“You do have the right to bear arms, but nothere. Let me ask you a question, Bella. It isBella, right.”
Awe, okay.
“Yes, my name is Bella.”
“When you go to court and you’re on duty, are you allowed take your weapon inside the courtroom?”
Bella knew exactly where he was going with the question. “No,” she admitted.
“Well, this is the home of the governor of Illinois, and you will show him the same respect. Now, I need your weapon.”
The giant had a point, and Bella didn’t have time to stand in the hall and argue with him. She pulled her .45 out of the holster and handed it to him by the handle. She moved to step inside, but his large body blocked the doorway.
“What?” Bella breathed.
“Your backup gun too.”
Bella rolled her eyes and bent down to pull her .38 out of her ankle holster. She huffed and handed him her backup piece.
“Thank you, Detective. I really appreciate your cooperation.”
“Yeah, yeah… Can I go inside now?”
“Of course. Taylor and the governor are waiting in the den.”
Bella stepped inside once Gregor removed himself from her path. She walked through the large apartment and inhaled the scent of lavender, vanilla, andmoney.Taylor had hit the jackpot with the governor. He was smart, rich, and fine as fuck. But, for that matter, so was his brother. Lucas was all those things, and Bella was avoiding him. And she would continue to do so. Men like Lucas had everything; looks, charm, education, and revenue. They were accustomed to getting anything that they wanted, especiallywomen. It was Bella’s belief that when a man could have any woman he wanted, he would seldom cherish them once he conquered them. With Victor, Taylor had just gotten lucky. Bella wasn’t that lucky, and she wasn’t about to be some rich playboy’s booty call.
Bella rounded the corner and continued down the hall. The door to the den was open, so she walked in. Neither Taylor nor Victor noticed that she had entered the room. They were at the bar. Taylor was sitting on a stool and Victor was standing between her legs. They were kissing. Taylor was giggling between kisses. They were really enjoying each other’s company. They seemed very much in love.
Bella smiled. Victor and Taylor had obviously worked out their issues regarding the return of Rosemary. Bella was glad to see Taylor happy again. Unfortunately, there was business that needed to be tended to. Bella cleared her throat to get their attention.
“Hey, Bella. What’s up?” Taylor called, still smiling.
“Hey,” Bella greeted as she approached the bar.
Taylor narrowed her eyes as if she were trying to gauge Bella’s demeanor. Victor stepped from between Taylor’s legs and adjusted his slacks. Bella did her best not to notice the large, almost intimidating bulge between his thighs. She tried hard not to look…unsuccessfully. Taylor tilted her head and frowned at Bella.
“Sorry,” Bella mouthed when Victor turned to walk behind the bar.
Bella had apologized, but one would have to be Helen Keller not to have noticed that the governor had a big-ass dick.
“What do you want, Bella?” Taylor asked impatiently.
Bella cleared her throat. “I need to know where the two of you were between 9 o’clock last night and 3:45 this afternoon.”
Taylor hopped down from the stool and walked toward Bella. “Why?”
“I just need you both to answer the question.”
Taylor walked over to the sofa and sat. Bella watched her eyes to see if she was preparing a lie. But the truth was, if Taylor did lie, Bella would’ve looked the other way. After all, Kara did try to have her killed. Bella was not there to crucify her friend, but she did need answers.
“Well, last night we were both at my house. You can check with Victor’s security detail. And this morning, around 8, I was at the medical section in headquarters to see about getting reinstated to work. You know I’ve been off since I got shot.”
Bella nodded and turned to Victor. “Well, Taylor just told you where I was last night. And as far as this morning, pick up a newspaper. Reporters have been following me around all day, asking questions about this new beverage tax.”
“Yeah, I’ve been meaning to tell you that that tax is some bullshit,” Bella scoffed.
Taylor chuckled. “Bae, Bella’s addicted to Pepsi.”
