Chapter 1

I was starting to feel a little light-headed and the pain was definitely getting to me. I let out a breathe which became a cry as I finished my last rep. Stepping down off the assisted chin up machine I clung to the sides my muscles fatigued. Wiping the sweat from my eyes I caught the flash of my answering machine.

I hope that its not a telemarketer, but a job. I turned down Rage against the Machine and put my music on shuffle. Sumi Jo started to play as I listened to the message.

"Hey Rose, Mike here. I've got a job for you. Give us a call back when you can."

Ah, Mike. He was always good at getting me some jobs. Despite all the rebuilding that was needed in Louisiana after Katrina around 5 years ago, work was still scarce for someone in my trade. Mike came through with a few small jobs for me since I moved here from Australia.

I wanted to get away from it all when I lost David. 'Lost' being the word ... all they found was his car, wrecked and bloody with no body. Judging by the amount of blood lost the police were pretty sure that he was dead, where ever he was. They did search for a while and finally declared him dead. By that time I was ready to move on.

I sold everything that was not portable to start a new life away from well-meaning relatives. I still couldn't believe that he was dead and I wouldn't as long as I stayed in OZ. So a new country and a new life. It wasn't easy getting into America, but I had some money and some skills, so I was on "probation" also having a sponsor helped quite a bit.

I shook off my musings not wanting to go down that road which would lead to dark thoughts and dialed Mike's number.

"Hey Rose! What's up, little lady?"

"You know I hate it when you call me that." Mike chuckled on the other end. I couldn't help but smile. "What's the job?"

"What no nicities?"

"I would love to Mike, but I am practically starving here. What with Tyson eating me out of house and home."

Mike snorted. "That little mutt? I highly doubt that. The job is to completely re-wire some old house on the outskirts of New Orleans and a Vet clinic. Same person owns both."

"Have you done a quote yet?"

"Nope, She's all yours from start to finish."

I said nothing. This type of job was costly and Mike's company could use the money, well maybe not that much. There had to be a catch.

"So, What's the deal? That I would get manna from the heaven's like this?"

"Oh, a bunch of quotes got accepted," Mike said airily. "So all my other men are busy. Hey, I thought you could use the money."

I sighed. "Yeah. Yeah, I could. Any restrictions?"

"Well, city limits on the Vet Clinic, but the house is far from any one, so you can work anytime. Same deal, bonus for finishing, etc ... will send you out the contract format so that you can fill it in after you do the quote."

"Usual 10 % finder's fee for you?"

"Of course, but if you finish and get kudos I will make it 5%"

I checked my watch, it was late in the evening.

"Okay, flick me the address and I will quote it tomorrow morning."

"Uh-uh. I need you to do it tonight ... The Vet clinic is 24 hours so someone will be there."

"Sure, but what is the rush?" I started to get undressed to shower, Tyson following me avidly.

"Who knows? It's what the client wanted."

I groaned, "Not one of those precious clients? You know I hate love jobs like that."

"Ah, Precious, but Paying. Anyway, flicking you the address now. Uh oh gotta run."

Crap, I thought. The last love job that I did for Mike was wiring up a home automation system. How lazy can you be to not want to get up and turn off the lights? Not only that but the "Lady" of the house, and I use the term loosely, accused me of sleeping with her husband. I smiled as I remembered coming onto her all bull-dyke. Boy did she do a fast back track and I didn't hear a peep from her until I finished the project.

Oh well, beggers can't be choosers.

I stepped into my wash area and elected for a cold monsoon. The heavy rush of ice cold water was instantly refreshing. I had it set for 10 seconds after which it would cut off and the water itself was recycled and purified. I gave myself a quick lather and another monsoon to wash it off.

Since it was just a quote, I didn't think that I would need to take much with me ... so I quickly got dressed into my blues and hi-vis reflective shirt. Last by not least I caught my hair in a plait and finished it off with my solar cap to keep the wispy bits at bay.

And last by not least my own specially concocted Mace. It consisted of a very light oil with suspened silver and cold iron dust along with a healthy does of chilli essence from my very own garden.I elected to take my little mighty boy with a specially make fibreglass ladder to fit it, just in case I need to peek into any ceilings.

Tyson immediately jumped in the mighty boy when I opened the door. He came with my every where, almost. Night clubs and food venues aside. People were still a bit iffy about female tradies and heck I knew that I did good work, but it was still hard to get some respect on a work site. Having a little bundle of fury that sound like a dog twice his size was an advantage. That combined with the revelation of Vampires and Shapeshifters just after Katrina had hit New Orleans ... I sighed it was hard enough to make a living.

Hence my current situation as a subbie. I couldn't do as much physical work as the supes nor as fast, so I had to stick to the little jobs that they usually didn't bother with and do a damned good job.

Travelling at night was probably not the safest of things to do in Louisiana given the vampire population. Heck the amount of supes in general, but a girl's got to earn. Besides I had made myself some Supernatural mace - Silver and iron dust suspended in a light garlic oil. Not enough to really kill them, but hurt and delay as well as foil their sense of smell would do.

Pulling into the carpark of what look like it used to be a warehouse, almost like the one I was currently living, but not so homey. A lit sign signified that I was at the right address, but there appeared to no signs of life.

I grabbed my tool belt and my tablet - stuff apple - I could get tablets cheaper with more functionality from Taiwan or China - with Tyson at my heels I enter the glass stained doors.

Immediately I was hit with the unmistakable smell of animals, anteseptic and just a hint of lavendar? Tyson sniffed around industriously and I warned him of marking this new bit of territory. There didn't appear to be any one at the reception and So I did as the sign asked. I rang the little white ceramic bell that rested on the counter and waited.

I saw Tyson's ears perk up oriented towards the corridor behind the counter. I too heard the rustle of people and hissed conversation. I bent down to briefly scratch Tyson on the head. I could also smell the familiar scent of sex in the air. I took in a breathe and forced myself to relax as I straightend to see a cute blonde thing hustling towards us, looking a little flushed and pale at the same time.

"Hi! Can I help you?" She smoothed her clothes a little. I pretended that nothing was amiss, it wasn't the first time I had stumbled across such a delicate situation. Being a tradie you tend to blend a little into the background and so discretion is the better part or getting paid.

"Mike sent me to do those electrical quotes."

She blinked a few times slowly, taking in the fact that I was a female and in drill. "Oh. Of course." She drew her chair forward and sat down. After tapping a little on her computer she frowned a little. "Mike was supposed to be here over an hour ago."

Oh bloody great, a last minute oh crap I forgot I double booked from Mike. Still it's money and I guess she found something to do with her time.

"Well, he got called away to some emergency on another project." It was the standard agreed line that I used, after all every one understand emergencies. "If you could just show me what you need done... ?"

"Just a second," She pick up the phone. "Uh, Dr Monroe, there is a sparkie here about those quotes." She nodded a few times, glanced furtively at me and hushed the Dr at the other end. I in the mean time wandered casually from the counter and was looking at the ceiling and points trying to think of the circuit layout. I was well aware that this Dr Monroe was likely the person with whom she was 'helping' before I came in.

"Dr Monroe will be out in just a moment." She went back to her computer obviously trying to look like she was busy. I gave her a slight nod and a "thank you". It always paid to be polite to customers.

The first indication I had of someone else with us was when Tyson make a funny coughing sound. This was usually his signal to me of something being up. I turned to see a guy just a few inches above my 5'7", long dark hair, with grey blue eyes, standing with an abnormally still air about him. That he was about my height was not unusual for me, since coming to America I had met relatively few men significantly taller than me. In Oz it was fairly common for men to be at least 6 foot tall, but in the US?