Page 22 of Odin

He looked at the picture and then dropped his eyes to the floor, not saying anything. It was hard to tell if he was the Underboss who hadn't protected the family or a father who hadn't protected his daughter. When he lifted his eyes, he was all business.

He put the phone to his ear. “This is Lorenzo Lombardo. Where is Serena?”

We only heard his side of the conversation. “What do you mean, you can’t tell me? I am her fucking father, for fuck’s sake. Do you know who I am?” I should have told him they would never tell. I didn’t trust the Lombardos and had instructed Serena's guards not to as well. I was still seething. I could still see Lorenzo over the Old Man's shoulder, but every time I tried to pull away, he held my face tighter in his hands.

“She better be fucking safe, asshole,” Lorenzo said into the phone.

The Old Man made sure I was staring at him before he whispered to me. It must have been a family trait because my wife would often do the same thing. “There is a time and place for war. This is not it. My granddaughter needs her husband, the good doctor.” I guess the Old Man hadn’t lost his complete mind yet. He let me go, and the red receded.

Lorenzo was still spinning circles with the guard, so I took the phone back. “Tell me,” I said to the guard.

“I didn’t tell her father anything. We made sure she was back in the elevator and followed the plan.”

The Lombardos had been in charge of the actual wedding planning. I hadn't given a shit as long as Serena was my wife. However, I'd spent the six weeks prior making plans for her safety. New guards, transportation, and a back-up plan should something happen. I wasn't leaving Serena's safety up to chance. She'd had enough of that.

I knew where she was. "How is she, really?" I needed to know what I was walking into. My wife would throw up her defenses, and I needed her to see that this was nothing but an inconvenience.

“Not good, sir. She went to the bedroom and locked herself in. We picked the lock to check on her, but she's just laying under the covers. It's hard to tell, but I think she's crying."

“I am on my way.”

I didn't bother to say goodbye to anyone as I hung up the phone and turned towards the office door. As I was preparing to walk out, Lorenzo moved to stand in my way. His face flushed, and his hands repeatedly clenched and unclenched. "What did you do, fucker?" he asked, but it wasn't really a question.

I made a move to walk around him. I wasn't a Lombardo, and he didn't have any authority over my actions. We'd played nice for the sake of his daughter, but that time was up. If he tried to stop me, he'd break the truce with Mr. De Angelis. The Italians needed the Deviants more.

"Ask your father whathedid.” I left with the parting dig. It had been a shitty day, and I hadn't had the chance to be there for my wife earlier. I would be damned if I wasn't there for her now, when she needed me the most.

***

Iwas making the turns to the hotel on autopilot, each one bringing me closer to Serena, and that was all I cared about. I was in this weird semi-state, where I knew what was going on, but I wasn't living. I wouldn't be whole until I had my wife in my arms. My phone rang in the car. Looking at the screen, I saw it wasn't a number I recognized. Probably a burner phone. I hit the button to answer, but I didn't say a word.

“Odin, my boy?” came across the line. Mr. De Angelis.

“This is a first.” He'd never called me before. We had an encrypted email system for communication.

“Yes, it is. I don’t like it, but I needed to speak to you immediately. How is she?” Did he honestly care, or was he just making conversation?

“How much do you know?" I wasn't divulging any details that I didn't have to, boss or no boss.

“The guards spoke with you and then called me about the penthouse being broken into. Their description was very clinical."

“Did they tell you about the wall?” I didn’t have time for games. I needed to get to my wife.

“They did. I hate to do this now, but talk to me. What’s the latest?” He honestly sounded concerned.

I quickly explained what had happened today, from the luncheon to the compound, with the destruction in between. He wasn't the priority, and I was almost at the hotel.

"Alright, I am clearly not getting anything until you're with her. Take a few days, and we'll take care of the penthouse."

I didn't wait, instantly clicking to disconnect the call as I pulled into the parking garage. I'd chosen Serena over my boss, the man who had given me a life. There probably would be repercussions, but like everything else, I didn't give a fuck right now.

I stood outside the hotel room and breathed a heavy sigh.

Chapter 12

Odin

I took a minute to collect my thoughts before knocking. Garrison cracked the door open with the chain still in place. I could see one eye, but it was enough. When he saw me, he closed the door to remove the chain.

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