It didn't take too long to catch up to the van. For a while I cruised a good ten feet behind them, trying to catch a glimpse of their faces in their rear view mirror, debating with myself. Two of them, only one of me.
Of course, I also had the element of surprise.I reached up to straighten the police man's hat, grinning to myself. All I got off him was his hat and jacket but it should be enough to fool the frosties momentarily. Just long enough for me to get the drop on them, so to speak.I crawled another few yards closer and then flipped the lights on. It's not like I stole police cars all the time...just enough so that I was fairly familiar with how the controls worked.
The siren wooped, and the lights flashed red and blue out over the snow, sending flickering beams skipping over the white surface. The van jerked a bit at first, the brake lights going on and off spastically. My grin stretched wider, since I could imagine exactly what was going on right now.They were probably cursing their bad luck at being pulled over.What an unfortunate coincidence.For a few seconds the van just kept on driving, and my smile started to slide. If they didn't pull over—no, there they went, slowly, over to one side of the road, tires slipping on the packed snow.I pulled over behind them and shut the car off, keeping the lights going.
The more distractions the better. Part of me wanted to let them sit for a while, let them stew. Let them shit their pants a little bit.Not that they really were, both sides of this thing had the police in their pockets.They were probably wondering which side I was on at least....But they'd be expecting me to sit for a while, check my computer, drink my coffee, whatever it was cops did while you sat there and sweated through your shirt. And I couldn't afford to give them what they were expecting. Everything had to be a surprise.There was a flashlight up front, strapped to the side of the seat, and I leaned sideways to pull it out of the leather holster, weighing it in my hand. I'd bet it would make a pretty noise on contact with their skulls.
I shoved the door open, getting out slowly, boots crunching over the snow. I was betting on the lights being blinding if they looked back. Betting they could only see my outline.
So I put on a show. Hooked my fingers into my belt loops, sauntered slowly forward. It was a ridiculous act, like some cheesy TV show cop, but I couldn't help it.
What can I say, drama is in my blood.
I like to make an entrance, after all. It gives me a little thrill in all the right places, if you know what I mean.No cop ever walked up grinning ear to ear though, so I forced my face into stillness as I approached the vehicle. Even if they couldn't see my face yet, it always paid to get into character.Then I was past the length of the van, at the window, and the idiot driver actually put his head out."Officer, what can I—"He recognized me mid-sentence, and his eyes went round, his mouth falling open. I swung the butt of the flashlight down onto his left temple.There was a meaty sounding clunk, which reverberated through my hand and up my arm, and I winced. Even after all my years of fighting, the war I went through, the people I'd killed, I still felt sorry for a guy for the guy.
I gave him a casual once over, content that he'd wake up in the morning feeling stupid. Then I moved around the front of the van, hurrying now, because I could hear Erik's voice yelling, something...I wasn't sure what.
The rusty shriek of the van door followed, then he was out, barreling toward me, arms outstretched. I barely had time to think, just reared back with a shout of surprise and swung again, just like I did before.
The flashlight skimmed his temple, hard enough that he went down like a sack of wheat, hitting the snow bank with a solid thump. I stood there panting and blinking, staring at the flashlight in my hand.
I've never like to admit when things are a fluke, so I decided then to pretend that had been deliberate. It was deliberate, I'd lured him out and clunked him over the head. Like a chicken running to his own slaughter.
Dropping the flashlight I peeled the jacket off, letting it drop where I stood, sliding the hat off my head and discarding that on top. I looked great in a uniform, but you can only go around pretending to be a police officer for so long. They get uptight about that sort of thing.
A dull thud from the back of the van made me jump. Shit. I'd been standing there like an idiot and that girl was stuck back there.
It took me a while to break into the back of the van, wedging the double doors open and snaking the hook down to unlock it. When I finally pulled the doors open I found myself holding my breath. Not sure what I'd see.
It took my eyes a while to adjust to the gloom inside the van, and when they finally did I only saw piles of junk at first, a spare tire, cardboard boxes and garbage, what looked like a set of snow chains.
I jumped up on the back bumper, vaulting into the back, and there she was...
Amora.
Or Megan, I guess.
She lay awkwardly, half on her side, knees curled up to her chest, hands bound behind her back. All she wore was a thin white nightgown, and anyone else would have been freezing, shivering violently, but she lay perfectly still, head raised slightly, as if she were listening to my approach. A strip of black cloth ran across her eyes, tied behind her white-blond hair. When I stepped forward she flinched, and the sight made my stomach twist.
She didn't know I was here to help her.
I moved quickly, seizing the blindfold with careful fingers, tugging it upwards gently, not too hard, in case the knot at the back had caught any hair.
When the blindfold came off her eyes fluttered open, giving me a glimpse of blue irises, sky blue. Then she blinked frantically, trying to see me past the glare. No doubt her sight was still blurry.
Her expression was bewildered, and a little fierce. There was a defensiveness there that warned me she would put up a fight if I didn't let her know I was friendly. Something about the way she thrust her chin out, even if she was wide-eyed with fright.
She was a fighter. Like Amora.
Humans bored me, and as a general rule half-bloods weren't much better, but there was something different about this one. She was undeniably beautiful, for one thing. And she looked like she'd spit in your eye if you crossed her.
I like that in a woman.
And those idiots had tossed her in the back like she was nothing more than a prisoner, probably that moronic captain had knocked her out with some form of drug too. He was playing with fire, that one. His queen would probably have his head.
Finally she spoke. "Can you untie me please?"
"Oh." I blinked, shaking my head. It wasn't often I made a total fool of myself accidentally—usually I only did so in a calculated move, and for a purpose—but I was fairly certain I'd just been smiling down at her like a loon.
"Sorry, here, I'll help you sit up."
I slid my arm around her shoulders, careful not to be too grabby. Her frame was delicate under my hands, small and slender, even though she was nearly as tall as I was, judging by how long her legs were.
Shit. Don't look at her legs. Don't be creepy.
I reached down to untie her hands, working and the knots, and she jerked her hands back, grimacing. "Just...be careful."
She was afraid of freezing me. It almost made me laugh, seeing her so concerned, but I schooled my face into seriousness as much as I could. "I'm not worried. I'm Loki by the way, you must be Megan."
This time she took my hand, giving me the beginnings of a smile. Hesitant, but definitely the start of something. Her hand was cool in mine, her skin smooth, and I helped her through the back of the van, reaching out to grab her hips as she jumped down, wobbling slightly.
When her arm brushed mine it sent a shiver through me, but not because she was cold. I could barely feel her cold. It was something else. Something that made me want to grab her hand again.
But that was ridiculous.
She was already talking, asking what was going on, telling me we should call the police. And now I was going to have to explain everything. Plunge her into a completely new world, one she'd never even dreamed of. It was bad of me, but I was almost looking forward to the look on her face.
I took a deep breath and gave her a wide smile. "They really didn't tell you anything, did they?"
THE END.