Don’t Play With Odin by Cynthia Eden

Chapter Nine

Maisey gaped at the scene before her. Odin was being attacked by multiple strangers, and he just kept taking them down like it was nothing. He wasn’t just brute strength pummeling them, either. No, he was moving with a lethal grace that almost seemed mesmerizing as he—

Three more men went for him.

“Hell, no.” Maisey’s hand shoved into her bag and came back up with the mace he’d given her. She and Odin hadn’t gone over any fighting techniques that day—they would be correcting that, ASAP—but in the meantime, she was not just going to sit there and watch him get attacked by a gang of men. Yes, Odin was impressive, certainly. But he couldn’t last forever as more enemies seemed to spring from every corner of the dark club.

She leveled a furious glance at the bartender. “This is your fault.”

He backed up a step. “Don’t spray that shit in my eyes!”

“Don’t tempt me.” But her target wasn’t the bartender—and to think, she’d intended to give him a twenty in exchange for information. You just lost your payday, my friend. Maisey dismissed him from her thoughts because her goal was the men attacking Odin. She jumped off the barstool and launched toward the fray.

And a wall stepped in front of her. “Sorry, but he won’t like that.”

The wall wasn’t quite as big as Odin. Broad shoulders. Built chest. Her gaze lifted. Dark hair. Bright eyes—eyes a very similar shade of blue to Odin’s. And he was grinning. Grinning as if he’d just been told the very best joke in the entire world. “Get out of my way,” Maisey ordered him. Her hand tightened around the mace.

“Wouldn’t recommend using that in here.” He pointed up. “The ceiling fans are blowing for all they are worth, and you’ll probably get kickback in your eyes. Plus, when you do manage to spray some jackasses, they’ll just get mad and charge at you, and that will make Odin lose his ever-loving-mind. Man always has a thing for protecting the ladies. Or, hell, protecting anyone he thinks might be weaker than he is.”

She shot around the stranger.

He curled his arm around her stomach and yanked her right back. Furious, she slammed her elbow into his midsection—she knew that move from her crime shows. Then she stomped down with her foot, aiming for his fancy tennis shoes. He swore, but didn’t let her go and, in fact, his grip tightened. She was getting ready to head-butt him—another move from her crime shows—when a detail clicked for her. He called Odin by name. “Wait, you know Odin?”

At that moment, Odin looked up. He saw her—saw her struggling—and let out what could only be termed a roar.

“Uh, oh.” The man holding her didn’t seem particularly concerned. “Now he’s pissed. Look what you did.”

What she’d done? And now—Odin was pissed now? As in, he hadn’t been pissed before? He’d certainly looked pissed to her.

Odin threw off the men who’d been on him. Threw them so hard one man stumbled about four feet before crashing into the floor.

“Got to admire Odin’s style.” The man’s grip finally loosened on her. “When he works, it is a thing of beauty.”

She jerked free and spun toward him. She had her mace up and pointed toward his eyes.

He smiled at her. His bright blue eyes gleamed. “Hello. I should have introduced myself before. I’m a friend of Odin’s. Looked like he was in trouble, so I thought I’d help out.”

She heard a crash behind her. Maisey winced. “You aren’t helping. You’re holding me up and stopping me from—”

“Potentially getting hurt?” he cut in to finish. “Absolutely. You’re welcome. If you get hurt, I have a feeling Odin will burn this place to the ground.”

He didn’t mean that, of course. Or did he?

But she didn’t want to find out. The whole scene was insane and she had to take control. She leapt up on the nearest table. Some people were still dancing. The band kept playing and— “I just want to find my friend!” Maisey shouted. A few heads turned her way. “We are not cops.” Though, jeez, she would sure love it if some cops could come to help out. “I’m a history teacher and a podcaster. He’s my partner.” She pointed to Odin. He wasn’t looking at her. “My friend is Whitney Augustine. She used to come here, but she’s been missing, and I just wanted a lead. I wanted something or someone to help me find her.”

The men at the pool table had stopped playing. Actually, it was three men and two women. One guy from that group turned toward her. Jet black hair. Dark eyes. Tattoos on his fisted hands. He began striding toward her, and Maisey tensed.

“You just had to attract attention.” It was the fellow who’d claimed to be Odin’s friend. He huffed out a breath. “Here we go,” he muttered as he placed himself in front of her and her table. “I knew this wasn’t going to be a lucky night.”

But the man with the tats was focused completely on her. “I know Whitney.”

He did?

He raised a fist into the air, and the fighting just…stopped. Or rather, the men fighting Odin stopped. Odin continued right on as he plowed a fist into one guy’s jaw.

Down he went.

The man with the tats opened his raised hand. She realized that he had a red rose tattooed inside one palm. Her gaze was caught by that tattoo. Maisey remembered that before she’d vanished, Whitney had suddenly taken a keen interest in roses. She’d had a fresh red rose in her office every single day.

“Who are you?” Maisey asked. She started to leap off the table.

Odin appeared. He reached for her. Lifted her down. “Raising some hell?”

No, she absolutely had not been. Why would he suggest that? “I was getting intel.” And doing a pretty fine job of it. “You were the one raising hell.” As evidenced by the wreckage and the injured people scattered around Ramsey’s.

Odin’s jaw firmed, but he glanced toward the man who’d admitted to knowing Whitney.

“Let’s take this into the back,” the man with the tats said. He’d dropped his hand. Fisted the rose once again. “No one else needs to hear this.” With those words, he spun on his heel and began walking toward a red door on the right.

Maisey took a quick step to follow him.

“Seriously?” It was the so-called “friend” of Odin’s. “Your girlfriend has like, zero self-preservation skills, man. It is a good thing I was here to help you out. Must’ve been fate.”

Odin’s head swung toward him. “Jinx.” He shook his head, as if he couldn’t quite believe what—who—he was seeing. “What in the hell are you doing in this place?”

“Oh, you know.” A shrug. “Looking for a good time. A bad time. Anything in between.” He scraped a hand over his stubbled jaw and pointed to Maisey. “That one was ready to jump into the fray with you. I held her back, like the amazing friend that I am.”

Odin’s attention shifted to her. Then fell to her hand. The one that still gripped her mace.

“Could we move this along?” Maisey urged. She noticed that there didn’t appear to be even a scratch on Odin. Considering he’d been hit with multiple chairs, she figured that was a miracle. “The man with intel is waiting on us.”

Odin looked around the bar. She knew by the stubborn set of his jaw that he was not happy.

She was hardly thrilled herself. Odin could have been seriously hurt. And she suspected his next plan without him having to say a word. “Don’t even think it,” Maisey warned him. “I’m supposed to stay with you, Odin. You aren’t having a chat without me.”

“Not like I’d leave you out here.” His fingers threaded with hers. “Jinx, you’ll watch the door?”

“On it,” Jinx said instantly.

Okay, so, they were friends. Especially if Odin trusted the guy to guard their backs. Odin kept a tight grip on her right hand. With her left, she tucked her mace back into her bag. For the moment, it seemed she wouldn’t be needing it. There was some sort of temporary truce happening in the bar. “Sorry I almost maced you,” Maisey told Jinx.

“Think nothing of it,” he assured her with a wink. “Happens all the time.”

Did it? How unfortunate. And what did he do to provoke mace attacks?

“Don’t believe anything he says,” Odin told her gruffly as he steered her toward the red door. Everyone seemed to be giving them a wide berth. Everyone but Jinx. He ambled behind them. “The man is never serious.”

“Life is too short for that,” Jinx called, obviously overhearing. “Besides, you’re serious enough for both of us.”

She frowned back at him. “I do not like the tone. Odin has a wonderful laugh and a great sense of humor.”

“Oh.” Jinx nodded. “You’re drunk. I didn’t realize that. It would explain why you were dancing on the table.”

Her mouth dropped open. “I absolutely was not dancing—”

Odin kicked open the red door. “Guard it,” he snapped to Jinx.

Jinx saluted him.

Odin pulled her inside.

When the door shut, it was like stepping into another world. Silence. Immediate and intense. The blasting music vanished as if it had never existed.

“Soundproof.” Odin nodded. He still held her hand in his. “Perfect place for you to do business, huh, Ramsey?”

He knew this guy, too? And, wait—Ramsey? As in, this man owned the place?

“Ah, my reputation proceeds me.” The man he’d called Ramsey gave a half-smile that never reached his eyes. “Sorry, but I don’t know you.”

“He’s Odin,” Maisey supplied, and her voice sounded too high to her own ears. “I’m Maisey. I’m—”

“Maisey Bright.” Ramsey took two steps toward her. Studied her with that faint smile still on his face and not in his eyes. “Now, you, I do know. Whitney mentioned you a time or two.”

Oh? Maisey didn’t trust this man. Not for a second. “Funny, she never mentioned you.”

His smile disappeared. “That’s because our relationship was private.”

Relationship? “You were involved with her?” Ramsey was attractive in a dangerous and deadly sort of way. If you went for that. But…

“We were fucking,” Ramsey told her.

Okay. That cut to the chase. Blunt.

“You realize you just jumped to the top of our suspect list,” Odin said. He let go of Maisey’s hand. He angled his body so it was in front of hers, but if she inched to the side, she could still see Ramsey.

She inched.

“I didn’t hurt Whitney. I’d never hurt her.” Ramsey’s voice was flat.

“Ramsey…” Odin sighed. “You have a record a mile long.”

Ramsey shrugged. “So? You tell me once when I have ever hurt a woman.” His gaze slid to Maisey once more. “I’ve been looking for Whitney, too. The night she vanished, she was supposed to come and meet me. Here, at the bar. Only I waited and she never showed.” His eyelids flickered. “Thought maybe she’d changed her mind.”

“Changed her mind?” Maisey latched onto that. “About what?”

Another shrug. “Does it matter?”

“Yes, it does.” How could he think it didn’t? “Everything matters. She’s missing. She’s the third woman to go missing like this and—”

“Third?” Ramsey’s voice dropped. Became lethal. “What in the hell are you talking about?”

Maisey wet dry lips. “I’ve been researching. There were two other cases like this before Whitney was taken. Two other women who just vanished, leaving all of their belongings behind.”

“You’re saying she was taken.” His eyes had turned to slits.

“Well, yes, that’s why we’re here. We wanted to see if anyone here knew what had happened.” She brushed back a lock of her hair.

“What Maisey means…” Odin said. “Is we are looking for other suspects. And you just conveniently jumped into our path. You were fucking Whitney. Did you get mad when she rejected you? Did you make Whitney Augustine disappear?”

Silence.

“That wasn’t very tactful,” Maisey whispered to Odin.

“Screw tact.” Not a whisper.

Okay. If they were going down that path, then she’d be blunt, too. “You gave her the roses,” she told Ramsey. “The ones that kept appearing in her office each day.”

Ramsey jerked.

She took that response as a yes. And if he’d been giving Whitney the roses that made her smile so often… “It wasn’t just about fucking.”

Ramsey’s lips pressed into a thin line.

“Her face lit up when she showed me her roses. She cared about you.” Maisey scooted around Odin’s formidable frame so she could better face-off with Ramsey. “You were going off together, weren’t you? Running away?”

His gaze cut from hers. “My life isn’t the kind of life a woman like her could fit in.”

Maisey nodded. This was making sense to her. “So you were going to leave that life. Together. Both of you. But then she didn’t show. She vanished. You thought she’d rejected you.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed.

“You were looking for her, thinking she’d gone somewhere to…what? Hide from you?”

A shrug of one shoulder. “Not like it’s the first time people have run from me.”

He wasn’t looking at her. She couldn’t read his expression, his feelings, if he didn’t look her way. She needed to see his eyes. “Whitney could see the good in people.”

His head swung toward her.

“If she was with you, it wasn’t because she had a thing for bad boys. She was with you because she saw something good.” She held his gaze. “A packed bag was found in her home. She intended to leave with you. But something stopped her.” Something…someone. “If you weren’t involved in what happened…” And her instincts said that he wasn’t. She could see his pain as she stared into his dark eyes. “Then help us to figure out who was. Did Whitney mention anything about someone following her? Or someone who made her nervous? Or anything that might have happened—”

“He’s dead,” Ramsey said simply.

“Excuse me?” She must have misheard.

Odin swore.

“Whoever took my Whitney—he’s a fucking dead man. I’m putting out the word as soon as we leave this room. Offering fifty Gs for info. Then I’ll find him, and I’ll kill him. By the time I am done with him, the bastard will be begging me to end him.”

This was not the way she’d expected the conversation to go. “The police—”

“Time for you to leave the bar. I don’t think it’s in your best interest to come back.” His stare shifted between them. “Either of you.”

This guy was gonna go all rogue and get his own justice? Super bad plan. Amazingly bad. “What if you kill the wrong person?” Maisey asked. Had he considered that possibility?

Another shrug.

Dammit, he shrugged too much.

“Odin is a PI!” She slapped her hand against his chest. “He works with Trouble for Hire. You know they stopped that last serial killer—”

Ramsey took a lurching step back. “You’re telling me a serial killer took my Whitney?”

Her lips clamped together before she could tell him that, yes, she very much feared that—

“We don’t know,” Odin rumbled. “That’s what we’re investigating.”

“Who are your suspects? Other than me.”

Odin shook his head. “I give you a name, and you’ll kill the person, guilty or innocent.”

Ramsey surged forward. He was smaller than Odin, but his rage was clear. “What the hell would you do?” He jerked his thumb toward Maisey. “Someone takes your girl—someone steals her—and you find out it might be a freaking serial. You gonna stand there and tell me you wouldn’t rip apart every fucker you found?”

Odin’s face changed. A subtle change, but, suddenly, he looked just as dangerous and deadly as Ramsey. “Someone comes after my girl, someone tries to take her from me, and I will crucify the motherfucker.”

Goosebumps rose on her arms.

“She was almost taken last night,” Odin added grimly. “Right on the campus of Dunson College. Got there just in time to pull her away from the bastard. He escaped, but I will find him.”

“You think it was the same person?” Ramsey’s body rocked forward. “Whoever took my Whitney is now after her?” Another thumb jerk to Maisey.

“We’re asking questions people don’t like,” Odin replied. “We’re making someone nervous.”

Yes, they were making the perp nervous. The creep they were hunting.

Ramsey smiled again. An ice-cold smile that did reach his eyes. It lit his stare with lethal promise. “Then it’s gonna be a race.”

Maisey didn’t see a race…

“You two find him first…or I do,” Ramsey murmured. “And you already know what will happen when I get my hands on him.”

He was gonna kill the guy.

“Now, get the hell out of my way. The talk is over.”

Maisey didn’t move. No, she did move. After about ten seconds had passed of Odin and Ramsey having a stare-off, she jumped between them. “Two other women are missing. This isn’t just about Whitney. It’s about all of them. Their families deserve to know what happened. You can’t just take the killer and make him vanish. You can’t torture him—”

“Sure, I can. It’s the same thing your man would do for you.”

He thought Odin would torture for her? And Odin wasn’t exactly denying the charge. For the moment, she blazed on and said, “You get a lead, give it to us. Let us try to help those other victims and their families. Then you can have him.” Actually, she intended to call the cops, but this didn’t seem like the moment to tell Ramsey that plan. “Deal?” She held her breath.

He grunted. Walked around her and Odin. Yanked open the door.

Does that mean no deal? Maisey was afraid that was precisely what his exit meant. Her breath slowly eased out. “That was intense.” Maisey turned toward Odin. “I guess we should go—” She broke off. Odin still appeared way dangerous. Way scary.

Way…out of control?

It was in the bright gleam of his eyes. The hard set of his jaw. In the fierce glare that he was leveling on her. “Wh-what?” A little stutter that she couldn’t help.

“Do you know how dangerous this shit is?”

“How is it dangerous?” They’d just been having a private conversation. Granted, that conversation had been with one seriously intense and possibly homicidal guy. “I have you. My own personal PI. My—”

He yanked her into his arms. Hauled her up against him. Took her mouth. The kiss was angry and rough and she had not expected him to be kissing her in this place. Not when it looked like he was so angry he wanted to thunder and rage.

But he was kissing her with a frantic need, a need that she couldn’t deny, and Maisey found her nails sinking into his powerful arms as she arched ever closer. Every time they kissed, she could swear the passion just got hotter and hotter and…oh, wow, his tongue…

Stop. Not the place. Tell him this is—

“Jeez, man,” Jinx’s wry voice announced. “This is not the place for that shit. Half the bar wants to kick your ass. The other half wants you to become their new gang leader or something. Save the make-out session for later.”

Odin’s body stiffened. His hold on her tightened, but he lifted his head.

“Don’t shoot the messenger,” Jinx drawled as he stood in the open doorway. “Not like I said don’t ever have fun. Just don’t do it here. We need to clear our asses out of this place, stat. As soon as Ramsey marched out, he immediately called a meeting with all his top people. That’s bad news, in case you didn’t know.”

Ramsey was calling a meeting—because he wanted to hunt Whitney’s killer. Hunt him. Torture him. Kill him. “This was not part of the plan,” Maisey whispered.

Odin’s eyes glittered down at her.

“Whatever the plan was,” Jinx said, “it’s gone to shit. And I say again—we need to clear out. Now. I rather like my face—the ladies do, too—so I am not in the mood to have it hammered in tonight.”

Odin’s head moved in a jerky nod. His eyes never left Maisey. “Don’t talk to anyone. Don’t look at them.”

What in the world was he going on about now—

“The situation is gonna be delicate as fuck. We’ll handle it with kid gloves.”

Still in the doorway, Jinx cleared his throat. “Hate to break it to you, O, but you are so not the delicate type. You’re more of a sledgehammer.”

A growl was Odin’s response.

“Right.” Jinx coughed. “So I’ll go first. We’ll put the lovely lady in the middle…”

Another growl.

“And you’ll be the caboose on this party train,” Jinx finished. “That way, if things go to hell faster than I think, I can get your girl out, you can kick some ass, then I’ll come back in to help. Plan?”

“I don’t like that plan,” Maisey said immediately. “Leaving Odin behind is not an option for me.” Why would they run to safety and leave Odin behind?

“OhmyGod. Did you really say that?” Jinx snagged her hand. Curled his fingers with hers. “That is some precious shit right there. Like, precious. But we’re moving now.” With that, he hauled her out of the door.

She dug in her heels. Because, seriously, what part of leaving Odin behind is not an option for me had he not understood? But then she felt Odin’s massive hands clamp around her hips as he urged her forward.

As soon as they stepped out…

Silence. A silence that was the total opposite of the way the bar had been moments before. A silence that almost matched the sound-proof room.

The band wasn’t playing any longer. All eyes were immediately on them. She stumbled, but Odin’s grip made sure she didn’t fall. Maisey kept going forward, and her eyes darted toward the pool table. Sure enough, Ramsey was huddled tight with a group of grizzled guys and the two ladies who’d been with them earlier. One of the women casually twirled a knife in her hand.

Ramsey looked up. Nodded to Maisey.

She nodded back. Was that even the right response? She wasn’t sure. But the exit was close. The bouncer even had it open for them. The same bouncer who’d given her and Odin the hard time when they first went in. Now, his eyes were huge, and he seemed pale.

Jinx hauled her over the threshold. “Great service,” he said loudly, seemingly directing his words at the blond bouncer. “Fabulous band. I will leave a five-star review online for you, and I will definitely be back to—”

“You won’t be back.” Ramsey’s hard voice boomed out.

“I will not be back,” Jinx immediately said. “And I will not tell my friends to visit. Horrible, disgusting hole in the wall. Why would anyone ever want to come here?”

The bouncer glared. But he also still looked afraid.

Jinx finally let go of Maisey’s hand—so he could slap the bouncer on the shoulder. “No offense,” he told the bouncer. “As far as holes-in-the-wall go, it’s a grand one.”

Odin hadn’t let her go. He hadn’t—

“Not done with the big one,” someone snarled from behind them. “Bastard broke my nose—”

Odin heaved her forward. “Get her to safety,” he barked at Jinx.

All the humor had fled Jinx’s face. He suddenly looked almost as intense and deadly as Odin. “Roger that.” He grabbed for Maisey.

But she wasn’t in the mood to be grabbed again, thank you very much. She whirled back for Odin and yanked out her mace to—

Odin downed his lunging attacker with one blow. A fast snap that sent the man slamming into the dirty floor. A few others began to rise from their chairs.

“No!” Maisey leapt in front of Odin. “We’re leaving.” As fast as we can. “Ramsey!” She focused on him. “We are leaving.” Which was code for—tell these people to stop!

“What. The. Fuck?” Odin rumbled behind her.

“Back up,” she told Odin.

Ramsey had waved his hand toward her. “No one touches the woman.”

Okay. That was something. If no one was touching her, then they couldn’t get to Odin since she was currently in front of them. Maisey thought there were far too many bleeding, bruised people in the bar who seemed eager for another shot at Odin. Honestly, she was surprised they hadn’t learned their lesson the first time they’d tangled with him.

She inched back. She’d get Odin through the door. They’d jump in the Jeep. Get the heck out of Dodge. Good plan. Winning plan. It was—

Odin lifted her up. Just scooped her right into those massive arms of his. Then he stalked out of the club. The bouncer slammed the door closed behind them.

Odin didn’t speak. He didn’t let her go. Just kept angry stomping with her toward their ride. She realized that Jinx was shadowing their movements. Maisey strained to see if anyone was following their little group out of the club.

Luckily, the door to Ramsey’s stayed closed. She could hear the shriek of music again. The band had resumed playing.

Odin plunked her down in the passenger seat of the Jeep. Even though it was dark, she could feel the heat of what she knew was his glare. “What the fuck was that?” Odin snarled.

“It was sweetness,” Jinx replied. “Pure, perfect sweetness. I swear, if you aren’t dating her, I will volunteer to do the deed. I will—”

In a flash, Odin had whirled and grabbed Jinx. Shoved the other man against the Jeep.

But Jinx simply held up his hands. “That was a test. Happy to say you passed with flying colors, you high achiever you.”

“Not the time,” Odin gritted out.

“I agree.” Jinx glanced toward the bar. “How about you take the pretty lady home, then you and I can meet up to talk about what the hell is going on?”

“No,” Maisey said instantly.

Both men’s heads swung toward her.

“We will all talk about what’s happening. It’s my case. I hired Odin. No one is cutting me out.” They could just stop that plan right then and there.

“War’s cabin.” Banked rage filled Odin’s voice. “Meet us there. Make sure you’re not followed.”

“No one follows me. I’m a master at evasive action.” With that, Jinx sidled away and vanished into the shadows.

Odin hurried around the Jeep. Jumped inside. Had them out of the parking lot and roaring down the road. He took a series of twists and turns, and even though Maisey was familiar with the area, he had her lost in moments. He was also driving helluva fast. “Uh, Odin…”

He took a hard left.

She grabbed the dashboard. “I think we should slow down.”

“I have to make sure we’re not tailed.” A quick right.

Her eyes closed. Motion sickness was not her friend. “We should also make sure that we arrive alive.” That was important, too.

The Jeep hurtled forward. Her breath blew out. At least they were done with the turns. The Jeep’s top was off, and the wind whipped her hair, tossing it around her face. Was it her imagination, or had he slowed, just a bit?

Her eyes cracked open. She could smell the ocean. She took a deep, steadying gulp of air. “We should…talk about what happened.”

“Oh, we’ll fucking talk about it, all right.”

She turned toward him. “Are you mad at me?” After she’d tried to help him? Multiple times?

“Mad isn’t the right word.”

“Then what is the right word?” Her own anger stirred.

“You’ll find out.” A grim warning. “As soon as we get to War’s cabin.”

She didn’t like his tone. “Odin?”

“I don’t recommend pushing me right now, Maisey.”

“Oh, really? I don’t recommend that you push me either. In case you missed it, I saved your ass back there!” Where was the gratitude?

“What?”

“I saved your ass. Yours. Your hot, sexy ass. I saved it. I got us out of there without more fighting.”

He shook his head. “Not believing this.”

He’d better believe it. “You had some crazy plan about staying behind and fighting alone. Not happening.” That very idea still had her seeing red. “In case you missed it, you aren’t a one-man show any longer. You and I? We’re partners. That means I don’t leave you. It means—”

“Don’t push, Maisey. You won’t like what happens next…”

“I don’t like anything that has happened so far this night!” This night had not been her idea of a good time. “You took on a bar full of criminals all by yourself! You were some kind of crazy fighting machine and I was terrified that you were going to get hurt!” The truth burst from her. “I don’t want you hurt! You can’t be hurt because—” She stopped. Just in the nick of time. Just before she’d said something she couldn’t take back. Something along the lines of…

You can’t be hurt because…I am starting to care too much about you.

Maisey didn’t say another word.