The Supernatural Bounty Hunter Files: Special Edition Fantasy Bundle, Books 1 thru 5 (Smoke Special Edition)

by Craig Halloran

  Man, that’s cold.

  The temperature in the room must have dropped from ninety degrees to sixty in a minute. She stood up on the cot and stretched her fingers toward the ceiling vent, wanting to close it. She was at least a foot short.

  “Come on,” she said, teeth chattering. “This can’t last forever.” She rubbed her arms. Paced back and forth. She fought the urge to curl up under the cot like an animal.

  Come on, Sid. You’re tougher than them. Get mad. Don’t give in. Fight them.

  She’d trained in severe situations. Been through survival camps. Combat camps. Interrogation camps.

  This should be a cakewalk.

  Picking up her knees, she ran in place for fifteen minutes until the air shut off.

  Yes.

  Taking a seat and gathering her thoughts, she thought about Smoke. It stuck in her craw that he might not be getting out sooner because of her. Now he was gone again. Just when she had started to feel close to him.

  Why do I hate to admit that I miss him?

  The cold air kicked on again.

  “Damn!” She stood up. “Fine. I can take anything you can dish out.”

  The cold air went on again, off again, minute after minute, hour after hour.

  Finally exhausted, Sid let out a tormented scream.

  CHAPTER 15

  Exhausted, cold, and hungry, Sid huddled in the corner of her cell. A sound caught her ear. The cell door’s lock tumbled over, and the door swung open. Muscles stiff as boards, she pushed up into a standing position.

  A guard stepped into full view, an average guy in plain clothes, wearing an FBI jacket and ball cap. “Come with me,” he said, stepping back out of view.

  Sid headed out of the cell. The air in the hall was like a warm blanket. She followed the man down the hall and to the left, cutting across an office filled with a handful of empty cubicles. He cut into another hall, took a right, and opened a door. “Go on in. Have a seat,” he said, running his eyes over her disheveled body. He gave her a funny look. “Someone will be with you in a minute.”

  “That’s what they said last time.”

  “Sorry, I just came in. I’ve barely been briefed on it.” He smiled. “I’ll see if I can get you some coffee, but don’t count on it.”

  “Oh, I won’t.” She entered the room. It was a typical interrogation room. A hard table and chairs. A big mirror and a camera in the corner. She turned as the door closed behind her and the lock was turned into place. “Great.”

  Rubbing her hands up and down over her cold bare arms, she yawned and sat down, glancing up at the camera in the corner. The little red light wasn’t on, but that didn’t mean anything. Often, they’d watch without recording.

  Who’s watching me now?

  “Do you think I can get something to eat?” she said to the mirror. “Any chance I can make that phone call? I seem to have misplaced my phone.”

  Silence was the answer. She got out of the chair and walked around the table. At least the interrogation room was warm. That was intentional. The hotter the better. They liked to make the guilty sweat. She’d conducted plenty of interviews in places like this. The FBI had little offices all over. She didn’t recognize this one, and she’d been inside many.

  How many things does the FBI do that I don’t have a clue about? Man, and they’re only one agency.

  The door popped open, and Cyrus Tweel entered. He was in a suit and looked refreshed.

  Right on his heels came Agent Lang. The petite woman in a snug pantsuit wore a sling on her arm and a frown on her face.

  “Sit down,” Cyrus said to Sid.

  “Good morning to you too, Cyrus,” she said, resuming her seat.

  He pulled out a chair for Rebecca then seated himself. “I’m sure you had a long night, but you know how paperwork goes.”

  “I know exactly how it goes! You can’t hold me like this. You threw me in a cage like a hardened criminal. Like an animal!”

  Cyrus held up his hand. “Don’t raise your voice. You’re in enough trouble already. Just so you know, I don’t have to be here. Consider it a courtesy.”

  “I’m sorry,” Sid scoffed. “Did I interrupt your morning? What’s the matter, no time for you and your little bird to snuggle?”

  “Sid, there’s no need—”

  Rebecca cut Cyrus off by whispering something in his ear.

  He cleared his throat. “Tell us everything you know about the Buffalo Brothers.” He pushed over a pad and pen. “Write it down.”

  She shook her head no. “Why?”

  “Because I said so.” He pushed his thick glasses up on the bridge of his nose. “You really need to do yourself a favor here, Sid. Things aren’t looking good for you at all. Do you know how hard it is to get a job with felonies on your record? And what about your niece, Megan? Do you want her going into a foster home?”

  “She has grandparents.”

  “That’s for the state to decide. Everything doesn’t always go your way, you know.” He tapped the table with his fingers. “The charmed life you led is finally over.”

  In disgust, she said, “What are you talking about?”

  His frosty eyes locked on hers. “Just start writing.”

  She slid the paper over and started to draw, humming as she did it. She lifted the top edge of the paper so that they couldn’t see it. “No peeking.” Like a schoolgirl, she bit on her tongue as she drew an obscene gesture on the paper.

  Cyrus and Rebecca glared at her.

  Finished, Sid tore the paper off the pad, folded it in half, and slid it over.

  “A little quick,” he said. He unfolded the paper in front of him and Rebecca and huffed. “Cute, Sid. Real cute.”

  “That’s for the both of your eyes only,” Sid said. “I’m sorry. You and your little bird look upset. Am I going to be additionally charged with insulting a federal officer now?” She leaned back in her chair. “I wonder if you can make that stick.”

  Cyrus wadded up the paper and tossed it aside.

  Rebecca whispered something else in his ear.

  He nodded. Rising from his seat, he said, “I gave you a chance. You blew it.”

  “What, you’re leaving me?” Sid said, rolling her eyes. “How disappointing.”

  The door opened and the agent from earlier came in with a cup of coffee in his hand. Rebecca slid into his path, plucked the coffee cup from his hand, and said with a smile at Sid, “Why, thank you.”

  Cyrus followed her out, saying, “Have fun in the hole. I hear it can be rather chilly at times.”

  CHAPTER 16

  Sitting in the cell with her knees bouncing up and down, Sid pondered her situation. Cyrus was using coercion. Trying to pick her brain for some reason. She didn’t really have anything, but she wasn’t going to let him know that. She leaned her head back against the wall.

  “Shoot.”

  She’d broken at least five laws in the last twenty-four hours. Sure, it was minor. Scuffing up against Rebecca while she sat in Smoke’s car didn’t seem like much, but it could be a problem. She’d seen things like this happen all the time. Agents getting out of control with their authority. It wasn’t a problem agent on agent. But civilian on agent? Especially with an agent who had a grudge against you? That was different.

  What cards do you have, Sid? Let them think you know something? Get them to drop the charges then exchange nothing? Maybe my unlawful imprisonment is a good example. No food. No visits to the bathroom. No calls. She slapped her head. Megan. I need to be taking Megan to school right now!

  She hit the wall, winced, and shook her hand. The air conditioning fan kicked on. She balled up. Her eyes started to swell and her chest tightened.

  I’m such a fool. Such a fool I am. Get it together, Sid. Don’t let Cyrus and that little twit win.

  She shuddered a breath and then recited the Serenity Prayer. “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know
the difference.” Her head sank between her knees. “Amen.”

  A moment later, the A/C fan kicked off. The cell door opened.

  She lifted her head and saw Section Chief Ted Howard standing there.

  “Sid,” he said, stepping inside and clasping her hands. “I’m sorry about this. I just got word and made it over here as fast as I could. Come on. Let’s get you sorted out and back on your feet.”

  She studied his face. Ted was a hard man at times. Tough. Old school. The hard lines on his face were softened by the sad look in his eyes. She took his hand. “No games, Ted.”

  “No, friend.”

  ***

  Sid was inside a small office furnished only with a desk and half a dozen chairs. There weren’t any decorations or evidence of personal effects. It was a typical satellite office, a place agents used when they went undercover. A place to meet. To plan. Off the radar from the main office. For the most part, the building was run by a skeleton crew that might consist of one field agent acting as a supervisor or guard.

  Ted sat behind the metal desk in an old wooden swivel chair. His navy-blue suit jacket hung on an old coat rack in the corner. He rolled up his sleeves, exposing his husky forearms, and loosened his tie. He helped himself to something from a box of donuts and shoved them over.

  Sid sipped coffee from a Styrofoam cup that read Donut Connection. Ted had given her some time to get cleaned up and make a call. Megan was fine, thanks to Sam, and had made it to school. Starving, she eyed the donuts, reached in, and plucked out an apple cinnamon. “So, did you pick these up as you rushed to come and see me?”

  Taken aback, Ted said, “Well, I figured you’d be hungry. And it was on the way.”

  “Isn’t there always one on the way?” She bit into the donut and chewed. This is the best donut I’ve ever had in my life. Washing it down with coffee, she grabbed another. “Bavarian. Interesting variety, Ted. Looks like it might have taken some time to pick out.”

  “Oh, don’t start, Sid. I didn’t have to bring anything at all, you know.”

  “You’ve known I was in there since last night, haven’t you.”

  He looked her dead in the eye and said, “No.”

  She believed him.

  “Okay. So what’s happening now? Am I under arrest or not?”

  “Yes and no.”

  “Yes and no? What does that mean, ‘yes and no’?”

  “I’ve gotten word that they,” he said, making air quotes, “want you back on the Black Slate.”

  “Aren’t Cyrus and Agent Lang handling that now?” she said, easing back into her chair. She made a face and tilted her head sideways when she said Agent Lang.

  “Your sudden departure had consequences, Sid. Cyrus hounded me. Hell, he hounded everyone he could, trying to get into the Black Slate.” Ted shook his head. “He’d kill to be a shadow agent. I really think he would. Well, somebody above gave him the pass. They even let him pick his team. He picked Rebecca.”

  Sid hitched her brow. “His girlfriend?”

  “Actually, I think she has some connections that even I don’t know about. I’ve never seen an agent so young promoted so fast. Anyway, as I understand it, the powers that be gave Cyrus what he wanted. Part of the reason was his familiarity with John Smoke and you. They even apprehended somebody on the Slate already.”

  Sid sat up and scooted her chair closer. “What? Really? Who?”

  “I can’t say.”

  Suddenly, the office door was flung open. Cyrus and Rebecca stormed in.

  Cyrus slapped a document onto Ted’s desk. “This is not happening!”

  Rebecca, blue eyes smoldering like fires and arms crossed over her chest, huddled up to Cyrus’s side and added, “You better not do this, Ted. You need to butt out!”

  CHAPTER 17

  “Excuse me,” Sid said. “What is going on here?”

  “You shut up!” Rebecca shot back at Sid. “You washed-up has-been!”

  Sid sprang out of her seat, pinned Rebecca down on the desk, and growled in the petite woman’s ear, “Don’t ever tell me to shut up.”

  “Get off her!” Cyrus said, taking Sid by the arm.

  Sid twisted away and released Rebecca.

  “I’m pressing charges! I’m pressing charges!” Rebecca cried out. Adjusting her glasses, the mousy little woman practically screamed, “Arrest her, Cyrus!”

  Ted stood up with his fists on his desk and shouted over everyone in a thunderous voice. “No one is arresting anybody! Now sit down!”

  Scowling, Rebecca pulled a chair over to the left of Cyrus, who took a seat to the left of Sid.

  “I expect better from my agents,” Ted said, slowly sitting back down.

  Kicking her crossed leg, Rebecca said, “She’s not an agent.”

  “Agent Lang,” Ted said.

  “What?”

  He glared at her. “Call me Sir or Section Chief. Got it?”

  Rebecca stuck her chest out and saluted. “Yes, Sir.”

  Ted took a breath and picked up the document Cyrus had slapped onto the desk. Examining it, he said to Cyrus, “I have no problem with this. You shouldn’t either.”

  “Sir, I’m already working with one ex-con. Now I’m supposed to work with another? This is ridiculous.”

  “Sid’s no convict,” Ted replied. “You know better than that, Cyrus.”

  “What are we talking about?” Sid inquired.

  “As I was about to say before I was interrupted, we, or rather the Agency, want to acquire your services, Sid.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “We want to add you on as a consultant for the Black Slate,” he said.

  “We as in you, Ted?”

  “We as in the same Agency folks who lined you up before. They want you on the Slate, Sid.”

  Beside her, Cyrus clenched his jaw.

  Beside him, Rebecca lifted her chin and turned her head away while she sat there with her arms crossed tight over her chest, still kicking her leg.

  “Tell me more,” Sid said, sounding very interested. She swore she could hear both Cyrus’s and Rebecca’s butts pucker. Make ’em suffer.

  “The paperwork’s ready. You’ll be given consultant ID, and your former security clearances will be restored.” He rubbed his chin. “Sorry, I’m making it sound simpler than it probably is. Anyway, you and Agents Tweel and Lang will work as a team on this.”

  “Just us?” she said.

  “Mr. Smoke will be coming along, but he’s not in a position of authority, hence not a team member, so to speak.”

  She heard Rebecca shift in her seat. Squirm, girl, squirm. “What’s the objective?”

  Ted reached into the desk drawer, withdrew a black file, and slapped it down on the desk. He kept his hand over it and said, “Are you in or are you out?”

  Eyes fixed on the file, Sid sorted through her thoughts. There was Megan to consider. Other than that, there was nothing else—aside from the satisfaction of pissing Cyrus and Rebecca off. “I’m in.”

  “What!” Rebecca blurted out. “You have a nanny job to attend to. You don’t have time for this! Sir, we don’t need her. She’ll just slow us down.”

  “Says the woman she just pinned to my desk,” Ted said. “And you’re borderline insubordinate. I’m getting tired of it. Don’t make me warn you again.”

  “Or what?” Rebecca said, getting out of her chair. “I’ll have your job before you know what hit you, you frickin’ dinosaur.” Shooting Sid a look, she left the room.

  Ted’s face darkened. Normally, the veteran leader and agent would have taken immediate action. But something held him back. Sid wondered what that was.

  “You need to get a better handle on that,” Ted warned Cyrus. “That better never happen again.”

  Unfazed, Cyrus said, “I’ll do what I can.”

  “I’m sure you will,” Ted said, shoving the file toward Sid. “That’s your copy. Now, we want to get the Buffalo Brothers, Warren and Oliver Ratson.”

&nbs
p; “We had them until she showed up,” Cyrus said.

  Ted clasped his fingers and rested them on the desk, staring at Cyrus until the flabby man backed down into his seat. “Continuing. We don’t know much. They work for the Drake. And whenever they show up, someone important gets killed.”

  Thumbing through the file, Sid came across some familiar names and faces. Politicians and other high-ranking DC officials. Names that often made the papers. Important men and women. They were all dead. The papers reported natural causes. Maybe suicide. The photos showed something else. Grizzly photos. Blood and mutilation. Torment. “How is this possible? How is this covered up?”

  “That’s not the issue,” Cyrus said.

  “He’s right,” Ted said, giving Cyrus a warning glare, “not that it doesn’t matter. The point is, these guys need to be brought down. Because they’re here, we know someone’s hired them to kill someone else. Mr. Jake Miller tipped us off to that.”

  “How’s that?” she asked.

  “The Buffalo Brothers have a calling card.” He produced a transparent evidence bag and slid it over. “Those were in Jake’s eyes.”

  Studying the contents, Sid observed two buffalo nickels. Her heart sank a little thinking about Big Jake. Like Ted, he was an old soul from a different era. “I imagine there is one for each of them.”

  “Of course, Jake’s death didn’t fit the profile. It looked more like vengeance. Sick thing is that they left fingerprints. And in the system, they are both registered to dead men. Got graves but no bodies.”

  Sid swallowed. If she’d stayed away from those men at the range, perhaps none of this ever would have happened. Jake’s death was on her conscience. She gathered herself. “But Cyrus says he and Rebecca have been tracking these brothers for weeks. What tipped you off?”

  “Check the dates in the files and you’ll see where City Councilman Jeffery Ryson died in an automobile accident. Well, that’s not what happened. As you can see.”

  She found a picture of a man pinned between a brick wall and his car. I wonder what he knew. I wonder what he saw. “They all have ties to the Drake, don’t they.”