Agents Of Mayhem: An Urban Fantasy Action Adventure (Federal Agents of Magic Book 2)

by TR Cameron

  For a hairsbreath moment, Diana thought he would surrender, but he proved her optimism unfounded. An outstretched hand and barked command launched the Toyota toward Cara’s position against the wall. Only a frantic jump over the hood saved her from being crushed. His other hand directed a pair of nearby power tools toward the second agent’s face.

  Diana called on her telekinesis and slapped the projectiles aside with a sweep of her left arm. She drew her pistol, but Harold had already fled, darting behind obstructions and coworkers to break her line of sight.

  Shit.

  “Stay on that side,” she yelled to her partner and broke into a run. “I’ll take the middle and right.”

  She pounded along the center aisle in pursuit, then flung herself behind a windowless car when a blizzard of lug nuts appeared. They rocketed above with the speed of bullets and struck the metal behind her. Various workers responded with outraged shouts mingled with at least one scream of pain. She weaved to avoid several of the bounty’s force blasts. Glyphs glowed under the edges of Harold’s now-unrolled shirtsleeves. If he hadn’t already admitted to his magical abilities—and been caught on camera, of course—this would have been the damning evidence.

  As if the flying steel wasn’t proof enough.

  Diana skidded across the cement on her knees as another salvo of lug nuts speared toward her head. A sharp ridge on the floor sliced a long gash in the side of her left boot, and she growled her annoyance. "Okay, punk. Now, it’s personal.”

  With the increased anger came the familiar sensation as magic built inside her, and she grinned. She’d taken great pains to hide her gift before she’d joined BAM. Now, the terror she had once felt about it and the dreams that had plagued her nights had both faded. But not being afraid of it didn’t mean she had proper control yet. Knowing it was there was comforting, though. A crash from the left was likely attributable to an attack on Cara, and she hoped the other woman was okay. Unfortunately, hope was all she could manage as she had no attention to spare beyond the deadly projectiles Harold launched relentlessly in her direction. Her mind cataloged them as she dodged.

  Big-ass wrench. Socket set, in case. Socket set, not in case.

  Her eyes widened and she flinched at the sight of a veritable wall of metal objects inbound. She crouched and raised her right arm in defense. Her wrist immediately glowed with glyphs, and a shimmering force barricade materialized to protect her from the hail of steel.

  Captain America’s got nothing on me.

  She lurched into motion again and extended her pistol for a shot as Harold broke into the wide space at the far edge of the building, but the distance was too great.

  Where the hell does he think he’s going? If he dives in the river, I won’t jump in after him. It’s too damn cold for that nonsense.

  For a moment, she wondered if aquatic shapeshifters existed or if she could find a mermaid to help patrol the waterways. Fortunately, he didn’t try that route. Instead, he cursed and released a volley of spells at a chain-link fence with razor wire at its top. The barrier shook fiercely but didn’t break under his onslaught.

  Diana stopped, aimed at the tasteless image on the back center of his shirt, and shouted, “Okay, Harold. Give it up and get on the ground.”

  He turned frantically as Cara closed in on a separate vector with her pistol trained unflinchingly to deny him any chance to evade them for a running start. If he attacked, the other would be able to restrain him. At least, that was the theory. Unfortunately, standard tactics didn’t mean squat to a magic user.

  Harold threw his arms up and an invisible force spun the weapon out of Diana’s grasp. Cara’s followed the same example but to her credit, the marshal didn’t hesitate. Instead, she charged the bounty instead. Diana lunged forward in response, lest he focus all his effort on her partner. He gestured at her and suddenly, it felt like she ran through mud. The technique was new to her and proved successful against her usual defenses. It demonstrated a level of control beyond what she could accomplish.

  Damn. He’s actually good at this.

  Cara closed unhindered and delivered two sharp punches to his torso. The attack didn’t impact him nearly as much as it should have.

  He probably has some kind of close defense force going on, too. Why the hell is he only a level-two?

  She made a mental note to talk to someone at police headquarters about their bounty categorizations as she continued to push against his spell.

  The marshal threw a hook at his head that he blocked with a raised hand. It never actually touched her, yet the punch was guided away. A roundhouse body kick followed, and he stopped it with a gesture. She faked a backfist at his face before she spun to finally connect with a side kick to his ribs.

  He staggered, then straightened with a condescending smile and rumbled, “All right, enough playing.”

  Harold thrust out both hands, and Cara was thrown back. The attack must have distracted him or required his entire focus because Diana found she could move at full speed once more. She covered the intervening distance in seconds and leapt in with a sharp blow aimed at the side of his head. He saw it at the last instant and shifted enough to catch the blow on the back of his skull, rather than his temple, so it glanced off the hard bone. In a frenzy, he whirled on her and made a punching motion with his hand. Time slowed for her as her reflexive magic kicked in instinctively. She tilted her head to the left and something whizzed past her ear, although she could almost see the invisible fist that she had narrowly avoided.

  Diana flung herself aside to avoid his next blow as the world around her resumed its normal pace, then weaved and feinted in an attempt to keep his attention and make him miss. She spotted a tree stump ahead and dashed for the minimal cover it would provide. A heavy strike radiated pain through her back before she reached it, however. She sprawled painfully and struggled to recover. At least the blow had one benefit. The stump was now within reach. She crawled behind the remains of the tree as dark spots danced across her vision. After a deep, calming breath, she clawed the Ruger out of her boot.

  She raised the revolver in a two-handed grip and rested it on the wood. Harold stalked toward her. His face was twisted with anger as his arms stretched before him. She tried to steady the gun and wished she could take a breath to still the trembling in her hands. He’d somehow restricted her ability to breathe, and she needed to take her shot quickly to break the hold he had over her.

  Cara saved her from having to take the shot. She leapt stealthily from behind and delivered a brutal kick to Harold’s right knee that dropped him to the dirt. The marshal stamped her foot on the man’s calf, and his bone snapped. He screamed, and Diana gasped a ragged breath as her ability to breathe returned. Her partner bound him quickly with the zip ties provided and was smart enough to use a gag to prevent him from speaking. He’d not needed spoken incantations for any of his spells thus far so that might have been unnecessary. Still, there was no guarantee that he didn’t have some nasty last-resort explosive something or other that could level the entire area in one massive blast.

  She thought of that too. Good.

  Her partner ran over to help her up. “Nice job distracting him so I could get close.”

  Diana laughed but it definitely sounded strained. “Yeah, sure. That’s what it was. He’s a bastard. You should’ve shot him, period.”

  The marshal shrugged. “I’m not sure where he threw my gun. Plus, isn’t it always better to incapacitate them rather than kill them?”

  “So I hear.” She rolled her eyes and groaned, then shook her head at the moaning man. “He’s secured, so let’s call the wagon to take him away. Two Worlds Security Consulting just bagged its first bounty.”

  Chapter Five

  Diana walked the few blocks from the agency to the restaurant and entered the front door. She ignored the glares and verbal protests from the line of people shivering in the cold as she addressed the hostess. “My group’s here. I’m the late one.” She navigated the l
oudly happy crowd with all the skills of a trained fighter. The space was built around a Caribbean theme, with a fancy glass and wood bar to the right and tables to the left. Two small areas in the back afforded at least an illusion of privacy. The rest of the floor space committed to a kind of upscale togetherness that reminded her of nights out in DC.

  Well, everywhere but the Beagle, at least.

  She chuckled at the memory as a stab of homesickness struck her and wondered how Lisa was doing. A rustle and vibration emanated from inside her purse, and she was sure Rath was enjoying the sights at least, if not the sounds and smells since he was buttoned up in his canister. She had rigged a Velcro strap that would hold the item at an angle near the top of her bag so his tiny mirrored periscope would let him see what was going on.

  Sometimes, it’s handy having a five-inch-tall partner. It ensures the element of surprise, anyway.

  With a smile of greeting, she slid into the booth opposite Bryant and set the big leather purse gently between them. He was in business casual today—a simple pair of khakis and a light blue button-down shirt. “Cara should be here in a few minutes. She had a call to make.”

  He nodded. “Cool. It gives us a minute to talk about her behind her back. How was the first run?”

  Diana shook her head. “That guy was a jerk.”

  Bryant laughed. “Seriously. You would think they’d simply go quietly, given our collective awesomeness.”

  “Exactly. Idiots.” She grinned. “We learned a couple of things. Cara is as good as we thought she’d be. She kept it together during the whole scenario and delivered the blow that took him out of the fight.”

  “It’s nice when reality matches the file, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah, she’s gonna work out fine. I saw no obvious magic talent, but it could be she reserved it. Either way, Cara Binot is a keeper.”

  He seemed suddenly uncomfortable, and it wasn’t a good look on him. She frowned. “What?”

  He shrugged. “This is probably something I should have asked a while ago. You know your magic has to come from somewhere, right? It doesn’t develop at random.”

  A ripple of remembered fear disturbed her peace, but it was nowhere near as bad as it would have been if he’d asked when she first joined BAM in DC. She took a deep breath and nodded. “Yes. I’m aware. Yours, too. Everyone’s.”

  Bryant nodded. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, but I’d be interested to know both personally and professionally.”

  Diana sighed, laid her elbows heavily on the table, and shook her head in one of her hands. “Elf. I’m part elf.”

  He made a point of staring at her ears. She rolled her eyes and laughed helplessly as she shrugged. “My mom told me after an…incident when I was a kid. She had power but chose not to embrace it, and she taught me how to keep mine in check.”

  He frowned. “She decided you shouldn’t use it?”

  She shook her head before he even finished. “Nothing like that. But she wanted me to have a choice. It’s one of the reasons I shadowed the squad that was destroyed by the magic attack—to see if that was a useful place for me to bring it all together.”

  Bryant grinned, and a hint of the smirking chucklehead she remembered from their first days together broke through. “Now, don’t you feel better with that out in the open, pointy?”

  “Bite me, Bryant. Now, it’s your turn.”

  He shook his head. “I’m gonna maintain the mystery and keep you interested.”

  She groaned. “Honestly, you are an idiot.” She sighed and tried to remember what they were talking about.

  Oh yeah, that’s right.

  “The bounty capture did point out one glaring issue, though. We’ll need better intel on…well, everything. Trying to take Harold in the body shop was a really stupid choice on my part. We should have watched him for a while and approached him somewhere less crowded, but I didn’t have anyone to put on it or any systems for recon.”

  Her companion grimaced. “That makes sense. Spooling up is always a challenge. Full demands with limited resources. I’ll see if I can at least get you some tech to help.”

  “Speaking of which…” she began but was interrupted by Cara’s arrival. Her idea of casual was identical to Diana’s—a pair of black jeans and a colorful untucked blouse, although hers was in deep scarlet rather than electric blue.

  The newest member of the team slipped into the booth beside her boss and reached a hand across the table while Diana dodged the long ponytail that circled into her vision. Cara’s voice was playful. "Bryant, I’ve heard so much about you.”

  Diana couldn’t help but smirk.

  She sounds like a veteran BAM Agent already.

  He looked uncomfortable for a moment. “What, and from whom?”

  Cara smirked wickedly. “It’s all good. Well, most of it. And a smart investigator never reveals her sources.”

  Bryant rolled his eyes. “Oh, you’ll fit right in.”

  Diana laughed, and so did her purse. The other woman’s eyes darted down and Diana grinned. “I thought it was time for you to meet the other part of the team.” She pulled the sides of her bag apart. “Rath, pop the lid.”

  The top of the canister swung open, and the troll launched himself into a somersault and onto the table. He landed cleanly beside her arm and waved at Cara. “Hi. Rath.”

  The marshal laughed and sounded unexpectedly young for an instant, and a grin spread across her face. “Hi, Rath. Cara.” She reached out a closed fist, and he bumped it with his own.

  The server arrived at that moment to take their drink order, a twenty-something boy with tattooed sleeves and plugs in his ears. A hoop hung from each of the expanded holes. Rath released a small, “Oooh,” and Diana’s brain conjured a picture of the troll with piercings, spacers, and tattoos.

  It wouldn’t be a bad look, actually, but would set a minimum size for him.

  The server turned to him as if magical creatures were part of his nightly routine. “For you, tiny dude?”

  Rath gave a toothy grin. “Pineapple juice.”

  “Right on.” The server departed, his attention already drawn to a nearby table with four well-dressed young professional women who looked like they’d been celebrating for a while. Diana felt Cara’s eyes and turned to meet the new recruit’s gaze.

  The other woman shook her head slowly. “So, this is merely everyday stuff for your organization, is it?”

  Diana exchanged a glance with Bryant, and they nodded as one. He answered, “Yep, basically. And it’s our organization now since you’re one of us.”

  “One of us, one of us,” Diana added. Bryant caught the reference and smiled, but Cara didn’t seem to. “This is nothing. Remind me to tell you about the tentacle jerk someday. Now that guy really sucked.”

  “They all suck,” he said with a small smile.

  She grinned. “That should be our official motto.”

  He spoke again. “So, Cara, I hear that you’ve been in any number of magical scrapes, so don’t pretend otherwise.”

  The marshal laughed. “I’ve had a little more than my fair share, probably, but I wouldn’t say it’s a common occurrence.”

  Diana quipped, “So this will be better, then.”

  Cara nodded. A determined expression set her grin aside. “All jokes aside, I think so. I’m looking forward to it more than I did when I landed here.”

  Approving nods accompanied the arrival of their drinks and the placing of their dinner orders. Rath decided to branch out beyond fruit and cheese and ordered Caribbean nachos, which were apparently regular ones with jerk sauce on them. Diana shrugged.

  It’s your stomach, buddy.

  She took a slow pull on her beer, a double IPA with the unlikely moniker of Sleighwrecker. It was divine.

  “So, what’s the long-term strategy here?” Cara asked.

  Bryant laughed. “Protect Pittsburgh, defend the Northeast, and eventually, rule the world.”

  “Th
at’s a plan I can get behind.”

  Diana rolled her eyes. “In a slightly shorter timeframe, the goal is to get our locations up and running, add some support staff to the security agency, and find ourselves an experienced investigator who knows the town.”

  Cara nodded. “I can put feelers out through the Marshals, but I don’t have any direct contacts here. It’ll probably be expensive to identify the right person, much less convince him or her to join.”

  “Everything’s expensive.” Diana heaved a sigh.

  They both turned to Bryant. He grinned back at them. “It’s always pleasant to be gazed upon with such desire, even if it’s only for the budget I supposedly control.”

  Diana laughed. “You’ll always be my favorite moneyman.”

  Rath echoed, “Moneyman,” and giggled happily as he sipped his juice through the tiny straw the server had thoughtfully provided. Diana had noted a little extra traffic near their table, doubtless hoping for a better look at the troll.

  Even in this day and age, five-inch-tall magical creatures aren’t an everyday occurrence at your favorite restaurant.

  She pinched the bridge of her nose as the first symptoms of an impending paperwork headache stirred to life. “I have a thought on the investigator. I’ll be in DC for a week for a whole slew of bureaucratic nonsense, but I have a meeting with my FBI mentor while I’m there. If anyone should have a line on a good candidate or can put us in touch with someone who does, it’s him.”

  The other two nodded. Bryant took a sip of his drink—a local stout that looked more like ink than a beverage—and sighed happily. “Okay, here’s the deal. While Diana’s away, our construction teams will be in town and work on both facilities. We’ll prioritize the security agency because she thinks we need the training space quickly, and I agree. We can’t do all our practice in the field.”

  Cara frowned and gave an exaggerated pout. “But why?” Everyone laughed on cue except Rath, who no doubt believed in live-action training, Rambo-style.

  Diana took over the conversation. “Anyway, within a week, we should have the agency ready—physically, at least, with the core set up in the main building.”