SETH (Book Four)

THIRTY-ONE

It's been a while since I've visited Odin's office. After another hot, passionate kiss with Seth, I'm getting lazy and not coming here. Even Seth wouldn't let me go and began to whine like a child. I couldn't help but get mad at him because his expression was too adorable. But I'm obligated to finish the mission. I straighten my suit jacket, brush my hair back, and let out a heavy sigh.

I softly knock on the wooden polished door with my knuckles. "Come in," his deep voice seems demanding yet overpowering.

I open the door and step inside, walking towards his desk slowly as I look around. The office has stayed the same; everything is in place and clean through and through. Odin's office space is more extensive than most because he's the boss. It's a vast space with window walls that curve where you can see most of Los Angeles. On the walls are paintings he had purchased or were gifted to him from friends, but now they are taken down and replaced with pictures of his family, smiling and happy. This office no longer intimidates them whenever they enter. Now it's lively. His office back in London is different from this. His office is a mess in London, with documents and papers piled up like anthills.

The man behind the desk is on his phone, having a deep conversation with his back to me. I do not dare interrupt him as I look around to kill time. But I can hear what he says to the person on the other side of the phone.

"I thank you, Mr. Hiroshi," It Seems Odin is talking to one of his trusted friends from Japan. "As long as those children find a place, I will be at ease. But what of Osada?"

I capture the name of the person Odin asks about, but my attention drifts elsewhere. I look down at the family photo collage Thea made for him. It was pictures of all the spots they visited. After rescuing Effie from Heather, Odin decided to take the siblings to all the places they wanted. Just the four of them have been all over California within a month. Themes parks like Disneyland, Universal Studios, and Knotts. They went to San Diego to jet ski and drive around tourist attractions. Big Bear to go skiing, Palms Spring for ATV driving. At around seventy, Odin still has that young at heart for Odin's age. He never once complained to his grandkids because he promised to spend time with them. He wanted to get to know and love them, which he couldn't do because of who he was.

"Okay, please let me know when you find her," my thoughts then pulled away, and my ears picked up the conversation again. "Those teens have been through a lot because of her. To think a wicked woman like her adopted children to become her..." He hisses, slams his hand on the window, and then turns into a fist. "To think she's worked for the Order despite her old age. The old hag still has her craves. Please make sure you capture her alive. Thanks, goodbye."

I watch the powerful older man let out a deep sigh. I've seen him like this and can sense how much stress he has succumbed to when it involves children. He told me that saving children wasn't his style, but after his wife died and he lost his son, he went to great lengths to find him. That is when he got himself involved with the Order. He knew they kidnapped children, and to play the overlord of the unorthodox world, he infiltrated in search of his son, whom he assumed was taken. But after seeing all those children and how mistreated they were, he decided to rescue them by building a secret agency known as the Dagger Protect. He and a few of his team raided the first base where I was kept, starting my career as a hitman who takes down evil.

If Odin hadn't saved me, I would have died with my daughter. I'm grateful to him for a second chance in life.

"Terry," Odin put his phone on his mahogany desk. "Sorry about that. Have you waited long?"

"No, sir, I just arrived."

He nodded and sat on his chair. "Well, that was Mr. Hiroshi."

"Kuma Hiroshi?"