Page 32 of Guild Boss

“That is pure, unadulterated ghost shit,” she declared in what she hoped were ringing tones.

Responsible. He feltresponsible. 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.”

She froze. “What? How can you tell?”

“I can read your prints. Fear. Rage. Desperation.” Gabriel rose slowly and looked at her. “I can see the prints of the people who took you, too. There’s a lot of heat in them. Violent heat.”

She looked at him and then at the glowing quartz rubble. “You can see psychic prints?”

He shrugged. “I told you, I’m good at hunting people.”

“Can you identify the prints?”

“Not in the sense you mean. I can perceive the energy in them. Pick up some of the emotions. It’s like running across the tracks of a ghost. If I meet the person who laid down the energy, I can sometimes make the connection. I know some of these prints are yours, for example, because we’ve spent some time together and I have a... sense of your vibe.”

“I thought ghost hunters were only good at—” She broke off, embarrassed.

“Rezzing or de-rezzing energy ghosts down in the tunnels? Traditionally, it was considered a basic job requirement if you wanted a career in the Guilds. But as I keep telling you, things are changing. Other kinds of talents are being recruited. I’m descended from a family that has had a strong psychic vibe in the bloodline for generations. Our ancestors onEarth had some serious paranormal abilities. The Guild needed my tracking talent.”

“I see,” she said.

But she wasn’t buying that smooth explanation. The Guilds were notoriously big on certain traditions. The uniform hadn’t changed much in a hundred years. And everyone knew that within the organizations the ability to deal with ghost fire was traditionally what determined a hunter’s advancement through the ranks—well, that plus a streak of ruthlessness and street smarts.

It was unheard-of for someone with another kind of psychic talent to even join the Guild, let alone climb to the top of one of the organizations. But she had other problems at the moment, so she put the matter aside and focused on the important part.

“So now you believe my version of events?” she said.

“You were here,” Gabriel said. “There was violence. Yes, I think you were kidnapped.”

She took a deep breath. “Thanks.”

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