“Well, you are Josiah Cole, so I believe it,” Pete paused to frown at his cards. “And you're takin' all of our money, too. If I was smart, I would've stopped playing about a half-hour ago.”
A few minutes after Isabella passed through, Josiah heard the unmistakeable sound of a giggling Carol Cassady. When he glanced in the direction of her table, his heart sank like a rock pitched into a bottomless chasm.
Patrick was tickling her. And Josiah had finally seen enough.
“Yeah... sorry boys, but I have to excuse myself.” When he was on his feet, Josiah threw down his cards and kicked back his chair. “There's, uh... there's something else I have to tend to.”
Josiah adjusted his hat, squared his shoulders, and marched to Carol's table, where he gruffly grumbled, “Pat, I need to speak to you.”
The sound of Josiah's voice immediately halted Patrick's tickling fingers. “Oh, yeah? Well then... spit it out, Josiah.”
“I, uh...” In actuality, Josiah had no particular issue to discuss, he just wanted to put an end to their canoodling. He had to invent a reason to interrupt them. “Apparently, the princess is in town. Carol and I have a history with her, so we should probably keep a low profile for the next few days.”
“I don't think I can do that, Jo.” Patrick pulled a cigar from his pocket, but when he saw Carol sneering at it, he sheepishly put it away. “I have high profile plans, and I want to get you in on them.”
“Josiah... sit!” Carol grabbed Jo's arm and coaxed him into a nearby chair. “Why were you sitting all the way over there in the first place, huh? Are you trying to avoid me? Are you mad at me?”
He answered with an apathetic, “No and no.” He would never intentionally avoid Carol. He wouldn't avoid Patrick either. What he wanted to avoid was Carol and Pat as a unit. “I just thought I'd try my hand at gambling and win some extra money. Which I did.” He lightly jingled the coins in his pocket.
When Patrick sat back in his chair, it creaked and popped. “Isn't anyone going to ask me about my plans?” he whined. “Anyone? I'm disappointed.”
The apathy in Josiah's voice increased. “Go ahead, Pat. Tell us.”
“Alright, here it is...” Patrick leaned forward and folded his hands on the table. As he studied the faces of his companions, his expression was transformed by a wicked grin. “I have a friend who works in Yooma's skyport. I hadn't seen him for a couple of years, but I reconnected with him last night over a round of drinks. He told me something interesting about Princess Isabella's airship. Apparently, almost all of her soldiers are on shore leave, so the airship is very lightly guarded.” His gaze shifted between Carol and Josiah as he finished with a quiet, “I think we should take it for ourselves.”
“Steal the princess' airship?” Josiah hissed. “Are you kidding me right now? Why the hell do you think that's a good idea?”
“How is it not?” Patrick argued. “We wouldn't keep it, we'd sell it. Airships are expensive, and a huge airship like Isabella's would be worth even more. Imagine the payout!”
“If you want an airship so bad, you should have Carol build one for you.” Josiah turned to the engineer and winked. “Carol can build anything.”
“Not without lotsa parts and a helluva lot of money!” Carol objected. “I've worked on airships before. If they were easy to build, I'd have a ton of them. But no... the parts for an airship are waaaaay too expensive!”
“So we steal one,” Patrick reiterated. “What do you think, Josiah? Are you in?”
Josiah's nostrils flared as he studied the man across from him. It was classic Patrick Amberley. Every time Patrick got out of trouble, he'd start looking for more trouble the very next day. He never let his days get dull and ordinary, and he would always get Josiah embroiled in his messes. Half of the crimes listed on Josiah's wanted posters were a result of Patrick meddling in his life. It needed to end. “Sorry, Pat... but I think I'd rather search for my brother.”
“Well then... how about you, Carol?” As he turned to the engineer, Patrick flashed his most disarming smile. Under the table, he laid a hand on Carol's knee and let it crawl to her thigh. “You seem like a tough girl. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you followed Josiah because you wanted to be an outlaw. Well, there's no better outlaw than the man sitting next to you. I'm talking about myself, of course. Not Jo. He's worthless.” Patrick paused to snigger at his friend. “Miss Cassady... you and I can steal the airship and cut the profits fifty-fifty. What do you think, sweetheart?”
“I think...” In the middle of her reply, Carol extracted Patrick's hand from her leg and returned it to his lap. “I think you're a bad boy, Pattycakes. I think you're a bomb that's waiting to go off. You're trouble.”
“I am trouble,” Patrick shamelessly agreed. “Ladies love trouble, don't they?”
“Not this lady! Not anymore. After everything I've been through, I'm tired! I have four main goals for tomorrow: eat, rest, eat and rest!”
“Aww... come on, Carol!” Patrick was determined to change her mind. “I need a sidekick, and Josiah won't do it. You're not going to leave your Pattycakes high and dry, are you?”
“I'm already Josiah's sidekick, though,” Carol quietly replied. “Well, more specifically, I'm his sidesidekick, but that's just a technicality and I--”
“Please.” Patrick ignored Josiah's scowl as he begged her. “I need a partner. I need you, Carol Cassady! Come on!”
“Ohhhh...” When Carol stared into Patrick's dark, doe-like eyes, she could feel her resistance crumbling. “Gee, you're persistent! You could probably talk a priest into bedding the devil, couldn't you?”
“Probably.”
“You could probably talk a beaver into wrecking his dam.”
Patrick chuckled at her remark. “Definitely.”
“You could probably talk an orange into squeezing itself.”
“Sure. Why not?” Patrick said with a shrug.
“You could probably talk a, uh... a...” When she ran out of comparisons, Carol capsized. “Alright, fine. I'll tag along. But you better plan this carefully, Patrick Amberley! Do you hear me, mister? If you get yourself thrown in jail again, I'm not going to be very happy with you!”
“Neither am I,” agreed Josiah, whose fists clenched as he listened to Patrick's persuasive tongue. Of course, he had to join them now.
He needed to keep an eye on Carol.
Seventeen
“Oh my god, Nicky!” Gwen threw out her arm so hard and fast, it hit his stomach and knocked the wind out of him. “Am I seeing things, or are we back in Gravestone? That is Gravestone, isn't it?”
“Yep.” Nicky pointed at the sign in the distance. “That Welcome to Gravestone sign doesn't lie.”
“How are you not more excited? I'm thrilled!” Ignoring the blisters on her feet, Gwen charged in the direction of the city. “Oh my god, I can't believe we made it back!”
Nicky was exhausted, so Gwen's burst of energy was impressive to him. Even with his long legs, he struggled to keep up with her. “Wait... Gwen! Don't leave me behind!”
“I can't believe it. I can't believe I actually made it back! You know, I was hoping we were heading in the right direction, but I didn't trust myself to find my way back. I should have trusted myself. My instincts are good.” Gwen unabashedly sang her praises as she headed in the direction of her house. “You're from Gravestone, aren't you? You have a house here?”
“Nah. Not since Pat was arrested,” Nicky said. “I sold it to try to pay off that dad of yours.”
“Oh... sorry.” Gwen nibbled her lip in shame.
“No hard feelings, though. Even though he was bad to me and Pat, I'm sad that he's gone. Well... I'm sad for you.”
“Do you have any money?” Gwen asked.
Nicky pointed at his bare, sun-baked shoulders. “Does it look like I have money? I don't even have a shirt!”
“I thought you might have money in a bank or something.”
“Nope.”
“Well then...”
After they traveled through the desert together, Gwen had developed an affinity for him. It was a small affinity, but an affinity nonetheless. She didn't want to see him suffer. “I'll give you some money.”
“Nah. I can't let you do that.”
“No... I insist!” Motioning for Nicky to follow, Gwen took out a key and entered the home she once shared with her father. Gravestone's late sheriff had one of the nicest houses in town. “If my dad was embezzling money from you, the least I can do is give some of it back!”
“Well, when you put it that way...” Nicky didn't protest when Gwen shoved a wad of bills into his hand. In fact, he was grinning.
“I'll probably be busy for the rest of the day. There are a lot of people I'll need to talk to about my father's death. But... I'll find you tomorrow.” Gwen shrugged. “Maybe it's weird, but I feel like we bonded out there in the desert. I'd like to spend more time with you, Nicky.”
“That's not weird at all, darling.” Nicky winked as he shoved the rolled-up bills into the pocket of his trousers. He never thought he'd get a girl like Gwen Montogomery, but if she wanted him to be her beau, he wasn't going to complain. At least—he hoped that was what she wanted. “I'd like to spend more time with you too.”
“Problems seem to follow you, Nicky, so... try to stay out of trouble?”
“Will do,” Nicky agreed with a bow. “If you need me, I'll be staying at Gertrude's Inn. Gertrude's my aunt by marriage. I'm hoping she'll give me a free room... but if not, at least you gave me some money.”
“Well then... good luck with Gertrude!” Gwen smiled as she sent him off. “I'll see you tomorrow, I hope.”
“Until tomorrow.”
As soon as he parted ways with Gwen, Nicky ran to his favorite outfitter, Mode of the Moment, and bought himself some new clothes. Fully dressed, he ran across the street to Gertrude's to plead for a room. His chubby cheeked aunt didn't look too happy to see him, but after a stern lecture, she agreed to give him free accommodations for an unspecified amount of time. In his new quarters, Nicky treated himself to a slice of heaven: a bath and a bowl of ice cream. Not at the same time.
When he was clean and stuffed with sweets, Nicky went downstairs to Gertrude's pub. Thanks to Gwen, he had twenty dollars in his pocket. By the end of the day, he was determined to have forty. Nicky was a fairly competent gambler—he just needed to find some new friends, and he needed his new friends to underestimate him.
Never one to shy away from meeting new people, Nicky crashed the table of a sharply-dressed gentleman and his much shabbier companion. The gentleman was roughly thirty, with thick brown hair and the beginnings of a beard. He had a friendly disposition, an unsinkable smile on his lips, and an odd green eye patch covering one eye. His companion was nearly twice his age, with wild white hair and eyes that promised a riot. They were a laughably mismatched pair.
“Mind if I join you?” Nicky didn't wait for an answer. He fell into one of the empty chairs and waited for acceptance into their group.
“Sure? Why not? The more the merrier!” the gentleman exclaimed. “Deal the man in, Joe.”
“Joe?” Nicky turned to the older man. “Your name's Joe?”
“Aye.”
“I know a Joe,” Nicky said. “Well... his name's Josiah, but sometimes we call him Jo.”
“Don't everybody know a Joe?” the older man asked with a snort. “I know two other Joes m'self.”
“True,” the gentleman agreed. “But not everybody knows a Wiggly Joe! That's far better than plain old Joe.” The well-dressed man suddenly thrust a hand at Nicky. “I'm Julian Featherstone. Or, if you feel like it, Lord Featherstone. I don't require the lord part, but when someone uses it, it's always a nice boost for my ego. Anyway, it's a pleasure to meet you, Mister...?”
“Gunn,” Nicky replied as he shook the man's hand. “Nicky Gunn.”
“Well, Nicky Gunn... I assume we'll be playing for money?” Julian asked.
“I always play for money.”
“Good... good!” Julian exclaimed. As Wiggly Joe handed out the cards, his captain excitedly scooped them up. “High-stakes or low-stakes?”
“Low,” Nicky answered with a sigh. “I'm afraid I don't have a lot right now... but that'll change by the end of the night, because I plan on relieving you of your money, Lord Featherstone.”
“Confidence. Nice. I like it!” Julian concealed a grin behind his cards. “Would you like a shot of rum?”
“Sure would.” Nicky offered a smile to Wiggly Joe, but the man's lips didn't budge. He had the strangest lazy eye Nicky had ever seen. Every time he tried to focus on Nicky's face, his uncontrollable pupil shot to the left and rolled toward the ceiling.
“So... tell me something about yourself, Nicky Gunn,” Julian said as he slid a shot of rum across the tabletop.
“Like what?”
“Anything.” Julian shrugged. “Amuse me.”
“Well...” Julian and Wiggly Joe were watching him with expectation in their eyes, so he had to come up with something that would interest them. Something truly shocking. “My brother just got out of jail.”
“Really? What was he in for?”
“Robbery, arson... the usual around these parts.”
“Arson is usual?” Julian Featherstone chuckled at the thought. “If that's the usual, I should get the hell out of West Columbigo before someone burns down my airship!”
One of Nicky's eyebrows shot up. “You have an airship?”
“I do. I have six, actually. Seven, if you count the one that's partially destroyed.” Julian poured a shot of rum for Wiggly, who immediately sucked it down and clamored for another. “I am a baron, after all.”
“So, like... you're rich?”
“You could say that.”
“So... maybe you could let me win a round or two?” Nicky suggested with a smirk. “I could really use the money.”
“That ain't gonna happen,” Wiggly Joe suddenly injected his opinion. “The captain loves his money way too much. Way way too much.”
“So do I!” Nicky exclaimed. “I mean... I love money, I just don't have a lot of it.” A minute later, he had a little bit more. Nicky's first hand won him a considerable pile of Julian's coins. “So, Featherstone... tell me something about you.”
Julian heaved a sigh as he dragged a hand through his glossy brown hair. He exchanged uncomfortable glances with Wiggly Joe, who could guess his captain's next words. Julian lowered his voice, leaned closer to Nicky, and whispered, “I haven't had sex in four hundred and twenty seven days.”
Nicky was in the middle of pouring himself a second shot. When he heard Julian's confession, the bottle nearly slipped from his fingers. “What?”
“It's true. It's awful... but it's true.” Julian's face dove into the palm of his hand. He looked like a man in agony. “My girlfriend is, you might say, a very virtuous woman. She wants to wait until she's married before she participates in anything... carnal. And because she's worth the wait, I'm trying to be faithful to her, but... it's hard. It's so hard.” Julian whimpered into his fingers. “It's so so so so so so difficult.”
“And it's especially difficult for him,” added Wiggly, who thrust a thumb at Julian. “Back in the day, he really loved the ladies.”
“Loves, Wiggly. I love the ladies. You needn't put that in the past tense. I love them as much as I ever did! But I'm trying very hard to be faithful to just... one.”
“Wow.” An impressed Nicky whistled. “Well, you're a stronger man than me, Julian Featherstone. I commend you. I don't know if I could wait that long.”
“Lettie's worth it. She really is. She's lovely. She's the loveliest woman I've ever met. But it's killing me a little bit every day!” Julian bellowed to the ceiling. “She has no idea what it's like for me! If I saw even the side of a breast right now, I'd probably fall to my knees and sob!”
Nicky lost the next round. It might have even been intentional. He felt sorry for Julian. “Well... damn.” He gave his new compani
on a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. “I wish there was something I could say to cheer you up, but you've left me speechless.”
“I spend most of my time in the company of men... to avoid temptation,” a despairing Julian continued. “I'm desperate for sex. Desperate. I caught a glimpse of Wiggly's bare bum three days ago and it almost looked good to me. That is how bad this has gotten!”
“If it makes you feel any better, buddy, I haven't had a woman in a long time either,” Nicky empathetically admitted. “It hasn't been over a year, but it's been about three months. So I feel your pain.”
“Oh yeah? And what's your excuse, Nicky?” Julian's eyebrows wiggled as he waited for a reply from his newest friend.
“No excuse. Women just don't like me all that much.”
“Why? You're a... handsome guy.” As he complimented Nicky, Julian's eyelashes fluttered, as if he was in pain. Praising another man's good looks wasn't something he often did.
“I don't know. Maybe I'm just not that confident or something.”
“Well, I'm oozing confidence! At least... as far as women are concerned.” Julian leapt from his chair and slapped his cards on the table. “That's it. We're done playing cards. Nicky... you're coming with me. I'm going to get you a woman!”
“Whaaat?” Nicky chuckled at the thought.
“You heard me. We're going out. You and me. Right now. With me at your side, you can't fail. Women will be falling all over you.” Julian practically dragged the younger man to his feet. “Let's go.”
Julian abandoned a sneering Wiggly Joe and left Gertrude's with Nicky, who looked a little dazed by the new developments of the day. On the way to their destination, Julian fussed with his hair, then he exchanged hats with Nicky. Julian's black bowler hat was a suave fit for Nicky's sleek black trench coat, while Nicky's brown ten gallon hat was better suited for Julian's hunter green greatcoat. Alone, they were striking. Together, they were handsome enough to turn heads.
“I know I've been loyal to Lettie for four hundred and twenty-seven days, but...” Julian took a moment to chew on his bottom lip, “it's not cheating if I'm just flirting... right?”
A Broken Outlaw (Belles & Bullets Book 7) Page 12
