Master Vidar & Vali (Masters of Midgard #4)

Chapter 1

Chapter One

Zara

M y heart pounded painfully against my ribcage as I approached Mr. Aziz’s office. I tried to remind myself I wasn’t some scared little girl, but as the sound of my footsteps on the polished marble floor echoed through the hall, my fear overrode logic. Somehow, in my quest to become a success, I’d forgotten my good sense. Instead of living my best life, I was trapped in a foreign country working for a man who I realized wanted more than I was willing to give.

I knew that if something seemed too good to be true, it usually was. But when I was offered my dream job at a pay level I hadn’t even imagined was possible, I’d jumped at the chance to leap ahead in my career. Growing up poor had made me long for the good things in life. My parents had tried to swindle their way into wealth and failed spectacularly. After everything I’d survived, I’d fooled myself into believing this opportunity was just good karma finally coming my way.

Why had I fallen for the belief that the universe would make things fair? It’s like we were all born with this lie ingrained in our souls.

Don’t believe me? Think about it. Thousands of people believed in the concept of karma that could be summarized as good things happening to good people and bad things happening to bad people. We believe that the scales of a person’s life experiences exist in a constant state of balance while the reality was far from such a simple explanation.

Need more proof? Santa Claus, revered by children everywhere, rewards the good and punishes the bad. Or you could subscribe to the idea that there are two Santas … the merry one, and Krampus who was hell-bent on making wicked children suffer.

Normally, I thought the possibility of any sort of universe that maintained fairness was bullshit. With my life experiences, I would never fall for that fairy tale again. If I survived to get back to the United States, I would remember one simple truth.

Life isn’t fair.

I’d started to suspect that my dream job was anything but perfect in less than a week. Seven days after that, I realized I needed to get the hell out of Albania. Unfortunately, I’d hesitated because I didn’t know how to do that without ruining my chances of finding a good job back at home. He was a well-respected business owner and had the power to destroy my reputation. If I left on bad terms, I’d be committing career suicide.

As time passed, that became less important, but fear for my personal safety grew. I’d become increasingly more positive that he wasn’t just into shady shit, but outright illegal activities. Not speaking Albanian meant I couldn’t prove a thing, but I’d grown up around enough criminals that I recognized the signs.

If that wasn’t bad enough, every day that passed made it more obvious he was looking for more from me than a professional relationship. Being paraded about at a dinner party like some sort of exotic bird had made my stomach swirl. He’d held me next to him with a firm grip on my arm. To outsiders, it would have looked like we were a couple, but I’d felt like a prisoner. It had been the last straw. If I ended up back in the U.S. homeless and penniless, I didn’t care. All that mattered was getting the hell out of Albania safely.

In front of me, the ornate wooden door stood like the gates of hell. My knees trembled as I stared at the one barrier between me and my freedom. I hesitated, my hand midair. The memory of the hungry look in his eyes when he finally let me go home had bile rising in my throat. If I didn’t leave, the next time he might not stop at an uncomfortable look. I took a deep breath and knocked.

“Come in,” Mihal Aziz’s deep voice called from the other side.

Pushing the door open, I stepped into the room. The man I’d come to loathe sat behind his massive mahogany desk like a mighty emperor on his throne. Like a king and his servants, he’d created this superior segregation between himself and anyone entering his office. You might enter, but you were only allowed in the outer orbit of his space.

His sharp cheekbones and dark eyes were framed by a neatly trimmed beard that added to his intimidating image. He was a highly successful man in his forties who had a penchant for lording it over his empire, reminding me too much of the mafia I’d left behind. Even his tailored suits clung to his lean muscular body as if they feared to step out of line.

“Zara,” he greeted, his accent was thick and held a hint of surprise in his voice. “What brings you here so early?”

I swallowed hard, trying to steady my nerves. “Mr. Aziz, I need to talk to you about something important.”

“Mihal. I’ve told you to call me Mihal, darling.”

His use of an endearment grated on my nerves, and it took everything in my power to not physically flinch at his use of “darling” in a husky whisper as if I were already his.

“Fine, Mihal. We need to talk.”

He raised an eyebrow, gesturing for me to sit. “Of course. What’s on your mind?”

Perched on the edge of the leather chair, I sat, my palms damp with anxiety. I had rehearsed the dialogue in my head so many times that I had it memorized, but as soon as I entered the office, anxiety took over and my mind went blank. Taking a deep breath, I steadied my nerves. “I’ve decided to resign from my position here. I want to return to America.”

Shock flashed across his face, quickly replaced by a calculating look. “Why? Have I not treated you well?”

I took another deep breath. I’d anticipated him questioning my motives. Hopefully, he’d buy the excuse I’d come up with.

“I’m homesick and I don’t think I’m the right fit for what you need.” The polite lie was bitter on my tongue.

“Nonsense, my girl. You are important to the company. Just give it more time.”

Damn it. Why couldn’t he just once make things easy? When he spoke so sweetly, it was hard to remember he wasn’t a good guy. If I wanted my freedom, I would have to be blunt and pray he didn’t get offended.

“Last night, at dinner, you used dashura and my name in the same sentence when talking to your cousin. You know I don’t speak much Albanian, but I do know that means love.”

He flicked his wrist at me as if wiping away my concern as trivial. “It is an endearment, sweetheart. Do not overreact.”

“I’m not overreacting. Endearments are not appropriate when referring to an employee. They make me uncomfortable. I’m not interested in you that way, Mihal.” Anger heated my skin. “I came here for a job, and so far, you’ve only paraded me around and insisted I attend personal functions while not giving me any training or assignments for the public relations job you hired me for.”

He leaned back, eyes narrowing. “Zara, you’re misunderstanding things. I only called you that because it was expected in that social context. Maybe you don’t understand what is needed in public relations, but all those personal functions are considered networking in my country.”

If I was more na?ve, I might believe what he was saying. Might believe that it was inexperience, not my well-honed instincts telling me to run for the hills. Unfortunately for him, I’d been around too many immoral men in my youth to miss the way his family and colleagues laughed and looked at me like I was something on the menu. I would not let him gaslight me into staying. I straightened and tried to channel my inner bitch.

“Then I guess I’m not interested in PR after all. I’m sorry, but this job isn’t for me. I want my passport back. HR still hasn’t returned it to me. I’ll book my trip home.”

It would cut into my savings, but I didn’t want there to be any reason for him to delay my leaving.

“No.” The word hit me like a slap. “I’m keeping your passport safe. We wouldn’t want to risk losing it. As your boss, I’ll decide if you need access to it. I have to be sure you’re safe and don’t do anything reckless.”

A chill chased down my spine as my worst fear was realized. He was going to fight me on leaving. Determination strengthened my resolve as I shook my head. “I appreciate your concern, but I’ve made up my mind. I want to go home.”

Mihal’s expression hardened. “You’re making a mistake, Zara. You signed a one-year contract. Believe me when I say you don’t want to break faith with me.”

Fear spiked an adrenalin release that pulsated through me like a subway car zooming away from a platform in New York. What I wouldn’t give to feel the wind pulling my hair into a tangled mess from the rapid acceleration of the train. Instead, I was standing there fighting for breath as my throat closed in a precursor to a panic attack.

I’d spoken my feelings honestly, and he’d railroaded me. It was my worst-case scenario coming to life. Would he really try to keep me prisoner by holding my passport hostage? How could I get home without it? I was trapped in a country where I barely understood the language, and I’d stupidly handed over my passport when he’d said HR required it for the visa paperwork. Now it was probably stuck between four small walls in a safe someplace, but where?

The door sprang open before I could come up with a suitable response. My eyes darted toward the sound, and I saw a man step into the room. He was tall, with a confident stride that exuded an air of quiet authority. His blond hair and blue eyes marked him as neither Albanian nor one of the local employees. Something about his determined confidence had my fear easing back.

It was like the difference between seeing a hyena and a trained guard dog. You feared both, but with the latter you knew if you followed the rules, you would be safe. It was the first time in my life that the sight of a man made me want to relax rather than fight.

So many inappropriate thoughts chased through my imagination. Maybe it was the stress of the confrontation or the fact I hadn’t had sex in almost a year, but my mind focused on the tantalizing fantasy of the extremely fit blond in the gorgeous Armani suit, naked, between my legs. Would he worship my body or use it like his favorite toy? Either scenario had its appeal. My dirty thoughts were abruptly interrupted when my boss rose from his seat to greet his guest.

What the hell was wrong with me? It was not the time to get distracted. I had to focus.

“Ah, Colin.” Mihal’s smile looked forced, his words coming out from behind clenched teeth. “Perfect timing. Zara, this is Colin Kinnaird, the G&H security consultant we’ve been working with to upgrade our digital and physical security. Colin, this is Zara Foster, my assistant and a member of my PR team.”

I hated the possessive way he said the word “my” and fought the urge to roll my eyes. Had he added me in that possessive way, thinking it would appease me? Or was it a warning to Colin Kinnaird?

The handsome man in question gave me an evaluating look. If Mihal’s intention had been to pacify me, it failed. No amount of sweet-talking or possessiveness would change my desire to leave. Despite this man’s interruption of our discussion, I still needed to come up with a plan to get the hell out of the country.

Colin was in security. Would that mean he might know where Mihal was keeping my passport? Could I ask without coming across as obvious? It would be a fine line between appearing interested in something as an employee rather than a thief. He wouldn’t know that the only thing I wanted to steal was my passport.

The last thing I needed was to alert Mihal of my intentions. Trusting a stranger went against all common sense. He was a man, and life had taught me that men were dangerous and untrustworthy. Like my dickhead of a boss, they lied and kept their true intentions hidden until it was too late.

Colin extended his hand, and in reflex, I shook it. A bolt of electricity raced up my arm from where his hand touched mine. To my surprise, his grip was firm but not crushing. It conveyed respect without any hidden game of flirting or dominance.

“Nice to meet you, Zara.” The warm and steady tone of his voice held a slight Scottish brogue that both calmed and excited me.

I gave him my best smile. “Same. Security? Does that mean you are upgrading not only the servers but the locations where physical documents are kept?”

Okay, that wasn’t even a little subtle, and by the way Mihal’s head jerked, he knew what I was trying to do. His glare had my pulse kicking up a notch. Mihal stood and placed a firm hand on my shoulder. “You should focus on PR, Zara. Colin and I have pressing matters to discuss. We’ll circle back to what we were discussing later.”

The tightening of his grip told me clearly that if I pushed, things wouldn’t go well for me. It was tempting, but I had no idea if Colin would be an ally or enemy. I nodded to let Mihal know I wouldn’t make trouble.

His grip loosened, and he brushed his fingers over my shoulder in a too-familiar way before stepping back. A wave of helplessness washed over me as I put more distance between us and moved toward the door.

“It was nice to meet you, Mr. Kinnaird.” Keeping defeat out of my voice was nearly impossible. I would need every ounce of smarts to find a way out of this situation. Being distracted by a hot man wouldn’t help.

“You as well, Ms. Foster.” The evaluating look in his eyes confused me as I left the two to have their discussion in the office.

Going back to my desk to worry was unappealing. I needed to be doing something active. Hoping to get lucky, I wandered the office complex and tried to scope out every possible location where Mihal might have my passport hidden. He might be treating me as an empty-headed woman, but he didn’t know of my past, the things I’d done to survive. I wasn’t as clueless as I’d allowed him to believe, far from it.

Unsurprisingly, my cursory search came up empty. Could he have taken my passport to his home? With all the dinner parties he made me attend, checking there would be complicated but not impossible. I would have to wait until his guard was down. My panic was bubbling back up, and I needed to keep it under control. Maybe when we talked again, Mihal would see reason.

And maybe unicorns would fly, my parents would be reformed by their jail time, and I would win the lottery. This wandering wasn’t doing me any good, so I headed back to my desk. I needed to come up with contingency plans.

Lost in thought, I must have been staring at my computer for too long because I didn’t hear anyone approaching before a hand gripped my shoulder. I was wound so tight that I let out a yelp before I spun around and snarled, “Don’t touch me.”

I was ready to lay into whoever thought they could get handsy with me but my vicious words were cut short at the sight of a very concerned Colin.

“I didn’t mean to startle you, Zara, but I called your name several times.” He held up his hands as if to show he wasn’t going to hurt me.

“I’m sorry. I’ve got a lot on my mind.” Understatement of the year.

His concerned expression relaxed something inside me. It was silly. I had no reason to trust a man I’d just met. Probably just the effect of being able to speak comfortably with a person who spoke English after weeks of being surrounded by people I could barely communicate with.

“You seemed upset earlier. Is there anything I can help you with?”

The temptation to dump all my problems on him was strong. It was cliche but the idea of letting the strong, handsome man rescue me from my own stupidity was appealing. With my luck, he’d turn out to be one of Mihal’s friends and I’d end up worse off than I already was. Still… he was a magnetic force that pulled at me. A pull that was hard to resist.

“No, thank you, Mr. Kinnaird, I’m fine.”

“Call me Colin. Why don’t you let me take you out to dinner?”

I would have thought he was hitting on me if it wasn’t for the worry etched into his eyes. Honestly, if he’d been asking me for a date, I would’ve been tempted to take him up on the offer. I couldn’t think of a more enjoyable way to spend an evening. The man was the very definition of sexy.

I could certainly use an evening of mindless fun to blow off steam. Playing the role of the untouchable virgin was useful in keeping handsy businessmen away, but it was taking its toll on me. A night of passionate sex with a skilled attractive partner would help me relax, but if Mihal found out I wasn’t untouchable like I’d been pretending to be… well, I didn’t want to finish that thought.

“Thank you for the offer, but I already have plans.” Ones I planned on canceling. I wasn’t going to keep playing arm candy for my boss with everything I now knew. If he wouldn’t give me back my passport, I would find a way to get it back myself. Colin studied me as if he could see the thoughts racing through my mind.

“If you’re sure.” He pulled his wallet out of his suit pocket and grabbed a business card and offered it to me. “I’m flying home tomorrow, but don’t hesitate to call if you ever need anything.”

I offered him one of my own cards from the holder on my desk as I took his to be polite. “Thank you.”

“Mr. Aziz wants to see you in his office.”

The voice of Mihal’s bodyguard surprised me. He didn’t usually come into the office and a sense of dread pulled at my belly, my cortisol spiking with anxiety. I kept my shoulders squared and gritted my teeth.

“Of course. It was nice meeting you, Colin, have a good flight home.” He looked like he wanted to say something but stopped himself.

“It was good to meet you.” The scowl on his face as he walked away was confusing.

I studied the card he’d given me and was surprised that it didn’t have his company or name on it. What looked like a rune of some sort and an address in Philadelphia was all it contained. The U.S. address surprised me because of his accent. I shrugged and slipped it into my pocket. Maybe I would look him up once I was back in the States.

I looked at the guard whose name I didn’t know and gave him my best clueless smile. “I’ll head over to his office now.”

Dreams of potentially hooking up with a hot guy when I got myself out of this hellhole would have to wait. I had much more important things to think about. I clung to the thought that all it would take for Mihal to let me go was some reasoning.

Fingers crossed. Maybe Mihal wasn’t the monster I had started to suspect he was.