So we still have Siobhan here to keep Edward in check, but how long will she stick around? And what will happen if she leaves? One can only guess.

I don't own Twilight. I'm just moving around pieces on her chess board.

Thanks for all the alerts, favs and reviews. You guys are awesome, especially those of you who keep coming back for more.

This is all also un-beta'd, so any lingering mistakes are all mine.

Decoy

A gentle blue light wakes me to the sensation of a soft body pressed against me, and for a few precious seconds, I think I'm home. I think Alice has crawled into my bed after having a bad dream, and when that happens, I'm usually the only one who can make the nightmares go away. The soft body scoots closer to me, and pain in my right hip vibrates up my side so suddenly that my eyes flip open as I jolt up from a deep sleep.

The dim bedroom comes into focus, and then I see Bella asleep in front of me. Even my abrupt awakening hasn't stirred her, and she moves closer in search of me before realizing that I'm no longer pressed against her. The apparent loss of warmth wakes her slowly, and her eyes open to find mine. She doesn't speak, rising to her elbow and leaning her face into mine before I can back away. Her lips touch mine so gently that I flinch, thinking something horrible will happen if I continue letting her do this.

But the world doesn't explode. The walls don't come crashing in.

Instead, my reflexes kick in, and I fall onto her body without worrying about the consequences my brain knows will follow. Her arms fold over the back of my neck, and her hips easily cradle mine until I'm pressed against her differently from any way I ever was with Kate. As her legs hug me closer to her, I grab one of her thighs to wrap it around my waist.

A little whimper passes from her lips to mine, and she opens her mouth just a little, allowing my tongue entrance. She feels so good in my arms now that I don't question it. Whether I like it or not, whether it's right or not, this feels like something I was always supposed to do. It feels like the deep scar inside my soul is finally beginning to heal.

Her hands rub the back of my head, stroking my hair and sending a shuddering shiver through my torso. I have to let go of her lips, but as soon as I do, she reaches for my waist and pulls my shirt up over my head. This movement startles me, and I lean back to look at her as she opens her eyes to look at me.

I don't know what to say to her, but something in me keeps telling me this is wrong. She's only eighteen. I owe her better than someone like me. These thoughts are trying to fill my head, but the way she trusts me and wants me close pushes all those thoughts away. If she doesn't care what I've done, I can't understand why it should be so important to me.

"Edward," she whispers.

I'm about to lean in and kiss her again when Siobhan's voice breaks through the heavy fog I've allowed myself to fall into.

"I hope you two are decent in there," she yells, causing Bella to jump. "We don't have time for a bunch of lollygagging. I've got an idea. Let's go!"

Instantly, I'm realigned with our current predicament, and I move away from Bella to pull my shirt back on. She follows me, and together, we leave the room to get downstairs where Siobhan is rummaging through the cupboards in the kitchen.

She grimaces when she sees us, scoffing loudly. "Thank God I'm a deep sleeper," she complains. "I hope the two of you keep your wits about you when I'm gone."

I move around to her side, making her face me. "What are you going on about now?" I demand.

"I've got an idea," she repeats. "A way to lead the trace away from you so you can get to the next location."

"Yeah," I nod, "you mentioned that. What's your brilliant idea?"

She playfully gasps, and it's clear to me that she thinks I should've figured it out by now. "Isn't it obvious?" she says. "You need to stay ahead of Riley. I can lead him away from here, and you can drive south."

I'm skeptical of her enthusiasm, but not because I don't trust her.

When I don't jump for joy over her idea, she exhales sharply. "Come on, Ed. You know I'm right."

"I know," I agree. "And that scares me."

She grins but doesn't reply, glancing at Bella and then continuing her perusing of the cupboards for something to eat.

Nothing else is said until she closes the last one loudly and groans loudly. "Shit, where in this God-forsaken hell hole can a girl get a good meal for breakfast?"

"You're not going to be happy unless we're walking around in the open like the fucking Brady Bunch, are you?" I huff even as I smile.

She grins curiously. "I resent that," she says defensively. "And I'm starving. So let's get away from here before we implement our new plan."

I can't argue with her, glancing at Bella and agreeing with a mere nod.

"There's a café in town," I suggest. "Let's go. Before something else happens."

With only one vehicle, we have to climb back into the SUV Siobhan brought with her from Canada to get away from the house. We don't go far, driving farther into town to a small café that serves breakfast. The waitress tries to flirt with me, even with two obviously attractive women accompanying me, and Siobhan easily shoos her away after we order so we can talk.

"You're forgetting one thing," I tell Siobhan as we huddle around the table.

She smirks. "And exactly what is that, Ed?"

I glance around before speaking a little lower. "I don't have a car anymore. And if you leave, how am I supposed to get to the next safe house?"

"You said you were going to wait for Jasper and Emmett," she shrugs. "That sounds like the best course of action for you. And they'll be better equipped to deal with Riley than we will."

I have to shake my head, silenced for a minute as our waitress returns with our drinks and then disappears again. "My father said only if Eleazar didn't call him in twenty-four hours. And for all we know, that's already happened. If Aro knows I'm running, and he's already called Eleazar, the next thing that would happen is contacting my father. I can't work off the assumption that my father will send Jasper and Emmett anyway. It's not logical."

"But you need a decoy," Siobhan insists. "You can't keep running with her in tow if you don't do something to throw them off. I'll take Katie's phone and drive east. If Riley's on our tail, then we don't have time to argue. And working off the assumption that Jasper and Emmett will come is the best assumption to make. More than anything, your father wants you safe. Sending Jasper and Emmett is the only way to ensure that."

I can't disagree with her, but waiting for something that might not happen sounds stupid and crazy to me. How am I supposed to keep Bella safe if I'm stuck in a house in a town where Aro will be positive I'll hide from him?

The bell above the door dings with the entrance of a new customer, and I'm momentarily distracted enough to look up and see our waitress coming back with a much more determined look on her face.

For several nerve-wracking seconds as she makes our way to us, the fear I've been fighting that we will be found before Siobhan's master plan can be implemented makes a new and improved appearance as our waitress reaches into her apron for an unseen item. She's looking at me like she knows me, and even in the short minutes we've been sitting here, I know that's impossible.

Then before I can do anything but sit there wringing my hands, she stops at our table and stares at me thoughtfully.

"You're Edward," she says — a statement of fact that she doesn't wait for me to confirm before laying a folded piece of paper on the table. "He said you would come here."

I'm speechless as she walks away like nothing happened, and with a dry mouth, I reach for the paper to see what's on it. A threat? An offer? My life for Bella's?

It's a choice I don't have to make.

My hands are shaking as I unfold the paper, and my heart is hammering inside my chest as the elegant scrawl of my father's handwriting is revealed to my relieved eyes. I have to exhale the air I sucked in, rubbing my forehead before I can even read what he wrote. Siobhan takes the paper and reads silently before looking at me with an annoyed expression on her face.

"What is it?" Bella asks.

I look at her and then Siobhan, taking the paper to read what my father wrote.

Bears and honey en route. New cable installed. It's a hit. Five large for the bird's wings. Dead bird a bonus. Second point of contact secured.

This is much worse than I thought.

Without too much argument from Bella or Siobhan, we get our breakfast to go and leave the café before the sinking feeling in my gut has a chance to completely overpower my instincts telling me to run like Hell. We make it back to my mother's family home before nine a.m., and while Bella eats, Siobhan and I look over a set of maps of the area that are kept in the basement of the house.

"We're right on the lake," she says as we scour the map for points of exit. "There aren't many places to hide once we make it out of town." She pauses and scoffs. "Well, once you make it out of town. A hit that big is bad news, and if Carlisle had a message sent here for you then he knew it was coming. It's not safe for you to be out in the open."

At this point, I have no argument, knowing what my options are and not liking them one single fucking bit. And more than that, I don't like making Siobhan a target. She wasn't supposed to be with me, and I don't want her to die.

"No shit," I huff.

"Listen, I'll take Katie's phone and drive as far from here as I can. It'll throw Riley off long enough for Jasper and Emmett to get here for the two of you. Ed, you've got to get to next location. It's the only way all of this will be worth anything."

I lift my eyes to hers, again knowing what she's thinking and really not liking it at all. "I can't do that to you," I tell her. "Not just because of Kate. If Riley finds you, he'll — " I can't even say it out loud anymore, and just the fact that she knows it along with me is enough to make me sick to my stomach.

"He won't find me," she swears. "He won't catch me. Even if I only have a little head start, it'll be enough. We don't have time to argue about this, Ed."

"Well, we're arguing about it," I yell. "This isn't what Kate wanted. She didn't want you to do this. You're not even supposed to be here!"

"Well, I'm here, God damn it, and I'm not letting you handle this on your own!"

I huff again, glancing around and seeing Bella standing at the edge of the room and watching us yell at each other. Siobhan turned her eyes to the entryway, exhaling sharply and folding her arms over her chest stubbornly.

"Listen," Siobhan said after a minute. "Katie was my best friend. She was one of the few people who never looked at me like I was a freak, and she always did things the right way. She wasn't like Diego or Riley or that bastard James. She was good — like me and you and Maggie and everyone else who's loyal to Carlisle, because he's good. He never orders hits or sends people like you or me to finish off innocent families. I know how Riley thinks. I know what he'll do. I can do this, Ed. Please let me do this."

I still don't like it, but her impassioned speech has stirred a new idea inside my head. If she leaves here and goes east, she'll head off into Canada. Aro has a few more spotters in the area farther north, and it'll be even harder for Siobhan to get away. But if she hits Highway 2 out of town and then turns south, she'll be in Chicago in less than eight hours.

"Fine," I say after thinking all of this. "But only if you go to my father."

The incredulous look in her eyes tells me she wants to be pissed at me for suggesting it, but she doesn't say anything to express it, glancing at Bella and then the map. "Agreed," she says and looks at me. "But we need a new method of communication, and we're not going to do some lame emailing gig like you and your father. There's a cellular store in town. And I have an untraceable card from my last training bout."

This can't be good where her mind is going, but I can't deny that we need a way to talk if something happens. "All right," I nod. "Let's make it quick so you can get on the road."

There's no wasting time, and once we're at said cellular store, I stand back and allow Siobhan to work her magic. It's not her fault the salesguy doesn't know she won't ever be playing for his team again. She does all the talking, and I stand there pretending to be interested. Really, though, I'm watching Bella wander through the store as a few other patrons do the same thing. Her eyes catch mine every few minutes, but other than that, we don't do much else.

I want Siobhan to find the cheapest phone she can so this won't take so long, but instead, she finds two very expensive phones, puts them on a plan and flirts with the guy helping us until he gives us a discount we're not even eligible for because we don't live there and won't ever see him again. If I try to stop her, I'll look like an idiot, and right now, I'm trying not to draw too much attention to myself.

Just as Siobhan is finishing up, I discreetly nod to Bella that it's time to leave. I watch her walk out of the store without buying anything, and with our new purchases in hand, Siobhan and I follow her slowly, playfully chattering like the couple our salesguy obviously thinks we are because he looks disappointed. I actually feel kinda bad for him.

"Now, you know when to call, right?" she asks as we drive back to my mother's house.

"Unless something happens, as soon as Jasper and Emmett arrive, and then after that, once we're at the next safe house," I reply diligently, opting to take her lead since she's obviously got everything under control so far. I can only hope our luck holds so she'll make it to my father safely. "And when do you call me?" I ask her.

"Unless I see Riley, the halfway mark at Wausau, and then the minute I walk through the door at your father's house," she replays with a little too much chipper in her voice — so much so that I'm a little terrified of her enthusiasm, but only because I think she does it to scare me. "And I'll call your father using my scrambler at the halfway mark. Relax, Ed. This will work."

A heavy sigh passes my lips as we pull up behind the house. "I hope so. Just be careful," I tell her, getting out and moving to the back seat to help Bella. "Don't speed, and don't make any unnecessary stops. The less of a foothold the trace gets on any one place, the better."

She groans and rolls her eyes. "I know, I know. Just get inside, will you? I know what I'm doing."

Just to be sure, I stop at the driver's side window and reach in for her, pressing my forehead to hers and pleading with whatever force has been watching over us to keep its eyes on her. "If I believed in God, I'd pray to him for you," I whisper. "Please. Just . . . please."

I don't want anyone else to get hurt, and most especially her now that she's helped me because of what happened to Kate. No one else can die because I've screwed up, even if I don't regret it at all.

She wraps her hands around my wrists, lifting her head and pressing her cheek to mine. "I'll be fine," she swears. "I know Riley's way. They've hard-wired him to follow orders. Once he sees the trace moving, he'll report it, and they'll tell him to follow it. I've got plenty of time."

Slowly, I lean back, lifting my eyes to hers and hoping she knows how dangerous and serious this is. So far, she's been her normal, unassuming self, but she's putting herself in Aro's sights for me. If she gets hurt, or worse, if Riley catches her and does to her what we both know he will . . . I won't ever forgive myself.

No more words are spoken as she pulls her seat belt on and puts the SUV in gear to drive away. I wait until she's gone to pull Bella back into the house. Now that we have to wait for Emmett and Jasper, we have to get out of sight, and I have to get the house ready. Emmett will know the code for the security system, but I can't take any chances.

After getting all of the bags and putting everything back the way it was, I make my way to the basement with Bella. She hasn't said anything all morning, and I know she's worried. There's a bed in the basement, so I let her lay back down while I keep going over everything I know so far.

The last time I can remember Aro putting a hit that big on any target, it was when he discovered Stefan and Vladimir driving their way across Europe three years ago. I had been unavailable, and the guy he put on them lost their trail before a solid ID could be made. And then a year and a half ago, Irina defected to Romania and married Stefan — or at least, that's what Aro always told anyone who asked.

He knows I'm running, he knows Bella and her parents are alive, and by now, he knows someone else is helping me. It's possible he's already deduced who it is considering that Charlotte is currently still working in Louisiana with another training facility, and it would've been too easy to track Siobhan's last movements before she started following me.

I can think of only one way to put Aro down for good. I don't like it, and I know it's not going to be the easiest thing to do. If I can find Vladimir, I can promise him more information on Aro than he's ever had in his entire life — and that's saying a lot, since they've been enemies since before either of them were born.

I've never purposefully put myself in the path of a Romanian Mob Boss, but if Siobhan's right — and she unfortunately usually is — then he'll want what I have. He'll give me anything I need to get him what he wants. It's the safest bet I've had yet, and it's almost painful to admit that.

"Edward."

Bella's voice breaks through my intense thought process, and I glance back to see her watching me from the bed. I go to her without hesitating, sitting at her side and gently caressing her forehead.

"Everything's okay," I whisper. "Jasper and Emmett will be here soon, and we'll get out of here before anything bad can happen. I swear I'll do whatever it takes to make you safe again."

She reaches for my hand and pulls me closer so that I have to lay over the bed to keep pressure off my hip. Without another word, she scoots close to me until I can put my arms around her to hold her. She's shaking and breathing raggedly. Instincts I didn't even know I had kick in just at the right moment, and I squeeze her gently, pressing my cheek to her forehead.

"It's okay," I whisper still. "It's all gonna be okay."

She doesn't speak, pressing her face against my neck and grasping onto my shirt for dear life.

Now what?

And just so we're clear: Five large = Five million dollars (at least in my world)

Also, guess where we've found ourselves?

If enough of you guess right, I'll think about posting a new chapter sooner.

Until then, see ya later!