Snakes In The Grass

15

There were a few things I was tempted to take but knew better than to take them.

"Look at how cute my niece is!" Lissa squealed, coming into my bedroom. I turned and smiled at her dressed in her little plaid dress. The story we had told Lissa was that we were going to take Briar to get some professional photos done, so Lissa came over to help me pick the best outfit for her.

"I cannot wait to see these pictures!" Lissa squealed as I got Briar into her car seat, buckling her in. Lissa had helped me pack up her diaper bag and brought it down. I smiled at her as she set it down beside me, pulling something out of the bag.

"Oh! You don't want to forget this!" Lissa squealed, tucking Stitch into the car seat.

"What?"

Lissa raised her brows and smiled. "Oh come on! I mean, she looks adorable cuddled with it! It's not like she'll ruin it," she explained, "I'm planning on buying her one of her own soon. We will fill that nursery with all the Stitches she can handle."

I chuckled and accepted her hug and rested my head on her shoulder. I was grateful that the bond was one-sided right now. If only she knew the quilt I felt right now.

"I'll see you tomorrow," I said with a smile as I pulled back.

"See you tomorrow! I can't wait for our lunch! I have some exciting things to tell you!" Lissa said as she picked up her purse and slipped out. I waited a few moments and let out a shaky breath, a small sob breaking through too. I covered my face with my hands and let a few tears pass before clearing my throat and wiping my face.

I looked at Dimitri as he stood in the archway between the hall and kitchen, a solum look on his face.

"I hate knowing that we're going to hurt our family," I whispered and sniffed.

"Me too. But I won't let anything happen to you or Briar," Dimitri said coming towards me and kissing my head. I nodded and leaned into him, wrapping my arm around his waist.

"Do you have the documents Abe got us?"

"No, he will give them to us when we get there," Dimitri said and looked down at Briar, running his finger over the stuffed animal.

"At least we are able to bring this. Lissa fixed that for us," he said and I chuckled wetly, wiping my face one last time and clearing my throat. I took a moment to compose myself. Dimitri rested his hands on my waist and pressed his lips together.

"Are you ready?"

"No. But let's go," I said quietly, picking up the diaper bag.

__________________________

We drove for an hour before pulling into a parking lot, the sun was starting to rise into the sky. I rubbed my eyes and spotted two other cars waiting in the lot. It seemed like the building hadn't been used in years, abandoned and condemned.

I got out of the car and took Briar out too, holding her carrier against my hip as we walked to the waiting vehicles. The driver got out of the black SUV and opened the backseat door, a car seat base already installed. I set the carrier into the base and got into the front seat while Dimitri got into the driver's side. Abe got out of the other car and walked over to us, an envelope in his hands. I rolled my window down and gave him a tight-lipped smile.

"ID, passports, socials, birth certificates, and three bank accounts," Abe said as he handed the envelope to me. I nodded and opened it, pulling out the documentation.

"Dmitri Pavlov and Rosheen Frasier?"

"Dimitri's accent would give him away if he had an American accent. Rosheen is Gaelic for Rose and somewhere in your mother's history, you are connected to the Frasier clan or Campbell. I can't remember which," Abe explained and I nodded, pulling out another document.