"Dominic!" I looked around, blinking my eyes. I turned around to Leo, "What?"
"I told you to go to bed early. Why are you already fucking daydreaming?" Leo asked me.
I sighed, "I did go to bed early, I just miss Ryder," I pouted.
I heard a sharp laugh, and Matteo quickly put his hands up, "Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to come for our newlyweds."
Leo kicked Matteo lightly, "You watch your mouth and you," he said, turning back to me, "I need you to stay alert. Thank you for driving us here and taking care of all the hotel shit, but the first day is always the most important, so get ready."
"I know, I know. I am up," I said, and the three of us continued to walk.
This place was beyond packed, and it was probably the most guns I have seen in such a long time. And maybe that was for the best.
Every corner of this place was crawling with power, smoke, and the smell of alcohol.
The convention itself was really a front for scoping out potential allies and enemies, but they did sell stuff here. They had stands for guns, cigarettes, and hey, even stickers. It all felt very random. I mean, I have been to this before, but it has been a while, and I have more on the line now than I did back then.
"Look, those two are holding hands, you don't wanna old hands with me?" Matteo asked as his hands started to linger on the back of Leo's legs, who was, for some reason, wearing shorts. I looked more. Shorts that very much did not fit.
"Get away from me, or I will kill you," he snarled at Matteo, who just started laughing.
"Why are you wearing shorts?" I asked, and Leo turned around towards me, and Matteo's eyes didn't leave his legs.
"It's hot."
"I have never seen you in shorts before," I said titling my head at him. Leo shrugged, "New year, new me."
"It's not even New Year's, what the fuck?" I asked, and Leo turned back around and kept walking.
Matteo slowed down his walking and leaned closer to me, "He's trying to tease me because he knows how much I love those legs."
"You are disgusting, get the fuck…" I felt someone run into me, and I felt myself stumble. I quickly turned around to muster up an apology, but…what the fuck? "Lova?" The name came out of my mouth quietly as the person quickly turned around and kept walking.
"What was that all about?" Leo asked, putting a hand on my shoulder.
What the fuck? Am I fucking insane?
That looked exactly like her, face, height, all of it, what the fuck?"
"I think I'm smoking," I said, turning around to Matteo and Leo.
"You good?"
"Yeah, yeah, let's just keep walking," I muttered, and the two of them shook their heads.
That was definitely her, or a doppleganger? What is wrong with me, oh my god. I am going crazy.
Maybe I didn't sleep enough last night, what the fuck is my problem? God, now I'm hallucinating my ex-wife. That's so awful.
This whole fucking place has my brain scrambled.
I shook my head and continued to stare at the two weirdos in front of me.
Why is Leo letting him feel up the back of his legs?
After making some small talk with a bunch of old guys who had their hands on their guns the entire time, we were now thankfully sitting down.
It had been a couple of hours, but this whole thing didn't feel very productive at all. But these conventions tend to feel that way.
Ryder still hadn't texted me, and we also still hadn't seen Elena, so this trip was going very poorly.
"I want a hot dog," Matteo mumbled. And the worst of it all, matteo kept making weird fucking comments. Either about food or leo, and Leo kept feeding into it, that was the worst part.
Not the fact that we hadn't gotten anything done, and it felt like I was just throwing money down the fucking drain. It was the fact that Leo wasn't telling Matteo off for being all freaky. Wasn't telling him to keep his hands to himself, just kept nodding and keeping a straight face.
"You have money, go get one," I said.
"Do they have hot dogs here?"
"They have everything," I said.
"Leo, you want anything?" matteo asked, and leo shook his head.
Matteo stood up, announcing, "I will be back."
"Dont take too long," leo said.
Beyond fucking weird, oh my god.
The two of us watched as matteo walked into the distance, and I felt my phone start to buzz. Finally, holy shit, "hi honey," I said with a smile.
"Hi, Dad."
"Where's ryder?"
"Right here!" Ryder said, popping his face into the camera.
I watched as Isabella put the phone down and the two of them back up, "Oh, cute."
"The shirt does not fit me at all, but ignore that, I like the design, it would look so cute."
I smiled, "I like that on you. Blue is very much your color." To be honest, I wasn't even really looking at the shirt. I was looking at how his body looked in that shirt. The small shirt that I, in fact, have never seen before, but I assume is something my daughter bought, looked so good on him. Beyond good, actually, "you have my card, get one in your size," I said.
"That's a good idea, then we can match," Isabella said, jumping up and down.
"Okay, okay, I will get it. I know you haven't been gone for that long, but how are you doing?" Ryder asked me with a smile as Isabella climbed on him.
"Baby bear, get down, you are going to hurt him," I said.
"I'm fine."
"Okay, if you say so. Uh, it's been pretty boring, just making small talk with old guys and leo and matteo," I leaned closer to the phone, "have been very touchy-feely."
I felt leo reach over and smack me, "dont tell your daughter that, I have an image to uphold."
"Your image is now gone, with you letting him touch you like that."
"Why do I ship Leo and Matteo?" Isabella asked, and Ryder started laughing, "It's because they are definitely already together."
"What does shipping mean?"
"Like they should be together," Isabella explained.
"Oh, oh. Yes, definitely, it's gonna be a rough night tonight," I said, and leo smacked me again, but this time harder, "you shut up!" he said, pointing at me.
"Okay, okay. Well, I hope you guys are doing well, and I will call you later," I said with a smile, and the two of them nodded.
"We are gonna just do some of Isballa's homework and then probably start making lunch."
"Okay, sounds good, feel free to use the card."
"I know, okay bye domie, love you."
"Love you, daddy."
"I love you both," I said, and just like that, the line went dead.
I felt myself continuing to smile as I stared at the black screen of my phone.
God, I love them. It's just… "helloooo," a loud voice rang. Both Leo and I looked up. Oh, what the fuck.
I watched as Elena sat down directly in front of us, and I sighed. "I see the dogs gone," she said.
"Don't call him that," Leo said.
"Wow, so defensive," Elena said, and her attention turned to me, "how's your bitch?"
"Excuse me?" I asked. God, I really wish that the 'no violence policy' was not real, because some people fucking deserve to get shot.
"We all know Leo is a bitch to that god damn dog, how's your fucking bitch?"
"One Leo's not anyone's bitch, and two do not call Ryder a bitch," I said.
I knew she was just trying to get in my head and get me riled up, and it was very much working. I am fucking livid right now.
"Oh, now we wanna be all big. How's the weight gain treating him?"
I took a deep breath as her evil smile grew wider and wider, "Do you have anything productive you'd like to say, or are we just trying to get under my skin?"
She smiled, "I know you saw her."
I gulped, "Do you have anything productive you have to say, or are we done here?" I repeated the question.
"Up to you if you believe it or not," she said, standing up with a smile. "When you have the chance, meet me at Salted Ember, will you?" and just like that, she got up and left.
I felt myself freeze. Oh, what the fuck. Oh fuck no. Oh my fucking god.
"What is Salted Ember?"
"The restaurant that I proposed to Lova at."
"How what the fuck?" leo said.
"I know," I said, my eyes were wide.
How the fuck did she know that?
How does she know all of this stuff about Lova? Where is she getting this?
I rubbed my temples.
I know I didn't see her earlier, I know that wasn't her. She's gone; she wouldn't go out of her way to come back if she were alive just to mess with me. She just wouldn't.
She didn't care enough.
But how does Elena know all of this?
Stuff that my own best friend, my parents, and my daughter don't even know. Only Lova and I. Where is she getting all of this stuff?
Oh my god, this whole thing is way bigger than I thought.
Way bigger than I have ever imagined.
It's way more than just meaningless threats and weird sayings.
This woman is genuinely out for my blood; she is out for my head. And she is going to stop at nothing to get that. She has nothing holding her back, just like matteo did, but he, in the end, had something, someone. But I…I don't think she does. And that's the scariest part about all of this.
My life is not the only one on the line. She is going to stop at nobody; she won't even stop when we are all dead. That's the worst part.
I sighed.
It's okay. Everything is okay. I don't need to think about any of that shit, just gotta take this one step at a time and keep my head up. Just paying attention and keeping the people I love safe, that's all I can really do.