Shadow Of The Ring: An Urban Fantasy Action Adventure (The Unbelievable Mr. Brownstone Book 16)

by Michael Anderle

  He put up the footrest on his recliner. He liked having his dog sitting at his feet. Mack was always great when it came to dog watching, but flying to a foreign country to deal with a weird magical anarchy zone had been annoying.

  At least the Professor has the stupid instrument and can stick it in whatever big hole he takes all the dangerous artifacts. I wonder if he blows up shit like the cobza or sends it to the World in Between, or just tosses it in some landfill in Iowa.

  James grunted and decided that the less he knew, the better.

  Shay’s right, though. If I can travel to places like Romania, I can go to other places. It might not hurt to hit high-level bounties around the world more often. Not like I’ve never done that. Bounty-hunting road trip or some shit like that.

  Shay emerged from the bedroom in a robe, her hair up in a towel, droplets of water still on her face from her shower. “I meant to tell you before I got in the shower that I was catching up on important shit on my phone and found out there’s a bridal show at the Convention Center. I was thinking about us going to that. All sorts of vendors and ideas. Not just regular stuff, magical shit, too.”

  James shook his head. “No fucking way. The flower shop was bad enough. How many fucking shades of pink did that guy claim there were? They all looked exactly the same. Besides, if you’re gonna do boring shit like that, just hire a wedding planner.”

  Shay sighed. “I’m trying to generate a bunch of ideas before I worry about committing to anything or anyone, but if you don’t want to go, that’s fine. I won’t force you.”

  “Jessie Rae’s and Father McCartney,” James reiterated. “That’s non-negotiable. You can have thirty-four fucking shades of pink if you want.”

  “Duly noted and remembered.” Shay put her hands on her hips. “Do you believe I’m going to have thirty-four shades of pink at my wedding?”

  “Probably not.”

  “Exactly. For now, though, I’m going to go get dressed so I can go to the bridal show…by myself.” Shay winked and headed back into the bedroom.

  Huh. Speaking of important shit, maybe I should see what’s up too. The only interesting bounty anyone’s mentioned was Trey telling me about that mobster.

  James pulled his phone out of his pocket and brought up the bounty hunting app. He sorted for level four and above bounties, with a filter for Los Angeles County. Nothing came up.

  Huh. The agency can handle everything else. Guess the big boys are quiet right now.

  He was just about to turn his phone off when the app beeped with a new bounty alert that fit his parameters. He tapped on it, a slight smile on his face. It’d been a while since a level five had hit LA.

  “Let’s see what we’ve got.”

  A NEW LEVEL FIVE BOUNTY HAS BEEN ISSUED BY THE LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT. IT IS FUNDED BY THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES, COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES, AND CITY OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

  Officially released information on LYLE LASSOM as follows:

  James scrolled down to a security camera picture of an unassuming brown-haired man. The man’s appearance did not scream badass in even the remotest sense of the word.

  Huh. He must have super-powerful magic or some shit. Hope he’s not a necromancer. Motherfucking zombies.

  LYLE LASSOM, 25-year-old Caucasian male, is responsible for two homicides in the city of Providence, Rhode Island, and multiple homicides in the city of Los Angeles in connection with the Sherman Oaks explosion and other unrelated incidents. Suspect is also responsible for other crimes, including but not limited to inciting to riot, grand theft, grand theft auto, kidnapping, illegal smuggling of artifacts, violation of FAA Hazardous Materials regulations, resisting arrest, and assaulting a law enforcement officer.

  LYLE LASSOM’s whereabouts are unknown at this time, but he is currently believed to be operating in Los Angeles County.

  Abilities channeled via magical artifact described as BONE CHARM NECKLACE include extreme mental manipulation and/or control manifesting as oral orders to humanoid subjects which they blindly follow. Note that such orders can lead to direct harm of self and others, including possible forced suicide.

  This is classified as a LEVEL FIVE bounty at this time. Appropriate licensing is required for recovery of the bounty.

  Please be advised this is a FULL LIVE recovery bounty. Termination of the bounty will result in forfeiting 100% of the pre-tax value of the bounty.

  All licensed bounty hunters attempting to capture the bounty should exercise extreme caution and assume the bounty may possess additional weapons or abilities not specified in this notice. These additional abilities may result in a more difficult bounty hunting experience than suggested by the current bounty level.

  The City of Los Angeles and the City of Los Angeles Police Department are not responsible for any death, injury, or loss of property that occurs as a result of pursuing LYLE LASSOM. Incidental damage or injury of third-parties will be the legal responsibility of the bounty hunter, not the city of Los Angeles or the City of Los Angeles Police Department.

  Please note that all bounties are subject to the State of California Bounty Hunting Tax and Federal income taxes. Appropriate reporting forms will be sent to the IRS and California Department of Taxation and Fee Administration following award of the bounty.

  Click here for additional information, including further legal disclaimers.

  James grunted. High-level bounties without nicknames were always the most dangerous. Those kinds of men didn’t have anything to prove. The non-badass picture was more proof. This Lassom might be one of the more dangerous men to ever come to Los Angeles.

  He headed to the bedroom. Shay sat on the bed doing her makeup with the aid of a compact.

  “A level-five bounty just popped up,” James told her. “I’m gonna check into it.”

  Shay looked up. “Right now? You just got back last night from helping me on the tomb raid.”

  “Yeah.” James frowned. “I don’t like the look of this guy. They say he can get into people’s heads.”

  “Did you need my help? If it’s a level five, it might require the engagement jewelry and tachi combo to help you out.”

  James shook his head. “Not right away. I’ve got to check on some shit first. I have no idea where the asshole even is.”

  Shay nodded. “All right, but call me if you need my help.”

  Shit, both Peyton and Heather are on vacation. How am I gonna track this guy down easily? Guess it’s time to pay the man a visit.

  Several heads turned as James threw open the door to the Black Sun and entered. He took a few steps inside, lingering by a table just to see the gang member there twitch a little.

  Good. I’ll respect this place’s neutrality, but I want all you assholes to remember I’m around.

  James headed to Tyler at the bar and gestured at the hall leading to Tyler’s office. “We need to talk. Now.”

  The information broker’s face tightened, and he leaned over to whisper something to the other bartender. The young woman, a new hire, nodded quickly.

  James didn’t wait before heading into the hallway. He leaned against the wall by the door to Tyler’s office.

  The information broker turned the corner with a deep frown. He threw open the door to his office and stomped in, his face red and pinched with anger.

  “You can’t just come into my place and snap your fingers, Brownstone,” Tyler bitched as he dropped into his desk chair. “It makes me look bad. It makes me look like a pussy. Yeah, yeah, you could kick me to the moon, but you don’t need to disrespect me in my own place.”

  “Sorry.” James entered the office and closed the door. “This is high-priority and I’m down some resources, so I need your help to take care of a bounty.”

  “What could be such a high priority…” Tyler made a face. “It’s Lyle Lassom, isn’t it? I knew the minute I saw that bounty notice that you’d be rushing right after the little hypnofreak.”

  James crossed his arms. “Don’t tell
me you don’t know where he is. Everybody’s been talking about how you’ve picked up a lot of the slack from the Eyes. Fuck, some people even say I killed the Eyes for you just so you could do that.”

  Tyler sighed. “Here’s the problem. You know how it is. If it’s a low-level bounty, that’s one thing, but me giving up information on a level-five bounty is asking for them to come after me, and this guy’s even scarier than you.”

  “Scarier than me?” James growled.

  “Yes! Did you read the information in the bounty notice? He was nothing just a couple of weeks ago, and he’s already a level five. He can make someone kill themselves by just telling them to do it. This guy finds out I helped you and comes here, I’m dead, and he’ll probably make me do the killing. Or he’ll make me hurt my employees or Maria.” Tyler grimaced. “The PDA’s all over this too, but they can’t track him directly because of something related to the necklace he uses for his power.”

  “I didn’t ask if someone else could track him. I asked if you knew where he was.” James frowned. “And if this fucker’s so dangerous, that’s all the more reason to give him up. Every minute he’s free, he can mindfuck someone new. I’m gonna find him eventually one way or another. This way, you help me ensure he’s not fucking more people over in the meantime.”

  Tyler stared at James like he was an idiot. “You haven’t thought this through, have you?”

  “Yeah, I have. Step one, find the guy. Step two, kick the guy through a window. Step three, collect the bounty.”

  Tyler groaned. “Here’s the problem, Brownstone. You’re the toughest badass in America. No one’s going to question that, and I’ve made a lot of money with my ‘always bet on Brownstone’ policy, but this is one enemy who isn’t tough. You can’t beat him by being the tougher guy.” He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “Don’t you get it? He’s not a badass. He controls people’s minds. If I send you to this guy and he takes over your mind, what happens, huh? You think of that? What if he sends you downtown and tells you to kill everyone you possibly can?”

  James grunted. “Everything you’re telling me only makes me want to take him down more, and I’m not so easy to mind control. I’ve fought these things called despair bugs that get in your head, and I beat them.”

  Tyler scoffed. “So, I’m supposed to risk Los Angeles—and my damned life, by the way—because you’re cocky enough to think you can win against this guy? There’s being strong-willed, and then there’s magic. Did you read about the wizards in Providence? Two powerful wizards and he had them kill each other with their powers. That means the magic’s not limited to simple actions or whatever. He’ll get in your head, Brownstone.”

  “I’ve also got anti-magic deflectors.” James frowned. “And how is it risking your life?”

  “The first thing the guy will probably ask you is, ‘Who told you where I am?’” Tyler threw up his hands in frustration. “Not only do I not want Lassom showing up and telling me to literally fuck myself before I kill myself, the word on the street is that the guy’s already snagged some major magical talent as bodyguards. And that’s not even the worst part.”

  “What’s the worst part?” James asked.

  Tyler narrowed his eyes. “You haven’t checked in with the cops yet on this, have you?”

  “No, I came straight here. I need to find the guy before I can think about how I’m gonna take him down.”

  “Lassom’s been moving around a lot, but he’s worried about the cops and the feds, so from what I’ve heard, he’s grabbed tons of random-ass people off the street and used his mind control on them to turn them into security. They’re human shields to slow down the cops.” Tyler rubbed his temples. “You see what I’m getting at, Brownstone? You can’t solve this the way you solve everything else. You can’t just storm in there and punch most of them through the wall and gun down the others. You can’t win against this guy because you can’t even get near him. To win against someone like this, you’d need a backup brain.”

  “Or I could use an anti-magic deflector and finish him quickly.”

  “And if you lose the deflector? What then?”

  “I’ve got other tricks.” James lowered his arms to his sides. “If we wait too long on this it’s only going to get worse. He already blew up half a block. What if he decides it’s funny to mind-control a SWAT team? No, fuck this guy. Give him up, and I’ll handle him.”

  Tyler sneered. “Do you think everyone’s still going to like you after they find out you killed a bunch of innocent people who were mind-controlled? Do you think the cops will? Because that’s what you’re talking about here, Brownstone. You’re talking about taking on a man who mostly is using innocent people to protect himself. If you’re not damn careful, you’ll end up killing someone innocent.”

  James grunted. As much as he hated to admit it, Tyler had a point. The Brownstone strategy typically relied on overwhelming physical force to either directly defeat an enemy or awe them into submission. He’d beaten the balaur by charging in and cutting it open, and the Zmeu through brutal direct attacks. Those kinds of tactics in the current situation would leave him with a higher innocent body count than the bounty already had.

  “All I have to do is not kill everyone.” James scratched his chin. “I can do that.”

  “Can you not kill everyone when a bunch of people are trying to kill you?” Tyler shook his head. “Including magicals? Sit this one out, Brownstone. Let the government handle it.”

  James chuckled. “No, I won’t wait. I’ve got a plan, and it’ll help make sure that no innocent people get seriously hurt, but the plan requires you to tell me where Lassom is.”

  “Maybe I don’t know. It’s not like he called me up and introduced himself.”

  The men locked eyes. Tyler gritted his teeth, his hands pressed so hard to his desk his knuckles turned white.

  “Fine.” Tyler yanked out his phone and tapped in a text to James. “I’ve just sent you the address. The guy’s latest digs are in some office he stole from a bunch of lawyers. Normally, I’d say it was poetic justice, but this Lassom guy freaks me out almost as much as the Eyes. At least the Eyes had the excuse of being a batshit-crazy gnome. This guy is just some punk who got his hands on power.”

  James’ phone buzzed a few seconds later and he gave Tyler a tight smile. “Well, I killed the Eyes, so there’s no reason I can’t take down Lassom, too. Thanks, Tyler.” He stood and texted Shay.

  Gonna need you. I’ll call you in 15 minutes to explain the details. Have to make a few other calls first to set some shit up.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  James stepped out the back door of the Brownstone building to take a look at the gathered field employees. His black-suited bounty hunters were all geared up in bulletproof vests and the primary equipment they’d need for the job: stun rifles, stun rods, and sonic grenades. Everyone also had a handgun with anti-magic bullets that they were to use only if there was no other choice. It wasn’t every Brownstone Agency bounty hunter, since a small team, including Trey and Victoria, were still in Vegas, but it was every other man or woman who wasn’t sick.

  Damn. I do have an army.

  There were anti-magic deflectors available for only half the bounty hunters, so they had been broken into teams of one bounty hunter with a deflector and another without. The deflector team members were to monitor each other in case someone showed signs of mind control, and the personnel without a deflector wouldn’t be sweeping deep into the target building.

  If James’ plan worked, the only people going very far into the building would be him and Shay.

  We’ve got the people and the coordination. Lassom has that charm, but he was just a piece-of-shit nobody before, which means he doesn’t know how to use his magic to its maximum potential. We can win this and make sure that asshole rots in a cell where he has no control.

  Shay leaned against the wall near the door, her arms crossed and a nonchalant look on her face. She had her defensive artifa
cts ready, and a stun rifle slung over her shoulder, but no sword. Her gnome-crafted knives and gun were in their sheaths and holster on her tactical vest, but James hoped they would only have to come out at the end.

  Maria stepped in front of the gathered crowd. “Listen up. James has the location of this Lyle Lassom, and initial drone recon suggests a heavy armed presence inside the building. We can’t assume that anyone we encounter is doing so freely so this will be a non-lethal sweep, just like we’ve done before. Consider all those criminals you didn’t care about practice for these civilians.”

  James grunted and stood beside Maria. “From what my informant has told me, there will be high-level threats present. Don’t bother with them if you encounter them. You leave them to me. Concentrate on taking everyone else down without killing them. We’re going in force to end this shit quickly and ensure Lassom doesn’t get away.”

  “AET has been contacted,” Maria explained. “They will be coordinating their efforts with ours.”

  “The cops are letting a bunch of bounty hunters take point?” Lachlan asked, shaking his head. “That’s new shit.”

  “Not really.” Maria shrugged. “When Brownstone took down the Harriken, it was a similar situation. Sometimes a bounty hunter might have better resources. Besides, in this case, the AET doesn’t have enough personnel to successfully secure the location on their own, especially when the main group of enemy gunmen might really be innocent civilians.”

  Ethan frowned from the crowd. “Not a lot of AET, but what about SWAT or just regular cops?”

  Maria shook her head. “It’s too dangerous to send in regular SWAT or officers since they’ll be vulnerable to Lassom’s magic. The AET are the only cops in the department with access to anti-magic deflectors. They send in a SWAT team, that SWAT team will open fire on other cops a few moments later. I’m being blunt. There’s no fucking way the Chief of Police will allow any situation that looks like it might end in blue-on-blue fatalities, and he’s got our agency to help ensure that doesn’t happen.” She cut through the air with her hand. “Don’t let the civilians being involved part freak you out. This is simple shit, people. We’ve breached and cleared with complete non-lethal clearance before even without James, and this time, we have him with us.”