Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 569 -

*Natalia*

A full week had passed since Tallon's arrest, and I didn't know much more now than I had on that awful night. We hadn't been able to turn up any evidence or even any solid suspects. Vinny and Alessandro had been working tirelessly, and I felt terrible that the pressure had fallen upon them.

I didn't have the background knowledge or the access to do it myself, or I would have done that. I wanted answers as soon as possible, and not being able to replace them was impacting every part of my life.

It was getting more and more difficult to take care of myself in any way. I wanted to stay sharp so that I could make the right calls, and that meant that I needed to eat and sleep. Those seemed like impossible tasks for me right now. The cook was doing a great job of tracking me down and guilting me into taking at least a few bites at each meal, but I certainly wasn't eating enough.

I couldn't sleep at night, and nothing seemed to help with that. Every time I started to drift off, I was reminded that Tallon wasn't beside me, and I found it impossible to relax.

I was crying far more than I wanted to admit, too.

I felt pathetic for how helpless I was without Tallon, but I was doing a pretty good job of hiding it. At least, I was hiding it from most people. Alessandro wasn't fooled for a second. In typical big brother fashion, he kept checking in on me. I managed to hold myself together whenever anyone else was around. The longer I went without him by my side, the harder it became to keep my composure. If he wasn't home soon, I was going to fall apart, I just knew it.

If it wasn't for Tallon's daily phone calls, I wasn't sure that I would even be functioning. I treasured every second we were able to speak on the phone, even though we couldn't speak freely.

Tallon had managed to arrange another in-person visit for tomorrow, and I was desperate for it to come. Walking away from him at the end of our short time together was like torture, but it was worth it to see his face and touch him. I hoped that the few moments we were able to steal together helped Tallon to get through his ordeal, too. I had no idea what he was going through, and Tallon kept telling me that he was okay. I didn't believe him.

Italian prisons were probably very different from Russian prisons, but I couldn't believe that he was actually fine. He was trying to be strong for my sake. I appreciated that he wanted to protect me from the harsh reality of the situation. It didn't help, though.

I had no idea what I was going to say to him when I saw him, since I had so little to report. I promised him that I would bring him home, and I felt like I was failing. I couldn't stand the idea of seeing disappointment in Tallon's eyes. I didn't want to let him down.

I was sitting in bed waiting for his call, and as I thought about my shortcomings my eyes welled up with tears. I tried to choke them back. I didn't want him to hear me crying the second I answered the phone. Tallon had enough to deal with without worrying about my emotional state.

Just as I was reigning in my emotions, the phone started to ring. I answered it immediately and listened impatiently as the prerecorded message played. At this point, I was used to hearing the automated voice declaring that an inmate was calling me. It made me angry every single time I heard it.

I accepted the call as quickly as the system would allow.

"Hello, Natalia," Tallon said. He sounded tired. "How are you, darling?"

I took a shaky breath and started to answer, but a sob broke free before I could get the words out. I covered my mouth and attempted to hide the sound of my crying, but I knew that he had already heard it. "I'm sorry," I said softly.

"Don't apologize," he said gently.

I could hear the heartbreak in his voice as he listened to be sob softly. I cursed myself internally. I was supposed to be cheering him up and assuring him that this would all be over soon. Instead, I was crying like a baby, and he was comforting

me.

"I'm glad that we can talk," I said.

I felt like I needed to explain why I was crying. I didn't want him to think that anything terrible had happened or that these phone calls were too difficult for me to handle. "I just feel so bad that you're still in there."

"It's only been a week," he said with amusement. He said it like it was nothing at all. "I know that you're doing everything in your power to help."

"It isn't enough," I cried. "I want you home, I need you home."

The frustration in my voice was obvious. I didn't want to take it out on Tallon, but the pressure within me had reached a boiling point and I needed to vent a little bit. "I will be home," he promised. "It's just going to take time."

I wiped my eyes and took a deep breath to calm myself. "It's taking too much time," I said angrily. "You're innocent. You never should have been there in the first place." "Your confidence does more than you know," he said fondly. "I have no doubt that you'll get me home soon."

He did sound like he really believed what he was saying, and that face renewed my determination to get him out. I wouldn't lose hope. Tallon needed me to stay strong.

"We are going to replace the person that really did this. I promise you that. We're running down every possible lead," I said, "even those we really hope don't pan out."

I had to be careful about how I said things. Tallon's phone calls from jail were all recorded, and the detectives could listen to them and hear every word we said. I couldn't directly tell him anything.

It was extremely upsetting for me. I wanted to tell him about the three possibilities that we were pursuing. I wanted to tell him about the information that Alessandro and Vinny had shared with me a few days ago. I couldn't tell him any of the details.

He made a thoughtful sound that told me he understood. "It's unfortunate that someone would do this," he said. "Whoever that man was, I'm sure he didn't deserve to die like that."

"It's awful," I agreed. "But whoever did it is going to end up where they belong."

Whether that was a prison cell or a hole somewhere, I knew I would be satisfied with either. I just wanted them to pay for what they put Tallon through.

"I have full faith that they will," Tallon agreed. "Alessandro tells me you're doing well keeping the business running in my absence," he added smugly. "I'm not surprised. I know how capable you are when you're motivated." "I'm trying my best," I replied with a smile.

It was just like Tallon to slip a compliment into the conversation.

"It's not easy."

"No," he said in amusement. "It isn't. Listen darling, I have to go. I need to call my lawyer. I just wanted to see how you are and tell you that I love you."

"I love you, too," I said. "And I will see you soon."

"I hope so," he said. "Stay safe."

I sighed when the line went dead, and I dropped my phone onto the bed.

Tallon may have accepted that he was going to be locked up for a long time, but I hadn't. I was determined to get him home as soon as possible.

It was driving me crazy that there was so little I could do. Sitting around and waiting for the phone to ring with news made me feel so completely powerless. I hated it.

I wished more than anything that I could just go out and hunt this bastard down myself, but that just wasn't an option.

My thoughts were cut short by my phone ringing. I looked at it in confusion and when I saw that it was Vinny calling, and hope and anxiety swelled up within me. I answered the call immediately.

"Vinny?"

"I'm on my way to pick you up," he informed me. "Be ready."

I jumped out of bed and scrambled to the dresser to throw some clothes on. I put the call on the speaker and sat the phone on top of the dresser as I dressed quickly.

"What happened?" I asked.

"We think we've found something," he said.

There was a tension in his voice that was making my heart beat erratically. It gave me the impression that he was more than just suspicious that they had found some answers. He sounded confident. "I'll be out front when you get here," I said.

"Alright," he said.

He hung up, and I finished dressing then ran downstairs. I grabbed my bag and shoved my feet into my shoes, then ran out to the driveway.

My heart was hammering against my ribs, and I paced up and down the driveway, unable to stand still.

This had to be it. We had to have answers. I couldn't stand going through another day without some hope that this hellish ordeal was coming to an end. I wanted Tallon home so, so badly. The few minutes that I was waiting outside felt like an eternity.

Vinny had barely stopped when I was climbing into the car and slamming the door behind me. He took off again before I had my seatbelt on.

It confirmed that this was more than a maybe.

"Tell me everything," I commanded.

"You remember that we told you the Russians that had been killed were all involved in Valentino killings?" he said.

"How could I forget?" I asked.

The revelation had been difficult for me to process. It was the thing that had made me suspicious that we may have a rogue in our midst, as much as I wished that it wasn't the case. "Well, it turns out all of those Valentino men were part of one group, and their leader is still alive."

I stared straight ahead at the road as his words sank in. Each of those men whose deaths had been avenged were part of one unit, and that unit's leader was still alive. There was no way that was a coincidence. It felt like my heart had stopped beating as the reality of what he was saying dawned on me. I didn't want to believe it.

"His name is Antonio," Vinny said.

I now knew the name of the man who had betrayed the family and framed Tallon, and regardless of his motivations, I was going to make sure he didn't get away with it.