Morning did not bring peace of mind. Clarity was lost in the wind, and so was her sanity. Bella had known—known—sex wasn't the answer. They were on opposite sides of the planet emotionally, and being intimate physically couldn't fix that.
Edward was an endless ocean; powerful, overwhelming. An island could only hold for so long before the waves completely surrounded it. Bella was drowning in his ruthless, unending strength, and she felt helpless to stop it.
He was up before she was; not so unusual, but she spotted him coming up from the basement for the second morning in a row. Pouring coffee for herself, she leaned against the pantry door and merely observed those around her.
She'd told him at the safe house that she wouldn't go against him. God knew she didn't want to defy him, even with everything that had transpired, but it was obvious she'd have no choice. It had become about more than knowing she was right for the task; she'd begun to question Edward's intentions. Secret meetings and the ingratiating attitude toward Gianna equaled something fishy. Another day had passed; another day closer to all their deaths at the hands of madmen, and they were no closer to a solution.
Since the two sets of footsteps separated, Bella wasn't sure who her husband had taken into his confidence. It would be too obvious if she lurked outside the door the following morning, and she was worried the security team would rat her out if she asked to see the footage.
Edward entered the kitchen alone, passing her on his way to the coffee maker. He refilled his cup and glanced at her before leaving the room.
Her gut ached. A thousand pounds of weight settled like a boulder, eating her from the inside out. Wrung out and miserable, she was terrified she'd have to act alone after all.
"Bella?"
She jumped. "Jesus, Angela."
"Sorry to scare you, but you seemed to be a million miles away." Angela leaned against the cupboard next to Bella. "What's going on with you and Edward?"
"The stress is getting to us." She rolled her shoulders, not quite a shrug.
"No, the stress is getting to me and Ben, or Jasper and Maria. It's something else entirely with the two of you."
"We've been fighting over everything." She choked on the whisper, her hands shaking as she pushed her hair away from her face. "I don't know what to do."
"I admit, I can't believe he let Gianna stay."
"He says she’s a victim, ready to help us all save the world."
"I say she's a ho, looking to get into Edward’s pants."
It was a small comfort to know she wasn't crazy to think the same. "I'll rip her extensions out and strangle her with them if she tries."
Stifling a laugh, Angela took Bella’s hand in her own. "She gave up a few probable locations for Zion to be hiding in currently. So, unfortunately, she's proven herself useful."
"Will Holden take them out?" Bella straightened, her heart rate accelerating. "Is it about to be over?"
"They're meeting about it in a few minutes, from what Ben said."
"Nice of nobody to tell me," she muttered.
Sure enough, people shuffled their way past the kitchen and down the hall. Bella set her mug aside and followed, irritation prickling her skin. Normally, Edward announced meetings so they could all hear. If not for Angela, would Bella even have known?
"We'll use satellite imaging to double check Mrs. Demov's claims."
Bella snuck to the back of the room while Kiernan spoke.
"If it looks as if there's something there, like a bunker or some other hideout, Holden will sanction a drone strike."
"So this might potentially be the end of it?" Quinn asked.
"Potentially. If they're not there, or only a few of them are, it won't be enough."
"How long before we know?" Emmett asked.
Kiernan checked his watch. "Minutes, honestly."
Murmurs raced around the room. The idea that they could be out from under all the stress, the threat of death, and the horror of the end of the world in mere minutes sent a frisson through them all.
Kiernan’s phone buzzed, and he pulled it out to answer it. "O’Byrne."
Someone slipped their large, warm hand into Bella's, and her heart caught in her throat. Turning her head, she swallowed when she saw it was her son. He’d healed nicely, nothing but a scab and slight bruising to indicate he’d been shot.
"I'm anxious."
She tried to smile, but failed. "So am I."
"I mean, what if this doesn't work?" He frowned, looking at someone over her shoulder.
"Yeah, that's what I'm worried about too."
Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Edward moving closer.
"Quinn." Edward nodded at him. "Bella."
"Dad. Do you think this will be the end?"
"It's hard to say. Even if Gianna knows what she's talking about, there's no guarantee Ivan or his top men are there. But she named three locations, so we have a slight chance to end this today."
"Well, the strike is complete," Kiernan said. Everyone quieted down. "Now we wait to hear from the recon team. They'll check for proof of who was there and get back to us. Since there were three sites, it might take a few hours for proof of death."
"I don't think I can stand around and wait." Edward tucked his hands in his pockets. "If you need me, I'll be in my office."
He walked off before Bella could respond. Part of her wanted to follow him, to ask what he thought and how he felt. Instead, she hugged Quinn, resting her head on his chest. Tall like Edward, he towered several inches above her.
"Even if this isn't the win we're hoping for, it'll be okay, Mom."
Though he meant to be reassuring, Quinn didn't know the half of it. And she planned to keep it that way. "Thanks, kid."
Eventually, Bella wandered up the stairs. She was restless, on edge. After making a new pot of coffee, she poured two mugs and carried them to the office at the back of the house. The door was left open a crack, and she heard the viper laughing from down the hall.
Bristling, she picked up her pace until she could push the door open with her elbow. The sight that greeted her made her stop in her tracks.
Her husband sat on the sable leather couch, a glass of whiskey in his hand. Gianna sat beside him, her body turned in Edward’s direction and her leg perched perilously close to his. Her long red nails trailed down his tie, and Edward just . . . sat there.
"It's nice to see a man who takes his appearance seriously."
He must have noticed Bella in the doorway, because he raised his glass and met her livid gaze. "Suits command a certain authority." He took a swig of his drink, eyes locked on his wife.
"Our children bought him that tie last Father's Day."
Gianna sat back and looked at Bella but didn't stop touching Edward’s lapel.
"If you don't get your nasty fingers off my husband, I'll tear your fake nails off one by one and stuff them down your throat." Bella slammed the coffee mugs on the desk, dark liquid splashing over paperwork and scalding her hands. "You have three seconds to move."
Gianna scoffed. "You can't be serious."
"One."
Her brows raised, Gianna dropped her hands in her lap.
"Two."
Gianna flipped her hair behind her shoulder. "What more do you want from me?"
The whine in her voice set Bella’s teeth on edge. "Get out of my sight. Now."
"You're out of your mind," Gianna grumbled, but she got up and left the room.
"As Seamus would say, we were just having a wee chat."
"Don't you give me that shit. If you were just chatting, you could have sat in separate seats without touching each other. In the living room, the kitchen, or any other public space in the house."
Suddenly chilled, Bella faced the window and stared at the roses bobbing in the wind. Her hands were so cold the joints ached. Though she shook them out, it didn't help. She'd danced with the devil and then taken him into her bed, making the enemy her most trusted partner, and now she was shocked when he acted as the incarnation of his true nature. Bile threatened to rise, swirling in her belly and edging up her throat.
"It's awfully cliché to sleep with a younger woman right under your wife's nose."
"Considering you're the woman I fucked yesterday, and your bed is the one I slept in, you know that's not true."
Her laugh was so bitter it hurt. "You rise before me every morning. You keep having secret meetings in the basement with only one other person."
Absently, she rubbed the red marks from the mild burns on her hands. She heard him rise, heard the fabric of his suit rub against itself as he approached. “I’m not fucking Gianna Demov.”
His voice came from very close, but she didn't make a move. "I want her out of my house."
He sighed. "She gave us useful information."
"The useful idiot has outstayed her welcome. She needs to go." Finally turning, she held her guts in her hands, praying they’d stay put until she left the room. “I’m not even sort of joking. If I have to kick her out myself, it will be ugly.”
“It wasn’t—”
“Don't you dare try to explain this away.”
His jaw clenched, but he didn't speak. Two decades played out before her eyes; back then, she thought it was Victoria he boffed behind her back. There were no words left to describe the hollow feeling inside her.
“You’ve burned yourself,” he murmured, reaching for her hands.
Tears finally snaked down her cheeks. “Don't touch me.”
He dropped his hands, fisting them by his sides. “Bella—”
“I’m disgusted by you, by what I just witnessed. Drinking before nine, allowing another woman to touch you, to lean in intimately and flirt without apology. You didn't stop her, and didn't appear to plan to before I interrupted you.” In fact, he’d stared insolently at his wife while allowing the other woman to run her fingers along his tie.
“Don't start accusing me of something I’ve never done.”
The fury in his tone was evident, but her eyes had not deceived her. “They’ve succeeded without even trying that hard.”
It didn’t matter if he knew what she meant; she couldn't bear to be in the room with him for one more second. A violent sob ripped its way out of her throat before she could stop it, and Edward said her name once more. Blindly, she made her way to the stairs. There wasn't even an empty room to cry in, one he didn’t have the right to enter. Hurrying as she heard footsteps behind her, she locked herself in her bathroom and turned the taps on high to drown out the sound of her rushing to the toilet before retching. Sinking to the floor, she covered her mouth and cried, wiping her mouth on her sleeve. Something had to give, and she had never wanted that something to be her marriage, but what was she left with if they continued down their current path?
Whether he slept with her or merely allowed her to flirt shamelessly, it was disrespectful. Gianna already acted as though she had carte blanche in Bella’s house, and that could not be tolerated. She’d kick her ass out if Edward hadn’t yet done it himself.
She had no idea how much time had passed before someone knocked on the door.
“Mom?”
It was Caitriona. “Yeah.”
“Are you okay?”
Getting up, Bella went to the sink and washed her face quickly before opening the door. “My stomach is upset.”
Caitriona, the baby of the family, stood in Bella’s bedroom with concern all over her expression. Behind her, Edward paced by the foot of the bed. Bella stiffened.
Cat pulled her mother into her arms. “I wanted to see how you were doing.”
She did, or he did? “I just need some time.”
Cat pulled away, holding Bella at arm’s length. “Tyler made lunch, but maybe you should skip it.”
“I think I’ll lie down instead.” Once Caitriona left the room, Bella was once again faced with her husband. “Unless you’re here to tell me there’s one less person in this house, or to apologize for using our daughter when I clearly didn’t want to speak to you, then you can leave the room.”
His jaw clenched so hard she could practically hear his teeth grinding together. “All three ops were unsuccessful. Holden wants the bomb returned to Zion within forty-eight hours.”
As though her stomach hadn't already dropped to her toes, she felt it sink further. “What are we going to do?”
“We’re going to drop it off at one of our warehouses and then call them to tell them which one.”
Wrapping her arms around her waist, Bella tried to rein in her tears. “They’ll know before we even get there.”
“And we’ll have to be prepared for them to kill us for disobeying their orders.”
“I think it’s time for Holden to give us a team of fully qualified men and women, soldiers, operatives, whatever the fuck he calls them. We need his entire arsenal at our disposal for this.”
“I’ll see what he’s willing to offer.”
“If he doesn’t agree to help, then we’re done. I can’t do this anymore.” Bella moved to the head of the bed, pulling the comforter down. “He can be the patsy this time.”
After she’d climbed in the bed, Edward spoke. “Garrett confirmed she drove off the estate approximately thirty minutes ago.”
Closing her eyes, she merely nodded, listening for the sound of him leaving and closing the door behind him before she turned into the pillow and let out the sob she’d been holding back.
Man I would have snatched her up my her fake hair and tossed her out myself!
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