Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad-Chapter 992 : Something Right

*Leo*

Darion’s eyes were wide as he stared at me, his gaze dropping to Franky’s unconscious form. I was startled to see him and wished that we were in a situation that would allow me to be impressed by his good shot.

Sadly, there was no time. Franky was bleeding out in front of me.

“Get over here and help me,” I ordered Darion.

The kid was still shaking but he rushed to obey, dropping to his knees beside me. He looked grave as he surveyed Franky’s wounds.

“We need to stop the bleeding as best we can,” I told him, already slugging off my jacket and handing it to Darion, who fumbled with it. “Get that on his wound, press it down firmly to try and slow the bleeding down.”

Darion did as I asked, looking a little green around the gills as he laid the jacket over Franky’s shoulder and pushed down. He winced, as if he feared that he would hurt him by doing that but Franky wasn’t going to feel anything right now. He was out cold.

I just prayed that he wouldn’t stay that way.

I quickly checked Franky’s vitals and as I felt his slow pulse, it was clear that he was going to need medical attention soon or he wasn’t going to make it. I cursed inwardly, looking around at the large warehouse, littered with glass and bodies. I looked at Darion, who had a clenched jaw as he was applying pressure to Franky’s shoulder.

Franky was running out of time. We needed to get him out of here.

“Help me carry him,” I barked at Darion, causing the kid to jump a bit at my urgent tone. I had to give him credit though cause it only took him another half second to recover before he was obeying me again.

We carefully lifted Franky, making sure to keep the jacket pressed to his wound. Once I had my friend in my arms, Darion shifted to keep the bloody sweater in place over his cut.

“Move to the secret passage,” I told him as we started to hurry in that direction. We kept our heads low, only too aware that there were likely more Angels on their way. They were a big group and it was only a matter of time before the others were alerted of the mayhem that just went on here.

Right on cue, the unmistakable sound of breaking glass and low voices filled the room. We were just steps away from getting to the mouth of the hallway when we were suddenly surrounded by Angels, all armed and with fierce looks on their faces.

“Set him down!” I snapped through my teeth.

Darion and I carefully set Franky on the floor of the warehouse and I snatched my gun out of the holster and lifted it up, aiming it right at Andre, the leader of the Angels.

Andre was the toughest of them all. He was older, probably in his late forties but he was every bit as dangerous and agile as a man half his age. He had a jagged scar right beneath his eye that went all the way down the side of his neck. There were rumors about how he got the scar and all of them were gory as hell.

No one messed with the Angel’s leader and got away with it so naturally, we were lucky enough to have pissed him off.

I just narrowed my eyes and kept my gun pointed at him, right at his heart. He just raised an eyebrow and grinned wickedly, not at all afraid of the fact that one tiny twitch of my finger could end his life. That was probably because there were dozens of guns pointed at me as well.

No one moves as Andre casually makes his way toward us. He stops several feet away though and his whole countenance hardens as his coal black eyes flick to Darion and then back at me.

“Hand over the kid,” he ordered in a gravelly voice that would have sent most men running for the hills.

My gaze didn’t falter as I hardened my expression. “I’m afraid that I can’t do that,” I said.

I felt Darion stiffen behind me, as if he was expecting us to be shot down immediately since I dared to refuse an order from the leader of the fiercest gang on the west coast.

I couldn’t agree to this. I knew that if I did, I wouldn’t be allowed to go with Franky. They wouldn’t just let me get him medical attention. That was not how these men operated.

It didn’t take me long to come up with the only solution that made sense at the moment. Franky was too important to the operation. We couldn’t lose him, especially if I was going to be leaving my position as don. Franky was the foundation of this place. It was my duty to make sure he made it out of this alive.

Plus, he sacrificed his own life for mine and I couldn’t call myself a man or his friend if I weren’t willing to do the same.

No one moved and I could feel the other members in the room watching their boss, waiting for any kind of signal to put a bullet into my head but they were clearly being ordered wordlessly to not interfere.

Andre’s expression didn’t change at my refusal. His face had already been fierce and unyielding. He looked like he could be made out of stone as he stared at me and at the gun that I held up poised and ready to shoot.

The gang leader’s look was also far too calculating. The fact that he had this position of power alone was a testament to his ability to read people and to read a room. We were clearly outnumbered at the moment. We could be killed at a moment’s notice but he was clearly waiting for something.

That was enough to make me sure that I had power as well. I just had to make sure to play it right.

I didn’t have time to make an actual plan. Andre might have been willing to wait a while to get what he wanted but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to make a lethal move if I stepped out of what he considered to be the boundary line.

I glanced down at my best friend, the front of his clothes completely drenched in his own blood. He needed medical attention now. We might have been able to slow the bleeding but it wasn’t going to be enough to buy him a lot of time.

I could hand over Darion but that wouldn’t do us much good. Andre was just trying to make things a bit easier on himself, trying to not lose more men in the hopes that I would just hand the kid over.

The problem was even if I did give up Darion, it was almost guaranteed that I wasn’t going to be allowed to go free either. I knew too much and I was far too valuable to them as the leader of an enemy gang. I might have been able to escape had it just been me here but with Franky out for the count, I would have no choice but to compromise.

I had to sacrifice myself, just like Franky did for me.

I straightened, my hands tightening on my gun. “I have a proposition,” I announced in a strong voice. “One that will lead to everyone getting what they want.”

I was worried that Andre would shoot this down immediately, both literally and figuratively but these kinds of men loved to bargain and it showed in the way his mouth tilted up the slightest bit on one side. “I’m listening,” he said, gesturing for me to continue.

I glanced at Darion, who was staring up at me from his spot beside Franky, his dark brows knit together in confusion.

“Let the kid go,” I said. “Let him leave and take our injured partner with him.”

Andre scoffed and narrowed his eyes dangerously. “I don’t see how that is getting what I want,” he pointed out sardonically. “Especially since I directly ordered you to hand him over to me.”

“In return,” I continued as if Andre hadn’t spoken. “I will surrender myself to you and go with you willingly without a fight.”

“Leo, you can’t-” Darion started but I silenced him with a deadly look, wordlessly ordering him to shut the hell up.

“And what makes you think that you are worth more to me?” Andre cut in critically. “Perhaps the kid has something that I need and you would just be getting in my way.”

I tilted my head innocently, my hands still raising the gun. “I would find that hard to believe considering that he is just a useless runt,” I said. “Whereas you and I both know that you have been wanting this alliance with us in order to get to me. You know that I would be more than just a valuable asset. I could make you millions.”

Perhaps I was saying too much but I needed Andre to be convinced that this was the right choice, for both Franky and for our entire operation.

I narrowed my eyes, my jaw clenching. “If you wait much longer to agree to my terms,” I said in a low, dangerous voice. “Then, Franky will die and I will be putting a bullet into your head regardless of my own fate.”

Andre studied my expression and I could tell he saw nothing but genuine truth there because after a long moment, he nodded.

Darion sucked in a breath and stood. “Leo, I won’t let you do this,” he said, staring at me with wide-eyed horror.

I turned my cruelest expression on him, barking sharply. “You don’t have a choice in the matter,” I said. “I am giving you a direct order to take Franky and get the hell out of here. Every second you waste could mean death for him. Now go!”

“This deal has a time limit, kid,” Andre added but he was looking between Darion and I with an amused gleam in his eye.

Darion hesitated for another half-second before he gritted his teeth and put his arms under Franky’s, hoisting him up with surprising ease and turning to go.

It seemed like no one was even breathing as Darion half carried, half dragged Franky from the room. He paused briefly and looked back at me. I nodded meaningfully and then sent him a smirk. “You’ve finally done something right, kid.”

Darion’s eyes flashed with an emotion I couldn’t read before he turned and hurried from the room as fast as Franky’s dead weight would allow.

I waited until the two were safely inside the secret passage before elbowing a nearby button on the wall that destroyed the passage entrance so that Andre’s goons wouldn’t be able to chase after them.

Only then did I lower my gun and surrender.