Smoke and Fire - Book 1 (Epic Urban Fantasy Adventure): The Supernatural Dragon Hunter Files by Craig Halloran

Author:Craig Halloran [Halloran, Craig]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Two-Ten Book Press, Inc.
Published: 2022-07-30T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER

TWENTY-SEVEN

Sid’s brow furrowed. “You never told me about a brother.”

“Can you blame me?” Smoke answered. “Look at the company he keeps.”

Smoke’s brother chuckled. He approached the foursome and ran his fingers through his feathery, tawny locks. He was above average in height and fit but not imposing. His turned-up nose gave him an air of smugness. He wore top-of-the-line European shirts and slacks. His brown shoes were Italian leather. Most distinctive of all were the nickel-plated .45 automatics harnessed to his chest. He opened his arms in Sid’s direction and said, “I’m so glad to finally meet my sister-in-law. I’m Timothy.” He pushed his round wire-rimmed glasses back to the bridge of his nose. “But you can call me Specks. Been wearing the goggles since I was a boy, unlike my brother.”

“I’m not going to hug you,” Sid said as she leaned back on the sofa.

“Too soon, I suppose. No offense taken. Though I was upset that I didn’t get an invitation to the wedding.”

“I thought you were dead. Sad to see you aren’t,” Smoke fired back.

“Oh, that stings, little brother.” He took a tortoiseshell cigarette case out of his pocket, opened it, and lit a black cigarette from a butane lighter. “I hope you don’t mind smoking. So, how are my niece and nephew, Little John and Annie Lynn? What are they? Five and three now?” He blew out smoke and turned his attention to Sid. “Are they staying in Florida with your parents, Sally and Keith?”

“They’re fine,” Sid said. “And they’d better stay that way.”

Specks sauntered through the studio. “Nice place, but I don’t see an espresso machine.” He opened the stainless steel refrigerator. “Still drink the hard stuff, eh, brother. Cola. He put it on his cereal when he was a kid.” He looked back at everyone and smiled. “It’s a joke. It’s okay to laugh. After all, we are family. But don’t let those hands lay near your guns. I’d hate to take action, here or elsewhere.”

“You’ve made your position clear,” Smoke said as he moved to the edge of his seat.

Specks cracked open the cola. “No, I don’t think I have. That’s why I’m here.” He drank and sighed. “Ahh! I don’t think I’ve had one of those in years. Anyway…” He handed the drink to Albazzar. “Is everyone comfy?” He looked at Sam and Guppy’s duct-tape bonds. “You can remove those.”

Yasmina stepped forward and sliced the tape open with her talon-like fingernails.

“Thanks,” Guppy said.

Sam elbowed him.

Sid’s mind raced. She’d known Smoke had family. Sam was allegedly his adopted sister from an orphanage, raised by the same foster parents. She’d met an uncle once. The rest of Smoke’s past had been a well-kept secret.

“No need to keep everyone in suspense. I’ll be happy to tell you what this is all about.” Specks paced the floor. “As all of you are well aware, we had an intruder at Argyl Depot, which is owned by my client, which I think you’ve figured out is Firedrake Corporation. I do security for them.

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