Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 355 -

*Giovani*

As soon as Olivia was out of sight, the soft and kind man in me disappeared. I gripped her notebook in one hand and the baggie with the damn note in the other, trying not to touch the notebook too much as I headed straight down the hall for my office.

My boots pounded on the floorboards with unnecessary force. My whole body was tensed for a fight as blood pumped in my ears. I could feel my heart thumping loudly in my chest, fast and wild.

I slipped into my office, knocking my shoulder against the wood as I stepped inside. The door shut behind me, and I rounded my desk, my whole body trembling as I dropped the notebook onto my desk.

Her name was written across the front in Sharpie, with little doodles of hearts and swirls accompanying it. It was innocent and sweet, and I inhaled through my nose, shutting my eyes to calm the emotions burning wildly inside of me. Finally, I glanced down at the offending piece of paper in the plastic bag in my right hand, opening up my palm as I stared at the bold, dark words glaring up at me. It was an offense to my very eyes-loud and obnoxious in a way to draw attention.

My hands trembled as I fought not to rip the thing to pieces right then and there. Instead, I slammed my palm onto the desk, the note with it. The wood rattled and the cup of pens I kept on the side tipped over and clattered upon the ground. I couldn't give a damn.

Olivia's tears burned like molten silver upon my skin, and the wet spot on my shirt from where she'd sobbed in fear was like a trophy-the number one failure carved in gold.

They had been mere feet from her. It hadn't been an accident or a rush job that they used her own supplies to write this damn note.

They'd done it on purpose, to let me know that they were close enough to her. They had been in the same building with her-the same room. Mere inches from her, so close that they could use her own damn supplies, violating her space like that and getting away with it.

Message damn well received.

The fury at myself for allowing this to happen and the terror for her safety mixed together in a horrifying combination. I felt like I was losing my mind the longer I stared at the note.

I knew that was exactly what they wanted, too.

I snatched up my cell phone, already speed-dialing the person I wanted as I tried to remain calm and not burn everything within my sight.

"Yes, boss?" Gabriele answered punctually, as always. "I'm kinda busy-"

"They were at the school," I interrupted.

Gabriele fell silent on the other end, so quiet I almost thought he had hung up. But I heard the slight shift of his breath.

"What happened?" he demanded.

"Nobody's hurt, but they left a fucking note in Olivia's notebook. I need you to come get it and take it to our guys for fingerprints or linguistics, anything we can use to catch the bastard who did this," I said cold and straight to the point. The odds of replaceing prints were very low at this point, even with my attempt to save it in the plastic bag. With how many times it had changed hands, the original prints had to be all covered by now. But that didn't mean I wouldn't try everything I could think of.

"I'm on my way," Gabriele said shortly, then he hung up.

The call went silent and I dropped my phone onto the desk, not caring how rough I was being with it. I had to get a new one every couple of months anyway.

I rounded the desk, opening up the liquor cabinet as I grabbed one of the familiar glasses. It was cold against my palm, and I held it steady as I grabbed the nearest alcohol and poured it. I dropped two ice cubes into the glass, the sound of them hitting the glass louder than I expected.

I sighed, pushing my hair away from my face as I took my seat behind the desk. The bourbon was a welcome taste on my tongue, and I felt the cold liquid slide down my throat and hit the empty well that was my stomach. Drinking on an empty stomach was never a good idea, but at the moment, I couldn't care less.

I glanced at the notebook, using a tissue to flip through it, just in case it had a usable prints.

I found the page that had been ripped out. Thinking about it a little more, I realized that maybe they hadn't been as close as I'd thought.

The campus had security, and if they had noticed anything suspicious; they surely would've reported it. The guards I had tailing Dahlia and Olivia were both clueless as well, they didn't notice anyone slipping in or out of the classrooms, certainly not long enough to write the note and leave it for her to see.

I had made sure the men knew Dmitri's face in case they saw him, and it wouldn't make sense for him to do this himself. It would make him too exposed, too easy to track. After losing so many men during the warehouse fire weeks ago, it was unlikely one of his higher-ups snuck in either.

The only reasonable explanation was that they'd paid some random college student to do it. But if that was true, why didn't anybody see it?

I doubted Olivia would leave her belongings unattended for long, and she and Dahlia were stuck to the hip these days, not that they had all the same classes.

But if it was true that some random student had been pulled into this, then it was possible to track whoever paid him. The money had to come from somewhere, and even if it was paid in cash, there was always a trail.

We could always subpoena the surveillance cameras, but that would take too long. I made a mental note to get one of our best tech guys on it. I figured it shouldn't be too hard to snag the video from the campus security office.

I smirked to myself as I finished off my drink, setting it on a coaster as I got to my feet and walked over to the window. I moved the blinds open to see out. The pool and garden were easy to see from here.

The pool was still, the water unwavering even in the autumn weather. It looked odd without any of the fountains on, but the garden was still full of life. The shades of leaves varied from browns to ambers and bright reds.

They weren't quite falling yet, but it was clear that it wouldn't be long until the branches would be empty. Despite that, it was still a beautiful sight to see, a reminder that things never stayed the same. Time continued to give its blessing upon everything around us, and we had to follow it as well. Just a few months ago, I was standing here watching the new life grow in with the spring.

And I had to do everything I could to protect the life that was my beauty Olivia.

Speaking of, I could hear faint laughter underneath the window, and through the trees and garden beds, I spotted a familiar head of brown hair and tan legs on the swinging garden bench.

Olivia and Dahlia-their laughter was bright, and I was glad to hear it after all the tears she had shed earlier.

I smiled to myself, leaning on the windowsill as I watched them. They were playfully chatting, and I chuckled at the endless youth they displayed. I was envious, a bit, of how carefree they seemed now.

But I was always grateful.

When I had held Olivia in her arms, I had seen her fear, the doubt, and the wavering look in her eyes. There was an urge to run that she tried to hide from me, but I had made a career of seeing through people and her emotions were clear as day.

The thought that I would wake up one day and she would be gone, off on another continent where I couldn't see her bright smile or hear her laugh, where I couldn't trace her fingers that fit perfectly with mine.

If she vanished one day, running to a place where I couldn't reach her anymore....

It scared me more than anything Dmitri might do to me.

I knew how to rebuild the family, how to lead and swallow the losses that were too common for my liking. I was strong enough to keep the family afloat no matter what Dmitri threw at us. But if I lost Olivia, I didn't know if that was something I could recover from.

I loved her, sometimes so deeply that it ached in my chest. Even just standing apart from her felt like it was too far. I wanted to keep her safe, but I also wanted to keep her by my side.

I knew she would be safer in the States, where James and Becca could keep her safe and away from all this madness. But I also knew I couldn't breathe without her with me.

I couldn't let her go, no matter how selfish it might be.

The conflict was enough to drive me mad one day, and it scared me more than anything that I might lose her due to my selfishness.

I leaned my forehead against the cool glass as my thoughts waged back and forth. I had been down this road a dozen times before and had debated with myself on a hundred sleepless nights. But the answer would always remain the same.

The door opened in a hurry, and I sighed heavily, watching the glass fog up with the heat of my breath. I tore my eyes from Olivia with difficulty, turning around to face Gabriele.

There was a grim look on his face, anger tucked deep within his eyes. He would never admit it but he had grown fond of Olivia over these past few months. Despite how harsh he had been on her, he cared for her.

I rounded my desk, grabbed the note, and stuffed it on top of the notebook. Silently, I handed him the evidence, and he nodded, grabbing it with black gloves. He opened a larger plastic bag with red tape on it, stuffing the notebook and note inside before he sealed it.

"I doubt we'll get any fingerprints from it, but we can check if the handwriting matches any of the students or teachers on campus," Gabriele said determinedly. "They fucked up this time, Gio. They'll lead us right to them."

"That's the plan," I said, crossing my arms.

Gabriele wasted no more time, rushing out of the room with the evidence in hand. I knew he'd replace something, anything to lead us back to Dmitri.

The bastard's downfall was coming soon. For now, it was just a waiting game.

I left the office, shutting the door firmly behind me as I let my feet take me to the gardens where I knew Olivia was.

I needed to see her, to reassure myself that she was safe and here with me.