Page 38 of Odin

As I was smiling to myself at that thought, another forced its way into the front of my brain. If Serena was trying to save her brother, why wasn’t his mother doing the same thing? Taking a quick look at Cordelia across the table, I instantly knew why. She'd hidden her phone in the material of her dress, but I'd seen the screen light up and realized she was texting. Two guesses to who, and the first one didn’t count.

Lorenzo wouldn’t have noticed because he was sitting in front of her and had turned in his chair to face the auction. Unless she said something or he turned around, she was free to do whatever she pleased. I had to know what was going on. in case tonight was the night shit hit the fan. Pulling my phone from my pocket, I turned the screen's brightness down and dropped it into Serena's lap. Her skirts were black, the phone was black, and we were sitting close enough that an outsider wouldn't casually observe me watching the screen.

Serena raised the bid to eighty thousand.

My wife wasn’t a dumb woman. Until lately, her family hadn't given her a chance. She looked down at the phone in her lap, glanced out the corner of her eye at me, and then she settled on her mother for a minute. I didn't have to tell her what was going on. She'd seen it herself and put the pieces together. Serena went back to watching the auction. Leaning towards me, she placed her hand over the phone and crossed her legs. The slit in the dress opened, pushing the fabric further into her lap, so that it cradled the phone. Reaching for my hand, she placed it on her bare upper thigh and looped our fingers together loosely. We looked like the newlyweds we were, but I could still watch the conversation as it scrolled. The bidding continued until a young woman Sergio's age won at a hundred thousand dollars.

As he walked around our table to meet his winner, everyone congratulated Sergio on a successful auction. Everyone excepthis mother. What was so important that she was texting her lover here, of all places?

I waited until the bidding got underway for the next man. The hag just needed to give it up. She was continuing the same pattern with this bachelor, but I used it to my advantage.

Using my thumb, I opened the cloning app and took a quick look.

Cordelia was dominating the conversation from what I could quickly see. It was one long rant about how her life was miserable, and the chief needed to come rescue her since he'd failed before.

Was she delusional? Lorenzo was the new don of the Lombardo Crime Family. If he turned around and asked her about the texting, she'd be obligated to answer. This was a no-win situation for her. If she told him the truth, he'd be able to dispose of her for adultery. If she lied and he later realized it, he could still dispose of her for the dishonesty. The family valued loyalty above all else.

I wouldn't tell Lorenzo. Her secrets were safe with me, but she’d still atone for them. She might not have known about Carazzo and the rape until after the fact, but there was no doubt in my mind that she had failed to take care of Serena. She had let her suffer in silence, and that was unacceptable to me.

Taking another glance at the phone, I caught the chief tell her to stay the course. They were almost there with their plans, and they just needed a few more days. There was more pissing and moaning, and then she put the phone back into her purse. I didn't have any clue where this was heading, but I had confirmation that something was going down.

***

The auction was over, and the band was playing for anyone who wanted to dance. It was more like anyone who wanted to stretch and get the feeling back in their lower extremities. My ass was asleep from sitting too long. If this was going to be a regular thing, I'd talk Serena out of membership or just make bigger donations so that we wouldn't have to attend.

Serena was happily chatting with Mrs. Moretti about more fundraising opportunities for the club. I kept one ear tuned to their conversation as I watched the dance floor fill. I figured I'd give them a few more minutes, ask Serena to dance, and then we could get the fuck out of here. Cordelia had been trying to interject in their conversation with no luck. There was a scowl on her face that she wasn't trying to hide. What was her problem with Mrs. Moretti?

"I hate to break this up, ladies, but I am stealing my wife for a dance." I held out my hand for Serena, and she placed hers in mine.

"I'd love to," she said, smoothing the fabric of her dress as she stood.

I led her out onto the dancefloor and pulled her close.

"Thank you," she whispered in my ear. "This isn't your thing, and you're doing your best to keep the boredom off your face. I appreciate it." She rubbed her cheek against mine. It was the closest we would come to kissing in front of these people.

"Do you actually like doing this shit?" If she said no, I was pulling the plug.

"I do when I get to work with the nicer women in the club. Not everyone acts like my mother or Mrs. De Luca."

I grumbled. "You'll have to make sure I am sufficiently drunk to get through the next one."

She laughed. "I am sorry. I forgot that was going to happen. Next time, I'll remind you before the bar closes."

We danced a few more songs before I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"I'd like to dance with my daughter before you take off," Lorenzo said as he separated from Cordelia.

How the fuck had he persuaded her to dance? She hadn't paid him any attention all night.

"Of course," I told him, relinquishing my hold on Serena. "Don't step on her toes."

Serena smiled as she caught the reference from our wedding. Stepping closer to her father, I heard her ask Lorenzo if she could put her feet on his like she used to do as a kid. It was the first time I'd heard him laugh.

Holding out my hand to Cordelia., I waited to see if she would take it. Lorenzo hadn't given her a choice, and I wondered if that was their whole marriage dynamic. I didn't give a fuck either way. It wasn't my problem.

She placed her hand in mine, and I wrapped my arm around her back. This was as close as I was going to get to the snake. I wasn't afraid she was going to bite me, but I didn't trust a damn thing she said or did.

"You're all the same," she said to me. "You only want fat women until a newer, skinnier version comes along. I sent Serena to a fat farm when she was preteen. It didn't help, so if you think she'd going to get thin, you're sadly mistaken."

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