Training the Swan

Chapter Forty-Four—The Fall Out


Edward

God, she was beautiful while she slept. None of the worry, her dark past, and uncertainty was on her face as she lay peacefully on the plush pillow. Her hair seemed longer even though she'd been gone for a little less than two weeks. It was ridiculous to think such a thing, but I couldn't help it. Her lips were in that soft, natural pout that always made me crave a taste and test their softness with my mouth. One of her delicate hands cushioned her cheek, as the other lay over my heart.

"So beautiful," I whispered, kissing her cheek.

Her slim thigh urged me to move, to accommodate her, allowing it to slip between my legs. My fingers skimmed her hip as she moved, and I could feel the muscles stretch under my touch. I wanted my hands on her, all over. I reminded myself that she had to sleep, since she had little for weeks.

I kept myself from seeking more of her warm silky skin, but it was so fucking hard. It didn't help that her body seemed to respond to my perusal, her nipples growing taut under my gaze. She's killing me.

"If you keep staring at me like that," her sleepy voice intruded my thoughts, "I am liable to burst into flames." I groaned as her hands curled around my neck, pulling my mouth toward hers. She was naked beneath the sheets, my hands molding to her body, holding her as close as possible to my own. In seconds, I had her beneath me, her thighs accommodating me this time. She moaned at the corner of my mouth, and then gasped for breath as I kissed a path down her neck. One hand curled in my hair where she tugged, the other lost in the sheet, holding on as I skimmed my lips along her stomach.

There was no need for words, and as usual, she was ready for me. I groaned and dropped my head on her abdomen as need nearly rushed all the air from my lungs. Would it always be like this? I hoped so, because I would never have enough of her. Not a year from now or sixty, I would always love and want her like this.

Her body surged under the touch and guidance of my hand and mouth, riding over the edge with a satisfying moan. I watched as her head twisted from side to side, her hands clutching the sheets in a desperate attempt to stay grounded. Her thighs tightened around my head, as she clenched around my fingers. As she settled, I pressed lingering kisses along the inside of her thighs, reveling in her soft, sated sounds.

Unable to hold out much longer, I crawled over her, lifting one of her legs over my arm. She gasped, "Please, please." I thrust inside her, my warm, wet, slice of heaven. She nearly screamed at the intrusion, turning her mouth to muffle it into my shoulder. I groaned at the feel of her teeth, and filled her harder and deeper.

"Love you, love you," I chanted against her skin, pressing small kisses all over her face. "You can never leave me again." My words were nearly incoherent and breathless, as I continued to press into her.

However, she heard and understood every word. Her dark eyes looked deep into mine as she whispered, "Never again, baby."

I groaned and kissed her again, feeling the languid slide of her tongue against mine. It was such a contrast to what was happening below. I fucked her hard while she kissed me softly. I loved every second and breathless touch of her lips.

It worked to slow me down, allowing my body to rest more fully against her. The sweet tips of her breasts brushed my chest as my hips kept a steady pace. With every tender slide of her fingers and tongue, the worry and doubts that I held deep inside me, seeped out, until there was nothing left but hope and love.

I had never felt anything like it.

As our foreheads pressed together, our eyes on each other, she whispered, "I'm still here. I'm not going anywhere."

I nodded, still keeping the connection intact. "Marry me tomorrow."

She smiled and replied, "Whenever you want,"

"Can we have more children soon?"

Her hands cradled my face, watching me closely. "As soon as we get word that there is no longer any threat." I nodded, knowing she was right. My lips sought hers and our bodies continued to move together, trembling with sweat beading along our skin. At the final push, I quaked as she clenched around me, my mouth sealed over hers.

Breathless and suddenly exhausted, I had enough energy to roll off her and tuck her against my side. We fell asleep with my arms wrapped around her stomach, a soft sigh on her lips as our fingers intertwined over her belly. "Someday," she whispered.

~oOo~

Ellie clutched to my hand as we walked across the parking lot to her classroom. I knew she was nervous, since we had no idea what awaited us inside. Ms. Gomez last indicated that she would not utter a word of what happened that day Felix's men tried to use Ellie to get to me.

From what we established from the school, they believed it was a fluke incident about the loss of power and communications throughout the campus. Luckily, besides Leah, no one had been hurt during the short blackout we had initiated to save Ellie.

"It'll be fine, Ellie," I said, picking her up and kissing her cheek. That morning was tough on everyone. Ellie battled with her love for school and wanting to be home with her mother. Bella wanted the same thing, but we knew it was best to go on with life as if nothing happened. It was for the sake of Ms. Gomez and our cover, especially since we wanted to stay in Forks.

"I know," she whispered softly, her arms tightening around my neck briefly. "You are still picking me up today, right?"

"Of course I am, princess. I'll be right outside with your chariot."

"You're so silly sometimes." She giggled sweetly, nuzzling her small nose against my cheek. "I love you, Daddy."

I sighed and kissed her forehead. She asked me to set her down, and when I did, I felt strangely empty as she ran inside her classroom. In only a few short months, she had grown so much. I hated letting go. I was about to scold her about running, but a voice from within the room beat me to it.

"Ellie," she said. "No running in the classroom."

My little girl stopped in her tracks, staring at Ms. Gomez who greeted her with a bright smile. Ellie's hand lifted to her lips as if she hadn't expected her favorite teacher to be inside the room.

"Ms. Gomez!" She ran toward her, wrapping her arms around her teacher. "I'm so glad you're here."

"I'm glad to see you here," she said, meeting my eyes over Ellie's head. "Good morning, Mr. Cullen."

I offered her my hand when Ellie finally let her go. "Good morning."

The concern in her features softened. "I trust everything is well."

"Yes," I replied. For the moment, there were no local threats. No one knew that Ellie aka Eleanor was Charlie's granddaughter. "If you have a moment, I'd like to speak with you."

She glanced at the clock and nodded. "I have three minutes before breakfast arrives." She sent Ellie to pick out the reading book of the day and led me to the corner of her classroom where her desk was located. "What can I do for you, Mr. Cullen?"

"My wife and I discussed it and are considering sending Ellie to talk to someone."

She smiled, seemingly relieved. "I'm glad to hear that."

I allowed a cool, usually frightening mask to come over my features. "Discretion is at the upmost importance," I emphasized.

The implication was clear in my tone and eyes. If the doctor uttered a word to anyone about what Ellie said to her or him in confidence, I would take necessary steps to ensure her safety. That meant if necessary, I'd kill to keep her identity a secret.

It was a huge risk and we already decided that we would wait a few months before we started to send Ellie to talk with someone. I hoped by then the media attention would die down enough that no one would recognize Ellie. Until then, we were doing our best to talk to her about anything and everything. She was very open and we hoped it remained that way. Despite that, we knew that we were in over our heads when it came to the trauma Ellie had experienced at such a young age.

Ms. Gomez cocked a slim eyebrow and nodded, pulling out a card from a desk drawer. "She would never betray my confidence, I assure you, Mr. Cullen. She is family."

That was good enough for me. "Thank you," I said, taking the card she offered.

She smiled and shooed me away, and turned her attention to the rest of the class. Ellie ran up to me and wrapped her arms around my waist, smiling brightly.

"Love you, Daddy."

I brushed my hand over her hair, loving the cute little braids her mother styled it in. "Love you, too, princess. Always."

~oOo~

"Are you nervous?" I asked Bella as she paced the living room. The flat screen on the wall displayed the Channel 4 news from Arizona that I routed through my wireless network.

"Today's the funeral," she whispered, her hands clenching into fists at her sides. "Plus, there's another crucial step to our plan going down today."

I nodded. "So far it looks like the asshole might get away with all this," I growled, feeling the same tension she felt. Jasper managed a call, which was never easy, and some evidence against the senator suddenly disappeared, Garrett and Alistair were pissed as hell. There was a leak in their network, nobody was aware of. The warrant authorities had tried to obtain also proved futile, considering the bastard knew each judge in the state. No one seemed to want to go against him. We had to find a way to make them spring into action.

I wished that I had taken the shot, and killed the asshole from the rooftop that day. However, the chance of anyone boarding a plane so soon after an assassination of a senator would've been remote. I'd likely be in a jail cell and charged with murder. Anyone still left in Senior's organization would've had me killed within days. Put simply, Bella and Charlie knew it wouldn't be worth it.

The next step in our plan was to insure that there was some kind of action against Senior. He hardly left the confines of his home or office and was constantly under surveillance. Though Jasper was an expert sharpshooter, it posed a huge risk to take him out while so closely under watch.

Charlie was going to up the ante with an appearance at the funeral for James. The man had balls of fucking steel to do such a thing, and now having seen Senior's anger, who would likely do something liable to get him in trouble. One punch was all it would take to have Senior arrested and he'd be dead by morning.

That was the original plan but things changed recently. Charlie had come to a decision. He wanted Senior to suffer. Renee remembered him from when he'd taken her to Phillip Dwyer. Senior had originally bought Renee for his cousin as a reward for his first successful deal and hit. He'd been so young and unrecognizable to Renee that she had never connected the dots, until recently. Charlie wanted revenge for the hell Bella's mother had gone through until he saved her.

The only reason why Bella and I agreed with him was that he promised he'd get out of the business if they succeeded.

"Here we are with live coverage outside of Smith's Cemetery, following the story surrounding Senator James Alder and his late son. Overwhelming support by some of the most influential people in the state has arrived and continually does so as the funeral for James Adler the second is soon underway. James …"

I rose to my feet and wrapped my arms around Bella from behind. Her body settled against my own, watching as a limo went through the cemetery's gates. I recognized the license plates; the numbers the same as the one Jasper told me would be Charlie's car. A dark SUV followed closely behind.

"That's them," I whispered in her ear. Her body tensed in my arms, watching as the limo came to a stop. Through the wrought iron gates, we saw the driver exit the limo. From the SUV, Sam and Seth jumped out to join them. Opening one of the doors, Seth stood aside and Charlie stepped out.

The reaction was instantaneous.

From the feed I also routed to the television from Sam and Seth's radios and mini cameras, we saw Senior, as he made his way toward Charlie. His wife, Debra trailed several feet behind her and gasped when Renee stepped out of the car, carrying what looked like a child, her head and back covered by a small blanket.

"Ellie!" Debra cried out. "Oh my God, Ellie!"

Bella had told me that Debra had always treated Ellie as if she was her granddaughter. She loved her, as any grandmother should when she visited. She also indicated that Debra had expressed her wishes to see her after all this was over, unfortunately that would be impossible. Debra would never see Elizabeth Grace Alder again.

Alice and Renee curled around the child, as Charlie, Sam and Seth barred Debra from getting any closer.

"I just want to know if she's okay," Debra continued to wail.

Senior grasped his wife's arm and while the reporter talked off screen of the confrontation they couldn't hear. He hissed to her, "Get a hold of yourself, Debra."

She visibly complied but she dug her nails into his arm. "I'm sorry," she whispered, clearing her throat and standing straighter. "I missed her and I just want to see her."

Renee shook her head, pulling the child's body even closer. "Not today, Debra," she said softly. "She's asleep and," she glared at Senior, "it wouldn't be a good idea for her to see him right now."

It was Senior's turn to glare. "I bet you have my granddaughter, my blood, believing in the lies you're filthy daughter and husband fed to the authorities and media."

Charlie, dressed in a dark grey suit, stepped toward Senior, and snarled, "You mean my baby girl you had murdered! You ordered the hit on us. You are responsible for Ellie losing her mother. You are!"

Senior looked around, noticing several people attending the funeral discretely watching and listening. A few of the attendants were texting or on the phone as they waited for the funeral to start. Any one of them could be feeding information to the media. Though it was a private funeral, Senior seemed to have sent an invite to half the state.

"This is not the time or place to have this discussion," Senior growled, straightening his tie and grabbing Debra's arm again. "I'm burying my son today, the same man your daughter murdered."

Bella closed her eyes and breathed deeply. "Why did we agree to this?"

"It might be the only way, baby."

She nodded and we watched as Senior and Debra stepped away from Charlie and Renee. Slowly, everyone started to surround a canopy where several lines of chairs stood.

"See, it wasn't that bad."

"I know," she sighed, holding onto my hands. "This is going to work, isn't it? This will give those men and women that stand beside the asshole, doubts. All we need is one to sign off on the warrant. That will get the DA to issue an arrest."

I nodded, knowing she was just trying to process everything, make sense of it in her mind. "This will work, baby."

For over almost an hour we watched, listened as James Adler II was buried six feet under, where he belonged. I worried for Bella, wondered if she had regrets, but as the casket slowly slipped beneath the surface, she breathed another sigh of relief. It seemed to happen in increments, more and more tension leaving her with every successful step.

"He's really gone."

"Yes, he is. He'll never hurt you again where he is going."

"Hope its hell."

I kissed her shoulder and neck and said, "I'm sure it is."

From the news coverage, we saw cars line up to exit the cemetery, Charlie's limo and Sam's SUV were the last in the queue, except for Senior's town car. Bella tensed in my arms, barely breathing as the limo exited and disappeared down the street. I switched to Sam's camera coverage from the SUV, watching the limo as it entered a hotel-parking garage as they remained outside, watching the street. Minutes later, the limo exited with the intent to make its way to the airport to catch a flight to Seattle.

"We have incoming," Sam said to Seth. "News vans and what looks like Senior." From his mini cam, we watched as a reporter and a few others ran toward the limo, the darkened windows not allowing them a glimpse inside.

Senior had his driver block the exit, the limo barely stopping in time. He jumped out of his car, determined to see Charlie, calling out for him.

"Shit," Bella hissed. "We should've been prepared for this."

"We are," I assured her. Sure enough, Sam and Seth exited the SUV, scrambling to put themselves between the car, the reporters, and Senior.

"Get back," Seth growled, arming himself. Several of the media backed away but kept their equipment trained on the men. From the limo, three more of our men, including the driver, exited, and helped get people further back and prevent Senior from getting further.

"I want my granddaughter, you son of a bitch," he howled, trying to get through five men that wouldn't budge. "I swear I will kill you for what you and your daughter have done to me and mine. Give me Ellie!"

The men managed to put even more distance between the car and the people as sirens came from down the street. It was a mess of bodies from the tiny camera's view and there was still no live coverage of the scene. Seconds later, the ground rumbled, screams and curses came from everywhere.

"The limo is on fire!"

"It blew up!"

"Oh my God, there are people inside!"

"Call for an ambulance."

"Senior's down, I repeat, Senior is down." I heard Sam hiss as the camera mounted on the lapel of his jacket turned toward the limo. Seth and a few others tried to get close but the vehicle was in flames, even Senior's car suffered a little for the explosion.

Bella cleared her throat. "Does it look like someone else got hurt?"

"I don't think so. The bomb was meant to only take out the limo."

"What the hell is wrong with Senior?" she growled, as Sam had to help the asshole onto the ground, the man clutching his chest. "He is not getting off that easy!"

"He's having a heart attack," Sam said to Seth, tossing a cell phone. "Get an ambulance here, now."