Agents Of Mayhem: An Urban Fantasy Action Adventure (Federal Agents of Magic Book 2) Read online

  Agents Of Mayhem

  Federal Agents of Magic™ Book Two

  TR Cameron

  Martha Carr

  Michael Anderle

  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 TR Cameron, Martha Carr and Michael Anderle

  Cover Art by Jake @ J Caleb Design

  http://jcalebdesign.com / [email protected]

  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, April 2019

  ISBN: 978-1-64202-205-6

  The Oriceran Universe (and what happens within / characters / situations / worlds) are Copyright © 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

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Connect with TR Cameron

  Author Notes - TR Cameron

  Author Notes - Martha Carr

  Author Notes - Michael Anderle

  Other series in the Oriceran Universe:

  Books by Michael Anderle

  Agents Of Mayhem Team

  Thanks to our beta reading team

  Mary Morris, Nicole Emens, John Ashmore, Larry Omans, and Kelly O'Donnell

  Thanks to the JIT Readers

  Micky Cocker

  Diane L. Smith

  Misty Roa

  If we’ve missed anyone, please let us know!

  Editor

  The Skyhunter Editing Team

  Dedications

  From Martha

  To everyone who still believes in magic

  and all the possibilities that holds.

  To all the readers who make this

  entire ride so much fun.

  And to my son, Louie and so many wonderful friends who remind me all the time of what

  really matters and how wonderful

  life can be in any given moment.

  From Michael

  To Family, Friends and

  Those Who Love

  To Read.

  May We All Enjoy Grace

  To Live The Life We Are

  Called.

  Chapter One

  Diana reveled in the sight of the giant Kilomea bound, shackled, and hunched in the interrogation chair. Despite the seriousness of the situation, her grin was both broad and smug as she watched him through the one-way mirror. "Well, at least that ambushing bastard is right where he deserves to be."

  Her two colleagues laughed appreciatively beside her. Bryant's was low and familiar. Warden Murphy's rose into the middle ranges but sounded hard-edged and brittle. Everything about the prison's overseer was sharp, from the body that seemed to consume itself for fuel to drive her quick movements to her hard face with its narrow cheekbones and bladed nose. This is a woman with whom you do not fuck, she thought.

  "So, he's totally secure? I wouldn't want to have to beat him down again and get your pure white room bloody."

  The warden laughed. "That chair was designed to hold a full-sized troll on amphetamines. He won’t break out of it anytime soon."

  "Excellent." Diana's grin widened.

  Murphy matched the smile with a thinner one. "You'll need to leave your weapons outside, though. Standard policy." She gestured at a locker beside the entrance. The agent nodded, drew her pistol and spare magazines from the holster hidden under the back of her leather jacket, and stowed them in the thick metal box. She was about to close it when the warden coughed. "All your weapons."

  Diana shrugged as if to say, "I had to try, right?" She removed the Ruger from her ankle-high black spy boots, which perfectly matched the shade of the dark slacks she wore.

  The name is Bond. Diana Bond.

  Kayleigh Dornan had given the shoes to her before Diana had departed DC, and they held a number of surprises should she find herself in need. So far, she'd put the backup gun to good use but none of the hidden blades. She felt the weight of the warden's gaze on her after she deposited the revolver and sighed inwardly.

  Well, at least their security is strong.

  She withdrew the stiletto blade from her right boot and the throwing knives from the left and stowed them, then closed the locker and pressed her palm against it to activate the biometric lock.

  Murphy nodded. "Very good." Despite her serious expression, the woman’s eyes crinkled at the edges with humor. She led the agent to the small hallway connecting the observation room to the interrogation cell and entered a code into the keypad beside the door. The lock released with a mechanical whir. "We'll be watching. If you need us to intervene, use the word sphere."

  Diana gave a thumbs-up and pushed through the door. It swung behind her, and heavy bars slammed home with a muted thunk. The walls shone with a dull plastic sheen. The only surface that didn’t seem to be made from the material was the massive two-way mirror installed to divide the chamber from the observation room. She grinned at the hairy alien as he glowered at her from his security chair. Then, he groaned.

  "It had to be you, didn't it? The luckiest tiny human on the planet."

  She sauntered in front of him, slipped her hands into her front pockets, and rocked on her heels. "Little old me? Lucky? Hardly. I busted your ass fair and square, big guy. And if we had the chance for round three, you'd hit the mat again. Only this time, you’d be in the hospital for a long stretch, not prison."

  He bared his huge teeth at her. "How about right now? You're tough when your enemy is restrained, aren't you?"

  "Seriously, Sasquatch, no one is that stupid.” She rolled her eyes. “If we didn't want you alive, we'd simply kill you, not give you the chance to go out fighting. So, is there anything you want to tell me?"

  He gave as much of a shrug as his restraints would allow. They had locked his forearms and biceps to the arms of the chair and bound his chest to the back, while his thighs were strapped to the seat. The chain that connected the shackles on his feet was attached to a hardpoint in the floor.

  "The food's okay but
the company's lousy. It’s not quite a fancy hotel, but it's fairly cushy. You must feel special, having brought in the toughest guy in the place."

  Diana laughed and patted him on the head. The convict strained to reach her with his teeth. "You're merely an average everyday thug, buddy. Don't worry, though. I'll do my best to send you friends who are actual threats. Maybe you can learn something before you get out of here." She snapped her fingers. "Oh, wait. That's right. You'll never get out of here. Once we had your information, digging into back cases showed what a bad boy you've been."

  His grin was both vicious and unrepentant. "I have had a…colorful life. All self-defense, though."

  She stared pointedly at his bulging muscles and vented a prolonged sigh. "Right. That's what it was."

  He laughed again, and Diana had to smile. He was a scumbag, but she'd met worse. His offenses were all against other criminals, as far as the techs could tell, which was a point in his favor. Still, she wasn't ready to release the personal grudge he'd earned when he’d thrown her into her car and dented it.

  She folded her arms. "So, how about you tell me about your boss and whatever he was doing? Why go after the ambassador? What was the plan?"

  He blinked and donned an innocent expression. She imagined that if his hands weren't bound, they'd be clutched over his chest in a gesture of feigned incomprehension. "You mean the owner at the Twisted Lizard, right? I was the bouncer there. He was a nice man and paid me well. Plus, the work was easy. It came with free drinks, too. I wouldn't mind going back there." Much to her surprise, he actually managed to sound wistful.

  In the next moment, the surprise gave way to the sheer lunacy of the statement. She laughed, unable to restrain her reaction. He soon joined in. She wiped at the corner of an eye and said, "You're good, Cresnan. But I'm afraid you won't be able to resume that prior life. Your boss is dead, and your alleged place of employment coincidentally burned down shortly after you failed to abduct the ambassador. Did you make someone angry at you?"

  The Kilomea shrugged, seemingly unfazed by the information. "Oh, well. I'm sure I'll find something entertaining to do when I get out of here. Maybe I’ll pay you and your little family a visit."

  Diana suppressed the instinctual growl that rose in her throat and shook her head. "We were getting along so well, and you had to ruin it. Remember what happened the last time you threatened my family? It didn't go so well for you, did it?" She raised her index finger and a jolt of electricity surged through the chair, drawing an angry curse from the prisoner. "That shock is only level one. Imagine if we took it to ten. And ours is special. It goes to eleven. Do you think you're tough enough to handle it? Would you like to give it a shot?"

  The giant was far more annoyed than hurt. He hissed through clenched teeth. "Bring it, bitch."

  She sighed. "I knew you wouldn’t be reasonable about this, but we all thought it was worth a try." Her voice adopted a singsong tone. "Oh, Bryant?"

  The sound of the door unlatching echoed through the spartan room and her boss entered. He looked serious and official in a tie and suit that hugged his frame. The man was the very picture of a government agent on the rise. His brown hair had been carefully combed to the side to reveal more of his narrow face. If she’d met him now for the first time, she might even have believed he wasn't the chucklehead she knew him to be.

  He crossed the intervening space to stand beside her and gestured at the Kilomea. "Is this one being an idiot?"

  She nodded. "I told you he would be. I gave him a little shock, too, but it doesn't seem to have triggered any sense of self-preservation. Did you get word?"

  "We did." He turned to the bound prisoner with a half-smile. "It is my distinct pleasure to inform you that the Oriceran consulate has agreed that your extensive list of crimes is substantial enough to warrant imprisonment in Trevilsom Prison."

  The effect was more profound than Diana had thought it could be. All the color washed from Cresnan's face, and he gave a single visible shudder before a clear effort brought it under control. He licked his lips as if they'd suddenly gone dry.

  She grinned. "What was that about the Cube being a cushy gig? You’re not quite so tough now, are you, Sasquatch?"

  His voice was more subdued than she'd imagined it could be. "You can't send me to Trevilsom. That's for the worst of the worst. I'm not in that league." She had heard of the prison, of course. It was located in the middle of an Oriceran ocean. Prisoners kept there were slowly driven to madness by the excess magical forces that permeated the place—without exception. It was a death sentence, but one preceded by extended torture measured by the heartbeats of those imprisoned.

  Diana imagined that the brute before her would last a long time and had no doubt that he was aware of it, too. "Do you want to stay here? Then talk. And don’t lie.” She gestured at the two-way. “We have an empath back there." They didn't, of course, but Cresnan wouldn't know that.

  He spoke in a flat, emotionless tone. "Kergar was the leader of our group. We were only muscle. None of us were on the inside. Only him and maybe the bartender."

  She checked the case notes on her smartwatch. "Enthan?"

  The Kilomea nodded. "Yeah, that's the guy. Anyway, we only took orders. We weren't in on the big picture."

  Bryant turned to her. "That's not enough to make it worth keeping him here. Life in the Cube is expensive. We have to provide clothes, food… The courts even think they should have full access to books. Before long, we'll have Oriceran convict scumbags with law degrees."

  She smothered a grin and turned back to Cresnan. "You heard the man. Last chance. Give us something useful, or we're out of here and you blow your only shot to avoid being sent home."

  Given his current options, the outcome was obvious. "Okay,” the prisoner said hastily. “But you have to keep me away from any members of the Remembrance who come here. I want guaranteed protection."

  She forced her face to stillness. "We don't know very much about the Remembrance."

  Understatement. We've never heard of it.

  "Tell us more. And you better be sure it doesn't conflict with the information we’ve already gathered from the others."

  He nodded. "All I'm sure of is that there's a group of shady assholes at the top who follow Rhazdon's ideas. They sweep up those who still believe and band them together in her name. They communicate with these fancy coins. Kergar was very excited when he finally got his."

  Diana shot a look at Bryant. Taggart's suspicions were right on the mark. They hadn't found a way to activate the coins yet, though, and weren't willing to tip their hand by pairing one with the statue they'd discovered for fear that it would alert whoever was on the other end.

  I guess that was a good call. Go you, Taggart.

  She turned back to Cresnan. "How many people?"

  "I don't know."

  "Who's in charge of it all?"

  He shook his head. "I don't know."

  "Okay, who's above Kergar?"

  The Kilomea barked a laugh filled with mockery. "I saw him once, the bastard, when the boss was drunk and forgot to ward the door. He used that little crystal thing he had, and a small glowy version of the dude hovered over the top of it." Cresnan looked at the ceiling and sighed as if remembering hurt. "He wore a robe and some sort of hood. I can't tell you anything about him other than he's male and has an accent. He sounded like an elf, but who knows?"

  "What kind of elf?" Bryant asked.

  He shrugged. "One elf sounds the same as another. Weak, pretentious."

  Bryant turned to her. "Do you have enough?"

  Diana tapped her chin and felt the prisoner's eyes on her. She let her face fall as if she was about to say no, and the Kilomea blurted out, "There’s a branch here, too."

  Both of their heads snapped around. Bryant asked, "Here in the Cube?"

  He waved a hand as far as he could, given the restraints. "No, idiot. Here in this town."

  Diana fought down the desire to chuckle at her partner
. "We already knew that. Thanks for nothing. But since you came clean, we'll keep you here—well, for at least a while longer."

  Here, too. Damn.

  The two agents moved toward the door. The brute behind them barked a hopeless laugh. "How about round three, Sheen?"

  She didn't turn to face him. "I told you. We want you alive. When that changes, you'll see me again." They exited the room and the door clanged shut.

  The warden frowned as they rejoined her behind the mirror. "That's concerning."

  Bryant nodded grimly. "To say the least. Remember, you can always call on Diana and her team if you need to."

  Murphy nodded, then smiled at her. "Agent Sheen, I hope you'll come back soon for a real tour. It would be good for you to learn the ins and outs of the place, just in case."

  Diana extended a hand and they shook. For such a lean and sharp-looking woman, her grip was surprisingly warm. "Count on it. Together, we're gonna clean up this town."

  Chapter Two

  Bryant swung the SUV into an underground parking garage after a short drive over one of the many bridges that spanned the river from the north side of Pittsburgh. They descended to the bottom floor and parked across two spots in the mostly empty lot. He waved an arm as they walked toward an unmarked door. “There are always open spaces on this level. The office building nearby doesn’t have the same demand it used to.”