Jerome - Raising Cain

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of either the author or the publisher.

Raising Cain

Torquere Press Publishers

1380 Rio Rancho Blvd #1319

Rio Rancho, NM 87124

copyright 2014 by Winnie Jerome

Cover illustration by BSClay

Published with permission

www.torquerepress.com

All rights reserved, which includes the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever except as provided by the U.S. Copyright Law. For information address Torquere Press. Inc., 1380 Rio Rancho Blvd #1319, Rio Rancho, NM 87124

First Torquere Press Printing: August 2014

Printed in the USA

Raising Cain

by Winnie Jerome

Blake Feguson rushed back to his place and grabbed his small duffel bag. He could barely contain his excitement; this was the long weekend he had been waiting for all year.

Fantasy Con was one of the biggest gaming conventions around. He was looking forward to spending four days immersed in Pathfinder, GURPs, and hopefully a little Call of Cthulhu or Stalking the Night Fantastic.

He never packed much -- underwear and socks, a few changes of clothing, and whatever toiletries the hotel didnt provide.

What took up the bulk of his trunk space were his gaming mats, books, figurines, his laptop, a printer for his character sheets, board games in case he couldnt find an RPG, and card games for a quick pick-me-up. Oh, and of course, his dice bag.

Once he was sure he had everything, he drove over to Gayles house and knocked on her door. A curvy brunette even shorter than Blake bounded out with a suitcase and wrestled it into his trunk. Oh my God, I am sooo ready to go! I want to show off my new costume!

Well, the cons a good place to wear it. She had a separate garment bag and he helped her hang it up on the back hook. Finding room for the rest of her gaming supplies took a bit of creative packing, but they managed to do it.

Once Gayle was inside Blakes Prius, she plugged her iPod into the stereo and waited for her playlists to come up.

Blake slid into the drivers seat and said, Are you sure your cousin Parker isnt free?

Gayle crinkled her nose. Parkers an attention whore. You really should stay away from him.

Blake sighed. But he gets gaming.

She reached over and patted his arm. Honey, I know its been a while, but hes not a good fit for you. Hes a great actor, but he travels a lot because of his job, and hes too flaky to be boyfriend material.

Fucking a, Im never going to have a relationship.

They were close to the freeway on-ramp, and it looked pretty snarled. Blake stopped talking so that he could concentrate.

Gayle took one look at the backed up traffic and pulled out her smartphone to check on the weather. She didnt say anything until they were traveling down the interstate. Bad news. Theyre going to be spraying this weekend.

Spraying?

Some sort of beetle is destroying the crops in the region. Its not going to be anything gross like Malathion, though. Its some pheromone spray that the city council says is perfectly safe.

Really? Blake raised an eyebrow.

Let me check...Yup, a bunch of sources say its fine.

Thats a relief. The last thing I need is having my car looking like it was coated in spider-demon spew.

Spider-demon spew should be green, not brown, Gayle replied.

Youre so wrong.

Ooo, bring it on, tough guy!

***

The traffic had sucked big time, so Blake heaved a sigh of relief when he saw the towering bulk of the Imperial Hotel. It was a U-shaped building about thirty stories tall, and it boasted an all-night snack bar plus a great pool.

Gayle squealed, Oh my God, were here!

Her jubilation was muted once they reached the parking lot. It looked full; Blake circled around, but he couldnt see any open spots.

Gayle craned her neck and pointed to the left. There! The next row over!

Engaging warp engines, Blake said. He crossed his fingers, but the way his luck rolled, he was pretty sure that it was going to get taken by someone else.

He couldnt believe it when he was within spitting distance of the spot and it was still clear. He was about to take it when an SUV coming in from the wrong direction narrowly cut them off and swung into the space.

Blake slammed on his brakes and honked. Fuck!

A nearby Tesla pulled up beside them and the occupant rolled down the tinted window just enough to expose his face. Blake could see that the newcomer had thick, dark hair; just enough stubble to enhance his rugged, sexy features; and piercing blue eyes. That was not a very charitable thing to do -- these two were here first.

The SUV driver, a greasy looking guy wearing a t-shirt depicting a top-heavy female elf, ungracefully clambered out of his vehicle. Says who? I got in first, so its mine.

The guy in the Tesla slid out of his car and Blake inhaled sharply. Their impromptu knight in shining armor was over six feet tall and he was easily in the Rocks league as far as muscle. His t-shirt looked like the seams were straining, and his jeans clung like they had been molecularly bonded to his skin. The denim accented the best ass Blake had ever seen. You may want to reconsider that argument.

The asshole SUV driver turned pale and said, Um yeah, sure. Sorry, dude. Ill be out of here.

Blake and his rescuer gave the large vehicle enough room to back out, and then Blake was able to park his car. Their mystery man smiled at them and said, It is my pleasure to help you, my lord and lady.

You are so beyond awesome! Gayle said.

Please, no thanks are needed. He eased back into his Tesla and drove away.

Blake had a smile on his face while he helped Gayle unload the car. That was unbelievable, his own knight in shining armor.

There was a huge crowd overwhelming the front desk, and Blake saw that one of the clerks looked dazed. He guessed this was her first con, because every time someone walked by in costume, her eyes bugged out.

After a long wait, they finally checked in and then ran over to registration to pick up their badges. Blake had already pre-registered for a game online, so he bid Gayle goodbye and sped off to the room it was in.

He had never played with this particular Game Master, but the description was awesome: You wake up in a dank cell with five other people. You have no idea who you are or how you got there. You must rebuild the holes in your minds, but will you discover that some things are best forgotten?

Blake didnt recognize any of the other players in the room, but that was usual in a game with pre-generated characters. Most people preferred to write up their own.

The GM was easy to identify because he was wearing a special badge and he had erected a paper board screen on his spot at the table. Hi, Im Steve. Whats your badge number?

2042, Blake said. Steve examined a slip of paper listing six numbers, and checked Blakes off. Blake noticed that there was still one empty chair, located on Steves left.

Before he had time to ponder it more, his white knight from the parking lot walked in. He was wearing a sleeveless leather hauberk, which displayed the rest of his sculpted arms as well as an obscenely well-developed torso covered with a plethora of tattoos.