by Libby Bishop
“Thank you for agreeing.” She couldn’t tell him how much his words meant to her, or that his choosing her side on the matter made her respect him far more deeply than she wanted to.
She cleared her throat. “We should probably get into the store. Erik must be closing in now.”
He removed his hand slowly. “He is, yes. A few miles out.”
“Then let’s go in and look like normal shoppers before he gets here. Shall we?”
“We shall.”
Within minutes, they were in the store, and she picked up a small basket to put groceries in. “If your brother knows what his son is doing, if he helped in some way,” she asked as they walked through the aisles, “what will happen to him?”
“He will be punished—severely. And it will not be pleasant, and not on Earth. He will stay amongst the gods and pay for his part in Erik’s killing spree.”
“I’m sorry. If that’s the case, I’m sorry for what this will do to you.” The more she got to know Rune, the more she could tell he was a man of integrity. If he wasn’t, they wouldn’t be where they were now, waiting for their quarry to walk in the door any minute. But this had to be hard for him—Erik was his nephew. The blood of his blood. And doubly hard for Rune must be his brother’s involvement, another betrayal of him and his family. How could one brother be so good, the other so intrinsically evil?
She’d asked the same about humans several times in her years with the FBI.
Rune reached for her hand and twined their fingers together. “No matter what Reign has done, he’s still your brother,” she said, “and part of you is going to mourn the detachment. Even if he’s allowed to live, nothing will ever be the same between you. For that, Viking, I am truly sorry.”
His gaze softened, and he leaned down to give her a lingering kiss. “Thank you for that, Liv. Just…thank you.”
She gave him a soft smile then continued browsing the aisle. “Do you truly believe your brother has taught him how to hide? From what you told me of the fight where you nearly killed him I’d not put it past him.” And her heart hurt for him. “I’ve seen it before, though not involving gods. To be honest, you have a great many of the same reactions we do, just on a more powerful and political level.”
“That is the truth, Liv. Though, there is more to it than our powers. But to answer your question, if it’s not my brother, I don’t know who it would be. Odin would most likely know, but obviously”—his face grew hard, the angles sharpening—“he’s not sharing.”
She intensely hoped he never focused that anger on her. Just seeing it directed at someone else shook her inside. Would she cower from it? No. Would it frighten her? Hell, yes.
“I really hope, for your sake, that your brother hasn’t been helping his son,” she said softly.
He put a hand on the back of her neck, leaning down to kiss her again, brief and sweet. It still sent tingles down to her toes, though.
“Thank you for caring enough to say that,” he said when he pulled away. Then, his body stiffened.
Their prey was close.
“How far away is he?”
“He’s walking into the store.”
“Can he feel you?”
Why didn’t I think of that before we strolled in here?
“No, but I will step away while you keep him in sight. Godkin cannot feel the power of a god unless we want them to. However, if they lay eyes on us, they can see the power that always surrounds a full-blooded god.”
“So, if he sees you, he’ll know?”
“Yes.”
“Will he see your power near me since we’ve been close to each other for a long period of time?”
“No. I wouldn’t put you in that kind of danger. I’d have warned you right away, and we wouldn’t be here right now. We’d be near his cabin waiting to pounce.” He squeezed her hand. “I need to move—he’s almost at the door. Be careful.”
He walked away quickly, and seconds later the door to the store opened, setting the bells to jangling. Looking toward the entrance, she saw the rugged, lean-framed Erik—jeans, white T-shirt, and an unbuttoned flannel shirt. A completely normal looking man, although his picture didn’t convey just how attractive he was in person. Oh, right. He’s part god.
She continued browsing the aisles as if she were just a person buying groceries to fix her man a romantic dinner, but she kept track of him as he wandered the store. He was finally heading toward the checkout stands, so she picked up her pace and arrived at the counter the same time as him.
He gestured for her to go ahead, and began unloading his basket behind her groceries. Nice manners…for a cold-blooded killer.
The clerk rang up her purchases quickly, and she handed over the money. “Thank you,” she said to the clerk as she finished pocketing the change.
“Have a good rest of the day, honey.” The woman smiled.
Liv returned the smile. “Thanks. You, too.”
Walking out, paper bag cradled in one arm, she strolled to the car, which was parked close to the front, and kept her pace casual. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rune standing around the side of the building, out of sight of the door. There were four cars in the parking lot—hers, Erik’s truck—had to be, as it was the only vehicle that hadn’t been there when they arrived—which was two spots from hers, and two others. After setting the bag in the trunk of her car, she closed the lid then pressed unlock on her key fob, taking her time.
When she opened the door, Erik exited the store. She caught his eye and smiled politely.
He returned the smile, stopping by the car that separated their vehicles. “New around here?”
His voice was sweet, open, allowing her in. Like a true predator.
“Just passing through, actually. On my way back home to Bennington.”
“So, just spending the night?” he asked, disappointment sweeping his face.
Yeah, he had no problem picking up women even without the powers of a god.
“Hopefully. I haven’t found a place to stay yet. I’m tired of driving—came down from northern Quebec.”
“Ah, yeah, that’s a good drive. I’ve done it a few times for work.”
“Do you live around here?” she asked, filling her tone with the kind of hope that said please say yes! I need a place to stay.
He smiled, and she knew she hit the mark. “I do, actually.”
“Can you recommend a place to stay?”
“I own a cabin not far from here, right on the lake. The property next to mine is my rental place.”
Interesting.
“I’m Erik, by the way.”
She smiled. “Nice to meet you, Erik. I’m Becca.”
“It’s a pleasure. So, my rental property is open at the moment if you’d like it.”
She pretended to mull it over. “How much for the night?”
“Forty dollars flat.”
“Oh, wow. That’s too good a deal to pass up. I really am sick of driving at this point.”
“So, that’s a ‘yes?’”
“Yes.”
He looked pleased, and that set her antennae pinging. “I’m in the red truck. Follow me, and I’ll get you settled there.”
“Great, thanks.”
She knew Rune had heard the plan, and when she got in the car, she met his gaze through the passenger side window—he nodded, and his expression said, “Go, I’ll be right behind you.”
The pleasure and absolute trust she felt at that look scared her…a lot. She’d only known him three days, but in that time, as infuriating as he was, he’d shown her he was trustworthy and a solid partner. On this hunt, anyway. The fact that her body craved his, that his touch could ignite or comfort her, was a completely different issue.
But she truly hated leaving him behind, knowing he must feel the same way she had when he’d left her alone outside Erik’s cabin. Probably worse, actually, since she was with the enemy.
Once they arrived at the rental cabin, which was slightly larger th
an his own, he unlocked the door and ushered her in first.
“Welcome to the Cozy Cabin,” he said when he closed the door. “You have a basic kitchen, two bathrooms, two bedrooms, fireplace…all the essentials.”
It was actually a nice cabin, small and quaint. Not quite the homey feel that some lakeside cabins had, but it was welcoming. If he weren’t responsible for the death of her best friend, and who knew how many others, she might actually feel comfortable.
“It’s nice. Thanks again for letting me stay here on short notice.”
“Don’t mention it. Forty bucks is forty bucks, and”—he smiled—“I can see how tired you are. I’m not a brute—I could help, so I did.”
How sweet of you. Really, she wanted to reach out and beat him into a bloody pulp, and then throw what remained into a raging fire and watch him turn into a pile of worthless ashes.
“Well, thank you again, Erik. Do you want the forty now, or tomorrow?” she asked in a friendly, practiced, normal tone.
“Now is fine.”
She reached into her purse and took out two twenty-dollar bills, handing them to him. “Here you are.”
He nodded. “I’ll leave you to it, then. When you head out tomorrow, just leave this key to the right of the hanging plant. I do get vagrants this time of year if I don’t lock up.”
“Will do.”
“Get some rest.”
“Oh, I will—count on it.”
Once he was gone and the door was closed, she checked out the cabin, walking the floor plan, checking for cameras—but careful not to seem as if she were doing so just in case she was being recorded—and looking out all the windows. His cabin, unfortunately, wasn’t in her view, though she knew it was only a half-mile away. The trees obscured it—a line of pines and maples that barricaded his killing zone, as she’d seen earlier with Rune.
When she reached the master bedroom, at the back of the cabin, she set her bag on the bed. If there were cameras, she wasn’t seeing them. But to be safe, she opened her laptop and pulled up a program that could sweep for them. Nothing. She relaxed slightly knowing that Erik wasn’t watching her, but worry niggled at her when her thoughts returned to the absent Rune.
She wanted to go get him but if Erik was still close by, it would look too suspicious, especially after she’d told him how exhausted she was. Unfortunately, it would take Rune a bit to get to her.
As her gaze swept over her purse, she realized there was one call she should make, to the partner that she’d worked with for over nine years. She grabbed her phone from her purse and brought up her contacts, autodialed the number.
“Winter,” he answered on the third ring, “you had me worried.”
She smiled at Cory’s slightly miffed tone. Not that she blamed him. Whenever she went to her cabin in New York on the anniversary of Soosie’s death, she normally called him every other day, just to check in. He worried greatly about her when it came to this case.
“I’m sorry, Cory, but I haven’t had time to reach out. Everything’s been happening so fast that—”
“What do you mean ‘everything?’ Did you find something, Liv? Did you find Soosie’s killer?”
She sighed. “Yes, and it’s all thanks to the Son of Thunder.”
“What’re you talking about?”
She could see his eyebrows furrowing in confusion as clearly as if he were standing in front of her. “Here’s the cliff-notes version: I was reading over Soosie’s file when I decided to finally get some sleep. I was woken up by Rune landing on top of me when he left the Gate.”
Dead silence.
“I was going to give him a ride somewhere else once daylight came, but when I woke my case file was missing from the nightstand.” And she was still a bit ticked off at that. “He said the only way he could get home was to redeem himself for something he’d done, so he offered to help with the case as long as I helped him find his way home.”
“And you just let him?” he asked, confusion clear in his tone. “That doesn’t sound like you. You sure left a helluva lot out of that damn email, Liv.”
Yes, she had, and she understood the bite of anger in his tone very well. “I did, and I truly felt it necessary to do so. Do you want the longer version?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Okay, then. Let me start from the beginning.”
She told him everything from Rune landing on her, to the revelation that the killer was a godkin fathered by his brother, to getting to Lake Memphremagog—everything except that she’d had sex with Rune and still struggled with an inexplicable attraction to him.
“Oh God, Liv… Erik Rutten could’ve killed a hell of a lot of people before and after Soosie.”
She leaned back in the chair. “I know, and Rune said that the last kill—at least, a kill that took place in his cabin—was around two months ago.”
A heavy sigh reached across the cellular waves. “I understand why Rune has to see to Erik’s punishment because of him being a godkin. I don’t like it, but I understand it. What can I do to help?”
Cory had seen her at her worst in the days after she’d discovered Soosie’s body. Hell, he’d gone with her to give the news to Soosie’s parents.
“Where are you now?”
“I’m back in Boston—closed my case early.”
“Get up here as fast as you can. As soon as Rune gets back, we’ll plan the best and safest way to get to Erik, and then I’ll call you and let you know what we’re doing and what we need from you. And bring someone with you. Maybe even a few someones, because if Erik has as long a trail as I think he does, we’re going to need a team. Also, we’re probably going to need to alert Canadian officials. I’m fairly certain he crossed the border for victims.”
“Fuck. Okay. Consider me in the car and on my way. I just have one question—why isn’t Rune with you now? Where are you?”
She realized that she hadn’t told him that she was at Erik’s guest cabin.
“What!” he bellowed, so loudly she had to move the phone away from her ear.
“Rune should be here soon, and I have my gun—I’m not defenseless, Cor.”
“That isn’t the damn point.”
“I really didn’t have time to call you earlier. As I said, we didn’t even know Erik’s name until we reached the hotel in Newport.”
He grunted, clearly unhappy about the situation. But he knew the drill, and how much the case meant to her.
“Cory, please.” Her voice softened, and she added, “I need your help. Find everything you can on Erik. And I need you to get here as soon as fucking possible. Rune may have to take care of the godkin, but we’re going to have to clean up the mess he’s made.”
As usual. But she didn’t blame Rune for that.
“Shit. Okay.” He cleared his throat. “I’m going to do a quick roundup and head out. I’ll probably be there in the next four hours—delegating will get me there faster.”
The drive from Boston to Newport took around three and a half hours, traffic permitting. So Cory and his backup would arrive shortly after dark.
“Fly, Cory. Drive like you’re going to get liftoff.”
“I will,” he promised. “See you soon.”
He ended the call, and she knew he’d find a way to bend time to reach her as soon as he could. With his tendency to speed, he’d make the trip an hour shorter.
Footsteps jarred her from her thoughts. She reached for her gun sitting on the table next to her laptop. She exhaled when Rune entered the cabin, setting the gun back down.
“You got here faster than I thought you would.”
He smiled. “A nice woman gave me a lift after she saw me walking.”
Shaking her head she replied, “I’m sure she just made that decision on her own.”
He shrugged. “She may have had a slight push. You know, to help her along.” He winked. “I don’t regret it, as it got me to you faster.”
She didn’t like that he’d manipulated a human, but he’d done it b
ecause he didn’t want her alone near, or with, Erik, and that was hard to argue with.
He walked to her, touching her shoulder then sliding his hand to the side of her neck. “I care for you, Liv. I got here as soon as I could.”
Damn it. Why did he have to go admitting that? She knew he cared, and that it went deeper than a hunting partner and a quick roll in the hay. His words sank into her, caressed her heart.
“Rune…” She didn’t want to have a conversation about their feelings, especially since he wasn’t sticking around after they dealt with Erik. So she settled for, “Did Erik see you?”
He withdrew his hand, disappointment sweeping his features.
“No, he’s at his cabin—I can feel his heartbeat coming from there. I had the woman drop me off about a half a mile past this cabin, then I hiked here.”
Smart god. “Okay. How do you think we should go about confronting Erik?”
“First, we should go when night falls. That’ll give him time to get comfortable in his home and believe he’s safe because he’s within his barriers.”
“I made a phone call while I was waiting for you.”
“Oh?”
“To my partner, Cory Adamson. He’s on his way now. I told him we’d try to wait until he’s here, but I gave him the locations for both cabins so he’d know where to find us…me.”
“I’m not leaving you alone,” he snapped. “I won’t leave you until your partner is here and you’re safe, whether or not the Gate opens for me.”
She swallowed past the lump in her throat. Her heart skipped several beats. “I understand,” she whispered.
“Good.”
She cleared her throat. “Why don’t we eat? We haven’t since our stop for those maple Creemees.” She smiled at the memory of his expression when he’d had the first taste. “I did pick up some things for dinner from the store.”
He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Your turn to cook, Agent Winter. I dare you to outdo me with so little.”
She rolled her eyes. “Are you saying you think I can’t satisfy your appetite?”
“Now, now, let’s not raise our temper. I’m simply daring you to…tantalize my taste buds more than I did yours, using what we have here.” He shrugged. “If it helps, we can make another bet about the bed.”