Creed: Eyewitness, page 14
CREED
"Governor, I cleared as much of your week as I could. And I-" Kena froze mid-sentence and clutched her imaginary pearls. Her breath hitched, and her skin was flushed. Victor turned to see what had affected her so obviously. It was the four large, imposing men entering the main entrance. The Creed brothers took long intent strides toward him. And although they weren't smiling, Victor grinned at not only Kena’s reaction but every other woman's reaction to their presence. His baby brothers had a tendency to command a room.
All of his brothers had thick, dark hair like Victor Sr. But only two of them had his green eyes. The youngest two had their mother’s blue eyes. They were tall and bulky as him, except for Jaysen, the baby. He was taller than them all but athletically lean.
Victor found comfort in his brothers’ presence, as they took turns embracing him.
"How's your lady?" Lucas, the second born, asked.
"She's stable and awake," Victor exhaled.
"Good," Lincoln chimed. "Where can we talk?"
It was just like Lincoln Creed to be all business. It was the Army Ranger in him. He didn't engage in much small talk. Lincoln was known for getting right to the point, but since they were in mixed company, he couldn’t. It wasn't the time for the kind of talk that they needed to have.
"Jaysen, Alex, Lucas, you've already met Kenyatta, my assistant," Victor said, gesturing to Kena, who was still frozen next to him.
His brothers nodded with smiles as they acknowledged her.
"Kena, meet my brother, Lincoln."
Lincoln seemed to notice Kena for the first time. His serious expression completely changed. He was no longer all business, as his eyes roamed her from head to toe. He stepped close enough to violate Kena's personal space and smiled down at her. She seemed to stop breathing altogether, and Victor worried that she might pass out.
"Kena, do you think you can arrange a private room where we can talk?" Victor intervened.
"Oh… yeah. Yes, sir, I'm on it," Kena blinked, regaining her composure.
She reluctantly turned to step away, but Lincoln captured her hand and brought it to his lips, saying, "It was a pleasure to meet you, Kenyatta. I can't wait to see you again." Lincoln was pouring on the charm.
Kara smiled nervously. "It was nice to meet you, Mr. Creed."
"Linc," he insisted.
She pulled her hand free, but it was too late. Victor could already see the slight buckling of her knees. Kena stumbled away without looking back.
"Linc, don’t fuck with my assistant's head. After Taylor and Mom, she's the most important woman in my life."
"I'm not gonna fuck her head," Linc said with a smirk.
His brothers chuckled, but Victor wasn't amused. He wasn't about to allow his brother to corrupt his assistant. "Lincoln, I'm serious. She's the most efficient woman in my life. She keeps me together."
"Victor, mind your own business," Alex chimed. "You can't control what that woman does when she's not at work."
"The fuck I can’t! Don’t fuck with my assistant!" Victor blurted, causing his brothers to laugh.
"You hittin’ that?" Lucas asked, leaning into Victor.
"Of course not!"
"Then shut the fuck up!"
"Fuck you, Luc! Don't make me kick your ass!"
Victor and his brothers were immediately silenced by the sound of their mother's voice. "Boys! Don't make me put you all in time out. If you're going to act like little boys, I'll have to treat you like little boys."
CHAPTER 27
TAYLOR
The last thing she remembered was her family’s visit. They were all smiling, feigning optimism, pretending as if nothing had happened. But Taylor understood that there was a hole in her chest created by a man's bullet. She also knew that her family, who had never wanted her to be a cop in the first place, was not optimistic. They were simply trying to be positive so that she would stay positive, and she loved them for it. But she was worn out, and the pain meds had her discombobulated, so she wasn't very disappointed when they left.
Finally, she opened her eyes from a much-needed slumber, but all she saw was blackness.
"I'm here, darling," came from a voice that was unfamiliar.
Taylor did her best not to panic. Panic would hurt.
"Who are you?" Taylor croaked.
"Tabatha, Tabatha Creed. I'm Victor's mother. I’m here to keep you company. How are you feeling? Are you in pain?"
Taylor exhaled, instantly relieved. "No, ma'am, I'm feeling okay. Thank you."
As the woman came closer, Taylor was able to see the beautiful redhead with vivid blue eyes that seemed to sparkle. She had a smile that was somehow calming.
She spoke softly with amusement in her eyes. "Don’t lie to me, young lady. I'm a mother. I can always tell."
"Well, I could use a little something for the pain," Taylor admitted.
Tabatha grabbed Taylor's chart from the footboard and studied it as if she knew what she was reading.
"Hmm... No allergies. I think you can have a little bit of Percocet. I'll talk with your doctor. He's been giving you Morphine. I think it's time to switch meds. Morphine can go really wrong when taken too long."
"Are you a doctor, Mrs. Creed?"
"Victor didn't tell you? That surprises me. Yes, I'm a cardiologist."
"No, ma'am. Victor always made you out to be ‘Super-Housewife’. I thought you were a stay at home mom."
"Really?" Tabitha chuckled. "That's good to know. I always thought of myself as an absentee parent. It's good to know that he and his brothers didn't feel neglected."
Tabitha returned the chart to the foot of the bed and walked over to Taylor's side. She rubbed Taylor's wild hair out of her face and smiled down at her.
"Women…we work so hard to do it all, don't we?"
"Yes, ma'am," Taylor agreed with a weak smile.
"Look at you," Tabatha started. "You’re this hardcore lady cop, but you're dating a high-profile man like Victor. You're accustomed to being in charge. But now, he's the one with the power. This is a major adjustment… no?"
"It is," Taylor admitted.
"I do understand. When I married Victor's father, I was the head of cardiology at the University of Chicago, and he was the junior senator of Indiana. It was hard for me to concede power and control, but he wouldn't have it any other way."
Tabitha looked to the ceiling, remembering a time in her life. "Darling, that Victor… I mean, my Victor, Victor Sr., is all man," she commented, damn near swooning.
Taylor could see that Victor Sr. was still making Tabitha weak in the knees. She seemed very much in love. And why not? Even in his advanced years, the man was fine.
"So, Mrs. Creed, did you give up your career for love?"
"Hell no, are you crazy?" Tabitha said with a chuckle. "Why in the hell would I do that? Go through all those years of school, fight my way to the top, just to give it up to be the wife of a senator? No."
Taylor liked her gumption and was enjoying their conversation. But in the middle of it, the pain hit. "Mrs. Creed?" she groaned.
"Oh, please. Call me Tabitha, or Tabby. I like Tabby."
"Okay, Miss Tabby, can you make that Percocet happen?"
"Of course, darling," Tabatha chuckled. "Give me a few minutes."
CREED
Victor and his brothers sat in the small hospital conference room, trying to figure out how to get to Collier. He was recovering from several gunshot wounds a few doors away from Taylor. His room was highly guarded by the State Police. Since Taylor was a Chicago Police Officer, CPD wasn’t trusted with the task of keeping him alive.
“I can get to him,” Lincoln Creed assured his brothers.
“Yeah, Linc, we know you can get to him, but we need to get to him without causing a national incident,” Lucas chimed in. “That motherfucker has more security right now than Victor.”
“He does,” Victor said, nodding in agreement. “Linc, even if you could get in and get out without being detected, we still need to exercise a little patience. He’s goin’ nowhere. Besides, right now, I just wanna make sure that Taylor is going to be okay.”
“I agree with Luc and Victor,” Jaysen added. “If that asshole were to come up missing now, they’d look right at Victor. We gotta be smart about this.”
“Okay, so what’s the plan?” Lincoln asked.
“Hold tight until I say when,” Victor instructed.
His brothers nodded their compliance, reminding him of when they were younger. No matter how old, big, or strong his little brothers got, they followed Victor’s lead. Not that they weren’t strong and powerful in their own rights. To others, his brothers would have been considered masters of the universe. But to Victor, they would always be his baby brothers.
A knock at the door interrupted Victor’s nostalgic moment. Kena peeked into the doorway. “Governor, Detective Deveraux would like to speak with you,”
“Okay, send her in.”
Kena nodded, and Victor noticed her brief glance at Linc before she left the room. Victor shook his head, thinking, Another one bites the dust. He stood, buttoning his suit coat as Bella Deveraux entered the room.
“Detective?” he greeted.
“What’s the plan, Governor?” Bella asked.
“The plan?”
“Don’t do that, sir,” Bella replied with narrowed eyes. “Taylor is my friend. For years, we put our lives in each other’s hands. Whatever you got planned to get justice for her, I want in on it.”
Victor didn’t know Bella Deveraux from a can of paint. She said that she and Taylor were friends, and maybe they were, but Taylor had never mentioned her before. Nevertheless, something told him that she could be trusted. But, truth be told, he trusted Collier too, so he wasn’t taking any chances. Yet, it seemed as though Lucas wasn’t exercising nearly as much caution.
“He’s heavily guarded. Our plan is to be patient,” Lucas blurted.
Victor, along with his brothers, glared at Lucas as if he’d grown a second head, but he was so focused on the detective that he hadn’t noticed. The look on Lucas’ face reminded them of a character in the Saturday morning cartoons that he used to watch when he was younger. Victor pictured Lucas’ eyes popping out of his head and his eyeballs rolling around like marbles. He would have laughed if Lucas wasn’t being led by his other head.
“Detective Deveraux, will you excuse us?” Victor asked.
“No,” she replied bluntly, shaking her head.
“No?” Victor repeated, surprised by her response.
“No, sir. I mean no disrespect, but I put three bullets in that asshole, and he’s alive. I… I left him alive,” she said, jamming her finger into her chest. “I want in on what’s going down.”
Victor had to admit that he was shocked by her hardcore passion. And as much as he was shocked, it seemed his brother was turned on. He could actually hear Lucas’ breathing increase. The woman was talking about committing murder, but Lucas was smitten.
“Detective, will you at least, agree to revisit this when Taylor is out of the woods?” Victor asked, still staring at his brother.
She looked over at Lucas and gave him the subtlest of smiles, before turning to Victor.
“Yes, sir. That’s understandable. Just, please, don’t leave me out of the loop.”
“I won’t. I promise,” Victor assured.
Bella peeked over at Lucas one last time before turning to leave the room. Even Victor noticed the sway of her hips in the skinny jeans that she was wearing. Hell, she was very fit, and he was, after all, a man. And it wasn’t shit wrong with his vision. She didn’t have the curves that his woman had, but her curves were peek worthy.
When she closed the door behind herself, Lucas threw his head back and groaned.
“Damn, God was good to that woman,” he mumbled under his breath.
“Can we stay focused?” Victor grumbled.
“Oh, I focused in all right. My view of that ass was very clear,” Lucas chuckled.
“You know… there’s something wrong with the lot of you,” Victor huffed.
“Whoa,” Alexander interjected. “Jaysen and I have been perfect gentlemen.”
“That’s because you’re both damn near married,” Lincoln scoffed.
“That’s bullshit! I’m as single as you,” Alexander countered.
“Who the fuck cares? We got bigger fish to fry,” Victor reminded them.
Dealing with his horny brothers could be a handful, but he trusted no one else to do the things that he needed to be done. He trusted each of his brothers with his life. They would never betray him, and he would give his life for each of them, and they for him. Victor knew that when the hard things needed to get done, there were no better enforcers than the Creed brothers.
CHAPTER 28
TAYLOR
“Nooo!” Taylor screamed, waking with a terrifying startle. Her eyes darted frantically around the room. For a few seconds, she’d forgotten where she was. She grabbed the cold rails on the sides of the hospital bed and gasped, filling her burning lungs with air.
“It’s okay, baby. I’m here. It’s okay,” Victor whispered. He gently wiped the sweat from her forehead and kissed the top of her head. “You’re okay, Sweetness,” he assured. “You’re okay. It’s just a dream.”
“No, Victor. It wasn’t just a dream,” she breathlessly replied. “That bastard shot me.”
“I know, but you’re gonna be just fine.”
Taylor closed her eyes allowed her head to fall back against the pillow. “Bella said that he made it through surgery. Where is he now?”
Victor hesitated, before saying, “Baby, please, don’t worry about Collier. He’s in custody.”
“In this hospital?” she asked.
“Yes, but they’re moving him to the Stroger today,” Victor said, massaging her scalp.
“What time?”
As he continued to knead her scalp, Taylor could hear the change in his breathing.
“Taylor, baby, just please concentrate on getting better. Let me worry about Collier.”
Taylor nodded, hearing the failed attempt to disguise the irritation in his voice. She looked into the beautiful green eyes that had hypnotized her months ago, and he blessed her with a beautiful smile that not only reached his eyes but transformed his entire face. She marveled at his brilliant white teeth, dimples to the deepest of craters, and thick, lustrous lashes that most women would kill for.
“Okay, Governor, you win. I’ll lie here and be a good little patient,” she relented, smiling up at him.
“That’s my girl. Now…” he said, pausing to kiss her forehead. “...You have a visitor.”
“Who?”
“You’ll see.”
He backed away from her bed and opened the door to her room. Taylor’s hand flew to her mouth and tears welled in her eyes as Maria wheeled herself into Taylor’s room. Other than being in a wheelchair, she looked like her normal self.
“So instead of going out there and finding the motherfucka that shot me, you go and get yourself shot,” Maria quipped.
“Oh my God, Maria, you look amazing.”
Maria’s smile was cocky. “Of course, I do.”
Taylor was overwhelmed with emotion, elated to see her friend up and alert. She couldn’t suppress the tears falling from her eyes.
Victor cleared his throat from the doorway. “I’m gonna let you two catch up. I’ll be close by if you need me.”
“Okay, baby. I’ll see you later.”
CHAPTER 29
CREED
Victor joined his brothers in the hospital’s conference room.
“Okay, we don’t have much time. They’re moving that son of a bitch in an hour,” he told them.
“I got it covered,” Linc assured. “We’ll intercept him on the way. You stay with your lady. We’ll handle this.”
“Linc, please, keep in mind that he’s got information that we need,” Jaysen implored, staring pointedly at Lincoln.
“I’m well aware of that, Jay. Why do you feel you need to tell me that?”
“So you don’t kill him,” Lucas blurted.
Lincoln crossed his arms over his chest and frowned at his brothers. But he remained silent.
“Seriously, Linc, don’t kill him,” Victor warned.
“What the fuck?! I look like Charles Fucking Manson to you assholes?” Lincoln huffed.
“Naw, man,” Alexander interceded. “They’re just asking you to check your temper just long enough for us to get the answers we need, then you can go Rambo.”
“Rambo, huh?” Lincoln asked, feigning offense.
“Yes, Rambo,” Victor confirmed, walking over to his younger brother.
“That’s funny, Vic, but maybe you should inform your little brothers that you’re way more dangerous than I’ve ever been? They seem to think that the good governor is a bit soft.”
“Bullshit,” Alexander chuckled. “I’m a lot of things, but stupid ain’t one of them.”
Victor smirked at Alex and grabbed Lincoln by the back of his neck and planted a kiss on his forehead. His brother was definitely a rough-neck, but Victor loved him dearly. Lincoln was loyal to a fault; he’d die for the people he loved and the country he served.
Linc slapped him on the back and pushed him away. “We need to get going, Vic. Go back to your lady. Once we secure the package, we’ll save it for you.”
“Yeah, okay, thank you… all of you,” Victor said, sincerely.
The brothers filed out of the conference room only to be met in the hall by an angry Bella Deveraux.
“Did you do it?” Her tone was accusatory. Victor, along with his brothers stared at her, with no idea of what she was referring to.
“Detective, what are you talking about?” Victor asked.
“Collier!” she shouted in a whisper. “His throat was slashed from ear to ear.”
