T.D. Fox - City of Loons

This is a work of fiction. References to real people, events, establishments, organizations, or locales are intended only to provide a sense of authenticity and are used fictitiously. All other characters, and all incidents and dialogue are drawn from the authors imagination and are not to be construed as real.

CITY OF LOONS. Copyright 2021 T.D. Fox. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America. For information, address

Acorn Publishing, LLC, 3943 Irvine Blvd. Ste. 218, Irvine, CA 92602

www.acornpublishingllc.com

Interior designed by T.D. Fox

Cover design by Damonza

Anti-Piracy Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of a copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to five years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, including Internet usage, without written permission from the author.

ISBN-13: 978-1-952112-51-5 (hardcover)

ISBN-13: 978-1-952112-50-8 (paperback)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021904709

www.tdfoxbooks.com

PRAISE FOR THE WALLS OF ORION

An exciting debut that will ensnare YA readers and leave them wanting more of this intricate, intriguing world where nothing is quite as it seems. Fans of science fiction, dystopian and superhero fiction will fall in love with this story.

K.A. Fox, USA Today Bestselling Author of The Devils Own and Judas Kiss

Original, dark, and gritty, Foxs debut novel beautifully marries the complexities of forbidden romance and moral gray areas. The pages practically turn themselves.

Jessica Therrien, Bestselling Author of Children of the Gods

A fun, inventive urban fantasy debut with plenty of atmosphere and a swoon-worthy antihero. Kept me turning pages late into the night!

Kat Ross, Bestselling Author of Some Fine Day

T.D. Fox has crafted a gripping and gritty fantasy with the perfect combination of suspense, twists, and self-discovery. The Walls of Orion will have you on the edge of your seat!

Dennis K. Crosby, Bestselling Author of Deaths Legacy

The mystery woven into every scene of this debut is riveting! Fox is a master at building suspense. The Walls of Orion will capture you with its charm, then drag you deep into a world that feels all-too-real. Im so in love with this book!

Danielle Harrington, Bestselling Author of The Diseased Ones

WOW! A debut novel? I would never have guessed. The writing is perfect, the world building beyond imagination with truly exceptional characters. Stand aside, Roth! Fox is in town.

D. Fischer, Bestselling Author of the Heavy Lies the Crown series

To my Friends

Who remind me how lucky I am

To have Loons in my life

CONTENTS

PART I: THE LEAP

1. THE DUGOUT

2. THE RINGMASTER

3. ALLS FAIR

4. ONE OF US

5. THE CHANGE

6. MARGO

7. DEADEYE

8. THE JOB

9. SOFT

10. LOONS

PART II: THE IMPACT

11. PRICE

12. THE FALLOUT

13. VILLAIN

14. NOBODIES

15. TERRIBLE THINGS

16. THE NAME

17. THE COST

18. THE THREAT RESPONSE

19. THE HORIZON

PART I:

THE LEAP

1. THE DUGOUT

T HE MORE MILES THESE ancient tires put between herself and her crumbling Westside apartment, the lighter she felt. Like she was shedding a skin, leaving Courtney Spencer behind. Gone was the disillusioned, med-school-dropout-turned-barista struggling to survive in the shadow of the Wall. Someone else sat in this cracked leather passenger seat of Ws Cadillac. Someone she didnt know yet.

C.

Ws single-letter nickname for her rippled through her head. She chewed on it, rolling it around behind her teeth. If she spoke it aloud for herself, she sounded silly. But when he said it, she felt bigger than just Courtney . She became an enigma: packed full of unseen potential, a dark horse, marked not by a label, the name shed always known, but by her ability to inflict change on the world. The hum of excitement under her skin, coursing through her veins burned fiercer. Dina would understand. Shed have to. If Courtney sat stagnant any longer, shed ignite.

A spark in dry grass.

Her heart thumped, racing ten times faster than her thoughts, so far ahead she hoped her brain never caught up. She didnt want room to think about what she was doing. To think about the chaos rumbling behind her, the face her best friend would make when Dina found out she was running off with a killer. Orion Citys Public Enemy Number One, the man they called the Whistler. The one whod terrified her, challenged her, saved her, and opened the door to a frightening, electrifying unknown.

Jasper would be looking for her. She winced at the thought of her now ex-boyfriend, Detective Wade, combing through the clues shed left behind, putting two and two together with a horrified sense of betrayal. She hadnt meant to hurt anyone. She could only imagine what he thought of her now; maybe she was already lumped in with the criminals, one more shadow in the dark hed been trying to fight since the day he arrived in Orion City. But there was no controlling that. She had only her own next step forward.

And her choice was made.

The minute shed shut the door to her apartment behind her and stepped out into the frigid street, shed known. There was no going back. Once she followed W, shed begin a reckless freefall she couldnt rewind. Consequences blurred together in a funny stream of irrelevant white noise at the back of her mind. All she had seen was the rain-soaked concrete in front of her. Ws even, sure strides clipping away from the tiny corner of Orion City she knew. Away from the Wall, away from Westside, away from everything that was normal. So horribly, wrongly normal.

Adrenaline seared under her skin. After today, normal was a foreign word.

So, of course, she shouldve been prepared when the man walking next to her had suddenly transformed himself into a completely different person.

Courtney had blinked once when Ws six-foot-four frame shrank to something only a few inches taller than herself. An older, unassuming gentleman with dark skin and thinning hair walked beside her. Shed almost laughed. He looked like a sweet older man she might hold the door for at a shop. Nothing like the sharp-edged, imposing man shed grown used to, with his striking pale eyes, dark unkempt hair and hollow cheeks that undercut his youth in a way that unnerved most who held his gaze.