CHAPTER FOUR

Okay, she had not seen that coming. Had she been silly enough to wonder if he might have come looking for her because he wanted to see her again? She tried to focus.

“What kind of situation are we talking about?” she asked.

“I’m sure you’re aware of the recent discovery of the long-lost Midnight Carnival museum down in the tunnels beneath the Dead City ruins here in Illusion Town.”

“The news was in the papers and on the rez screen. Someone found a whole bunch of valuable Earth artifacts that were lost after the Curtain closed. A group called the Arcane Society bought the entire collection. They paid a fortune. Something to do with the fact that the relics were associated with the Old World history of their organization.”

The vast energy field in space known as the Curtain had opened more than two hundred years earlier, making it possible for humans to explore and colonize other planets. But the Curtain had closed as suddenly and mysteriously as it had opened. The colonists from Earth had been stranded, with the result that, two hundred years later, Old World items had become extremely valuable and had inspired a lively market in antiques and antiquities.

“As far as the members of the Arcane Society are concerned, the relics are literally priceless,” Gabriel said.

“Yes, well, it’s certainly nice to have that kind of cash to throw around.”

“True,” he said.

To her relief, he was too polite to bring up the fact that her father had that sort of cash. It was annoying to have to explain that she was living from paycheck to paycheck these days because she refused to go back to Resonance City and admit failure. Deborah would not be pleased to see her standing on the doorstep. There would be lectures about screwing up and embarrassing the family. Again. Also a lot of conversations about how weather channeling was not a worthy career for a Bell.

“What about the Midnight Carnival brings you here?” she asked.

“Last night one of the relics went missing.”

“Tsk, tsk. If the collection was so valuable they should have installed better security.” A terrible thought struck her. “You think I had something to do with it?”

That succeeded in startling him. He was first shocked, and then she could have sworn something akin to pain flashed in his eyes. Had she somehow hurt him? Impossible. He was a Guild boss. Everyone knew they were as hard as the green quartz the Aliens had used to build their cities and tunnels.

But the ruins were not entirely impervious, she reminded herself. Eons earlier, some unknown force had ripped through the Dead City here in Illusion Town, and there were plenty of fissures in the tunnels. Nothing and no one was truly indestructible, including Guild bosses. She was annoyed to discover that she felt bad about the faint possibility that she had hurt Gabriel. The man had saved her life. She had to cut him some slack.

“No one thinks you took the damn artifact,” he said.

“I can’t tell you how relieved I am to hear that. Things have been a little rough careerwise for the past two months. I don’t need any more bad publicity.”

“I, uh, heard some of the talk,” he admitted.

“I’m sure you have.” The last thing she wanted from him was sympathy. “Let’s move along here. I’ve got plans for tonight.”

“Right.” He cleared his throat. “Let me just say that, for the record, Arcane has good security in place. The theft of the artifact appears to have been an inside job. Indications are the thief or thieves escaped into the Ghost City.”

“That’s a tough one. Very few people can track someone down there.”

“Pretty sure I can handle it.”

She smiled. “Of course.”

“But I’m going to need a very, very good weather channeler.”

“And you came to me because?”

“Everyone says you’re the best.”

She shook her head. “You misunderstood. What everyone says is that I used to be the best but that’s no longer true.” She waved a hand to indicate the tour bus. “I’ve changed careers.”

Her talent for being able to channel the paranormal wavelengths associated with the bizarre and often dangerous weather in the Underworld was as strong as ever. She loved the work. The thrill of controlling such powerful energy was unlike any other. She had the ability to save lives and prevent disasters. But handling weather down below was a business, and she was no longer in that business, thanks in large part to Gabriel Jones.

“I’m aware that your reputation took a hit after the incident two months ago,” Gabriel said.

“My reputation was shot to green hell, Mr. Jones. No security team wants to work with me. I’m bad luck. I suggest you try Roxby Weather Wizards. They’re handling a lot of the Coppersmith Mining jobs these days. Big outfit. Lots of strong channelers. They look good, too. Flashy uniforms.”

Gabriel considered the empty tour bus seats and then turned back to her. “You’re working as a tour guide because of what happened two months ago?”

She gave him a steely smile. “What happened two months ago changed my life. And not in a good way.”

“Do you want me to apologize for pulling you out of the Underworld?”

“Nope. I’m well aware I owe you my life, and I am very glad to be alive. So, thanks for that.”

“But?”

“But if you’re here because you think you can do me a favor by throwing some weather work my way, forget it.”

“I’m offering you a contract,” Gabriel said evenly. “I’m here because I need your skills and your talent.”

She shook her head. “You’re wasting your time. Even if I took the job, you wouldn’t be able to find a team that would be willing to work with me. I told you, I’ve got a reputation now. I’m the channeler who got drunk at the wedding, did drugs at an after-party, and got lost in the Underworld. Had to be rescued by a Guild security agent who risked his life to haul me back to the surface. Afterward I went crazy because of the alcohol, the drugs, and the trauma of three days in a hot paranormal environment.”

“Lucy—”

“Hey, could happen to anyone, right? But no one wants to go down into the tunnels with a weather channeler who got into that kind of trouble. In my business it’s all about reputation. I don’t have one to speak of anymore.”

“You partied a little too hard and you got in over your head,” Gabriel said gently. “It happens. But the experience didn’t drive you crazy.”

“I did not party too hard,” Lucy said through set teeth. “I was drugged and kidnapped.”

Gabriel regarded her in silence for a moment. His jaw tightened.

“I was told that after I left, the Illusion Town police conducted an investigation,” he said, speaking quietly. “There was no evidence to support your version of events.”

“The police couldn’t even find the driver of the cab that took me away from the hotel that night. Talk about incompetent.” Lucy drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. “I went a step further.”

“A step further?”

“Hired my own private investigator. Cost me a fortune, but I wanted the best, and that’s what I got. Keele Investigations is the go-to agency for the biggest casinos and corporations. They’ve even handled jobs for Coppersmith Mining. They use the latest and greatest technology, and they’ve got connections with the Federal Bureau of Psi Investigation.”

Gabriel’s eyes tightened at the corners. “I wasn’t aware that a private investigation agency had looked into your case.”

“I kept it quiet, because nothing good came of it. Unlike the local police, the Keele agency was able to track down the cabdriver. Turns out he left town right after I was grabbed. Evidently, he ran because he had been driving without the proper license. That’s a major offense in this town. He was terrified of being drawn into a missing persons investigation. He knew that if I turned up dead, he would have been the last person to see me alive. He wouldn’t have been able to prove his innocence.”

“What did he tell the Keele investigator?”

“Nothing useful.” Lucy exhaled slowly. “He confirmed the theory the police and everyone else believed—I got into his cab drunk or high, he wasn’t sure which. I said something about a party. I insisted on getting out of the cab when we were near the Storm Zone Wall. The last thing he saw was me running into the fog. The Keele report says there was no evidence of foul play. The investigator concluded that I had become disoriented by the paranormal radiation or the drugs—or both. Even my own father and his wife think I hallucinated the story. That night after you dumped me, I was locked up in a para-psych clinic.”

“I didn’t dump you. I handed you off to the medics and your father.”

She gave him her iciest smile. “From my perspective it sure looked like I was dumped. I guess you had to be there.”

Gabriel’s jaw clenched, but he did not lose his temper. You had to give him credit for control.

“There seems to be some confusion about what happened at the clinic,” he said in an excruciatingly neutral tone of voice. “Apparently you walked out against the doctor’s recommendation.”

“I didn’t walk out,” Lucy said. “I escaped. Big difference.”

She waited for Gabriel to question that story, too, but he let it go.

“Are you fully recovered now?” he asked.

“Yep. Not that anyone believes me.”

“I do. I would like to hire you for the Ghost City job.”

“Thank you. That is very nice of you.”

Gabriel narrowed his eyes. “Nice?”

“Kind? Generous? Whatever, I appreciate it. Really. Sorry I can’t project more enthusiasm and gratitude. It’s been a tough couple of months.”

“I’m beginning to understand that. Okay, you’re welcome. Now, if we could get back to my offer of a contract—”

She shook her head. “I was serious when I said you won’t be able to put together a team that will trust me. Stuff happened after they took me away in that ambulance.”

“I heard you suffered some kind of post-traumatic psychic stress trauma.”

“Oh, there was trauma,” Lucy said evenly. “I was shot full of more hallucinogenic drugs, Mr. Jones. It took me a while to figure out what was going on. If it hadn’t been for Otis, I would have no memories left of what happened. Those I do have are still blurry, although things are getting clearer.”

“Are you telling me they gave you more of the hallucinogen at the clinic?”

“Someone tried to make me forget everything. I guess whoever it was decided killing me to make sure I didn’t talk might be a little too risky.” She paused. “It might have made people, including a certain Guild hunter, suspicious.”

An eerie stillness settled on Gabriel. His eyes heated with a dangerous energy.

“Otis?” he said.

“He showed up later that same night. He was the one thing I knew for sure was real. My father told me later that he wasn’t allowed to see me because of the hallucinations. The doctors thought a visit would agitate me. He believed them and returned to Resonance. I phoned him after I got back to my apartment and told him I had discharged myself and that I was okay.”

“You didn’t tell him you thought you had been injected with more hallucinogens?”

She shrugged. “There was no point. He wouldn’t have believed me. After all, the doctors had assured him I was hallucinating—which happens to be the truth.”

“Because of the drugs.”

“Yep.”

“You were about to tell me how you escaped,” Gabriel said.

“It was a process. We waited until after dark the following day. Then Otis chewed through the restraints—”

For the first time the vibe of anger shivered in the atmosphere around Gabriel. “They tied you to the bed?”

“Well, sure. I was hallucinating, remember?” She knew sarcasm dripped like acid from each word. “I had a little trouble getting out of the room. Just as I was about to make my exit, the fake doctor showed up to give me another dose of the drug. Otis went for his throat. I bashed him in the head with a metal bedpan. It all turned out for the best, because I was able to borrow the creep’s white coat, cap, and face mask. No one noticed me in the hallway. Otis led me out through the loading dock entrance. I made it home to my apartment in the Dark Zone and collapsed.”

Gabriel started to say something and then stopped. “Huh.”

“Huh?”

“There was no report of an injured doctor.”

“That is very insightful of you, Mr. Jones. No, there was no report that a doctor had been injured and a dangerous patient had escaped. That is most likely because the demons weren’t real doctors.”

“Demons,” Gabriel repeated, his voice once again unnervingly neutral.

“Sorry. I’ve tried to break myself of the habit of using that word to describe the creeps, because it just makes people think I really am suffering some serious trauma. But under the influence of the drug, that’s how they appeared to me.”

“What happened after you left the clinic?”

“What do you think happened? I went home to my apartment and took a long shower. Then I contacted the hospital and informed them I had checked myself out against medical advice. I called Dad and told him not to worry about me. The effects of the drugs wore off after a couple of days. My friend Veronica looked after me. Made sure I ate. Took time off work to stay with me for the first two nights. Nights were bad. They still are, but things are much better now.”

For the second time that day, she thought she saw pain in his eyes, but he did not interrupt.

“When I finally had full control of my senses again, I discovered my professional reputation had been destroyed,” she continued. She patted the steering wheel. “I was lucky to get this cool job as a tour guide here in the Storm Zone. Mr. Luxton loves me because I make sure every tour gets to drive through a real storm.”

“A storm you generate?”

“Usually. The natural ones are unreliable. Tourists want a little thrill for their money. I’m reliable. With all the energy in the area, it’s relatively easy to channel some of it into a small dust devil or a little whirlwind. Luxton sells tickets for my tours at twice the amount of the regular tours. My tours are exclusive. The storm experience is guaranteed.”

“Does he pay you extra?”

Lucy almost laughed. “Are you joking? I’m still on probation. The only money Otis and I make is in the form of tips and a small commission from the toy dust bunnies Luxton sells in the gift shop.”

Gabriel studied her intently for a long time. The energy in his eyes was feral now.

“I tried to contact you after I got back from my last assignment a month ago,” he said. “You weren’t answering your phone, and you weren’t online.”

“I asked Runner—he operates the Dark Zone Delivery Service—to ditch my phone and my computer in the Fire Zone. I was in hiding for the first couple of weeks. I was terrified the kidnappers would come looking for me. I’ve got a new phone now, but I don’t take any unknown calls.”

“Any reason to believe that someone has come looking for you?” Gabriel asked.

“No. We have an excellent neighborhood watch in the Dark Zone. People would notice strangers in the area.”

Gabriel glanced out at the ruins of the Dead City. “Don’t you feel vulnerable here at work?”

“At first I was worried about taking the job, but it turns out you can’t eat or pay the rent if you don’t work. I’m no longer so concerned. Otis comes with me every day. He would sense a threat.”

Gabriel switched his attention to Otis. “I think you’re right. It’s obvious he has bonded with you.”

Lucy smiled at Otis. “We’re pals.”

“When I couldn’t get hold of you I called your parents’ house. Mrs. Bell said that you were all right but that you were still recovering from your experience in the Underworld. She said it would not be a good idea to try to get in touch with you.”

“That sounds like Deborah. She views me as an embarrassment to the family.”

Gabriel was silent for a moment.

“Do you trust me?” he asked.

She thought about that, remembering the dreams and the nightmares. “I guess I sort of trust you.”

“Sort of?”

“Well, you did rescue me from the Underworld, but then you turned me over to the demons. I realized that was not your intention, but I also knew I was no longer at the top of your list of priorities. You had completed your mission and you were off to the next one.”

“So the jury is still out on whether you can trust me?”

Gabriel didn’t sound offended now. She got the feeling he was in working mode—collecting facts for a file.

“Otis likes you, so that means I’m leaning in your favor,” she said.

“Obviously you’ve given the issue of whether or not you can trust me some serious thought.”

She sighed. “Okay, I realize you weren’t working for the kidnappers.”

Irritation flickered in his eyes. “I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to hear that.”

“I was just another mission for you—admit it.”

Gabriel’s expression hardened. “You were a mission. Right after I brought you up to the surface I was tasked with another assignment. I spent four weeks in the Rainforest tracking a serial killer. You know as well as I do that high-tech communication devices don’t work down there. And even if they did, I wouldn’t have been able to risk contacting you or anyone else. The killer knew I was hunting him. I had to disappear for a time.”

“I understand. You’re a professional. You had a job to do.”

He looked irritated again, but he did not contradict her.

“Let’s get back to the demons at the hospital,” he said. “The ones who gave you the drugs.”

“There were two of them that first night,” she said. “Both male, but that’s all I can tell you. On the second night only one returned. That was a win for me. Taking out one demon was hard enough for Otis and me. Two would have been a problem. I mean, we’re good, but we didn’t have mag-rez pistols, just a bedpan.”

“You’re sure the demons weren’t on the staff at the clinic?”

“Yes, for the same reason you mentioned. There was nothing in the papers about an injured doctor.”

“Do you have any proof of what happened in the clinic?”

This time she gave him a knife-edge of a smile. “Of course not. I hallucinated the whole thing, remember?”

He did not take the bait. He just waited. She hesitated, and then, because Gabriel Jones was the one person who might just possibly be persuaded to believe her, she unfastened the top two buttons of the safari shirt and showed him the pendant she wore on a chain-link necklace. The stone was a skillfully cut and polished chunk of smoky gray amber.

“The demon I beaned with the bedpan was wearing this under his lab coat,” she said.

Gabriel studied the pendant. “You took it?”

“It would be more accurate to say I stole it. He was unconscious at the time.”

“I see.” Gabriel raised his eyes. “Why did you take it?”

She shifted a little in the seat. “Remember me telling you that the kidnappers wore necklaces set with glowing blue stones?”

“Yes, but this stone is gray. What is it, by the way? Looks like amber, but I’ve never seen gray amber.”

“It’s amber.” She refastened the top two buttons of her shirt. “When the second demon walked into the room that first night, this stone glowed blue.”

“Think it’s been tuned to be a signal stone? Clubs, sports teams, and gangs sometimes use them to show affiliation with a group.”

“Maybe. I haven’t dared take it to a tuner who might recognize it and notify the demons—I mean, the bad guys.” She really did have to break the habit of thinking of the kidnappers as demons. “The pendant has been cold and gray the whole time I’ve had it.”

“Can I take a look at it?” he asked.

She hesitated. “All right, but I want it back.”

“Do you really believe I’m going to steal it?”

She felt the heat rise in her cheeks. “No. It’s just that I’m afraid of losing it. It’s the only proof I’ve got that someone tried to kidnap me and then, later, tried to make me forget everything.”

“I understand.”

Well, at least he wasn’t telling her he thought she was crazy.

She took off the chain and handed it to him. Gabriel held the pendant up to the light. She felt energy shift a little in the atmosphere and knew he was trying to rez the amber.

She shook her head. “You can’t make it glow—at least, I couldn’t rez it, and I’m pretty strong. But there’s some heat in it.”

Gabriel closed his hand around the pendant. Energy shifted around him. After a moment he opened his fingers and took another look at the amber.

“It definitely has been tuned,” he said, “but I don’t know what it would take to activate it.” He handed the necklace back to her. “You’ve kept a low profile, but you’re not hiding out under a different name. You’re still living at the same address in the Dark Zone. Aren’t you afraid whoever owned that pendant might be looking for you?”

“I told you, I’ve got friends and I’ve got Otis.” She paused, trying to decide if she should confide one additional fact. What the heck, why not? “I’ve also got a gun.”

Gabriel did not look delighted to hear that. “What kind of gun?”

“Just a small mag-rez pistol.”

“Mag-rez pistols of every size are restricted to law enforcement. Civilians are not allowed to own one.”

“Uh-huh. Well, I have some news for you. This is Illusion Town. The rules are a little different here.”

“I am, of course, shocked to hear that.”

“It’s been two months now,” Lucy added quickly. “I think the kidnappers have concluded I’m no longer a threat.”

“But you haven’t been able to get your career back on track.”

“No.”

“If you take the job I’m offering and we’re successful, it would go a long way toward reestablishing your professional status,” Gabriel said.

“I told you, you won’t be able to put together a team.”

“There won’t be a team involved in this job,” Gabriel said. “Just me.”

It was her turn to be startled. “You’re going into the Ghost City alone?”

“No. The weather down there is highly unpredictable. I’m hoping to have the best channeler in the business with me. But yes, I will be the only one on the team. I don’t want to have to worry about protecting a lot of other people while hunting for the thief. We’ll be able to move faster and more efficiently if it’s just the two of us.”

“I see.”

“Do you like your tour guide job?” Gabriel asked.

“No. I don’t get a paycheck. I work for tips and commissions off the stuffed dust bunny toys. I can barely make the rent. The only people who bother to fill out the comment forms are the whiners and complainers. Parents let the kids run wild. I live in fear that one day someone will wander off to take photos and get lost just as a storm hits.”

Gabriel’s eyes heated a little. “Does that mean you’re interested in my offer?”

“Maybe. When did you want to leave to go after the thief?”

“The sooner the better,” Gabriel said. He seemed to relax a little. “This afternoon.”

“Sorry, that’s impossible. I’ve got an engagement party this evening. It’s the Covenant Marriage season, remember? Lots of weddings and formal engagements.”

Gabriel looked like a man who had just run straight into a quartz wall. Staggered.

“You’re getting engaged?” he said, his voice rasping a little.

“No, my ex is. To a friend of mine. It is a Covenant Marriage engagement. You know what that means: big, formal event.”

“Let me get this straight,” Gabriel said. “Your ex’s engagement party is more important than recovering a priceless artifact and the opportunity to recover your reputation?”

“That artifact is priceless only to the Arcane Society, which, I assume, is paying the Guild a lot of money to find it. The relic doesn’t mean a damn thing to me. And as for my reputation, one job in the Ghost City may not be enough to get me back into the game.” She stopped as a thought struck her. “You called the artifact priceless, but it sounds like just another Old World antique. There are a lot of those floating around. Are you a member of the Arcane Society? Is that why you’re so eager to find the thing?”

“The Jones family has always had a strong connection to Arcane. The organization was founded by a Jones back on Earth. You could say I was born into the Society. The relic isn’t of any special interest to me, but it is apparently quite dangerous, and this is Guild territory now—my territory. I’m responsible for managing security issues in the Underworld. We’ve only just begun to explore and chart the tunnels down below. The Ghost City is almost entirely unmapped, and no one knows what the hell happened in the aboveground ruins here.”

His eyes sparked with energy. The man was definitely mission-driven, Lucy thought. But then, she had already guessed that much about him. He was the type who put his dedication to his job ahead of everything else, including personal relationships. His private life was probably a hot mess, or maybe simply nonexistent. He was not good husband material, because his work would always come first.

Not that she cared about whether he would make a good husband. Not that she even knew what good husband material looked like. For a time she had believed that Tony was good husband material.

“I appreciate the offer of a contract,” she said. “But if you feel you must begin the search for the thief this afternoon, you’ll have to find another channeler.”

“I want the best. I’ll wait.”

“Fine. Where do I meet you tomorrow?”

“I’ll pick you up in the morning.”

“No, I’ll meet you somewhere. GPS and the mapping programs don’t work in the Dark Zone. You’ll never be able to find my address.”

Gabriel gave her a slow, cold smile. “The first thing a new Guild boss does is become familiar with his territory. I know where you live.”

She tensed. “Is that supposed to be a joke?”

“No, it’s the truth. How do you think I found you today? I stopped by your apartment building. Your landlady told me you were working here.”

Lucy groaned. “Mrs. Briggs. Of course she told you where I was.”

Few people said no to a Guild boss.

“I’ll pick you up at five,” Gabriel said.

“Are you kidding? I told you, I’m going to a full Covenant Marriage engagement ball. I won’t be getting home until two or three in the morning.”

“Five a.m. if you want the job.”

She tapped one finger against the steering wheel. Okay, the bottom line was that she really, really wanted the job. Maybe there was a slim chance that she could somehow recover from the career disaster. It was a long shot, but at least it offered a spark of hope. She did not want to spend the rest of her days driving tourists around the Storm Zone. The only other alternative was going back to Resonance as a failure.

“All right, five o’clock,” she agreed.

She could slip out of the party early. No one would notice. She would get her gear together and maybe grab a few hours of sleep before Gabriel Jones showed up at the door.

In spite of her mood, she was aware of a little thrill of excitement. She was going back into the Underworld. The Ghost City was riddled with wild paranormal weather. She would have an opportunity to employ her talent for something more challenging than navigating the Storm Zone.

“I’ll have to notify Luxton, the owner of this operation, that I won’t be in tomorrow,” she said. “He won’t like it.”

“He didn’t raise any objections when I told him the Guild would be grateful if he would let me borrow you for a couple of days.”

Lucy sighed. “Of course he was delighted to do a favor for the new Guild boss. I should have known you’d already taken care of that hurdle. How much did you promise to pay him?”

“Let’s just say the Guild will compensate him for any loss of revenue.”

“Right. Well, for what it’s worth, my advice is to take a close look at the bill when he submits it. Luxton is very entrepreneurial.”

“Meaning he’ll inflate his invoice? Don’t worry, I factored that into my offer.”

“He won’t be the only one who will be happy to do business with the Guild. It’s no secret that the organization pays well, and everyone from the casino owners to the shopkeepers will jump at the chance to do a favor for the new Guild boss.”

“Things are changing in the Guilds,” Gabriel said.

“Yeah, I’ve heard that. Whatever. In this town, you pay to play. I’m sure the Guild will flourish here.”

The Ghost Hunters Guilds were supposedly in the process of being reformed by strong, professional management at the top, but the old ways and the old attitudes died hard.

A hundred years ago, the ghost hunter organizations had been founded to defend the colonists from Vincent Lee Vance and his followers. According to the history books, Vance had been a charismatic megalomaniac who had convinced himself and the cult he created that he was destined to rule the struggling colonies.

Vance had managed to build what amounted to a militia of people with various talents. His followers had waged a guerrilla war from the tunnels. One of the city-states fell within days. Disaster loomed.

In a desperate attempt to fight back, the ghost hunter organizations had been formed. The only viable weapons were the balls of unstable dissonance energy that floated randomly throughout the tunnels. They were called ghosts because they could appear anywhere in the Underworld. They were dangerous, potentially lethal. Those with the ability to manipulate the balls of seething paranormal fire were recruited to do battle with the rebels.

Vance and his minions had finally been defeated at the Last Battle of Cadence. His followers had surrendered but Vance and his lover had vanished into the tunnels. According to the legend, the pair had made a suicide pact but in the end they had died because they had blundered into a lethal energy trap. The period of violence was now known as the Era of Discord.

A hundred years ago the men of the Ghost Hunters Guilds had been hailed as heroes. But decades of operating what had proven to be a monopoly on security in the Underworld had reduced the Guilds’ social standing to a level that was just a step or two up from mob organizations.

But as it happened, Illusion Town was unique when it came to the social ladder. After all, the city had been founded by a consortium of individuals who operated in the shadows, and most of the big casinos were run by CEOs who occupied what could only be described as a gray zone when it came to respectability. In Illusion Town, that was the top of the social hierarchy.

It had been ever thus in communities that thrived on gambling, nightclubs, and racy entertainment. There had always been dangerous power brokers in Illusion Town. As the director of the new Guild territory, Gabriel Jones was now officially one of those power brokers. People would be tripping over their feet to do him a favor.

Lucy checked the time. “I’ve got to get going. I need to go back to my apartment and get ready for the party.”

“I’ll drive you home,” Gabriel said.

“That’s not necessary.”

“It will save time.”

She sighed. There was no point arguing with the logic. It was a long walk home, even though she did take the shortcut through the ruins.

“All right,” she said.

“You’re welcome.”

She ignored the sarcasm and slipped out from behind the steering wheel. Gabriel stepped down to the pavement, Otis still on his shoulder, and moved aside. She locked up the bus and started toward the parking lot. Gabriel caught up with her.

“You said it was your ex and one of your friends who are getting engaged tonight?” he said.

“That’s right.”

“None of my business, but isn’t that going to be a little awkward?”

“Horribly awkward. I’m dreading it.”

“So why go?”

“I don’t have a choice. Illusion Town is a small community in all the important ways. I need to put in an appearance tonight to make sure everyone knows I wish the couple well. No hard feelings. I’ve moved on. Blah, blah, blah.”

“Again, none of my business,” Gabriel said, “but have you considered that maybe it’s all for the best?”

“Sure. I tell myself that whenever I think about it. And it’s true. But, let’s face it, getting dumped is always humiliating.”

“True. So you’re determined to attend the engagement party to show there are no hard feelings?”

“Right.”

“Is the invitation a plus-one?”

“Yes. So?”

“Are you taking a plus-one?”

Lucy glanced at Otis and smiled. “Otis is going with me. My friend and neighbor, Veronica, made a little tux for him. It’s covered in sequins. He’s going to look adorable.”

“I can’t pull off the adorable look, but do you think you might be able to get me in as your plus-one?” Gabriel said. “Not to replace Otis, of course. But in addition. A plus-one-and-a-half?”

She stopped abruptly. “You want to attend the engagement party with me?”

“I was planning to head straight down into the Underworld this evening. But it turns out I find myself at loose ends tonight. I’m new in town. It would be nice to meet some people.”

She slanted him a suspicious look. “For your information, you don’t do innocent well. You want to keep an eye on me, don’t you?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know who or what I’m chasing. We may be after a simple thief, but my gut tells me we’re dealing with a more sophisticated operation. If someone is watching me, which seems likely, that individual now knows that I’ve contacted you and has probably figured out why.”

“You think I might be in danger?”

“I don’t know,” Gabriel admitted. “I’d rather not take any chances.”

“The ball is a formal affair at the Amber Palace, one of the biggest hotel-casinos in the city. You’d need a tux. I doubt if there’s time—”

“I’m a Guild boss. Of course I’ve got a tux. Aiden ordered it for me.”

“Who’s Aiden?”

“Aiden Shore is my new administrative assistant. He’s very keen on making sure the Guild upgrades its image. He calls it branding. It’s becoming obvious that he sees the establishment of a new Guild headquarters here in Illusion Town as a golden opportunity for him to carry out his cunning plans. Pretty sure that, as far as he’s concerned, I’m just a useful pawn in his scheme. He came out of the public relations department at the Cadence City Guild.”

“Aiden went so far as to select a tuxedo for you?”

“Aiden has a genuine talent for organization.” Gabriel smiled a stunningly cold smile. “Don’t worry, the tux is cut to conceal a mag-rez pistol.”

“That is not amusing.”

“You know what they say about Guild bosses. No sense of humor.”