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'Sorry,' Phil said, firing off more shots. 'Slip of the tongue. Sierra, turn this way. Chin up, that's right. Now smile. You're supposed to look like you're in love, not like you're going to a funeral.'

Fontana arrived. 'Let's save the photo ops for later,' he said.

It was not a suggestion. Sierra was amazed to see Phil actually lower his camera. Fontana took Sierra's arm.

'Apologies for the delay, sir,' Simon said, leaning forward to speak to Fontana through the open door of the Float. 'Sierra had a little problem. The guys can explain it.'

'Let's hope so.' Fontana surveyed Sierra. 'Are you all right?'

'Yes,' she managed, pleased that she sounded relatively calm in spite of her skittering senses. 'How bad do I look?'

It dawned on her that she had not checked a full-length mirror since the fall in the street and the mad dash to safety in the Green Gate. She probably appeared somewhat the worse for wear.

'I don't care how it looks,' Fontana said. 'I'm asking about the damage.'

'Oh.' She noticed that her glasses were slightly crooked. She adjusted them and then looked down at her muddied coat. In the process she saw that her stockings were shredded. 'A couple of bruises, I think, and my shoe is ruined, but that's about it.'

'What happened?' he asked.

'It's a long story,' she said. 'I'll tell you later.'

'I want the story now,' he said quietly.

He probably couldn't help that air of command, she thought. Nevertheless, she was not in the mood for it.

'In case you haven't noticed,' she said, 'everyone's waiting for us.'

That information did not seem to register. Fontana made no move to steer her toward the waiting onlookers.

Andy cleared his throat. 'Couple of Night Riders tried to grab her purse in front of her apartment building, boss. She took a nasty fall in the street.'

'We ran the bastards off with a few ghosts,' Mitch explained.

'Don't worry,' Jeff said. 'They won't be back anytime soon. We explained to them that Jade Street is hunter territory.'

Sierra blinked. 'Well, what do you know. Guess it was a short story, after all. Could have sworn it would take longer to tell it.'

Fontana tightened his grip on her arm. She winced and sucked in a sharp breath.

'What?' he said, loosening his grasp.

'That's the side I fell on when I tripped,' she explained. 'It's a little sore.'

He released her swiftly and took her other arm. This time his hand closed around her with a tenderness that surprised her.

'Are you certain that they were Night Riders?' he asked.

'Or a good imitation thereof,' she said dryly. 'They were in full costume. Black helmets and lots of black leather.'

'And big black Wave bikes,' Jeff volunteered. 'They're a Rider trademark.'

Fontana looked at the four men. 'I owe each of you, gentlemen. Anytime. Anywhere.'

It was a somber vow. Jeff, Mitch, Simon, and Andy accepted it as such. The new Guild boss had openly declared himself in their debt. Sierra knew enough about Guild tradition to realize that was a very big deal. The four men had just been given the right to call on the most powerful man in the organization for a favor at any time in the future.

'Glad to be able to help out,' Jeff said. 'Sierra's a friend of ours.'

Fontana nodded. He looked as if he wanted to discuss the matter further and in depth, but to Sierra's surprise, he shot a quick glance at his watch.

'We're due in the registrar's office,' he said. 'I'll look into this later.'

Startled by the hard edge on the words, Sierra pushed her glasses higher on her nose.

'It was just an attempted purse snatching,' she said. 'The cops almost never pick up those kinds of criminals, not unless they're caught red-handed.'

'There are other sources besides the police,' Fontana said evenly.

A chill went down her spine, but before she could ask any questions, he steered her toward the entrance where her colleagues were waiting.

Fontana nodded at Ray Takashima, who also wore the Guild exec black.

'Ray, I'd like you to meet my future wife, Sierra McIntyre,' Fontana said. 'Sierra, this is Ray Takashima He's a friend of mine.'

'How do you do, Mr. Takashima?' She extended her hand. 'I've seen you on the evening news a couple of times.'

Ray gave her an easy, friendly smile that totally belied the power she knew that he wielded.

'A pleasure, Miss McIntyre, and please call me Ray,' he said. He eyed Elvis. 'Is that a dust bunny?'

'Yes,' she said. 'His name is Elvis.'

'Didn't know they made good pets.'

'They don't. Elvis is a companion, not a pet.'

'Got it,' Ray said. 'I hope you don't mind me attending your wedding. Figured Fontana might need someone to prop him up in case he got a bad case of nerves. His first MC, you know.'

'Yes, I know,' she said without stopping to think. 'I checked out the public records.'

Ray laughed. 'Watch your step, Fontana, you're marrying a journalist. That means she knows how to do research.'

She had been a little amazed that there were no Marriages of Convenience cluttering up Fontana's past. At his age, it would not have been at all out of the ordinary for him to have been involved in a least a couple. As a group, Guild men were known to be somewhat reckless when it came to their love lives. When they did finally settle down into Covenant Marriages, they tended to marry within the Guild. Perhaps Fontana preferred the freedom that came with casual affairs.

That thought gave her a bit of a start. From what she had been able to discover in her hurried background check, Fontana had been unusually discreet in his private life. She had not uncovered any hint of a current mistress, but that didn't mean there wasn't one. If a mystery woman existed, she probably wasn't too excited about the prospect of Fontana entering into an MC with some other woman, even if the arrangement was strictly business.

Ivor Runtley frowned at her. 'What the hell happened to you?'

'Long story,' Sierra said again. 'At least, it seemed like it at the time.'

'You look like you got hit by a bus,' Matt offered helpfully.

She gave him a dazzling smile. 'Gee, thanks, Matt. You really know how to boost a girl's spirits.'

'Forget him.' Kay grabbed her hand. 'Come on, we've got to get you to the ladies' room and perform some running repairs.'

'Not now,' Fontana said, opening the front door. 'We're late enough as it is. Let's get this done. You can clean her up later.'

Sierra walked into the lobby, swung around to face him, and dug in her one unbroken heel.

' Let's get this done'?' she repeated ominously.

Ray winked at her. 'As you can see, Fontana has the soul of a true romantic.'

Sierra raised her chin. 'I want to stop at the ladies' room first.'

'Of course she does,' Kay said. She lifted Elvis down from Sierra's shoulder and handed him to Matt. 'Here, you take the King. We'll meet you all at the registrar's office on the fourth floor.'

She whisked Sierra toward the nearest elevator.

'No, wait,' Sierra said quickly.

'Right, sorry,' Kay said. 'Forgot about your claustrophobia.'

She altered course, dragging Sierra toward the stairwell. The last thing Sierra saw before she limped up the stairs was the expression on Fontana's face. He didn't look angry, she thought, or even annoyed. He looked