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“Sure. I tell myself that whenever I think about it. And it’s true. But, let’s face it, getting dumped is always humiliating.”

“True. So you’re determined to attend the engagement party to show there are no hard feelings?”

“Right.”

“Is the invitation a plus-one?”

“Yes. So?”

“Are you taking a plus-one?”

Lucy glanced at Otis and smiled. “Otis is going with me. My friend and neighbor, Veronica, made a little tux for him. It’s covered in sequins. He’s going to look adorable.”

“I can’t pull off the adorable look, but do you think you might be able to get me in as your plus-one?” Gabriel said. “Not to replace Otis, of course. But in addition. A plus-one-and-a-half?”

She stopped abruptly. “You want to attend the engagement party with me?”

“I was planning to head straight down into the Underworld this evening. But it turns out I find myself at loose ends tonight. I’m new in town. It would be nice to meet some people.”

She slanted him a suspicious look. “For your information, you don’t do innocent well. You want to keep an eye on me, don’t you?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know who or what I’m chasing. We may be after a simple thief, but my gut tells me we’re dealing with a more sophisticated operation. If someone is watching me, which seems likely, that individual now knows that I’ve contacted you and has probably figured out why.”

“You think I might be in danger?”

“I don’t know,” Gabriel admitted. “I’d rather not take any chances.”

“The ball is a formal affair at the Amber Palace, one of the biggest hotel-casinos in the city. You’d need a tux. I doubt if there’s time—”

“I’m a Guild boss. Of course I’ve got a tux. Aiden ordered it for me.”

“Who’s Aiden?”

“Aiden Shore is my new administrative assistant. He’s very keen on making sure the Guild upgrades its image. He calls itbranding. It’s becoming obvious that he sees the establishment of a new Guild headquarters here in Illusion Town as a golden opportunity for him to carry out his cunning plans. Pretty sure that, as far as he’s concerned, I’m just a useful pawn in his scheme. He came out of the public relations department at the Cadence City Guild.”

“Aiden went so far as to select a tuxedo for you?”

“Aiden has a genuine talent for organization.” Gabriel smiled a stunningly cold smile. “Don’t worry, the tux is cut to conceal a mag-rez pistol.”

“That is not amusing.”

“You know what they say about Guild bosses. No sense of humor.”

Chapter Five

The instructions from the client came in the form of another blocked text. Dillon Westover opened his phone with a sense of dread. Every time he thought he had things under control, the project got hit with a new twist. Nothing had gone right since Jones had pulled Lucy Bell out of the Underworld two months ago. It had been one disaster after another.

The message was short.The deadline is tomorrow night. No more delays.

He sent back the only reply that was acceptable.Understood.

He shut down his phone and went to stand at the tall windows of the living room. The big house was situated in an exclusive residential neighborhood. From where he stood he could see most of the Amber Zone, including the bright, gaudy lights of the Strip.

The client had approached him anonymously four months earlier. The money had seemed too good to be true, but he had been unable toresist because the job appeared simple and straightforward. All he had to do was put together a team. With his old Guild connections, that had been easy to do.

These days there were a lot of Guild men retiring earlier than they had planned, thanks to the new management that was taking hold at the top. The old-school bosses were being eased out—in some cases, pushed—in favor of new directors who were hell-bent on refurbishing the image of the organizations. The new bosses were sending a clear message that the Guilds intended to resurrect the proud, heroic traditions of the past while simultaneously employing the latest technology to do their jobs in the Underworld.

One of the ways they were sending the message that the Guilds were changing was by getting rid of the hunters who were deemed problems. The result was a growing pool of disgruntled mercenaries who had decided to move into what they liked to callsecurity work. Freelance muscle.