Read Online Seleste deLaney - [Badlands 02] by Clockwork Mafia - Free Book Online Page B

weasel slunk away as well.”
    With a glance from Lupo, businessmen in the lobby gathered their things and scurried from the seating area. Curious travelers who obviously didn’t recognize the man stayed where they were, but only until they caught sight of Gambini’s face and the most obvious of his mechanical enhancements. Then men bustled their wives and children away, leaving the area empty save the two of them.
    This is power . What Don Lupo and I have — no one can match this .
    Lupo eased his bulk onto a red velvet settee. He didn’t motion for his lieutenant to sit, so Gambini stood to the side. Power or not, he still knew his place, and Don Lupo had made him who he was now.
    “We need that research.”
    “Yes, Don Lupo.”
    “The lawyer...not so much. We need that howling monkey silenced. He knows too much to be left to his own devices. The new queen of the Badlands has many connections here in the city. We can’t have St. Clair telling her tales that could get back to all the wrong people. But don’t cut him loose until you’re certain he’s no longer useful.”
    A tiny thrill coursed through Gambini, setting his nerve endings afire until his enhancements reacted and twitched in response. Power . “I understand.”
    “There is the matter of Mason’s daughter. She might not have the senator’s knowledge, but I’m certain he taught her enough that she could replicate at least some of his work more effectively than the other scientists at our disposal. Once you track her to the rest of his things, be sure to bring her back with you as well.”
    Mechanicals locking up, Gambini’s hand clenched in a fist. If given a choice, almost anything was more enjoyable than a kidnapping. “How whole do you need her?”
    Stretching, Lupo seemed to consider the question for a moment. He stood and met Gambini’s gaze, handing over another, larger vial of Mason’s potion. “Alive and mentally sound enough to function in the laboratory. Anything beyond that, I leave to your discretion.”
    Gambini watched for a moment as the light caught on the liquid and shattered into rainbows against the wall. Alive and mentally sound left him plenty of options. “As you wish, Don Lupo. As you wish.”
    * * *
    A single telegraph exchange and Carson had the ship he needed. Unfortunately, the delay had given the Dark Hawk time to disappear into the horizon, and the captain of this vessel was next to useless.
    “The Badlands is a big place, Mr. Alexander. If you can’t give us a heading—”
    The best intelligence he’d managed in the short time since Henrietta’s ship disappeared placed the queen’s new fortress somewhere in the mountains. Too bad the mountains stretched across the length of the nation. He needed a place to think. “Just head west. And point me in the direction of your gunnery boat.”
    The aging captain scowled at Carson then barked orders to his men. A young ensign with a shocking mop of red hair jerked his chin toward the corridor. “This way, sir.”
    Carson bristled at being called sir but followed the boy to the armory. Once inside, the lad lifted a trapdoor in the floor. “Gunboat’s down there. Rail gun’s loaded, but if you think there might be trouble I should tell the captain.”
    Carson lowered himself onto the ladder and grabbed the door to pull it shut behind him. “No trouble, boy. Just looking for a quiet place.”
    The kid shrugged and walked away.
    After climbing with care down the ladder, Carson settled himself against the wood and closed his eyes. He hated flying. Hated it with a deep-seated passion. The ship, with its precision instruments and military shine, only served as a constant reminder that he was on a dirigible.
    As luck would have it, he’d gotten a good look at the gunnery boat when he boarded. It surpassed expectations. Rather than polish and perfection, the wood and instruments here had been installed for function not appearance. It was rough, raw even. Like one of the