Chapter Twenty-Eight—Players


My body tensed the moment she said the words about setting up a meeting. "Hell will freeze over before I allow you to meet anyone that stoops to this level to gain intelligence." I stood behind Bella and resisted raising my voice. "Especially someone likely using the information to hurt you."

Bella ceased typing for a second and exhaled sharply, clearly not happy with me. Not that it mattered, if I had to tie her to my bed or lock her in a room to stop her from doing something reckless, I would do it in a heartbeat. She could be angry all she wanted, as long as she was safe.

She stood at her full height, still almost a full foot shorter than me, leveling me with a look. I stood my ground.

"First, you do not dictate what I can and can't do, so swallow your pride and come here, please." Her voice and tone were soft, something she did when she was very upset. "Second, I would never do anything so fucking stupid. How little you must think of me."

Stupid she was not, and I did know better.

"I apologize for jumping to conclusions," I stated, placing my hand on her lower back. She didn't flinch, something she did when she was upset with me. She returned her attention to the screen without another word. "It's just the idea of you near anyone with the motive to hurt you, makes me nervous."

In actuality, it was sending me into a killing rage. I was tired of the damn games and refused to play them. There we were setting up a meeting with one of the players anyway.

She nodded, but said nothing. I kissed her cheek and looked at the screen, knowing she needed some time to calm down. Not only was she angry with me but the situation. It had put her at risk since the day we met. It also kept her from returning to work and delayed Logan's return home.

I was essentially a selfish bastard for staying with her. There was little choice in the matter though. I had to be with her, a not so startling realization.

"What are you doing?" I asked softly.

"Let me look and figure it out."

Even though Angela's office area was private, and there was no one that could see or hear us, I knew discretion was advisable. I read over her shoulder, sending Emmett a message to have someone sweep the offices for bugs every day, at least four times and at random. It was best to be safe. He instantly replied that he had less than an hour ago and would do so again before the end of the day.

"How are you going to set up a meeting with this person?"

She replied with a question of her own. "How much do you know about my aunt and uncle, Alice's parents?"

"Their names are Carlisle and Esme Cullen, there wasn't much on their file," I said warily. "What are you trying to say?"

"I'm not at liberty to say, would be their standard answer."

I cocked an eyebrow. Was she implying that they were some kind of government agents? They had to be top-level operatives for my people not to have found something on them. Interesting.

"Hey, Boss," Emmett called from within my office. He stood at the doorway and gestured toward my computer. "You better come take a look at this."

"I'll be right back," I said to Bella and walked into my office. Angela sat, fidgeting on one of the small couches in the room. I was somewhat relieved to know she was all right from her fainting, but the anger toward her actions still boiled too close to the surface to deal with her.

Emmett kept his voice low so Angela would not overhear as I joined him behind my desk. "I'm trying to pinpoint an IP address for the Gmail account used for the chat sessions Bella is talking to now," he said, typing away on his laptop. "It's sending us all over the place. It'll take time to pinpoint it."

"That's if they allow it. Any luck on the other account?"

"There has been no activity since the day before last," Emmett replied. "She shared the same information with both people, except for this piece of information." He pointed out the user Bella was still chatting with on Angela's computer. "She gave this person the info about the day in the park with Bella, which she didn't share with the other user until almost three days later."

"So this one is likely someone that works for a tabloid or a news source."

"I'm afraid so," he stated, shrugging. "But it doesn't hurt for me to interrogate the asshole."

"Bella seems to have some kind of plan."

"I would say so," he said, gesturing toward the chat window, allowing us to follow the conversation she was having with player one.

From the corner of my eye, I could see Angela start to rise from her chair. I glared at her. "Sit down, Angela. I'm not through with you, yet." I turned from her the second she complied.

I returned my attention to the screen and read the conversation. "Brilliant."

"The juicy tip she's dangling would make this asshole come running." Emmett sat back and continued to watch Bella interact with the suspect. "She can't go to make contact."

"Hell no," I stated firmly. "She did however mention her aunt and uncle."

His brow furrowed and I knew that whatever secrets the Cullen clan held, it would have to wait.

"Look. The other account has logged on."

I sprinted toward Bella and whispered in her ear to let her know that we believed that the second player was the one most likely to be the real threat.

She gave player two the usual greeting Angela did in their past conversations and exchanged a few pleasantries. The first player's window popped up, stating that she had to go and that she'd get back to her about lunch on Wednesday. Bella hissed as the person logged off.

If he or she was from a media source, by the end of the day, most of Seattle would know that Bella and I were adventurous in our sex life and took to having sex in an elevator. I hadn't been thinking when I had her earlier, my only thought at the time was to have her.

The other window popped up and asked for the latest on Hot Mr. Masen, a title that they had given me. Bella, through gritted teeth, lol'd through the same conversation she had with the first player. Before I could instruct Bella on what to do next, the person excused himself or herself because her boss was coming.

Bella sighed and stretched, her back arching, having been bent over the keyboard for the last fifteen minutes. "Now, we offered the first guy inside information and the possibility of pictures from Angela."

"It was smart. Not only were you offering more gossip about us, but you dangled the carrot with the remark about photos on her cell phone."

"While this guy, the one we think is likely behind the attempts on my life," she said, shaking her head. "This guy is good. He acted as if he wanted to know everything, whether it's personal or business. The impromptu trip to California will have him follow you, and you can set up a trap."

"I'm surprised you're willing for me to be in harm's way."

"I'm not stupid enough to do that either," she stated firmly. "No, my aunt has a similar shape to Angela and will go in her place for the meeting with the reporter. My uncle, who matches your height, will lead this guy to the 'secret' lab where you'll be waiting."

"You're assuming your relatives will help."

"They're family and they'll do anything for me."

I nodded, for some reason feeling uneasy. Emmett called us into the office before I could analyze the feeling, and I followed Bella inside. There, she stood in front of Angela, glaring down at her.

"Damn, she's like a pit bull," Emmett said in amusement as I circled the desk again.

"She does have a healthy temper."

"I heard that," she grumbled from across the room.

"I meant for you to," I teased. The situation was tense enough, and a light moment was exactly what we all needed. Immediately, I noticed her posture relax and Emmett's shoulders were less rigid.

"All right," Emmett said, in his all business tone. "The first player is an amateur. It didn't take long to break through and find out who. It's a national magazine that's been leaning toward gossip than facts lately." He brought up a picture of the woman in question, Bree Anderson. She looked so unassuming. Many wouldn't see her as a threat, with big blue eyes and light brown hair, in her late twenties.

"Get all the information you can about her. Find the dirt, and if I have to blackmail her to get her to back off, I will."

He nodded and brought up another window. "The other guy, he knows how to cover his tracks. Every time I thought I had him pinned down, it sent me somewhere else. The interesting fact is the computer program he's using seems familiar."

I recognized some of the computer code and nearly hissed in anger. "Volturi."

"Is he that stupid?" Emmett asked, folding his arms across his chest. "This is a dead giveaway."

"Perhaps," I indicated. "Aro was doing a good job covering his tracks, until now. Nothing so far pointed directly at him or his company except for his wife's deadly kiss and the property near one of my labs. Unless someone is trying to frame him and this is one of the bread crumbs."

"That leaves us at square one." Emmett rubbed his face hard, exhaling sharply. "Look, if we do this thing in California, we might leave Bella vulnerable."

My thoughts considered everything, all variables, as I planned, but he was right.

"Either she comes with me or I send her to her mother's," I said softly, not wanting Angela or Bella to overhear me. We continued to discuss it, but something still felt off.

"Fuck, why does this feel like a trap?" Emmett groaned.

Bella walked over, confusion clear on her features. "What's a trap?"

"If we go out to California to catch the second player, it leaves you alone," I stated.

"As if you wouldn't have an army watching over me," she said, clearly not seeing the issue.

"That's the problem, Bella." Emmett shrugged as he explained. "If he leaves with his own security and leaves twice as much as usual here with you, it would alert them that we're expecting something."

"I don't plan on leaving Edward's apartment building. How would they know?"

"Maybe a trip to see Logan would be best. They haven't made a move toward him or your mother and I can double security with you. I need Emmett with me in California." I needed his covert skills if we plan to ambush the player.

"I can't do that, Edward," she said, shaking her head. "I'm not leading them to him."

"Fuck, she's right. If they have people tailing her, they might get the idea to go after Logan," Emmett stated.

"I'll be fine," she stated. "Look, for this to work, they need to believe that you're going on this trip right now. If you want to get the asshole, you need to go soon."

"All right," I said, pulling her into my arms. "Now, before we discuss what we'll be doing, I think I should talk to Angela."

"I need to call my aunt and uncle," Bella said. "Wish you were meeting them under better circumstances."

"Same here," I murmured and watched her leave with Emmett after I promised them a recording of my conversation with my personal assistant. I sat in my chair, behind my desk watching her. Every second of silence caused her to fidget under my gaze.

"Angela," I said, startling her enough that she nearly jumped up from the couch.

"Yes, sir," she said softly, keeping her eyes from me.

"Look at me." When she did, I knew she was on the verge of tears, but they would not work on me. "You signed a non-disclosure and confidentially agreement. One that clearly stated that if you leaked anything said or done by my company or me it would result in your immediate termination, followed by persecution to the furthest extent of the law."

"Y-yes," she said, her voice cracking. "I really d-didn't mean for this to happen. I thought I was talking to my friends."

"Obviously you were wrong," I said, leaning back in my chair. "Tell me when all this started and how."

"Almost two years ago," she whispered as her brow furrowed. "I was in a chat room for um…other PA's that worked for high profile people, needing someone to talk to, since I don't have a lot of friends here."

"I understand the need to vent about issues with your boss." I glowered, and from her expression it was rather impressive. "But you were not only venting, you gave them very private information. My relationship with Bella is our business."

"I know!" she cried, wiping at tears. "I don't have adult conversations all the time only with my son, and I swear, I thought they were friends from back home."

"They're not," I said through clenched teeth. I refused to give her more to discuss with someone else. "Did you only chat with them here or was there another form of communication?"

She shook her head before she replied, "Just the same chat application here and at home."

I pulled out my cell phone and called Richard, one of the men on the security team. "I need you to go to Angela's home and confiscate her computer." She looked alarmed, and ready to argue as I ended the call. "Don't you dare attempt to tell me I have no right." I leaned forward. "You put Bella at risk with your need to have a friend to talk to and taking your computer is the least of your worries. Once I have everything you shared with these people, I will return it."

She only nodded her response, waiting for me.

I picked up the company phone and asked HR to draw up a typical termination packet, causing Angela to start to cry more. It was a dick move to do it in front of her, but she needed to learn a lesson. The severance package was enough to support her and her son for the next six months and additional insurance coverage for the same period. She would not get a glowing recommendation from me, but I would not disclose what she'd done. If I did, she'd never work again. Having seen my mother struggle, I couldn't do the same to her son.

I wasn't a complete asshole.