Chapter 193 Family
Dakota's P.O.V.
No one says anything after I tell the families why I brought them here. I don't speak either as I stare each of them down.
"What gives you the right to tell us what we can and can't do?" Jacoby asks. I cross my arms and glare at him.
"Let me see if I can say this in a way small-minded jackasses will understand. You have all been meeting with the twins and plotting ways to bring down the Kondratis and the Buccheris because you're scared we'll be too powerful if we join forces. Guess what? We're powerful whether we join together or not. Now that Ari and I are getting married, our families will be tied together forever, and there's nothing you can do about it. We don't want a war among the families, but the minute you decided that you were going to play dirty, you brought the war to your own front door. Now I'll ask you again: Are you with us, or are you with them?"
Jacoby steps back and looks around at the other men. All of them are older than me, and they have no women with them. I'm sure they all have a lot to say, but they won't do it with so many people as witnesses. It shows on their faces that they don't appreciate being talked down to by a woman. Galdino's men are standing behind the men facing me, ready to step in if anyone tries anything.
"I never liked Dustin and Colton anyway, so I'll side with you," a man in the back says. More people follow his lead and agree to partner with us.
"What about the rest of you? What's your decision?" I see movement to my left and the glint of metal as a man begins to pull out a gun. I unsheath my knife and toss it at him. My knife sticks him through the hand that he had on the gun.
"You bitch," he yells as one of Galdino's men grabs him.
"What were you planning on doing with that gun?" I ask him. The man scowls and tries to get free.
"Little girl, someone needs to show you that this isn't how you do business." I raise my eyebrows at him.
"Old man, someone needs to show you we're no longer living in the dark ages. You're lucky I didn't stick you in the throat or head; otherwise, you'd be dead right now." I nod at Galdino's man, and he drags the asshole away.
"Does anyone else have anything to say?" I ask, looking around. Tyler hands me my knife; I wipe the blood on my pants leg and stick it in its sheath. The men who hadn't made a decision yet, including Jacoby, agreed to be on our side.
"You can consider this a warning. If any of you go back on your word, you're done. If you leave us alone, we'll leave you alone. I would like us all to be able to work together, eventually. In order for that to happen, you have to stop trying to kill us. If no one has anything else to say, you can leave. Thanks for coming." I don't move as the men begin walking to their vehicles. Koby Gennaro and Barry Endicott hang back and walk over to the front porch once the others are gone.
"Dakota, I wanted to let you know that we heard the twins left the country early this morning. Apparently, there was some heat from the feds on them. They're creatures of habit, though, so I'm sure they'll be back," Koby says.
"Thank you for letting me know. Do you think the others will stay true to their word?" I ask them.
"They will for now, but I don't know about the long term. We'll let you know if we hear anyone changing their minds. We both had a lot of respect for your grandfather, and we have a lot of respect for you as well. It takes balls to do what you did today, so many of them will see you're not a woman to be messed with." I smile at Barry.
"Thank you both for being honest." A few minutes later, they leave, and we head to our vehicles.
"You did great, but you scared me a little," my mom says, putting her arm around me.
"Why did I scare you?" She kisses my head and smiles.
"You sounded a lot like your grandpa when you were speaking to those men. I almost wanted to speak up and say I'm on your side. I never wanted to believe that this is the life you would live, but he said you were born for it, and he was right. I know it won't be easy, and you'll have to make some questionable decisions, but I know you'll do what's right. Just remember, no matter how powerful you get, you'll always be our little girl, and you're never too old to come home when you need a break." I hug her and my dad. Sometimes, it's good to forget about all my responsibilities for a while and just be their daughter again.
"I love you guys." They kiss my forehead and get into their car with my siblings. Everyone had decided to return home if the meeting went well. I'm a little bummed because I liked having them all there, but I know they can't stay forever. Sarah walks over and hugs me.
"You know this is only the beginning, don't you?" she asks.
"Yes. We're only getting started with everything we need to accomplish. Hopefully, we can focus on the family business now and not all the chaos." When we return to the house, everyone wants to watch a movie in the theater room. We all put on our pajamas and grab blankets and pillows. Benny and Shannon make popcorn in the large popcorn maker while Sarah and Xavier make hot cocoa. We let Enzo pick the first movie, and he wants to watch The Lion King.
As I look around the room, my heart feels like it's going to explode with happiness. Life brought us all together and made us a family. Hearing Rain, Shannon, and Kylie laughing while sitting with Luka, Benny, and Noah causes tears to run down my cheeks. This is what I want to do. I want to make a difference in people's lives. Once everything settles down, we need to do some restructuring. It's time the Kondrati name puts fear into our enemies while warming the hearts of those we help. I'm Dakota Kondrati, and Grandpa Chrissy said I was going to change the world. Now, it's time for me to do it.