Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad-Chapter 814 : Catch Him

*Elio*

I sighed for the tenth time since I’d arrived at the bland office for our real estate business. I wasn’t here often, but I occasionally made an appearance since I still needed to pretend I ran the place.

Today, I was here because there were some papers to sign. I signed the dozenth document, only skimming the surface language before deciding. My hand was already starting to cramp up and I was sick of seeing my name.

I’d started at my signature for so long it had stopped looking like words and more like a random scribble on the paper.

“Would you stop sighing like doing paperwork is actual torture? No one is going to take pity on you,” Leo said ruthlessly, slamming another massive pile of paperwork on top of my desk.

I looked up at him sadly, giving a little puppy-like whimper for extra measure.

“Please, you know what’s actual torture? Getting a fucking 100-degree heated screwdriver stabbed through your hand,” Leo said irritatedly, slamming his hand over the paper I was working on.

I winced as I saw the scar still on his hand as a reminder. Yeah, he may have a point, I thought.

“Right through like butter,” Leo reminded me with narrowed eyes.

“Fine, fine,” I admitted, leaning back in my chair as I stuck the pen between my teeth lazily. “I’m just bored. It’s so repetitive, just signing my name over and over, giving little checkmarks, and circling. There’s a reason I leave most of this company to you. Hey. Would you want–”

“Not a chance,” Leo said threateningly. “You’ve been putting all of this off for months and I’ve been covering you, but no dice this time, bro. You’re gonna sit down and do this paperwork and I’m gonna get home at a reasonable time tonight.” 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

“When did you become such a killjoy?” I remarked grumpily, twirling the pen in my hand as I started on the next set of documents.

“Around the time my girlfriend broke up with me because you stopped coming into work and pushed all your responsibilities onto me!” Leo snapped, not having any of it today.

I scoffed but wisely didn’t say a word at how utterly tense Leo was at the moment. I knew I’d been putting a lot on him, especially since Emilia had been born, so the least I could do was keep my mouth shut and do the boring ass paperwork in front of me.

Or that was the plan until my phone started ringing.

I glanced at it, eager to answer, but Leo’s fierce glare narrowed on me.

“Don’t you dare,” he growled.

“I have to. It’s Cat,” I told him with a pleading look, not even knowing if it really was Cat, but he sighed, relenting anyway. I smirked, answering the phone with a calm, “Hello?”

What met me was a sharp inhale of breath and then the most confusing call I’d ever gotten.

“Elio! I don’t know what to do, I’m kinda freaking out here cause we went to see the dress as we said and I picked up Anna and she’s dating some new guy, an old guy bad, I don’t know really know much of the details but that doesn’t really matter–”

My eyes widened as she talked fast in a breathy manner like she was about to start hyperventilating. I tried to interject but my voice was just drowned out as she ranted over and over.

“And Simona wants to add more diamonds to the dress–there are diamonds on the dress by the way. I cried so hard and Anna got pictures. I wish you could see but that’s bad luck, right, to see the bride before the wedding day in her dress. And I don’t believe in superstition and I know you don’t either, but I don’t want to jinx it either otherwise some rival mafia guys might come to crash our wedding and if that happens I’m gonna cry and–”

“Cat!” I called out, trying to cut through her rant, but it was useless.

She was fully panicking, unable to hear anything. I was content to just hear her out until I caught the incredulous look on Leo’s face, looking just as worried as I was. It reminded me that Cat could only be this wound up for one reason.

“Cat!” I shouted sharply and she finally cut herself off, taking deep gasping breaths. I softened my voice, hoping to keep her calm but also wanting her to get to the point. “Calm down and tell me what happened, okay?”

“Junior showed up!” Cat finally shouted out hysterically.

My blood ran cold. There was silence as she sniffed, clearly having been crying over this. I swallowed, giving Leo a motion with my hand and he nodded, jumping into action for me. “What exactly happened, Cat?”

“We went to lunch,” Cat said without taking a breath, “and Junior showed up. He just came out of nowhere in this car and he grinned at me. Elio! He grinned at me like the evil bastard he is and I didn’t know what to do! He could’ve pulled out a gun and shot me right then and there but he didn’t, so I don’t know what the fuck he wants with me. But it ruined my day!”

I swallowed, steeling my spine as I said calmly and coolly, like none of this was a problem, “Okay, I understand. I will fix it, Cat, I promise. And nobody would’ve hurt you. I had more guards than just Tony on you, so you and Anna would’ve been fine. I’m sorry he ruined your day. But you liked the dress, right?”

I was hoping to distract her and she sniffed, mumbling out a, “Yeah. I love it. I wish you could’ve seen me in it.”

“I will see you in it,” I said soothingly, holding back my own fury at the situation to comfort her. “I’ll see it on our wedding day, and I don’t know what you’ve been thinking but I have security covered on our wedding. Nobody will crash it and it’ll be perfect, okay? Just go home and rest up. Don’t go anywhere else until I call. I’ll be home soon.”

“Okay,” she said shakily. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” I said softly.

I waited for her to hang up before sliding the phone onto the desk. I gave Leo a dark look.

“Junior, I’m guessing?” Leo said, his foul mood worsening now.

I tightened my jaw, not giving him an answer as I dialed Franky immediately, putting it on speaker phone for Leo’s benefit as well. As soon as I heard him pick up, I loudly said, “Guess who showed up to scare Cat this afternoon?”

There was a pause on the other line before I heard Franky heave a loud sigh. “Junior,” he said gruffly.

“That’s right. He scared the shit out of her and Anna after dress shopping,” I said, my anger bleeding into my tone now as I tensed up.

Now that I didn’t have to comfort Cat, I was pissed off.

He’d done enough damage to her, so why the fuck couldn’t he leave her alone? Any grudges he had should be settled with me, not Cat, especially so close to the wedding. Her nerves were already shot and she didn’t need any more pressure put on her.

“This wedding will commence without a hitch and no harm will come to my family,” I said determinedly. “So I want Junior found. Now.”

“I understand. Tony was on guard and I’ll get the full report from him,” Franky said decisively. “I was actually going to call you shortly anyway. Cat sent me a text only a few moments ago, a picture of a black SUV. I wasn’t sure why until now. I already tracked it through the surveillance cameras we hacked. It’s the same M.O. and dealer as before, so I guess he really doesn’t know any new tricks.”

“You send a team to start following it?”

“Already done. They’re doing so discreetly and at a distance for now, but we’ll know if they get anywhere near Cat now. I doubt Junior’s still in the car or at least using it for any important matters but hopefully, it’ll lead us back to his lair.”

Franky’s cool report helped to calm the tension and my fury and I bit out, “Good. Call me as soon as you find him.”

I hung up before he could respond though knowing Franky, he would’ve just hung up as well. Leo glanced at me with a cool look as I got out of my seat, grabbed my jacket, and threw it on.

“You going home?” Leo said quietly.

“Yes,” I nodded, giving him a helpless look as Leo stared blankly at the pile of paperwork still sitting on the desk. “Once things calm down I’ll be back to finish it up. Send me the digital copies of as much as you can and I’ll do it from home. For the rest–”

“I got it,” Leo sighed. “Nobody is waiting for me at home anyway.”

I clasped his shoulder as I passed, feeling like a terrible friend for leaving him with this mess, but I had to go home to check on Cat and Emilia. Their security was my top priority and Leo knew that.

But still....

“I’m sorry about your girl. She was kind of a bitch anyway,” I said cooly.

Leo chuckled, his body relaxing as he waved off my hand. “Yeah, yeah. Go home and take care of your family, Elio. Leave us single dogs to work.”

He got out of his chair, walking around to collapse into the boss’s chair. I couldn’t help but notice how well it suited him, even as disheveled as he looked from lack of sleep and the breakup.

He gave me a thumbs-up, twirling his favorite pen in his hand as he propped up his legs on the desk and started to work as best he could. I was relieved to leave him in charge, knowing he had my back.

“Thanks, Leo.” I smiled gratefully at him and he just gave me a thumbs up as I took off.

I raced to get home, driving like a maniac as I rushed. All my thoughts were on Cat and Emilia, hoping with every fiber of my being they were okay.

I rushed out of my car, barely remembering to lock it as I headed inside. I reached out to grab the door but much to my surprise, it opened up already and there was Cat.

There were tear tracks still on her face, her eyes red and puffy and she held Emilia protectively in her arms, but the relief in her eyes as she saw me was enough to melt away any of my remaining anger.

I wrapped her in a hug, shutting the door behind me as I cradled them.

“Welcome back,” Cat whispered hoarsely and I pressed a kiss to her forehead, knowing we had a long night in front of us.

“I’ll keep you both safe, Cat. I promise I will,” I said soothingly. I had to because these two beautiful girls were my entire world.

Junior had to be caught this time.

And when I finally had him, what I had done to Ignacio would look like mercy.