Page 41 of Odin

I was deciding how to respond when another message came in.Her guards are here. Our security is here, and I am here. Just showing you, she's doing well.

Have her call me when she's done.I wanted to hear from her myself.

I was proud of her, but I didn't like that she'd been in that position.

I went back to pacing the living room, imagining Sergio's head on a platter that I'd serve Lorenzo. I turned to pace the other way, when I questioned why I was hesitating with Cordelia and the chief. They were threats to Serena's safety, and they needed to be removed.

Grabbing the burner, I watched the conversation ping back and forth. If I sent a message, it would look like it had come from Cordelia, but she wouldn't be able to see it. If I timed this right, I could get the message to the chief, and he'd repeat it back to her, like it was his idea.

Serena texted me enough that if I channeled her, the chief would never know it wasn't the woman he thought was in love with him.

I watched the messages ping every couple of seconds. If I was going to do this, I'd have to be quick.

Where's the jackass tonight?the chief texted.

I don't know. Don't really care, but he's having our guards prove their loyalty, love. Some of them have tried to catch my attention, but I've told them it wasn't a good time. Do they really think I care about their pay? I don't.

You should tell him to go see Kim. You said she made a fool of herself at the auction.

He pines for her, but I doubt they see each other outside of mutual events. They weren't married, and he didn't have to annul his,Cordelia replied.

This was my opportunity. I used the burner phone to text as Cordelia.I pine for you. You're the only one who makes me feel whole, love. I need to see you to remind me of what we have.I coughed at the line of fucking bullshit I'd just spewed. Would it work?

It took a minute before the chief responded.

I just booked our room at the Four Seasons. Friday. Bring something slinky.

Yes, love. A night with you is just what I need,Cordelia confirmed.

Yes, yes, it had. Now, I had to go bleach my eyes. I would have waited up for Serena anyway, but once she got back from the club, I was rewarding myself with her body.

Chapter 21

Iwas removing two more pieces from this chess game tonight.

Standing in my playroom, I couldn't help but feel excited about closing this door and opening another one. It had taken too long to decipher their clues, and although I had made it in time, they didn't deserve the energy spent. It hadn't been a good game, nor had they been worthy opponents.

I looked in the mirror to check my appearance, and I looked good, if I said so myself. I had on a brown wig in that surfer style I absolutely hated. My contacts were brown to hide the real shade of blue underneath. I'd rounded out my nose and hidden my beard with a shit ton of silicone and makeup. A bellman uniform from the Four Seasons rounded out the look.

Sneaking out to my junk car, I made my way over to the employee parking lot of the hotel. I liked the Four Seasons. For such a swanky hotel, they had very little security. All the cameras pointed in the same direction because they were all in the same place on every floor, and as long as I had a uniform on, noone questioned me. No one had even asked my name to verify I actually worked there.

It was Wednesday night, and by tomorrow, any power Cordelia Conti thought she had would be gone. It had always bothered me that the guards had turned a blind eye to their actual function. They should have protected the grounds at a bare minimum, and yet, I could sneak in multiple times without being detected. I was good, but it made me wonder who else had tried.

I'd planned on researching each guard individually, but someone had beaten me to it. Deciding to watch the process from the outside, I'd take care of anyone they had missed. Rumors were floating around the compound that they wouldn't question you without a valid reason if your family had only shown loyalty to the Lombards. However, any man that had ties to the Contis was going to have their loyalty tested, and most of them were guards.

The younger men appealed to Lorenzo that they were only there for the income. They would consent to having their loyalty tested as long as they could stay. He'd agreed, and over the next few weeks, most of them had passed. They weren't playing any games; they just wanted better lives for their families.

The top five Conti guards, the ones with the most influence, had thrown the biggest fit. They had claimed there should have been no questions about their loyalty. They'd served the family honorably, and this was a slap to their years of dedication. It was all a bunch of horseshit in my mind, but I waited to see how the dynamics would play out. I would never back down from a threat, but I thought it would be a better message if the Lombardos actually took care of their mess. It would strengthen their word in their own house, and Serena would be safer.

It amused me when the news reported that five commercial freezers had floated to the surface of Lake Michigan near theshipyards. The reports mentioned the yard had scrapped them for parts and junked whatever wasn't usable. It couldn't have been a coincidence. They had found the freezers on the same day that the five Conti guards had disappeared. Good riddance.

Walking into the kitchen of the hotel, I prepared a tray of strawberries and champaign. The other servers were busy scurrying around with their heads down. I'd said hello to one of them to see if they would address me, but they had just mumbled and moved faster. I kept my face blank but smiled on the inside. Fake it until you make it, and I was just another server preparing room service.

Once I was ready, I walked with a purpose to the service elevator. There were only cameras at the entrance from the kitchen and the exits to the floor. Their lack of security was fucking stupid. As I stepped into the elevator, I waited until the doors closed in front of me. When I was out of view, I laced the strawberries and the champagne with a similar dose of the hot shot that had taken out Carazzo and his neighbor. It was ingestible this time.

This should have been violent, with broken bones and blood everywhere, but that wouldn't happen tonight. They'd go relatively peacefully, considering their crimes. The God of War had already judged and found them guilty. Now, they just needed to pay.

Mental health must have been bad at the police station if the chief was doing drugs after those mandatory classes. I should make an anonymous donation, since the first round hadn't helped.

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