Twenty-Three

"Have I told you how stunning you looked today, Mrs. Cullen?" He trailed his fingers along the side of my neck and down through my cleavage. "Do you have any clue how much I love calling you that? Mrs. Cullen has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

I rolled my eyes at his possessiveness, but he knew I couldn't deny the fact that I loved it. Thoughts of him commanding me in the bedroom drifted through my mind, straight down to between my legs. I took a deep breath, clearing my mind. "Yes, it's wonderful, Edward, but I have somewhere to be. And you"—I leaned in, letting my tongue graze the shell of his ear before whispering—"have to die." I pushed on his chest, walking him backward until the backs of his knees met the bed. I hiked up my dress, climbing on top of him as he fell back onto the mattress.

I slipped my knife from its holster on my thigh—even on my wedding day I came prepared—holding it to his throat for a moment. He groaned, and I felt him grow hard beneath me, the lust in his eyes clear. I threw my head back and laughed at his reaction. It was apparent he knew he was safe from death by my hands. I tossed the knife onto the pillows, kissing him deeply before pushing off him and standing up. "Help me out of this damn dress."

As he finished unbuttoning the back of my dress, there was a knock at the door. "That should be Rose and Emmett."

Edward walked over, looking through the peephole to make sure it was them before pulling the door open and letting them in. I didn't even bother asking Emmett if he'd made sure no one followed him. As the head of my security, I trusted him with my life; I knew he wasn't stupid enough to jeopardize himself or my family.

Emmett's wife, Rosalie, was an amazing make-up artist. I knew there was no way to convince Maggie I'd slit Edward's throat if I didn't have some evidence. A few pictures and a bloody knife would have to do.

It didn't exactly matter if she believed me or not, since she'd be dead before the night was over, regardless. This entire plan was just to buy me some time until we got to our location. I knew we'd have a war on our hands afterward, but I couldn't be bothered with those details. From the weeks I spent with Maggie, I was privileged to see glimpses of how she and her team worked.

And from what I'd seen, we didn't have much to be concerned about, but we'd stay alert for a long while just to be on the safe side. Maybe she wasn't the best, but she also wasn't stupid enough to let me see every advantage she may have had.

"Time to get you naked and let Rose get to work!" I grinned at him, pressing one last kiss to his lips.

::BW::

"All done. What do you think?" Rose stepped back from Edward, showing off her hard work. If I hadn't just sat and watched her for the last hour, I would swear the gash in his throat was real. That, along with the paleness of his skin and the blue tint to his lips, made him actually look dead.

If it looked that good in person, it would look perfect in pictures. "Jesus, that's amazing," I complimented Rose before turning to Edward. "Why are you still ridiculously hot even in death?"

He smirked. "At least you know that when we're burning in hell together, I'll still have my good looks."

I scoffed. "You know better than to say something like that, Edward. If I go to hell, I won't be burning, I'll be ruling. Now, let's bloody the sheets and get some pictures of you. Oh, and I'll need you to cut yourself with my knife, that part needs to be authentic."

::BW::

I rushed out of the hotel and slipped into the back of my limo. As soon as the door shut, we moved. I smiled to myself, once again grateful for the men I kept around me. They all knew the ins and outs of their jobs perfectly, and when they received instructions, they forgot no details in the execution.

It wasn't long before we pulled up in front of the hotel where Maggie was staying to be inconspicuous. Jasper stepped out of the car, walking around to open the door for her. She grinned at me as she climbed in. "I assume it's done?"

"Do I have to tell you again? I'm a woman of my word. Here." I tossed her my phone. "Look at the pictures yourself. Do you need to see my knife as well, or do you finally trust me?"

She took her time scrolling through the pictures, zooming in on certain ones. "Show me the knife." She held her hand out. I pulled it from inside my clutch, handing it over to her. It was smeared with blood from the gash Edward had cut into his thigh. It was deep enough that Emmett stayed behind to stitch him up.

She turned the knife over in her hands, and I raised my eyebrows at her. "Good enough?"

"It'll do. Now, what should we do to celebrate?" She smirked at me as she slid against me.

I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, pressing a kiss to her neck. I murmured against her skin, "I've got a few ideas up my sleeve."

Little did she know, they all involved my knife in her back.