Fraud Twice Felt, page 1
Riptide Publishing
PO Box 1537
Burnsville, NC 28714
www.riptidepublishing.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. All person(s) depicted on the cover are model(s) used for illustrative purposes only.
Fraud Twice Felt
Copyright © 2017 by J.T. Hall
Cover art: L.C. Chase, lcchase.com/design.htm
Editor: Carole-ann Galloway
Layout: L.C. Chase, lcchase.com/design.htm
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher, and where permitted by law. Reviewers may quote brief passages in a review. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Riptide Publishing at the mailing address above, at Riptidepublishing.com, or at marketing@riptidepublishing.com.
ISBN: 978-1-62649-594-4
First edition
May, 2017
Also available in paperback:
ISBN: 978-1-62649-595-1
ABOUT THE EBOOK YOU HAVE PURCHASED:
We thank you kindly for purchasing this title. Your nonrefundable purchase legally allows you to replicate this file for your own personal reading only, on your own personal computer or device. Unlike paperback books, sharing ebooks is the same as stealing them. Please do not violate the author’s copyright and harm their livelihood by sharing or distributing this book, in part or whole, for a fee or free, without the prior written permission of both the publisher and the copyright owner. We love that you love to share the things you love, but sharing ebooks—whether with joyous or malicious intent—steals royalties from authors’ pockets and makes it difficult, if not impossible, for them to be able to afford to keep writing the stories you love. Piracy has sent more than one beloved series the way of the dodo. We appreciate your honesty and support.
Three weeks after solving his old boyfriend’s murder, bounty hunter Derwin Bryant is trying to let go of the past and embrace his new life with Elliot Leed, a former rentboy and fellow Oddity. Elliot, meanwhile, is trying to adjust to working at Bob’s Bail Bonds and having a real relationship despite his strange power of Object Reading. Hanging over the couple is the fear that Roy Yoshiro, notorious gang lord, will make good on his threats to claim Elliot. If that happens, not even Derwin’s superhuman strength will be enough to protect the man he loves.
Their concerns are overshadowed when Derwin’s friend asks for help finding her missing son. It’s not long before the case takes Derwin and Elliot back to the crime-ridden underbelly of the city and straight into Yoshiro’s clutches. Two gangs are vying for power, and Derwin and Elliot get caught in the middle of their very public fight.
Derwin and Elliot must find a way to thwart both gangs’ plans and escape alive. This time, one misstep could spell disaster for all the inhabitants of Nis.
To the person who has been with me through both joy and darkness, and who has sacrificed much for my dreams, my partner TK.
About Fraud Twice Felt
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
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Dear Reader
Acknowledgments
Also by J.T. Hall
About the Author
More like this
Elliot Leed liked filing criminal records.
He sat in the little office chair behind the desk at Bob’s Bail Bonds, sifting through manila folders, organizing them by court dates. In the corner of the room, Bob was speaking with Derwin Bryant, one of the bond agents hired to capture fugitives who failed the provisions of their bond. Elliot smiled, warmth flushing through his body as he watched the dusky-skinned, muscular bounty hunter speaking with broad gestures and a loud voice.
Derwin also happened to be his lover. An actual lover; not a client, not a john.
“So let me get this straight,” Derwin said, taking several folders from Bob. “You let Bernie the Hack post bond? Again? Bob . . . dude . . .” He shook his head, smiling sadly. “Why do you cover these rats? You know he’s going to skip bond.” He gave Elliot a wink.
Elliot grinned back. He couldn’t help but glance down at himself, wearing khakis and a buttoned shirt, of all things. He had a job. A real job, and not one where he had to follow a Madame’s orders and suck off jerks to pay for food.
Bob shrugged amiably. “I’ve known him for fifteen years, Derwin. Yes, he’s failed to appear before . . .” He rubbed his mouth, perhaps unconsciously. According to Derwin, he’d started his business years ago. An older guy, half-bald, with a friendly face and laugh lines around his eyes, Bob was a softie, but it was hard to get mad at him about it. After all, how many guys would be willing to hire a former rentboy to file paperwork in their office? Elliot couldn’t think of anyone.
Derwin was staring at him. “Three times.” He crossed his arms.
Bob chuckled, nodding. “But you have to admit that last time was a pretty good excuse! I mean, fleeing from a yokai is not something you do every day.” He winked. “Well not most people, I should say.”
Elliot smiled. Yeah, running from a yokai—a supernatural spirit, or demons as most people called them—might be a good excuse to most people. Except for Derwin, who hunted the otherworldly creatures. “What was his crime?”
Bob glanced over at him. “Burglary. The warehouses.” He glanced at the folder in Derwin’s hand. “You’re familiar with that part of town, right?” By his blank expression, it was obvious he was clueless he’d just stepped into a land mine.
Elliot flushed, looking down. “That part of town” was associated with his former life; he’d been living in a warehouse storeroom. In addition, he’d been kidnapped and tortured near those fucking warehouses.
“Yeah, I’m familiar with it,” Elliot muttered. He tried to keep his tone respectful. He’d only been on the job for a week and couldn’t afford to alienate a guy who’d been willing to hire him without past experience or identification.
Derwin came to his rescue, like he always did. “The warehouses are where Grady’s murderer kept Elliot, Bob. So anyways, you just have these little ones for me today? Shouldn’t take me long.” He glanced at the calendar on the wall near Elliot’s head, before turning back to Bob. “By the way, where’s Connie been? I haven’t seen her in days.”
Bob had winced at the reference to Cole Murphy, the guy who had murdered Derwin’s old boyfriend, but he recovered quickly, shrugging. “She says she’s been sick.”
Derwin frowned. “That’s not like her. How many times can you remember her calling out sick before? I hope she’s okay.” He looked at Elliot, and his dark-brown eyes softened.
While Elliot hadn’t had a chance to meet Connie yet, he’d heard all about her. She sounded loud, brazen, and funny, not unlike Derwin’s mother. It was because Connie had complained of having too much work that Elliot had this job at all. “What if we swing by her place later?”
“Good idea.” Faint lines of concentration showed on Derwin’s brow, as he went all businesslike again. Gods, Elliot couldn’t wait to get him home, to strip that tough heroic exterior off and ignite the fiery passion that smoldered beneath.
Elliot had to rein in his imagination, sobering as he watched Derwin checking his gear—bulletproof vest, utility belt with cuffs and pepper spray, his pair of blessed knives, and his gun. The weapons were more for demons than human fugitives. As far as Elliot was concerned, Derwin was a walking arsenal, and that was just fine. Anything to keep him safe. Elliot found himself clutching a folder, and forced himself to set it down. “Be careful.” He wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to the fact his boyfriend risked his neck every day for the job.
“Always.” Derwin grinned and strode over to kiss Elliot on the cheek. Then he headed out the door, the little bell jangling as he left.
Elliot opened the file cabinet, aware that he was blushing. Bob chuckled, but Elliot didn’t turn to see what kind of expression was on the guy’s face. I’m still not comfortable being out and proud and people not caring. As a rentboy, he’d been both attacked and sought after for his proclivities.
He avoided talking to his old Madame, Theresa, now. Every once in a while she sent one of her boys to check up on him, and that was enough. None of the boys had mentioned whether Roy Yoshiro, the city boss of the Tatsu gang and one of Elliot’s former clients, had asked for another booking. Mo st likely Theresa knew he’d say no.
“He’s a good guy. I’m glad to see him having fun with his job and not so grim like he was before he found Grady’s murderer. Rescuing you off the streets like a lost puppy, that helped him.” Elliot nodded silently, but Bob seemed to realize what he’d said and his tone faltered. “Y-you know. Because helping people is important to him.”
A really good guy to take on a sad stray like me. Was it their relationship that had brought Derwin’s happiness back, or the closure of solving Grady’s murder? “I only hope that he’s not reckless when he’s out there.”
Bob nodded “Don’t worry. He’ll be fine. I used to worry about his mental state, but with you around now, he’s much better. You’re good for him. Grady always had a sunny attitude, and I see that same sort of quality in you.”
How good would Bob say Elliot was for Derwin if he knew the truth about why Elliot had left whoring? That one of the most notorious gang leaders in the city had claimed his ass and was going to kill anyone who said otherwise? But Elliot nodded again, and forced himself to sound cheerful. “Thanks. I plan to stick around.”
That much was the truth.
Derwin tossed the folders of arrest warrants and profile information into the passenger seat of his Ford Galaxie. He turned on the engine and revved the old car up, letting it purr. It was good to see that Elliot was settling into his new job. Maybe his shirts were too tight and a little too sexy for performing office duties, but he’d figured out the filing system quickly. And just knowing that he was safe was everything to Derwin.
And as a bonus, when Derwin took him home, he had Elliot all to himself.
He navigated the streets of Nis with ease, without a GPS doodad or map to tell him where to go. Hunting was in his blood. Possibly part of that was due to his Oddity, his special ability, and maybe some of it was genetics. His dad was a corrections officer, which didn’t really involve hunting, but was about keeping criminals in line.
His grandfather had been an Interrogator, using his Oddity that fed off pain to torture and make people talk for the government. That part Derwin liked to forget.
Several minutes later, he reached a construction site on the north end of town, where efforts were underway to expand the city wall and build new industrial buildings. Derwin spotted several city patrolmen in Jeeps and black SUVs, keeping an eye on things to make sure nothing demonic crossed over from the forests north, or from the ocean. The city was still relatively young, only a hundred years old, from the great settling of the West in the United Federation of America, led by crazy politicians back in Washington DC, but already it was outgrowing its fortifications. During the Industrial Age, cities had done away with defensive barriers. But something had happened in the middle of World War II that had opened the gates to another dimension, releasing spirits that seemed to fit the descriptions of monsters and beasts out of Japanese lore—the yokai. Who knew that their mythology had it right? Now the creatures spawned wherever there was open wilderness and every city needed to be its own fortress.
His first skip of the day, Ed Turtlebaum, was supposedly employed by Ace Construction on a project out here. Ed had been arrested for grand larceny from a previous employer, stealing materials from the jobsite. Surprising that he’d even been able to find another job. Still, he’d skipped his court hearing, and now he had a warrant for his arrest. Time to bring him in before Bob lost the bail bond.
Derwin parked the car in a dirt lot by some steel framework for a new building, checked his gear, and stepped out to search for a short, weaselly fat guy. He walked toward the construction site, and that was when he noticed the man standing on the ground floor holding an electrical kit. Beady eyes met his, and Ed’s jaw dropped, possibly at seeing the tactical gear.
Shit. Derwin ran as Ed dropped the kit and fled toward the back of the building.
“Ed Turtlebaum, you failed to make your court date! Now get back over here so we can figure out something!”
But Ed knew how bail bonds worked, probably knew his ass was toast, and that he’d be going to jail. He moved pretty fast for a tubby guy. However, Derwin could run faster than any normal human. Time to catch you. He sprinted toward the back of the building, past workers who stared at him openmouthed. Let them stare. Nobody ever dared to report a person in tactical gear, even if his speed was unnatural. They’d figure he was with the government, who controlled most of the Oddities.
When Derwin turned the corner of the building, he spotted Ed, but there was a problem. Apparently, the construction company had decided this was the perfect place to put all the port-a-potties.
Ed ran into one and slammed the door shut.
“You gotta be kidding me,” Derwin muttered as he approached the small blue box. Yes, he could tear the door off, tip it over, even drag it if he wanted to. But ugh. He really didn’t want to. “Ed! You can’t stay in there all day!” He pounded on the little door, fuming. This was supposed to be an easy skip!
“I can too! You watch! I can’t go back to jail, man. They’re gonna keep me for good this time!” Even muffled by the plastic walls, there was terror in Ed’s voice. Derwin rubbed at his temples.
“You were arrested for what, petty and grand larcenies? Those aren’t life sentences. You can’t run from things like this—you should have made your court date. Bob’s done well by you—you owe him some respect. And isn’t the collateral your mom’s house? Are you a rat or a man, Ed? Own up! You stole from your job! Do your time, and learn from it!” As Derwin spoke, he inspected the hinges, wondering if he could work them apart without ripping the whole door off. That way he wouldn’t make such a spectacle of himself and his Oddity.
He took care in setting his hands right, gripping the plastic encasing the metal hinges. This might get ugly, but it was better than waiting until Ed gave up. “I’m giving you to the count of three, Ed. Come out, and I’ll put in a good word with Bob. Stay in there, and I’m going to rip this door off.” And hopefully not get dirty in the process.
“Fuck off!”
That settled it. Focusing, Derwin gripped the plastic harder and harder, pulling on the well of something other that he kept inside, the something that fed on people’s pain.
The plastic began to crack, the hinge groaning. Derwin gritted his teeth, putting more effort into it. The entire door shuddered, bending.
“What the hell are you doing?” Ed sounded scared. Panicked, even.
Serves him right. Derwin smiled grimly as he switched to his other hand, to give the first one a break. “I told you. I’m ripping the door off.”
His left hand worked it the other way, and the cracks enlarged, little pieces of blue plastic chipping off. Ed’s voice rose another octave. “You’re crazy! I’m coming out! Stop, please!”
Grinning, Derwin took a step back. The door opened, and Ed stepped out, hands behind his head like a good captured fugitive. Derwin pulled the guy’s wrists down, cuffed him, and led him by the arm. “Now was that so hard? I’m blaming you for the damage, you know. You keep pulling this kind of shit, nobody’s going to hire you.”
He led Ed toward the car, satisfied. Only a couple hundred bucks for this one, but each job added up. He had to work extra cases lately to replace the ruined furniture in his condo. Damn that Cole for trying to blow the place up. And the insurance company for being extra slow as well.
It didn’t take long to take Ed to the local police station. The other two skips were easy; one Derwin surprised at a local bar, while the third was actually turned in by his mother, who boxed the guy’s ears and yelled at him in rapid Spanish. Derwin ended the day by picking up Elliot from Bob’s Bail Bonds, along with some take-out food, since neither of them really cooked. One of these days, he’d have to have his mom give him a few pointers.
“Are we stopping by Connie’s to check on her?” Elliot grabbed a french fry from the bag.
Derwin shrugged; all he wanted was to get home, get food in him, and pin Elliot to the mattress. “We can check in the morning if she calls in sick again. Connie’s always been a good employee. I’m sure she’ll let Bob know if something is wrong.”
His partner looked at him doubtfully, but said nothing. As Derwin pulled up to the condo, Elliot asked, “So your day went okay?”
Derwin laughed and leaned over to capture Elliot’s mouth in a brief kiss. “My day was great. And I have a feeling the evening’s going to be even better.”
