Guild Boss (Ghost Hunters #14)(43)

The longing to have a legitimate family was probably even more powerful for someone who had been born out of wedlock, he thought.

“Got anyone in mind?” he asked quietly.

“Nope, not at the moment. I’ve had other things to worry about lately.”

“Right.” He slowed the big vehicle as he joined the traffic crawling along the Strip. “Speaking of which, I can’t be with you night and day—”

“Of course not. You’ve got a lot of work to do—close the case of the stolen doll, establish the new Guild headquarters, et cetera, et cetera. I understand. No problem.”

“And because I need time to do some investigation work on your case,” he said. He was beyond flailing. He was starting to lose his temper. He never lost his temper. “It’s not a good idea for you to be alone, not until I find the kidnappers.”

“I don’t need a babysitter, Gabriel.”

“Yes, you do, but we will call him a bodyguard. Jared’s feelings will be crushed if you call him a babysitter.”

“Jared?”

“Jared Flint. He’s a member of my start-up team. He’s been complaining about getting stuck with a lot of paperwork. Accompanying you on your Storm Zone Adventure Tours will give him a break.”

“What will you be doing while I’m driving the bus with Jared riding shotgun?”

“I’m going to track down the tuner who tuned the amber in the pendants.”

Lucy perked up, her interest sparked. “Great idea. How do you go about that? There are a gazillion tuners in Illusion Town.”

“The quartz is unusual, and so is the tuning work. Someone in the trade will know who handled the job. When I find the tuner, I should be able to find out who commissioned the work.”

“That sounds like a very logical plan.”

He wasn’t sure if she was impressed or being sarcastic.

“It’s what I do, Lucy.”

“I know. Got a plan to furnish your new apartment?”

“What? No.” He frowned. “Why?”

“I would think it would be high on your list of priorities,” Lucy said. “You’re moving here. This will be home for the foreseeable future. Seems reasonable that you would want to get some furniture.”

“Furnishing my apartment is at the bottom of my to-do list,” he said. “In fact, at the moment it’s not even on the list. When I’ve got time I’ll have Aiden hire someone to take care of the furniture issue.”

“You’re going to ask your administrative assistant to oversee the decorating of your new apartment?”

“Aiden is good when it comes to taking care of details.”

“The furniture you will be living with isn’t a detail.”

“Most of my time is spent at the office.”

“Of course.” She paused. “Why didn’t you bring your old furniture with you?”

“I didn’t have any. It was all rented. It went back to the agency when I moved. I’m sure I can rent more here in Illusion Town.”

“At your age, you should not be renting furniture.”

“My age?”

“It’s not like you’re just starting out in your career,” Lucy said. “You’re at the pinnacle of success but you’re still renting furniture. That’s depressing.”

Startled, he glanced at her. “Depressing?”

“Never mind. It’s none of my business.”

“No, it’s not.”

He stopped talking, because the SUV was slowing down. He glanced at the display screens built into the dash. All of the readouts showed that the engine was shutting down. The headlights went out.

“What’s going on?” Lucy asked.

“I don’t know, but for now we’re going to assume the worst: someone has sabotaged the vehicle.”

“Weird place for an ambush. We’re in the middle of the Strip. There are thousands of people on the street. Security everywhere.”

“Get ready to bail when I give the word.”

“Okay.”

“I never thought I’d say this, but have you got your little pistol?”

Lucy opened her pack and took out the small mag-rez. “Oh, yeah.” She unclipped her seat belt, grabbed Otis, and prepared to open her door. “I assume we’re going to head for the closest casino? There will be tons of security inside.”

“Right. The Amber Palace.”

Gabriel got the mag-rez out of his shoulder rig. The SUV came to a full stop. He put on the parking brake. He was about to order Lucy to jump when he realized that the cars around him were also stopping. Headlights went out by the dozens. Traffic came to a complete halt.

“I’m not so sure this is personal,” Lucy said. “Everyone is getting out of their cars. Look, the casinos are starting to go dark, too.”

The big glowing signs that marked the entrances to the casinos began blinking. One by one they went out. The lights inside the casinos became faint. People poured out into the street.

A moment later the human-engineered lighting of the Strip disappeared entirely, leaving the streets and darkened buildings in the long shadows and acid-green radiance of the nearby quartz Wall.

“Looks like a power failure,” Gabriel said, “not an ambush.” He opened the console and took out the flashlight. Nothing happened when he rezzed the switch. “Check the charge in your gun.”