The Immortal Doc Holliday: Omens: (The Immortal Doc Holliday Series Book 7) Read online

  Copyright © M.M. Crumley 2022

  Excerpt from BLOOD STAINED Copyright © M.M. Crumley 2019

  Excerpt from MY BETTER HALF Copyright © M.M. Boulder 2020

  All rights reserved. Published by Lone Ghost Publishing LLC,

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  Lone Ghost Publishing LLC.

  The moral right of the author has been asserted (vigorously).

  No part or parts of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, stored in a retrieval systems, or transmitted in any form or by means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise (including via carrier pigeon),

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  Author: Crumley, M.M.

  Title: THE IMMORTAL DOC HOLLIDAY, OMENS

  ISBN:9798426402386

  Target Audience: Adult

  Also available in this series

  THE IMMORTAL DOC HOLLIDAY: HIDDEN (Book 1)

  THE IMMORTAL DOC HOLLIDAY: COUP D'ÉTAT (Book 2)

  THE IMMORTAL DOC HOLLIDAY: RUTHLESS (Book 3)

  THE IMMORTAL DOC HOLLIDAY: INSTINCT (Book 4)

  THE IMMORTAL DOC HOLLIDAY: ROGUES (Book 5)

  THE IMMORTAL DOC HOLLIDAY: EMPIRE (Book 6)

  Subjects:

  Urban Fantasy/ Horror Comedy

  This is a work of fiction, which means it's made up. Names, characters, peoples, locales, and incidents (stuff that happens in the story) are either gifts of the ether, products of the author's resplendent imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead or dying, businesses or companies in operation or defunct, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Also by M.M. Crumley

  Urban Fantasy

  THE IMMORTAL DOC HOLLIDAY SERIES

  BOOK 1: HIDDEN

  BOOK 2: COUP D'ÉTAT

  BOOK 3: RUTHLESS

  BOOK 4: INSTINCT

  BOOK 5: ROGUES

  BOOK 6: EMPIRE

  BOOK 7: OMENS

  BOOK 8: CHASM

  BOOK 9: FERAL

  THE LEGEND OF ANDREW RUFUS SERIES

  BOOK 1: DARK AWAKENING

  BOOK 2: BONE DEEP

  BOOK 3: BLOOD STAINED

  BOOK 4: BURIAL GROUND

  BOOK 5: DEATH SONG

  BOOK 6: FUNERAL MARCH

  BOOK 7: WARPATH

  Writing as M.M. Boulder

  Psychological Thrillers

  THE LAST DOOR

  MY BETTER HALF

  THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT

  MY ONE AND ONLY

  WE ALL FALL DOWN

  FB

  https://www.loneghostpublishing.com/

  Book 7:

  OMENS

  M.M. Crumley

  For the memory of truth...

  Chapter 1

  Tetrarch Doc Holliday stared at his advisor for a long moment, mind racing. He knew what Simon had said; he just didn't believe it.

  "One more time," Doc urged.

  Simon grunted in exasperation before saying sharply, "The Sons of Solomon have requested a meeting."

  It had finally happened. After all these years. The Sons of Solomon.

  "I have to go!" Doc exclaimed, leaping to his feet and rushing from Simon's office. "Set it up!" he yelled over his shoulder as he dashed towards the exit.

  He bolted through the Hidden out into the norm world, jumped into his car, and sped across town, screeching to a halt in front of his hotel. He ran towards the entrance, tossing his keys to a startled Dulcis employee and ordering her to park his car.

  "Yes, sir," she stuttered.

  "Jervis!" Doc yelled as he burst into the lobby. Several guests turned to stare at him, but he ignored them. "Jervis!"

  "He's not here at the moment," a cheerful voice said from behind him.

  Doc spun around and glared at the rosy-cheeked man who had addressed him. "Who are you?" Doc snapped.

  "Jervis's assistant, Mr. Holliday," the man said with a wide smile. "I'm very pleased to finally meet you."

  "Winslow?" Doc grunted, somewhat taken aback by the man's cheery disposition.

  "Yes, sir," Winslow said with a bobbing nod.

  "Where is Jervis?"

  "I couldn't say," Winslow said thoughtfully. "He said he was taking the next three hours off." He studied his pocket watch and added, "That was exactly one hour and seventeen minutes ago."

  "Very precise, aren't you?" Doc growled.

  "I do try, sir."

  "Go away," Doc ordered, pulling his phone from his pocket and calling Jervis. Jervis didn't answer, so Doc texted him instead, saying, "I need you. NOW!!!!!"

  Doc paced the lobby, completely ignoring the inquiring looks that were cast his way by both employees and patrons. Nothing mattered right now except Jervis.

  After five more minutes, he texted Jervis again. "NOW!!! NOW!!! NOW!!!" He paced another five minutes, impatience boiling inside him when Jervis still didn't respond.

  Finally, Doc did something he had never ever done before; he stepped into the elevator and pushed the secret button for Jervis's suite. It was across from Doc's suite, but completely inaccessible because the hidden button told the elevator to open on the opposite side.

  The elevator slid to a halt, and the well-disguised door opened, revealing a dark hallway. Doc crossed the short hall in three steps and pounded on Jervis's door. "Jervis!" he yelled. "Open up!"

  He kept pounding until the door jerked open, revealing a completely naked and very irritated Jervis.

  "Is there a compelling reason I can't have a few hours to myself?" Jervis growled.

  "It's time!" Doc exclaimed, excitement vibrating through him. "Goddamn, Jervis. It's finally time!"

  The anger faded from Jervis's eyes, replaced with a hard glint. "Give me a minute," he said, closing his door in Doc's face.

  Doc paced the narrow hallway, hands fisting as he turned in tight circles; and he grinned when Jervis's door opened once more and Jervis stepped out, Sami right behind him.

  Sami glared at Doc, and he winked at her. "Sorry, love. Important investment opportunity just popped up, and I'm at an absolute loss without Jervis."

  "Uh-huh," she muttered.

  He smiled brightly at her as he followed them into the elevator.

  "Besides," Doc drawled, "by my count it's been one hour and twenty-seven minutes. Surely you were already finished with round one?" Jervis growled menacingly, and Doc swallowed a chuckle.

  No one spoke during the awkward elevator ride down, and Sami exited at the lobby, not even glancing backwards. As soon as the door closed behind her, Jervis pressed the button for the sub-subbasement.

  He and Doc still didn't speak, not until they were inside the room and the huge metal door was closed behind them, sealing them in.

  Jervis turned from the thick door and studied Doc's face. "Are you sure?" he questioned sternly.

  "I'm sure," Doc replied with a wide grin. "They requested a meeting."

  "The Sons of Solomon?"

  "Yes."

  They stared at each other for a moment, then Jervis's lips turned upward, revealing several of his teeth. "It's about goddamn time," he said.

  Doc returned Jervis's feral grin, excitement making him a little giddy.

  "You'll have to remember yourself," Jervis chided. "You look like an imp about to sneak into a lady's bedchamber."

  Doc laughed and said, "I can't help it. It's been over fifty years since we've had a lead, and I was beginning to think they'd never show."

>   "Patience is a virtue," Jervis said.

  "If you're immortal," Doc grunted.

  "We need a plan," Jervis reminded him.

  "We have one," Doc retorted. "Bring them to their knees, cut off their legs, then work our way up the rest of the body."

  Jervis laughed abruptly before saying, "I think you missed a few steps."

  "You get the gist," Doc chuckled.

  "How did they contact you?" Jervis asked, sitting down at the chess table.

  "They didn't," Doc said. "They contacted Simon and asked for a meeting."

  "That's even better," Jervis mused. "They want to meet with the new tetrarch. When is the meeting?"

  Doc cleared his throat. "I'm afraid I may have let my poker face slip slightly. Just for a moment there, but it shouldn't be a problem; it was only Simon."

  Jervis glared at him. "Only Simon?" he mocked. "Simon can't be trusted."

  "True," Doc acknowledged. "But that doesn't mean he's not trustworthy."

  "This is not the time to test his trustworthiness."

  "I know that," Doc muttered. "I just... Goddamn, Jervis. I was caught off-guard. It won't happen again."

  "It had better not," Jervis scolded. "If we screw this up, we may never get another chance."

  "I know," Doc grumbled. "Now can we get on with it? I'm sick of being taken to task."

  "There's really not much we can do yet," Jervis replied with a shrug. "Not until we know when the meeting is. You need to tread carefully," Jervis warned. "You've a hundred and some years under your belt, but the Sons of Solomon have been around for over four thousand years. They may not be immortal, but their network and vast amount of knowledge more than make up for that."

  Doc studied the chess pieces on the board in front of him. "Everyone we dealt with before was just a pawn," he said. "Are you certain none of them besides Solomon are immortal?"

  "Of course not," Jervis said. "But they can't all be immortal; there's just not that many of us. Furthermore, I feel like it would reduce Solomon's power if he surrounded himself with other immortals. It makes more sense he'd chose mortals who know nothing of immortality and use their ignorance to control them."

  Jervis shrugged minutely and added, "But I can't possibly know Solomon's mind; no one can. The only real hope we have of finishing them is to infiltrate and strike from within.

  "We have to take down the king," Jervis murmured, hand hovering over the white king. "But to do that, we first have to make our way through all the other pieces."

  The excitement rushing through Doc began to fade, replaced with a feeling of enormity. This wasn't going to be easy or quick. He couldn't just bust down the doors and start killing people. He was going to have to be patient, and he was going to have to be all the things he wasn't. A good politician, a smooth talker, diplomatic.

  He sighed heavily and flicked over one of the pawns. "It's a long con," he muttered.

  "Precisely," Jervis replied.

  They gazed at the board in silence. There was nothing else to be said.

  "I'm sorry I interrupted you," Doc offered after a few moments.

  "For anything else I might have maimed you," Jervis stated evenly.

  Doc studied Jervis's angular face. "It's been a while now," Doc said softly. "You haven't forgotten that Sami's mortal, have you?"

  "No," Jervis said, holding Doc's gaze.

  Doc wanted to leave it at that; it was none of his business what Sami and Jervis did. But this was Jervis. He was an impenetrable fortress. The problem with that was once someone was on the inside, there was no way back out.

  "Does she know?" Doc asked gently.

  Jervis absently moved his queen and said, "She knows it's only temporary. I obviously didn't tell her more than that. She can't be trusted either."

  "No one can be trusted," Doc agreed solemnly. "You and I are the only ones who could withstand the torture. Not that it will ever come to that," he added. "This time we're going to finish it."

  "There's a slight chance they'll know about your past involvement," Jervis said.

  "I doubt that. If they did, they would've tried to kill me years ago. Furthermore, I always used an alias, you know that. Further-furthermore, I killed everyone who saw me."

  "You think," Jervis pointed out.

  "Even if I didn't, it's been over fifty years since I've rubbed shoulders with them. If we're truly dealing with mortals, anyone who might have seen me is probably languishing in a retirement home by now."

  "Perhaps," Jervis agreed.

  Doc shrugged and said, "And anyway, we were talking about Sami."

  "There's nothing to talk about," Jervis said.

  "Be careful," Doc warned. "I've been down this road before. You were there."

  "I know." Jervis closed his eyes for a moment before saying once more, "I know."

  Once Doc was back in his suite, he closed himself inside the shower to call Simon. He didn't trust anyone right now. Not even Thaddeus.

  "Yes?" Simon answered.

  "I just wanted to apologize for rushing out," Doc said evenly. "I suddenly realized I was late for a meeting with..." Doc chuckled softly. "Well, she was blond."

  "Blond?" Simon repeated, voice disbelieving.

  "I just barely made it," Doc added.

  "Really," Simon stated flatly.

  "I really am sorry," Doc said. "But she was worth it. Luscious... Anyway," Doc murmured. "You were asking about a meeting. The Sons of Solomon you said?"

  "Yes."

  "I probably should've asked who the hell they are," Doc said lightly. "Some kind of Hidden council?"

  "No."

  "I'd like to know a bit about them before I meet with them," Doc said. "Did they say what the meeting is in regards to?"

  Simon didn't immediately respond, and Doc imagined he was working hard to try to figure out Doc's angle.

  "I'll send you over a dossier," Simon eventually said. "Suffice to say they are a very powerful organization that I highly suggest you go out of your way not to cross."

  "Why would I cross them?" Doc asked cheerfully.

  "Why do you cross anyone?" Simon growled.

  "Usually..." Doc grinned as he said, "Because I can."

  "Exactly."

  "I'll be good," Doc laughed before disconnecting.

  He stepped out into his bedroom, grin still tugging at his lips. If only Simon knew.

  Over the years Doc and Jervis had managed to track down more than three hundred members of the Sons, but they had never been able to trace the members back to Solomon. For the first time in over a hundred years they had a real chance to end this.

  It might seem pointless to an outsider, to someone who had never seen the footprints of the Sons. The men who had slaughtered Jervis's family were long gone, dead and buried. There seemed little point in revenge. But it wasn't about revenge. Not really. It was about removing the Sons of Solomon from the face of the earth.

  Doc's bedroom shifted as he faded into a memory.

  "The count was behind your capture," Doc pointed out as he ate the soup Jervis had forced on him, as if soup could somehow replace the blood Jervis had taken from him. "I say we pay him a visit. I'm fine, by the way," he added. "If you'd just let me go kill someone, preferably the count, I'd be right as rain."

  "There's no point in killing the count," Jervis said flatly. "He's just one of thousands."

  "Thousands?" Doc questioned.

  "Thousands."

  Doc started to argue, but decided against it. In his experience, secret societies were always eagerly recruiting.

  He stretched leisurely and walked to the small hut's door. He was ready to be out of here. And, in spite of Jervis's soup, he was feeling a little weary. He needed to kill someone soon, and there wasn't any reason why it shouldn't be the count and his men. After all, if it weren't for them, he wouldn't be mouldering inside this tiny hut. And they had tried to kill Jervis which was an insult Doc couldn't let pass.

  "But if we kill ten here and ten there,
we'll eventually make a dent, won't we?" Doc insisted.

  Jervis sighed heavily. "It's not like your Freemasons," he said dismissively. "The Sons of Solomon go back thousands of years, and over the ages their power has increased exponentially." He paused then said, "They were founded on a single principle; the collection of knowledge."

  "That sounds incredibly benign," Doc pointed out.

  "Perhaps it seems benign," Jervis said. "But they say knowledge is power."

  Doc laughed. "Power is power. There's no such thing as knowledge, not really."

  Jervis turned to study him. "Do you really believe that?"

  "Modern man is all about knowledge," Doc scoffed. "They build their buildings and fill them with books written by men who have never stepped a single foot into reality. They build their ships, cross the oceans, and say they've discovered all there is to be discovered. They build their automobiles and drive around like they own the world, but everything they should know is lost. They know nothing about themselves. Not where they came from or where they go or how to heal something as simple and stupid as tuberculosis."

  Doc shrugged as he looked out into the green forest. "And they make up story after story to fill all the gaps, to cover up how much they really don't know."

  For a moment all he could see was Señora Teodora's face, shining in the moonlight.

  "I once knew a woman who could heal tuberculosis," Doc murmured. "Your learned men would call her a witch. And I know a man who can somehow rip a source of power out of himself and form it into weapons. Your learned men would lock him inside an asylum and cut him to pieces, and they still wouldn't be able to tell you how he accomplished it." Doc chuckled softly and added, "If they could manage to capture him; which they couldn't."

  "They are not my learned men," Jervis said stiffly.

  "Then you see my point," Doc replied.

  Jervis made a strange noise before asking, "Which point is that exactly?"

  "That we should kill them."

  "It won't change anything," Jervis argued.

  "But you'll feel better. Killing bad people always makes me feel better."

  Jervis snorted. "That makes no sense, but I yield."

  The memory faded, and Doc laughed lightly. They'd both been right that day. Killing the count and all his men had made them both feel significantly better, but it hadn't changed anything. They hadn't made a dent in the Sons; and they certainly hadn't touched Solomon.