“That went better than expected,” Bella said, pulling off the headphones and dropping them on the table.
“We were due for some good luck.” Ben typed a few things on his laptop and turned it around for them all to see. “Not an abandoned church, but good enough.”
Natasha was of a mind to help ruin her future ex-husband’s life more than to clear his name. She’d adopted a burn it all down mentality, and was more than happy to speak to Dylan. In all honesty, Bella couldn't blame her. With Natasha’s anger focused solely on the wrongdoer—Derrick Blithers—and no one else, she could be a huge asset to them. Amanda Barrett wasn’t blameless, exactly, but having her father push her toward an older man just because they were buddies made Bella feel sorry for her.
They were using her the same as they were using everyone around them, and it had to stop.
After speaking with Leah and Dylan, Natasha agreed to call her husband and ask for a meeting. At first, she said she’d rather tell him they were having mediation for divorce proceedings, but Leah cautioned her against that. He might not come to that, and they couldn't afford for him to ditch at the last minute.
So, instead, she’d put on an impressively false demeanor, telling him she’d heard about the troubles he was having through the media and wanted to help him. He agreed they needed to meet privately, working out a way to show a united front to save his career and their fortune . . . because apparently, it all came down to money for Blithers.
On Ben’s monitor, Bella saw it was indeed not an abandoned church, but an old office building undergoing renovations. Since it was Derrick’s idea to meet there, Ben and Dara were working with Stephen and Hollywood to set up surveillance beforehand. Danny and Tito would spend the night there, hidden away to ensure no one else came in and tried to set up a trap.
Restless, Bella circled the dining room table. Derrick was canny, and there was no reason to assume he’d come alone, even to meet with his estranged wife. At the end of the day, none of them thought he gave a shit about Natasha as a person. She was merely a means to an end, as were they all. If she refused to help him fix his image, he’d likely take drastic measures to silence her.
“Aingeal,” Edward murmured, capturing her hand as she passed.
Lifting her eyes to his, she tamped down the fear she now felt each time she looked at him. He planned to die, and it wasn't a far-fetched idea. Blithers would stop at nothing, and had already killed them in his mind.
Without an ounce of remorse.
With the high possibility of his success this time around, Bella had reached a place of constant, gnawing dread. Losing Edward was unacceptable, and not only to her. Though she might have selfishly wished to have him as her own, he belonged to them all. His family, his friends, they would be affected too.
“There’s too much in my head right now,” she said, knowing he understood.
“I know.” Drawing her closer, he wrapped one arm around her and kissed her forehead. “It’s a lot to untangle.”
“What’s the plan, then?”
But what she wanted was to lose herself in his embrace, not strategize with the others. A double-edged sword, that, because they had to plan things out or his chances of success dropped significantly.
“We’ll get there first, we’ll find the best place to hide, and we’ll let Natasha speak to him. Hopefully, he’ll relax when he sees it’s just her. If she asks about the current accusations and he gets angry, she might have to ditch.”
“And then?”
“Christ.” Edward scrubbed his hands over his face, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know. This feels like our only chance to hear him confess and get it on recording.”
“But it also feels like there’s no way he’ll talk about it in the open, even to his wife on neutral territory.”
Succumbing to the need for him, she rested her head on his chest. Beneath her ear, his lungs contracted and expanded, and his heart thumped. His life, his essence, was vital. Precious.
“I’m struggling, Edward,” she admitted. “You’re mine, and I’m yours, and if—”
“Shh.” Stroking his hand down her hair, he held her tighter. “I can only try my damndest not to die.”
Fuck, that sucked. That was all anyone could do, and yet it felt like it wasn’t nearly enough.
“We’ll go together to find a good place to stay out of sight.”
She nodded.
“And it’ll be okay.”
“That’s a shitty platitude.”
“I know.”
It was all they had.
For the rest of the day, they worked out a plan. It felt like déjà vu from the old days when she, Emmett, Jasper, and Edward sat around his office and planned revenge for the other Families. Jake even relented enough in his silent tantrum to help, letting Layla and Quinn spend time with Aerinn. If things went smoothly, they could go home soon.
If only.
By nightfall, the nerves in Bella’s gut wanted to rise up and strangle her. Stephen and Hollywood had handed the place off to Danny and Tito, and the rest of the crew were trying to get some sleep. The entire building was wired for video and sound from top to bottom, just in case Blithers thought he could hide in the men’s room and curse the world in peace. The Cullens were past the point of allowing him an ounce of solace. He didn’t deserve it.
In their relatively small, creaky bed, Bella clung to Edward and prayed for his soul. For some reason, it felt like more than what they used to face. Once upon a time, Edward Cullen was fearless, unafraid of the reaper and what it represented. With him worried about the future, how could she feel anything but terror?
Finally admitting defeat, she kicked off the covers and rolled on top of Edward, mashing her mouth to his. Satisfaction filled her when he gripped her hips, positioning her to sink down over him. She’d known that he, too, was awake, but unaware his thoughts ran along the same path.
“Fuck,” he hissed, his neck stretching back when she sat up.
Ushering them both toward the peak, Bella moved faster. If they understood nothing else about life and love, they understood this. They craved this. A sheen of sweat covered her back as she rode her husband, as she fought for control of her emotions. Crying now would only complicate things, and she wouldn’t allow it.
His cock bumped her in all the right places, her inner muscles tightening when he thrust up to meet her movements.
“Yes, Edward!”
“God, baby, look at you.” Reaching up, he twisted her nipples. “So perfect.”
Words escaped her, so she continued slamming down on his thighs until her legs quivered. Her skin became flushed, and the first signs of an orgasm curled through her.
“I can’t,” she cried. “It’s too much.”
Reading her mind, Edward took her by the waist and flipped her over, sliding back in with ease. Pressed together inch by inch, he cradled her head and moved with purpose. Withdrawing slowly, he drove into her with force, causing her to cry out. He repeated his actions, slowly but surely picking up speed. With her mouth hanging open, Bella gulped in air and tried to let go of the turmoil so she could just feel.
Taking advantage, Edward kissed her, spearing his tongue in her mouth with every thrust. Finding what she needed in him—always in him—she relaxed her legs and let them fall open. With every stroke, Edward brought her higher until she finally fell apart.
Tears coursed down her face to disappear in the pillow. Edward grunted, stilling against her, and kissed her cheeks.
With every cell in her body, she enveloped him with the goal of never letting go. He nearly crushed her in his embrace, and she welcomed the weight of him.
“Is breá liom tú níos mó ná mo shaol féin.”
God, she’d grown so accustomed to those words over the years, and yet now they stung. He loved her more than his own life, which meant he was ready to forfeit himself to save her.
“If you go, I go.” The words were barely a whisper into his skin, but he tensed and rolled them so they were face to face.
“No, Bella.”
“Don't fucking tell me no, Edward Cullen.”
His chest rose and fell rapidly, and he pushed her hair from her face. Tears pricked painfully at the corners of her eyes, and she blinked. She didn't want to die, but she couldn't imagine living without him, either.
“You have the children to think about, and Aerinn loves you so much.”
“Same goes for you.”
There was no reason to be stubborn about it; they weren’t arguing over what to have for dinner. Yet her heart bled at the idea of what might happen.
Kissing her deeply, he pulled her arm over him and held her close. “How about we both try to live?”
Easier said than done sometimes.
The dawn broke as usual, the day starting early since neither could sleep. Everyone was downstairs, eating breakfast or drinking coffee. The mundane calm before the storm.
“Ready?” Edward asked the room at large, and they all moved in sync to gear up and leave the safe house.
Nestled in the rafters side by side, Bella had another flash of a previous lifetime. Jasper’s first wife had betrayed them all, and he’d taken her out. Edward had chosen to witness his own sister’s demise to ensure the person responsible for the loss of their baby was properly punished. He’d always embodied an eye for an eye, and this was hardly different.
You kill me, I kill you.
Natasha arrived, and Dylan and Leah approached her to talk quietly. They encouraged her to speak clearly and tread carefully with her questions. Apparently, she knew the risks and was willing to accept them.
Bella’s gut clenched.
Time passed to the ticking silence, and Bella grew weary of the position they had to remain in. Her body ached from lack of sleep and the need to remain motionless. Eventually, Edward had to wake her after she dozed off.
She followed his pointing finger to the figure near the door.
Derrick Blithers was there.
Tapping her on the arm, Edward held up three fingers. Derrick had brought three men to defend himself against his wife.
“Tash,” he said, holding out his hands as he moved closer.
She remained where she was, but allowed him to pull her in for a hug.
“I’m glad you came around to my side of things.”
“I’m not sure I’m convinced, though.” Letting their grasp drop, she folded her arms over her chest. “There are so many rumors about you now.”
He scoffed. “Vicious lies.”
Natasha shrugged. “Maybe. I mean, you were in intimate pictures with the vice president’s daughter, which you tried to pass off as merely a friendship.”
“It was just a chance encounter at Andrew’s house,” he said in a compelling voice. “No big deal.”
“If I choose to believe you, are you going to stop seeing her in any capacity?”
His voice changed, hardening. “Tash, let’s not be ridiculous. He’s my oldest friend; of course I might cross her path again.”
“So, if you can’t stay away from a woman you’re not sleeping with, then maybe the other accusations are true.”
His face reddened, and Bella knew he was growing sick of talking to her. “Such as?”
“I don’t know!” she snapped. “You never told me anything in our entire marriage, Derrick. I simply believed you weren’t involved in anything bad, and here I discover you’re actually a director instead of an agent.”
“You know I have to play the game, Tash. That's all.”
“Does the game include making business deals with the Taliban and setting up the president to die at the hands of Russian terrorists?”
Silence descended for several seconds as a muscle tensed in Derrick’s jaw. Bella noted the tight fists, the bulging vein in his neck. He was close to blowing a gasket.
The next words were barely controlled shouts, and it was obvious what a temper Blithers actually had. “Who are you going to believe, huh? A crackhead reporter, or your husband?”
“I would have, and did, believe everything you ever told me, Derrick.” Natasha blinked back tears. “I trusted you, and you betrayed me.”
“What do you want me to say?” He threw his hands up as he shouted at her. “You’re too invested in fake charity work and your stupid friends to give a shit about me.”
“Don’t you dare act as though cheating is excusable because I was busy! All you had to do was say something.”
“Oh, yeah?” Moving closer, he gripped Natasha’s chin. “Maybe I wanted a tight little cunt to fuck, did you ever think of that? Maybe—just maybe—I wanted someone who wouldn’t cringe at the thought of blowing me.”
“You son of a—”
“And maybe I fucked her tiny little asshole right on our bed.”
The slap rang loud in the otherwise silent building. The two faced off, Natasha trembling and Derrick seething.
“You don’t want to clear my name. All you care about is your reputation being linked with mine.”
“I fucking hate you.” Turning her back, Natasha said, “Just sign the divorce papers and leave me alone.”
Two seconds before Derrick drew his gun, Edward fired a warning shot. Startled, Natasha spun back to see her husband aiming his Glock at her, but he was no longer looking at her.
“Shit,” came over the comms. “You two have to move now,” Dara said.
A little needlessly, since Derrick had changed his target from his wife’s back to the rafters Edward and Bella hid in. Moving quickly, they crab-crawled to the other end of the building to the nearest ladder.
Cover fire drew Derrick’s attention, but also that of the men he’d brought with him. They came through the doors, firing wildly at the ceiling.
“Watch the rebounds, you idiots!”
From the other end of the room, the team of mercs emerged from the stairwell with weapons raised, guiding Natasha out behind them. Bella and Edward had enough time to climb down the ladder before they fell in behind the others.
“Who the fuck?” Derrick said. “Is that you, Tito? Did you find a new gang of merry men after I killed your comrades?”
Moving to the front, Edward ignored Bella pulling on his arm and yanked off his mask. Derrick looked like he was seeing a ghost, but held his arm out to stop his men from firing.
“How are you alive?”
“Only the devil decides when my time is up.”
Raising his gun, Derrick pointed it directly at Edward, the red dot clearly visible in the center of his forehead. “Scum like you gets the chance to wilfully break the law and doesn't take it. You should have been grateful for every crumb I threw your way.”
“I’m not into that life anymore.”
Shifting on his feet, Derrick said, “I don't understand. You should have jumped at the chance to kill unfettered. After all, it runs in your veins.”
Edward tilted his head, and the dot shined over his temple. “You may be right, but every time I tried to get out, to atone for my sins, a bastard like you thought they had the right to drag me back into that life.”
“After everything I did for your family, you owe me!”
“You set us up to die! Targeting my son, my family!” Edward moved closer, and Bella felt her breath catch in her lungs. “I’ll ruin you until shame is all you know. I owe you nothing and never did.”
He looked more than dangerous at that moment. He looked downright fatal.
“You owe a debt to society, Cullen. All the wrongs you've done, laws you've broken. People you've murdered!”
“You're not the judge, jury, and executioner. You don't get to decide! Hear me now, Blithers: Your grandchildren's grandchildren will know to fear me. A shudder will run through them at the mere sound of my name.”
Very calmly, Derrick said, “Kill him.”
But they had planned better than Derrick’s men, and the rest of the group dropped from the ceiling, taking out the three protecting their boss. In the melee, he edged toward the door and the opportunity to escape.
“We can’t let him get away,” Emmett bellowed.
Edward put his hand on Emmett's rifle and pushed it down. “We have nothing on him, Em. Can’t take down a CIA director with insufficient proof.”
“Goddammit!”
“Go ahead and run, Blithers!” Edward taunted. “Run and try to hide, but I'm evening the odds on my own terms using the hand you've dealt.”
Derrick slipped out the door, and in their earpieces, they heard Dara cursing. “He’s got a fucking helo coming in.”
“It’s fine,” Edward said. “Let him go.”
The group surrounded the three men on the ground, checking to ensure they were dead. Bella stared hard at Edward, wondering what he was thinking.
“After everything, we just give up?”
“No, love. We crack down even harder. We need the VP as well as Derrick Blithers. Killing him now would only paint a larger target on our backs.”
She hated to admit he was right, but at least he’d lived through the confrontation. That was enough.
For now.
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