Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad-Chapter 982 : Sweating Bullets

*Bianca*

“Promise me you guys won’t go nuts,” I glanced over at Amara and Isabela seriously, biting my bottom lip worriedly as I saw their excited looks.

“Come on, Bia, you’re worrying too much,” Amara just waved me off, confidently striding beside me as she followed me from the parking garage to the building. I gripped the basket I’d made and packed for Leo, filled with his favorite lunch foods.

It had been my idea to drop it off at his office before we headed out for our day to relax but I was starting to rethink that decision the more I saw how overeager Amara and Isabela were.

Taylor, as my official guard for this outing, had insisted on staying in the car, saying ‘this is going to be a disaster in the making.’ I was beginning to agree with him.

I turned my pleading look to the reasonable Isabela who just fully shrugged.

“I can’t promise that but I will at least restrain my temptations to investigate,” She said, pushing her glasses back up her nose matter-of-factly.

“Fine,” I relented. “It’s not like his office is anything special. It’s a little fancy but not enough to make you guys absolutely flip out. I hope.”

Turns out, I was wrong and Taylor was right. As soon as the lobby doors opened, Amara and Isabela went nuts.

“Ooh, shiny!”

I sighed helplessly, watching as my best friend of twenty years immediately rushed over to the waiting area made for kids. The high-tech gadgets such as a smart board that doubled as a virtual coloring book, the video game sections, and shiny dance floors that had a color-match game attached to them would probably keep her entertained for a long while.

I kept telling Leo how unnecessary it was, but he’d insisted, especially since I mentioned I might visit him more if I had things to do in the lobby.

Isabela, meanwhile, immediately drifted to the massive indoor reversed waterfall, completely covered by glass.

“How on earth did they get the waterfall to flow backward? Forced propulsion in such a small environment and an enclosed one should cause damage to the glass or –” Isabela pondered to herself, moving around it to see from every angle what they had done.

I just sighed. I knew I couldn’t trust them.

“Are you here to see the boss, Mrs. Valentino?” The receptionist asked as I approached. She gave me a courteous smile, winking as she nodded to the ring around my finger. I rested the lunch on the desk, blushing a bit.

“I’m not actually his wife yet, Donna,” I informed her, the tiny bit of protest I could give when almost every receptionist called me that already.

“You will be soon enough,” Donna just laughed, typing away at her computer. “Looks like Mr. Valentino is free and wants you to head right on up. Shall I tell him you have two guests visiting with you as well?”

I glanced behind me at my friends who were lost in their own little worlds.

“Uh, actually,” I said a bit embarrassed, “Would you mind if I left them here for a bit? This won’t take long.”

“Of course. Head on up,” Donna said helpfully.

So, I did. I took the elevator to the highest floor, feeling a flutter of excitement at seeing my fiance. It felt a bit silly considering I’d seen him this morning already but any time I could squeeze in to see Leo was worth it.

I missed him already.

I let my feet take me to the familiar path to his office where I didn’t even need to knock before I heard his low voice call out “Come in!”

My heart warmed to see him sitting there at his desk, so hard at work. He looked up as I stepped inside, his whole demeanor brightening like sunshine at seeing me. I grinned widely, racing over to him.

“I brought you lunch,” I said, hoping to entice him with the food.

He sniffed the air exaggeratedly like a hound dog from an old cartoon. “Let me guess.... Can’t be...Is that steak risotto and a tiramisu for dessert?”

“Who told you?” I pouted, setting the lunchbox down as I rounded his desk to his side. He just chuckled, closing his laptop as he reached out for me.

His arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me into him and he was warm, like a little sun himself as he laid his head against my slightly swollen belly.

“I missed you,” He murmured contently.

My heart clenched and It didn’t take long before I wound up sitting on his lap, my lips on his as he showed just how appreciative he was for the delivery.

I pulled back before it got too far and I’d most certainly not escape within the thirty minutes I’d planned.

Leo pouted anyway, caressing my cheek with his hand.

“Sorry,” I laughed, ignoring his puppy-dog eyes. “We’ve got a whole day planned out. Isabela wants to hit the bookstore and she told us about this new tea and coffee shop that just opened. They have adoptable kittens you can play with while you drink! And Anna is excited to help me shop for some maternity clothes, and she wants to pick out something for the baby–”

Leo chuckled, kissing my cheek to cut me off. “I get it. You’ve got big plans. Just be careful. You have a guard with you, right?”

“Yeah, Taylor,” I nodded, noting the grimace he gave at the answer but he didn’t say anything. The two had come to their own quiet understanding. They might never be friends but at least they were civil with each other. I knew it was for my own sake though.

“We’ll be on Main Street the whole time so there’s no need to worry,” I told him with a reassuring smile, brushing a few frazzled locks of his back from his handsome face. But unlike the reassurance, I thought that would give him, it only made him look alarmed. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Leo said with a frown, “Just that...I sent Darion out on a mission in that area. We don’t usually deal in those areas but well, he insisted that it was what the other party wanted. I sent a few of my more trusted men along with him so I’m sure it’s nothing. Be careful, alright?”

“I will,” I smiled, pretending like that last bit of information hadn’t just fed into the suspicions I’d been building up against Darion. I got off his lap, giving him one last kiss before I made my way to the door perhaps a bit too eagerly.

Leo narrowed his eyes on me, sensing something was off. “Don’t do anything impulsive, okay?”

“I promise,” I smiled before I finally escaped his gaze.

As soon as I was out of his sight, my smile dropped. It wasn’t exactly a lie. I’d never go out of my way to try to track down Darion’s whereabouts to catch him in the act of doing something suspicious.

But that doesn’t mean if I didn’t just happen to see him, I wouldn’t maybe stop by to say hello.

I picked up Bianca and Isabela from down in the lobby and we headed downtown to the shopping center we’d been planning. Taylor came along as our guard and official bag holder as we hit the shops.

Amara won the rock-paper-scissors war, so we went to her stores first, picking out some cute new outfits for each other and new accessories. I was a bit embarrassed at having to model all the maternity clothes, especially since I didn’t exactly need them yet but I warmed up pretty quickly.

We hit the bookstore where Isabela could probably spend hours finding every book she wanted. Then we headed off to the new coffee shop.

The coffee was pretty bland, but enough sugar could make anything delicious. I mostly just fell in love with the kittens, cuddling them and playing with them the whole time. One fluffy little gray one took to Taylor and climbed up onto his head to take a nap.

That picture was saved and sent to everybody I knew much to his protest.

We were having a wonderful time together, every laugh had the tension just chipping away until I felt more relaxed than I had in years. After coffee, we went back to shopping before we spotted the cutest little Italian ice stand.

We decided to split up. Amara and Isabela went to get tables nearby while Taylor and I stood in line for the ice. Despite the long line, I was more than happy to stand in line for it. I was just feeling in such a good mood that I hadn’t realized I started humming until Taylor pointed it out.

“Sorry,” I said sheepishly, ducking my head. “I didn’t know I was–”

“No, it’s a good thing,” Taylor grinned. “You’ve been way too tense and wound up lately. I’m glad to hear your singing. Even if you are tone-deaf.”

I gasped. “I am not!”

“Are too! I remember your first-grade recital–”

Anything Taylor might’ve said beyond that point faded away as from the corner of my eye I spotted a familiar figure. It was unmistakable, that gelled up hair and sneaky expression as he strolled across the street in a leather jacket.

Darion, suspicious, looked around cautiously before slipping into a small alley between two buildings and then disappeared.

“Bianca?” Taylor’s voice snapped me to attention and I glanced over at him dumbfoundedly.

“Huh?”

“Did you see something?” Taylor looked around but Darion was long gone by now. I opened my mouth to respond, glancing at the line that hadn’t moved an inch, and then back to where I saw Darion disappear.

The smartest move I knew would be to ignore it. Leo had even told me he was doing work for them around here but...my impulses couldn’t be shaken so easily.

“Here. One watermelon, one sour lemon, and one cherry limeade! I have to pee!” I thrust the money into Taylor’s hands before I raced off to where I saw Darion last.

“Bianca, wait!”

I ignored Taylor’s yell as I slipped into the alleyway. It was dark and dank and had a nasty smell of urine and trash to it. I covered my nose but I pressed in, being careful not to make a sound as I stayed close to the wall.

I peeked over each wall before heading deeper until finally, I found the sight of Darion speaking to a group of guys. Three classic thug-looking guys you would see in movies tatted up with loose clothing and exposed weapons.

“-and I’m assuming you got the payment, bro.” One of them sneered at Darion, his voice faint from where I could hear him as he pushed against Darion’s shoulder roughly. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

My heart thudded violently in my chest as I saw Darion fall back into the wall, looking roughed up already. He eyed the guys with a placating smile but there was no friendliness to their interactions.

I saw his mouth moving, his voice too low to catch so I strained my ears as I moved just a little closer.

“I swear I’ll have your cash—”

A little closer.

“You fucking better or we’ll–”

I didn’t notice my foot until too late as I slid forward and it hit the garbage can. The aluminum sounded like thunder in the quiet alley as it echoed out and I slammed back to the wall, trembling.

“What the fuck was that–”

I didn’t stay to get found. I ran as fast as I fucking could back through the paths I had taken, until I saw the main streets again and I crossed without looking back, ignoring the horns of the cars as they stopped in a hurry for me.

“Bianca!” Taylor met me, carrying four Italian ice cups in his hands but I just put on my best smile, ignoring the shakiness of my hands as I took the red and green cup of ice from his hands.

“Mmm, cherry-limeade,” I said, taking a bite. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Darion as he left the alley with the three guys I saw him talking with. I pretended to be enjoying my cup of Italian ice as Taylor herded me back to Isabela and Amara.

But I swear from across the street, Darion’s eyes didn’t move from me.

I was sweating bullets as he watched me intently, unsure if he had figured out it was me or not but at the moment that wasn’t the biggest issue. I realized painfully that the brief conversation I overheard wasn’t enough to take to Leo.

Not yet.

I needed more.

And for the first time, that thought scared me.