Bitten (Book 1 - Book 4) novel Chapter 115

‘What hotel are you at?’ Kareen said.

‘What does that matter? I want my daughter back,’ Natalia said, allowing anger to seep into her voice.

She was somewhat amazed how easy it was to allow the anger in.

‘She’s not with you?’

‘What are you pulling, Kareen? You distract us and then you steal my daughter. Just who is being punished here? I think this is affecting me more than Uri. Where is my daughter?’

‘She’s safe, Nattie.’

The call ended.

Everyone was looking at her with curiosity.

‘She actually had the nerve to say that she thought Victoria was with me.’

‘What were her exact words?’ Kate said.

‘She’s not with you?’ Natalia said, repeating the words.

‘They don’t know where she is.’

Bonnie, Mag and Zena nodded.

‘Your group has some plans, I hear,’ Natalia said.

‘Our group,’ Kate corrected. ‘Yes, we know about the plans. We made sure that the Council believed you were at a hotel all afternoon. Not this one, of course. We let drop a few rumors that your leg is really bothering you.’

‘So you have a fake Anpu running around as well?’

Kate chuckled.

‘How do you figure these things out?’

‘I have the app. His blip isn’t where I saw him.’

‘He needs a few lessons in being discrete,’ Bonnie said with a roll of her eyes.

‘One good thing is that one tall Viperian male looks like any tall Viperian male in the dark,’ Kate said. ‘And when you look at the tracking app and it shows Anpu, then the man in the shadows has to be Anpu.’

‘What time are we doing the other thing?’ Bonnie said.

‘Midnight,’ Kate said.

‘What other thing?’ Natalia said.

‘Your leg is going to get so bad that we’ll have to take you to a hospital, but we’ll go to an Undent one.’

‘I didn’t know my leg would get so bad.’

‘Oh, definitely,’ Bonnie said with a grin.

‘That will trip a few alarms and wake everyone up. We know Kareen, Jada Lee, Friesa, and Pearl are in tight. They’re actually the ones running the Council.’

Natalia thought of Sherri.

‘Is Sherri still part of this?’

Kate looked at Bonnie then back to Natalia.

‘We have some suspicions. Most of these grand plans on taking over the Bank originated with Sherri. At least, that is what we believe,’ Kate said.

‘Kareen once told me that the reason Sherri didn’t get the death sentence was because there was unfinished business and they still needed her.’

‘That would be a great way to protect your leader. Put her in jail,’ Mag said.

‘How do you intend to bring down the Council?’ Natalia said.

‘Viperian people have the right to bring a challenge to the Council. Anyone can do it, however, you have to have an extremely strong challenge to win. You need a majority to vote in your favor. However, even you with them taking Victoria, isn’t a great enough challenge. But a missing child, Uri no longer in the running for the President, and other indiscretions might be enough,’ Kate said.

‘Pissing off Ingus and Rubert, the Viperian Rubert, not Rubert Finch, would add to the challenge. Mirren is already on our side,’ Bonnie said.

‘Viperian’s pay a tax to Viperia. A united front to stop that would greatly reduce the power of the Council. That’s their budget to do all their dirty work.’

Natalia shook her head.

‘Overwhelming.’

‘You’re only playing a small part. An extremely important part, however,’ Kate said.

There was a knock on the door.

‘Dinner,’ Bonnie said, rising.

She grabbed a robe. Natalia was glad to see that she checked the peep hole before she opened the door. A young Viperian woman rolled in a cart just far enough in for Bonnie to take it, then she left.

Natalia ate, but then went to bed to get some sleep. Kate woke her at midnight.

‘They have people all around the hotel where they think you’re staying. It’s actually not far from here. We’ll take you in that direction and then Anpu will join us. The word will spread from there.’

Bonnie already had the limo ready for them when they went down. There was a short pause at the back of another hotel and Anpu got in. He was fastening another chain around his neck.

‘I almost didn’t make it. My double had to go another way,’ he said.

‘You need to pick up your game,’ Kate said. ‘This is serious, you know.’

‘We had a backup plan that worked flawlessly,’ he said.

The limo picked up the pace, heading toward the nearest hospital.

‘We have a Tail.’

That caused Natalia to look for the kitten. She was surprised to find her sitting at her feet.

‘I meant a car following us,’ Anpu said, following her gaze.

He was facing that way so he could watch out the back.

‘When we pull up to emergency, let Anpu help you out. They will put you on a gurney,’ Kate said. ‘Then you are going to disappear.’

Anpu smiled.

‘And behave yourself,’ Kate said, smacking Anpu’s arm.

‘Don’t insult me,’ he said.

The limo pulled into the emergency entrance. Zena hopped out and dashed inside. Anpu stepped out, then opened the door by her. Natalia let him half carry her out. Zena came out with two attendants and a gurney. In moments, she was rolled into the hospital and down a hall. The gurney was rolled into a room, then the attendants left.

‘Okay, this way,’ Kate said, helping Natalia off the gurney.

However, before they left, another man stepped in. Anpu handed him a chain.

‘Nattie,’ he said with a bow.

Natalia thought he looked exactly like Anpu.

No further introduction was made. and Natalia was led out of the room. However, Mag and Zena stayed behind. She followed Anpu with Kate at the rear. They wove their way through the hospital and out of a side door. A car was waiting for them.

‘Evening, Nattie.’

‘Grazie. How are you doing? Tia isn’t missing you, is she?’ Natalia said.

‘I told her I was staying in Hell due to all the work.’

‘Nice. Where are we going?’

‘Hell.’

‘And what are we doing there?’

‘Hiding you, Nattie, so you can get some sleep,’ Grazie said.

‘Oh, of course.’

The car drove to the alley behind her shop, but stopped at the first building. Grazie led the way. New locks were already on the doors and his fob opened them. He led them up the stairs. Natalia could see the building was spotless. It smelled of cleaning solution and new paint. Grazie opened another door at the top of the stairs and waved her in.

Natalia stepped into a large apartment. She felt as if it took up the whole floor. It was fully furnished.

‘We have four bedrooms,’ Grazie said. ‘Take your pick.’

Anpu headed for the sofa.

‘How did you do all of this?’ Natalia said.

‘One of the stores we leased out on this block is a furniture store. Some relative of Yiggy’s. We are getting furniture at a very big discount. You won’t recognize your bank.’

‘It’s not a bank yet.’

‘Details,’ he said.

Natalia peered out a window. The street lights were just bright enough to cast a warm glow. There were some lights on in a building farther up the street.

‘I’d stay away from the windows, even thought we don’t have lights on,’ Grazie said.

Kate waved her to a room. Natalia stepped into to find a queen sized bed. She didn’t need any further encouragement. Before she slept, she thought of Victoria and gave her an imaginary kiss goodnight. She pretended Uri was beside her, which was easy to do when Tail snuggled against her. Her purring pushed her to sleep.

Meerup.

Natalia opened her eyes. Sunlight was stealing around the curtains in the window that she knew faced east.

‘Morning, Tail.’

There was an en suite bathroom. The was a new toothbrush in a package on the counter and towels on a rack. She washed up. Tail sat on the counter pawing at the water until Natalia let her drink.

‘I hope there’s a litter box for you.’

She stepped out to find Anpu sleeping on the sofa. No one else seemed to be awake. However, by the time she reached the kitchen, Anpu had risen and was stretching. She let him be and searched the refrigerator. There was a jug of sanguine tea.

‘Tea?’ she said.

He nodded.

She poured two glasses.

‘Everyone else still sleeping?’ she said, figuring it was obvious, but Anpu shook his head.

‘What are they doing?’

She noted the time on the microwave. It was almost seven am.

‘Kate is at the shop getting your dress for tonight. Grazie is somewhere.’

Anpu rose to get his glass. He drained it in one go.

‘Dress for tonight?’

She hadn’t fully expected to take part in the Charity Ball, other than to show up, do her bite, and leave.

‘I’ll be recognized,’ she said.

Anpu smiled.

‘No one will recognize you. Consider yourself an actress in a play. You will be fully made up.’

She stared at him and felt some hesitation asking her next question.

‘Who’s making me up?’

‘Me.’

‘Why am I not surprised.’