“Okay. What can I do?” Niyah asked with sincere empathy.
Bella exhaled a heavy breath. “Maybe you can look over his chart for me.”
Niyah leaned against the wall and nodded as if Bella could see her. “Of course, I will. But you should talk to your future mother-in-law. She practices with the living.”
“I will, but she’s struggling right now. Did the body give you anything?”
“Yes. We ran the tats, and they hit on the Yacuza.”
“What?” Bella gasped. “Why would me and Donna be a target for the Yacuza?”
Because she knew Bella was just thinking out loud, Niyah didn't respond. Instead, she told her, “Evidence techs have collected rounds from the scene. So, I’m sure they’re working on ballistics.”
“Okay, cool. Thanks.”
“Bella, who’s the detective on Lucas’ case?”
“Jackie French.” After a pause, she added. “She’s good. Been in the Violent Crimes Division for ten years. She’s a closer.”
“Good to know,” Niyah responded. “Okay, get back to your family. I’m gonna get back to my body. No doubt, your shooting and Lucas’ are related.”
Bella released another sigh. “It has to be some kind of vendetta. I mean who would wanna hurt Lucas?”
Niyah shrugged. “Could it be a business deal gone bad?”
“Niyah, what kind of business do you think Lucas is in? They’re in the luxury hospitality industry.”
“I guess you’re right. Don’t worry, Bella. We’ll get to bottom of the shit.”
“Okay,” Bella replied in a weak, defeated whisper. “I gotta go. One of the doctors just went into Lucas’ room. He might have news.”
“Okay. I’ll be by there later,” Niyah assured.
“Naw, friend. Go home and get some sleep. You have to be exhausted.
Niyah leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes. Bella was right. She was exhausted.
“Come by after you’ve rested,” Bella insisted. “I need that big brain of yours to be on point.”
Niyah chuckled and pushed off the wall. “You’re silly. I gotta go examine the Japanese gangbanger on my table.”
It was Bella’s turn to laugh. “Okay, friend. Get to it.”
Niyah disconnected the call and crossed the hall to her exam room. As soon as she pushed the door open and stepped inside, she slid on something wet and fell hard on her ass. “What the fuck?” she cried, ready to read her intern for filth for leaving a mess.
Niyah tried to stand but slipped again. The sticky liquid on the floor was too thick to be water or coffee. She raised her palm and was horrified by the sight of blood. She looked up at the table. There was no reason for the corpse to be bleeding, and it didn’t seem to be.
Niyah flipped over and scanned the room for the source and was completely horrified when she found it. Across the room, Mario was gasping for air and clutching his throat. The sight of her intern lying in a puddle of his own blown nearly stopped Niyah’s heart.
CHAPTER 13
BELLA
Bella didn’t recognize the doctor that had entered Lucas’ room. He wasn’t one of the doctors that had updated them on his condition. He must have been a specialist of some sort. Hoping he could help her to better understand Lucas’ prognosis, Bella stuffed her phone in her pocket and hurried down the hall so she could be present during his examination.
With a list of questions in her head, she pushed through the door and stepped inside. A physician examining his patient was what Bella had expected to find, but what she actually found was a man in doctor’s scrubs, pointing what looked like a forty-five-caliber pistol at her fiancé.
With giant steps, Bella crossed the room, dove over Lucas’ unconscious body, and tackled the armed man. His eyes widened as she slammed into him. She grabbed for the gun, but he snatched it away and used it to slap the side of her head.
