Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi -
Chapter 686 -
*Elio*
"What happened?" Caterina's voice perked up, sounding eager as she asked questions I couldn't answer. "Did they replace him? What about Junior? Are they tracing them right now so we don't lose them? Did they get away, or " "Calm down."
I smirked, shaking my head at how obviously excited she was about catching the bastard, even though most people would be scared out of their minds to face down such a hardened criminal.
Her fearlessness was one of the things I loved the most about her.
"I don't want to discuss anything over the phone," I explained. "We're finishing up the meeting here, and I'll be home soon to fill you in on everything, alright?" "Okay," she said softly.
I wanted to apologize for the way I'd stormed out and kept her in the dark about what was going on... again, but now wasn't the time for that, either. "I'll see you soon," I said.
"Bye," she replied.
I watched the call dissolve on the phone screen and paused for a moment before turning back to the men.
"That's all we've got right now from Al's side, so it's up to us to finish this," I said calmly to the room.
Leo and Francesco still had serious looks on their faces as they digested the news from Italy and the new plan we were putting into place. "It's risky." Francesco frowned.
"It always is," I pointed out. "This is the best plan we've got for the time being."
"Well, I'm in. As long as we get the guy, I'm happy." Leo grinned, looking like a lazy cat as he stretched his arms behind his head.
I doubted there was anybody who could be as relaxed as him after hearing what Al had just told us.
"We all want that," I said. "Francesco?"
"I'm in," he said coolly. "But just to be clear, I do think this plan is too risky."
"Noted," I said. "If you come up with a way to mitigate that risk, I'm all ears. But we'll go ahead with the plan for now."
Leo sighed, leaning back in his chair with his arms behind his head. His chair toddled precariously on the back two legs.
"Okay, with all that we've learned, I need to update Cat as soon as possible," I said. "Anything else I need to cover in case I forget?"
Leo and Francesco exchanged glances. I could read Leo like an open book as he raised an eyebrow at his fellow man and then sighed, shaking his head like he was about to watch someone do something incredibly stupid. And that was exactly what happened.
"Actually, I think it would be for the best of the operation if you didn't share so much with your girlfriend," Francesco said bluntly.
"Excuse me?" I narrowed my eyes at him, crossing my arms as I stared him down.
My temper was already rising, as it did whenever Cat was involved, and I still hadn't forgiven this bastard for his clear dislike of Cat back in Italy, though I'd thought he'd gotten over that given how friendly he'd been on the plane ride home. But apparently, I was wrong.
"To be clear," Leo piped up, holding his hands out in defense, "I have no part in this. He is acting alone in this, okay? I won't take responsibility for his stupidity, okay?"
Francesco didn't back down, even at Leo's words. He stared me straight in the eye, unreadable as always.
"And what brings you to that conclusion, Francesco?" I demanded coldly.
"Caterina "
I hated her name coming out of his mouth in that way, and he seemed to know it as his eyes glinted under the lights, a pleased look on his face when I clenched my fists together. "She may have impressed the Don and the family at dinner and forced her way into being a part of the operation, but that does not mean she needs to know every little thing we do. Discretion is key, and I doubt she has the necessary... skills to keep this information from the enemy. Her father was in this business, but that doesn't mean his girl will be any good at it. Maybe it would be best if she was left in the dark on this."
I glared at him, trying not to snap as I knew that was exactly what he wanted. I had to handle this carefully. He was here to partner with me during the leadership transition. I wasn't fully in charge, and Alessandro trusted this man to make decisions. He was already hesitant about my plan, and now he was resistant about Caterina.
I knew that if I took Cat's defense in the wrong way, he could use it against me to say I was too emotionally involved to make logical decisions. If that happened, he could take control of this operation, and I didn't want that. The man seemed to respond to strength, so that was what I went with.
I straightened my spine like it was steel. "Cat has just as much of a right to know about this as you or I do. He killed her father, held her hostage, and shot her mother. She has gone through hell because of this asshole, and she deserves the chance to help catch him."
"Also, she has proven to be very helpful," Leo added, giving Francesco a pointed look. "Half of the safehouses and locations we know about were because of her. Plus, her idea of bringing our guys from Italy instead of hiring here was incredibly insightful."
I looked at Leo, thankful for his support of Cat, and glad that I'd shared that tidbit of information from our meeting with the family in Italy.
It only took me a moment to decide on my next move. Yes, Francesco was here to help me make decisions, but I also had to prove to him that I was fit to be the Don of the American side of things. If I wasn't firm about my commitments, I would be no good as a leader. It helped that my stance about Cat was immovable. Though I wanted to protect her from danger, I also wanted to protect her right to be included.
"It doesn't matter what you think of her," I said firmly. "I will include Cat in our movements because she is useful for helping to catch Antonio and his bastard of a son." I left no room for any more objections on the matter.
Francesco thinned his lips, looking incredibly pissed off for a few moments, which was the most emotion I had gotten from him in weeks. But I didn't give a shit right then. Cat was more important, and she was waiting for me at home. I needed to fill her in.
I turned to leave, grabbing my jacket and throwing it on, but I only made it a few paces before I remembered something else. When I turned back to him, Francesco's mood had already changed. He was almost back to being the same friendly man who'd accompanied us home.
I softened my voice in response. "Also, before I go, we need to give you a nickname, Francesco. Alessandro said you're going to make you stick out like a sore thumb over here, so you need a more Americanized name. Do you have any nicknames we can use?"
Francesco just stared at me blankly then pursed his lips. "A few people used to call me Franky," he said slowly.
"That works," I said. "Thanks, Franky."
I thought I caught a smile on his face, but it was hard to tell with that man.
"Let's go, Leo." I nodded my head to the exit. "I need your help with something. Franky, we'll be in touch, so get settled and get the men together before tonight. We've got some shit to deal with in the meantime." Franky just nodded.
"Alright, party time." Leo grinned, turning to our new comrade. "Thanks for watching the base, Franky. I really appreciate it."
Once we entered the parking lot, I threw Leo a pair of keys to the extra car. He caught them easily in one hand, giving me a confused look as I pulled out the keys to my own car. Realization dawned on him in a single instant, and his grin fell to a pout.
"We need this contract, so I need you to go to the meeting," I said. "Unfortunately, we have to keep the development company profitable if we're going to use it as a front. The new client is pretty hesitant, but I think you can firm up the deal. I'll go update Cat."
"Oh, that's real nice. Leave all the hard work to us single guys while you go and cuddle your precious girlfriend,' Leo complained, grumbling like an old man.
I knew that Leo was starting to hate our legitimate work as much as I was, but I kept reminding myself that it was part of the mafia life. It was crucial that we maintain some above-board businesses to keep up appearances. It had to make sense that we had so much money, and we needed to run some of the funds through these legitimate companies to make things work. Leo knew that, but he didn't seem like he was in the mood to deal with it right then. "I'll treat you to a meal," I threw him a bone, rolling my eyes at his pouting.
“It better be a three-star and you better pick me up in the Mercedes, the red one!" he demanded as I headed for my car. "And let me know how she takes the news, by the way. I expect she punches you in the face." "Won't happen," I refuted calmly as I got into the car.
But before I could shut the door, I saw Leo flip me off from where he was. I smirked, starting the car and pushing down on the pedal to rev up the engine as he passed by. He jumped nearly a foot in the air as the engine roared to life before him.
I could see him mouthing some insult, but I turned on the radio, blaring some popular song as I pulled out of the driveway. I knew he would get over it soon enough, and that he'd be great with the clients. Their personalities sort of suited him. As I headed toward the penthouse, I knew that Leo was right about one thing. I wasn't sure how Cat was going to react to this news. She could either be happy enough to kiss me and I would have a very wonderful night, or so disappointed she'd spend the night so caught up in her anxieties, and I'd be chopped liver to her.
Either way, it was bound to be interesting.
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