A Tale of Two Airships (Take to the Skies Book 2) (17 page)

A head poked out from the opposite side. I didn’t hesitate, barely took aim, and fired a shot.

They ducked again.

From the opposite side, the sound of gunfire peppered the air—either Jack took another shot, or the overeager crew of the Fireswamp made another attempt. My pack hung heavy on my side, and I dipped a hand inside to spur ideas. The moment my fingers brushed rope, it hit.

“Boys, we’re going to carve ourselves a new route.” I knotted a grapple to the end of the rope and winged it upwards. “Let’s go quick and quiet.” While they could run around the backside and catch us when vulnerable, I’d already established our presence, so they’d have to weigh the risk first. Hopefully the stall gave us enough time.

Testing the rope’s give, I tugged down and began to heave myself up, rebounding against the side of the harbormaster’s office to get enough impetus. The poor bastard who signed up for this job enjoyed one hell of a day, but anyone who worked at a port like this expected menace and explosions. I propelled my way up the rope, ignoring the chafing as it bit into my palms. Grabbing onto the side, I heaved myself up to the shoddy rooftop.

The asphalt surface spanned ahead of me, begging to be stormed. One story tall, the office wasn’t tough to breach and provided a vantage point we hadn’t considered upon first approach. Under pressure my mind worked the best as a dull blade until tested.

Geoff shoved his way to the top first, followed by Nathaniel, and together, we approached the other side. Our footsteps made some clatter at first, so I slowed and made each motion deliberate to minimize the noise. From our stand up here, the Desire floated in clear view, and I waved, snaring Isabella’s attention. Her gaze met mine, and her rifle swung up. She fired shots in the direction of the Fireswamp’s crew. Perfect.

I crept forward, each step premeditated as we approached the opposite ledge. We’d have a couple seconds to seize our surprise before they caught on. Glancing to the boys, I placed my finger on the trigger and nodded.

Time to greet them like airship pirates.

Chapter Seventeen

In the time it took to squeeze my trigger, I’d surveyed the five members of Fireswamp’s attack team. Two crept by the back, and three huddled up front, all wielding some manner of pistol or dagger. I recognized Sourpuss, the one I’d knocked over the edge of the ship, but none of them looked to the skies. The first bullet blasted through the air, and chaos ensued.

Three things happened at once.

Isabella and team Desire fired another spray of bullets in their direction.

I fired Matilda at the dopey guy watching the back.

The shingles beneath my feet gave way, sliding down and dragging me with them.

I managed a quick pivot before I began to drop. My palms slammed onto the edge, and my fingertips dug into the asphalt. The force strained my sockets, and my arms begged to let go as my feet dangled midair. Right after I waved a big, flashy ‘we’re here’ flag in front of the Fireswamp crew by gunning down one of their own. Timing was not on my side.

Hands gripped my forearms right as the triggers clicked. Geoff’s eyes pulsed with determination as he clenched his jaw, refusing to let go. With a jolt that made my muscles scream, he tugged me forward.

Searing pain clipped my thigh seconds before the sound of the gunfire exploded in the air. Bullets whizzed past me, and one snipped a strand of hair, too close to my ear for comfort. Up here, I dangled in full view, making myself into the sort of target marksmen dreamed of. Geoff yanked again, harder this time, and I thumped onto the rooftop. His back smacked against the ground from the force, and I collapsed on top of him, not gracefully either.

Nathaniel peered over the edge before raining fire down on the crew below. Even though my thigh throbbed with a deep ache I guaranteed would scar, I couldn’t bother with fixing it up now. I scrambled off of Geoff and limped to the edge, careful to not put weight on my wounded and cranky leg. My pistol itched in my palm, but I approached with caution as gunfire spat at us, missing by far at the off angle.

I wrinkled my nose. While we could keep blasting away and pick them off in a heartbeat, my gaze locked on Sourpuss and the guy with the bum wrist, courtesy of Isabella. We’d tried to spare as many as we could and keep casualties to a minimum before—no reason not to do the same now.

“Hear me out,” I hollered, knowing my voice carried with the breeze. After a moment or so of pregnant silence and no continuing fire, I continued. “Crazy as it sounds, we want a fair trade—your ship for our friends. We could continue slinging bullets at one another for awhile and lose some more precious lives in the process, but you should know at this point what the outcome will be. We’ve got crew on the Fireswamp, the Desire, and if you try to leave, we’ve got men up here ready to shoot.”

Silence weighed the air with uneasy tension. Words were cheap—actions were what counted among brigands.

“All we want is to meet with your captain and return your ship.” More silence. I heaved a sigh. This tedious standstill wouldn’t get us anywhere useful. We had too much to do down here and couldn’t risk more lives or time in a pointless gunfight because they didn’t trust us to give up their merch. “If you’re willing to surrender and take us to your captain, throw something up here. If not, we’ve got the advantage, so you better start running.” My voice turned to steel, betraying my impatience.

With my luck, they’d toss a grenade, and we’d all be damned.

I sat on the rooftop to give my leg a rest. The wound leaked a red blossom onto my pants, another stain that probably wouldn’t come out, and with the way it spread, I’d need to address it quick. Sun beat down with the intensity of mid-morning and promised one scorcher of an afternoon. As we waited, the caws of gulls circling broke the quiet, and the waves lapped against the dock, rocking the parked airships with a gentle sway.

A thump drew my attention to the situation at hand.

A rock, attached to a scrap of white fabric. A grin played on my lips at the sight. They’d followed our instructions, so we had to show our faith—the gamble I liked least.

“Boys, holster those weapons.” I nodded to Geoff and Nathaniel before plunking Matilda into my own. “We’re coming down. Any funny business and our crew on the Desire will gun you on the spot.”

One story wasn’t a far jump, but when you have a bum leg it becomes much more daunting. Geoff glanced to my leg, and I grimaced a smile. His brows knitted in worry.

I met his eyes as I approached the edge. “Captain should go down first,” I murmured, which did little to quell the concern in his gaze. However, that’s the way my captain had led our ship, and I would do the same. Gritting my teeth, I grabbed the ledge and dropped down, leaning on my left side as I landed.

The reverberations raced up my legs, sending shocks of pain through my system, and my brain blanked white for a moment as I fought to keep down the contents of my stomach. Two thuds sounded beside me, drawing attention away as I breathed through the pain, regaining control of my body. Nathaniel and Geoff stood on either side of me, muscles tensed and ready for a fight.

Two pirates on either side, four in total surrounded us, but by numbers we near matched them if they dared to try anything. However, based on their troubled and dark expressions, they meant their surrender.

The brunette who we’d sent over the side of her own ship stepped up first. “You’ve got to have some angle—why go through all the trouble of stealing our ship if you didn’t want it?”

A smirk turned my lips. “You keep saying steal like I didn’t have plans to return it. I don’t want your dingy ship. I wanted mine back, and I needed a way to the skies to make it happen. As you can see—we make shit happen.”             

She cocked an eyebrow at me in disbelief. “You’re willing to give it up if we give you your bounty hunters back? What’s to stop you from turning your forces against us the second we do?”

“Because I’ve got more important things to do than turn you in.” The truth stamped my words, plain and simple. One thing folks didn’t anticipate in these sorts of dealings was bold-faced honesty, but I thrived on it. Lent me a power they couldn’t even fathom. “We’ve got a bigger foe to tangle with, and I’ve got crew members who need saving. This is just a necessary detour because I made Edward and Viola a promise. And I keep my promises.”             

Sourpuss, who had become the spokesperson, placed her hands on her hips. “And you expect us to march your whole contingent to where we’ve got your people?’

I passed her a withering glance. “Please, I’m not an idiot. Not only am I leaving my men aboard the Fireswamp but the Desire as well. We can do this however you’re most comfortable. If you bring them to the docks, I’ll order my two men off your ship—she’s all yours again. Until we see our friends though, we’ll keep gunning down anyone who tries to board her.” I caught her gaze, making sure she understood the gravity of my words.

One of the big hulking guys by her side let out a sigh. “Give us safe passage out of here, and we’ll bring word to the captain. Your friends for our ship.”

I nodded and stepped past the safety of the harbormaster’s office to signal to Isabella and crew. Waving my hands in the air, I hoped she sussed out my intent.

“Now that you’ve confirmed the merchandise though, we set the terms. Tonight—once our friends are walking towards our ship, we’ll command our men off it.” Both parties understood the risk there. I exposed my friends to their fire if we tried any foul play. A headache threatened on my horizon. Negotiations were a bitch.

The woman nodded, and all four of them turned to make their way down the docks. “Sundown it is,” she called.

***

My bed shook as Geoff slid off the side. I stretched my arms over my head, letting my spine crack as I watched the view, all tanned skin and muscles I wanted to lick down all over again. The tidy to my mess, he began plucking our clothes off the floor from where they’d been tossed. Given the time we had until sunset, while I’d stationed crew to keep watch, the lot of us used the chance to blow off steam. Geoff cornered me the second we walked below deck, one thing on his mind and one I was in sync with. 

“Feel like I need a cigar for the occasion,” I commented, still lying in the bed. “The stress relief was sore needed.”

He passed me a half smile, dipping down to plant a kiss on my lips. “Oh so that’s all I am to you? Stress relief?”

“The best sort.” I smiled into the kiss as I deepened it. Though we’d just gone at it like there was no tomorrow, a warm honey feeling spread through me again as my adrenaline spiked.

“Down, girl.” Geoff pulled away, his eyes twinkling. He dropped my clothes in front of me. “We’ve got an exchange to oversee and you have some captaining to do.”

“I always have some captaining to do.” I let out a huff. Around Geoff I could ditch the bravado, and the effects were blissful. “Can’t they drop off our folks, and we’ll pop over to Isabella’s Grandma’s house for dinner? Her relatives will just hand over the piece, and we’ll trade it with the gypsies for Seth and Adelle.”

Geoff let out a laugh as he tugged his pants on. “What fantasy are you dreaming of? With our luck, we’ve got a future of gunfire and explosions, doll.” I didn’t miss the way his gaze slipped to my wrapped leg. The bullet had traveled past the side slicing some skin but to my relief not burrowing deep. Between that and my shoulder, I was in tip-top shape. Edwin had muttered under his breath the entire time he treated it before he slapped some gauze and a bandage over the wound and called me a walking hazard.

“Nothing we can’t handle,” I reminded him, my voice softening. On a normal day we dabbled in adventure, but when times like these hit, the onslaught engulfed like an ocean mid-storm. Our crew stood apart from the rest because we bore it, and through those flames, we united.

I threw the blanket off and tugged on my clothes, including the ruched brown skirt I’d changed into—such a relief from my days of dirty breeches. Geoff buttoned his linen shirt and ran a hand through his tousled hair, looking presentable once more. Sucking in, I slipped my olive bodice on overtop the high necked blouse I’d tossed on. By some miracle, I’d scrounged a couple shirts free from bloodstains.

“Shall we?” Geoff extended an arm as I snagged my aviator’s cap, tugging it over my tumbled strands.

I looped mine through his, and we made our way to the deck. All across the Desire, folks simmered down, enjoying the salt breeze and the gentle sway of the ocean below our feet. The sunset sparked in the sky, spreading glorious oranges and purples across the horizon with all the haphazard frenzy of a painter in the throes of passion. Adrenaline filtered through my veins like a familiar friend as I made my way to the railing. Any moment now, Captain Morgan Blackwind would be arriving to claim his ship.

Pockets of crew leaned against the rails, laughing and telling stories, while Spade and Jack enjoyed a pint aboard the good ship Fireswamp as we all waited for the exchange. Geoff settled by my side as we watched a distant group of figures making their way to the docks.

“That them?” I squinted, trying to distinguish some identifying marks. Seven or more folks strode with purpose in our direction. My heartbeat quickened, and my hand jumped to Matilda on instinct.

Geoff whipped out his scope and cast it towards the oncoming group. “That’s them. What do your friends look like?”

“One’s a real fussy blond lady, and the other’s an ex-redcoat—tall with shaggy hair like yours.” A couple of the crew sighted the group’s approach, and one by one, our folks made their way to the railings to watch.

“Yeah, they’re there. Looks like it’s the long awaited crew of the Fireswamp.” Geoff pocketed his scope and pulled out his revolver.

The corner of my mouth twitched. “Was the captain wearing a fancy hat?”

Geoff gave me the side eye. “Bea, it’s not a rule.”

“So says you.” I tugged on the straps of my aviator cap. “Any self-respecting captain would get themselves a fancy hat.” The sooner we retrieved Edward and Viola and unloaded the Fireswamp to Captain Fussypants, the better I’d feel. No need to tell them about the mishaps in their engine room—we had our own to worry about. The sunset quickened, and within the span of seconds, the shadows grew to sprawling across the dock.

The splash and hum of a ship approaching dock behind us caught my attention. I turned around to see what visitors pulled in.

My throat tightened at the sight of the eyesore of a familiar ship. We’d last left them in the dust when we’d piloted the Fireswamp. And of course. Of course, an easy exchange couldn’t stay that way.

The damn Morlock ship had returned.