He emerges and grimly shakes his head. “Two DOA,” he calls over his shoulder to the other officers. “Male subject and female victim.”
Leo takes the cell phone from my hand and passes it off to Casey-Marie, who hurries from my office with Declan and the FBI director.
At some point Stephen Lyman and other members of my detail are called into the Oval Office. I sit there at my desk while someone talks about clearing the halls.
Then I realize I’m on my feet and numbly walking while Jordan steers me through the inner halls over to the residence. Leo flanks me on the other side, using his crutches, and we’re surrounded by my detail.
“Did…did thatreallyjust happen?” I ask as we slowly make our way toward the elevator at Leo’s speed.
“I’m so sorry,” Jordan says in his Sir voice.
“My parents—”
“Casey-Marie already notified their detail,” Leo says. “Locking down their phones and communications until you talk to them. We’ll call them once we’re upstairs.”
“Oh, my god,” I whisper. “She’s really…”
I can’t say it.
We step into the elevator. The door closes behind us and I realize there are no agents with us. They stayed behind downstairs. In here it’s just me, Leo, and Jordan.
“Yeah,” Leo gently says. “Stella’s dead. I’m so sorry, pet.”
I’m…numb. Worse, like I’m scorched through the depths of my very soul.
This can’t be real.
It can’t be happening.
Can it?
“Are they sure she’s—”
“Yeah,” Jordan says, sounding darkly calm. “They’re sure.”
I know I should mentally downshift into presidential functioning mode, faking it until I make it, but it’s different when it’s your little sister who’s dead, you just helplessly watched her husband murder her, and now you have to call your parents and break the news to them.
There won’t be a damned bit of privacy to mourn her, either. Not really. Not once the news hits the media outlets.
Which in this day and age will likely take about fifteen minutes or less.
“I want to see the video she talked about. The one she said she posted about Ellis.”
“You need to talk to your parents first, okay?” Leo says. “They should hear this from you and not from a neighbor or friend or the TV. I haven’t even watched the video. I just saw the alerts that pinged my phone.”
“Y-yeah. O-okay.”
The elevator opens on the second floor. They have Leo’s wheelchair ready and he transfers to it, handing the crutches off to one of the agents. The agents stationed at the landing remain there while we continue into the residence. Leo and Jordan steer me into our private living room and over to the couch.
Jordan sits me on the couch before helping Leo transfer out of the wheelchair so he can sit next to me. Then Jordan heads out again to do whatever administrative magic is required that he performs in this situation.
Leo pulls me over so I lie with my head in his lap. “Tell me this isn’t real,” I beg. I look up into his brown gaze. “Pleasetell me this is a crazy nightmare I’m going to wake up from any minute.”
He sighs as his fingers slowly rake through my hair, over my scalp. “I’m sorry, pet. I wish I could. I’m so,sosorry.”
Leo is my rock, my stalwart and immovable anchor.
That he looks heartbroken means…
