Odin (Billionaire Titans Book 2) (11 page)

20
Odin

A
tlas and Nathaniel
checked up on my progress and shared what little new information they had with me, and we chatted via my handheld voice box.

Before long, Raven burst in, telling Odin she had something urgent that he needed to see. I hoped it had nothing to do with Piper’s pregnancy. Everyone was on egg shells waiting for her labor to begin.

My brother and top security man left, and I was alone. I hated being alone, feeling so helpless and vulnerable. I didn’t mind them being gone so much, I just longed for Clara’s return.

It may have been nothing more than my imagination, but wisps of her scent hung in the air, and occasionally they’d find their way to me. I was pleased with myself for getting such a full, firm erection. Not when it happened, necessarily, but just the fact that it did had to be a good sign. I wondered if my legs would ever again be able to support my body weight. Legs that had taken me to the Olympics, to the brink of a medal, that now wouldn’t even get me across the room. The fact that my cock worked seemed a good sign to me.

My semi-working hand meant I could again work a television remote, and I flipped through the channels to pass the time. I stopped on an episode of that Las Vegas pawn shop show. A young guy had carted in a mountain of Mickey Mouse collectibles he found in his grandfather’s attic, and he was haggling with the owner of the shop for way more than the expert appraiser said they were worth. I hoped a rare book might come in; I’d actually purchased two such items from the store after seeing them on the show, and I was always on the lookout for more.

The Mickey Mouse guy left, convinced his treasures were worth triple what he’d been offered. He promised to return with a stack of cash after he sold them on the internet, just to prove the shop owner wrong. I didn’t expect to ever see him on the show again.

The next guy brought in a hunk of metal he claimed had been part of a sword from one of Napoleon’s campaigns. Even with zero supporting evidence beyond his word he seemed genuinely shocked the store wasn’t interested. It was good to laugh; I hadn’t done enough of that lately.

As I watched commercials, my room filled with visitors. Raven, Piper, Atlas, Clara, Nathaniel and one of his trusted associates, Carlo, all filed in.


Wow, to what do I owe a visit like this? Is it my birthday?
” I asked. And it honestly could have been; I had completely lost track of not only what day it was, but what month as well.

“We have a location on QB,” Atlas stated. “Where he is right at this moment, at least.”


Don’t keep me in suspense
,” I pleaded.

“He’s in a soccer stadium full of 80,000 people in Milan. Sitting right behind Silvio Berlusconi.”


QB supports Milan? Makes perfect sense
,” I typed, the machine unable to duplicate the surprise I felt in my heart. Nobody looked quite sure what to make of my conclusion regarding QB’s fandom. I pulled the device into my lap and attacked it with a vengeance. “
I forget that not everyone is sophisticated enough to follow the beautiful game. It makes sense he would be a fan of Milan. One of their nicknames is The Devil. Too bad my machine only speaks English. It sounds better in Italian. It is due to their team colors. Red and black. Sounds perfect for that evil bastard.”

Atlas nodded and laid out what he knew. “It seems that yes, QB is a fan of A.C. Milan. And at the very least, acquaintances with Silvio Berlusconi. I doubt you get as close to him as QB was today without being a friend.”

I typed into my device. “
You want to go after him at the stadium?”

“Not necessarily, but it’s nice to know where and when he’s likely to be. They play their big rival in two weeks. I intend to be there. Or at least nearby. To finish this,” Atlas said, his voice filled with intensity.

“What about Piper and the baby?” Clara asked. “She’s due within two weeks. Ten days the way she’s going; maybe less.”

“We’ll have to discuss inducing her a little early,” Atlas replied. “I have to do this.”

“Not alone, you don’t,” Nathaniel added. “Randall and Carlo can handle things alone here for a few days. I can call in a few more guys.”

“You’ll need on-site tech support and coordination. Count me in,” Raven volunteered for the mission as well.


Atlas
,” I typed. “
Piper is not part of your unit. She is your wife. Or might as well be. You cannot leave her right after she has a baby. Send other guys. You know plenty of people.”

Atlas locked eyes with Piper for several seconds before she looked away and nodded her head.

“She understands, even if you don’t,” Atlas said, directly to me. “We haven’t had a moment’s peace, and I mean true peace, since we met. If I have a chance to end this, to get rid of him permanently, I have to take it. The chance may not come again.”

Raven, Nathaniel, Carlo, and Atlas left to begin planning their mission.

“That was sweet, thank you for thinking of me,” Piper offered.


You and my niece
,” I typed.

Clara sat down in a chair across the bed from Piper. “I don’t claim to really understand any of this world, but if Atlas has to go, and it has to be now, or in a week, or whenever it is, I can induce and we can take care of things until he gets back. If that’s what Piper wants, of course.”

“I trust Atlas. He’s never let me down. If he says it has to be now, then it has to be now. I only wish I could be with him, at his side. But I know we’ll be in good hands here,” Piper said. “I’m going to go lay down and leave you two lovebirds alone.”

Piper got up to leave, and Clara made eye contact with me. She was blushing.

“Lovebirds?” she asked. “Do you know something I don’t, Piper?” Clara was smiling, thank God. “Odin?”

I shrugged with my eyebrows as Piper reached the door, closing it with a laugh.

Since we were alone, I tried something I’d been building up to. I wasn’t sure I could actually do it, and I didn’t want to embarrass myself by trying and failing, but I was ready. Clara had stood up and walked over to the sink, tidying up, keeping her face turned away from me.

“Clara,” I said. Yes,
said
. It wasn’t my fullest voice, but it was clear and just a little raspy. She turned around as if she’d heard her name spoken by a ghost.

I was very pleased with myself, and felt a smile, a genuine, full smile, spread across my face.

“Odin? You’re full of surprises, mister.” She stood by the bed, looking down at me, her giddy smile matching mine. “How long have you been able to…”

I cut her off. “Two nights ago,” I whispered. “I’ve been practicing. I wanted you to hear me first.”

Clara leaned across me, hugging me tightly, but careful to avoid squeezing my left side too firmly.

“What are you going to do next, go outside and run a lap around the block?” she asked.

“I don’t think I’m quite up for that yet. But how about this?” I stretched my arm toward her, just able to reach her face. I touched her cheek and, inspired by the softness, lifted myself forward from the bed. I couldn’t get all the way to her but my intentions were clear. She bent down into me and our lips met.

We kissed clumsily at first, trying to make the most of an awkward position, neither of us sure exactly what the other had in mind; how far we each were comfortable going. If I’d been able-bodied, I’d have pushed her up against the wall and kissed her hard. No doubt would have remained as to how badly I wanted her. As it was, I got a hand behind her head, into her hair, and held her where I could kiss her deeply. She made a soft mewing sound, music to my ears. I pulled back and looked into her eyes. “I hope that’s okay. I’ve wanted to do it ever since the moment I saw you. Before that, even.”

She bit her bottom lip. “It’s more than okay.”

We resumed kissing, and I lowered my hand to her hip, wishing I could pull her onto my lap. I wanted to feel her body against mine so badly.

We stopped for a moment, our foreheads touching, grins on our faces. She gave me another small kiss on the lips before easing herself up next to me on the bed, sitting near my waist. Her hand fell into mine.

“It’s been a while for me, Odin. I have a great big hole in my heart. And I don’t know if I ever won’t. Besides that, you were just in a relationship. I don’t want to be some sort of rebound thing for you. I can’t be that. Tell me I’m not that and maybe I can take a chance. Just be honest with me.”

I slipped free of her hand and caressed her face. “I’ve dreamt of you, Clara. Your voice kept me going. Kept me wanting to live. I was falling for you before I’d ever seen you. And when I opened my eyes and saw how beautiful you were, I was done for. This isn’t a rebound thing for me, it can’t possibly be, because there’s nothing and no one from which to rebound. You’re all I’ve been thinking about for weeks. I know I’m pretty pitiful right now, but I hope you’ll give me a chance. I’ll be out of this bed eventually. Back to the real world. And I want to share that world with you.”

The things I’d said must have been what she wanted to hear, because we began making out in earnest after that, and she stretched out next to me in bed.

During a break, she spilled her heart out to me.

“I’ve been thinking of you, too. Not just because you’re my patient. I’ve had feelings for you, intense ones. And it’s totally unprofessional, so I tried not to, but I can’t. But I don’t know if I can handle this whole world of spies and safe houses and espionage, it’s just so weird.”

“This world,” I replied, “is not typically my world. It’s where Atlas lives. And where Raven thrives. I have security, yes, but not a platoon of heavily armed men. It’s usually one or two guys, and they blend into the background. A life with me in it is not the same as with Atlas. I hope Piper knows what she’s gotten herself into. I’m boring. Give me a good book, a good steak, a great kisser,” at this point I kissed her again, “and I’m happy.”

“That sounds perfect, Odin.”

It’s all I’d ever wanted to hear.

21
Atlas

I
sat
down at the kitchen bale with Raven, Nathaniel, and Carlo.

“Can you believe this bastard? In the middle of all this, he’s sitting at a soccer stadium with a smile on his face,” Nathaniel said.

“Sir?” Carlo asked, wanting to interject. His boss Nathaniel, gave him a nod.

“Back when we were hunting Osama bin Laden, our intelligence said that he was a big fan of a London soccer team. Arsenal. And there were rumors that he was somehow sneaking into London to attend matches. He was a 6-foot-5, internationally-recognized terrorist whose picture had been on every television set and newspaper on the planet. I was actually part of a team that attended a few matches undercover at the Emirates Stadium where Arsenal play, just to look for him or his associates. Nothing ever came of it, but there was enough chatter coming out of Pakistan and England to make it believable. With crowds like they get for those games, it’s a logistical nightmare to find one man, or even a group of men.”

“But if we know he’s going to be in the owner’s box, we can at least get eyes on him coming and going,” I countered. “Nobody’s talking about a firefight in a crowded stadium. That box will be locked down anyway. Especially with a former prime minister in there. We could get to QB in there with the right team and plan, I have no doubt, but extraction or escape would be next to impossible.”

“Knowing what I do about him, he probably takes a helicopter to and from the stadium. Even in Milan, there can’t be that many choppers flying over the city, especially if we eliminate law enforcement, sightseeing, television crews, things like that,” Nathaniel said. We can have Raven work satellite imagery as far back as she can get, see if she can narrow down the number of helicopters to and from the stadium and from where they originate and land.”

“Sure. Does anybody have a DNA sample? Maybe he cut himself shaving and I can locate a drop of his blood in the Atlantic Ocean while I’m at it,” Raven retorted.

Asking Raven to perform a difficult task was a sure-fire way to get her to grumble and complain about its impossibility. But she always came through.

“Just do your best, Raven,” I offered.

“That daughter of yours is
definitely
going to be named after me,” she said, aggressively typing on her laptop.

We discussed Milan, past experiences there, operatives we’d worked with, ways in and out of the city. Of the four of us, I’d spent the least amount of time in Milan. Really only a day and a half, taking a short break between jobs for QB. It now occurred to me why he wouldn’t have sent me there in a professional capacity; it was one of the places he resided when he wasn’t working. If and when he gave me reason to come after him, easier to hide from me in a strange city. Or set an ambush.

But he’d have no idea we were coming. It was a freak thing, seeing him on television. He’d actually only appeared on camera for a moment. We analyzed the few seconds like it was the Zapruder film.

It was halftime, and Milan led Verona, 2-0. The camera showed the players leaving the field, then switched to a shot of a smiling Silvio Berlusconi in the crowd. The camera zoomed in on him, but not before an astute viewer could make out perhaps a dozen individuals around and behind him. Two rows back, over his left shoulder, next to a striking Asian woman, was QB. He said something to her, they both laughed, and then it was as if he could sense the camera and he turned away, lifting a hand to cover his face just as the zoom cut him off anyway.

Raven identified most of the people in the shot, and they were, as we expected, public figures. The woman with QB was a mystery, although she had to be nearly six feet tall and probably Chinese. A hulking, expressionless man stood on the other side of QB. Judging by his size and scowl, he was a bodyguard.

As we strategized, Nathaniel’s phone buzzed. He looked down at it then his head fell back and he stared at the ceiling.

“What is it?” I asked him.

“Sorry, Atlas. My guy in Ottawa. They found your brother. They found Achilles.”

The way he shook his head confirmed my worst fear.

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