Page 52 of Valkyrie Unknown

I picked my way through cracked concrete and weeds and headed toward the street. It looked like any other Main Street in Small Town USA. Which direction?

A glint of sunlight on silver caught my attention out of the corner of my eye, and I turned to see a chrome diner car, sparkling in the afternoon light.Gigi’s Diner.

What if this wasn’t the right place?

Enid made it sound simple, and things were never this easy. I didn’t care what her contacts said. For all I knew, if they were hiding this guy’s identity, they’d sent me into a trap.

Cool.

I strolled toward the building, resisting the urge to tap my fingers against my one good knife. It was a habit that could draw unwanted attention, but I felt naked, knowing the other one was broken.

Tension tightened my muscles the closer I got. It was easy to see inside, thanks to the giant windows. There was a man playing pinball at a machine on the far wall, a waitress, and a shadow through the window behind her that showed the kitchen. The cook, maybe?

Davyn would tell me he was jealous I was walking into a potential fight without him. It wouldn’t hide his anger at my going into something unsafe alone. It was odd after such a short period of time to trust him to have my back, and odder to be here without him.

I stepped inside, and the waitress glanced up from where she was making coffee. “Have a seat anywhere, hon. Be right with you.”

“Sounds good.” I paused, to take in the walls covered in decades of memorabilia. A poodle skirt hung next to a paddle ball near various sizes and shapes of game cartridges and VHS movie covers. Davyn would love this place. It was too bad we’d probably never come here again.

I picked a red-vinyl-covered seat at the counter and hooked my heels on the chrome rung circling the stand three quarters of the way between me and the black-and-white tile. Keeping my back to the room was a bad idea. Or it would be if it weren’t for the mirror across from me that gave me a full view. I could watch behind me without looking like that was what I was doing.

The energy in here was bright and felt like hope, and a comforting warmth flowed inside. I felt something similar when I started traveling with Davyn, but this was more intense, which made it disconcerting. Was there a false aura of security in here? Was that a thing?

I didn’t see why it wouldn’t be.

My gaze was drawn to the pinball player, who hadn’t so much as glanced in my direction. He held himself with confidence and filled out a pair of basic Wranglers in a way that made me want to find out what was underneath. His shirt was loose, but every time he hit the paddles or rocked the machine, his body tensed, and the muscle was distinct under fabric. The kind of strength earned from physical labor, not gym equipment.

My gaze dropped back to his ass for another look. I should have noticed the gun there at first glance. His shirt hid the weapon, but not the outline of it.

I couldn’t stop watching him, regardless.

Either he was the person I was looking for, or my blacksmith wasn’t here. How dangerous was it that I wanted to be looking for Wranglers With a Gun?

I finally forced my attention away, but not before his eyes met mine in the mirror. A shiver raced down my spine. Was that a good or bad feeling?

I didn’t know.

“You okay, hon?” The waitress stopped in front of me. “You look like someone just walked over your grave.”

I gave her most of my attention and a smile. “I’m good.”

“Can I get you something to drink? Do you need a minute?”

Easiest question I’d had to deal with this week. Diners tended to either have great food orup all night regretting lifefood, and the thrill was in figuring out which this was. I got the same thing in every one of them and had a list in my head of those I’d go back to.IfI were the kind of person who went to any town more than once. “Strawberry milkshake, bacon cheeseburger, and fries. Alotof fries.”

The waitress—Gabby, according to her name tag—raised her brows and looked me over. “Do you want half of that in a box?”

“No.” One of the best things about the way I trained was that I could eat whatever I wanted. “I think I can handle it.”

She shook her head and walked away. A moment later, she was back with my milkshake. “The rest will be out soon.”

While I waited, I couldn’t stop my gaze from falling back to Mr. Pinball Wizard. Why was he so fascinating? Was it the sexy-as-fuck body and the focus he wore while he played? Was it because that need to burn off excess energy still coursed through my veins?

A few years ago, I would have either picked a fight with him or played coy to see if he’d pick me up. Or both.

Thank the gods I didn’t fill the void in my soul with sex anymore.

I caught my bottom lip between my teeth. Would I make an exception for him? He might be the perfect thing to fill a hole or two.

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