In the darkness of his sleek dark blue limo, Magnus knew every single shade of the deep chestnut brown whisky in his crystal glass. He sipped it, holding his cell to his ear with his free hand, and let the scotch glide down his throat. The complex, sweet taste of the half-million dollars ‘Macallan Adami 1926’ was the only thing settling his nerves. After several days like today, Magnus needed more than just one glass.“No, Tane. I’m not worried about this part,” Magnus said to Tanner Waylon, his soon-to-be business partner. “That’s not my problem.”“‘Then tell me, ‘Magno’, what is the problem? What is bothering you so much? Dude, calm down. You don’t have to be so worried all the time.’” Magnus frowned as he sipped. He hated being called ‘Magno’. People used to call him that since he was a little boy. It sounded like the name of a superhero he was not but most of all, it was just annoying. His best friend Tanner was the only one who still had the courage to call him

Sunny Makkena… The amazing, sleazy Sally Bowles all dressed up in silky panties was gone. The redhead standing on the stage, in front of him, was dressed in jeans and a black t-shirt.“What can I do for you?” She was even more breathtaking wearing those ‘civilian’ clothes than she was in her stage outfit.“Do you speak English? Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth, Mister…?”“Karlsen. My name is Magnus Karlsen,” he said and held out his hand to her. “And I understand English perfectly well, amongst other ten foreign languages.” Sunny eyed him curiously but sat down on the edge of the stage so her legs dangled off and took his hand. He was almost taller than her like that, and he realized how short she must be.“Oh, wonderful. Such a precocious young man. I bet your parents are extremely proud of you. Well, I am Sunny Makkena and I’m here because Quincy Lloyd said you wanted to talk to me. So, what is this all about?”

She shifted so she sat with her feet curled up under herself. Alec made everything sound so simple. ‘Take the money and run with it.’ ‘Get out of the city and find a life somewhere else.’ ‘Forget about your mother’s problems and live your life.’ But real life wasn’t that easy, and this wasn’t a play. This was her life, and somewhere along the way, Sunny had forgotten her part in it. At first, she was somebody’s child only. That life hadn’t been great but it has been okay for just a few years. And now… Well, she wasn’t only a daughter anymore. Sunny was now playing the role of a mother, a protector, a guard, and a living money box. Her mother needed all that, and more. So much more.“I know I’m being harsh, Schatz, but I’m doing this because I love you and I want only what’s best for you. Listen, you need to remember that you have your life to live. This endless sacrifice isn’t helping you and, definitely isn’t help

Sunny nodded at his necklace.“Well, there’s Odin, your second name, and then there’s that silver Norse coin that you keep touching every single time you’re extremely nervous, agitated, irritated, or lost somehow.”“I am not touching my coin all that often,” Magnus countered. “Yes, you do, Magnus. And then there is the way you look,” Sunny insisted. “Hmm… And how do I look?”“Like a freaking Viking… Tall, blond, blue eyes… You are gorgeous… So… if it quacks like a duck…” she said, half laughing. Man, she was so observant. Magnus tucked the coin beneath his shirt, wondering what else she might have picked up on so easily.“Tall and blond… I get that from my father’s side,” he told her. “His great grandfather came to America from Norway… All the Karlsen men were as tall as I am, my father included.”“All built like Norse gods, I bet. So muscular…” she added slowly, and Magnus smirked when her cheeks flushed.“Yeah… But none of them had such a fiery woman as a fianc

On the afternoon of the cruise, Magnus pulled out his cell phone to let Sunny know he was in his limo, just around the corner.“Let the charade begin!” he murmured on his way to the building where she was living. She’d texted him the night before, asking a few last-minute questions about when and where they had met in case someone asked about those details. Magnus told her to feel free to come up with a story of her own and fill him in before they set out on the cruise. Once upon a time, he’d been more of a romantic, but after what his ex had done to him, Magnus lost all interest in things like anniversaries and first dates. After a few minutes, Sunny sent him another text. The story she came up with was simple enough and close to the truth. Since he was taking care of the renovation program, they met at the theater. Sunny started to go into the details, but Magnus stopped her, knowing the only one who would ask was his mom, and she’d pry those little facts from Sun