Hammer of the Gods Read online

  “And the pupil becomes the master,” Iona’s fingers flashed as Jennifer rejoined their group.

  “I thought it was about time I joined in,” Jennifer said with a sheepish grin.

  “As big as your forearm?!” Else gave Jennifer a sideways glance as they passed through the door.

  “How did you know?” Thor asked, smiling.

  “Now you’ve done it, Jen,” Bryndis said. “Thor’s ego is so big, there’s barely enough room for it to pass through doorways. Now, he’ll be strutting around like a rooster for days, as well.”

  Jennifer flashed a grin at Thor. “I’m sure he’ll do something to deflate it before the night is out.”

  Man! When she jumps in, she does it with both feet!

  “Hey!” Mikki protested. “She was calling me skinny, wasn’t she?”

  “Noooo,” the other women replied in unison.

  The thumping techno-pop, flashing lights and the various alcoholic mixtures that had been spilled during the evening assaulted the senses upon entering. The club was crowded, packed wall-to-wall with a sea of very young faces. There were hundreds of women, most appearing to have had their dresses air-brushed on before arriving in an attempt to gain attention. There were plenty of young men, too; all willing to give it to them. It was enough to make Thor feel older than he was. Fortunately, this was not going to be a long visit.

  He weaved a path through the mass of people milling about, passing a group of young ladies trying their best to communicate over the music. The women paused, the pretty red-head flashed Thor an approving smile. Her eyes flickered to Bryndis and the others, and the smile widened. Thanks, girl! That made me feel a whole lot better about myself.

  Bryndis told Thor years before: “A man is never more desirable than when he was with another woman. It is the most powerful aphrodisiac in the world”. She proved her theory during his first year as a grad-student.

  Thor’s accelerated education created a widening age gap between himself and his fellow students; making it nearly impossible to catch the attention of the fairer sex that were five or six years older. I know! I had trouble believing it, myself!

  That all changed during a lecture on the works of Jackson Pollock.

  A tall brunette entered the classroom, wearing a white silk top that left nothing to the imagination and a pair of cut-off shorts so short they would make Daisy Duke blush. Without a word, the very shapely woman smiled at the professor and made her way toward a stunned Thor. All eyes watched as she sauntered up to him and placed a small, brown bag in his hands, then kissed him so passionately it took his breath away. And make it impossible to stand for the next half-hour, without embarrassing myself to death!

  “Eat all of your lunch,” she cooed, running her fingers through his hair. “You’re going to need every ounce of your strength, tonight.” She spoke softly; but from the “Whoa!” from one of the males at the far end of the classroom, everyone heard every word she said. The woman kissed him again, then sauntered back through the door; leaving his life as mysteriously as she entered.

  And that was the end of Thor’s invisibility.

  Bryndis never revealed the name of the woman she hired, which was a shame, because he wanted to thank her. Oh, how I wanted to thank her! Bryndis never shared much insight into the mind of a woman beyond that; claiming she had created a devious enough monster as it was, without adding to the problem. So, whatever insights into the minds of women she had to offer, she kept them to herself.

  Thor smiled at the redhead, and moved on with Bryndis and the others close behind. He could feel eyes on his back; any other night, he would take full advantage of the situation, return later with a bottle of champagne and a smile.

  Ahead he saw two gargantuan bouncers escorting a man, doing everything he could to escape, toward the back door. He could not tell what the squirming man was screaming, but it did not really matter. Nothing the man had to say would prevent the imminent outcome: a severe beating that would, most likely, end with time spent recovering in the hospital. The back door was reserved for those who broke the club’s strict “no drugs” policy for the first time.

  If the idiot was stupid enough to bring drugs into the club again, no one would have witnessed him being taken away, and the beating would be worse. Then he would be duct-taped to a tree near the police station, with a sign taped to his forehead reading: I am a drug dealer.

  As far as Thor knew, that only happened four times. It is a cruel and extreme tactic, but it works. They used to find seven to ten pushers a night, now it is down to less than three a month. With the horrified looks the men were getting, those numbers may be down even further for the next few months.

  Felix Kahalawal rushed toward Thor, the six foot ten inch, two hundred seventy-five pound Hawaiian moving through the crowd with the ease of a snowplow through newly-fallen powder. He stooped down, wrapped python-sized arms around Thor’s waist and lifted him into the air. “Goddamn!” he bellowed over the music. “It’s good to see you, Brother!”

  Thor laughed, though he felt as if his spine would snap. “If you don’t put me down,” Thor forced out, “people will start to talk.”

  “Let ‘em talk,” Felix said shifting Thor’s weight to one arm, the other he held out to Bryndis. “Bryndis, you sexy thing, how the hell are you?” He pulled her close in a tight embrace.

  “I’m good, you big fool. How about you?”

  Felix released Bryndis, and eased Thor to the floor. “If things were any better, I’d swear I died and went to heaven.”

  The big man had, finally, taken Thor’s advice and cut his hair and trimmed his beard. With the shoulder-length mass of black curls and bushy beard trimmed neatly, Felix no longer looked like a Bigfoot. Well, enough to keep his picture out of the tabloids, at least. Damn, that was hilarious! The rest, however, would most likely never change; a brightly colored Hawaiian shirt, cargo shorts, and sandals.

  One battle at a time, Thor…. One battle at a time.

  Felix led them to his private table, sending a waitress for drinks with quick gesture. “She is old enough to drink?” He pointed to Lindsay. “I’ve got enough problems with the college kids trying to pass-off fake IDs. I’m not gonna get my liquor license yanked. Not even for you.”

  Thor looked abashed. “Would I do anything to endanger your livelihood?”

  The Hawaiian man burst out laughing. “My life, maybe! But, I suppose, not my livelihood.” He reached over and took Mikki’s hand. “When are you gonna stop following this punk around, and be my woman?” His smile revealed a gold tooth, making Thor wonder if an enraged woman or jealous boyfriend knocked out the original since his last visit home.

  Either way, there has to be a great story behind it.

  Mikki smiled. That smile could look innocent and sweet when she wanted it to. When it came to Felix, her smile was so sweet, it could put a diabetic in a coma, though she barely tolerated the man.

  Bryndis believed Mikki had feelings for Felix, but Thor doubted it; Mikki rarely showed anything but contempt for the big man.

  Mikki shook her head. “If I were your woman, you’d have a whole mouthful of gold teeth by now.”

  “Gold is my second favorite color,” Felix chuckled.

  “What’s your favorite, then?” Lindsay asked.

  The other women rolled their eyes, shaking their heads, before giving Lindsay stares of disbelief. Mikki’s moan was heard over the music, as was Bryndis’, and Lindsay shrank into her chair, as if wishing to be anywhere else in the world but here.

  Thor felt for the young woman. She was new and had no idea she just asked the wrong question.

  The gold tooth in Felix’s mouth sparkled as a broad smile covered his bearded face. “Pink, of course,” Felix said, staring into Lindsay’s eyes.

  Lindsay’s eyes widened and her cheeks grew red. Her eyes darted toward the door, and she seemed ready to make a run for it.

  “Easy, Sugah,” Mikki said to Lindsay. “He’s harmless. If he starts
sniffing around your leg, all you have to do is give him a whack on the snout with a rolled-up newspaper.”

  The entire table burst into laughter, Felix the loudest; the man always did have a great sense of humor.

  Two waitresses came to the table with magnums of chilled Cristal Champagne, glasses, and ice bucket. The tall brunette, Jasmine if Thor remembered her name correctly, removed the cork and poured the wine, then gave Thor a wink before retreating. He winked back, and Bryndis shook her head.

  Felix held his glass high. “To Family, blood and otherwise,” he said meeting each of their eyes.

  “To Family,” the rest toasted before empting their glasses.

  “Thor told me you were brothers,” Lindsay said to Felix. “But he didn’t say you were adopted.”

  “Me?!” Felix exclaimed, eyes wide. He pointed at Thor. “He’s the adopted one.”

  Lindsay looked to Thor, and he nodded in agreement.

  Felix emptied his second glass and poured himself another. “I was just out of high school the first time we met. The football scholarship offers disappeared after I put our QB in the hospital for not paying-up on his bet. There were no jobs to be had. I was half a step away from joining the Army, and three-quarter step towards dealing drugs. Man, I was in a bad place back then.”

  “One afternoon, I’m leaning against a storefront down on Hawthorn, being pissed-off at my situation. That’s when I saw this hot blonde and cute chick, walking down the street with this scrawny fifteen-year-old geek. Now, there’s no way the hot blonde is gonna turn down all this. Things were going my way, till I grabbed Bryndis’ ass. The next thing I know, that scrawny fifteen-year-old geek gets all UFC on me. The way those boney little fists and feet were flying, it was like Chuck Norris and Xena: warrior princess had some über-child.”

  Felix refilled the rest of the glasses. “After he kicked the shit out of me, Thor took me to the hospital. Then he paid for me to go to college, helped me get my first house, and buy this place. So, I adopted him, and nobody fucks with my family, not without going through me first.”

  “Stop trying to scare the new girl,” Bryndis said. “Or I’ll be the one rolling-up that newspaper.”

  “Go,” Thor said with a nod of his head toward the dance floor. “You don’t need to keep me company.”

  Else and Mikki were the first to rise, nearly knocking their chairs over as they made their way to the dance floor. Jennifer, Iona, and Lindsay were right behind them. Bryndis paused briefly, placing a hand to Thor’s cheek, sadness etching her beautiful features.

  “I’m fine,” Thor said with a smile. “Go. Have fun.”

  Bryndis kissed Thor on the forehead, then caught up to the others.

  Thor watched her walk away, noting she could still strut with the best of them. “She’s wasted half her life with me,” he said quietly.

  “Bullshit!” Felix snorted, pouring each of them another glass of champagne.

  “She has,” Thor protested. He took the glass, holding the rim beneath his nose. It was a fine vintage, and very expensive. I hope he didn’t swindle someone out of it. If he did, I hope they deserved to be swindled.

  “That woman has done nothing she didn’t want to do.”

  “That’s what she says.” Thor watched her on the dance floor. His eyes were not the only ones watching; there were, at least, half a dozen men trying to get her attention. Why not? She was a very beautiful woman.

  “Mom is back from her vacation to the island,” Felix said, obviously trying to change the conversation. Felix was a good friend, and a good friend knows when to do that.

  Thor smiled. “How is she?”

  “Good,” he said, then took a sip. “She sends you her love, and a suitcase full of shirts.”

  They both laughed. Fifteen years ago, Thor told Felix’s mother he loved the brightly colored shirts. The woman took it upon herself to keep him supplied with the things ever since.

  “I know you’re not staying long tonight.” Felix placed a hand on Thor’s shoulder. “But, how long before you sail away?”

  Thor watched the women dance, irritated; Iona was sticking as close as a shadow to Bryndis and Mikki. Thor suspected she would. For all her big talk, Iona was still self-conscious about that tiny scar and lack of a voice. As if either could possibly make her less desirable!

  He had taken her to a throat specialist in Copenhagen two months ago. Thor hoped the news would be good, they all did. It was not. Iona said she did not expect it to be, but there was total devastation in those beautiful brown eyes, nonetheless.

  Thor emptied his glass, and waved-off a refill. “Actually, my friend, the plan is to stay the summer.”

  The big Hawaiian’s face lit-up like a kid on Christmas morning. “You’re serious?”

  “Yes.”

  Felix clapped Thor’s shoulder. “We are going to have some fun, my friend. I’ll call Mom; you know that woman just looks for an excuse to throw a party for the family. We’ll hunt-down a boar… Hell, we may have to get two once the rest of the family finds out you staying a while.”

  “It sounds great to me,” Thor said, smiling. He kept smiling, though his eyes slowly found the door.

  “I know, brother,” Felix said somberly. “I told them to wait in the Hummer. I also told them you were not to be disturbed. Go on. There’s plenty of time for party-talk tomorrow.”

  “You always were a good man.”

  “Not always.”

  Thor reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out a cashier’s check for two hundred thousand dollars, and handed it to Felix.

  The big man stared at the check a moment, his face growing dark. “What the Hell is this for?”

  Thor smiled. “I’ve seen eight men – I suspect there’s twice that, if I know you at all – watching over the girls like guard dogs. The way they blend into the crowd, means they’re professionals. That type isn’t cheap.” Thor chuckled. “Besides, I believe they’re going to earn their money, tonight.”

  Felix hung his head. “What are you gonna do?”

  “Do you remember the junkyard in Saint Johns?”

  Felix rolled his eyes, then shoved the check into his pocket. “I’m keeping your money.”

  Thor smiled.

  Six Rottweilers roamed the famed junkyard at night; vicious creatures that attacked anything that moved. Supposedly, one kid from Clackamas managed to steal a carburetor and make it out, unscathed. After that, dozens of teens were mauled by the things, trying to make it through the place to collect on a bet; all because of a rumor based on a lie.

  The carnage continued until Thor and Felix became legends by spending the night in the junkyard. All it took was a Jack Russell Terrier in heat. The Rottweilers were too busy running themselves ragged, trying to catch that little bitch to notice the intruders. The owner was so impressed at the accomplishment he dropped the trespassing charges, as long as neither of them made it a habit.

  Thor nodded to the DJ, Fat Tony – an odd nickname, considering the six foot tall man barely weighed one hundred and fifty pounds soaking wet and fully clothed.

  The music stopped. Fat Tony pulled his dark sunglasses down to the tip of his nose, glaring over the rims. “Alright, bitches, off the main dance floor!” The walls reverberated as he spoke into the microphone.

  The dancers looked at each other, not sure what to do. Then a dozen bouncers started herding the confused patrons to the far end of the floor.

  Thor sprang to his feet, stripping his jacket, and laying it over the chair-back. He strolled across the empty floor, giving Fat Tony a thumbs-up as he passed. A spotlight followed Thor and the flashing lights stilled.

  Tony nodded. He was a good man, too. The DJ’s response had been: “Anything you need me to do, bro!” when Thor made a call yesterday.

  Thor locked eyes on Iona. In quick succession, the fingers of his right hand flashed five, then two, and five again: Follow my lead. That was a sign Iona made-up before mastering sign language. She still used it instead
of bothering with the correct signals. Another one she continually used was universal, and needed no translation.

  He walked up to her, and held out his hand. She was positively beautiful in that form-fitting, black dress. Thor wondered who had painted it on her. Whoever he was, he does great work! Iona looked nervous, but she placed her hand in his, and allowed him to lead her to the center of the dance floor, three spotlights staying on the pair as they moved.

  “Do you trust me?” he asked.

  She glanced around nervously and nodded.

  Thor shook his head. This time he spoke slowly, deliberately, staring into those eyes – deep-brown eyes that held a fear he was determined to crush once and for all. “Do you trust me?”

  Iona scanned the people staring in silence. She released her grip, and began signing; “Yes. I trust you with my life.”

  Good, everyone saw her speak with her hands; that was crucial to his master plan. That’ll weed-out the assholes… most of them, anyway!

  Now it was time to release that Jack Russell Terrier all over again. This time he had positively no intention of making a promise not to make it a habit!

  He took her hands in his. “Close your eyes,” he said quietly. Iona breathed deeply, and her eyelids closed. “There is no one here but you and me,” Thor said to her. “Just you and me.” He nodded to Fat Tony.

  The DJ nodded with a broad smile, pushing his sunglasses up with a finger.

  A second later, Joe Elliot’s voice broke the silence with the opening lines from Pour Some Sugar on Me echoing in the darkness. As much as Thor wished he could take credit for the song, he could not; Iona had danced to it once in the middle of the night when she thought she was alone… She was wrong, and it gave Thor a memory that he would cherish for the rest of his life.

  I had to take a COLD shower that night!

  The music was much louder than before. The screaming guitar sent chills down the spine, the drumbeats were like getting hit with bomb blasts. It was perfect!

  Iona barely had time to open her eyes before Thor had her twirling quickly. At the end of her fourth rotation, Thor slid an arm around her waist, dipping her within an inch of the floor. Iona gasped, her eyes grown wide.