Page 3

CHAPTER 3

H ow had she gotten herself into this mess? All she’d been trying to do was memorize and destroy documents that would implicate the Society and anyone associated with it. There was no way they would have turned over these to the court, that was for sure. The court probably wasn’t even aware most of them existed.

As soon as they’d brought her there the night she’d arrived, she decided to sneak back in as soon as possible. She recognized a law office when she saw one, and she wasn’t surprised at the documents she found there.

Beyond that, burning them fulfilled a need inside her she didn’t want to think about right now. It was also excruciatingly slow. She’d planned to be on her way by now. But now that she knew Zane was here, she had to find him.

The fire snapped again, but the Viking snatched her back before any projectiles landed on her. The orange edges of the pages he’d just tossed in so carelessly consumed the documents, curling and turning them to ash before she read them .

Sure, Father Aron and the General would wonder what happened to all their documents, but there was nothing to link their disappearance to her. That was why she’d locked her bedroom door behind her when she’d snuck out after everything went crazy. She burned everything she touched except for the doorknob and cabinet handles. And she’d covered those with a cloth when she touched them.

She had almost finished when she was interrupted. Staring at the crazy Viking man standing before her, she wished her outrage were genuine. She should feel livid. The dampness of her panties provided strong evidence that anger wasn’t what she was feeling at the moment.

Oh, he’d scared the do-wah-dilly out of her. She hated being startled like that; it triggered her fight response. Besides, who knew Vikings were so skilled at stealth? She was pretty good at detecting danger, yet he’d snuck past all her Spidey senses. Now she was just mad.

The anger was good. It provided the courage she typically lacked. But how to hold onto that anger when the man standing in front of her could have stepped right out of the pages of every book she had on her e-reader?

No one had ever threatened to throw her over their shoulder before. She was a big girl with well-rounded curves; curves she’d come to appreciate. Unfortunately, she didn’t often find men who appreciated them, too. Aside from outlaw MC bikers, who seemed to like them a lot.

Thank goodness whatever the Society had threatened them with four years ago if they touched her had kept them at bay. Well, that and Ravage. He was the vice president of the MC, and for some reason, he had become her protector. It was strange because he didn’t seem to like her at all.

“Well, what’s it going to be, fairy cat?” The Viking’s voice did things to her as well. It sent shivers down her spine and made her squirm. Deep and authoritative, it wasn’t the voice of a man who often asked for permission. No, this was the kind of man who did whatever the heck he wanted.

And what was with the fairy cat thing? The pet names usually appeared much later in her books. He’d never met her before. If he had, he would have known she wasn’t very fairy cat-like at all. Still, it gave her a warm feeling. She’d never had a pet name before.

Not the most important thing right now, Lovie. Get a grip!

Her inner voice was a pain in the watusi. This time, it was also right. “I don’t trust Society security guards. Why should I trust you at all?”

The Viking didn’t respond, except for his right hand twitching a few times. Should a man with a twitchy hand even be allowed to have guns? She’d say he looked grimmer, only she wasn’t sure that was possible.

He glared at her —a look that made her want to cover her bottom with her hands— and then shrugged. “I don’t know what it is about Littles that makes you bent on doing things the hard way.”

Wait. Did he know what Littles were? Was there another definition of that word she wasn’t aware of? Because he couldn’t possibly be talking about her size.

Lovelyn squealed a moment later as he hoisted her over his shoulder. The Viking didn’t skip a beat. “We don’t have time. Whatever you need to discuss, we’ll talk about it once we’re safely outside. Now, stay still.”

She couldn’t believe he’d done that. She was no super-model lightweight, but you’d never know it by the way he had lifted her. If she hadn’t already known she was crazy, the fact her tummy fluttered, not with fear like a normal person, but with excitement, would have proved it. She’d never in her life expected to be tossed over a man’s shoulder .

A white strap dangling from the chair she’d used caught her attention. Oh no. Since she’d had no warning, her backpack still rested on the floor by the chair she’d been using. If the Society found it, they’d know she was the one who burned all their documents. Not to mention, Buzzy and Owlbert were inside. She wasn’t leaving without them.

Struggling against the Viking, she demanded, “Wait.”

The Viking refused to comply. Vikings could be quite hardheaded.

She tried again. “No, seriously, wait!”

The Viking left the room and strode down the hallway instead of waiting. Grr. It took a lot to make her mad, but he’d done it. She hated being ignored. She was just as much a person as he was, darn it. He wasn’t going to pretend she hadn’t spoken.

In hindsight, she ought to have taken a moment to calm down, but she didn’t.

Hanging upside down over his shoulder provided her with a bird’s eye view of his lower back and backside. Yum! She also noticed his cargo pants hung slightly lower than the waistband of his underwear.

Without thinking, she grabbed the band and yanked up as hard as she could. The Viking cursed, and not in Old Norse, either. He spun around so quickly that she had to wrap her arms around his middle to avoid falling as she slid from his shoulder. Landing on her feet, she dashed back to the study, barely missing his hands as he grabbed for her, still cursing.

Movement caught her attention as a small dark object slipped free from the waistband of his cargo pants. Before she could respond, the loudest gunshot she’d ever heard ricocheted through the hall. Covering her ears, Lovie screamed and dropped to the floor.

Her heart pounded in her chest, racing so fast she feared she was having a heart attack. A handgun rested on the floor between them, and a hole punctured the hallway’s baseboard.

Lovelyn could feel all the color drain from her face, and that was saying something since she’d just been hanging upside down.

What had she done? How could she not have noticed he had a gun lodged in the waistband of his pants? The Viking could have been shot. Or Zane. Where had he said Zane was? She had to make sure he was all right.

How had this gone so wrong? All she wanted was a few more minutes with the documents. Then she could have all made her getaway. It had been a good plan. How had it spiraled down to the point where her ears were ringing because she had almost killed two people?

Lovie's world righted itself as the Viking lifted her from the floor. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she attempted to run, but she wasn’t quick enough. He scowled down at her, every inch of him a Viking warrior prepared for battle.

Doing her best to control her breathing so she wouldn’t hyperventilate, she attempted to apologize, but her words refused to cooperate. Nothing could get past the huge lump blocking her throat.

She wanted to explain what had happened, to try and tell the angry giant how sorry she was for wedgying him. It had seemed like such a good idea when she thought of it, but it hadn’t turned out well at all.

The giant glowered at her, fierce and threatening. Her heartbeat, which had hammered in her chest since he’d snuck up on her, drifted downward and settled between her thighs.

He bellowed at her. “What the hell were you thinking? You could have been shot.”

Suddenly, another Viking joined them, not as tall but with a bushy, thick beard and the same scowling face. The man stood by her Viking’s side .

Without taking his eyes off her, her Viking spoke to his fellow warrior. “You grab Zane and get him to Bones, bossman. I got this one.”

Her Viking told the other man to take her brother, whom she hadn’t seen in four years, away before she'd even had a chance to talk to him or even see him. Then it happened, and it was all her Viking’s fault for being so scary.

Before she could stop herself, she smacked her Viking on the nose and yelled, “Bad Viking!”

Lovie almost laughed at the shock on his face. But then, his shock transformed into a scowl. Only this time, it was even more terrifying. Hmm. She’d made her point, so there was no need to linger. She turned and ran back toward the office they’d just vacated.

Yes, it was the wrong direction to see Zane, if he was really here, but it was away from the Viking. She’d figure out how to reach Zane once she had her backpack. Hopefully, she could get to her brother and get them both to safety before the Vikings caught them.

Zane was the only real family she had. He meant everything to her, and she'd never regretted the choices she made to keep them close. But it was hard. More than ever, she wished she had a strong Daddy like the ones she read about who could care for both her and her brother. If her brother was still speaking to her, that was. Four years was a long time.

A picture of the Viking flashed through her head. He was strong and brave. Even if he wasn’t very good at choosing where to stash his gun, he could be a good protector.

And fantastic between the sheets, I’d bet.

Argh! Her inner voice struck again. Factually accurate, but no sense of timing. Bonus points for excellent taste, though. And, yes, she knew she was talking to and about herself. Who else was she supposed to talk to when her stuffies weren’t available ?

Not that it mattered, as the Viking didn’t care for her much. He’d never want to be her Daddy. She couldn’t even blame him. Stifling a groan as she dashed across the office to grab her backpack, she then noticed that some of the papers had slid out of the fireplace and were unburned.