Filed to story: Submitting to My Bestie’s Daddy Read Online >>???
It was a shame considering everything, but ultimately, Tallon was the better leader. I glanced at Gabriele, who seemed invested in Tallon’s idea, nodding along as Tallon explained the details to the men.
Gabriele caught my eye, sending me a slight smirk and tilting his head to Tallon. I nodded back. No words needed to be exchanged between us. Gabriele and I were in agreement.
“We’ll go with Tallon’s plan,” I announced to the group. “We’ll need to work out the finer details, but you should all start informing the men. Spread into groups of five. Intel first–contact all the spies we have and make sure they are aware to be searching for anything unusual. Rounds are to be doubled until this is over with.”
A few men groaned, whispering complaints, but I ignored them, turning instead to Gabriele. “Make sure Manuel takes his team out. I want all of this over as soon as possible. And Tallon–”
Tallon turned to me, stiffening like a soldier ready to receive his commands. Steely-eyed and stone-faced, he looked prepared to do anything, and I smirked.
“Good job today.” I nodded at him. “You’ll be the point for this mission.”
Alessandro turned to me bewildered, a deep fury setting on his face, but that was to be expected. Tallon, on the other hand, looked downright shocked by the position.
“I… really?” he questioned, wide-eyed, but then he coughed into his hand, nodding. “Of course. Thanks.”
I nodded. “I have to get back to Olivia and Elio and make sure Dom and Tino know their role in all of this. We have extra security on the compound just in case.”
“Good,” Tallon nodded, “I’ll handle things from here. Just keep Olivia and my sister safe.”
“Of course,” I smirked. I glanced at Alessandro, who looked downright murderous. “Your plan was fine, but we need a new perspective this time. Help your brother keep control here?”
I sent him a meaningful glance, and he bristled like a wildcat about to strike but then sighed, relaxing all of a sudden.
“Fine.” He nodded, clearly still upset but having enough maturity not to explode right here and now. He was improving little by little.
It was still a relief to see.
Gabriele stayed behind to help organize but I turned to leave, assigning Mr. Cigarette and Mr. Cologne onto Alessandro’s team so they would have to stay and I could drive home by myself. As soon as I got into the car, and reached out to buckle up, the sound of my ringtone burst through the car, and I flinched despite myself.
I frowned, glancing at the caller ID.
“Hello?” I answered, a bit confused.
I thought she’d be in bed by now. My heart stopped cold when I heard nothing but a heartbroken wail from the other side of the phone. My sobbing wife was saying something completely unintelligible through her body-rattling sobs.
“Olivia?” I demanded. Panic set in as I heard her full-on breakdown. “What’s going on? Are you at home? Are you hurt? Talk to me!”
I heard her take a deep breath through her sobs, struggling to get out the words before finally, she loudly wailed into the phone.
“He’s gone!”
*Olivia*
“What do you mean he’s gone? Who is?”
Shame curled around my throat like a hand around my windpipe, and every ragged breath through my mouth felt like swallowing a hundred razor blades. I could hear Gio’s fear, the way it mirrored my own, and I choked on my spit, unable to say the next words that I didn’t even want to admit to myself.
I was his mother. How could something like this happen on my watch? He was right here in my arms only a few hours ago and now….
A hand on my back rubbed slow, deliberate circles, a low voice trying to coach me to breathe in and out, but I felt like I was waiting for a breath that would never come. How could I breathe without my baby here with me?
They could’ve torn me limb from limb and it would still hurt less than this.
“E-Elio,” I managed to choke out through my sobs. “They took our baby!”
The line went dead silent and I dropped the phone into my lap, lost in a haze of grief as I wailed into my hands, curled up into a ball on the floor.
I could barely hear the phone still on or Dahlia grabbing it from beside me. She spoke slowly into the phone, her voice sounding choked up as she told Gio everything she knew.
“Okay,” Dahlia said softly.
The cold metal was pushed against my ear, my hair in the way of the speaker, but I could still hear Gio’s steel-like voice.
“Olivia?” he demanded through the phone.
I managed a sob in response, curling into myself even deeper.
“I’m on my way. I promise you we will find him,” Gio said, sounding so sure that there was no way anyone couldn’t believe him.
Despite the grief and fear that had possessed me, I managed a staggering breath, latching onto his promise like a life preserver drifting in the unforgiving sea.
All I could do was cling to it and cradle the tiny hope in my chest, hoping he could stop me from drowning fully under the weight of my emotions.
“I’ll be there soon, carina,” he told me, and then the phone went silent.
Lost, I latched onto Elio’s favorite shark plush, gripping it tightly in my hands as I tried to get myself together, to pull my broken pieces into place and hold it there with whatever I had left.
But my strength had always been clumsy and fragile. A soft, plush feeling wrapped around me, and a familiar scent, the shampoo we used in Elio’s hair, washed over me. Dahlia sat beside me, her eyes shining with tears as she kneeled beside me, one hand pushing my hair from my face.
I caught the edge of the blanket she had laid over me, the little E embroidered in the corner catching my attention, and just like that, I was lost.
I clutched onto my baby’s blanket, staring down at the plush they had left behind to fool me with. I hunched over, curling into the floor until my forehead hit the wood below me. My knees ached from the pain of being in this position, but it was nothing compared to the way my heart had just snapped into pieces.
“Elio.” I choked on his name and all my emotions came pouring out of me all at once. I let out a muffled scream into the floor, breaking apart fully.
I didn’t know how long we were sitting there, how long I had screamed my son’s name, sobbing until my voice was hoarse and my tears had run dry, but Dahlia didn’t leave me, not once. She kept a solid hand on my back, offering whatever support she could despite her own tears, her pain.
Eventually, I folded over onto my side, staring blankly at the little rabbit I had painted on the walls, his empty crib looming there as a reminder of what we had lost… what they had stolen from us. I could still hear the echo of his little laugh, his cry as he whined to be picked up.
‘Mama.’ He’d hold his arms out to me, little eyes filled with tears as some masked shadow stole him away.
And I had let it happen.
I had failed to protect him.
But Gio would make things right. He would come bursting through the door, holding our baby in his arms, and all of this could be a bad dream.
It felt like an eternity, just curled up there on the floor, waiting for a miracle that would never come, but the door slammed open, hitting the wall with a bang and I jolted from the loud sound, my eyes immediately connecting with the one who stood in the doorway.
Gio stood there, a dark look on his face. He glanced around the room, at the crib, the open window and finally, me. He shot into action, falling to his knees beside me. His arms were unbearably warm, and I hadn’t realized how cold I was until he was lifting me from the floor and pulling me into his body.
He cradled me against his chest, holding me tightly like I would disappear if he ever let go. I didn’t even notice Dahlia pulling away and getting to her feet or the sad, worried look she sent me before leaving us alone.
I was too consumed with the misery of losing Elio.
