She lunged for the passenger door. “Then let’s get the hell out of here.”
He threw the backpack at her feet as he got in the driver’s side, fumbling in his pocket for the keys. The adrenaline rush from recent events was wearing off, but he couldn’t afford to lose his edge, not yet.
Not until Kara was safe. Once they were gone, the Ridge would be safe as well.
They’d start again, someplace else. Far away from Marie, from Geraldine, Annie and the Jarretts.
There was no other option.
The engine started on the first twist, roaring to life.
“Put your seat belt on,” he ordered. “Might be some slippery spots between here and Denver.” He squinted as he pulled out of the parking lot, searching for the road.
“Will that be far enough away?”
“It’ll be a good start.” He found the center white line and moved to the right, praying no one else was going to be on the road. “From there we can hop a plane and…”
“And go where?”
He risked a glance sideways to see her pained face.
“Where are we going to go that they won’t find us? Or some other headhunter, eager to bring you in?” Her hand was pressed to her side again, fingers tangled in the woolen squares. “If they found you, others will.”
“They only found me because of you.” As soon as the words left his mouth he regretted it, swearing under his breath. “I mean…”
“I know what you mean.” She turned and looked out the window.
He tightened his grip on the steering wheel as the tires hit an icy spot and spun, the whirring noise loud enough to hear over the storm raging around them.
“I got an offer once to join them. Before…” He swallowed hard, the memory flashing across his mind’s eye. “They thought I’d be a good fit for their outfit.”
“You were never that evil. Ever,” she countered.
“When I was in the military…” He paused, gathering his thoughts. “I killed for a cause, for a country. When I quit, it was all I knew to do. All I wanted to do. If I hadn’t been in that village, seen what I’d seen…” He gazed out into the blowing snow, choking on the bile rising from his belly. “I could be on the other side right now, chasing down some poor bastard for no reason other than the paycheck.”
“You changed.” She put her left hand on his thigh. “For the better. And you keep changing, every day.”
The words soothed him, set a light balm on his aching heart.
They drove in silence, Liam trying hard to seem casual about the drifting snow piling up on each side of them. There was about three or four inches now, the road covered, with only glimpses of the center line keeping them on track.
The tires spun again on the slick snow, prompting a mad twisting of the steering wheel to keep the truck going straight. His heart raced as he resisted the urge to slam on the brakes, turning into the skid.
A fast glance at Kara confirmed he wasn’t the only one afraid. Her eyes were wide, one hand pressed against the dashboard as they slid again, the back tires struggling to keep traction.
“We’ll be in Denver soon.” He put as much confidence in his voice as he could. “How are you feeling?”
“Coping.” She glanced at her side, flipping the scarf’s dark red tassels up with one hand. “Pain’s gone down. And, as Geraldine said—it’s a fashion statement.”
Liam chuckled. “I’ll be looking for that to show up on the Milan runways. Just don’t forget to call the media and give our favorite librarian credit when it does. She’ll enjoy the attention.”
Kara started to say something but suddenly there was something on the road, a dark shadow flashing across his sight, then an inhuman scream, a twisting of metal, and the world went sideways.
Chapter Eighteen
He hadn’t been out for long—he knew that much. He heard his heart throbbing in his ears and remembered the flash of annoyance mixed with pure fear of a few minutes ago. But his forehead ached, and he tasted blood, so he was still alive. It was easy to locate the source—his split lip was sore and swollen.
Deer. Crash. Snowstorm.
Kara.
The last thought snapped his eyes open, forcing his head back with a groan.
He spied the snowflakes drifting down and covering the front windshield. His chest ached, proof the seat belt had done its job. A turn to the left showed the truck was still level, the rough outline of the snowdrift visible through the glass.
To the right…
Kara moaned, pressing one hand to her forehead as she rocked back and forth, the restraining belt keeping her in place. There was no blood on her face, the windshield intact.
“Kara…” He forced the words out.
“I’m okay,” she mumbled. “Just…” She opened her eyes and stared out at the storm. “What the hell?”
“Stay here.” Liam scrabbled to undo his seat belt, thick-fingered fumbling making the task tougher than it should have been. Finally, he reached down and yanked his combat knife free, pulling the blade up to sever the strap with a single slice.
A wave of dizziness had him reeling for a second but passed as he reached for the door latch, using a burst of strength to push it open.
The cold snap across his face brought him fully awake, the bitter wind cutting through his open jacket.
The snow was still falling, now doing its best to cover the truck where it lay in the ditch. It’d turned from thin, light snowflakes into thicker, denser clumps that threatened to cut off the sunlight.
He staggered toward the back of the vehicle, gripping the sides for support.
If they could dig themselves out…
An icy fist punched him in the chest when he saw the depth of the damage—one tire was flat, the truck bed lurching to one side.
Kara moved up beside him. “We’re stuck, aren’t we?” The words held a bit of anger, a bit of resignation.
He pulled her into a hug, careful of her side. “Yeah. We are. No way I can change the tire like this, half the truck in the damned ditch. Might be more damage underneath—no way for me to check, but looks bad.”
“Now what? We walk to Denver?”
“No. We sit and wait it out.” Liam looked upward, judging the sunlight. “I’ll dig out around the tailpipe, keep the exhaust clear. We’ll stay in the cab, stay warm until the plows reach us.”
“We could walk…”
“Not with that wound. And leaving you behind isn’t an option.” He led her back to the doors, pointing at the seats. “Get inside. I’ll get the gear, and we’ll settle in.”
It was an order, not a request.
He looked in the truck bed and spotted the thick woolen blankets he kept to minimize the scratches from the firewood. Grabbing a couple, Liam climbed back into the cab, wrapping one around her shoulders before doing the same for himself.
They ate the energy bars stashed in the glove compartment and finished off the single water bottle left on the back seat.
“No use leaving them until later,” he said. “You’ll need the energy to get well.” He fought to not stare at Kara’s side, the scarlet scarf keeping him from seeing the wound. He had faith in Annie’s abilities but this… This wasn’t going to help the healing process.
He handed over the silver emergency blanket. “Tuck that into the scarf. Last thing we need is you losing body heat.” He tugged at the gray blanket. “Temperature’s not too bad yet. Gets a lot colder when the snow stops.”
His head ached—the lip had gone down considerably, the cold helping with that. But now he had to deal with the momentary loss of consciousness from banging his forehead on the steering wheel. A concussion was still a concussion, no matter how light.
He’d been knocked out before—it wasn’t as bad as some he’d had. But he had to focus twice as hard on getting Kara warm and safe.
If he’d been alone, he might have rolled the dice and tried to walk to Denver, or at least one of the nearby hunting cabins. The Jarretts�
�� might be the closest, but…
The risk was too great. If he lay down and died in the snow, that’d be one thing—but he wasn’t about to drag Kara to Hell with him.
That was a trip he hoped to be making alone.
Kara wasn’t sure how to define the ache in her side. It’d been lessening since the doctor put in the stitches, and she was damned sure it wasn’t Annie’s bedside manner or the handful of over-the-counter painkillers. The woman was nice, but she wasn’t a miracle worker. Still, the throbbing had subsided, now feeling more like an itchy rash than the knife wound she’d suffered earlier.
She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do now, if anything. The revelation that she was a Valkyrie had only made things more confusing. She was here with Liam, without any powers, armor, or weapons—as mortal as she’d been when Freyja plucked her out of that barn.
So why was she here?
Her first thought was that her mission was to keep Liam from falling back into bad habits—the arrival of the Sons of Cain would be a triggering event, tempting him to turn back to his old ways. But they’d left McKay alive and tried to leave—now the truck accident seemed an act of the Fenris Wolf, keeping them in the Ridge and in danger.
Now what?
A burst of wind blew snow into her face, temporarily blinding her for a few seconds. As her vision cleared, she held back a sigh.
She glanced at Liam. “What are we going to do when the plows arrive?”
“We’ll have to go back to the Ridge first—they’re not going to give us a ride to Denver. Then we’ll make another run, try to get out of town before the Sons find us.” He took a deep breath. “It’s all we can do.”
“And if they’re waiting for us?”
“Then we’ll deal with it.”
“What about telling Marie?”
He shifted in his seat, tightening his grip on her. “I’ll think it over. Be a lot to put on her shoulders.”
“Be a lot more if we don’t tell her and someone gets hurt, or worse.”
He fell silent. She couldn’t think of anything to add, so she moved closer, tugging the blanket around the two of them.
The snow kept falling, the white-out conditions swallowing them up.
“Ever see it snow this hard before?” Liam asked.
“When I was little…” She paused, the memory rushing up out of her subconscious. “It wasn’t the snow, it was the cold. People would freeze to death in their beds if the fires went out, and some couldn’t keep the fires going because they had nothing to burn.”
That earned a curious frown. “Where was this?”
“Far away from here.” She exhaled, seeing her breath hang in the air for a second before disappearing.
He opened his mouth as if to continue the conversation then stopped.
“There.” He pointed into the blizzard.
The pair of headlights came out of nowhere, moving toward them.
An icy dagger of fear seized her spine as Liam pulled the pistol free from the small of his back, holding it out of sight. He was ready to stand and fight.
“The Sons?” she whispered.
He said nothing, studying the vehicle as it crept closer.
The headlights slowed down to a crawl. Kara spotted the silver star on the side of the truck, the police department’s insignia a welcome sight.
The window rolled down on the driver’s side, and Marie peered out. She blinked, staring at the pair through the falling snow.
“What the hell…” She threw the truck into park and swung the door open, leaping into the deep snow. “What are you two doing out here?”
Liam casually put the pistol away, keeping it out of sight as he exited the truck, bringing Kara along with him out the driver’s side. “Oh, you know. Taking a romantic drive,” Liam deadpanned. “Winter wonderland and all that.”
The police chief scowled as she looked at Kara. “I’m not in the mood for bullshit, Jack. Are you okay?” She sucked in her breath, seeing the brightly colored scarf around Kara’s middle.
“Cut myself on some scrap metal.” Kara pointed at the wound. “Don’t worry, I’ve already been to Annie’s and had it looked at.” She glanced at Liam. “We were heading out of town and went off the road.”
“I can see that. Flat tire, might have busted the axle. Damn it.” Marie pulled off her uniform cap and wiped her forehead, despite the chilly weather. “At least you’re both okay.”
“A deer ran in front of us—don’t see a body, figure he got away.” Liam shook his head. “No chance of digging ourselves out, so we figured we’d wait for the plows.” He tugged at the blankets. “Didn’t think there’d be anyone else on the road.”
Marie gave herself a shake, snow flying off her bomber jacket. “You’re lucky I came out, then. I was checking the roads, seeing how they were.” She shaded her eyes, peering into the blowing snow. “Looks like we got five, maybe six inches ahead of us. I was following your tracks, hoping to find the road still open. Guess I’m heading back now.” She gestured at the SUV’s doors. “Get the hell in.”
The heat was running full blast, pouring out of the vents as she got in the back seat with Liam, the front seat next to Marie filled with clipboards and papers.
Her heart was still racing from seeing the car coming at them. If it had been the Sons of Cain, their escape would be over—and it was likely their bodies wouldn’t be discovered until spring, when the snow thawed. They’d be outgunned and outfought on every level.
At least if they had to return to the Ridge, it was in relative comfort and safety.
She blinked as the blocky outline of a building came into view. As they moved closer she could make out the storage shed next to the police station, now not much more than a white bump in the snow.
“Thank Freyja,” she said, and she meant it.
“You two get inside. I’ll try to park this best I can, then follow,” Marie said.
Liam half-carried Kara up the steps into the station, letting out a grunt as he pulled the door open and another wave of warm air swept over them. She stumbled forward, leaving Liam to secure the front door again.
Liam gave a shake, throwing snow down onto the mat as he stripped off the gray blanket and his jacket. He pointed at a nearby chair. “Take the scarf off—we should check that bandage and make sure it’s okay.”
She nodded and began unwrapping the scarlet wool from her middle. It’d kept her side dry and warm, more so with the addition of the extra blanket zipped into her jacket.
Marie came in, slapping her hands together to knock the last of the snow off. “Damn.” She shook her head. “I sent Dwayne out on patrol. I haven’t heard back—he was going to check in on the Jarretts.” She jerked a thumb at the closed doors. “I was going to see if I could find him on the road, but obviously that’s not happening.”
“Well, if he made it to the cabin he’ll be fine. Otherwise, he’ll have to hunker down and wait until it stops and the plows come out, like we were doing.” Liam moved past the counter toward the back room. “Kara needs some coffee. Could use a cup myself.”
“Go for it.” Marie knelt down, inspecting Kara’s wound. “How’s it feeling? You said you got Annie to look at it—do I need to be worried about someone hitting a piece of jagged metal while trying to dig themselves out? Tell me where it was, and I’ll try to flag it, make it visible…”
“No.” She swallowed hard, unsure how to start what was guaranteed to be a difficult conversation. “It happened back at the hotel.”
“What?” Marie glanced at Liam as he returned, carrying a pair of mugs. “At Jamie’s place?”
Liam handed Kara the steaming hot coffee and placed his own drink on the counter. He picked up a nearby chair and brought it over. “Please sit down. This is going to take a bit of time.”
Marie frowned but followed his instructions, shrugging off her jacket and putting it on the back of the chair. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees as she studied the pair. “Okay.
Let’s do this.”
Chapter Nineteen
He didn’t expect her to take it well. There was no way to cushion the blow, soften the fact he’d lied to the Ridge’s police chief for over a year, hiding his true identity. The revelation about Kara and their wild week in Vegas had been interesting enough, supplying a goodly amount of gossip to the town, but this… This was far beyond a romantic tryst.
“So, that’s it.” He wiped the sweat from his forehead, keenly aware she hadn’t moved since he’d started talking, all of her focus on him and him alone.
Kara sipped the cold coffee.
“I understand.” The calmness in Marie’s voice sent his skin crawling. “Is there anything else you’d like to add?”
He rubbed his chin, glad he’d gotten the last of the snow out of his beard. “No.”
“Good.”
She moved like a panther, slamming him to the ground before he knew what happened, face flush against the floor. The handcuffs snapped shut on his wrists.
He didn’t fight, didn’t resist. He could have, but she was angry and rightfully so.
The pistol, still snug in the small of his back, was yanked free and placed on the floor—out of reach.
He didn’t feel the need to mention the knife in his right boot.
Marie pointed a finger at Kara. “Don’t. Move. You might be injured, but I won’t hesitate to slam your ass if you try to interfere.”
Kara nodded.
She pulled Liam to his knees and dragged him to the chair she’d been occupying, sitting him down on the still-warm wood.
“Right. Now let me get this straight. Your real name is Liam Wolfson, you’re an internationally known assassin who quit your job and decided to hang out in the Ridge.” She drew a deep breath before continuing. “And now a damned mob of mercs have come here to kill you and anyone who stands in their way.” She gestured at Kara. “They’ve already cut her up.”
“Basically,” he answered.
“Fuck.” She pressed her fingers to her eyelids. “This is so far above my pay grade, it’s in orbit.” Marie lunged for the phone on the nearest desk. “I’m calling in the Feds, the National Guard, anyone who can…” Her face hardened into a scowl as she held the receiver to her ear. “No dial tone.” She glared at Liam. “Could be the storm, but let me guess—standard procedure for your boys?”
Warrior Nights Page 14