Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad-Chapter 1033 : The Rising Tide

*Leo*

The room plunged into darkness.

It happened in an instant, the flickering lights sputtered out until the room was swallowed by darkness. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

Maria had one of my wrists firmly locked in her grip.

I reached for my gun with my free hand but she was too quick.

The gun was out of my waist band and clattering on the floor before I could react.

“What the hell are you doing!?” I hissed. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

“Don’t do anything rash, Leo!” She yanked my arm and twisted it hard behind my back. Her elbow struck me hard between the shoulder blades.

“OW!” A sharp pain ran up my neck into my skull and my brain got foggy for a moment.

Maria pushed me forward and slammed my face into the table and kept her weight on my back so I couldn’t move.

My head cleared quickly but she had me in a tight grip.

“This isn’t exactly selling your desire to want your brother back,” I ground out through clenched teeth.

My heart pounded in my chest. I struggled, trying to regain control, but Maria was surprisingly strong. She had the upper hand.

Her little surprise attack threw me off guard and I was in her clutches now.

I shouldn’t have let my guard down for a second!

She must have picked the lock on her handcuffs while we were talking.

The sound of gunfire echoed outside the building. The heavy thuds of bullets hitting their targets were unmistakable.

“You brought the Angels here?” I snarled, struggling against her hold. “All that crap about family and you bring them to my doorstep? You’re insane!”

“That’s not very nice, Leo. I’m doing what I have to do, for our family.”

I shook my head, the cool metal of the table pulled against my skin. “You have no idea what you’re doing!”

Her weight pressed down harder on my back, keeping me pinned to the table. My muscles tensed as I tried to wriggle free, but I was trapped. I didn’t even have a chance to react.

“Still haven’t learned how to watch your back,” Maria muttered, her breath hot on my ear. “I thought you’d be more prepared than this.”

I gritted my teeth, my mind racing. The gunfire outside wasn’t stopping, the chaos growing louder as the minutes ticked by.

A call came through on my phone, and before I could get a word out, Maria grabbed it from my pocket, swiping the screen and putting it on speaker.

“Leo,” Darion’s voice crackled through, panicked and strained. “The Angels have infiltrated the prison. Franky and Taylor are barely holding off the defenses, but we’ve got—"

"Dammit!" I growled, trying to push against Maria’s hold. "Darion, what the hell is going on?"

Maria’s grip tightened, her knee digging into my back, forcing me to stay still as she answered for me.

“Darion,” she spoke calmly, like she wasn’t even in the middle of pinning me down, like she didn’t care about the gunfire outside or the urgency in Darion’s voice. “Leoncito can’t talk right now. You better make it quick.”

Darion didn’t seem fazed by her, though. His voice shot through the line, frantic and hoarse. “They’ve attacked the compound, Leo. Taylor just got a call from Bianca. She’s home alone... and she’s in labor.”

My world stopped for a moment. Everything inside me froze.

“Bianca?” I gasped, struggling even harder against Maria, my vision swimming. “No! I’ve got to get to her! Can Taylor or Franky...?”

“We’re all pinned down. But we’re working on it,” Darion said.

Maria’s breath hitched as the realization dawned on her. “Bianca? Who is Bianca?” She didn’t wait for my answer, her eyes narrowing as she pressed her foot harder into my back.

I couldn’t even begin to process what was happening. Bianca was alone. In labor. And I wasn’t there.

"Leo!" Darion’s voice came again, sharp and loud. "We’re trying to hold the line, but the Angels are getting through, and the place is compromised. We need you here, now. We’ve got men positioned, but Bianca’s at risk. I—"

The line went dead.

“Darion! No. Call him back. I need to know... Bianca...” I gasped as Maria jabbed me in the back with her knee, the air leaving my lungs.

"Oh, Bianca’s in danger... that seems to be all anyone can talk about," Maria interrupted, her voice trembling with a mix of fury and something else I couldn’t place. She leaned closer to me, her grip tightening on my arms. “Who is she and what the hell does she have to do with all of this?”

Before I could answer, a low chuckle echoed in the room, sending a chill through me.

Andre stepped out of the shadows.

In the darkness, I could barely make out his features, but it was unmistakably him.

“Andre!” I growled. I tested Maria’s hold on me again.

Her knee still dug into my back, but her hold was a bit looser.

Maybe she was distracted. If I could take advantage of that, I might just get free.

“You didn’t think a prison would hold me forever, did you?”

I scoffed. “I hoped you were dead. But that was wishful thinking.”

Andre chuckled. He grabbed my hair in his fist and lifted my head off the table. “What a sorry state you’re in, Leo. Stuck here while your pregnant fiancé is alone. You shouldn’t have taken your eyes off her.”

He dropped my hair and my head smacked the table again.

Maria’s grip loosened ever so slightly. “What do you mean, his fiancé?”

Andre smirked as he circled the table, his boots tapping the floor with a mocking rhythm.

“Andre, if you touch her or the baby!” I struggled again but Maria’s knee pressed harder against my spine.

Pain shot through my body but it was nothing compared to the worry growing in my chest.

“You’re still missing the big picture, sweetheart.” Andre chuckled darkly, his words dripping with amusement. “Leo’s fiancée is the perfect target. Her pregnancy’s just a bonus. The real target has always been Leo. But now, with his sweet little baby coming into the world, well... I think it’ll make things easier for all of us.”

“His baby?” Maria’s words faltered slightly.

I couldn’t see her, so I had no idea what her expression was but she sounded confused and upset. Maybe this was the key to getting between them.

I struggled again, my fists clenched, desperate to break free. “You’re not going to touch her,” I snarled. “Andre, I swear, if Bianca or our baby are harmed, there won’t be a hole deep enough to bury you in.”

Maria cut me off, her voice suddenly harsh. "Why haven’t you told me this?”

“It wasn’t important to your desires,” Andre answered coolly.

“Like hell! She’s Leo’s future wife and going to have his baby. They are his family!”

“I don’t recall you asking if there was anyone personal in Leo’s life that you should know about.” Andre rounded on Maria with a glare.

My mind worked rapidly. It seemed like Maria and Andre weren’t as in sync as I thought. Bianca and the baby could be the undoing to their partnership.

I still didn’t know what Maria was after but she was obviously pissed that Andre lied.

“You shouldn’t be going after her! I told you I wanted Leo safe." Maria argued.

Andre shrugged nonchalantly. “You wanted Leo. All of this was about getting Leo back. Bianca was never part of the plan, Maria. But now that the opportunity’s here, I’m not going to waste it.”

“If I’d known about her, maybe she would be!” Maria snapped.

“It’s a little late to have cold feet now, isn’t it?” Andre snapped right back. “We’ve come this far. Besides, Leo will never be your baby brother if he has a wife and kid clinging to him. With them out of the picture, you’ll have him all to yourself.

My head was spinning. I had to get to Bianca. I had to get to her now and I was surrounded by psychos!

"Let me go!" I screamed, my voice raw with desperation. "I have to get to Bianca, you don’t understand!"

“Stop struggling, Leo,” Maria warned in a low voice. “You’re not going anywhere, baby brother.”

Andre leaned in, his grin widening. "You wanted your brother back, Maria. Well, now you’ve got him. You wanted to fix everything? Now’s your chance. Get rid of Leo’s little fiancée, and then maybe we’ll see what happens."

He grabbed my hair again and lifted my head. My neck strained against the pressure, and I gasped for air. “You’re not getting away with this, Andre!” I shouted, my voice shaking with fury.

Maria’s hands tightened on me. "You didn’t tell me about Bianca... Why is she so important?"

Andre stepped back with a satisfied look on his face. "I’m looking toward the future of the Angels. When you take Leo, he won’t be a threat anymore. But as long as that wife and brat are around, there will always be a reason for him to come back.”

“No...” Maria muttered, her voice hollow. “No, this wasn’t the plan. You said we would keep him safe. You promised.”

“And he will be safe.” Andre patted the top of my head and pushed my face into the table again.

I groaned and pulled away from him as much as I could.

“Leo will be safe and out of the game. The Angels will have secured their superiority and longevity without competition. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

“But his fiancé and their baby... what will you do with them?” For the first time, Maria’s voice sounded small and uncertain.

“I will make sure that they’ll never pose a threat to me or the Angels. They’ll be eliminated.”

“No!” I shouted.

“What!?” Maria gasped. “But... they are family...”

“That’s enough, Maria! You wanted Leo. Now you have him. You can’t alter the terms of our deal now. I kept my word. Either take it or leave it. Either way, Bianca and the baby aren’t part of the deal,” Andre snarled.

I couldn’t listen to them anymore. I couldn’t. All I could hear was Bianca’s name ringing in my ears. I had to get to her, I had to get to her now before it was too late.

I kicked my legs, pushing my arms with everything I had, but Maria’s grip was too strong.

"Let me go!" I roared again, but the more I struggled, the less I seemed to be able to do.

Andre’s grin grew wider, more sinister. "You’ll never make it to her in time."

His words were the last thing I heard before I felt a sharp, dizzying blow to the back of my head.

Then, everything went black.