Filed to story: Submitting to My Bestie’s Daddy Read Online >>???
But even at the snail’s pace at which I ate, it came all too soon. Soon, our luggage was loaded into the car and we were standing outside, all ready to go.
Tallon hugged Dahlia and then me.
“Have fun.” He grinned, trying to keep the mood light, even as all knew of the threat that lingered over our heads. “And we’d better not get a call about you in jail.”
“Not likely with you not there,” I grinned.
“I am the life of the party,” he bragged, stepping away so Alessandro could take his place.
His hug with me wasn’t as awkward as it used to be, and I had grown used to the firm distance between us. I didn’t know if Alessandro still had feelings for me or not, but I still cared about him a great deal.
“Stay safe,” he whispered in my ear.
“You too,” I said softly as he stepped away with a strained smile. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, looking rather casual for a person who might be facing death today.
Giovani was last, and my eyes watered as he immediately wrapped me into his arms, holding me tight enough so that I couldn’t escape even if I had wanted to. I buried my face into his arms, struggling not to burst into tears and beg for him to run away with me.
“I love you,” he said softly.
“I love you too,” I responded with only a fraction of the emotion I was actually feeling. It didn’t feel like enough; there was so much more I wished I could say, but there wasn’t enough time.
“It’s time to go,” Dom the bodyguard called out, having volunteered to drive us down to Tuscany.
We broke apart, and I gazed into his eyes, wishing he would tell me not to go but knowing he loved me too much to do so.
I stepped back and Dahlia grabbed my hand, squeezing it for support as we slipped into the car. The door shut, and I glanced out the window at his face through the tinted glass, praying in my mind for someone, anyone to keep them safe.
The car rumbled to life and began to drive. I stared out the back window, watching as he and the home I had come to know vanished.
“It’ll be alright.” Dahlia smiled. “Tuscany awaits.”
I nodded, giving her the best smile I could under the circumstances. There was a relief to be leaving all of this behind, but it was tucked beneath the love for the people I was leaving and the worry for their safety.
If leaving for one day to a city not too far from here was this hard, how could I ever think of going back to the States?
Soon enough, though, I was distracted by Dom turning on the radio. Some pop station blared through the car and Dahlia began to sing, moving back and forth in the car like she was dancing when she only looked like a wiggling slug to me.
I laughed, putting away all my worries for the time being and focusing on having fun with my best friend.
Tuscany was just as I remembered it–so full of life and love. People cared about the city they lived in and took care of it just as much. We started with a few of the museums, which were practically ancient art in themselves as their buildings were older than either of us could imagine.
The Uffizi Gallery was beautiful, filled with masterpieces and treasures beyond my wildest imagination. Dahlia had to practically drag me away from each piece as I studied the shading and sculpture-esque way they painted figures.
Each artist had a unique voice that came out through their brush, and I wanted to study each one of them so I could paint for myself something that would one day hang on these walls.
The Duomo was next, and if I thought the gallery was masterfully crafted, it had nothing on the gothic architecture of the century-old cathedral. Dahlia gushed over the stained glass windows and the facade which to her, looked just like a castle.
“If only Dracula could take me,” she sighed wistfully.
“Wrong country, Dolly,” I told her, dragging her away from the statue she was convinced showcased the famous vampire devouring his prey.
We took a tour through Chianti, a nearby winery. I had to stop Dahlia from taking every single sample she was given before she got drunk on twenty-five different wines. We took a bit of a break to have lunch at a cafe, and we were both starving at this point, especially since Dahlia was carrying five bags full of wine. Dom and a few other guards waited at nearby tables, there but out of the way as we ordered food.
I sighed, happy with the trip so far though my mind kept going back to Gio. Every time I saw something amazing, I wanted to turn to him to show him only to realize he wasn’t there.
It was way past noon now. The server came back with our white wine just as my phone began to ring. I grabbed my phone, and my heart nearly stopped as I read the ID.
Giovani.
There were two things he could be calling about. Either the plan went off without a hitch, and we could come home early, or something had happened to one of the people I loved and we were about to enter into hell.
I felt like a gambler taking a risk as I answered the phone with a soft, “Gio?”
*Giovani*
No matter how many times I went on missions like this, it always felt like the first. My heart was pounding and my senses were on high alert as adrenaline pumped through my body. I reached over and squeezed Gabriele’s shoulder, knowing that he was in the same boat as me. This shit never got easier, no matter how good we were.
We were riding in a little silver Fiat, one of the most common cars in the entire country of Italy. The Russians didn’t know it, but this was the car we kept for our most important missions. We only used it when we needed to be as discreet as possible.
Gabriele and I sat side by side in the back seat. The silence in the car felt oppressive, but nobody had anything to say. We all knew the plan: wait for Dmitri at his warehouse, then hold him for the Interpol officers we were already partnering with. He would never expect us to utilize Interpol, which was why it was the perfect plan. If everything went off as we hoped, nobody would even end up dead.
Of course, that was if the Russians were willing to admit defeat. If they gave me a reason, I would have no problem with putting a bullet in any one of them after the harm they had caused to my family.
I was just thankful that Olivia was in a safe location. Knowing that she’d be safe no matter what happened helped to keep my anxiety in check. Thinking about her made me even more determined to ensure that tonight would be successful. I had to get home to her. It wasn’t optional.
“We’re here,” Gabriele said quietly as we pulled into the parking lot by the warehouse. There were a few other cars there and our driver smartly parked between two larger vehicles so that we would remain hidden even when we got out of the car.
Alessandro and Tallon were at a second location. Our two-pronged attack would help ensure our success. The Russians would be overwhelmed and unsure where to focus the fight. My phone buzzed; Alessandro was calling me.
“Hello?” I picked up, knowing he wouldn’t call if it wasn’t of the utmost importance.
“We got some of them,” he said somberly.
“Excellent work. Who all was there?”
“Lorenz and a few grunts. Two of them are dead, but Lorenz and the other guy got away.”
He didn’t have to elaborate. I knew he’d be beating himself up over this. Lorenz was the one who had been responsible for the death of Alessandro’s friend. I knew that Alessandro had hoped to end Lorenz’s miserable life on this mission. I was disappointed that he hadn’t succeeded, but I couldn’t let it distract me. The main goal of today was to take Dmitri down once and for all. Once we got that done, we could focus on Lorenz.
“Fuck. Any of our guys hurt?” I asked, not wanting to dwell on Lorenz’s escape for too long.
“Just some minor injuries. Tallon might have a concussion, nothing too serious.”
I was relieved to hear that. As a Don, it was always incredibly stressful to send my guys anywhere without me. I was constantly bracing myself to find out that I had sent someone to their death. The fact that everyone with Tallon and Alessandro was still alive was a major success in my book. If Gabriele and I could pull off our end of the plan, this entire thing would go down as one of our most successful missions.
“Thanks for the update, Alessandro. Send Tallon to get some medical attention and gather up everyone who is uninjured, then come our way. We need as much backup as you can provide.”
“Good luck, Giovani. We’ll be there soon,” he said sincerely before ending the call.
Once again, I was grateful that we were finally on the same side. Alessandro was a major asset for the family business. He and Tallon together were damn near unstoppable. I looked at Gabriele and hoped we could continue what the brothers had started.
I took the safety off of my gun and tucked it into the back of my waistband. With any luck, I wouldn’t need it, but it was always better to be prepared in these situations. The goal was to get Interpol involved before any bodies dropped, but if Dmitri did something crazy, I wouldn’t hesitate to kill him. He was responsible for so many deaths of people I cared for, it wouldn’t even bother me to see the life leave his eyes.
We stayed inside the car, just waiting for word from our spy. The important thing was for the second part of our plan to go quickly, before Dmitri got word that Lorenz’s team had been compromised. We wanted him to be confused as to why he couldn’t get ahold of Lorenz for backup. We didn’t want Dmitri to have time to go into hiding if he found out we were on his tail.
