Whistling when I opened the driver’s door, I grinned when Rusty hopped inside and moved over to the passenger seat. That dog was extremely clever.
Rusty stuck his head between the two seats to stare at the people sitting in the back. Starting the engine, the tyres screeched on the concrete ground as I attempted a quick escape.
The dog’s growl made Hannah look at him, which was exactly what we both wanted. He was a handy weapon.
Her groan of frustration told me that Rusty’s power was working. She was frozen to the spot, her hand resting on the handle, but unable to open it.
“Let me go!” she cried as shots were fired at us.
Luckily, the body of the car was armoured. Bullets ricocheted off the metal but didn’t penetrate. My foot smashed down on the accelerator as the motorbikes came up beside me. The engine kicked in, spurting us ahead of the pack. They were all wearing helmets, the cowards covering their identity.
“Hannah, why would you do this? Who are these people?”
I kept my eyes on the road, on the bikes, and my ears listening to the woman who had defied her father in the most unimaginable way possible.
A rider on the bike next to me aimed his gun straight at my window. Keeping one hand on the steering wheel, I used the other to tug on the handle. Using the muscle in my arm, I slammed the door against the rider. He buckled from the hit, his bike sliding out from under him…and going directly under the car.
Hannah screamed as the car started to spin, the scraping of metal resounding in our ears. I let go of the door, unable to get it closed as the bike ripped the underside of my vehicle, wrecking it. Trying to steer the car away from the bikers was fruitless. It was too late. My plan had completely backfired.
As the car ground to a halt, the tyres popped and with the axis hanging off, I jumped out, shouting for the others to stay inside. Managing to wrench the door shut, I paused when I didn’t hear gunfire. I had been expecting a barrage of bullets but none came.
“Turn around,” a muffled voice ordered.
The engines of the bikes still hummed, but they had stopped moving. Raising my hands, I did as I was ordered. Not because I was afraid of them, but because I was intrigued by who was out to get Martin. Had one of the underground groups teamed up with Hannah to kill her dad?
“I’ve heard about you.” The one nearest me said, his gun aimed at my chest.
I flinched when he stepped forward and tapped the barrel against the bullet hole in my leather jacket.
“Why the fuck isn’t he on the ground? He’s been hit twice,” another asked.
“Thunder Hunter doesn’t die.”
Too many people asking questions. Too many people knew who I was. It was time to end our little chat.
Dropping my head, I pretended to stare at the ground. My hand moved so quickly, the men didn’t have time to react. Slipping my gun out from inside my jacket, I spun, aimed and shot the one who knew who I was straight in the chest. He fell backwards as a barrage of bullets plummeted into me.
Moving again, I rolled across the floor, the pain of being shot slicing through me. I reached up and shot two men in quick succession. They also fell to the ground, their body’s falling limp as life drained from them.
“Stop!” one of them yelled, just before he tugged his helmet off.
I paused from where I was about to spring to my feet and shoot him in the head. The bright blonde hair and eyes…it’s was the eyes. They changed to different colours, different shapes. Shit, I had just started a war with a shapeshifter clan.
There were three men left. They chucked their guns on the ground, holding their hands up in surrender.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I shouted, still aiming my gun at them.
The sound of Hannah screaming in the background went ignored as I stared at the men in front of me. If I dared to take my attention away from them, they could try and come for me again. Not that they could kill me, not really. It took a lot to be able to break through the protection Freya placed around my body. An immortal spell. Although, I couldn’t really remember how or what made me stay alive for so long. I had been too distraught to take much notice.
“Hannah wanted us to kill her father.”
I looked at the blonde man, his freaky eyes staying normal for a moment. “Well, I’m sorry, but that privilege will be mine.”
The man smiled, his eyebrows raising as he nodded towards the car. “I hate to break it to you, but he escaped the moment we started shooting you.”
Keeping my arm outstretched towards him, I turned to look at the car. The back door was wide open, revealing only Hannah, still pinned to the seat by Rusty’s stare. Ah, fuck it. Martin, the coward, had obviously taken the opportunity to run.
“No bother, I’ll find him soon enough. Now to decide what to do with you.”
My ponytail whipped behind me when I faced them again. The men were frozen to the spot, knowing full well that I had the capability to knock them down in quick succession. I sighed, bored of the fight. If I killed them now, it would be personal. They gunned me down because I got in the way of their assignment. There was no point in making the whole experience worse.
“Rusty,” I shouted, whistling to get his attention.
The dog bounded out of the car, releasing Hannah from her trap. He came to stand next to me, his eyes on the enemies in front of us.
“Hannah, please come and join us,” I called as she clambered out of the car.
She stumbled over, her lip raising in disgust when she spotted the dead men on the concrete ground.
A passer-by came out of a house, his phone held high in the air. “I’ve called the police,” he called, rushing back inside when I glared at him.
Great, that meant I had moments before the humans arrived. That wasn’t something I would be hanging around for.
“Hannah, what do you want to do now?” I asked her, prepared to shoot her in the head if she made one wrong move.
In fact, why I even let her live was puzzling to me. Surely, the old Trygger would have killed her by now. My brain clicked into gear as she waved away the men. It was time to get a little bit down and dirty.
“It’s okay, you can leave,” she told the shapeshifters.
They looked at me for confirmation. There was no way they would trust that I wouldn’t shoot them just because the pretty long-legged woman had said so.
“You can go. But, tell your leader that I spared you. Also, let him know that I would be interested in a meeting. I’ll get your details from Hannah.”
The woman’s mouth dropped open as her arms crossed over her chest. Her leathers pulled tighter, the material accentuating the beauty of her figure.
The men started their engines, not bothering to even look at their dead colleagues. A siren sounded in the distance as they thundered away, their bikes kicking out the kind of mechanical smell that made me smile.
“Let’s go.” Taking hold of Hannah’s hand, I looked around.
The nice man who had reported us to the police had a nice car in the driveway. Going to his door, I kicked it open. Hannah gasped when I held my other hand out and asked for his keys. The man said nothing as he picked them up from a small table beside the door and handed them over.
“Thank you.”
Dragging Hannah back outside, I opened the car and called Rusty to get in. The dog did as he was told, licking Hannah’s arm when I shoved her in the back. Why was he showing her sympathy? She was lucky I hadn’t shot her in the head in the middle of the street.
“What are you doing? You can’t kidnap me!”
I climbed in and backed the car out the drive, making sure to get a fucking move on. The siren was too close for comfort. Looking in my rear-view mirror as I rounded the corner out the street, I huffed my breath out. Driving normally, I kept my cool as I joined the busier street, passing the police cars on the way to the destruction I had just left behind.
“They’ll catch you!”
Ignoring my hostag
e, I overtook the cars in front of me as soon as I could. If I didn’t ditch the car, Hannah would be right, the police would catch me. Shoving the gear into fifth, I sped forward, eventually turning onto a side street.
Glancing at my shoulder, I winced as the bullets moved in my body. Bastard things. I would have to get them removed. “When we get out, you make sure you do everything I say…or I’ll kill you.”
The sharp intake of her breath made me smile. Some people needed reminding of who I was, apparently. Maybe my slackness had allowed them to think they could get away with anything. Not anymore. I had told the underworld to tighten their reigns. Maybe it was time I did the same. No matter what Chloe said.
“You’re a wanker,” Hannah said as I pulled the car to the side of the road.
Climbing out, I opened the back door for her. Rusty followed, coming to walk beside me as we started down the road. If I didn’t have the human with me, I would have gone into hiding for a while. The rooftops of London’s buildings were quite convenient for that. In fact…
“Where are we going?” Hannah asked, her legs dragging along a step behind me.
My eyes zoned in on the industrial estate ahead. It was far enough away from the car for the police not to think about searching for us.
Tugging her along with me, I trusted Rusty to stick by my side, which he did perfectly. Crossing several roads, we headed into the estate, the big buildings raising high above us. It was busy, the afternoon rush jamming London’s streets.
As we passed one building, I paused to look down the side of it. Hannah stayed silent as I checked that no one was watching. Nope, it was pretty quiet in this small part of the estate.
Propelling her down the little alley, I pushed her up the outside steps that led to the roof. Hannah tried to stall, pushing back and stumbling on the stairs. Keeping my patience, although it took all of my strength not to pick her up and throw her over my shoulder, I allowed her to lead. Rusty tip tapped up behind us, his agile legs able to follow.
“When we get to the top, jump over the railing and onto the roof.” I didn’t even bother to wait for her reply before I dug my phone out of my leather jacket pocket and dialled Jack.
The phone rang five times before a breathless Jack answered it. “I’m in the middle of something, lover boy.”
Clearing my throat, I pushed Hannah’s back when she hesitated at the top of the steps. Lifting her leg, she gingerly went over the railing and onto the roof. I went along with her, nudging her and pointing at the empty abandoned plastic chair.
“Need your help, fuckshit,” I said to Jack.
“I’m…not going to tell you that I was literally about to do that…”
“Too much info, my man. Seriously, get some clothes on and come get me.”
His heavy exhale of breath made me cringe. The image in my mind of Jack about to…no, it was too much.
Shaking my head, I watched Hannah lower herself into the chair. Tugging on her short dark hair, she stared at the ground. Her plan had gone tits up. Completely and utterly, tits up.
“Can’t Chloe do it?” Jack whined, his usually calm nature turning into unsatisfied tension.
Biting my lip, I was tempted to tell him to fuck off. But, Chloe didn’t have a mode of transport. How the fuck could she pick me up?
“Jack…”
“Okay, okay. Where are you, baby cakes? I’ll be as quick as I can.” A feminine giggle in the background alerted me to Jack’s company. The male voice that joined in made me raise my eyebrows. Jack obviously managed to get his threesome after all this time.
“I’m not sure, I need to check the GPS on my phone. I’ll text it to you. Hurry the fuck up, though, will you?”
Turning the call off, I glanced back at Hannah. The little bitch had ruined my day. Her father would probably go into hiding, which made my job even more difficult.
Texting Jack my location, I went to stand in front of her. “Why were you trying to kill your dad?”
Rusty sat beside me, his eyes watching our enemy’s every move.
The short haired woman lifted her head, her hand rubbing the smooth contours of her neck. “I was trying to…stop this mess.”
A sob caught in her throat as she looked into my eyes, daring me to challenge the truth. She wasn’t lying. The look in her gaze held pain. A long felt agony that must have been inflicted by her father.
“What did he do to you?”
My tone was low, enticing. I genuinely wanted to know why Martin would act as he did. He obviously craved power, riches and authority. But, to what, or who’s, expense?
Hannah’s eyes cleared as a pink blush covered her cheeks. “He drove my mother to her death. His obsessive behaviour, it spiralled out of control. He’s…like his mother.”
“Crazy?”
I paused, waiting for her to deny it. She didn’t. Instead, her head cocked to the side as she listened. My own skin crawled as the sound of someone coming up the metal steps made me freeze.
“Don’t panic, Trygger, it’s me,” a deep voice said as Kalic stepped over the railing and onto the roof.
What the fuck was the vampire doing here?
Hannah shot to her feet, her hands on her hips. “Where have you been?”
I frowned as I looked between the pair of them. Were they in league with each other?
Kalic approached, his hands held in front of him. “Sorry, I had to placate the shifters. You fucked up, big time!”
Hannah raised her eyebrows, jerking her head towards me. Okay, so it seemed Kalic might have been working with Hannah in an attempt to kill Martin. When I had specifically told him that I would deal with it.
Taking two steps towards the vampire, I grabbed my dagger from the sheath wrapped around my chest. Kalic instantly moved into a fighting stance, his hands raised, ready to take me on.
“What are you doing?” Hannah asked, her voice pitching higher.
Baring his teeth, Kalic stared at me as the red in his eyes expanded. “You want to fight? Why?”
The fact that the man didn’t instantly attack made me pause. If anyone dared to threaten me in any way, I wouldn’t let them live.
“I told you to leave Martin to me.” The growl rose from my throat, the anger pulsing my heartbeat.
I had laid claim to the leader of the Hagalaz cult. That meant no one else could touch him.
“I asked him to help me last night. He…look at me!” Hannah almost screamed.
Snapping my attention away from Kalic, I glanced at the tall beauty, my gaze freezing on her. She had pulled her top up to her neck, revealing her toned abs, skinny ribs and pleasant bust. But, my gaze was drawn to the bruises and scars. Hagalaz runes were branded in her in all manner of ways.
“What the fuck?” I muttered, gesturing for her to cover herself again.
“That was my reaction too,” Kalic said, coming closer.
He obviously felt safe enough to approach. My guard against him came down. He wasn’t the bad guy. In fact, none of the underworld leaders were. I may have taken a dislike to their plan, but they were trying to protect themselves after being threatened. And, it had been my fault. Or, because of my existence, anyway.
Placing my dagger back in its sheath under my jacket, I crossed my arms over my chest. “What exactly has Martin been doing to you?”
Hannah wobbled before stepping back to lower herself in the grotty plastic chair. Kalic stayed next to me as we watched her shaky hand tug at her hair, yet again. “He tests me to make sure I’m loyal to Odin. Branding me, over and over. With magic. With fire. With blades. I’m…sick of it. I want it to end. So…it was either him, or me.”
Well, maybe if the woman had stood up for herself a long time ago, he would never have done what he did to her.
Kalic cleared his throat before he spoke. “No one should put up with what you have. I don’t blame you for attempting to kill him.”
Okay, so the vampire had some humanity left, yay for him. Me on the other hand, I knew Hann
ah…I knew that she was as bad as her father. Or, did I? Maybe her loyalty to the cult was under duress. She had wanted to reach out to the underworlders who had gate-crashed Martin’s party all those months ago. Was that her attempt to get out?
“I know you don’t trust me, Trygger. And, quite frankly, I don’t blame you. I haven’t exactly shown you that I’m any different to my father. But…he’s crazy. I believe him about Odin, I’ve seen the evidence.”
“Are you talking about the videos?” I interrupted her.
Nodding, Hannah’s eyes teared up as she glanced at us. “Yes. I really would like to see the journal to see if it does match my father’s dreams. Just so I can confirm it to myself.”
The hairs on the back of my neck prickled. Was this another trap? Hannah had just tried to kill her father in broad daylight, that wasn’t something I could deny. But, was she really trying to make me feel sorry for her so she could see the journal?
“I tell you what. You get me whatever it is you have showing your father’s conversations, including what Odin says…and I’ll check it against the journal.”
Kalic nudged me in the arm. “What are you talking about?”
Shaking my head, I kept my gaze steady on Hannah. As she reached for her pocket, I stayed completely still. Neither one of us could be killed by her, even if she tried. Yet, if she dared to attempt it, I would end her right now.
“Here.” She withdrew a tiny memory stick from her pocket.
Thrusting to her feet, she shoved it into my hand before she went to push past me.
“Oh no you don’t,” I said, taking hold of her arm to stop her. “You’re staying with me from now on.”
Her sharp intake of breath made me smile at Kalic. He frowned, his perception of the situation different from mine. He didn’t know Hannah. He didn’t know our history. The Norse gods and goddesses were part of us. Kalic would never understand how we worked.
“What will you do with me?” Hannah asked, her breath short as I drew her closer and looked into her eyes.
“You can’t go back to daddy now. So, I’ll hold you ransom.”
Her small fist ploughed into my side, but I didn’t flinch. The human was so weak, it was taking all my strength to be easy on her. Just a squeeze of my hand around her small arm would break it in two.
Storm Guardian: Viking Soul Book 3 Page 6