Hex Boys In Disguise Read online

  Hex Boys in Disguise

  by

  A&E Kirk

  Additional Book by

  A&E Kirk

  Divinicus Nex Chronicles

  Demons at Deadnight

  Drop Dead Demons

  Demons in Disguise

  Interview with a Hex Boy

  Hex Boys in Disguise

  Paranormal Poisons Saga

  Midnight Poison

  Copyright © 2019 by A&E Kirk

  ISBN: 978-1-946285-18-8

  Book Layout by Cheryl Perez: yourepublished.com

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by an electronic or mechanical means, or the facilitation thereof, including storage and retrieval systems, without prior written permission from the author, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.

  This is a work of fiction. Any similarities between the characters, places or events that take place in this book are strictly coincidental.

  Visit us online at: www.aekirk.com

  Dedication:

  This book is dedicated to everyone who missed the Hex Boys in DEMONS IN DISGUISE. We heard the complaints.

  Here you go, so please don't hurt us

  Author’s Note:

  Dear Lover of the Hex Boys,

  We call HEX BOYS IN DISGUISE a companion novel, but it won't read like a regular novel. It is a collection of the Hex Boys' Mission Reports chronicling their shenanigans when they were separated from Aurora. (Not that Matthias minded.) Speaking of Matthias, he didn't want to name the Missions, but was outvoted, much to Blake's delight. So sit back, relax, and have a few laughs (at the Hex Boys expense), because the Boys are back in town!

  XOXO

  A & E

  OPERATION:

  Divinicus Stalkers Protection Detail

  LOCATION:

  Gossamer Falls Country Club

  The country club’s outdoor lamps flickered, the light giving a candlelight glow. The dark navy night blanketed the world beyond the floor-to-ceiling glass windows. Inside the gym, the crisp fluorescent lighting hummed and fans whirred.

  Blake rested on his back on the bench press. He had his earbuds in, music low so he could hear the bustle of activity. He’d cracked the windows in order to let in the murmur of diners and clinking of dishes from the restaurant across the lawn. It was a battle of the bands between the crickets chirping in the bushes and classical music resonating from the speakers in the restaurant.

  Sweat glistened his skin and caused his T-shirt to cling tight to his torso. Biceps bulging, his muscles burned as he pushed the heavily weighted bar high above his chest again and again. He had lost count and decided to keep pumping until he could no longer raise the bar. Then he’d use his powers to lift the barbell to the rack. There wasn’t anyone around to see. He was well on his way to shutting down the gym. Again.

  Which is why he registered surprise when he sensed the vibration of approaching footsteps in the floor. One adult. One child.

  Blake paused and glanced at the door. It swung open.

  “No Jayden.” Logan stopped short at the sight of Blake.

  “But it would facilitate tracking.” Jayden bumped into Logan’s back. Jayden frowned, then saw Blake, and stiffened. “What are you doing here?”

  “Looking for a workout buddy.” Blake racked the barbell and sat up. “You two are just in time. Awesome!”

  Logan dropped the grocery bag in his hand and kicked it behind a stationary bike. Jayden sidestepped in front of Logan to hide the action.

  “Actually, we just paused our evening’s normal activities in order to find Logan’s keys.” Jayden said. “Which he uncharacteristically misplaced.”

  Logan nodded and started wandering the room, kneeling low, lifting weights out of the way.

  Blake took in their tight smiles, the tension in their posture, and nervous energy radiating from them both. He jumped to his feet and exclaimed, “You’re doing a secret mission without me!”

  “Don’t be preposterous.” Jayden smiled. “We’re bat-watching. Which is a similar endeavor to bird-watching. Utterly normal.”

  Blake relaxed. “Oh. Cool. I’m in.”

  “Ahhhh.” Jayden cleared his throat. “You can’t. Because…” He tucked his sleek black hair behind his ear and looked at Logan for help.

  Logan smoothed his tie and sighed. “You’re right. It’s a secret mission.”

  “I knew it!” Blake punched an index finger at them.

  Jayden groaned. “We agreed not to communicate our covert agenda to Blake because clandestine is not his strong suit.”

  “You’re right,” Blake said. “My strongest suit is the navy pinstripe I got from Uncle Reece. Do I need to wear it for this mission?”

  Ignoring them both, Logan grabbed the grocery bag from hiding and dimmed the lights. Jayden pursed his lips, then stomped to the window and looked through a pair of binoculars.

  Behind them, Blake danced with enthusiasm. “What is it? What is it?”

  “Invisible protection detail.” Logan balanced on a large, green yoga ball. “It’s extremely important our targets don’t know we’re guarding them.”

  “Who are we guarding?” Blake asked.

  Jayden handed him the binoculars and pointed. Blake held them to his eyes and, across the lawn, the country club restaurant enlarged to life. It took Blake two seconds to zero in on Aurora and her little black dress. As they followed the host holding menus, Ayden took Aurora’s hand and led her across the restaurant. Ayden smiled and whispered in her ear. Aurora giggled.

  “Now I know why you didn’t want to invite me,” Blake grinned. “But it’s okay guys. Babe isn’t cheating on me. We’re in an openface relationship.”

  Logan snorted.

  Jayden snatched the binoculars back.

  “Corner booth?” Logan asked.

  “Exactly as I suggested,” Jayden said with approval. “In close proximity to the exits and offering a clear view of the restaurant.”

  “Is babe in trouble?”

  “No,” Logan said.

  “She’s always in danger!” Jayden huffed. “And she’ll have her guard down tonight, be vulnerable in those ridiculous heels, and she is only attended to by one protector who also has his guard down. It’s an opportune time for the enemy to attack!”

  “Didn’t you say the same thing when they went to the movies?” Blake said.

  “And she still refuses to listen to me which is why we should—”

  “We’re not tagging Aurora like some sort of animal,” Logan said.

  “How is it any different from tracking her cell phone?” Jayden squinted into the binoculars.

  “We’re not implanting a chip under her skin without her consent.”

  “We’re tracking her phone without her consent.”

  “Ayden’s phone.”

  “How is that different?!”

  “Three peeping Toms in the dark discussing stalking,” came a dry voice behind them.

  The three Boys whirled.

  Tristan frowned. “This is why people think we’re criminals.”

  “You invited him but not me?!” Blake said.

  “He can keep a secret,” Logan said.

  “And watch the security feeds,” Jayden added.

  Tristan glanced around. “I was promised cookies.”

  Logan kicked the grocery bag toward him. Tristan smiled, sat down with his back against the window, and pulled a computer tablet from his backpack.

  “Oh my God!” Jayden said.

  Logan stood. “What?”

  “Ayden’s leaving!”

  “He dumped Aurora?” Blake rubbed his chi
n. “Interesting.”

  Logan rolled his eyes. “He’s using the restroom.”

  “He left her all alone!” Jayden said. “Unguarded!”

  “Babe can take care of herself.” Blake plopped down and opened the grocery bag.

  Tristan studied the tablet screen. “What am I looking for?”

  “Suspicious activity,” Jayden told him.

  “What has you so convinced that something is going down tonight?” Tristan asked.

  “It’s not just this night. It’s every night!”

  “Here we go.” Logan rolled his eyes and flopped back on the yoga ball.

  “There have been eleven assassination attempts since she arrived here,” Jayden began. “That doesn’t even include the very near prior attempt by her ‘friends’ that put her in a coma. She’s been dropped in a hell dimension four times. She’s hunted by both friend and foe. All facts point to Cacciatori, the one person who’s supposed to protect her above all else, but also wants to murder her. And what is the sole savior of the Mandatum doing? Eating out in public completely unarmed!”

  “I’m definitely in charge of stakeout snacks next time. Celery? Gross.” Blake chucked the greens over his shoulder.

  Jayden blew out a breath and lowered the binoculars. “Am I the only one taking this seriously?”

  “Aha!” Blake plucked out a cookie.

  Tristan stole the cookie and munched on it as he pulled up the country club’s security feeds. Blake scooched closer and peered at the screen as well. Guests blissfully dined. Bingo lovers laughed in one of the conference rooms. Kids ran amuck in the childcare center. The bar was swinging wild with Country Night. The valets stayed busy with the steady ebb and flow of guests. A mind-numbing, routine night.

  “Soooo, there’s been no threats, no signs of any imminent danger tonight?” Tristan said.

  “No.” Jayden scrutinized the screen.

  Tristan’s fingers slowed to a stop on the keyboard as he gave Jayden a suspicious look. “Jayden, do you follow Aurora anytime she leaves her house without us?”

  “Of course not.” Jayden resumed peering through the binoculars. “Sometimes Logan does it.”

  Logan fell off the yoga ball. Tristan glared at the little guy.

  “Dude,” Blake admonished.

  “Okay, that’s it.” Tristan said. “I’m telling Matthias you both need to take that ethics course again.”

  “But I made you cookies!” Jayden protested.

  “Aurora’s gone,” Logan said.

  “What?!”

  The other Hex Boys whirled back to the windows. And found the corner booth empty.

  “Tristan!”

  “Hold on, hold on.” Tristan clicked through different camera angles. “Got her. She’s outside the childcare center.”

  “Talking to another serious babe.” Blake snatched the tablet to get a better look.

  “That’s their waitress,” Logan said.

  “She must have just moved here because I would remember if this place had someone that hot working here.” Blake glanced over his shoulder through the window to the restaurant. “I think I’ll go get a few snacks and chat her up.”

  “Absolutely not,” Jayden said.

  “Yeah, no.” Logan shook his head. “You’ll blow our cover.”

  “And everyone will know how creepy we are,” Tristan added.

  “Dudes.” Blake shoved the tablet in their faces. “She’s clearly soulmate material! How can you not see that?”

  On screen, the lovely waitress stepped toward Aurora with a smile and offered her hand. Aurora jumped back and thrust a hand forward releasing a short burst of white-hot light.

  The waitress stumbled back a step, shock flooding her delicate features as she fluttered a hand to her stomach. Smoke curled from the charred, gaping hole in her belly. She collapsed face down on the floor.

  The tablet slipped from Blake’s fingers and clattered to the ground. Tristan wheezed panicked breaths. The Boys gaped at the screen lying on the floor.

  After a moment, time unfroze and the Boys snatched up their things and sprinted from the gym, almost running into walls and people because they kept glancing back at the tablet in Tristan’s shaking hands.

  “Did babe just murder someone?”

  “Shh! Not so loud!”

  “Walk, walk! Running renders our actions suspicious!”

  “Clearly, she lost control of her powers.”

  “She’s probably terrified.”

  On screen, Aurora stomped forward and kicked the petite woman’s body.

  “I don’t believe ‘terrified’ is the correct adjective here.”

  “How thorough was our background check on Aurora?”

  “You’re the one who did it!”

  The screen suddenly went black. The Boys stumbled to a stop.

  “What did you do?!”

  “I wasn’t touching it!” Tristan frantically tapped his tablet. “It’s just childcare that went dark. I can’t see.”

  Logan squinted at the screen and pointed to a different camera angle. “It’s Matthias blacking out the camera.”

  Matthias emerged from a hallway inked in shadows, ushering children out. But no Aurora. She remained somewhere in the darkness.

  “Is he kidnapping her again?” Blake gasped.

  “And we missed it again?” Tristan dropped his face in his hands. “We are the worst bodyguards ever.”

  “If you would all stop panicking for a moment.” Jayden jabbed a finger at the tablet. “You can see all is fine! Where are you going?” Jayden caught Logan by the back of his blazer.

  “She still needs our help.” Logan tried to twist away.

  “You mean she still needs accessories to murder,” Tristan shrilled.

  “Dude,” Blake said. “Babe must have a good reason.”

  “Matthias is aiding her,” Jayden said. “Our arrival would alert Aurora to our protection detail, and she could possibly try to hide her movements from us in the future, putting herself at greater risk. We should not go to her aid. Besides, Ayden would be unreasonably furious.”

  Alarms screeched. Red lights flashed.

  Logan leveled Jayden a hard look.

  Jayden gritted his teeth. “This changes nothing.” Then his cell phone rang. Apprehension wrinkled his brow as he answered. “Hello?”

  “Need all of you at the country club!” Ayden said in a panicked voice. “Aurora’s missing!”

  “We will be there posthaste,” Jayden said.

  “Is that—? Are those fire alarms? Are you here?!” Ayden snapped.

  Jayden cleared his throat. “This clearly demonstrates justification for following—”

  Tristan snatched the phone. “No, that’s video games. We’re all hanging out at my house. Definitely not spying on you. Logan, pause the game! Be there soon Ayden. Bye!” He hung up and caught Logan and Blake’s disapproving stares. “What?”

  “From now on, I’m in charge of lying,” Logan said.

  Tristan shrugged. “That’s fair.”

  “Let’s go!” Blake jumped into action.

  “Wait!” Tristan said.

  Logan flicked a wrist and a gust of wind staggered Blake a few steps backwards. “We need to wait a few minutes so it doesn’t look like we were already here following them.”

  “We’re just going to sit here while babe’s out there in trouble?!” Blake shouted. “Possibly suffering a psychedelic break and killing other babes?”

  “We must remain calm if we are best to help Aurora,” Jayden said in a patient tone.

  “Exactly right,” Tristan nodded.

  Then he shrieked, dropped the tablet, and sprinted down the hall.

  Logan stared after him. “What about waiting?”

  Tristan screamed over his shoulder, “The valet is strangling Aurora!”

  The Boys looked at each other.

  Then they ran.

  O
PERATION:

  Call Him or We’re Grounded. Again.

  LOCATION:

  Gossamer Falls Country Club Lobby

  Tristan hovered nervously at the back of the lobby, both hands over his ears. The large crowd’s steady murmur of worried conversation droned just below the shrill of the alarms and flashing lights. Parents rushed to get crying children outside, away from the noise. Staff efficiently directed people out of the building, apologizing and assuring frightened guests that they had things under control. They didn’t.

  Most customers simply wanted to leave. Those who had not self-parked lined up outside and waited for a valet to help them.

  Anxiety fluttered in the air, but Tristan considered it tame compared to the Hex Boys’ usual calamities. As the crowd’s irritation escalated to high levels, Tristan used it to amplify the people’s desire to leave. He didn’t need to do much. Just a little push in the direction the folks had already decided they wanted to go.

  Someone bumped Tristan as they dashed into the lobby. A valet. Tristan did a double take. The valet limped hastily through the crowd, his uniform sporting scorch marks, burned edges, and a torn, bloody hole in his thigh.

  Tristan could not believe his good luck as he reached to ensnare the valet’s mind and cast a simple suggestion. Hide in the maintenance closet nearby until the Mandatum hunters left. The valet would feel compelled to obey, and Tristan would wait outside the closet for the rest of his team to arrive.

  Tristan grinned, proud he would be the one to catch the assassin.

  But the illusion never penetrated. The valet’s mind had a strong shield, and the man slipped closer to the exit. After a stunned moment, Tristan pushed through the crowd in pursuit.

  Someone caught his arm and yanked him short.

  “Have you seen Ayden?” Matthias said.

  “No. But the guy who attacked Aurora—”

  “Is a demon.”

  “Possession?”

  “She says no, but I’m not sure what’s going on.” Matthias scanned the crowd. “She tracked the demons and now we’re after them. But Ayden ran off without me.”