Bate

by Jessie Rose Case

  The computer completed its search. “It’s one of ours, bought on our first day open, it was only released two days ago. Our records are private and would require and court order to see them. But, in respect to your business I can tell you the buyer was a Mr K Meddington. Address listed as here. Mr Meddington picked it up in person. Age 54. The youth was not the buyer and he would have had to pass our security to do so anyway.” “Do you have any other proof of that?” Asked club man. Ena smiled coldly, he was starting to piss her off. “Have a warrant?” He bristled at her. Ena gave a little. “So demands and no firepower to back it up. Not the best strategy is it. Let me be clear, this,“ Ena waved her hand, ”is not new to me, I might choose to do business in this manner but I’m no idiot. We keep secure records of all sales, his or her driving licence, address, bank, photo ID, all checked against a very high end data base and CCTV footage. All date and time stamped and on record.”

  “Looks like junior took a trip with his father’s gun.” Club man said to the real boss in this group. Boss man continued to look at her for some time. Ena tried hard to not show her annoyance, she picked up the weapon again and checked it for residue, then broke it down, her eyes never leaving his face. Boss man looked around the salon behind her as she did. His gaze lingering on some weapons and passing over others. Ena waited it out and put the gun pieces down. His gaze eventually coming back to rest on her. “Your business here,” he asked, “is everything you do legit?” “Yes, it is.” She told him honestly. “Your staff cannot be persuaded?” Ena smiled. “No compulsion doesn’t work on us here.” Boss man leaned forward. “Tell me all your secrets.” The compulsion heavy, drugging. Ena held on to her smile, it was a struggle and she thanked her father for the mental workout he had insisted upon. “Nice try.” She told him. Boss man shrugged his shoulders. “Worth a try and now we know.” Cleaver thought Ena. If he wanted to persuade her he’d have to use something else.

  The boss man’s countenance seemed to change. He appeared more relaxed, he crossed his hands over his arms. “So tell me, this has tones of Mr W J but it’s different. How does this work.” He asked her waving his hand at the glass. Ena smiled wider. “Customers come in the door as you did, although only one party at a time. We lock them in. They are secure on their side. It’s private, just the customer and the seller. It is surprising how many people do not wish to discuss their private needs in front of a multitude of strangers. We ask them to join us at the table and listen to their request. If its legal and we have it, it will be taken to a viewing room and locked inside. One of those doors,” she indicated with her hand, “will open and the customer is at liberty to inspect the item. Should he or she, wish to fire it, they come back in here, we provide 5 rounds, only when all 5 rounds are expended do we ask the customer to re-join us here in your side of the reception room and they are locked back into this room until the weapon is recovered and made safe. All walls and doors are re-enforced and blast proof. If they wish to try something else, we go again, if they wish to buy it, paperwork and ID is completed along with payment. 5 Days or more delay on all weapons. We run all ID to ensure none are fake. We don’t sell ammo with the guns. Separate transactions only. Any deviation from the set format and the place is locked down and the cops called in.” Boss man nodded. “And this?” He pointed to the glass. “Bullet prof.” “What’s to stop a gang coming in here and tying to take you?” He asked her. Ena shrugged at them, smiled and leaned forward. “It would take am M320 or higher and the building and contents will likely still hold together long enough for us to defend and the cavalry arrive, other than that, me.” She said with a chilling edge and pressed the security weapons alarm.

  Blane watched as the noise of doors sliding back came to his ears and he looked in the direction of the noise, in all four high corners of the room, automatic guns slid partially forward. They were heat seekers. Arturo’s men surrounded them standing back to back lighting fast taking up defensive positions. One reached up to touch the weapon in the wall with vamp speed and came back down crying out. He’d got fried and held his damaged hand. The smell of burnt flesh was in the air. “That will not be required.” Arturo told her. The woman, Ena, Blane remembered her name from the club, gave a sharp nod and the guns receded and doors closed. “We came in good faith to explore how this weapon got into the wrong hands and to meet an old friend and renew loyalties.” Arturo told her.

  “I have something I wish to show you. May I?” Boss man asked. Ena showed no emotion but nodded once. The boss man turned to his man, “the box from the car.” Ena opened the door for him. He was back very quickly and handed it over to Arturo. Ena re locked the door.

  Blane looked on as Arturo ran his hand along the wooden case. “I would like your opinion.” He told the woman. Arturo opened the box and turned it round for the woman to see. She leaned forward and took in what was being shown to her. It was clear she recognised the box and the contents. “May I see it in person?” She asked. “Of course.” “Please put the box on the shelf in the room of the door marked 1 and come back.” The door unlocked.

  Ena watched one of the staff take the box into room 1 and come back. She secured the door to room 1 and walked over to the adjoining door from her side and opened the security panel. She placed her hand on it and the door disengaged and she walked through and retrieved the box and brought it back to the table on her side having secured the door to her side of the room once more. It was a beautiful high gloss box. A craftsman at his best did this piece of work. Ena sat back down and slowly ran her hand lovingly over the lid. Then slowly opened the box and smiled, it was like being with her father. She looked at the gun resting in the silk cloth. Reaching under her desk she drew on another pair of gloves and lifted the gun to look at it. She gaged its weight, its balance, she held it to one side to mock fire, checked it was clean, the metal work and the adjoining wood. It was beautiful and well cared for. She ran her hands over the signature on the piece. Mr W J. Her father had made this. It was difficult to keep the emotion from her face and eyes. “I asked W J if he would make that for me 30 years ago.” The boss man told her. “He told me I’d have to take my turn and wait.” The boss man smiled. “I was not used to that and he refused to give in. I don’t mind saying I was ….. petulant. It was a master piece of its time and well before its time in many ways. Not that we needed guns but, it was an era we were coming to know and he agreed. It was the first of many transactions.”

  Ena could imagine her father taking pleasure in creating a deadly weapon for an equally deadly creature. “It has been well looked after. Well, you’ve shown me yours,” she gave them a wink, and put it back in the case. “Now, I’ll show you mine.” She got up from her seat and walked over to the wall in the far corner. She pressed a mechanism on the shelving and the whole wall panel slid forward and then back. She walked into the store room and took down a large box and carried it back to the table. It was an equally beautifully made box. Ena put the boss man’s box to one side and turned the lid towards her guests and opened it. Inside, were four guns, all hand made by her father and for her. Two identical pairs with her initials on them as well as her fathers. They were perfection. “They carry two signatures.” The boss man told her leaning forward. “They do.” “I see Mr W J’s mark and M A J. Son?” Boss man asked her probing. Ena waited for a second before answering. How much did he really know about her father and their family? Not sure where that answer would lead. “No, his son died in a battle saving another person 25 years ago. Daughter.” She told him. Recognition lit up several pairs of eyes including boss mans. She held his gaze. He smiled at her. “Welcome to House Arturo, Athena, goddess of war.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  Clearly, he knew a lot. “I do not go by that name and if you knew my father as well as this would suggest, you would know that too.” She told him calmly. Arturo, for that is who the boss man must be, just smiled at her. “Your father named you well Athena we both know why. He wrote to me, asked for permission to set up s
hop here. I willingly gave it but did not hear back. I considered that he was either delayed or had changed his mind. I did not know he was ill. My condolences.” Arturo bowed to her. She sat back in her seat. “He didn’t tell many people. I’d been running the business for some time by then.” Arturo looked across at her. “Gun craft?” He queried. “Making a few by hand like dad did. Specialist. Challenging. I like the less obvious. Dad considered it fun pieces but actually, it pays a lot better.” The boss man nodded. “The last time I saw you, you were around 3 years old. Your mother had recently passed and your father was finishing that piece for me.” Ena thought about that. “You don’t look old enough. I guess, time stops for you guys.” She told him. Arturo nodded at her smiling. “When I was informed that this was W J, I did wonder why he had not contacted me. It’s part of the reason I’m here now.” Ena gave a nod. “I don’t think he thought I’d continue on coming here but it was what he wanted, so here we are.”

  Blane couldn’t take his eyes off her. She handled the guns with ease and didn’t fear them or vamps. He wondered what her life had been like to take such things in her stride. It wasn’t the usual female reactions to guns and vamps. He could see she had an hard exterior when she wanted. Her face told of experience and so did her actions. She was constantly on alert. Her guard never down. She held herself with such control. She watched them all. Nothing seemed to get passed her. He wondered what it would take for that control to slip.

  Arturo stood. “I would like to invite you to my home to meet my wife and people. Say tomorrow around 5pm? Stay for dinner.” He told her. “Thank you. Where do you live?” He smiled down at her across the barrier, “my man will come for you. Goodnight Athena.” He turned for the door, she automatically unlocked it and realised his gun was still on her side of the glass, “wait your gun,” she called out. “Bring it with you tomorrow, I’d also like to see that case you have and anything else you like.” He told her. “Ok, I’ll bring a selection.” “Thank you Athena, I look forward to tomorrow.” Ena watched his men walk out with him then relocked the door taking off her gloves. Wow had that just happened. Dam.

  Arturo got to the car and turned to Blane. “She’s a child of this house, whether she knows it or not, I want day and night guards stationed with her at all times. She’ll fight it.” Blane nodded. “She’s family?” He asked confused. “Her father saved my life once, I’d gone home to see to some business and pick up some new items. It spilled over into my purchase at W Js and he lost his only son in defending me. For a moment in there I had hoped and wondered if he had had another son.” Arturo looked back at the door. “W J never blamed me for that day. The son picked up the weapon to defend as had the father. She’s family. If he knew he was dying, she has no other family, he may have wanted her here protected. She will be.” Blane nodded. “Goddess of war My Lord?” Arturo nodded, “The name her father gave her. There were reasons, he never went into it fully. Make no misteak, she’s lived up to that name. Serious military history, brought up in all martial arts, weapons, designer, strategist, black ops and specialist arms contracts.” Arturo walked back to his car. “She’s a walking army and fire in her blood.” Blane walked away from the boss’s car and spoke with the men. He’d do first watch.

  Ena locked the door behind her visitors leaving and went through her security checks. Closing and securing all cages. They were invisible to the untrained eye but were on electronic control. She put Arturo’s and her cases in the store room and closed the automatic door. A touch of a button and grills came down from the ceiling. No gun was left out. If anyone got in and that was doubtful, they still had to get into this room and then the cages. The alarms would have gone off way before that and doors would have gone on lock down. Ena turned off the lights in the reception room, show room and salon and locked the door behind her. She continued back down the hallway to her office and did her nightly security check on her security screens, ensuring video was recording, checking around the perimeter of her building and the security camera’s in the parking lot. They also had heat seekers.

  She nearly missed it and had to zoom in. Someone was hanging around. Trying to be discrete. Ena zoomed back in and tried another angle, the way he held himself looked familiar. He moved and she caught a glimpse of his face. The club man. Ena clicked the voice com, “would you kindly step out into the open area please, it is kind of Arturo to provide an escort, unless you are freelancing but in any event, in the light please.” Ena watched as Club man moved into the light. Ena checked again and saw no one else. She secured the door with several automatic locking bars. That wasn’t her exit. She watched the surprise on the vamps face. He would have heard it. He started looking up and seemed to remembered there wasn’t another floor. Ena smirked. For a second, he thought she lived over the shop.

  Ena opened the door in her office. It led down to the basement garage, she walked through and secured it. She had had the garage installed when the place was gutted, it ran under all three of the shops in this section, the other two already had an old tunnel under them leading out, all she had to do was link it to hers and have it reinforced, it came out on the other side. No one would associate this building with that exit. Ena got into her car and started it heading out. She wondered how long Mr Club man was going to stand at her back door waiting.

  It took Blane 30 minutes to realise that there was no noise coming from the building and the woman was not sleeping there or coming out that door. She was gone. He couldn’t figure out how but he would. He was royally pissed at himself. He’d have to let Arturo know he’d messed up. Taking his phone out he called Lucy. “My Lord Blane,” she answered. “Hi Luce, need a quick location of the owner of the gun shop. Can you check to see if we have anything that gives a local address, look for something not obvious.” “Sure, I’ll call you back.” Blane paced. Not over yet. Blane called for his car. His man pulled up 8 minutes later. Blane got in the back and poured himself a drink. He’d taken several swallows when his phone pinged. Blane answered it. “Well, we have three addresses to go on. The most obscured was under several layers and the oldest, I’m sending you all three.” Blane grinned. “You’re the best Luce.” He told her. “Yeah yeah remember Christmas bonuses.” She told him and disconnected.

  Blane sent the addresses to his driver. “We will check out the last one first.” he told him. The car moved off. Blane had a sense of excitement he hadn’t felt in a very long time. He was hunting. And by god he liked it.

  Ena parked in her garage and locked down the garage doors once she’d checked the garage and house internal sensors of her security that they had not been disturbed. Getting out, she grabbed her bag and opened the security door to the main house. Entering the main hallway, she reset the grounds sensors. They picked up movement and heat and she checked all the cameras were working. It was a remote system linked to a security company. It goes off, they come running. Ena walked in to her kitchen and kicked off her shoes and stretched her feet. They might look good but she preferred her combats. She filled the coffee pot and opened the fridge taking out her chicken salad and cheesecake. Placing them on plates she laid the table with cutlery and a napkin. The coffee started to perk. She just had time for a quick shower and the coffee would be perfect. She headed up to her room.

  Blane realised that they were headed out of town. They drove for another 10 minutes and he spotted the white picket fence and colonial house in the distance. Blane frowned he knew the house. He didn’t know it had changed hands. It was one of oldest in the area and had had extensive renovations 4 or 5 years ago. It had been sensitively gutted and re-modelled keeping much or fixing the original décor and art work. It had been remarked upon by the local historians. He remembered because some of his team had been involved in the supply of materials. “Pull over, we are not going down the main drive for the moment.” He told his driver. The car pulled over and Blane checked the grounds. He’d seen several sensors sweeping the grounds. Not unusual for a house of this worth. Several securi
ty lights lit up the facade of the house. It was a beauty. “Ok pull up to the main gate, let’s take a look.” His driver continued down the road and pulled around into the gated area, Blane spotted four cameras. Over kill for a normal residence. Blane smiled. He’d found her. He saw the intercom. “Marcus, announce our arrival.”

  Ena had slipped on her robe after her shower and headed back down to the kitchen she was more than ready for her dinner. Taking her dinner from the fridge she took her food over to the kitchen table and filled a cup with coffee. She doctored it with cream and stirred it, picking up the TV remote she clicked it on. She’d catch the news as she loading up her fork, it was tasty and one of her favourite’s, chicken with a light dressing. She was halfway through when the gate buzzer went off. Ena slowly put her fork down. And reached under the table to her Sig whose case was attached to the underside of her table. She wasn’t expecting anyone. Ena got up taking the gun with her and walked back to the hallway, checking the cameras. She saw the car. She pressed the intercom, it would go green their end showing that someone had answered. It was quiet for a moment, then Ena saw the driver get out of the car and open the back door. Club man climbed out. He walked to the camera and gave a very good ‘well’ expression. Ena sighed and turned off the security at the gate and house and buzzed them through. “Come up to the house, I’ll open the door.”