it’s a quiet night and one of them notices it somewhere?’
‘Since when has it been quiet on a Saturday night?’
‘Ach, you know what I mean. I’ll see if I can get a warrant on Monday to track the guy’s phone and that might give us an idea of where he is.’
Brynja’s flat was too small, as well as being noisy and uncomfortable. But it wasn’t home and that suited Logi perfectly. He had stopped off at his place briefly, just long enough to pick up a change of clothes and no longer. The place seemed quiet enough and it didn’t look as if anyone had been there, although the locks on the doors were so worn that breaking in would be child’s play.
He locked his tools in the pickup and hoped they would be safe there, not that he had much choice about it. The holdall containing his clothes and a few other items bumped against his side as he took the stairs, the hard lump in it digging into his ribs reminding him that the revolver in its leather case was in there as well, wrapped in a couple of shirts.
Brynja was already enjoying herself. A bottle of some almond-flavoured liqueur was open on the kitchen worktop and Logi could hear the babble from the living room as he shouldered the door open.
‘Logi! Is that you, lover?’ He heard her shriek, followed by whoops and calls of ‘Loverboy!’
He blanched and put his head around the doorway. Five women in short skirts and tight tops sat around a living-room table laden with glasses, bottles and ashtrays.
Brynja stood up and sashayed across, wrapped her arms around him and planted a kiss on the end of his nose.
‘Honeybunch, welcome at last,’ she crowed as the other four whooped and twittered. Hair newly styled and highlighted, she smelled of the sticky almond liqueur, acrid perfume and smoke as Logi kissed her back, a hand stretching down to cup and squeeze a buttock as the women on the sofas shrieked.
‘Get a room, you two!’ one of them screeched.
‘Later . . .’ Brynja said, turning and tapping the side of her nose. Logi saw she was already unsteady on her feet and hoped they would all go out soon. He liked Brynja a lot, far more than he liked his sour-faced ex-wife who, every time he ventured within earshot, nagged about unpaid maintenance, the broken tumble dryer and the car that needed fixing. Brynja liked a good time, though she liked a good time a little more than he was entirely happy with.
‘We’re going out for a couple of hours, Logi, sweetheart,’ Brynja cooed, sliding a hand under his T-shirt and pinching a handful of flesh. ‘Now I definitely don’t want you waiting up for me, all right?’
‘No, just waiting for her!’ another of the women called out. ‘And make sure you’re standing to attention!’
‘No kids?’ Logi asked.
‘Gone camping with their dad, so it’s just you and me, honey,’ Brynja said, placing the end of a finger on the tip of his nose. ‘Peace and quiet. Tell me you’re not working tomorrow . . .’
‘I’m not working tomorrow,’ Logi said obediently.
‘So you can take your time in the morning, lovebirds,’ a voice hooted from the sofa and the four of them descended into giggles and squawks.
Logi fervently hoped they’d go out soon. He was tired, dusty and he badly wanted a shower and something other than pizza to eat. Brynja and the four women began to make themselves ready to depart, a process that took the best part of an hour as each one visited the bathroom in an open-door sequence that Logi watched with bemusement; one peeing while another fixed her make-up at the big mirror. For a moment he had Brynja to himself in the kitchen. Their on-off relationship had been soured more than once by her weekend antics, when Logi felt like he was watching an overgrown teenager at play.
‘Not too drunk, yeah?’ he said, hugging her and feeling her press herself tight against his chest. ‘Stay in bed all day, shall we?’
‘If you play your cards right. It might mean breakfast in bed.’ She
‘Since when has it been quiet on a Saturday night?’
‘Ach, you know what I mean. I’ll see if I can get a warrant on Monday to track the guy’s phone and that might give us an idea of where he is.’
Brynja’s flat was too small, as well as being noisy and uncomfortable. But it wasn’t home and that suited Logi perfectly. He had stopped off at his place briefly, just long enough to pick up a change of clothes and no longer. The place seemed quiet enough and it didn’t look as if anyone had been there, although the locks on the doors were so worn that breaking in would be child’s play.
He locked his tools in the pickup and hoped they would be safe there, not that he had much choice about it. The holdall containing his clothes and a few other items bumped against his side as he took the stairs, the hard lump in it digging into his ribs reminding him that the revolver in its leather case was in there as well, wrapped in a couple of shirts.
Brynja was already enjoying herself. A bottle of some almond-flavoured liqueur was open on the kitchen worktop and Logi could hear the babble from the living room as he shouldered the door open.
‘Logi! Is that you, lover?’ He heard her shriek, followed by whoops and calls of ‘Loverboy!’
He blanched and put his head around the doorway. Five women in short skirts and tight tops sat around a living-room table laden with glasses, bottles and ashtrays.
Brynja stood up and sashayed across, wrapped her arms around him and planted a kiss on the end of his nose.
‘Honeybunch, welcome at last,’ she crowed as the other four whooped and twittered. Hair newly styled and highlighted, she smelled of the sticky almond liqueur, acrid perfume and smoke as Logi kissed her back, a hand stretching down to cup and squeeze a buttock as the women on the sofas shrieked.
‘Get a room, you two!’ one of them screeched.
‘Later . . .’ Brynja said, turning and tapping the side of her nose. Logi saw she was already unsteady on her feet and hoped they would all go out soon. He liked Brynja a lot, far more than he liked his sour-faced ex-wife who, every time he ventured within earshot, nagged about unpaid maintenance, the broken tumble dryer and the car that needed fixing. Brynja liked a good time, though she liked a good time a little more than he was entirely happy with.
‘We’re going out for a couple of hours, Logi, sweetheart,’ Brynja cooed, sliding a hand under his T-shirt and pinching a handful of flesh. ‘Now I definitely don’t want you waiting up for me, all right?’
‘No, just waiting for her!’ another of the women called out. ‘And make sure you’re standing to attention!’
‘No kids?’ Logi asked.
‘Gone camping with their dad, so it’s just you and me, honey,’ Brynja said, placing the end of a finger on the tip of his nose. ‘Peace and quiet. Tell me you’re not working tomorrow . . .’
‘I’m not working tomorrow,’ Logi said obediently.
‘So you can take your time in the morning, lovebirds,’ a voice hooted from the sofa and the four of them descended into giggles and squawks.
Logi fervently hoped they’d go out soon. He was tired, dusty and he badly wanted a shower and something other than pizza to eat. Brynja and the four women began to make themselves ready to depart, a process that took the best part of an hour as each one visited the bathroom in an open-door sequence that Logi watched with bemusement; one peeing while another fixed her make-up at the big mirror. For a moment he had Brynja to himself in the kitchen. Their on-off relationship had been soured more than once by her weekend antics, when Logi felt like he was watching an overgrown teenager at play.
‘Not too drunk, yeah?’ he said, hugging her and feeling her press herself tight against his chest. ‘Stay in bed all day, shall we?’
‘If you play your cards right. It might mean breakfast in bed.’ She
Similar Books
