Eddie Lancaster Box Set 2, page 2
part #4 of Eddie Lancaster Series
Chapter Two
I didn’t tell Ashley about the scene Richards had treated me to. I didn’t want to upset her. She knew all about the vampire situation and even agreed that it was not our fight, but that didn’t stop her from feeling bad about not intervening. I knew it wouldn’t take much to tug on her heartstrings and change her mind. She was too good a person.
She parked the car and we walked over to the block of flats which stood in front of a large spacious park. ‘That’s nice,’ said Ashley. ‘We can come and have picnics here in the summer.’
I looked at her like she was mad. Frankly, I thought she was. I think the same about everyone else who likes picnics too. I don’t see how people can enjoy eating their food on the floor with a load of bugs and whatnot. I prefer eating at a table. ‘You can,’ I replied.
‘Don’t be such a bore,’ she said and headed for the building.
Molly was waiting outside. Molly was the letting agent who we’d come to know fairly well over the last few weeks. She’d arranged several property viewings for us, but we were just so picky. I do like to have everything just right. Ashley wasn’t so bothered, and she actually wanted to go for the first one we viewed. The problem was it was damp, cramped and full of mice. She hadn’t noticed any of that, though. Living with her parents her whole life meant she doesn’t really know what to look for in a flat.
‘Hello, hello,’ Molly said with forced cheer. I think she was getting tired of us. ‘I think we are on to a winner with this one.’
‘I hope so,’ said Ashley, rubbing her hands together.
‘We’ll see,’ I said and they both scowled at me. ‘What?’ I said, full of innocence.
The flat was right the way at the top of the block which would be a turn off for most people. Not me. It was kind of like an old wizard’s tower which appealed to me. It also meant I could make more noise because sound travels up. On the downside, it meant that everyone else’s noise would come up to us. A bit of magic would sort that.
‘Wow,’ Ashley said as we walked in. Wow was right. The place was huge. The living room was the size of the entire downstairs of Doris’ house. No exaggeration. One wall was completely glass with a sliding door leading to the balcony which overlooked the park below. I could see most of the town from here.
‘I thought you’d be impressed,’ Molly said smugly.
I inspected the rest of the room looking for any faults. There were none. The magnolia paint was immaculate. The lighting was new and very fancy. There wasn’t a spec of dirt anywhere. We went through to the kitchen.
‘Newly refurbished,’ Molly said. It was completely fitted with all the appliances you could need. The units were beautiful black marble (fake marble) and there was ample storage. I checked all the cupboards for unwanted creatures. You never know. There was even a connecting laundry room.
Next, we saw the bedroom which was humungous. Almost the size of the living room. This room had its own balcony as well. Two balconies in one flat. There were also two walk-in wardrobes each the size of a small bedroom.
‘Oh my God!’ Ashley exclaimed as she looked at them. ‘One for my clothes and one for my other things.’
‘What other things?’ I asked. One would be used for my things thank you very much. I could have it as a magic room and ditch my storage unit.
‘So? Are we happy with this one?’ said Molly hopefully.
‘What’s the price?’ I asked. This had to be well above our budget of £800.
‘It’s not what you’d expect,’ she said. I waited for it. ‘Six-fifty.’
‘Shut up!’ Ashley said rather rudely.
‘Ashley,’ I hissed. ‘Seriously though?’ I asked Molly. She nodded.
‘Six-fifty but the deposit is two-thousand.’ That wasn’t a problem, we had three-thousand saved up.
‘I think we have a winner,’ I said.
‘Shall we go back to the office and do the paperwork?’ she said quickly. She was obviously worried that if too much time passed we’d change our minds. I’d be the same in her position.
‘Absolutely,’ Ashley said and off we went.
We decided to take the stairs down. It was a long walk, but I wanted to get a feel for the building. Leave no stone unturned and all that.
As we passed one of the flats I noticed that the door was open. I know it’s wrong, but I just couldn’t help myself. I wanted to see if all the flats were as large as the top one. I pushed the door open a little more and peeked inside.
‘Hello?’ I called out to whoever lived there.
‘Eddie!’ Ashley shouted, turning to see who I was talking to.
‘Mr Lancaster, you really shouldn’t,’ Molly said, appalled.
I didn’t listen because something had caught my attention. Hearing no reply, I wandered into the flat. The hallway was much smaller than the flat upstairs and had three doors. The one opposite was open and the thing that had caught my attention was beyond it. It was the bedroom. Inside was a large bed with a heavily snoring man on it. He had no covers and was wearing only a pair of tatty boxers. He was a pretty hench guy. I was glad he was asleep. What had got me concerned was not him, though. On the wall hung a set of very heavy chains. As I edged closer I saw that the wooden floor and wall near the chains was covered in deep, thick claw marks. I didn’t really need to test them, but I wanted to be sure. I grabbed hold of the chain and reached out a little magic to see what it was. Some metals contain magical properties and those that do react a certain way when touched by magic. As my magic hit this metal it glowed brightly. It was silver.
‘Eddie, I— Oh my God,’ Ashley said as she came up behind me.
‘Werewolf,’ I whispered and then motioned her to back up out of the flat. When we were safely outside I pulled the front door shut completely so nobody else would see that sight.
‘You really shouldn’t do that,’ said Molly, totally aghast.
‘Uhm, I think we’re going to rethink, actually,’ Ashley told her. The look of despair on Molly’s face was comical.
Chapter Three
We met Matt and Emma for dinner at Muggs. I really hate recapping things, so I’ll be brief. Matt and Emma are our best friends. They used to be my best friends but now that Ashley and I live together everything’s shared apparently. They’re both human but know all about the supernatural. My exploits have put them both in a wee bit of danger from time to time. Muggs is a pub in town where all the supernatural people hang out. Bobby, the owner, is human but he has a load of supernatural weapons and he and his security have enhanced speed, strength and resistance to magic. I don’t know how they came by all this stuff, because whenever I ask he tells me to mind my own business. He says it in a ruder way than that. Oh also, Matt works for Clara Winters as an IT Specialist. He makes sure her systems are un-hackable and also hacks other systems for her. And he does other stuff that I don’t understand at all. I’m not too savvy with computers. There we are, all caught up.
‘So, there was actually a werewolf living there?’ Matt asked in amazement.
‘Yeah, astounding right? Not that he lived there, but he was careless enough to leave his door open!’ I said.
The conversation moved on to work. I’d been doing alright for work. Since becoming friendlier with Richards, he’d started referring more of the weird complaints he heard at the station to me. So, when the supposed nutters turned up claiming the old lady next door had cursed them, he sent them my way. About thirty percent of the people were nutters. The rest were revenue streams. Gone were my days of waiting weeks between customers.
As the conversation progressed I got a niggling feeling to check the mirror in my pocket. Rachel, a horrible warlock who murdered my parents, and also Margie, was now powerless and in prison because of me. She’d vowed to escape so I’d cast a little spell. Using a compact pocket mirror I’d linked to her, I could see and hear everything she did. The mirror would glow and vibrate if she was up to anything. But I was always paranoid that it wouldn’t work and had to keep checking it throughout the day. I slipped the mirror out and opened it up.
I could see the page of some book. I read a few of the words to try and discern what it was.
I place my hands on my head, and I know it’s so I won’t touch him. I’m so turned on. I feel my hips moving already up to meet him—wanting him inside me, like this—rough and hard. Oh… the anticipation.
I heard a toilet flush somewhere close to Rachel and slammed the compact mirror closed in disgust. Matt was staring at me and shaking his head.
‘You’ve got to stop being so obsessed with that thing,’ he said. ‘You don’t have to check it every half an hour.’
‘It’s too risky. She could be break out at any moment,’ I replied, knowing that wasn’t true.
‘You’ll get an alert if she does,’ Ashley argued.
‘When she does,’ I corrected. There was no doubt in my mind that she would eventually escape. She was too devious to be kept by unsuspecting human guards. I should never have let Richards arrest her, but at the time I was just relieved he’d stopped trying to arrest me.
‘She can’t hurt you though, can she?’ Emma said. ‘You took all her magic away.’
‘I did. But I’m still wary.’ I should have killed her. Then I wouldn’t spend so much time worrying.
Our food arrived and we each tucked into our dinners. The food was one of the things I loved about Muggs. Let’s face it, the customer service was shit.
As we were finishing up, the doors at the far end of the pub swung open and five men walked in. They were all wearing dark clothing and looked very neat and tidy. The one in the middle wore a black two button suit complete with a pocket handkerchief. His dark hair was perfectly parted to the side and his long angular face was clean shaven and pale. The red eyes gave him way as a vampire. Vampires eyes turn red after they’ve fed. He stepped gracefully on top of a table in the centre of the pub and the other four stood guard around him. Everyone fell silent and watched. Even Bobby. The security readied themselves, but awaited Bobby’s order to intervene. I tensed up and watched.
‘Here we go,’ I muttered forebodingly.
‘Good evening people of Maidstone,’ the one on the table said. He had a high posh voice. ‘My name is Aldric Ashworth and I come with a message from the Syndicate.’
‘Shit,’ hissed Ashley. Matt and Emma both looked on fearfully. This was the wrong night for them to come here.
‘I apologise for the interruption to your evenings and I promise to be as succinct as possible. The Syndicate is expanding its territories into Maidstone. I am here to tell you how it affects you. If you are a vampire, you now belong to the Syndicate. You will follow our laws and do as we say. Or you will die. If you do not like this, you are welcome to leave this town.’ He looked around the silent pub as he spoke, making eye contact with random individuals. Nobody said anything to him.
‘No other supernatural race need worry. Be sure not to meddle in our affairs and no harm will come to you. Sorcerers should pay particular attention to this.’ He looked right at me when he said that. I wondered if it was coincidence or if he knew who I was. ‘The Syndicate has an agreement with the Alliance of Covens. The Alliance recognises our right to move into unclaimed territory which Maidstone is. Should any sorcerer stand in our way they will be in violation of the agreement and this will lead to their death. As well as a very messy war. I am sure that the last thing anybody wants is their streets filled with fighting vampires and sorcerers. Now. For those of you here who are vampires, I will— ‘
‘That’s enough from you,’ Bobby growled from behind the bar. I shared his sentiments.
‘I beg your pardon?’ Aldric said, affronted.
‘Nobody comes into my pub and throws around threats. Nobody. Your rule stops at the door, ponce.’
I noticed that the non-Syndicate vampires who’d been standing near Aldric were now backing away. They obviously knew what Bobby was planning. I did not.
‘Your pub,’ Aldric said the word with disdain. ‘Is now in Syndicate jurisdiction and you will—’ Bobby hit something under the bar and above Aldric a bright UV light shone down. He let out a hideous hissing scream as did his associates. Their flesh turned red and boils and burns appeared as smoke rose up off them. The five of them moved as one and darted to the doors leading outside. All but Aldric burst through them in an attempt to escape the burning rays. Aldric stopped in the doorway and turned back.
‘That was a very serious mistake,’ he said to Bobby. Then he addressed the room. ‘You will all now learn what becomes of insubordination.’ He turned back to Bobby and his red eyes were malignant with rage. ‘You will die tonight.’ And then he was gone.
Chapter Four
I’d never seen Muggs clear out so fast. Clearly nobody wanted to be about when Aldric Ashworth returned with his backup. The punters left en masse leaving just a handful behind. Considering that Aldric had declared that the Syndicate was here to control all vampires in town, only one vampire chose to stay and fight. Disgraceful really.
Now, I know I said I wanted nothing to do with this, but I’ve been coming to Muggs for too long to not help Bobby out. Muggs is my favourite place to eat, do business and just chill out. There was no way I was going to let some snooty vampire in a fancy suit come in and wreck the place. Just this once, I was going to make an exception and get involved in the Syndicate business.
‘You need to get out of here too,’ I said to Matt and Emma.
‘If you’re staying we want to help too,’ Matt said stupidly. I could tell he was trying to be all noble and heroic, but it was just stupid. There was nothing he could do to help.
‘There aren’t any computers to hack here, Matt. Play to your strengths. You can’t fight vampires,’ I said honestly. I could tell I’d wounded his pride.
‘I’m more capable than you think,’ he said defiantly.
‘We want to help,’ Emma said. That surprised me. She was usually the first to freak out about potential danger. ‘This is our town too, we don’t want it being overrun by vampires.’
‘Eddie they can’t,’ Ashley whispered. I don’t know why she whispered because they were right next to us and still heard.
‘Guys remember all the times you moaned at me for putting you in danger?’ Very recently such an incident had nearly destroyed our friendship.
‘You didn’t cause this. Let us help.’ I was impressed. Matt had come a long way from the guy I’d known at the beginning of our friendship. Hell, only a few months ago he’d still been uncomfortable talking about supernatural things for too long. Now, here he was wanting to fight a horde of vampires. Emma had always been fine with the supernatural, fascinated to a degree, but the first sign of conflict would have her hiding. Yet here she was willing to fight too. Impressed or not, the facts remained the same; there was nothing they could do.
‘No. I’m not going to risk anything happening to you. The only reason I’m not sending Ashley home is because she’ll kick my arse if I try. Those vampires will come back with a lot more vampires and you two have no way of defending yourselves. If you’re here I’m just going to be worrying about you constantly and then we’ll all end up dead. I don’t know about you two, but I like not being dead. I like it a lot. Now go home,’ I ordered them.
They exchanged a look and they both knew they’d lost. They had no counter argument.
‘Alright, but next time we’re helping,’ Matt warned, pointing his finger.
‘We’ll see,’ I said and saw them off. Once they were safely through the doors I turned back to the others. Bobby and his security team were arming themselves with stake loaded crossbows and wooden bullet loaded guns. There were five guards and Bobby. The others were two werewolves, two sorcerers and the vampire.
‘Looks like you’re the only one with a pair of balls,’ I said to the vampire. Inappropriate really, considering she was a woman.
She flicked her long red hair over her shoulder and raised her eyebrows at me. ‘Not really. The other vampires are all gathered in some meeting. Discussing the Syndicate and what to do about it. We’ve known about them coming for a while now. Wasn’t expecting them so soon, though. I stayed away because I didn’t want to get involved. It looks like I don’t have a choice, though, so I may as well fight,’ she replied.
‘I’m in a similar situation,’ I said. ‘Someone keeps badgering me to get involved but I keep saying no.’
‘And now here you are getting involved,’ she said.
‘One night only. For Bobby.’
‘I don’t need your help,’ Bobby growled. ‘You might wanna stay at the edges of the room,’ he told the vampire. She moved in a blur and then Bobby flicked a switch and the whole pub filled with UV light. Only the edges of the room were safe. ‘Damn prick can bring as many vampires as he likes. They’re all gonna burn.’
I didn’t share his optimism. I suspected it would take more than a UV light to defeat the Syndicate.
The two sorcerers were running their hands over the walls and doors. I could sense the magic they were flowing into the building.
‘What spell is that?’ I asked.
The bloke turned to me. ‘It’ll stop anyone from passing. We’re infusing the walls with magic. If they so much as touch the wall they’ll burn alive,’ he said and nodded his head smugly.
‘Nice spell. How do we get out?’ said Ashley.
‘Once the sun’s up I’ll take the spell down,’ he replied.
‘What if customers try getting in?’ the vampire asked. Nobody had an answer and it reminded me of another issue. I pulled out my phone and dialed Richards.
‘Eddie, what do you want?’ he said. He sounded tired.
‘Did I wake you up? Bit early for bed isn’t it, Detective Chief Inspector?’ I mocked.
