Ghost Hunter

Chapter 17

TWENTY MINUTES LATER, FEELING VERY MUCH IN control again because she was the one with the coveted amber pass and knew where to park, Elly guided Cooper to a side street near the nightclub.

"The car should be reasonably safe here," she said when he opened her door. "But you might want to do the license plate ghost trick, just in case. This was once an old warehouse district. Most of these buildings are deserted now, and that means there are a lot of transients."

He gave the poorly illuminated neighborhood and its seedy, run-down buildings a quick survey.

"Yeah, I think I'll do that," he said.

When he had a tiny little ghost going near the license, he took her arm.

The streets, parking lots, and lanes around The Road to the Ruins were crowded with expensive vehicles. Cabs and limos prowled the scene, disgorging their well-dressed passengers. Women in glittery little dresses the size and weight of handkerchiefs mingled with men who were attired in everything from tailored dinner jackets and trousers to designer leather coats and jeans.

The club occupied one of the Colonial-era warehouses. Elly had driven past it during the day and noticed that it was virtually unnoticeable, just one more aging Old Quarter building. The only thing that marked it as unusual was the black-and-amber-trimmed door. There was no number on the door. Part of the allure of The Road was that you had to know the address or know someone who did know it.

Elly assessed the crowd and concluded that she and Cooper blended in quite well. Neither of them had changed since dinner with the Londons. The deep violet sheath and high-heeled sandals that she had on fit in with the other trendy evening dresses.

Cooper wore a sophisticated, slouchy black jacket over a sleek, gray silk shirt and black trousers. He glided through the flashy crowd like a shark through a school of rainbow eels.

"There's the VIP entrance," Elly whispered, pointing to a second, unobtrusive doorway marked off with velvet ropes.

Two squat, massive men, who appeared to be twins, guarded the VIP door. They were dressed in silver-studded leather. Each wore a single gold earring. Their shaved heads gleamed in the flaring torchlight that lit the front of the club.

One of the twins glanced briefly at the pass that Elly showed him. With a crisp, sharp movement of his chin, he indicated that she and Cooper could enter.

"Ever been to Earth World?" Elly asked as they walked through a doorway that opened as if by magic.

"The big theme park in Resonance?" Cooper asked.

"Yes."

He looked thoughtful. "Not that I recall."

'Trust me, you would have remembered. They've got all these rides and exhibits designed to show you how things worked back on Earth before the time of the Curtain. There are clunky little cars that you drive without using amber to rez the engines and miniature houses where you can't even turn on the dishwasher with psi energy. Really weird."

"Doesn't sound familiar."

"Sheesh. Do you mean to tell me that your folks didn't take you there on vacation when you were a kid?"

"We usually spent our vacations at one of my mom's excavation sites."

"That is pathetic."

"I thought it was sort of interesting at the time." He shrugged. "But maybe you had to be there."

"Right. Well, the reason I mentioned it is because this club is what you might call an adult version of Earth World. Over the top."

"Thanks for the heads-up. I'll try not to walk around with my mouth hanging open."

He was very cool about it, she thought, watching him out of the corner of her eye, but he had to be at least somewhat impressed by the lobby. Sure, he had been around. That didn't change the fact that there was nothing like The Road to the Ruins back home in Aurora Springs.

The black-and-amber theme had been expanded upon in the lobby where the ebony walls and floor gleamed in the natural green glow of a number of large alien artifacts. The relics were museum quality and emitted a faint tingle of psi energy. The collection included a massive quartz sarcophagus, a couple of elaborately worked columns, and an assortment of urns and vases. The pieces had been placed at random around the shadowy space in a way that suggested the viewer had just walked into a mysterious, heretofore undiscovered archaeological site.

A wide, shimmering waterfall lit with green lights formed a curtain across one entire wall. The cascade of chartreuse water splashed into a pool to the accompaniment of the sultry beat of a rez-jazz number. An amber-colored pathway snaked around the rim of the pool and vanished behind the waterfall.

A hostess dressed in a diaphanous gown decorated with three strategically placed fabric triangles appeared.

"Please allow me to show you to your table," she said softly. She gave Cooper an intimate smile before she turned to lead the way along the waterfall path.

The back of the hostess's gown plunged so low that it revealed an inch or two of the cleavage that divided her buttocks.

Elly glanced at Cooper and saw that he was watching the woman's swaying hips. There was an expression of amused interest on his face.

"If you start drooling," Elly warned, "I swear, we're leaving."

"Sorry. It's just that you don't see a lot of dresses like that one back in Aurora Springs." He turned his attention to the waterfall. "You know, I don't want to be a poor sport or look like I'm from out of town, but I just had this jacket cleaned."

"Don't worry, you won't get wet," Elly assured him. "It's actually a series of waterfalls, and they're all very carefully placed to give an illusion of a solid wall of water."

The path wound through the tiers of cascading emerald waters. When they emerged on the opposite side, Cooper checked his coat and seemed satisfied that it had not sustained any water damage.

The hostess led them to a curved booth upholstered in black velvet. The table was inlaid with glass and amber and lit from underneath.

When they were seated and the hostess had departed, Elly leaned back and watched Cooper take in his surroundings.

The lobby decor only hinted at the atmosphere of exotic, alien mystery that the decorators had obviously sought to achieve. Here in the main room and in the casino, a portion of which was visible from where she and Cooper sat, the theme had been pushed to the max.

The entire back wall of the old warehouse had been removed to expose the section of the glowing Dead City Wall behind it. The expanse of luminous quartz provided the ultimate in mood lighting for the interior of the club, bathing the scene in an otherworldly glow.

Several more massive artifacts were strewn about the scene. The effect of so many relics massed together combined with the wall, itself, infused the intimate darkness with the gently intoxicating aura of psi energy.

A singer dressed in a long, green, skintight gown breathed the words of a lush, sensual song of doomed passion into the microphone. On the glowing dance floor, couples drifted in the shadows.

Elly smiled, feeling a little smug. "Pretty amazing, isn't it?"

"Well, it sure isn't the Rendezvous Room back in Aurora Springs," Cooper said.

"Certainly struck me that way the first time Phillip and Garrick brought me here. Okay, I got you inside. Now what happens, Mr. Enforcer?"

"The first rule of investigation is to avoid attracting attention. We're going to act like we're a real couple out to enjoy each other's company tonight."

"How do you suggest we do that?"

"We order drinks, and then we dance."

She stiffened, her mind flashing back to the few times they had danced together. On those occasions she had tended to melt like over-rezzed amber in his arms. Dancing with Cooper was dangerous.

"What's the matter?" Cooper watched a waiter glide toward them through the shadows. "Afraid to dance with me?"

"Don't be ridiculous." She needed to fortify herself for the ordeal, she thought.

"What can I bring you?" the waiter asked, setting a bowl of nuts on the glass-and-amber table.

"I'll have an Emerald Ghost," she said.

"A fun drink," the waiter said approvingly. He gave Cooper an inquiring look. "And for you, sir?"

"Whiskey," Cooper said. "Straight up. First Generation, if you have it."

"Of course, sir. The Road prides itself on a well-stocked backbar. I'll return in a few minutes."

When he returned he carried a small tray that held the whiskey and a tall glass filled with a frothy concoction adorned with a familiar-looking swizzle stick. He set the violently green drink and the whiskey on the table and left.

Cooper watched Elly sip the drink through a straw. "So that's an Emerald Ghost."

"Uh-huh." She drank some more very quickly.

"Looks like something that oozed out of the catacombs."

"It's very tasty." She was feeling better already, she decided. She could handle a dance with Cooper.

He drank a little whiskey and sat quietly, absorbing his surroundings.

"Ready to dance?" he asked after a few minutes.

She slid out of the booth and allowed him to escort her onto the dance floor. Think of this as going undercover for the sake of helping the Guild catch a bad guy, she told herself. You're just playing a part.

Cooper drew her into his arms, enveloping her in his heat and masculinity. She waged a brief but valiant struggle with her willpower, but the sensual rhythms of the music were her undoing.

Dancing with Cooper was one of the good memories of their time together in Aurora Springs.

Last night's bout of passion had been all fireworks and hot lust. Tonight was a different proposition altogether. Dancing with Cooper was all about a slow, seductive heat that built steadily deep inside, intoxicating her senses.

"Did I ever tell you that I like the way you smell?" he said, his mouth very close to her ear.

"Uh, no. No, I don't think you ever said anything like that."

"Drives me crazy."

"Really?" She tipped her head back to get a better look at his face. "The way I smell drives you crazy?"

"Is that so hard to believe?"

"Well, yes, frankly. I mean, I certainly never noticed you going crazy when we were dating back in Aurora Springs."

His big hand pressed a little more firmly against the place where her spine curved into her rear.

"In hindsight," he said, "I think it's fair to say that there were some serious communication problems between us back in Aurora Springs."

"I'll go along with that."

"But I assume that at least one of those miscommunications was clarified last night," he said quietly. "You now know that I like the idea of having sex with you. I like it a lot."

She knew she was blushing and was grateful for the alien light. "You're absolutely sure that what happened last night wasn't just the result of the afterburn?"

"I've been burned before," he said moving his mouth closer to hers. "Trust me, last night was different."

And then he kissed her, right there in the middle of the shadowy dance floor. Not just a brief, fleeting little brush of the lips, either. This was a deep, heavy, straight to the pit of the stomach kind of kiss. Slower and more deliberate than the kind of kisses he had given her last night, but just as intense.

She couldn't believe it. Cooper had never kissed her in public, let alone in the middle of a dance floor. Granted, it was highly unlikely that any of the other couples noticed, let alone cared. But, still, it wasn't the kind of thing that Guild bosses did. They were usually too concerned about their images.

Public displays of affection presented a twofold problem for a man in Cooper's position. On the one hand, a Guild exec did not want to appear to be a lecherous womanizer. Historically, the heads of the Guilds had a longstanding PR issue in that area. In addition, a Guild boss also had to make sure that he didn't give the members of the organization-always an overly macho lot-the idea that their boss was the kind of weak-kneed guy who allowed himself to be dangled on a string by a woman.

But Cooper was kissing her as if he didn't give a damn about his image. Of course, no one here knew who he was, but still. This kiss felt like he meant it.

She was crushed tightly against him, and she was very aware of his erection. He was fully aroused, she thought, dazzled by the knowledge that she'd had this effect on him.

Somehow Cooper managed to slide one of his legs between hers, easing his thigh intimately against her in a way that caused her short skirt to ride up even higher. He moved one hand down to her hip and squeezed gently.

She was torn between shock and an incredible thrill. Heat pooled inside her. The crotch of her panties was suddenly, devastatingly damp.

The couples around them spun away into another dimension, leaving her alone with Cooper, the dark, green-hued night, and the sultry music.

She moved one arm higher along Cooper's shoulder so that she could touch the nape of his neck. She was almost certain that he shuddered when she stroked her fingertips through his hair.

He really was responding to her, she thought, without the influence of a post-ghost buzz and with an extremely satisfying degree of passion. He was acting as though it was all he could do not to pull her down onto the glowing floor of the nightclub and make love to her right then and there. And she wasn't at all sure that she would have put up much of a protest if he had tried to do just that.

When he finally raised his head, she was breathless. She tried to think of a good reason for both of them to leave immediately and climb into the front seat of the Spectrum.

"Have we got the question of whether or not I am physically attracted to you when I am not in afterburn settled?" he asked.

"I… I think so, yes," she managed.

"Good," he said. He stopped dancing, took her arm, and steered her purposefully back toward their booth. "In that case, you'll have to excuse me."

"I beg your pardon?"

"I need to go to the men's room."

"Oh."

Good grief, had she actually made Cooper Boone come in his pants right there on the dance floor? A wondrous sense of her own female power swept over her.

She gave him her most inviting, most intimate smile and tried not to let her gaze drop below his belt.

"Sorry about that," she said lightly. "But you were the one who started that fire."

"What fire?" he asked absently, his gaze going toward the far wall where a hallway led to the men's room.

"You know." She leaned in close to him and lowered her voice. "I realize that a situation like this must be a little embarrassing for a man like you. Well, for any man, I suppose. But for you, especially. I mean, you're always so in control and all."

"Embarrassing?"

She laughed airily. "I hope you didn't ruin your nice trousers. They look expensive. But that will teach you to get all hot and bothered on the dance floor."

He brought her to a halt at the booth. "What," he asked, polite but blank, "are you talking about?"

It dawned on her that she might have leaped to a very awkward conclusion.

"Never mind," she mumbled, mortified.

"Damn it, Elly, I thought we were supposed to be practicing our communication skills here."

She cleared her throat. "It's just that when you said you had to rush off to the men's room, I assumed that perhaps you'd had a little accident out there on the dance floor. Because of that steamy kiss and… you know." She waved a hand to finish the sentence.

He gave her a slow, wicked smile. "Honey, if anyone could make me lose control in the middle of a dance floor, it's you. But as it happens, I didn't. Not this time at any rate. The reason I'm headed for the men's room is that I want to get a quick look at the back of the house."

"Back of the house?"

"I want to see how this place is laid out behind the scenes. Offices, kitchens, that kind of thing. I also want to locate the executive suite, if possible. Don't worry, I'll be right back."

So much for her stunning sexual powers.

"I could help you," she said quickly. "I'll check out the back of the house in the vicinity of the ladies' room. It's on the opposite side of the club."

"Like hell you will. You will stay right here and wait for me."

"We're supposed to be partners in this thing, if you will recall."

"No one said anything about a partnership."

"Hey, you wouldn't even be here tonight if I hadn't helped you."

"Elly, be reasonable," he said in a very low voice. "This is a casino. That means there's a lot of security everywhere, even if it isn't obvious. You don't know the first thing about evading cameras and guards."

"And you do, I suppose?" she demanded, aware that she was starting to sound belligerent.

"Before I got this Guild boss gig, I spent years working undercover, remember?"

"Oh, yeah, right. I keep forgetting that you used to be an enforcer."

"Investigator."

"Whatever. Okay, okay, go do your thing." She was about to slide into the booth, but the thought of her damp underwear made her pause. "I still need to go to the ladies' room, though, even if you won't let me do any spying."

"Run along." He gave her a pat on her derriere that was both affectionate and possessive. "Probably not a good idea to sit down until your panties dry out, anyway."

He was gone, melting into the shadows and the crowd before she could take aim at his shin with the toe of her high-heeled shoe.

*****

A SHORT TIME LATER SHE EMERGED FROM AN ORNATELY carved and gilded green stall inside the small palace labeled Ladies. She washed her hands at one of the black-and-gold sinks and checked her appearance in the massive, elaborately framed mirror.

Her cheeks were still a little flushed, and she had to make some adjustments to her hair, but otherwise she did not look too much the worse for wear, she decided. Not at all like a woman who had just been making out like a hormone-crazed teenager on the dance floor.

She walked back out of the restroom into the elegantly furnished hall and started to turn toward the opening that would take her back into the main room of the club.

The swinging doors marked Employees Only at the opposite end of the hall caught her eye. She looked at the ceiling and saw no sign of a camera. Doesn't mean there isn't one around somewhere, she thought. Cooper was right, this was a casino, and in a casino someone was always watching.

Still, what harm could there be in just walking along the hall toward the swinging doors? If anyone questioned her, she could always pretend to be a little inebriated and say that she had gotten turned around coming out of the restroom.

She started forward, tipping her chin down and angling it to the side. If there was a camera somewhere, hopefully it would only catch the crown of her head. She pretended to rummage around in her small, glittery evening bag as though searching for a lipstick.

The doors opened abruptly just as she arrived in front of them. She had to step back quickly to avoid getting run down by a man dressed in the green-and-black livery worn by the male cocktail waiters.

"Excuse me, ma'am," the man said, letting the doors swing shut behind him. "Didn't see you. Can I help you?"

"I'm looking for the drinking fountain." She gave him her best high-rez smile. "Someone told me it was just past the ladies' room."

"Other direction. I'll show you."

"Thanks."

She kept her smile firmly in place as she allowed the waiter to guide her toward the black-and-green fountain at the opposite end of the hall. But it wasn't easy to maintain the facade of the happy, slightly drunk guest. Her heart was pounding.

That brief view of what Cooper had called the back of the house had been a revelation. She had felt as though she were standing on an elaborately decorated stage set, gazing into the wings behind the velvet curtains. The swinging doors were gates that divided the fantasy realm of the club from the real world on the other side.

The walls on the other side of the doors were not covered in gleaming black and amber tiles. Instead, they were painted drab beige. There was no carpet on the floor back there, and the lighting was the bright, cold kind that came from fluo-rez tubes installed in the ceiling.

In those few seconds she had glimpsed a number of people garbed in the various uniforms of their jobs- janitors, restaurant staff, croupiers, waiters-all moving about in a busy, purposeful manner.

She had noticed something else, too, something she was pretty sure would interest Cooper.

Harmony Drew, girl detective, eat your heart out.