by Jayne Castle
She set her oversized tote very carefully on the seat across from the one Cooper was using.
“When you’re looking for a hunter,” she said, slipping out of her coat, “you go to places where they tend to congregate. Unfortunately, the Trap Door is just that sort of dive. The big surprise here is you. Back in Aurora Springs you didn’t spend a lot of time in the usual hunter hangouts. You’re not wearing your seal ring, either. What’s up? Are you here incognito or something?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I am.” He took her coat and hung it on the hook at the front of the booth. “Guild bosses tend to attract attention. I’d like to avoid that on this trip. Luckily only a couple of people here in Cadence know me by sight.”
She sat down beside the tote. “Why all the secrecy?”
“I’m in town on personal business, not Guild business.” He lowered himself onto the red plastic cushion across from her. “I’d prefer not to be recognized. There are reasons.”
Oh, damn. He’s got a mistress here in Cadence. He’s trying to protect her from the media. The tabloids loved to cover illicit Guild boss affairs and associated gossip.
Her heart plummeted. The fizzy feeling deep inside that had been bubbling like mad ever since she’d gotten the phone call from her mother that afternoon, suddenly went flat.
Should have considered the possibility that he was involved with someone else, she told herself. It’s been six months, after all. What did you expect? That he had been pining away over there in Aurora Springs, missing you?
When her mother had phoned to tell her that she’d heard that Cooper was on his way to Cadence, she’d been unable to suppress the little jolt of hope and excitement. He was coming after her at last.
Except that he hadn’t come after her. The drive from Aurora Springs took an hour and a half, at most, and probably a good deal less in Cooper’s sleek, high-powered Spectrum EX. Guild bosses didn’t worry a lot about posted speed limits. Cooper had no doubt been in town for hours, but he hadn’t called or come by the shop. Now she knew that he had probably gone straight to his lover’s place.
But if that was the case, why wasn’t he with her tonight? It was after eight o’clock. Maybe she was married.
Pull yourself together, woman. You’re here on a mission.
Still, she found she had to give herself a couple of minutes to adjust to being this close to him again. She had not actually forgotten the impact he made on all her senses. She relived it frequently late at night when she was alone in her bed. Nevertheless, when she had learned he was due to arrive in town today, she had convinced herself that, after all these months away from him, she would be able to handle the sexy thrill.
It was downright annoying to discover that she had not developed any real immunity to Cooper in the past few months. But being on her own here in the big city and running a business had taught her a few new social skills.
“How did you know I was in town?” Cooper asked.
“The Old Quarter here in Cadence is my neighborhood now,” she said smoothly. “Let’s just say I have my sources.”
“Right.” He nodded, evidently satisfied, and picked up his sandwich. “Your mother phoned and told you I was on my way here to Cadence.”
“Well, yes, as a matter of fact. She called me this afternoon to warn me.”
He looked amused. “She thought that my impending arrival warranted a warning?”
“She’s my mom. She didn’t want me to be taken by surprise if you decided to show up at my shop.”
“Should have remembered that moms are inclined to do things like that.” He drank some beer and lowered the bottle. “So, how’s life in the big city?”
His mesmerizing blue eyes were even more riveting without the transparent shield of his glasses, she discovered. Or maybe she had just forgotten how compelling they were.
“Life here is great,” she said briskly. “A whole new world, in fact. I always knew that Aurora Springs was staid and conservative compared to a city like Cadence, but I didn’t realize just how old-fashioned and behind the times the place really is until I got here.”
“Been an enlightening six months for you, has it?”
“It certainly has. Did you know, for instance, that the local Guild is making a major effort to go mainstream like the Resonance City Guild? There’s talk of turning it into a corporation.”
He shrugged. “Mercer Wyatt will probably be able to make the Cadence Guild resemble a mainstream business enterprise. But I can guarantee you that when it comes to the inner workings at the top, things aren’t going to change much.”
“How do you know that?” she demanded. “Look at the Resonance City Guild. They say the former boss, Emmett London, managed to turn it into a respectable corporate entity before he resigned. It even has a representative on the Resonance Chamber of Commerce, for goodness’ sake. Talk about mainstreaming.”
“I’ve got nothing against taking the Guilds mainstream. Up to a point. Got a few plans of my own for Aurora Springs.”
That stopped her. “You do?”
“Yes.” He raised his brows. “But that doesn’t mean anything will actually change much in the executive offices.”
“Why not?”
“Because,” Cooper said with an air of great patience, “although you can change some aspects of how the Guilds function and how they are perceived by the public, at their core, they are fundamentally different from mainstream corporate entities.”
“Why?” she demanded.
“The Guilds are a cross between business enterprises and emergency militias. That mix requires a management style that is different from that of mainstream businesses. It also requires more emphasis on discipline, tradition, and a degree of secrecy that true corporations can’t maintain.”
“This is ridiculous.” She sat back in the seat and flattened both hands on the table. “I don’t know why I’m bothering to argue with you. Talk about a waste of time. If you want to keep the Aurora Springs Guild mired in outdated traditions, that’s your problem, not mine.”
“True,” he agreed. “You gave up any right to comment on the subject when you threw my ring back in my face, didn’t you?”
She stiffened. “I didn’t throw it back. I just sort of set it down on your desk.”
He shrugged. “We each have our version of events. Want some fries?”
She was suddenly and uncomfortably aware of the fact that she had not eaten dinner. That would put her last meal at shortly before noon, she reflected.
She looked at the fries, mouth watering. “No, thank you.”
“Suit yourself.” He ate another fry.
She cleared her throat. “Those things aren’t good for you, you know.”
“I’ve heard that.” He smiled his unreadable smile again. “Worried that I might get fat?”
She felt herself redden. It was impossible to imagine Cooper Boone putting on weight. He was as hard and lean and tough as a ghost-leopard.
“I was thinking of your arteries, not your waistline,” she muttered, wishing she had kept her mouth shut.
“Seeing as how you decided not to marry me, you don’t have any long-term interest in my cardiovascular system.” He paused, a fry halfway to his mouth, and gave her a polite, questioning look. “Or maybe you’re hoping that the grease will do me in?”
She gripped the edge of the table with both hands. “Never mind. I’m here on business. Mind if we get to it?”
“No. Got to tell you, I’ve been damn curious ever since I got your call. Should I be touched that you kept my personal phone number all these months?”
“It was still in my address book,” she mumbled, deliberately offhand.
Actually, it was still locked into her memory, along with so many other small details about Cooper, such as his bird-of-prey profile and the way he wore his dark hair brushed straight back from his high forehead.
“Okay, so much for the warm reunion,” he said, biting off the end of the fry with strong, whit
e teeth. “On to business. Why did you track me down here tonight?”
She took a steadying breath. “I need a hunter.”
A dangerous light came and went in his eyes. “Is picking up hunters for an evening of fun and games a new hobby for you?”
She could feel the heat rising in her face and prayed that the weak illumination provided by the small candle on the table concealed her blush. It was no secret that a lot of women found ghost hunters extremely attractive prospects for occasional flings and one-night stands. Bars such as the Trap Door were popular stops for bachelorette parties and groups of single females out on the town in search of a little excitement.
Because of the nature of their work—they were, in essence, primarily expensive bodyguards in the tunnels—hunters tended to be in great shape physically. But it wasn’t just their macho swagger and their rakish khaki-and-leather attire that drew the attention of women. Rumors abounded that ghost hunters were especially good in bed after they had de-rezzed a ghost. The hormone thing, Elly reflected.
“Here in Cadence I prefer to date outside the Guild,” she said smoothly. “In fact, none of my friends know that I’m from a Guild family, and that’s the way I intend to keep it.”
“Ashamed?”
“Of course not,” she shot back, infuriated by the accusation. “It’s just that when I left Aurora Springs I was determined to make it on my own without the help of my family or Guild connections. Oh, never mind, I don’t have time to explain. The important thing right now is that I need a hunter I can trust. I would also prefer one who is not affiliated with the local Guild.”
“You trust me?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Got to say, that comes as something of a surprise, given our personal history.”
“You and I certainly had our issues, Cooper. But I never, for a moment, doubted that you could be trusted. My father told me once that your word was good amber. I have no reason to believe otherwise.”
The phrase good amber was an old one in the Guilds. Down in the catacombs everything depended on the quality of the tuned amber that was used to focus psi energy. Amber was necessary to navigate the endless, ancient tunnel complex. Badly tuned amber could lead a man or an entire excavation team astray, dooming those who relied on it to wander forever in the labyrinth belowground. Good amber was amber that could be relied upon when the going got rough.
“Tell me why you need a hunter,” he said.
“I have to go into an off-the-charts area of the catacombs tonight, as soon as possible. It’s a sector that I am reasonably certain has been cleared of illusion traps, but when it comes to ghosts, well, you know how they are. Unpredictable. I’d prefer to have a hunter along.”
He put down the fry he had been about to eat. “Are you joking?”
“No.”
“What the hell is this all about, Elly?” His eyes went hard and cold. “I can’t believe that you’ve been foolish enough to get involved in illegal excavation work. But if that’s the case, tell me now. I’ll take care of it.”
She had vowed that she would not allow him to push any of her buttons tonight, but this was too much.
“And everyone wonders why we broke up.” She spread her hands. “This is a perfect example of why marriage between us would have been a disaster.”
He blinked. “What did I say?”
“You honestly don’t know, do you? You haven’t even got a clue. Never mind.” She sat forward determinedly. “We don’t have time for this. Don’t worry, I’m not going to involve you in anything illegal. This is a straight search-and-rescue job.”
“Who needs rescuing?”
“A friend of mine.”
“Why not hire a professional SAR team?”
“The person who is lost would definitely not appreciate having a formal team sent in after her.”
“In other words it’s your friend who is involved in some illegal excavation work,” Cooper said.
“Stop jumping to conclusions. Bertha Newell works under a legitimate private license. Years ago she applied for and received a permit to excavate a sector of the catacombs that neither the university nor any of the large exploration firms wanted to be bothered with.”
“So this Bertha Newell is a ruin rat? How did you get involved with her?”
“I’ll explain later.”
“If I turn you down, you’ll try to find another hunter, right?”
She straightened her shoulders. “No. If you don’t come with me, I’ll go down alone.”
“Like hell you will.”
“Well, not entirely alone,” she amended quickly. “I’ve got a friend who will go with me.”
“A hunter friend?”
“No.”
Cooper exhaled slowly. “Looks like I don’t have much choice. If something happens to you down there in the catacombs, I don’t want to have to face your parents with the news.”
“I am aware,” she said through her teeth, “that I have placed you in a somewhat difficult position.”
“But you’re going to do it anyway.”
“I don’t have any choice, either. Bertha may be in very serious trouble.”
“All right,” Cooper said.
She felt her spirits lift. If anyone could help her find Bertha tonight, it was Cooper Boone. “It’s settled, then. You might as well meet the third member of our team.”
He did not look pleased. “Someone else is involved in this thing?”
“Yes.” She opened the large tote, reached inside, and gently lifted out a ball of shapeless gray fluff. “This is Rose.”
Rose batted her baby-blue daylight eyes. The second set of eyes, the ones she used for hunting at night, remained discreetly hidden in her tatty fur.
Cooper looked at the small beast. “You’ve got a pet dust bunny?”
“She showed up on my back doorstep shortly after I opened my shop. She came back every day around closing time. I fed her. We’ve become roommates.”
“What’s she got around her neck?” Cooper asked.
“One of my bracelets. Turns out Rose has a thing for jewelry. Like any good roommate, she borrows my stuff.”
“Not sure the Public Health Department would approve of allowing a dust bunny into an eating establishment, even a hunter bar.”
“That’s why I carried her in the tote,” Elly explained.
Rose rumbled in an inquisitive manner and made it clear that she wanted to be put down on the table. Elly looked around to be sure that no one was paying any attention to the booth at the rear of the tavern, and then she released Rose.
The dust bunny scampered halfway across the table, her six legs invisible in her lintlike fur. She paused and sat up to examine Cooper with great interest.
“Does she bite?” Cooper asked.
“Of course not,” Elly said quickly. “She’s just a little thing. If you provoked her or scared her, she might nip your finger, but that’s all.”
“I’ve always heard that by the time you see the teeth, it’s too late.”
“That’s just an old story. There is very little known about dust bunnies, so ridiculous tales like that have tended to be perpetuated.”
Cooper extended his fingers. Rose sniffed delicately and appeared satisfied. She switched her attention immediately to the sandwich and fries.
Cooper picked up a fry and then paused to look at Elly with polite inquiry. “Okay to feed her one of these, or are you worried about her arteries?”
“There isn’t much information available about dust-bunny nutrition, so I let Rose eat whatever she wants,” Elly admitted.
“Lucky bunny.”
Rose accepted the fry with great delicacy and started munching.
Somewhere behind Elly a barstool crashed to the floor. Glass shattered. A man roared in outrage.
“Son of a bitch. I saw her first.”
“She doesn’t want to dance with you. Can’t you get that through your thick skull? She wants to dance with me.”
/> “The hell she does.”
There was a sickening thud, followed by a howl and several drunken shouts. Chairs scraped the floor. Small flickers of acid-green ghost energy lit up the gloom. Elly sighed. When ghost hunters got excited, they tended to unconsciously summon little bits and pieces of whatever stray dissonance energy happened to be in the vicinity. There was plenty of the stuff available here in the Old Quarter. Like other forms of psi power, it leaked from the invisible cracks and crannies in the massive walls that encircled the Dead City of Old Cadence and seeped upward from the underground tunnels.
“Looks like it’s time to leave,” Cooper said, getting to his feet.
“Very observant of you.” Elly slung the strap of her tote over one shoulder. She scooped up Rose, plunked the dust bunny down on her other shoulder, and slid out of the booth. She grabbed her coat.
Cooper wrapped his fingers around her wrist and hauled her toward the back door.
“So, do you come here often?” he asked as they went past the rancid-smelling kitchen.
There was another loud crash and a lot more yelling. Elly saw two cooks in heavily stained aprons grab heavy pots and charge toward the front of the tavern. They looked like they’d had some experience breaking up bar fights.
“My first time,” she said. “But, gosh, if I’d known how much fun I was going to have, I’d have stopped in sooner. You know, until I moved here to Cadence, I had no idea just how boring life was back in Aurora Springs.”
Chapter 3
IN HINDSIGHT, ALL HE COULD SAY WAS THAT IT HAD seemed like a good idea at the time, Cooper thought, hauling Elly past the restrooms and out the rear door. But things were not going as planned.
He should have known better. If recent history had taught him nothing else, it was that his best laid plans never worked the way they were supposed to when Elly was involved.
This latest strategy gone bad was a perfect case in point. It had looked so simple, so foolproof, when he’d concocted it six months ago. All of them, her parents and her brothers included, had agreed that it was nothing short of brilliant. Give Elly six months in the big, bad city, and she would have a change of heart.