Solomon’s face hardened. “Not today.” In a quick, agile move, he leaped over the railing and off the side of the platform.
No, goddamnit. Heart pounding, Justyn raced to the railing.
He saw the treasure hunter’s big body falling. The ocean wasn’t visible below, obscured by clouds.
Justyn slammed a hand against the railing. Solomon and the Constitution were lost.
Then Solomon grabbed something off his belt and aimed upward at the main city platform.
A grappling hook flew through the air, trailing a metal cable. It hit the base of the platform with athwack. A second later, Solomon was swinging through the air and whizzing upward as the line retracted.
“Cheeky upstart!” Justyn took off again, heading to the ramp.
“Phoenix?” Nissa was running toward him.
“Back to the city platform,” he yelled. “Solomon jumped off but made it safely across.”
“We have another problem.”
He heard the shouts behind her. A whole gang of Mackon’s guards were in pursuit.
“You’re popular,” he said.
She didn’t even slow down as she passed him. “It’s my winning personality.”
With a chuckle, he sprinted behind her. And damn, he had a fine view. That synth-leather looked like black liquid licorice coating her butt and legs. He’d loved licorice as a boy, and let himself imagine eating the treat off Nissa’s golden skin.
They made it to the ramp leading to the city.
A bolt whistled past his head and slammed into the ramp’s railing.
“Fuck me.” His little fantasy dissolved in a puff of reality. A quick glance showed most of the guards still giving chase, and two were lined up on the edge of the market platform holding crossbows.
Another bolt headed in their direction. Aimed for Nissa’s back.
Justyn dived, taking her down near the end of the ramp. They rolled in a tangle and spilled onto the city platform.
“What the hell?” she yelled.
The bolt whizzed overhead and hit the platform.
Her eyes widened. “Right. Let’s keep moving.”
They helped each other up. “That way.” He pointed. “He’d have come up near the airship docks.”
They ran through the streets. Most people barely gave them any attention, so used to seeing pickpockets racing around the crowds. Keeping the tethered airships hovering above in their line of sight, they ran in a wild twist through the back alleys, trying to lose their pursuers.
They burst out of a narrow alley, right at the entrance of the docks.
“There!” Nissa pointed.
Solomon was sprinting down one of the finger wharves, the sunlight glinting off the document holder bouncing on his shoulder.
As they gained on the treasure hunter, Justyn noted the airship at the end of the wharf with a scarlet-red balloon.
The guy clearly didn’t believe in subtle. He wanted to be noticed.
Nissa yanked her disguised laser pistol from her hip. “Solomon! Stop or I will shoot you.”
