Spontaneous Justice: An Urban Fantasy Action Adventure (The Unbelievable Mr. Brownstone Book 15) Read online

  Spontaneous Justice

  The Unbelievable Mr. Brownstone™ Book Fifteen

  Michael Anderle

  Spontaneous Justice (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 © 2019 Michael Anderle

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

  Cover copyright © LMBPN Publishing

  A Michael Anderle Production

  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, December 2019

  The Oriceran Universe (and what happens within / characters / situations / worlds) are Copyright (c) 2017-19 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

  Chapter 26

  Author Notes - Michael Anderle

  Other series in the Oriceran Universe:

  Books by Michael Anderle

  Connect with Michael Anderle

  Spontaneous Justice Team

  Special Thanks

  to Mike Ross

  for BBQ Consulting

  Jessie Rae’s BBQ - Las Vegas, NV

  Thanks to the JIT Readers

  John Ashmore

  Misty Roa

  Diane L. Smith

  Micky Cocker

  Angel LaVey

  Keith Verret

  James Caplan

  Jeff Eaton

  Kelly O’Donnell

  Daniel Weigert

  Peter Manis

  Paul Westman

  Larry Omans

  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.

  Chapter One

  The dark-haired woman in front of James adjusted her cat-eye glasses and frowned at the computer in front of her.

  “Mr. Brownstone, is it?” She glanced at him, a dubious look on her face as she took in the large tattooed man in front of her.

  Why is she looking at me like that? James thought.

  James’ gaze dipped to the bronze nameplate on her desk: MARY WINTERS, TWP. He was in the right place, so why was the woman acting like she’d had too spicy a lunch and needed to run to the bathroom?

  He nodded. “Yeah, that’s me. James Brownstone. When I made the appointment, they told me just to put everything in the Notes section, and you’d read that over and let me know what was useful. If you need to know something else, I can tell you. I’ve never done this thing kind of thing before. Sorry if I screwed something up.” He shrugged.

  Mary smiled softly and folded her hands on her broad oak desk. It was covered with pictures of various men and women at their weddings.

  “Perhaps I’m misunderstanding the information you passed along to me, Mr. Brownstone, but from what I can tell, you haven’t even asked your girlfriend to marry you yet.”

  “Yeah, still working on the perfect fu…perfect proposal.”

  She seems like the kind of woman who might get upset if I’m a little too much me, but I need her help, so I better tone it down. At least until she gives me the info I need.

  “Technically,” he continued, “I kind of did start to propose, but she wanted something more special than what I was doing, which was just asking, but maybe she was mad because I didn’t have a ring yet? I get that not having a ring was a big screw-up, but you know, like I said, I’m inexperienced.”

  James had encountered few things in his life as complicated as understanding Shay’s wants and desires. From the beginning, her reactions had confused him.

  “I…see.” Mary pursed her lips tightly, and something approaching panic appeared in her eyes.

  What is her deal? Maybe she really does need to go to the bathroom.

  “And that’s a good thing,” James continued. “She needs something special because she’s special.” He shrugged. “And I’m still trying to figure all that out. I’ve been listening to podcasts, but they aren’t very useful. It’s the same sh…advice over and over, but they don’t give me specific examples. Not ones that apply to her and me, anyway, which is why I’m here right now.”

  The woman chuckled nervously. “I understand how frustrating that must be, Mr. Brownstone, and it sounds like you’ve had a confusing time of it.” Her mouth made an O. “Wait, are you the James Brownstone who is the bounty hunter? From the amusement park incident? I don’t pay much attention to crime. It’s too depressing, but I did hear about that on the news.”

  “Yeah, that’s me. Is that a problem?” James grunted. Not a good time for his reputation to interfere.

  Mary shook her head. “No, I was just rather impressed with your work and fascinated to learn about the size of your bounties. I didn’t realize before hearing about it on the news how much money some bounty hunters make.” Her smile grew wider and hungrier.

  Yeah, that’s what greed looks like, all right. Is that what her attitude was about? She thought I was a drifter bum who couldn’t afford her services? Whatever. I can pay.

  James reached into his pocket to pull out the shield ring and set it on the table. “I scored a ring already. I learned from that mistake.”

  Mary leaned forward to examine the ring. She tilted her head. “Is this jade?”

  James nodded. “Yeah. It’s over a thousand years old.”

  “That’s non-traditional for weddings in this part of the world.” Mary sighed. “An antique is an impressive choice, but you might consider something more traditional.”

  “Oh, that’s just the engagement ring. I forgot to mention that it’s magic. She needed a new shield ring, and this one won’t crap out on her like the others.” James shrugged. “That’s something you don’t want to have to deal with in the middle of a fight. I mean, if you know you’re not gonna have decent armor or shields, you can adjust your tactics, but if you think you have and it turns bad, that’s gonna get you hurt. Maybe killed.”

  Mary blinked. “Oh, I see. That’s certainly a…concern, depending on one’s lifestyle. Um, and is your prospective fiancée a woman who will find a non-traditional ring
acceptable? I mean, men often think that non-traditional rings and plans will excite women, but they underestimate how important connecting with decades and centuries of tradition can be. Many women want a wedding like their mother’s and grandmother’s, just more extravagant.”

  James shrugged. The ring was the one thing he didn’t doubt.

  “Yeah, totally fine. She’s kind of non-traditional about everything, which is why I’m having a problem. You know, all the podcasts I’ve listened to have these cutesy ideas, and none of them make any sense for her. She’s not the kind of woman who likes frilly cutesy crap, and she hates her mom. They don’t even talk anymore.”

  Mary turned to tap notes into her computer. “Unfortunate, but I will say that the fewer in-laws involved, the greater control the bride tends to have over her own wedding. That can definitely be a major advantage.”

  James frowned. “Traditional, huh? She does like expensive restaurants that don’t have barbeque. That’s pretty traditional.”

  Mary nodded. “I suppose you could say that.” She cleared her throat. “I wouldn’t recommend barbeque for your wedding meal. I was just concerned about your ring. You said that was the engagement ring. What about the wedding ring? Is it more traditional?”

  James shook his head. “I still haven’t gotten the wedding ring. The jade ring’s just the engagement ring, but it has a matching pendant. You think that would work? Or do I have to have another ring?” He frowned. “I’m figuring I do according to what the podcasts told me. And Alison, Maria, Kathy, and Charlyce told me that too. Nana Garfield threatened to slap me upside my head when I said I was thinking about not getting a wedding ring.”

  Mary stared at James, disbelief on her face. “I agree with all those women. Mr. Brownstone. I assure you that even if the lucky woman is extremely non-traditional, you still should err on the side of caution in making sure you have both a wedding ring and an engagement ring.” She offered James a tight smile. “But again, I’m confused. This is her engagement ring, which means you haven’t even proposed, and what you’ve said seems to indicate that as well. Is that a correct summation of your current situation vis-à-vis your prospective bride?”

  James grunted. “Kind of? Like I said, I tried to propose to her once, but it wasn’t planned, and she stopped me. She didn’t say no, she just said she wanted it to be…more special. So now I’m trying to figure out how to propose and make it special. I’ve tried talking to all the women I know, and everyone keeps feeding me lines about ‘showing that I care and know what Shay would want.’”

  “And this Shay is your intended fiancée, I take it?”

  “Yeah, but it’s been months now. I’ve listened to so many podcasts and watched a bunch of videos on the internet with different proposals.” James groaned. “I even watched every episode of The World’s Best Proposals, and I still don’t have any idea what might work. This whole thing is getting fucking epically complicated.”

  Mary gasped, and her face reddened.

  “Uh, sorry.” James grunted and shrugged. “When I tried to propose to her, she told me the proposal needed to be fucking epic. That was what I meant by special before, but I’m not good at this kind of thing. It’s been hard for me to figure out, even with help, so that’s why I’ve come to you. You’re an expert, so I figured you could help me.”

  “I see. This Shay certainly seems like a…very colorful woman. I can see how you two will get on well together.”

  James chuckled. “You could say that. She’s the perfect woman for me.”

  Mary stared at James for a few seconds. “That much I can tell without having even met her.” She sighed and shook her head. “Now, at this agency, we pride ourselves on creating the best and most involved—epic, if you will—wedding experiences for all our clients. You’ll find our satisfaction ratings and reviews are some of the best in LA for wedding planners, and while I’m sure we could satisfy your lovely Shay’s wedding requirements, no matter how non-traditional or epic, there’s a fundamental problem that needs to be addressed first.”

  “What? Don’t worry about the wedding ring thing. I’m gonna make that easy on myself. Once I propose, I’ll make her pick one out.” James shrugged. “I did the thoughtful thing with the engagement ring, and Shay might be pushing me on this proposal, but she’s not gonna torture me when it comes to the wedding.” He winced. “I hope. I think she’ll get how much I’ve tried. Taking down the Drow queen was easier than figuring out this proposal has been so far.”

  Mary waved her hands in front of her, an exasperated expression taking over her face. “No, no. I mean yes, that’s, well, that is an issue, but it’s not the issue I’m talking about.” She pinched the bridge of her nose and took a few deep breaths. “Mr. Brownstone, I’m a wedding planner, not a proposal planner. Given the nature of the proposal experience, my particular skill set isn’t suited to helping a couple in that kind of situation, and you’ll find that’s the case with most people in my profession. Typically, by the time you’re coming to someone like me, you’ve already proposed, and both members of the couple are talking with me. I simply am not the person you need to help you with your particular problem.”

  James frowned. “You can’t help me with the proposal?”

  “Not in the way you probably want, and not much more than your various other female friends probably have.” Mary managed a tight smile. “I will note that the advice you have received is good. You need to tailor your proposal to Shay’s personality and desires. Don’t worry. After she says yes, all your stress will go away. I will make all your stress go away.” Another too-hungry smile appeared on her face. “At that point, I’ll take care of everything else. I’ll help guide the entire wedding-planning process so it’s an enjoyable experience and not a cause for concern. You won’t have to watch shows or listen to podcasts. This agency is a one-stop shop for wedding planning.”

  James grabbed the ring from the desk and slipped it back into his pocket. “Damn. Wasted your time and mine.” He stood and headed toward the door. “Sorry about that.”

  “Mr. Brownstone,” Mary called.

  James looked over his shoulder. “Yeah?”

  Her too-sweet smile almost made him shudder.

  “I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” Mary replied, “and once you do, I would encourage you to make another appointment for my services. As you’re already experiencing, these things can be taxing. It’s best to leave it to an expert. As good as you are at bounty hunting, that’s how good I am at wedding planning. Please note that our agency has agreements with several Oriceran contractors. We can literally make your wedding magical.”

  James opened the door and stepped through. “I’ll keep that in mind.” He shut it behind him. “Just need to find a fucking proposal expert first.”

  Fifteen minutes on the road in his rumbling F-350 helped shake some of the tension out of James’ shoulders. Even if he’d failed to get useful professional advice about his proposal, it wasn’t as if Shay was riding him about it, or at least not yet.

  But how long is she gonna wait? Six months? A year? Two years? How long will it take before I get this shit figured out? Fuck, it would have been easier if she just told me what she wanted me to do. I don’t know anything about romance. She knows that.

  James let out a low growl. Kicking down a door and punching a man through a window was simple and straightforward, and sometimes even fun, depending on the day. Figuring out what a woman wanted was torturous and complicated almost all the time.

  “Okay,” he mumbled to himself. “I’ve talked to almost every woman I know well, and everyone’s given me the same advice, but I still need a specialist who knows about this stuff and won’t get tripped up over Shay wanting non-traditional shit, whatever the fuck that means.”

  James switched lanes after a quick mirror check, frowning for a second at a driver who looked suspiciously like King Pyro.

  Have I pounded so many people into the pavement that I can’t help but see the bast
ards everywhere I go now?

  After taking a turn a little hard and leaving the Pyro doppelganger behind, James smiled at a sudden flash of inspiration. If conventional, traditional help was failing him, maybe it was time to bring in non-conventional and non-traditional help—someone who was all about romantic ideas and inspiring men.

  James turned into a liquor store parking lot and looked through the window to make sure no assholes were robbing the place before pulling out his phone. He searched through the contacts until he found the number for Anna Forsythe and dialed.

  “We’re sorry,” came a soft female voice. “The number you have dialed is out of service. Please hang up, check the number, and dial again.”

  James grunted and hit the End button, then called Tyler immediately. This was a good idea, and he wasn’t going to let a bad phone number kill it.

  “What’s up, Brownstone?” Tyler answered. “I’m kind of in the middle of something, so if this doesn’t involve making money, can it wait?”

  Fucker never changes, does he?

  “It involves me not being pissed off,” James rumbled, “and that means less chance of you needing to fix something. Doors cost money to replace.”

  Tyler snorted. “Fine. What is it?”

  “Anna Forsythe. I need to get a hold of her, but her number doesn’t work anymore.” James looked up as a news helicopter flew overhead. Always something happening in LA.