Filed to story: Submitting to My Bestie’s Daddy Read Online >>???
Elio giggled happily as Sal pretend he was an airplane, making a whirring sound as he flew him into the kitchen and set him gently in the high chair. Elio squealed with laughter and I smiled from behind.
Maria had served lunch already, and I took my seat next to Elio with Gio beside me and Sal on the other end, right next to Elio’s other side. I had to admit I was a bit jealous when Sal offered to feed Elio and he managed to get my picky son to eat his entire plate of vegetables.
Elio didn’t even seem to notice, thinking it was some kind of game as Sal pretended to play air guitar, singing loudly and off-key to old rock songs my mom never used to listen to. With every other word, he’d stuff the spoon into Elio’s mouth, the one-year-old too mesmerized by the music and movements to realize he was being fooled.
By the time I was as old as Elio, Sal had already vanished from my life. So I could admit I was a bit envious watching how great my father was with my son. If things had been different if Sal had been able to stay, would he have treated me the same?
Would I have grown up knowing the lyrics to all these songs?
It didn’t matter now.
Gio excused himself halfway through to get some paperwork done in his office and though I was a bit disappointed, I was thankful for him being so cool about this. He kissed me on the cheek, then ruffled Elio’s hair before taking the rest of his sandwich upstairs.
“Thank you so much for believing in me, Livi,” Sal said to me happily. “I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you’ll still let me be here in your life, and the life of this little one.”
He grinned, bopping Elio on the nose, who giggled like it was the funniest thing in the world.
“That tends to be my thing, apparently, giving people second chances.” I laughed. “Gio says I’m too nice for my own good.”
“I agree with him there.” Sal grinned, but then softened, giving me a caring look. “But I’m glad you are, Livi. You have a kind heart, we need more people in this world like you. I hope you never lose that part of yourself.”
His smile fell, faltering at the edges and for a moment I thought I saw a glimpse of guilt and remorse in his eyes, but it was gone so quickly I couldn’t be sure.
It must’ve been the light, I thought.
“I’ve got to use the restroom, Livi,” my dad announced suddenly, getting to his feet.
“Oh, sure,” I told him, giving him the directions.
He nodded, leaving me and Elio in the kitchen alone. I took the opportunity to help Maria out by cleaning up the mess left behind. I managed to wipe down the counters and table, clean up Elio’s sticky fingers and face, and even do the dishes, but there was still no sign of Sal.
Anxious and unsure, I waited at the table as Elio grew fussy, wanting to be let down to play and run around.
“Mama!” he whined, struggling against the straps of the high chair as he held his sippy cup in his hands. His lips were turned into a pout, eyes watering, and I finally caved.
“All right, all right, baby,” I laughed, unlatching him and pulling him into my arms with a fake groan. “You’re getting so heavy. Soon, you’ll weigh more than Mommy.”
He thrust his sippy cup into my face and I barely had time to grab the plastic cup before it slammed into the side of my cheek.
“Not nice, Elio,” I told him firmly, readjusting my grip on him so he couldn’t hit me in the face. He pouted, sipping on his cup as he reached out his hand toward the doorway.
“We’ve got to wait for–” I started to say, but then I heard a shout from down the hall, rather loud, though I couldn’t hear the words that had been said. I frowned, knowing immediately that something was wrong.
“All right, let’s go, baby,” I whispered, being extra careful as I turned into the hallway. I followed the sound of raised voices, holding Elio protectively in my arms.
When I got upstairs and turned the hallway, I finally saw what was making all of the noise.
Gio and Sal were staring at one another, dark looks on their faces and bodies tense like they were getting ready for a fight. Clearly, their exchange had not been friendly.
“I don’t care what you’re trying–” Gio growled.
Sal spat out, “You don’t deserve my–”
At the same time, both of them looked like they were one inch from throwing the other to the ground and pounding the life out of them.
“What the…?”
Everything fell silent as Gio and Sal jumped, turning to me with wide eyes. Their mouths shut with a snap, both falling quiet under my surprised glare.
I glared at the two bickering middle-aged men, turning from one to the other as I held Elio on my waist and my other hand on my hip.
I should’ve known this was going to be a disaster.
*Giovani*
I knew telling Olivia I believed Salvatore was going to bite me in the ass someday. I just didn’t expect it to be so soon.
I’d gotten up from that talk with her and walked right into my office. I locked the door, flipped the switch I’d had installed to prevent listening devices from overhearing my calls, and dialed Gabriele.
“Boss,” he answered.
“Anything?” I demanded.
“Don’t you think I’d have called you if I had something? Sal’s a ghost. If there’s one thing I can tell you for sure about the man, it’s that there’s a good reason he survived twenty years on the run. The Costas imploding was a stroke of luck, but he was gone well before that.”
“Start calling in favors,” I spat. “I need him out of my life as soon as possible.”
I hung up, poured myself a glass of brandy, and dialed Alessandro.
“What’s up?” he asked.
I scrubbed a hand over my face. “Tell me you’ve got something.”
Alessandro sighed. “Yes and no. Tal’s in on the tailing, keeping an eye on that Russian Sal met with, and he thinks he might have something but it’s not solid yet. I can have him call you when he knows.”
I knocked back half the glass. “Good. Do that.”
I hung up and swallowed down a yell. My temper surged under my skin. If I was the man I’d been at twenty, I would’ve grabbed the nearest blunt-edged weapon and handled Salvatore myself. He’d be gone before Olivia could think to call him with her “good news.”
I took another sip. My promise to drink less had dissolved like wet tissue paper when that first dinner with Sal went tits-up, and I hadn’t reconstituted it yet. How could I, when my wife loved her father, and I knew deep in my bones that he wanted at least me dead, if not both of us?
I set the glass down and leaned back in my chair. I wasn’t the man I’d been at twenty anymore, and that was a good thing. I still dreamed about the heft of a baseball bat in my hands and the taste of copper on my lips, but I didn’t miss it like I used to when I first became Don. Stepping out of the field, putting that down, gave me the greatest joys of my life. There was no doubt in my mind that I would never have met Olivia if I hadn’t stepped back, or at least that she couldn’t have loved me as she did.
No, it was my job to handle things like an adult now, to chase the trouble, find the proof, and discover the way to solve the problem with the least damage, collateral or otherwise.
My phone rang, and I snatched it up to see Tallon’s name on the display.
“What do you have?” I answered.
“Gio.” The normally comical and confident young man sounded breathless. “Something big.”
I leaned forward. “Tell me.”
“I followed Alexei for a couple of days. For a supplier, he’s not slick. They might have the law on their payroll, but I got enough to start chasing down his network.”
