Page 17 of Hallow Hill at Halloween: Part Two

Lochlan let go.

Keir walked toward the voices he was hearing coming from the bedroom. He arrived in time to see Loki staring down at Rita saying, “I should know better than to put my fate in the hands of someone so impossibly frail.”

Keir saw the opportunity in that and took it. “That’s right. You deserve an immortal life coach who won’t let you down in your moments of need. Rita simply isn’t good enough.”

Loki moved his gaze to Keir with a head swivel so slow it was cringeworthy. Esme, Jeff, and Lochlan held their collective breath.

“How dare you say that about my Rita!” Loki gritted out. The phrase “myRita” almost sent Keir into a blind rage. Sensing that, Lochlan reached out and put his hand on Keir’s shoulder. Loki tracked the gesture, but his eyes came right back to Keir. “You don’t deserve her.” He looked around the room. “I’ll be back when she’s better company. When will that be?”

Everyone present was thinking it quite impossible for any creature to be so boorish, but Loki had difficulty with any concept that didn’t feature him at the core.

“We don’t know, Loki.” Lochlan took on the task of trying to defuse the situation. Any situation with Loki was a ticking bomb. He was like an omnipotent toddler. “We’ll send word when she’s conscious.”

“Word?” Loki seemed interested in that. “How?”

“Sigrid. The retired Valkyrie? She’s friends with Rita. Probably in her contacts,” Lochlan replied.

“Contacts?” That also grabbed Loki’s attention. “Am I in Rita’s contacts?” he asked Lochlan.

“In order to be in Rita’s contacts you’d have to have a cellular phone.”

“Oh. Should I get one?”

“By the…” Before Keir could get too far into that thought, Lochlan practically slapped the enforcer’s chest with the palm of his hand to stop him from saying something that would either irritate Loki or prolong the visit. It would be hard to predict which might be worse.

“Gods don’t need phones,” Lochlan said.

Loki pulled himself to his full height. “That’s right. Gods don’t need phones. Tell Sigrid she’s commanded to let me know when Rita is herself again.”

Apparently, Loki also had trouble with the concept of retirement.

“I will.” Keir looked at Lochlan like he was insane. When Loki looked down at Rita again, Lochlan shook his head to reassure Keir he would not be alerting Loki to Rita’s state of mind or body. Ever.

He might pursue the lawsuit though. The idea of the enforcer suing a Norse god for trespass was amusing if nothing else. Rita might have to recuse herself in which case he, Lochlan, would have to step in. That brought a smile to his face.

“What’s funny?” Keir demanded.

“Oh.” Lochlan’s smiled died instantly. “Just picturing the bloody bugger’s comeuppance.”

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