Guild Boss (Ghost Hunters #14)(68)

“We’re missing two guards,” Gabriel announced.

The door at the far end of the room opened. Two sullen-looking men in well-worn khaki and leather marched into the room. Their hands were in the air and their holsters were empty.

Jared and Joe followed the guards into the room. They both held flamers.

“These two made it into the tunnels,” Joe said. “No one else, though.”

“Good work,” Gabriel said.

Dillon Westover was on the floor just inside the entrance. He was not moving. An officer was in the process of handcuffing him.

“Is he dead?” Lucy asked.

“No, ma’am,” the officer said. “The doll knocked him out, but he’s still breathing.”

Dillon opened his eyes partway and tried to focus on Lucy.

“Should have told Tuck to get rid of you when we had the chance,” he said. His voice was hoarse and blurred. “But I was afraid that if you died in the clinic there would be even more media attention. Couldn’t risk it.”

“So you told Tuck to give me a few more doses of the drug instead,” Lucy said. She crouched beside Dillon, rage spiking. “The same drug you used at the wedding reception. Tuck and his merry band of cold-blooded mercenaries kidnapped me, but things went wrong when I escaped.”

“Figured you’d never make it out of the tunnels,” Dillon said hoarsely. “Shit, what were the odds? Nobody gets out of the Underworld without nav amber. But the next thing I know the local cops are calling in a Guild agent who has some special talent for tracking people down below.”

“You must have panicked when Gabriel brought me back to the surface.”

“I knew there was a crowd gathering in the Storm Zone. Big media event. I sent Tuck to monitor the situation. He was able to give you an injection before you were taken to the clinic and a couple more once you were inside. And then you disappeared again, you crazy bitch.”

“You were afraid to make any more attempts, so you settled for ruining my reputation. You made certain everyone who worked in the Underworld concluded I was unreliable and unstable.”

“It worked,” Dillon said. “Until Jones came back to town as the boss of the new Guild. It’s been one disaster after another.”

“Depends on your point of view. From my perspective, it’s been one close call after another.”

Gabriel crossed the room and looked down at Dillon. “You tried to steal the clockwork doll because you were afraid the Old World technology might be impervious to your new weapon. You were right.”

“I heard the Bridewell curiosities had been discovered in the museum,” Dillon said. “My family was connected to Arcane back on the Old World. I knew the story of the clockwork toys. Knew they might be a problem if someone figured out how to replicate the power source. Planned to reverse engineer them.”

“I doubt your team would have been successful,” Gabriel said. “No one managed to do it in the old days back on Earth. The Arcane Museum staff has concluded that only someone with the same talent as the woman who crafted the toys could create one.”

Dillon glared at him. “I want a lawyer.”

Aiden aimed the camera at him. “Photos first. Everyone loves the perp walk. Okay, so, you’re not exactly walking, but you get the idea. Smile.”





CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE





Lucy put a bowl of scrambled eggs on top of the refrigerator for Otis, arranged two plates of eggs and toast on the dining counter, and sat down beside Gabriel.

She opened the morning edition of the Curtain and smiled when she saw the headlines and the photos.

“Aiden will be very happy,” she said.

“Yeah?” Gabriel swallowed a bite of scrambled eggs and looked up from his phone. “Let’s see.”

She handed him the paper. He glanced at it and smiled.

“He’ll be ecstatic,” he said.

The headline read, Local Police and Illusion Town Guild Create Joint Task Force to Take Down Illegal Weapons Lab. Beneath that was a smaller headline: Owner of Westover Outfitters Arrested.

The front-page photo showed Gabriel and Chief Hopton standing shoulder to shoulder to announce the closure of the case. On page two there were several more shots of police officers and the small Guild team securing Dillon and the others in the old casino.

None of the pictures showed Mrs. Bridewell’s deadly curiosities.

“Looks like Aiden and the crew from the museum did a nice job of keeping the artifacts out of the story,” Lucy said, scanning the story and the photos. She looked up. “All in all, an excellent launch for your new Guild here in Illusion Town.”

“Never forget the importance of good public relations,” Gabriel said.

He went back to his phone, frowning.

Lucy sighed. “Something wrong with your phone?”

“Looks like it. There are usually a lot more emails and messages first thing in the morning. The only ones I’m seeing now are those that have been forwarded by—” Gabriel stopped. “Well, damn. He did it.”

“Who did what?” Lucy asked.

“Aiden.” Gabriel shook his head and smiled a little. “He told me he was going to take over my business account. He said he would forward only the stuff that he thought I really needed to see.”