Chapter Twenty-Nine

The warm hotel lobby was a welcome change from the freezing temperatures outdoors, helping ground Liam as he wrestled with the sudden shift in his reality.

His head was spinning—had the entire encounter been a dream, a reaction to a concussion when he fell to the ground? Hallucinations, brought on by stress and concern for Kara and the others?

But the bloodied clothing he wore proved it’d been real, the bullet holes, the shredded fabric proof he shouldn’t have survived.

Holy…

Liam forced himself to stay quiet as he and Kara finished tying up the last of the mercenaries, using rope brought out from the storage room. His knives had hit true, taking the men down, but with minimal damage. He left the blades in, waiting for professional medics to deal with them. All of the attackers were unconscious. But they were alive, and that had been his goal.

There was no one in the back room—the open window signaling the hostages’ successful escape. Deep trenches in the snow showed their flight toward the police station.

“Now what?” Kara asked.

“We go outside and wait to see if they arrest us or not.” He rolled his shoulders. “That’s all we can do. It’s out of our hands now.” He led her out onto the porch.

The firehouse siren had died off, replaced by loud grinding noises and the roar of angry engines rising up over the snow as the plows entered the town. Military vehicles emblazoned with the state logo on the side trudged behind them. Snow flew in all directions, the trenches expanding through the town as the plows did their jobs.

One all-terrain truck pulled up in front of the hotel, rumbling through the remaining snow with ease.

Liam held his hands up and gestured for Kara to do the same. The detonator lay between them, protected from a casual touch.

Marie was the first to hop out, wearing a bulletproof vest. She rushed toward the couple as other policemen fanned out behind her, heavily armed.

“Liam!” She threw her arms around him in a tight hug. “Thank God you’re all right.” She stretched out a hand toward Kara. “And you, too. When we came across the abandoned snowmobile and the flares, we got worried you’d gone off in the woods and gotten lost. We couldn’t stop—we flagged the snowmobile and prayed we’d find you at some point.”

“I walked back here,” Kara replied as the police moved in on the mercenaries. “The snowmobile ran out of gas.”

“That,” Liam spoke hurriedly, hoping to discourage questions about Kara’s return to the town. He pointed down at the detonator. “That’s hooked to explosives set throughout the hotel. I saw one in the stairwell—no idea where the others are, but you’ll need the bomb squad to dispose of it. The building’s already evacuated, but we can’t afford to let it go off.”

Marie eyed the small black box as if it were a deadly spider. “On it.” She pulled out her radio and spoke rapidly into it as Kara edged closer.

“Your name,” she murmured.

He nodded, unsure what to make of the slip. Marie had used his real name, not the alias he’d lived under for the past year.

Landsdowne moaned as he was yanked to his feet by two men, shaking his head. “Fuck.” He glared at Liam and Kara. “Goddamn do-gooders. Should have never gotten in our way.” He let out a yelp. “My knees…my knees.”

Marie scowled at the mercenary as a stretcher was brought over for the crippled man. Paramedics descended on the other men, caring for their wounds.

“There’s two men tied up in our apartment back at the motel—the door’s kicked open, should be easy to figure out which room it is,” Liam added. “They should be okay, but probably a bit dehydrated.”

Marie nodded as she kept talking into the radio.

“There’s another man upstairs here,” Liam offered. “Top floor, room by the stairwell. He’s likely got a concussion; I was told he’s in the bathroom being ill. On my way up, I saw the explosive in the stairwell.”

“Bastards,” Marie mumbled into the radio before turning back to Kara. “I got a call from the police station—the hostages are there, safe and sound. How did you get them out?”

“The back window.”

“Excellent.” The police chief shook her head. “Can’t believe these idiots thought they’d be able to kidnap Thomas Vak and get away with it.”

“What?” Liam blinked.

She gestured at the mercenaries, now being loaded into the back of one of the military-style trucks. “Don’t you remember?” She touched the side of her head. “Maybe you got knocked for a loop or something—Thomas Vak and his board members were here on a retreat, they’re the reason the Sons came to town. You know, Vak Industries?”

“Yes, yes.” Kara nodded. “Just got things jumbled up in the heat of battle.” She smiled. “We were focused on keeping the building from going up in flames.”

“Can’t blame you.” Marie led them away from the detonator as a bomb technician approached, his vest labeling him as such. She jerked a thumb at the nearby street, already cleared of the deep snow. “Let’s get back to the station.” She eyed Liam. “You’ve got to be cold without a coat.”

He ran a hand over the turtleneck and vest, realizing with a shock the gouges and holes were now gone.

As they walked toward the police station the familiar rumble of the plows filled the air, raised voices greeting each other as the snow shovels came out. The town was coming back to life, digging out from the storm.

Kara clutched at his arm, the confusion evident on her face.

“What’s going on?” he whispered. “Who the hell is Vak?”

She shook her head. “I’ve no idea.”

Marie mumbled into the radio before turning back to them, keeping pace as they rounded the corner. “You’re also out of uniform, Liam.” She chuckled. “I know it was an emergency deputation, but the least you could have done is keep it on for a single day.”

Kara laughed. “Didn’t want to tear up the new shirt.”

That earned an eyeroll from the older woman. “Dwayne’s going to be back as soon as he finishes digging out of the Jarretts’ cabin. Caught him on a few minutes of decent cell reception—he made it up there with the patrol car, running on fumes.” She wrinkled her nose as she led them up to the front door, now cleared of snow. A pair of Bobcats rolled nearby, tossing snow left and right as they worked the sidewalks.

“So much help digging out,” Kara said, glancing at the military men working the small bulldozers. “This isn’t usual, is it?”

“Not a chance,” Liam answered. “Last year it was Billy, myself, and whoever could raise a shovel.”

“Everything changes when you’re dealing with a famous man like Vak. Hold on.” Marie turned away, talking to someone on the radio. She opened the front door and waved them inside.

“Did something happen while we were…” Liam lowered his voice. “Visiting your friend?” He couldn’t figure out another way to phrase it.

“Your guess is as good as mine.”

The inside of the police station was a beehive of activity, men and women scuttling around with “FBI” emblazoned on their jackets.

Liam stopped still, eyes wide. Kara pressed herself against the wall, tugging him past two men in military gear taking up guard positions at the front doors.

Marie smiled. “Everyone’s present and accounted—they’re in the break room away from all this. Including Thomas Vak, who wants to have a word with you.”

She rubbed her fingers together. “He’s also looking to make a sizable donation to the town in appreciation for what you did for him—pay for some upgrades to the fire equipment and the like, including our own industrial snowplow. The big boy, with all the bells and whistles, get through stuff like this like a hot knife through butter.”

Marie looked at Kara. “You did really well. Lizzie says you were calm and collected as you got the hostages out.” She tilted her head. “Jamie did a fine job of getting them to the station while you stayed to help Liam.”

Kara reached out and took Liam’s hand, squeezing it. “Didn’t want him to take on the bad guys alone.”

“Well, he did—and made a fine job of it. If he were still in the military I’d put him up for an award. Instead, all we got for you is the town’s thanks.”

“That’ll be enough.” He felt odd, accepting the praise.

“Let’s head to the back.” Marie led them around the counter. “Get out of everyone’s way. Homeland Security and the FBI get first crack at these mercs, and I’m glad to give it to them.”

It was like walking on shifting sand, the reality around them the same as it’d been only a few hours ago but still… things had changed.

He wasn’t sure if he was pleased about that or not.

They went into the break room to face not only Jamie and Tony, the mayor, and the seniors from the third floor, but a group of strange men he had no recollection of ever seeing.

There was a round of handshaking and backslapping, the locals filing out one by one to seek medical attention in another room. Marie insisted on accompanying the older residents, who were still obviously shaken from the entire experience. Lizzie gave Kara a tight hug before limping off with Jamie, his clothing still damp from the melting snow.

Finally, Liam and Kara were alone with the strangers—the men who hadn’t been there at the hotel at any point during the fight.

The oldest man in the group approached him, wearing a thick, dark Irish sweater with stripes of red, blue, and black. He had a goatee and smiled, his bright blue eyes meeting Liam’s without hesitation. Power emanated off him in waves, and it was hard to not step back.

“Thomas Vak. I believe I’ve got you to thank for my good health and that of my men.” He waved at the three executives standing behind him. “Come up for a business retreat to a quiet little town and get kidnapped in the middle of a snowstorm. Quite the excitement. I don’t get a lot of that these days.” He extended his hand.

“Thank you.” The hand-crushing grip lasted a few seconds before Vak released him.

Vak nodded. “You’re quite the interesting man, Liam Wolfson. Love to work with you sometime in the future. Got some projects you might like.” He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. “We’re going back to the hotel to collect our luggage and settle our bill, head back home. I think we’ve had enough of a retreat.”

He smiled at Kara and for a second, a brief second Liam in which thought he saw a wink.

The executive strolled on by, the three men in his wake.

Marie came back in and waved for the pair to follow her. She pointed at Kara. “I found out who you are.”

“What?” Kara and Liam said at the same time.

“Came in on my cell phone while I was rallying the troops.” She waved them over to her desk and tapped the computer keyboard. “Kara Idisi.”

They moved closer to see the image of Kara on the screen.

Her grip intensified on Liam’s hand, to the point of pain.

“That’s me?” she said.

“Yep. Nothing too exciting, though. Orphaned young, number of odd jobs here and there, no outstanding warrants.”

“But…” Kara sputtered. “The hotel in Vegas…”

Marie frowned. “What hotel? And when were you in Vegas?” The blank look told Liam this wasn’t a road they wanted to travel right now.

Liam interrupted. “Just something we were joking about while you were gone—taking a vacation to Vegas.”

She shrugged off her parka and sat down at the computer. “I’ll tell them to mail out copies of her driver’s license and other identification to this address.” Marie rolled her shoulders back. “After that, you can decide what you want to do.”

Kara choked back a laugh. “I think that might be out of my hands.” She tugged at Liam. “Let’s get to our apartment—we’ve got some cleaning to do.” She wrinkled her nose. “Like put the damned front door back on.”

Marie gestured at the phone. “The lines should be fixed very soon. So, we’re done.” She smiled. “Go grab yourself some quiet space, relax. You’ve done enough for the day.”

“I’ve done enough for a lifetime.” Liam grinned as they headed for the door.

He held off until they’d gotten outside, his mind spinning with recent events.

“Okay. Stop.” They were in the street, a goodly distance away from the police station. A plow rumbled by, but otherwise they were alone.

Liam leaned over and rested his hands on his knees, gasping for air. He’d slipped the police parka back on but left it open, letting the crisp, cold air wash over his unmarked sweater.

He wasn’t dead.

Kara wasn’t dead.

The simplicity of the thought crashed into the other facts rushing to the front of his mind.

Son of Odin.

What?

“Did you…” Kara said, “Did you see him?”

“Who?”

“Odin.” Her eyes were bright, as if she’d seen a…

“Vak?” He was beginning to run out of energy, the adrenaline rush of nearly dying and being brought back to life by a Norse goddess wearing thin. “That was…” He gulped past the words. “My father?”

“And the Warriors Three.” Kara let out a girlish squeal of delight. “I recognized them from Valhalla. They must have been here to accompany Odin.”

Liam stood up and sucked in a lungful of cold air, settling his stomach. “Right. Okay. That explains why he said what he said. Got it.” He glanced at the blue sky, noting the lack of clouds. “It sounds like things got changed while we were with Freyja. Reality got shifted, fixed.”

“It’d make sense.” Kara tucked her hands into her pockets. “I think Mother did something to your history. Landsdowne didn’t look like he knew who you were when he was being taken out.”

He rubbed the back of his head, feeling the dull throb of an incoming headache. “And Marie called me ‘Liam,’ not ‘Jack.’ Which means it’s possible Jack Hammerson doesn’t exist in this…” He fumbled for the word. “Reality.”

He pulled his wallet out from his back pocket, his hands trembling as he flipped it open.

Social Security Number, driver’s license…

All made out to Liam Wolfson.

Her eyes widened. “Your past was changed, erased. In this alternative timeline those men didn’t come to kill the Hammer. They came to kidnap the executives.” She let out a soft cry, putting her hands to her mouth. “The Hammer doesn’t exist for them. For you.”

Liam reached for her, the emotional rush overwhelming him. “That means…”

She laughed and hugged him tight. “You didn’t kill all those people. You’re not wanted for those crimes. There’s no bounty on your head, and I have a new identity with paperwork behind it.” Her eyes glistened as she kissed him. “A whole new life.”

“Together.” He roared and swung her around, still trying to make sense of this new world.