Chapter 196 Liar
Dakota's P.O.V.
After the police take our statements and those with injuries are either taken to the hospital or treated, most of us go to the compound. I don't want everyone here right now because I'm worried about a traitor among us, but maybe we can sniff them out.
I asked Uncle Yorkie and Corrine if they wanted to stay here for now, but they said they were going to stay with my parents instead. The two of them and my parents are the only ones not here, so they can get settled. I know they didn't have anything to do with Myra, and I trust my parents and siblings. Everyone else is a suspect.
"What are you thinking?" Ari asks as he puts his arms around me from behind.
"I think we have another rat. There is no way Myra knew we would all be together at Uncle Yorkie's house unless someone told her," I tell him softly as I look around the room.
"I was thinking the same thing. What do you want to do?" He kisses my head. I love this man more than anything. I know I'm strong, but he makes me stronger because I know he's got my back no matter what.
"Let's start talking about the explosion and see how people react." We walk over to a chair in the family room, where everyone is gathered. I sit on Ari's lap and look at Galdino. I can tell he already knows what I'm planning, and he nods slightly before whispering to Valentina. She looks at me and nods, too. Enzo runs over and sits on Ari's lap with me.
"How are you feeling?" I ask Enzo as he leans against me.
"I'm okay. That lady isn't going to blow up any other houses, is she?" He looks up at me, and I shake my head.
"No, we won't let her. I just don't understand how she got into Uncle Yorkie's house." I'm speaking to Enzo as I look around the room.
"Me either. My parents don't trust anyone. The contractors even brought their own portable toilet, so they didn't need to use the restroom in the house." I look at Luka, and he winks as he puts his arm around Rain. He knows what I'm doing, too. I look at Tyler, Shea, Xavier, Sarah, Noah, Kylie, Benny, and Shannon. They all know my plan. This is why I surround myself with people like them. They are my allies, and I know they won't betray me. I glance at Gabe, but he's on his laptop. I really like him, but he's not built for this life. I may have to encourage him to leave and keep him out of the family business, but I don't think he would have anything to do with Myra.
"What's going to happen to their house?" Enzo asks.
"They'll have to tear it down and build a new one. The explosion came from inside the house, so it had to be put there by someone. Myra wouldn't have taken the chance to plant it herself. She would have someone else do it," Galdino says. Most of the others agree, but I notice someone won't look at me.
"Why would someone do that? We're a good family," Enzo says.
"Yes, we are, but some people don't like it when others are happy. They like to cause them pain," I reply. Enzo shakes his head as he hugs me.
"What are you going to do when you find them?" Enzo asks. I kiss his head.
"When I get my hands on the person who helped Myra and almost killed our entire family, they are going to wish they were never born." I continue looking at the woman who won't look at me. She looks at her hands and everywhere else but at me. She has a few scratches on her face and a bandage on her head, so she was injured by the blast, too.
"Dakota? Are you okay?" Felix, Kozar's eighteen-year-old son, asks.
"I am seriously not okay. Our family was almost killed. Do you know anything about that, Lydia?" I ask Felix's girlfriend. She and Felix have been seeing each other for a couple of months. I had Noah look into her background, just like I have him do with anyone new who comes around. She grew up in foster care and, after graduating from high school, moved into a small studio apartment. She works two jobs and barely has enough money to make ends meet.
"I...I...don't know." She keeps her head down.
"What do you mean you don't know?" Kozar asks as he stands. His wife, Gillian, looks nervously from me to Lydia. She doesn't like the violence part of the business, but she'd better get over it real quick because this bitch almost killed us.
"I think I'd better go." Lydia stands, but I get off Ari’s lap and stop her before she can take more than two steps.
"I think you'd better stay. What did you do?" I'm several inches shorter than her, but right now, she looks smaller than me. She looks around at everyone as tears fill her eyes.
"I waited until everyone was outside, so no one got killed." She begins crying, but no one moves to console her. Felix walks to my side and crosses his arms.
"Why would you agree to hurt my family?" Felix asks. Lydia covers her face as she cries.
"Are you a bad person?" Enzo asks. I look down at him, and he has his hands on his hips as he tries to glare at Lydia. I love this kid.
"Myra called me a few months ago. She offered me a job and told me I needed to find someone in the Kondrati family to date me. When I looked up your family, I saw Felix was closest to my age, so I made sure I was in the same places he was. I felt bad that I was tricking you because I was falling in love with you, but I knew I didn't have a choice when she told me the truth." She looks at Felix, and unfortunately, I believe her, but that doesn't change anything.
"What do you mean she told you the truth?" I ask. Lydia looks at Ari.
"She told me that she was my birth mother." Ari gasps, and I look between the two of them. They do have similar features. Holy fuck, is Lydia Ari's sister?