The Art of Discipline: Running Toward Trouble (The Mockingbird Chronicles)

by Stardawn Cabot

  Yawning, Emma covered her mouth with her hand before rolling back over to face her partner. She kissed Dani’s cheek one last time before finally closing her eyes and allowing sleep to claim her.

  * * *

  “Zia Toni?” Dani asked, looking around the kitchen counter full of grocery bags. “Where’s my diet soda?”

  Toni huffed as she looked up from the bag she was emptying and produced a liter of the requested beverage. “I got you this. Nobody needs to drink a case of that stuff, Dani.”

  “But I’ll get headaches,” Dani protested as Emma joined them from the bedroom.

  “Why will you get headaches?” Emma asked, rubbing her hand through her hair and yawning.

  “Because Zia Toni only got me one liter of soda.”

  “Ah,” Emma nodded as she walked to Dani and hugged her. “We’ll work something out, don’t worry,” she said as she helped pull the remainder of the items from the bag.

  “Zia Toni?”

  “Yes, Dani?” Toni returned, figuring she knew what the next question would be.

  “Where are the chips and chocolate?”

  Toni walked over to her goddaughter and put her hands on her shoulders. “At the store, where they will stay. You don’t need that junk, Dani. I put raw veggies in the fridge along with some string cheese and a few better options for snacks in the cupboards.”

  “I like my chips,” Dani whined.

  “And I like my kids healthy. No more discussion, Danielle,” Toni finished.

  Looking surprised, Dani took a step back. Toni had never called her Danielle before. It put her a little on edge, but she quickly decided to figure a way around her godmother’s rules before the day was out. “Okay, Zia Toni,” Dani responded, relieved when her godmother let go of her shoulders and gave her a kiss on the cheek before doing the same to Emma and returning to the main house.

  After Toni left, the day continued to drag by. Toni’s reaction to Dani’s grocery list only seemed to further Dani’s darkening mood. It was bad enough being grounded, but to not even have her basic comforts was too much. She’d been working on a plan all day, but between Emma’s constant vigilance and her other limitations, she’d hit a brick wall. As a result, she’d been reduced to whining and complaining.

  “Emma, can’t I go for a run?” Dani asked for the fourth time in twenty minutes.

  “No, Danielle, you cannot go for a run, you can’t go out to get a caffeine explosion soda, and you cannot get out of your spanking today.”

  “It’s not fair!” Dani whined, throwing herself into an overstuffed reading chair. “I’m bored, Emma.” She looked out the window and watched as a squirrel scurried up the tree. “I can’t even work,” she whined.

  Emma looked up over the cover of her book. “I am aware of the limitations, Danielle; however, I would suggest you find something to do before I find an activity you may not enjoy.”

  “But why can’t I work, Emma?” she continued.

  Sighing, Emma put her book down and faced her girlfriend. “You don’t have any work to do right now, Dani.”

  “Damn Morgan and the gang have almost completely shut me out,” Dani mumbled. “I’m the boss, damn it, and I can’t even go down there to kick their asses.”

  “You aren’t going to be the one doing the ass kicking if you don’t stop whining, Danielle,” Emma threatened.

  Dani frowned. “Maybe you could entertain me,” she tried.

  “What would you have me do, Danielle?” Emma said, putting her book down again. “Juggle? Breakdance?”

  “Can you do either of those things?” Dani asked, a little too interested.

  Emma rolled her eyes. “No, I was being sarcastic.”

  “Oh, I can juggle,” Dani replied quietly. “I’m also rather flexible.”

  “Well, I knew that,” Emma smirked. “I suppose if you wanted to show me one of your tricks, least I could do is watch.”

  “Wanna go up to the bedroom?”

  “Bedroom? I think I saw a lock on the study door.”

  “The study, huh?” Dani mused. “There is a sofa in there.”

  “Among other things,” Emma teased.

  “Oh,” Dani grinned. “The study it is.”

  * * *

  Four days had passed, bringing a new week, the end of the daily spankings, and Dani desperate for some diet soda and junk food. Her godmother had made it perfectly clear that she would buy no more than one liter of soda a week, and chips and other junk were forbidden to enter the grounds.

  Opening the door of the carriage house, Dani yelled to Giuliana. Smiling as the girl came over, she left the door open and shivered as the fall air hit her.

  “What do you need, Dani?” Giuliana asked.

  “Are you heading to school?”

  “No, I’m going to my office job at the Tribune.” Giuliana rolled her eyes. “Yes, I’m going to school.”

  Dani placed a wad of cash in her hands along with a sheet of paper. “Do you think you could stop at the store for me and bring me a few things without letting your mom know?”

  Giuliana looked at the list and whistled. “This is major contraband around here, Dani.” She then looked at the cash in her hand. “However, I can overlook that when I’m so well paid. I’ll meet you back here at 4:30 today with the goods.”

  Sighing in relief, Dani pulled the girl into a hug. “Thanks, kiddo, and just so you know, I’d be happy to help you with your math.”

  Giuliana grinned. “I’d like that; better get going before I’m late.”

  The day seemed to drag by. Dani was hovering next to the window and whooped with joy when she saw Giuliana approach. Opening the door, she invited the girl in and took a large sports bag from her.

  “You are so lucky my gym clothes needed washing. That’s the only way I managed to transport your soda.” Opening the bag, she pulled out twelve loose cans. “I can’t carry any more than this. I’ll bring you more later in the week.”

  After pulling Giuliana into a hug, Dani immediately placed the cans in the refrigerator. “Thank you so much, Giuliana, you’re a lifesaver.”

  Laughing, the girl pulled out two bags of chips, a sack of mini chocolate bars, and a large bag of soft nut cookies. “I had to leave a couple of my books in my locker, so I had enough room in my bag.”

  Smiling, Dani opened a cupboard next to the oven and placed the new snacks on the shelf. “Wait until I tell Emma that I got her favorite vice.”

  “I figured her favorite vice was you,” Giuliana quipped, throwing herself on the couch.

  “Ha, ha,” Dani said as Emma joined them, another book in her hand plucked from the small study.

  “Hey, Giuliana, I didn’t hear you come in,” Emma said, sitting down.

  “Well, I was on a mission. By the way, I should warn you, tonight’s meal is an experiment; some new way to make meatloaf. If it’s a bust, I’ll go in with you on a pizza.”

  “Sounds good, but how will we get a pizza?” Dani asked.

  Giuliana smirked. “I have my ways. I’ve been doing this for years; you, my dear cousin, have just begun.” Grabbing her bag, the girl waved and headed toward the main house, leaving a very interested Dani in her wake.

  “Don’t even think about it, Danielle Ryan,” Emma warned.

  “Think about what?”

  “Whatever it is you are thinking. I know that look and it always means trouble.”

  * * *

  Emma opened the door, inviting the teen in. “Oh, thank goodness, we’re starving.”

  Putting the pizza boxes on the counter, Giuliana took off her jacket and gloves. “One extra-large cheese with veggies, and one sausage and mushroom,” she announced as Dani entered the room.

  Taking a slice of pizza, Dani pulled a diet soda from the refrigerator and grinned. “I think I’ve died and gone to heaven. You are a lifesaver, Giuliana,” she said again, opening the soda and taking a rather large drink. “Nothing better than pizza and soda.”

  They had ju
st gotten settled and put a movie in the player when Giuliana pulled out her phone. “Shit,” Giuliana jumped up. “Quick, Ma is on her way down,” she hastily explained. Then with obvious practice, she grabbed the pizza boxes, running up the stairs, and coming back down a few moments later empty-handed.

  “Don’t just stand there,” she chastised, snatching the half-full can of soda from Dani. “Emma, get the veggies and dip out of the fridge. Dani, popcorn!” she instructed as she grabbed the two other soda cans and ran into the study and once again returned with nothing.

  Emma shook her head, but complied, finding the veggies and three bottled waters before placing them on the table in front of her. “I never thought I’d have to hide a pizza at my age,” she mumbled.

  “Trust me, hiding it is safer all the way around.”

  They had just managed to make it back to the sofa when a soft knock sounded. “It’s open,” Dani yelled, not surprised when Toni walked in, her eyes immediately focusing on the snacks laid out on the coffee table.

  “Hey, Zia Toni,” Dani greeted. “We just started a movie. It’s okay if Giuliana stays, isn’t it?”

  Toni sat down and scanned the room. “I suppose, as long as her homework is done,” she asked, looking at her daughter.

  “It is, Ma. Dani helped me with my math.”

  Toni smiled. “Good. Bed no later than eleven,” she instructed.

  “Okay, Ma,” Giuliana agreed.

  Toni sniffed the air for a moment. “What is that smell?”

  Emma grimaced. “Dani burnt some popcorn. Leaves an awful smell, doesn’t it?” She wrinkled her nose at the stench.

  Toni nodded and stood. “Well, I’ll get back to the house, and Dani, I suggest you lock this door. You don’t want to be in trouble with your zio,” she warned.

  “Yes, ma’am,” Dani answered, escorting her godmother to the door and locking it behind her.

  Turning, Dani found Emma taking the smoking bag of popcorn from the microwave. “I can’t believe you can’t even pop popcorn; all you have to do is hit the button that says popcorn. Is it really that hard?”

  “There is the reason why I buy the bags already popped. It’s not just for the candy or cheese covering,” Dani deadpanned, causing both Emma and Giuliana to giggle.

  “I’ll go get the pizza, and I need to make sure to take two slices back to the house,” Giuliana informed them. Getting a puzzled look, she held up her cell. “Pop didn’t care much for dinner either. It’s his price for the warning.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Dani and Emma had enjoyed their daily walk around the grounds. The fall colors were bright and the sun was still shining. The temperature, though dropping, was still pleasant and Dani couldn’t believe a week had passed since the shooting. Frankie had told them they were no closer to finding Sampson, but that he’d gotten some inside information and would continue his search.

  Entering the carriage house, both women stopped to find four cans of soda, as well as the remaining bag of chips and half-eaten package of cookies on the counter. Toni was sitting in an overstuffed chair, facing the door.

  “What are you doing?” Dani asked, her eyes narrowing dangerously at her godmother.

  Toni tapped her fingers impatiently on the arm of the leather chair. “I was restocking your cupboards and I found a number of things that I know I didn’t buy. Putting aside for a moment that I have no idea where these things came from, I believe that I remember telling you that you didn’t need all this junk food.”

  Dani took an angry step toward her. “How dare you…” She trailed off as Emma placed a restraining hand on her arm. Looking back at Emma, Dani’s eyes were pleading. “She can’t, she just…” Dani broke off again.

  “Danielle,” Emma’s voice was firm as she turned Dani toward her. “Listen to me. I want you to go upstairs, close the bedroom door, and wait for me, okay?”

  “But, Emma,” Dani protested.

  “Danielle, I promise you, I won’t let her take it away.”

  Dani shifted nervously, her lip suddenly quivering. Finally, with a nod, Dani whispered, “I trust you, Emma.”

  “Good girl,” Emma whispered back, standing on her tiptoes so she could place a kiss on Dani’s forehead. “Now all the way up, and close the door.”

  Dani nodded, leaving to follow Emma’s instructions.

  Turning back to Toni, Emma ignored the surprised look and sat down on the sofa across from her.

  “What was that all about?”

  Emma sighed, wondering how much she should tell Dani’s godmother. “Dani has issues with food. It’s hard to explain. I don’t even understand all of it, yet. But we are making progress and you are hampering it by giving her grief about it.”

  “I don’t understand. What do you mean?” Toni, now concerned, leaned in closer to Emma.

  “I’ve only known Dani a few months, but in that short time she’s made huge progress. When we met, she was drinking cases of soda a day and eating nothing but junk and fast food. I’ve been able to get that down to a tolerable level, but it’s been a long road, and one that she slips on often.”

  “I don’t believe it. If what you say is true, how does she stay so fit?”

  “That, Zia Toni, is the eighth wonder of the world. She runs, that helps. She also fasts and then binges, so it’s not like she’s eating constantly all day. Little things like adopting diet soda over regular, I imagine also helps.”

  “So, you think you’re benefiting her by giving her what she wants?” Toni frowned. “Just because she looks healthy on the outside, doesn’t mean she’s not having problems inside.”

  “Oh, I couldn’t agree with you more. I love her, and I want her to live a long and healthy life. That’s why she has limits now. She has rules, and boundaries, and will even eat a vegetable now and again,” Emma smiled. “There are also consequences if she breaks them.”

  “Consequences? Ah, perhaps that is why she is always squirming at my dinner table.” Toni’s eyes sparkled.

  Emma’s face remained stoic. “That’s between me and her, and I hope you can respect us enough to leave it that way.”

  Toni nodded. “Of course, piccolina. I understand. There is balance to every relationship. Dani says that you love her, and she loves you. This is enough for me. But if you ever hurt her…” Toni’s tone was clear, and Emma held up her hands defensively.

  “Never. I swear.” Getting an affirming nod from the older woman, Emma returned to the original topic. “I want to apologize for hiding the food and soda from you, Zia Toni. I know it looks like we were trying to circumvent your rules, but really, it’s for Dani’s own good. All I ask is for you to let me continue to handle Dani and her food issues, because if you force this, you’ll be doing more damage than good.”

  Toni was quiet for a moment, seemingly considering Emma’s words. “I think we can compromise on this, yes? Here in your space, I will not interfere. I will buy what you want on your lists. In my home, however, you will both eat and drink what I serve to you.”

  Emma smiled. “I think that’s more than fair. Thank you, Zia Toni.” Emma then stood. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I need to talk to Dani.”

  Toni also stood. “Let me speak with her, please?”

  Emma debated for a moment, but nodded. This news might actually be better coming from Toni than herself. She was then suddenly pulled from her thoughts by Toni, who embraced her in a bone-crunching hug.

  “Thank you, Emma, for sharing this with me. I think now I understand why my Dani loves you so much.”

  Emma smiled as Toni released her and then watched as she headed up the stairs.

  * * *

  Knocking softly on the door, Toni waited a moment before opening it. She frowned when she saw Dani curled up on the bed. Taking a step into the room, her frown deepened as she heard a sniffle and realized Dani had been crying.

  “Dani?” she tried.

  Suddenly looking up, Dani saw her and narrowed her eyes. “What, come t
o search our bedroom too?”

  “Danielle,” Toni’s voice lowered into a motherly tone. Watching as Dani ignored her and turned away, she approached the bed, sitting on the edge of it. “Emma and I had a talk about you.”

  Dani grunted, hoping that if she didn’t engage, Toni would give up and leave.

  “Dani, at least look at me when I’m talking to you.” Toni put her hand on Dani’s arm, trying to encourage her to roll over, but Dani yanked her arm out of Toni’s grip. “I just thought you’d like to know that whatever you want, I’ll buy. I overstepped my place, and have no right to interfere with the way that you and Emma do things.”

  Dani rolled halfway over, her blue eyes searching for the sincerity in Toni’s brown. “You’ll let me have my junk food and soda?”

  Toni couldn’t help but chuckle. “I said I’d buy what you asked for. I don’t think it’s up to me to ‘let you have’ anything. More of your little redheaded dynamo’s department, am I right?”

  Dani couldn’t help but blush, as she shifted until she was sitting crisscross on the bed. “You don’t have to worry about me, Zia Toni. Emma takes good care of me.”

  “I have no doubt of that, piccolina,” Toni smiled and, reaching over, she gently hugged her goddaughter. “You know, I think I have an idea. Why don’t I call Nicky and see if he can deliver one of his chocolate cakes for dessert.”

  Dani’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

  Laying a hand on each side of Dani’s face, Toni kissed her forehead. “I’ll see you at dinner?”

  “Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Dani smiled.

  * * *

  Dani grinned; with her daily spankings a thing of the past, she had managed to actually be able to sit without squirming for several days in a row now. She’d also managed to get Giuliana to loan her the use of her bike in exchange for help with her math.

  Waving to Emma, Dani made another circle in the driveway before pulling to a stop. “Are you sure we can’t get you a bike and go riding?”