Chapter 97 Business
Tyler's P.O.V.
"Oh, I remember you. You're the one who tried to sleep with Luka because you thought that would get you information about our family." I remove Aubrey's hand from my groin. Despite being mad about Dakota and Ari, I won't jeopardize our family.
"You just returned from the military, and a little birdie told me you have the hots for Dakota. However, it's too bad for you that she's already sleeping with Ari. I want Ari back, and you want Dakota. Why don't we help each other?" I don't trust her, so I don't know why I'm not kicking her out of the car. I do want Dakota, but at what cost?
"Exactly what are you planning to do?" She smiles, and it makes me uncomfortable.
"I just need to know you're willing to work with me. I wouldn't want your balls to turn blue while you wait for Dakota. If you need me to take care of them in the meantime, I'm willing to do that, too." Aubrey attempts to grope me, but I shove her hand away. Now that I realize I'm talking to the whore of the families, I don't want her touching me.
"I'm not promising anything, but I'll hear you out when you have a plan. Now get out of my car." Aubrey smiles and hands me a card with her phone number on it. When she gets out of the car, she turns to me and leans so far forward that her breasts almost come out of her tight shirt.
"Who told you about my feelings for Dakota?" Only a few people know, and they're back at the house.
"I don't give away my sources. Are you sure you don't want me to take care of you? You don't know what you're missing. The families don't keep me around for nothing." She says with a smirk.
"They only keep you around to use you. They'll throw you away like rotten fish when you're no longer needed." She slams the door, and I take off down the street, laughing. Now I need to decide what to do. The right thing would be to tell Dakota what Aubrey is up to. However, the part of me that wants Dakota wants me to lie low and see what Aubrey has planned. Maybe driving will clear my head so I can make up my mind.
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Dakota's P.O.V.
I have the books open and everything ready for when my uncles arrive. Uncle Yorkie comes first, and I'm glad. I want to see if he knows what's going on with Luka. His name is actually Yurkov, but I have always called him Yorkie. He walks into the office, gives me a hug and a kiss.
"How are you doing, shortie?" He's lucky I love him. No one gets away with calling me shortie. He has blonde hair and blue eyes like my mom and his brothers, except Kozar, who has dark brown hair and brown eyes.
"I'm okay. Before the others arrive, I want to talk to you about something." I sit behind the desk, and he sits across from me.
"Okay, shoot." He puts his hands behind his head and waits.
"Have you noticed anything different about Luka lately?" I ask carefully. He looks confused.
"No, but I haven't seen much of him since you moved in here and kicked us out." My mouth falls open, and he starts laughing.
"I didn't kick you out," I tell him.
"I know. I'm just messing with you. We were glad to get out and have our own lives away from the compound. I see why Kozar never wanted to live here. How has Luka been acting?" he asks.
"I don't know. He's just not himself. He seems angry a lot, and we go days without seeing him. When we ask him about it, he gets even more hostile. I was hoping you knew something. I don't like seeing him like this." Uncle Yorkie reaches over and pats my hand.
"I'll talk to him." I smile and nod as Kozar, Victor, Yegor, and Zakhar walk in. I hug and kiss them before returning to my seat behind the desk.
"Thank you all for meeting with me. I want to review all our businesses and how they're doing. Please don't leave anything out. I'm not a naïve little girl anymore. I know not all of them are clean. Grandpa tried to keep some things from me, he said, for my protection, but I'm all grown up now." I swear, if they start laughing, I will take them all to the negotiation room. I know what happens in the room and have kept it just the way it was when Grandpa was alive. Who knows, maybe one day it will be needed. They don’t laugh, they just smile, and that makes me sit up a little taller.
"We're proud of you, Dakota. You have become the woman we all knew you would be when we first met you. You may have only been four at the time, but even then, you were the boss." Uncle Vicki says.
"Thank you." They pull out their files, and we begin going through each one. Our legitimate businesses include a bar, an accounting firm, and several restaurants around New York. Our other businesses include gun and alcohol sales. Our family has never touched drugs or human trafficking like some of the other families. I was opposed to guns, but there are some things I have learned to overlook for now. When we're finally done, I sit back and look at the clock. It's almost twelve-thirty. I miss Ari. He's with Sarah, hiding in the kitchen. I don't want my uncles to see him yet, and they have no reason to go to the kitchen for anything.
"Can you email me copies of everything? Also, I want to have a family dinner this weekend. Can you all come?" They all agree to email me their records and come to the family dinner. When I get to the kitchen, I find Ari, Noah, and Sarah talking. Ari's face lights up when he sees me, and my heart races. That's love.