“Linc!” Lucas snapped.
“I got him,” Lincoln assured.
“He doesn't have me,” the man contradicted with a chuckle.
“Lincoln, please,” Mrs. Devereaux implored.
Dr. Creed counted out the CPR. “Twenty-eight. Twenty-nine. Thirty.”
Breath. Breath.
Niyah looked over at the gun near her knee and decided to stick with the only tool in which she was skilled at using. She crawled over to the trash can, snatched the top bag out, and tossed it to the side. She grabbed the clean bag from underneath and folded it. To keep air out of the chest cavity, she used the plastic bag to seal the wound.
“Twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty.”
Breath. Breath.
“You drop that fucking gun!” Lincoln demanded.
“No,monsieur, you drop yours.” Surprisingly, the voice that came from out of nowhere was female.
Niyah looked up from Mr. Montgomery’s chest wound and gasped at the sight a woman pressing the muzzle of her gun to the back of Donna’s head. If the woman’s presence was ashock to Niyah, it was a thunderbolt to the man holding Bella. “Sloane,” he called through a heavy breath.
Instantly, he turned white. In his eyes was a look of disbelief as he assessed the woman. There was no doubt in Niyah’s mind. The man was staring at a ghost from his past.
“Sloane!” he repeated.
The woman jerked her head toward the door. “It’s time to go, mon amour.” She was black, on the lighter side, and spoke with a heavy French accent. “Let the woman go.”
Niyah took in the room and quickly realized the gunman wasn’t the only one shocked by the woman’s presence. The look in Bella and Lucas’ eyes certainly suggested a level of familiarity.
To Niyah’s surprise, the man lowered his weapon and shoved Bella toward Lincoln. Lucas stepped up and pulled Bella into his arms.
The woman turned to the intruder. “Call off your men,” she commanded.
With no argument from the gunman, he pressed the gadget in his ear and gave the order to retreat. Well, the order was in Japanese, but Niyah assumed it was meant to direct his men to stand down.”
The woman snaked an arm around Donna’s neck. “I’m just going to hold on to this beauty until we are safely on our way.”
Lucas pointed his gun at the woman. “You’re fucking dead!” he sneered. “Y-you’re supposed to be dead!”
With a smirk, she dragged Donna backward through the doorway. “I thought so too. But, as it turns out, I’m not that easy to kill.” She glanced at the man holding Donna. “And lucky for you, I’ll say.”
Like a confused lovesick puppy, the man followed. Mrs. Devereaux darted toward the doorway, intent on followingthem, but Lincoln stepped in front of her. He nodded toward Bella. “Go. See about Bella. I got Donna.”
“Okay.” The terror in their mother’s eyes was heartbreaking.
When Lincoln followed them from the room, she walked over to Bella and pulled her in arms. Lucas kissed his fiancée on the forehead and followed his brother.
As soon as the shooter and the ghost left the theater, Niyah sighed with relief. For the first time, she was able to fully assess her surroundings. Though Lincoln had been covered in blood, he didn’t seem to have been injured. So far, Mr. Montgomery appeared to be the only injured party.
Niyah looked behind her to find Andrew curled up in the fetal position in a far corner of the bathroom. “Andrew,” she calmly called.
He didn’t respond. “Andrew!” She was more stern when she called him again.
He jumped and snapped instantly awake. “Yes?”
“Call an ambulance!”
