Filed to story: Submitting to My Bestie’s Daddy Read Online >>???
He laughed, grabbing my ass as he lifted me up. I clung to him like a koala to a tree, burying my face into his neck.
He smelled like soap, but underneath that was something I distinctly recalled as Giovani. It was just his scent–earthy and woodsy. A scent that made my heart both flutter and feel at peace at the same time.
Giovani dumped me onto his bed, and I realized for the first time we were in his room. I looked around wide-eyed, the slight jolt of being dropped waking me from the sleepy haze that had taken over my mind.
He placed his hands firmly on the bed next to me, leaning down until our foreheads were just about to touch.
“Now,” he said with a serious look, “do you want to sleep or go to the hospital?”
“Hospital!”
Even with no filter, the answer was obvious as it shot out of my mouth.
He smiled, a look of adoration in his eyes as he gazed at me. I blushed as he leaned forward the last few centimeters to kiss me.
It was soft and slow and sweet, the kind of kiss where I knew he was thinking entirely of me.
When he pulled away, he grinned.
“Then we’d better get dressed.” He glanced down at my bare breasts between us, and I laughed in response, feeling hopeful for the first time in a long time.
Dahlia was alive. That was enough for now.
It took no time at all to get dressed. Giovani drove us to the hospital, and the minute we entered the waiting room, I spotted Tallon and Gabriele standing against one of the pillars.
“Olivia,” Tallon’s eyes flooded with relief as he spotted, rushing to our side.
“How is she?” I asked worriedly.
He looked awful. He’d obviously borrowed some clothes from the hospital–a pair of scrubs–but I could still see specks of red on his arms and hair.
Gabriele stepped forward behind him. “There’s been some news.”
*Olivia*
I’d always hated hospitals. Bleach had to be my least favorite smell in the world, and the hospital always stunk of it. It didn’t matter where you went either; they were always the same–white walls and white halls, white floors and white doors. It was like stepping into an endless void of nothingness, where everything was spotless and had to be clean and shiny.
Ever since I was a girl, I’d hated hospitals, and this one was no different.
The waiting room was wide open, and multiple families were inside, with everyone lounging in the chairs and kids playing with the toys in their little corner. The colorful little chairs with thick legs made just for kids were thrown carelessly around the room–most likely by the gaggle of children who were running amok.
I scrunched up my nose as the scent of antiseptic and medicine hit me. It was unpleasant as always.
Despite my discomfort, however, I was thankful to the hospital this time.
“Dahlia’s out of surgery,” Gabriele said passively. “She’s out of danger.”
The sheer relief that went through me was enough that I stumbled, nearly falling to one knee if Giovani hadn’t caught me in time.
His hands on my waist lingered for a bit as he glanced at me with worried eyes. I nodded at him, smiling to let him know I was okay.
As I did, however, I noticed Tallon’s eyes fall to where Giovani was still holding me. A curious look crossed his face, one I had seen before.
It was the look he got whenever he got hooked on an intriguing mystery.
I coughed, stepping away from Giovani as I tried to play off the situation. I ignored the sweat trickling down my back as Tallon’s eyes analyzed me and Giovani–little sparks and connections forming in his mind.
He’d always been too observant for his own good. We’d have to be much more careful with him around.
“She was lucky, they said,” Gabriele said, crossing his arms. “They stopped the bleeding quickly, and there was no major damage. She was in rougher shape than they first thought, however.”
“Besides getting shot?” I asked, my mind going to the worst possible alternatives. What if they’d done more than just kidnapped her?
Just the thought of Dahlia going through something like that made me sick to my stomach. There was no way. They couldn’t be that cruel, could they?
Something must’ve shown on my face because Tallon stepped forward, shaking his head. “No, she didn’t… there wasn’t….” He trailed off awkwardly, unsure of how to word it.
“There was no sign of sexual assault.” Gabriele said it as bluntly as possible.
I breathed a sigh of relief, happy to hear that at least that wasn’t a concern. But then what had they done to her?
“But she’s been beaten quite a bit.” Tallon stepped forward, his hands clenched firmly by his side. His mouth was twisted up in anger, and I knew why. “Those bastards fractured her ribs and broke her wrist–defensive wounds, they said.”
“She put up a hell of a fight,” Gabriele nodded, a hint of approval shining in his eyes.
I huffed. I would’ve preferred that she’d been obedient if it meant she came out of this unharmed. But for Dahlia, that was next to impossible.
I smiled sadly, shaking my head at what kind of horrible prisoner she must’ve been, probably demanding lemonades or cussing them out any chance she got. The thought was one that actually managed to bring a smile to my face.
“She probably drove them crazy,” I said fondly.
Tallon cracked a smile before it faded away. “But she still got hurt. If we had gotten there sooner–”
“No,” Giovani pinned him with a stare. “There is no point in thinking of ifs, ands, or buts. We got her back, she’s safe, and she can recover now. Those bastards we caught will lead us right to Dmitri, and we can all move on. We each did the best we could.”
Tallon swallowed and then sighed, his shoulders slumping as he nodded in response.
“The doctor said she’s going to take a lot of time to recover, and there will be a lot of pain,” Tallon said softly. “But she’s going to be okay.”
“Thank goodness,” I sighed with relief. “Did they say when we can see her?”
Tallon shook his head, the frustration clear on his face as he said, “She still hasn’t woken up.”
“But they said they’d tell us when she does,” Gabriele added.
“Okay.” I nodded, taking the nearest seat. This wasn’t the best possible outcome, but she was safe. She was going to be okay.
I was going to get my best friend back.
“So,” Gabriele started, turning his deadpan eyes onto Giovani, “where is my Pop-Tart?”
“Ah,” Giovani nodded and grabbed the duffle bag he had taken inside with him. He’d filled it while I was getting dressed, though he wouldn’t tell me what was in it.
He reached in and plucked a small silver packaging from the bag and threw it over to Gabriele.
