Shatterproof

by Stein Willard

  “Are you okay?” he asked her urgently.

  “Yes. You?”

  He touched his lip. “Bit my tongue.” He tried his door, but with his car jammed up against her, she doubted he realized he wasn’t going to have any luck getting out through that door.

  A man arrived at her side and opened the door. “Are you okay, ma’am? You were hit far back on the side. Can you move your legs?”

  She nodded, but actually didn’t feel anything. She was a little shaken up, but other than that, she was fine. She reached for her purse and laptop case, knowing that the insurance will take care of the rest and climbed out of the car. Her knees buckled slightly and she leaned against the vehicle. She could make out the far off wailing of an ambulance. The man looked concerned as he studied her.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “I’m fine, thanks.” She gave him a smile, but he still seemed unconvinced.

  “Do you mind if I wait with you until the ambulance gets here?”

  Bo took a moment to study him closely. He was tall and lanky. Handsome, but not overly so. His dark brown eyes reflected genuine concern. He seemed more upset by all this than she was. “If you’re sure I’m not keeping you from anything, I would appreciate you staying.”

  He smiled and suddenly appeared quite handsome. She hoped he didn’t get it in his mind to ask her out later. She would hate to disappoint him. “Thank you.”

  “I need to make a call. Do you mind?”

  “Not at all. I’ll give you some privacy.”

  She found her mobile in her purse and pressed the speed dial to Marion’s number. The call was picked up after two dials.

  “Hey. Are you on your way?”

  “I don’t think I’ll make it. I was in an accident.”

  “Jeez!” Marion hissed. “Are you okay?”

  Bo looked around. The fire brigade had just arrived and was trying to get the other man out of his car. “The fire brigade has arrived just now. I’m waiting for the ambulance.”

  “The ambulance? But I thought you said you were okay?”

  “I am. I only want to lie down for a while.”

  “I’m coming to you. Where are you now?”

  “No, no. Please stay and apologize to Dobrov for me. I didn’t see the other car coming until it was too late. I’ll text you from the hospital.”

  “I don’t like this, Bo. I should be there with you.”

  Bo smiled. “Believe me you’ll be bored here. The ambulance just arrived. See you later and don’t stress.”

  The man came over to her and taking her hand, led her to the ambulance. He stood by as the paramedics asked her a few questions. When they loaded her into the ambulance, he looked utterly forlorn. Bo didn’t trust easily, but something about the man that made her feel at ease. Besides, if he was an axe murderer, he wasn’t going to kill her with so many witnesses present.

  She glanced at the paramedic.

  “Would you mind if my brother rides with us?”

  “Not at all.”

  She smiled when the man quickly got in before the paramedic changed his mind. He smiled at her and reached for her hand, the concern never really leaving his eyes.

  ***

  Loki suppressed his rage as he acted out his concern. The woman was beside herself with worry for her friend and all Loki could think about was that he was robbed of yet another chance to get close to Bo. What were the odds of the woman getting involved in an accident just when they were supposed to meet? The last time it was a gas leak or something. It’s almost as if someone is trying to keep them apart. Odin, perhaps? It was no secret that his father couldn’t stand the sight of him. However, would he deliberately sabotage Loki’s chances of capturing the woman? If so, why? Odin had moved on. After Hlif banishment from Valhalla, Odin had lost his appetite for the game and isolated into himself for a long while. Frigg had tried to draw Odin from his depression, but to no avail. They both gave up their gaming and decided to retire to Valaskialf, Odin’s private palace. It took many centuries for Odin to return to his old self, but he still refused to have Loki anywhere near him. Loki found himself exiled to the mortal realm without his powers. Alone and vulnerable. It took him a while to think of a way to buy his place back in Odin’s favour. He had trekked through centuries, finding and eliminating anyone related to Harald and Gurith. He wanted to wipe his father’s failure from the face of the earth. If there were no Haardraad alive to taunt Odin, then Odin’s failure at seizing Harald and Gurith’s souls would not haunt him anymore. Loki had eliminated more Haardraad descendants than he could remember. Others, he had sent into hiding. Some were quick to dilute their blood link to a point that they were barely identifiable as Haardraads. The last direct descendants were the Witteman clan. He had wiped them all out, leaving only the old, feeble ones to live. Bo had managed to escape the massacre of her parents and now she seemed to always be one step ahead of him.

  Someone was helping her. Until he found out who it was, it would serve him well to be careful. If they protected her, then they knew who he was. They could easily turn their sights on him.

  If it wasn’t Odin, then it left only one other person.

  Hlif, the Supreme Valkyrie, and the one person Loki avoided like the plaque. If this were the case, he would need to alter his strategy. He didn’t stand a chance against Hlif. Nor did his warriors.

  ***

  Hlif studied the monitor before she pointed to a dark spot. “Anyone could hide there and we won’t see him.”

  Leif scribbled notes in his pad. “I could suggest a floodlight instead of a camera. What do you think?”

  “A light would do. If positioned well, it wouldn’t blind the other camera. Good thinking, Leif. What else did you pick up?”

  Leif flipped through the monitors. “I noticed that the angles of the cameras aimed at the students’ accommodation have been adjusted slightly.”

  Sighing, Hlif took a sip of her coffee. On top of everything else, they also had to deal with horny youngsters. They probably turned the cameras to hide their midnight escapades.

  “We need to put the cameras higher. Let’s also pay them back for messing with our equipment by putting a sensor light next to the camera, which snaps some pictures as soon as the sensor is triggered.” Leif chuckled, making Hlif grinned evilly at him. “Once they’ve learned their lesson, we can remove the light.”

  “I’ll check into all that right now.” He left the tent just as Hlif felt the vibration of her phone in her pants pocket. She glanced at the Caller ID and frowned, a feeling of foreboding coming over her. “Markus.”

  “She was in an accident about two hours ago. Nothing serious, though. I’m with her at the hospital.”

  Hospital? If it was nothing serious, what was she doing at the hospital? Her voice was eerily quiet when she spoke again. “Why is she at the hospital, Markus?”

  “Just a check-up. I can assure you that she’s okay. I didn’t leave her side once.”

  “That means that you broke your cover.”

  “I was behind her when she got hit and couldn’t stand there and do nothing. You would’ve killed me otherwise.”

  Hlif’s ire dissipated almost instantly. “You’re right, I would’ve. What now?”

  “I don’t want to ask her out and spook her. I’m simply a concerned bystander and once she’s discharged, we’re each going our own way.”

  “And the person who hit her? Is it one of Loki’s people?”

  There was a short silence. “I don’t know. I was too worried about her. But as soon as she’s home safe, I’ll find out about the man.”

  Hlif wanted to ask more about Bo, but she suppressed the urge. The thought of Bo in pain was driving her mad. She wanted to fly down to New York, find Loki, and break every bone in his body before she stabbed him through the heart with her dagger. One needs a special weapon to kill an immortal but when Odin confiscated all her celestial weapons, they’d forgotten about her dagger. Hlif had presented Gurith wit
h the dagger many seasons before and even she’d forgotten about its existence. The infinite hours spent inside Gurith’s tomb had given her time to contemplate and plot Loki’s demise. That’s when she remembered the weapon. When night fell, she searched for it amongst Gurith’s belongings and found it. Loki will meet his death by her hand and no one else’s. But she needed to be patient. Bo needed to come to her first. She needed to be unhindered by the curse when she pursued her murderous half-brother.

  “Here she comes now. I need to go.”

  “How is she?”

  “She really is doing okay, Hlif. Not even a scratch. The other guy looked worse.”

  She trusted Markus. If he said Bo was unhurt, then she believed him. “Thank you.”

  “Bye, boss.”

  ***

  “Boss?” Bo frowned at her benefactor. “I thought you said I wasn’t keeping you from anything?”

  “You aren’t. My shift doesn’t start until the afternoon. I was only informing my boss that I was at the hospital but would be at the office as soon as you’re discharged.”

  “Bo!” Marion came rushing down the hallway from the lift to hug her. “Are you sure you’re okay to leave? You gave me such a fright. What happened?” She glanced at the man next to Bo. “And who is he? Was he the one who …?”

  Bo held up her hand. “I’m fine and no, he’s not the one who hit me. He came to my rescue and stayed with me.”

  Marion looked at him. “Thank you.” She frowned, “Have we met before?”

  The man smiled and held out his hand. “Vincent. Yes, we did. I was Frances’ date at last night’s drinks.”

  Bo was both surprised and relieved. At least someone could vouch for him as not being an axe murder and he wasn’t likely to ask her out.

  “True. Nice to meet you again, Vincent.”

  He smiled at Bo. “I need to run. I’m glad that you’re okay. See you around, Marion.”

  He left them and Marion turned to Bo. “What a crappy thing to happen to you.”

  “I know. All I want is to go home, have a cup of tea, and pack for my trip.”

  “Your trip?” Marion blinked. “You’re still going?”

  “Most definitely. The accident today just made me realize that I could’ve died without any answers to the many questions I have. I want to know something more about myself before I kick the bucket.” She shrugged. “I believe there’s something that my grandmother kept from me and I want to ask her about it.”

  Marion smiled. “Are you sure I shouldn’t come with you?”

  “If I need you, I’ll buy you a ticket. How’s that sound?”

  “Like it’s never going to happen.”

  Bo laughed. “You’re such a pessimist. I might surprise you one day. Just you wait and see.”

  “Yeah, whatever. Come on, let me take you home.”

  ***

  Shawn moved behind the student, watching as she scowled the bronze handle. He sighed in dismay when, after consulting the list of typed up items, she ticked off the wrong category. He pulled over a chair and sat next to her. She looked startled by his presence. He checked the nameplate on her chest. Valery.

  “Hi, Valery. Mind if I sit here for a moment?” She shook her head. “I was much younger than you when I went on my first excavation. It was nothing as high profile as this, but my professor was strict and a sucker for detail.”

  Valery gently placed the artefact on the table. “Did I do something wrong, Professor?”

  He smiled at her. “I don’t know. What do you think?”

  “The categories are confusing.” She pushed the list over to him. “I don’t even know what the item was used for, so how can I label it.” She looked at him with a slightly sheepish look.

  Shawn smiled gently. “You’re doing much better than I did at your age. You’ve landed a gig on a high profile find. This alone will set you aside from many of your peers, but what will make you a great archaeologist one day, is to know your shortcomings and to ask for help when you’re not sure about something.” She blushed. “Just remember, that all of us started like you. It’s not something you’ll learn overnight, Valery. It’s a process and a long, rewarding one.” He tapped the list. “One day my granddaughter might work on your dig site and she’ll need you to guide her, just as I’m going to do now. We look out for our people and the younger ones, especially, because we count on you to continue our work when we’re gone.”

  Valery smiled, a look of relief on her face. “Thank you, Professor.”

  “Let’s see how we can make this easy for you.” For the next half an hour, he sat with Valery, taking her through the different categories and sharing tips on how to identify objects by their categories. By the time Hanna tapped him on the shoulder, he had the whole class surrounding his table.

  “Someone’s here to see you, Professor.”

  He removed his glasses. “Who is it?”

  “Hlif Svendson.”

  Hanna’s voice sounded a little breathless and he stopped himself just in time before he laughed. It had been the same for him with Jennifer. The mere mention of her name made him hyperventilate. Just like Hanna, he’d felt he was way out of his wife’s league as well.

  He stood and saw the head of security standing in the doorway. Some of the students noticed her, too, and they were openly gawking at her. To her credit, Hlif ignored the stares and focussed her attention on him. Her unusual height and striking looks were not easily ignored.

  “Hlif, good to see you again. I wish I could offer you some coffee, but ours is nowhere near as nice as yours.”

  “Thank you, but I’m fine for now.” She took in the room. “It must get crowded in here at times?”

  Shawn followed her gaze. With twenty students working in here and the constant stream of diggers bringing in new items, it did get busy. “You get used to it after a while. So, what brings the head of security to our humble, dusty area?”

  “Just a few updates. We’ve identified a few blind spots around the site, but the team is already adjusting camera angles and in some cases adding floodlights.” She glanced at the students. “An area where we placed one such light is the students’ accommodation area. It would appear a few elements decided to adjust the cameras to hide their midnight activities. We’ve moved the cameras out of reach and added a deterrent for future saboteurs.”

  The way she said the last part, made Shawn smile. He wouldn’t want to incur the wrath of this woman on a good day. These kids were in for a rude awakening for having messed with her expensive equipment.

  “I think they’re young and healthy enough not to drop dead from shock when they find out what the deterrent is.” He glanced at his watch. “I have to drive to town later to collect my family from the airport. Would you be free on Friday evening to dine with us?”

  Those mysterious eyes flashed with a peculiar look. “I’d be honoured, Professor.”

  “Great. Seven o’clock. I’ll make sure to send you the address.”

  Hlif smiled and left, leaving him with a strange sense of anticipation.

  ***

  Loki tossed the shot back and looked at the men surrounding him. They were all half drunk. Today’s setback had stung more than any other had. He poured himself a fresh drink.

  Elaine was spending the night at her parents and he was relieved that he didn’t have to deal with her too. What upset him the most, was the fact that he didn’t have a clue on how to proceed from here. Loki pushed away the glass. The alcohol wasn’t helping. He needed to do something constructive to feel that he was making some progress.

  “Boss, it’s for you.” The man held out the phone to him.

  Who would be calling him on his landline? Except for Elaine, no one else had this number.

  “Dobrov.”

  “Stay away from her, Loki. I will not tell you again.”

  Loki immediately sobered up. “Who’s this?”

  “It doesn’t matter. Heed my warning.” The dial tone followed.


  Loki frowned at the phone. He didn’t recognize the voice. What unsettled him more than anything, was that the caller wasn’t Hlif.

  Could there be another player they didn’t know about?

  Chapter 6

  “This is not the performance I would expect from a divine being such as yourself,” the voice husked in the candlelit room. “A Supreme Valkyrie, no less.”

  The rhythmic creaking of the bed increased until the taunting voice morphed into a refrain of breathy moans and pants.

  Bo’s eyes jerked open and she took a shuddering breath. She raked her hands over her face. The interaction between the two women didn’t differ much in intensity, but the dreams were becoming more frequent now.

  She rolled out of bed and made her way over to the bathroom where she gulped down handfuls of water to wet her dry throat. More. She needed ice water to douse the heat that the dream had sparked inside her. Bo didn’t flick on the lights as she walked barefoot down the hallway to the kitchen. It was still dark outside and she wondered what time it was. Maybe it was better she didn’t know. It might only stress her if she tried to fall asleep again and couldn’t. Her flight was at nine and she didn’t want to miss it.

  Bo helped herself to a bottle of water from the fridge and was about to reach for a glass when she noticed a movement out of the corner of her eye. She froze for a moment, tempted to look and see who or what it was, but her self-defence instructor’s words rang loudly in her mind. Don’t make your enemy aware that you know they’re there. They thrive on the fear their presence caused you. Instead, she calmly reached for a glass and returned to her room, where she took her Glock from the bedside drawer. She checked the clip and stuffed her sheet with pillows to resemble a sleeping occupant.

  The alarm clock showed it was only 7 p.m. The pain medication the doctor prescribed her for seat belt syndrome had knocked her out when she took it after returning from the hospital. She took a long drink from the bottle and placed it on the bedside table.