Bate

by Jessie Rose Case

  Continued in Book 4. Evangeline. House Arturo. On sale soon ……

  Bonus Chapter. Alex. House Arturo Book 2.

  CHAPTER ONE

  “Go away.” Luce mumbled as her phone started going off. She pulled her head out from under the covers and reached out to pat the side table where she’d left it. Finding it and picking it up she brought it to her. Her eyes felt grainy. Stretching and squinting her eyes in an effort to see. What was the dam time? Grasping the screen and swiping Luce opened her phone and checked it. Just gone half four. Crickey, she’d just slept half the day away. Luce rubbed her eyes. The dam phone was still pinging. Stretching her eyes wide again in an effort to wake up, a message pinged. Still blurry she pressed the icon for messages and read it. Now she was really confused. Pete wanted to know where she was. Luce sat up. Didn’t he know where she was? Pulling back the cover from around herself, she text him back telling him how she got here and where, here was. He came back moments later with ‘all good’ and a ‘see you tonight’. Luce frowned. She had a moments panic. How did he not know where she was? Wasn’t that a bit weird? Luce leaned back on the head board and took in her room. It was bigger in day light she decided, now wondering, just where the hell here was. She really didn’t know. Time to get up. Throwing the covers off she got out of bed and headed to the bathroom.

  Having done her thing Luce pulled on a robe that was hanging on the back of the door. It was way soft, thick and comfy and fitted perfectly. She went in search of coffee. There was a really nice coffee machine in the corner of the kitchen. It looked fancy, complicated, new. Luce took one look at it and decided instant was safer. She had no clue as to how to use it. Luce checked the cupboards. Only real coffee. Dam it. Luce groaned. She needed coffee. Badly. She also needed food. Luce looked at the cooker and cringed. That was going to take a degree to work. She groaned opening the fridge. It was well stocked, if you liked to cook that is. Luce closed it. Not up to dealing with that.

  Luce looked round the living room and spotted the phone. What did the reception guy tell her to press? 1. Luce picked up the phone and pressed 1. It rang twice and was picked up. “My Lady how can I help you.” Luce was taken back by some unknow guy at the end of the phone and the formality. “Err hi, is there any chance I could get some coffee and breakfast delivered?” “Yes mam. Do you have any preference for breakfast?” He asked her. Luce looked around her. What the hell she thought. “Well bacon, eggs the usual if possible or just a muffin would do.” She told him latterly thinking she had gone way over the top with the bacon and eggs. “I’ll send out for it now. It will be with you shortly.” He told her. “Thank you.” She smiled, putting the receiver down. Ok. Not so shabby. She could live with this.

  Luce went back to the fridge, it was well stocked and had plenty of what she liked. Grabbing some juice she poured a glass. She walked round the living room and gazed out the window, sipping it as she went. Nice view she thought. Top of the building, personal elevator, security, great view, very stylish. She glanced round again, some of those ornaments looked more expensive than her entire clothing. Not sure what this apartment cost but it wasn’t going to be cheap. She needed to check with Pete that she could afford it. It was way better than her dump that was for sure. But that had been all she could afford and it was as safe as anywhere in that price range. She’d made sure it was. She grinned. It felt weird jumping from that to this. Luce looked round again. Pete didn’t say she was in the wrong place so it had to be good right? Old fears crept up on her breaking out in a sweat. She wasn’t that lost child any longer. She had a purpose. She belonged. She wasn’t useless. Damaged. Dead inside. She hadn’t let it win.

  Shower first she thought, decisions were an after-breakfast thing. Dragging herself towards the shower she shook off the negative feelings and took her juice with her. She stopped and picked some clothes from the closet on her way past. Umm she thought, still not happy about her stuff being removed from her old place and put in here without someone asking her. That was embarrassing and annoying crossed her mind again as she entered the bathroom and pulled back the shower screen. Dam, if it was as good as it looked she would be in here till tea time. Grinning she walked to the taps and turned it on to let it run. Returning to the main bathroom area she grabbed her tooth brush and paste and cleaned her teeth. As the room streamed up she stripped and headed into the shower. OMG. Heaven just arrived in bucketful’s of wonderful pounding hot water.

  Luce emerged refreshed and dressed as the door chimed. Luce grinned. She was so ready for coffee and food she practically ran to open it. Pulling the door open she faced three large men. One had a breakfast tray. “Hi. Is that for me?” She asked excitedly. “Yes mam.” The one with the tray told her. Luce leaned forward to take it. “Great thanks I need this.” She told them taking the tray. “ I need to introduce you to the day security mam.” Tray guy told her. Luce looked up. “Ok.” “They are stationed outside the lifts and you go nowhere without them during the day. Do you understand mam.” Luce nodded at tray guy. This was getting way weird. “If I go out they come too.” Tray man nodded. “That’s right mam. If you go out they go with you.” Luce looked at the two guys. ‘Bill and Ben’ sprung to mind. Shrugging she looked at all three of them slightly perturbed. “Ok thank you.” She told them and closed the door. Wow, maybe she was in some danger working for House Arturo after all.

  Two nights ago …

  Luce sat behind Pete and watched as the guy Pete had pointed out to her, Arturo, walked into his office with his wife Regin and another male called Alex. The room was already full. Arturo spoke to them all as he walked in. “Thank you for all coming, I think we need to take this to the dining room where there’s more room. Everyone help themselves to drinks.” Several people nodded and headed to the dining room. People pulled up chairs around a large ornate table. Luce stayed behind Pete. Two people, no not people, vamps were already in the room. A second row of seats were being placed behind the first as her group was entered the room. Pete had introduced to her to them on entering Arturo’s office earlier. Pierre, Gia, Charlee, Val and Pete, took up front seating with her tagging on behind. They joined with who she guessed was some of Arturo’s people. Luce took a seat directly behind Pete and saw two large men bring up the rear. Arturo looked at his people again. “Everyone here has a job in our house or a connection to it. Marcus has gone way out of his way to piss us off and its time he understood that was a misteak.” As he looked around the table, Luce did too, he could see many were in agreement with him. “James, update us on your visit to his compound.” He did giving the same information he had already passed on to Arturo earlier, now they all knew. When James had finished, he turned to Sarah.

  “Sarah, tell us what you found and what happened.” She did. Luce was as shocked as the others around the table, some looked really annoyed and there was out right rage on many faces, by the time Sarah was done. “Pierre, update on tonight please.” Luce noted that nothing got passed Arturo as he continued to scan the faces around the table. To Luce it looked like he was checking that everyone was on the same page. Once Pierre was done he turned to one of the big guys that came in last. “Anything to add Brandan?” Arturo asked him. Brandan nodded. “We have been checking the pass and no one is coming through that way now. Our territory is mainly clear. There’s been the odd incursion but nothing like before. I’d say it had been a success.”

  Luce watched as the people round the table acknowledged the information being shared. Arturo turned to someone else. “John what’s the situation here?” “We’ve pulled in all our people from the outer fringes. We still have a problem with several unauthorised vamp groups in several areas. We’re trying to move them out or if they don’t take gentle persuasion then their dust. We expect the odd one or two during each month but this has been driven. There are around 15 groups all told.” John turned to the vamp that had been introduced to her as Gia. She seemed to confirm the information. And he continued. “Most of them have a low-level le
ader, no power. Aggressive and little control. Those that are killing, we’re ashing but as fast as we do, it seems another group takes their place.” Luce watched as Arturo pierced his lips, he looked pissed. “Well I think we can all guess where they’re coming from or was. Pete, Charlee anything to add?”

  Pete looked at his notes. “Pete can give you the highlights.” Charlee told him. Pete looked up. “We’ve had what we think are day walkers hitting several of the clubs, trying to get in and cause trouble. Charlee’s team and mine have worked together to knock them back. Some of our suppliers have informed that orders that were put through got changed or cancelled. We found out by accident because they called in. So we checked the others and the same thing. We gave them code words for future orders, no code no order and or no change. We also put tabs on their phones in case it happens again we might be able to trace it back but I doubt it as you’d have to be live. We’ve upped security at all points. I brought in a car scanner as well as a body scanner, similar to the airports, you might have noticed it at the front gate. No one comes in without going through one or both. We also checked the house as you requested and there were bugs on your electronics and phones. A lot of them. Some were old, real old. I’d say someone has been interested in your business for some time. We took them out and upgraded the system. You all have new phones. Luce behind me can give you more details on that.”

  Everyone turned to look at her. She knew what they were seeing, a slip of a girl sitting behind Pete. Small and pathetic. She didn’t look up from her lap top but kept typing and doing what she did best as she spoke. “Yeah hi, well, whoever put in this system saw you coming and took the piss, it was shit. It was cheap and nasty and did sod all to protect you, so I’ve changed that. Put in several fire walls, you were so open you were giving it away, I’ve isolated your own network, having put rotating security portals in place, your phones both in house and the mobile numbers given to me are now working from that. It makes it hard for them to be cloned or info stolen. It will self-detect now as well, so if some foreign tech gets in here in any form, that it does not recognise it will alert the system to what and where it is.

  That’s my own creation and will cost you, if you like it and want to keep it. If you’re going to use the net, I suggest you shut down your own server or disconnect from it before you do. That way you won’t get viruses or let others in to steal from you. Don’t use your own internet from your phones, turn them off and use free wifi, clear your data before going back on line to the in-house port. You also need a hard wire upgrade like yesterday. This is serviceable but only just. Again, cheap shit. Whoever did this need’s shooting if you told them the level of security I was. It doesn’t make it on its own. I’ve had to add and patch and botch it. Put in several patches to support it. I don’t like it. It’s not good enough, I don’t like working with crap it makes me look bad and that needs putting right real quick if you actually want this to work.” Luce suddenly realised that there was silence in the room. She slowly looked up and took in the room.

  Lucie Ambrose refused to be cowed. She knew her stuff. She was right and the system was crap and they needed to know it. She could feel the burning eyes from the side of her. She turned her head to look at the person burning a hole in her face. He was another huge male and seriously quite beautiful. He seemed tall. Was blond, long blond hair, not her normal thing at all. He had nice blue eyes if you wanted to get passed the brooding. That was way too intense for Luce. There was nothing simple and easy about that male. In fact, as she swept round the room, they were all big men and unbelievably good looking. Her eyes rested on the female next to the leader. Arturo’s wife. She seemed warm and welcoming. Luce smiled at her. “Are they all this pretty?” She asked her. The leader Arturo laughed along with several others as Luce looked around the room again.

  The female grinned back at her. “Yep they sure are.” “Dam.” Luce told her. Really? There were several more chuckles. “Luce, is it?” Arturo asked her and Luce looked at him. “Yes sir.” “You can have whatever you need to put this right and my permission to do so.” Luce smiled at him. “Great but there will be some disruption you might want to leave the re-wire until your current situation is resolved.” Arturo nodded at her. “Indeed. Anything else you need speak with Pete.” Luce nodded. “Yes sir. I made a number of suggestions to Pete and I’ll be monitoring communications. If I get the job that is.” She turned to Pete. “Did I get the job?” She asked him quite innocently. “O yeah.” He told her. “You got the job babe.” Luce sat back and grinned. There was some growling going on in the direction of Mr Intense. Luce wondered what the hell was that? “Welcome to House Arturo.” The intense guy told her. “Err Thanks …I think.”

  Arturo brought the meeting back together. “Right. I want everyone to work together on ousting our visitor groups. I want them all gone in the next couple of days. We have the main event next Saturday and I don’t want to find we have a force on our doorstep pretending to be idiots fucking about that turns out to be more soldiers for Marcus. So let’s work the problem. Several lieutenants working together with their teams, a co-ordinated attack, let’s go for pockets in the same area at the same time. Pierre interrogate where we can I want info. Pete, I’d like your boys doing day light checks on what could be the nests. They’ll have day walkers so watch yourselves. If it’s possible you’ll have my permission to take um out. But bring back the info first for John to go over with you just in case ok. I want everyone on the streets clearing them. Brandan your boys want in?” Brandan looked up and nodded. “Thought you’d never ask mate.” Arturo smiled. He turned to Alex. “Alex?” Alex struggled to pull his eyes from the girl on the lap top. His instincts had flared when Pete had called her ‘babe’. He didn’t like it. “My people will be here tomorrow. I’m in.” Arturo nodded. “Pierre work with Alex on accommodation for his people. The house in the French quarter might be good.” He told him. Pierre agreed with him. “Right starting now. I want a strategy on getting it done then move out.”

  Luce waited till people started moving out. “I’m sorry but where will I be working.” She asked Pete then turned her gaze to the leader Arturo who was approaching her. “You’ll be working in the house, I’ll set you up an office. Day light or night?” He asked her. Luce thought about that. She kinda liked working the nights. “Night.” She told him smiling. “Maybe we should reconsider having a child in the middle of this Arturo.” Mr intense asked standing right next to her. Personal space much thought Luce. She turned her head coolly and looked about her seeing no child, then she got it and looked back at him really pissed off. Not again. “I don’t know who the fuck your talking about Mr Moody but I’m no child and haven’t been for 6 years so back the fuck off so I can do my dam job. Or I’ll fry your arse.”

  Alex looked at her. So much fire in someone so tiny. “My misteak.” He told her bowing and left the room. Luce turned annoyed with herself. Having watched him leave the room. She looked up at the others still present. “Sorry, I get fed up of people assuming things. I should apologise.” She told them closing her lap top, sighing and rising from her seat. “If you can find him I’m sure he would appreciate it.” Arturo told her. Luce nodded. “Thanks for the job. You won’t regret it. I’m good at what I do. I’ll wait outside Pete.” She told him. Shit. She’d done it again, she seriously needed a muzzle. ……

  Continued in Alex. House Arturo. Book 2. On sale now.

  Bonus Chapter. The Beckoning. A Bataari New World Novel. Book 2.

  The Beckoning (Book 2)

  PRELUDE

  “Hay Alex could I have a moment”. Alex looked up from her desk it was early and normally no one here at this time. “Sure Crystal what’s up?” Crystal had had a hard time growing up. She still at times appeared a little fragile and vulnerable. Her confidence needed reassuring from time to time. She was a beautiful person inside and out. She was petite with flowing blond hair. And her instincts and work were dam good. “It’s a little embarrassing”. Alex
waved her in on a smile and sat back in her chair, indicating she should sit and gave Crystal the time and space she needed.

  Alex waited. “There’s this guy. Err Warrior. He keeps coming around and hangs around the kitchen area quite a bit. You, might have seen him. He’s very attentive. It’s a bit unnerving. I know it’s the Bataari way with females. At first, we all thought it funny but as time goes on, it feels different. It’s not funny at all. And it feels like I can’t go to the bathroom without him popping out a doorway. It’s getting ridiculous and the others have noticed”. Alex studied Crystal. She was clearly upset. A private person who would not like the attention.