Filed to story: Submitting to My Bestie’s Daddy Read Online >>???
I hadn’t understood right away, looking into the open car door and searching for my dad, but my smile slowly died as I realized he wasn’t there. The sky had been gray and stormy when Mom came out after me.
She had known as soon as she saw him. I remember her falling to her knees, sobbing loudly on the ground, and all I could do was stand there, uncomprehending as rain began to fall upon us. I remember calling for my dad to come out and give me a big hug like he always would, but he didn’t.
I still remembered the words Tallon had said to me that day.
“I’m sorry I have to be the one to tell you, but you won’t be seeing your father again.” I repeated those words to Junior now with darkness in my eyes. “I had to hear those words almost a decade ago. And now I have the pleasure of telling them to you, Junior. Your father is dead.”
And now, I finally had vengeance for mine.
There was pure silence, a cold and endless quiet that bit down to the bone like frostbite across my skin, numbing stillness in the chaos of the rest of the world. At that moment, it was like the clock stopped ticking and the world stopped turning.
Everything around me froze, turning seconds into hours.
My father had died as revenge from one man. And now, Antonio had died as revenge for my father.
It was a bitter cycle with no end. Someone would always have to die in the name of revenge.
I thought I would feel differently at this moment, finally avenging the pain and anger I’d felt ever since that rainy day. But just like when Antonio died, I felt empty inside.
No joy, no sadness… nothing.
And I realized in this moment where time had stopped around me that there was nothing more terrifying than apathy.
Then it was all over.
Time had caught up with me, and I could hear the heavy, disjointed breathing on the other end like he was trying to catch his breath and failing. I knew what he was going through.
His father had put me through the exact same thing.
The disbelief turned to anger, sadness, and tears then numbness as I was forced to accept the one single truth that we all must grasp—that life could be very cruel.
It will rip the people you love from you, and there is nothing you can do to stop it.
I held onto Elio’s hand tightly, perhaps too tightly by the wince I saw from the corner of my eye, but I couldn’t bring myself to let go.
“You—” Junior said, his voice shaking.
Then all at once, it went very quiet. If someone had told me he had stopped breathing on the other end and died, I would’ve believed it, but no, he was still there.
“This is war. I hope you’re all ready.”
And before I could say another word, the line went dead.
“I think he took that well.” I gave Elio an attempt at a smile, wobbly and not at all sincere, but it was the best I could do under the circumstances.
“You did good.”
Elio opened his arms, tugging me forward, and I went bonelessly into his embrace. He kissed the top of my head, murmuring sweet words as he rubbed my back with his hands.
“I’m proud of you.”
I wondered for a moment what there was to be proud of. I’d just told someone their father was dead, that we had caused his death. Was that something to be proud of?
Did I deserve to be the one comforted right now?
Maybe I was a bit twisted.
My hands clung to his shirt, unsure of how to feel or react, but Elio just murmured reassurances to me, keeping me close so I could hear his heartbeat thumping in my ears. It was a soothing force, and I focused entirely on it as I threw away all the rest of my thoughts.
After a few minutes, I pulled out of his hug, giving him a smile to show I was okay. Elio immediately got to work once he saw I was okay. In an instant, he was on the phone.
“Hey, reach out to Franky. We need to meet ASAP. I’ll be there in twenty,” Elio instructed firmly, with no room for debate.
“Can I finish my snack first?” I heard Leo’s faint joking voice on the other end.
“No,” Elio said coldly, and then he hung up.
I chuckled, leaning my head on his arm. “That was mean.”
“He’s used to it.”
Elio shrugged, getting to his feet. He pocketed his phone, running around to grab his jacket, keys, shoes, and wallet. I watched him stuff everything into his pockets, wondering how on earth they were big enough to store all his shit.
Elio patted himself down one last time then headed for the door, opening it up. He paused, one foot through the doorway, and then spun on his heel, giving me an expectant look.
“You coming?” He tilted his head with a smile.
I grinned, my spirits lifting at the unprompted invitation.
“Of course!”
And I took his hand.
*Elio*
The warm sun had begun to fade away, casting a twilight glow across the sky as the black sedan rumbled down the beaten and bumpy path. In the setting sun, it was even more obvious just how much nothing there was around us.
The warehouse loomed in sight, the same one we’d used to hold Antonio, with only a few cars waiting silently outside as we pulled up.
The engine cut off, the keys jingling as I pulled them out of the ignition. The click of the seatbelts was the only sound in the quiet desert before us and I got out, tucking the keys into the hidden pocket in my suit, brushing down my blazer for imaginary dust.
I spared merely a moment, glancing at the leftover police tape that had been brushed aside. A few strands swayed as a hot breeze brushed across the rocky terrain. I rounded the car, the rocks under my feet crunching with every step and I grabbed the door, opening it with a quiet click.
Her eyes met mine, bright and warm, and I smiled on instinct, stepping to the side like a chauffeur. She was gorgeous—her long legs sexy as hell under the short black dress she had worn, and her face gleamed with red lipstick and shadowy eyes.
I shut the door after her, offering my arm with a grin and she smiled, her eyes twinkling like the colors of the sky above as I escorted her along the walkway up to the warehouse.
“Has it been cleaned up?” she asked cautiously.
“Spotless, as much as it could be, anyway.” I shrugged, remembering the last time we’d been there. My men were good at what they did, but not even they could destroy every piece of evidence of what had happened there.
There may be a few stains left over, I thought, but nothing major. At least we took care of the body.
“And Alexi… what happened to his—”