The Stars Never Rise (The Midnight Defenders Book 2)

by Joey Ruff

  “First of all, Solomon’s ring is not a toy. He used it to control demons. You have no idea what could happen…”

  “I’m not using it for demons. I’m using it on a bonnacon.”

  “There’s no guarantee it will work on an animal. Dragons aren’t exactly normal.”

  “And bonnacons are?”

  “Do you even know how to use it?”

  “Just point and shoot,” I said. “How hard could it be?”

  “It’s a magical relic. It’s not a gun. You have no idea what you’re doing.”

  “Huxley would,” I said after a minute. “If you gave me my fucking phone back, I could call Nadia.”

  “Sorry,” he said. He flashed me a smile and put the car into gear.

  “We need to make a stop before we get to Rino’s. I need to pick something up.”

  There was hesitation in his voice. “Where we going?”

  “London’s.”

  “Oh…fuck no.”

  32

  London owned and ran a little shop downtown. It was a little out of the way, but for what I needed, he was the only one I trusted. It had been a while since I’d seen the wanker, and that wasn’t an accident, but I couldn’t deny my troll problem. And I couldn’t take it down on my own.

  We pulled up to the curb, and Ape put the car in park, but left the engine running.

  “Are you not coming?”

  “It’s London,” he said. “I think it best I don’t.”

  I considered that a moment. “Fair enough. I’ll be back.”

  The sign out front said Cocked and Loaded, and the curtains of the storefront windows were drawn. Inside, the lights were dim. It could have just as easily been a male strip joint.

  The glass door bore a white silhouette of an M16 along with the shop’s name and hours. I didn’t stop to read it as I entered.

  The bell chimed when I walked inside and, from behind the counter, a tall, wiry man with dark hair looked up at me from a magazine. He stood from his stool and placed both hands on the glass cabinet in front of him. His eyes bulged and twitched a little as he stared me down, and the corner of his mouth curled slightly. At his belt, a gun was holstered, and he reached for it nervously. I knew from experience, there was a shotgun behind the counter, as well. Maybe more.

  “Relax, London. It’s me.”

  “You fucking look like Swyftt, but how do I know it’s really fucking you, you piece of shit?”

  “It’s been a while, I guess.”

  “Motherfucker, I haven’t seen Jono Swyftt in this place in nearly four years. I heard he was taken by the ass-fairies, which makes me question who the fuck you are. Lots of things can change form.”

  I stood just inside the doorway, and as I moved to take another step, he shook his head and started to draw his pistol. “I wouldn’t do that, motherfucker.”

  “London…”

  “What are you?” he asked. “Some dirty Kory come to gut me? Is this some fucking vengeance bullshit? Did I split your little Kory friend from groin to sternum and wear his ass about town like a fucking marching hat? Did I twirl his femur around like a baton and hum the Saints Go Marching In, motherfucker?”

  I smiled at him.

  “You blew out both knees with a Beretta and skull-fucked him while his Kory bitch watched and prayed for mercy, you sick arse.”

  He smiled at that and took his hand off the gun. “Son of a bitch. Jono, get your dirty ass over here, you fucker.”

  I moved to the counter, and we clasped hands and embraced in a half-hug. As I tried to move away, he kept me close, and I heard a click in my ear.

  “If there’s anything I hate more than fucking Korys, it’s fucking Halflings. You might as well be wearing their scent like a fucking perfume. You ain’t Swyftt. You got ten seconds to tell me who you are and what you fucking want from me before I pump this trigger and Judge Dredd scatters your fucking brain cells all over the wall.”

  In answer to him, I reached down and pulled Grace from my leg and set her on the counter with a loud thud. London’s grip lightened as he looked down at her. His breathing quickened, and then he let me go.

  He holstered his gun and looked at me with a grin. “You shoulda said something earlier, you dumb bastard.”

  “You remember her then?”

  “Remember her? Fucking…how could I forget? She’s a beautiful gun. Best fucking modification I ever performed. I’d thought you woulda cashed in that old lady of yours for a younger model by now. Check this bitch out and tell me she doesn’t get your little man-pussy wet.” He pulled the pistol from his holster and sat her on the counter. At first glance, it looked like a standard revolver, silver polish, six-inch barrel, rubber grip. “Bitch fires three-inch shotshells, .410 bore: triple-ought buck, hollow point slugs. She’ll also do .45 Colt.”

  “Six shooter?”

  “Five, brother. You bring this bitch to a party, she’ll get you off and suck off four of your friends. See the curves on this bitch? Sexy. As. Hell.”

  “It’s a Taurus?”

  “It’s the fucking Judge, brother. This bitch doesn’t shoot your target, it passes judgment. Where else you gonna find a handgun that fires shotgun shells?”

  I tapped Grace.

  “Your TP is a relic.”

  “She keeps my arse happy.” I picked Grace off the counter, looked her over, and strapped her back to my leg.

  “Where’s that fucking Halfling partner of yours? I know you didn’t come to your fucking senses, he shed his red nut hair all over your damn shirt.”

  “In the car,” I said. “He’s not one to be called a Halfling.”

  “What else would you call that Motherfucker? Normals like us don’t shed all over the sofa, am I right?” He laughed. “How are things then? I haven’t seen you in four fucking years, brother. You keeping things real? You’re still fucking alive, I can see, which is more than I would’ve bet four years ago.”

  “I’m good, mate. Came to get some ammo from you.”

  “Ammo, I got. What do you need?”

  “What will take down a troll?”

  His eyes went wide. “Ain’t been no fucking trolls in these waters for a couple dozen years, brother. What kinda troll you hunting?”

  “Seems I’ve got one hunting me.”

  “No shit?”

  I shook my head.

  “Well, fuck.” He looked down at my belt. “What’re you packing there? Glocks? That’s your problem, right there.” He reached under the counter, turned a key, and slid open the back of the glass display in front of him. He palmed a black pistol and set it on the counter. “Fuck the Glocks,” he said. “It’s time you upgrade your fucking arsenal, brother. This here’s a FN Five-seven. She’s lighter, she’s faster, and she goes all the way. You’re looking at 55 yards range – max – on the Glocks, brother. This bitch will knock the short and curlies from the nutsack of a charging minotaur at 1600 yards. Do the math on that shit. Plus, you get twenty rounds in the standard mag, thirty extended. What are you packing in the Glocks, fifteen, seventeen? Fewer reloads equals more shots, brother. Means you can put the fuckers down in less time, ya feeling it?”

  “What does she fire?”

  “That’s the best part, brother. We’ll load you up with a few cases of these bitches.” He bent over and pulled a few boxes of ammo and set them on the counter. He opened the one on the top and withdrew a single bullet, holding the copper 5.7 x 28 millimeter cartridge between his thumb and forefinger. “SS190. This motherfucker will eat through Kevlar at a hundred fucking yards. At fifty yards, this little bitch will go through two vests.”

  “And it’ll work on a fucking troll?”

  “Brother, I hope so. They did all the fucking lab tests on these, right? You know that fucking ballistic gel shit? Well, they put a vest on top of that. This motherfucker went nine fucking inches into that shit. If it won’t take down one of those dumb ass fucks, I don’t know what will.”

  “I need two of those. Do…five b
oxes of ammo, for now. And I need mounted lights for under the barrels.”

  “Brother, let’s hook you up.” He moved quickly to the wall behind him and the articles hanging there in boxes and packages, grabbing things as quickly as he talked. “You’ll need new fucking holsters. Lights – shit, we got lights. Two lights. You want laser sights? Why am I even fucking asking?” He put the original lights back that he’d taken down and grabbed two others. “These are fucking combos. Gives you laser sights and a fucking flashlight.” He moved down below the counter and slid open a hidden wall panel. “Of course, we gotta get you the silencers, brother. You can’t be walking around a city this size blasting fucking holes with everyone listening.” He set two black tubes, nearly six inches long on the counter along with everything else. “Get you a couple fucking suppressors. And I gotta ask, brother, since I can’t legally sell most of this shit – especially the ammo – except to the military…how’s your platoon doing?”

  I smiled. “Platoon’s fucking great,” I said. “Three tours in Iraq.”

  “Fucking A,” he said. “Give them motherfuckers hell.”

  I looked over the pile of shit on the counter: the guns, the ammo, and the rest. “I think I might need some standard rounds, too. Better give me a few extra clips.”

  “Clips?!” He stopped, turned, and looked at me with an incredulous expression. “Bitch, I know you didn’t just say clips. Tell me Uncle London raised you better than that, motherfucker. You been watching too much of that Hollywood bullshit. Those bitches don’t know anything about guns, son. Nobody uses clips anymore.”

  I took a deep breath. “Magazines, then.”

  He smiled his typical shit-eating grin. “That’s what I’m talking about, motherfucker. Now, standard or extended?”

  “Give me ten of each.”

  “Motherfucker, you know how to throw a party.” He added the mags and ammo to the pile and took a quick inventory before turning to the register. He started to ring everything up. He turned to me with a smile. “Not every fucking day someone comes in and spends close to ten grand on some merch, brother. My fucking pal, Jäger, and I are gonna celebrate tonight. How we paying for this?”

  I reached in my pocket and pulled out Ape’s credit card. I handed it to him. He glanced at the card.

  “Mr. Towers,” he said with a grin. “Due to your military deployment in the morning, we’ll go ahead and waive the standard holding time on your purchase here.” He swiped the card and waited for the receipt to print. Then he started to bag everything up.

  “Mount the laser sights,” I said. I unfastened my Glocks and put on the new holsters while London installed the sights. I filled six of the magazines with the armor-piercing rounds, and we bagged the rest. I pocketed the silencers.

  “Where’s the party?” London asked. Then he hesitated. “It’s not with the fucking Hand, is it? I thought you quit those fucks.”

  “I did. And it’s not.”

  “Good. You’re too good for them. Quitting those pieces of shit was the best decision I ever fucking made, ya feel it?”

  I nodded. “Preaching to the choir, mate.”

  “Don’t get me wrong, brother. I enjoyed squirting Kory guts all over the fucking pavement and getting paid for it, but when they started admitting those fucking Halflings and other bullshit…. Brother, London Ixit don’t partner with no Kory lovechild. That shit just ain’t right. The good Lord Jesus made man in his image. It ain’t fucking human, Swyftt.”

  “I know.”

  “It ain’t fucking right for those motherfuckers to take something beautiful that God made…”

  “I know, London.”

  “I ain’t been to church in a fucking long time, right,” he said. “But I swear to fucking God that it’ll be a cold day in the sinner’s Hell when I fight alongside one of those fucking abominations.”

  “I got it.”

  “I don’t know how you do it.”

  “I told you, mate. Ape isn’t a Halfling.”

  “You ever need a little back-up, you give me a fucking call. We made one hell of a team that time. What was that shit?”

  “The Nagas.”

  “Yeah,” he said. He pulled his pistol in illustration and waved it about in the air. “We fucked those bitches ‘til their heads turned sideways. I stuck my barrel up in that pussy ‘til those bitches barked lead. Remember?”

  With a nod, I cast a glance over my shoulder at the entrance. I could just see the Renault on the curb. “Look, London, it’s been great catching up and all, but I’ve gotta go. We’re burning daylight, and I’m on a sodding curfew.”

  “I know exactly what you fucking mean,” he said, pointing at me. “Just don’t wait another four fucking years before you come see me. Your entire arsenal’s probably due for a fucking upgrade.”

  “Right,” I said, held up my bag, and backed towards the door. “I appreciate the help.”

  “You got it, brother. And I’m fucking serious. Come back and see me real soon.”

  “Maybe next week,” I said. I hit the door and pushed my way through it. As I approached the car, Ape saw me, and I motioned for him to open the trunk. I put the bag in the back and climbed in.

  “What the hell did you buy?”

  I pulled a five-seven from its holster and showed him. “Armor-piercing rounds,” I said. “It was time for an upgrade.”

  “Do I even wanna know what that cost?”

  I holstered it. “Probably not.”

  He pulled away from the curb. “Rino’s?”

  “Yeah.”

  After we’d driven a few miles, Ape said, “So…how was London?”

  “Bloke’s fucking madder than a bag of ferrets,” I said. “Over the top and intense.”

  “Still the same, huh?”

  “Probably worse with age. He asked about you.”

  “Do I wanna know?”

  “Probably not.” I fell into silence and pulled the five-seven from my holster just to examine it. It was a beautiful weapon. I couldn’t wait to take her for a walk. “There’s no doubt about it,” I said. “London Ixit knows his fucking weapons, even if he does annoy the shit out of me at times.”

  After a few minutes we hit the highway, and it wasn’t long after that we pulled up near Rino’s place. We took the long, quiet road that led up to the gates of his house, and as we got ready to pull in, Ape stopped.

  “Jono…what the hell is this?”

  I looked up to see a dark sedan parked sideways across the entrance to Rino’s drive. Special Agent Natasha Stone and her partner, Chuck McKnight, stood with their backs to the vehicle, leaning against its doors. They both wore dark sunglasses over their eyes, and their arms were folded across their chests.

  “Dammit,” I said.

  “I thought you weren’t calling them.”

  “I didn’t.”

  “Jono…”

  “What? Fuck you, I didn’t. You have my phone. Besides, I’m with Rino on this one, mate. I want Aegir taken down. Then we can arrest him.”

  “Very diplomatic.”

  Ape put the car in park and we got out.

  “Fancy meeting you here,” I said to the agents.

  “Isn’t it?” Stone said. “Especially since I thought we’d agree you would call. I thought we were turning a corner in our relationship here, Swyftt. I thought you were including us in your shenanigans.”

  Chuck shook a finger at us. “Naughty, naughty. You’re in trouble now, Swyftt.”

  I sighed. “Bollocks.”

  33

  “How the fuck did you know where we were going?” I asked.

  Stone held up a small, black device, the screen of which had a map of sorts in red lines and a blinking green dot. “We followed the GPS on your phone. I can’t believe you tried to cut us out of this. What the hell are you thinking, Swyftt?”

  “Look. There’s more to this than just illegally importing rare and dangerous animals.”

  “Like what?”

  I lo
oked at Ape, but he didn’t see me. He watched her with an annoyed expression. “What do you know,” he asked her, “about the world we live in?”

  She cast an ugly look and said, “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “There’s a war going on, Agent Stone, and you’re walking into the middle of it. If you expect to live through the night, you might not want to do it blindly.”

  “Is that a threat?” She looked at me. “What the hell is he talking about?”

  “The things Rino’s been importing, the firebreeds, he’s doing it for a purpose.”

  “Yeah,” Chuck said. “Money.”

  I ignored him.

  “There’s an evil in Seattle,” Ape said. “Rino’s trying to stop it. The weapon he needs is in a tunnel under that house.”

  “Here we go again,” Stone said.

  “What kind of evil?” Chuck asked.

  “Look,” I said. “We don’t have time for this now. We need to get up to the house to talk to Rino. If you want to arrest the crew from the ship, be my guest, but Rino will have to wait.”

  “You’re not ditching us,” Stone said. “If there really is something…I want to see it.”

  “Fine,” I said. “Come with us.”

  “What?” Ape said.

  I spun to him. “Look, it’s the quickest way to resolve this. They’ll get their smugglers, I’ll get the weapon, and you can help your mate. Everybody fucking wins, Ape.”

  “Fine.”

  “Fine,” Stone echoed. “But we ride together. Swyftt, you’re with me.”

  I considered the offer a quick minute and shook my head. “You’ll cuff me and throw me in the back. I’ll ride with Chuck.”

  Stone looked at her partner. Chuck nodded.

  “Sure,” she said. She tossed her keys to Chuck. He caught them.

  “Come on, Swyftt,” he said and moved to the driver’s door.

  As I passed Stone, I said, “Looks like you get to ride in the fancy car.” Then I turned to Ape. “You take point. We’ll follow you.”

  He nodded and passed my phone back to me. “In case I need you.”