Guild Boss (Ghost Hunters #14)(73)

“Yep, you sound as steady and stable as a rock,” Veronica said.

Cassandra narrowed her eyes, evidently uncertain how to take the remark.

“Absolutely stable,” Lucy said quickly. “But you do plan to kill us. The shots will alarm our landlady. She’ll call the cops. Or maybe she’ll come up here to see what’s going on, and then you’ll have to murder her, too. Really, it’s going to be one thing after another, Cassie, and it’s going to end badly for you.”

“Don’t call me Cassie.”

Enraged, Cassandra started to swing the barrel of the mag-rez toward Lucy.

Paranormal thunder roared behind her. Shocked, she instinctively turned to see what was happening. The small bolt of lightning struck her. For a few seconds, she froze.

And then she crumpled to the floor.

Lucy cut off the small storm. Energy faded. The familiar rush hit her bloodstream. She was flying. Otis went back to full fluff mode and bounced up and down on her shoulder, channeling her excitement.

“Awesome,” Veronica said. She took a deep breath and leaned down to pick up the mag-rez that Cassandra had dropped. “You’re good, Lucy. But if I were you, I wouldn’t let too many people know that you can pull that kind of heat aboveground.”

Lucy started to answer, but the whiff of smoke cut through her sparkling senses. Alarm shot through her, overwhelming the endorphin vibe as effectively as a bucket of ice water.

Veronica looked to the side, toward the living room. “Uh-oh.”

She stepped over the unconscious Cassandra and disappeared.

“Oh, shit,” Lucy said.

She rushed down the hall, jumped over Cassandra, and hurried into the living room.

Smoke billowed from one of the sofa cushions. Veronica was in the kitchen grabbing towels. She tossed one to Lucy. They beat at the smoke. A small flame appeared.

“Let’s get it out on the balcony,” Lucy said.

She dashed across the room, yanked open the slider, and raced back to seize one edge of the smoldering cushion. Veronica grabbed the other side.

“Hurry,” Veronica said.

“It’s not like I’m standing still here.”

They got the cushion out onto the balcony and dumped it upside down, hoping to suffocate the small fire. Smoke seeped from the top.

“Water,” Lucy said. “There’s plenty in the refrigerator.”

They flew into the small kitchen, grabbed armfuls of bottled water, and hauled them out onto the balcony. Otis hopped up onto the railing and chortled encouragement.

The front door slammed open just as Lucy opened a third bottle of water and poured it onto the still-smoking cushion.

Gabriel appeared in the living room. Aiden, Jared, and Joe were with him. They had flamers in their hands. They came to a halt and watched the scene taking place on the balcony.

“You know,” Gabriel said, “at some point in the future when we look back on this, we’re probably going to laugh.”

“I am not going to laugh,” Lucy said.

Veronica grinned. “I will. I can see the headlines now. ‘Famous Weather Channeler Sets Sofa on Fire While Taking Down Crazed Killer.’”

Lucy glared. “Aiden, pay attention. The headline here is ‘Guild Emergency Response Team Arrests Final Suspect in Conspiracy.’ Is that understood?”

Aiden hid a grin and took out his phone. “Yes, ma’am.”

Lucy surveyed the others. “If anyone in this apartment says one word to the media about what happened here this afternoon, there will be more lightning. I guarantee it.”

Gabriel’s eyes heated. “Never argue with a weather goddess.”

Veronica smiled. “You know, Lucy, if you ever decide to give up this weather channeling gig, I’m pretty sure you would be a success in my business.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Lucy said.

Gabriel saw the bottle of wine on the kitchen counter. There was a pretty green bow around it. A card dangled from the bow.

“She brought wine?” he said.

“It’s spiked with a hefty dose of the hallucinogen that the kidnappers used on me,” Lucy said. “She said there is enough of the drug in there to drive us mad or kill us. But it wouldn’t have worked.”

Joe frowned. “Why not?”

“Who could resist a bottle of good wine?” Jared asked.

“Take a look at the card,” Lucy said.

Jared went into the kitchen and checked out the card. “It says, Congratulations on recovering your professional reputation. We are so proud of you. Love, Mom and Dad.”

“I would have been suspicious as soon as I saw it,” Lucy said. “My father and stepmother have never sent me a bottle of wine in my entire adult life. We’re not a close family.”

Gabriel picked up the bottle and held it for a moment before he set it down.

“No,” he said. “We would not have opened it.”

Veronica studied him. “Bad vibe?”

“Downright crazy,” Gabriel said.





CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN





“How did you figure out what was going on?” Lucy asked.

They were gathered in Gabriel’s office. He was seated behind his desk. Aiden had directed Lucy to one of the two visitor chairs. He had escorted Veronica to the other one. Veronica had accepted the courtesy with regal grace, as if it was her due. She was wearing a severely tailored black jumpsuit and black high heels. Her red hair was bound up in a tight knot. She carried a black leather handbag.