The Supernatural Bounty Hunter Files Collector's Set: Books 1-10: Urban Fantasy Shifter Series

by Craig Halloran

  She dropped another deader. “Yep. And how about you?”

  “Never deader. Er, I mean better.”

  Only four deaders remained. Standing firm, they crowded in.

  Sid and Smoke turned them into dog food and strode out in the center of the room. Not even winded, she looked over at Reginald.

  His ageless face was creased.

  She yelled over to him, “What are the odds now, jackass?”

  Reginald opened up his clenched jaws. “Rexor. Thorgrim. Kill them both!”

  Something about the way the giants moved tempered Sid’s electrified nerves. They were fluid. Carnal. Savage. Primordial. It was all bundled up in their soft brown jumpsuits ready to be unleashed.

  Smoke cracked his neck from side to side. “Which one of you wants to die first?”

  Sid looked over at him. “Did you just quote a line from Conan the Barbarian?”

  “It seemed fitting.” Chin up, Smoke took center stage.

  Rexor stepped forward with his oversized four-bladed axe. The massive man, standing over eight feet tall, was built like a train station. With his oversized paw of a hand, he beckoned for both Smoke and Sid. “Come,” he said in a cavernous voice, “taste the steel in my hands.”

  Smoke and Sid charged.

  The giant’s devastating axe was swift, but not swift enough. It cut over their ducking heads.

  Smoke chopped the axe into its thigh.

  Sid cracked it in the nose with her pipe.

  “Fleas!” the giant said. “You cannot hurt me.” Rexor pressed the attack. His axe blades fell with speed and precision.

  Morning Glory, he’s fast!

  She busted him behind the knee. Cracked a kneecap. Smacked his jaw.

  Smoke attacked him like a lumberjack hewing down a tree, heavy chop after heavy chop.

  Rexor swatted. Jabbed. Chopped. His strikes were getting closer and closer. “See, you cannot hurt me. My bones are iron. My skin is steel. Haaruagh!” With a flick of his wrist, he made an incredible back swing.

  The flat of the blade smacked hard into Sid and sent her flying from her feet. Bones aching, she struggled to rise.

  “Sid, watch out!” Smoke yelled.

  She glanced over her shoulder.

  The other giant, Thorgrim, brought his hammer down.

  She sprang back like a cat.

  The great hammer busted up the tiles between her legs.

  “How are we supposed to kill these things?”

  “Try kindness,” said Smoke.

  “What!”

  Thorgrim’s hammer came down again and again.

  She ducked and dived. Evading his blows wasn’t the problem, not being able to hurt him was. And the clock was ticking inside her brain. The super vitamin wouldn’t last forever.

  “Aaargh!” the giant man Rexor bellowed. He staggered back, covering his eye.

  “Aim for the softest spot you can find,” Smoke said, pressing his attack.

  Sid drifted back toward the heap of fallen deaders. She needed a better weapon. She needed an edge.

  Thorgrim, hammer high over his head, closed in on her.

  She slung her pipe at his face.

  He deflected it with his elbow and laughed.

  Sid snatched a machete off the floor. She was fast, but the giant’s strength and size negated some of that. It didn’t help her much if she couldn’t hurt him.

  Got to find a weakness. Everything has a weakness.

  She leaped away from a powerful downward attack.

  Thorgrim’s hammer made a sickening smack into a deader. Bone crunched. Guts squished out.

  That was nasty!

  As the giant brought the hammer back up, Sid poked the machete at the giant’s eye, clipping the skin just below it.

  Thorgrim jerked back and kicked her feet from beneath her.

  She flipped head over heels and cracked her head hard on the tiles, pulling up onto her elbows just in time to see the massive hammer closing in on her eyes.

  CHAPTER 37

  Sid squirted away. The hammer fell again and again. Closer and closer. She rolled away.

  Crap! Is he getting faster, or am I getting slower?

  In a sudden move, she leapt down between Thorgrim’s legs and slid through. Using both hands, she swung the axe into the back of the giant’s heel with all her might.

  “Rargh!” Thorgrim hopped up on one foot, spun around in a half circle, and took an off-balance swing.

  Sid jumped back up to her feet and skipped away.

  The giant hunkered down, hammer ready, eyes wary. Blood seeped from his ankle.

  Yes! I found his weakness!

  “Smoke! Go for the Achilles.”

  Smoke fought Rexor with the grace and power of a striking panther. He chopped into the monster man with precise blows.

  Rexor’s chops were devastating and angry. The massive four-headed blade was an arc of death, striking just an inch from the evading Smoke.

  The elusive man hammered away on Rexor’s blind side. He started cutting at the enormous man’s ankles.

  Rexor parried with his arms, his axe. “Fat chance, little man! You may have clipped my brother, but you’ll not clip me! Rargh!”

  The axe came down hard and fast. The blow would have split a horse in half.

  Smoke slipped away and unleashed a fierce backswing into Rexor’s good eye.

  The giant lost his grip on the axe and teetered back, holding his eye. “Aargh!”

  Thorgrim averted his attention from Sid.

  She charged in and cut out his other Achilles tendon.

  Flailing and roaring, he tumbled hard onto the tiles with visible blood oozing from his wounds. “You still can’t kill me.”

  Rexor dashed the blood from his ruined eyes and said to Smoke, “I can’t see you, but I can smell you.”

  Smoke picked up the humongous battle axe that was almost as tall as him. He hefted it over his shoulder and faced off with the giant. “Smell this!” He rushed in hard and fast, swinging. He sank the blade right between the giant’s eyes. Split!

  On his hands and knees, Thorgrim abandoned his hammer and began crawling toward his brother. He bellowed. “No, Rexor! No!”

  Sid tossed away the machete and grabbed Thorgrim’s hammer. She teetered off balance.

  Holy bat crap, this thing is heavy!

  She hefted it up on her shoulder and marched right up behind Thorgrim.

  The giant man clutched his brother’s arms with tears in his eyes.

  “Put him down, Sid!” urged Smoke. He was covered in sweat and down on one knee. “Hurry.”

  She raised the great hammer and dropped it down hard on the back of Thorgrim’s shaggy skull. Crack!

  The giant went limp.

  Her legs turned to noodles. She fell, almost face-planting on the floor. The super vitamin was done for. Her stomach started to growl.

  “How are you feeling?” Smoke said, resting his hands on his knees.

  “I need a plateful of pancakes.”

  Holding his stomach, he huffed, “Make that two plates.” Smoke’s head twisted around.

  Reginald was coming down the bleacher steps. He was softly clapping his hands, but there was a look of disappointment in his eyes.

  Smoke said to him, “So what were the odds on that one?”

  “Fifteen hundred to one.” Reginald removed his jacket and flicked his cigarette away. He started rolling up the sleeves of his dress shirt. “Needless to say, some heavy hitters lost a lot of coleslaw. Heh. Even though I expected better, I should have known. After all, giants are stupid. That said, I’m still not so sure how you pulled off what you just did. That … adrenaline surge was quite unique.” He glanced backward at Sid’s friends. “I suppose one of them will supply the answer to that.”

  Can’t let that happen.

  Sid groaned on her way up to her feet. Even with the suit on, her arms felt like lead.

  Smoke rose up on two legs and swayed in place a little.

&
nbsp; She’d only taken the super vitamin once before, and she’d forgotten the tremendous toll it took, not to mention what the sweetheart suit demanded of her.

  At least I’m not wheezing anymore. I’m just so hungry I could eat a goat.

  Reginald checked his watch. “Looks like the bets are in.” He turned and said to his men, “Keep the cameras rolling, boys.”

  Even though all of the deaders were down, more men with assault rifles still remained. Half of them were operating the cameras. Two others had guns on Mal and company, and the remaining men’s eyes were locked on Sid and Smoke with barrels pointed right at them.

  She wiped the blood from her mouth. “So now what? We fight you and it’s over? You let us go?” Sid asked. She nodded at Smoke. “What are the odds on that one? Two to one in favor of us?”

  “Oh, no no no. Let me assure you, it’s more like five thousand to one. In my favor.”

  “Why’s that?” Smoke said, lifting a brow. “Are you going to turn into a snake or something?”

  “Funny, but no. It’s simply because I’m awesome. But I could turn into a snake if I wanted.” His muscular arms were covered in tattoos that seemed to slither like snakes. “Oh, and pick up a weapon of your choosing.” He picked up one of the metal pipes that the deaders had used and bent it end to end. “Make it two of them if you like. I’m ready when you are.”

  CHAPTER 38

  “I think he’s a terminator,” Smoke said, and he followed up with, “I’ll be back.” He stepped around the giants and picked up a pole and axe, shook his head, and tossed them away. “I think I’ll try something different this time.”

  Sid balled up her fist and closed in on Reginald.

  The doppelganger was a statue. Not the slightest hint of worry in his eye.

  She lunged in and threw a roundhouse kick.

  He ducked away from it and hid his arms behind his back.

  She kicked.

  He evaded. His head bobbed and weaved.

  She let loose a side kick.

  Reginald countered this time, unleashing one quicker and more powerful of his own.

  She left her feet and landed hard on her back. “Oof!”

  “Wah-tah!” Reginald unleashed a roundhouse kick on Smoke. The doppelganger had changed into some weird combination of Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris. “Wah-tah!”

  Wap! Wap! Wap!

  Smoke countered with a flurry of his own. Hard, heavy punches landed all over Reginald’s body.

  The doppelganger shrugged them off and hit back even harder. A nasty front kick sent Smoke sprawling all over the floor. “Wah-tah!”

  Sid regained her feet and renewed her attack.

  Reginald had changed again. He was a woman now. Not any woman either. He—or it—was Samantha.

  Sid cast a quick glance over to the prisoners. Sam was bound up. One of her eyebrows was perched. “Screw it!” Sid unloaded a combination of kicks and elbows.

  Sam the doppelganger swatted them aside and danced away laughing.

  “Come now, Sidney. Don’t hold back.” Reginald started to shift again. He turned into Rebecca Lang. “I know you hate me.”

  A new fire burned in Sid’s belly. She attacked.

  The doppelganger squared up and took punch after punch after punch.

  Sid hit and kicked until she couldn’t anymore.

  Rebecca’s Lang’s body didn’t have a scratch on it.

  Hands on her knees and gasping for breath, Sid said, “I hate you.”

  “Me, or Rebecca?” said Reginald’s Rebecca-like voice.

  Sid unloaded a kicked in its gut. “Both!”

  The doppelganger shoved her down. “Be wise and stay down.”

  Sid wasn’t sure she could get up again. She felt her face swelling. She was wheezing again.

  I hate shifters!

  Smoke crept up on the doppelganger with another axe in his hand and turned loose a decapitating blow.

  Elation raced through Sid. Yes!

  Reginald ducked with a split second to spare. The axe swished over his head.

  “No!” Sid cried out.

  Smoke had missed. Still chopping away, the rangy ex-SEAL fought to connect on a new mark.

  Reginald skipped away. Baiting. Laughing. He shifted again. Into Sid. “I hate that thing.”

  Smoke backed off. He labored for breath, and his brawny shoulders sagged. Sid could see in his eyes that he didn’t have much left.

  “As I said,” Reginald added in Sid’s own voice, “I’m the greatest shifter in all the world. There’s a reason for that. I don’t have a weakness.”

  Smoke spat on his hands, rubbed them together, and lifted the axe up by the handle. “Everything has a weakness.”

  “Well, certainly, at least in your cases. You’re both human.” He blew Smoke a kiss with Sid’s lips. “I’m your weakness.” He pointed at Sid. “Or at least she is, and you’re hers. You’ll see soon enough what I mean.” He strolled over the gore-slickened floor and picked up an axe like Smoke’s. He flipped it around a few times and transformed into Smoke. Glancing at Sid, he said, “See if you can keep track of who’s who.” And then, axe high, he charged.

  Axe heads collided together. The brawling men were identical, but their clothes were different. Sid wanted to help, but she barely had the strength to move.

  Find a weakness, Sid. Find a weakness!

  She made a pleading glance at her friends. They weren’t going anywhere. All eyes were fixed on the battle.

  “Oh please, this is too easy,” Reginald said. He blocked or dodged everything Smoke threw at him. “Really, I don’t know what kind of speed you were on earlier, that was thrilling, but this will be a disaster.”

  The pair of men locked axe heads.

  Reginald ripped Smoke’s free from his hands, sending it skipping away.

  Shoulder dipping, Smoke limped forward.

  Reginald brought down a brain-splitting swing.

  “Noooooooo!” Sid wheezed.

  Smoke’s hands locked on Reginald’s wrist, and the pair of formidable men stood eye to eye. “Drop it,” Smoke said in his face.

  “Done.”

  The axe clattered to the floor.

  Both versions of Smoke circled one another.

  Reginald removed his shirt and tossed it aside. He had a black sleeveless T-shirt underneath it. He lifted up his fists and transformed into a hulking black boxer. “It’s time for a knockout.”

  Smoke rushed in with a flurry of punches. Hard and fast, he pounded on Reginald’s face with swift, hard smacks.

  The doppelganger’s bullish neck didn’t yield. His big meaty hands unloaded a pair of heavy uppercuts into Smoke’s gut and ribs. “Oh! That’s got to hurt!” Reginald said. He tore into Smoke with a rapid fighter’s frenzy.

  The punches were so hard Sid swore she felt them.

  Smoke was down, and the punches were still coming. Hard and fast. Wap! Wap! Wap! Wap! Wap! Smoke’s legs twitched.

  Reginald reared up and shifted again, this time back into Sid. “You’re killing him, Sid,” Reginald said. Wap! Wap! Wap! “You’re killing him, Sid!” Wap! “You’re killing him!” Wap! Wap! Wap!

  Sid’s heart exploded inside her chest, and she screamed, “Stop! Please! Stop!”

  Reginald held back his punch. Blood dripped from his knuckles. “You have something to say?”

  “Spare him. Spare them,” she said, wheezing. “I’ll come to the Drake. That’s what you wanted all along anyway, right?”

  Reginald flung the blood from his fingers. “Well, not me. And I do like punching him. He’s tough. But I think he’s dead.” He rubbed his knuckles. “It’s been a few weeks since I beat my last man to death.”

  CHAPTER 39

  Sid crawled over to Smoke and huddled over him. His face was a battered and bloody mess. Eyes swollen. Nose broken. Lips split. She almost didn’t recognize him. “John,” she said, pushing his matted hair from his eyes. She held his head in her lap. “John?”

  Smo
ke’s eye popped open. He rolled over on one elbow and spat blood, saying, “I didn’t find a weakness.” He coughed. “I will next time.” He eyed Reginald, who had shifted back into his normal self. Smoke leaned back onto Sid’s lap. “Don’t deal with them, Sid. It’s not worth it.”

  “I already gave him my word.” She held his face in her hands. “I couldn’t let any of you die. Not on account of me.”

  Grimacing in pain, Smoke forced himself to a knee and gasped. He held his ribs. His face was wracked with pain. “Don’t go.”

  “She has given her word, Mister Smoke. You know how that goes. Reneging would result in the painful deaths of every last one of you.” Reginald put his jacket back on, found a pack of cigarettes, and lit one with his black Zippo lighter. He eyed Sid. “Are you having second thoughts, Miss Shaw?”

  She glanced at her friends—Sam, Guppy, Mal, and Asia. All eyes were glued to her.

  Smoke rubbed a knot on his head. “Don’t give them what they want.”

  “I can’t watch all of you die,” she said, still wheezing. “I can’t. What else am I supposed to do?”

  Gritting his teeth, Smoke rose to his feet. “I know I’d rather die first.”

  “Don’t worry, Mister Smoke. I’m sure that can still be arranged.” Reginald beckoned to Sid. “We need to leave now. As in right now. Precious seconds could wipe this deal away. And remember, I still have men with two barrels on each and every one of you.”

  Empty hearted, Sid got up and draped her arms over Smoke’s shoulders. There was tension in his iron limbs, like a great cat ready to spring. She expected a surprise. A last-ditch effort. A miraculous rescue. His iron jaw gave a gentle shake. His eyes said there was nothing left. He’d lost this fight. They both had. “You look like you could use some pancakes.”

  “Don’t say that. I’m one of those stress eaters. They used to call me big boy when I was a kid.”

  She choked out a sob.

  “Oh please, don’t be so tiresome,” Reginald said. He puffed out some smoke rings. “Give him one final kiss, and let’s be gone. The things I do for humanity. Death is such a greater mercy than this sickening forlorn suffering. Rexor! Thorgrim! Get up, you two lazy bastards!”