Riders of Tyr

AVA

I never knew what love was until he tried to kill me.

I’d been running for so long.

Trying to escape my demons so much that I forgot how to feel.

How to live.

Then he walked into my life and held me at gunpoint.

…And fucked me so hard that I saw the world in color again.

I know I don’t deserve a life, after everything I’ve done.

But, for the first time in a long time, I’m starting to hope…

***

The mansion is impressive, with soaring white pillars and a front lawn straight out of Better Homes and Gardens.

Geometric topiary lines the edge of the property, in addition to a low brick wall.

Shockingly tasteful for a man who deals in guns and narcotics.

I recline the seat of my Prius back so the top of my head is hidden from passersby. This Pasado guy is ten times as dangerous as my usual bounty. This isn’t the job to be spotted on.

I flick my eyes back down to the dossier in my hands and scan the headlines again.

Javier Pasado, Toltec gun runner. Wanted alive. Fifty-thousand dollar bounty.

I’ve heard of the Toltecs before. Anyone who lives in the Bay Area knows about these guys.

They showed up in San Leandro a few years back.

A bunch of dudes on Harleys from Mexico City, with guns strapped to their backs and cash pouring out of their pockets.

But fifty large for one job? That kind of cheddar is worth the risk. It’s just a matter of taking the necessary precautions.

Because this Pasado character is not somebody to fuck with.

He’ll be heavily armed. Nearly impossible to get alone.

And I need him alive.

I haven’t had a real challenge since back then…

Stop thinking about it, I command myself.

Stop being weak.

I sit up again, flipping down the mirror to readjust the two Japanese hairpin blades sticking out from my sleek, black ponytail. Keepsakes from my past.

My skin is paler than usual, making my green eyes look like they’re popping out of my skull.

I usually do most of my work at night. Always have.

Today is an exception—this guy is too dangerous to tail after nightfall.

As I trace the sleek silver of the hairpin blade, I accidentally prick my finger.

Shit.

A tiny drop of blood springs from the tip.

I stare at it, lost in thought.

Thinking about how much blood I’ve spilled with these knives.

Thinking about everything they’ve seen.

Thinking about him.

STOP BEING WEAK.

I grit my teeth, pushing the dark thoughts from my brain.

And that’s when I see him.

Javier.

Fucking.

Pasado.

He pulls his Harley into the end of the driveway, flanked by another Toltec biker, and they both dismount.

Pasado looks nothing like his mugshot.

He’s handsome in a kind of grimy way.

Dark features. A few colorful neck tattoos sticking out from his leather jacket.

I can tell just from a glance that this guy is a total scumbag.

I watch him walk up the driveway toward his house, followed by his toady.

I can’t believe how lucky I am.

While Pasado might not be completely alone, this is the closest I’ll get.

It’s game time!

But before I can climb out of my car, the rumble of an engine makes me tense up.

A black Harley pulls over to the side of the road ahead of me. From the sleek look of the beast, I can tell it isn’t one of the Toltecs.

Something in my gut tells me to wait.

I watch an impossibly tall man climb off of the bike and my breath catches.

Goddamn.

This guy is ripped!

He wears black boots, black jeans, and a tight-fitting T-shirt, which clings to every contour of his statuesque body.

It’s…impressive.

Covered in tattoos.

His long, dark hair is tousled in a deeply intoxicating way.

Oh my God…did my nipples just get hard?

Jesus, Ava!

Focus!

As the man turns to look over at Pasado’s house, I sink even lower in my seat, glimpsing a sexy beard that matches the unruly mane.

Shit.

Who is ~this guy?~

I know all too well that when my marks are being followed, it’s either by the feds or a rival gang.

And he definitely doesn’t look like a federal agent.

The man cautiously crosses the street with his eyes glued to the house, and I notice suddenly that there’s something in his hand.

A black box.

He approaches the edge of the property, looking between the hedges and over the wall to see if the coast is clear.

What is he doing?

A feeling of dread is slowly starting to form in the pit of my stomach.

Pasado emerges from the house, his back turned. I turn to the bearded guy, watching him freeze and deliberate.

And then he’s racing from the cover of the wall, crouching below the hedges, and approaching Pasado’s bike.

He carefully attaches the black box to the back tire of the bike, tinkering with some sort of mechanism on it.

What is that thing?

Looks like some kind of homemade explosive.

And that’s when it dawns on me…

Sonofa-fucking-bitch!

He’s trying to kill my bounty!

Not today.

I hurl myself from my car just as he turns to make a break for it.

I don’t care that this guy looks like he could rip me in two with his little finger.

I don’t care that he’ll see me.

As much as it pains me to save the life of a piece of shit like Pasado, nothing’s standing in the way of my bounty.

Not even this sexy-as-hell man in black…

Before I have time to process my next move, I’m racing across the street at lightning speed, past the hulking guy with dark hair who just made my day a thousand times harder.

He stiffens when he catches sight of me, his eyes widening in surprise as I pass.

And then his massive hand latches onto my wrist, yanking me back.

Shit!

Stumbling backward, I spin to face him, just barely keeping my balance. For a moment, our eyes meet, and I feel all the breath leave my body.

His piercing sea-green eyes are looking at me with a profound curiosity I did not expect. There’s a surprised look playing across his face.

“Walk away, little lady,” he warns in a deep, buttery smooth voice. His condescending tone causes anger to flare in my chest.

These fucking bikers are all the same.

“How about you walk the fuck away, big guy,” I snap back, twisting away from his grip. But his fingers are like iron clamps.

To my surprise, I hear a little chuckle escape him.

He twirls me into his chest, wrapping another massive arm around me and pulling me into a bear hug.

“Fucking…hell!” I shift my weight, attempting to slip out of his hold. He has me pinned.

And that’s when I notice it.

This strange current that seems to flow from his touch, leaving goosebumps in its wake.

I can feel them springing up across the back of my neck, my arms, my chest, my…

Jesus fucking Christ!

What the hell is this man doing to me?

Get it together!

Craning upward, I dive head-first into his eyes, which stare at me with fascination.

As much as I want to, I can’t stop the next thought which pops into my head.

Goddamn.

He’s…

Beautiful.

Like some sort of god, every inch of him carved out of marble. Those broad shoulders, those arms…which are covered in some rune-like tattoos.

One in particular on his forearm stands out:

RoT

And below it, the head of a wolf, its teeth bared.

I know I’ve seen that symbol before, buried somewhere in my memory.

I rack my brain…where have I seen that symbol before?

My subduer watches me with a similar fascination, like—

Cut this shit out!

I throw an elbow into his ribs and he momentarily loosens his grip, sucking in a breath.

Slipping through his arms, I manage to free myself from his grasp, bolting away like a bat out of hell.

I don’t even bother to glance over my shoulder. There’s no time to lose.

Pasado and his man are at the edge of the driveway now, about to round the gate and come out onto the sidewalk.

As they catch sight of me, I watch Pasado’s guy reach for the pistol at his hip. But I’m faster.

“What the—” Pasado cries out as I dive head-first into him, knocking him backward, just as the bomb detonates behind me.

BOOM!

My ears are ringing like crazy. Feeling my head spin, I peel my eyes open and sit up slowly.

I blink a few times, trying to bring everything into focus.

Debris is scattered all around us. One of the bikes is on fire. The other’s completely destroyed.

I glance down at my bounty.

Fuck.

Is he…?

Pasado lies beneath me, completely limp, like a rag doll.

Checking his pulse, I heave a sigh of relief and fall back onto my elbows.

Unconscious. Not dead.

Probably knocked out from hitting his head against the pavement.

Surveying the scene, it looks like his buddy wasn’t so lucky…

As the shrill tone in my ears subsides, it’s replaced by something else. A wailing noise that sounds like it’s miles away. Hard to make out.

But with each passing moment, the sound grows clearer.

Shit!

The cops!

Police sirens—lots of them, from the sound of it—getting closer with every second.

The Toltecs’ dirty cops.

They’ll probably shoot me on sight, no questions asked.

Or frame me for this botched assassination attempt.

I gulp, my eyes flying back down to Pasado’s limp form.

Shit.

How am I gonna lug his ass to the car all alone?

Maybe if I had more than thirty seconds…

But I don’t.

They’ll catch me.

I’ll have to get Pasado later.

But it’s going to be harder now…

Now that the fucking RoT—whoever they are—just alerted the Toltecs to the target on Pasado’s head.

If I’d thought he was difficult to access before…

BOOM!

Fucking hell!

The second bike explodes behind me.

I really need to get the fuck out of here.

I clamber into my Prius, putting it into drive just as a fleet of cops turn onto the other end of the street.

As I pull away, glancing in the rearview mirror at the fucking mess behind me, all I can think about are those sea-green eyes…

And the RoT tattoo.

***

I slam my bag down onto the sofa of my threadbare apartment, then throw my body on top of it.

I’m still fuming about what happened today.

I’ve never fucked up on a job before.

It was his fault.

The man in black.

I’m fuming—desperate to know who he is.

And how the fuck he managed to get me so hot and bothered…

If I ever see him again, I’ll slit his fucking throat.

Right after he plays with my—

Almost subconsciously, I reach my hand down between my legs, sliding my fingers underneath my waistband and into my pants.

It’s been too long since a man was down there.

I run a finger along the outside of my pussy, enjoying the tingling sensation it leaves in its wake and imagining what the RoT could do with more than just his hand.

I can feel myself getting wet, and I start to move my hand faster. I close my eyes and imagine him again.

His wild hair and beard.

His sea-green eyes.

His massive hulking body.

Then it hits me.

R-O-T.

… Riders of Tyr?

I’d heard of them a long time ago. Before I ever came to the States…

They were old enemies from back then.

A terror from the West.

But why would the Swedes—these guys claiming to be Vikings—be operating out of NorCal?

Pulling my hand out of my pants, I lean back on the sofa and stare up at the water stain on the ceiling above me, still breathing heavily.

“Well, I learned one thing today,” I mumble.

If the Riders of Tyr are after Pasado, it looks like I’ll be teaming up with them to take him down.

Trying to act against them would be like signing my own death warrant.

No, the only way to get to Pasado is by creating an alliance with the Riders.

Which means I have to find him again. My heart flutters at the thought.

With a sigh, I pull myself up off the couch and shuffle over to the safe in the corner. I punch in the code and open it to reveal a handgun.

Checking the magazine for bullets, I tuck the weapon into my belt.

If I’m going after these guys, I’d better bring protection.

I reach for the door and stride out of my apartment, a look of purpose on my face.

Watch out, Riders of Tyr. Here I come.