Filed to story: Submitting to My Bestie’s Daddy Read Online >>???
“He’s famiglia,” I decided finally, my eyes red as I struggled not to cry at the loss. “Have him buried in Eterna, the best of the best.”
Eterna, our private cemetery, was dedicated to the family. It was sparsely used, but anyone who died in the line of duty could request to be buried there. It was rare to have it done as usually the family of the deceased would take the body, but it happened occasionally.
Lain would have his spot there. I would make sure of it.
“I’ll have Manuel send up some options so we can plan for the lot to bury him in. We’ll make sure he’s taken care of,” Gabriele said, reaching over to grab my shoulder.
He squeezed it, knowing how much Lain’s loss had hurt, not just for me but for the entire organization.
“Okay.”
I nodded and opened the laptop back up. It lit up, showcasing the face of the intruder we had yet to identify, “Otherwise, focus our search on finding this man. He is probably important, at least a higher-up, if not one of the leaders. If we find him, we’ll find them all.”
“I’ll do some research into that bastard,” Gabriele said seriously. “I’ll pass around the photo we have; it’s a bit grainy but it should do. Maybe we’ll get lucky and get some hits.”
“Good.” I nodded. “In the meantime, have someone track the goods. They’ll probably try to sell them on the black market, so we might not get a lead there, but it’s possible somebody will slip.”
“Which markets?” Gabriele frowned.
“Italy, Russia, all of Europe if we have to… anywhere they could reasonably try to ship it within a few days. We had trackers on those goods. See if you can get a location before they disable them, if they haven’t been already.”
Gabriele smirked. “Consider it done.”
I stared at my desk in thought. I couldn’t turn back time. I couldn’t stop my men from dying or the goods from being stolen. We’d taken a huge hit on this attack, but we’d dealt with worse before.
This was not the time to place blame or point fingers; it was the time to fix this mess.
With a calmer head, I realized what a jackass I’d been, not only to Gabriele but to Olivia. I didn’t even remember what I’d said I was so lost in my anger, but I knew it had hurt her.
The way she had looked at me after I’d snapped at her, I wanted to apologize right then and there, but my torn pride had seemed more important at the time. Who knows if she’d forgive me for what I said, for how I treated her? I was not looking forward to that apology.
Before we could make any more decisions, the door slammed into the wall hard enough to scratch the wood finishings. The last person I wanted to see walked through the door.
Alessandro stood there, fuming. If this was a cartoon, there’s be steam pouring out of his ears, but luckily for me, this was real life. He stormed in and Gabriele rolled his eyes, already backing away to shut the door behind him.
Alessandro slammed his palm onto the laptop. It shut harshly and I stared at the raging teenager before me.
“What the fuck is this?” he growled.
*Giovani*
“What the fuck is this?”
There was a stalemate as I stared at Alessandro, and he glared back. Neither of us was willing to give an inch, and the study fell into a thick silence. After a few seconds, Alessandro shifted on his feet, his anger melting into impatience and anxiety as I just stared at him.
Some might say using intimidating tactics on your much-younger cousin was going overboard, but I disagreed.
They didn’t know how pissed off I could get just seeing his face.
“Well?” Alessandro snapped.
I could tell my silence was getting to him.
Gabriele shook his head behind Alessandro, and I calmly grabbed my cousin’s wrist and removed his hand from my laptop. He flinched, the frown on his lips growing by the minute, and I could tell he didn’t know where to go from here.
Good. Better to keep him confused than keep letting him rampage all over my organization.
“That,” I finally said, “is a laptop, the cherry red addition, and very delicate–”
“Cut the crap!” Alessandro growled. “You know what I mean.”
“How on earth am I supposed to know what you mean? If I could read minds, my life would be a lot easier,” I snarked back at him.
I wasn’t willing to play these games today. I wasn’t going to treat him as an adult until he started acting like one.
“Why the fuck was I left out of this important intel?” Alessandro finally said, looking aggrieved. Good, I was too.
“And what intel would you happen to be referring to?” I danced around the question, perfectly content to keep him out of things as long as possible, especially the angrier it made him. He deserved it for blackmailing me and just being a jerk in general.
“The attack!” Alessandro finally snapped, gripping the edges of my desk. “I had to find out from the guard outside that we got attacked by the fucking Russians. Why didn’t you tell me directly?”
I didn’t move or even tense up. I simply stared back at him, perfectly calm.
“I tried to call,” I said. “But you did not pick up your phone. I left a voice message.”
Alessandro paused, then fished into his pocket for his phone. He glanced at it, and I knew the moment he realized I was right. His jaw clenched, his face heating up, and I smirked in victory.
“So what?” he scoffed, stuffing his phone back into his pocket. “You should’ve come to get me in person before doing anything.”
“We had bigger problems on our hands. Or do you not want us to catch the Russians who tried to kill your sister?” I said, getting annoyed now. I didn’t have to report anything to him. I was the Don and not him.
“Of course I do! And that’s why you should’ve got me! I could’ve seen something that you didn’t!” Alessandro argued.
“So I should’ve held up the investigation so we could wait for you?” I snapped back. “This organization doesn’t revolve around you, Alessandro.”
A dark look crossed his face, and he straightened to his full height, intending to look threatening. I stood my ground, my calmness quickly fading away under his insubordination.
I’d had just about enough of him challenging my every move.
“You promised me a say in this organization, in this investigation,” Alessandro growled. “I expect to be informed about anything that happens before we make any moves.”
“Expect away,” I said firmly. “But that doesn’t mean I am obligated to follow your every whim. I am still the Don, Alessandro, and I will not let you hinder our investigations because of your grudge against me. Remember your place.”
The calmness I had practiced was fading away now, and the thin string that was patience was about to snap.
He clenched his jaw, and Gabriele looked between us warily, unsure of whether to step in or not. I shook my head at him, telling him to stand back, and he sighed but listened.
“I informed you of the incident, just like you asked,” I started, clenching my fists on the desk. “When you failed to answer, I determined you were unnecessary to the mission. We had the situation handled without you. It is your responsibility to answer your goddamn phone. And if you can’t even do that, how can I trust you to help lead this family?”
He sucked in a breath, the fire in his eyes tripling as he glared at me like I was the enemy. The malice in his eyes was alarming, considering our positions, but I refused to back down.
I had an entire organization to protect, and I didn’t have time to play these stupid little games with him. Blackmail or not, he needed to learn he couldn’t push me around.
Alessandro stepped forward, a harsh and threatening look on his face. “You swore I had more say in this organization. If you go back on your deal, I’ll spill to everyone what you and Olivia–”
