Shadows In Durango

*****Vincent's POV*****

Daryl had helped me to clear my head slightly and I was glad I had called him, after telling me to send out a text to my own men who were staying nearby to inform them of the threat. I couldn't think straight, and was irritated that I hadn't thought to even do that sooner. My main priority was getting Sofia back here and even that had been threatened at this point... My men had quickly agreed to take turns watching the building outside to look for anything suspicious until I could sort a trip home for Sofia and I.

Eventually hanging up the call with Daryl in fear that Sofia would be finished in the bath soon, I jam everything back into the white envelope after taking pictures of all of the contents, and leave nothing but the small paper with the phone number in front of me.

She didn't have to see any of this, not after what had happened to her today already... I would handle this as smoothly and as calmly as humanly possible.

Snapped out of my thoughts, I immediately stand from my chair and click to answer the much awaited incoming call from my father.

Finally!

I begin to pace the room, occasionally glancing in the direction of where Sofia currently bathed, hoping that she would be a while longer to allow me the chance to discuss this shit with my father fully.

"What took you so long?! Didn't my mother tell you it was important?!" I snap, not giving him a second to even say hi.

"What?! I haven't even spoken to your mother today!" He defends, as I want to smash the phone against the nearest wall in frustration.

That fucking bitch didn't even go get him for me! For all she knows I was in serious trouble, like I quite literally could be!

"Stop wasting my time and tell me what you called for anyway Vincent?!" He barks down the phone, as I grit my teeth together so hard to compose my boiling anger.

"I'm sending you over some pictures to your phone, go and look at them right now! This is what I came home to tonight under the door! It had Walker on the front so whoever done it is looking for a reaction from either me or you!" I state, placing him on speaker as I forward all of the images I had taken.

I hear him sighing irritatedly as he fumbles around on his end, looking to find whatever I was rambling about as the line grows quiet.

I give him a minute as I assume he was inspecting them, before I hear movement again...

"Who is this bitch to you? Is she important?" He asks, almost causing for me to explode when hearing the word bitch leave his mouth in reference to Sofia.

"Her names Sofia and yes she's important to me! Her father is a pig and is seeming to stop at nothing to find her because she ran away from home. He tried to marry her off to an older guy for money but she's mine now and I've promised to keep her safe!" I admit to him, as the line goes silent before a loud chuckle fills the air.

I pinch the bridge of my nose between my finger and thumb, feeling my body shake with temper at the sound of his amusement...

"Wow, this little thing has turned my boy soft?! Who would have known!" He cackles, as I almost wish that he was in front of me so I could attack him.

"Fuck off!" I spit back, as he continues to find humour in the whole thing.

The fact I was seriously stressed and agitated over this, to have him laughing at my situation after everything I had done to help him had me doing overtime. I hated him.

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"Anyway, who am I to judge you?! I can't wait to meet the girl..." He calms himself, but I can practically feel his smirk through the phone.

"Can you be serious for one fucking second?! You've sent me here to do your dirty work and now I'm being followed! Your stupid building receptionist just let them upstairs and told them our apartment number!" I rage, knowing he of all people should be helping me here.

He seems to think, as I suddenly hear the door unlock from down the hall before Sofia emerges with the iPad in hand.

I try to motion to her that I was on an important call, to which she thankfully seems to understand as she nods and heads for the bedroom - shutting herself in there instead.

"Let me have somebody check up on the phone number they've left. I'll give Chester a call and ask what the fuck he's playing at to test if it's him, if not then maybe he can help since he's big around the city? I'll arrange the jet to take you back tomorrow if you want to leave. Business is settled so you can go home. As for the building staff, I'll be sure to give them a call as well!" He explains his thoughts to which I feel somewhat relieved that he was willing to actually help me this time. Probably because he knows I would flip my shit and refuse to help him again in the future if he doesn't... whether he would admit it or not, he needed me these days to help keep business strong.

"I want to leave tonight. The girl is shaken up." I state bluntly, knowing that Sofia wouldn't feel safe sleeping here tonight after random men had been up at our door.

Hearing him sigh, he quickly cooperates.

"Fine, I'll pay for the jet to return you both tonight. Do you want me to have a background check done on the girl? Make sure that this is nothing to do with her?" He offers, as I think on it.

Do I want my bastard of a father knowing every last detail about Sofia and her life? Did I trust him with that information? But maybe it would help to give us the upper hand when dealing with her father...

"Yeah, find out what you can about her family and send me it. Her name is Sofia Isabella, I can get you her father's name - I'll send it over. None of your games with this, I don't ever ask you for help so I'm trusting you to actually step up here!" I warn, as he laughs slightly and shrugs off my words in his typical way.

He was difficult to deal with but if he was willing to help then all I could do was trust him and hope for the best...

"You have my word. Your mother and I will be back in the next week or so to visit, maybe we can meet this new Sofia then?" He pushes his luck as I roll my eyes.

In his dreams... he would probably attempt to seduce and take her for himself!

"Why don't you just leave my mother behind since she doesn't even care enough to tell you that I called!" I snap, still annoyed that she couldn't do the one thing I had asked of her.

She didn't care about anybody but herself...

"Believe me I wish I could but she's been stuck to my hip ever since you were born! I wish she would fucking file for divorce sometimes, trust me!" He laughs, as I don't find the humour in their train wreck of a relationship. They were both a disaster from day one but my mother knew what she signed up for and allowed far too much to happen over the years that I wouldn't forgive her for either.

She was a bitch.

"I'll text you the name of her father, let me know what time the jet leaves at tonight and if you find out anything, send me it. I need to go now." I finish up the conversation, fed up and drained after speaking to him for so long. "Yeah sure, I will, bye." He all but says, before the line ends and I throw my head back to breathe slowly.

At least I can tell Sofia we are going home tonight, that was a positive outcome from all of this at least, wasn't it?