Page 85 of The Best Trick

“Odin, get the fire extinguisher!” Zeus barked. “Ice, go get a pitcher of water. Thor, see if you can find a shovel or another fire extinguisher that's in the front hall.”

Ears still ringing, I rushed to get the pitcher and brought it out just in time to see Zeus shove the top of the barbecue off with the fireplace poker. Odin sprayed the thing down with the fire extinguisher. Eventually, the flames subsided.

“What the hell?” Zeus grumbled, drawing nearer to the thing. He lifted a charred, limp, black mass up with the poker. It was some kind of fabric thing from the looks of it, burnt to a crisp.

“Kerosene,” Odin said. “Kerosene and firecrackers.”

“Was somebody trying to hurt us?” I asked. “Was this an attack?”

“The only reason you do something like this is for a diversion, but what purpose—” Odin and Zeus exchanged glances. As if on cue, a car engine rumbled from the other side of the place.

Zeus swore. He and Odin took off around the side at top speed. I followed them and caught up just in time to see Thor peeling out in our car—with Doris in the front seat next to him.

He was heading to the meeting site! It was just after six o'clock—still plenty of time to make it there.

Zeus and Odin were chasing him on foot, but Thor had an obvious advantage, what with driving a car.

I got a sudden brainstorm and took off in the other direction, remembering a path I’d spotted down the hill in back, leading down to intersect with the main road where it twisted around the hill.

I scrambled and slid down the hill, skinning my palms and nearly taking a horrible tumble. I made it down just in time to get to the middle of the road.

I saw Thor take the hairpin turn, zooming toward me.

Sucking in a breath, I put out my arms, making myself big. With a screech, he slammed on the brakes.

“Get out of the way, Ice!” he yelled through a cracked window. “Don't make me run you down!”

“Run me down,” I heard myself say. It was here I knew—I would lay down my life to protect these guys. “You go ahead and run me down!”

“I mean it!” he yelled, laying on the horn.

I shook my head.

“You have to let me go, Ice,” he begged.

“Forget it! Not worth it.”

Zeus and Odin were running up the road behind him.

“What the fuck!” Zeus was the first to reach the car. He yanked open the driver’s side door and pulled Thor right out of there. The car started rolling.

“Omigod!” I dived out of the way.

Odin jumped onto the car and swung into the driver’s side and stopped it from careening off the side of the hill. He grabbed Doris and came out, handing her leash to me.

“You can't keep me a prisoner,” Thor said, getting right in Zeus’s face.

“We can do whatever we want,” Odin said, stalking over to him and getting right in his face. “We’re outlaws, motherfuckers!”

“We will keep you prisoner forever if it keeps you safe,” Zeus said.

“Fuck you!” Thor said.

“You’d prefer capture or death to this?” Odin asked.

“Yeah, I would,” Thor said.

“Stop it!” I said. “Don’t say that.”

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