Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 562 -

*Tallon*

The text from Vinny directing me to a warehouse that we rarely used didn't sit right with me. It wasn't like him to be so vague, or to disclose potentially compromising information in writing. Maybe it was because I was exhausted, but I made the choice to go to the address he sent me.

I had a bad feeling about it, but I couldn't ignore it.

I had told Vinny to let me know the moment there was more information about this whole Russian mess, and it seemed like that's what he was doing. I couldn't ignore it. My instincts were screaming at me to turn back, climb into my warm bed, and pretend I hadn't seen the text.

It probably would have been a smart move, but sometimes in this line of work, I had to do stupid things. I hadn't gotten this far by being over-cautious.

Driving out to a warehouse in the dead of night was not the kind of thing I made a habit of. It looked suspicious, and there was no telling when I might be under surveillance for one reason or another. As far as I knew, the police had no reason to be tracking me closely right now.

It was probably fine.

I pulled up in front of the warehouse and parked my car. This was a warehouse that the family had owned for decades, but it wasn't currently in use. It had a security system installed and underwent an annual cleaning and inspection to make sure the building was in good condition and could be put into use at a moment's notice.

Why the hell Vinny wanted to meet here was beyond me.

There was no sign of Vinny's car nearby. In fact, there were no other vehicles anywhere near the building. If any of my men were trying to meet me here, there would be at least one car.

I cut the engine and stared at the building for several seconds, trying to decide what I should do. The uneasy feeling I had was becoming difficult to ignore. This just wasn't right. I couldn't put my finger on what exactly was making me suspicious, but I knew that this situation was off.

I pulled my phone out and I tried calling Vinny, but he didn't answer immediately, and that set me on edge far more than I liked to admit. He had texted me less than half an hour ago, so why wouldn't he answer his phone now? It didn't make

sense.

The voicemail instructed me to leave a message, then beeped.

"Vinny, where the hell are you?" I asked angrily. "I'm at the address you sent. If this is some kind of a joke, I'm missing the punchline."

I hung up and put my phone in my pocket. If I had any sense, I would have turned the car around and gone home. I didn't.

This had to be about the Russian killings. The idea that Natalia was in danger because of this situation wouldn't leave my mind, and I couldn't walk away from information that could help me protect her. If there was some new development, I needed to know about it. The security of the family was at risk.

I checked the message from Vinny again and triple checked it. It confirmed that this was the correct address. There was no doubt about it. I was in the right place.

I went to the door of the warehouse and punched in the security code, then let myself in.

The building was dark, and there was no indication that anyone was waiting for me inside. The moment that I opened the door I was met with an odd, chemical smell that I couldn't place.

It was clear that no one was inside. I was immediately angry that Vinny wasn't here to explain himself.

The lights buzzed to life with a flicker when I hit the switch, and all the anger I felt turned to ice in my veins.

There was a motionless body in the center of the room.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to calm the erratic beating of my heart. The form was facing away, and I didn't recognize who it was, at least not immediately. The thought that it was one of my men made it difficult for me to move for several long seconds.

This was a worst-case scenario for someone in my line of work. There was a body on my property, and I didn't know who it was or who put it there. This opened a whole Pandora's box of possibilities that could very quickly bring everything toppling down.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the leather gloves that I always kept in my jacket, just in case I needed to mitigate the chance of my fingerprints ending up somewhere problematic.

With the gloves on, I walked to the body and stepped around it until I could see the face.

I didn't know this man, which was a small relief. It also further complicated the situation.

He had shaggy dark hair and pale skin. His strong jawline was covered in thick stubble. It looked like he hadn't shaved in a few days.

He had a single gunshot wound to his chest, but there was no blood on the ground. He wasn't killed here. I knew that for sure. Someone had dumped his body in the middle of my warehouse without setting off the security alarm. Who could have pulled something like this off?

I carefully lifted the lapel of the man's jacket to reveal a distinctive tattoo that identified him as a Russian asset. He was another of the murdered Russians. Placing him here was obviously meant to antagonize the Russians and make it seem that we were involved in these murders.

Why would someone want to restart the war? What was there to gain?

I stepped back and frowned down at the body. My mind was racing as I tried to decide on a course of action. I had to get him out of here as soon as possible. What happened to him after that didn't matter to me. I just couldn't let the family get wrapped up in this mess.

It was late. If I acted fast, we could take advantage of the dark and get him relocated before dawn.

Something glinted in the light and drew my attention. Lying on the ground near the man's hand was a small, silver handgun. I didn't touch it, but I bent down to get a closer look at it.

I recognized the model. It was an easily obtained and reliable model that most of my men used. In fact, it was something of a calling card for my men. Whoever had put it there obviously meant to frame us. Anger flooded through me.

The ringing of my phone pulled my attention away from it. I answered on the first ring, and stared at the body as I spoke.

"Vinny, tell me why I'm staring at a dead man in the middle of my warehouse?"

"Shit," Vinny hissed. "Get out of there," he said urgently. "I just got your voicemail. I didn't send any message. You're being set up. Get out!" There was unadulterated panic in his voice, and it sent my heart rate skyrocketing. I hung up and put my phone in my pocket.

I walked as calmly as I could toward the door. I had to get out of there. I'd already been in the building for several minutes. If someone was watching the building, they knew I was here.

I didn't know how I was going to handle this mess, but at this moment, all I could do was leave.

I was a few feet from the door when it burst open.

Time seemed to slow as a large man rushed in with a gun aimed directly at my face. His light eyes were wide with the force of his focus as he came straight toward me.

Three more men followed behind him. Each of them was armed, and the guns locked onto me the moment they were in the door.

They were uniformed police officers.

The fact that they came in with guns drawn told me that they knew exactly what they were going to replace. If I made one wrong move, they would shoot me dead where I stood.

I held my hands up where they could see them and displayed my open palms. I stood still as they rushed at me, despite every instinct in me screaming to run. I had to remain calm.

There was shouting, but it seemed far away at this moment. The first man who had entered was speaking, but I could hardly understand what he was saying. The flood of adrenaline he was experiencing was causing his words to slur.

I didn't move as he reached me. I just stared straight forward. My arms were wrenched behind me forcefully. I didn't resist as I was handcuffed. There was no getting out of this arrest. I had to mitigate the damage as much as I could, and that meant keeping my mouth shut.

Once I was booked, I'd be able to call my lawyer and get this mess sorted out. Right now, I just had to make sure I didn't get shot.

This was a setup. Someone had put this body here, texted me from Vinny's number, and alerted the police once I arrived. They had told the police what they were going to replace, and likely, told them that I would be armed.

I wasn't. Thankfully, I had chosen not to grab my gun on the way out the door. One of the officers turned my pockets inside out and frisked me as the first officer held my hands behind my back. The other two holstered their weapons and walked over to the body.

"Who is this?" one of them demanded.

I didn't say a word.

This was a complicated scheme that relied on having access to me, my men, and my property.

There weren't a lot of people who could manage this. I couldn't stomach the thought that it was an inside job.

The word murder rang out as the police officer holding my arms shoved me unnecessarily. I was under arrest for murder. I listened numbly as they informed me of my rights.

As far as a worst-case scenario went, this was pretty much it. Vinny knew something was going on, so he would be able to put the family on alert. That was the only thing that I had going in my favor.

I stumbled as I was man-handled by the officers and attempted to walk toward the door. I glanced back at the body on the ground before I was dragged out of the building. I had no idea who that man was or how he'd ended up here, but his death could have cost me my life if this confrontation had gone wrong.

I allowed the officers to shove me into the back seat of their cruiser.

I looked out the window at the warehouse. Light was spilling out of the open door, and the other two officers were still inside, probably taking photos as they waited for backup and the crime scene techs.

There was one question that kept echoing in my mind.

What the hell was going on here?

*Natalia*

There was a sound cutting through the peaceful quiet and I wanted it to stop, but for an indeterminate amount of time, I couldn't do anything about it. It was an annoying, repetitive, and high-pitched sound. I was so warm and comfortable that the idea of moving my arms or opening my eyes felt absurd.

I'd had a lot of cocktails with Mia, and I was drunk. I was just the right amount of drunk to sleep soundly and not have any bad dreams. This sound was ruining it.

When I realized that the source of the noise was my phone, I reached across the bed to shake Tallon's arm. It was ungodly late, or early, depending on how you looked at it. No one would be calling me right now. Whoever was calling was probably trying to get a hold of Tallon. Sometimes if he fell asleep with his ringer off, and people called my phone looking for him.

My hand landed on a cold blanket, and that was strange enough for me to crack my eyes open. I stared at Tallon's side of the bed and frowned. I was alone in bed. I was immediately annoyed that he was no longer cuddling me. Sleeping in his arms was one of my favorite things.

I sat up with a grumble and grabbed my phone from the nightstand. The screen lit up and blinded me for a moment. The bedroom was pitch black, and the light stung my eyes as they adjusted to the sudden intrusion.

I looked down at the screen and all my complaints fell away when I saw that it was Vinny calling. There was only one reason that he would be calling me in the middle of the night. I looked at Tallon's empty pillow and braced myself for bad

news.

I accepted the call and held the phone to my ear.

"Hello?"

"Are you at home?" Vinny asked in a tense voice. The tone was enough to confirm my fear that something was terribly wrong.

"Yeah," I said. I could hear the fear in my own voice, but I didn't mind Vinny knowing that I was scared. "What's going on?"

He sighed in relief and there was a long pause before he answered my question. "Tallon's been arrested."

I inhaled sharply and held my breath. What the hell happened after I fell asleep? Tallon hadn't mentioned anything about going out later, and I couldn't think of a reason why he would have snuck off without saying anything to me.

It must have been something bad. I remembered the murders of Russian assets he had mentioned, and my stomach churned. Could he have gone out to deal with another death? What if he had run into the killer....

No, I couldn't let my imagination run wild. There was no reason to believe that Tallon was hurt.

I exhaled slowly and forced myself to stay calm. I had to hold it together, there would be time to get upset later. Right now, I need answers.

I braced myself for whatever bad news Vinny might have to tell me. "What happened?" I asked.

"I don't know, exactly," he said in frustration.

The admission shocked me. Vinny always knew what Tallon was getting up to. He was his right hand and his best friend. If Tallon did something dangerous enough to get him arrested, Vinny should know all about it. "What do you mean you don't know?" I asked in disbelief.

I heard shuffling on the other end and Vinny hissed at someone to shut up. After a moment, he came back onto the line. "He left me a weird voicemail, and the next thing I know he's booked for murder. All I know is that he was found with a body. I'm trying to figure out what exactly happened, but I haven't been able to talk to Tallon yet."

I felt like I was going to be sick. He was found with a body? How could that have happened? I wasn't sure if the alcohol in my system or the fact that I had just woken up was a factor, but I just couldn't wrap my head around this right now. "The lawyer is on his way, but it seems like this is going to be bad. He's not in for questioning. He's booked into custody."

There was another sound on the line, and I realized that Vinny must have been giving orders to his men and trying to contact Tallon's men while he was on the phone with me.

I was so grateful that he had taken the time to fill me in, considering all the chaos that was going on and how many things he must have been trying to coordinate right now. If I had just woken up alone in the morning, I would have had no idea that Tallon was in trouble.

"I don't think we'll be able to get him out right away. Bond hasn't been set yet," Vinny added. He sounded so frustrated.

"So, he has to spend the night in jail?" I asked in disappointment.

Tallon had to deal with the police from time to time, but it was usually a formality that annoyed him, but only cost him a few hours at a time. It was part of the cost of being the Don. There was another long pause before Vinny answered. "I think it's going to be more than a night," he said sympathetically. "I'll call you the second I know more," he promised.

"Thank you," I managed to say.

The line went dead, and I dropped my phone as the reality of the situation started to sink in.

Tallon was in jail, and I didn't know when he was going to get out. It felt like the world had just dropped out from beneath me. I could feel tears streaming down my face, but I felt like I couldn't move. I was frozen. Tallon was in trouble and there was nothing I could do.

For the police to hold him, they must have something damning against him. They were too smart to arrest a man like Tallon without strong evidence against him. No one was stupid enough to pick a fight with the family unless they were confident that they could win.

How could this have happened?

I stared down at my dark phone screen and tried to keep my crying from turning into sobbing.

I felt ridiculous. My crying in the dark wasn't going to help anything. Vinny was hard at work trying to help Tallon, but all I could do was sit here and be sad. It made me feel so powerless.

On the other hand, I knew that Tallon wouldn't want me to get involved in this at all if I could avoid it. He would be so worried about me being implicated in some way. If I inserted myself into the issue, the police might bring me in for questioning, and that would send him through the roof. I didn't want to make things worse.

Staying out of it was the best thing I could do, but I wanted to help. I wanted Tallon to come home. It made me sick to think of him being locked up for an extended period of time.

I managed to force myself to move long enough to put my phone on the side table and lay down. I pulled Tallon's pillow tight to my chest and stared at the ceiling.

Murder?

What was he thinking? That couldn't be right. Tallon wasn't new to this, and he was too clever and too careful to get caught in the act. Even if he decided that someone needed to be killed, why would he go out in the middle of the night to do it with his own hands? It was so unnecessarily risky.

I would know if he was doing something so risky, wouldn't I?

I didn't believe that Tallon would do something like this without giving me some kind of warning. This couldn't be right.

I tightened my grip on his pillow as a new wave of emotion overpowered me.

I let myself sob this time. I hadn't been this scared in a long time. My chest heaved as I sobbed openly. There was no one to hear me, so why shouldn't I let it out? I knew that trying to hold this in would be too much.

We had to replace who was really responsible for this. I knew that it wasn't Tallon, so there had to be some evidence that would exonerate him.

No matter how thoroughly someone tried to frame him, there would be some proof that he didn't do it. We had to replace that proof. We had to replace who was really behind this and force them to take responsibility. If we didn't, then there was no telling what could happen to Tallon.

His lawyers were the best, but that might not be enough to protect Tallon from the police. It was not an exaggeration to say that the police and the local prosecutors hated the family. If they could take out the Don, then they would do it in a second. We couldn't give them the chance.

That was ignoring the possibility that Tallon had in fact killed someone.

If he had done it, I didn't believe for a second that it was planned. It must have been a self-defense situation. But who would believe that about him? Who would take his word that he was innocent?

I pressed my face into his pillow to stifle the sound of my own sobs. I just couldn't get a hold of myself.

This could drag out for years, I thought. The courts weren't exactly known for being swift and well-organized. I could see a world where a prosecutor would choose to delay as much as possible, just to make sure that Tallon stayed in custody and weaken the family.

I could end up having a prison wedding.

It was a selfish thought, but it flashed through my mind without warning. I forced it away and embraced the guilt I felt for my moment of selfishness.

Tallon was in trouble and I was thinking about how it inconvenienced me. I felt so stupid. I rolled onto my side and clutched his pillow as my breathing finally started to slow.

My exhaustion returned in full force, and I closed my eyes. I doubted that I would be able to sleep any time soon, but if I did manage to fall asleep it would be a welcomed reprieve from this waking nightmare.

If this was a setup of some kind, then Tallon could be in real trouble. I didn't want to think about what would happen if he was found guilty of murder, but I couldn't stop myself. If he was convicted, the courts would want to make an example of him. He could go away for life.

I could lose him forever.