Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad-Chapter 896 : Panic Room

*Bianca*

The sound of my breath rapidly leaving my mouth and inhaling just as quickly was all I could hear besides the pounding of my heartbeat in my ears. It’s a tight fit, cramming myself into the back wall as the large metal door remains shut. I can’t even see a light under the door or a crack at all.

Surrounded on all four sides with harsh metal walls, the floor was cold under my bare feet because I hadn’t had time to grab my shoes, and the ceiling was only tall enough to stand at full height.

It’s dark, all the light from my phone as I switch it on but the red symbol in the corner of my screen screams back at me. There’s no service, not here.

I lift my head up, clutching my phone tightly as I struggle not to let the blurry tears in my eyes fall, blinking them back as much as I can. I guess the panic room was aptly named because I’m halfway to a panic attack already.

The silence is loud, and harsh in reminding me how utterly alone and vulnerable I was now. The room was built to keep everyone else out and whoever steps inside, in. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

I pull my knees to my chest, curling my arms over them as I squeeze my eyes shut. A few tears slip out in the process, but I don’t make a move to wipe them away.

What the fuck was going on? Who the fuck had been outside and why did Leo have a fucking panic room in his study?

I regret it now. All the times I’d tried to force answers out of Leo, tried to follow him, and find out what he was hiding because I was pretty sure I knew now.

How did Leo have so much money working as a simple real estate agent? Why was his house so ridiculously large with so many burly men acting as guards? Why did he spend so many nights out late for emergencies?

Leo was the Mafia Boss.

As utterly unbelievable as those words were, it made sense. All the little details I’d noticed clicked into place and I’m left only with a burning feeling in my chest of resentment and sorrow, of joy and disappointment. So many feelings I can’t even name rushing through me all at once, overloading my entire body.

I feel like the walls are closing in around me, threatening to crush me and nobody will even hear my screams. I’ll die here and rot forever in this stupid metal box.

“Leo,” I whimper, hating him for causing me to be in this situation and wanting him to be safe just as much. I can’t help but wish he was with me right now, his soothing touch to hold me and brush away how terrified I was.

But I don’t have time to linger on those feelings as I hear something from just outside the door. My heartbeat races faster and I stare in horror at the doorway. It sounds like muffled footsteps, the creak of the wooden floorboards just barely able to be heard.

I stiffen, curling in tightly in the corner, unable to do anything but wait for whatever horror was coming for me.

There’s knocking on the metal door, and I jolt, tears slipping down my face as I press my lips together in fear and cover my ears, struggling not to make a sound to alert whoever it was that I was here. The knocking sounded like pounding from how loud it was- the metal around me only reverberated the sound in a harsh echo.

I’m trembling until a familiar voice shouts through the walls.

“Bianca! Let me in, Bianca.”

It takes half a moment, just staring blankly at the locked door before I realize exactly who was calling my name. I bolt from the floor, my hands trembling uncontrollably as I try to undo the lock. Once it clicks into place, the door slides out of the way, revealing the back of a familiar figure before me.

I choke on a sob in relief as Leo enters and I nearly tackle him into a hug until he turns around, something shiny and metal glinting in the light and I pale as I see the handgun in his hands, finger on the trigger.

Despite being pointed at the floor, my skin crawls with goosebumps. I’d seen a gun before once or twice. But never like this.

My eyes flickered up to his and he’s not even looking at me but scanning the room behind me before his body relaxes.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” He demands, scanning me over for any visible injuries but there isn’t anything.

“No,” I tell him honestly, then glance down at the gun. I watched him follow my gaze and I saw his face fall in dismay.

“It’s just for safety,” He steps forward, trying to explain but out of pure instinct and self-preservation, I stepped back. I feel a pang of guilt for the hurt look that crossed his features but I’m well past caring at the moment.

“Leo,” I confront him through clenched teeth, “What the fuck is happening here? What’s going on? Who is attacking?”

There’s a hint of reluctance on his face before he heaved a heavy sigh, and his arm curled around my waist. As he pulled me into his chest, I felt his warm lips on the top of my head.

“I’m sorry, I’ll explain everything later,” He said quietly, “But right now, we have to get out of here.”

Right as he said that, loud pops like fireworks going off in the distance burst across the house and I pale, ignoring the cross attitude I had before now as I gripped his arm tightly. I felt my legs go shaky, threatening to buckle underneath me but Leo is a pillar of support.

This isn’t happening. It can’t be, I tell myself but I know the truth.

Tears burst from my eyes as my breath is coming in way too fast, no chance for my lungs to catch up and I’m half convinced I’m dying already when warm hands encircle my cheeks, pulling my watery eyes straight into Leo’s.

“Breathe, Bianca, it’s okay. I’m going to protect you. Everything is going to be okay,” He inhales deeply and lets it out slowly, and like a child, I mimic his actions in my panic, hoping to calm down. It takes a few minutes but once I’m no longer about to pass out, he grabbed my hand and tugged me out of the panic room. “We have to get out of here, Bianca. I’m going to get you to safety, I swear to you. Just try to be quiet and follow me.”

“Leo, please, what’s happening–” I started, knowing this was the worst time to get answers from him but not able to stop my impulses and he hushed me by pulling me close and slamming his lips onto mine. It’s a frenzied, passionate kiss, a taste of salt from my tears, and something bittersweet.

It felt almost like he was trying to say goodbye like this was our last kiss.

The thought sends waves of fear through me but also a stubborn reluctance. This won’t be the last time. Leo had much to answer for but as long as I still loved him, he wouldn’t be leaving my side like this.

I swear to God, not even death would rip him from me.

We pulled apart at the same time, gasping for breath and there was a steel reflected in our eyes, a determination that there would be answers, a later for us to hash all this out. But for now, we had to get the hell out of here.

I nodded at him as he tilted his head questioningly and I grabbed onto his belt, which I realized now was filled with clips of ammo and a holster for the gun. With his jacket off and white button-down shirt crumpled up, he looked like someone from an action movie.

I barely paid attention to his movements as he kept me firmly behind him, checking every corner and hall as we moved quickly. I kept looking over my shoulder, checking behind us, terrified that someone was going to pop out and shoot us down before we could fight back.

But each time, there was nowhere to go.

The sound of gunfire grew louder the closer we got to the front door and even moving as quickly as we were, the compound was so large that it felt like it was taking years instead of minutes. Sweat was dripping down my forehead and I wiped it away as we finally reached the last staircase.

I knew it was just one long run down the hallway straight to the door and that would be the perfect opportunity for an attack. I saw by the tense look on Leo’s face that he knew it too. He breathed out coolly, rechecking his gun and I nervously watched his movements, wondering how we were going to get out of here.

It was eerily silent now, broken only by the occasional crash of something deeper in the compound or the loud bang of a gunshot. It sounded like the compound was being destroyed, everything overturned to find us.

Leo leaned his head over the edge of the wall, checking the staircase. He nodded to me, and I held tightly onto his belt, preparing to follow him when a hand suddenly slammed against my chest and mouth, pushing me harshly into the wall.

I didn’t even let out a muffled cry, too terrified that we’d been caught, that it was all over, and I was going to die but I realized after the moment of panic, that it had been Leo who’d shoved me into the wall.

He covered me with his body, a look of anger and fear on his face as he stared out from the wall once more. I heard him give a low curse, merely a grumble from his chest before we heard the loud crash of something down in the living room.

“Oh, Leo!” A smug sing-song voice called out, male by the sound of it. “Come out, come out wherever you are!”

Leo cocked his gun next to me, a sneer curling on his lips before it faded as he looked at me. I knew instantly what his plan was but despite shaking my head no repeatedly, gripping onto his arms, he only gave me a sad smile.

“Stay here.” He knocked his forehead into mine, breathing out softly. My heart raced as fastly as his and despite my attempts to stop him, it was useless. He’d already made up his mind.

He motioned for me to stay silent and then broadly walked around the corner, his gun raised and pointed out.

And I was left alone.