Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 370 -

*Giovani*

Again.

They'd struck again.

"Bastards," I growled under my breath, barely two seconds from launching my fists through the fucking wall.

It took a great deal of self-restraint to make it here without snapping at everyone around me, especially Olivia. Her disappointment of heading back was suffocating, probably dripping off her in waves, but there was nothing I could do. They'd fucking done it again.

I would have preferred to remain in Paris, too, but I had responsibilities and a duty to the family, something Olivia still didn't understand.

I took a deep breath, correcting myself. My own guilt of rushing her back was intertwined with my anger, both creating a bomb ready to explode at any minute. It wasn't fair of me to lecture Olivia. She would've left me long ago if she wasn't the patient and kind soul she was.

Arriving home and entering the house, I spotted Dahlia and Tallon from the corner of my eye, and I knew they would take care of her, as well as fill her in on all the details I didn't quite have yet. All I knew was there was another attack-this time with casualties on both sides.

I stormed up to my study, breathing slowly through my nose as I tried to keep a cool head. I grasped the doorknob and pulled the door open, not surprised in the slightest to see Gabriele standing in front of my desk.

I was surprised to see Alessandro, however, sitting in one of the chairs. His head was in his hands, his whole body folded over and for a moment, I thought maybe he was crying-until he lifted his head, and I saw the anger hidden deep within. He wasn't crying. He was furious.

"What the fuck happened?" I asked him as I rounded the desk. I pushed my chair away with my foot, not even bothering with it as I grabbed the first folder on my desk and flipped it open.

My eyes searched through the words, skimming until I found what I needed-a report on the incident at a nearby restaurant. Photos of the shooting took precedence-booths with bullet holes, blood splattered across tables, broken glass, and guns dropped to the floor.

It was a mess.

I flipped the page-several pages, actually-detailing coroner's reports of the bodies recovered. A few of the men were so fucked up, I couldn't tell if they were ours or theirs.

I pinned my glare on Gabriele and then Alessandro, waiting for an explanation to come pouring out of their mouths. The two exchanged heavy looks, and then Alessandro sighed, straightening in his seat as he stared me down.

"I was having a private dinner with my team. It was a celebration since our last raid had been so successful," Alessandro started, a cold look on his face as he crossed his arms. "I thought the men deserved it after what we'd been through."

Fair enough.

I remembered that raid. Alessandro's team had successfully tracked down one of the suppliers of Dmitri's men. They raided the warehouse, and all those goods and money got redirected to us. He'd practically stolen straight out of their pockets.

No wonder they'd targeted him when I was away.

"Everything was fine at first." Alessandro sighed, brushing a hand through his hair. "We ordered drinks and food; nothing was suspicious. In fact, it was normal. But when we were about to pay, the fucking waiter, some kid not even out of school yet, pulled out a fucking gun and shot Emile, right through the fucking chest!"

I breathed out as Alessandro took a shaky breath. He clutched the handles of the chair, gritting his teeth so hard I was afraid they might crack under the pressure.

It was no wonder he was so fucked up right now.

Just like Vincent for me, Emile had been one of Alessandro's best guys, his right hand in everything they did together. They were inseparable.

Fucking hell.

"And he was just choking on his damn blood, and I couldn't do a fucking thing to help him-" Alessandro growled, trembling in his chair. "Then chaos unfolded. People started shooting left and right. I couldn't even tell who was who. Bystanders got caught in the crossfire, and everyone was screaming. I tried to get everyone out, to stop the chaos, but I just... I couldn't-"

"Stop," I raised my hand grimly. I knew what he was trying to say. I'd been through it more than once.

"Fuck," Alessandro muttered, slamming his hands over his head as he shook his head. "There was so much fucking blood. I just... what was I supposed to do? And he was a fucking kid, but Emile-"

He cut himself off, choking with emotion as he took a straggling breath. I knew the feeling. He was one inch from collapsing. I was much the same at the moment.

Vincent had been a hard loss to swallow, and this was even more so.

"How many did we lose?" I frowned, glancing at the report that gave me barely more than nothing.

"Seven of the Russians and five of our men were lost, and another three civilians," Gabriele reported cooly. "Of the attackers, however, three were just kids."

"What the fuck is he doing hiring teenagers to be assassins?" I seethed, unable to believe my ears. We had done some fucked up things as part of our jobs, but literal child soldiers....

They reserved a special place in hell for those who hurt children, much less forced them into becoming murderers themselves.

"We believe he recruited them in a hurry after all of his members we decimated during the fire," Gabriele said, a look of disgust in his eyes as he gestured to one of the folders. "Youngest was fifteen, and the eldest was seventeen."

I opened up the folder, reading quickly through the printed lines, and my lip curled up in revulsion. He'd practically picked them off the streets, brainwashed them, and forced them to do his bidding.

He made them promises he couldn't deliver, the same thing anyone else wanted-money, freedom, safety, food.

For a couple of runaways who felt abandoned by the world, that was sometimes all the push they needed to commit murder.

"We need to hit them back," Alessandro declared loudly, his eyes gleaming with anger as he got to his feet. "Fast and hard."

"For once I agree," Gabriele said darkly. "They've taken too much from us already. Cutting off their escape routes and resources isn't going to work. We need to destroy them as soon as possible, before more people get hurt."

I sighed, rubbing my temples. Like always, the decision ultimately came down to me. There was no good answer to this problem. We still had no idea where Dmitri was hiding, and every time we found a lead, he would slip away once more. Cutting off his resources, his money, and hiding places wasn't working either, because he somehow always found someone to hide behind. The fucking bastard was harder to replace than an ancient city in a jungle.

But even a rat could be found hiding in a hole.

I shut the folders filled with pictures of the dead and the devastation of a family restaurant. None of them would be forgotten, including the civilians who had only been caught in the crossfire. "I understand," I said gravely. "We'll make this right, Alessandro, even if it needs to be by my own hand."

He stared at me for a few minutes, judging whether my words were true or not, but I only stared back, honest and open. He wanted to be a part of this family, and he was getting his chance now. "Don't do anything rash for the time being. We'll draw him out and destroy the remainder of his syndicate," I said, cold and detached. This was just another target that needed to be dealt with. He'd taken enough from us.

It was time to hit back..

After a few seconds, Alessandro's tense shoulders relaxed, and he nodded. He turned on his heel to leave, but I wasn't quite done yet.

"And Alessandro-" I called out to the younger man.

He paused, his hand on the doorway as he glanced over his shoulder at me. There were bags under his eyes, and deep lines etched across his face that made him look older than he actually was. The burden he carried was not light, and it was taking its toll already.

But despite that, there was still a fire left in his eyes, a fighting spirit that never seemed to die. I'd seen the exact one in James.

No matter what he thought, it was a blessing he had not become the Don of the family.

It would've crushed that spirit of his, just like it nearly did to James.

This wouldn't break him; I knew that. But I still cared enough for him that I couldn't just let him leave without saying anything. He would carry this loss in his heart for the rest of his life.

I would know.

I'd lost too many friends and family to count, and each one had left their fingerprints on that stupid beating organ in my chest. No matter how cold he may be acting now, no man was strong enough not to crumble under such devastating grief.

"I'm sorry about Emile," I told him sincerely. "He was a great man, and he will be honored. I will make sure he is buried in Eterna, next to his father."

His grip tightened on the cold metal doorknob, and I could see veins pulsing out of his neck, but he said nothing.

"I know what you're going through," I sighed. "And I can-"

He whirled around on me, a look of pure unadulterated rage on his face. But I knew behind it was a hurricane of hurt lurking just out of reach.

"I don't want your sympathies," he spat coldly. "Just kill the fuckers who did this to him, or I'll do it myself."

And with that threat, he was gone. The door slammed behind him, the sound still ringing in my ears as Gabriele turned to me expectantly.

"Find him," I said sharply. "Use every method we have available. If you even suspect they're involved with Dmitri at all, make sure to bring one here for questioning."

"And if there's more than one?"

I said nothing, just glared at him and he nodded in understanding.

"It will be done." He followed Alessandro's path, shutting the door quietly behind him and leaving me alone with the pile of reports to go over-burials to plan, families to contact, a whole mess to hide under the nose of the police. If Olivia knew what I had just ordered, she'd surely tell me I was being cruel.

Yet, whether it was cruel or not, I was going to keep my people safe, no matter the cost.

Dmitri had started this war. I was going to end it once and for all.