A/N: Thanks goes to Paige, Sherry, Cristina & Tiffany xx

Sorry this one has taken so long. I am be no means giving up on this one. I have a good completion rate, but when the story isn't talking and I am not in the mood to write, I cannot force it out.

Chapter 9

BPOV

When I arrived outside the club it was already busy considering the time of day. There were several men in suits standing by the door. I knew their MO straightaway just by the way they carried themselves. It was going to be tricky getting into the club, especially trying to get past the guards, but at this point I wasn't willing to walk away. I had to know if Edward was in there and if this is where he spent most of his time. If I caught him with another woman I would kill him. I wouldn't stand for a husband who cheated on me. He had taken a vow and made me promises. If he had broken them, there would be no going back. There would be no us.

I parked my car and grabbed my purse, ensuring that my gun was inside before I stepped out. The guards saw me coming straightaway. One of them stepped forward, holding up his hand. "I'm sorry sweetheart this is a gentleman's club, members only."

"Oh, I believe I'm on the guest list," I said, continuing to walk toward him. "It should be right there, underneath Cullen, formally Swan. You know because my husband owns this place and it used to be my father's."

His face briefly flashed with shock before he masked it. "I'm sorry Mrs. Cullen I can't permit you to enter. This isn't a place for a lady such as you."

"Just as well I don't need you to permit me to do anything," I said, glaring at him. "I can and will be entering this establishment. Unless, of course, you plan to manhandle me, but I don't think my husband would appreciate that. Do you?"

"Mrs. Cullen, please, your husband will have my head if I allow you inside," the guard stated, his eyes pleading to my rational side, but at that moment in time there was nothing rational about me.

"Where is he?" I said, stepping forward. "Is he inside?"

The guard quickly moved in front of me. "He's not on the premises." I scoffed, finding that hard to believe. I bet he was in there with some hussy drooling all over him. The thought had my blood boiling. I wasn't the sharing type. I quickly moved around him and headed toward the door. One of the other guards moved to grabbed me, but the first guard shouted at him. "Don't! If you value that hand, don't touch her. She is the boss's wife."

"Mrs. Cullen!" the guard shouted as he followed me. "I will have to call your husband, let him know you are here."

"You do what you have to do," I said, as I opened the door and headed inside, but I secretly prayed that I would catch Edward in the act before they had the chance to alert him.

The main doors led into a small entrance hall, which then led to a set of stairs. At the top of the stairs there was another guard. I doubted that stripping was the only thing that the girls did in here when they had so much security. I hurried up the stairs, not acknowledging the guard who stood there. He moved to block my path, but at the same time the first guard came through the door and called to him, shaking his head. I could see that he was talking on his cell to someone. I just prayed that someone wasn't Edward.

I pushed past the guard at the top of the stairs and entered the club. It was just as you would expect any other strip club to look like. There was pole after pole with naked and nearly naked girls dancing. All of the clientele appeared to be in suits, and most of whom appeared to be in their late forties, if not older. I figured most of these men were part of the mafia and really I should have known better than to show up here. I should have known better than to cause a scene, but like I had said, I had lost the power of rational thought.

I stormed over to a set of closed doors, there was another guard standing at them. I figured this was where most of the extra activities took place, and also where I would most likely catch Edward. Just like all the other times, the guard saw me coming. He stuck his hand out to stop me. "I'm sorry miss, but I can't let you through here, you shouldn't even be in this club. It's a members only club." When I ignored him and continued to the door, he put his hand out and caught my wrist. "I said, I can't let you through there. Lady, are you listening?"

I used my free hand to reach into my bag and pull out my gun. I shoved it against his gut. "I can and will be going through that door. The only question here is whether or not I'll be stepping over your dead body on the floor."

"Are you insane?" he hissed at me. "Do you have any idea who owns this club or what will happen to you if you pull that trigger?"

"As a matter-of-fact, I do."

"Isabella." I heard someone calling my name, but I never paid them any attention. I kept my focus on the guard in front of me. One slip up and he would have the chance to pull his gun, and then things could get nasty. "Isabella." They called again.

"Miss, please, you don't want to do this. Just put the gun back in your purse and walk away. We can pretend this never happened. Look, you're already gathering attention. Stop this foolishness before it goes too far."

"Isabella," they called again. This time a hand landed on my shoulder. I glanced behind me to see Liam. "What are you doing here? What is going on?"

"I'm looking for my husband," I snarled. "This bastard won't let me past," I said, shoving my gun further into his gut.

"Maso, stand down," Liam ordered. "This is Isabella, Edward's wife." The guard looked at me with a shocked expression before standing back. I lowered my gun and then burst through the doors. The doors led to a corridor with at least another twenty doors inside. I proceeded to open them, looking inside and ignoring whatever it was that Liam was attempting to say to me. Inside the rooms were just as I had expected. Men getting their fill from the 'strippers' of the club, but none of them were Edward.

"Will you listen to me!" Liam shouted. "He's not here. He doesn't come here all that often. I have no idea why you thought you would find him here or how you even learned about this place."

"You're only saying that to protect him," I said, turning to face him, tears stinging my eyes. "You wouldn't tell me if he was here anyway."

"You're right, I probably wouldn't, but I can honestly say I am telling you the truth. Edward isn't here."

I shook my head, realizing I had let Maggie get in my head. I knew she was trying to distract me, get rid of me and I had let her. I should have known better. Tears silently strolled down my face. "I shouldn't have come here," I mumbled. Edward was going to be furious and really, in all honestly, I should have known my husband better. I should have trusted him and given him the benefit of the doubt. Edward may be a lot of things, but he wasn't a cheater.

"You're right, you shouldn't have. Let me take you home."

I shook my head. "The guard downstairs already called Edward. I presume he will be on his way. He is going to be so angry with me."

Liam stepped forward and took my gun from my hand. I hadn't even realized I was still holding it. He shoved it down the back of his trousers and pulled his suit jacket over to cover it. "If you won't let me take you home, at least let me take you somewhere a little more private."

I nodded. Liam led me out of the corridor and back into the club. People were staring. I did my best to avoid eye contact with them. I kept my head down and followed Liam. He led me to an office on the other side of the club. The office was practically bare. No pictures or anything personal to indicate who it belonged to. "Wait here," Liam ordered. "I'll go and get you something to drink."

He was barely gone two minutes when Edward barged into the room. "Are you out of your fucking mind!?" Yeah, furious was an understatement to the look on his face now.

"I'm sorry-" I began, but he was having none of it.

"A promise to make a united front; does that mean anything to you, Isabella? You come in here where you don't belong and cause a scene. Embarrass me and my fucking men, and how the hell did you even know about this place anyway? You certainly haven't mentioned it before."

"Maggie."

"Maggie!?"

"She said her father came here to cheat, that you all do it. I shouldn't have listened to her. I see that now. I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking."

"Isn't it about damn time that you start thinking?"

I glared at him. "I'm sorry that I'm not the perfect wife that you require, Edward, but I am damn well trying. This isn't easy, you aren't easy."

Edward's face softened a little. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed before walking over to me. He grabbed my chin and forced me to look him in the eyes. "I'm not looking for a perfect wife, Isabella. I just want you to start using what I know is in here," he said, pointing to my head. "Why didn't you call me?"

I shrugged. "Because I thought if I came here I would be able to catch you in the act."

"You actually thought I was cheating on you? I told you, I swore a vow, one that I have no intention of breaking. When are you going to start trusting me, Isabella? Why couldn't you give me the benefit of the doubt?"

There was a knock at the door, and then Liam entered, holding a drink. He walked over to me and handed it to me. I took a big drink, expecting it to be water, but it wasn't, it was vodka. The strong smell would have been an indicator if I had paused long enough to smell it. I choked a little as it burned its way down my throat.

"You," Edward said, looking at Liam. "What happened?"

Liam glanced at me, offering me a reassuring smile before turning his attention to Edward. "I saw Isabella arguing with one of the guards and I came over to see what was happening. I told Maso who she was and to let her pass. Then I talked to her and brought her to your office."

"Is that all that happened?"

"Yes."

I didn't fail to notice that Liam had failed to mention my gun or the fact that I had looked in all the rooms. I wasn't sure why he was keeping it from Edward, but I was grateful. Though, I wasn't sure if the others would say anything to him.

Edward nodded. "Take Isabella home and stay with her until I get there. I'll deal with things here and then head home."

Liam nodded and motioned for me to follow him. I sat my glass on the desk and looked at Edward, but he didn't look at me. So I didn't bother with a goodbye. I quietly followed Liam out of the club, only bothering to speak when we were truly alone in my car. "Why didn't you tell him about the gun?" I inquired.

"I thought it was better that he didn't know."

"Won't the others say anything?"

"I warned them not to."

Like I said, I wasn't sure why he was helping me, but I was grateful. "Thank you."