Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad-Chapter 1006 : The Powder Trail

*Leo*

I wasn’t a man who liked to run errands. Hell, I had people for that.

But when Bianca gave me one of those sweet, almost pleading looks, I found myself pulling on my jacket and heading out the door.

It was just a quick trip, she’d said.

A simple request for some fancy ice cream—her new craving, of course. The strange things a pregnant woman wants, but I wasn’t about to argue.

If I did, she’d give me that pout that made my heart melt. Depending on her hormone levels, she might burst into tears, and I couldn’t have that.

At the convenience store, I browsed through the coolers. She gave me a very specific description of what she wanted: vanilla with the right amount of caramel swirls, organic, and no artificial flavor.

Because if Bianca didn’t get exactly what she asked for, she’d send me back out with that “you should know better” look.

There was plain vanilla, caramel swirl with chocolate, caramel and pecan. There was a caramel ice cream for every day of the week.

And since when did they make organic ice cream?

Keeping a pregnant woman happy was not easy.

I found her brand and the flavor that met all her expectations and tucked a carton under my arm.

It would all be worth it when I brought her this ice cream and her eyes lit up and she looked at me like I was the only man in the world.

I lived for those moments and if a little ice cream was what it took to get one from Bianca, she could send me out at 3 am and I’d do it.

I was headed back to the car when I collided with a tall, dark figure.

I scooped the ice cream into my arms like a football to protect it. The last thing I needed was to smash it all over myself.

Damn! That was close.

I’d have to go back to the store, cold and soggy, and get another carton. Short of dying or getting seriously maimed, there was no valid excuse for me not to return home to Bianca without her ice cream.

“Sorry,” I muttered, steadying myself.

The hooded figure didn’t respond. They brushed past me, moving just a bit too quickly, their shoulder knocking into mine harder than necessary.

“Fine! Watch where you’re going!” I shook my fist at their back as they headed down the busy street. So much for courtesy.

I touched my shoulder where they bumped me. There was something chalky on my jacket. I pulled my hand back and rubbed my fingers together.

White powder?

Hooded figures and white powder... that wasn’t suspicious at all.

This wasn’t a high drug area, and what kind of dealer walked around with their stuff so exposed it could brush on someone’s jacket?

I groaned and shook my head. Okay, maybe I was jumping to conclusions because of my work.

It would have been pretty careless for a dealer... then again, it seemed too coincidental. Maybe it wasn’t careless at all...

I looked around, but the person was already gone. I frowned, instinctively looking around to see if I could catch sight of them again.

Nothing. The street was busy, people moving in all directions, none of them a tall, hooded figure.

My gut twisted. I wasn’t a fan of coincidences. The universe didn’t work that way, not when I was involved.

Something about this whole encounter felt off. It was like they’d been waiting for me outside the store.

Too perfect of a setup.

Without a second thought, I followed the path I saw the figure take, weaving through the crowd, eyes scanning for any sign of movement.

I saw joggers, power walkers, pedestrians, and shoppers but no one in a dark hoodie.

They were gone.

I wasn’t sure what to make of it yet, but I wasn’t about to ignore the suspicious nature of these events.

Pulling out my phone, I headed to my car. I was just about to start the engine when the phone rang. It was Franky.

Like he was reading my mind.

“I was just about to call. What’s up?” I answered, still trying to shake the feeling that I was missing something.

“We’ve got a problem,” Franky’s voice was sharp and tense.

I leaned back in my seat. “What kind of problem?”

“The kind where things go sideways, Leo. The Angels are backing out of the treaty.”

“Why would they do that? Do they remember we killed their leader?” I asked tersely.

“I did remind them of that,” Franky said with a dark chuckle. “They’re refusing to sign, and it looks like we’ve got a new head calling the shots.”

I felt my stomach drop. The treaty was supposed to solidify our position with the Angels and prevent any more mutual setbacks. It was practically in the bag since Andre was out of the picture.

No one in their ranks had the balls to stand up to me or take charge the way Andre had.

So why were they pulling out now? And what the hell did Franky mean by “new head?”

“Who the hell is this new leader? Do we know him? Because the rest of them were ready to piss their pants in my presence after Andre died.” I demanded, already reaching for the envelope of papers I kept tucked under my seat.

If there was something I needed to know about the Angels, it was critical that I knew it yesterday.

“They’ve been keeping it quiet,” Franky explained, his voice low. “But we’ve been hearing whispers—word on the street is that the Angels are getting deeper into something darker. There’s been a surge in the market. A new product. ‘Snow.’”

“Snow?” I repeated. My mind immediately went back to the powder.

“Yeah. Snow. New variant. And our business is taking a sizable hit because of it.”

“Define sizable. Do we need to be worried?”

Franky sighed on the other line. “Possibly. They’ve been flooding the streets with it for weeks now. Our numbers and projections aren’t looking great.”

“And the Angels are behind this new line? Are you sure? How could they put all that together while dealing with the fallout of Andre’s death?” None of this made sense or we would have seen it coming.

“Most of the new stuff is coming from some guy calling himself ‘Jack Frost.’”

I froze, my fingers curling around the wheel. “Jack Frost?”

“Yeah. Cute, right? But this guy’s not playing around. He’s been taking over, pushing the Angels to do business his way.”

“Has he made direct contact with us? Is there a possibility that Jack Frost is the new leader?” I threw my questions at Franky in rapid fire.

“Hey, you know what I know. I’m looking into it and I’ll update you as I learn more.”

A new drug. A new leader of the Angels we knew nothing about. And a new dealer. This ‘Jack Frost’ guy sounded like he was going to cause some trouble.

That was the last thing I needed right now. I needed to know more.

I sighed and looked out the driver’s side window. Sun glinted off something on my jacket.

Like freshly fallen snow, specs of white powder glittered on the fabric.

I swiped my finger across the powder and stuck it in my mouth.

Cold and bitter, almost metallic.

I felt the blood drain from my face. I knew what it was before the taste even settled. ‘Snow.’ That’s what Franky had called it.

I rolled my window down and spit it out on the pavement. The taste lingered and I spit again.

I grabbed my water bottle from the center console and took a big swig. I swished it around and spit again.

That was better.

Now I was sure this wasn’t a coincidence. Someone was sending me a message.

“I’ve got to go, Franky. I’ll deal with it. You’re right about one thing—this Jack Frost... I need to find out everything I can about him.”

“Leo, you okay?” Franky asked.

I hung up without answering and hopped out of the car, slamming the door shut. I wasn’t going to let this go.

The Angels weren’t going to get away with screwing us! Not after all the shit they pulled.

I turned and walked toward the store again. I didn’t know what I was looking for exactly, but I was sure as hell going to find something.

As I walked through the aisles, trying to ignore the weight in my chest, I couldn’t shake the feeling something had shifted.

I was no longer hunting down business deals and treaties. I was hunting something much more dangerous now. Something that could derail everything I had worked for.

When I got back to the front door, the clerk waved at me.

“Can I help you find something else, Sir?”

I half-smiled back and shook my head.

He glanced at the security camera over the door.

Right, he probably thought I was casing the joint for a robbery.

“I thought I dropped my keys...” I patted my pockets and my keys jingled. I held them up. “Oh, well, here they are.” I shook them back and forth.

The clerk nodded and turned back to his computer.

As I tucked my keys away, I glanced out the full glass-paned door at the busy sidewalk. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

My eyes caught a quick flash. It wasn’t much, but between the pedestrians across the street, I caught sight of something out of place.

I didn’t know who it was, but I recognized the familiar posture: hunched over, hood low. The same damned person I’d bumped into earlier.

My blood ran cold.

I took off, pushing my way through the crowd. “Move!” I demanded.

“So rude,” an old woman muttered.

“Get ahold of yourself,” a man shouted after me.

I ignored them, focused on that hooded figure. By the time I made it through the crowd, he was gone again, of course.

Did I really expect anything different? I was being taunted.

I searched the immediate area.

Nothing out of place. Nothing to indicate more Snow lying around.

This guy wasn’t lurking around as a dealer. He was here because I was here. Everything he did was on purpose.

That little stunt with running into me and brushing my jacket with Snow. That was his way of telling me there was a new competitor in town and he was coming after my empire.

I kicked the curb. “I’m coming for you, ‘Jack Frost!’” I hissed. “Next time, show your own face instead of sending some flunky.”

Whatever this new guy was peddling, it wasn’t good. Sending this hooded guy after me was a power move.

And I wasn’t about to ignore it.