Chapter 198 Rats Continued
Ari's P.O.V.
"We can hold the meeting at our house," Zakhar says. His wife, Amanda, nods in agreement.
"Your house is isolated and in a central location, but I don't want to put a target on you and your family," Dakota says.
"Let us do our part. We trust you, Dakota, and we know you'll make sure we're safe," Amanda says. Dakota hugs them and kisses their cheeks.
"Okay, we'll do it at your house, but I don't want to tell her yet. We need to set it all up with our best security. Galdino, can you have your men ready to go? Once Xavier returns, I'll have him prepare our men. If she's planning another explosion, she will want to be there to witness it." The way Dakota's mind works fascinates me.
"Benny and I will have them ready," my dad says.
"Let's set it up for tomorrow, but I don't want Myra to know until morning, and I don't want any kids there." Several of Dakota's cousins begin complaining about being old enough to help, and Enzo takes her hand.
"What about me? I need to stay with you, or I might not be safe," he says, looking at her with the pout she had taught him. I watch her struggle to resist it, and then she groans.
"Fine. I will let everyone's parents decide who can be there. Why on earth did I teach you how to do that?" Dakota asks Enzo as he laughs.
"Can I see your phone?" Dakota asks Lydia while holding her hand out. Lydia unlocks the phone and hands it to her.
"We found an independent lab that will send someone here to get samples from Ari and Lydia. They said they'll be here in an hour, and we'll have the results within two days," Kylie says, as she and Noah return to the family room.
"Good," Dakota replies as she looks through Lydia's phone. She frowns and then looks at Lydia.
"Whether Myra is telling you the truth or not, I'm very sorry for what she manipulated you into doing. Can I keep this for now?" Dakota holds up Lydia's phone.
"Yes. I'm sorry I let her get to me. Even if she is my birth mother, I should have never listened to her. I just wanted to find out where I came from." A tear runs down Lydia's cheek, and she quickly wipes it away. Dakota's phone suddenly rings, and she pulls it out of her pocket.
"Hello?" she answers. She looks angry and then disappointed.
"What? Are you sure? Okay, thank you. Get back here as soon as possible." Dakota puts the phone in her pocket and looks at me. I walk over to her and take her hand. Whatever she just heard upset her, and she needs me.
"Who was that?" I ask her.
"It was Sarah. Lydia, how did you get the explosive for Yurkov's house?" she asks.
"It was left outside my apartment door," Lydia replies.
"Did you know Myra had cameras hidden in your apartment and one at your door?" Dakota asks her.
"No, I had no idea," Lydia says softly, her eyes widening in surprise. I believe her.
"They aren't top of the line because you have to physically remove the SD cards from the cameras to get the images. Xavier removed them and downloaded the images. He was able to pull the image of the person who dropped off the explosive. It looks like we have another rat in our nest," Dakota says.
"Who's the rat?" Enzo asks. Dakota looks toward the other side of the room, and I have to say this rat isn't as big a surprise. It looks like the negotiation room will be needed today after all.