When Angels Cry_An Urban Fantasy Action Adventure Read online

  “Wait, we just told you about that place not all that long ago.”

  “Yeah, so?”

  Detective West shook his head, smirking. “Even if he’s the best researcher in the world, I doubt some guy you know is going to turn up a bunch of information that we don’t know in less than an hour. Show us what you’ve got, Brownstone.”

  James shrugged and dialed Peyton. The man picked up the first ring.

  “I’m gonna put you on speaker,” the bounty hunter explained. “So keep it to the important shit.”

  “Okay,” Peyton replied.

  James assumed the researcher was careful enough to understand that a slip-up like mentioning his name might endanger him or even Shay. The bounty hunter activated speaker mode.

  “Tell me what you’ve got.”

  “I’m emailing you the layout for the place, including the hidden blueprints for several of their secret lab levels.” This time Peyton’s voice was electronically distorted.

  He’s being more more careful than I thought he would be. Good job, Peyton.

  “Got a few codes in there,” the researcher continued, “but they’re from this morning, so if they’ve changed them already, sorry. By the way, even though it’s called Anders Laboratory, it’s not owned by Doctor Anders. Sure, he runs it and is nominally the CEO, but he’s not the one really calling the shots.”

  “Who is then?”

  “His investors, aka the local Mafia. They’re dumping a lot of money into that place through several shell companies. They’ve put a lot of effort into not being found easily.”

  The detectives both frowned.

  James grunted. “So I might be making new friends if I knock too hard?”

  “You’re so good at making friends, Brownstone.”

  “It’s a talent. What can I say?”

  Not that he gave that much of a shit. When it came to organized crime, James figured he’d already set a good example with the Harriken. If mobster fucks didn’t want him knocking on their doors, they should make sure their labs weren’t letting crazed magically-modified killers who butchered people right in front of their kids into the world.

  “I’m never gonna hear the end of this from… Uh, forget that. Go on.”

  Is this what men mean about women always being right and women’s intuition?

  Peyton cleared his throat, which sounded odd with the electronic distortion. “Just so you know, even though they’ve tried to hide it with fake manifests, there’s a shitload of materials being shipped to that place that are…shall we say, not for general use.”

  “What the fuck does that mean? Is it some sort of drug lab?”

  “Nothing like that. It’s just that they’ve got stuff you only use for magic going into that place, and there’s way too much for it just to be incidental shit. They’ve got a pretty decent supplier, judging by the volume.”

  Detective West whistled. “Okay, I admit, you’re good. We had no idea the Mafia was tied to this place. If we’d known that, we could have gotten warrants to tear this place apart.”

  “I am damned good. Maybe the best. At worst, second best—in the world, just to be clear.”

  “You should help the police out. With talents like that, we could clear a lot of cases.”

  “You got money? Lots of money?”

  Detective West snorted. “What about helping the public? Helping criminal victims? What about the good feelings you’ll get from public service?”

  “Good feelings don’t buy food or pay the rent. Anyway, Brownstone, the blueprints should already be in your mail. If you need anything else, give me a call.” Peyton hung up.

  “Cynical bastard, isn’t he?” the detective muttered.

  James shrugged. “Doesn’t make him wrong.”

  Fifteen minutes later, the three men had reviewed the blueprints and understood the general layout of the facility. It wasn’t all that complicated, but the presence of a several “experimental subject floors” didn’t exactly relieve anyone’s tension.

  “What if they’ve got more in there?” Detective West offered. “More freaks, that is.”

  James shrugged. “They aren’t in town, so that means they’ve at least got them locked up. The way I figure it, if I end up going in there guns blazing, you cops will have to follow me because of the risk to public safety. Then if you happen to find something illegal, too bad for Doctor Anders and the Mafia.”

  The bounty hunter’s gaze dropped to the brightly glowing arrow. The Red Eyes Killer was close, and soon Dina’s father would get the vengeance the girl wanted and deserved.

  He pushed open his door.

  A mask of confusion settled over both cop’s faces.

  “Where you going, Brownstone?” Detective West asked. “You’re not going to jog there from all the way over there, are you? I’m sure we can at least get inside the gate with our badges.”

  James shook his head. “No, I just need to make a call to someone about a little angel.”

  23

  Red Eyes stood on the top of the roof aiming one of his stolen rifles. He chuckled and squeezed the trigger, spitting bullets into the distance. Glass shattered and blood splattered on the walls as bullet after bullet pelted the small guard shack near the front gate. When it clicked empty, he tossed the rifle to the side and started flinging the grenades from a looted tactical belt, laughing the whole time.

  Between the security team and the bounty hunter, he’d collected a few toys. He preferred killing people with his own abilities, but it was a fun way to start. It wasn’t like he could stab a man from fifty yards away in any case.

  Red Eyes leapt from the roof and landed on the ground with a thud as an alarm blared over loudspeakers. He pulled around the other rifle strapped over his shoulder.

  His time of hiding in the shadows was over. He wanted his enemies to see who was coming for them now.

  “Yes, yes. Fear the chaos. Fear me, and know that death stalks you.”

  “Shit,” James muttered as he stopped the F-350 at the gate. The security guard had been shredded, and his shack resembled Swiss cheese from the bullets. The crack of gunfire filled the air, and smoke rose into the sky from burning vehicles.

  Detective West yanked out his phone. “I’m calling for AET.”

  “Fine, but it’s gonna take them way too long to get here. I’m going in.” James grabbed his healing potion from the back of his glovebox and the grenade he’d hidden under the seat. “You guys should stay here until the shooting and explosions die down unless you want to die early.”

  The detectives looked uncomfortable with the idea, but they nodded in agreement.

  Sorry, Shay, guess this is going to involve more of a big show than I planned.

  He could hear both his girls telling him not to be a dumbass in his head.

  James stepped out of the truck and reached into the guard shack. The poor security guard was hamburger on the floor.

  Sorry I couldn’t stop this fucker sooner, pal.

  The bounty hunter slapped a large blue button, hoping it was the right control, and the metal gate ground open.

  He took a deep breath and tossed Detective West his keys. “Don’t fuck up my truck. I love that truck almost as much as I love my girlfriend.”

  The detective chuckled. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  James rushed through the opening in the gate toward the rifle reports now echoing from inside the building ahead.

  I’m coming, Red Eyes.

  Red Eyes hissed as bullet after bullet struck him. He rushed forward to impale one man with a tentacle through his throat before cleaving another almost in half at the waist with a bone blade.

  He laughed and tossed the first man at a few security guards. Blood sprayed from him like a sprinkler until the body collided with the other guards.

  Red Eyes was on them in a blur. He hacked away, enjoying their dying screams as he cut them apart piece by piece.

  “Glorious! I will no longer hide, for I am Death. Deat
h does not hide in the shadows at night. Death stalks you boldly no matter where you go.”

  The mutant spun, seeking new prey, but there was no one left alive. He’d hoped to kill the receptionist last, having enjoyed the frozen terror on her face, but now he couldn’t find her.

  “Run deeper into the lab, little sheep. It will just make the chase that much more delicious.”

  Red Eyes hissed. A few of his wounds throbbed and didn’t close, so he grabbed a dead guard and opened his mouth.

  “You were weak, but you’ll still make me stronger.” He bit into the man’s neck.

  “We should wait for AET,” Detective Lafayette insisted. “This is way beyond us.”

  Detective West shook his head. “Fuck that. We need to get in there. We’re out in the middle of nowhere. We don’t have time to wait for reinforcements.”

  “And do what, exactly? Brownstone’s going to do his thing.”

  “He’s also right. We need to get in there and collect any evidence there might be about what’s going on. If we wait too long, they’ll destroy the records or self-destruct or some shit, for all we know. This place is responsible for a bunch of dead parents and emotionally-scarred kids. We need to make sure we have what we need to track down every fucker responsible for the Red Eyes Killer.” He threw the truck into gear. “This isn’t a debate. We’re going.”

  A few minutes of jogging brought James to the parking lot in front of the white main building. Bullet-riddled and scorched bodies decorated the area, but he didn’t spot any signs of mutilation. An enemy who used a gun was an enemy James knew how to handle.

  Not so special in the end, asshole?

  Two security guards in blue uniforms popped from behind a large cargo truck and lifted their rifles. Their eyes screamed fear.

  “Who the fuck are you?” one of them barked.

  “Look at his fucking face.” The other sneered. “He’s a freak. XJ422 must have already freed some of the other samples. Take him out.”

  James ducked as bullets whizzed over his head. The slap of boots on asphalt alerted him to their positions. The trigger-happy guards were trying to flank him. He waited until they closed, then leapt up to deliver an uppercut to the closest man. He flew back and landed with a crash on the hood of a nearby Jaguar. The car alarm blared.

  “What the fuck?” the other man growled.

  The bounty hunter sent a throwing knife into his shooting arm before the man had recovered from his surprise, then head-butted him before the guard had stopped yelping.

  The security guard slumped to the ground, unconscious but still alive.

  James retrieved his knife. “Sorry, assholes. Can’t let you kill me, but I’m cutting you a break since you thought I was a friend of Red Eyes.”

  He turned to leave but spun back to the downed guards with a smile. If he were back in LA he would have gone to his warehouse first and shown up at the lab armed to the teeth, but he wasn’t supposed to even be in Vegas for bounty hunting, let alone for a level-four magical mutant. He’d come to eat some of God’s own barbeque before heading home.

  A single spare magazine for his .45 and some knives wouldn’t be enough. He grabbed a rifle and retrieved their spare magazines from their belt pouches.

  James grunted. Heckler & Koch wasn’t his favorite brand and assault rifles weren’t his favorite weapon, but with all the dead security guards lying around, at least he’d have plenty of ammo.

  The bounty hunter bounded toward the door. The sound of gunfire had become sporadic, then absent as he closed on the main building. Red Eyes must have been winning, especially since the main alarm was still blaring.

  I don’t care if they take you out or I take you out, as long as you don’t leave this place alive, asshole.

  Shards of glass marked the remains of the front door. James readied his rifle and ran toward the entrance, searching for targets. Bodies covered a white floor painted with a fresh coat of red blood.

  A few bodies near the front had shrapnel or bullet wounds, but as James moved farther in, limbs and heads were separated from their bodies.

  “Definitely Red Eyes,” James mumbled. A survey of the area revealed two elevator doors. Bodies and body parts were piled up in front of one, and the door was marked with bloody handprints.

  According to Peyton’s information, James could take the elevator to the next floor without a code. The floor contained nothing of importance, just the cafeteria and a few other amenities like a small gym, but if Red Eyes didn’t have any other access codes, that was where he’d be.

  The bounty hunter took a deep breath. Killing the bounty meant he’d likely get no money. Most cities claimed you could still recover a portion. Las Vegas had stated he could get half, but in practice, once you got through all the appeals and paperwork, killing a bounty without dead-or-alive status meant a bounty hunter earned zilch.

  James didn’t care. Red Eyes wasn’t some misguided cartel thug. He was a vicious, remorseless killer who snuffed out lives for simple enjoyment. Even King Pyro had practiced more restraint.

  I’m putting your ass in the ground so Dina can get some sort of closure, unlike what I got. A worry-free life is worth a little bounty money. Fuck, it’s worth a lot of bounty money.

  James had just turned toward the door when the elevator dinged.

  He raised his HK, his eyes narrowed.

  A glowing-red-eyed bloody mess walked out of the elevator with a smile on his face. Red Eyes raised both his arms, both currently tipped in crimson-stained bone blades.

  “It was easier to kill down there. Fewer guns.” Red Eyes let out a throaty chuckle. “I have to give you credit. Your security is better than when I escaped.” His smile vanished. “It’s frustrating, not being able to get to the others. Give me your codes, little security man, or die.”

  James snorted. “Do I fucking look like I work here, asshole?”

  The arrogance faded from Red Eyes’ face. “Who are you?”

  “James Brownstone.” The bounty hunter waited for that revelation to sink in.

  Joy lit the mutant’s face. “I don’t remember much. My mind…the process took it, but I know you. Class-six bounty hunter. Wonderful. Perfect.”

  “Glad you know the level of ass-kicking that’s coming your way. I’ve got one question for you before I send you to hell, asshole.”

  “Your arrogance is appreciated. Assimilating you will make me more powerful.”

  James grimaced. “You’re talking about eating me, aren’t you?”

  “You will become one with something stronger.”

  “If that’s what all this shit is about, then why kill parents? Why fuck up little kids?”

  “Killing parents was just for fun.” Red Eyes inhaled deeply. “Killing bounty hunters, though, will improve my strength and skills. Once I kill you, my name will be a word of terror that echoes across the country.”

  James snorted. “Talk about your delusions of grandeur.”

  “Delusions of grandeur? No, James Brownstone. They call this place a lab, but they took the flesh of the weak and sculpted it with science and the help of dark magic. It’s a temple for birthing new gods.”

  The bounty hunter sighed and shook his head. “Asshole, you’re not even a level five. I’d maybe let you have the ‘I’m a god’ speech if you were level five.”

  Red Eyes’ face contorted in rage. “Once I kill you, I’ll prove that I am level five. Fine, James Brownstone, be a sacrifice to the new god of Death and Chaos!”

  “Fuck you. This is for Dina and all the other kids.” James fired a burst into Red Eyes.

  The mutant jerked back but grinned. “How many times do you think I’ve been shot?”

  James shrugged. “Sometimes it’s just a matter of trying until you win.” He flipped the rifle to automatic and held down the trigger.

  The mutant kept jerking and hissing, but he didn’t go down. The bounty hunter yanked up his frag grenade and tossed it with his free hand before his gun clicked empty.


  The grenade exploded right in front of the mutant, and when Red Eyes stood, blood oozed from all over his body. A rough shrapnel outline of his body marred the elevator door.

  James snickered. “It’s like some shit from the old cartoons I used to watch.”

  Red Eyes growled. “How dare you mock me? I will torture you slowly before I finish you off and assimilate your DNA.”

  “That shit sounds complicated. Most people just threaten to kill me. Whatever.” James threw the rifle at the mutant and charged him.

  Red Eyes batted the rifle away, but James had already closed the distance. The bounty hunter’s shoulder smashed into the mutant’s chest and slammed him into the elevator doors, leaving a body-sized dent around the mutant’s outline

  James pounded the asshole’s face with several quick jabs. Having the amulet would have upped his defenses, but he was strong 24/7 and without any weird alien thought-whispers.

  Red Eyes’ head snapped back with each blow. James wasn’t holding back. If the mutant had been a normal man, his face would have already been caved in.

  Wonder if everyone on my home planet is as strong as I am, or if this is some sort of shit where I grew up in a different place so I’m tougher.

  The mutant slashed James’ shoulder and the bounty hunter jumped back with a grunt, the wound throbbing. Another slash sliced into James’ thigh, but he gritted his teeth and ignored the pain.

  Guess it’s a good thing I brought the healing potion.

  Red Eyes staggered forward, his leathery and mottled face even more misshapen after James’ beating.

  “You…are…nothing, James Brownstone. You…will…not…defeat…me.”

  The bounty hunter shook his head. “Didn’t know it hurt so much to get your ass beat by nothing.”

  James flung several knives in rapid succession at the mutant’s shoulders and ducked a bone blade as he rushed toward the wounded mutant again. The mutant’s other arm contorted and twisted as James slammed an elbow into Red Eyes’ throat, then grabbed the mutant’s changing arm to snap it over his knee. The crunch echoed in the vast reception area.