$GREED$

"This is it, you two. I'll go into the station and let Denali know you're here." Felix shifted the car into park, offering a sad smile. "Give you a few more minutes alone."

"Thanks, Felix," Isabella whispered, her head resting on her right hand. Her left was held firmly in Edward's, where it had been almost every minute since they arrived from Sorrento three days earlier. She felt her eyes welling as she rehearsed what she'd planned to say one more time.

"Listen, even if . . ." she started, but had to take a deep breath when Edward turned to her, his forest-green eyes mesmerizing her yet again. "Even if things get crazy and we can't meet up over the next few weeks, or however long the trial lasts, please know that I'll be wishing I were back in Sorrento with you every second of the day."

He nodded, a wistful smile on his face, but he remained quiet. Isabella knew how hard it was for him to let her go. He'd been dreading this goodbye . . . they both had.

"I'll call you when I can," she vowed, grabbing both of his hands in hers. "Hopefully we can set up our first visit for a few days from now." She attempted a cheerful tone, but it fell flat.

"Sounds good."

They got lost in each other's gazes, a myriad of memories unspoken but treasured. They'd come so far from where they'd been. Countless drops of blood, sweat and tears had been shed to bring them back into each other's arms as friends—even best friends—turned lovers.

Edward brought his hand to her cheek and she leaned into it, relishing his touch, savoring it. After a few moments, he pulled her head towards his, pressing their foreheads together.

"Felix and I will keep working on things." His voice sounded gravelly. She nodded, a tear crawling down her cheek. "It's not ideal and definitely not conventional, but then again, when have we ever taken the boring road?"

She snorted, playfully smacking his hand. "Don't make me laugh. We're having a moment here."

He winked at her, tilting his head to kiss her gently on the forehead. He spotted Detective Denali and Felix walking toward the car. "Our time's up," he groused before placing his lips to hers and deepening a kiss that had to last them and undetermined amount of time.

"I'll miss you, Ernesto." Her declaration felt so freeing. "I kinda loved being married to you."

This time her words elicited a genuine smile from him as he captured her mouth again, melding his lips to hers, their tongues languidly massaging each other's. She put all of her feelings into that kiss. Her fears, her hopes . . . her love for him.

Moments later, he pulled away so they could catch their breath. Sweeping the tears from under her eyes, he spoke, his voice low and laced with desire, "Well, we'll see what we can arrange for the future, Bianca. Because I've gotta tell you, Signora Carbone," he moved his mouth to whisper next to her ear. "E' stato il mio privilegio più grande, anche solo far finta di essere tuo marito." He stroked her cheek with the backs of his fingers, telling her it was his greatest privilege to even pretend to be her husband. Pressing his lips softly to hers, he continued, "Le nostre sette settimane in Italia hanno cambiato la mia vita."

"Mine too,"she breathed against him, knowing how their seven weeks in Italy changed her life as well, and all for the better, despite the harrowing circumstances.

He cupped her face in his strong hands and further vowed, "E appena potrò farlo di nuovo, ti porterò ancora via con me, per farti mia, veramente mia...per sempre." The intensity in his eyes matched his pledge to her that when they were able, he'd whisk her away to make her really and truly his, forever.

She let out a sob, overcome by his perfect words before making him promise, "Me lo prometti?"

"Promesso," he assured, sealing it with a last kiss.

$GREED$

Edward woke with a start and jumped off his bed when he heard Felix bellowing his name from the living room.

"You up?" Felix appeared in the doorway. "I tried calling you twice since I left Dallas. Everything okay?"

Edward scrubbed his hands down his face, calming his racing heart, sitting back on the bed again. "Yeah. Managed to crash for a couple hours."

"So, what's that bring the total to? Ten hours in the last five days?" Felix teased, leaning against the door frame. Light-hearted moments were hard to come by these days.

"Sounds about right." Edward rubbed the heels of his hands over his closed eyes. "So, what's the latest?"

His friend approached, removing an envelope from his suit pocket. "Here."

"Sure do hope this is a love note." Edward unfolded the paper, still studying Felix, who wasn't joking anymore. The air seized in his lungs when he read the eerie message.

It would be in Mrs. Cullen's best interest to remain quiet
in the next phase of the court proceedings. Many are watching.
She was always an intelligent girl. Tell her to stay that way.

Edward's stomach churned after rereading it for the second time. "How did you get this? And when?"

"Delivered to the office . . . anonymously. Dropped at the lobby desk sometime after lunch." Felix sat on the edge of the bed. "Somebody who knows she's a smart girl?" he repeated.

"Fucking Whitlock," Edward hissed. "Has to be."

Both men studied the paper before them, neither with any calming resolution entering their thoughts.

"What do you want to do?"

Edward covered his eyes with his palm, his fingers pressing into both temples. After several deep breaths, he pulled his hand away and stared out his window at the shimmering lights of the Austin skyline. The contrast of the sparkling brightness against the indigo night blurred his vision. "Nothing. We can't tell her about this, either. Edward thought back to the moment that anonymous email had pinged into his box.

Student turned whore turned Mary Magdalene . . . which one is warming your bed, Mr. Masen?

After he showed Felix, he alerted Alistair, who kicked into high gear to see if the message could be traced. He withdrew from the image of the email on the computer screen to finish his train of thought. "I think we both learned our lesson with the email from two days ago."

"Yeah, but that one took a different approach. It could've been from any of them. Shit, it could've been from a pissed off client of hers," Felix added.

"Right, but when we told her about it, she had a full-blown panic attack at the hotel!" Edward roared, storming toward the kitchen. He paused at the island, raking his hands through his hair, teetering on the brink of his own massive anxiety attack, complete with tears, which had only ever happened once before in his entire life. Bella was the reason his tears had fallen in February, and she was again the reason they were threatening to fall now. All he wanted to do was keep her out of harm's way, but her dedication to making things right was going to be the slow death of him, and probably Felix, too. He opened his fridge and pulled out two beers, passing one over. "Sorry," Edward grumbled. "I didn't mean to shout at you. But I can't do that to her . . . not again."

"I know," Felix responded, frustration pouring off him in waves. "At least Claudia was with her to calm her down last time."

"Anyway, we can't tell her about this one. It helps nothing, and she's under twenty-four hour guard for the duration of the trial, if anything." Edward twisted the cap off and chugged half his bottle. "I fucking hate that we couldn't keep her until the last minute."

"She negotiated as best she could. The lawyers needed time to go over her testimony again."

Edward clenched his jaw, nodding. He knew the reason she was no longer in his apartment, but he didn't have to like it.

"So, what now?" Felix questioned, slumping into a dining room chair.

Edward stared at his best friend, wishing he had all the answers, but he felt just as helpless as Felix. "We wait . . . and we hope."

$GREED$

Another week and a half passed without incident, until Claudia—shaking like a leaf, and in the midst of uncontrollable sobbing—appeared at Felix's door.

"Okay, slow down, love," Felix hugged her close while Edward poured two fingers of Jack Daniel's to calm her. Her petite body stopped quivering and she relaxed into his embrace. "That's it." Felix nodded in encouragement, feigning a small smile of pride. Truth was, he was wrecked.

She took several deep breaths and wiped her face with a tissue. Edward placed the glass of whiskey in front of her, squeezing her shoulder in support.

"Start from the beginning," Edward whispered, sliding into the chair next to her. "When you're ready."

Claudia looked between both men. "I was jogging my usual route at Lady Bird Lake. A group of cyclists had just blown past me, and one of the last guys pulled over to the side as I was coming up. Looked like he was messing with his gears or something." Grabbing another tissue, she wiped at her nose again. "He gave me a wave as I approached, and I returned it, but I kept going." She stopped to take a sip of the drink, followed by another deep breath. "It was probably fifteen minutes later, when I had stopped to stretch and cool down. I was drinking my water and the same cyclist was walking his bike up the path. We exchanged barely a few sentences. 'Nice day, gorgeous weather, hope it lasts,' . . . that sort of thing. He seemed friendly and unassuming. Young guy, no older than us. Next thing I know, he moved to get onto his bike again, but while he's buckling his helmet, he said, "If your friend Isabella has any hope of seeing another beautiful day like this, she better come down with amnesia before the week is over. We were under the impression she'd stay quiet, and yet she continues to tell her tale."

"Mother fuck," Edward growled, his hands in fists at his forehead. "Anything else?"

Claudia swept another tear from her cheek. "I started to back up but he just called out again and said, 'Enjoy the rest of your day'." She turned to Felix. "I couldn't stay there any longer. I was terrified somebody was about to jump out and grab me." Her voice trembled in time with the quaking of her hands.

Felix shook his head. "No, Cee. You did fine. C'mere." Kneeling next to her chair, he pulled her into another hug, shushing her and rubbing her back. Isabella had been safe this whole time. Almost three weeks had passed since she was in the custody of the Feds; not only testifying for the D'Emilia trial, but also giving depositions for the mounting case against Senator Whitlock. Even with those previous threats in the letter and Edward's email, nothing had happened. And now this, less than a week before the D'Emilia trial was ending.

Felix looked over her shoulder at Edward. "What are you thinking?"

"I think today's message came from D'Emilia, if the guy said they want her to shut up before the week's over. I bet the letter was from Whitlock, though . . . email probably was, too. " Edward grabbed Claudia's glass and slammed back the remainder of the liquor. "Maybe they're working together, maybe they aren't. Not a word to Bella though, hear me?" They nodded as Edward stood from the chair. He yanked open the hall closet and tugged a sport coat from its hanger. Heading for his room, he roared, "I'm done with this shit! Thursday can't fucking come soon enough!"

$GREED$

Edward's eyes glazed over, having stared too long at the gaudy framed picture on the wall of the Royal Inn. He was in no way a snob, but he was done with Bella being put up in these no-tell motels. First it was a hotel in Plano, which had been respectable enough until it was overrun with media. Then she was shipped to an inconspicuous motel in Irving, but some housekeeper tipped off a journalist, and Isabella got swarmed exiting the building. After that, it was a Motel 6 in Northlake, with the same fucking result as the Irving motel. Finally, last week they stuck her in a less-than-secure motel outside Duncanville, claiming hiding in plain sight might be her safest bet. Edward balked, but his opinion was of no consequence to the authorities. The media weren't the only reason they bounced her around, but he tried not to dwell on that.

He draped his arm over Isabella's slender waist and began tracing small patterns around her navel. Humming, she nestled into the blankets deeper before pulling his open palm to her mouth, and kissing it tenderly. She placed his hand over her heart and held it there. He could feel the steady thumping under the soft skin, though he wasn't sure if it was residual adrenaline from their recent love-making or the fact that today was the final day of her testimony in court. He tucked his legs behind hers, melding their bodies together in the perfect spoon.

"Almost over, baby." Edward's morning voice still sounded groggy even though he'd been up most of the night. Scenarios raced through his mind, some fantastic, some terrifying . . . and all equally plausible, given what they'd been through to date. "You know that even if you can't see me, I'm with you, right?"

The slight movement of her head rustled the pillowcase before she whispered, "I know."

Dusting his lips along the creamy skin of her shoulder, he whispered. "We'll be together soon, Bella. Just be strong."

"Trying."

They lay there in silence until the phone on the nightstand jangled obnoxiously. The second of the two calls they expected this morning. Bella pressed the orange speakerphone button.

"Yes?"

"Lobby in thirty minutes, Mrs. Cullen. I'll be personally escorting you to the courthouse this morning."

"I'll be ready."

Detective Denali disconnected the call and Bella reached to hang up her end. Edward had come to despise that woman's voice over the last several weeks. It grated on him like nails scraping down a chalkboard. He was thankful that—if all went as planned—after today, he'd never have to hear it again.

Isabella twisted her body, forcing Edward onto his back in the process. She crawled on top of him, her warm, naked skin pressed against his. While his hands came to rest on her pert ass, she trailed her fingers through the scruff of his jaw, kissing him deeply, stirring his arousal once more.

"I love you, Edward."

His left hand moved up to stroke her face, tucking back some of her hair that danced along his chest, tickling him.

"I love you." Lifting his head, he captured her tempting lips again and again, wishing their moment could last, but painfully aware of the chaos on the horizon. His head fell back into the pillow as he swallowed the gravel that seemed to be lodged in his throat and reassured her once more. "Soon. You and me . . ." –his mouth found hers again—". . . forever."

$GREED$

"How is she?" Felix asked from the driver's seat while Edward slammed the car door and buckled his seat belt.

"Rattled. Even more than I am, I think. And that's saying something," Edward huffed, looking out the window of Felix's car, thrilled to finally be leaving motel-visitation life behind. It made him feel seedy. Like his time with Isabella was a conjugal visit and nothing more. "How about you? Anything in the last fifteen hours?"

"No. I stayed at the office until six and then went back to my hotel room. Claudia's still a little shaken up."

"I can imagine." Edward shook his head in blind rage. "I'm so fucking sorry. You know Bella's gonna kill us that we didn't tell her."

Felix shrugged, easy onto the freeway. "I get it. Telling Bella would've only made her even more irrational than she's been. All we need to do is get through today. So far they've only been threats. We haven't seen anything to indicate that somebody intended to follow through. It's all about scare tactics."

"Like goddamn terrorists," Edward spewed. "Trying to stop you from doing anything in your life, just preying on your fear."

"Exactly. I know it's sucked having Isabella away from you for the last month, but at least the Feds have kept her alive so far without any major catastrophes."

Edward blanched. "Your glass-is-half-full approach is like a ray of sunshine to my soul," he said dryly. "Any other gems you'd like to toss my way?"

Felix blew out an emotionally exhausted breath. "Nope. All tapped out at this point. Just trying to make it through to the other side."

Edward scrubbed his hands back and forth along his thighs as they entered the parking garage for the courthouse. "I hear ya."

$GREED$

"So . . . looking forward to your new life?"

Isabella rolled her eyes, peering out the tinted window of the Expedition. "Yeah. Really excited to know you're stashing me in West Bumblefuck, USA."

"Hey, better than three to five at FPC Bryan." Denali patted Isabella's hand and continued to speak, condescension dripping from every word. "You'll be fine. Once you get there you'll meet with the liaison who'll set you up with your probationary requirements and anything further you'll need to provide for the Whitlock case. Where you're headed is a pretty sweet gig if you ask me."

"Mhmm."

"Unfortunately, our relationship ends today, but if you ever run into trouble and can't track down the people assigned to you out there, give me a call." Denali passed her business card to Isabella. "Just don't go calling your bestie again. Next time, it'll probably get you all killed."

"No closer to getting killed than with your crack team of agents out in Lockhart, Detective."

Denali's smile curled like the Grinch's, more menacing than ever. "We did our best. We'd do it again."

"Yup, that's what worries me."

Before Denali had a chance to respond, her phone rang.

"Excuse me," she addressed Isabella before putting the phone to her ear. "Denali. Yes. On our way now. Shouldn't be an issue." She glanced at Isabella who suddenly felt on edge. "Be there in five." The detective sent out another quick text and then pocketed her phone.

"Sorry about that. Anyway, will Edward be in court with you today?"

"That's the plan."

"Well, the car will drive him to the station outside the city where we'll set you up on the next leg of your adventure. You'll be able to say your goodbyes there without the media hounding you." She tapped her burgundy fingernails on the laptop she was holding. "It'll be about a fourteen-hour car ride, so prepare yourself. And you'll be changing cars several times along the way."

Isabella nodded. "I know. You told me all of this already."

"Just making sure you remember the plan. We do this to ensure you're not followed."

"Yeah, well . . . I hope it works better the second time around. I really don't want to have the lives of more dead agents on my conscience because of your screw-ups."

Denali's brow rose slowly to a point as she sneered. "Watch yourself, Isabella. You're testing my patience."

Isabella remained quiet, not wanting to egg the bitch on any further. This wasn't a battle worth fighting. Before it was all said and done, she had to trust that she and Edward would be together, and that was all that mattered.

$GREED$

After the judge called a recess for the day, Isabella—who'd fulfilled all of her testimony requirements in the case against the D'Emilia family—was escorted from the building by her guards. They ushered her into the same black Expedition, while Edward was also driven in a separate car—with Felix and Claudia in a third vehicle—to an undisclosed location within the jurisdiction of the Young County Sheriff's office.

It was time for the friends to part. Isabella and Claudia hugged for a solid minute, both women shedding tears and pledging their friendship and love to each other. Brought together by chaotic circumstances, Isabella had grown to rely on Claudia as a confidante, almost a sister. Claudia felt the same way, since she had no sisters but was surrounded by seven brothers. When they pulled apart, Claudia held out a chain with a pendant for Isabella.

"An Italian horn." She dropped the delicate necklace and charm into Isabella's open palm. "To ward off any evil that might try to find you."

Isabella nodded, her glassy eyes spilling more tears. "Thank you," she whispered. "I'll miss you, Cee."

Behind them, Felix waited patiently to say his goodbye. When Claudia stepped back, Felix gathered Isabella into his arms and rocked her as she sobbed into his chest. When she had no more tears to cry, she looked up at her friend, the one man who'd stood by her from the beginning of the mess right until the end.

"I don't know what to say," she croaked. "You mean so much to me; I don't know if you'll ever understand that."

A tear rolled down the side of Felix's cheek as he kissed the top of her head, unable to pull away. Eventually, he cleared his throat. "You stay safe out there, kid."

She nodded and reached for Edward's hand. He threaded his fingers through hers, ready to pull her toward the garage where a lineup of nondescript SUVs waited for them.

"This is where we say farewell, Mrs. Cullen. You'll be taken to another drop-off after this one. We'll make sure Mr. Masen gets back to the courthouse safely after you've said your goodbyes at the next destination."

Isabella nodded. Though it pained both of them, Edward and Isabella shook Detective Denali's hand before turning for the enormous garage.

"Just give me a buzz when you get back to Dallas, Edward," Felix called out. "We'll wait there for you."

Edward waved to his friend, thankful to have such a steadfast ally.

"This is one of the hardest days of my life," Isabella whimpered as Edward wrapped his arm around her waist, leading her away from their friends.

"I know, baby. We're gonna get through this." He kissed her tenderly under her ear. "Promesso."

The crowd watched Edward and Isabella disappear behind the aluminum wall of the garage. Five other black Expeditions pulled past all of them and entered the garage as decoy cars, set up to throw off any potential tails intent on harming Isabella. And so began the final phase of witness protection protocol.

Felix, Claudia, Detective Denali, her driver, the Young County Sheriff and his deputy watched a string of cars pull out of the bays. The vehicles stayed close until the caravan reached a crossroad where some paired off and others went on as singles, all heading in different directions.

The sun was setting while the onlookers started to move toward their own vehicles. Moments later, a ground-rumbling boom exploded in the distance. Plumes of smoke and bursts of flames overwhelmed the scene. One tailing SUV screeched to a stop, and two men in suits rushed out to attempt to help.

Felix wailed in horror and ran toward the wreckage. Claudia dropped to her knees, covering her eyes and screaming, while Denali dialed her phone frantically. Officers rushed the scene, but to no avail.

A very clear message had been sent: Isabella Cullen wouldn't be talking anymore.

A/N: All my thanks and hugs to members of Team GREED who drop everything and get these chapters read, tweaked and perfected in time for our weekly Sinful Sunday posts. So much love to all my readers who've stuck by me through this story, and extra Yummy squeezes to those who've left me their thoughts along the way. It means so much to hear from you!

Epilogue will post next week, sweet friends.

xo, Jen

PS- Hope you're either writing for or intending to read the stories for our Caveat Emptor: Maybe an HEA? Contest. Come find us on Twitter, Facebook or follow us under the writer name: Maybe an HEA Contest here on this site. Submissions being accepted through May 15th.