THE ISLANDS a sub-tropical urban fantasy novel by Colin Meier Copyright © 2024 All Rights Reserved Don't steal my shit. :) CHAPTER ONE Meaningful coincidences are hard to explain, especially when they are not coincidences at all – but I only learned that later, of course. This is what happened. I was on the beach, shirtless, catching a tan. Well, actually, I was cruising for guys. It was very hot – as usual on our island – and I stopped at the ice-cream concession and ordered a vanilla fudge. I was just walking away when a guy from nowhere tackled me to the ground. I was about to get really angry – something I'm fairly good at – when there was a loud spat sound from the sand where I'd been, and then, about a second later, a sound only made by a long rifle firing a large-caliber round. I have an unfortunate history that involves expertise in lethal weapons, including the maxim that son, the only good weapon is a lethal weapon. There was a cor...