Page 16 of Her World In His Hands

“Loki!” Thor exclaimed.

“It seems likely,” he said grimly. “I’ll tear the little shit limb from fucking limb when I catch him!”

The club wasn’t fullyopen. Only a select group of V.I.Ps had been enrolled as members and allowed to play. Thor took the decision to shut the doors, using the excuse it would now remain closed until the grand opening. This freed up all the gods enabling them to search for Sassa.

Njord questioned Mrs. Murray and the household staff at Ardmachree. All of them claimed to know nothing of their employers’ whereabouts. The fact that every member of staff wanted to call the police strengthened Njord’s belief that none of them were involved.

The gods searched the surrounding area along with Sassa’s dogs while Njord swum the length and breadth of Loch Ness leaving no stone unturned. He even swum out to sea and scoured the ragged coast line.

They found nothing. It was as though Sassa had vanished into thin air. That night the gods congregated at Ardmachree. Mrs. Murray bustled about allocating bedrooms for them all and served them a hearty dinner in the grand dining room.

“How do we get hold of Loki, because there is no doubt in my mind, he’s behind this,” Njord asked Thor. “Maybe if we all shout his name, it will force the little prick to appear?”

Thor picked up his chicken leg and tore off a hunk of flesh, chewing thoughtfully. He swallowed and let the bone drop and clatter onto his plate. “I don’t think gods summoning him will work, but maybe if enough humans called his name he might appear.”

“How can we do that? People will think it’s a really peculiar thing to do,” Njord replied. “The last thing we want to do is cause suspicion.”

“What about pretending to make an advert for the grand opening, that way we can gather a crowd of people and tell them to yell, Loki?” Delling, the god of sunrise, sat opposite Njord, suggested.

“Not a bad idea, that could really work,” Thor mused.

“Won’t they ask why?” Njord frowned.

“Nah, if you pay people enough, they don’t ask questions. I’ll get onto an agency tomorrow at dawn and ask for extras. I’ll offer an exceptional rate, that way we’ll likely gather a huge crowd. I’ll be their director and they’ll just do as they’re asked,” Delling said. “Any chicken left in that pot?”

Thor reached for the casserole dish and handed it to him.

Njord leftthem in the living room and went to search the house for the third time, convinced he must have missed some secret room or tower where Sassa might have hidden herself. If he discovered that her absence was nothing more than a practical joke, he’d ensure she wouldn’t sit for a month! When his searches drew a blank his fear grew exponentially and he wandered back to her office to search her desk again. This time he removed the drawers and felt about the furniture for hidey holes.

A loud ringtone caused him to jump which he tracked down to a drawer he’d already examined. The sound appeared to come from the back of the drawer and he pressed and pulled at all sides of the box shaped drawer to no avail. He picked the piece of furniture up and smashed it against the stone of the castle wall. It broke apart and a small black cell phone dropped out. Picking it up he was examining it when it rang again, pressing the button he made a, ‘mmm?’ sound and waited.

“Hi, I wanted to let you know I’m back. How are you?” a woman’s voice asked.

“Sassa is missing. Who are you and do you know where she is?” he replied.

“Who the hell are you?” the woman hissed suspiciously.

“Nick Godden. Who are you?”

“What do you mean she’s missing?” the woman asked evasively.

“Just what I said. No one has seen her since she left my bed this morning.” There was silence from the other end of the phone. “I’ve spoken to her CEO Paige and Mrs. Murray, no one has any idea where she is… I don’t know who you are but can you shed any light on where she might have gone? She could be in danger …”

“What kind of danger?” the woman interrupted.

“I’d rather not say over the phone… Look can we meet?”

“You’re at Ardmachree?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning, 8 a.m sharp.”

“Okay, but I want to know who the hell you are?” There was no reply, the mysterious woman had hung up.

“Thor!” he called.

The god appeared clutching a towel about his middle. “Could you at least have waited until I finished my shower before summoning me!” he complained.

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