Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad-Chapter 845 : Planning

*Cat*

I was livid. I couldn’t put my finger on who and what I was angrier with--me, Elio, or Junior. Well, that wasn’t quite true. I was plenty pissed with Junior.

I never understood why he’d been so evil, even if I was just an assignment for him from the start. And being just an assignment, he shouldn’t have taken it personally when I broke up with him. I’d been within my rights to end the relationship. I knew all along that I’d never stay with him forever.

Elio had always been my forever, but I didn’t know that before I was messed up with Junior. If I’d known what he was like, I wouldn’t have gone within a thousand feet of the man. But college away from home was exciting. Yes, I had some feelings for Elio before I left for New York, but I didn’t think the attraction went both ways. It turned out that I was lucky, and the dreams of love and belonging had run both ways in our case.

But when I met Junior, I hadn’t known that, just like I hadn’t known he was a mega-creep.

Knowing it now wasn’t going to help me find my baby. If that megalomaniac, narcissistic, bastard harmed a singe strand of my child’s hair, I was going to kill him with my bare hands. People thought women were small and weak, but we were far from it. Junior would find out quick that I was far more capable of killing him than Elio could ever be, especially since he took my child instead of me or Elio.

He was an idiot to demand that we trade ourselves for our child. He was going to have a fight on his hands either way. He’d better hope Elio and the other men find him and don’t allow me to be left alone with him, I thought. I’d find ways to torture him before I kill him.

At that moment, I had all kinds of grim and grotesque methods running through my mind.

Throughout the ride to the compound I’d sat in silence, seething and imagining the most gruesome death for Junior my mind could devise. By the time we got halfway to our compound where my baby should have been safe, I’d moved from the death of a thousand cuts to drawing and quartering the bastard.

But then, my silent reveries were over. Elio and the men who were around me were demanding my presence and input.

“I think we should both go,” I more demanded than said when Elio asked for what must have been a few times what I thought, because he was damn near shouting in my ear by the time I answered him.

“I don’t know,” Elio said, rubbing his stubbled chin with his hand in thought. “I think what we should do is have you go in alone. I can come later to bargain for you and Emilia to be released and for Junior to just take me instead.”

I looked over at him in wonder. I hadn’t suggested it myself because I never thought he’d go for it. I truly hadn’t used reverse psychology on him. I was amazed he even gave that as an option, but I readily agreed to it when I realized he was serious.

“Yes, I think that’ll work,” I said, seeing his surprise when I agreed without protest.

I knew we had to come up with a plan fast, and that I’d rather go in and face that monster alone than leave Emilia there alone with that creep for another second. If this plan worked, I didn’t care who took Junior down if I got my baby back. For all my gruesome planning in my head, I knew all I really wanted was Emilia back in my arms where she belonged.

“Are you sure?” Elio asked, as if he couldn’t quite believe my agreement anymore than I had first believed his suggestion.

“Yes. Whatever it takes to get her back... and Junior dead,” I said.

He pulled me roughly into his arms and kissed me hard and swift. There was so much pride showing in his eyes that I knew he was relieved that I’d agreed and didn’t insist on him coming in with me.

“Honey,” I said, putting my fingers to his prickly cheek and gazing into his eyes. “I’d do anything to get our daughter back. If you think this is the best way to do that, then I’m all for it.”

I didn’t want Elio to be left behind because I knew he would worry that things wouldn’t go the way we planned. How did that Marine Corps saying go? It was something like, every plan was perfect before you engaged with the enemy. It was true here as well. We didn’t know what was going to happen until I got to the warehouse and confronted Junior.

A part of me wondered if I would be able to hold it together if Junior didn’t immediately give Emilia back to me and let me go, the way Elio had planned. So many questions came to mind. What if Junior decided he’d keep us and hold us hostage for something else?

“Stop thinking so hard, Cat,” Elio said, rubbing his forefinger over the worry line on my forehead.

“You’re supposed to act like lines don’t exist on my face,” I tried to tease.

“My love, you’re the most beautiful woman in the world,” he said. “We will get our girl back, and Junior will pay for ever thinking of touching her.”

“What if he doesn’t agree?” I asked.

“I’ll insist that he make this the arrangement. He’ll probably expect a negotiation of some kind.”

“And if he does agree, what if he doesn’t let us go?” I asked, my voice trembling.

“I think this is more about me than you. I don’t think Junior even wants Emilia. He took her to get you and me. I think he wants you because he thinks I won’t let you go in by yourself. He’s not looking to hurt you or Emilia. He’s looking to hurt me more than anything.”

I touched his cheek again, this precious man who held me and our baby’s lives so dear that he was willing to possibly give up his life for ours.

“Elio?” I asked.

He kissed my palm and looked into my eyes. “Yes, love?”

“Stay alive, or I’m going to be extremely pissed.”

He smiled at that, his lips giving a soft curve and his eyes looking grim and somber at the same time.

“I’d never make you that mad,” he said with a mock shiver of fear.

I gave a watery chuckle as the car turned into our driveway.

When I walked into the house and Mom saw me, she immediately began sobbing.

“Oh, my baby, I’m so sorry!” she cried. She was so upset that she could barely speak.

I held her close and let her cry in my arms, as Elio called the men to gather at our house.

When Mom calmed down some, I pulled away from her and held her at arms length and looked her in the eyes.

“So sorry, I was–” she began.

“Stop right there,” I said in my sternest tone. It was difficult to take that tone with my mother. I was taught never to do such a thing, but she needed to stop blaming herself. “You are not to blame for this. Do you hear me?” I asked, shaking her a little to get her attention.

“One minute, I was turned. Next minute, she was gone. I was gone.”

“It’s going to be alright,” I insisted. “Mom, I’m glad you’re home. We’re going to make it alright.”

“But your baby–” She was still distraught.

I didn’t think anything I said would sooth her, but I intended to try. I walked with mother to the nearest sofa.

“Do you remember when I was a little girl and I apologized for things I couldn’t change or weren’t my fault?” I asked, rubbing her back.

She nodded, still sniffing and wiping away tears with one of my father’s old handkerchiefs. She’d always saved them after he was killed.

“I want you to take your own advice now. I can tell how hard you fought to keep Emilia safe,” I said. “Your face is swollen, and so are your hands. You were in the hospital, Mom. They killed all your guards. You are only one woman, and they were many and stronger. It’s okay to worry. I won’t tell you not to do that, but you shouldn’t blame yourself. You are a wonderful grandma and I know you fought for her like a tigress. We will get her back, because we are going to fight just as hard for her return as you did to try and keep them from taking her.”

Elio walked over and squatted in front of my mother.

“Matilde, you are brave and strong, and I’m so grateful to you for trying to hold onto her. Listen to Cat. She’s right. We’re going to get her back. And you’d better believe that fucker Junior is going to die once my girls are safe.”

Mom nodded at Elio’s blunt words and took the ice he pressed into her hands and put it to her bruised eye.

“Cat, you and Elio need to think this through a little more,” Mom said.

I told her the plan as Elio let the men in to either stand around the living room or sit at windows and lean against the walls. I’d never seen all the men in one space like this. It was a large force, and they were all angry and ready to fight for me and my daughter.

“Your father wouldn’t ever want you to be a widow, my dear,” Mom said.

“I know, but we’ll all be back.”

“Neither of you know that,” she argued. “You can’t promise that. Emilia needs both her mother and her father.”

“And if we can help it, she’ll have us both.”

“I’ll bring us all back in one piece,” Elio said, pulling Mom’s hands to his lips. “I’ll do my best to bring us all back to you, Matilde.”

Mom looked into Elio’s eyes and must have seen the determination there. She nodded. “See that you do. I respect you. I know you’ll do your very best.” She kissed his cheek and then mine.

Elio stood from his crouched position in front of my mother and clapped his hands to get everybody’s attention.

“Let’s get started. Franky, let’s call the bastard. Leo, choose the men we can trust to keep their heads in this situation. The rest of you guard the house and warehouse.”

Everyone started moving.

Elio and Franky were going over plans and discussing how they were going to get rid of Junior. They were right there with Mom and me so we could hear what they were saying, and I supposed that was part of the planning.

Leo was giving the men orders, sending some to the warehouse, others outside, and keeping a few back as Elio had asked that he thought wouldn’t lose their cool and start shooting just because they had a gun.

Things were coming together fast. We were finally going to take Junior down.

Then, the phone rang.