A Tale of Two Airships (Take to the Skies Book 2) Read Online Free PDF

mere mention of retrieving a box made me want to run screaming in the opposite direction. “You do realize if we take on this job, I’ll be expecting you folks to rein in your jihad gypsies hell bent on taking out my girl.”
    “Of course,” Julian murmured, passing a folded sheet. I opened the crinkled paper to view the blueprints of one massive estate.
    “And who the hell owns it now to keep Isabella from waltzing inside and claiming it?” My palms circled around my pint as I hunched forward. Though I hadn’t tied together all the loose threads here, at least he spilled information in abundance on this topic.
    Isabella heaved a bitter sigh. “My relatives, but I’m certain they don’t know I exist. If I asked, they’d be suspicious; however we could easily arrange an audience due to my bloodline. Retrieving this item should be simple.”
    “Simple is one thing.” I turned to Isabella and avoided Julian’s calculating stare. “Are you okay with this job? Say the word, and we’ll find another.” Even though I meant my words, we needed cash bad. On top of that, if this brought us the chance of making an alliance with the gypsies, I’d leap on the connection. Not because I liked them—so far they’d been a splinter in my heel—but because we had an overabundance of groups who wanted us dead.
    “It took us this long to find the job, and chances are this is what they wanted to talk with me about anyway. I’m in, on one condition—they provide a different contact. Five minutes and I’m already sick of his face.” She frowned, keeping her focus on me rather than him.
    “I’m sitting right here, you know,” he commented, waving his fingers for attention.
    “We know. We just don’t care,” I dismissed him. “Let’s get some easy money then. Can you promise a change in contacts?”
    Julian nodded with an assured smugness in his gaze, making me want to retract my statement on principle alone. “So we have a deal. I’ll meet you in three days time, and we’ll make the exchange.” He extended his hand.
    Begrudgingly, I clasped it and shook, confirming the deal. A man’s worth was judged on the promises he made and kept, from handshakes to any sort of gentleman’s agreement. If I made a deal, by storm or hellfire, I’d keep it.
    Not everyone followed our code, but if they proved themselves dishonorable, we’d switch to cold steel. I might give folks a chance, but I wasn’t a fool—I planned for the worst regardless. And as it stood with her clan, even though Julian sat here delivering velvet promises, I hadn’t chewed and swallowed yet. I simply hadn’t pieced enough of the puzzle together to gauge our plan of defense.
    Julian flipped his pocketwatch open, glancing at the face. “As much as I’d like to stay and chat, I have work to do.” He finished his absinthe with a cog-like efficiency, placing the empty glass down for the barkeep to collect. “If you don’t mind, I’ll be taking my tribe member with me. The council of elders will judge his actions.”
    Though her rose lips jutted out with her frown, Isabella removed the knife to his side and pushed him from his seat. He stumbled towards Julian. Since the man sat there like a bloated fish carcass, keeping him proved pointless. However, I didn’t trust the cool confidence with which Julian waved farewell as the two men strode out the door.
    The second they left, I turned to my team. Isabella, Mordecai, and Jack appeared three shades of troubled as they sipped their pints. While I scanned the blueprints my stomach sank. Not from anything I perused—those prints marked out the plan clear as day, but because this rendezvous had been too easily explained. Too simple. I’d been through enough jobs high on distrust and laden with complications—that was the norm. Yet large holes gaped through the fabric of their story.
    Why not retrieve it themselves and then call for Isabella? Had those men been after her, or the rest of us? Something