“Thank you.” She hesitated. “What made you decide that my story might be accurate?”
Gabriel fell silent for a moment. Then he shrugged.
“Damned if I know,” he said. “Intuition. Something just doesn’t feel right about this whole thing.”
She stifled a sigh. Gabriel might be a romantic when it came to his vision of a proud and noble Ghost Hunters Guild, but he certainly wasn’t inclined toward romance in other areas of his life.
“I see,” she said. “Thanks.”
Okay, so she couldn’t project a lot of enthusiasm; nevertheless, she was grateful.
He looked at her. “I didn’t know about what had happened to your career until I arrived here in Illusion Town, but I realize that I was responsible—”
“No,” she said, stricken. “Maybe I’ve been a little pissed because you dumped me into the hands of those medics who whisked me away to some clinic where I was given more drugs, but—”
“A little pissed?”
“Let’s just say that I’ve been experiencing conflicting emotions since that night,” she said. “I’ve tried to be mature and realistic, but I’ve been running scared for two months, looking over my shoulder because I’m afraid the kidnappers may come looking for me, even though that seems unlikely now. The thing is, only my friend Veronica believed my story. My own father thinks I was hallucinating. My career is in ruins. Tonight I had to watch my ex get engaged to one of my friends. Yes, it’s all for the best but—”
“It wasn’t much fun.”
“It was embarrassing. On top of that, everyone at the reception treated me as if I were a delicate invalid. You heard the Roxbys and Dillon Westover and Cassandra Keele and Tony and Emeline tonight. They’re convinced I’m suffering from some kind of severe psychic trauma. All because of what happened to me that night. Yes. Okay. I’m a little pissed.”
“You’ve got a right to be angry, Lucy. I should have stuck around to make sure your case was properly investigated.”
She straightened her shoulders. “That was not your job. You did what you were supposed to do. You saved my life. You were not responsible for what happened afterward.”
Gabriel’s eyes burned in the green shadows. “I should have followed up. Should have stayed on top of the case. You save someone’s life, you have a certain responsibility.”
That did it. Now she really was pissed.
“That is pure, unadulterated ghost shit,” she declared in what she hoped were ringing tones.
Responsible. He felt responsible. That’s why he had come looking for her two months after he had rescued her; why he had offered her the contract. It was infuriating.
“As soon as I handed you over to your dad and those medics, I left to carry out another mission,” Gabriel continued.
“I understand,” she said coldly. “Lots to do. Track a serial killer in the Rainforest. Get ready to vault up the next rung on your career ladder.”
“Organizing a new Guild operation from scratch requires a great deal of time and attention.”
She groaned. “I know. I may be a trifle bitter, but I’m moving on. Honestly.”
“Look on the positive side,” Gabriel said.
“There’s a positive side?”
“If I hadn’t come looking for you today, you might never have had the opportunity to tell me just how pissed off you are at me.”
She blinked, thinking about that. For some reason her spirits lifted. “You’re right. There is, indeed, an amber lining here. Plus I can definitely use the money from that contract you’re offering. Things have been a little tight lately, and now I’m going to get a bill for a lovely cake. Do you have any idea how much a big engagement cake costs?”
“No, can’t say that I do.”
“I don’t know, either. Never had occasion to order one. I’ll bet a cake that size costs a couple of hundred dollars.”
“If we could get back on topic here—”
“Right.” She pulled herself together. This was not the time to fret about the damned cake. Gabriel was trying to help her find evidence. Time to focus. “Sorry.”
He nodded and went back to prowling the area around the tower. He came to a stop near a jumble of tumbled quartz. Energy shifted in the atmosphere around him. He reached out one hand and rested it on the green stone.
“Here,” he said. He spoke very softly. “This is where they grabbed you.”