Page 15 of Meet Odin
"Thank you," I responded. It was a simple answer, and he wouldn't be able to ask any questions. Was this his way of getting a bigger tip? I'd leave him double if he would just stop.
"Ladies, are we ready for our main course?" Kat and I both rattled off our orders without any fanfare. This was getting weird, and we didn't know what to say. We'd get rid of him quickly and gossip. Men never paid attention to me. They certainly didn't pay me any mind when Kat was around. I was pretty in my own way, but I was larger than what was socially acceptable. If that didn't deter them, my guard would.
"What the hell was that?" Kat leaned over and whispered to me.
"I have no idea."
"You should go for it." I just looked at her with my eyes wide open.
"What?" she said.
"Are you serious right now?"
"Yes," she answered, while shaking her head.
"Even if I wanted to, how am I supposed to have a fling? Arranged marriage? Guard?"
"If you want to, we could make it work."
"Kat!"
We looked at each other across the table and cracked up laughing. It was exactly what I needed after today.
After we had settled down, I detailed out the events of the day. She let me talk it through until I felt better for sharing it with her.
I felt a brush against my arm, and as I turned to see what it was, Dino arrived with dinner. Had he just ran his finger against the back of my arm? I must have been mistaken. There was no way he'd openly touch me in a mafia-owned restaurant, unless he was looking for a death wish.
Dinner went on like this. I swore something would lightly touch me, but I never found the source.
After leaving the restaurant, I didn't think anything more about it. I chalked it up to a one off situation.
A week after that, I had another strange encounter at a local coffee shop. I had popped in for a quick drink and a scone, but the guy behind me had started chatting. It felt random, and I wasn’t sure if I was being targeted because of my family. I ended up thanking him for my order and making a beeline to the door where my guard was.
I couldn't explain those occurrences, but even stranger things were happening at night. After the attack, I was constantly afraid that it would happen again. My biggest fear was that Luca would enter my room at night and not stop until morning. The nightmares were relentless. He was crazy, and I prayed for this to be over.
All of a sudden, I was sleeping through the nights. I woke up refreshed, like I didn’t have a care in the world when that wasn’t the truth. I searched the room for any sign of an intruder but came up empty each time. Something had changed. I only felt safe at night, asleep.
Chapter 8
Odin
I was bored.
I was trapped in my penthouse like a caged animal.
I had promised to cut off my outside jobs, so there wasn’t anything pressing that needed to be taken care of. While I was in this limbo, I wouldn’t get any assignments from Mr. De Angelis. I’d even take a sick kid with a runny nose instead of sitting around. I was relegated to Netflix, with no chilling.
I flipped through the available shows and still couldn’t get my mind off Serena. I never thought I’d be engaged. When you’ve been in survival mode as long as I have, you never think about sharing that shit with anyone else. You’d think I’d be over it by now, but some traumas are ingrained until death.
I couldn’t explain it, and the more I tried, the more it didn't make any sense. I had been at that wedding to do a job. Every guest was someone to be suspicious of. Trusting no one had seen me through most of my life, and I wasn’t ready to change that philosophy. Until Serena.
When I had first heard her, it was like a lullaby that settled over me and smoothed my rough edges. I hadn't been able to put a face to the voice, and the thought had been fleeting. However, when I had heard her again, there was this insane need to know who she was.
When I caught a glimpse of her profile, time seemed to slow down. On the streets, thoughts of the future could get you killed. You live minute by minute and hope you wake up in the morning. Looking at her completely, my future played out like a highlight reel. Marriage. Kids. Grandkids. She was meant to be mine, and I didn't fight it.
I promised myself I wouldn't go see her again, but I found myself getting dressed for the evening. The occasion required all black.
***
