Chapter 201 Pout
Dakota's P.O.V.
"How are Uncle Yorkie and Corrine?" I ask my mom on the phone. Xavier and Sarah went back to Lydia's to wait for the explosive to be delivered, then disassemble it. Xavier assured me he knew what to do.
"They're still shaken. How are you guys doing there?" she asks. I look at Enzo and Ari sitting on the couch in my office, reading a book, and I smile.
"We're hanging in there. We have a plan." I quickly tell her everything that has happened since we've been home and what we're going to do tomorrow.
"I trust you, Dakota, but I'm still scared something is going to go wrong. Whatever you do, be careful. Do you want us there too?" she asks. Sometimes, I get a little choked up talking to my parents, and I wish things were as simple as they were when I was little.
"I don't want you, Dad, Uncle Yorkie, or Corrine anywhere near Zakhar's tomorrow. I didn't want any of the kids there either, but they outnumbered me." My mom starts laughing.
"That's because they all look up to you. Every one of the kids wants to be like you, Dakota." I lean back in my chair and smile.
"Thanks, Mom. Do you ever wish that I were still a little kid?" I ask as I look out the window and think about my old room at my parents' house. They had redecorated it for me when my mom and I moved in with my dad. I loved that room, and sometimes I want to go back home, curl up on the bed, and get lost in my fairytales again.
"Every day, sweetheart. I know you're grown now, but don't forget you'll always be our little girl, and when you need a break, you can come home." I wipe away a tear that runs down my cheek.
"I love you, Mom."
"I love you too." Just as I disconnect the call, my phone begins ringing.
"Hello?"
"It's Sarah. We have the package. Myra delivered it herself this time. We tried to follow her but didn't want her to see us, so we unfortunately lost her. We're taking the explosive somewhere remote so Xavier can disassemble it." I'm so scared something is going to go wrong.
"Okay, but please tell him to be careful. If he's not confident he can do it, then tell him not to try." I would never be able to live with myself if Xavier or Sarah got hurt.
"I will. I'll call you when we're done." Sarah disconnects, and I put my face in my hands.
"Are you okay?" Ari asks.
"Sarah and Xavier picked up the package from Lydia's apartment. Myra dropped it off herself, and they tried to follow her, but she lost them. Now they're on their way to destroy the package," I reply. I walk over to the couch, sit beside Ari, and pull Enzo across my lap. Cuddling with them is exactly what I need.
"Xavier's smart. If there's any chance he can't do it or he's scared it will hurt Sarah, he won't mess with it. That's too bad they couldn't follow Myra, though. It would have been nice to catch her tonight when she least expects it." Ari kisses my head, and Enzo kisses my cheek. He mimics almost everything Ari and I do. I think it's cute as hell.
"You need to get ready for bed," I tell Enzo. Valentina tried a few times, and he told her we were busy with the family business. I promised her I would put him to bed before it got too late.
"Can I wait just until Sarah calls back?" I can see the pout coming, so I quickly shut my eyes before he talks me into staying up all night. Yes, he has done it before, and I paid for it the next day.
"You can stay up until Sarah calls; after that, it's straight to bed. Deal?" I ask without opening my eyes. Enzo giggles and kisses my cheek again.
"Deal." I open my eyes slowly while he and Ari laugh.
"You may laugh, but that pout is lethal," I tell Ari as my phone rings.
"Hello?" It's Sarah, so I put the phone on speaker.
"It's done. Xavier said it was a fairly simple setup and deactivated it within a few minutes. He has separated the components to make them safe. We're going to dispose of everything now." I sigh with relief.
"Thank goodness. I was so scared something was going to go wrong," I reply.
"We're all good. We'll be home soon. Love you, sis." Sarah has called me 'sis' since she was a little girl.
"Love you too." I lay the phone down and look at Enzo.
"Okay, mister, it's time for bed," I tell him.
"Will you read me a story?" he asks as we all stand. I look at Ari, and he puts his arm around my shoulders.
"Of course we will," Ari replies. We quickly bathe Enzo and lay him between us in his bed. Before I even finish two pages of his book, he is sound asleep.
"Do you ever think about the future and when we have kids?" Ari whispers as we watch Enzo sleep.
"I have a few times. How about you?" He smiles and puts his hand on my cheek.
"All the time. You are going to be an incredible mother." I lean over Enzo and kiss Ari.
"Let's go to bed. We need to get some baby-making practice in."