mistook her for a boy when they saw her, a notion she did little to correct. Skeeter had a brick—not a chip—on her shoulder when it came to how men treated women. And rightly so in Jake’s opinion. It was one of the reasons he had so much respect for her.
She pushed gold-framed glasses up off the tip of her nose. There weren’t lenses in the wire frames—her eyesight was better than perfect by Jake’s reckoning—but attached on either side was a series of small swing-arms with different lenses.
Jake looked down at the young girl. On top of being a genius, the kid had miles and miles of heart. She never let anything get her down, and when she got a head of steam there was just no stopping her. Inventing aside, Jake saw a fair amount of himself in the girl. She didn’t give one good go-to-hell about what people thought, especially the harsh reality of what most men considered a woman’s place, let alone a child’s. Jake fully intended to make sure that nobody got in her way. He took a deep breath, because right then and there he was the one in her way.
She held a gauntlet that looked like it would come up to her elbow. She’d been working on it for a couple weeks. She called it a stun glove. The bulk of it was dark brown leather, but it had a skeleton of brass and a web of copper wiring around the outside that ended in pronged caps at the tip of each finger that almost looked like claws. A pair of glass cylinders wrapped in copper bands that glowed blue was attached to the forearm. Copper wires plugged into damn near everything.
Jake recognized the cylinders as aether power-cells of Skeeter’s own design—she really was that smart—although she’d gotten the original design from Baron Gustav Jürgen Von Klattersnap. He was a mad scientist who had been her mentor for a few years before Jake rescued her and ran the crazy son-of-a-bitch out of Evergreen. The glove was her latest inspiration, and she’d told him only yesterday that it would drop a bull in its tracks.
Cole’s right, he thought, she’s not gonna like this.
A feeling of dread filled him as he paced through the upcoming conversation in his head. He had to hope she didn’t get riled up enough to hit him with the damn glove.
He hesitated just long enough for Skeeter to start tapping her foot like a perturbed mother. Jake tried to build up the gumption to say what he had to, but all he could think of was, I can face down a barn full of killers and even go toe-to-toe with a werewolf. Why the hell does this kid scare the shit outta me?
“Well? What am I not gonna like, Jake?” she repeated. She set the glove on the kitchen counter, and Jake breathed a sigh of relief. He turned to the open kitchen window, figuring it would be easier to have the conversation if he wasn’t looking into those big, baby-doe eyes of hers. They were her not-so-secret weapon, going gray when she got riled or teary-green when she wanted to yank on his heartstrings.
“Cole and I are going to San Francisco on a job,” he said quietly.
“San Francisco!” she practically squealed. Both Jake and Cole winced at how loud she was. “I ain’t never been to San Francisco! When do we leave?”
Jake paused and took a deep breath.
“ We don’t, Skeeter,” he finally said and took a sip of coffee. He found himself looking for the same gophers Cole had vainly sought earlier. He tried to sound caring and gentle and genuinely sorry for saying it, but he knew damn well it wouldn’t help. “Cole and I are going alone. It’s a job—a really dangerous one—and I’m not taking you with us this time.”
“ What ?” she shouted. Safely behind her back, Cole winced again, but Jake couldn’t afford to show her any more weakness. Skeeter was a lot like a wolf … a really smart one . If she smelled fear, she only got more ornery.
“Skeeter, you’ve got your customers to worry about.” Jake wracked his brain for reasons to make her stay. “What about that
She pushed gold-framed glasses up off the tip of her nose. There weren’t lenses in the wire frames—her eyesight was better than perfect by Jake’s reckoning—but attached on either side was a series of small swing-arms with different lenses.
Jake looked down at the young girl. On top of being a genius, the kid had miles and miles of heart. She never let anything get her down, and when she got a head of steam there was just no stopping her. Inventing aside, Jake saw a fair amount of himself in the girl. She didn’t give one good go-to-hell about what people thought, especially the harsh reality of what most men considered a woman’s place, let alone a child’s. Jake fully intended to make sure that nobody got in her way. He took a deep breath, because right then and there he was the one in her way.
She held a gauntlet that looked like it would come up to her elbow. She’d been working on it for a couple weeks. She called it a stun glove. The bulk of it was dark brown leather, but it had a skeleton of brass and a web of copper wiring around the outside that ended in pronged caps at the tip of each finger that almost looked like claws. A pair of glass cylinders wrapped in copper bands that glowed blue was attached to the forearm. Copper wires plugged into damn near everything.
Jake recognized the cylinders as aether power-cells of Skeeter’s own design—she really was that smart—although she’d gotten the original design from Baron Gustav Jürgen Von Klattersnap. He was a mad scientist who had been her mentor for a few years before Jake rescued her and ran the crazy son-of-a-bitch out of Evergreen. The glove was her latest inspiration, and she’d told him only yesterday that it would drop a bull in its tracks.
Cole’s right, he thought, she’s not gonna like this.
A feeling of dread filled him as he paced through the upcoming conversation in his head. He had to hope she didn’t get riled up enough to hit him with the damn glove.
He hesitated just long enough for Skeeter to start tapping her foot like a perturbed mother. Jake tried to build up the gumption to say what he had to, but all he could think of was, I can face down a barn full of killers and even go toe-to-toe with a werewolf. Why the hell does this kid scare the shit outta me?
“Well? What am I not gonna like, Jake?” she repeated. She set the glove on the kitchen counter, and Jake breathed a sigh of relief. He turned to the open kitchen window, figuring it would be easier to have the conversation if he wasn’t looking into those big, baby-doe eyes of hers. They were her not-so-secret weapon, going gray when she got riled or teary-green when she wanted to yank on his heartstrings.
“Cole and I are going to San Francisco on a job,” he said quietly.
“San Francisco!” she practically squealed. Both Jake and Cole winced at how loud she was. “I ain’t never been to San Francisco! When do we leave?”
Jake paused and took a deep breath.
“ We don’t, Skeeter,” he finally said and took a sip of coffee. He found himself looking for the same gophers Cole had vainly sought earlier. He tried to sound caring and gentle and genuinely sorry for saying it, but he knew damn well it wouldn’t help. “Cole and I are going alone. It’s a job—a really dangerous one—and I’m not taking you with us this time.”
“ What ?” she shouted. Safely behind her back, Cole winced again, but Jake couldn’t afford to show her any more weakness. Skeeter was a lot like a wolf … a really smart one . If she smelled fear, she only got more ornery.
“Skeeter, you’ve got your customers to worry about.” Jake wracked his brain for reasons to make her stay. “What about that
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