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

by Craig Halloran

  Asia sauntered inside, walked between Smoke and Sam, sat down and picked up a magazine, and started flipping through it. “Sheesh. He’s fine. Don’t worry about vampire guy. Creepy, but kinda nice.”

  Looking at Mal, Smoke said, “Talk.”

  “Uh, well, believe it or not, Vormus is here to help. He has a bit of a vendetta against The Drake, and we’ve been talking.”

  “Talking? How long have you been talking?” Smoke said.

  “About a week or so.” Mal waved him off. “It’s not important.”

  “It is important, Mal!” said Sam.

  “Well, no, actually it’s been quite educational.” Mal’s tone picked up with excitement. “He has delivered some incredible insight about his kind, or rather, the shifters. Really, really fascinating stuff that goes back to, as I knew, the pyramids. You see—”

  Vormus interrupted Mal. “Oh, you Americans like to ramble so much. Let’s get to the point, shall we?”

  “We already did that once,” Smoke said.

  “Ha ha. Yes, Mister Smoke, you almost had me. Quite clever.” Vormus’s eyes searched the apartment. “However, I was fortunate enough to live through it. The stake you ran through my heart, well, it might have worked if some good Samaritan hadn’t come along and pulled it out. I think I might have only had a few minutes left. Close, close call. I commend you.”

  “I’m sure you didn’t come by to give me a trophy.”

  “Well, no, but I do have something else. Information. I know all about your woman Sidney Shaw and the company she keeps with Kane Lancaster. I know plenty about him and The Drake.”

  “Of course you do. You’re competitors,” Smoke said.

  “And brothers.” Vormus sauntered a little deeper into the silent room. “You see, Mister Smoke, you were indeed sent to kill me, just like I assume that rat Reginald told you. But it was a win-win for them. They figured one of us would not survive. In this case, both of us did, and they aren’t very happy about that. However, I’ve gone to great lengths to convince them I’ve left the country. What I’m really doing is plotting my revenge.”

  Keeping the barrel pointed at Vormus’s forehead, Smoke kicked on the laser sight. “That’s your problem, not mine. You can do your own dirty business.”

  “Not without help. I don’t have any reliable people left. You killed them. At least, The Drake did when they found what you left of them at The Guillotine. I can’t do it alone. You can’t do it alone either.”

  “I’d just as soon stay out of it. I agreed to a truce.”

  “Pfft! Do you honestly think Kane is going to keep his word to you, your friends, anybody? It’s only a matter of time before he has to scratch that itch from leaving you alive and has all of you slaughtered in the dark of the night.” Vormus frowned. “He gave me his word too, you know, and look how that turned out. Think about it, eh? Me teaming up with the likes of you and you teaming up with the likes of me—he won’t see that coming.”

  “Maybe not, but I don’t work for people like you.”

  “You already have. You took the job to kill me, didn’t you? Whether you like it or not, they still control you.” Vormus sighed. “I don’t have a bone to pick with you, Mister Smoke. When you came, I was only protecting myself.”

  “I was leaving.”

  “You were sent to kill me, were you not?”

  Vormus had made his point, and even though he might be a liar, a shifter, a… whatever he might be, he wasn’t so much different than everyone else. The world was run by liars and thieves. Smoke had to put up with them wherever he went. Vormus was just another one of them—just one who had already made his deal with the devil.

  I should kill him.

  “Mister Smoke, I sense your hesitation, and I don’t blame you one bit, but there is more that you need to consider.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Kane is my older brother. I loved and trusted him. He dallied in dark mysticism first.” Sadness grew in Vormus’s voice. “He promised to protect me and our parents, everything I cared about and loved. I was convinced I would never be part of any of it. After all, he was my brother, and we were close. But as time went on, he wore me down. Tricks. Temptations. Threats. Over the years, he convinced me there was only one way to protect those I cared about: to become like him.” He gazed into Smoke’s eyes. There was a deep dark truth in them. “Time is running out. He’s doing the same to Sid. Believe me, no one can withstand his pressure forever. I live with much to regret. She soon will, too.”

  “Boo hoo,” said Sam. “Blast him, Smoke!”

  “So what do you have to offer?” Smoke said.

  “Like I said, I have information. I know everything you need to know about what they do and their locations. But Kane is mine.”

  Smoke put away his gun. “We’ll see.”

  CHAPTER 28

  Smoke stood on the sandy bank of the Potomac River. His friends were by his side. Vormus was there too, oddly basking in the glow of the moon. The shifter stood in stark contrast to the natural surroundings, a pylon of evil. Smoke’s fingertips tingled. He’d gotten accustomed to the shifters, to their vibe. Every single one of them set alarms off inside him. They all reeked of death.

  Vormus extended his arm over the river and pointed his slender finger. “There it is.”

  On the other side of the river, tucked deep behind the trees, a massive estate stood like a castle.

  “I never imagined there was such a place this close to DC.” Guppy put a pair of night vision binoculars to his eyes. “There’s a dock, and a little movement in there. I see bodies. Assault rifles. We might need to find another way in.”

  “You can only get there by air or by water,” Vormus said.

  “How do you know that?” Smoke said.

  “Oh, I’ve been there before. My one and only visit. It ended up in an argument.” Vormus rubbed is jaw. “A rather nasty one.”

  Taking the binoculars from Guppy, Sam said, “Do you think you could fill us in a little more?”

  “I came for a visit. Told my brother I wanted a piece of this sweet American Pie. He told me no. Go back to Scandinavia, he said. Get the hell out of my country. I really have taken a liking to this country.”

  “I thought the Lancasters were from this country,” Mal said.

  “No, pilgrims is more like it. My brother came over on some of those later ships. Decades later. He had a spat with our leadership at Guermo. Said he wanted to go somewhere else and do his own thing. My, I must admit, I never saw it coming, all of what America became. Yet, here it is. Red, white, and bluetiful.”

  Asia looked up at him. “Bluetiful? That not a word. Even I know that, stupid.”

  Mal gently pulled her back. “It makes sense. The Lancaster crime family has been around longer than any of the others I’ve learned about, but they have been by far the most discreet. I don’t think any of us would have figured out a thing without the Black Slate.”

  “Well, they are growing in power now. Just like The Many did in Europe. We have feasts when nations lose their faith.”

  Smoke didn’t vocalize his agreement, but he did agree. Now, he had to put some trust in this man. Or did he?

  “How are we supposed to know when they are in there?” Smoke asked.

  “That can be tricky. Oft times they either take the chopper or that small yacht at the docks. The Drake has plenty of locations that they just drop in on. Industrial yards and such. It makes it hard to tell when they come and go. It’s complicated, but for the most part he conducts his business affairs from this home and doesn’t go to any of his many offices. He doesn’t have to. He has plenty of minions running his operations for him.”

  “What makes you so certain Sid is in there?” Smoke said.

  “My brother keeps his pets close.”

  “She’s no one’s pet.”

  “If you say so.”

  Coming alongside Smoke, Guppy said, “What’s the plan?”

  “Extraction,” Smoke said
. “Vormus, what should we expect in there?”

  “Plenty of pea coats and deaders. Some other things that creep and crawl. Some shifters are always part of the backup guard. But you can take some comfort in knowing that if it doesn’t have a body, it isn’t security.” Vormus eyed Smoke. “My brother is old school. He doesn’t believe there is anything his fiends can’t handle. Besides, no one has ever stormed his castle.”

  “It’s time someone did.” Smoke weighed his options. He’d been on plenty of missions with the SEALS, had brought plenty of people to safety. He and his friends were well equipped. They’d recon their targets and make their move. Getting himself over there wouldn’t be a problem. Getting Sid out would be. They’d need a quick way to escape. Either the chopper or the boat. Maybe. One or the other would have to do. “Let’s do it.”

  “Wait, what? Now?” Sam was aghast. “You don’t even have a plan.”

  “Yes I do.”

  “And what are we supposed to do?” Sam said.

  “Find a fast boat and have it ready. Mal, I need everything you have. Guppy, get your sniper rifle ready. I’ll be bringing Sid back this way, unless I can take off in the chopper. That’s plan 1. Plan 2 is a boat.”

  “And plan three?” Sam asked.

  “We walk on water.” Smoke followed Mal off the bank and they headed back to the SUV that they all, including Vormus, had ridden there in. “Is the sweetheart suit waterproof?”

  “You know it is.” Mal popped open the lift gate to the big car. There were steel cases inside. “You know, I’m still a little low on supplies, even with the crowdfunding. Just make sure you get her back. Use every bit of it, even though it’s all I have left.”

  Smoke stuffed green-tipped, blue-tipped, and red-tipped bullets into magazines then loaded them into waterproof bags. “You have any new toys I can use?”

  Mal strapped a plastic band over Smoke’s wrist. “It’s a step and calorie counter. Like those Fitbits, but watertight.”

  “Gee, thanks.”

  “Here, take these.” Mal handed him a pair of big black plastic capsules.

  “What’s this?”

  “Super vitamins in a waterproof, flame-resistant shell. You have to crack them open. And don’t abuse them. I mean, you’ll probably need them, but they are in short supply.”

  Vormus approached. “Are we ready yet?” He showed his sharp teeth. “I’m feeling very eager, almost alive again, knowing vengeance is at hand.”

  Smoke stuffed the pills in the pack with the rest of his stuff, slung it over his shoulder, and headed for the shore. “Once day breaks, you guys get out of here if I’m not back. Run. Hide. I’m sure they’ll be coming after you. Don’t be a hero on my account. This is it.”

  Sam hugged him. “Be careful.”

  “I will.” Smoke waded into the water and looked at Vormus. “You swimming, or can you fly?”

  Vormus floated up over the water and started to drift across, smirking. “I’ll see you on the other side.”

  CHAPTER 29

  Smoke didn’t head straight for the estate on the other side of the river. Instead, he swam downriver about a quarter mile, far off from the eyes of any sentries. Wearing only the sweetheart suit, he trudged out of the water. Dripping wet, he unzipped the waterproof pack, dressed, and geared up. He clamped on two shoulder holsters. Belted his knives on his waist and ankles. He added the special sunglasses for a final touch.

  Facing him, the moonlit-eyed Vormus said, “It’s so sad you have to rely on those trivial little tools. I don’t have any issues like that at all.”

  Moving forward, Smoke said, “They’re just back-up. My brain does most of the work.”

  Pushing through the greenery, Vormus said, “This is really beneath me. I never imagined I’d ever associate with the likes of you.”

  “What do you think this is, a Spiderman and Morbius team-up?”

  “Who are they?”

  Smoke kept going, weaving through the trees and brush until a twelve-foot-high stone wall was in sight. “I assume we can expect company from the courtyard within.”

  “It’s just overkill for varmint control. Kane really hates it when the deer eat up his plants.” Standing along the wall, he floated up in the air until he stood on top. Looking over the other side, he shrugged, turned, looked down at Smoke, and said, “Need a hand?”

  Smoke leapt six feet up, caught the wall’s lip with his strong fingers, and hauled himself up. He hopped down on the other side and made a soft landing. The Lancasters had acres of courtyard, exquisite gardens, and greenery. The estate was more castle than house, built with heavy cut stone. Its ominous presence was old and eerie. Vines crept up some of the walls. There were towers with spires at the top. Unlike most homes of the modern day, there wasn’t any artificial lighting other than what looked to be gas-fed lanterns and lampposts in the gardens and on the exterior walls. It was a mix of old America and the flair of Europe.

  Talking low, Smoke said, “No technology, huh?”

  “I’m certain of it. My brother is a firm believer in the theory that life is just as fine with technology or without it. It really doesn’t make a difference either way for our kind. The mortal kind, however, depends too much on it.”

  “True enough.” Staying low, Smoke was slinking toward the house when Vormus’s voice brought him to a stop.

  “There could be traps, you know.”

  “If you find one, let me know.” On light feet, Smoke went to the tall hedge and made his way along it, peeking through the leaves.

  Vormus stayed on his heels. He came to a stop.

  Somewhere on the grounds, a soft rustle disturbed the plants. Someone was coming. A pair of men. The breeze from the river revealed the smell of cigarettes on their clothes.

  Smoke glanced back at Vormus and held up two fingers.

  The white-haired shifter nodded.

  Around the edge of the bushes the guards came. Assault rifles were shouldered over their pea coats. As soon as the men crossed their path, Smoke and Vormus attacked from the shadows. Smoke locked up one man by the neck and choked him until he passed out.

  Vormus broke the neck of the other.

  Snap.

  Dragging the unconscious body into the bushes, Smoke said to Vormus, “You’re going to kill them all, aren’t you.”

  “Why not? They’re just people.” Vormus tossed the dead body over the wall.

  Smoke shook his head. Killing monsters was one thing. Killing men was another. Plenty of the guards were mercenaries, men with wives and children. A lot of times, men made bad decisions and put themselves on the road to Hell with good intentions. He’d had plenty of friends like that. Any of these men could have been one of them. Of course, chances were they were rotten to the core anyway, but he wouldn’t do what he had to do until that time came.

  “Try not to overdo it.”

  Vormus shrugged.

  Smoke ventured deeper toward the house. The closer he got, the better vantage point he had of everything else. In the moonlight, he could see the boat dock through the trees, along with a helicopter pad in the next courtyard, with a black chopper sitting on it. He could see the glow of a cigarette coming from one man standing guard. There was a silhouette of another one inside there too.

  Facing Vormus a scant thirty feet from the house, he said, “What do you think is going on inside?”

  “At this hour? Oh, you probably don’t want me to answer that.”

  “Humor me.”

  Lifting his brows, Vormus said, “Oh, after another dreary night by the warm fire and plenty of exquisite centuries-old wine, I’d say they are sleeping. One on top of the other. Snuggled up like, as you Americans say, swine in a blanket.”

  Smoke didn’t want to think about it. It had been a while, and time could change people. He just had to hope Sid was still the strong woman he had known. He had to believe that. He couldn’t let Vormus’s musings distract him. “Any idea where that bedroom might be?”

  “Top
level, just below that tower under the moon. I can take a peek if you like.” Vormus’s smile showed a shine in his fangs. “That way you won’t have to be exposed to anything unpleasantly raunchy. Shifters’ erotic appetites are quite … ravishing.”

  “Just get on with it.”

  Eyeing the room above, Vormus said, “Eh …”

  “What?” Smoke said.

  Shaking his head, Vormus said, “Nothing. I’ll take care of this. You, I suggest, should stay put. I won’t be but a moment.” He sprung straight up into the air and floated through the night sky right toward the third-story window and made a soft landing on the balcony.

  I don’t like this.

  Smoke could observe Vormus’s progress. The vampiric shifter was hopping from one balcony to another, inspecting the inside of the house through window after window. He made his way onto the largest balcony that faced the river. A pair of double doors led onto it. Vormus opened one of the doors up and vanished into the darkness inside.

  Figures.

  Everything around Smoke seemed to stop except his heart pounding in his ears. He didn’t trust Vormus. On the one hand, the shifter might be taking this opportunity to exact vengeance. On the other, he might be setting Smoke up. He had to assume the latter, and he wasn’t going to sit around waiting for things to happen. If he had to go inside on his own, guns blazing, he would.

  He’d give Vormus five minutes. Then it would be time to launch.

  Three minutes into his wait, he rested his hand on his gun. Vormus still hadn’t appeared. So far as Smoke could tell, nothing in the house was moving. It was like he was staring at a haunted mansion, the way the breeze whistled through the gutters.

  A chill went down his spine. Something flapped above him in the sky.

  Smoke glanced up.

  A gargoyle dropped out of the sky and clamped its claws around his throat.

  CHAPTER 30

  Fighting for his life, Smoke grabbed the stony horned devil by its wing, trying to rip it off. One hundred pounds of stone dug in. With all of his strength, Smoke wrenched its wing off. He slammed it into the ground, busting its small hulk of a body into the stones. He grabbed hold of one of its taloned hands and bent it back until it cracked off. He dashed its face into the cobblestones again and again until it had all turned to dust.