Page 7 of Meet Odin
That was a joke. The bartender was dead. I would take his place to gather intel.
“I want to know why the Italians were raided and if it's anything we have to worry about. Giuseppe Lombardo is more concerned with his dick than running his own affairs. We can’t have that happening, especially if it’s going to backfire on us.”
I stood up from my chair. “I won’t fail you, sir.”
“No, my boy. No, you won’t.”
Chapter 3
Thisweddingwasawho’s who of the underworld.
A Bratva boss married a Greek mafia princess.
An Italian don was trying not to gather any suspicion.
I stood watching it all behind the oak bar, serving drinks. It gave me sick pleasure to know that no one in this room knew my real identity. On the outside, I looked like the bartender who should have been here. Meanwhile, I could hear most of the conversations near me. I’d remember all of this information for later when I would have to send a report.
“Bourbon, neat,” a blonde, brutish man said as he approached the bar. This was the groom’s older brother, Adrik Volkov. I had done my homework for the evening, memorizing the top members of each faction and their families. I eyed him as I poured his drink. He turned to face the crowd, a scowl instantly appeared on his face. It disappeared just as quickly as he smoothed his features into a poker face. I couldn’t help but notice that his jacket bulged over his holster. Dude was packing. Did he expect a shootout? It appeared that I had brought knives to a gun fight.
I placed his glass on a cocktail napkin at his elbow as he turned, scrutinizing me.
“You have siblings?” he asked me. I shook my head in response. No one had come out of the woodwork in the last sixteen years, so I felt pretty safe in that department.
“You like the bride?” I asked him. He just looked at me. Finally, he responded, “She’s good for my brother. Will give him dark-haired brats. What more could he ask for?”
Taking a sip of his drink, he ended the conversation. I was actually surprised he had answered me. You didn't want to give your enemy a chance to exploit your weaknesses, and your family is always the primary target. A lot of these men had been born with silver spoons. That’s why they hired guns and kept their weaknesses buried.
The bride and groom were good at masking their feelings for each other, but it didn’t take much to know that they were a love match. It was the little things that gave them away. His hand never left her body. She’d smile secretively at him. I had no doubt if shit went down, he could protect her on his own.
I took the liberty to top off Adrik’s glass and went to the other end of the bar to look busy. He seemed lost in his own little world and didn’t give a fuck. I thought it was amusing. The groom kept shooting him glances, but I hadn’t heard them exchange any words.
As I was wiping down the bar, a woman approached him from the side and grabbed his drink out of his hand. She laid her other hand across his back as she gulped the brown liquor.
Katalina Petrakis, the bride’s younger sister.
“Having fun?” she asked him.
“It’s a wedding,” he replied.
Her laugh drew mine and every other man within the vicinity's attention.
“You and I both know that no one wants to be here for an actual wedding. Not even the bride and groom.”
I slid a little closer to them in case this conversation was going to get interesting. She wasn’t wrong. Most of these people were here to eat, drink, and sign their next big contract.
They continued to banter. It was entertaining as she had the upper hand, but I wasn’t any closer to learning why the Italians had been raided.
Adrik caught my attention for a refill. If I had to deal with that girl, I’d need plenty of bourbon too.
As I laid the glass back down, I could hear her tell him, “I prefer to be a realist. At least I don’t have to pretend that my shit doesn’t stink,” she continued.
“You better not let your mother hear that mouth of yours.”You tell her, big guy.Didn’t she know that mafia princesses were supposed to be seen and not heard?
“Maybe I’ll just find someone who prefers my mouth’s other talents.”
It took everything in me not to react. She sauntered off, sashaying her hips.
I took a quick peek over at Adrik. He looked like he wanted to strangle her into submission. I could have told him it would be more hassle than it was worth. She’d surrender to the right man, and that wasn’t either of us.
