Illusion Town (9 page)

The buzzer on the rear door of the shop sounded just as Hannah and Elias were preparing to go out the front door.

Buzz . . . buzz . . . buzz-buzz-buzz
.

Virgil chortled. Hannah came to a halt.

“Just a second,” she said. “That's Runner's code. I need to answer it.”

She dropped her pack and her sleeping bag at the front door and made her way through the chaos of the sales floor. She went into the back room.

Whoever had tossed the place had obviously hit a wall in that room. It was so crammed with boxes, crates, and cartons stuffed with antiques and collectibles that even the most determined burglar would have been forced to abandon any attempt to search it. Judging by the pattern of the hot psi-prints on the floor the intruder had, indeed,
opened a few boxes and then given up. The vast majority of the cartons and crates were still sealed shut.

She opened the back door and saw Runner. He was nineteen-going-on-forty with a narrow, sharp-featured face. His real name was Benjamin Swift but on the streets he was Runner. He was a hunter-talent with the usual preternatural night vision and speed. In a more perfect world he would have been invited to join the elite Federal Bureau of Psi Investigation, a big-city police department, or a private security firm.

But Runner had wound up on the streets at an early age. His formative years had been spent running errands for various and assorted shady characters in the Dark Zone. As a result he was stuck with a past that was way too iffy for the FBPI or any other high-end law enforcement agency.

In addition to having a hunter-talent's paranormal assets, he also had a head for business. The result was his recently established business—DZ Delivery Service. He had employed four other streetwise young males who all proudly wore the DZ Delivery Service uniforms—black leather jackets with the name of the business emblazoned on the back in fiery graphics. Below that was the company motto:
We Know the Zone
. DZ Delivery Service's sleek black scooters were now a common sight in the maze of crooked lanes and twisty streets of the Dark Zone.

“Hey, Finder,” Runner said in his trademark I-don't-give-a-damn drawl.

“Hey, Runner.” Hannah smiled at him. “Little early for you. Everything okay?”

“Heard you and some guy got into trouble with an
out-of-zone bike gang last night. Me and the guys looked for you. Couldn't find you, so we figured you'd gone down below.” Runner reached out to pat Virgil. “Next thing I know, the
Curtain
says you married some kind of scone.”

“I think that's supposed to be scion,” Hannah said.

“What?”

“Never mind,” Hannah said. “This is Elias Coppersmith. Elias, meet Runner. He's my brother.”

Elias raised an inquiring brow. “Your brother?”

“Yes,” she said. She said it very firmly. There was no blood connection between Runner and herself but that didn't change the fact that she considered him a brother. “He runs the finest delivery service in the DZ.”

“Pretty much the only delivery service in the DZ,” Runner said. A gleam of pride heated his eyes. “We're the only crew that can deliver anywhere in the zone. Like it says on the back of our uniforms,
We Know the Zone
. The regular delivery services get lost once they turn off Ruin Street.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Elias said.

He extended his hand.

Runner looked confused for a few seconds. Then he figured it out and shook Elias's hand. It was a careful, awkward handshake. Hannah knew that Runner hadn't had much experience shaking hands with men from Elias's world.

“You're the husband, huh?” Runner said, squinting a little at Elias.

“Yes,” Elias said.

“That nice, new Cadence out front belong to you?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Saw a couple of local chop-shop guys checking it out early this morning, but when one of them tried the door handle, he jumped back real quick. The dudes gave up and went away.”

“The car can take care of itself. As Hannah said, we did have some trouble with a biker gang last night. Lost 'em in the tunnels.”

“Yeah, smart move,” Runner said. “What's up with the marriage?”

“A security measure,” Hannah said quickly. “Elias hired me to open a dreamlight gate at the new Ghost City project. There's a team trapped in one of the ruins. We're heading to the jobsite now.”

Runner's brow furrowed. “So why'd you get married?”

Hannah sighed. “Like I said. Security. Someone broke in here last night and tore the place apart.”

For the first time Runner looked startled. “One of the bikers? He managed to find your place?”

“That's what it looks like,” Hannah said.

“Hard to believe. Most folks from out of the zone would have a tough time finding your shop. GPS and the mapping systems are no good around here.”

“I know,” Hannah said.

“Shit. Think it was someone local?” Runner asked softly.

“No,” Hannah said. “I don't. But I suppose we can't rule out that possibility, not entirely.”

“We don't have time to deal with the problem now,” Elias said. “But we'll find the guy when we get back. Hannah
says she'll know his prints if she sees him again. Meanwhile, I'd appreciate it if you kept an eye on her place.”

“No problem,” Runner said. “I'll put the crew on a round-the-clock schedule. With five of us taking turns we can watch this place all day and all night. He probably won't come back, though.”

“You never know,” Elias said. “But if he shows up, don't try to stop him. If he's involved with the gang, he'll be dangerous. The bikers hit us with some serious ghost fire last night. I think they may be ex-Guild men.”

“Don't worry about my crew.” Runner sliced the air with one hand, dismissing any hint that he and his team couldn't handle the intruder. “Just take good care of my sister.”

Elias smiled. “The thing about being a scone connected to a family that runs a mining empire is that I have access to all kinds of high-end security.”

“Okay.” Runner looked at Hannah. “See you when you get back to the surface.”

“Tell any potential clients that I'm closed for business for a while but that I'll be back soon,” she said.

“You got it.”

Runner gave Virgil one last pat and then loped off down the alley.

Elias looked at Hannah. “Potential clients?”

“In addition to finding things online for my regular clients, I run a little side business. I give a friends-and-family discount to folks here in the DZ. Most of them couldn't afford my regular fees and commissions.”

She locked the back door and led the way to the front
of the shop. She hoisted her day pack and her sleeping bag and went out of the front door. Elias followed her.

She paused on the shop step to rez the lock.

“For all the good it did last night,” she grumbled.

She went down the steps with Elias. They headed toward the sleek Cadence parked at the curb.

Elias had just gotten the passenger-side door open for her when she heard the high-pitched whine of a small, underpowered, fuel-efficient, environmentally correct engine.

The little vehicle braked to a sharp halt in front of the shop. Hannah turned to watch the driver extricate himself from the vehicle.

“Hannah, wait. I've been trying to get hold of you,” Grady Barnett called. “I've been very worried. What is going on?”

“Just what I needed to make this day perfect,” Hannah said.

Elias gave the new arrival an assessing look. “You know this guy?”

“Oh, yes, I know him. Grady Barnett. That would be Professor Grady Barnett to you. He runs a para-psych research lab at the edge of the DZ. He's the expert I hired to prepare the para-psych profile that I was going to send to the genealogist.”

Virgil hunkered down on Hannah's shoulder. He didn't growl but he watched Grady with deep suspicion.

“Virgil and Grady have a history,” Hannah whispered to Elias. “They don't like each other very much.”

“I trust Virgil's instincts,” Elias said.

“So do I,” Hannah said. “Now.”

Grady was in his mid-thirties. He had curly brown hair, shrewd gray eyes, a very square jaw, and the slightly rumpled, just-emerged-from-my-study appearance cultivated in
academic circles. But on Grady, the corduroy jacket with the leather elbow patches, jeans, and pullover top looked good.

“What is going on?” Grady came to a halt on the sidewalk. He gave Elias a quick survey and then he turned to Hannah. “I hear you're in an MC with one of the Coppersmith Mining heirs. I couldn't believe it. Figured there had to be some mistake.”

“Oh, wow.” Hannah widened her eyes. “You read the
Curtain
, too? This day is just full of surprises.”

Grady ignored that. “Is it true? Are you in a Marriage of Convenience?”

“Yes, indeed. There's no mistake.” She waved a hand rather vaguely in Elias's direction. “Meet my . . . uh, husband. Elias Coppersmith. Elias, this is Grady Barnett.”

“Barnett,” Elias said. He inclined his head in a brief acknowledgment of the introduction. “You'll have to excuse us. We're in a rush.” He gave Grady a deceptively polite smile. “Honeymoon, you know.”

“Coppersmith.” Grady's expression was transformed as if by magic into a warm smile. He put out his hand. “I'm Dr. Grady Barnett of the Barnett Research Institute. Hannah's para-psych doctor.”

“That is not true,” Hannah said sharply. “I hired you to do a profile, that's all. I didn't ask for medical advice.”

But Grady was not listening. He was too busy trying to charm Elias. He finally noticed that Elias was not shaking his hand and hastily lowered it.

“This is a pleasure,” he continued. “I'm aware of some of the research that has come out of your company's labs. Interesting work going on there.”

“We certainly think so or we wouldn't be paying for it,” Elias said.

Grady chuckled politely but his expression cooled. He glanced at Hannah's pack. “What kind of honeymoon is it going to be? You look like you're dressed for the Underworld.”

“We thought it would be fun to go camping in the Rainforest,” Hannah said. “You've got to admit, it makes for a unique honeymoon destination.”

Grady's mouth tightened. “There's something that doesn't ring true here.”

You had to hand it to Grady, Hannah thought. He might be a worm but he was not a stupid worm.

“Good-bye, Grady,” Hannah said.

She slipped into the front seat of the car. Virgil hopped from her shoulder onto the back of her seat.

Grady leaned down to continue talking to Hannah. Virgil growled. Grady eyed him warily but he did not give up.

“Will you please tell me what is going on?” he said in his best clinician accent. “ I'm worried about you, Hannah. This isn't like you. We both know that marriage is not for you. You've got serious intimacy issues.”

“Here's the interesting thing, Grady.” She gave him a blazing smile. “Elias isn't afraid of my talent or my issues.”

Grady reddened. “You're fragile due to the nature of your talent. Your dream-walking ability makes you very sensitive.”

“You think I'm some kind of freak. Don't deny it. I heard you talking to your research assistant about me.
That was shortly before I walked in on the two of you going at it in the supply closet.”

“Now, Hannah, I've told you that you misunderstood that situation.”

“Which part did I misunderstand? The part where you told the lovely Kelsey Lewis that I gave you the creeps when I did the sleep test in your lab? Or the part where she was on her knees giving you a blow job in the supply closet?”

Grady's face went from red to a mottled shade of purple.

“It's not my fault that your talent makes it impossible for you to have a strong, intimate relationship with a man,” he snapped.

Cold energy shivered in the atmosphere. Out of the corner of her eye, Hannah saw the stone in Elias's ring spark with a little paranormal fire.

“That's enough,” he said. “Do you really think I'm going to let you get away with insulting my wife?”

He did not raise his voice but there was an edge to it that made Grady flinch as though he had been struck. He straightened and glared at Elias.

“This is a confidential matter between Hannah and me,” Grady said stiffly. “A medical matter, I might add. She is a patient of mine. I have an obligation to act in her best interests.”

“I am not your patient,” Hannah yelped, infuriated. “I fired you.”

Virgil growled again and showed some teeth. Grady took a hasty step back.

“It doesn't matter who you are, Barnett,” Elias said, his voice lethally soft. “I'm her husband, remember?”

He closed the passenger-side door, trapping Hannah inside. Hannah suspected that he was trying to put an end to the confrontation. But she was really, really pissed off now.

She immediately lowered the window.

“Quit telling people you're my doctor, Barnett,” she said.

“I don't know what's going on here but as a qualified para-psych practitioner, I am very concerned,” he said forcefully. “I'm sure this marriage is a sham. Coppersmith is trying to use you in some manner. We've discussed your issues, Hannah. You're too fragile for the physical side of marriage.”

“Oh, shut up,” Hannah said. “One more thing. When I get back I want my file—all of it, including those notes you made in your stupid notebook.”

“I told you, the file is incomplete, Hannah,” Grady said. “It's impossible to analyze at this point.”

“I don't care. I paid for it. I want it. If you don't give it to me, I'll hire a lawyer.”

“You heard the lady,” Elias said.

He rounded the front of the Cadence, got behind the wheel, and rezzed the powerful engine.

Hannah flashed Grady her most dazzling smile.

“Sorry. Can't stay to chat,
Dr
. Barnett,” she said sweetly. “Time to leave for our honeymoon.”

“Hannah, listen to me,” Grady said urgently. “Where, exactly, are you going?”

“That's confidential,” she said. “I'm sure you understand.”

Elias gave a crack of laughter and pulled away from the curb.

Hannah fastened her seat belt and sat back in her seat. It occurred to her that Elias drove the way he did everything else. Every move was controlled, efficient, and competent.

Controlled, efficient, and competent
.

Just the opposite of her own highly emotional state lately. She thought she'd been doing quite well, given all she'd been through in the past several hours. But discovering that her shop and apartment had been invaded had triggered a wave of rage and frustration that had made her pulse pound. Grady showing up on her doorstep and informing her in front of Elias that she was fragile was the last straw, she thought. She clenched her hands on her thighs.

“I'm not, you know,” she said.

“I know,” he said.

She glanced at him and relaxed a little. He understood, she thought.

“Barnett started telling me I was fragile when I did the sleep test in his lab. I insisted he bring in a new cot. I knew I couldn't sleep on a used mattress.”

“Because of the dreamlight prints laid down by other people?”

“Yes. Other people's dreamlight can be very . . . disturbing. Just to be sure I would be able to sleep at all, I brought my sleeping bag to put on the cot. I didn't trust the bedding that Grady's assistant insisted was new. Anyhow, it was all sort of embarrassing and Grady took
my
eccentricities
, as he called them, as an indication of my para-psych fragility.”

“How did the sleep analysis go?”

“Not very well. I only spent one night in the lab. Whatever Grady saw on the monitors that night really freaked him out. He tried to hide it but I went dream-walking while he was in the room. I could tell he was nervous. Of course, part of his anxiety may have been caused by Virgil.”

“I could tell Virgil wasn't fond of him.”

“I insisted on bringing Virgil into the lab with me that night. Grady viewed that as yet another sign of anxiety and fragility, of course. Anyhow, Virgil stood guard, I guess you could say. Every time Grady came into the room to check the monitors, Virgil watched him with all four eyes. Grady was very uneasy, to say the least. He acted as if he was afraid Virgil might go for his throat at any second.”

“Everyone knows that when it comes to dust bunnies, by the time you see the teeth, it's too late.”

“Yep.”

Hannah reached up to pat Virgil a couple of times. He was fully fluffed once more and obviously enjoying the ride. Arizona Snow was securely clutched in one paw.

Elias was quiet for a moment.

“You mentioned that you
saw
Barnett's reaction to Virgil in the sleep lab,” he said eventually. “Weren't you asleep?”

Her weirdness was the last thing she wanted to talk about, she decided.

“I was dreaming,” she said. “For me, dreaming can be complicated. Turn left at the next corner. It will lead us to
a shortcut through the DZ. It's a much faster route to the highway. We've wasted enough time as it is. Your poor team must be wondering if they're going to be locked inside those ruins indefinitely.”

She held her breath but Elias did not ask any more questions about her dreaming experience.

“We'll get the crew out.” He turned into the narrow lane. “The DZ really is a maze. No wonder Runner and his crew found a niche market just waiting to be exploited.”

“The only people who really know their way around are the locals who have lived here most of their lives. None of the cabdrivers from the other zones will take passengers into the DZ. You have to switch to a local cab on Ruin Street the way we did this morning.”

She gave a few more directions. Some of her tension started to ease.

“Sorry about the scene back there on the street in front of my place,” she said after a while.

“What scene? I come from a mining family, remember? Dad believed in raising his kids in the business. The result is that I grew up in quartz and hot-crystal camps scattered throughout the Underworld. Where I come from you don't get to call a scene a scene until someone pulls out a knife or starts throwing broken beer bottles.”