The Girl in the Clockwork Collar (Steampunk Chronicles #2)(74)

“You want a torch or a candle, maybe? You’ve got your head so far up your own arse, it must be dark in there.”

For a second, anger burst hard and fast inside Jasper, but then the absurdity—and the truth—of Sam’s remark struck him, and he began to laugh. He laughed until it hurt and beyond. He didn’t even try to stop, because he needed to let his emotions out, and he was very much afraid that if he didn’t laugh, he’d humiliate himself by crying.

When his laughter stopped, he wiped at his eyes with the backs of his hands, and glanced up to find Sam watching him with a smile that wasn’t exactly sympathetic or overly friendly but was one of understanding.

“You’re not the first bloke to ever be played for a fool,” Sam reminded him. “I almost helped get us all killed just a short while ago. Remember?”

Jasper did remember. “I thought she loved me,” Jasper heard himself confess. “I guess she doesn’t. I’m not sure that she ever did.”

“Is she the kind of girl you would want to have love you?”

He didn’t have to think about it that hard. “No. She killed a man in cold blood and let me assume the blame—told me it was in self-defense, but she was working for Dalton even then.”

“Love’s like being barking mad,” Sam commiserated. “Makes a body do the damnedest things.”

Jasper regarded him closely. “Like give a man a mechanical heart just to save his fool life.”

Sam went very, very still. “That would be foolish indeed,” he said quietly. “Especially if the idiot didn’t appreciate the effort.”

Until that moment, Jasper hadn’t grasped the depth of Emily’s feelings for Sam. If he had, he might not have flirted with her quite so much. Then again, he might have, if for no other reason than to get under this big brute’s skin.

“Right,” he said, slapping his hands against his thighs. “That’s enough girly talk for me. How ’bout you?”

Sam nodded. “Yeah. Tell me about Dalton. How many men does he have with him. Any I need to worry about, other than the big one?”

Jasper shook his head. “Little Hank’s a brute, but I doubt he’s a match for you.” Heck, he doubted Dalton’s entire posse would be a match for Sam, but he didn’t say that aloud. No need to cater to Morgan’s confidence.

“It’s the machine we need to worry about,” he said. “Miss Emily could shut it down if she got close enough, but Dalton’s bound to have someone guarding it, so someone would have to take out that person.”

Sam looked thoughtful. “Griff found out he has something of an effect on machines that work with Aether. I didn’t understand all of it, but Mr. Tesla seems to think Griffin could shut the machine down. What about the girl?”

Jasper shrugged. “I can always shoot her.”

Black eyes widened. “Could you do that?”

“Nah.” It wouldn’t help the team to lie. “I couldn’t, and the only person I know who might be able to best Mei in a fight is Finley. I want Dalton.”

“Because he shot Kirby?”

Jasper nodded. Thank God his brother-in-law—tarnation, but that was a hard fact to wrap his head around—was going to be all right. He owed Emily for that. “And other things I ain’t inclined to discuss.”

“Understood.” Sam glanced toward the door. “What the bloody Sunday is keeping them so long?”

“She had a lot of glass in her back.” He felt responsible for Finley’s injuries. He was the one that took them through the window, and he’d only suffered a couple of cuts—nothing like what had happened to her.

Sam shrugged. “Better that than a bullet to the head. Those are much more difficult to come back from.”

“Even for you?” Jasper asked, talking just for the sake of talking.

“If one managed to penetrate my thick skull, I might be able to regenerate provided it didn’t destroy anything vital. I’m not sure, and I’m not terribly anxious to find out.”

Jasper grinned. “I suppose not.”

A comfortable silence lapsed between them, but it only lasted a few moments because the door to Sam’s room opened, and Emily and Griffin walked in.

“Success?” Sam asked the redhead.

Emily smiled when she looked at him. It was a genuine smile, and it rubbed salt that much harder in the wound of Mei’s betrayal. Jasper had thought Mei looked at him with affection, but it had only been a lie. He had been blind.

“She’ll be fine,” Emily replied. “Left her sleeping off the ether. I’ll check on her in a few moments. Have the two of you come up with any ways to defeat Dalton?”

“We could just walk right into his house and take the bloody thing,” Sam suggested. “Griff could shut it down.”

“That would be tricky,” Griffin remarked. “It takes a lot of focus, and I would hesitate to try with such a device. If Dalton has modified it to work on humans, as well, I could kill a lot more people than just us and Dalton’s gang. Who knows what sort of range the thing has. No, I’m not going to take that chance. This is for you from Kirby.” He turned to Jasper and offered him an envelope.

Jasper took the letter and opened it. The sight of Whip’s familiar scrawl warmed his heart. Now he wouldn’t have to face his sister knowing he had brought about her husband’s demise.