Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 537 -

*Tallon*

Vinny and Alessandro sat silently beside me, but their frustration was obvious. Ivan laughed across from me, then snapped his fingers at one of his cronies, who quickly sprang into action. Everyone there seemed to have known exactly what I was going to say, and just like before, their movements were obviously carefully orchestrated by Ivan.

"When do you want to do this?" I asked Ivan, allowing him to think that I was willing to be a pawn in his little plan.

"Tomorrow, before sunrise. Natalia's apartment complex. This will probably come as little surprise to you, but most of my men have already been living there, so don't bother trying anything. We will know." He stood up, clearly signaling that this meeting was over. "And Tallon? Just in case you need a further reason not to try anything, know that I will not hesitate to kill her if I even begin to get the slightest hint that you aren't playing fair."

I scowled at him but stayed silent. He had the upper hand right now; he had Natalia locked away somewhere, and I had no way of getting to her. At least not until our exchange.

"Now get the fuck out of my face," Ivan snarled as his men flanked us on either side and roughly escorted us out of the facade of a restaurant.

We all remained silent as we walked, but I knew that as soon as we were back in the privacy of our car, Vinny and Alessandro would jump on me. They respected me as their leader enough to keep their mouths shut in front of our enemies, but in private, they would have no problems with chewing my ass for being so reckless.

I couldn't make myself care. All I cared about was getting Natalia to safety. Hearing her beg me for help... it had broken something deep inside me. She needed me, and I would be damned if I was going to let her down. I felt like a complete piece of shit for ever allowing her to be in this situation in the first place. If I had just kept a few of my men watching her apartment, I could have prevented all of this. Instead, I'd let my stupid pride take control of my decisions. Back in the car, Alessandro immediately turned on me.

"What the actual fuck, Tallon? This has got to be the stupidest fucking thing you have done in your entire time as Don."

"I knew you wouldn't understand. That's why I didn't ask your permission," I said dismissively. It was a low blow, but I had no interest in arguing this with him.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" he growled, his jaw tensing.

"It means that you don't understand what it's like to be in love with someone. I'm sorry, but it's true. You don't get it, and that's why I'm not going to discuss this with you."

He gaped at me, mouth open. I had never been so directly unkind to him before, and I hated the hurt that I could see in his eyes.

Vinny spoke up. "But she's a traitor, Tallon. How do you know this isn't all a trick? She could've been sitting safe and sound in her apartment, playing a role for Ivan. What happens if we trade you for her and she's still working with her family?" I shook my head. I understood where he was coming from, but there was no way she had been acting on the phone. I had heard the sheer terror in her voice. And I had seen her face when I'd dismissed her the last time we spoke. She had been devastated that Alessandro had told me who she was before she had the chance to tell me herself. She'd been ready to turn her back on her family for me, but I'd been too stupid to see it.

"It's not a trick. The woman I love is in danger, and I'm going to save her. I know you two don't support it, I get that. But I don't care. Look, Natalia has made mistakes, I'm not going to say she hasn't. But she also tried to change her loyalty, and look where it got her. I won't leave her to be murdered by her own family, especially not when I'm the reason that she's in this mess. I couldn't live with myself."

They saw the truth in my words and finally stopped trying to talk me out of my decision. We sat for the rest of the ride in tense silence, my second in command and my older brother wondering if these were the last few moments that we would be together.

When we arrived at the house, it was already late and we would only have a few hours to get everything into place. I called an emergency meeting in the safe room, knowing that in order to pull this off, I would need every single one of my

men.

Within an hour, they were all crowded into the safe room, listening intently as I outlined our plan. I could see the disgust on some of their faces as they realized that we were going to be rescuing Natalia, but they were all wise enough to keep their thoughts to themselves.

Vinny and Alessandro were allowed to tell me their true thoughts, but anyone beneath them was required to follow my orders without argument. To go against what I said was completely forbidden. It was the only way that we could maintain order and control.

"Alright, obviously our real plan does not involve Ivan and his men actually taking me, but they can't know that. As far as they're concerned, right now I am making a contingency plan for who will be taking over after I sacrifice myself. Ivan has told us that he has that apartment building crawling with his men, which is what I had assumed the second I found out who Natalia was. Luckily for us, they have no clue what the majority of us look like. I need everyone to suddenly replace a reason to be around that building at four AM. Some of you will be jogging, some walking, some sitting in cars, you get what I'm saying. Vinny will head that up and make sure we don't have too many people in one place, but also that we have eyes everywhere. Discretion is key, so make sure you don't stand out. Obviously, everyone should be armed, but chest holsters only, nothing on your back or hips. That shit's too easy to spot."

I glanced around the room, feeling the tension rolling off of my men as they all considered what I had said. This was the most delicate mission we'd run in a long time, and I hoped they were all ready for it. It would require everyone to do their part perfectly.

"Now, I do not want a single fucking trigger to be pulled until after we have Natalia safe with us. That is a hard-line order. I do not care if someone has a gun on me. I do not care if someone shoots me. You do nothing until Natalia is in the car and being driven away. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir," they said in unison. I nodded, pleased at their discipline. We had spent years training for moments like these, and I had faith that they could do it. I just had to ensure to play my part as well. "Alright, men, you're dismissed. Rest up and prepare."

They all headed out of the room, but I stopped Alessandro before he could follow them. Vinny turned back and shot me a questioning look. I motioned at him to go on ahead. There was a discussion that Alessandro and I needed to have in private.

"You know you'll always be my brother," I said, looking Alessandro in the eyes so he could see my sincerity. I saw the surprise on his face at my words; we weren't exactly the tender type, but I had learned from my heated exchange with Natalia that it was better not to let things end on a sour note, and I was feeling guilty about what I had said to him in the car. If that was our last conversation... I wouldn't be able to forgive myself.

"I know," Alessandro finally responded, once his surprise wore off. "And even though it might not seem like it, I have always looked out for you and for this family. That's all I've ever cared about, is making sure our family is safe."

I nodded. I did know that. Ivan might have been stupid enough to think Alessandro would betray me and work with him, but I wasn't. I knew that he would never turn his back on me. "I need you to know that I have always looked up to you. I know I'm the Don, but I couldn't have ever done any of this without the guidance you gave me growing up. I couldn't ask for a better brother, and I'm always trying to follow your footsteps."

For the first time in his life, Alessandro looked truly speechless. He reached out and pulled me roughly to him for a tight hug. I hugged him back just as tightly, memories of growing up filling my head as I thought back to what it had been like to have him as a big brother. I realized that I was extremely lucky, especially considering how horrible Natalia's family was. Alessandro could have been a resentful prick, but instead, he had always looked out for me. Alessandro pulled away first, then looked me in the eye. "Today is not the day that the Russians take you, little brother."

I nodded solemnly. "I agree. We can do this."

We parted ways so that we could finish preparing for the trade. I went to my room and took a minute to look around, centering myself and getting into the headspace that was necessary before going into battle. It was difficult to be the leader in times like this. I had to force all emotions to leave my body, and instead work off of cold, hard logic. The only thing that mattered was that the Russians didn't gain the upper hand.

I changed from the rumpled suit I had been wearing into one that had been freshly pressed. I wanted Ivan to be scared when he saw me, to wonder why I looked unshaken even though I was handing myself over to him and his men. And if I was being honest with myself, I wanted Natalia to see me and know that I was going to rescue her and keep her safe for the rest of our lives.

I looked in the mirror to tie my tie and took a deep breath. No matter what, whether I lived or died, this time, I was going to tell Natalia I loved her... if it was the last thing I ever said.