Read Online Tome of Bill (Companion): Shining Fury by Rick Gualtieri - Free Book Online Page A

“Kinky.”
    “Of course I’m wearing...” I sputtered, feeling heat rise to my cheeks. I quickly glanced at Vincent, who’d had the good graces to turn away and pretend he was coughing on dust. “How about you?”
    He turned back to us, all business again. “My crucifix, a blessed rosary ... and this.” He unclipped a walkie talkie from his side.
    I could have whooped in joy.
    “I am definitely sharing my Kit Kats with you,” Kelly said.
    “Have you used it to...”
    “Not yet, Blessed One. I’d suggest we wait to check in, no less than a half hour. That’s standard protocol in situations such as this. If those bedeviled fiends are searching for our allies, it would be wise to not give them away.”
    “Or us,” I added, seeing the wisdom in his words. “All right. Let’s get moving. We should find a place to lay low before someone spots us.”
    Unfortunately, my timing was impeccable for just as I started to walk, a flashlight beam cut through the darkness and shone upon us.
    * * *
    “Who are you?”
    I couldn’t see anything save a dark silhouette behind the beam of light. Thus I had no way of knowing how many there were or whether they were armed. However, that we’d been asked a question as opposed to immediately shot was a considerable improvement over our last encounter.
    I took a slow step to the forefront of our trio. The fear inside of me reared up for a moment before being replaced by the cold certainty of my station. Mine wasn’t the only life at stake here and my power could, at a moment’s notice, protect my allies as surely as it could myself.
    “That’s far enough,” the voice, a male with a distinctly non-Bostonian accent, said.
    “We’re not going to hurt you,” I replied.
    “Considering I’m the one with the Winchester, I should think not.”
    I swallowed hard, imagining the unseen barrel of the gun pointed my way. I got a mental flash of the owner giving one cruel smile before pulling the trigger and sending me into that awful darkness again. Maybe this time there would be no escape.
    “What are yuh doing snooping around back here?” he asked, dragging me back to the present. "Those gunshots, were those you?”
    “We didn’t start it.”
    “Didn’t ask that. I saw the lights. Were they shooting at you, or the other way around?”
    “We’re not criminals,” Kelly said.
    “Missy, the jails are full of people who say the same thing. Or at least they used to be. Not so sure anymore.” The owner of the voice let out a gruff laugh, the light wavering ever so slightly. I considered letting my power flare to life, taking advantage of the momentary distraction and disarming our would-be attacker, but something in his voice made me reconsider. “As for those fuckers, well, they ain’t police ... at least not real police. No familiar faces in the bunch, and I don’t know whose laws they’re following, but it ain’t the law of the land, that I can tell yuh.”
    “There’s something very wrong in this town,” I said carefully.
    “You don’t need to tell me that, girl. I got eyes. So, what’s that all got to do with you anyway?”
    “We’re here to stop it.”
    The flashlight was turned off and more laughter ensued.
    It took my eyes a moment to adjust to not being dazzled, but when they did, I saw an older man with dark skin and a receding patch of white hair on his head standing in front of us, rifle in one hand, but the barrel thankfully pointed at the ground.
    “You’ll excuse me for saying this,” he said at last, getting his laughter under control, “but so far you’re doing a shit job of it.”
     

CHAPTER 13
    “Can I get you anything else?”
    “No, thank you,” Vincent replied, taking a sip from the mug of steaming hot chocolate. “You’ve been far too kind already.”
    “I’ll say,” Kelly added from her spot in an old, but comfortable looking recliner. “This stuff is awesome.”
    “That’s ’cause I use real chocolate,” Jacob, our host,