Donna
Andrew, the Creeds’ house manager, cleared his throat to get her attention. “Everyone is in the theater. If you follow me, Detective, I’ll show you the way.”
“Lead the way.”
“Thank you, Andrew.”
Andrew nodded and walked over to a staffer carrying a tray.
The woman smiled on her way over to Donna.
“Would you like something to eat, Detective Devereaux? We have filet bites, crabcakes, and veggie bites. At the buffet, we have spaghetti, fried chicken, potato salad, green beans, and lasagna, all made by your mom and Mrs. Montgomery. And there’s bass, bluegill and catfish, caught this very morning by your men folk over there. ”
Donna smiled. “Oh wow. I’ll definitely have a little something, but a little later. I’ve just recently eaten.”
“Of course. Just wave when you're ready.”
“Yes, ma'am,” Donna ensured.
She crossed the room to where Bella was having what looked like a serious conversation with Lucas and his mom. “What’s wrong?”
Tabitha Creed looked up and smiled. “Oh, nothing to worry about, just some wedding stuff.”
She cupped Donna’s jaw. “Have you eaten?” she asked in a way only a mother could.
“Yes, ma’am, I have. But I’m still gonna have a bite later.”
“Okay, good.” She turned to Bella. “We’ll worry about the flowers after the election.”
“Sounds good,” Bella chirped.
Donna dropped her head when a giggle escaped.
Bella was faking her enthusiasm. Her sister couldn’t give less than a damn about a wedding.
Sure, Bella wanted to marry Lucas, but she was no blushing bride.
Neither she nor Donna had ever entertained the idea of a so-called “dream wedding.” An overelaborate ceremony just seemed like an inconvenience that took too much time and way too much money.
Bella looked her way. “Anything?” she mouthed.
Donna nodded. Bella rubbed Tabitha’s arm. “Will you excuse us a minute?”
“Of course.”
Lucas kissed Bella’s head and joined their fathers across the room. They were huddled by a bank of televisions that were tuned in to different networks covering the election. Bella pulled Donna over to the buffet table. “Where’s Lincoln?”
Donna shrugged. “I don’t know. The last time I talked to him, he was on his way.”
“What do you have?”
Donna sighed. “Girl.”
“What?”
“Youko Kon. This motherfucker is supposed to be the real deal.”
“So, he is Yakuza?” Bella asked.
Donna raised a brow. “Oh, is he? Bella, the man is the oyabun… the big boss.”
Bella frowned. “What the fuck does he want with us?”
“Apparently, he’s looking for revenge. Something about a woman.”
What woman did she and Lucas have in common who could evoke revenge? Bella stared at her sister through wide eyes. “The assassin,” she said through a breath.
“Yeah, the assassin,” Donna concurred. “According to my CI, he had it bad for some foreign chick. She was black and really pretty with a heavy accent.”
“The bitch that killed Rosemary Creed and her father,” Bella recalled. “She broke Taylor’s arm and tried to kill me and Lucas at dinner.”
Donna grinned. “And don’t forget she kicked y’all’s asses.”
Bella shrugged. “It happens.”
“Yeah, but Victoria got in that ass!”
“Whatever,” Bella muttered.
“I’m just saying, she saved y’all,” Donned ribbed.
“Shut your ugly ass up!”
“What’s going on over here?” Lincoln questioned from behind them.
Donna was still laughing when she turned to greet her guy. “Hello, handsome.”
“Hey, babe.” He leaned in and gave her a quick peck. “Come here. I missed you.”
When Lincoln pulled her in his arms, Donna took the opportunity to inhale the clean, masculine aroma of his soft beard. “I missed you too.”
“Hello?” Bella goaded. “I’m standing here.”
Lincoln laughed and pulled Bella into their hug. “I miss you too, sis.”
Bella gave him a quick squeeze and pushed him away. “The polls are closed. I’ma go see how your brother is doing on that map.”
“Too early for all that,” Lincoln pointed out. “Did Donna tell you about the Yakuza boss?”
“She did.” Bella sighed. “And we need to figure out how to get to him before he gets to us.”
“I’m working on it,” Donna assured.
“Hey! Hey!” Xander greeted when he and Niyah entered the room.
After greeting his parents, Niyah walked over to them and looked down at the buffet. “I didn’t have time to eat today, and this looks amazing.”
“Smells good too,” Bella added.
Niyah turned to Donna. “I’ma wash my hands. Do y’all know where the bathroom is in this palace?”
Donna shrugged, but Bella pointed to a door across the room. “Through that door.”
“Perfect,” Niyah hurried to the door and disappeared inside.
“Y’all been acting real weird lately,” Donna accused.
“Yeah, but it's cool now.”
“What happened?”
Bella shook her head. “Nothing you want know.”
Donna took a few seconds to think about the words Bella had chosen. Whatever happened, her sister wanted her to have the privilege of deniability.
Donna looked down at the chafing dishes and wondered which one of the moms had made the spaghetti.
She’d never eaten anything Mrs. Creed had cooked before, but both her mom and Taylor’s mom were extraordinary cooks.
Still, if forced to admit it, Mrs. Montgomery’s spaghetti was the best she’d ever had.
“He’s gonna take Illinois,” Victor Senior announced.
“Why is that unusual?” Questioned Taylor’s mom. “He is the Governor of Illinois.”
“Yes. However, the last republican to win the state of Illinois was George H.W. Bush in 1988.”
Bella laughed. “How the hell did Pappa Bush win Illinois?”
“Two words,” Taylor’s father responded. “Southern Illinois.”
Victor Senior pointed toward Mr. Montgomery. “Right on the head.”
Lincoln scanned the room. “Hey, where’s Jaysen?”
Lucas pointed to the screen covering the election headquarters. “He’s in Chicago with Victor.“
Have you guys talked to Taylor or Victor?” Donna asked.
Tabitha Creed nodded. “I spoke to Taylor about an hour ago. She said McCormack Place was a complete circus. She’s been struggling to find a quiet place where she and Victor can catch a breath.
“Life is about to get crazy for them,” Mrs. Montgomery said with a sigh that seemed almost sad.
“Victor was born for this,” the senator boasted. “He’ll be just fine.”
Donna noticed what no one else seemed to notice. Dr. Creed had subtly cut her eyes at her husband. The expression on her face unmistakingly revealed annoyance. “He wasn’t born to do this. It was you--”
Gunshots rang out in the distance, shattering the unity and excitement in the atmosphere.
Donna walked calmly to her mom and pulled her away from the window.
Niyah rushed out of the bathroom. “What was that? Is somebody shooting?”
Xander frowned, not exactly sure what he’d heard. Nonetheless, he placed Niyah and the mothers behind him and backed them to a wall away from the window.
Donna pulled her pistol from her waistband and turned to her sister.
Bella was walking along the wall toward the window.
Donna took a position on the opposite side.
She looked back just as Lincoln and Lucas ran out of the room.
With her back pressed to the wall, Bella stuck her head out and took a quick glance out of the window.
After feeling a little braver, she stuck her head out again, that time looking a little bit longer.
“What do you see?” Donna whispered.
“I see muzzle flashes. Is Linc’s team out there?”
“More than likely.”
Bella sighed. “Well, they’re in a gunfight.”
“Fuck!” Donna cursed under her breath.
It had to be the Japanese. She looked at her family and realized that she’d let them down. Had she found the man who had been trying to kill them, they wouldn’t be under fire. Donna could feel the heat of her sister's glare, even before she looked at her.
“Cut it the fuck out!” Bella ordered through gritted teeth. No doubt, her twin had read her mind.
Donna shook it off and turned to Andrew. “Can they see in here?”
He shook his head. “No. They have reflective window coverings.”
The darkness of a November night partnered with the boom of a rowdy Fourth of July created a contradiction that made Donna uneasy. The Creed Compound was just too big to secure.
“Bella, we gotta get out there.”
“What?” her mother questioned through a harsh breath.
“Mama, get down!” Bella scolded before turning to Donna. “Yeah, I know. You got a secondary weapon?”
Donna nodded and hurried over to her purse. She fished out a .38 caliber snub nose revolver and handed it to her dad.
“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” her father questioned.
“Daddy, we can’t sit in this room and wait for them to come kill us,” Donna explained. “We gotta try to stop ‘em before they get inside.”
“Who are they, baby girl?”
“Daddy, it-” Her words were clipped by Lucas’ return. He dropped a duffle bag on the floor. “I got your rifle, Dad.”
Lucas handed the rifle to Senator Creed and reached back in the bag and pulled out an AR-15.
Donna tucked her handgun back into her waistband. She grabbed the rifle and a magazine and peered into the hall. “Where is Lincoln?”
“He’s out there with his team.”
Donna’s heart nearly stopped. She tore ass out of the theater and followed the echo of gunfire. Without looking back, she somehow knew Bella was behind her. She could just feel her.
“We should get up high,” Bella suggested.
“I gotta get to Lincoln.”
“Lincoln can take care of himself. And you’ll be able to cover him from a higher vantage point.”
Bella was right, so Donna found a set of stairs and took them two at a time until they were on higher ground.
Donna looked back to see what type of weapon her sister was using.
The B-14 HMR she was carrying gave her a little boost of confidence.
Bella was an excellent shot. She’d be able to pick off unfriendlies before they could get anywhere near the house.
Donna grabbed Bella’s wrist and looked her in the eye. “Kill ‘em all,” she encouraged. “Every last one of them.”
Bella nodded. “All of ‘em,” she vowed.
Donna split right and went through the first door she came across. It was a bedroom. And judging by the sheets on the furniture, it was safe to assume the room hadn’t been occupied for some time.
Donna ran over to the window and scanned the area below.
All she could see was muzzle flashes in the distance.
So far, Lincoln and his team had been keeping them back.
She raised the window, kneeled against the windowsill, and pointed the rifle toward the flashes in the darkness.
Through the scope, she got a better look at what was going on beyond her natural line of sight.
In the distance, Donna could see three dark SUVs with no headlights advancing toward the house. The vehicles were taking fire from somewhere unknown. It must’ve been Lincoln and his small platoon of soldiers shooting at them. Donna aimed, but they weren't close enough.
Thankfully, Bella had picked a rifle with some reach. From the scope of Donna AR-15, she could see their adversaries, one by one, getting knocked off the board. No doubt, it was Bella. With Lincoln and his team already fighting invaders on foot, they needed all the help they could get.