Damn Odin
Wandering through the casino she now owned, Presley was trying to get a feel for the way people gravitated: to the flash and noise of the scene.
She couldn’t understand it at all. Perhaps because she’d never felt a desperate need to make ends meet or to find a quick way to make cash, the appeal to throw money into a machine in hopes of a jackpot never appealed to her. There was more than one person sitting at the slot machines who were greasy–haired and reeking of desperation. It reminded her she was better off than most for the entirety of her life. Now, though, she was far wealthier than any of these people at the machines would dream of being even if they hit it right and won a jackpot.
She didn’t deserve any of it.
She was taking it though. Presley lifted her chin defiantly. If for no other reason than to thumb her nose at the man who thought he’d be able to convince her to be his wife and steal her life from her, she was taking what she knew he never intended to hand over so soon. She imagined him rolling in his grave to know his businesses, the illegal ones, were taken over by people he fought so long to hold power over. It made her smile wickedly.
“Presley?”
Her name being called with such familiarity in a place she’d never once set foot in surprised her and she
turned her head left to right to try to locate the source. Then she saw her, and she felt the old pang of anger
rising in her.
“Hi.” She stared at the woman who once encouraged her son to lock her down to ensure they would be provided for because Presley’s family was wealthy and then didn’t think she even deserved to be told when he took a job in another country. She looked down at the fingers gripping her sweater and then looked to her security wondering how this woman was allowed to get so close.
“Ma’am step back away from Mrs. Bartoli.”
She inwardly cringed at the name and then reminded herself that in six months she’d be Mrs. Hawley and none of this would matter.
“Bartoli? Like the name on the casino?”
“Yes.”
“Wow. You must be really rich now.”
“I am.” Her bold response made the older woman blink in surprise. “Is there something I can help you with? If not, I need to get going.”
“Shae is doing well.”
“Shae?”
“Yes. Shae. They go by the name Shae now.”
They. New name. Presley pressed her lips together.
“They do?”
They are non–binary, and they are pansexual”
Interesting. I’m happy for them.” She inched forward as if trying to get away from the conversation:
They never loved you.”
The way the woman blurted the words out made Presley stop and turn back to face her. “What do you want?
“You’re rich now.”
“Uh–huh.”
“I bet it wouldn’t do your reputation well if it got out you were with a non–binary person.”
Presley closed her eyes and counted to ten. When it didn’t quell the rage sliding through her blood, she took a breath and then opened her eyes and looked at her security team. “Bring her to my office.”
She sent a text to Cruz and then let the team escort her and “Shae’s” mother to the private elevators. Entering the office on the top floor of the casino building, which also housed a hotel, she pretended not to hear how roughly the men were dragging the woman behind her. She grimaced at the sight of Rami sitting on the sofa, stretched out as if he’d been napping.
“What are you doing here? Did you plant bugs or something?”
“Why would I?” Rami laughed. “You tell us everything anyway. You are a shitty mob boss.”
“Yeah, I know but I’m trying.” She patted his bicep stretched out over the back of the sofa. “You’re my brother though, at least better than the biological one I have. How is he by the way?”
“Recuperating, slowly, very slowly,” Rami made a show of avoiding her eyes at the question.
“His mother is going to ask me for an update at some point.”
“And you can tell her he is very much alive.”
“Who is the lady with the ugly sweater?” Rami waved to the woman standing in the grips of Presley’s security.
“The mother of an ex. She seems to think she can blackmail me.”
“Does she? Interesting. Does she know who you are?”
“She’s going to find out,” Presley snickered back at him as she took her seat behind the desk and kicked her feet up on the top. Her cell phone rang, and she answered it, “Hey Cruz.”
“Why are you texting me to ask me for the contact information for your old college roommate? You told me you didn’t need closure.”
“Are you jealous?”
“Yes.”
She laughed at his honesty. “Apparently the person I dated and loved in college is a non–binary person and goes by them and they.”
“What’s wrong with them going by they or them?”
“Nothing, Cruz. I don’t give a s**t. Love is love and all that. However, remember I told you how his, sorry, their, mother was a manipulative b***h who brought special toilet paper for his sensitive ass?”
“Yes.”
2/5
Damn Odin
“She is here trying to extort me. She said it would be embarrassing for me to have my relationship with a non–binary person made public now she knows I’m very rich.”
“Does she know you’re the head of the Bartoli mobster family and can get rid of her?” Cruz asked dryly.
Presley looked to the woman who paled, “she does now. Instead, I’m going to use the contact information you’ve sent me for Shae, and I’m going to call them and let them know their mother is using their s**** identity to try to extort me.”
“Well, instead of calling them directly, call the CEO of the company. He’ll pull him into the office, and you can make sure the conversation takes place right now.”
“This is why it’s important to have friends in high places,” Rami called out.
“Why is Rami in your office?” Cruz questioned. “I thought he was heading back to Europe today.”
“Nope. Algernon and Sloane are coming to meet her parents and they’re bringing Mina with them. He doesn’t want to miss an opportunity to see his beloved,” she made eyes at Rami who flipped her off, “so Belkin assigned him to me. I thought though he’d be in his hotel room crying into his vodka not here in my office.” “Interesting. I texted my buddy in Texas and he’s calling Shae to his office. Poor person is probably thinking they’re getting fired.”
“What is it about being rich people think they’re entitled to my money?”
“I can’t answer this for you baby but if you find out, let me know. I’ve been wondering since birth.”
“Yeah, yeah,” she hung up on Cruz and then dialed out to the number he sent her.
“Presley Brookmore!”
The man’s Texas twang made her sit up straight. “Well don’t you sound like a tall drink of water on a hot
summer day.”
“I am all this and more, darlin‘.” Her cell phone suddenly flashed an image of the man sending her a selfie and he was good looking despite the bolero, “tell Cruz he’s going to lose you to your number one fan. Your old friend he shipped here years ago to work for me got us all hooked on your books. We have a book club. Imagine my delight when I saw the latest cover.” He paused, “my name is Fidelio. I would love to inspire your
next book.”
She laughed at his flirting, “I will send you an autographed collection, Fidelio.”
“I would love to have one of those big life–sized cutouts of Cruz if you can get me one.”
“You have a thing for Cruz?”
“Nope but my sister does, and I think it would be a great birthday present for her.”
“Sure.” She and Rami exchanged glances. She considered Anderson and Odin and started to wonder if Cruz simply gravitated to all weird people or if he was a magnet for them and they were drawn to him.
“Shae!” Fidelio’s voice rang out. “Have a seat. A friend of mine is calling. Do you remember your old college sweetheart Presley Brookmore.”
The sound of a clearing voice and then the other person in the room speaking, “Presley?”
“Hey Shae. How are you?”
3/5
< Damn Odin
“I’m fine. Um, why are you calling me, especially at work through my CEO?”
“Oh. See, I have your mother here.”
“My mother?” Shae cleared their throat again, “I don’t have a mother.”
“Pretty sure you do. She’s standing in front of me. See, I have recently inherited the entire Bartoli business. Do you know the name Liborio Bartoli?”
“No.”
“Well, he was a ruthless son of a b***h who ran an Italian mafia, and he made me his wife,” as she divulged the information she noted Shae’s mother growing paler and paler. “It is evident your mother also didn’t know the name Bartoli was linked to organized crime. She simply came to the casino to get rich, recognized my last name to match the one on the casino marquee and tried to extort me.”
“Extort you how?”
“She suggested perhaps my reputation might take a hit if it became public knowledge I once had a long–term relationship with a person who is now identifying as non–binary. You should know, I’m not ashamed of our relationship, regardless of your current acceptance of your s****l identity.”
“I’m not either.” Shae whispered. “I loved you very much, Presley. I left the way I did because I knew you were destined for things far greater and if I didn’t simply walk away from you, I wouldn’t have been able to go without begging you to come with me. It killed me to leave you behind. If it wasn’t for you being brave and chasing your dreams of being an author, I would never have been strong enough to get away from my mother.
Presley felt her heart flutter a bit at his words, “I loved you too Shae. I hope you’re not going to be too
offended if I don’t comply with your mother and she spills our romantic history to all the tabloids.”
“She isn’t my mother. I cut her off about a year after I moved here. I flew her down to visit and she spiked my drink and put me into bed with a woman she thought we could extort. I pressed charges because I was able to get the video surveillance of her drugging me and the lady. In fact, she flew back to Vancouver before she was arrested. If she ever sets foot in the USA again, she’ll likely be arrested on an outstanding warrant for drugging both me and the woman at the bar. You should know Presley, her sister usually is in cahoots with her so if one of them is there, so is the other.”
“Find the sister,” Presley motioned to her guards.
“I don’t care what you do with her. If your husband is a mob boss, let him do his worst. The fact she set me up to either be raped or to rape is revolting. I hate her. If she dies, I don’t care. Let him kill her.”
“Nah. I’m a widow. He died right after the wedding. It was an arrangement meant for me to give him heirs. It
never happened.”
“I’m sorry to hear this.”
“Don’t be.”
“Presley, before you hang up, there is one other thing I always wanted to tell you but couldn’t.”
“Sure.”
“I cheated on you. When we were together. I cheated on you. I’m sorry. I always wanted to tell you.”
4/5
Damn Odin
“You just said you loved me.”
“I did. I really did but the heart is meant to love more than one person, or at least mine was. Um, even now, I’m in a poly relationship with two men.”
“Okay.” She watched Rami’s face and tried not to laugh at the disgust.
“I know we’ll never see each other again so I wanted to take this opportunity to say I am sorry. Your brother came onto me first. He confronted me about the time they barged in on us having s*x and one thing led to
another.”
She gripped her forehead as if her brain was going to explode. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”
“Odin and I engaged in an affair for about six months. I was sleeping with both of you at the same time. I ended it when I realized he was only f*****g me because he was hoping you would catch us, and it would hurt you. He was using me. I loved you both so much. I was going to marry you or at least propose but then this job came up and I realized it was telling me I was a selfish person, and I needed to let you go to be who you were meant to be.”
“Yeah, Shae, this is fun. I’m likely going to send your mother to work at a resort in Thailand or something.” She looked at Rami, “we have on there, right?”
“Yes.”
“Excellent. She won’t be able to use you from there. Have a good life.” She hung up on him and then waved to the security, “take her and her sister when you find her and put her in a holding cell until I figure out what I’m really doing with her.” She looked at Rami, “I want my brother better sooner rather than later. I want to talk to him, and I want him lucid for it.”
18
Comments
Watch videos get points (0/10) >
