BELLA
Suddenly, the door to the family room opened. Four Secret Service agents entered and walked through the family room, the kitchenette, and the restroom. One it was deemed safe, one of the men opened the door for Victor and Taylor to enter.
Victor, Taylor, and the usual circus that followed him entered the room. Taylor scanned the room until she spotted her mother and ran over. She kneeled in front of her mother and rubbed her thigh. “Hey, Mommy. You okay?”
Senator Creed walked over to Victor and whispered, “Get them out of here.”
Victor turned to Kena and gave her a look. She nodded and ushered everyone who wasn’t family out of the family room.
“Momma?”
Mrs. Montgomery looked up with red, swollen, tear-filled eyes. Sadness filled the room like oxygen. “I’m not okay, baby. It’s Daddy, honey. He didn’t make it.”
Taylor recoiled and frowned as if her mother had just told her a lie. “No.” She fell back on her butt and scooted away from her mother. “No!” She looked over at Bella. “Where’s my daddy?” Bella’s lips parted, but she couldn’t speak.
Taylor looked up at Lincoln. “Where is my daddy?”
Mrs. Montgomery wiped her face and tossed the blanket to the side. She slid down on the floor and crawled over to Taylor. She tried to pull her into a hug, but Taylor pushed her away.
“Where is my daddy?”
Mrs. Montgomery caught Taylor’s wrist and looked her pointedly in the eye. “Daddy’s gone, baby.”
Taylor’s eyes widened with disbelief. “Nooooo,” she whined. “Mama, noooooo.”
Bella lowered to the floor and sat behind her friend. Victor lowered to a knee and pulled her head to his chest. Taylor let out a guttural howl that echoed throughout the room, filling it with raw and intense sorrow.
Bella raised her hand to comfort her friend. Then, she realized that Taylor had Victor to lean on. But Mrs. Montgomery’s husband was gone. So, she scooted over to Taylor’s mom and pulled her into her arms.
Staffers from the hospital entered with baskets of water, rolls, and other snacks. Dr. Creed ushered them to the kitchenette.
Bella helped Mrs. Montgomery back on the sofa and sat next to her. “Will you please eat something?” she whispered. “Can you eat a muffin or maybe just drink some water?”
“No, sweetie. I’m not hungry. I’m just--”
“Get your goddamn hands off me!” The ruckus had come from the hall.
Bella recognized Nicole’s voice. The door opened and Taylor’s sister blew in like a tornado.
When Victor waved off the Secret Service, she made a beeline for her mother. “How’s Daddy?” she questioned with tears. “I wanna go and see him.”
Victor stood, pulling Taylor up with him. She tucked her head into the crook of his arm and cried as he walked her over to a window. Bella stood and stepped out of the way so Nicole could sit next to her mother.
But instead of Nicole taking the seat next to her mother, she stood over her, pointing an accusatory finger. “He’s dead isn’t he?” she interrogated.
“H-he.. he didn’t make it,” Mrs. Montgomery whimpered.
“Whaaaat?” Nicole shook her head with her eyes trained on the floor. “Why is my daddy the only one dead? Who was the target?”
Nobody responded because nobody knew who the actual target was. Since the Asian man had set out to avenge the assassin's death, Bella, Lucas, or anyone they loved could’ve been the target.
“What happened to my father?”
“He was shot, Nicole,” Victor confirmed. “Niyah and my mom tried to save him, but he didn’t make it.”
“Who the fuck is Niyah?” Nicole peered at Victor through narrowed lids. Her eyes darkened to the color of hatred. “It’s you! It’s this fucking family!”
“Nicole, that is enough!” her mother admonished.
Nicole shook her head frantically. “No, it’s not gonna be enough until we’re all dead.”
“What are you talking about?” Taylor questioned.
Nicole rushed across the room and pointed a pink-painted nail in Taylor’s face. “You would risk all of us just to be in the fucking family!”
Taylor pushed off of Victor. “What the fuck are you talking about, Nicole?”
“I mean look at what your desperate need to be a part of this family has done to me.” Nicole threw her hands in the air. “My life ain’t been shit since that man darkened our doorstep.”
Taylor chuckled. “Wait! What?”
“You heard me!”
Taylor’s brow wrinkled. “Did you just say your life has been impacted by my marriage?”
Nicole’s face twisted in a most hateful manner. “That’s what I said. Your relationship with that man ruined my life.”
“Bitch!” Taylor scoffed with a chuckle. “The only thing that ruined your life was your insane need to be with that lowlife, piece-of-shit convict that you call a fiancé!”
“Husband,” Nicole connected. “And he ain’t the reason why Daddy is dead, is he?”
Taylor lunged toward her sister, but Victor held her back. “Um-mm,” he muttered. “She ain’t getting that out of you.”
Nicole bolted forward and punched Victor in the chest. “I hate you!” she screamed like a banshee.”
Taylor struggled to get free from Victor. “Let me go!” she growled. “She ain’t gonna do that!”
“Nicole, stop it!” screamed Mrs. Montgomery.
She swung at Victor a second time, but Bella stepped in front of him and caught her by the wrist. If she had not, and Nicole had hit Victor again, he wouldn't have been enough to keep Taylor off her sister’s ass. “Hey,” Bella whispered. “Calm down.”
Nicole tried to yank free, but Bella had a pretty good hold on her. “Let’s go get some air.”
“I don’t need no fucking air! Get off me!”
For her own protection, Bella wrapped an arm around Nicole. Despite Nicole’s reluctance, she walked her toward the door. “Listen, we don’t want the secret service bursting in here.”
“Fuck the secret service!” Nicole spat. “He ain’t gonna win no way!”
Lincoln hurried and opened the door for Bella. She was practically dragging Nicole at that point.
“Come on. We gotta keep it together,” Bella urged through a soft breath.
Once they crossed the threshold, Nicole started wailing like a Spanish widow.
Everyone in the hall turned to watch the display, starring a grieving daughter slash envious sister.
But if sympathy was what Nicole was looking for, she wasn’t going to get it from Bella.
For years, she’d watched Nicole hurt Taylor and pay no consequences.
It was time for her to start answering for some of the bullshit she’d put her family through.
Lincoln closed the door, and as soon as Bella heard the click of the knob, she shoved Nicole with force that sent her flying. Her body crashed into the wall and bounced off. Bella caught her by the neck in mid-flight. Nicole gagged and clawed at Bella’s fingers, but her grip was fixed.
Bella turned around when someone grabbed her arm. It was one of Victor’s secret service agents. She glared down at his hand and then looked him in the eye. “Get your fucking hands off me,” she demanded through gritted teeth.
The agent frowned, but he didn’t budge. Lincoln stepped in and grabbed the agent’s wrist. “This isn’t your job.”
More than likely, the agent realized that Lincoln was right. His job was to protect Victor, not the shit-starting bitch choking beneath Bella’s fingers. When Nicole realized she wasn’t going to free herself by pulling at Bella’s hand, she started flailing her arms and kicking her feet.
Judging from the rage in her eyes, if Nicole could speak, she would have called Bella everything but a child of God.
But she couldn’t speak. So, Bella took the opportunity to get her point across.
“Your mother is dealing with the worst day of her life. Instead of being there for her, you decide to attack your sister, who, by the fucking way, just found out that her father died.”
Nicole’s eyes widened. She stopped fighting and her arms dropped to her sides.
Bella glared at her and tightened her grip around her neck. “Oh, you hear me now? You’re paying attention now?”
“Bella,” Lincoln interjected. “Hospital security is headed this way.”
Bella didn’t bother to look up. She pulled Nicole’s face close to hers.
“Now, I’ma let you go. And when I do, you’re gonna go back in there.
You’re gonna kiss and hug your mother and you’re gonna stay away from your sister.
In a nutshell, you’re gonna go in there and act like you got some fucking sense! ”
When Nicole’s eyes rolled up into her head, Bella thought it best she not kill the grieving widow’s daughter.
She opened her hand and allowed Nicole to slip through her fingers.
Luckily for her, Lincoln was there to catch her before she hit the floor.
Like a fish out of water, Nicole gulped and gasped for air.
She was pale, almost blue. Her skin was clammy and her eyes were blurred with tears.
While tending to her, Lincoln looked up at Bella and frowned. “Really?”
“It had to be said,” Bella muttered.
Hopefully, an understanding had been reached.
God willing, they wouldn’t need to have another discussion.
Nicole stood and slapped Lincoln’s hand away.
She gave Bella a hateful look but said nothing.
She fixed her clothes and swiped a tear from her cheek.
Lincoln walked over and pulled the door open.
Bella thanked him and gestured for Nicole to go inside. “After you.”
After fixing her blouse and twisting her skirt in place, she rolled her eyes at Lincoln and walked into the family room.
Lincoln raised a brow. “You would think I was the one who had kicked her ass.”
Bella chuckled. “Linc, this chick is off the chain. Why would she go in there and act a fool?”
She had posed the question, but Lincoln didn’t respond. He was completely engulfed in something going on behind her. Bella turned around to look, but she was looking down an empty hall.
“What are you looking at?” she asked.
Lincoln shook his head and then smiled. “Nothing, sis. I thought I saw someone I knew. Go inside with the family. I’ll be in there in a sec.”
“Um... okay.” Bella looked down the hall again.
Still, she saw nothing. And she didn’t want to leave Nicole unattended for too long.
So, she went back into the hospital’s family room.
Like Bella had hoped, Nicole seemed to be prioritizing her mother.
She looked over at Taylor who offered a grateful smile. Bella nodded.
“Thank you,” Taylor mouthed.
Bella winked at Taylor before walking over to join Lucas in the kitchenette. He handed her a bottle of water and pulled her into his arms. “I love you, girl.”
Bella sank into him and inhaled the faint remnants of his bodywash.
“I love you, too,” she muttered into his chest.