by RJ Blain
Hypnos
Seeking the Zodiacs Book One
RJ Blain
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
About the Author
Acknowledgments
Hypnos
Seeking the Zodiacs Book One
by RJ Blain
Following the devastation of World War III, nuclear radiation has spawned magic, ranging from nuisance koppa oni plaguing the Golden Gate to masters of the elements. It falls to the FBI's supernatural quads and their supervisors to protect those who can't protect themselves.
* * *
But when a mysterious force storms through a busy shopping center and fells everyone in its wake, Olivia Abrams and her team of special ops must find who is behind the attack and why before the entirety of San Francisco succumbs to its powers.
Copyright © 2019 by RJ Blain
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover Art by Rebecca Frank of Bewitching Book Covers.
To Rebecca Frank,
* * *
Thanks for the spark that made this series happen.
Chapter One
An upstart hunk of a police detective invaded my office, waved his badge in my face like I cared, and barked, “Where were you last night?”
As it took a lot of balls for a local cop to storm into an FBI resident agency and start asking questions without even an introduction, I refrained from encasing him in a bubble of water and drowning him. I was tempted to drench him so I could admire him for a while, however. Beneath his black suit, white shirt, and prissy black tie likely lurked a lean man.
If his face was any indicator, a lean, gorgeous man.
The good upstart cops countered their donut intake with gym time, and my invading cop seemed to have forgotten to pick up his share of the donuts on his way to the gym.
I smiled, leaned back in my chair, and enjoyed a few more moments of admiring the view. “Well, this is a memorable start to a Monday. Do I intimidate you, or do you always start questioning sessions so abruptly? I will say that was a nice entrance, Officer. You got my attention. I’m sure you would’ve unsettled most suspects.” I leaned forward and closed the folder closest to me to hide the case file I’d been reviewing. “You have the advantage.”
The cop closed my office door. “Paper pushers are hardly intimidating.”
“What did I do to deserve the abrupt treatment? If I missed a blind date again, I might be sorry for once in my life. I had no idea Oakland had such nice police officers. Detective?” I relaxed in my seat and kept a close watch on him through half-lidded eyes. “There must be a lot of women committing crimes for a chance to be arrested by you. Alas, I missed our date because I was stuck here working. That’ll teach me to skip out.”
“I assure you there was no blind date.”
“Well, that’s a pity. A blind date would’ve been better than critical case reviews.” I rose from my seat, circled my desk, and held out my hand. “Lee Jing Chi. How can I help you, Officer?”
To unsettle, disturb, or otherwise gain the advantage over those who came to my office uninvited, I employed my mixed heritage. Americans like the spunky cop considered me inferior, but the men couldn’t help but stare, especially when I wore a pencil skirt and posed on my desk. The instant my legs came into view, most of them forgot about their petty prejudices.
He locked onto my bare calves, shook his head, and forced his attention to my face. Licking my lips counted as unfair play, but most who came storming into my office ultimately objectified me anyway. Tweaking the cop’s nose would amuse me until I sent him packing.
Unlike most, the cop shook my hand without trying to break my fingers. “Raymond Davis, Oakland Police, Detective.”
“I’d guessed you were with the Oakland police from your badge, Detective. Alas, I missed our date because I was here working. You can verify that with the security desk downstairs. I’ve been here since two.”
Detective Davis released my hand. “In the morning?”
I turned enough on my desk to give the files pestering me a venomous stare. While my four-man quads were responsible for the monitoring and policing of the supernatural, we also got to deal with money laundering and other financial crimes that fell under the FBI’s jurisdiction. When the supernatural did the money laundering, the files were flagged as critical, resulting in an unwanted call at one in the afternoon on a Sunday.
I hoped I’d get to go home before Tuesday.
“In the afternoon. I’m hoping I can go home in the next hour or two—”
Someone knocked at my door, and I kissed my hope of leaving today goodbye. “Enter.”
Of all the quads I managed, Luke Doloman’s team drove me crazy. The quad leader visiting me meant trouble, and it wasn’t the fun type of trouble. “Detective, if you’ll excuse us for a moment?”
Luke’s eyes widened. “Hey, Ray. I haven’t seen you since the koppa oni infestation on the Golden Gate. What are you doing here?”
“I’m questioning Miss Lee Jing Chi,” he replied.
I smirked as the cop likely had no idea if Lee or Chi was my family name. Technically, neither was, but I’d have fun revealing I was American born and raised, much to my mother’s dismay.
She’d insisted on giving me a proper Chinese name despite my tendencies to take after my American father.
“Is she finally being booked for overworking?”
If Detective Davis did the booking and the pat down, I’d be quite happy with the interruption to my day and a chance for some rest. All I’d have to do was drench a few cops to get into a specialized cell, then my rest and relaxation would be quiet and undisturbed. Alas, there was no rest for quad managers. “What do you need, Luke?”
“There’s a problem, boss.”
Detective Davis’s mouth dropped open. “She’s your boss?”
“You came here without knowing that?” Luke tossed his head back and laughed. “You poor bastard. She’s going to eat you for dinner.”
“Luke,” I warned. “What’s the problem?”
“Adrianna’s quad hasn’t checked in, and they’re an hour late. They aren’t answering their phones.”
A different day, a different problem, and when working with a bunch of unwilling supernaturals who’d rather have safe desk jobs, I had a list of reasons why the quad wasn’t answering their phones at least a mile long. Unfortunately, my job was to make sure all quads reported back in and find out what had happened to them when they didn’t turn up after a shift. “Take your quad, call for backup if needed, and I expect an update every twenty minutes.” I reached across my desk and snatched my phone. “Activate the trackers on your phones before you leave, and should you call in for backup, make certain they do the same.”
“Yes, ma’am. Good luck, Ray.” Luke bolted from my office and slammed the door behind him.
I considered my phone, judging the situation to figure out the best way to get rid of the detective so I could do my job. A call to the security desk would get the detective out of my hair for a while. “Well
, so much for going home in an hour. Enough playing. I’ve a quad to locate. Tell me what you think I did, why you think I did it, and what sort of alibi information you need so you can head off and do your job. Any other day, I’d just love to play games with you, but a missing quad is too important for time to be wasted unnecessarily.”
“A koi statuette of importance to the Chinese, according to its owner, was stolen last night.”
I stared at him. “And this has what to do with me?”
“You have the required magic rating—which is a rather rare rating in case you need a reminder—needed to pull off the robbery, and you have motive,” he announced.
I blinked at him, returning my phone to its cradle. “I do? What the hell am I going to do with a fish figurine? If I want a paperweight, I’ll order one online.”
“It’s Chinese.”
“And?”
“You’re—”
“Chinese-American. I’ve never been to China in my life, my Cantonese is so bad it makes my mother cry, and I’m a special agent in the FBI. Why would I wreck my career over some dumb fish?”
“The dumb fish is worth over five million dollars.”
Okay. Five million dollars could sway a lot of people, but I wasn’t one of them. “Why would anyone buy a fish for that much? Is it made of diamond or something?” I snorted, slid off my desk, and returned to my seat. “I can send you a copy of my schedule and authorize security to send you copies of the hallway security footage proving I haven’t left the floor all night. Would that be sufficient proof for your needs, Detective Davis?”
“To begin with, yes.”
Hot damn. How had I been working in Oakland for so long without running into the spitfire detective? Now that he was on my radar, I’d enjoy creating excuses to tweak his nose and toy with him.
Nothing spiced up a boring work day more than playing with the local police, especially when the detective was easy on the eyes and had enough spine to invade my office.
I’d have to make certain my father didn’t find out I was toying with one of the local cops, or he’d find some way to ruin my fun.
He had a bad habit of ruining my fun whenever I found one of the local cops entertaining. His status as the area’s police commissioner, formerly a police chief, had something to do with that.
I needed to remind my old man he wasn’t a uniformed officer anymore.
Knocking Detective Davis down a few pegs would buy me the time I needed to deal with my missing quad. I’d even apologize to him for being curt later. “Next time, perhaps base your investigations on something a little more solid than my race and magic rating. You’ll waste a lot less time that way.” I smiled at him. “And as for that blind date, sorry. I’ll try not to skip out next time. Give me a call if you think I’ll be late.”
Detective Davis’s cheek twitched. “You’re one of those FBI agents who live to toy with the local police, aren’t you?”
“It would be a shame to let such a nice opportunity go to waste, Detective. Can I call you Raymond? I guess it’s too early to start calling you Ray, especially after missing our date. Call me sometime.” I grabbed my phone from its cradle and dialed the security desk. “Detective Davis from the Oakland Police requires footage from the fifth floor common areas from last night. Make certain he fills out all the appropriate forms.”
The guard chuckled. “Understood, Miss Abrams.”
I hung up and held out my hand. “It’s been a pleasure, Detective Davis. Oh, just so you know. My name is Olivia Abrams to you American types.”
If my mother heard the scorn in my voice, she’d be proud of me for putting an American man back in his place and giving him a taste of the prejudices we faced daily. To his credit he took my hand and maintained his base courtesy.
He squeezed, a gentle enough challenge. “Next time, I recommend against dodging your dates, Miss Abrams. You might break a man’s heart.”
Despite myself, I laughed. “Do you detective types even have hearts?”
He lifted a finger to his lips. “That’s a secret.”
With an entire quad missing, there was no way I was going to stay in my office and wait for news. Grumbling curses over my own damned rules, which I’d implemented when I’d discovered exhaustion had become a leading cause of death among supernatural law enforcement members, I couldn’t drive myself to join Luke’s team. Anyone who’d been on shift for longer than twelve hours lost their driving rights, and I’d even convinced the FBI to add an entire department of non-drafted employees, often former quad members, who had the sole job of driving quads around and serving as backup.
I hated when I needed to call my boss to get a driver, but as I was the damned supervisor, I needed to play by my rules.
“What’s on the wire, Olivia?” my boss answered.
“I’ve got a missing quad and need a driver, sir.”
As always whenever I called him asking for a ride, my boss sighed. “When was the last time you got any sleep? I’m going to be nice and let you count those five minute power naps you like to take as sleep. Maybe that way you won’t give me extra gray hairs today.”
Damn it, damn it, damn it. “Saturday, sir.”
His sigh promised I’d given him several more gray hairs, an accomplishment when he’d gone full silver before he’d turned fifty. “While being a water elementalist is convenient, even you need sleep.”
With my wretched luck, he’d bar me from coming to work for a day or two, and I’d return to a complete and utter disaster. “I know. I was going to go home, but my quad disappeared.”
“Rating on your quad?”
“Soft hitters, sir. They’re investigators, and they always need to call in backup for the challenging stuff. They do good work as a general rule, but they’re drafters near the end of the line. I might be able to keep them with the right raise, though. They’re out in four months.”
“And as only an idiot abandoned ship four months before being free and clear of their draft, something happened. Team makeup?”
“A memento mori photographer, a medium, a minor air elementalist, and a thought sucker.”
“Why can’t you call them empaths or drainers like everyone else, Olivia?”
“That’d be too nice. They might get worried if I’m too nice to them.”
My boss chuckled, and I relaxed at his good humor. “That would be a tragedy.”
“Exactly. They might get even more uppity than they usually do if they think I’m nice. Can I get a lift?”
“As you’ll call a cab and be a pest otherwise, yes. I’ll recruit Eddy. Expect her within ten. If you’re tired, you’ll need the backup if you run into any tough spots. Don’t take any chances, and I will be ordering Eddy to make sure you get home and stay home after your quad has been located. Where are you headed?”
“I’ll track Luke’s quad and follow them. I told them they were to enable the trackers on their phones for this. Same with their backups if they call some in.”
“Keep me in the loop,” he ordered before hanging up.
I grabbed my purse, which contained my gun, wallet, and badge, and headed downstairs to discover Detective Davis at the security desk hard at work filling out forms. “You haven’t given up yet, Raymond?”
He snorted. “Hardly, Miss Abrams. You should see the violence report forms. They’re worse.”
When I got back into the office, I needed to suggest we add a few extra forms to annoy the local cops when they wanted our security footage.
The security guards grinned at me, and I was so tired I couldn’t remember their names. Both were young, and whoever hired them must have taken their appearances into consideration, because they were fit for a magazine rather than the ground floor of an FBI resident agency.
“Why would you steal a fish?” one of the guards asked.
When I asked about adding forms for the local police to fill out, I needed to ask that our guards wear name tags. “Paperweight?’
“Your desk is too ti
dy for one, ma’am.”
“Unexpected weapon?”
“You’re more of the Ming vase type,” he countered.
Whoever he was, I obviously liked him enough he wasn’t frightened of incurring my wrath like half the security people. “Really?” I hummed. “Maybe. Have fun with those papers, Raymond.”
Before the detective had a chance to add any commentary, I escaped the building. An FBI-marked SUV pulled up to the curb and turned on its hazards. Taking the hint my ride had arrived, I slid into the back.
Eddy didn’t need me clutching the dashboard whenever I thought she’d hit something, which was whenever she got behind the wheel of a vehicle. It still amazed me she’d never been in a single accident.
“You look like shit,” my boss’s sister announced.
“You look like you need a bath.”
“Not in an official car unless necessary. Please. If you really think I need a bath, you can take your temper out on me when I get you home. Wouldn’t be the first time. A little water isn’t going to hurt me.”
Little hurt a woman who could shapeshift into a dragon. I chuckled and checked my phone, selecting Luke as my tracking target. “It looks like we’re going to Oakland City Center, Eddy.”
“Buckle up then, missy,” Eddy replied. “You got lucky today; I was just down the street. What’s going on?”
“Adrianna’s squad didn’t check in, and they’re not answering their phones.”
“That’s not like her. Sure, she’ll skip the last hour of her shift if she’s not rostered to go to the spa with her quad, but she always checks in.”