Devon Monk - Cold Copper

Vosbrough sat back and a grin spread wide on his face. “You came here to ask me for money?”

“I came to make a glim deal. Heard it’s the sort of business a smart man like you might be interested in.”

Vosbrough’s grin remained, but he pressed all his fingertips together while considering Hink over the top of them. “Am I to assume you intend to trade via legal channels?”

“Not all the men who fly the skies are pirates,” Hink said.

“Rather high percentage, I’m given to understand,” Vosbrough said.

“Takes all sorts to make the money go round,” Hink said. “So are we doing business?”

“True. So very true,” Vosbrough said. “You know what? I like you too, Mr. Hink. But I’m afraid I can’t do business with glim pirates. Sheriff, lock them up.”

“What?” Wicks said. “In jail? Hold on, Mayor. You must understand I am in no way associated with that man.”

“I do not care, Mr. Wicks. You were trespassing on my property with intent to do harm, I can only assume. Be happy it’s only jail time you’re serving. We have a brand-new gallows built in the central square. And people do enjoy a good hanging.”

The sheriff’s men moved in and Rose glanced up at Hink, then over at Wicks, to see if they had some kind of plan she didn’t. Neither of them said anything. So she did.

“Who is the gallows for?”

The mayor turned and looked at her. Maybe for the first time. She had to admit that her coat was loose, having lost her belt, and her skirts were dirty and tattered at the hem. She wore a practical hat a cowboy might find himself comfortable doffing.

She was no vision; that was certain.

Still, his eyebrows went up, as if he’d just noticed two things: that she was in the room and that she was, indeed, a woman.

“My apologies, miss. But I doubt you know them. Set of murderous brothers. Real rough lot. Go by the name of Madder.”

Rose was very careful not to let her shock show. “Well, God be with them,” she said quietly.

Vosbrough looked between her and Hink, who stood closest to her. Hink’s arms were crossed over his chest. It didn’t take a genius to read what he was thinking while he glared at the mayor.

“God gave up on them years ago,” Vosbrough said with a sigh. “Pity to see three lives wasted. Still, it’s my place to see that justice is done and they are sent down to the fires they crawled out of. Take them,” he ordered.

Hink and Wicks exchanged one brief look, and then neither of them put up a fight as they were pushed back outside. The lawmen didn’t touch Rose. They simply pointed to the door, as if she were a child who needed instructions on how to get out of the place.

Once outside, they were shoved back into the steam wagon.

“Do you have a plan?” Rose asked.

“Escape sounds good to me,” Hink said. “When they open the door, I’ll take the first one and get his gun.”

“You’ll die.” Wicks sighed. “Sometimes the best plan isn’t to attack directly.”

“Was your plan working any better?”

“Got a look at him at least,” Wicks said. “Got a look at his forces, the setup of communication. He’s wired the entire town with cables. Also noticed he’s a bit roughed up—that’s interesting. So I wouldn’t say it was a complete loss. But as for our escape, we’ll watch for a chance and we’ll take it. But our chance does not involve rushing a half-dozen armed men. Do you understand me, Cage?”

“You are not my boss,” Hink said.

“What about the Madders?” Rose asked.

“What about them?” Wicks asked.

“They’re friends of ours.”

“Friends?” Wicks sat up straighter.

“Acquaintances,” Rose corrected. “We have to save them.”

“That’ll be a mite hard if we’re behind bars,” Hink said.

“Maybe not,” Rose said. “Do you still have the copper battery?”

“Think so.”

“Battery, what battery?” Wicks asked.

Hink pulled the glass-and-copper device out of his pocket.

“You have a battery?” Wicks said again. “Why didn’t you tell me you had a battery?”

“Because it is none of your business.”

“That’s stolen property. And it’s proof. What part of that isn’t my business?”

“The part where I said it ain’t.”

“Let me carry it,” Rose said. “They might search you, but there’s less of a chance they’ll make me strip to my underdress.”

Hink tipped his head down just a bit. “So. You’re going to strip now?”

“No.” Rose was busy unbuttoning her coat, and then the back of her collar so she could stuff the thing down her blouse.

When Hink didn’t say anything, she glanced up at him. “Well?”

“I was just waiting to see where you were going with this,” he said, giving her a knowing smile.

“I’m going to drop it down my blouse. It should…fit.” Rose was blushing madly now, her cheeks so hot they stung. She just hoped the dark interior of the wagon didn’t show it.

“Maybe I can be of some assistance? I’m a deft hand with buttons.”

“No.”

Wicks snorted.

Hink handed Rose the copper device and she was once again caught by the song of it, by the cold of it, by the possibilities of what it could be. Glim and cold copper and Strange, bound by witch’s spells. Her hand was shaking, though she’d only been holding it for a moment.

Then Hink’s hand was under hers, supporting it. “Are you sure, Rose?”

She pressed her lips together and was surprised to feel a tear at the corner of her eye. Maybe she’d been sitting there, unbuttoned with the odd device in her hand for more than a moment.

She didn’t know why she heard this metal so loudly in her mind. She only hoped that when she placed it between the cloth of her blouse and her underdress it would be dampened enough—and not touching her skin—so she didn’t hear it at all.

It wasn’t easy, but then, she’d done plenty of other difficult things. Finally, she got the copper tucked into her blouse and the back of her collar buttoned up again. The wagon had already stopped moving and she wasn’t done buttoning her coat.

Her fingers flew through the closures, hoping she lined the holes and buttons up straight.

“How do I look?” she asked Hink.

He visibly swallowed. “Beautiful.” And then he bent down, and right there, in front of Mr. Wicks, he made to kiss her.

Just then, the door was thrown open and Hink pulled away.

It took Rose more than a bit to get her breathing under control, and all the heat in her cheeks had migrated down her chest and stomach, even though he hadn’t even kissed her.

“Get out,” the man outside ordered.

“You sure your mind’s made up?” Hink asked Wicks. “There’s only five of them.”

“Quite sure,” Wicks said a little stiffly.

And then Wicks ducked out of the wagon, and Rose was right behind him. Hink was last out and, true to his word, went with the men peacefully.

The jail wasn’t as large as Rose had expected. She’d never been to a big-city jail before, but had hoped it might be several stories tall, and trimmed up with all the bric-a-brac the rest of the city seemed to be dripping with.

No, this was a short, square brick building, with narrow windows and a door made out of metal.

They were brought inside and quickly marched past several cells occupied by rough-looking men who hooted and whistled as she passed by.

Hink and Wicks were shoved into one cell, and when Rose went to step in, the sheriff pulled on her arm.

“You’ll be in a separate cell,” he said.

“Plenty of room for her in my cell, Sheriff,” one of the prisoners yelled. “You know you want me, pretty thing. Come on in and let me get a good look at you.”