Naughty in Norway (4 page)

I’
m moving and I’m cold.

Strong vibrations are coming from beneath me as my eyes flutter open. Slowly brushing my long mahogany-colored hair away from my face, the first thing I notice is a beautiful snow-covered mountain range that’s so close outside the window that it appears to be nearly within reach. I’d rather stare at the majestic scene than face the reality of whatever the hell is in store for me.

I’d almost rather not know at this point.

I’m so cold that I’m shivering hard and my hands have a white-blue tinge to them. My coat is lodged between my head and the frosty window I have been leaning against. I slowly push myself away from the window and retrieve it, grateful for the warmth it provides as I slide it on.

Although I already have a pretty good idea of who I’m with, I stiffly turn to see Alreck behind the wheel of a silver pick-up truck. He’s merely a foot away, way too close for comfort, and I almost groan out loud at the misery of the situation. My head spins wildly and I grab the dashboard to steady myself.

Gathering myself the best I’m able, I hiss at him, “Are you insane?”

Nothing. Not even a glance.

“Let me out of this truck!” I shout at him and the effort causes my head to throb violently.

His size and dominant aura are beyond intimidating, but at this moment I’m too livid to care.

Why won’t he at least answer me?

As I sit and tremble inside the frigid truck he thankfully reaches down to turn on the heat.

I can’t fight the urge to let him have it. “Are you going to kill me? Just tell me now, you sick bastard, and get it over with, all right?”

I suck in a gasp as he turns his head to me with a furious glare. His eyes are arctic as he grates out a single word, “No.”

At least he understands English.

“Then if it’s not too much of an inconvenience for you, I’d at least like to know where in the hell you’re whisking me off to.”

I wait expectantly for an answer, trembling arms crossed in defiance.

A smooth rumble passes his full lips. “Calm down.”

I sit back in a supreme huff and consider my options. How can I escape before we’re too far away from Oslo? Gruesome thoughts of what these guys could be capable of turn over in my mind as the miles tick by. Surely they wouldn’t want to harm me for just being a witness to a murder … Or would they?

After several minutes of thick silence, I can’t take it anymore and glare at him once again.

“I need to use the bathroom,” I say, all feigned innocence and calm.

He gives me a disbelieving look but pulls the truck off the lonely mountainous highway at the next exit. As he slowly enters the parking lot I realize that it’s dusk. Panic leaps into my throat because it was noon when I was last conscious.

In a suspicious whisper I ask him, “How long have I been out?”

His voice is a deep murmur, “Over four hours.”

That’s surreal. I’ve never even fainted before …
Then, like a lead weight, the memory of the cloth being held to my face hits me.

“You monster!” I let loose and rage on him for all I’m worth. “You, you drugged me, didn’t you? That’s why I feel so strange and was out for so long.”

I’m beyond freaked out as my heart jackhammers in my chest. What if it was something toxic?

Oh God, I could have died!

Reaching the tiny gas station, he pulls the truck into a distant lone parking space. He turns to watch me closely while he leans forward with both of his long forearms draped casually over the black steering wheel.

In a clear voice as smooth as whiskey and unnervingly deep, causing it to reverberate throughout the interior of the truck like a sound system, he says, “I know what you’re thinking, but you don’t want to run from me, American. You won’t escape.”

I’m completely taken aback. This Neanderthal speaks perfect English with a beautiful, lilting Scandinavian undertone. It’s the only sentence he’s ever spoken to me and I realize this man doesn’t speak without reason. His eyes betray a cold intelligence and it’ll take a sheer miracle to get away from him.

Think, Vail!

“Fine, whatever. But you need to tell me what you used on me. Whatever the hell it was could make me sick.”

“It was an anesthetic. I believe you call it ether. You will be fine.”

Detached. No hint of remorse.
I need to be cautious, because this guy shows all the signs of being a sociopath, and I don’t feel like dying anytime soon.

“Can I go to the bathroom now?”

He slips out of the cab and comes around to open my door. His truck is lifted impossibly high off the ground and he offers his hand to assist me. I push it away with the back of mine and tumble out on my own, nearly falling on my ass in the snow directly in front of him.

Without a word he turns and prowls toward the gas station, assuming that I’ll follow obediently behind him.

Arrogant!

I pull my hat closer down on my head and turn to take a look at his truck.

It’s a massive, pristine silver Ford F-250 that sports enormous, heavily treaded tires that read “Mickey Thompson.” They are set on intimidating, black on black riveted rims. A large rifle hangs from a gun rack behind the seats that I must have missed when I came to.

Fabulous, I’ve been kidnapped by a Nordic Redneck. Just lovely.

Once he realizes that I’m not following behind him, he turns and pins me with an icy glare. I quickly catch up and plan on keeping a healthy distance between us, but he takes my hand in his large, warm one and pulls me next to him.

I suppose to most observers we would look like an ordinary couple. Of course, with me being the sweet, outgoing one and him being, well, Alreck the flipping scary biker.

Pulled close to him like this, I realize that I fall far short of even his shoulder.
How am I ever going to get away from a man like this? I’ll have to try and outwit him.

Once inside he nods toward the restroom and I turn to head in that direction, but he’s still holding fast to my hand.

I stop and pivot back to him with an agitated look. “What?”

He stares at me for a long moment, his face unreadable. “Remember, American.”

I nearly spit nails as I hiss right up at him, “Save it, Ginormous. For all you know I could kick it in there from the toxic cocktail you served me earlier.”

His eyes narrow into tight slashes as I yank my hand free and cross quickly toward the bathroom.

Just to annoy him, I deliberately take my time, and as I’m washing my hands an escape plan comes to mind. After finger combing my long hair into some semblance of order, I open the door and exit with renewed hope. At least the ether seems to have worn off.

Alreck hovers just outside the bathroom as I pull the door open, his legs spread wide and his arms crossed in front of him in a dominant stance. He watches me warily.

“Choose a drink,” he says before stepping out of the doorframe.

“Go find my wallet and I will,” I sass back at him with hands on my hips.

He leans down within inches of my face and says in a harsh whisper, “Enough, woman. We’re not stopping again until the fuel runs out, so pick something to drink or you’ll go without.”

Okay, what’s with the excessive alpha-ness?

“Whatever.” I mumble to myself as I trudge past him and grab a giant bottle of Voss water.

He slips the bottle from my fingers and stalks up to the register to pay. I see that he’s also purchasing a coffee along with another bottle of water. The forty-something female attendant bats her eyelashes at him and giggles as she gives him the total. If he notices at all then he’s not letting on. With his looks, women most likely hijack his cell on a regular basis to program their digits into it for him.
Ugh
!

He takes my hand once again while carrying the bagged drinks in the other. We rush through the bitter cold toward his truck and this time he doesn’t attempt to help me get in.

It is a struggle to climb into the cab, but once I’m seated I reach out and slam the door in his face, making certain that it’s left unlocked.

Please let this plan work.

My breathing is out of control as the adrenaline begins to course through my veins.

I watch cautiously as he hauls his big frame up into the cab, and just as he reaches into the bag of drinks I lurch my door back open and jump down, falling hard onto my knees in the snow. It stings like a beast and I bite back a groan as I lurch to my feet and begin to run back, hell bent, toward the tiny store.

I ran track throughout college and know that I’m quick, but my knees are killing me from the impact and the snowy ground is a far cry from a proper track. When I’m halfway across the parking lot, someone passes me in a sprint. Alreck?

Before my brain can register how to evade him, he turns around and faces me with rage in his eyes before charging at me. He hauls me up and over his giant shoulder before I can so much as pivot away from him.

Speechless, I look up in terror at the attendant who’s watching us from inside the window in stunned surprise.

Like a complete Neanderthal, he locks a hold across my suspended legs and prowls right back to the station. He says something to her in Norwegian that, to my complete dismay, makes her laugh and wave to me as I’m carried away.

“Call the …!” I wail, yet before I can complete the sentence a hard slap lands without mercy right on my ass cheek, effectively silencing me after I let out a startled, “Ooh!” as the burn spreads across my rear.

The attendant gives me cheeky smile.
What did he say?
She seems to have zero clue what I’m desperately trying to convey to her.

I’m doomed.

Too frightened to struggle, I let my body go slack as I’m carried to the truck. He must be furious that I tried to run from him.

Oh God, I must come up with a more developed plan because that was so pathetic!

I’m hesitant to even look his way as I’m roughly dumped back onto my seat. Once he’s seated next to me, he throws open the glove box, takes out a black bandana and proceeds to grab my right wrist without hesitation. I try to struggle but he’s far too strong. I watch in horror as he ties it onto my wrist and the short remaining length to the door handle. I give a hearty yank while trying to dislodge the knot. My stomach plummets. It’s tied so tight that the knot in the material appears to have fused into itself. The only way this is coming loose is with a pocket knife.

I feel him breathing hotly against my cheek, yet I refuse to look at him.

With a scary growl he grasps my chin firmly and turns me to face him.
Oh God, he looks far wilder when he’s angry!

“I warned you, American. You’ve entered my world now, and you
will
obey me.”

How could you fail so miserably, Vail?

I’m incensed at his attempt to control me and turn my torso away to both dislodge his grasp and avoid his anger, murmuring loud enough for him to hear, “Never, and you can bet that I won’t stop trying until I either get away from you, or die trying, you cruel man!”

Ignoring my comment, he pulls up to the nearest pump, jerks the truck into park and jumps down again to begin refueling his rig as I stare sullenly out the cold window.

I blatantly ignore him as he climbs back in and starts off once again toward the winding mountainous highway. He fiddles with the radio and the cab fills with blaring, aggressive Scandinavian heavy metal.

My head throbs along with the jarring drums as I lean my head back against the seat to stare at the ceiling. Round one: defeat.

There’s plenty more where that came from, Alreck, so watch out.

***

I can’t take the silence anymore. Three hours have passed and it’s pitch-black outside. We must be at least two hundred miles from where we last got gas.

“What did you tell her?”

He turns to me, his voice flat. “Who?”

“The attendant at the station, what did you tell her when you had me in your cage fighter lock-down hold?”

Is it my imagination or did his full lips just twitch? A possible smile from the ice man?

“I told her that when I play along with my girl’s fantasies I always get lucky.”

Rage fills me. I’d rather he be merely abrasive than taunt me.

“What? Why would you say that?”

With an exasperated sigh he says, “Because I had to diffuse the situation you created and it was a convenient excuse. Besides, she took one look at us and figured it was true.”

Embarrassed and aggravated, I hiss, “You’re completely repulsive, among other things, and I’d have to be stranded on a desert island for a century before I’d
ever
let you lay one of your oversized paws on me.”

With a full lip quirk he stares ahead at the black, lonely highway. “I hardly think that’s the case, American, but you keep believing as you like.”