Page 30 of Odin

“I told you!" the Old Man screamed. "I told you! Marry the bitch for the merger, fuck her if you wanted to, but you should have had her killed when I told you to! At least right after Serena was born. They would have been fine without a mother.” The room went silent. “You think I liked your mother? No, she was a frigid bitch, but she was useful. What the fuck does Cordelia do besides spend money you don’t have and spread her legs?”

“Money I don’t have because of you,” Lorenzo replied quietly. He looked up at me as I still stood standing. “Carazzo is a cop, isn’t he?”

“Yes, and not a very good one. You should have known from the beginning." I wouldn't sugarcoat their stupidity.

Lorenzo dropped his head down again. “Sergio, why did I let you talk me into giving him a chance? He touted his Italian heritage a little too hard, like we owed him a position for simply being born to the right family. I should have waited before bringing him in, but I got distracted. I think that's why I never pushed him for a sign of loyalty when he's long overdue."

Lorenzo looked back at me, but he was a dejected man with the weight of the world on his shoulders. "We'll handle it," he said, as he tried to assert his authority over a situation he'd already lost control over.

“No, you won’t. You’ll leave him to me,” I responded. I shifted my feet so that I had a firm stance. I didn't think Lorenzo would charge me, but I wasn't leaving anything to chance when he was a broken man.

Lorenzo picked his head up again and stared at me. His gaze shifted to Serena. "It makes sense now. When the phone call came in for the penthouse, I thought you were exaggerating. Break-ins happen, but that wasn't it, was it? The picture of the wall. I thought it was consensual." Lorenzo rubbed his eyes with his knuckles, but when he looked at Serena again, his eyes were lit with fury. He'd finally realized what she'd been trying to hide.He quickly stood from his chair to approach her, but I shifted to block his path. I wouldn't let him near her unless I knew his intentions were good. Right now, I wasn't sure where his head was at. That's when I heard the little hiccups coming from behind me.

“Fuck this,” I said. Turning around, I went to her and squatted. She was doing her best to hold it together, but this had all been too much. I didn't blame her. We'd been discussing her like she wasn't even in the room, when she was the only one who mattered. Serena had her hands in her lap, and I laced our fingers together. It only made it worse as the tears fell down her cheeks.

The men didn't show any signs of shock as I lifted her from the chair into my arms. Taking a step back, I took my seat and settled her in my lap, wrapping my one arm around her back and laying my other on her knee. I wouldn’t be inappropriate, but I needed her to know she wasn’t alone. She laced her fingers through mine and left them there. This would have to do. My give-a-fuck was broken. It seemed to always be when dealing with the Italians.

"She's my daughter. He's a member of our family. We'll take care of him." Lorenzo was a stubborn son of a bitch. He crossed his arms over his chest and widened his stance. His face hardened, and he was puffing out of his nose, so that his nostrils flared. I shook my head and buried my face in Serena's hair for a second, trying to calm down. I didn't anger very often, but they were going to drive me to go on a killing spree.

I sat back up and watched him as he tried to strut like a stationary bull. "We're not doing this. Serena is a member of your family, and yet, you stand there and protect a soldier. You're no better than your wife." Lorenzo tried to rebut those statements, but all he did was stutter, saying nothing coherent. "She didn’t tell you for this exact reason. Serena’s afraid thatyou’ll go half-cocked, kill the cop, and land yourself in jail for the rest of your miserable life. I am not sure that I don’t agree with her.”

Mr. De Angelis took that opportunity to steer the conversation. “Odin, it’s time,” he told me. He had just sanctioned the hit on the cop. Fuckin’ hallelujah. “I’ll leave the details up to you, as always.” He turned towards Lorenzo. “You will let him carry out his functions without interruption. He’s simply better at it than you are, and your daughter was right not to tell you. You’re too emotional. You’ll need to tone that down if you expect to be an effective leader. From today forward, Giuseppe is retired. Lead your family. Fuck up, and I’ll own everything you have. You won’t see it coming because I am that good.”

I had never heard a swear word out of Mr. De Angelis. They would have to abide by these new terms, or lose it all. Simple as that. The Old Man and Sergio stood and walked to the door, but Lorenzo crouched down in front of Serena. He said something to her in Italian, kissed her forehead, and joined the rest. Before he walked out the door, I called out over my shoulder. “Give her a few days, and I’ll bring her by for lunch. I expect Carazzo to be out on assignment.”

The room was silent, and we waited a few minutes in case they returned.

“We need to clean house. Make a plan for the chief of police. He won’t stop, and I don’t want a repeat of this.” I caught the message. Cordelia and the chief were going to the afterlife together. Mr. De Angelis didn’t want Serena to know, and he didn’t trust Lorenzo not to get caught. I had a good idea how I would complete the mission.

“Yes, sir.”

Chapter 16

Serena

I thanked Mr. De Angelis again for cleaning the penthouse, and then Odin walked me out of his office. We were silent as we passed the receptionist's desk. I didn't understand why the mafia would function out of an office building, but I didn't ask questions. This was one of those secrets that I would let Odin keep to himself. When the elevator doors closed, he reached for my hand, and we linked fingers. I tightened my grip on him, needing his support. I was emotionally exhausted, and it wasn't even ten-thirty in the morning.

He led me to the car, never letting go of my hand. I didn't ask where we were going as he pulled away from the parking garage onto the street. His fingers remained laced in mine, but I chose not to pull away as I watched the people walking along the street as if they had no worries. I had too many cares, but I would survive today. I just needed a minute to process.

As Odin made the turn into a parking lot, I checked the surroundings. My smile formed and widened as the restaurantcame into sight. He'd brought me to Little Foxes. I wasn't hungry, but they made the best bowl of lemon rice soup in the city. It'd do wonders for my soul.

"Thank you," I whispered to him.

He winked at me, and it was so out-of-place that it caused a laugh to bubble out. I appreciated that he was trying to make me feel better, and I squeezed his fingers for comfort. We walked across the parking lot, and when we approached the entrance, he held the door open for me. As soon as we entered the restaurant, the hostess looked up and quickly smiled in recognition.

"Ms. Lombardo. Welcome! It's so nice to see you, but you just missed Mrs. Volkov. She literally just left a few minutes ago," she told me as she grabbed two menus and silverware.

"That's alright. Maybe next time, I'll run into her." I waved it off like it wasn't a big deal. It really wasn't as I didn't have the same relationship with Toula as I did with Katalina. The hostess wouldn't have known that, and I didn't want anyone to be in trouble. Word always got around.

"Is Dino available today?" Odin asked the hostess. It was a strange ask and piqued my interest. As far as I knew, Odin had never been here. He'd just known it was my favorite restaurant, so it was strange to me he was asking for a waiter by name.

"No, sir. I am sorry, but I've been here since the place opened, and we've never had a Dino employed. If you'll follow me, I can get you seated for lunch." She led us to a table along one wall. Odin held my chair out for me and then took his facing the door. The hostess told us that our waitress would be with us in just a few seconds and to enjoy lunch.

I thanked her and went to pick up the menu out of habit. That's when I realized something was wrong.

Dino.

I wracked my brain, trying to remember where I knew that name from.

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