I wonder if this is how some of the guys did it back in the day.
Lyle reached into the backseat to grab the briefcase and exited the car, then walked over to the huge wrought iron gate and glanced at the keypad on the panel beside it. He pressed the call button and waited.
I hope this guy’s home. I’ve got better shit to do than wait around all day. Maybe I should just rob a bank? No, that won’t work. Too many cameras. Go to some brokerage and get them to transfer me a bunch of money?
“Can I help you?” came a gruff male voice over the intercom, breaking Lyle out of his thoughts.
“I’m here to see Mr. Sarkazian. I have his delivery.” Lyle held up the briefcase. There would be a camera somewhere watching him. “This is the address I was told. I was also told to make sure I mentioned Travis sent me.”
There was no response for ten seconds. Finally, a loud buzz sounded, and the gate unlocked.
“Come to the front door,” the voice commanded. “Don’t make any sudden movements.”
The same could be said for you.
Lyle pushed through the gate with a smile. He used to be so unhappy. Every day, he’d wake up and think about how the world had screwed him over and pushed him into a life he’d never wanted, but now he understood that had just been a test. Since he’d proven himself, he’d been given the bone charm and the chance to make his life whatever he wanted as long as he worked hard.
How could a man not be happy in that situation?
Lyle meandered up the red-brick path that wound through the vast well-maintained lawn. A few orange trees broke up the monotony, but the landscaping wasn’t very interesting.
At my future mansion, I want something cool. Maybe a hedge maze, but a killer one like in The Shining. Some Oriceran should be able to make that if I pay them enough. Or it can be an attraction. I could charge people.
He chuckled as he arrived at the front porch. He took a moment to smooth the lapels of the new suit he’d taken from the same man he’d taken the car from. The suit fit looser than he would have liked, but he couldn’t argue with the price. After his payday, he could go buy himself an expensive hand-tailored suit.
The door swung open and a huge, muscular man jerked his head toward the inside. “Hurry up.”
Lyle entered and smiled at the man. “Great sunshine today, am I right? Such nice weather you’ve got here in LA.”
The guard grunted, and his nostrils flared. “Who gives a fuck about the weather?”
Lyle clucked his tongue. “If you can’t appreciate the world around you, what’s the point of living? What separates you from a machine? Ever think about that?”
“Just get in the fucking living room.” The guard glared at him.
“Fine, fine.” Lyle continued out of the foyer, slowing for a moment to appreciate the intricate weave of the carpet.
Need to get me a bunch of fancy carpets. And tapestries? Are tapestries still a thing rich people have? If not, maybe I can revitalize the trend.
Lyle followed the guard into a huge living room filled with leather couches and paintings. A massive curved table of frosted glass sat in the center of the room.
A few nice tables, too. Definitely need those.
He had no idea if the various landscapes and portraits were worth anything, but they did seem like something a rich asshole would keep in his house.
What am I thinking? After this deal, I’ll be the rich asshole.
A silver-haired man stood near the wall, staring up at a painting of sunflowers, his hands behind his back and resting on a cane topped with a blue crystal.
Wonder how expensive that was?
Lyle cleared his throat. “Good afternoon to you, sir. I’ve come a long way to deliver your package. You’re Mr. Sarkazian, I presume?”
The other man turned. The decades had lined his face, but he retained much of the handsome visage of his youth. “Yes, I am.” He nodded toward the table. “Enough pleasantries. Show me.”
“Of course, Mr. Sarkazian.” Lyle walked over to the table and set down the briefcase. He placed his thumb on the DNA scanner and grimaced. For all his new-found power, he couldn’t do anything about the burn. Fortunately, this would be one of the few times he’d need to deal with a DNA lock.
Soon it’ll be people coming to me and saying, “Yes, sir. Here’s your delivery, sir.”
The lock clicked, and Lyle opened the briefcase. Dozens of small plastic bags filled with multi-colored crystals were piled inside.
Suspicion on his face, Sarkazian looked Lyle up and down and walked toward him, leaning heavily on his cane. His unsteady gait made it clear he had some sort of knee problem.
Wonder why a rich guy like him doesn’t get it fixed?
“There you go, sir. Premium stuff,” Lyle explained. “It’s not easy to smuggle these crystals off Oriceran. Of course, the extra difficulty and inherent danger have to be reflected in the price.”
At least that’s what those wizard assholes said.
“A reasonable stance.” Sarkazian nodded to his guard, and the other man walked into a nearby hallway and disappeared around the corner. The older man sat on a couch and laid his cane across his thighs. “Such destructive power, yet so stable. How very useful.”
Lyle pulled out his phone. “I’ve got a QR code with the number of the relevant account. When we last talked about this, you said TrollCoin would be fine. If you want to pay another way, we can discuss that, but I would prefer TrollCoin.”
“I was surprised when you contacted me. I’ve been dealing with those wizards for a while. They’ve been useful for getting me things I need.”
“I’m sure they’ll be able to deal with you directly again soon, but they’ve sent me in the meantime to provide all the services you need,” Lyle lied. “I’m not a wizard, but I strive to be useful.”
“Aren’t you going to ask?” Sarkazian stared at him as if judging him.
Stop looking at me like that. You don’t understand who you’re dealing with.
“Ask what?” Lyle’s smile finally dimmed as suspicion played across Sarkazian’s face.
“Aren’t you going to ask what I need the crystals for?” Sarkazian pointed his cane at the open briefcase. “Most people would at least be curious why I needed an entire briefcase full of magical explosives.”
“Not my problem, as long as you pay. I’m a businessman.” Lyle injected more energy into his smile. “If anything, knowing what you want to do with them is a disadvantage.”
“I used to be like you,” Sarkazian replied quietly. “I used to think nothing mattered but money. I spent my life obsessed with gathering it, not paying attention to the moral or ethical considerations. But the other things do matter.”
Lyle’s curiosity finally got the better of him. “The crystals aren’t to take down your local competitors?”
“What sort of local competitors do you think I have who would require this sort of solution?”
“You’re a guy who can pay millions for smuggled explosive crystals. I'm guessing your enemy would be some sort of organized crime group.” Lyle held up a hand. “Like I said before, I don’t really need to know the details, but since you asked, yes, I’m a little curious. Not judging, mind you. All I’m here to do is deliver them to you.”
“What if I told you I intended to kill normal people with them?” Sarkazian’s cold, dark eyes fixed on Lyle. “Not criminals, just innocent people minding their own business.”
Man, this guy has so much money, but he doesn’t know how to enjoy life. Too bad.
“Normal people?” Lyle made a face. “Why do you need this sort of stuff for that? If you just want to kill people, why not just use guns or normal bombs? The great thing about Earth is that you don’t need magic to kill people.”
Sarkazian shook his head. “I need to prove a point about how evil magic is, and to do that, I require magical items. Do you understand now?”
Lyle groaned. “Oh, you’re New Veil.” He waved a hand and gave M
r. Sarkazian a sheepish smile. “I have to admit I actually feel kind of dumb here. Of course, a bunch of terrorists would want explosives. Duh. Blowing up Mafia guys with magical bombs would attract too much attention.” He shrugged. “For some reason, I just assumed you were normal criminals. Not weirdo hypocrites.”
“Hypocrites?” Sarkazian narrowed his eyes.
“Yes. Come on, killing people with magic to prove magic is evil is kind of weird to me. If anything, it just proves humans are the real evil or whatever.” Lyle shrugged.
“We do what’s necessary to save this planet.”
“I honestly don’t care. You can do whatever terrorist anti-magic shit you want. That’s your business. All I care about is getting paid. I’m not really a political type of guy, you know? So, can we just get on with the payment, already?”
The guard from before stepped back into the room, flanked by three other men. They all had handguns out.
“We’ll get on with something else.” Sarkazian glared at Lyle. “Who are you really? FBI? Hmm? PDA? CIA?”
“That’s a lot of letters.” Lyle chuckled, his heart as calm as before. Sarkazian had made a mistake by not killing him instantly if this was how he wanted to play it. That had been the man’s only chance to win. “I’m a businessman, not a government guy. And I was honest earlier, I don’t care what you intend to do with the crystals. I just want to get paid. This doesn’t have to end poorly.”
Sarkazian picked up his cane and smashed the top against the table so hard he left a web of cracks. “You think I don’t know this is a setup? You think I’m a complete fool?”
Lyle sighed. “Are you going to pay me or not?”
“If you tell me the truth, we might consider keeping you alive. If you don’t, we’re going to get the truth out of you, however long and however painful it may be.” Sarkazian stood, resting one palm atop another on his cane. “Traitors to reality must be punished, and those who refuse to join our side are traitors, whether or not they support magic.”
“You know what the real problem is with you New Veil types? You’re fighting a losing battle. I mean, what’s the point? You think you’re going to somehow stop magic? You know what they say: you can’t stuff the genie back in the bottle.” Lyle laughed. “Probably a genie who came up with that. Wait, are genies real?”
The four thugs advanced on Lyle, their guns trained on him.
“Your arrogance is about to bring you a lot of pain,” Sarkazian stated. “I’d be lying if I said I won’t enjoy it.”
Lyle clucked his tongue quickly twice. “You’re going to make things complicated for me, aren’t you? Oh, well. At least I already have everything I’ll need to clean up.” He pressed on the bone charm underneath his shirt. “The first guy in the room, point your gun at the head of the man who came in after you. The next two point your guns at each other’s heads. The last guy, point at the first guy’s head, and all of you wait for further instructions.”
The bone charm warmed against Lyle’s chest.
Sarkazian frowned. “What are you trying?”
The four thugs complied, their guns now turned on each other and their expressions blank.
“Not trying, doing,” Lyle explained. “Everyone with a gun, pull the trigger.” Three of the thugs’ heads exploded. “Last guy, kill yourself.”
A loud gunshot followed, and the last man fell to the floor.
Lyle smiled at Sarkazian. “I just wanted to test that. In movies, they’re always able to resist suicide commands. Huh. Guess that shows you the difference between movies and real life.”
The older man’s eyes widened. “You are PDA, aren’t you?” He laughed. “Go ahead and try it on me, then, you wizard piece of trash. You’ll be disappointed” He sneered.
“I’m not a wizard, and I don’t work for the government. I used to work for wizards. You know, the guys you were dealing with originally.” Lyle smirked. “Too bad they were such idiots that they were supplying dangerous gear to anti-magic terrorists. See, that’s why they’re dead now: because they were idiots who underestimated me. Just like you. Now hit yourself on the head with that cane.”
Sarkazian didn’t move except to grin. “You’re not a wizard? Then you have some sort of toy?”
Lyle frowned. He hadn’t run into anyone who could resist his power yet, magical or otherwise. His gaze dipped. The crystal on top of the cane was slightly cloudier.
Shit. I didn’t know anti-magic deflectors came in different colors.
Lyle frowned and walked toward the older man. “You think I can’t take down an old man?” An invisible force field stopped his forward movement. “What the hell?”
“I’ve collected more than enough artifacts to beat wizards. That’s what it means to be a member of the New Veil. Hypocrisy, you might call it, but it’s really polluting ourselves to save Earth.” Sarkazian chuckled. “You should have never come here, but whatever artifact you’re using will be of great value to my group. Don’t worry, more of my friends are on the way.”
“Hit yourself with the cane,” Lyle ordered. “Bow before me. Get up and try to dance.”
Sarkazian’s smirk grew wider. “You’re stubborn, but that’s not admirable, only pathetic.”
“Count to twenty. Count to thirty. Tell me what thirty-four times fifty-seven is. Call up your last contact and tell them to go fuck themselves.”
The bone charm grew hotter. It was now uncomfortable against Lyle’s skin.
Huh. Never had to try this hard before. This is interesting. Glad this guy proved a little harder. It’s better to know my limits before I run into someone who might actually be trouble.
Sarkazian burst out laughing.
Lyle continued rattling off random orders, focusing on the darkening of the crystal on top of the cane. The other man didn’t seem to notice.
“Don’t you get it?” Sarkazian shouted. “You can’t win against me. Run, little man. If you run right now, you might be able to escape before my reinforcements arrive, but we’ll still chase you down and make you pay for your arrogance.”
Lyle ignored him and continued rattling off quick commands.
Sarkazian stood up and glared at him. He lifted his cane. “You don’t have a shield, do you? Just because I have a bad knee doesn’t mean my arm doesn’t work.”
“Bend over and kiss my ass,” Lyle replied. “Donate five hundred dollars to an Oriceran Resettlement Charity. Give your car away to the first bum you see. Go on television and challenge James Brownstone to a fight.”
The crystal was now black.
Almost there. Now who’s the arrogant asshole?
The terrorist hobbled forward. “You should have run when you had the chance.”
“Give me the cane. Hit yourself with the cane. Throw the cane away.”
Sarkazian raised the cane.
“Hit yourself in your bad knee with the cane,” Lyle suggested.
Cracks shot through the now-jet-black crystal and it shattered, the pieces raining down on the carpet. Sarkazian gasped and stumbled back, shock on his face.
“This mind-control stuff is pretty hefty magic,” Lyle explained. “You shouldn’t have assumed your little crystal would hold. Now let’s test if it was also responsible for the shield.” He walked forward until he was right in front of the other man. “Looks like the answer is a big yes.”
Sarkazian tried to bring down the cane, but Lyle’s hand shot up and grabbed the other man’s arm. He curled his free hand into a fist and slammed it into the terrorist’s stomach.
The older man gasped for breath and fell to his knees. Lyle smashed his fist across his face and Sarkazian dropped to the ground, his face bloodied.
Messing with their minds is fun, but beating someone up is fun, too.
Lyle sighed and scratched his eyebrow. “I should take the crystals, but it’s more trouble than it’s worth. I really just want the money.” He knelt in front of the other man with a bright smile. “Here’s what we’re going to do. You’re goi
ng to transfer all the money you can to me, and then you’re going to sit here for seven minutes after that. When those seven minutes are up, you’re going to activate one of these crystals. That’ll probably set the rest off, but do you understand?”
Sarkazian’s eyes grew glassy, and he nodded slowly. He pulled out his phone. “Is TrollCoin okay?”
“Yes. That’d be peachy.” Lyle grinned. “It’s a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Sarkazian.”
Lyle glanced down at his watch, then into his rearview mirror. He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to see anything from so many blocks away.
A massive orange-red explosion erupted behind the car. The ground rumbled, and the car rocked.
“Damn!” Lyle shouted. “That probably took out half the block.” He laughed. “So much for being subtle, but that was so damned cool.”
Lyle threw back his head and laughed. He had let fear rule him too much. Yes, he had to be careful that someone didn’t surprise him, but as long as they didn’t, he would always win—just like Sarkazian had found out.
He grimaced. “That was a nice house. Maybe I shouldn’t have had him blow it up.”
Lyle started whistling, If I Only Had a Brain and let his mind wander. A king or emperor could order a man to do something, and they might do it, but only out of loyalty or fear. Lyle could order a man to kill himself, and the man would comply because he had no choice.
That made Lyle more than a king or emperor.
You know what? I’m a god, and it’s time to start collecting worshippers.
James frowned at his phone. He lifted his head to look over at Maria, who was sitting across from him at the conference table. “You sure? Not even a single level three. It’s organizational, but that’s not gonna make much of a difference if they’ve got a wizard hiding there or something.”
Maria nodded. “Remember? That’s the point. If we keep it low-level, the guys don’t have to concentrate on guarding their asses, so they can watch you do your thing. You’re right, it’s a level-two organizational bounty with a lot of level ones mixed in—mostly dust dealers and petty muscle. This group’s independent, so it’s not like we’ll create any waves when you take them out.”
Shadow Of The Ring: An Urban Fantasy Action Adventure (The Unbelievable Mr. Brownstone Book 16) Page 5