Wow last chapter was amazing! I honestly think there was NO ONE who didn't enjoy it, which I'm so thankful for. There will definitely be more action scenes in the story for your enjoyment! This chapter is one of my favorites, it was the easiest to write. It basically wrote itself in a matter of maybe two hours. I was just so inspired all of a sudden.

This chapter's song: It's A Mans Mans Mans World by James Brown

I don't own Twilight unfortunately but the film does come out in less than 2 weeks! ;)


When I walked into my apartment and saw my bed was empty it was the happiest I'd ever been. Luck was on my side and Vanessa still wasn't back yet. I kicked my sneakers off and crawled between the white cotton sheets. As soon as my head hit the pillow I instinctively smiled. It was that level of exhaustion where your bed and the prospect of sleeping was a form of Nirvana.

I closed my eyes and put an arm under the pillow when my phone went off. My eyes snapped open and I growled. No one should be calling me right now! I picked up the offensive object and sighed in relief when it wasn't Charlie but Esme instead.

I rolled my eyes, set the phone to silent—after she was sent to voicemail, and threw the stupid machine across the room. I knew she kept up with the news in Seattle so it really wasn't surprising that she'd called me but honestly….I'd just survived an explosion that was meant to kill me. I wanted some peace and quiet.

I fell asleep, thinking of absolutely nothing. Usually my mind was racing while I tried to fall asleep but this time it was a blank slate. I couldn't even bring myself to acknowledge anything important or trivial. When I woke up it was 2:15 in the morning. I'd been sleeping for just over 15 hours. I got up to use the bathroom and crawled back into my bed. I was sure I was hungry but I was still too tired to care. My eyes slipped shut and I was instantly aware I was dreaming.

I was walking through a darkened warehouse. The floors were wet and there were puddles in certain places. It was light outside. Blue-white light shone through the few slits in the walls and broken windows. I looked down and realized I was dressed in my gear but I was completely alone. My team was nowhere to be found. I raised my rifle and allowed my eyes to scan the area. There was no movement.

I continued down a corridor until I saw them. They were perched on top of a platform, surrounding the large wood desk that claimed the center. Danny Fiori was sitting behind the desk with a smug grin on his face. My team was surrounding the desk in a half-circle. They were almost like shadows. Isabella was sitting to Fiori's right. She was perched on the corner of his desk; her back was slightly towards me.

She glanced over her shoulder and gave me a wicked grin. I immediately noticed she was wearing a skin-tight, strapless, black dress that was riding up her toned thigh. Fiori stood up and moved closer to Isabella. He put a grimy hand on the thigh I had been staring at and started to move slowly up her leg. He brought his lips to her ear and whispered something.

All the while his eyes were still locked with mine. Her right hand slipped to his shoulder and her full lips whispered something back. I wasn't sure how but all of sudden her lips were in perfect sight. I had zeroed in on them like it was a movie. I could see them say with perfect clarity: "Kill Him."

I woke up in a cold sweat. I sat up and panted. My heartbeat was racing. I rubbed my eyes with the heels of my hands and looked at my clock. It was 5:43. I glanced out the window and the sun was beginning to rise. I sighed in frustration and slipped out of bed. When I entered my bathroom, I flicked the light on and glanced in the mirror.

I was paler than usual and had a thin layer of sweat on my forehead. My brown hair was darker around the hairline from moisture. I splashed some water on my face and brushed my teeth. I was sporting a five o'clock shadow now but I couldn't bring myself to care. Shaving was not on my list of priorities at the moment.

I went back to my room, after a quick whiz, and sat on the corner of my bed. My face was in my hands. I wasn't one of those people who necessarily felt like dreams had meaning to them but that dream was different. The way she said "Kill Him" sounded more like an order than part of a sentence. And what was she doing with Danny Fiori? The way she was dressed she looked like one of his playthings.

I picked up the sneaker that was next to me and threw it across the room. It hit a picture frame. The frame fell over and cracked. I sighed heavily and went over to inspect the damage. I kneeled down next to the shards of broken glass and closed my eyes. I liked this picture. It was a picture of me, Jasper, and Alice. We had gone on a trip to New York one weekend and taken this picture on the Subway.

Alice was grinning widely and had Jasper and I pulled tightly into her sides. My cheek, as well as Jasper's, was flushed against hers. Aside from Emmett and Rose, Jasper and Alice were the only friends I had at that time. My finger traced the frame and I put the picture back on the table it had occupied.

All my pictures had me and another couple. It was Em and Rose, Jazz and Alice, or Mom and Carlisle. I was always the odd-man-out, never serious enough to have a girlfriend along or caring enough to have a picture of one in the first place.

I walked around my room for about ten minutes looking for my phone. I found it underneath my drawer. The battery was in one corner while the rest of the phone was in another. I put the stupid phone back together and checked my voicemail. Three were from my mother, worrying about me. One was from Vanessa explaining she'd be home for dinner tonight. And another was from Emmett, telling me we needed to talk when I came into work today.

I glanced at my alarm clock. It was about 6:15. I could call Esme. I wasn't sure if she had plans for today or if she was staying home. Either way I could at least talk to her for ten minutes. I pressed my speed dial and waited while the phone rang. Two rings later, she picked up.

"Cullen residence," she spoke cheerily.

"Hey, Mom," I murmured.

"Edward! Oh, Edward! Sweetie, are you okay? I heard what happened! They didn't say it was your team but I suspected. You never answered last night," she sounded worried.

I immediately felt bad. She worried about me more than should be allowed. It was completely selfish of me to add to it.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I fell asleep as soon as I came home. Sorry."

"It's okay, sweetie. I was just so worried. Carlisle was pretty much dying for you to call back so I'd calm down," she laughed.

"Tell him I apologize. I lost track of time," I lied.

"What happened, Edward? They've been reporting about this Danny Fiori character for hours on all the Seattle news websites. They even did some coverage on CNN."

I groaned. This meant I had shitty day ahead of me. Full of press releases, damage control, P.R. twits, and headaches.

"We had a mission. It got sabotaged," I shared the condensed version.

"But how did you manage to get out?"

"I got tipped off before we left so I was already on high alert. Besides my officers gave me enough time to react when we realized there were no men on the docks."

"Oh, honey. I'm so glad you're okay. I worry about you so much. I hate that I'm all the way in Chicago."

"Mom, it's alright. Really. I've got things under control. Nothing happened," I assured her.

"Are you hurt or sick? Did the medics have a look at you?"

"Yeah. I got a cut on my arm. No big deal. I didn't need stitches or anything but it'll leave a scar for sure."

"What about those anti-scar medications? Did they not prescribe you any? If not, I'll have Carlisle pick some up from the hospital. I can send them to yo—"

"Mom, I'm fine. I don't need any medication. Besides I kind of like the fact I'll have a physical reminder of last night," I grinned.

"Edward Anthony that's not funny," she scolded.

Even though we were over a thousand miles apart she could still tell I was smiling. She was my Mom. She knew things like that. I laughed and she sighed.

"What are you doing right now? Shouldn't you be getting ready for work?" she wondered.

"Nah, Charlie gave me until about 10-ish to head in. He said—and I quote—that I looked like shit," I laughed.

"Language, Edward."

"Oh give me a break, Mom. I'm 31-years-old."

"And I'm your mother," she retorted.

I sighed. She knew I had given in.

"I meant to call you last week. I wanted to know how Alice and Jasper are doing with the wedding. And I wanted to know how Japan was."

"Your brother is fine. Alice is busy as ever. You know how she gets when it comes to events. She is determined to have the most amazing wedding in Chicago history," she laughed lightly.

She was right. Alice was a firecracker.

Every birthday party she had ever planned for Jasper had been incredible. Even Thanksgivings and Christmases were great if Alice planned them. I could only imagine what this wedding would be like. Jasper was a member of Chicago's social elite. He was a widely known psychologist and Alice was a designer. She wasn't world-renowned or anything but anybody who lived in Chicago knew who she was. Her father was a pharmaceutics tycoon and her mother was a hot housewife.

Jasper had gotten lucky with Alice. She was smart, fun, and adorable. And if she turned out to be anything like her mother when they got older, Jasper was certainly going to keep his libido going well into his senior citizen years. Mrs. Brandon was a MILF for sure.

"Jasper is busy as well. He's trying to make sure his patients are well-taken care of before he goes off with Alice for the honeymoon. I almost forgot to tell you. They decided to go to Australia. They've already been to Europe and visited all the island getaways. They'll be gone for a month," she sighed.

"Depressed you won't have anyone to dote upon, besides Carlisle, while they're gone?" I chuckled

"I wouldn't be if my baby boy would come and visit his Momma," she sounded way too enthusiastic.

"Sorry, Mom. I can't. Taking off from work for the wedding itself will be a pain in the as—I mean rear," I sighed.

I heard her chuckle on the other end.

"It's okay, dear. I'll get you back to Chicago soon enough."

"You try that Mom," I laughed.

"Japan was fine by the way. We didn't stay for as long as I would have liked but I enjoyed myself. I got to practice some of my Japanese. The food was incredible as well. Very exotic."

"Since when do you speak Japanese?" I wondered.

"Since I started talking classes four months ago. You would have known had you called your Mom more often," I could tell she was smiling.

"Sorry. I didn't realize it had been so long since we'd spoken. It's been a month, right?" I cringed.

"Yes," she spoke softly.

"I promise to call more often."

"I hope so."

I let out a heavy breath and decided to change the subject.

"How's Carlisle?"

"He's fine. He asks about you all the time. He and Jasper miss you a lot, as does Alice. He's got his hands tied with some business regarding the hospital's foundation. I think things may get a little quieter in about two weeks or so. If the deal doesn't go through then he'll just let it go and move on. He asked me last night if you were seeing anyone."

I internally groaned. I should have figured this would come up soon. She asked the same thing every time we spoke. And I had a feeling it was more of her curiosity than Carlisle's. Carlisle was curious but at the same time he knew me well enough not to press. Unless I mentioned someone there was really no point in asking.

"Um…I guess sort off," I mumbled.

"What do you mean sort of?" she perked up.

"Well, Vanessa and I are trying," I chose my words carefully.

"Trying what exactly?" she sounded wary.

"Not like that, Mom," I laughed.

"Edward Anthony, thank goodness! I don't think my little heart could handle the news of you being a father right now."

"Why? Do you think I'll be a bad father?" I joked.

"No. I just think you're too young. Vanessa sounds alright but if you have children you should be married and make sure that person is the one," she spoke firmly.

I wanted to make a smartass comment about how marriage doesn't guarantee anything but I didn't want to hurt her feelings. Granted, she'd gotten over my father's departure years ago it was still rude. No need to keep digging salt into the same wound.

"Yes, Mother," my voice was dripping with sarcasm.

I laughed until I noticed how quiet the other line was.

"Mom?"

"Edward, have you considered what we talked about last time?" her voice was barely a whisper.

I paused. I abruptly remembered why it had been a month since we'd last spoken. My mother was insistent that therapy might help me deal with the memory of my father. According to her, she hadn't even realized how many issues she was harboring until she went to therapy. She claimed she felt better after it and finally felt like she had closure. She could move on with her life and accept that her life with Carlisle was her destiny now.

She could trust herself to love him completely and trust him to do the same for her. My stomach suddenly felt like someone had a key and was twisting and turning my insides. I hated the thought of therapy. They were my problems. How could someone who had a stupid fucking diploma and no life experience help me? She knew I hated it when she brought it up. Hell, I hated it when Jasper would study me. He thought I was unaware of his analytical eye.

"Mom, please," I begged.

"Edward, I just think you should at least go to one session. It won't kill you," she insisted.

"I'm too busy," I lied.

"That's bull and you know it Edward Anthony," her tone was now stern and maternal.

"Fine, I'm not too busy; however, I am not interested. I've got my own issues but I can guarantee you they have nothing to do with him," I growled.

"That tone in your voice says otherwise," she retorted.

"Mom, please don't ruin this. We were doing fine."

She sighed.

"Fine, Edward. I should be going anyway. I've got to go to lunch with Caroline."

I immediately smiled and laughed to myself. I had just been thinking about nice Mrs. Caroline Brandon.

"Tell her I said hi," I smirked.

"Edward, really," my mother sounded un-amused.

I laughed.

"I love you Edward. Please take care of yourself," she pleaded.

"Love you too, Mom. Tell everyone I said hi and I miss them."

"I will. Bye sweetie!"

"Bye."

As I flipped my phone shut I immediately felt lighter. Sure I was annoyed she'd brought up therapy again but it was nice to hear about normal stuff. Sometimes I got so caught up with my own shit and disasters that it was nice to retreat to the idyllic lifestyle my family was leading. They were all caught up with normal jobs, their love lives, Jasper and Alice's wedding. Sometimes I wished my life was that normal and trivial.

And other times I was perfectly content with sticking to what I knew. That was part of the reason why I continued to stay in Seattle. It was a form of isolation. I never fit into Carlisle and Esme's brunches, lunches, dinner parties, and galas lifestyle. My mom had fit in perfectly with Carlisle. Me, on the other hand, I was perfect at quick trips to Chicago and sticking to the family.

Actually, as hot as Caroline Brandon was I hadn't spent more than two or three dinners with her. I was the bad seed and she knew it. I actually liked making a show of it. Seeing how flustered she'd get by my foul mouth and lack of manners was highly entertaining. I knew women better than they knew themselves. And she was definitely into it.

I think a part of her liked that I was trouble but she was smart enough to realize she should stay away and avoid me at all costs. I chuckled to myself as I contemplated all the ways I would get Caroline Brandon's libido working. Just pressing her against a wall, and saying the word 'fuck,' was sure to contribute to her instantaneous undoing.

I put some toast in the toaster and made some coffee. I started to drink it black when I joined the force. It was a bad habit I'd picked up from my fellow officers. Esme constantly scolded me about it but as if I would ever listen to her. I grabbed my 'breakfast' and sat in the dining room. It was uncharacteristically sunny. I wondered if maybe I should take that as a bad omen.

At around 7:45 I left for the gym and worked until about 9:30. I got dressed in a S.W.A.T. Fleece sweatshirt and jeans. No one would give me shit about my wardrobe today. I fucking deserved a medal not an ass-chewing for some denim.

As I strolled into the office I got a lot of nods, and hello's. The secretaries were eying me more than usual and I, of course, showered them with smiles and winks. I was no more than two feet from my office when I heard that voice.

"So is that your morning routine every day? I'll definitely have to be here early to catch that," she chuckled from behind me.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I closed my eyes. Her voice was different this morning. It was more annoying than it had been the other day. I turned around slowly and waited. My tongue was pressed into my cheek.

"Well, good morning to you too Lieutenant," she winked and strolled over to me.

I nodded curtly, turned around, and unlocked my office. I stepped inside and when I turned around she was waiting expectantly outside the doorframe. I decided to have a little fun with her since she was acting so smug, so I slammed the door shut in her face.

I laughed heartily and sat down at my desk. I wasn't the least bit surprised when she opened the door and strolled in. She took Emmett's chair and I stifled a laugh. He knew I was here. It was only a matter of time until he came bursting in here and saw her in his chair.

"So what the hell do you want this morning? Why are you even on my floor?" I started.

If she had information I wanted then she needed to open her damn mouth already.

"Charlie was busy so I came down to talk to Officer Valence," she grinned superficially.

"How the hell do you know Valence?" I was jogging my brain, trying to think how they would know each other.

"We've met before," she winked conspiratorially.

I rolled my eyes and turned my computer on. I had forgotten about their little meeting on the elevator.

"I assume there's a reason why you're here," I pressed while I stared at the log-in page.

"Don't bother with the pretenses Masen. Charlie already told me you know full well why I'm here," she replied while I tapped away at the keys.

I sighed and unlocked my desk. She wanted to play around…well good. She was about to get burned for the second time in a week. I went into one of the drawers and took out a folder. I placed it on the desk and looked at her.

"You see this file. Would you like to know what it is?" I asked.

She nodded and leaned forward. I opened the file to show her it was empty, aside from her name on the tab.

"It's our file on you. Do you see those filing cabinets over there?" I pointed to the corner.

She glanced over her shoulder, nodded, and then faced me again.

"That's everything on Fiori. As long you plan to contribute to those files…this one," I pointed to hers.

"…will stay empty," I continued.

She gaped at me. I wasn't fucking around with anyone anymore where Fiori was concerned. I hadn't been exaggerating when I said it was personal. And Isabella danced around too much. I didn't want to do it but if she needed to get stepped on so I could get this guy behind bars so be it. I wasn't going to tolerate her games anymore. Either she was going to help me or she was going to be immature and bitch at me.

Arguing with her was no longer a priority. She finally composed herself when she realized how serious I looked. She nodded and closed her file. She pushed it back towards me and looked down at her lap. I wanted to sigh. I felt like an ass for upsetting her but I couldn't deal with the games anymore. If I was being completely honest, she needed to man up and this was just one way to show her.

What she was getting herself into was dangerous. The faint-hearted would be eaten alive. I was putting her folder away when Emmett burst through the door. His dimples were in place until he saw her. I wanted to laugh when I noticed how quickly his smile disappeared.

"Emmett, this is Isabella Woods," I gestured towards her.

"You're in my seat," he playfully glared at her.

I chuckled quietly when she scrambled into the seat next to his. He took his seat with a wide grin and turned towards her. He left his hand out.

"I'm Emmett McCarty," he smiled at her.

She shook his hand timidly and smiled a small smile.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm sorry I was in your seat," she ducked her head.

I watched her carefully. I'd never seen this side of her, reserved, and shy. It suited her better than the man-eater side I'd gotten from her so much lately. I barely even paid attention to Emmett. I watched her while she giggled, smiled, blushed, glanced at me, bit her lip, all of it. It was fascinating.

"So are you single Sergeant McCarty?" I finally began to listen to them.

I turned to face my computer. I didn't want to even think about why she was asking. She had a boyfriend. I started to read the online newspapers about the blast while I listened to their conversation. I pulled out my reading glasses and put them on. I really didn't need them since my vision was perfectly fine but it helped me when I spent long hours in front of a computer screen.

"No. Sorry, Iz. I'm not. Would you like to see a picture of my girl?" he asked her.

Iz? What the hell kind of nickname was that? I vaguely heard Emmett shift in his seat and fumble with his wallet. I knew exactly where his picture of Rosalie was. He took it out every chance he got. I made fun of him for it relentlessly. And he made fun of me in return for knowing where it was too.

"Wow, she's beautiful," I heard Isabella gasp.

"I know. She's a looker and a keeper," Emmett chuckled.

"Are you two engaged?" she wondered.

I laughed. Yeah, Emmett getting married….I turned to look at the two and they were both glaring at me. What the hell? Emmett was supposed to be my best friend. He was getting corrupted by that cheeky brunette. I rolled my eyes and went back to the next article.

"Is he always this unpleasant?" she sneered.

"No, he's just sexually frustrated because Vanessa's been gone for nearly a week and he hasn't gotten any play. He's going cold turkey and committing to one girl," Emmett whispered dramatically.

It was quite obvious he was trying to be anything but quiet. He wanted me to hear what he was saying. I wanted to castrate him for suggesting that I, Edward Masen, was ever going cold turkey. The honest truth was Vanessa and I were trying. It wasn't breaking any rules if I went out and hooked up with another girl. And more importantly I had been too caught up with work to even think about how lonely my dick had been for the last week.

"Fuck you, Emmett. I'm not sexually frustrated," I snapped.

"Oh but Edward, my boy, your attitude is saying otherwise. Actions speak louder than words buddy," he winked at me.

I flipped him off and found my place in my article again. I had read the same damn line about seven times already. These two were fucking Moe and Curly.

"Who's Vanessa?" Isabella spoke.

It was painfully obvious she was asking me and not Emmett. I looked over my shoulder at her.

"A girl."

I was about to turn around when she spoke again.

"You mean that girl you kissed in the lobby last week?"

I circled around in my chair to face her. How did she know that? I was practically certain she had left as soon as I'd pissed her off last Tuesday. I was suddenly very self-conscience, about her seeing me kiss another person. A weaker part of me wanted her to think I was single.

"How the hell do you know that?"

"I was waiting for Jacob in the lobby and I saw you two. She's very pretty," she looked down at her lap.

Was she self-conscience? One side of me wanted to laugh at her for showing her vulnerability. The other, wanted me to tell her that I thought she was pretty fucking hot herself. Vanessa was gorgeous in an obvious sense, whereas Isabella was gorgeous in a wholesome, girl-next-door-that-probably-swears-while-she-fucks sort of way. It was more of an alluring attraction. With Vanessa you couldn't help but be attracted to her. It was unnatural not to be.

I shrugged and glossed over the observation.

"How's the douche-bag-of-a-boyfriend doing these days?" I smirked and turned back around.

I heard her growl. I laughed lightly. I was glad she was getting over the shy shit. Yeah it might suit her but I knew her well enough by now to realize it didn't last very long. All I had to do was push the right buttons and the claws came out. As much as I hated that mouth of hers it was highly entertaining to piss her off. Besides when she got all shy and sweet it threw me off. At least with the sarcasm and bitchiness I was prepared for it.

"Jacob is fine. He's working today," I heard her reply.

"What does he do?" Emmett asked.

Fuck, Emmett! I don't care what he does! Why ask?!

"He's a mechanic. He works for a Bentley/Rolls Royce dealership."

"Niceeee," I heard Emmett give her a high-five.

A high-five? What? Were we in the fourth grade?

"My Rosie is a car fanatic. She's at U-Dub. She's in their mechanical engineering program," he explained.

"Wow, that's impressive. It's nice to see girls breaking into male-dominated fields," she sounded awed.

I wanted to throw up in my mouth. 'It's nice to see girls breaking into male-dominated fields?' What the fuck? I was immediately concerned that Isabella was a Feminazi. That would kill whatever attraction I had to her for sure. I had to assume she wasn't if she actually volunteered to stick around me for at least another month. I mean I was the antithesis to that philosophy.

"So what do you do Iz when you're not making the SPD look bad?" Emmett chuckled.

That wasn't funny. She did always make our department look bad.

"Well, I love to read. And I've been known to be a pretty good cook," she giggled.

I rolled my eyes and stared at the picture of the remains of Fiori's warehouse. I have given up on reading. I was getting too distracted.

"Jacob and I love comics," she giggled again.

It sounded like she was embarrassed. And she should be. She sounded like she was doing a commercial.

"Oh, really? Who's your favorite?" Emmett engaged her.

Didn't he have shit to be doing? I really didn't want to hear about how much she and Jacob loved comic books.

"I love Wonder Woman," she admitted.

I glanced over my shoulder and gave her a look. Wonder Woman? Was she kidding? Wonder Woman was not a superhero. Even the Green Lantern had more street cred than fucking Wonder Woman. Her eyes stayed locked on me and she continued speaking to Emmett.

"She's my favorite. She can keep up with the rest of the guys but still manage to be sexy," she turned to Emmett as she finished.

"I think Wonder Woman is hot! Linda Carter! Whooo! She was a hottie," Emmett laughed.

Someone knocked on our door and I shouted out.

"Yeah?"

Valence popped his head in. My face fell. He grinned like a little boy and shut the door behind him.

"What do you want Valence?" I turned in my seat to face the three of them.

Valence was now standing behind Isabella and Emmett.

"I finished all my paperwork and reports for the explosion. I cleaned my weapons, my locker, and my tidied up my gear. I just wanted to see what you guys were up to," he grinned.

My head fell back against my chair and I sighed. What? Did I miss the memo that there was going to be a fucking party in my office?

"Oh, hey Iz. I wanted to personally say thank you for tipping the Lieutenant off about the warehouse," Emmett smiled at her.

She looked at him in shock. My fucking jaw dropped. I looked at her with wide eyes. I had told Emmett that in confidence. I didn't expect him to go blab right in front of Valence—not that Jay couldn't be trusted, but still. The less people that knew about her involvement, source, and the fact she tipped me off…the better.

She glanced at me from the corner of her eye. I looked at Valence. He was still smiling at her. I'd bet money he wasn't even listening to us. He was too busy staring at Isabella and that shit bothered me. She nodded quickly and gulped. She stared out my window and avoided making eye contact with me.

"Emmett, Valence….Why don't you give Isabella and I a moment?" I asked

Emmett looked at me confusedly. I gave him a look that said 'I'll tell you later' as he walked out. Valence looked totally defeated. I wanted to roll my eyes at his immaturity. They shut the door behind them and I closed my blinds. She was still staring out the window. I walked over to her and kneeled in front of her. She had to look at me now.

"Isabella, I'm sorry. I didn't expect Emmett to say that. Honestly, he can be trusted. So can Jay. I don't want you to worry."

Why was I explaining myself? Why did I care if she was worried or not?

"Edward, you have to understand how dangerous this is for me. I didn't expect to be here after I found out I'd be interviewing you. And now look at me. I'm about to be an informant. So much has changed in less than a week," her voice cracked.

Her eyes were still dry and devoid of any tears. I could still relax. I didn't know what to do when girls cried. I was out of my league for that one.

"I know. I'm sorry. I promise you can trust me."

"I do," she sounded confused.

I narrowed my eyes and analyzed her expression.

"I don't know why but I trust you. It goes against my better instincts but ironically my instincts are how I can trust you. Just please don't let anything happen to me. I've managed all these years to stay under the radar and now I've put a big bull's-eye on my back," she swallowed.

"Nothing will happen to you. Charlie's seen to it that it's my responsibility. I promise when you tell me stuff it'll just be between you and me," my hand reached out to touch hers but I pulled it away before she could notice.

She nodded and sighed. Her minty breath blew across my face and I nearly lost it. It was like letting an alcohol smell beer. My mind immediately went crazy. I backed away deliberately and sat down at my desk.

"Is there anything you have for us today? I don't want to keep you here all day if you have other things to do," I stared at my desk calendar.

"No. I mostly just wanted to make sure you and the guys were alright after Sunday morning. I'm really glad you got out in time. Can I ask what happened?" she spoke quietly.

I shook my head.

"It's classified for now. Just know that you kept me on my toes. I never had a chance to say thank you…so thanks," I smiled weakly.

She smiled in response and grabbed her bag.

"Next time I have something for you, I'll stop by," she walked over to the door.

"It was nice seeing you again, Edward," she smiled a small smile and left.

My head fell against the back of my chair. What the hell was I getting myself into? I could barely keep myself safe at times. I had to manage her safety on top of it? I groaned. This was going to be harder than I could ever imagine. She was right. She had a bright bull's-eye on her back. And part of it was that she was a woman. They could do even more torturous things to her than they would ever do to us.

At least with us they'd blow us up, shoot us, beat us, something. With her, I didn't even want to imagine the things Fiori might do to her if he found her. My dream from this morning came back to me. Fiori had his hands all over her and she was wearing that tiny little dress. The only difference was that this time she looked panicked instead of dangerous. She looked straight at me again and whispered "Help Me."


That was some intensity...

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