Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad-Chapter 737 : Be My Partner

*Elio*

I rubbed my forehead, the developing headache only worsening as I moved like a slug to get ready. After my last-minute warehouse trip, it was almost morning by the time I got back, giving me less than three hours of sleep. I should’ve expected the headache, my brain not cooperating today.

I set my phone down on the coffee table after my text to Cat, not sure if she was still in class or not but willing to wait if she was. I went through the motions, my mind on other things as I got into my shoes. I was barely paying attention, waiting for her to call back.

I had just shrugged on my jacket, dressed in my least favorite suit that I had plucked from the closet at random and had been too lazy to change. I was getting ready to go out when my phone rang with Cat’s ringtone. My favorite picture of her appeared on the screen, mid-laugh with her nose scrunched up. She hated that picture, but I loved it. It showed her how I saw her every day.

Beautiful.

I picked up the phone, answering immediately with a soft, “Hey.”

“What happened?” Her voice was demanding, a bit too loud for the drumming war going on in my brain but I just ignored it, her words soaking in as I digested them extra slowly today.

Deja vu hit me in that moment, and I wondered how many times I had sent her some random text that made her worry, and she would answer in this same way.

How much stress had I caused her by bringing her into this life? Would it have been better if we had never gotten involved, that I had just done my duty to protect her and kept our feelings out of it?

I loved her, and I knew she loved me too, but at times like this when there were red-eyed wolves approaching from every direction, I wished my love didn’t feel so much like a rope around her throat.

I swallowed the apologies on my tongue, focusing on the decision I had made. Whether it was a good or bad decision I didn’t know, but I had made it and I was going to stick by it.

“Your next class isn’t till two, right?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

“Yeah,” she answered hesitantly. “Why?”

“Can you meet me at the east warehouse now? I promise I’ll get you back in time for your class,” I said calmly.

“Um, I guess so but... what is this about, Elio?” she asked firmly. “Is there something wrong? Did someone else... you know, go missing?”

“Nothing like that. Look, I’ll explain it all at the warehouse, okay? It’s nothing bad, per se,” I told her. “Do you still have the address, or would you prefer I pick you up and drive over together?”

“No, it’s fine. I’ve got it. That’s out of your way to get me, so I’ll drive over myself,” Cat reassured me. “I’m just a bit... confused.”

I knew that. It was obvious that this conversation hadn’t gone at all like she had expected, and I didn’t blame her. Normally, I would’ve told her some damning news by now, informing her that we were all in even more danger than before, and then we’d argue about how to keep the people around us safe.

But not today.

“I’ll see you there, okay?” I said calmly, ignoring the burning questions she must have wanted to ask, but I knew she wouldn’t.

“Alright. I love you.”

My heart skipped a beat at those three little words. “I love you, too.”

Cat hung up and I sighed, tucking my phone back into my pocket. I sat on the couch, leaning my head against the back as I stared up at the ceiling blankly.

It was definitely an off day. I felt like my head was stuck in a fishbowl, like everything around me had a limited sense of reality—blurry and weird like a dream where I knew everything seemed just a little bit wrong but I wasn’t sure how.

I pressed my palms into my eyes, hoping to get myself together. I didn’t have time to fall apart, not today.

I got to my feet, making sure I had everything I needed before I headed out the door. I made sure to lock up and got into my car, pulled out of the driveway, and drove down the road.

My day didn’t improve much. I got cut off no less than three times and honked at repeatedly. It was LA traffic, but this was ridiculous.

I was already wishing I had stayed in bed when I pulled up to the warehouse, the gravel crunching underneath the car tires, though not nearly as much as I would have expected. I made a mental note to replace the tires as I pulled the key out of the engine, feeling like a snail.

I’d barely stepped out onto the ground when I heard the rumble of a car pull in behind me. Cat’s cherry red car pulled up, and I lifted my hand in a half-hearted wave as she stepped out.

“Hey, are you okay?” she asked, frowning as she approached.

I nodded, smiling a bit as she immediately grabbed my face in her hands, pulling me down to look closer. “Just a headache,” I told her softly.

“You shouldn’t have stayed up last night.” She pursed her lips, and I had a sudden urge to kiss her. Before I could, however, her attention turned to the warehouse behind me. “So, what did you need me to come here for?”

She was tense, and I could see the remains of fear in her eyes from when I had brought her to see Alexi’s body. She’d insisted but I still wish I hadn’t shown her such a gruesome sight.

“It’s nothing bad,” I reassured her, placing a kiss on her forehead. “We’re just here to talk to Leo and Franky. They found something.”

“And you want me to be there?” She raised an eyebrow.

“Yep.” I nodded, snaking my arm around her waist as I pulled her toward the warehouse. I could feel her curious eyes on me, attempting to see through what I was planning, but I doubted she could if she had wanted to.

I took Cat inside, bypassing the huge stacks of wrapped goods that lined all the walls and various shelves. The forklifts were left unmanned for the time being, but I could still see remnants of the poker table from last night, a winning hand thrown in the middle of a pile of chips.

Cat was wide-eyed with wonder as she looked around eagerly, and though I found it all mundane, she hadn’t been inside the warehouse since we’d transformed it into a working building. I took her upstairs, reminding her to be careful on the holed grates we passed by.

The upstairs room had no lights on. It was covered completely by blinds now, and for good reason. I knocked on the door to let them know we were coming in and I heard a loud crash and a quiet, “Dammit.” before I rolled my eyes.

Cat smirked, chuckling to herself as we stepped inside.

Leo stood in front of us, a nervous grin on his face but dust all over his suit and hair. The chair he’d probably been tilting back in was still on the floor, and the picture of what had happened five seconds before we entered was now complete.

“I warned you not to do that to the chairs. You wear them out faster,” I glared at him.

He just laughed, flipping the chair up and taking his seat again. The wall of monitors was still flipping through security cameras. Franky took the head chair, his back to us as we came through.

Cat’s mouth was wide open, staring at the transformed room as she’d never seen anything like it before. She probably hadn’t, to be fair. But I grinned at the impressed look on her face as she took it all in.

She moved from my side, walking through the monitors as they cycled through images.

“License plates, passport photos, death certificates,” Cat pointed out, frowning. “Are you guys trying to track Junior’s men through legal documentation? I thought all criminal types were off the grid.”

“Not exactly,” I explained, crossing my arms as I leaned against the wall. “There are a lot of different ways to remain off the grid, especially in the US.”

“Reusing names of the deceased, for example,” Leo grinned. “Can’t catch the identity theft if they’re dead.”

“Hm, so why’d you call me here?” Cat turned to me expectantly. “I doubt it’s for my expertise.”

“It kinda is, actually,” Leo shrugged.

“Shut up,” Franky growled, sending him a piercing glare.

He glanced at me, his ire at my plan made clear for the fortieth time, but ultimately he huffed, looking back at the monitors.

“Nobody knows you’ve been involved in helping to solve the Ghost’s case except for the people in this room,” I told her giving her a little smile. “That’s why I wanted to show you this room. Leo and Franky are trying to track down the Ghost and how he’s remained hidden for so long. But we need a new perspective from someone who thinks differently than us.”

“And that’s... me?” Hope shone in her eyes as her arms dropped to her side and she took a step forward toward me, wide-eyed.

I nodded, giving her a bit of a nervous smile. “I need as many people as I can trust on my side, especially now that we think we might have a rat. There’s no one I trust as much as you.”

“Hey,” Leo protested.

I rolled my eyes, giving Cat a softer look. “I want you to be a part of this, even if I don’t like the danger that comes with it. But hopefully, with only the three of us knowing your involvement, that will keep you safe but allow you to help more actively. You’re free to come up here anytime. Only Leo, Franky, and I have the key. And if either Leo or Franky discovers anything and I’m not available, I’ve instructed them to go to you.”

I pulled the simple key out of my pocket, which was more deceiving than it looked as it was hardwired with the door. I held it out, offering more than just the key, and by the wide-eyed look Cat gave me, she knew it too.

“Be my partner?” I smiled hopefully.

She stepped forward, reaching out for my hand, and gently took the key, holding it in her palm like a heavyweight. Her eyes shone with unshed tears, full of so many emotions and finally, she looked up at me, giving me the most heart-melting look of trust and love I had ever seen.

“Of course,” she choked out, rushing forward to wrap her arms around my middle, burying her head in my chest.

I breathed a sigh of relief, holding her back just as tightly.

Leo and Franky gave us a minute, pretending we didn’t exist as we took a moment for ourselves. I was grateful to them for that.

By the time we parted, Cat had a firm determined look in her eyes.

“Oh, and one last thing.” I grabbed her hand, grinning as I pulled her up to the main monitors.

I nodded to Franky, who typed away on the main monitor, searching through files before he pulled up the one we needed.

I put my hands on her shoulders, standing behind her as she took in the documents we’d managed to dig up, all with the same name displayed.

“He tried to erase it, but nobody can hide forever. We found him,” I whispered in her ear. “We found out who the Ghost is.”

“Artem Katz,” she read out loud.