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

by Craig Halloran

  “Whoa!” Sam leaned away.

  The van accelerated from the giants.

  Both monstrous men gave chase. Their long legs closed the distance.

  Russ cut the wheel. The van did a one-eighty. He dropped it into drive and hit the gas, making a bead line straight for the entrance. “I don’t know about this plan, Sid. We need to shake those giant bearded bastards!”

  Sid could see the giants running after them through the portal windows in the back. If they stopped, the giants would have them. “You’re right. We need to shake them.” She climbed into the very back seat and popped one of the rearmost doors open. “Keep driving.”

  “What are you doing?” Mal said to her.

  “Just keep ahold of me!”

  With Mal holding her tight by the waist, Sid started firing her Glock. Blue-tipped bullets ripped through Thorgrim, who led the charge.

  He didn’t slow.

  “Crap! Those won’t do it!” She popped out her cartridge and fumbled for one with red-tipped bullets.

  The van rocked.

  The red-tipped magazine slipped from her fingers and out of the van. “Russ!”

  “Forty points!” Russ replied.

  A body rolled out from under the van.

  Thorgrim hopped over it. Rexor crushed it under his feet. The van cut to the right.

  “Russ, what are you doing?” Sid yelled.

  “Sorry, I was trying to clip a straggler.”

  The maneuver was costly. The bald giant angled into the direction that Russ cut the wheel. Rexor bull-rushed the driver’s side of the van full force, rocking the heavy vehicle up on two side wheels.

  The bald giant closed in. His long arms stretched out. His fingers hooked the open door. He dug his heels into the ground, slowing the van’s momentum.

  Sid slammed her cartridge of blue tips back into the Glock then unloaded the entire clip in the giant’s one-eyed face.

  The giant roared. His grip slipped.

  Sid grabbed the door and slammed it shut. “I need something bigger to stop those things. Send me up some more red tips!”

  Guppy passed his gun over his shoulder. “Yer locked and loaded.”

  The van slowed.

  “Russ, what are you doing?” Sid said.

  Stomping on the pedal, Russ said, “I don’t know. We’ve lost gas or something. I think the fuel line ruptured.”

  “That’s what we get for you running over all those peacoats like an idiot!” Sid noticed a wet trail behind the van. “Damn!”

  That wasn’t all. One-eye zeroed in on the front and the hairy giant full of beard on the rear. Together, they grabbed the van by the front and back bumpers. With a heave of their shoulders, they flipped the van over on its side.

  CHAPTER 10

  Fifty feet off the bow of the yacht docked at the Drake Energy Plant, Asia treaded water. Wearing nothing but a sweetheart suit and a belt of gear, she mumbled, “Mal owes me a five-star dinner for this. This river stinks.” She paddled toward the yacht. “Shitty job.”

  Asia was accustomed to bad jobs. She grew up in poverty in the streets of a small Filipino city called Mabalacat. She did dirty jobs, just about anything, to make ends meet. The hovel of a town resided alongside Clark Air Base in the Philippines. It was on that base that she got a job working at one of the local barracks for the Third Law Enforcement Squadron as a house girl. Young and with a fetching figure, she ended up marrying a G.I. named Logan. When the volcano at Mount Pinatubo erupted, Clark Air Base was closed. She was relocated stateside. Her husband, Logan, a law enforcement officer, taught her how to shoot. She had a knack for it and many other things. Logan died a few years later from sudden cardiac arrest, but having pursued an education during that time, she made a good living as a nurse. That’s when she met Mal Gunderson. He mentored her in other arenas—espionage, surgery—and having taught her all that he would, he ended up marrying her. She’d been his woman ever since, but still had a penchant for doing just about anything for good food.

  A handful of peacoat deaders were spaced out on the craft. One of them faced her direction. An Uzi hung from his shoulder. Something caught his attention, and he turned away. One of the other guards was shouting for him. The deader hustled away.

  Asia made her move. She swam to the ladder on the aft of the boat and climbed into the yacht to the sound of gunfire cracking off in the distance. The peacoats hung over the railing with their backs to her. Moving with the shadows, she took the steps down into the cabin, passing through a small saloon. Footsteps caught her ears. She hunkered underneath a small dining table. A set of guards walked right by her and up the steps. She darted into the hall that led into the engine room.

  She withdrew two small bricks of plastic explosives and planted the tacky plastic under the belly of the engine. There were two small electronic detonators with timers. She fed the contacts into the explosives. There were timers on each, set for one minute. She triggered them both.

  “Time to go.”

  The light-footed woman doubled back to spy through the doorway that led into the kitchen. She sniffed. Something smelled very, very good. She peeked inside the doorway. A small buffet of platters was laid out on the kitchen counter. There were rolls, stacks of sliced meat, and cheeses. Spicy-scented vegetables were steaming inside silver serving dishes heated up by Sterno kits. She licked her lips.

  I think I’ll take some of my pay early.

  Asia filled slices of ham, turkey, and roast beef loaded with cheese into two rolls. She stuffed the food into the chest of her suit. Snagging an eggroll, she stuffed it into her mouth and headed back toward the steps that led out of the cabin.

  A short stumpy man sat on the stairs with his fingers knitted together. His features were heavy, his ears were long, and there was an unnatural gleam in his yellow eyes. He wore a bow tie.

  “Pardon me, but I don’t recall you being part of the crew?” the man said in creepy voice. “Perhaps we haven’t met. I’m Titus Tolliver, and I’m responsible for this craft.”

  Asia had heard the stories about every shifter they’d come across and what their powers were. She knew Titus was like a gargoyle with skin harder than stone. She drew her weapon and said with a mouthful of eggroll, “Get the hell out of my way, Titus. You’re going to make me late.”

  Wearing a nice grey suit that shone in the cabin lights, Titus said, “Those little bullets won’t do you any good, tiny lady.”

  “No?” Asia said. “Well, I was taught that the red one work just fine on the likes of you.”

  Titus’s citrine eyes widened. “Eh, I’m certain you didn’t take the time to load those. That would be premature.”

  “True, but I like big, big explosions. They excite me. Now, Titus, it’s time for me to light your stony fanny up like the Fourth of July. Goodbye, Titus.”

  Hands up, Titus said, “Nooo!”

  Backpedaling, Asia squeezed the trigger twice.

  Boom! Boom!

  The concussive force knocked her back into the cabin. The gun fell from her hand. Her face was filled with bright lights. Clawing for anything she could get ahold of, she found a strip of railing. She climbed through a window portal that had blasted open, forced herself over the railing, and splashed into the waters in a clumsy flop. Using her strength, she swam as far and fast as she could on arms that felt like lead.

  “There!” a peacoat guard shouted.

  A hail of gunfire blasted into the waters all around her.

  Still swimming, she counted down in her head, “Three, two, goodbye, Mother—”

  KABOOM!

  Asia swam to the sandy bank. Huffing for breath, she sat down, pulled her sandwiches from inside her watertight suit, and ate while she watched the burning boat sink.

  “Damn, I forgot the mustard.”

  CHAPTER 11

  After a powerful leap, Smoke dug his fingernails into brick and mortar. He scuttled up the side of the building like a tree squirrel before flinging himself onto the roof. With
out slowing, he ran to the side overlooking the parking lot, grabbing a discarded assault rifle on his way.

  Guppy’s van sped through the parking lot. Peacoats gave chase. The guards fired automatic shots that blistered the van. Russ ran two of them over. Cort sat in the front, firing out of the window and hitting his marks.

  Smoke shouldered his rifle and took aim. The deader guards converged. Smoke picked them off one by one with semiautomatic shots.

  All of their well-laid plans had fallen apart. Kane would have the complex on full alert. The element of surprise was gone. The only thing they could do now was barrel inside and shoot everything that moved. So far, the group was doing pretty well on their own. The peacoats were on the run. The last ones dashed behind the storage shed.

  Perfect! Head for the door, Sid! I’m right with you!

  That was when all hell broke loose.

  The giants busted out of the shed and gave chase. Smoke picked off the last three peacoats that charged after the huge men. But with their impossibly long strides, the giants caught up with the van. Before Smoke could say gesundheit, the entire van was flipped over like a toy. The giants laid into the van with a huge hammer and triple-bladed axe, the same weapons Thorgrim and Rexor had used before.

  This would all make better sense if I lived in the Hyborian Age.

  As the giants tore into the van like it was a giant sardine can, Smoke sprang off the wall and took flight.

  Thorgrim ripped the passenger door off and yanked Cort out of the vehicle like a doll.

  The black man fired bullets into the giant’s face.

  The giant grinned then opened his jaws wide. He swallowed Cort’s arm up to the elbow and bit down.

  Wide-eyed, Cort screamed with bellowing terror.

  Smoke landed behind the giant. He shot it in the back of the head with a red-tipped bullet. The giant’s chin hit his chest.

  Cort fell to the ground, clutching his elbow.

  Thorgrim wheeled around with axe in hand. He charged Smoke.

  Smoke fired one round after the other into the giant. The crescendo of boom-boom-boom slowed the tremendous man, but he kept coming.

  ***

  Sid bumped her head on the roof of the van. Sam landed right on top of her. Including Guppy, they were tangle of limbs. Something hammered at the van from the outside. The metal walls of the van were caving. The sides bulged under the blows. “Is everyone okay?”

  The answer came in the sound of metal groaning. Cort’s door was ripped from the hinges. Giant fingers grabbed him by the arm, jerking him from the seat. Gunfire, hammering, and screams ruled the moment. The hammering stopped. The van started to spin like a top. It stopped with Rexor taking a knee and peering inside.

  Pushing himself into the door and kicking at the giant’s grabby fingers, Russ shouted, “Get this thing away from me! I didn’t sign up for this! I’m a reporter, not a fighter.”

  “Well, you should have thought of that before you started running people over like a moron!” Sid blasted several rounds at Rexor.

  Sam and Guppy turned loose their own gunfire. Bullets pelted the giant’s face. His expression turned to a face of savage anger. He backed off, picked up his hammer, and swung with rage-filled momentum. His first blow knocked the windshield out.

  Russ scrambled to the back.

  The entire front end of the van was being pulverized. Bits of metal and glass flew everywhere. The giant reached his long arm through the opening.

  “I’m not sticking around for this.” Sam fought to open the van’s back doors.

  Sid found Mal sprawled on his side, out cold. The side of his head was bleeding. Lending her help to Sam, together they shoved one of the split doors open. All of them crawled out. Sid and Guppy dragged Mal by the arms. They all scurried away as far from the van as they could.

  The giant rose up. Eyeing them, for a moment he continued his assault on what was now a busted-up metal box. The pounding stopped. He pointed the monster hammer at them. “You’re going to be dogfood.”

  Sid stuffed Mal into Russ’s trembling arms. “Get him out of here. Hide! You too, Sam!”

  “But—” Sam sort of objected.

  “Go with her, love,” Guppy said, holding a gun in each hand. “It’s on us now.”

  On wobbly legs, Sam and Russ took off, with Sam saying over her shoulder, “Don’t get killed. That’s an order!”

  Sid and Guppy spread apart, circling the giant, who walked right at them. They gave each other a quick look. Sid gave the nod. With guns in both hands, she pulled the triggers. Guppy matched her efforts as they both fired and backpedaled at the same time.

  Between the small bangs and large booms, the one-eyed monster kept coming. The explosions slowed him a little, but that was all. He turned right at Guppy and closed in. The hammer went up and came down hard.

  Guppy darted out of the way.

  The giant gave chase.

  “Oh crap,” Sid said, loading in another clip of bullets. Rexor bore down on Guppy like a coyote chasing an old cat. A few more steps and it would be over.

  CHAPTER 12

  “Allison, it seems our guests have arrived early,” Kane said after a lengthy outburst of laughter. Kane wasn’t one to laugh, but the hilarity of Smoke hitting the window like a bird tickled him to the bone. “I swear, sometimes I miss being human and laughing so hard that your guts hurt. The only problem is that death thing.”

  “I never laughed that much as a child. I’m not sure why. I was always about more serious things.”

  “Ah, yes, women can become quite vain at a young age.” Licking his teeth, Kane picked up the receiver of an old red telephone that hung on the wall.

  Frank’s gauley-deep voice responded on the other end. “Yes?”

  “Are you keeping track of our little invaders?”

  “Certainly. Do you have any particular orders you would like me to execute?”

  “I think we are well prepared. Just see to it that Allison and I don’t miss anything from our roost. I take it all is in order and our customers on Deathflix are watching?”

  “If money mattered, you’d be happy to know you’re making a million dollars a second off this fiasco. Quite impressive.”

  “Oh, I delight. And money always matters. It’s how we control the underlings of this wicked world. I’m pulling up my viewer now.” Kane hung up the phone and picked up a remote where a huge digital screen popped up out of the floor facing the sofa. He took a seat and beckoned for Allison to join. Her feline body sat beside him. There was a clear image in the middle of the eighty-inch TV showing the battle with the giants attacking the van. Smaller pictures, three in all, were lined up one after the other on the left. A list of strangers’ names and dollar amounts was on the right. There were names and odds. Smoke’s chance of survival was three to one against. Sid’s was ten to one against. The odds for the others were even worse. Many of them fluctuated.

  “I bet they love this in Vegas,” Allison said with her eyes glued to the screen.

  “The entire world loves this. Entertainment feeds the savage minds of the people. At the rate we’re going, it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if our secret little society was widely accepted. Deathflix will be the number-one station of the depraved.”

  Allison shifted in her seat. “I suppose you’re right. People do feed off these things.”

  “Mortals thrive in chaos. They can’t help themselves, at least most of them. It’s the ones that can control themselves who give us trouble.”

  “Like Smoke and Sid?”

  “Underdogs like them bring hope to the weak. Oh, how I delight in seeing the light go out of those wishful eyes. The sweet kiss of death conquers the ambitious.”

  CHAPTER 13

  Thorgrim chopped and jabbed at Smoke with rigorous strikes. Smoke had emptied a clip into the monster with little effect. He loaded another. He needed more firepower to stop the brute. In the meantime, he led the giant away from Cort. Cort dashed into the cover of the van.


  “Stop moving, little bat,” the giant moaned. “Be still so I can eat you.” Another hard swing bit into the ground where Smoke had just been standing.

  Smoke skipped to the side, jumped hard, and punched the giant in the eye.

  The giant recoiled.

  Smoke locked one hand in the giant’s thick locks. With the other hand, he cocked back and punched the pistol right into the giant’s eyeball. He pushed in knuckle-deep and started firing into the soft flesh behind the skull.

  The giant moaned. His arms flailed. A primordial instinct overtook the massive man’s body. He snatched Smoke in his hands. Hauling the smaller man in his arms, the giant squeezed. “Hurk!”

  Smoke flexed his spring-tight muscles. He could feel veins pop up in his neck. It was like being crushed in a trash compacter. His vision began to black out. Suddenly, the giant fell over on his side. A stabbing sound caught Smoke’s ears. The monster man’s grip loosened. Smoke squirmed free.

  Cort held the Arabian sword in one hand. He stabbed the giant through the back and chest, piercing the heart repeatedly. Distressed, he said, “Is it dead? Is it dead?”

  “The only way to be sure is to go Biblical,” Smoke said with his hands on his hips, sucking for breath.

  “Meaning?”

  “Cut off Goliath’s head.”

  “You don’t have to tell me twice.” Cort brought the glinting, razor-sharp steel up and dropped it down with wroth force. Chop! “Man, that sucker doesn’t even bleed.”

  The scuffle of skin and bone clashing together caught Smoke’s ear. Sid rushed after the other giant, firing round after round into its back. Guppy was pinned down to the ground, taking a pounding.

  “Give me that sword.”

  With a weary fling, Cort tossed the sword to Smoke.

  Smoke took off at a dead sprint. Moving at inhuman speed, he covered the distance in two seconds. Jumping in full stride, he glided through the air, cocked back the sword, and swung the blade in an arc of death.