Chapter 257 Breakfast
Dakota's P.O.V.
I should be surprised that Aubrey's dad hired Russell to kill Grandpa Sandy and come after my family, but nothing surprises me anymore. How could a contract killer have a daughter as sweet as Samantha?
"Where is Russell?" I ask Galdino.
"He's still in the negotiation room. We haven't done anything else to him since you left. Do you want to talk to him again?" he asks.
"Yes, and then I want to pass out." I look at Ari, and he nods in agreement. We go to the negotiation room, and Russell looks at me anxiously. I notice someone put bandages on his hands where his fingers were cut off.
"Sam and Addy are inside the house. They're beautiful. Sam told me what her scumbag ex did to her." He looks relieved as I pull up a chair to sit across from him.
"Why did Edward Channing hire you to kill Santino and come after my family?" Russell looks away and sighs.
"For the record, he hired me to kill Santino, but I couldn't go through with it because Santino was one of the few men who scared me as much as Christov. Edward sent me here today to get his daughter. He said she was being kept here against her will after being severely beaten. I wouldn't have agreed, but Edward said he would kill Sam and Addy if I didn't. I am a low-level criminal compared to the families. A few of them have hired me to steal for them, but Edward is the only one who has ever asked me to kill. I'm not a killer, Miss Kondrati. I just wanted to protect my daughter and granddaughter." I look into his eyes, and I believe him, but I'm too tired to make any life-and-death decisions right now.
"Benny, take him into the house to the room by the back door. Have one man stay in the room with him and two on the outside. I do not want him left alone until I decide what to do with him. Russell, you will be killed on the spot if you try anything. I need to get some rest. We'll talk again in a few hours." I stand up, and Russell looks shocked.
"I thought you were going to kill me," he says.
"I'm going to be honest. You may not live for long, but I need to clear my head." Ari, Galdino, and I leave the negotiation room and go into the house.
"I hate to admit it, but I believe him. He doesn't seem like a criminal mastermind," Galdino says as we go upstairs.
"No, he doesn't, and I'm fond of his daughter and granddaughter. I didn't tell him what happened when we got to their house because I want to do that after I sleep. Goodnight." I kiss Galdino's cheek before Ari, and I head to our bedroom. We strip our clothes off and fall into bed.
I'm having the best dream about Ari and me lying on a beach somewhere without a care in the world. Suddenly, the sky goes black, and I hear someone laughing in the background. I feel uneasy as I open my eyes and sit up. When I look around, I see the sun is up, and Ari is beside me.
"What's wrong?" he asks as he sits up.
"I was dreaming we were on a beach and heard someone laughing. The laugh seemed familiar. It feels like I forgot something that is staring me in the face, but I don't know what it is." I look at my phone, and it's almost ten. I slept longer than I expected.
"Try not to think about it, and maybe your subconscious will figure out what or who it is." He wraps his arms around me, and I lean against him.
"I guess we should get up. When things settle down, can we go somewhere alone, away from everyone and everything?" I ask. He leans down to kiss me, and I want so much more, but we don't have time right now.
"We can go wherever you want." I smile and take a few minutes to enjoy being alone in our own bubble. We get up, take a quick shower, and get dressed. My stomach growls when we get downstairs from the smell of whatever was made for breakfast. I stop and smile when I reach the dining room. Addy and Enzo are sitting beside each other, talking as if they're old friends. Sam is sitting between Rain and Shea, laughing at something one of them said. This is family.
"Well, look who has decided to get up," Sarah says as she and Raul carry food from the kitchen.
"Hey, I was up for almost twenty-four hours. I'm surprised I can even function right now." Sarah winks at me.
"I'm just messing with you. Sit down. Raul and I just made more breakfast casserole and apple cinnamon pancakes. The first batch was gone before it hit the table." Ari and I sit down as she loads up our plates with food.