Pistons and Pistols (5 page)

Rose eyed Magpie and Gabriella as the three of them trudged through the dusty streets. “When we get there, just be quiet and let me do all the talking.”

“Aye, Captain,” Magpie said.

Gabriella said nothing, but that was to be expected. It was a far sight better than the child crying all over the place.

When she reported for her morning duties, she was all tears and gloom. A few gentle questions in private revealed that Atom had taken Rose’s advice, and the young thing wasn’t taking the news well. The girl couldn’t even repeat what he’d told her, and who could blame her? Rose supposed she felt a bit guilty that it hadn’t worked out, as well as a little surprised. She expected better of the young navigator, yet the child wept and wept, as if the idea that her true love was in fact a mechanical man were the worst possible news in the entire world.

In her experience as an older woman, Rose had heard worse. Much worse. As a sort of consolation, Rose offered to allow Gabriella to come along on her coal-scouting trip. She hoped the time away from the ship would help the girl come to terms. The last thing she needed was a moody navigator. It was even worse than a lovesick one.

“Been a while since we seen him,” Magpie said as they approached the large building they had crossed so many miles to find. “You reckon he won’t just throw us out on our ears?”

Rose raised an eyebrow at the woman. “Jeb throw me out? I should think not.”

“If I remember rightly, your Jebediah wasn’t much for credit.”

“Then how lucky for us I’m not asking for credit. I’m after a favor.”

“A favor, you say? Calling one in, or asking for one? ’Cause there’s a might bit of difference ’tween the two.”

Rose stopped on the top step of the building’s porch, turning to look down on the older woman. “I’m well aware of the difference, Maggie. But considering that I just gave that dock leech almost the last of our coffers, this is the only chance we have. Unless, of course, you have a better idea.”

Magpie lowered her gaze, as well as her grin.

“I thought as much,” Rose said. She looked to Gabriella, then back to Magpie with a sigh. “Come on, don’t look so down. This is going to work. Jebediah will help us. He has to.” Rose leaned into Magpie before she added, “After all, he owes me.”

Magpie smiled up at Rose. “Calling one in then?”

Rose nodded. She supposed it would have been better form to bring along her first mate when trying to strike a deal, but considering who they were here to see, Magpie was the best choice. Rose had more history with Magpie than anyone else aboard her ship, including Click. The smart-mouthed southerner should by rights have been Rose’s first mate, but the woman didn’t want the job. All she wanted was a quiet place away from her family and what she referred to as her ‘other life.’ A place she could continue her late husband’s work without the distractions of everyday society. So Rose got an exclusive messenger bird system for her ship, and Magpie got the privacy she craved.

“Then by all means,” Magpie said. “Let’s get this done so we can find a place to hunker down.”

The storefront was plain, with a single window showcasing the basics of frontier needs. A small sign proclaimed that the place was open for business, which was good because it would have been a shame to come so far to find it closed. Rose pushed her way through the entrance with a sigh, unsure of what she planned to say. A light tinkling filled the air, announcing their presence. The three of them navigated the rows of tack and feed and rations, making their way to the counter at the back where the owner of the store waited for them.

He was a little older than last she saw him, graying a bit at the temples of his wild, raven hair. He sported a full bushy beard, complete with a lip-consuming mustache. Still short and squat, her old colleague wasn’t quiet as burly as the day she left him waving goodbye on the outskirts of this very town. He showed signs of his adjustment to ground life, a certain softness around the edges that came from easy living. The manual labor of running a general store was bound to be much less taxing than that of manning an airship.

The clerk rubbed his eyes as Rose approached. He blinked a few times, then rubbed his eyes again. As she reached the counter, he asked, “Rose Madigan? Is that really you, girly?”

Rose smiled wide. “Yes, Jeb. It’s me.”

She didn’t know what to expect when she’d decided to seek out Jebediah. Maybe he would smile, nod and comment on how long it had been since their last meeting. Or perhaps he would ignore her, treating her like any other customer rather than tread old, tired ground. Or, at worst, he would throw them all out on their ears.

The man did none of these things. In fact, he did the one thing she had hoped for, but hadn’t expected.

In one great jump, Jebediah cleared the counter, quite a feat for a man of his height, then bounded across his store to greet her. He pulled her into his arms, giving her that old bear hug she remembered and missed more than anything else about him. And yes, he was a little soft in the middle, a sign of prosperity that filled Rose with joy. Jebediah released her from his embrace only to hold her by the shoulders at arm’s length, staring at her as if she were unreal.

“It’s really me,” she said. “I promise.”

“I can see that, girly,” he said, still clutching her as if she would disappear the moment he let her go. “I’m just having a rough time believing my eyes, is all.”

“What?” Magpie asked as she dropped her rucksack to the floor. “No loving for me?”

Jebediah started at the sound of her voice, then hollered her name as he scooped the woman into his arms. Magpie’s eyes crossed as he squeezed her for several breath-stealing seconds before he let her go. “Good word, ladies, how long has it been? What on earth are you two doing here? How long are you staying?”

Amidst his questions, Rose cleared her throat as she motioned for Gabriella to come forward. “I have someone I’d like for you to meet. Jebediah Wilkes, may I introduce Gabriella Upstairs.”

Jebediah cocked his head at Rose. “As in the New York Upstairses?”

Rose nodded as she narrowed her eyes at Jeb, a signal for his silence.

“You know of my family?” Gabriella asked.

Jebediah nodded as well, but said nothing else on the matter. “Nice to meet you, Miss Upstairs.” He held his hand out to the girl.

Gabriella seemed suspicious at first, but then grabbed his hand into hers. True to form, he pulled the young girl into a fierce hug as she shrieked in surprise. Jeb must have taken her squeal as one of excitement, because he proceeded to lift her from the floor into an even tighter embrace. Rose and Magpie sniggered at her discomfort, a right of passage for any woman that met the overly affectionate man.

Jebediah released Gabriella, who stumbled from his arms with a priceless ‘what the heck just happened?’ look on her face. “So, what kind of trouble has Rose got a pretty young thing like you up to?”

Gabriella shot a questioning look at Rose, as if asking permission to reply.

Rose nodded, giving consent to her newest recruit to speak freely.

“I’m the Widow’s new navigator,” the girl said, pride beaming from every inch of her face.

“The Widow?” Jeb asked. He snapped a glance to Rose. “You still flying that old bird?”

“She’s only as old as we let her get,” Rose said, reminding the man of his own adage about the ship.

But Jebediah didn’t seem in the mood for memorable phrases. His dark eyes grew brooding as a frown took him. “I mean you brought her here?”

“What else would we arrive in?” she asked, then laughed.

“Don’t tell me you docked her.”

“Of course we did.”

Air docks were a godsend among flying ships, allowing a crew to dock flush with the wooden platforms and follow the stairs to ground level instead of clambering up and down an unstable rope ladder. The dock had cost them the Widow’s last few pennies, but considering that Rose expected to return with at least a few barrels of coal, she considered the dock fee worth it. Why wouldn’t she make use of it?

Jeb closed his eyes and whispered, “Then it’s already too late.”

Rose could feel her girls’ gazes burning at her back as she stared at the man before her. “Jebediah, what’s going on?”

Jeb sighed as he went to the front window, where he flipped the sign from
open
to
closed
then made his way back to the counter. Once behind it, he bent double searching for something under the wooden shelf. He came up with a single piece of paper, which he held out to Rose.

She approached him and snatched up the offering. “What’s this?”

“You tell me,” he said, then sat back and waited for her to read the page.

The letters were skewed and the spelling was atrocious, the signs of a quick-print message. Quick-prints were a sloppy kind of telegraphed message, created by mass production and intended for high distribution in a minimal amount of time. As Rose read the words, her heart sank into the pit of her stomach. She looked up at Jeb to see his face a mask of worry.

“Magpie,” Rose said as she looked back to the message, dread gripping her in a fist of fear.

“Sir,” Magpie answered.

“Take Gabriella back to the Widow. Get her ready to go. I’ll join you in a bit.”

“Aye, Cap. Come on, Guppy.”

The sound of their feet beating the wooden floor echoed through the quiet store.

The pair of old comrades sat in the ensuing silence for several moments.

“Jeb, what is this?” Rose held the page back to him.

He refused to take it from her. “What does it look like?”

Rose knew what it looked like, and she didn’t like the looks of it at all.

Chapter 4

Oral Examinations

In which the Madame makes plans for our demise

Ruby lay under the sweaty bulk of yet another client, grinding her hips against his in that ageless dance of gratification. They had been at it like animals for almost the full hour. An hour for which he had paid in advance, of course, to use her as he wished. His time was almost up, and so was his lust as far as Ruby could tell from the telltale throb of his rigid manhood.

“Come for me, woman!” he shouted as he drove his thick cock into her pussy. “I want to hear you scream with pleasure.” He flicked his fingers across her clit, drawing a groan from her.

The man was a peculiar patron, but not an unpleasant one. Unlike the usual clients the Red House serviced, those who sought their own satisfaction and nothing else, all he ever paid for was the chance to listen as a woman reached orgasm. Whether that meant watching her masturbate, servicing her orally, or fucking her until she screamed in passion, it was always ladies’ choice as far as he was concerned. All that mattered to him was the fact that she got off, then, like clockwork, the man would spend himself, strangely fulfilled by the sound of her satisfaction.

To the grumbling of her girls, Ruby had shifted the roster to take the senator as her client today. His sizable cock and caring manner were just what she thought she needed to help her deal with her worries. Yet, although he was doing his best to please her, she knew there would be no orgasm for her today. At least not a real one. Not even the world’s biggest cock could fuck the worry from her. The world’s best lover couldn’t soothe the ache of her soul. She clutched him by the ass, pulling him deeper, as if he could fuck the anger and hatred from her heart. Bucking hard, she begged him to split her in two with his lust, but it was no use. She couldn’t concentrate on his pleasure, much less her own.

How could she when she had been betrayed?

Betrayal by men, Ruby understood. Men had no connection to her as a female. Well, nothing more than the use of her sex. They owed her no solidarity, nor did they share any commonality. When entering a relationship with a man, Ruby always expected it to end with betrayal. It was the way of the world, or rather her world.

But to have been betrayed by another woman? It was unthinkable.

The senator stopped his pummeling of her puss, pulling his cock free from her with a gasp. He patted her on the thigh as he said, “Roll over, let me try from behind.”

“No,” she said, grabbing him by the sensitive head of his prick, trying to stuff it back inside her. “Just keep going, you’re almost there.”

He snatched her up by the wrists. “I know you’re concerned, Ruby, and I’m sorry there isn’t more I can do. But you’re mine for at least ten more minutes.” He released his grip on her, only to slip one of his hands against her wet puss, rubbing his fingers against her nub as he plunged his large thumb into her. “I’m not leaving here until you come for me. I don’t care if I have to pay for the whole damnable night.”