“Trust me, I’m not going to wander off.”
He opened the door and moved outside, flamer in hand. Sebastian crouched on his shoulder, alert and combat ready. If trouble was coming their way, the dust bunny would see it first.
The locator guided them through the narrow fog-bound streets to the alley and the side door entrance to the abandoned nightclub.
The fire-and-ice frisson sparked across his senses when he started to open the door. Sebastian snarled and hunkered down, preparing to spring.
Owen released the door handle and stepped back so quickly he bumped into Alice, who was right behind him.
“What is it?” she said.
“Something’s wrong inside. Let’s go.”
He turned to lead the way toward the far end of the alley but slammed to a halt when a hot storm of green fire flared at the entrance. There was no escape at the opposite end because of the brick wall.
“Ghost,” Alice whispered.
“Aboveground, no less,” Owen mused. “Whoever he is, he’s strong.”
There was nothing supernatural about the so-called ghosts. The technical name wasUnstable Dissonance Energy Manifestation—UDEM. They were storms of energy that occurred randomly in the Underworld, but they could also be generated and manipulated by those with a particular paranormal talent for the job. The ability was strongly linked to testosterone. The result was that most ghost hunters were male.
There were two viable career paths open to those with a strong talent for handling UDEMs. The Ghost Hunters Guild offered legal jobs in the Underworld. The other option was working for one of the private security firms that operated in the gray area between official law enforcement and criminal gangs.
“It looks impressive but it’s actually very weak,” Owen said. “He won’t be able to maintain it for long, not outside the tunnels.”
The storm of violent energy began to advance down the alley. The shadowy figure of the man generating it was barely visible through the fog and the haze of wild green fire. He had to stay close enough to control the UDEM but not too close. Ghost hunters had some natural immunity, but even they could not handle direct contact with a ghost. The results varied between unconsciousness and death, depending on the power of the ghost and the hunter. Playing with fire was always hazardous.
“He’s trying to force us up against the wall at the back of the alley or maybe drive us into the nightclub,” Owen said.
Alice took a couple of steps back. “I vote for the nightclub.”
Sebastian growled again.
Alice pulled her small flamer out of her go bag and gripped it with both hands. “Maybe you can negotiate with that hoodlum. This is Illusion Town. Money talks.”
“I’m starting to see a pattern here. You and the dust bunny are getting very good at spending my money.”
She glanced at him, horrified. “I’ll find a way to repay you.”
“I was joking. Forget it. I don’t want to waste time negotiating. It will be simpler if I just take him out.”
“You can do that?”
“Sure. What’s the point of having an expensive and, I might add, legally registered flamer if you can’t use it against a low-rent thug like this?”
“But Vinnie said that flamers don’t work against ghost energy—”
“They don’t.”
He fired two quick full-rez shots underneath the advancing ball of fire, aiming for the Guild man’s booted feet.
There was a startled yelp. Distracted, the attacker lost control of the ghost. It winked out immediately. Owen fired a third shot, aiming for the head.
The attacker convulsed as if struck by lightning. For an instant he stared at Owen through the fog, uncomprehending.
“Fuck,” he managed.
He tried to go for his mag-rez but he went down hard on the pavement instead. He did not move.
