by Tami Dee
Her palm burned as Leif's heart pounded under her touch. How could a man coming from a land of freezing temperatures be so warm?
"Let me handle this," she said firmly, then turned to face McCarty.
"He's a friend, McCarty," she gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "He's ahh, new here and not familiar with our ways. He was just looking out for me."
McCarty looked over Leif speculatively. "Where are you from?"
Kat held her breath. She'd been too tired last night to come up with a cover story for her time-traveling houseguest and now she wondered if he had the good sense to lie. And if he did, would he be any good at it?
"I am from Denmark," Leif answered smoothly. "I'm here on business." Kat wondered how he had come up with that line, then guessed that Rosie must have coached him.
"Exactly what kind of business are you involved in?" McCarty pressed. Kat guessed he was trying to establish whether Leif was of Benny's sort or not.
"I am a collector of antiques," Leif told him. "Viking age to be specific. I authenticate, buy and sell artifacts, jewelry and weapons."
Rosie made her way to her side and dug a sharp elbow into her ribs. Kat winced and snapped her mouth closed. She hadn't actually realized it was hanging open.
"Good line," Kat whispered.
"What can I say?" Rosie whispered back, her gold eyes sparkling. "He's a quick study."
"I'll say," she agreed, feeling a prickle of jealousy slip through her that it had been Rosie who prepared Leif for questions such as the ones McCarty was peppering him with, rather than her.
Kat reined in her irrational thoughts. After all, she scolded herself, she had practically twisted Rosie's arm to help her out today.
She and Rosie stepped from between the testosterone driven men and leaned against a nearby wall, settling in for what would likely be a long wait. Rosie watched McCarty with a slightly amused smile lurking at the corner of her lips and Kat used the opportunity to get a good, unobstructed look at Leif.
And he looked great.
His mustache and beard were gone, and, bruises aside, Kat could honestly say she had never seen a more handsome man in her life.
His face was bronzed by wind and sun, with high cheekbones, a strong, square chin. It was less tanned than the rest of his face now that he was beardless, and was now thrust forward in a combative, stubborn angle. His sapphire blue eyes flashed with temper, sparkling like jewels under golden blond brows that were, not surprisingly, pulled into a fierce frown. His lips were firm and sensual, a fact of which she had discovered this morning as he tried to kiss her, and set beneath an aquiline nose.
His long blond hair was pulled straight back from his forehead and tied with a black strap. It glimmered and fell like a moonbeam down his broad back, past his waist. A pair of black Jeans hugged his long muscular legs and his large feet were incased in white Nikes with a black racing stripe running along the sides. A black cotton t-shirt clung to his wide shoulders, the material lovingly shaping itself to the sharp definition of his chest.
He clenched and unclenched his fists during his argument with McCarty, causing the massive muscles of his arms to flex.
Kat nodded in satisfaction. Seeing him like this was definitely worth picking a few pockets last night. Which reminded her that she needed to put the wallets, complete with credit cards and ID's, into the city mail tonight.
McCarty abruptly turned to her, startling her from her thoughts. She gave him what she hoped was a casual, not guilty look which must have worked because he didn't slap the handcuffs on her.
"Have the paramedics taken a look at you?"
"They don't need to," she assured him, not adding that all she really wanted to go home and soak in a hot tub. "I'm fine."
For a moment, McCarty looked like he was going to argue with her and she prepared her counter argument, then he let out a long breath.
"In that case, you're coming with me to the station. We're going to need your statement. You will be pressing charges, won't you?" McCarty's jaw was clenched and his hands were fisted at his sides as he glared at her.
Kat rolled her eyes. "Why bother? His lawyer will have him out on the street again by morning. Then he'll really be ticked off."
"Did you ever think that one of these times, he might not get off? That you could put that scum behind bars for twenty years? Then you wouldn't have to risk your foolish neck to save those runaways from him?"
He was shouting by the time he had finished his tirade. Kat's ears rang for a full ten seconds after his last word. His head was so close to hers she could smell coffee on his breath. Out of the corner of her eye, Kat could see Leif watching her. Considering. Paying a little too much attention to the questions that McCarty was asking her. Rosie was no help either, standing next to Leif, arms crossed, with that, 'If-I-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-I-asked-her-those-questions' look on her face.
"I can take care of myself," she said, not bothering to hide her annoyance. Why didn't everyone leave her alone? She'd done just fine on her own for these last five years, today being the exception rather than the rule.
The incredulous expressions on their faces as their heads all swiveled towards her at once made her grit her teeth but she was saved another lecture by McCarty when Mrs. Chan was released from the closet. Oops, she forgot to tell someone that her employer was still in there.
Mrs. Chan had a bruise forming on her cheek and was fit to be tied.
Pointing a finger in her face, she uttered the inevitable. "You fired, Kat. You too much trouble. Too much. It follow you everywhere. I don't want you here no more. Send your friend--" She jerked her head toward Rosie, "--tomorrow to pick up your check. You stay away I don't want those bad men back. You hear me?"
"Yes Mrs. Chan. I hear you," Kat answered wearily. Your relatives in China can hear you. "I'm sorry you got hurt, Mrs. Chan," Kat said sincerely.
Shuffling off, Mrs. Chan picked up clothing from the floor along her way, muttering under her breath that it was going to take all night to clean up the mess Kat's bad men had made.
A SWAT guy approached McCarty, his face taut. "So where are the terrorists?"
McCarty's face was a blank, then became as taut as the S.W.A.T. guys. "One minute, Riley." He pulled out his cell phone and pressed a button. "Liz, its McCarty. Patch the recording of the 911 call we are responding to now through to me."
His expression darkened ominously as he listened. Casting a quick look at Rosie and seeing her rolling her eyes and tapping her foot, Kat had a good idea why the FBI and the S.W.A.T. team had joined the police in her dramatic rescue.
McCarty clicked his phone off and glared across the room at Rosie before turning back to Riley. "It was an anonymous tip, we'll look into it further. Sorry for the trouble."
Riley cast a pointed look at Rosie. Signaling his men to leave, he said. "See that you do. It's a federal offence to make fraudulent terrorist reports."
The FBI followed behind them.
"Heads are going to roll because of this," McCarty muttered under his breath. "Let's go so we can get this over with."
As McCarty moved to grab Kat by the arm, Leif's eyes narrowed dangerously and he dropped his had back to his side.
"After you," he said tightly.
Straitening her spine, Kat swept out of the cleaners and into the back seat of the black and white waiting at the curb. She had a feeling it was going to be a very long night.
Chapter Nine
Katla leaned her battered body against the brick wall outside the police station. Immediately after Benny's attack, she'd had so much adrenaline rushing through her that she hadn't felt any soreness or pain. Now, after sitting quietly for so long, she felt every single bruise on her body. Aspirin and a hot bath was -- in that order -- at the top of her to-do list. But before she could do either, she needed to find Rosie and Leif and have them take her home. The officer at the information counter had told her that they would be waiting for her outside.
Looking
around the brightly lit parking lot for Rosie's car, all she could see was a few patrol cars and a black stretch limo. She sighed and scrubbed a hand across her tired eyes. Maybe they had gone to get some coffee. After all, the interview had dragged on for hours.
Why was it that nobody understood how it worked on the streets? You didn't testify against someone that had more cutthroats in their corner than you did. It simply wasn't done. And if it was done, the person doing it didn't live to tell about it.
They could send Benny away for twenty or thirty years and it wouldn't matter. He had friends, friends that stood to lose a lot of money, drug sales and a variety of other profitable ventures if Benny were out of commission. They were the ones that Kat would have to watch out for. With her Amma in such a vulnerable state, there was no way Kat would risk letting someone would learn of her whereabouts and harm her in retaliation. Never. She would take her chances the way things were now. After all, it was easer to fight an enemy you already know than one you don't.
*****
Leif watched Kat through the tinted limo window while Rosie sat quietly on the seat across from him, her face pensive.
He had never imagined forging a friendship with a woman. He had only met Rosie a mere twenty-four hours ago but he already held her in high regard. The main reason for his respect being her unfailing loyalty to Kat.
During this strange, long day of selling and buying, Rosie had shared with Leif a great many things about Kat and her grandmother. It had taken a great deal of talking to convince Rosie that he intended to care for Kat. Her initial response to his declaration was, "Good luck, Dude". After which she had laughed so hard that tears had sprung to her eyes. Eventually, however, he managed to convince her that he just might succeed, and a short while later she had entrusted the inner workings of her best friend's mind to him.
Leif had been stunned, and then touched, after learning that the reason Kat lived in a roach infested hovel, despite having so many jobs, was because she used almost all her earnings to purchase clothing, food and transportation home for the girls she saved from Benny and others like him. Truly, she was a remarkable woman, one he was proud to know.
Leif swung open his door and unwound himself from the car. Breathing deeply, the damp night air filled his lungs. A light layer of fog surrounded the rows of fireless lights set throughout the parking lot, giving them an otherworldly appearance.
Singlee, Rosie's cousin, and his newly hired chauffeur, hurried to assist him with the door but Leif waved him back and strode toward Kat who, as always when uncertain, was chewing on her lower lip. A habit he found endearing.
*****
Kat's heart pounded in anticipation as Leif approached her. As soon as he was close enough she pushed herself off the wall and into his arms, tears running in a hot stream down her cheeks as she wound her arms around his waist and held on with all her strength. He didn't say a word. He simply held her, stroking her hair as heat from his body seeped into hers, warming her, soothing her.
The steady beat of his heart under her ear gave her strength. She wasn't sure why she had thrown herself into his arms, but now that she was there, she had no intention of leaving anytime soon.
Although she would never admit it to anyone, she had been terrified as the lid of the steam iron descended upon her. But now she was safe. Protected and championed. Leif was, in every since of the word, her hero. Her very own Norseman hero. It felt good to be in his arms. Very good.
I could get used to this.
And that was dangerous. She had been on her own for years. And Leif, well Leif was seeking the first train out of this century and she had best remember it. He would be gone, and she would be here, alone.
You must not let him return without you. Okay, maybe she wouldn't be left here alone. But could she really go back to his time with him? Could he even get back? According to Amma, he must be able to or else she wouldn't have given such precise instructions.
But how? Kat shivered and the arms that sheltered her tightened in response. How?
Kat's mind continued to race, warring between the certainty that they would never be able to travel through time, and the fact that the man now holding her had already done so. She was not a fool. Leif didn't have to tell her that if, indeed, she followed him to his time and she would be hated.
Unwelcome. The thought for some reason filled her with an acute sense of loss as she snuggled deeper into the soft fabric of his new jacket. A hint of aftershave taunted her senses.
She hadn't betrayed him and his people, but she was a direct descendent of the woman who had. A woman who, according to Leif, looked just like her and carried her name.
Kat almost harrumphed aloud. Going back to Leif's time was asking for trouble. She had no doubt that Leif would feel honor bound to protect her, and she was certain that he could keep her safe. But at what cost to himself? Her ancestor had already caused him untold grief. If he were to find his way back, had she the right to follow him, causing him who knows how much more hardship?
Yet, according to Amma, it would be up to her to make things right for him and his people. She would be responsible for saving an infant, for heaven's sake.
And what about the infant? Katla wondered, a touch of hysteria welling within her. How would she even know him to save him? After all, it was not as though they had kept birth certificates in the Dark Ages.
She choked back a sigh.
"What are you thinking?" Leif asked her, his breath warm against her forehead.
"I haven't had a chance to thank you for today," she said, giving him a wobbly smile. She hadn't meant for her voice to break. He was mighty, brave and strong. And here she was, slobbering all over his new jacket. A very expensive jacket she thought with a frown.
"It was my pleasure, lady."
The earnestness with which he spoke was almost her undoing.
Embarrassed, she eased out of his hold. "It looks as if your weapon brought you in a pretty penny?"
"If you mean it was of a large value, then aye. It did. As a matter of fact, there are several things that we need to discuss regarding the amounts it did bring in."
He placed a strong arm about her shoulders, tucking her snugly to his side as he guided her to the limo. She recognized Singlee immediately as he scurried around the front of the car to open the door.
"Singlee!" she exclaimed. "When did you get out?"
Flushing, Singlee gave her a sharp look. Apparently, he hadn't informed his new employer of his address for the last three years. Oh, well, she reasoned, it was probably a good idea to have a driver that could watch your back when you were a Norseman stranded in strange land and time.
The interior of the limo was lit by dome lighting and new leather scented the comfortably heated interior. Kat sank into the seat, unable to resist an experimental wiggle of her bottom. Yep, heated seats. Singlee shut the door after they were both safely inside. So this is how the other half lived. She winked at Rosie, making her laugh. No doubt Rosie wasn't regretting helping out today. In truth, she looked quite pleased with herself.
"Pardon us, Singlee," Leif said, pressing a button that silently closed the solid panel blocking the front seat from the back. Kat raised her brows in surprise at how quickly he was adapting to his new surroundings.
"As you may have guessed Kat, the weapon that I sold this morn held a high value. I have also sold several other things that came with me to this time and I was able to purchase this limo, living quarters and a few other things necessary for me to settle into your time comfortably."
Katla swallowed. "Oh."
The edge of Leif's lip twitched. He was obviously enjoying her current inability to speak.
"Rosie has assured me that a safe deposit box is the most sensible place to secure the few other weapons and jewelry that I possess until such time I choose to sell them," he continued.
Leaning across the expanse of the limo toward her, he placed his neatly manicured hands on either side of her thighs. Kat found his
presence overwhelming. He radiated an animal magnetism that threatened to hypnotize her.
His hands moved from beside her thighs to rest on top of them. A shiver of wanting ran through her. His light touch wreaked havoc with her senses; it was all she could do to pay attention to his words.
"Your name is on the account Kat," he said in a low voice. "Yours and mine. If, nay--" he shook his head. "When I return to my time, you will be well taken care of. I have been assured that my remaining artifacts carry a value that will make certain that you will never have to work again."
Kat heard his words but was having a difficult time focusing on their meaning with his thumbs tracing tiny circles on the inside of her jeans clad thighs.
"At Rosie's advice," he continued, "I have also secured an attorney and accountant to assist you with investments and protect your interest until you acquire the skills to look after your own affairs. In the meantime, I will take care of the threat of Benny."
Silence hung in the air for a pregnant moment as his words swirled around in her head. She didn't know what to respond to first, his assuming that she needed his money, or his boast that he would take care of Benny. She slapped his much too distracting hands away from her legs then opened her mouth to lay into him. He silenced her with a firm finger to her lips and, undaunted, continued speaking.
"Rosie explained the various reasons that it is not in your best interest to 'press charges against Benny'," he said, shooting a glance to Rosie who nodded in agreement. "But I believe I have a way around that. Unfortunately it is a solution that does not demand me to lop his head from his shoulders," he added regretfully. "Rosie assures me that is not done in this century."