“Kunoichi?”
“Female ninja.”
Brownstone groaned. “The ones with special nicknames are always extra-fucking-obnoxious. She’s probably gonna rant at me about how she’s the ultimate ninja or some shit.”
“Tough types with nicknames are obnoxious?”
“Yeah. Like King Pyro or Sombra.”
“Or the Granite Gargoyle or Granite Ghost?”
Brownstone let out a quiet chuckle. “Okay, I’ll give you that.”
Shay chuckled. “I never had a nickname when I was a killer, but I was still obnoxious.”
“Was? Don’t you mean you still are?” Brownstone glanced her way before returning his attention to the road. “Which one is missing? You said her. Sabine or Hisa?”
“Hisa.”
Brownstone frowned. “But she’s Japanese. Shouldn’t we expect her to be there?”
“Brownstone, when you’re a high-end killer you go where the work is. A good chunk of my jobs were outside the United States when I was on the job. Why do you think I learned so many languages?”
“To shop easier in France?”
“It does help, but seriously, Brownstone, we can’t be certain if she’s there.”
Brownstone nodded. “Good point. So, we got any info on what these assholes are capable of other than having nicknames?”
“Moses likes poisons, but he’s not a magical guy. Candle…” Shay made a face.
“What?”
“I’ve heard of him before. This guy’s the worst of both worlds.”
“What the fuck does that mean?”
Shay sighed. “His abilities... Well, people aren’t a hundred percent sure if it’s tech or magic or both, but most think it’s both. He uses guns. That’s normal enough, but he can do shit with his guns that shouldn’t be possible even for the best shot in the world.”
“Like what? Shooting a dime out of the air at a hundred yards?”
“Nope, more like shooting around a corner at ninety degrees. Hit people without looking at them. That sort of shit. He uses a couple of guns that have these weird glowing runes on them, so it’s a good bet they have been enchanted.”
“Fucking magic. Anything about his bullets penetrating deeper or causing more damage? Magical armor-piercing or that kind of shit?”
Shay looked back down at her phone. “Not that I’ve heard of, and Peyton’s notes don’t say anything about it.”
“He won’t be a problem, then.”
“A guy who can shoot around corners won’t be a problem?” Shay snorted. “You can see through walls now, Brownstone?”
“As long as I’m properly prepared I can take a bullet or two, and we’re hunting them just as much as they’re hunting me. I think I’ll be ready when I take him on.”
The tomb raider stared at the man for a moment. Taking a bullet or two was an understatement. She’d seen him take a full load of buckshot to the chest at point-blank range and only look annoyed. Still, other times he seemed just as vulnerable as everyone else. She had her theories on why, but she planned to wait until Brownstone broached the issue.
“What else we got?” the bounty hunter asked as he changed lanes to pass a slow-moving truck.
“Connor Malley’s some sort of electricity guy.”
Brownstone snorted. “If I can deal with a flame guy I can deal with an electricity guy. Is the guy immune to bullets?”
“Nope.”
“Then he’ll go down easily enough, just like the last few magical assholes who didn’t use shields.”
Shay nodded. Brownstone had proven he could go against enhanced and magical individuals countless times, but her heart wouldn’t settle down from the earlier worry.
“You good against poison, Brownstone?” she asked.
“Maybe.”
“’Maybe?’ What kind of fucking answer is that? Yes or no?”
“I don’t sit around drinking Drano all day, so how the fuck do I know? I’m good with alcohol. That’s a poison.”
Shay rubbed the back of her neck. “So of those three, the main threat is probably Trevor Moses. Even if you can take some damage or whatever, he might be able to take you out with a little prick.”
“I’ll bet he has a little prick.”
“I’m serious, Brownstone.”
The bounty hunter grunted. “I’ll just blow his brains out before he can poison me. You know how I like to KISS. I’ve also got a new combat philosophy: ABA.”
“’ABA?’”
“Always be attacking. That’s KISS combat in a nutshell.”
Shay snorted. “Whatever. The women are just as dangerous as the men, so don’t get too cocky.”
Brownstone smirked. “Yeah, I know how dangerous a stubborn woman killer can be.”
“Keep it up and I’ll do their work for them long before we get to Tokyo.”
They both chuckled.
“Anyway, Hisa’s a real problem because she’s got some sort of illusion magic that lets her change her appearance. No one knows what she really looks like. It’s gonna be hard to guard against someone who can look like anyone. Almost, anyway.”
Brownstone grunted. “Almost?”
“Only real restriction Peyton could dig up is that her magic only lets her take on female appearances.”
“Oh, so she could only be half the world, not the entire world. That really fucking narrows it down.”
Shay grinned. “Right?”
“What about that Sabine chick?”
“You’re gonna love this. She’s got a nickname.”
Brownstone shook his head and glanced into the rearview mirror. “Of course she does.”
“’Sabine the Collector.’”
“What’s she collect? Heads? Kills?”
Shay’s smile disappeared. “Not from what Peyton could tell. She collects souls.”
Brownstone’s face darkened. Even if Shay wasn’t as religious as the bounty hunter, the idea that someone might snatch someone else’s most fundamental essence left her stomach twisting.
“So what does this bitch do with the souls?” Brownstone growled.
“Puts them in this magic necklace she has,” Shay replied.
An uncomfortable look spread over the bounty hunter’s face. “And what then?”
“It’s supposed to give her a lot of ass-kicking power.” She stared into the mirror in the sun visor. “In terms of direct danger, Trevor Moses and Sabine are probably the big threats. Hisa might be if she can catch you off-guard, but we don’t know how tough she is in a fight.”
“Need some sort of plan,” Brownstone rumbled. “Some way to take the fight to them.”
“Peyton’s doing his best to track them, but I think the next major step is gonna be us going to the Land of the Rising Sun to deliver some pain.”
“If I kill these fuckers, do you think more killers will take contracts on me?” Brownstone glanced her way, anger on his face.
“I think if we wipe out the Harriken and you kill five of the top people in the field, the underworld will get the point. Look, Brownstone…killers might like the job, but they still are in it to make money. It’s hard to make money when you’re dead.”
“You ever turn down a job because it was too risky?”
“Yeah, a few times. I don’t believe in ABA. I believe—well, believed, anyway—in ABK. Always be killing. That requires you to make sure the mark dies and not you.”
A Mustang tore by them in the right lane, easily going twenty over the speed limit.
“Fucker,” Shay muttered.
“Still less annoying than most days in LA.”
“True enough.”
Shay couldn’t help but notice that ever since she’d mentioned Sabine the Collector and her necklace Brownstone had looked uncomfortable.
“Something else bothering you?” the tomb raider asked.
Brownstone passed another car before answering. “Yeah. Something is.”
8
Is it a coincidence? Some c
razed assassin uses a necklace that makes her more powerful and collects souls? Fuck.
James tried to calm his heart, but every new thought only sent it racing faster. He’d always assumed his amulet was cursed, but he also assumed the cost of its use might be his soul, at the worst.
The idea that he might be drawing on the power of other people’s souls sent bile into his throat. There was no amount of confession that would make that okay.
“This Sabine...does she have to constantly collect souls?” he asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Does her necklace’s power fade after a while or some shit like that?”
“From what Peyton’s research says, yeah, she has to constantly do it. The power fades pretty quickly. Might even be why she became a killer.” Shay shrugged. “Can’t say for sure.”
James took a deep breath. He often didn’t use his amulet for long stretches at a time, and it’d had become more powerful over time.
Sounds like it’s not the same thing, but it’s about time I figured out what the hell it even is. If I’m gonna have any sort of future, I need to know about my past first. I’ve got to stop running from it.
“I need your help,” James mumbled.
“I thought you already understood that I’m helping you. I’ve got your back, Brownstone. I’m coming with you, whatever you decide. We’ll paint Tokyo red with the killers’ blood, then maybe go get some sushi and sing karaoke.” Shay grinned.
“It’s not about that. It’s something else. Research shit. You’re better at that. I’m only good at tracking down bounties, not all that history stuff.”
Shay frowned. “What are you talking about? What does any of that have to do with assassins?”
“Nothing. Well, not directly. It’s more about the tools I might use to fight the killers.”
“What do you mean?”
James took several deep breaths before he could work up the will to force the words out of his mouth. “I know you’ve seen it. The amulet necklace. The artifact.”
The tomb raider’s face twitched. “Yeah, I’ve seen it. Just answer me one question before we continue this conversation. Is that why you’re bulletproof sometimes? Or, fuck—why you could take on someone like King Pyro and not end up a charred corpse?”
“Yeah. I just...don’t know how it works, but it makes me tougher and strengthens some of my other abilities.”
“Like what?”
“Telekinesis.”
“What? You can move shit with your mind?” Shay shook her head. “You keep surprising the fuck out of me.”
Do you still trust me, Shay, or am I some freak now to you?
James shrugged. “I don’t use it much, and it’s only worth anything when I have the amulet on. And now I need to know the amulet’s true deal.”
Shay snorted. “What the fuck do you mean by that? You’re using some artifact and you don’t even know how it works? Magic’s just like everything else in life, Brownstone. There’s always some sort of hidden cost. It could be shortening your life every time you use it.”
“Probably, but it’s not like I plan to live that long.”
A faintly concerned look appeared on Shay’s face before anger replaced it. “What about Alison? You’re talking about adopting her but you don’t give a shit if you’re feeding your life into some Oriceran amulet?”
“I do care.” James sighed. “That’s the point. Things are different now. Shit, I was satisfied not knowing before, but... Well, I need to know now.” A sign revealed that the airport was coming up soon. “I need to understand this amulet. I don’t like to use the thing for a lot of reasons, but you’ve seen firsthand what I can do. If I knew more about it, maybe I could control it better.”
He stopped before admitting the thing whispered to him in a language he didn’t understand. Right now he needed Shay’s trust and belief, not her paranoia.
“Where exactly do I come in?” the tomb raider asked with a curious glint in her eyes.
“You have to understand, I don’t remember a lot from when I was a kid. I don’t even remember my parents. The man I thought of as my father was a priest, Father Thomas. He was killed protecting me.” James shook his head. “I think that’s one of the reasons I do what I do now. After he died I was given a box of my stuff, and that amulet was in it. I didn’t find out for a few years what it was capable of. I figure maybe you could research it. I’m assuming it’s Oriceran, but I need to know more about it. Like if it’s even safe to use long-term.”
“Yeah, that’s kind of messed up. Anything else you can tell me about your past?”
James furrowed his brow. He didn’t want to admit the next part, but if he wanted to find out the truth Shay needed more clues.
I’ve got to trust her more. Fuck, she’s seen me at my violent worst already and hasn’t turned away.
“The only thing I remember from before people found me and took me to the orphanage is that one minute I was walking in the jungle and the next I was in some dirt field. For years I thought maybe that was just a dream, but now I’m not so sure.”
Shay looked down for a moment, deep in thought. “Sounds like magic. Maybe you gated or teleported somehow. Or someone gated or teleported you.”
“I don’t know. The people who found me said I wasn’t saying words. I was just making weird clicks and pops, but I was old enough that I should have been speaking some sort of language. At least a few words.” James glanced Shay’s way. “Do you think you could help me research the amulet? I figure you track down magical artifacts for a living, so you know better than me how to find out the truth.”
The woman took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay. When we get back I can do some research, but what about Tokyo and the Harriken?”
James shook his head. “We’re not going right away. I have a couple of errands to take care of in LA before I go on any overseas adventures. We should give Peyton a little more time to nail down Hisa’s location anyway.”
“Okay, then, I’ve got a good place to start with research. I’ve got a lot of special books in one of my warehouses. It’s not lame like the glorified storage unit you call a warehouse. It’s an actual warehouse, and since we’re doing the whole trust shit, I’ll tell you. It’s basically a library, with a lot of history and magic stuff. I call it Warehouse Four.”
“So you have different warehouses?”
“Yeah…five of them.”
James turned at a sign for County Road 649. “Maybe I could go with you and help you look through things. I know I’m not a research specialist, but it could help speed things up.”
Shay burst out laughing. “No fucking way are you getting anywhere near my library.”
“What the hell?”
The woman calmed herself and sighed. “Look, Brownstone, the shit in there is rare and expensive. I’m sorry, but you are a bull in a china shop no matter where you go, and that’s when people aren’t trying to kill you. I trust you with my life, but I don’t trust that you won’t fuck up my books. I can’t take the chance that some exploding drone follows you and sets that place on fire.” She shrugged. “A guy rolled up in a van and blew up your house, remember?”
“Yeah.” James snorted. “Fair enough.”
“When we get back I’ll need to examine the amulet; get some pictures with my AR goggles and a couple other things. Then I can start looking through my books and online.”
“Also fair enough. I can’t let you take it with you. I... It’s not that I don’t trust you.”
Shay waved a hand. “Don’t worry about it. Just need pictures. We’ll figure this out.”
“I’m sure we will.”
I just wonder if the answers will make things better or worse.
The next afternoon, Shay stood in Brownstone’s glorified storage unit looking down at the amulet. It didn’t look all that unusual: a circular gold and silver amulet on a silver chain. Azure, crimson, and jade crystals were inset, and it was cool to the touch.
The tomb raider had run across several more impressive artifacts in her short time in her new career. Nothing stood out about the style of workmanship to suggest a source, either Earthly or Oriceran.
Shay flipped down her goggles and took a picture with a press of a button. She switched to infrared and took more, followed by UV mode.
“What the fuck?”
“What is it?” Brownstone asked.
Shay lifted the amulet in the palm of her hand. “It’s different with my UV filters.”
Brownstone shook his head. “How?”
Shay ran her fingers along the edges of the amulet. “With normal vision you can’t see anything besides these crystals, but when I added my UV filter I could suddenly see a bunch of little glyphs.”
“Huh. I never even thought to try something like that. What do they mean?”
“I don’t know offhand, but there’s something familiar about them.” Shay took a few more pictures from different angles. “I think we’ve at least got a good lead to start tracking this thing down. Let me take some more pictures, then I’ll hit Warehouse Four and start the real research.”
Shay smiled to herself. Brownstone appealing directly for her help proved he respected her not just as a killer, but as a tomb raider. She could build on that respect, but first she’d have to help him solve the mystery of the amulet.
Don’t worry, Brownstone. I’ll find out all the crazy bullshit behind your amulet.
Tyler stood behind the bar polishing glasses and smiling. Only a small number of customers were in the building that evening, but he didn’t give a fuck. After his recent success with the Brownstone betting nights, he had more money than he knew what to do with. While he always liked to project a confident air, he’d been struggling for a while. With the threat of financial doom no longer hanging over him, a swagger had reentered his step.
The door swung open and the bartender turned to nod at the new arrival, but then his face twitched and indecision froze him.
Oh, fuck. Of course you’d come here to ruin my good mood, you sonofabitch.
James Brownstone pushed into the room and headed straight toward the bar, looking around the room in confusion as if it were the first time he’d been in the place.
Bring The Pain_An Urban Fantasy Action Adventure Page 6