Dark Light by Randy Wayne White Page B

Ray Takashima. He’s a friend of mine.”
    â€œHow 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.
    â€œA pleasure, Miss McIntyre, and please call me Ray,” he said. He eyed Elvis. “Is that a dust bunny?”
    â€œYes,” she said. “His name is Elvis.”
    â€œDidn’t know they made good pets.”
    â€œThey don’t. Elvis is a companion, not a pet.”
    â€œGot 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.”
    â€œYes, 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?”
    â€œLong story,” Sierra said again. “At least, it seemed like it at the time.”
    â€œYou 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.”
    â€œForget him.” Kay grabbed her hand. “Come on, we’ve got to get you to the ladies’ room and perform some running repairs.”
    â€œNot 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.
    â€œ ‘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.”
    â€œOf 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.
    â€œNo, wait,” Sierra said quickly.
    â€œRight, 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 bemused.
    â€œI get the impression that Fontana isn’t used to having someone contradict his orders,” Kay observed, pausing to catch her breath.
    â€œI get that impression, too,” Sierra said.
    When they reached the fourth floor, Kay led the way into the room marked Ladies.
    â€œTake off your coat,” she said. “Let’s see what we’ve got to work