The Girl in the Clockwork Collar (Steampunk Chronicles #2)(48)

If he ever got his hands on a gun.

“What’s the matter?” he asked, rising to his feet as she closed the door.

“That Finley girl,” she replied tightly. Her face was flushed, and her eyes looked as though she had been crying.

“She’s back?” Relief swept over Jasper. He’d been so worried when he heard that Finley had just up and taken off after a “little redhead pikey” had shown up. Dalton’s man hadn’t much liked being roughed up by a girl and had made a comment as to what he was going to do to Finley if he ever saw her again. Dalton fired him on the spot.

Reno Dalton was a lot of things, but he was a might protective of what he thought of as “his,” and Finley was a valuable possession, as far as he was concerned.

But for Finley to just up and leave—for Emily to come for her—something bad had to have happened. Something to either Sam or Griffin.

“Yes, she’s back.” Dark eyes snapped with anger. “You don’t have to sound so pleased about it.”

Her tone made his brows rise. “I’m not pleased,” he lied. “I’m surprised. I figured she skipped out.”

“I hoped she had.”

“Why don’t you like her?” He was genuinely confused. He had liked Finley the moment he met her, and that was when she had been almost two separate people.

“I don’t trust her,” Mei said, lips settling into that little pout he found so cute. “She came out of nowhere, and Dalton took her in without question, even though she’s English and the duke of whatever was asking questions about you.”

Her astuteness made a frisson of discomfort run down his spine. “Dalton did ask questions. I told him she wasn’t in league with the duke. She’s not his class.”

“Neither are you,” she reminded him sharply. “He associated with you.”

He wasn’t sure why, but her words stung a bit. “Because English society treated me like some kind of strange being. You know they sometimes display people like animals in a zoo.” It was true, but it was nothing that wasn’t done in America, as well. Griffin, however, had never treated him like that. “Miss Finley doesn’t strike me as the type to allow herself to be treated as such.”

Dark eyes lifted to meet his. He had never seen her like this before. It was as though she was bitter. His Mei had never been bitter. “You like her.” It was an accusation, not a question.

“She’s all right. I got her into a brawl in Five Points, and she never complained.” That was true. “Dalton likes her, too, so I’m not sure what that says about her character.”

“Hmm.”

“Are you jealous?” He couldn’t stop the grin that spread incredulously across his lips.

Mei shrugged. “She’d never be a victim with a collar around her neck.”

Jasper placed his hands on her shoulders and gave a gentle squeeze. “You’re not a victim.”

She sniffed. “I feel like one. First Dalton and his collar, and then that girl threatened to throw me out the window.”

“What?” Jasper frowned. “Finley threatened you?”

Her dark eyelashes glistened with tears. “She grabbed me by the hair and held me out the window. She said the fall would break my legs, and then I’d probably die when the collar choked me.”

He didn’t know Finley well, but it sounded like something she might do. He didn’t think she’d ever really kill anyone, but why would she say such a thing to Mei?

What had Mei said to her? a little voice in his head asked. He pushed the suspicion away. He’d talk to Finley about it later.

“Probably for the best if you just stay away from her,” he suggested. “Soon this will be over, and Dalton will let both of us go.”

Her gaze swept up to meet his. “Are you sure of that?”

“He’s a scoundrel and a thief, but I’ve never known him to be a liar.”

Silence grew between them, but when she stepped close, he took her into his arms and rested his cheek on her soft hair as she placed hers against his chest.

“Jasper, you care about me, don’t you?”

He closed his eyes. “You know I do.” Once, she had been his sun and his moon. She wouldn’t be in this mess if it weren’t for him.

“Then promise me you won’t do anything foolish like try to double-cross Dalton. Just get him the rest of his stupid machine and let him do whatever he’s going to do.”

“I will.” It was a promise he didn’t think he’d be able to keep—not the part about letting Dalton go off and have his fun. “Tomorrow night, I go for the last piece.”

“At the theater. He’s making us all go, you know.”

He nodded. “I know.” Probably so they could all witness what Dalton would see as his triumph and Jasper’s defeat. He wouldn’t be surprised if Dalton put a bullet between his eyes afterward. That stuff he’d said to Mei about Dalton not being a liar wasn’t exactly true, which he supposed made him just as much a liar lately, since untruths had been coming out of his mouth with ease.

Mei’s arms tightened around his waist. “I can’t wait until he releases me from this collar, and we can be together again. We can go back to San Francisco.”