by Martha Carr
James frowned. “What evil delivery company?”
Shay laughed. “They’re not evil. They’re just discreet.”
Peyton slowly stood, his gaze locked on the pizza. “The Pizza King doesn’t summon aid from foreign lands. Besides, I still have it, and another one will be ready in just a few minutes.”
“Let’s just eat,” Shay suggested. She smiled as she looked from James to Peyton, Lily, and Alison.
I have a man I love. I have a friend and two girls I care about. Daughters? Maybe. And for the first time in my life, I want to live for someone other than me.
About an hour later, James nodded toward his F-350 in the loading bay. “I need to show Shay something.”
Peyton eyed him. “In the middle of the night?”
“Yeah.” James shrugged. “I’ll swing by later to pick up Alison, or you can drop her back at my place if she wants to go home earlier than that.”
Shay looked at her boyfriend and Peyton, confused about what James had planned. “What about Lily?”
The girl smiled. “I was planning on crashing here tonight anyway.”
James tugged on her arm. “Let’s go. I’ve done some complicated shit, and I don’t want it to be a total waste.”
Shay let him lead her to his truck, still confused. James Brownstone was many things, but he didn’t tend to be mysterious. Mysterious wasn’t simple, and simplicity was his second religion after Catholicism.
Complicated shit, huh?
“Do I need any extra gear?” she asked.
James grunted. “Nah, nothing like that. Just come with me. You’ll like it. Maybe. I don’t know. The podcast said you’ll like it.”
“The podcast?”
Shay shot a shrug at Peyton, Lily, and Alison before getting into the truck.
James hopped inside and started the F350. “Just figured it’d be good to spend some time away from the kids. You’ll see. You should like it.”
“Not gonna tell me what’s up?”
He shook his head. “Trying to give you an ‘experience.’”
Shay laughed. “Oh, this better not end with me having to strangle a man.”
“It shouldn’t.” James frowned. “I hope.” He rubbed his neck.
Shay tapped her foot impatiently as the elevator kept rising. With her most recent experience in high-rise buildings and elevators ending in her shooting several people, she couldn’t help it when her heart sped up.
James obviously wouldn’t lead her to a dangerous situation without telling her to be prepared, but she just couldn’t figure out why he’d take her to the top of a very tall building.
She winced at a sudden thought.
Please don’t tell me that James suddenly wants to take up parkour. That would be…interesting, but this is definitely not the place for a rookie to start.
The bounty hunter’s face remained blank, and he kept his words to a minimum. Whatever he had planned, he was going for maximum surprise.
The elevator dinged, and James stepped out and pointed to the stairwell access. “Got to hit the roof through the stairs.”
Shay’s hands twitched, but it wasn’t as if she were completely unarmed. She did have her loaded 9mm and one of her adamantine knives. If she were dealing with only a small number of enemies, it wouldn’t be a problem.
Her gaze flicked to James’ chest. She wondered if he were bonded to his amulet already.
Okay, okay. Calm down. James isn’t taking me to a surprise battle. That’s not his style.
Shay chuckled a little. When she thought about it, a surprise battle actually sounded fun.
They made it to the top of the stairs. James stepped to the door and Shay instinctively tensed, remembering the gunshots at the ARCO Tower.
The bounty hunter pulled open the door, and no bullets flew. Instead, she could hear light classical music playing.
“Huh?”
James held the door for her and motioned her toward the roof. Shay passed through the door.
No gangsters. No witches. No frogmen.
There was a blanket surrounded by candles. Chocolate-covered strawberries were piled high on a silver tray in the center, along with two glasses and an open bottle of champagne. A small speaker on the edge of the blanket provided the music.
James grunted. “I got a little worried when the news said it might be cloudy tonight. It would have ruined the view.”
Shay walked toward the blanket and smiled. Judging by the elevator, they were over seventy stories up. The vastness of Los Angeles lay around them—the tall buildings and the lights. The view from ARCO Tower had been impressive, but this was like being a Greek goddess on Olympus who could look down on the works of the mortals.
“The podcast said that women like nice views and surprise desserts.” James shrugged.
Shay smiled as she turned 360 degrees, taking in the view from every angle. “It’s definitely romantic.” She laughed. “I guess you do learn things from listening to those podcasts.”
She knelt on the blanket and popped a chocolate-covered strawberry into her mouth. She let the flavor linger on her tongue before she started chewing.
James knelt beside her. “I wanted to do something nice. We’re both so busy, always kicking ass. This shit means a lot more to me than just sex.”
Shay snickered. Only James Brownstone could get away with referring to their relationship as “this shit” and have it come out sounding romantic.
“I know that, dumbass. I also know you’re still getting used to it.” She shrugged. “Shit, I’m still getting used to it. You kept yourself away from other people because you thought you were weird, but I was a ruthless killer for half my life. I prided myself on not giving a shit about anyone and never relying on anyone.”
James looked at her. “And now?”
“And now I love you. I care about Alison, Lily, and Peyton, too. Fuck, even my friends who made my place smell for weeks. I care about them.” Shay sucked in a breath.
I say I care about him, but I keep shit from him, shit he deserves to know. I keep telling myself it’s for his own good, but how can he keep himself safe if he doesn’t even know about the threat?
James frowned. “Something wrong?”
“There’s something I need to tell you.”
His eyes widened, and panic covered his face. “Oh shit.”
She punched him in the arm. “I’m not pregnant, dumbass, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
Visible relief followed. “Still getting used to my first daughter, is all.”
Shay rolled her eyes. “It’s nothing like that.”
“What then?”
She took a few deep breaths. “Before I confirmed everything about your alien identity, I’d started looking into some other alien stuff.”
“What alien stuff?”
“I found a stone on a job in Mexico. This possessed elf had it. I thought he was possessed by a demon, but I don’t know. Since then, I’ve had several more jobs or encounters involving these stones. They aren’t magic, from what I can tell, but they have writing on them. Writing that I established doesn’t come from our planet or Oriceran.”
James nodded slowly but kept silent.
“I’ve been able to link these stones to your amulet. So wherever your homeworld is, your people have probably visited before. Not only that, they might still be here among us.”
He furrowed his brow. “How do you know?”
“Partial translations of some of the writing on the stones suggests they’re here, or at least they have been recently.”
James frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me any of this?”
“Because I also found out that I’m not the only one interested in it. The Professor and Correk are, which isn’t such a big deal, but they aren’t the only ones either.”
“Who else?”
Shay looked away. “The government. The federal government. There are secret projects, Ragnarok and Nephilim. The government knows non-Oriceran alien
s are here, and they’re worried about them. They have this asshole, Durand, working on collecting alien artifacts. I’ve tangled with him a few times. That raid I just went to in Montana for the Professor? There was an alien artifact there, too. Another stone. Some CIA guy named Daniel Goldstein is interested in this stuff, too, but I don’t think he’s working for the other faction.”
“Shit,” James rumbled. “So everyone knew about this but me?”
Shay put her hand on his shoulder. “I was worried that if I told you, you might go knocking some heads. You’re tough, but you can’t take on the entire government.”
The bounty hunter chuckled. “Why does everyone always think I’m going break everything and throw people through windows?”
“It’s not exactly like you’re a man famous for measured and calm responses to people who piss you off.”
“The government fucked with me over Alison, but from what we found out, it doesn’t sound like that had anything to do with this shit.” He frowned deeper. “Or did it?”
Shay shook her head. “Nope, but I’m worried that if these Ragnarok or Nephilim assholes ever figure out you’re an alien, they might lock you up or try to drag you off to a lab somewhere.”
James smirked. “Love to see them try.” He shrugged. “Look, not gonna announce my background to the world, but if they haven’t figured it out by now, they probably won’t.”
The tomb raider blew out a long breath. “Now you know the truth. You pissed? I kept Lily from you, and now this. I wouldn’t blame you if you were mad.”
He shrugged. “Nah. Not like you told me the government had a secret barbeque project and you’d been keeping it from me.”
Shay laughed. “You would be more pissed at that, wouldn’t you?”
“Just saying.”
She blinked a few times. “Now that you know that your people might be around, are you gonna go look for them? Your people? Your family?”
“Why the fuck would I bother?” James patted his chest. “Whispy Doom is useful, but he’s kind of a bloodthirsty asshole. I don’t know if my people are the kind of folks I even want to know. And as for family, some aliens I’ve never met aren’t my family. Fuck that. It’s people like you, Alison, Father McCartney, Trey, and Mack.” He shook his head. “I don’t give a shit about the past anymore. I only care about the future.”
Shay smiled warmly. “Lately I keep thinking back to when I saved Peyton. You know why I did it?”
James shrugged. “Because you needed help?”
“Yeah, basically. That was it. He was nothing to me, just a tool that I threatened into working for me. When I met you, I was impressed by your skills, but I didn’t want to go on jobs with you. I didn’t want to have to rely on anyone I couldn’t control, and if there’s one thing it’s a bad idea to do, it’s controlling James Brownstone.” Shay sighed. “But things changed. I started giving a shit about Peyton, and not just as a risk to me. I started wanting to spend more time with you. I felt bad for Alison and wanted her to have a better future.”
James listened, a smile playing on his lips.
Shay stood and started pacing. “The UCLA thing was just supposed to be a cover—an excuse—but I liked it. Started caring there, too. When I gave my first lecture, it felt almost as good as when I had a solid kill. I realized there was something there, a way to have satisfaction with life that didn’t just involve me proving I’m the toughest bitch on the planet.” She pointed to the sky. “It’s beautiful, even washed-out as it is because of the light pollution in Los Angeles. That’s what I forgot. How to live or see any beauty in life.”
She continued staring into the sky for a moment, taking it all in. All those years, all those lives, both saved and killed. All of it had woven together in a tight tapestry to form the woman called Shay Carson who now lived in Los Angeles, and that woman finally could imagine what it would be like to grow old with someone she loved.
Is this what life is? Planning for the future, not just making plans to survive? I thought I had a life plan before, but what I really had was a survival plan.
“You’re young,” James rumbled. “You turned your life around. No big deal.”
She stopped pacing and laughed down at James. “That’s just it. I never planned to. I never wanted to turn my life around. Now I find myself wondering what my friends are up to, what the next parkour course I’m gonna run with Free-to-Move is. What the hell happened? I used to be alone, and I liked it that way.”
James shook his head. “No, you didn’t.”
“Huh? I’m pretty sure—”
He quieted her with a raised hand. “You thought you liked it that way, just like I thought I liked being alone. Nothing but the job, barbeque, and Leeroy. Alison showed me there was more to life, and then you showed me even more. I’d been locked in a closet my entire life, but I’d convinced myself it was a mansion I chose to live in. You did the same thing.”
Shay blinked and again knelt beside James. “You say something smart every now and again.”
James grunted. “I try.”
She offered him a soft smile. "You really know how to get to a girl."
“Well, one girl. If you dump me, I think I’m giving up on understanding woman.”
“Where do we go from here?”
James shrugged. “I’m James Brownstone, Scourge of Harriken. You’re Shay Carson, tomb raider. We do whatever the hell we want, and we go anywhere we want. I just want to do it together.”
Shay filled both the glasses with champagne and handed him a glass.
She raised her glass. “It’s not a bad life.”
James raised his. “Nope. Not a bad life at all.”
“I love you, you know.”
“Good, I love you, too. Does that mean you’ll stop calling me dumbass if I do something you don’t like?”
Shay grinned. “A girl’s got to have a little fun.”
Justice Served Cold
Did you know that Martha and Michael have another Oriceran series? Check out Justice Served Cold - Book One in the Rewriting Justice series.
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Author Notes - Martha Carr
Written September 6, 2018
With this story, Shay Carson wraps up her own series but will be around kicking ass with Brownstone somewhere in the Oriceran sphere. She’s a fun character because she’s equal parts dangerous and protective of those she loves – and that circle has continuously expanded, much to her surprise. New series are starting up – we don’t rest here for very long. Five minutes here, a minute or two there. The Daniel Codex will be coming your way soon (remember him?)
Meanwhile, I’ve moved into the big new dream house and in the past week it’s been a steady stream of tradesmen coming in to repair something. Yesterday my old laptop that has served me valiantly joined in and started to let me know it was going any minute. I took the hint and went out to Best Buy. I asked the young millennial what computer he would get, and he said, “I build my own.” That aside, he also gave good advice.
Today, the hose behind the washing machine sprung a leak and flooded the laundry room. The movers who put the hole there came running and helped clean it up and the builder came running to help diagnose the problem. I found out I can still move with lightning speed and finally unpacked all the towels. It was a good reminder that things may turn upside down but there are good people around who run to help.
Tomorrow is my birthday – my last year in my 50’s. I like to think of myself as a senior babe. I’m going to be whooping it up with my three ‘brothers’ – Michael, Craig and Steve – in Las Vegas because that’s how we roll. Def Leppard and Journey! Frankly, my 50’s have been the best years yet and things just keep getting better. I like to think of myself as a strong finisher.
I’m looking forward to settling into the new house and figuring out where I left the remote… I’m doing my best not to suspect the good dog, Lois. It’ll turn up one of these days.
Until then, hope everyo
ne is having a good year as well. For my birthday I wish for you peace and joy and a year that unfolds with all good things. More adventures to follow.
Author Notes - Michael Anderle
Written September 6, 2018
THANK YOU for not only reading this story, but these Author Notes as well!
Shay’s story isn’t finished, but it’s over for now. I have to admit we had a bit of trouble trying to figure out how to interweave Shay’s and Brownstone’s stories, and even now, we are working to fix (or maybe by the time you read this, we will have already fixed) parts of the first three books.
While Shay enjoyed a HUGE amount of support, there were a few comments about how much the characters (Brownstone and Shay and to some degree Alison) hide from each other. I’d like to answer a bit of the why.
When I created these three characters, they were all independent. Shay is a (sort of) recovering killer, Alison has lost her mom and her dad is actively trying to sell her, while Brownstone is a bounty hunter with a life focus of keeping everything as simple as he can.
Well, sharing isn’t simple, trusting when your friends might kill you doesn’t provide much opportunity to extend trust, and when your dad is evil, it’s hard to allow your heart to be vulnerable.
So, my opinion is that they might refrain from telling each other for personal reasons. Not wanting to hurt someone (best of intentions, poor execution), privacy concerns, not wanting to be hurt again. It takes time to heal from wounds.
Between the books about Brownstone and Shay, we have six Shays and nine Brownstones in the same timeline as about 2.1 School of Necessary Magic stories. As Alison’s stories move forward, Brownstone’s won’t catch up. Shay is being pulled into Brownstone full time for now, because the interweaving of the stories is hurting our poor little author heads.
