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'My father.'

'I see.' Donovan flicked a quick glance at Fontana. Then he switched his attention back to Sierra. 'My apologies. I was under the impression that you were the Sierra McIntyre who works for the Curtain?'

'You know my work. I'm flattered.' She gave him her brightest smile.

'No offense, but you aren't quite what I expected.'

'I get that a lot.'

She believed him. He certainly had not expected Fontana to be married to the daughter of a member of his own social class. But she could tell that he was adjusting swiftly, reassigning her to another familiar category, that of a shallow, superficial, self-absorbed woman raised with too much money and indulgence who had decided to entertain herself with a joke of a career and an exciting, dangerous lover. Not an uncommon species in his world.

'You, on the other hand, are exactly what I expected.' she said smoothly. 'Care to comment on the rumor that your company discovered an alien lab in the jungle?'

For an instant, Corley simply looked stunned. A second later, his anger sparked. Unfortunately, so did her intuition, warning her that she had been wrong. She hated when that happened.

'That ridiculous, totally unfounded rumor was started by your paper,' he snarled softly. 'I believe our lawyers made our position clear.'

'Yes, they did,' Sierra said. 'And I apologize for the misunderstanding. However, given UEX's extremely close ties to the former head of the Crystal Guild, I'm sure you can see how such speculation could arise.'

'I don't think I'll dignify that with a response,' he said coldly. 'If you'll both excuse me, I'm going to join my wife.'

He turned on his heel and walked off through the crowd.

Fontana raised his brows. 'You know, I was getting along fine with Corley until you showed up. What's your secret for pissing people off?'

'It's a talent.'

He snagged a glass of champagne off a passing tray. 'What's wrong?'

'Nothing.'

'Don't give me that.' He handed the champagne to her. 'You were humming with excitement when you asked Corley for a comment. But as soon as he denied the alien lab rumor, you looked like a kid who just opened a birthday present and discovered a pair of socks.'

She wrinkled her nose. 'Sadly, I don't think he's involved in the conspiracy.'

'Don't tell me you believed him.'

'Yes, as a matter of fact, I do.'

Fontana turned watchful. 'Why?'

'Just a feeling,' she said carelessly. The same reason I know you're not involved, she thought.

A man spoke behind her.

'Good evening, Fontana. Congratulations on your marriage. I hope you will introduce me to your new bride?'

The sudden surge of dark, ominous energy came out of nowhere, searing her senses. For a couple of heartbeats, the glittering room blurred around her. She swayed a little. She had been living with her talent all of her life, but never had she experienced a reaction like this. It was as if someone had suddenly shut her up inside a very small space; a coffin for example.

Breathe.

Terrified that she might lose her balance, she gripped Fontana's arm very tightly with her free hand. His fingers closed over hers instantly, steadying her.

He gave her a quick, searching glance and then turned her slowly to face the newcomer, giving her time to put on a polite smile.

'Sierra, this is Troy Patterson,' he said. 'Troy is a member of the Guild Council, as I'm sure you're aware.'

Only years of learning how to control her talent saved her from running, screaming, for the nearest exit. Troy Patterson certainly did not look like a man with cold-blooded murder on his mind. He was handsome in a superficial rez-screen star sort of way: tall, lean, and square-jawed, his smile an engaging cross between sexy and charming. His high, sharply defined cheekbones emphasized gray eyes.

'A pleasure,' she murmured.

Mom, you would be proud. All those years of drilling good manners into your offspring just paid off.

'Can we dare to hope that the Curtain's coverage of the Guild will become a little more positive now that you're a Guild wife?' Troy asked. His engaging grin belied the darkness underneath.

She managed to keep her own smile in place. 'I must admit that I'm gaining a new perspective on the organization.'

'Glad to hear it,' Troy said.

Fontana moved slightly. 'If you'll excuse us, I'm going to dance with my wife.'

'Of course.' Troy inclined his head graciously to Sierra. 'Welcome to the Guild family, Sierra.'

An icy chill flashed through her, leaving all of her senses taut. There was an old saying that described the sensation perfectly: Like someone just walked across my grave. But in this case, the grave in question was not her own.

Fontana steered her through the crowd. She did not resist, but she was not in the mood to dance. What she really wanted to do was go back into the ladies' room and throw up. But that would cause gossip. 'Guild Boss's Bride III at Ball. Pregnant? Covenant Marriage on Fontana's Agenda?'

Fortunately, the band was playing a slow number that did not require any complicated maneuvers. She could not have handled a tango at that moment.

Fontana pulled her into his arms and guided her into the pattern of the dance.

'Are you all right?' he asked quietly.

'Yes.' She took a deep breath and forced herself to look like the happy bride. 'How long have you known Troy Patterson?'

'Jenner appointed him to the Council a year ago. Before that, he was with one of the smaller, outlying Guilds. Why?'

'Because I'm pretty sure he wants to murder you.'

Chapter 19

'HOW DID YOU KNOW?' FONTANA ASKED. HE SOUNDED interested but not alarmed.

That was not quite the reaction she had expected. She stared at him, aghast.

'You know he wants to kill you?' she finally managed in a low whisper.

'Let's just say I know he isn't fond of me. Smile. People will think we're arguing.'

'What's going on here, Fontana?'

'Patterson was Jenner's man from the start. I'm almost certain that he was involved in Jenner's scheme, whatever it was.'

'But you told me that every member of the Council voted to allow you to fight that duel with Jenner. That means Patterson agreed to it, too.'

'The rumors circulating about Jenner's corruption were starting to cause real damage to the organization.'

'You mean the Council actually took my stories seriously?' she asked, thrilled.

'You and your paper were considered a nuisance. What really had the Council worried was the fact that the Chamber was looking into the gossip.'