Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 471 -

*Giovani*

Tino alerted me as soon as Olivia had taken off. I decided it was time to step back a little. So long as she had Dom and Tino by her side, she wouldn't be in danger, at least for now.

I relieved Dahlia of babysitting duties, heading to the living room to wait for my wife. Elio was more than happy to spend time with me as we waited.

I felt terrible for missing Elios' first step and for making Olivia miss it too. Luckily though, now that Elio had gained his balance, he wanted to walk all the time. I hovered just behind him as he toddled around, often falling, but he never cried and only picked himself up like we had taught him to do.

Eventually, he got too sleepy to stay awake and I laid him down for a nap in his crib, turning on the baby monitor once he was asleep and heading back to the living room to clean up the mess.

I started flipping through the channels on the TV, just waiting quietly. Soon enough, I heard the rumble of a car heading up the driveway and I flipped off the soccer game I was watching, getting to my feet.

I stuffed my hands in my pockets, rounding the corner into the foyer just as the lock turned and the door opened.

My wife walked in, looking ragged and run down. She didn't even see me at first, her eyes focused on her feet. I cleared my throat to catch her attention and she looked up at me, startled.

She breathed a heavy sigh, kicking off her shoes.

"Carina," I started cautiously, unsure of her mental headspace right then.

She didn't answer, simply tossed her purse onto one of the hooks in the wall and walked straight past me into the kitchen.

"Olivia," I called again, following her. She scoffed, an irritated sound that let me know she heard me, but she didn't really give a rat's ass right then. She opened up the fridge, grabbed a soda can, and opened it with a snap.

I crossed my arms, watching as she downed the whole can in less than a minute. "Did something happen with Sal?"

She paused, glancing over at me with a hopeless half-smile. She turned to me, her eyes hard and her body tensed for a fight. I stood my ground as she crunched the can in her hand, throwing it onto the counter as she bit back, "Did Tino tell you that?"

"Does it matter?"

"I suppose not." She shrugged, brushing past me like she didn't have a care in the world. "Only I care about the surveillance you've put on me, right? It's not like it really matters."

"Olivia," I called sharply, giving her a firm look. "What is going on with you?"

She paused at the doorway, her hands clenched at her sides, and I saw the faint hint of a tremble on her shoulders. She refused to look at me and I sighed, running a hand through my hair as I took a step forward.

"Talk to me, Carina," I called out to her softly, begging. I didn't want another fight over this, another rift between us. There had been too many already.

She sighed, her shoulders slumping under a sudden wave of exhaustion, and she turned around to look at me, her eyes glittering with unshed tears.

"Not now, please," she pleaded quietly. "I need to be alone right now. I need some time to think. If we talk now, I'll only lash out at you, and I don't want I can't...."

Her voice broke, but she held strong. Not a single tear fell from her eyes, no matter how much she looked like she would fall to pieces right in front of me.

"Okay, okay," I placated her, stepping forward to pull her into my arms. The relief of having her close, safe, and unharmed despite her fragile state was more than enough to satisfy me for now. "Just tell me what you found out about Sal so we're on the same page, and I'll run you a bath. I'll get you some champagne, maybe give you a massage if you're up for it later, okay?"

She took a deep shuddering breath, nodding as she relented. "Okay."

She pulled back from me, her eyes on the kitchen tiles below as she ran through everything Salvatore had told her-of the Costas he ended up getting involved in back in New York, the way he practically stumbled into overhearing a hit on the Don and spilling what he heard.

I knew the moment she mentioned the special commendation what had happened next. A low-level member like him getting a commendation from the Don, right before a scheduled hit? Anyone would be a fool not to put the pieces together. Giancarlo had practically signed his death warrant. No wonder he took off before they could catch him. Any man with half a brain would do the same.

If they didn't have a family waiting for them, that was.

I clenched my jaw, still not agreeing with his choice no matter what I heard but listening quietly as she told me about his deal with the Russians, about being a dealer. He wasn't wrong about it being the lowest man, but only having contact with his supplier-that was suspicious.

I filed the name Alexei away for later, kissing the top of Olivia's head and thanking her for telling me.

"Do you believe him?" I asked softly, making sure no hint of my own thoughts or feelings sunk through. I needed to know her own stance on this.

She shrugged with a non-committal hum. "I think I'll take that bath now."

I chuckled, nodding in agreement. I walked her back to our room, making sure she didn't take the baby monitor with her to the bathroom but holding onto it myself. It Elio woke up, I didn't want her to worry about it. She needed a little time to relax, and I would give it to her. I headed to my office, lost in my thoughts as I digested everything Olivia had told me about Salvatore. I poured a small glass of bourbon, settling into my chair. Did I believe he was telling the truth?

Somewhat.

Every good lie had kernels of truth sprinkled within, and I was sure at least part of what he said was truthful. But there were a few suspicious points, just like I thought there would be. To know for sure, we had to verify his story. And there was only one man I trusted enough to do so.

"What now?" Gabriele's gruff voice rang through the phone. He wasn't happy and I was about to make him even unhappier.

"I need you to run a few leads," I said casually. "The Costas in New York City-replace out what happened to the Don, Giancarlo Costa, and the uprising by Vincente Costa."

"Costa?" Gabriele shot back, disbelief in his tone. "You've got to be kidding me. They went down like two decades ago!"

"And?"

"Do you know how hard it is to replace information about a dead mafia that perished twenty years ago, especially an American one? It'd be like replaceing a needle in a haystack. Why the fuck would you even need this information? The Costas have been gone for-" He paused, and I smirked as his brain finally kicked in. No doubt he was adding up the years silently.

"Oh," was all he said.

"Yeah," I scoffed. "Apparently, my father-in-law is claiming to have overheard Vincente's assassination, but leaked it to Giancarlo. He told Olivia that's why he ran after Vincente took over."

"As far as good reasons go, that's pretty convincing," Gabriele sighed. "The Costas were known to be vicious, especially after Vincente took over. It was part of why they went downhill so fast. But still... replaceing out that information is going to a while, if I can dig up anything at all. It was so long ago and most of the men are dead after the fall."

"Until I can come up with any proof, this is all we have to go on," I said, annoyed. "Will you do it or not?"

"Fine, fine," Gabriele agreed, a lazy tone to his voice. "I've got a few contacts in the States I can ask. But you owe me for this."

"Duly noted." I chuckled, hanging up before he can wrangle another raise out of me. I swear he got paid more than I did at this point, though seeing as he was like a brother to me, I didn't mind one bit.

No one was as trustworthy or capable as Gabriele, especially since he still hadn't taken that damn vacation he kept griping about.

I finished off my drink just in time to hear a soft cooing from the monitor. I rose to my feet, trudging my way over to the suite. We had kept the outside of his door a solid monotone color, just to keep with the rest of the suite's theme, but once you opened the door, it was like stepping inside of a starlit jungle.

I turned on the light, grinning as I spotted Elio standing up in his crib. He smiled widely at me, showcasing his bottom teeth and the new ones still coming in.

He reached his hands out for me, doing that excited dance he did whenever he first got up after a nap.

"Dada!" he cried and I easily picked him up, slinging onto my side. He weighed practically nothing still, but I felt better picking him up now that he was much bigger and sturdier than when he was so soft as a newborn.

I was terrified he was going to break under my strength when he had just been born, he had been so small and fragile, but he grew up quickly.

"Want to take a walk in the garden?" I asked him, grinning as he giggled. He still only understood about five percent of our words and only a handful of sentences, but he was getting there. He'd be a genius just like his mom and dad. I knew it. I was a master at getting him ready now, changing his clothes into suitable ones and strapping on his new light-up baby sneakers. He adored the things, often stomping around just to see them glow. The laser sounds were fun too.

The moment we stepped outside and into the fresh air, Elio was squirming in my arms, struggling to break free. I laughed, letting him down gently and grabbing his hand to steady him. He walked forward, his shoes like little disco balls as he pouted, concentrating very hard on his task.

We made it all ten paces from the door before Elio got tired and fell on his butt. He looked up at me with wide, sad eyes, and there was no way I could say no, not when he looked so much like Olivia at that moment.

I grabbed by the armpits, folding one hand on his tummy and the other on his back as I took off, pretending he was flying. He squealed with laughter, wiggling his arms and legs like he was a superhero in one of his cartoons.

I knew at that moment, holding my son in my arms, that father-in-law or not, I would never let him hurt us. I hoped Sal was telling the truth, but I couldn't get rid of the feeling that there was more to the story than what he said. And as soon as I found out what it was, Salvatore would never get near my wife or my son again.