Chapter 272 Handcuffed
Dakota's P.O.V.
I pull out my knife as we walk into Uncle Kozy's house. We sneak inside, and just as we reach the kitchen, Uncle Kozy comes in through the side door.
"Dakota? What's going on? Why do you all have your weapons out?" I can't speak at first as my heart slows down.
"Why didn't you answer when we called? We called you Gillian, Felix, and Lydia." I slide my knife back into its sheath, and Uncle Kozy smiles.
"We were out back in the pool. Sorry. What's going on?" he asks. I quickly tell him about Nikolas and Raul.
"So everyone is accounted for. Then you're right. He's playing you. We are all fine, but he knew you'd want to see for yourself. Go give him the Kondrati send-off into hell." Uncle Kozy hugs me.
"Call my mom and let her know you're alright," I tell him before we leave. I am so angry that I feel like ripping Nikolas' hair out by the handfuls. My family is safe, and that's what matters. When we reach the compound, we head straight for the negotiation room, and Nikolas laughs. I don't pick up the golf club this time. Instead, I get the metal meat mallet.
"Did you have fun chasing your tails? If it's any consolation, I did try to get to your family, but there was no way to do it without witnesses." I slam the meat mallet into his knee as hard as I can.
"You are a fucking sick asshole, and I'm going to take pleasure in watching you take your last breath." I hit his knee again, and Nikolas screams in pain.
"Why did you do all of this? Rain is your daughter, and you were willing to sacrifice her because of your own greed." I hit his knee again, then the other one.
"I don't care about her. Why should I? A woman can't lead a family; you shouldn't be the boss of the Kondrati family. You are a fake little girl who has everyone thinking you're so tough, but I see the real you, Dakota. You're nothing but a woman pretending to be something that you're not. The sooner you realize that this is a man's job, the better it will be for your whole family." I raise the mallet, but before I can bring it down, Galdino uses a baseball bat to hit Nikolas in the face.
"Dakota isn't a fake. She's stronger and smarter than any boss I have ever met. You are an idiot to think that a woman can't lead. I thought that once, too, until I met Dakota. She opened my eyes to possibilities that I had never dreamed of. All of these people here know that I'm telling the truth. We're loyal to her, not because she's the head of the Kondrati family. We're loyal to her because of who she is. She doesn't pretend to be something she's not; she's real, and that's why people love her. You, on the other hand, are nothing more than an annoying fly." Galdino hits Nikolas again while I smile at what he said. There was a time not long ago when I thought Galdino was going to be my biggest rival. However, he has ended up being my biggest supporter, and I love him.
We each take turns on Nikolas until he's unconscious. I let Xavier and a few of the other men finish him off while Ari and I go into the house to get cleaned up.
"Do you think he's the last one we need to worry about?" I ask Ari as he holds me in his arms while the water rains down on us.
"I hope so,” he says.
“I still want to get Aubrey's dad because he has hurt her too much for me to let it slide. I also want to start working on the rehab facility. Luka and Rain have the plans ready, and we know what permits and everything we need. Let's go see Shannon and Arkadi before it gets too late." We get out of the shower, dry off, and put on our clothes. I tell everyone else to stay at the house because I don't want to overwhelm Shannon or Arkadi with too many visitors. Rain said she will check on Shannon tomorrow since it’s so late.
When we get to the hospital, we go to Arkadi's room first. He had to have surgery and lost a lot of blood, but the doctor says the prognosis looks good. Arkadi is sleeping when we peek in, so we don't go into his room. I know he needs his rest.
We go to Shannon's room next. She had surgery to remove the bullet. Benny is sitting beside her, holding her hand.
"How is she?" I ask as I put my hand on her forehead. She looks really pale, but I'm thankful she's alive.
"It was touch and go for a while. The doctor said that if the bullet had been two inches higher, she would have been killed. Now we're just waiting for her to wake up. Is he dead?" Benny asks.
"Yes," I tell him what Nikolas said and the wild goose chase we went on.
"Do you need anything?" I ask Benny.
"The only thing I need is for her to open her eyes so I can finally tell her I love her. I have been holding off because I didn't want to scare her away, but when I thought I had lost her, I realized that time is precious, and none of us knows how much longer we have. So I'm not going to wait anymore. When I have something to say, I'm going to say it. Oh, and Dakota." I look from Shannon to Benny.
"Yes," I say.
"I love you. Not the way I love Shannon, but I love you like a niece or little sister. You don't realize how many lives you change just by being who you are." I walk around the bed and hug him. These big, strong men are getting sappy. First Galdino and now Benny. What am I going to do with them?
"Thank you, Benny. We're going home, but please call right away if you need anything or if she wakes up. We'll be back in the morning." I hug him again, and he nods.
"Thank you, both of you." He sits back down beside Shannon and takes her hand. Ari and I leave the hospital and head home. Today started out bad, but at least it's ending on a high note. I feel like I can breathe again.
"What's going on now?" Ari asks as we pull up to the compound. There are two police cars, and I recognize the detective from earlier.
"I don't know, let's find out." We get out of the SUV and walk towards the detective. Before either of us can say anything, a female officer grabs my hands and puts them behind my back as she puts handcuffs on me.
"Dakota Kondrati, you are being arrested for the attempted murder of Arkadi Kovalyov."