AN:/ This is is short, but it should gave you at least a little bit of insight as to what is going on in Edward's mind… Or maybe it will only add to the confusion… Maybe we're not quite at the bottom of things yet… Maybe Edward himself doesn't know where this is heading… So many maybes…
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Chapter 29 - Squashing Bugs
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The rest of the drive to the hardware store was fun…. not.
They weren't fighting, exactly, but the tension was thick. Edward kept trying to get Bella to drink some water and Bella, of course, kept ignoring him.
Her face was turned out the window, but he caught her wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand quite a few times.
Her tears cut like knives to his already guilty conscience. He wished there had been another way to do this, but with the limited time they had on their hands, this was the way it had to be. It was the only way he could protect his family.
He had to literally force Bella out of the car when it came time to go inside and pick up the stuff he needed for the fans. There was no way she would leave her out of sight even for a second, with the situation being the way it was. Thankfully, Bella became a little less obstinate when she realized the hardware store had a restroom.
Thank heavens for small mercies.
This, however, meant he had no choice but to let her out of his sight as she went into the restroom… And she sure took her sweet time.
His mind reeled as he waited for her outside the door. He couldn't hear any movements from inside the restroom. What if her blood pressure had caused her to pass out? What if she had hurt herself? What if she went into labor over all of this? He would never forgive himself if anything happened to Bella, or the baby. Not for the first time he questioned the decisions he had made about playing a part in this little operation. The stress he was putting her through could be harmful to her and this was only the first phase. Things would get even more crazy after this….
All he wanted was for his family to be safe and out of harm's way. He just wished there was another way to accomplice this without having to without picking unjustified fights with his unsuspecting girlfriend. It had to appear as if they were genuinely arguing to the point of almost hurling insults at each other. He needed her spitting mad. There had to be some sort of fight, or falling out or something, or the rest of the plan wouldn't work.
He tried to think what Bella would have done if the roles were reversed. That was just it though, the roles had been reversed, not that long ago and she had done exactly what he was doing now. She had set a trap with herself as the bait, while keeping the details about it all to herself. While Bella's plan, that time, had been a successful one, as far as taking out the stalker went, it had been disastrous on every other level. Their relationship had taken a massive hit. They had been on no speaking terms for months. All because she'd made the mistake of not trust him enough to tell him beforehand what was going on. If there was one thing he'd learned in all this, it was that if there is no trust there is no relationship.
'So why are you about to put your relationship through all that strain all over again? Good plan there, Eddie boy,' his conscience poked at him. 'Are you really that stupid?'
No, fact of the matter, he was many things, but stupid wasn't one of them. Edward made a split second decision then and there. He was going to make a few adjustments to the plan, that's what he would do.
It wouldn't take much. Bella was intuitive and way smarter than most people gave her credit for. He knew he wouldn't have to say much, she was already on the verge of figuring things out. All he had to do was to drop a few hints… He could do that. It wouldn't be popular with the suits, but screw the suits and their concerns about authenticity. He had to follow his heart, even if it meant potentially damaging the whole operation.
With the decision made, he dug out his phone again and quickly unlocked it.
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As it turned out, Bella had not had her phone on her as she entered the restroom. It was still in the car. A slight oversight on Edward's part.
He realized this mistake as they took their respective seats again and he saw it tucked away in the second cup holder, next to the cup with Bella's untouched juice.
Edward cursed inwardly. It would have been so much better if she'd received his messages while she was still in the restroom. Now he was going to have to be creative.
Bella, of course, knew nothing of this as she struggled to buckle herself in. She was just about ready to scream with frustration, when she heard the click that meant the seat belt was securely fastened.
"Was that your phone," Edward asked her seemingly out of nowhere.
What? "What?" She forgot she wasn't speaking to him.
"You just got a message. I heard it, didn't you?" He said, turning the ignition and switched the radio on. "You should check it."
"I heard no such thing," she grumbled. "And don't try and tell me what to do."
He made a grab for her phone as if he was going to check it for her.
"No," she roared at him. She couldn't have him messing with her phone. Just… no….
"Suit yourself then," he told her with a strangely flat tone of voice, before he reached out and turned the volume of the radio up a few notches.
The music playing was a country song. This should have caused Bella to become suspicious, Edward did not listen to country any more than she listened to rap, but she was too engrossed by her phone.
Edward had been right she did have four unread messages; two of them were special spring offers, she had no interested in reading, but the other two were from none other than Edward himself, both written less than ten minutes ago.
Very strange…
She glanced at him as he once again began fiddling with the volume button on the radio.
The first message read, 'Hurry up, Swan. We don't have all day. Yikes, this place smells like a hamster cage. I swear I just saw a rat.'
The second one was longer and a whole lot more confusing, 'Not that the smell in the car is any better. Can't believe one moldy pizza slice, can attract that many bugs. It really boggles me how you can you forget such basic things as taking out the trash? Remember what I told you last night…"
Very strange, indeed… What the effing eff?! What was he on about?
First of all, the hardware store had been neat and well kept and definitely not smelly in the slightest, not even the restroom. Secondly, what moldy pizza slice? What bugs? Sure, the car was messy and in need of a good, long date with the vacuum cleaner, but not smelly. There was sawdust everywhere, a few empty water bottles and a lone Starbucks cup on the floor between the seats, but that was it.
And why was Edward holding a finger over his mouth making silent gesture? 'Remember what I told you last night,' his eyes seemed to say.
That's when it clicked in her mind. Bugs in the car… the car was bugged. Whoa!
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AN:/ Bet you didn't see that one coming...
