1
Donna
“Donna!” Marco, her teammate, called from across the room.
Donatella Devereaux looked up from the computer screen. She had been checking out her twin sister’s social media pages. Since she worked undercover, having a social media page was not an option. However, it was a tool for her to keep up with her family and Donna loved scrolling through pictures of her family.
“Commander Todd wants to see you.”
Donatella nodded. She shut down her desktop and stuffed her cell in the drawer. Her commander was cool, but he didn’t like to be kept waiting.
She stood and looked around. The rest of her team was seated at their assigned desks, probably checking social media as well. She grabbed an over-time slip from her desk and exited the shared office.
A quick trip down a hall and around a corner led her to the big boss’ office. She entered the small outer office and walked up to his secretary’s desk.
“Themanwants to see me,” she announced.
Gail, the commander’s secretary, looked up with a grin.
“He hates when you call him that.” She chuckled.
“Mm-hm. I know.”
Gail shook her blonde head and waved her into the commander’s office. “Go on. He’s expecting you.”
Donatella entered her boss’ office and placed her palms on his desk. “Wassup, boss man?”
They’d always had a comfortable working relationship, so she was relaxed in his presence. However, the vibe he was giving Donatella was anything but relaxed. His jaw clenched as he chewed on his unlit cigar.
“Wassup?” Donatella asked again.
He leaned back in his chair and inhaled a breath before blurting, “You’re going back under.”
Donna pushed off of his desk and looked down at her commander with disbelief. With a frown, she asked, “What do you mean?”
Surely, he was fucking with her. She looked around his office as if waiting for Ashton Kutcher to jump out and scream that she had just been Punk’d. Donatella had just completed an undercover assignment that had gone on for more than a year. Not even the big bad police department should expect her to go under again so soon. Not now, when she was looking forward to spending time with her family. She missed them, especially Belladonna, her twin sister. Hell, they’d shared a womb, and Donna’s life was incomplete without her.
If she were the lungs, forcing everyone to take a breath, Belladonna was the heart. Whenever Donna was away on assignment, Bella held the family down, spending time with her parents and keeping them from worrying themselves to death.
Belladonna was a homicide detective with somewhat normal hours. Family time was just easier for her. But, for Donatella, the guilt of not being there for her family was overwhelming. As far as her parents were concerned, she was the absentee, inconsiderate daughter. But this was the career path she’d chosen. She was an undercover cop. The job required that she be gone. Sometimes, for very long periods of time.
Donatella walked across the room to the small loveseat and plopped down on the soft leather. “I just helped shut down the biggest dope run in the Midwest. Why would I have to go under again right now? The only thing left to investigate is the Neo-Nazis and the White Supremacists, and I can’t work them. So, what do you want from me?”
Commander Todd grabbed a manila folder, stood, walked around his desk, and handed her the folder. Then, he sat on the edge of his desk and waited for her to peruse the contents.
Donna rolled her eyes, opened the folder and flipped through the pages. After reading her assignment, she looked up at her boss. His pale skin had turned red. Clearly, he hadn’t wanted to give her the assignment. He appeared extremely uncomfortable.
“What is this? Who is Robert Lee Khal?”
The commander turned his back to her and slowly made his way back to the other side of his desk.
“Who is Robert Lee Khal?” she repeated. “What is this shit?”
He returned to his desk chair and steepled his fingers. “You’re being assigned to a federal task force andReverendRobert Lee is the charismatic leader of The Blood of The Chosen religious commune, also known as BOC.
“Thewhat?”
Donna had never heard of Reverend Robert Lee Khal or The Blood of The Chosen.
