“Maybe I can go tonight, but I’ll need help. I can’t come back here with the drawings right away. I’ve got other business to attend to. If Ash could meet me somewhere behind the building, I can pass the drawings off to him and he can bring them back here while I see to my other obligations.”
The tension coming from Ash lifted a little now that he was part of the plan, but Drake raised an eyebrow in question. “Other obligations? That’s mysterious. I thought we were working together now.”
“On this we are, but I have prior commitments. If you want those drawings, you’ll have to accept that.”
There was the heart of it. He wanted the drawings badly and it showed. He nodded, though his lip curled as if he’d swallowed something he didn’t like the taste of. Her secrecy didn’t sit well with him. He turned to Ash. “You’ll need to send word to your mum. This little caper will draw a lot of unwanted attention. Staying here will put Tomoe in danger. Tell Julia to pick us up out back tomorrow night.”
Ash nodded, solemn. He took his duties seriously. It was cute. Maeko caught herself smiling fondly at him and looked away, but not before he caught the expression and beamed back at her.
Drake shook his head and rubbed at the bridge of his nose with the thumb and forefinger of his normal hand, the small sneer of distaste still twisting his lip.
Whatever he had against Ash, he needed to set it aside if they were going to work on this together. Maeko gave him a hard look.
He caught her meaning and schooled his expression to neutrality.
She bobbed her head in a small nod of appreciation. “We need to figure out a time and a drop point. Ash needs to be in position before I’m out of the Tower. As long as he stays hidden until I’m clear of the building, I should be able to draw off any unwanted attention.”
Ash started to protest and Drake threw up a hand to silence him. He gave her a shrewd look. “You intended to get their attention anyway, didn’t you? Why? What are you trying to accomplish?”
Ash gave her a startled look and Tomoe began to stab her needle through the trousers she’d gone back to mending as if they needed killing.
Maeko held Drake’s gaze and said nothing.
“Mae?” Ash prompted.
She ignored him, staring into the black eyes in front of her.
“You’re right, it isn’t my business,” Drake conceded.
Ash sputtered and she turned on him. “You need to do this without worrying about what I’m doing. Can you do that? If not, I’ll have to find another way to get the drawings back here.”
He clenched his jaw and stared at her. Resistance backlit his beautiful eyes. “Mae, you know I can’t help worrying about you.”
“Then we’ll find someone else,” Drake stated, his tone frosty. “I can’t risk being recognized by the Lits. Perhaps Tomoe or Lottie?”
“No!” Ash slapped a hand down on the table next to him. “I’ll do it.”
“Are you sure?” She held his gaze.
“I am.”
*
When Em’s coach appeared early that evening in the still-driving rain, Maeko slipped out of the house, not giving Ash time to put words to the worry in his expression. She climbed into the coach and explained the plan.
“You’re helping the Pirates now?”
“It’s better than helping Lits.”
Em grimaced. “That’s debatable, but we’ll do it so long as you’re quick. The Tower is a good place to try waving the bait. I’ll drop you a few blocks out and you can take care of your burglary. I’ll park the coach a block down from the teahouse and wait for you. We’ll be watching the Tower. Once you’re outside, head our direction. Don’t get into trouble inside. If you do, you’re on your own.”
Maeko swallowed a lump of fear. What would Thaddeus do to her if he found her there? She hated to think about it. “That’s where I need another favor from you. I need you to drop me at the lurk. Chaff and I will catch a hansom to the Tower. That way you can show up separately and avoid the risk of someone seeing me get out of your coach near the building.”
“You’re taking the kidsman with you?” Her expression and tone conveyed mounds of disapproval.
Maeko ignored it, though she was still uneasy about involving Chaff. He would be happier if he could keep an eye on her and she would be safer with someone watching her back. “He and I work well together.”
“What else do you do well together?” Em’s tone was too suggestive.
“Ha ha,” Maeko returned with a sour glare, though she couldn’t stop the slight flush when her mind wandered to other ways in which they might fit well together. She shifted her shoulders, hoping pain would provide adequate distraction.
*
“This is a bad idea, Pigeon.”
“Please, Chaff.”
“You’re injured.” He paced the room, resistance in the snap of his strides. Macak paced with him, a fuzzy shadow, making it hard not to giggle from where she watched seated on his cot.
“That’s why I need you with me. I know the building. I have the key even. I just need someone who can help me out if I get in a fix. I’m not that agile right now.”
He stopped and stared at her. “All the more reason to let it go.”
“It’s a straightforward burglary. We have more inside information and easier access to the building than we normally would. And I’m going, with or without you.”
“Not if I throw you over my shoulder and take you to Whitechapel.”
The flash of his eyes told her he would do it.
“Blast it, Chaff,” she popped to her feet, a flare of pain making her regret her haste, though she refused to acknowledge it. “I didn’t have to ask for help. I came here because I trust you more than anyone. I came here because—”
Whatever she’d been about to say disappeared when he stepped into her, his lips claiming hers in a hard kiss. She wanted to be angry with him for interrupting, but her body had already forgiven the infraction. She pressed against him, meeting the demand in his kiss with equal intensity, all of her frustration with him, her confusion with Ash, and her fear poured into that kiss. His hands slid down to her waist, working under her shirt to press warm against skin that sparked to life under his touch, awakening a flood of desire that threatened to make her forget the trials she faced outside that room.
His hands started to move up under her shirt, sliding over her skin. She knew she should stop him, but she didn’t want to. She wanted to forget the pain and let the fear go. His hands stopped on their own and he slid them back down, settling them at her waist and pushing her back. Warm blue eyes gazed down at her.
“You have no idea how much I want to keep going.”
She bit her lip, not trusting herself to respond, but she suspected she had more idea than he realized.
“If we’re going to do this thing and get you to Whitechapel where you can finish healing, we’d better get moving. I’ll send our stuff over there with one of my boys.”
Finish healing, in your care…
All she could do was nod. Her voice got stuck behind the shame of what she’d almost done, leaving everyone hanging to hide away in the comfort of his embrace, and for the guilt of knowing she hadn’t told him everything. He didn’t know she was acting as bait to help Em find the commissioners killer. He wouldn’t let her go if he did.
“What about the cat?” He asked, not looking at her now.
Was that because he didn’t want her to see him wanting her or was there something else? Did he suspect she was hiding things?
“We take him with us?”
“Here I hoped you were falling for my charms. Now I know you’ve just gone barmy.” He glanced her direction, still not quite looking at her.
Was she falling for him? Was she merely desperate for the comfort of someone’s embrace? Would Ash have worked as well in his place? Why were relationships so bloody confusing?
“Macak’s got better hearing than either of us. He’s a good early warning.”
Chaff put a hand to his forehead, closing his eyes and shaking his head once. Then he looked at her. His expression tightened and he looked away again. Why did that avoidance make her chest hurt so?
“All right, Pigeon, we do it your way.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The night was cold. Rain fell in a steady patter now, not quite as heavy as before. As miserable as the weather was, it did drown out some of the stench of the city. The Tower lobby glowed with subdued nighttime lighting in the dark, warm and inviting. For a short time, she had been welcome beyond those fancy doors. No longer. She shivered and considered trying to slip in through the front. Perhaps they wouldn’t stop her. If Thaddeus hadn’t declared her missing, maybe they wouldn’t be on the watch for her. The young desk attendant was there. He seemed to like her.
No. She had to remember that she wasn’t dressed like a young lady anymore. Her presence was sure to draw attention in these inappropriate togs. Even if they did let her go in the way she was dressed, she’d never get Chaff and Macak past them and the job would be over before it began.
Cold and wet, she led the way around to the back of the building, to the door she’d left through the night Lucian died. She knew how the latch worked now. It wouldn’t be so hard to pick. She drew out the lock pick tools and went to work on it.
Chaff huddled next to her, Macak watching with bright-eyed interest from the cradle of his arms. Her back and neck ached with all the activity, reminding her of the warmth and care he’d given her over the last few days. She envied the cat his place in those arms.
The lock released. She tucked the picks away and nudged the door open. When they were inside, she locked it behind her and crept up along the wall of the conference room, staying in the deepest shadows. Macak, now on the ground, trotted a few strides ahead of them, his ears perked, also staying in the shadows. The door to the lobby opened and they all froze, crouching against the wall next to a table. Her heartbeat sped up.
A guard entered and started across the room toward the door. He glanced around once, but didn’t see them. Having come from the bright lobby, his eyes wouldn’t be adjusted to the dim room yet. She met Chaff’s eyes as he passed them. Chaff nodded and they crept fast along the wall once the guard was far enough past not to catch their movement on his periphery. Better not to give him time to look around after his eyes adjusted and one less guard in the lobby would be to their advantage if they moved fast enough.
The door to the lobby stood cracked and she peered in. Two guards were watching the front doors. A third leaned on the front desk, having a chinwag with the desk attendant. Holding her breath, she snatched up Macak, slipped through the door and scurried to the staircase. Once out of sight, she pressed back against the wall and waited for Chaff. She stopped holding her breath and set Macak down when he joined them, giving him a game grin as though she weren’t terrified. As though this were any other job.
He reached out and gave her hand a squeeze, seeing through her ruse. “I’ve got your back,” he murmured.
She gave up the grin and continued up the stairs as fast as she dared, freezing and listening at every little sound, pausing to listen any time Macak hesitated.
At the top, she crossed to the door and crouched with her ear to the edge, listening. Chaff did the same at the other edge of the door. Nothing. She counted to sixty twice, reached for the door handle, waiting for his nod before she tested the door. Locked. She used the key and pushed the door open a crack. Macak slipped inside. The delicious aromas of that evening’s supper wafted out along with the faint scent of pipe smoke. Her stomach grumbled. She counted to sixty again, listening and hoping Macak wouldn’t draw attention.
The only sound was the ticking of the standing clock in the dining room. She and Chaff slipped inside and shut the door. The memory of the woman and child lying dead on the floor the first time they’d entered this flat rushed to the forefront of her mind.
It could be me there next. Worse, it could be Chaff and it would be my fault for dragging him into this. She shuddered. Focus.
She skirted well around that part of the floor, Chaff shadowing her every move, and crept down the hallway to Lucian’s study. Macak was already there, sitting outside and cleaning one paw as if to say they were terribly slow. There she paused and put her ear to the door, listening for another sixty seconds even though no telltale light shone under. The soft click when she opened the door was like a thunderclap to her strung out nerves.
Chaff slipped inside with her and positioned himself at the door, keeping it cracked so he could watch down the hall. Her heart thrummed in her ears, giving her a rhythm to focus on as she slid open the cabinet and began to pull files out, piling the sketches together in one folder. When she finished, she had a thick stack of pages crammed into the folder. Someone had emptied a few of the folders already, but she didn’t dare take time to look around and see if those drawings were still in the room. She handed the fat folder to Chaff who tucked it under his coat. They left the study with Macak leading the way.
Now all that remained was to get out again and send Chaff to deliver the sketches to Ash. Then she could focus on her role as bait for a killer, the thought of which made her skin crawl.
Halfway down the hall, Macak froze. They followed his lead and she heard someone moving out in the kitchen. She caught Chaff’s eyes and gestured to the cat. He gave a tight smile and nodded. A light flickered on, spreading a blanket of illumination out through the kitchen doorway. They ducked back down the hall to stay well out of its reach.
Please don’t come down here.
After a short time, the light went out and she heard footsteps retreating down the other hall. She let out her breath and hurried out of the flat. When the locked clicked home again, she stood and took a few deep breaths, Chaff watching her with narrowed eyes.
He knows I’m up to something else. She forced her breathing to slow. Calm and silent. Haste and panic led to foolish mistakes.
Her heartbeat slowed. The fear tickling up the back of her spine faded. Pain from her injuries swelled in the calm. For the moment, she would have to ignore that. With a firm nod, she began to descend the stairs. As they passed the seventh floor landing, Macak stopped in their path again. They froze and heard footsteps coming up. There was nowhere to hide here, so they pressed back against the inside corner. Chaff crouched down and she shifted to the side so the approaching person would see her first.
A guard came around the corner. His eyes locked on Maeko, going wide when Chaff kicked out, knocking his feet out from under him. He tumbled down the rest of that flight. He was still breathing when they ran past, his eyes closed as if in sleep. She sprinted down, snatching up Macak on her way. No one in the lobby would have heard the fall, but someone on the near floors might have. Best to move on before someone investigated. She hoped someone had heard and would come to the guard’s aid. She didn’t want to hurt him. He was only doing his job. The up side of running into him on the stairs was that there wouldn’t be more than three guards in the lobby again.
She swallowed the coppery taste of fear. This wasn’t the usual breakin job. Usually the greatest threat was being arrested, not something she was too keen on, but better than some options. This time, if she were caught, there was a fair chance the consequences would be far more severe. If Thaddeus wanted her dead before, this would only strengthen his resolve to see it done.
At the last turn of the stairs, they pressed against the corner again and she peeked around. The one guard still stood chatting up the desk attendant, but now another had joined them. They apparently took their job quite seriously. The third stood scowling at the other two, perhaps sharing her sentiment, but paying no more attention to the rest of the area in the process.
She stuck tight to the back wall and snuck out through the door into the conference room. It was hard not to sprint for the back door, but experience told her to expect the worst when victory was closest, and she needed to wait for Chaff. The end
of a job was always when one stumbled upon an unexpected extra guard or someone who couldn’t sleep wandering the halls of a quiet house.
Chaff slipped in, clicking the door shut and giving her a quick nod. She stayed tight to the darkest side of the room and moved across to the rear door.
Only a few feet from her target she spotted another lurker in the room. The rat creeping across the room spotted her at the same moment and froze, whiskers twitching; his black eyes tiny beads in the dark. Macak squirmed in her arms. She held the cat snug and grinned at the rat.
“Neighborhood’s going to the dogs, isn’t it?” she whispered.
The rat squeaked and scampered off in the other direction and Chaff muffled a laugh in his hand, shaking his head at her though a smile lit his eyes.
They reached the back door and she took a deep breath. It only opened out so she had to take a leap of faith. She pushed it open and stepped out. There was no one around that she could see. The rain had picked up again, a full on downpour. She peered up and down the street. Chaff stepped out with her.
Please be ready Ash.
When the rest of her sweep didn’t bring anyone to her attention, she moved to the corner, finding the deepest shadows to stop in.
“Ash should be two blocks that way at the corner. Take the folder to him and meet me back at the lurk in an hour. We’ll head to Whitechapel from there.” I hope. “Don’t let the sketches get wet.”
“Blast it, Pigeon,” Chaff grabbed her arm. “Where are you going?”
“Don’t worry about it. If you don’t make a scene and draw attention, I’ll be fine. I’ll see you later. Ganbatte.” She gave his hand a stern look. When he reluctantly let go, she walked away, not giving him time to argue more. His soft “ganbatte” followed her and she hugged Macak a little closer.
The Girl and the Clockwork Conspiracy: Clockwork Enterprises Book Two Page 14