Lincoln slid his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his chest. “She’s gonna be okay, sweetheart.”
Donna nodded. “I know,” she replied, just as Lucas was being rolled into the house. “So is he.”
“Yeah. So is he,” Lincoln repeated.
Donna could hear the trepidation in his voice. She hooked her arm around his waist and pulled him across the threshold. “Come on, baby. Let’s get something to eat.”
They entered a large, circular foyer with what could have been a twenty-foot ceiling and natural stone flooring. Had theynot been in Hoosier state, Donna would have sworn she’d just stepped into a palace. Even more so when a well-dressed man approached and spoke to them with a British accent. “Good evening, Ma’am. Good evening, Lincoln. May I take your bags, Lincoln?”
“Yes, thank you.” Lincoln handed him their bags and grabbed Donna’s hand. “This is Detective Donatella Deveraux,” he announced with a smile. “But we all call her Donna.”
Andrew nodded and carried the bags out of the room. They were soon joined by Lincoln’s parents. “Donatella, sweetheart, do you have a taste for roast beef?” asked Dr. Creed.
Donna’s stomach had been tied in knots since she’d found out her sister had been hurt. “Thank you, ma’am. But I’m not hungry.”
Tabitha Creed caressed her face before pulling her into a hug. “I know you’re worried. But if you’re going to find out who’s trying to kill my children, you will need your strength.”
Donna relaxed as she rubbed reassuring circles into her back. “I’ll find out,” she promised with a whisper.
Tabitha took a step back and cupped her cheek. “I know you will. Come, darling. Let’s eat.”
***
A knock at the door snapped Donna awake, not even realizing she’d fallen asleep. After Lincoln had brought her to the bedroom, which was more like a suite, she’d taken a long shower and dressed with every intention of going to check on Bella. For a second, Donna had nearly forgotten where she was, but a quick scan of the room helped to jog her memory.
Lincoln opened the door. Andrew spoke from the other side of the door. “Please let Detective Deveraux know that her parents are here and they’d like to see her.”
“She’ll be right there,” Lincoln assured before closing the door.
Donna threw on a pair of sweats and she and Lincoln went downstairs. She followed him through the massive house until she heard her parents’ voices. As soon as she entered what looked like a big family room, she was nearly tackled by her mom. She pulled Donna into a suffocating embrace a whispers small prayers, thanking God that she was safe.
“Ma,” Donna grumbled. “I can’t breathe.”
“Oh, shoot. I’m sorry, baby.”
After another tight squeeze and a kiss to her cheek, Donna was released from her mother’s hold. Donna kissed her mother’s cheek and moved to hug her dad.
“Have you seen Bella?” Donna asked after they embraced.
“We have,” her dad responded.
The pain in his voice caused her to take a step back. Donna looked up and saw the sadness in her dad’s eyes. “Dad, she looks worse than she is. With a little time, Bella will heal.”
“I know, sweetheart.”
Donna turned to Lincoln’s mom. “In the meantime, is there a way to put another bed in there with her?” “I'll arrange for that immediately,” Tabitha Creed assured.
“Thank you, Mrs. Creed.” Donna had no intention of leaving her sister’s side until she was better.
“Okay, now that that’s settled,” her mother began. “Can somebody tell me what the hell is going on here?”
Lincoln cleared his throat. “To be perfectly honest, Mrs. Deveraux, we’re not sure. All we know so far is that my brother and your daughters were attacked simultaneously. Thankfully, the twins got away, taking down one of their attackers. But my brother was gunned down in a public restaurant. Personally, I have a hard time believing it was a coincidence.”
“Then, there was the attack at the hospital,” Senator Creed chimed. “One of the attackers somehow got into Lucas’room. He was about to kill my son, but Bella stopped him. He was beating her pretty badly when Victor and my wife entered the room. Victor intervened and then my wife…”
Tabitha plopped down on the sofa and covered her face.
“She shot him.”
