An Airship Named Desire (Take to the Skies Book 1) (16 page)

The reason why Isabella would be taking this particularly hard dawned upon me. Only a day before the traitor killed the captain, I woke the two of them up after they spent the night together. I placed a hand on her shoulder and met her eyes with some understanding at long last.

“I’d been with him too,” I reminded her. Fresh tears streamed down her face, and I brought her in for a hug. “It’ll be okay. We’ll throw him overboard.” I managed an awkward pat on her back before Isabella pulled away. A smirk twisted her face despite the sticky tears.

“Don’t strain yourself too hard.” She wiped the tears away. “All this emotional crap, you might get a hernia.”

I laughed as I exited, summoning my courage to return back onto the deck where Geoff waited. After the near encounter we almost had and with everyone’s emotions brimming at the surface, I knew how my comment hurt him. The man deserved—well he deserved something I couldn’t give, but at least my talk with Adelle smacked some sense into me. 

The night sky coated the deck in a velvety blue hue, and the full moon sharpened those shadows, casting long jagged lines over the span of the ship. It illuminated the sky with a pearly luminescence, and I yearned back to the summers I spent ashore chasing fireflies before I had any cognizance of the mess of a relationship my folks had. Simple.

Life was simple back then, and I missed that black and white. Hell, I missed the clarity I had when Morris took the lead. He emblemized the good guys for me, and our crew threw their heart and soul into our tasks. Or so I’d thought. The perfect white orb in the sky lay too far out of reach from my gray deck. So many shadows crept over the moon, and I didn’t think I’d ever find a way to grasp it.

Spade and Geoff conversed over by the navigational bay. Time to face my actions. Heaving a sigh, I stalked over to interrupt them.

As I walked over, my hips swung with the lazy sway of the ship. Spade and Geoff stopped talking when I approached, and the tension I had left descended once again.

“We’re almost at Reno,” I said. “I’d say we’ll get there in less than a half hour. Ahead of schedule. Right?”

Geoff narrowed his eyes in confusion. “Did one of the crew tell you? We just figured it out ourselves, and there’s no way you out-navigated us. No offense.”

“None taken.” I lifted my hands. “The young girl we picked up holds as many mysteries as that box. She rattled off our current course down in the infirmary. I’m not talking a decent sense of direction—she’s a living, breathing map.”

Spade let out a hard exhale. “Really? So young though.”

“Verifiable genius. Edwin almost had an orgasm right on the floor when we found out.” Geoff fought with a smile. I caught his eyes, those deep dark brown ones with the hurt shining through. ‘I’m sorry’ I mouthed. Spade chose that moment to ignore us and focus intently on the aether manipulator. We didn’t need to talk to communicate, since Geoff knew me better than that. I slipped a hand onto his back, and his muscles relaxed. The hurt still shone in his eyes, but he nodded. He understood, for now.

“Once her ankle’s healed, we’ll try her out up here. We may have found ourselves a helmswoman. See how you two get along.”

Spade passed me a wary glance, though his hands never left the wheel. “Don’t want any babysitting.”

“You’re just jealous.” I laughed. “This girl could school you with her navigating skills.”

He cracked a smile. “We’ll see.”

In the distance, thousands of colored lights lit the city line, glowing with the soft luminescence of frosted lamps. My hand still rested on Geoff’s back. It felt so comfortable, so natural there, and with the realization, I yanked it back faster than a quick draw. “Is that Reno?” Before either man noticed the heat that crept onto my cheeks, I wandered over towards the side of the ship.

Tall skyscrapers nudged the violet clouds, and bulbous buildings suspended by balloons littered the mid-zone. Not like we could afford to even breathe in one of those casinos. Ladies and gents inside carried copper cards, not coins, which had no spending limit. The original ‘Sin City’ claimed a desert oasis, but Reno’s scalloped shores combined pre-sunken California’s beachside fronts with that same glitz and glamour as old Vegas.

A zeppelin floated by with an advertisement for “Southwest Airships—The Cruise of Your Dreams!” Ten Desires could fit into one of those bloated monstrosities. The city of Reno lit up like a twenty four hour fireworks display. They must have taken the clearance neon paint and striped the town with it because the buildings glowed.

Reno was the city of fame, tourists, and wealth. It also housed one of the largest criminal populations in the States and more poverty than you could cram into the dozens of shelters lining the streets off the main stretch.

And we headed straight into the underbelly.

Chapter Sixteen

As the Desire progressed closer towards Reno’s electric display, the main docks jutted into view as if someone took a marker and drew arrows pointing to them. Those weren’t the ones we sought because I’d bet my last lucky cameo the British Merchant ship waited there. In the poorer district we just worried about our ex-employer and the Morlocks.

I squeezed the ledge before heading toward the cabins. How had our situation become this bad? A couple months back we ran through smuggling jobs under Captain Morris without a care in the world, but the day we procured that box, our troubles began. For the hardship it brought us, we couldn’t just toss the cargo overboard, not after the he died over it. I pulled the box from the trunk in my room and carried it over to the captain’s quarters.

None of his belongings had moved, but no one sat, smoking a cigar behind his large oaken desk. This room would be mine now. The unattended aether lamps cast their green sheen over his ships, which still lay scattered across the floor. Despite the tattered books along his shelf and folders of old job contacts, emptiness dominated the room. His presence, the loyal, bellowing man who resided in these chambers, had left. 

I sat the box on the table and stared at the stupid thing, which was locked tighter than Seth’s old gun collection. What could be inside this thing to cause so much chaos? The small carvings along the sides of the box glinted under any sort of light, making them impossible to distinguish. I pulled out a paper and pencil from the captain’s drawer and placed the sheet against the box. The rubbing clarified the markings, but they looked like a foreign language. Definitely not the international English I learned back in school. 

Tucking the folded sheet into my back pocket, I pushed open the door to the captain’s bedroom. No one would search for it there, so I wedged the box inside his dresser. I’d take Isabella and Geoff with me, but someone needed to keep an eye out for the cargo. While I still retained some trust, recent events had given me pause. Leaving the captain’s quarters, I descended the first flight of steps on the way to the engine room.

The steam greeted me on the final stairwell before the whirring sound of the engine.

“Oi, Seth.” I entered the room. A crash was followed by a tinny thud as I opened the door. A smirk hovered over my lips. “Hope I’m not interrupting anything. Need to give her one last peck before you part? I won’t judge.” Seth fixed me with a flat “no-sass” look, and I sighed, swinging my arms by my sides. “We’ll be docking soon, and I’m taking some crew with me. The box is in the captain’s quarters tucked in his dresser drawer. You and I are the only ones who know the location. Understood?”

He nodded. I always appreciated Seth’s straightforwardness. His ruddy cheeks shone redder than normal, and he offered me a sip from his flask. I gladly accepted while Seth took two sips of his own. He’d grieve in his own way—I wouldn’t judge. As long as he kept our ship running, he could drink a jug of whisky a day. Anything was better than these tears.

“Also,” I continued, pulling out the rubbing I’d made, “Do any of these look familiar to you? I’m trying to figure out anything more about this box. All I have to go on are these markings around the rim. Morris said he was doing it for Old Germany.”

Seth gave me a sharp glance at the mention of Old Germany and took the paper from my hand.  “I’ll check. I fought in the war with Morris back then…so maybe it’ll make sense.” Seth placed a beefy oil-smudged hand on my shoulder.

“Take the box down here if you need to for examination, but just keep it out of sight.” I ran a hand through my hair. 

“Here,” he said and handed me a folded paper, weighted down by something inside. I opened it to see a handwritten list with a card tucked inside. “Those are credits the Captain allotted me for repairs. Can you send a crewmember for the parts? I’d trust Spade.”

“Of course you would. The two of you would write the shortest book in history,” I said. The corner of his mouth tweaked up. “I’ll pass it off and get you all the parts you need. With all of these enemies, we need her in top shape.”

He grunted, and I left. As I ascended the stairs, the Desire shifted upon descent. The slow deceleration and the slight tremble of the ship as they lay off the thrusters culminated in the eventual landing, but the decline took much longer than flying through clear air. I swung by my room.

The first sleepless night of many passed, and nervous energy still thrummed through my veins. My bed lay dejected in the corner. I bypassed it and tugged on my holster, filling my bag full of rounds. None of the upscale casinos allowed weapons through their perimeters, but the down and dirty streets around this port played by different rules.

I stalked onto the deck and watched as we skated into the ocean again. The main stretch of Reno drew so much attention with flashing neon lights from electric blue to a sizzling green. Glitzy signs advertised hotels like the Time Machine and The Earth’s Center. The surrounding glamour made the dim lighting of the lower district landing docks gape like a blackout. Spade and Geoff bustled around the navigation bay hard at work to give Desire a smooth drift into the docks.

The ocean breeze threaded the air when we descended, and I breathed in the salt spray. Isabella approached from below deck. Her salmon off-shoulder gypsy blouse and bobbed skirt made her caramel skin glow. A familiar glint gleamed in her dark eyes with a fierceness I associated with one of ours, which matched the arsenal of pistols strapped on and several knives lining her knee-high black boots. At least she didn’t walk with as much of a limp anymore. The cincher around her waist accentuated her already evident curves but fit her like she’d never gone without it. My olive breeches and tailored leather tunic suddenly hung on me like bundled bed sheets.

“I’m all gussied up, Captain.” She flashed me a smile. “Now where are you taking me?” The word still jarred me, and I half expected Morris to be standing behind me.

“We’re going on a stroll once we touch down. I’m hoping some of the nearby casinos and parlors will have some information. Either about our dear old ex-employer or if anyone’s seen someone of Jensen’s build. He’s not exactly meek and unassuming.”

“Knowing him he ran his mouth at someone and threw them into a tizzy anyway. Follow the trail of angry people and we’ll have him.” She tensed her jaw.

“Maybe you can win at the casino tables while we’re at it. We could use the money.” The Desire trembled as we hit the water and glided toward the docks. In comparison to the backwater town we landed in before, their docking mechanisms were more advanced, but the rusted beams and piles of trash along the deck lent the bay a grungy subterranean appearance. The balloon clicked onto the metal frame and ground against it as we slid into place.

Geoff emerged from his cabin, having changed into clothes more suitable for walking around town. I hadn’t even seen him leave the navigation bay. Geoff knew how to dress, and I ran my tongue over my top lip to keep a wolf whistle at bay. The man looked damn good. His chestnut breeches fit snugly around the waist, and over his black button down shirt he wore a burgundy waistcoat. The ragged black duster his brother gave him hid his weapons. I hadn’t been out on a job with either of the two in some time, and nostalgia warmed my bones.

“Looking handsome, sweetheart,” Isabella purred when Geoff walked over. “You’ll have the ladies crawling over you.” He offered her a grin.

“Do those ladies have information? Because if so, you get to be bait.” I patted him on the back.

“Lovely. Anything for a worthy cause.” He said, looming over us due to his height. I peered over the edge expecting an official to be scurrying our way any second.

“They won’t be coming.” Geoff glanced over at me. “Officials don’t operate this port. We’ll be charged, but we don’t have the paperwork and forms to fill out. That’s not how this section of Reno operates.”

“You speak like you know from experience,” I commented.

“I may be a brilliant navigator, but no computer. I spent some time slumming around these streets before the captain found me.”

“Yeah? Are we in for a family reunion?” I asked. Geoff averted his gaze, and I took the hint at once. “So that makes you one of those Pacific characters? I heard they eat their young. Before hopping aboard the Desire, I never saw a city past Chicago.”

He rolled his eyes. “And I heard Atlantic broads punch each other for a greeting.”

“You heard right.” I showed my teeth with my smile.

Spade waved to signal we’d landed. I walked over, handing him the paper and credits Seth entrusted me with.

“Seth needs these things while we’re docked. She’s not going to run as well without the parts to fix the cannon damage, so I’d appreciate if you’d go get them. He asked if you’d do it. Something about no one else getting the job done right.”

“No problem.” Spade nodded and pursed his lips as he scanned the list. Before we set off, I grabbed two of the deckhands wandering around.

“Hiram, Abbey. We’re going ashore. Can you send Jack and someone else down to the bar? They’ll need to ask around about someone of Jensen’s build and stature. As for the rest of you, I want this ship watched. We’re in a shoddy section of town, and I don’t want anyone getting ideas about taking what’s ours.”

“Aye, aye, Captain.” Hiram saluted before he and Abbey scampered off.

“Look at you, giving orders like a pro,” Isabella teased.

“I can’t help if I have a naturally commanding nature.”

“Domineering is more like it,” Geoff muttered under his breath. I arched my brow and placed my hands over my hips.

“If it gets the job done,” I cracked back. Relief trickled into my chest at our banter. “Let’s get going. Jensen may not have arrived yet, but the sub-bus could’ve transported him here in that day’s head start he had.”

“I haven’t ridden one of those in an age.” Isabella threw the rope ladder down and took the first steps off the ship. Geoff and I followed right after. Unlike the last dock, the rusted beams leaned in an awkward slant against one another, and muddy sludge coated the boardwalk in large blobs and crusted corners. I stroked Matilda out of habit before we set forth into the city streets.

Skyscrapers jutted into the horizon overtop the multilevel buildings, but their shadow swallowed anything smaller. Three-tier row homes lined either side of the pavement with elegant scalloped edges decorating the row down, but the paint had weathered and edges chipped like jagged teeth. The shingled roofs gave the stretch an even appearance, though many had either sunk into the top floor or created a checkerboard with the missing tiles. Once in awhile a building with flat rectangular windows and octagonal angled panes buttressed the lineup, but for the most part, uniformity played a key role in this degradation. The row homes stood as masked sentinels with windows that glared like hollow shells.

“Friendly place to bide your time,” I said. Geoff nodded.

Abandoned streets meant the place was either a ghost town, or we had to be morons to walk there at night. We were probably column B. The sun rose in the distance, but all the flash and glitz from Reno’s main strip drowned out any of nature’s real glamour. Up ahead casino lights blinked on and off.

Three signs within close proximity battled for attention. The Captain’s Wife and the Golden Doubloon made a valiant effort with their flash, but the Green Eyed Lady stood the clear winner. Its square body with descending rails led to an underground entrance. A translucent emerald dome overtop refracted any light in the area and glittered like a coal besmirched gem. The faint clinking sounds of slot machines traveled over to where we stood.

“Maybe we can win back some money from these failed jobs,” Isabella said. “It’s about time karma paid us double in return. I tend to be efficient at games.” A feline smile curved her lips, since by ‘efficient’ she meant she cheated. Regardless, if we got enough to keep the Desire running, Isabella could use her skills all she wanted. I dipped my hand into the leather pouch and pulled out several coins.

“Try your hand. If you get a crowd, scatter, but use your time at the tables to dredge up some information from the dealers and such.” I looped an arm through Geoff’s. “You’ll be coming with me. Less of the gambling, and more of the drinking. A shared drink inspires camaraderie and gets people to talk.”

“To each his own vice.” Geoff shrugged, following my lead as we walked down the musty steps covered in rotten leaves. From the stairwell, loud strains of cabaret fare with lusty vocals and punchy instruments filtered in, the recording occasionally crackling. I pushed open the doors, and pale gold light cascaded down from glass lamps strung by brassy chandeliers.

Isabella departed from our side, and a trail of leers followed as she walked by. Geoff steered me over towards the bar and away from the flashing slot machines. In the casinos on the main stretch of Reno, well-dressed women in petticoats stood around dealer tables wearing baubles worth more than they bid. Here, those ladies would be shark food. 

Mostly men roamed this bar, either sitting and gambling their stolen pennies or spending them drinking absinthe. Mugs littered the dirt-streaked and chipped wooden counter, but the bartender just stood back and yawned. At least I fit in here. Cigar smoke filtered through the room with a choking gusto, and I took a deep inhale of it with satisfaction.

Before sitting, I tested the stool with my foot. It creaked, and the seat slanted to the side. I’d been through enough ruffian bars to know better, so I took a gentle seat on the firm end and signaled for the bartender. He folded his arms across his chest. Geoff stepped beside me as if he’d interfere, but I stretched an arm in front of him and placed a coin on the counter.