Jane Godman - One Night With The Valkyrie

“The best way out of here will be to drive across the border into Lebanon.” Edith tapped the map. “I have a contact near the old port of Batroun. He will take you by boat to Cyprus. From there, you can arrange to travel to the United States.”

Those words were the sweetest Adam had ever heard. Even so, it seemed he had a long way to go before he could say he was safely home.

“Does Tarek have a passport?” That was Adam’s biggest concern. Maja could take care of herself. Her invisibility would prove to be a handy trick when it came to border control.

Edith nodded. “It was among the possessions that were brought here from his home. It’s in my study, along with his other proof of identity.”

“So, our biggest problem will be Leo.” Adam was thinking ahead. How the hell was he going to get the dog into the United States?

“I’m not going without him.” Tarek’s expression became stubborn as he wrapped his arms around his pet.

Edith pursed her lips, disappeared briefly and returned with a Leo-sized gym bag.

“He won’t like it.” Tarek eyed the bag gloomily.

“He’ll have to put up with it if he wants to come with us.” Adam kept his voice firm. He was in charge, and everyone else—including Leo—had better get used to the idea.

Leo sniffed the gym bag thoughtfully, clearly decided it wasn’t too bad, and with a weary sigh, clambered inside it and curled up. Tarek laughed and clapped his hands. “He thinks it’s his new bed.”

* * *

The dog remained asleep as they set off. Three hours later, as dawn broke, Adam figured they must be approaching the point at the border where Edith had thought they would be able to bribe their way across. Following the route she had suggested, their journey had been uneventful, though the roads were poor. Adam had been driving one-handed over the potholes. His whole body was rattled, his shoulder was throbbing and he felt drained of energy.

Maja turned in her seat and studied Tarek as he slumbered in the rear, one arm draped protectively over the gym bag. Even clad in Edith’s cast-off clothing, Adam’s Valkyrie companion was proving to be a severe test of his ability to remain focused on the journey. Baggy linen pants, battered sneakers and a blouse that might once have been white but was now a faded gray color, made up an uninspiring outfit and covered her figure. Her hair hung in a braid almost to her waist and a baseball cap topped her head. How was it that she still managed to look like the hottest thing he had ever seen? Every time he looked her way, his mind went into overdrive as he pictured the lush curves beneath those drab clothes. At the same time, his body remembered how she had felt in his arms and demanded a replay.

Focus. He was in charge of this bizarre rescue mission. Driving over the border into Lebanon would be difficult enough. Coping with a hard-on at the same time? That really was not going to help matters.

“This is a seat belt.” He indicated his own. “It’s designed to keep you safe.”

He flicked a glance in her direction and encountered her steady blue-eyed stare. “I don’t need it.”

“I was forgetting. It must be useful to be invincible.” He turned his gaze back to the road. “Is there anything that can hurt you?”

“Only Odin’s will.” Something about the quality of her voice made him look back at her.

The depths of those incredible eyes were suddenly twin pools of fear and sadness. The change was so abrupt, it shook him. During the drive thus far, he had managed to avoid conversation. Tarek had been awake for most of the time, and they had talked of inconsequential things. Big topics such as what would happen once they reached safety, how Adam was going to deal with the information about the identity of the Reaper, and what had happened between him and Maja...well, they could wait for another time. A time when they were safe. But when Maja looked at him as she did now, his defenses were stripped away. He wanted to know everything about her, including why she was hurting.

Just as he was about to ask her to tell him more, they crested a hill and the sight he had been waiting for came into view. A concrete wall, roughly twelve feet high and topped by barbed wire, stretched as far as the eye could see in both directions. The road passed through the wall, but the opening was guarded by a group of men in a variety of military uniforms. They sat around a few trestle tables, eating and playing cards. Adam didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed at the interruption to the moment of intimacy.

“We’re here.” He nodded, and Maja shifted in her seat as she followed the direction of his gaze. “This is the border.”

Chapter 5

Adam slowed the car as they approached the border. Edith had explained that this was not a recognized checkpoint. The gap in the border wall was not meant to be there, but corrupt officials were turning a blind eye to its existence. The men who were guarding the border were smugglers. They would allow Adam and Tarek to cross for a price. She had stressed that they were ruthless bandits who would not hesitate to kill them if they thought it would be more advantageous. In addition to her car, Edith had given Adam one of the guns they had taken from the Reapers. It rested in the well between the front seats, out of sight, but within reach if he needed it. A constant reminder of the danger they were in.

Adam surveyed the scene. He was used to skirmishes, but prior to his arrival in Syria, they had been of the bloodless variety. He knew his business opponents would describe him as a killer...within the corporate environment. Ruthless and without scruples, Adam had a reputation for doing whatever it took to achieve his goals. He stayed within the law, but it was well known that if there was a way to bend the rules, Adam Lyon would find it.

But this? Facing a group of five armed outlaws, miles from anywhere, with only his wits, a gun and a pocketful of hundred dollar bills? This was outside his experience. Add in the fact that he had taken on responsibility for an eight-year-old child—and a dog, don’t forget the damn dog—and the whole situation strayed into the realms of the ridiculous.

He turned his head to say as much to Maja, but she had vanished. Although the passenger-side window was fully wound down, Adam hoped she was still with him, poised for a fight. Since they hadn’t discussed tactics, he couldn’t be sure. That was the problem with invisible companions. They were hell when it came to communication.

The men halted their game of cards as the car approached. One man rose to his feet and, with his machine gun held in an ostentatious pose across his chest, raised a hand for Adam to stop. With a pounding heart, he hit the brakes and wound down his window.

“Do you speak English?” Adam asked. His heart rate spiked further as the man looked in the rear window at Tarek’s sleeping figure.

“A little.” He came back and leaned on the roof of the car. “You want to cross the border?”

Relieved that he didn’t have to embark on a lengthy explanation, Adam nodded. “How much?”

A speculative look crossed the other man’s face as he eyed Adam, then the car. “Wait here.”

Abruptly, he turned away and strode back to his companions. Adam watched as they talked among themselves for a few minutes. There was much gesturing and pointing in Adam’s direction. He wished he could hear what they were saying. Were they discussing how high to set the price? Or deciding whether to kill him and Tarek, take the car and their belongings and dump their bodies in the desert?

Just when the tension was becoming unbearable, Adam’s attention was drawn to another man. He had moved slightly to one side of the group and, while the others were talking, he seemed to be distracted. Every now and then, he would raise a hand as though swatting a fly. His movements gradually became more pronounced, until he appeared to be shadow-boxing an invisible opponent.