CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
BELLA
Rosemary’s father was on the tapes that Bella had confiscated from Senator Henry Craven’s house.
Phillip Bloomberg, the wealthy lobbyist, was one of the voices on many of the tapes. So, it was more than reasonable to believe that he had something to do with hiring a professional to kill his own daughter.
Bella pulled her hand from Lucas’. As discrete as she could, she slipped her hand into her purse. Her plan was to grab her gun and get her, Lucas, and Rosemary out of the house as fast as she could. Bella had no idea what kind of muscle Phillip had in the massive house.
“The gangs all here,” a feminine voice taunted from behind.
Bella whipped around and nearly stumbled at the sight of the woman from the restaurant and Taylor’s garage.
Lucas had only seen the woman briefly. But since she and Rosemary had had physical encounters, they gasped at the same time. Bella could only imagine how confused Lucas must have been, but she couldn’t take the time to fill him in on what was happening. She kept her eyes trained on the threat in front of her.
Bella was able to get a good grip on her weapon. She didn’t pull it out of her purse because she didn’t want to set the violent woman off. She planned to wait for an opening and take her best shot. Unfortunately, her target was already pointing a weapon in their direction.
Bella knew that the woman had no problem taking them all out, so she needed to stall.
“So, it wasyou,” Bella directed at Phillip. “You commissioned the death of your own daughter.”
Phillip narrowed his eyes and crossed his chubby arms across his chest. “She means nothing to me!” Phillip spat, heartlessly.
“Daddy?” Rosemary gasped, painfully.
“Shut up!” he seethed. “I won’t lose another thing over you!”
Tears filled Rosemary’s sad blue eyes. She was completely taken off guard by her father’s hateful declaration. Learning that the monster that she’d been running from was her own father had to be devastating.
“No, Daddy, please don’t tell me you—”
“Didn’t he say shut up?” The woman interrupted. “You are a pathetic, naïve little brat! This is the real world, princess. Yourdaddycould care less whether you live or die. He’s amonster. Did you know that? Your daddy sells children. He makes his money off the backs of the weak. Did you know that?”
The woman shook her head and frowned as if she was repulsed by the idea.
“I didn’t know that either. You see, Iama hit woman, and Idokill people for a living, but I haveneverasked why a person needed to be hit. I carry out jobs with no questions asked. But, after running across Taylor Montgomery and her cop friends, I did a little research. For years, your father here has enslaved young and evenunderagegirlsandboys. He sells them for profit. Just look around this house. Every last one of his servants is a victim of human trafficking.”
Bella kept her mouth shut during the killer’s rant and eased her gun from her purse. She stepped in front of Lucas. But Lucas placed his palm to her side and forced her behind him. Gun or no gun, Lucas planned to keep Bella out of the line of fire.
“Daddy, no,” Rosemary whimpered.
Phillip gave the murderous woman a stern look. He didn’t seem pleased by her description of him. “Kill her!” he ordered.
Bella froze when the woman fired her weapon. She fired a round but not into Rosemary. She shotPhillip. She put a bullet right in his head. The shocked look remained on his face as he fell. His dead body made a loud thud when it crashed on the hardwood floor. Rosemary screamed.
Bella was shocked as well. The woman turned her gun to Rosemary and said, “Sadly, I have known many like your father. They don’t deserve to breathe. Unfortunately for you, I have never missed a target, and I won’t start today. I’m sorry, but you gotta die too.”
Rosemary was crying hysterically, staring at her father, but she didn’t say a word. She simply dropped her head as if she had resigned to her fate. She seemed content and ready to die, but the killer diverted the direction of her weapon from Rosemary to Bella and Lucas.
“No witnesses,” the killer declared.
Bella dropped her purse to the floor and pointed her gun at the hit woman. Her intention was to end her. But, surprisingly, Rosemary leaped in front of her and Lucas just as the woman pulled the trigger. Her leap into the line of fire shielded Bella from the bullet that was meant for her. The look of sadness and betrayal on Rosemary’s face would probably haunt Bella forever.
“Oh, fuck!” Lucas gasped.
He caught Rosemary before she could hit the floor. He held her close to his chest and lowered her gently to the floor. Bella aimed her weapon and fired at the assassin. Blood spurted from the killer’s chest, but she wasn’t down.
Unfortunately, Bella was. When she fired, so did the woman. Bella had been hit in the chest. Her breath hitched, her heart raced as her body went limp. The pain was indescribable. It was like fire. Bella had no control over her limbs. Even though her life didn’t flash before her eyes, she had a feeling that her life was over. She’d wanted so much more for her future, but the life she lived was the one she’d chosen. Bella thought of her family. She thought of her friends. But the idea of what her life could have been with Lucas was saddening.
