Page 26 of Odin

I'd planned on telling her I was a Silent Syndicate, but listening to her now, I couldn't stomach putting her in that kind of danger, even though she'd shoulder the weight. It was bad enough that there would always be a level of peril that surrounded Serena. I nodded at her, and she nodded back. It was all the confirmation I needed that we'd be alright.

I let go of her and grabbed the pillows that were floating around the bed. Stacking them against the headboard, I shifted so that I was leaning up against it. Once I was comfortable, I held my hands out to her, and she came willingly. When she was lying on my chest, I held her to me as I tried to explain today. We were skin-on-skin, but sex was the furthest thing from our minds.

“I only know that someone dropped me off at an orphanage as a baby. It might not have even been a legal orphanage, but the nuns were vicious, and they would take any opportunity to punish us. I had to learn to put on a smiling face so that I could lie my way out of trouble. Saved me a beating a few times.

“When I was fourteen, I told Mother Superior that I was heading to the library for a study session. If she had stopped to think, she would have realized I had never studied in my life. I ended up walking right out the front door and never going back. It’s how I stayed out of jail when I was on the streets. You tell a story that has some hint of truth to it so people will believe you, and then you just keep it going until you get the result you want.

“That’s what I did today. Those women wanted to know about our marriage, probably to see if they could wiggle their way in. They can’t, but they had to find that out for themselves. I trynever to turn that on with you, but I can’t always guarantee you won’t see it.”

“You called me wife,” she mumbled. “I didn’t like it.”

“I needed you to know that this was different. I couldn't have cared less about those women, but I needed them distracted.”

“Why?” Her hand was back on my heart as she lay against me. I wanted to hold her hand, but it would have loosened my hold on her.

"I needed to clone your mother's phone. I think she's been in contact with the chief of police," I said, trying to keep my voice as clinical as possible. This was going to hurt Serena enough, and I didn't want to add anything on top of it.

"Why would she be in contact with him?" Serena didn't move, and I tightened my arms around her.

"She's the only child of your grandparents, and he was the Underboss's son. It was natural to assume they would lead the Conti Family until the Lombardos had had enough and started a turf war. The only way to stop the implosion was to marry off your parents. They couldn't do that if your mom was already married, so they forced an annulment."

She was silent.

"I can understand his fascination with bringing down the Lombardos. I'd do worse if they ever tried to take you away from me."

Chapter 14

Odin

I made sure Serena was comfortable before I checked in with the guards next door. They were alright, but they told me that Mr. De Angelis had checked in with them. He wanted me to turn on my phone and deal with my in-laws. The Lombardos were throwing a fit at not knowing how Serena was. I wanted to tell them to fuck off, but they had put it all together, even if they didn’t have all the details.

I'd had the guards order food for everyone, postponing the inevitable, but now it was time to get back to business. Serena was curled up at my side with her head on my chest, staring blankly at the TV. I grabbed my cell phone and pulled out the sim card. I wasn’t about to have the Lombardos, or anyone else, showing up at the door. The Nerds had made sure I had a scrambled IP, so I wasn't worried as long as I connected to the hotel's Wi-Fi. I wasn't going down over my fucking cell phone.

As soon as it connected, the messages came in one right after another.Ding. Ding. Ding. Serena looked up at me when thenoise didn't stop. “Your father is threatening my dick, my balls, and anything else he can think of. Do you want to call them?” I didn't want her involved, but it might be the only way to get Lorenzo to fucking stop.

“Not really, but you won’t be able to work. Dial for me?” I held her against me and kissed the top of her head. She was the perfect principessa, but they'd never given her credit. Serena sat up against the headboard as I dialed her father. Handing her the phone, I wrapped my arm around her shoulders. This wouldn't be a simple conversation, and I didn't want her to feel like she was alone. We could hear it ring through the speaker.

Lorenzo was furious as his voice came over the line. He was spitting his words through the phone. “She’d better be alright, you mother fucking son of a bitch. I know people. You can disappear where no one—”

“Daddy,” she said. With one word, she'd effectively cut off his rant. Her eyes focused on the bed in front of her, and her face showed her frustration. She didn't want to speak to him right now, and I didn't blame her if this was how he was going to react. He'd just proven correctly why she'd hidden the attack from them for so long.

“Serena.” He breathed a sigh of relief through the phone, softening his tone. I wondered how long it would last.

“We’re alright, Daddy. I am safe, and Odin's with me." Her back was stiff, and I could feel the tension radiating through her.

“Where are you, sweetheart? I am coming to get you.”

She didn't answer him as I laced our fingers together for comfort. He wasn't making it easy on her, and she didn't want to disappoint him, but there were things he was better off not knowing.

"I don’t know what’s going on, but this is best for now.” She was choosing her words carefully, and there were awkward pauses in between. When she'd talk to me, sometimes, she'd getso excited that she'd stumble over the words. The ideas were there, but she was so happy she couldn't articulate them. It was unfiltered, and I enjoyed being the one on the receiving end. This was the opposite.

“Serena, I am your father. I am coming to get you.” He was back to bullying her. I was about ready to step in, but Serena beat me to it. I didn't take my hands off her. She wasn't alone, and I had no problem shutting this conversation down.

“Odin's my husband, Daddy, and I will follow his instructions." I kissed the tips of her fingers, still running my hand up and down her spine. "I am not sure what's going to happen, but I wanted to call you and tell you I'm fine. It just may be a few days before things get back to normal. They have to figure out what happened to the penthouse." It was the wrong thing to say, and I knew it as soon as the words left her mouth.

“What happened, sweetheart?” His voice didn't sound like he wanted to know.

“No, we're all too emotional right now. I am fine." Serena wasn't backing down, and I could understand why. They would have acted first and planned second, ending up in jail or worse. I wouldn't have that problem.

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