Bring The Pain_An Urban Fantasy Action Adventure Read online

  Bring The Pain

  The Unbelievable Mr. Brownstone Book Four

  Michael Anderle

  BRING THE PAIN (this book) is a work of fiction.

  All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Sometimes both.

  Copyright © 2018 Michael Anderle

  Cover by Andrew Dobell, www.creativeedgestudios.co.uk

  Cover copyright © LMBPN Publishing

  LMBPN Publishing supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.

  The distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

  LMBPN Publishing

  PMB 196, 2540 South Maryland Pkwy

  Las Vegas, NV 89109

  First US edition, May 2018

  The Oriceran Universe (and what happens within / characters / situations / worlds) are Copyright (c) 2017-18 by Martha Carr and LMBPN Publishing.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Author Notes - Michael Anderle

  Other Revelation of Oriceran Universe Books

  Other Books by Michael Anderle

  Connect with Michael Anderle

  Bring The Pain Team

  Special Thanks

  to Mike Ross

  for BBQ Consulting

  Jessie Rae’s BBQ - Las Vegas, NV

  Thanks to our Beta Reader

  Natalie Roberts

  Thanks to the JIT Readers

  John Ashmore

  Kelly O'Donnell

  Dr. James Caplan

  Peter Manis

  Daniel Weigert

  Paul Westman

  Larry Omans

  Micky Cocker

  If I’ve missed anyone, please let me know!

  Editor

  Lynne Stiegler

  To Family, Friends and

  Those Who Love

  to Read.

  May We All Enjoy Grace

  to Live the Life We Are

  Called.

  1

  James grunted as he surveyed the two rental choices on the display in front of him, Toyota and Hyundai sedans.

  The rental employee stood to the side, a smile stuck on her face. “Have you decided, sir? Both are excellent choices. Great mileage. Very comfortable.”

  “But no four-wheel drive?”

  The woman looked confused for a moment. “You said you were interested in a family vehicle, sir, for a weekend trip to New York City, I believe?”

  James did want a family vehicle. He wanted Alison to be comfortable on their weekend together, and it’d be easier for her with a vehicle lower to the ground, but the combat capabilities of his wheels never strayed far from his thoughts.

  “I was thinking about maybe camping,” the bounty hunter lied. “Smaller SUVs?”

  I could take out the spare tire and stick some extra weapons in there. Alison wouldn’t have to know about them, and it’d still be easy for her to get in and out.

  James could see the annoyance dance in the woman’s eyes, but she kept the plastic smile on her face. “We don’t rent trucks here, sir, and all our SUVs have already been rented. I can offer you different choices if you want, but still in the same general class.”

  “Okay, I get it, I guess,” he rumbled. “So that’s a no on the four-wheel drive?”

  “I’m sorry, sir. Neither vehicle has four-wheel drive. If I might say so, you really won’t need that in New York City. I know they call it the concrete jungle sometimes, but it’s not that bad.” She chittered at her joke.

  Things have been quiet. No reason to suspect anyone’s coming after me or Alison, so probably shouldn’t need to go off-road. But it wouldn’t hurt if I need to lose some assholes.

  James rubbed his chin as he thought that over. He resisted the urge to ask about how well either car could handle bullets or fireballs, even if the question rang in his mind. As long as he had good handling and speed he could avoid an RPG annihilating the car, but a rocket launcher might still prove too much. Then again, a rocket launcher would be too much for his F-350.

  Someone needs to start a rental car business for people like me. Sometimes a family man needs to be able to kick ass and take a direct hit from a fucking rocket.

  “Insurance,” James blurted.

  The rental employee blinked. “Excuse me, sir?”

  “I want to take out the maximum in supplemental insurance.” James rubbed the back of his neck and tried to force a smile, but it came out a little more feral than he intended.

  The woman gazed at him warily. “I...see. Do you have a problem with driving? Your license didn’t have any points on it.” Her tone dripped suspicion.

  James wasn’t about to admit that his clean driving record was because of his friendly connections with several police officers who were willing to overlook his traffic issues related to dealing with bounties and hitmen. Even though they’d fined him piles of money for his last adventure in LA, they hadn’t put any points on his license.

  The bounty hunter tried to think of a quick lie. “It’s New York. They are terrible drivers there. Not that they are any better in LA.” He shrugged. “You know assh...people in big cities.”

  The woman’s face softened and she nodded in understanding. “I suppose that’s true enough. It’s why I prefer Charlottesville. We’re not a tiny town, but nor have we forgotten proper manners.”

  “Yeah, Alison’s said that about the area—how nice everyone is compared to LA even if she doesn’t get out much,” James mumbled.

  “Alison?”

  “I’m picking her up from a local...prep school.”

  “Oh, I see. For your family weekend, I’m sure your daughter definitely would prefer a sedan.”

  James opened his mouth to correct the woman on Alison being his daughter but nodded instead. He might not have formally adopted her, but he also couldn’t claim he hadn’t started thinking of her that way. It was a strange feeling, both unsettling and comforting at the same time.

  “Yeah, she’s not big on the truck I drive back home.” He frowned.

  The bounty hunter’s last adventure in renting a vehicle had ended with him having to pay for a completely new Humvee. Insurance had helped, but not enough to replace the entire vehicle. His quick payment had prevented any sort of lawsuit, though, or from what he could tell, any sort of black mark in the vehicle rental industry.

  Need to stop thinking that just because I’m driving around, some asshole’s gonna take a swing at me. No one’s fucked with me on these weekends with Alison yet, anyway.

  James’ frown turned into a smile. Anyone who attacked him would probably be in a truck or SUV. He could always kill them
and take their vehicle if necessary.

  James nodded, satisfied with the plan. “I’ll take the Toyota.”

  The Toyota would work. He’d shot up a lot of Toyotas in recent years. They didn’t take a bullet like a Ford, but they were stubborn and persistent even with a few rounds in the engine block.

  The rental employee shot him a bright smile. “An excellent choice, sir.”

  “It’s got a spare tire, right?”

  The woman looked insulted. “Of course, sir.”

  Not much room, but I can still hide a few .45s and 9mms with extra mags.

  “Just don’t want to get stranded, you know?”

  “This vehicle has an excellent reliability record.”

  “Good to know.”

  They need to start including machine gun bursts when they test these cars.

  James chuckled to himself, and the woman eyed him.

  “Sorry, just thinking of a joke about New York.”

  James wanted his stay on the grounds of the School of Necessary Magic to be brief, so he didn’t even get out of the car. He waited in the Toyota in the circle drive surrounding the phoenix fountain, glancing at the students walking around or waiting for their parents.

  Every time he drove onto the school grounds his muscles tightened, and it was hard for the hair not to stand up on the back of his head. There was just too much magic in one spot for his taste here. When he was around Alison it was easy to concentrate on her and not let it get to him, but without her as an anchor he was forced to confront the reality of being in a place where normal people were in the minority.

  Not that I’m fucking normal. Far from it.

  James didn’t hate magic. He used it on the job when needed, and he’d sent Alison to the school because he thought it would be the best way for her to learn about her abilities.

  None of that changed the fact that a school filled with people who could do incredible things made him nervous. His abilities were impressive but straightforward. He wasn’t shooting fireballs through holes in the air, changing his shape, or bringing dolls to life.

  In the end, the bounty hunter distrusted magic because it was a complicated tool rather than a simple solution like a nice punch or a bullet to the head.

  He scanned the area, looking for any sign of the creature that had most unsettled him on his last few trips: the top-hat-wearing ferret. The fashionable rodent appeared absent, or at least he wasn’t anywhere James could see him.

  Probably getting a new fancy hat and spats. Pompous little prick.

  James spotted Alison walking toward the circle drive and hurried out of the car to go help her with her bags.

  The teen ambushed him with a hug and he hugged her back before pulling away.

  “You sure you’re okay with the drive up to New York?” James asked. “Long time in a car. We could always take a plane. It’s not a big deal.”

  Alison tilted her head and smiled slightly. “But you don’t want to take a plane.”

  James grunted. Acting as a parent for a girl who could see souls and could often tell if someone was lying could be difficult.

  Talk about needing to have an open and clear relationship with your kid.

  “I’m not crazy about flying, but I’ll do it for you,” he assured her.

  The girl shook her head. “More time on the road just means more time to talk.” She looked around for a moment with a confused look. “Aunt Shay isn’t here?”

  “She had some sh...stuff to take care of in LA for a job, but she’s been to New York. She told me a ton of the best pizza places to try.”

  “Oh.” Alison sighed. “Work is work.” She eyed him. “You’re not going to...work while you’re there, right? This trip is just for us to hang out and not for you to find people to have discussions with?”

  “Didn’t have any plans to do anything but spend time with you.”

  “And you’re not expecting any trouble?”

  James chuckled. “I’m always expecting trouble, kid, but no one’s told me anyone’s after me. I think after my little meeting and discussion with the Harriken in LA that people have gotten the fu— They get that they should leave me alone. Sometimes it just takes a while to sink in.”

  Alison smiled. “Then it’ll be a great weekend with just the two of us. I’m so excited.” She bounced a little, looking very innocent and young for a girl who had suffered so much.

  The smile warmed James’ heart. Alison had been through a lot with the loss of her mother and her father’s betrayal. She deserved to be happy.

  The bounty hunter had never intended to acquire a family. If anything, he figured someone as fucked-up as him should stay far away from other people, but now it was hard to remember what it had been like before Alison. Colder. Emptier. Lonelier.

  Even though she spent most of her time thousands of miles away from LA at the School of Necessary Magic, the fact that she was in his life gave him a reason to get up in the morning.

  “Let’s get to New York,” James rumbled.

  Alison had always wanted to see Wicked. The show had gone through a major revival because of its pro-witch and magical leanings. In addition, literary scholars had located notes indicating that the original Oz books had been influenced by encounters Baum had had with Oriceran visitors arriving via a strange tornado-gate spell. His plan had to have been to try and slowly spread awareness of the truth of magic in a way people might find acceptable, starting with children.

  The teen didn’t care much about the history. She just loved the idea of being surrounded by the music and the energy of the crowd.

  When the actress playing Elphaba belted out the first lines of “Defying Gravity,” the crowd roared in approval.

  Alison sat back, enraptured. The singing was stunning and powerful, but not the true source of her enjoyment.

  The instrumental accompaniment interlaced and supported the singing, as it would in any Broadway show, but the true glory was the bright colors of the souls of everyone in the room. It was as if the performance was tying them together into one giant entity awash in positive energy.

  The swell of colors mirrored the pride and defiance of Elphaba as she sang about defying both gravity and the conventions of her society binding her. The bright colors in the crowd signaled their euphoria; the performance was overwhelming them.

  The souls of the performers onstage shone even more brightly. A skilled actress might be able to fake a sighted person out with her performance. Alison couldn’t see her face, but she could see the woman’s lack of stress, fear, or nerves. The woman was enjoying herself, which made the girl love the song more.

  Alison glanced at James. He was quiet, and his soul didn’t shine with the euphoric happiness of almost everyone else. It kept its natural and constant beauty. He was also satisfied, more satisfied than she’d seen in a while.

  Every note and every lyric rippled through the souls of the gathered crowd, the intensity and shades of their energy shifting in intensity with the song’s emotions.

  Alison had never witnessed over a thousand people united in feeling, even at her school during events. She’d never seen so many souls filled with joy.

  The song finished and the crowd shot to their feet in a standing ovation as the curtain fell for the intermission. Their claps and cheers echoed in the theater. The excitement and happiness flowed together and for that brief, shining moment everyone became one.

  In her short life the girl had dealt with both beauty and darkness in small groups, always believing the world was good at its core even after the horrible death of her mother. The show provided proof—the kind of evidence only she could see—of how beautiful the world could be when people let their souls shift away from darkness, if only for a short while.

  Tears leaked from Alison’s eyes. As she blinked the tears away she felt someone grab her hand.

  The teen realized it was James. Streaks of the color of worry shot through his soul.

  “You okay, kid?” James asked. “Is
it too loud or something? Did someone say something?” A hint of menace entered his voice. “I’ll make them regret it.”

  Alison shook her head. “I’m not sad. I’m happy. Just, everything’s so beautiful. I love it.”

  “Huh. It’s pretty nice, I guess. Maybe I’m just not enough of a musical guy to get all the details.”

  Alison laughed, not bothering to explain. “Thanks, James. I’m so happy you brought me here. I kind of feel like this show is about you.”

  “Me? How do you figure? I wasn’t a nerdy green Witch last time I checked.”

  “No, but you’re misunderstood, just like Elphaba. They called her the Wicked Witch of the West, but she was really just trying to protect and help the people she cared about and fight bad guys. Just like you.”

  James grunted. “I’m doing okay. The people who don’t understand me don’t mess with me. Maybe Elphaba should have lowered the boom from the beginning. Last few wizards who tried to harass me didn’t like what happened to them.” He frowned. “So, wait, if I’m the Wicked Witch of the West, does that make Shay the Wicked Witch of the East?”

  Alison giggled. “Maybe.”

  “Better tell her to be careful about houses landing on her piloted by little punk girls from Kansas.”

  Alison laughed. “There’s also a girl like Glinda at my school.”