“I’ve always been up for a bit of traveling,” he replied, still scrutinizing.
There was a loud knock at the office door, wrenching them both out of their concentration.
“Mr. Winthrope,” said a guard on the other side. “Your allotted time is up.”
“Thank you, sir,” Jesse replied. “We are wrapping up now and will be out shortly.”
As Jesse packed up the documents he noticed a faint pattern appear when struck by the light from the window, like a watermark. Holding it up, the pattern appeared in earnest as a symbol across the page.
“You ever seen that before?” he asked Jenny, tilting it so she could get a better view.
She shook her head.
“I’m from a place named the Gulch, Jesse. You’re lucky I know what a hammer is.”
Laughing, Jesse thought about the missing pieces as he folded the documents up and put the packet inside a suit pocket.
Didn’t Father mention something about plans being in Lagos, and that he was on his way to Barro with these?
“Hey Jen,” Jesse said with a mischievous gleam in his eye. “You know I love you right?”
“Oh gosh, where are we headed?” she asked tensely.
“Best round up Bolts and Buccaneer. I’ll ready an ornithopter. We have business to tend to with Duncan.”
“Where’s he?”
“In Lagos…”
The Steam Tycoon Page 26
