Artifact Hunters 02: Hatshepsut's Collar by A. W. Exley

Author:A. W. Exley [Exley, A. W.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction & Fantasy, Fantasy, Historical, Sword & Sorcery, Science Fiction, Steampunk
ISBN: 9781620073988
Amazon: B00GMX4AG4
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press
Published: 2013-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

acket discarded and sleeves rolled to the elbow, Nate chalked the end of his cue and considered his next shot. The balls lay scattered over the green felt. Nikolai’s opening break sunk two solids, leaving Nate to tackle the stripes. He fixed his eye on the yellow and leaned low over the table. The two large, square, overhead lights extinguished all shadows, highlighting the balls like opera stars under the spotlight.

“Corner pocket,” he murmured to Nikolai, naming his intended goal. His mind calculated the necessary angle and force to bounce the ball off the side and around the impediment caused by a blue solid. He pulled back and struck. The thud of cue to white, followed by a crack as the white ploughed into the yellow, sending the ball along its trajectory. The yellow hit the cushion, bounced around the blue, and plopped into the nominated pocket.

“You haven’t lost your touch.” Nikolai leaned on his cue, waiting for Nate to fail before he could take his turn.

“Despite my reputation, I don’t always take fortunes at the point of a sword. Cards or billiards are far more civilised.” Nate’s gaze roamed the table, evaluating and discarding lines as he decided on the next target. He flicked his eyes to his friend. “Did you have any luck overnight?”

Nikolai shook his head. “No, but word is out. My sources will turn up something about Nolton. We just need time for information to flow back to us. He hasn’t been sighted in St. Petersburg for months; let us hope the women have better luck.”

Nate made a non-committal noise in his throat as his mind pried at the edge of their connection, but found the valve between them closed. He tried not to think what Natalie and Cara would get up to; she was capable of looking after herself. Cara had her stiletto blade parasol and the derringer strapped to her thigh.

“Green, side pocket.” An easy through shot, he simply needed enough power to push aside Nikolai’s ball that lay a fraction in the way. He ran his eye down the length of the cue, moved left and took aim.

“Do you worry you will lose her?”

A crack sounded as Nate miscued, hitting the white at the wrong angle the ball dribbled to the side, far short of its intended target. His head shot up, a scowl on his face. Lose her? The thought woke him in the middle of the night and clutched at him with cold dread. He could never physically lose her, their bond ensured that, but there were other ways she could be lost.

Nikolai arched an eyebrow, laughter danced behind his eyes. “I’ll take the lack of response as a yes.”

“Our wives have only known each other for one day and already I think they talk too much.” He laid the cue on the table, his mind distracted with other thoughts and unable to concentrate on the game at hand.

The automaton butler glided into the room on felt covered wheels. Only four

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