Guild Boss (Ghost Hunters #14)(30)

She narrowed her eyes. “Both.”

“Always nice to have a choice.” Gabriel turned back to Joe. “I’ve got a go-bag in the back of the limo, but I’d appreciate it if you’d stop by my apartment tomorrow morning and grab some clothes. I’d just as soon not go into the Underworld wearing a tux. Not a good look for a Guild boss.”





CHAPTER NINE





“This is awkward,” Lucy said. She twitched the curtain aside and looked at the long black limo parked on the street in front of her apartment building. “Do you have any idea what Mrs. Briggs and my neighbors are going to think when they see that huge car sitting there all night long?”

Otis vaulted up onto the windowsill to see what had attracted her attention. When he didn’t notice anything that was of interest to a dust bunny, he chortled and bounced down to the floor again.

Gabriel glanced out the window and shrugged. “They’ll assume you have a friend visiting.”

“I don’t have any friends who drive around in limousines, especially not in limousines with Guild license plates. Everyone will know the new boss of the local Guild is spending the night.”

“Is that going to be a problem?”

She let the curtain fall back into place and turned to glare at him. It struck her that he looked incredibly sexy standing there in her small living room dressed in a tux. The memory of how he had kissed her, scooped her up with easy strength, and carried her out of the Dead City whispered through her.

Focus, woman.

“My professional reputation went down the dust bunny hole after you brought me out of the tunnels,” she said coldly. “But there was another issue, as well.”

Gabriel raised his brows. “What other issue?”

“Never mind,” she muttered. “It was just a three-day tabloid story that faded quickly.”

“What kind of tabloid story?”

She waved her hands. “The Curtain and some of the other gossipy papers implied that I had disappeared for three days into the tunnels because I was having a wild fling with the Guild agent who rescued me. It was the photo of you carrying me out of the Dead City. They ran with it for a while.”

“I see.” Gabriel contemplated that for a beat. “I didn’t realize—”

“I know. You were busy.”

“I had a job to do.”

“Right. My point is that two months ago people figured it was just a one-or possibly three-night stand with a Guild agent. It happens. My friends and neighbors forgot about it within a week. Tomorrow morning, however, the rumors are going to fire up again. And this time it will be different, because you’re not just a ghost hunter who stopped off in Illusion Town long enough to have some fun. You’re the director of the local Guild. You’re one of the power brokers here. And you’re spending the night at my place. So much for trying to convince everyone that you’re just another client.”

“I apologize, but security has to be our first priority. Can we agree on that?”

She groaned. “Yes. Damn it.”

“Good. That’s settled, then.”

She lifted her chin, determined to be mature. “Yep. Settled. Got a job to do first thing in the morning.”

“Exactly.”

Gabriel peeled off the elegantly cut jacket of his tuxedo. Lucy stared at the compact mag-rez pistol he wore in a shoulder holster.

“Good grief,” she said. “You weren’t teasing me after all. You actually do own a tux cut to conceal a gun.”

“Aiden ordered the suit, and he likes the old traditions.” Gabriel tossed the jacket over the back of a chair and began loosening the knot of his silk tie. “I told you, Guild bosses aren’t known for their sense of humor.”

She spread her hands wide apart. “Why didn’t you use it tonight when those thugs tried to grab you?”

“Two reasons. First, I wanted information and I’ve discovered guys like that are more likely to talk if they think they’re in control of the situation.” Gabriel unbuckled the holster. “The second reason is that mag-rez pistols are dangerous to use in a heavy paranormal atmosphere. Things were going well until you gallantly came to my rescue.”

“Sorry about that.”

“I was trying to make a joke.”

“Fail.”

Gabriel nodded. “I get that a lot.” He leaned down and opened the well-worn leather backpack he had removed from the rear of the limo. “What do you say we get some sleep?”

Otis bustled over to investigate the contents of the pack.

Lucy gave up. She was stuck with Gabriel for the foreseeable future. And she did owe him her life. Now he was trying to help her restore her professional reputation. She needed to learn gratitude.

“Okay,” she said. “Good idea. Big day ahead of us.” She paused a beat. “You’re a dual talent.”

“I think we’ve already established that. I told you, there have been strong psychics in the family for generations, long before my ancestors came to Harmony. The Joneses adapted quite easily to the paranormal vibe here. There are several dual talents in the family. For obvious reasons, we keep quiet about it.”

“Because people might doubt your mental stability?”