With a raised brow and sinister smile, she responded. “Yes, I married Jeffrey. But my son isn’t his. It’sVictor’s.”
“Victor’s!” Taylor scoffed with a chuckle. “Get the fuck outta here!”
Nicole leaned forward and Taylor saw nothing but hatred in her glare. “I can prove it with a DNA test.”
Taylor flew from the couch and snatched Nicole up by her collar. “Listen, bitch!” she hissed. “If you think you gon’ come up in here and fuck with my man, you better think again!”
Nicole tried to pull away, but Taylor had a kung-fu grip on the lapel of her mother’s dress. “We ain’t getting no fucking DNA test because we both know yo’ ass is lying!”
“I don’t have to lie, Taylor! And, you don’t have to believe me,” she squealed.
Taylor hurled her older sister across the room, causing her to tumble over a chair. She stormed toward her ready to beat the shit out of her scheming ass. With no hesitation or regret, she dropped to one knee and wrapped her fingers around Nicole’s neck. With an aggressive squeeze she yanked her sister up until their faces were less than an inch apart. “Thatmotherfucka done rubbed off on you in the worst way. But you got me fucked up if you think I’ma let you step in and ruin my husband! You’re just jealous because you picked that loser. You thought he was on the come up, so you hopped on him like a flea.”
Nicole’s eyes grew large as Taylor restricted her air. She struggled unsuccessfully to escape, but Taylor jerked her by the neck in a demonstration of dominance. Only when she felt like she’d proved her point and just before Nicole’s eyelids turned lazy did she let go. She allowed her sister to fall back and showed no concern when her head bounced off the floor.
Taylor stood, looming over her mother’s child and felt nothing but rage. “Find something safe to do,” she warned. “Because fucking with my family ain’t it!”
With a reasonable amount of terror in her eyes, Nicole sat up. She scooted backward on her butt to create distance between them. But Taylor had already said everything she needed to say. After one last scathing glare, she turned and left her sister scurrying around on the floor.
CHAPTER 32
LUCAS
Lucas was half asleep when he heard the door open. Thanks to the morphine pump connected to his IV, he’d been in and out of consciousness for weeks. He forced his eyes open to find Bella standing over him with a smirk.
“You are high as hell,” she teased.
“Lil’ bit,” Lucas admitted with a chuckle. “Hey, beautiful.”
She leaned over and kissed his lips, “Hey, bae,” she whispered against them.
When she stood, Lucas noted the faded bruises on her face and frowned. “How are you feeling?” he asked.
Bella smiled. “Me? How am I feeling? I’m fine. I was shot in the chest.”
“Yeah, but I’m on the mend,” he groaned, feeling a pain in his chest. He smiled at Bella and grabbed her hand. He lifted her palm to his lips and kissed it softly. “I’m sorry I had Nurse Ratched put you out last night.”
Bella frowned, but Lucas wasn’t really sorry. As soon as she was able to move around without help, she would escape her room and sleep in the chair next to his bed. Sleeping in a chair couldn’t have been good for her recovery. So, Lucas had been forced to put his foot down by asking the nurses to evict Bella from his room at bedtime.
“You’re not sorry,” Bella quipped.
Lucas reached up and caressed her cheek. He tucked a few stands of her straight, dark hair behind her ear. Even with the faint proof of the beating she’d taken to save him, Bella was still so beautiful. “Any word on who it is that wants us dead?”When Bella sighed, Lucas could see the disappointment in her eyes. “Nothing, huh?”
“All we know so far is the shooters that went after Donna and me were Asian and so was the man your momma killed in the hospital. Then, Niyah saw an Asian man dressed like a doctor right before her intern was killed.”
“If they were only after you and Donna, we could assume it had something to do with your jobs. So, where do I fit in the equation?”
Bella shook her head. “I have no Idea. Instead of sitting on my ass, I should have been investigating this shit.”
Lucas frowned. “Sitting on your ass, as in recovering from a brutal beating that almost left you braindead?”
“Well, I’ve called a family meeting. Victor and Taylor are still on the campaign trail, but everyone else will be here.”
Lucas grabbed the bedrail and threw his leg over the side of the bed. When he winced from the pain, Bella grabbed his leg and lifted it back on the bed. “What are you doing?”
“I’m gonna grab a shower. I would like to attend this family meeting.”
Bella chuckled and tucked his leg back under the blanket. “I can handle this meeting. You, Mr. Creed, will lay your ass down and get better.”
