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Odin

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

The party is almost over, and I can't wait to leave. The auctioning of a week-long stay at a resort in South Africa—Elina's idea—was a success; we raised more than double what we did last year.

I look at my watch and think about how much longer I have to stay before I can grab my girl and leave.

Suddenly, Christos appears beside me. “He was your mother's brother. Half-brother, actually, because they were children of different fathers, hence the surname not being the same as yours."

I don't even need to ask who he's talking about. Christos is just as stubborn as I am, and I wouldn't have given up until I found out more about my rescuer. Although I suspected that Ingvar probably had family ties to me, I never imagined he would be something as close as an uncle.

Why didn't he tell me? Why so much mystery? I would have perfectly understood his motives. Any brother would seek justice for his sister's death.

“I don't understand why he hid our kinship.”

“Me neither, but I'll keep investigating.”

“I don't want you to tell me anything more, Christos. I gave my word that I wouldn’t try to find out, and now I’m very close to completing my mission. There's no reason, after all this time, to break my promise. I can wait a little longer.”

“I admire your sense of honor, but it doesn't sit well with me, Odin. From what you told me, the man raised you for six years. Why not comfort the only nephew he had left?”

“Was I his only nephew?”

“Yes. Your mother had another brother, but he died in a car accident as a teenager. On the maternal side, as far as I know, you are the only one left.”

“I know you're doing this with the best of intentions, but don't get involved in this filth. I don't want you tainted if things go wrong.”

“Don't worry, I'm being careful. I'm not stupid, Odin. I know you’re not planning to bring Argyros to justice. I just wish I could drag you out of this insanity.”

“I don't want to fight with you, but you need to know that nothing will stop me. I’ll only have peace when he is dead.”

He's about to make a counterargument when we see Zoe searching the crowd as if she’s looking for someone. As soon as she spots us, she walks over to where we are.

“Where is Elina? I can't find her anywhere.”

I feel the blood begin to pump fast in my veins as I scan the room. Not only can I not find her, I can't see any of my security guards, not even Grigori.

“Wait here. I’ll go after her. As soon as I find her, I'll let you know.”

As I speed-walk, I reach for my cell phone to track hers. In moments, I find out that the last signal was right here, inside the party, about ten minutes ago.

When I complete the call to her phone, it goes straight to voicemail, and I experience a mixture of frustration and despair like never before.

She wouldn't just leave me, right?

No, that can’t be it. Nobody can fake it that well. And she’s had many opportunities to leave. Why would she wait until now to do it, when things are falling into place between us?

I go to the women's bathroom, and two women look at me in amazement as I enter. “I'm sorry, ladies, I'm looking for my girlfriend.”

Once the initial shock is past, they give me condescending nods.

After checking that there is no one else there but them, I pick up the phone again to call Grigori, already walking towards the security room we designed to monitor the event.

Despite the possibility of Naim or Leandros showing up being a remote one, I anticipated every outcome and installed cameras in the main hall and hallways. Before I can reach the security room door, however, Grigori answers the phone.

“Odin?”

“Where is she?”

“Home. I sent half a dozen of our best men to take her, but you must come to me. I have someone here that you’ll definitely want to meet.”

“Leandros? Was he the one who tried to take her?”

“No, it was Naim. Exit through the back door of the event. There's a car waiting for you. I suggest you think very carefully along the way. You’re going to have to make a decision.”

During the ten minutes that separate me from the place where Grigori took Naim, my head boils.

I thought about calling home to check on her, but I don't want to mix the hate I'm feeling right now with my Elina.

When we arrive at an abandoned factory, there is no sign of life there, but as soon as the car pulls up, I see the man who is like my shadow approaching the door.

“Is she hurt?” I repeat what I asked a few months ago, when the same bastard tried to kidnap her inside our house.

“No, just terrified.”

“How did it happen?”

“I prefer to explain later. Maybe then I won't become one of your least favorite people in the world.”

“No, I want to know now.”

“I was following her. I wouldn't leave you vulnerable—that's the first thing you need to know. On the other hand, I was sure that Naim would only show himself if he thought she was unprotected, so I allowed him to get to her.”

Two steps and I'm nose-to-nose with him. “No matter what, never put her at risk again. I don't care what kind of strategy you come up with to ensure her safety, but don't ever let anyone get close to her like that, or our relationship will be over.”

“You’ve always trusted me.”

“And I still do. That's the only reason you haven’t just been fired, but don't leave my woman unprotected again, or you and your entire team will be out.”I have no doubt he had it all under control, or we wouldn't be having this conversation. But I don't like to imagine her being scared for even a moment.

“I understand what you're feeling. It won't happen again, but we needed a permanent solution to this problem. Now, let's go inside. We can't stay here for long. You’ll have to make a choice.”

"His men, where are they?"

“We've already taken care of them.”

Just as in stories where the villain is waiting for the good guy in a dark warehouse, the atmosphere is dark and icy.

The only difference, unfortunately for Naim, is that I'm far from being the good guy.

Whatever his intentions were in trying to get her away from the party, this part of our lives ends here.

I take off my tuxedo jacket and roll my shirt sleeves up to my elbows. I walk over to where the sheik is, and Grigori leans calmly in the doorway.

Naim waits in a chair, legs crossed, as if he doesn't give a fuck.

Only, I know he's faking it.

The bastard has lived a life of excess, hiding behind his fortune, hurting women and exploiting the weak, secure on his throne of power. So I don't doubt for a second that he's terrified, which is a good feeling for him to have right now.

He's not tied up or wearing handcuffs. Barring the eccentricity of the location, onlookers might think we’re actually having a business meeting.

“You just signed your death warrant,” he says as soon as he sees me.

If I weren't so angry, I would be able to smile.

He's definitely not the smartest cookie in the jar. Another man in his situation would keep his fucking mouth shut until he knew what he was dealing with. Instead, however, the bastard does what he's done all his life: threatens and tries to intimidate.

“I could say the same of you, but I think you already know that.”I sit across from him, legs apart, elbows resting on my knees. “Want to know something? I was hoping it wouldn't come to this. I knew you wouldn't win any awards for intelligence, but I never thought you were stupid enough to come to my country for the second time.”

“I said I wouldn't stop.”

“Yes, you did, but I thought your love for your own life was greater than your need to force a woman, who obviously doesn't want you, to accept you.”

He lets out a mocking laugh. “You don't know what you've gotten yourself into, Odin. Elina is a snake like her father. At first, I thought you were using her, but now I realize you’ve made the mistake of falling in love with the whore.”

I get up and stand in front of him. “Stand up.”

For the first time since I walked in, he seems to hesitate, looking over my shoulder.

“What? Lost your courage?”

“I'm not afraid of you.”

“You should be.”

“You're not crazy.”

“That's something I'll have to disagree with you about. It would have been wise of you to have done your research on me, you know?”

“I already know everything I need to about you.”

“Not even close. You have no idea, for example, that I would do anything to protect her.”

"Forgive her father's debts, even?"

I stare at him as I ask myself that question, but not for the reasons he thinks. Naim thinks my problem with Leandros boils down to money.

He's on his feet now too, but like the coward he is, he’s taken a few steps back. “I won’t stop. In all my fifty years, there has never been anything I wanted that I didn't get. I bought her and I won't rest until I get my goods.”

I walk forward without taking my gaze from his. “She was never for sale. Whatever deal you made with Leandros, it was money that you lost.”

“Why don't you back off? You already got what you wanted from her, anyway. Yes, I know she was a virgin. That's why I paid such a high price.” He laughs. “Or are you going to tell me that you’re happy to continue to parade around with an illiterate?”

Even though I heard what he said, my brain takes a second to process, but I think my face shows surprise as he laughs.

“You didn’t know? That would make a good joke. An information expert like you doesn't know that the bitch he has at home can barely sign her name or read short sentences.”

I think about her dyslexia and how she told me she's had a lifetime of embarrassment. I quickly understand that it wasn't just a confusion of words. If what he's saying is true, she can barely read them.

My heart aches from the years of darkness Elina must have gone through. I don't need any more explanation to understand that she didn't get any help from her family. It’s now clear how, even at nearly thirty-one, Elina is still as inexperienced as a teenager in some ways.

I think he interprets my silence as an indication that he has gained ground in convincing me to give her up .

“Think about it: you don't need that kind of embarrassment. I have to agree that she’s a beautiful woman, but I’m willing to negotiate and even keep it a secret.”

As if coming out of a trance, I stare at him, pretending to pay attention to his proposal. “If I give her up?”

“Yes. Let me take her and our troubles end here. I'm not one to hold a grudge—I just want the stuff I paid for. You don't need a stupid woman by your side. I myself only accepted it, at first, for the sake of her beauty. She never studied, you know? Her father dismissed her teachers as soon as he realized it was a waste of time and money.”

I see his shoulders relax. He's sure he's won.

“She's as dumb as a child,” he continues. “I only went through with the marriage negotiations because that air of superiority has always encouraged me. I’ll enjoy teaching her to obey.”

“You won't. I’m going to marry her.”

He looks at me in amazement for a while and then smiles, as if I've just told him a joke. As if he expects me to smile back.

When he seems to realize that I'm serious, his face transforms into a scowl of pure hate.

That's the difference between us. I'm an expert at controlling my expressions. It's not easy to shake me.

“You didn't bring me here to negotiate.”

“No. There’s no possible deal we could make. I gave you every opportunity to let her go.”

“You’re going to kill me for a whore? Destroy your future, risk lifelong persecution from my family so you can keep a snake, your enemy's daughter, in your bed?”

“You’ll never leave her alone. I don’t consider this murder but suicide.”

He doesn't even seem to have heard the last part. “No, I won’t rest until I have her. You’ll never have peace. I’ll destroy you, Lykaios, and then, when you are dead, I’ll come after her. I intended to trade her as soon as I was satisfied, but I've just changed my mind. I’ll keep her for a long time. I will remind her every day of the mistake she made in rejecting me."

Before he knows it, my hands are on his neck. “Elina is going to be my wife. The mother of my children.”

“You are a dead man, Odin.”

I can still read his lips as his life slowly slips away.

“No. You are.”