“You’re not due at Storm Zone Adventure Tours until nine. That gives us plenty of time. Get a life, Ms. Weather Channeler.”
She smiled.
“Excellent idea.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
“Good morning, Mr. Jones.” Aiden got to his feet behind his desk. “I was starting to wonder if I ought to check on you. You’re usually here a lot earlier than this.”
“I’m learning to get a life,” Gabriel said. He slipped out of his leather jacket. “Takes practice.”
“I see. Turns out your timing is excellent.”
Gabriel reflected on the short but extremely hot lovemaking in the rumpled bed and the very interesting shower that had followed.
“Yes, my timing is good,” he said.
“I was referring to the fact that the overnight team of designers and contractors just left. I’m happy to say that things in your office are moving along very rapidly.”
Gabriel was amused. Aiden was still rezzed from his first experience as a member of a Guild emergency response team. True, the action had all been aboveground for him, but a Guild takedown was a Guild takedown whether it happened on the surface or in the Underworld. It was clear that at long last Aiden was feeling like a real Guild agent.
“Since when do decorators and contractors work overnight?” Gabriel asked.
“This is Illusion Town, sir. It runs around the clock.”
“I’ve heard that.”
“Also, Ms. Fortune and her crew are happy to do a few favors for the Guild.”
“I’m starting to worry that people are going to start calling in some of those favors they’re doing for us. Moving right along, that was good work you did yesterday, both in the field and on the PR side.”
Aiden flushed. “Thank you, sir.”
“I noticed that you cleaned up my phone. I take it we have no pressing emergencies at the moment?”
“No, sir. A number of reporters are requesting interviews, of course. I’ll schedule them and make sure they are short.”
Gabriel groaned. “Interviews. I never had to do interviews when I was in security.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll coach you.”
“You know, the learning curve on this job is a lot steeper than I thought it would be.”
Aiden smiled. “You’ve got staff now, sir, and as I keep saying—”
“We need more. I know.”
“I’ve been sorting through a number of requests from hunters who would like to transfer to Illusion Town. I’ll let you know when I’m ready to recommend some people to you. I’ve already started hiring for the PR department, by the way. I can’t continue to handle that job and maintain the level of professional service expected of an administrative assistant at the same time—not for long, at any rate.”
“Staffing the PR department is as high on the priority list as hiring trained Guild agents?”
“Yes, sir. The Guild is off to a great start in terms of image and branding here in Illusion Town. We can’t afford to lose that momentum.”
“Right.” Gabriel went toward his office. He paused in the doorway. “Speaking of actual Guild work, there are some loose ends in the weapons case that I need to take care of this morning.”
“Yes, sir. Can I be of assistance?”
“We have to find the location of that liquid crystal that was used to fuel the suppressor. The hypnotist who interviewed Westover and the others we picked up says they don’t know. They told him that the client supplied the fuel for the suppressor.”
“What about that gray amber that was tuned for the rogues?”
“Westover discovered the amber himself. Turns out he’s ex-Guild, too. Spent a lot of time prospecting on his own. The amber doesn’t seem to have much use except as a signaling or ID device, but he used it to make his so-called security team feel special.”
“And then ordered the murder of the tuner to make sure the pendants couldn’t be traced back to him.”
“Yes. We are now looking for Westover’s client. There were some messages on Westover’s phone, but the number went straight into the dark rez-net. It may be impossible to trace.”
“What have we got to go on?” Aiden asked.
“Westover’s plans and, presumably, those of the client started to fall apart when they kidnapped Lucy. I’m going back to that point to take another look at the investigation that was conducted at that time.”
“Think the local cops missed something?”