Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 573 -

*Tallon*

"I hate this," the detective said under his breath.

It was taking every bit of self-control I had not to grin in his face. Natalia had promised she would get me out, and I never doubted her, but I never dreamed she would pull it off so quickly.

Mrs. Morton, my lawyer, was waiting for me as the detective walked me into the interrogation room.

She took one look at me, turned her fierce eyes to the detective, and said, "Get those handcuffs off of my client."

"I'm getting to it," he muttered bitterly.

"It's good to see you, Mr. Valentino," she said with a smile. "I'm sorry for the delay in your release."

"I understand," I said. The detective unlocked the cuffs from my wrists, and I rubbed my hands absentmindedly. "There was a lot of paperwork to get through."

She smiled wryly at that and nodded. "Luckily there wasn't as much delay in arresting the actual guilty party."

I nodded. "I'm only glad that the killer is off the streets."

The detective rolled his eyes, but neither of us acknowledged him. "You're free to go," he said tensely. "But since this man was an employee of your company, we'll likely be asking you to answer some questions about him."

"The evidence speaks for itself," Mrs. Morton cut in. "Given the documentation, text messages, emails, and weapons you found in the suspect's home, I don't see what testimony you could possibly need from my client." "I'll be glad to help in any way I can," I said. "With my lawyer's guidance, of course."

Mrs. Morton and the detective exchanged a long, dark look before the detective turned to the door.

"You can leave whenever you're ready," he said. Then he walked out of the room.

"Thank you," I said sincerely. "I know that if you hadn't been breathing down their necks, they would have put off my release as long as possible."

"It's a game to them, and they hate to lose," she said. "Now let's get you out of here. Your fiancée is waiting outside."

My heartbeat sped up at the mention of Natalia. I couldn't wait to hold her in my arms again, this time without an audience or time limit.

I let Mrs. Morton lead me out of the jail and to the parking lot, where Vinny was waiting next to his car. Natalia was a few feet away from him, pacing nervously.

When she saw me, the most brilliant smile broke over her features and she broke into a run.

I braced for impact as she launched herself into my arms. I had to spin to keep the momentum of her jump from sending us both sprawling onto the ground.

I was sure that Vinny was stifling a laugh, but I didn't mind.

I kissed Natalia as I slowly lowered her back to her feet. She kept her arms locked around my neck and pulled me back in as I tried to stand up.

I laughed and kissed her back.

When she did let me go, her face was flushed, and she was smiling sheepishly at me.

"I'm happy to see you, too," I teased.

"You have no idea," she replied. She skimmed her hand lightly down my chest as she let her hands fall from around my shoulders.

I shuddered at the light touch.

Before I could pull her into another kiss, Vinny's voice broke through.

"Oh, get a room," he said.

Natalia laughed and covered her face with her hands. I looked at him and grinned.

"I plan to."

Vinny pulled a face and opened the back door of the car.

I turned to Mrs. Morton, to thank her again and say goodbye, but she was already halfway across the parking lot. I smiled.

Natalia took my hand and we got into the car together. Vinny got into the driver's seat and started the engine.

As soon as we were on the road, he started to fill me in on what I had missed over the past week and a half.

It wasn't a very long time, but so much could happen in just a week.

My arrest had caused an all-out panic among many in the family. People had been afraid that they would be next. They had believed that the police would replace incriminating evidence in their search of my personal property that would implicate the rest of the family.

For most of the family, the news of my arrest had been like learning that the sky was falling.

The more Vinny told me about the reactions of various family members, the deeper my frown grew. I had done such a poor job of informing the family of the safety measures that we took to keep them safe in the event my records were leaked or seized.

I would never be reckless enough to leave a digital trail that could harm the family. I knew all too well how quickly our lives could unravel, and I did everything humanly possible to make sure that didn't happen.

I needed to be more transparent with others so that they understood that they were safe under my guidance.

If someone had been frightened enough, they could have gone to the police with a confession in the hopes of getting leniency for themselves. I didn't believe that any of the men would do that, but I wasn't sure about some of the wives and children.

I would do a lot to protect my Natalia, and I couldn't really blame anyone who felt they were backed into a corner for doing what they could to protect their loved ones.

I needed to make sure that it was clearly understood that I protect my own. No one under my protection as the Don was in danger of being caught, not through my actions anyway.

I listened with rapt attention as Vinny explained all the temporary changes that had been made to keep the business running smoothly and the family calm.

He and Alessandro had been run ragged making sure that everyone was placated and that there was no interruption in income and payments. They kept things running in my absence, and I owed them a world of gratitude for that.

Natalia had surprised me more than anyone. I knew how much she worried about her abilities to lead and her standing with the family, so the way she had put her own feelings aside and made the difficult calls that needed to be made impressed me greatly.

It allowed me to focus on my lawyer's instructions, and on fighting for my freedom.

If I had been stressing out about the outside world, I may have slipped up. There was no telling how badly things could have gone if I didn't have such a strong and capable inner circle.

I was impressed with the administrative acumen Vinny demonstrated. I hadn't known Vinny to be especially interested in the legitimate business side of the family, but he clearly had a mind for it.

"I'm glad that I had you to step in and keep things from falling apart," I said with a smile. "In future, we'll have a plan in place to handle immediate, short-term management of the business."

It was short-sighted of me not to have a plan in place already. It showed exactly how sloppy I had gotten. Or maybe it was overconfidence. Either way, it needed to change.

"I'd appreciate that," he said. "It's not exactly my area of expertise."

"You handled it like an expert," Natalia said. "He was great-he and Alessandro both."

"I owe all three of you a huge debt," I said. "Not only did you hold the family together and keep the business running, but you also proved my innocence. I'm an extremely lucky man to have you in my corner."

"We did our jobs," Vinny said. "Natalia went above and beyond. If she hadn't pushed us to follow every lead, no matter how uncomfortable, there's no telling how long it would have dragged on for."

I looked at Natalia and smiled. "I chose well," I said.

She shrugged. "I had a gut feeling," she said softly. "I couldn't ignore it."

"I'm glad that you didn't," I said.

Vinny pulled the car down our long, winding drive and I took a moment to take in the view. I hadn't been confident that I would see this house again anytime soon. I really expected that I would be locked up for months, if not years. I didn't think that Natalia understood how impressive her investigation really was.

Vinny parked the car and the three made our way inside. There was a lot that had to be done now that I was free. The family needed to be notified. I was sure that I would have to smooth some ruffled feathers before people would be able to relax.

Things would get back to normal with time, but it would be a while before anyone felt comfortable lowering their guard again.

The fact that this attack had come from within the family was going to have lasting effects.

"Tell me about the family," I said. "Who do I need to visit?"

Vinny smiled wryly. "Everyone is pretty shaken, but no one wants to admit it. I don't think that one-on-one visits are going to be necessary for most. I do think you're going to be spending a lot of time on the phone."

I sighed. That was almost worse. I would rather throw a get-together at the compound and get it all over with in one go.

"That doesn't help with prioritizing much," I commented.

Vinny started to respond, but Natalia cut in quickly.

"Speaking of priorities," she said pointedly, "can't this wait until tomorrow?"

I looked at her in surprise. When I saw the heat in her eyes a flood of arousal washed over me, and I turned to Vinny.

"Tomorrow," I said simply.

He laughed out loud and rolled his eyes at us. "Like a couple of teenagers," he scolded. "I'll be here bright and early, so be ready to work."

I nodded my agreement. "First thing in the morning," I agreed. "Lock the door behind you."

He laughed again and walked away.

I turned back to Natalia and picked her up. I threw her over my shoulder and was rewarded with a surprised yelp followed by excited giggles.

She held on tightly as I carried her up the stairs and into our bedroom.

I had missed Natalia. I had spent so many hours of my confinement thinking about her and fantasizing about our reunion and our upcoming wedding.

I carried her into our bedroom and sat her gently on the edge of the bed. I remained on my knees and surged forward to capture her lips in a slow and passionate kiss. She moaned softly and wrapped her arms around my neck, holding me close and making sure that I wouldn't slip out of her grip again.

I wasn't going anywhere. I'd already made her wait long enough.

The stolen moments we had managed together weren't enough. I was going to show her exactly how much I had missed her.