Chapter 67 Tying Up Loose Ends
Anushka's P.O.V.
As we all sit in the living room, no one says anything for the first few minutes. I can tell Santino isn't quite sure how to take me. He was in love with my mom, and I look like her, but I'm not her. We make some small talk while we wait for dinner. Bobby, Gavin, Courtney, Sarah, and Tyler are eating with us. I insisted that they all stay. Dakota keeps her eyes on Santino, and as everyone begins to eat, she turns to him.
"Why don't you like my Grandpa Chrissy?" she asks, narrowing her eyes at him.
"Grandpa Chrissy? Who's that?" I believe he knows exactly who she's talking about, but he doesn't want to answer.
"Grandpa Chistov." We all look at her in surprise.
"I thought you couldn't say his name," Jordan says. Dakota giggles and shrugs her little shoulders.
"I just like to give people nicknames." She turns back to Santino and stares him down, waiting for an answer.
"Why do you think I don't like him?" He asks while taking a bite of his salmon. Jordan and I told Courtney how much we love salmon, so she’s been trying different recipes on us.
"Your eyes look mad when we talk about him." Santino drops his fork onto the plate and shakes his head.
"How did you learn to read people so well? I have a grandson who is a little older than you, and he's nothing like you." He smiles at her while Dakota looks confused.
"I don't read people. I read books. I like to look into people's eyes because I can see if they're mean, nice, happy, sad, or mad. You are nice, but sometimes you look mad." Santino stares at her and chuckles.
"Your grandpa and I aren't friends, so sometimes we don't get along." I appreciate that he didn't go into detail with Dakota. She doesn't need to know everything, despite what she thinks.
"Do you need to have a discussion?" she asks. I think she and Santino have pretty much forgotten the rest of us are here.
"What kind of discussion?" he asks her.
"My teacher says when people don't get along, they need to have a discussion," she replies.
"Are you in college? I'm pretty sure you're smarter than most people there." He tries not to answer her again, but Dakota isn't having it.
"I go to preschool. Do you need to have a discussion with Grandpa Chrissy?" Everyone goes quiet, waiting for his answer. Two mob bosses who don’t like each other sitting together having a discussion. I can only imagine how that would go. He suddenly smiles and reaches over to pat her hand.
"You know what? For you, I may have a discussion with him." My mouth falls open, and Santino winks at me. "I think Christov needs to use Dakota for all his negotiations."
The rest of the dinner was uneventful, and Santino left after promising to keep in touch and promising Dakota he would have a discussion with her grandpa. I kicked Gavin out when Santino left because I could tell how anxious he was to go downstairs. I texted my dad to let him know Santino was gone and we were fine, so they could go home.
Dakota helped Courtney put Sarah and Tyler to bed like she does every night. She is going to be an incredible mom one day. When Jordan and I finally go to bed, I'm exhausted. I'm still sleeping in the hospital bed, but he sleeps with me. I fall asleep with a smile on my face. It's been a while since I've had so much to be thankful for.
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Harrison's P.O.V.
I'm lying on my bunk, thinking of all the ways I want to kill Anushka and Jordan when the cell door opens. I'm assuming the guards are bringing me a cellmate. I turn over when I don't hear anything, and two inmates are standing next to me.
"What the fuck do you want?" I recognize them as members of the Russian mob. Everyone knows the men who are connected because they stick together.
"We have a message for you from Christov Kondrati." My blood runs cold. I've never met anyone from the Kondrati family, but I know they're the biggest mob family in the area.
"What message? I don't know him." One of the men grabs me by the hair and forces me to stand. Another gets behind me and puts his arm around my neck, pushing on my throat, so I have trouble breathing.
"He knows what you did to his daughter Anushka. Anyone who threatens his family gets a one-way ticket to hell." Anushka is his daughter? I know he's going to snap my neck, and I know there's nothing I can do about it. If I had known who her real dad was, I would have never done what I did.
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Cora's P.O.V.
I didn't know what to do after I was threatened by those men. Trystan wouldn't be any help because I'm not allowed to have anyone go after Jordan or the blonde bitch. I needed money and a way out. So, I did what I always do. I used manipulation.
I called the father of the thing in my stomach and made him a deal. If he and his wife adopted his son and paid me to go away, I wouldn't go to the news stations and let them know that the senator who is up for re-election knocked me up. I also had pictures of all the kinky things he liked to do.
Luckily, his wife was never able to have kids, so when he told her that a woman in one of his donors' offices was pregnant and didn't want the baby, she jumped at the chance to adopt the baby. In a few months, this thing will be out of me, and I'll be long gone. It's time to start over somewhere fresh with lots of unsuspecting rich men who need a woman to spoil.