They went into the break room to face not only Jamie and Tony, the mayor, and the seniors from the third floor, but a group of strange men he had no recollection of ever seeing.
There was a round of handshaking and backslapping, the locals filing out one by one to seek medical attention in another room. Marie insisted on accompanying the older residents, who were still obviously shaken from the entire experience. Lizzie gave Kara a tight hug before limping off with Jamie, his clothing still damp from the melting snow.
Finally, Liam and Kara were alone with the strangers—the men who hadn’t been there at the hotel at any point during the fight.
The oldest man in the group approached him, wearing a thick, dark Irish sweater with stripes of red, blue, and black. He had a goatee and smiled, his bright blue eyes meeting Liam’s without hesitation. Power emanated off him in waves, and it was hard to not step back.
“Thomas Vak. I believe I’ve got you to thank for my good health and that of my men.” He waved at the three executives standing behind him. “Come up for a business retreat to a quiet little town and get kidnapped in the middle of a snowstorm. Quite the excitement. I don’t get a lot of that these days.” He extended his hand.
“Thank you.” The hand-crushing grip lasted a few seconds before Vak released him.
Vak nodded. “You’re quite the interesting man, Liam Wolfson. Love to work with you sometime in the future. Got some projects you might like.” He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. “We’re going back to the hotel to collect our luggage and settle our bill, head back home. I think we’ve had enough of a retreat.”
He smiled at Kara and for a second, a brief second Liam in which thought he saw a wink.
The executive strolled on by, the three men in his wake.
Marie came back in and waved for the pair to follow her. She pointed at Kara. “I found out who you are.”
“What?” Kara and Liam said at the same time.
“Came in on my cell phone while I was rallying the troops.” She waved them over to her desk and tapped the computer keyboard. “Kara Idisi.”
They moved closer to see the image of Kara on the screen.
Her grip intensified on Liam’s hand, to the point of pain.
“That’s me?” she said.
“Yep. Nothing too exciting, though. Orphaned young, number of odd jobs here and there, no outstanding warrants.”
“But…” Kara sputtered. “The hotel in Vegas…”
Marie frowned. “What hotel? And when were you in Vegas?” The blank look told Liam this wasn’t a road they wanted to travel right now.
Liam interrupted. “Just something we were joking about while you were gone—taking a vacation to Vegas.”
She shrugged off her parka and sat down at the computer. “I’ll tell them to mail out copies of her driver’s license and other identification to this address.” Marie rolled her shoulders back. “After that, you can decide what you want to do.”
Kara choked back a laugh. “I think that might be out of my hands.” She tugged at Liam. “Let’s get to our apartment—we’ve got some cleaning to do.” She wrinkled her nose. “Like put the damned front door back on.”
Marie gestured at the phone. “The lines should be fixed very soon. So, we’re done.” She smiled. “Go grab yourself some quiet space, relax. You’ve done enough for the day.”
“I’ve done enough for a lifetime.” Liam grinned as they headed for the door.
He held off until they’d gotten outside, his mind spinning with recent events.
“Okay. Stop.” They were in the street, a goodly distance away from the police station. A plow rumbled by, but otherwise they were alone.
Liam leaned over and rested his hands on his knees, gasping for air. He’d slipped the police parka back on but left it open, letting the crisp, cold air wash over his unmarked sweater.
He wasn’t dead.
Kara wasn’t dead.
The simplicity of the thought crashed into the other facts rushing to the front of his mind.
Son of Odin.
What?
“Did you…” Kara said, “Did you see him?”
“Who?”
“Odin.” Her eyes were bright, as if she’d seen a…
“Vak?” He was beginning to run out of energy, the adrenaline rush of nearly dying and being brought back to life by a Norse goddess wearing thin. “That was…” He gulped past the words. “My father?”
“And the Warriors Three.” Kara let out a girlish squeal of delight. “I recognized them from Valhalla. They must have been here to accompany Odin.”
Liam stood up and sucked in a lungful of cold air, settling his stomach. “Right. Okay. That explains why he said what he said. Got it.” He glanced at the blue sky, noting the lack of clouds. “It sounds like things got changed while we were with Freyja. Reality got shifted, fixed.”
“It’d make sense.” Kara tucked her hands into her pockets. “I think Mother did something to your history. Landsdowne didn’t look like he knew who you were when he was being taken out.”
He rubbed the back of his head, feeling the dull throb of an incoming headache. “And Marie called me ‘Liam,’ not ‘Jack.’ Which means it’s possible Jack Hammerson doesn’t exist in this…” He fumbled for the word. “Reality.”
He pulled his wallet out from his back pocket, his hands trembling as he flipped it open.
Social Security Number, driver’s license…
All made out to Liam Wolfson.
Her eyes widened. “Your past was changed, erased. In this alternative timeline those men didn’t come to kill the Hammer. They came to kidnap the executives.” She let out a soft cry, putting her hands to her mouth. “The Hammer doesn’t exist for them. For you.”
Liam reached for her, the emotional rush overwhelming him. “That means…”
She laughed and hugged him tight. “You didn’t kill all those people. You’re not wanted for those crimes. There’s no bounty on your head, and I have a new identity with paperwork behind it.” Her eyes glistened as she kissed him. “A whole new life.”
“Together.” He roared and swung her around, still trying to make sense of this new world.
Chapter Thirty
Four months later
Kara stepped out of the apartment and filled her lungs with the fresh spring air. The last of the snow had melted only a few days ago, giving way to the grass sprouting up everywhere, taking the land back. It’d been years, centuries since she’d experienced the natural cycle of life, and she liked it. She would never forget Valhalla, not completely—but it’d begun to shift into a pleasant dream, her time there clouding around the edges with each day she spent in the Ridge with Liam.
Besides, she had other matters to worry about.
She pressed her hand to her belly, feeling the life inside her twitch and move. Today Annie had verified what she’d known all along—Liam was going to have a son.
She was going to become a mother.
The thought both excited and terrified her.
How will I do this?
What if I make a mistake?
She flashed back to her own poor, desperate parents selling her into slavery. In retrospect she knew it was to give her a chance to survive, that they didn’t know the merchant would be so cruel. But becoming a mother herself…
“You’ll be fine.”
The familiar voice had her spinning to spot Freyja standing in the apartment doorway.
The goddess spread her arms as Kara ran into them, hugging her tight. “I’m so pleased for you.”
Kara wiped away tears. “I’m going to tell him today—if I don’t, the gossip train will beat me to it. Annie won’t say a word but people will notice the extra clinic visits.”
“That’d probably be for the best.” The blond woman nodded. “And how has he been?”
“Busy.” She laughed. “There’s talk of a ski resort going in down the road, halfway between us and the city. Bringing in new money to t
he town, since we’ll be supplying the employees and the entertainment.”
“And the rest of it?”
Kara knew she was referring to Liam’s charity work. “We’ve done well. He got a raise at work, and I’m still doing odd jobs, at least for the time being.” She paused, eying Freyja. “Just because you erased that part of his past doesn’t mean the weight of those deaths are off his shoulders. We checked—the men and women he killed died from another assassin’s bullet, another killer taking the contract.”
Freyja nodded. “There are limits to what we could do without upsetting the balance. I’m sorry.”
“He still feels the blood on his hands. But he’s lighter now, happier.” She pressed a hand to her belly. “This will help.”
“Yes. For both of you.” Freyja touched her cheek. “I’m glad you’ve found your place. He needed your help.”
“And I needed his.” Kara took her hand and squeezed it. She paused, the reality taking hold. “I won’t be seeing you again, will I?”
“No.” Freyja shook her head. “I shouldn’t have come now but I had to congratulate you. A new life.” She raised her index finger. “With a touch of royal blood in him.”
“But only a touch,” Kara said. “He’ll have a good father and mother—the best we can do.”
“Then that’s all he needs.” Freyja leaned in and kissed her cheek. “I must leave now. Go and be happy, Kara.”
“I will.” She watched the goddess fade away.
“She knows how to make an exit.”
Kara turned to see Liam. He still wore his work gloves, his heavy jacket stained with dirt and grass. A smear of dirt on his right cheek betrayed his assignment.
“Been putting in the new flowers at the library. Geraldine’s thrilled with the new layout—with the resort going up, she’s hoping for plenty of visitors.” He moved in, putting his arms around her for a scorching kiss that left her dizzy and smelling of fresh-cut grass, the dirt on his face now spreading to her own. “Oh dear. Guess you’ll have to join me in the shower now.”
“The pain of it all,” she murmured. “How much did you witness?”
“Just that she was here.” He entwined his fingers in her hair. “What was she here for? Another shift in our reality?”
“In a way.” She laughed and tugged him toward their apartment. “I have something to tell you…”
Did you love this book from Entangled’s Amara imprint? Check out more of our titles here!
Don’t miss Sheryl Nantus’s next book! Sign up for our newsletter here!
Acknowledgments
My thanks to my agents, Rachel Brooks and Louise Fury, for being wonderful women who are always a frantic phone call away–Liz Pelletier at Entangled Publishing for taking a chance on this series and Candace Havens for editing the hell out of it and making it better by her hard work, along with all the hard-working staff at Entangled. And, of course, my agent sibs for always providing a shoulder to cry on or scream into, depending on the day.
About the Author
Sheryl Nantus is an award-winning romance writer published by Entangled, St. Martin’s Press/Swerve, and Harlequin’s Carina Press.
When she’s not writing about hunky heroes, she is sipping tea, playing board games, and writing haiku.
A total fangirl at heart, she met her husband through an online fanfiction community and currently lives in Pennsylvania.
Don’t miss the Odin’s Bastards series…
Her Alpha Viking
Also by Sheryl Nantus…
Hard Play
Hard Run
Hard Pursuit
Discover more Amara titles…
Sleight of Hand
an Outbreak Task Force novel by Julie Rowe
College students are dying and no one knows why. The CDC’s former army nurse, pragmatic Joy Oshiro, and her combustible, but sexy, partner Dr. Gunner Anderson will need to learn to trust each other to figure out the terrorists behind the deaths. But each new clue keeps them one step behind the killers, with buildings and evidence destroyed just as they near. They’re in a race against time to not only find a cure but also avoid becoming the next targets.
Bound by Danger
a novel by Danielle M. Haas
The disappearance of a local girl leads Special Agent Graham Grassi to the sexy redhead that has haunted him since they thwarted a hijacking. Questioning Mickey O’Shay cuts through him as he informs her about her missing goddaughter. Mickey’s determination has him ready to handcuff her—or kiss her—in place. As time runs out, the stakes run higher. They struggle to ignore their attraction as they unravel a web of deception.
The Boss
a Fire’s Edge novel by Abigail Owen
Finn Conleth leads his team of enforcer dragon shifters with an iron fist and a cold heart. Delaney Hamilton moved across the country to escape the freak fires that plague her. But when another suspicious fire erupts and rapidly escalates around her, her hopes for a new life go up in smoke. Finn knows the fire is dragon-caused, which puts Delaney’s problems directly in his jurisdiction. No matter how her wounded grey eyes call to every part of him, he refuses to risk her life in the mating process. Until another dragon threatens to claim Delaney for his own, and Finn has to sacrifice everything to keep her alive…
Pirate’s Passion
a Sentinels of Savannah novel by Lisa Kessler
Samuel Keegan used to man the wheel of the Sea Dog over 200 years ago, but these days he’s the front man of a southern rock band. His world is changing rapidly now that his crew is back together searching for the Holy Grail to break their curse. The quest leads him to a historian with raven hair and a wicked smile. She holds all the answers, but she could also spell death for them all.
Warrior Nights Page 24