Guild Boss (Ghost Hunters #14)(62)

“Thanks,” Lucy said. “A pleasure to meet you, too. You’ve got a big job on your hands.”

Aiden nodded with a solemn air. “I know, but it’s an honor to be working as Mr. Jones’s assistant.”

“I was referring to the job of designing an impressive office for Gabriel,” Lucy said.

Aiden got the mission-focused look that Lucy was coming to associate with people who worked for Gabriel. “Getting this office right is one of the most important items on my agenda.”

Gabriel eyed the closed door. “I’ve got a bad feeling about what’s going on in there.”

“Don’t worry, sir. It will be spectacular when it’s finished.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Gabriel said. “I’m not the spectacular type.”

“I’m sure you will grow into your new job,” Lucy said.

Gabriel ignored her. “I got your message, Aiden. Tell me what you found.”

“Yes, sir.” Aiden rezzed his phone and studied it briefly. “As you suspected, Tuck is ex-Guild. Full name is Tucker Taylor. He’s gone by Tuck since he was kicked out of the Resonance organization. Evidently he started hiring out as a so-called freelance security specialist. Worked for some shady businesses—collecting debts, intimidating customers who wanted to settle disputes in court, that sort of thing. The Resonance Guild kept an eye on him from a distance for a while, but they stopped paying attention when he left town.”

“Where did he go?” Gabriel asked.

“For a time he seems to have drifted from one city to another,” Aiden said. He looked up from his phone. “But all indications are that he eventually wound up here.”

“There’s a lot of private security in this town,” Lucy said. “All the casinos, large and small, need security people around the clock. So do the nightclubs, to say nothing of the usual corporate and retail sectors. An ex-Guild man could find freelance work here quite easily.”

“Who is Tuck working for now?” Gabriel asked.

“I couldn’t discover the answer to that question,” Aiden said. “He is evidently keeping a very low profile. He didn’t show up as an employee of any of the big security agencies. Best guess is that he’s working in the private end of the business. There’s a lot of money sloshing around this town. Rich people always want security for their estates and penthouses.”

“Is that everything you’ve got?” Gabriel asked.

“Not quite.” Aiden’s eyes gleamed with anticipation. “Thanks to Ms. Veronica Star, I was able to track down a professional dominatrix who had one session with a client who fits Tuck’s description. He used the name Blue when he booked the appointment.”

“What did she say about Blue?”

“Mistress Correct told me—”

Gabriel frowned. “Mistress Correct?”

“Stage name, sir.” Aiden cleared his throat. “Mistress Correct said she recognized the gray amber in the pendant because she has a talent for tuning and once worked professionally in that capacity. Said there was more money in her new line. Anyhow, she commented on the stone and asked Blue where he had purchased it. Blue lied and said he had picked it up at a small shop in a town outside of Cadence.”

“What made her sure he was lying?” Gabriel asked.

Aiden looked up again. “Because she recognized the style of the setting and the skill of the tuning work. She told me there was no mistaking Pitney’s techniques. Mistress Correct did not push the matter, because she didn’t like Blue and had already decided not to take him on as a regular.”

“Was Mistress Correct able to give you a lead on Tuck’s current address?”

“No, but he told her he was new in town and asked her to recommend a nightclub that would cater to a man of his tastes. She suggested the Basement. It’s several blocks off the Strip in the Amber Zone. I paid a personal visit at about three this morning and talked to the manager, who said the description I gave him fit a customer who usually shows up around midnight. Stays a couple of hours watching the floor show and drinking. Evidently I just missed him. He’s always alone. Always pays cash. Definitely ex-Guild, according to the manager. Here’s the good news, sir: the club maintains security videos of every car that enters and leaves the parking lot. I’ve got a vehicle description, a license plate, and an address in the Shadow Zone.”

Energy whispered in the atmosphere.

“Good work, Aiden,” Gabriel said.

Aiden appeared gratified. “Thank you, sir. What’s the next step?”

“Jared will escort Ms. Bell to her job in the Storm Zone. I will pay a visit to Tuck’s house. With luck, he won’t be home.”

“Got it,” Aiden said.

“One more thing, Aiden.”

“Yes, sir?”

“If there is one drop of purple in my office, you will move your office into the basement.”

“Yes, sir.”





CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE





The small house was located in a partially abandoned neighborhood on the fringes of the Shadow Zone. The zone’s Strip, with its casinos, clubs, and restaurants, was a couple of miles away, near the Wall.

Gabriel stood in the doorway of a long-closed nightclub. There was so much grime on the narrow windows, it was next to impossible to make out the interior of the place. Because of the fog, it was almost as hard to see the house across the street. There was no sign of a vehicle parked in front, and the lights were off inside. In the Shadow Zone, the lights were always on when someone was home.