Guild Boss (Ghost Hunters #14)(27)

“No, can’t say that I do.”

“I don’t know, either. Never had occasion to order one. I’ll bet a cake that size costs a couple of hundred dollars.”

“If we could get back on topic here—”

“Right.” She pulled herself together. This was not the time to fret about the damned cake. Gabriel was trying to help her find evidence. Time to focus. “Sorry.”

He nodded and went back to prowling the area around the tower. He came to a stop near a jumble of tumbled quartz. Energy shifted in the atmosphere around him. He reached out one hand and rested it on the green stone.

“Here,” he said. He spoke very softly. “This is where they grabbed you.”

She froze. “What? How can you tell?”

“I can read your prints. Fear. Rage. Desperation.” Gabriel rose slowly and looked at her. “I can see the prints of the people who took you, too. There’s a lot of heat in them. Violent heat.”

She looked at him and then at the glowing quartz rubble. “You can see psychic prints?”

He shrugged. “I told you, I’m good at hunting people.”

“Can you identify the prints?”

“Not in the sense you mean. I can perceive the energy in them. Pick up some of the emotions. It’s like running across the tracks of a ghost. If I meet the person who laid down the energy, I can sometimes make the connection. I know some of these prints are yours, for example, because we’ve spent some time together and I have a … sense of your vibe.”

“I thought ghost hunters were only good at—” She broke off, embarrassed.

“Rezzing or de-rezzing energy ghosts down in the tunnels? Traditionally, it was considered a basic job requirement if you wanted a career in the Guilds. But as I keep telling you, things are changing. Other kinds of talents are being recruited. I’m descended from a family that has had a strong psychic vibe in the bloodline for generations. Our ancestors on Earth had some serious paranormal abilities. The Guild needed my tracking talent.”

“I see,” she said.

But she wasn’t buying that smooth explanation. The Guilds were notoriously big on certain traditions. The uniform hadn’t changed much in a hundred years. And everyone knew that within the organizations the ability to deal with ghost fire was traditionally what determined a hunter’s advancement through the ranks—well, that plus a streak of ruthlessness and street smarts.

It was unheard-of for someone with another kind of psychic talent to even join the Guild, let alone climb to the top of one of the organizations. But she had other problems at the moment, so she put the matter aside and focused on the important part.

“So now you believe my version of events?” she said.

“You were here,” Gabriel said. “There was violence. Yes, I think you were kidnapped.”

She took a deep breath. “Thanks.”

“Evidence is evidence.”

“Right. Evidence.”

No leap of faith involved, she thought. He hadn’t arrived at his conclusion because he trusted her memories. He was just looking at what he considered cold, hard, paranormal evidence. It was a little deflating, but she told herself it was good enough for now. Better than good. It was the best news she’d had in two months. Finally, someone who was in a position to investigate her case believed her story.

“There’s nothing else we can do here tonight,” Gabriel said. “We both need to get some sleep. We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us tomorrow.”

“Yes,” she said.

They turned to make their way back toward the hole-in-the-wall. Otis bailed out of her arms and dashed ahead.

“He’s excited to take another ride in your limo,” Lucy explained.

“Sometimes it’s the little things in life.”

Humor? Lucy considered the possibility. Probably not.

She stopped in midstep when she heard Otis growl. She glanced down. In the glow of the quartz pavement she saw that he was no longer in adorable mode. He was crouched at the entrance of the opening, all four eyes gazing into the fog-bound night with fixed attention. He was sleeked out and his teeth were showing.

“Something’s wrong,” she whispered.

“Yes,” Gabriel said.

He moved to the edge of the opening and studied what little could be seen through the jagged slice in the quartz. Lucy felt energy shift around him and knew he had rezzed his senses to another level.

“Stay here,” he ordered softly.

Otis growled again.

“I’m not sure this is a good idea,” Lucy said. But Gabriel and Otis both ignored her. They moved out through the opening, a couple of hunters stalking prey.

A harsh, masculine voice rang out.

“That’s far enough, Jones. Not another step or I’ll rez the trigger.”

Lucy froze.

“What’s this all about?” Gabriel asked, his voice deceptively calm.

“You’re coming with us.”

“Why?”

“Turns out someone is willing to pay a lot of money to whoever delivers you to a certain party.”

“So it’s me you’re after?”

“Guess you’re special. Don’t expect any help from the guy driving the limo. We took care of him first. There are three of us, by the way. We’ve all got magrezes.”