“Thanks, honey. But I gotta go.”
“Okay. Be careful.”
“I will.”
“I love you, Bella.”
Bella ran her fingers through her hair and exhaled. She loved when Lucas told her that he loved her because she knew that he meant it.
“I love you,” she whispered.
She disconnected the call and stuffed her phone in her bra. Bella crossed the street and walked over to the SUV. She smiled as she approached Victoria and her cousin, Natasha.
“Hey, y’all. Glad you could make it.”
“Hey, Bella. Thanks for the invite.”
“You deserve to be here. Both of you do.”
Natasha smiled and grabbed Bella’s hand. “Thank you,” she whispered. “I took an overnighter from Paris for this.”
Bella squeezed Natasha’s hand in return and smile. “Alright then. Let’s go and burn this motherfuckah to the ground,” Bella asserted.
“Let’s do it!” Victoria hailed.
Bella pulled the radio from her back pocket. She pressed the call button. “Hit it!”
Bella turned around and stood next to Victoria and Natasha. Together, they watched SWAT, one of the world’s best high-risk entry teams, breach the abandoned book factory located on the west side of Chicago.
After months of listening to audio tapes, produced by a paranoid sociopath, and meticulously tracking down every single lead, Bella was finally ready to annihilate the massive human trafficking operation.
Nothing could compare to the sound of the battering ram hitting the door and shattering a realm of fear, pain, human suffering, and oppression. She listened to the chatter on the radio until SWAT declared that the building had been cleared.
“Let’s go,” Bella said to Victoria and Natasha.
The three of them jogged across the street and entered the factory. At first sight, there was nothing to see. But as they advanced further into the building, they were smack dab in the middle of what looked like barracks. There were several 15x10 rooms that housed at least ten sets of bunk beds, and even some baby beds. Scared and half-naked women and children were huddled together in the corners of each of the rooms.
SWAT stood to the side as the VICE unit led handcuffed offenders out of the front door. Once the building was free from offenders, Social Services, along with other government agencies entered. They began to render aid to victimized women and children.
Bella stopped an EMT as he escorted one of the women out of the building. She gave the woman a reassuring smile as she reached for her hand. The woman was fully compliant when Bella turned her hand to examine her wrist. As expected, she had the same type of barcode tattooed on her flesh like the three dead girls in the abandoned house.
Bella looked over at the Storm women. Neither was trying to hide their despair. Natasha swiped a tear from her cheek as Victoria pulled her into her arms. Bella never really knew what had happened to Natasha when she was abducted by human traffickers, but looking at her, it wasn’t hard to deduce that it had been a horrific experience. Both, Natasha and Victoria had survived horrific experiences.
Bella slowly approached them and placed her arms around them
“It is done,” she whispered, hoping that the results of the raid would provide them with some comfort.
EPILOGUE
TAYLOR
Taylor stood on the balcony and marveled at the beauty of the gardens of the executive mansion. Admittedly, Taylor had had reservations about getting married at the governor’s mansion. She didn’t want a stuffy, pretentious wedding. It was bad enough that a slew of politicians was going be in attendance. But the grounds of the executive mansion were nothing short of breathtaking and not to mention convenient.
She and Victor had gone through so much. Between making the arrangements for Rosemary’s funeral, battling the press, and planning their wedding, Taylor just wanted easy.
“Taylor, baby, if you plan on gettin’ married, you better get in this dress,” Taylor’s mom, Martha, called out from the dressing room.
Taylor’s satin robe danced in the warm, May breeze as she walked through the Victorian-inspired doors. As soon as she entered the dressing room, she saw Nicole and her mom holding her wedding dress with tears swimming in their eyes. Bella narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms.
“If that woman comes in here and shoves me in that chair again because y’all made me cry, I am gonna be sooo mad.”
The smile on her mom’s face warmed Taylor’s heart. Over the years, Martha Montgomery has made no secret of her desire for Taylor and Nicole to get married and produce grandchildren. They all assumed that Nicole would be the first to jump the broom, but Victor came along and shook things up.
“Wait!” Victoria called out.
She and Bella came hurrying across the room. Victoria was carrying two bottles of Veuve Clicquot, and Bella was carrying champagne flutes. Both were beautiful in their bride’s maid’s dresses. Taylor had allowed all of her attendants to choose their own design and color, as long as it was cohesive with her modern monarchy themed wedding. Victoria chose royal blue, and Bella chose burgundy.
“We need to knock back a couple before you step into that gorgeous gown,” Bella suggested, handing Taylor a glass.
Victoria carefully poured champagne into Taylor’s glass. She turned to Martha and Nicole. “You too. Put that dress down and have a little sippy sip.”
Martha chuckled and shook her head at Bella and Victoria. “The two of you are a bad influence. But I guess we have time for a toast.”
Martha and Nicole carefully placed the gown on a chaise lounger, spreading the long train so that it wouldn’t wrinkle.
“Now we drink,” Bella declared.
Taylor watched as Bella handed out glasses, and Victoria poured. Seeing the two of them working together was something that she thought she’d never see. Victoria and Bella, settling their differences had allowed Taylor to be closer to them both. She was definitely happier not being the friend in the middle of a beef between friends.
“Wait for me!” Maria shouted as she exited the bathroom.
She was stunning in her bronze, Victorian off-the-shoulder bride’s maid gown. Bella handed her a glass, and Victoria filled it. Taylor looked around the room, proud of the strong, beautiful women that she’d been blessed enough to have in her life.
Taylor cleared her throat to silence the chatter and get the ladies attention. Once the room was silent, Taylor raised her glass.
“Since my enablers insisted that I get boozed up before I say I do, I feel the need to propose a toast. It has not been an easy road traveled to get to this point, but it was definitely worth it. I want you all to know that I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the love and support of the dynamic, strong, loyal, fierce, and the beautiful women surrounding me. I love each and every last one of you.”
Taylor could feel the moisture pooling in her eyes. Earlier, at Nicole’s insistence, she’d sat in a makeup chair for over an hour. Since she had no intention of returning to that chair, Taylor raised her glass higher and concluded her toast.
“To you!” she shouted
Taylor and the ladies took a sip from their glasses.
“Hey, y’all,” Taylor called out before the chatter could resume. “I need y’all to hurry up and knock that shit so that I can go and marry the man of my dreams.”
The ladies laughed and did as instructed. Soon, they were all scrambling around the room, getting ready for Taylor’s big day.
BELLA
After the most exquisite wedding that that Bella had ever witnessed, she stood in the elaborate ballroom of the executive mansion, sipping champagne. The place was filled with the world’s elite and high-ranking political officials. Bella was most definitely socializing above her station.
“Taylor looks amazing,” Donatella whispered.
Bella nodded in agreement. Taylor was a vision of loveliness in a vintage, white, tulle and lace, off-the-shoulder wedding gown. Her thick, natural ha
ir was pulled into a high bun, encircled in a diamond crown with a beautiful lace veil attached to the back. The gorgeous backdrop of the garden was no comparison to the exquisite bride.
“You and Lucas have been joined at the hip for a while now. You ‘bout ready to jump the broom, baby sis?” Donatella asked before lifting her glass to her mouth.
“Neither one of us is in a big hurry to get married. We’re having too much fun shacking up.”
“I heard that,” Donatella mumbled.
Bella looked around the fancy ballroom for Lucas. When she spotted him, he was huddled in the corner with his brothers.
“Girl, that is one perfect gene pool. A bitch could just go, eeny meeny miny moe, and come out a winner.”
“Naw, bitch,” Bella scoffed. “You can go, eeny meeny or miny, because moe and mine are taken.”
Donatella laughed. “Don’t nobody want your man.”
“Yeah, I figured. Since you can’t seem to take your eyes off Linc. I know you fucked him,” Bella muttered.
“Oh, and, how do you know that?” Donna retorted, rolling her eyes. “You got a twin sense that I don’t have? I definitely don’t remember feeling you cum when Lucas was rodding your ass out.”
“Mm-hm. You fucked him.” Bella snickered.
“Whatever,” Donatella dismissed.
“Yeah, whatever, Telly.”
She giggled and walked away from her sister. She was missing Lucas, but she’d only made it halfway to him when the wedding coordinator announced the throwing of the bouquet. Bella kept walking, ignoring the announcement. But she was cut short when Tabitha Creed blocked her path. The serious look on her face concerned Bella.
“What’s the matter?”
Lucas’ mother narrowed her eyes at Bella. She had absolutely no idea what she could have done to piss Dr. Creed off.
“What? What’s wrong?” Bella asked.
“Get your narrow behind over there and catch that damn bouquet, Belladonna Devereaux,” Tabitha gritted.
Bella sighed, relieved that she hadn’t pissed of the matriarch of the Creed family. She began to laugh, but when she noticed that Tabitha wasn’t laughing with her, she stopped. Bella held her hands up in surrender. She looked past Lucas’ mom to see her man and his brothers laughing at her. Bella took two steps back, turned on her heel, and acquiesced.
“I-I’m just gonna go over there and catch that bouquet,” Bella muttered.
She reluctantly walked over to the group of giddy, single women, hoping to snag a husband, and waited for Taylor to toss the bouquet.
After a short countdown, Bella was nearly smacked in the face by the bundle of flowers. She looked up at Taylor and frowned. Taylor’s agenda was obvious to everyone in the ballroom. Bella wondered if she and Tabitha, together, had cooked up the scheme to feed Bella the bouquet.
Taylor smirked and began a round of applause to celebrate Bella’s so-called victory. Playing along, Bella raised the bouquet over her head and took a bow.
“I guess that means that you're next, huh?” Lucas teased from behind.
Bella turned around and snaked her arms around his neck. She inhaled the scent that she longed for when he wasn’t near.
“I guess so,” she whispered.
Lucas wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. “Got anyone in mind?”
“Not yet,” Bella teased. “But I’ll let you know when I find someone.”
Lucas narrowed his eyes and smack Bella’s behind. “Don’t play with me, girl. You know I’m gonna make you my wife.”
Bella looked into her man’s beautiful jade eyes, and for the first time, she was able to imagine herself getting married again. Bella rose on her toes and kissed his warm, soft lips. With his hand pressed into the small of her back, Lucas deepened the kiss. Bella savored the taste of mint and passion as their shared affection united them. Remembering that they weren’t alone, Bella lowered herself, momentarily severing their connection.
“Lucas, you couldn’t possibly understand how much I love you.”
“Belladonna, if it’s half as much as I love you, we’ll be indestructible.”
THE END
Creed 2: Black Widow Page 17
