The Demise of Foxy Jack (Adventures of the X Pirates Book 1) by Edward Medina

thieving.
    Most of the crew was already starting to take on their roles as physicians from the Crown with a warning. The rest would be arriving shortly with a solution and a price. The con was so large that shills were required. Accomplices would have to be brought in to play plague survivors with nothing but truth and positivity for the event and the cure in order to manipulate the target. In this case the mark was Count Emile de Champagne.
    Archie had done the foundation work he was famous for on Champagne and all its residents. The city itself rose up from nowhere. Located not far from the capital of Largess on what was considered to be a massive tract of untamable swampland architect, Emile de Champagne began to build his city. This gifted and bold fox wanted to create a place that would be a modern sister city to the old world design of Largess. He wanted to build a bright shining capital for a new and growing Empire.
    Emile proceeded with the blessings of the Crown and Champagne began to grow. So beautiful and dramatic were his designs of glass and steel that a who’s who of creatures vied to become residents. The demand became so great that prices surged and Champagne began to become occupied by only those who could afford its allure. Construction and expansion became the city’s economic sustenance and Champagne continued to grow and gain wealth.
    The Royal House of Catamount was impressed, and Queen Anastasia conferred upon Emile the honorary title of Count for special services rendered to the Crown and the Empire. A widowed father who never remarried, he asked that the title of Countess be given to his only child. The Countess Aimee de Champagne was considered to be the most beautiful creature in all of Champagne and Archie fell in love with her the moment they first met. And she fell in love with him.
    In order for the con to work the Count had to believe his city was in danger, that the Crown was offering its assistance, and that money was part of the solution. The Actor took on the lead role of Anthony Christopher, the Medical Adviser to the Queen. He was young for the part, but the script characterized him as young and daring, with new ideas. Traits that Count Emile would understand and gravitate towards. The Actor was also to be flirtatious and even seduce the Count’s daughter if necessary in order to win the charms of the family.
    Anthony and Aimee spent a great deal of time together. She was proud of her father’s accomplishments and the city he built. She enjoyed touring Anthony through the vast city and he in turn relished every moment spent with her. Their flirtation began subtly but quickly. They shared many of the same interests and a rousing sense of humor. The laughter and the attraction was difficult for either one to resist.
    The Actor as Anthony was welcomed into the family de Champagne. It felt good for the fox to be in a family of foxes. He began to remember how much he had given up to live a unique life. As he shared talks and meals and gatherings with them, his heart grew heavy. The fox enjoyed being with them but as they drew him closer, he began to feel more separate and apart. Even among his own kind he still didn’t feel as if he fit in.
    Then came the night Aimee and Anthony spoke of love. It couldn’t be helped. It was a force between them. They admitted their feelings for one another. They admitted to an ache and a longing when they were apart. They had become each other’s beloved companions. They kissed for the first time. It was a small sweet and gentle meeting of their lips, but the wave of loving energy that passed between them made it remarkable. They both parted that night of one mind for the present but with separate thoughts for the future.
    Archie thought the Countess deserved so much better than a vagabond fox with no hopes and no future but a life of lies and deception. She would never understand or forgive his past. She would never be able to see past that and into a