Secret Recipes – Dragon Gate Inn [Dulce Periculum]

[Hantu Raya]

“I'd advise against taking the subway home at this time of the evening“ the elegantly clad Asian man spoke to the elderly couple who were just about to get up from their seats, “you'd have to make your way past the docks to get there, and there have reportedly been unsavory activities going on there lately. It would much safer to take a limousine home. I will ask my wife to arrange for that”.

The old woman smiled at him gratefully, while the man, a tall mustachioed veteran with a tuft of white hair left on his wrinkled head shrugged in silent protest. Earlier this evening, he had made quite a scene complaining about the slowness of the service, asking if sloths were working in the Dragon Gate Inn. But the admonishment of his wife and the quality of the food had calmed him down, especially the meats were devoured with quite a ravenous appetite for such a wiry old man.

As usual on a Saturday night, the city's premier Malaysian restaurant was packed, guests from all over city and region as well as visitors from as far as Michigan and Quebec. Even in times like these the owner of the place, a Malaysian by the name of Hantu Raya had refused to hire extra staff, running the restaurant alone with his tall blond wife and a young Asian woman who helped out during busy times like these. Applicants had all been turned down without much of an explanation.

There was talk among the guests that this was due to the secret recipes the owner and chef used, original recipes of his Malaysian homeland, including classics like nasi lemak, beef rendang and laksa as well as house specialties like the tender nasi dara payudara or the strangely titled pencuri malang – unlucky thief. Those meat dishes were the best one could get in the city, unparalleled in tenderness and taste. Was it so so surprising then that Mr. Raya didn't trust any hired staff with his secret recipes?

“Saya hanya perlu sumsum tulang” he casually spoke to his wife in his native tongue, after leading the couple over to her - 'I only need the bone marrow'.

[Dulce Periculum]

"I'm sorry." The woman looked at the statuesque blonde sitting in the executive leather Chippendale chair with panic filling her eyes. "I can't explain why I can't track it but its currently untraceable. Ms. Periculum, I have done everything I can...twice, three times even. I called everyone I can think of and I am afraid at this point there is nothing that you can do."

If looks could kill the tri-color, chopped and stacked haired styled twenty-something woman would be feeling the slowing of her heart before she could finish speaking. Dulce sat motionless as she watched the woman’s lips go nearly white with anxiety and traces of growing fear as her boss stayed quiet. It was truly the most beautiful sight to behold. Human fear. Only mortal experience that could delight her more was death...a slow drawn out painful, terrifying death. That was the proverbial cherry on her twisted cupcake. The employee across from her would not truly know that so Dulce savored the way the female squirmed and sweated as the seconds of silence between them continued to pass.

“You realize that is not an acceptable answer to the issue at hand.” The piercing icy blue stare was not going to let up on its hold of the employee responsible for IT needs in the business they both currently sat in.
“I apologize. Like I said before, there is nothing that you can do.” The woman rubbed her hands on her khaki linen dress pants in a display of nerves.
“Really?” Long cool fingers pressed at the edge of the pricey desk and the chair slid back. “Allow me to prove you wrong. I can do a lot of things.”

The wealth of the alluring killers lips curled slowly up. Her lean frame lifted from the chair in a fluid-like motion. Clearing the width of the desk in two steps she now stood with the woman and wiggled her fingers up and down to prompt the human to stand. There was no reason to wait to see if her expectations were followed. They would be even if previous ones were not clearly met. The sounds of soft soled shoes progressing behind her confirmed that for now the woman who failed to solve their annoying problem with being repeatedly hacked was displaying the ability to follow simple directions.

The door of the office opened and Dulce’s hand held it at the doorknob. A sharp shaped brow lifted as she watched the woman pass in front of her releasing a defeated sigh. She looked down at the toe of her black leather boot and felt her jaw tense up as she resisted the urge. It was difficult to shake sometimes. Like a itch you wanted to scratch. The woman’s sloth speed and the sound of her sigh were almost hard to resist reacting to. A slow half roll of her head to the left to work out the building tension was a waste. It only made things worse as she released the door to close behind them.

“Why don’t you take the rest of the night off.” Dulce breezed past the woman in a long stride that generally had her clearing distance faster than most. “I believe you earned it.”

Sada Abe stepped out from the center kitchen that was surrounded by tables and customers watching their food be prepared. The bewitched human was nearly legendary in her own right and invaluable. Devoted, and fearless she was and she had become precious to the rarely seen couple that built the business she helped oversee. Her head nodded once as the two women appeared and did not stop. The petite linen suit clad Japanese female walked in sync with her blonde mistress to the right. Her dark eyes looked down and found two lean milky white fingers cross quickly followed by the index snapping sharply outward. Her eyes widened . Someone was gonna get it. Quickly her attention went to the recently hired employee. It sucked to be her. The trio stopped to join Hantu who was currently in the company of well-aged customers. The couple had been an issue earlier as well but she thought it had been taken care of.

Hantu spoke in Malay and mentioned bone marrow. She eyed the couple then met her Suami’s eyes with her own.

“Kami akan membazirkan yang lain? Saya rasa dok semakin agak penuh.” She wore the expression that asked if he was sure. Of course he was. She could see he most certainly was.

“You sure?” The computer tech interrupted not paying the expected attention to the owner of the business or the patrons standing with him.
“I insist.” A deep purr of a voice confirmed she was free to go. “Sada, I believe you can handle things from here, yes?”
“I’m already on it.” She nodded her head towards the door placing her hands so delicately at the backs of the couple. “Allow me to show you the way out. It would be my pleasure.”
The employee bounced quickly out of the restaurant and soon had company close on her heels. Dulce smiled for the first time watching the warm blooded bodies all disappear.
“She could not trace the location where the hacking is coming from. I think there will be a new entrée this weekend. Yes?” Her eyes found his and immediately sparkled.

[Hantu Raya]

Not impressed by her attitude Hantu raised his eyebrow as he watched the multihaircolored girl pass by. Hacking had been a bother lately. It didn't cause much real damage but still was a nuisance. And as a man who wanted his business to run smoothly, it was fundamental for him that nuisances were dealt with. Swiftly and terminally. Like this old couple that was just being escorted out by Sada. He was sure the young woman would deal with them. She had learned a lot since his wife had found her and brought her to him. So much potential, harnessed by rigid discipline.

He shook his head at his wife's comment. “Too old. Only fresh meat for my dishes. We have to continue to offer the best quality possible.” He let his dark eyes wander over the guests, savoring their dinners in the packed house. “The marrow on the other hand, it holds the wisdom of the old. It is good for the brain and the spirit. Keeps you rooted in tradition. My mother made an excellent sumsum gulai from it.” The traditional Indonesian bone marrow curry sumsum gulai was the chef's tribute to his Indonesian mother. He was sure the memories of the old war veteran were indeed to be savored and learned from by the next generation. What a waste it would be to simply let him carry on til – not too far the day - he'd pass away from old age and let his vast wealth of experience go to waste.

He could have gone on about the secrets and intricacies of his cuisine but there was so much work to do tonight. Seated at the table on the eastern most part of the building was a group of people all dressed in formal black. A funeral party. The man and woman at the center of the table had their eyes red with tears, for it was their only daughter, a college freshmen, who had passed away unexpectedly in her late teens. A victim of a gruesome crime, squatters had found her dismembered body in one of the abandoned apartments on the Bullwood side of the river. “This restaurant had always been the favorite place of my dear Olivia” the father spoke to Hantu as he arrived at the table, his wife at his side nodding in silent grief. The young woman had inherited her father's clear gray eyes, and her mother's blond hair and delicate features. “I am so sorry for your loss”, the Malaysian spoke to his guest, placing his hand on his shoulder. “I am sure she would have enjoyed the nasi dara payudara, I have prepared for you today.” Oh of course she would have...

The nasi dara payadura, virgin breast rice, was a rare specialty of the house. The chef never gave away any information on it's ingredients, especially not on the meat he used for it. So very tender, unsurpassed by anything else. You had to taste it yourself to believe. “She was so elated when she told me she had applied for a job at your restaurant.” the wife now spoke, after savoring the first bite of the tender meat. “She would have been such a great addition to our staff”, Hantu Raya agreed, sadly. “But I am sure her spirit is with us now” he added to console the grieving parents. And of course she was, she was there with them indeed, at least part of her. So tender, so precious, now being savored by the mourning party, bit by bit. Their daughter had been a great addition indeed. Not to the staff, but to the menu. Nasi dara payadura, another secret recipe of his.

“Do you still have the address of that tech wiz?” the restaurant's owned looked at his blond wife as he met her on his way back to the kitchen. “I'd like to send my friend Leng over for a visit.”

[Dulce Periculum]

Dulce was preoccupied in her own unsavory dilemma. To start with the fact Sada Abe had not responded to her recent text of inquiry on the status of the marrow concerned her. The young female was not one to ignore such messages. Usually she would be prompt with a response from the local hospital confirming a fresh supply had come in or was being retrieved as she watched from a safe distance. It was one thing that she was more than happy to do verses other duties that were of far less interest to her. Resourceful the female had become with creative and unique training to the running of the restaurant that the Malaysian owner had envisioned. She became flawless in her handling of specialty ingredients and this marrow was hardly any different. She had been predictably prompt so this delay in receiving word from her was something that had her blonde mistress' attention as she continued to wait hoping her cell screen would reveal a new message had arrived.

Sada was standing in the back of the sterile observation room of the surgical suites. Her dark almond shaped eyes were pinned on the procedure taking place in the suite straight ahead of her. An interest had developed in watching the gloved hands at work. She had witnessed the brilliance of diverse color of the human body from the inside numerous times this way. It was riveting to see the flesh part so clean with the art of precise knives moving in skilled hands. Hantu did it in a similar manner the few times she watched him with his tools. Initially it horrified her but now she was desensitized and found it rather relaxing.

Doors opened then another set quickly sent the air of the movement towards her as a male voice pulled her attention from the suite. Normally guards had been less of an issue as she perfected the ways to evade suspicion. Clothed head to toe in the required protective wear she stood unnoticed beneath the blue face mask as anything beyond another part of the surgical team waiting to be tagged in to relieve another or retrieve possible supplies should the need arise suddenly. It helped that she knew exactly where the marrow would be handed off and she waited for her cue to step in.

Unbeknownst to the confident intruder this time it was to be anything but routine. Over zealous new guards and beefed up security measures were about to put her inappropriate eavesdropping to an abrupt halt. While the suction machine pulled the secretions up through the tubing the assisting surgeon summoned more instruments from the scrub nurse next to the sterile blue cloth over the stainless steel table. This was just the point she was nearly engrossed in what would happen next. She was tempted to get in closer. Perhaps she should walk though the doors to be of assistance. More hands could be needed. She was ready. Assisting in prep for the restaurant taught her skills most should never have. Her fragile bewitched mind was really drifting farther from what should be acceptable but she wasn’t subject to what the average human would experience. Her mind was stretched to extremes constantly thanks to the dark duo she was known to be in the company of more often than not.

“Excuse me.” Her surgical cap covered head twisted to the sound of the unexpected voice and her eyes shot upward to find a security guard looking at her. “We need to ask you to step out and scan your employee badge to have access to this area. The new system is up as of this morning and we now will be required to have employees able to do so within here to step out and use it. Those actively in the surgical suites will do so when their procedures are over.”

Sada’s dark eyes opened wide as the security guard spoke of what would be expected of her. She blinked as she tried to find an excuse for being there and not moving. She needed the marrow that would soon be walking out with someone in surgical suite 3. This really was not in her plans. The other option would be her least favorite task on such short notice.

The current plan was great when she conjured it up while watching the well aged couple drive away from the restaurant. The elderly couple was frail. They had limited years left. Really wasn’t entirely needed. The mess and blood on her hands could be avoided if someone else could do the work instead. That was her role and usually she had no issue with being given the task but the couple was entirely too sweet to her. They gave her a gift card to the local market where she could pick up the fresh ginger that was missing in their chosen dishes earlier. Hantu would have likely been insulted to know that but Sada empathized. Fresh ginger was crucial to the taste.

“Yes, I will do that shortly. Thank you.” Sada stood her ground trying to appear important to what was going on in the surgical suites and that she was not able to step away and do as expected.

“I am going to have ask you for your employee badge then, Ma’am. I need ID.” The man was taking his responsibility seriously. “Not leaving you here unless I see it. Understand we have had recent events that have required these new security measures so you should be expecting to be asked for it frequently.”

Just as Sada was prepared to respond a nurse breezed in from the doors to the suite at the left of where they were standing. She stepped back a few feet and watched the guard turn to give her the same speech. He finished and she nodded looking to Sada and the guard did as well.

“Who is she?” The nurse who knew all surgical team members asked the guard. She clearly didn’t recognize Sada.

“Name?” He looked to Sada.

“Be right back.” Sada didn’t have all the words out before her petite body was spinning on its surgical boot covered heels and bolting towards the doors to the hallway.

Sliding around a corner and darting out into the lobby she found a stairwell and quickly peeled off the mask, gown, booties and popped back out and bolted in her now stolen green scrubs towards the parking lot. Clearing the first lot she found herself safe enough to retrieve the now vibrating cell in her back pocket.

“Where are you?” Dulce growled as she answered nearly out of breath.
“On my way.” She answered then cleared her throat.
“You will be expected soon. I trust you have had no issues.”

The call ended and Sada stood there with her mouth open. A sigh escaped and she pocketed her phone. Guess it was time to go make a unexpected visit to grandma and grandpa. It was one of those things. Damned if you do and damned if you don’t. She was more inclined to being damned for doing it than not.

Dulce looked to Hantu as he asked about the wiz tech and last known available address. This didn't surprise her in the least that he would ask. It was apparent he was highly displeased with the female and likely would be dealt with more severely than first thought.

"I shall pull up her employee file now and get that for you." She left him standing there as she made her way back to her office to just that.

[Hantu Raya]

„Sada isn’t coming back? He asked his wife in between preparing a few choice cuts of meat for the funeral party gathered in his restaurant. The Malaysians sharp blade sliced through the raw meat, cutting it to size, before marinating it with honey and spices. He had stocked up a good amount of meat, but with business going so well, and so much demand, they were running low on meat again. And he wanted to serve his guests only the best quality.

Which let his thoughts back to the young tech wiz. In his mind he was already planning, considering which parts where good enough to use, and which seemed rather out of shape. He had to take care of that later, now it was impossible to leave the restaurant. Someone ordered gulai sumsum, and he reached for the fresh bone marrow he had acquired for the dish. "Saya hanya digunakan sumsum lepas, jika dia tidak akan kembali tidak lama lagi kita tidak boleh menjadi hidangan ini lagi malam ini." He told his isteri as he saw her on the phone, most likely calling the missing Sada. He preferred things running smoothly, well organized, delays couldn’t be accepted. And Sada should know by now that any laziness by her would have rather drastic consequences. Being lazy wasn’t typical for her though. Maybe the old veteran had been proven to tough to deal with for her?

“She’s on her way back?” he asked his wife, overhearing the telephone conversation. “She better be”.

He didn’t have much time to thing about it, orders were coming in without end. This busy night didn’t seem to end at all. In between preparing lady’s fingers for group of young people – the non-vegetarian variation of the dish- and carving open a skullcap for his special Penang style brain soup, he called in Leng Tche, summoning the grisly wraith, a creature so gruesome to behold in his ghostly figure of mutilation and torture. It was a mercy for the living and most vampires that they never were able to see this creature. Hantu yet seemed to take a liking in the wraith’s horrid appearance, speaking to him in whispered ancient Malay as he ordered the creature to first check the rooms of the tech wiz for any traps or other living creatures – room mates, pets etc. – and then go and look after Sada, giving her an appeal to return with the marrow.

[Dulce Periculum]

Dulce moved in a cool slow pace of her long legged stride as she approached the spot where Hantu worked his culinary magic. The woman found it fascinating that the man she knew for such extremes and a hard heavy hand in whatever he set his mind to took such a fine and expert approach towards the dishes he prepared. The blade was like lightning repeatedly striking in a silver shock up and down into what was before him. Much like the tormented master artisans of the past he exuded frustration and impatience as he asked of Sada's delayed arrival with the element he needed to finish the current masterpieces waiting in order slips in front of him.

Hantu was not the type that accepted excuses or delays. There was either yes or no. Maybe, almost, not quite were all unacceptable. All of those meant it was undecided and that was something he had no time for. She couldn’t hold that against him. She was certainly like minded and appreciated that in him along with a thousand other fascinating qualities he possessed.

“Saya telah membuat hubungan dengan dia. Beliau telah ditangguhkan tetapi kini dalam perjalanan. Jika saya perlu saya akan menawarkan sehingga bahan itu sendiri jika dia gagal untuk tiba dalam masa.” She stepped in closer to the back of him as she spoke. She leaned over his shoulder and pressed her lips briefly to the side of his left cheek and brushed her nose to his ear as she pulled away. “I shall answer for this as I do for any of her actions if need be. Yes?”

There was a hidden twinkle in her icy blues as they moved with her towards the opposite side of where she had left him to his work. The sounds of more customers entering the restaurant alerted her and she watched the camera feed on the monitor. Leng was likely present since Hantu summoned him. The presence sent parts of her body to sharp detail and attention. It was hard to imagine something could be darker than the one she referred to as her suami but Leng, his ever loyal and devoted wraith surely was. If Sada was not currently moving as fast as she could to get back with what was asked of her she would be if she knew Leng had already arrived. The bewitched woman tested the patience of a saint and Hantu surely was far from being one.

Dulce smiled a bit more reflecting on the reasons why she was even farther from sainthood. A long set of porcelain appearing fingers plucked a Goji Berry from the large spread of ingredients in front of her and popped it between her lips making it disappear in a series of slow repetition of the muscles in her jaw to break it down. She nodded slowly in approval. Its appearance was not incredibly attractive in its wrinkled and pruned up state but it certainly had a unique reward in the flavor it offered.

“Interesting…” She paused at commenting on the flavor that was filling her mouth when more bodies appeared on the monitor. “I will see what is going on. Pardon me?”

A discreet but effective sweep of her tongue across her unpainted lips cleaned the sticky flesh before she pressed a kiss in brief departing at his own. There was something about that berry and him that made a wonderful combo. A plethora of ideas came to mind as she found her way back towards the front of the restaurant. The possibilities were limitless as always.

[Hantu Raya]

He had to admit he envied his wife a bit as he watched her pluck the berry and take it into her mouth. There was so much sensual pleasure to be experienced and stimulated by tasting, eating, savouring. Pleasures that no longer were accessible to him. So much as he loved the smell of the freshly prepared dishes, the spices, the ginger, garlic, lemon grass, chillies and so many others, the visuals of the food, the prime meat, crisp outside and yet so pink and tender inside. But trying to eat them, to force them down his throat would only make him sick. She was different. Dulce was still able to savour these pleasures, be it the goji berry or some hearty dish of meat, a cupcake or a spring roll. He loved to watch her eat. It was just a little moment until the berry was no more, but it was a precious little moment in the hectic daily routine of the restaurant.

He knew his wife would get the marrow herself if needed to be, and she was so efficient, so deadly in those tasks. But she was needed here in the restaurant now, the place was packed and they were the only staff. Human staff was never to be relied on. The few times he actually had tried, it didn’t work at all. They vanished within a few days. Vanished like that insolent computer wiz soon would. Leng was already close by, waiting for his master’s command, his visage of torture and pain hovering silently over the kitchen counter. Not pausing in his work, Hantu spoke a few instructions to the wraith in his native tongue, not looking up as the ghostly creature, this grotesque shell of what once had been a vampire just like Hantu, moved outside, passing through the guests that were blissfully unaware of his presence.

_______

It was one of those rather nondescript apartment building in the northern part of River Rock, not far from Schmiddy’s Bar and Grill and Crossbone Tatts, build as luxury apartments in a time the city was expanding, but late becoming more and more neglected, the affluent having long moved out to the northern part of town or out of the city altogether. It was the wall that kept them away. A wall a high and almost as well guarded as the wall that separated West and East Berlin or the wall that still separates North and South Korea. A wall not to keep apart enemy nations, political blocks, or religions. It was a wall that parted the risen dead from the living. Zombies from mortals. The dirty, filthy dangerous world of the mindless dead from the neat clean world of the living. And to maintain the illusion, the wall was mentioned as little as possible in their conversations. This of course meant that living in Cherrydale or Honeymead was much more desirable than living in River Rock or Redwood, in the shadow of that omnipresent wall.

Some didn’t care. Those who weren’t able to afford housing elsewhere, and realized that those formerly premium apartments were still a lot better than living in the slums of Stag Heath’s gangland; or those that hardly ever left their rooms or registered their surroundings. Sonja Wallace belonged to the later category. She couldn’t care less about the world around her apartment. Here she had all the hardware that was needed for her work. Her computers, her server, her scripts. The necessities of survival sometimes demanded of her to step outside, talk to a customer, work on their premises. Some of them were nice cool people, some of them a bunch of idiots who had no clue how about the basic workings of their own company networks. And then there were those peculiar ones, the creepy ones. Those that made her somehow feel uncomfortable to be around them. Like that restaurant owning couple she had worked for today.

She couldn’t exactly put her finger on was what wrong there, but there were so many little things that gave her the creeps. Those glances the owner and his wife exchanged from time to time; that fridge they never opened in their presence; the relatively small amount of meat they ordered for such a big restaurant – which seemed to specialize in meat; and of course the fact the owners had only on member of staff for such a enterprise, and that young Asian seemed to be – if there was such a thing – blissfully afraid of them. And then there was that chilling, unfamiliar presence she sometimes felt there. Just like something was moving straight through her. Something invisible, but yet so full of anguish, full of pain.

Sonja didn’t know much about people, and it wasn’t that unusual that people freaked her out with their peculiar, irrational habits. But these people freaked her out more than others. She was relieved now to be back in her own four walls, the door triple locked behind her. There was a trail of clothes, takeaway boxes and water and soda bottles leading from the door to her bedroom. Or more accurately, the computer room, which also happened to have a bed somewhere squeezed in the corner.

Feet in mismatched socks - one neon yellow, one pink black striped – curled under the desk as her fingers flew over the keyboard, her ears covered by oversized headphones, some VNV Nation blasting from her vast collection of mp3. She had learned that the louder the music was, the more it helped her focus. She had acquired some speakers at a local flea market when she moved in. But the first time she used them – she preferred to work at night, less distraction – the neighbours almost broke down her door. And those neighbours gave her the creeps. She bought those headphones and two extra locks after that. Had to let that creepy guy from the lock and key service in and the filthy, sleazy janitor. But it was worth it. Felt so much more safe now. Her home, her fortress. Protected by three locks, four security cams, five sensor alarms and a state of the art fire wall.

And yet she suddenly felt that chilling feeling. That aura of fear and desolation. She turned around in her chair, almost tearing the plug of her headphones from the bus in her computer, as she felt the strange presence pass right through her body. There was nothing but an empty corridor leading to the entrance door. A lacy bra dangling from the handle of her bedroom door. Her favourite one. The one she would have worn to the prom. If she went there. Damn anxiety attacks.

Was it moving? It did – and damn yes, calm down Sonja! – it should be. She had the fan on. Must have been the fan too and the cold air it produced that gave her those chills. A deep breath. A sip from that open can of Red Bull. A walk to the door. Closing it. Turning the fan lower. Returning to chair. Turning music even louder. VNV Nation – Fearless. She loved that song.

So many little things followed me
So many little things that bothered me. But I found my answer.
From all the chaos that followed me I have found my answer.
I've told you before don't follow me because I am not your answer.

I am not alone, I am not afraid, I am not unhappy.
These are the words I say to myself everyday.
I am not alone, I am not afraid, I am not unhappy.
Tell me what ritual I should have today.
But I'm not alone. I've resolved so many things and set myself free.

Fingers flew over the keyboard again. She was so close now. Deleting the last sentinel she entered the node with the data. It was astonishing how well protected all information about those two were. The files she finally found were top secret government files. Hantu Raya and Dulce Periculum. Dulce Periculum and Hantu Raya. Who the hell would give their children names like these? What she read on the screen made gasp in shock. Top secret information compiled by an informant called Miyabi. Her eyes opened wide as she read on. Abduction. Torture. Mutilation. Black magic. Sadistic perversion. Was this all really true? The chills were back again, creeping so deep into her core now. Freezing her in her chair.

[Dulce Periculum]

One click of a seriously fine crafted leather boot confirmed that the honey tressed co-owner of the business had emerged once more from the cooking island in the center of the establishment. Icy blue eyes gave the space between her and the entry an assessing sweep as her ebony silk slip dress continued to cling to the side of her thighs and concealed the tight curves beneath. Dulce Periculum was always on the move and never standing still.

Steam adorned the air as it rolled up in gray curling ribbons rising above the eclectic shapes of serving plates and bowls beneath the numerous customers that dotted the interior of the restaurant. It was always bustling with those who had a particular taste for fine Malaysian cuisine and with good reason. Very few places in Harper Rock took the interest in creating and serving their culinary delights with the focus that Hantu Raya did. She was a full partner but the passion for creating such masterpieces with unique ingredients was indeed concocted by the master himself. Her role was in consuming the small bites that she was offered to make sure that the taste was just right. That and of course making sure that those customers that now surrounded her as she moved always returned wanting more of what Dragon Gate Inn could only offer to their loyal patrons.

The air was rich with the tastes of citrusy Galangal, fermented ground shrimp in the form of Belacan and the imported exotically rich spices of coriander, cumin, shallot, cloves, cardamom, fenugreek, and star anise. All of which formed a irresistible aromatic bouquet that flowed around her as the lethal allurist made her way to the group of business suits that now stood in the entry admiring the fish that swim leisurely in the wall aquarium. The brilliant colors of the various species represented behind the glass were illuminated and complimented by the ornate scenery of a Malaysian temple and land surrounding that was impressively realistic. Nothing was spared in detail to bring the business that the blood bound couple worked tirelessly to fruition.

Within the walls of the water surrounded building was their greatest investment. Its purpose was to offer to Canada what otherwise could only be found in the lush million year old forests and beaches that were divided by the beckoning waters of the South China Sea. That would be of course the consuming shadows native homeland of Peninsular and East Malaysia which claimed its ties to Borneo with breathtaking beauty and the cuisine that they in turn brought to the wilds of a county that appeared to appreciate their efforts. Business was great and the place was always a source of new faces and networking.

Dulce never felt more at home than she did on very spot she stood to greet the group of serious business clad bodies. Her confidence exuded from her as the corners of her mouth curled just in a slight upward lift. Enough of a smile appeared to welcome those waiting but not to appear dependent on a similar response. It wasn’t as if she had other things to do as well. There was an endless list of what was in the process of being completed and even more that needed to be started. Sada Abe came to mind as she eyed the suit on the female that was several shades lighter than the rest that stood stiff and serious around her. Where was Sada and who was this female who had a heart rate of sixty eight and a personal preference for Jean Patou’s “Joy” rubbed into her nape of her neck and the back of her knees? That inspired an increase of smile to the allurists face. No one should be entirely uniform or predictable. It only serves to manifest increased boredom.

“Welcome to Dragon Gate Inn.” The tone of her voice was her trademark soft but assertive purr while her focus went to each face giving equal attention before returning back to the female obviously in lead of the six males behind her.
“Thank you.” Thin lips outlined in pale berry to surround the otherwise shimmering rose flesh moved in response. “We are hoping that we could secure a table in a corner that will seat us as well as four others that should arrive soon.”

It was not unheard of to have large groups arrive without reservations to gather and dine. It also was not ideal or convenient but she was learning all too quickly nothing in the business they were in would be. The challenge to accommodate and satisfy those with impromptu requests always made it clear in the end they had fine tuned the art of customer satisfaction and commitment to return routinely. Their reputation depended on the success of each and every request met with superior service and quality. It started with the stepping into the door, followed to the table and lasted through the visit and even back out to the parking lot. Maybe that was where Sada was?

“Please follow me and your guests will be directed to your table upon arrival.” A step back and a turn on her right heel had her walking towards the long spacious table for large parties nestled in the far east corner giving a beautiful view of the water and the lights that glowed beneath the surface.
“That would be appreciated.” Narrow cool eyes in a hazel hue looked up at Dulce as she pulled out the chair next to females right side.

Dulce said nothing more in the presence of the group as she pulled out the last of the chairs that would seat the seven currently present. Four more to arrive meant a table of eleven to serve. She loathed uneven numbers. Enough so that it would make her inclined to introduce a lone diner to the group to balance it out if it had not been business appearing to start with. She had a talent for bringing those unfamiliar together in this setting. She cursed her allurist strengths but could not deny when it came to their business that it all came in rather handy.

A vibration of plastic and knock off Armani captured her attention. Dulce released the back of the chair in her loose grip of her long fingers and turned to acknowledge the dark gray suit covering the fifty-something distinguished male standing behind her. The movement of his left hand did not go unnoticed as it released the two keys on a single key ring into the bottom of his left jacket pocket. No briefcase, no outline of a cell phone or other device on his front beneath his form fitting attire. He was on a mission and the man worked out more than men half his age. That said a lot as she continued her quiet assessment of her most recent encounter with the growing group. His posture was relaxed but unusually ready for encountering her. The observation was catalogued and applied to the rest of those now sitting around the table.

All were present were certainly ready for anything. Their movements were not relaxed and more calculated and purposeful than a group of office deserters would be. Each of them had her inclined to believe they were packing a weapon that was concealed more than your average licensed carrier. Perhaps at the back, strapped to the thigh or lower legs. Her smile faded and her eyes moved from the equal height males left suit pocket to his left shoulder across to the right then upward to his face. She had seen his type before and it never ended on good terms.

The man was definitely not local. He had been all over the world. He was ready to act anywhere you dropped him and do what needed to be done. The steeled focus in his dark brown eyes and otherwise expressionless face said he was doing his own assessment of her. The warmth of his blood was increasing but not because he was impressed a female was tall enough to look him directly in the eye. He was not there to have a business meeting either. None of those seated behind her at the table were. Crisp, sharp eyes on her and the place surrounding them was magnified by the lack of response from him as the seconds ticked by uncomfortably slow between them and they continued standing there. This was going to be dealt with as well. A mental note of yet another issue turning up was made.With that thought she tilted her head subtly to the right as she made her move to step around him and head in that same direction towards the center cooking station.

“Kami mempunyai syarikat.” She brushed past Hantu close enough that her hand clasped his forearm and then released it to get his attention. “Sada is here as well.”

Dulce’s confidence paid off that the woman long over due to arrive would return before she was given a whole new set of painful reasons on why disappointing Hantu Raya was not worth repeating. Sada Abe came in the front door leaving her image briefly on the monitor as she cleared one of the many security cameras that had the place under constant and thorough observation. In a fast pace she moved towards them with an insulated bag in her right hand. The petite female appeared rushed and scared all at the same time and barely made it around the corner without coming in contact with the clear glass barrier framing the cooking space. The female was mumbling and rubbing her arm as she entered the center cooking area and dropped the bag next to the prep station where Hantu could see it. Her dark eyes and pale lips look strained as she opened her mouth to speak then quickly all about her became frozen as the large group seated next to the window caught her attention. Dulce knew Sada recognized the group to be what she herself had assumed.

“What are they doing here?” The ivory fleshed and ebony haired beauty asked in a whisper.
“I am relieved to know you have no idea why.” Dulce commented as she reached for the bag and opened it to find exactly what was expected to arrive. She placed the bag closer to her husband. “You shall live to see another day.”
“Yes, well that can always change. I gave up counting on that.” The bewitched human took control of her attention and wisely pulled it from the table and invested it back to the couple who would find what she had to say most concerning. “They are out. I stopped by the house on the way back over here. I tried to deal with them by laying out those purple and green marbles you said to use and I even put raw steak on the floor under the pillory table and got this instead.”

Sada Abe pulled up her size zero suit sleeve and quickly revealed a gauze wrap around her forearm as it raised in the air. There was no need for her to remove the fresh dressing on the wound to know it was there and what it was inflicted by. It was deep as all of the marks they were known to leave behind when upset. The scent of the young womans innocent blood stirred her own appetite despite the most inappropriate timing. Dulce tugged the sleeve down and nudged the womans arm to drop back down.

“Who forgot to feed them this time on the fourteenth? They already hate me. You know how jealous they get. I risk my life everyday walking back and forth in that place. I am lucky to be alive. One of you forgot to feed them their monthly requirement on the fourteenth, didn’t you?” Sada grew bold taking the tone she did with them, especially when she was arriving late with what Hantu required of her.

There was silence on Dulce’s part. She was feeling the sinking of her insides as Sada likely verbalized why their home would be a disaster when they finally returned after closing the restaurant for the night. She felt her jaw tighten at the thought of what would be left in the wake of their tantrum this time. Toyols. Not one but two. They had names, personalities, temperaments that were volatile and unpredictable when angered. They also had enough time at their disposal to create mass destruction before either one standing there listening to Sada report off their current activity had time to get back there and intervene. Resigning to the fact it would be one of those nights she shrugged her shoulders once in a brief display.

“Doesn’t matter which one of us forgot to bleed the sacrificial cow this month. What is done is just that. Done. They will be dealt with.” Her eyes darted briefly to her husband then back to Sada. “We can always send you back to collect them and bring them here.”

Dulce could not resist the smirk that she wore as Sada looked as if she could faint at any moment. The toyols had that effect over most they encountered if not managed properly. Even with complete focus to their needs they still had lengthy history of finding a way to cause mischief. This time the young woman currently wounded was able to leave in tact and able to inform them of the situation in Cedar Court.

“Grab a glass of water, Sada. You do look a bit peaked.” Another brilliant round berry was captured in the fingertip of the lethal allurist and popped between her lips to be consumed.