. “I look forward to getting to know you in the future.”
Kathy shuddered. Geeze, is this thing trying to establish a business relationship or hit on me?
“Another test is coming soon,” the Eyes continued. “Danger is coming. Find it and stop it before it comes. If you can, you might be worth paying more attention to. If not, no bother. Disappointments are common in life and…death.”
Kathy frowned. “Danger? To the city?”
“Among other things.”
“Don’t you care if someone messes up LA? That’s got to affect you, too.”
The Eyes responded with a wheezing laugh. “This entire city could die, and I wouldn’t care. I’d just move on. I only care to test you, little girl. If you’re still alive soon, perhaps we’ll talk.”
The line went dead.
Kathy stared at the phone for several moments before shaking her head. She had a newfound respect for Tyler. If this was the kind of shit he had to deal with on a regular basis, he had far bigger balls than she’d given him credit for.
Fuck it. I might regret it later, but if I’m going to up my information broker game, I’ve got to start playing with the big boys.
12
Trey yawned as his eyes flickered open. Zoe’s popcorn ceiling was still unfamiliar, but once he realized where he was a comfortable smile took over his face. That was, until he saw the writhing tendrils and sharp teeth on the bright yellow plant looming over him. It looked like an odd mix of a fern and a Venus Fly Trap.
“What the fuck? You are the ugliest-ass plant I have ever seen.”
The maw dropped toward him, and Trey’s hand jerked up to the stem, pushing the whole thing back. He squeezed for a few seconds before realizing it was pointless. It wasn’t like he could choke out a plant. The tendrils wrapped around his arm.
“Motherfucking weak-ass photosynthesizing sonofabitch. Fuck you. I’ll show you why animals rule this motherfucking planet.”
A floral mist spread over him from behind and the plant stopped moving, the mouth closing entirely.
A soft, feminine sigh sounded behind him. “Sorry. I’d forgotten to treat it with the mist before bed last night. A certain man of great sexual endurance distracted me.”
Trey let go of the plant and shrugged. “Shit happens.”
Zoe sat on the end of the bed, naked and glorious, a soft smile on her face. She crossed her arms beneath her ample chest. “I’m very impressed. Many men wouldn’t react instantly and would still be disturbed afterward.”
“Ain’t no problem. That’s not even the strangest thing that’s tried to kill me this week.” Trey chuckled. “Some of those leftover Council guys were fucked up. I don’t know if they were from Oriceran or summoned from Hell or some shit.”
Zoe’s smile faded. “I forget at times just how dangerous your life is. I suppose I shouldn’t, given how many healing potions I’m supplying your agency with these days.” She shook her head. “James Brownstone is like a fire. Fire is glorious. It can do so many things, and warm you on cold nights. Humanity would have been nothing without it, but I worry for you and your friends—that you’ll be consumed by that fire.”
Trey snorted. “I can handle myself around the big man.”
She crawled toward him to stare into his eyes, her face right in front of his. “Your friend died, though. Doesn’t it disturb you?”
Trey nodded slowly and shrugged. “You have to understand, Zoe. We all were nothing but gangbangers before. We all were gonna die doing what we were doing, except over stupid shit like turf and drugs, not defending the planet from weird-ass magic bitches.”
“And what of James? Did it affect him at all? Sometimes I wonder about him. A man who bathes in so much blood—can he truly have a heart?”
Trey laughed. “Damn. You ain’t seen him around his daughter.” He waved. “And don’t be thinking he didn’t give a shit about Shorty. He’s more busted up than any of us, even if he don’t show it on the outside. He gives a fuck, and he shows it all the time in his own way.”
Zoe tilted her head, her eyes filling with curiosity. “Oh?”
“Yeah. Not just the healing potions, but the anti-magic deflectors. The big man’s pouring a shit-ton of money into protection. I don’t see all the books, because most of the accounting is done by an outside firm, so I don’t even know how profitable the agency is. I mean, he had piles of cash from years of hunting before, but he’s probably barely turning a profit.” Trey slapped his hand on his chest. “Because he gives more of a shit about making sure we’re okay than making a profit.”
Trey hopped out of bed buck naked and started pacing. “Not only that, but he leads from the front. The last Council raid…you should have seen that shit. Brother comes marching right in there and just takes it when these wizards are going all firing squad on his motherfucking ass. I don’t care how badass his artifacts are, that takes huge fucking balls.” He stopped pacing to stare at Zoe. “I ain’t got nothing but mad respect for James Brownstone, and I know the best way to honor Shorty is by continuing to take down pieces of shit with the big man.”
Zoe’s breath caught, and she blinked several times. “I’m…impressed. I don’t know if that’s brave or foolish, but I’m impressed.”
He grinned and shrugged. “I’ve got to be me.” He glanced at the clock. “Shit, also have to get going soon.”
She stuck out her bottom lip in a pout. “Could you spare maybe a few minutes?”
“Why?”
The witch ran her hand over her body and licked her lips. “Because I’d like a little more fun before you leave.”
Trey shrugged and hopped on the bed. “I’ll just tell them I needed a little exercise. This shit’s a better workout than PT with the staff sergeant.”
Shay took a bite of her scrambled eggs and set down her fork. She stared at James as he gobbled down bacon as if pigs were about to go extinct. Worry knotted her stomach as she thought about James getting blasted by the wizards.
His amulet can adapt to a lot, but he shouldn’t always assume he’ll be okay. Just because the Council wizards tended to use a certain type of magic didn’t mean another batch would. The damn thing’s impressive, but it’s not going to save his life if someone rips his head off.
Her heart sped up at the thought of James dying. She almost wanted to laugh. She’d spent so many years not giving a shit about anyone but herself. Even her friends were either covers or people she’d betray with little thought, but now she loved a man enough to have trouble imagining what the future would be like without him.
Damn. Old Shay would kick my ass for being such a little weepy bitch.
“Ever thought about quitting?” she murmured.
James looked up from his plate. “Quitting what? Bacon? Fuck, no.” He frowned. “If I had to choose between bacon and barbeque I’d choose barbeque, but otherwise no.”
Shay laughed. “It always comes down to meat for you, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah. What’s life without good meat?”
She licked her lips. “Something I ask myself a lot.” She waved a hand and laughed. “We’re getting off-track. I’m not talking about ba
con.”
James grunted. “Then what are you talking about?”
Shay shrugged. “It’s just something I’ve been thinking a lot lately. You’ve always been a badass, but over this last year your reputation has spread in a big way, and you’ve taken on enemies who were crazy-stronger than you’ve ever handled before. With my help, you’ve destroyed two international criminal organizations. You fought off an entire army of hitmen. You took down a psychic monster despite having more baggage than a United flight between Los Angeles and Atlanta. In Japan, even though I helped, you killed five of the top hitmen in the world.” She shook her head. “You took down the Queen of the Drow in a one-on-one fight, not to mention being key in taking down the Council, a group so tough that several other class-six bounty hunters died taking them on, along with special forces troops.”
A smug grin settled on James’ face.
Damn it. I didn’t mean to fluff him.
Shay scrubbed a hand over her face. “The point is, you went from a badass to a next-level badass.”
The grin faded. “Yeah, I did a lot of that shit, but I also had help, like you said. Not just you, but Peyton, Heather, and the guys from the agency. Maria. Fuck, even Tyler.”
Shay took a deep breath. “The higher you punch, the more people are noticing you, both good and bad. That means cities like Detroit and Vegas, let alone the feds, are throwing big jobs at you, but you’ve had a lot of assholes target you. That’s a big reason you had to take on a lot of those guys. The Drow, the Harriken, and now those last remnants of the Council.”
James frowned. “The Drow had nothing to do with me being a bounty hunter. They were trying to get to Alison.”
Shay rolled her eyes. “And you got involved in all that because you’re a bounty hunter. Look, I’m not saying anything about Alison. I love her too. I’m glad you saved her, and I don’t regret helping you take out those Harriken, even if we didn’t save her mother. I’m more concerned about how many new enemies you’re picking up and what that might mean for your continued ability to keep breathing.”
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