the tavern. A few seconds later they disappeared into the fog.
Inside the Gate, the ghosts winked out.
The muffled thunder of motorcycle engines sounded out in the street. Two black cycles flashed past the window and vanished.
Simon made the illegal mag-rez go away under the bar. 'You okay, Sierra?'
'Yes, I think so.' She collapsed onto the nearest vinyl seat, shivering with reaction. Anxiously, she peered around. 'Elvis? Where are you?'
He bounced at her feet, fully fluffed once more, only his blue eyes showing. She leaned down, seized him in both hands, picked him up, and kissed him in the vicinity of the top of his furry head.
'My hero,' she said. 'Oh, dear, you lost your sunglasses.'
'Jake can make him another pair,' Andy said.
'I hope so. Elvis loves those dark glasses.' She plopped him on her shoulder and surveyed the four men. 'Actually, you're all my heroes today. On behalf of Elvis and myself, I'd just like to say thank you, thank you very much.'
They grinned.
'Just takin' care of business, ma'am,' Simon said modestly. 'Like the King here expects us to do.'
She smiled at the four. Over the course of the past six months, she had come to know the small group of aging, retired hunters very well. They were regulars here at the Green Gate in the afternoons when they gathered to drink beer, play cards, and reminisce about their glory days down in the catacombs.
Mitch and Jeff were life partners who had formalized their relationship with a Covenant Marriage shortly after leaving the guild. They operated a small antiquities shop at the end of Jade Street. Andy played a lot of cards and went to the races. Simon owned the Green Gate. At night the tavern was a favorite haunt for ex-hunters. One way or another, all of the stories she had done on the Guild were a result of her friends here at the Gate.
'Where in green hell did those guys come from?' Andy asked, reaching for his beer. 'We haven't had any problem with the Riders around here before.'
'I don't know,' she said. She was safe now, but the unease that had been making her restless for the past couple of days was as strong as ever. 'It was as if they were waiting for me when I left my apartment.'
Simon frowned. 'Think it's related to one of your stories in the
She shuddered. 'I don't see how. I've never done a piece on the Riders. All of my investigative reporting has been focused on the Guild and the disappearances.'
'You mentioned the damage that the ghost juice is causing here in the Quarter' Mitch reminded her. 'Word is the Riders are behind the dealing. Maybe they wanted to throw a scare into you. Tell you to keep your mouth shut.'
'I've done pieces on the victims of juice but not on the Riders themselves,' Sierra said. 'In fact, I've blamed the Guild for not doing more to take care of the hunters who become addicts.'
'Speaking of which,' Simon said, 'how did your interview with the new boss go today?'
A fresh wave of panic lanced through her. She leaped to her feet and nearly toppled over when she automatically put weight on the shoe with the broken heel. 'Good grief, I almost forgot.'
Mitch's forehead wrinkled. 'Forgot what?'
'I'm supposed to meet Fontana at a quarter to five.' She checked her watch. 'That's less than fifteen minutes from now. Come on, Elvis, we have to hurry.'
She limped toward the door.
'Hold on,' Simon said. 'Why are you meeting the new Guild boss again this afternoon?'
She opened the door. 'I forgot to tell you that I'm marrying him.'
There were a few seconds of stunned silence behind her. Then she heard a sudden scrambling and the scrape of bar-stool legs. Boots hit the old amberwood floors.
She paused and looked back. Mitch, Jeff, Andy, and Simon were rushing to follow her out the door, practically tripping over each other in the process.
'What?' she said.
'You'll be needing witnesses,' Mitch said.
'And a driver,' Simon added, snapping her keys out of her hand. 'After that little incident with the Riders, you're way too shaken up to drive.'
She frowned. 'I am?'
'For sure,' Jeff said, nodding wisely. 'Simon hasn't had anything to drink except coffee. He's your designated driver.'
'And on the way to the wedding, you can tell us exactly how the hell you wound up getting hitched to Fontana,' Simon said.
Chapter 6
THE LITTLE FLOAT CAREENED AROUND THE CORNER, TIRES squealing, and screeched to a halt in front of the office tower that housed the city's various bureaucracies. The building was a gray, uninspired, all-purpose government structure. You could pay your taxes on the second floor, sign a Marriage of Convenience contract on the fourth, and report for your court appearance on the fifth.
From her position in the front seat, Sierra could see a small cluster of people gathered at the entrance. Ivor Runtley, Kay, Matt, and Phil were clustered around Fontana and a second, dark-haired, dark-eyed man she recognized from news photos. Ray Takashima was the newly appointed head of the Crystal City Guild's Security Department. Like Fontana, he had seemingly materialized out of nowhere a couple of years ago and moved up fast within the organization.
'Damn,' Simon said. 'Fontana's already here. That makes us officially late.'
'It's okay,' Jeff said. He was in the backseat, squashed between Mitch and Andy. The rear of the Float had not been designed to carry three burly hunters. 'We've got the bride. Brides are allowed to be late.'
'Way I hear it, nobody is late for an appointment with Fontana,' Andy put in ominously. 'At least not more than once.'
'Oh, for heaven's sake, don't worry about it,' Sierra said. 'It's just an MC. Besides, we've got a really good excuse.'
'Right, the Riders,' Andy said, brightening. 'Maybe Fontana will buy it.'
'It's not as though he has a choice,' Sierra said coolly. The hunters' awe of Fontana was starting to become very irritating.
'Everyone out,' Simon ordered. 'There's no room to park on the street. I'll leave the car in the city garage and join you in a few minutes.'
Sierra popped open the passenger door and climbed out cautiously on her broken heel. Elvis perched on her shoulder, still buzzing with excitement after the wild ride from the Quarter.
Phil detached himself from the group at the entrance and rushed toward the Float. He raised his camera into position as he ran.
Fontana followed him very deliberately. He was dressed in the black jacket, shirt, and trousers he'd worn earlier in the day. The expression on his hard face was unreadable, but that didn't stop Sierra's intuitive senses. She was suddenly fully rezzed, just as she had been that morning when she was shown into Fontana's office at Guild headquarters.
She stood precariously balanced on her one good heel and waited for Jeff, Mitch, and Andy to squeeze out of the tiny backseat.
'Cool,' Phil said, rezzing his camera again and again. 'This is like one of those little cars at the circus that are filled with clowns.'
Jeff squinted at Phil. 'Who are you calling a clown, son?'
