A Tale of Two Airships (Take to the Skies Book 2) (12 page)

I let out a slow exhale. “I hope you’re suggesting we pawn everything we can get our hands on for some cash for once.” He steered in an uncomfortable direction. Isabella had been on board with me for far too long, and the idea even for a heartbeat someone might steal her away from this ship hurt too much to fathom.

“I’m not suggesting she rule the gypsies,” Mordecai cut me off, knowing in his gaze. Sue me, I’d never mastered hiding my feelings. Not like I harbored secrets anyway. “I’m saying with as many enemies we’ve made, we could use some allies, even if we have to make them by trickery and force.”

A grin quirked at the corner of my lips, threatening to break free. “Well, now you’re speaking my language.” The man was dead right. We needed allies and bad, because over the course of five years we’d racked up so many enemies we’d made ourselves into a sailing bullseye. “I think that’s something Isabella would consider worth raiding her Gran’s cabinetry over.”

“Just have to commandeer back a ship, that’s all.” He smirked, scanning the skies with me. “You know, even wanted by dozens of places as the Shadow Ward, I never managed to rack up this much trouble.”

“I promised you interesting.” I shrugged. “I keep my promises.” Mordecai broke into a broad grin, and the belly laugh from him warmed my insides. He shook his head, a rueful smile clinging to his face as we stood by the rail watching the skies. All I asked for and all I sought was one hint of my girl.

“Captain, ahead,” Jack called from up top.

My heart skipped a beat in my chest as I raced past Spade at the helm to stand at the stern. Out sailing at a slow but steady pace ahead of us was a ship I’d seen a thousand times. Her dark wood glowed purple under the light of the moon, and her sleek form cut a stylish mark on the landscape. The way she moved, with the grace of a fish through water, compared to none. My breath caught in my throat as I witnessed the overhead balloon, illuminated by starlight with the bold words printed across the length.

We’d found the Desire.

Chapter Twelve

My entire being lifted at the sight of the Desire, as if she were the zephyr sweeping through after a dark and desperate battle. I knew better than to be duped—the battle hadn’t even begun—but our girl in the distance made the goal more real than I could’ve hoped. Darkness clung to us like ink, and I made my way to where Spade guided our ship forward. At this part, difficult drifting came into play.

Spade stood at the helm, his eyes fixed on the prize, as all ours were. The darkness sliced ragged lines into his face, but the firm line of his mouth wouldn’t betray any of the pain or fear he might feel. Not for the first time, I envied his ability to bury those emotions deep. I clapped a hand on his stiff shoulder, and he passed me a half-smile.

“You know what to do here, right?” I glanced to our ship in the distance. “We’ll come in low to stay off their radar and then rise up in her blind spot. Which reminds me, when all this is done we’ll have to find a way to fix that.”

Spade let out a grunt and a nod, and at his touch, the Fireswamp drifted lower the further on she sailed.

My heartbeat thumped so loud it echoed in my ears, but I ignored the ramping anxiousness flushing through me to join Isabella and Mordecai in assembling the weaponry. Together we rummaged through the extensive amounts of ammo. With twelve or so crates of automatic rifles on these decks, the Fireswamp had swiped more than a measly couple grand. We were talking a hundred thousand worth in credits on board here—no wonder the Red Oaks wanted their shit back so bad. However, like we were ‘borrowing’ the ship, we’d also need to borrow some of these weapons if we wanted a chance.

Isabella handed over one of the AK-551s, a modded version of the old AK-47s, these with an autocleaning mechanism, burst projectiles, and the ability to utilize cryo-bullets. I’d only heard of these things, since we’d never had enough cash on hand to spring for fancy machinery like this. I ran my hand over the smooth, cool surface, letting the coiled power seep in through my fingertips. Well, the gypsies wouldn’t know what hit them. Literally.

Once we’d descended below the Desire’s trajectory and vanished in through the wispy cloud cover, Jack scrambled down from the crow’s nest to join us. Strands of his hair flipped askew from the breeze, and his eyes shone.

“Captain, where do you want me?” he asked.

I handed him an assault rifle. “Feel comfortable tackling one of these beauties? Because if not, you don’t get one. You’ll be joining Mordecai and me on our three person takeover.”

Jack nodded and accepted the heavy weight. “Three person?” he asked.

“Spade’ll be making sure the Fireswamp’s steady, and Isabella will be finding and freeing the rest of our crew. How’s that for a plan?” I winked, broadcasting bravado I didn’t feel. The plan was flimsy as a rusted can, but we only had three people to try and get our girl back. I hoped the element of surprise would be enough.

“We do what we have to,” Isabella piped in, adding the reassurance I needed.

The Fireswamp glided through the cloud cover with ease, and we accelerated to move at a faster pace than normal with the sole purpose of catching up to the Desire. Though I caught glimpses through the tufts, each one filled me with a mixture of anticipation and dread. In the past, I might have stood at the railing and laughed, grin on my face and ready to plunge in shooting. I’d been following the captain’s orders back then.

Now the responsibility lay with me, and I’d been the ones to make those promises to my crew. If we failed here, not only were our ship and our crew’s lives on the line, but our own as well. We’d also rolled the dice and lumped Edward and Viola into this mix. We’d given ourselves no margin of error, no quarter.

I set my jaw as I stared at the horizon, drinking in the breeze like an elixir. Well then, we wouldn’t fail. I gripped onto the AK-551 and let the heaviness of the weapon fortify me. A smile returned to my face—forced at first, but I’d learned a long time ago how to fight my fears. Put on a brave face until it became real.

The glimpse of the Desire I caught this time brought me close enough to see the wood grain, purple in this light. Her balloon shone overhead under the moonlight, and if I closed my eyes and breathed in, I almost caught the scent of lemon and basalm from her. This close, her timbers creaked the timeworn symphony I’d grown so accustomed to, and the sounds pierced my chest with longing. We’d caught up to our girl at last.

As smoothly as he’d navigated us so far, Spade shifted the Fireswamp up as we ascended parallel to the Desire. The engine below chugged away, and a drift of steam trailed out the vents, almost like a sigh of relief since we’d slowed our frantic pace. While the Fireswamp might not have the size or weaponry to be a heavyweight up here, she made for one good getaway ship. Spade pulled up to the blind spot from below, and we slowed to a gentle crawl. Compared to how we’d zipped through the skies before, our creeping up felt like standing still. In this quiet dark, we had a hope and a prayer of not getting sighted. So many ‘ifs’ raced through my head, but I quieted them as I slid my hand across Matilda’s handle, on reflex.

Everyone on board had grown quiet, and we all stared at the Desire, which sailed close enough for us to see the deepened shadows between timbers and the divots in the wood. A couple glances flickered my way as if my crew waited on additional orders, but for the most part, we had a game plan and each of us our roles. Her timbers were so close I longed to reach out and touch them, but in seconds, I’d have the familiar feel under my boots again. I could wait. Tension thrummed through the air like a bubble ready to burst—each of us on the precipice of violence.

Spade pulled her in a little higher, to the point the narrow rail drifted into sight but we hadn’t quite reached it yet. I scanned the railing for any lookouts, but no one lingered by the slatted length.

I clapped a hand on Spade’s shoulder. “Hold the Fireswamp down a little longer. We’ll have you back on board in no time.”

He cracked a half smile. “I know.”

Simple words but the confidence shuddered through me, bolstering my resolve. Isabella and Mordecai had already begun readying grappling hooks. The two were so in tune they barely needed direction. I nodded at Spade and made my way to Jack’s side, guiding him to our rail with the others.

“Showtime,” I said, and the hooks released.

Isabella’s bit into the rail first, and after tugging it to make sure it latched, she stood on the precarious ledge before jumping. She flew across the shallow gap in seconds, slamming against the side of the Desire with less of a smack than expected. A couple seconds passed as she twirled in the air, holding tight to the rope while the tips of her boots found purchase between timbers. She began climbing her way up seconds later. Mordecai tested his, ready to follow the same, but I stepped up to the plate before he could move and grabbed the rope from his hands.

“What sort of Captain doesn’t lead her troop into danger?” I flashed him a grin and climbed up the rail with my sturdy rope in hand and the AK-551 strapped to my back. Atop the ledge, the gap between us and the Desire stretched even wider into an impenetrable chasm. Clouds suspended below us, and the vacant lights from distant cities gleamed like faraway stars. Moments like these were a keen reminder of how high we sailed.

Thank god I wasn’t scared of heights. I tugged the rope, doing my own test on the grappling’s grip. Solid. Rather than wasting time fretting over how quick I’d die if I slipped, I jumped. The rope bit into my hands, and my thighs clamped around the winding tendril before my shoulder thudded against the hull of the Desire. Slowly, I began my ascent, hand over hand while my boots sought out divots in the wood. The breeze up here crashed over me like tidal waves, and I hung on by a miracle. More than ever, I was aware of the weight of the AK-551 on my back, the ammo in my pockets, and the laden leather purse attached to my holster. And as always, Matilda at my side.

Isabella above me reached the rail and gripped the lacquered bars, peering in. Smart woman, she wouldn’t rush the top deck. The rope bit into my palms, which slicked with sweat, but I continued the perilous climb. Covert takeovers were never easy—hence why most airships blasted their enemies from the skies. My heart thudded a fast tattoo in my chest, and each gulp of air dried my throat.                

With one hand tight on the bars, Isabella returned the grappling hook onto the Fireswamp’s deck with a soft thump. In seconds, the hook whizzed past my ear and latched itself to the railing on my left. I continued the ascent, almost to the top. I sucked down a breath with another handhold as my body slammed against the side once more, making my ribs vibrate. My fingertips strained to reach the bars of the railing, until upon inching up a little, I found my grip and pulled myself up.

Before us spanned the knotted and polished deck I’d ached for, and my insides twisted at seeing her manned by someone other than my crew. Some tatted-up gent stood by the helm, steering her steady as anything, while another man slumped over at the Crow’s Nest, doing a poor job at staying alert. At least seven men roamed the deck, so either more were asleep, or with any luck she had a skeleton crew on board.

Without my people across the deck, our girl lay desolate, but that’s why we’d returned. We would set things right. I slung the grappling hook down to the Fireswamp for Jack, so he could join the party.

“We’ll be the distraction, okay?” I murmured to Isabella.

“Make my job peaches and cream why don’t you?” She flashed me a grin as we clung onto the rails. Precarious position like this, if discovered we’d be screwed. Hanging out here in the breeze though, anticipation for the coming fight thrummed through my veins. I’d been waiting to unleash all this pent up rage from the second they stole our ship and separated me from my crew.

Mordecai’s hands smacked against the railings beside us as he pulled himself up, as sharp and alert as ever. “What’re our odds?”

“Outnumbered and outgunned, just the way we like it.” I shot back. Jack had already begun scaling the rope and within seconds of his fumbling journey up would join us. “If it wasn’t a challenge it wouldn’t be any fun.”

I stared out at the gypsies strolling around our deck—they’d begin firing on us the moment we appeared, so we’d have to be ready to act. Seven men against us three rogue pirates, since Isabella would be sneaking below to find our crew. Well, if our takeover wasn’t fraught with complications, I’d be bored, and mercy to anyone who stumbled upon me while bored. My palms twitched as my fingers grew tired of clutching the rail. The cold breeze wrapped around us like a blanket, though the stronger gusts reinforced the reminder we dangled off the side of our ship thousands of feet above ground.

Jack gripped onto the rail, and I gave him a nod, catching Mordecai’s gaze in the process. “Ready to raise some hell?” A grin stole across my face as I quelled the desire to run screaming across deck waving Matilda.

“On your word, Captain,” Jack responded.

No time like the present. “Let’s have at ‘em.”

As soon as the command left my lips, I scrambled over the railing’s ledge. The back of my neck prickled with the pre-eminent violence. The wood scraped against my fingers, but within seconds, my boots thudded onto the deck, sending a surge of relief through me. In an instant, a million thoughts raced through my mind, but one took dominance as fierce as the winds surrounding us: Home.

I flipped the rifle around and took off running, not bothering to see if the gypsy bastards had spotted us. With the way my boots pounded the planks, they definitely caught us in their crosshairs. In my peripheral, Isabella slunk away with the silence and grace I expected from her.

The bullet grazing my shoulder was the one indicator I got. The peppering fire burst through the air as white hot pain seared me. A cluster of bullets zipped over my head, spraying in all directions. My stomach squeezed, but I clenched my teeth and barreled forward as the wind whistled past my ears. No time for injuries. Unlucky for them, I knew every square inch of this vessel, including all the best spots to duck for cover. Another slurry of bullets whizzed through the air as I raced to the right. I dove towards the crates we’d left stacked against the slope below. They’d accumulated over time waiting for someone more organized to find them a home. None of us were the cleanliest.

I skidded to a halt beside them—they’d been stacked so high I barely needed to crouch. My shoulder stung, but I focused on getting whoever’d laid the lucky shot into my sights. Shouts sprung up all across deck, and for seven guys, they made a hell of a lot of clamor. My insides squeezed. Their shouts would alert whoever slept below, which meant we had to act fast. I glanced into the sights, lining up with the first guy in my target. Mr. Sleeps at his Post up in the Crow’s Nest. Unfortunately that was a prime sniping spot, which he took full advantage of.

Squeezing off the first shot, I remembered the slick beauty in my hand, and the bullets rattled out of my barrel as I held it down. Assaults didn’t need the constant reload of the rifles or pistols I slung. The bullets sailed through the air, several clipping at our sturdy Crow’s Nest, but the wind knocked the first batch askew. I squeezed out another mess of bullets, bracing as the gun bucked against my good shoulder. Unlike the controlled power of Matilda, this rifle was an unrestrained and wild thing in my hands. A strangled holler came from the Crow’s Nest, and he dropped out of sight, but I didn’t think I was lucky enough to have capped him in one shot.