A/N… Okay, so this is the last regular chapter of H&E. I'll let you guys get to it. See me at the bottom.

~o~H&E~o~

Chapter 34

BELLA

There was a touch of déjà vu as I took a seat in the sound room of the auditorium. I remembered a memorial similar to what we were about to witness for my dad. Although, this time, I wouldn't stay hidden in the sound room.

I sat down next to Mack as she monitored the employees filing into the large room. Not everyone had been required to come, but it seemed most were attending. She was looking for suspicious people. I was watching for Jacob, who was well aware that he had a meeting with Carlisle when this memorial was over.

However, he'd be meeting with me first.

"He's here," Mack whispered, pointing to the screen that showed Jake stepping through the doors.

"Good. That means he has no clue what he's about to face today."

"Mmhm," she hummed, nodding a little. "I'd wish him luck, but he's always been a few French fries short of a Happy Meal, so I'm not sure luck would help."

Grinning, I kissed the side of her head. "You should've seen him in high school."

"No thanks."

Chuckling, I kept an eye on the screens with her. I saw Darren, the head of Twi Tech security, leaning back against the stage with Carlisle next to him. Gravity's security was spread throughout the auditorium. Jasper had Lock at the left side doors, and Edward had Load, but I knew he was just outside the door of the sound room. Both dogs were in their vests, and every member of my crew was dressed for intimidation – all black, weapons strapped to shoulders, military-grade boots, and black baseball caps with "Security" on them.

I adjusted my own cap just as I heard Edward's voice over the earpiece.

"Bella, Mack, you two might want to come out here."

Mack's brow wrinkled, but we both got up. When I cracked the sound room door open, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect, but Wes Mitchell's handsome face wasn't it.

"Oh, damn," I whispered, my arm immediately wrapping around Mack's shoulders.

Wes looked simply awful. He needed a shave, a haircut, and a hot meal, because it looked like he'd lost some weight. His eyes were sad, his face sallow, and he could barely take his eyes off Makenna when he asked her one question.

"Can we please talk, Mack?"

"Now?!" she hissed, gesturing a hand around at the people coming in. "I'm kinda busy. What are you even doing here?"

"I saw this shit go down and—"

"It took a terrorist attack to bring you crawling back to her?" Edward snapped, his eyes filling with disgust and anger. "Sit the fuck down. If she wants to see you after this thing is over, then that's on her."

Edward's loyalty knew no limit. We'd all circled around Makenna when their relationship didn't survive the distance or her desire to stay in Washington. Wes had wanted her to move to Virginia, and she'd begged him not to go, to take a different position with the FBI. Mack loved her job with us, and she considered us her family.

We'd stuck by her decision.

"Wes, I really need her for the next hour. After that, it's up to her," I told him, tugging Edward's sleeve to get him to calm down. I turned to Mack, pulling her back into the sound room. "Do you want to see him?" I asked her, not giving two shits if Wes could hear me or not.

Her eyes met mine, and she swallowed thickly as tears welled up. "It won't hurt to talk, right?"

"No, that's true," I agreed, swiping away the tears that spilled over. "You can listen to what he has to say, and no matter what decision you make, you know that Edward and I have your back. We all do."

She nodded, giving me a small smile. "I know you do."

"Now, can you do this?" I asked, pointing to the computer. "Or do I need to step in?"

"No, Bellsy. I've got this." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I can do this."

I smiled at her bravery, kissing her forehead, because it sounded like she was talking about Wes and the job. She still loved him; I knew that for a fact. But love was hard when life tended to stack shit in the way.

"Then I'll leave you to it. Edward and I will get into position," I told her, opening the door to see Edward and Wes nose-to-nose.

"You don't know what the fuck you're talking about, Edward," Wes said through a sneer and gritted teeth.

"You know what I know?" Edward asked in sarcastic manner. "I know we had to pick her up and wipe her tears. I had to make her eat. She stayed in our spare room for weeks because she couldn't bear to look at the apartment you shared."

"Edward, that's enough," I chided softly, and while he took a step back, his eyes stayed fiery and angry. "We need to get on point," I told him, and he led Load into the auditorium, but I turned to Wes before following. "As soon as this memorial is over, she'll talk to you, but please wait until the end. I need her eyes on this. Okay?"

"Thanks, Bella," he replied.

"Don't thank me. Because if you think Edward is the only one pissed off at you, then you know fucking nothing about my crew," I told him, raising an eyebrow at him.

He winced, nodded, and shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants. He followed me into the auditorium and took a seat in the back row. I walked to Jasper, taking Lock from him, and went to stand at the double doors beside Edward, who was still a little puffed up and angry.

"He shouldn't get to see her," he muttered belligerently.

I turned to face him. "I would want to talk to you, if it were us, Edward."

That caught his attention. His eyes warmed, and his brow furrowed. "I-I w-wouldn't h-have l-left y-you t-to b-begin w-with," he sputtered adorably.

"Yeah, but you don't work for a federal agency," I countered. "And there were a few of our arguments that, had they been left without talking, we might not be here now, baby. She still loves him."

Edward studied my face for a few seconds, finally nodding. "I-I c-can't l-live w-without y-you, s-so… Moot fucking point."

I grinned at the beautiful dichotomy that was my handsome, grumpy husband. "I love you, Edward. Just shut up, and we'll back her either way. Mm'kay?"

He chuckled, nodding, and grunted out, "Ma'am."

The large room quieted when Carlisle stepped up to the podium. Behind him was a large projection screen. Fifteen pictures of faces were slowly scrolling across it with names. Of all the lives lost during this whole thing, those lives were what bothered me the most.

My family and crew had fought and killed before, and any lives lost were on us. But this attack had been bigger, deadlier. It had dragged innocent lives into it. Several were simply Twi Tech employees, like Jessica from payroll and a few of Darren's people from security. Lauren, who was the mother to Jacob's son – and despite the fact that she'd gotten pregnant while cheating with him, I'd never wished death upon her. In fact, I'd pleaded her case when my father had fired her over the incident and not Jake, too. That shit had been all types of unfair.

My eyes fell to Jake, and with the looming conversation I still needed to have, I tried my damnedest to see the friend I'd had growing up, but I was struggling to remember that friendship. Friends or not, Jacob needed to hear what I had to say today.

Lock shifted a bit and sat down at my feet as Carlisle called for a moment of silence for the lives lost in Twi Tower. When the silence was over, he spoke of rebuilding, restructure, and of loyalty. He promised his employees pay, even though they wouldn't resume work until the following week.

What he was really doing was giving himself time to end Cho, but that wasn't exactly information for the masses.

When the memorial was over, I handed Lock over to Edward, who was going to take them outside as I made my way upstairs to Carlisle's office. My talk with Jacob was going to start with just me. Carlisle and Edward would join us eventually. I kissed Edward before walking out of the auditorium toward the elevators.

I stepped into the elevator with Angela and smiled her way. "How are you feeling?"

She groaned, rolling her eyes. "Like I'll never keep food down again."

I winced, nodding in sympathy. "Yeah, I was like that with both of mine. Bethy more than Sammy."

"Hannah didn't give me much nausea, but damn…this one? Holy hell," she said, shaking her head as we made our way out of the elevator and into her reception area.

"When Jacob Black gets here, send him in," I told her, and she grimaced and nodded.

I sat down at Carlisle's desk, opening my own laptop. Alice had sent all the info on his communications with Cho to me, but before I even approached that subject, I wanted to ask him few questions.

I pressed the com-link in my ear. "I'm opening communication before this meeting."

"Copy that, sweetness," Edward replied.

"I'm on my way, Bella," Carlisle added. "We'll be up soon, but we'll be listening."

Jake walked in through the doors, his face curious when he saw me instead of Carlisle.

"Carlisle is on his way up, but I wanted to talk to you. Please, sit down," I asked him, pointing to the chair in front of the desk.

He did as I asked, but his eyes betrayed him. He glanced around the room, noticing the bloodstains and the broken window, which now had a board covering it up. I eyed him quietly for a moment, shaking my head, but I asked a question I really wanted the answer to first before we moved on.

"How are JW and your dad?"

Jake took a deep breath and shook his head. "Dad's okay. He's liking retirement, because now he can take JW anytime. JW is…confused and angry. We told him about his mother, but he's twelve, so he's not exactly talking it out yet."

Nodding, I said, "Well, if he's anything like you were at twelve, then he'll stay angry. I remember when your mom died."

"Mm," Jake hummed, nodding a little. "Yeah, well…we wouldn't be here if it weren't for that family of yours."

There it was. I was waiting for it. Edward had told me that Jake had blamed him the day of the attack, and my husband had almost put a bullet in his head.

"Ah, I see," I sang softly with a smile. "Oh, I think you've got that a little mixed up, but I'll get to that."

"I haven't got shit mixed up. That asshole you're married to started this bullshit."

I laughed, like…hard and with tears coming from my eyes. Jake got pissed, as he always did when someone laughed at him.

"Oh, hell, Jake," I said through a sigh. "Are you so biased, so delusional that you can't see the truth…or admit it?"

"What truth?" he asked, his nostrils flaring as he folded his arms across his chest.

I glared at him, shaking my head again. "I'm willing to accept that Carlisle and my father have some fucked-up shit out there. I've been on the receiving end of some of it. But two years ago, I had to load up my crew and fly into Moscow because Carlisle took a business trip you were supposed to take instead. And while there were some histories there that went back decades, we fought time and miles to retrieve nuclear weapons that were up for sale on the black market…to North Korea. And we had to do it to save Carlisle's life."

That got his attention. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Kim Min-Jun, the asshole who held you at gunpoint in this very office, the asshole who killed fifteen fucking people inside this building alone was supposed to buy nuclear weapons two years ago. And we stopped him. We found and removed those weapons, and we eliminated the arms dealer at the same time."

"So he was here as revenge? Against you assholes."

Laughing, I shrugged a shoulder. "Way to see the big picture, Jake."

"What? No, I mean. It's good that you stopped him, but look at the repercussions."

I rolled my eyes at his backpedaling. "Here's the thing, Jake. You've never seen the bigger picture. As kids, your temper was set off by the littlest shit, and you never understood when Billy grounded you," I said, getting up to pace a bit. "When you were with me, you never saw the bigger picture of where we were going or what I could do with Gravity. You most certainly didn't have any loyalty. JW is proof of that."

"Bella, I—"

"Nope," I interrupted him, holding up a hand. "I'm not done." I came to stand in front of him, leaning back against the desk. "I always found it fucking fascinating that you tried to lie, cheat, and manipulate me, considering what I do for a fucking living, Jacob. It blows my mind that you think you won't get caught."

"I did get caught, Bells," he huffed, shrugging a shoulder.

"And you're caught again." I bit my bottom lip for a moment, trying to keep my temper in check.

"Caught doing what?"

"What company is going in on the forty-fifth, -sixth, and -seventh floors?"

Despite Jacob's tanned skin, he went pale, almost green. I waited almost a full sixty seconds, and when he didn't reply, I pushed away from the desk and sat back down in Carlisle's chair.

The communications between Jake and Cho were interesting. Anything sent to his Twi Tech email was free of any sort of plan or agenda, but the things they would discuss on Jake's personal phone or email were filled with names, times, and plenty of fucking agendas. We wouldn't have caught it originally because Alice had no cause to break into Jake's personal stuff.

"Your emails to Cho go back way before the plans for his original trip to Twi Tech. You knew he was coming. You also knew that he had issues with Carlisle. And since you have no loyalty to your boss, you started making plans to change jobs," I told him, watching his face run the gamut of emotions – anger, fear, guilt.

When he didn't say anything, I went on. "You knew bringing Cho here was a security issue. I know that Carlisle explained that to you. You knew it was Gravity who would be running the background checks on his people and that we'd be guarding you and Carlisle the duration of Cho's stay here."

"Bella, I—"

I didn't let him speak. I was too angry, and I was completely and totally done with the guy in front of me. It was all I could do to stay seated in Carlisle's desk chair and not slap the idiotic expression off his face.

"You fucking knew these things, and yet you didn't have the fucking balls to let us know you'd been in communication with not only Cho, but Kim Min-Jun. Or, as you know him…Chung Sung-Woo. And you were just shady enough to communicate with him on your personal phone."

"How the fuck do you know that?" he snapped, starting to stand.

I pulled my gun from its holster and set it on the desk. "You move, and I'll put you in the hospital again for the second time in your life. Sit the fuck down. You'll listen to me, because if I walk out of this room, then it'll be Carlisle and Edward who will decide your fate."

Jake sat slowly back down, his eyes narrowing on me and then the gun at my fingertips.

"I know that because communications to your Twi Tech email set off alarms, so I allowed a deeper, more thorough check on you," I told him, my voice holding no apology about snooping on him. "You were so hellbent on betraying Carlisle that you didn't even think for one goddamn second that you were the security risk."

"No, I—"

"Do not give me any bullshit, Jake! It wasn't about a better job or money. It was about getting back at me…through Carlisle." I sighed, shaking my head. "You were loyal to my dad, and honestly, that's the only reason we're even talking right now. You ignored red flags, you plotted against Twi Tech, and in doing so, you helped them get their foot in the door here."

The door to Carlisle's office opened, and Edward and Carlisle stepped in, letting Lock and Load off their leashes. Both men stood at the back of the room, saying absolutely nothing. They were letting me finish.

Jacob paled again at the sight of them, but he faced me. "Bella, I'm… I didn't know."

I huffed a humorless laugh through my nose. "You knew. You just chose to let shit unfold, Jake. Your prejudice against them blinded you." I jerked my chin toward my husband and Carlisle. "To them, this is your third strike. They allowed you to live after betraying me, because you made up for it by taking care of Charlie. However, your actions in this very room the day of the attack was your second strike. Had I not shut you up, you could've outed the very man who was trying to stop the men trying to kill us all."

I stood up again, picking my gun up off the desk, which made Jake very nervous.

"My entire life was inside this building, Jacob. My husband, my godfather, Esme, most of my crew…not to mention my children. My whole fucking life could've been taken from me. Your actions allowed so many lives lost, and it wasn't just this building. The fighting was all over this city, this state, and they followed us, tracked us down. We lost friends, and you lost the mother of your child. Lauren's fate rests upon your shoulders, Jake. There were innocent sailors in the harbor, and I almost drowned when bombs went off. My children were in a barn when they set it on fire."

I leaned back against the desk again, my weapon at my side, but the safety was still on. I studied my ex, shaking my head.

"Strike three was your communications to Cho and Kim. Withholding information brought every bit of this down on our heads," I said, pointing to the men in the back of the room. "If I say the word, JW will be raised by your father." I shrugged a shoulder. "However, Billy's friendship to Charlie is the only thing saving your life right now."

"Are you threatening me?" he snapped, and before he could even take another breath, my gun was in the middle of his forehead.

"Now I'm threatening you. Understand the fucking difference?" I asked him through gritted teeth, flicking the safety off.

Edward and Carlisle didn't even flinch, nor did they make a move to stop me. They continued to lean casually at the door.

"Do you?!" I asked him, and when he nodded against the muzzle of my gun, my nostrils flared with my temper. "Good, then I've got a proposition for you. A choice for you to make."

"Okay." His voice was barely a whisper.

I lowered my weapon but stayed standing in front of him. "You have options, Jake. Three to be exact. And I want you to consider each one carefully."

I glanced over his head to Carlisle and Edward. The former simply nodded once, giving me the all-clear. Despite Edward's desire to put a bullet in Jacob's head, Carlisle and I had decided to let him choose his fate.

"First option. You can pack up JW and Billy, move to New York. You keep your employment status with Twi Tech, but you'll be working in another office. You still answer to Carlisle, you'll be monitored with everything you do, and you are far, far, fucking far away from me." I paused, raising an eyebrow. "That's one. Option two is that you're released from Twi Tech, I give every bit of intel I've found on you to our friend at the CIA, and he will arrest you as soon as you're off the fucking elevator at the end of this meeting for conspiracy."

Jake's eyes widened, and he was starting to truly sweat and panic.

"Your last option… I leave you to them." I jerked my chin toward Edward and Carlisle. "They've killed for lesser crimes, Jacob, so really it's their respect for me that's allowing this meeting. Please understand that. If Lauren were around to raise JW, if I could leave him one parent, then I would've let them make this call. You'd have already disappeared. But your son will need you, and it would crush Billy. I have nothing but respect for your dad."

Lock and Load came to stand by me, their cool blue eyes glaring up at Jake. I wasn't sure if they could hear his heartbeat or sense his panic, but they seemed to think I needed them.

"You have to pick before you leave this office, Jake."

Jake sneered, a humorless laugh escaping him. "You're one spiteful bitch, Bells."

Grinning, I held up my hand to stop Edward and Carlisle, because they immediately pushed off the door. Lock and Load, however, stood, fur standing on end and low growls aimed at Jacob.

"There's the name calling I was waiting for," I sang, smirking at him. "Fine, I'm out. The options are off the table. He's all yours," I told my husband, who looked like I'd handed him an early Christmas present.

"Wait!" Jacob yelled in a panic. "Okay, okay! I'll move. New York. That's my choice."

"Excellent," Carlisle praised, but there was no humor, no smile. "My original offer was going to be Norilsk mine in Siberia, but I didn't want Billy to have to suffer that much." He walked to his desk, opened a drawer, and pulled out a manila envelope. "Everything you'll need is in there, including the keys to your new apartment. Deviate from anything inside that packet, and we'll revert back to the last offer she gave you. Am I clear?"

Jacob didn't say anything for a moment, and Edward stepped up, reaching for his Glock and growling, "Answer him, asshole!"

"Yeah… Yes! Got it," Jake muttered, giving us all one last glance before turning toward the door.

"Good. Your flight leaves Friday. You're expected in the New York office by Monday morning," Carlisle told him. "Don't be late, don't give anyone there a single fucking shred of attitude, and don't show your face in the Pacific Northwest again. The very first time you step out of line, and I'll hunt you down. And you won't even see us coming."

Jake nodded, opened the door, and left Carlisle's office.

"Think he'll follow directions?" Edward asked his dad, but it was me who answered.

"No," I stated firmly. "He'll try to find a loophole. What he doesn't know is that Alice has already set up alerts for his phones, email accounts, work office, and that apartment. If he fucks up, then he's all yours. And I don't care if you hunt him or hand him over to Eleazar." I shrugged a shoulder.

Edward looked to his dad, his expression so similar to his kids that I simply shook my head. "That'll be fun," he said with a grin.

I snorted, rolling my eyes. "C'mon. I want to check on Makenna, and then we've got to get back to Aunt Kate's to get ready for Seoul."

Both men nodded, saying, "Ma'am."

~o~H&E~o~

EDWARD

I couldn't say I wasn't disappointed. I'd wanted my hands around Jacob Black's neck for far too long. And it probably started way back when I'd pulled Bella out of Miller's basement. It started when she repeatedly told him no, and he didn't fucking listen. Stupid motherfucker had the most beautiful woman, and he threw her away. His loss. My gain. And he knew it. He fucking knew it every time he looked our way.

However, I had hope.

He was arrogant, thinking he could always sneak around to do what he wanted, and this time, if he made a dumb decision, his ass would disappear.

"Edward," Bella said, snorting into a laugh as she and I made our way to the lobby of Twi Tech with my dad. "You look like you're daydreaming about all the ways he's gonna mess up."

"Oh, yes, ma'am," I said with a cheesy-as-hell grin.

Dad laughed and shrugged. "He's not the only one."

"Jesus," she whispered under her breath, but the amusement was clear as day.

Dad kissed the side of her head, giving my shoulder a squeeze. "I honestly thought he wouldn't survive his meeting with you, sweetheart."

"Mmm," she hummed. "Barely. And he has no idea that the only reason he's still breathing is because his father and his son are innocent in it all."

"No, he really doesn't get it," I agreed, glancing up when the elevators opened to the lobby. "Now, speaking of clueless motherfuckers… Let's see if Mack needs us."

Bella's grin flashed bright, but she shook her head. "I'm telling you, Edward, let them work it out."

"Maybe," I grunted, shrugging a shoulder.

"Seriously, he showed up after the building was attacked?" Dad asked, his face dark and incredulous.

I pointed his way, looking to my highly amused wife. "Yeah. See?"

"Stop it. Both of you," she hissed, pulling us aside. "I'm telling you both to relax. I'm asking both of you to think back to fights and misunderstandings and miscommunications." She raised an eyebrow my way. "How about broken noses and tears and kidnappings? Hmm? Had we not talked, Edward, this could've been us. Don't!" She held up her hand when I started to say something. "Not everyone works shit out the same. That's all I'm saying. And the only thing that's keeping my mouth shut is the fact that Mack still loves Wes. That's it. That's all."

I shook my head, but I was seeing what she was trying to say.

"Like I said earlier," she went on. "If it were us, I'd want to hear what you'd have to say. I'd want to know what brought you back from one side of the country to the other. Fuck the timing. She deserves a chance to talk."

"Okay, okay, okay," I chanted, sounding a hell of a lot like Alice. "Maybe he learned his lesson, because he sure as shit looks like hell."

Bella led us to the sound room and opened the door to see a kiss that would make a hooker blush.

"That's not talking," I muttered, grinning when my dad snorted into a chuckle.

Bella shook her head when the couple pulled apart. My girl folded her arms across her chest, leaning in the doorway.

"So…" she dragged out. "Am I to assume you're not coming back to Aunt Kate's?"

Mack blushed, smirking a little. "Um, vacation?"

I laughed, my head falling back. "Granted, Mack. Though you'll miss all the fun in Seoul."

"Aw, hell," Makenna whispered to herself, looking uncomfortable. "You'll need me for that."

We knew that we'd actually need to take just about everyone with us, and that included the information team. Alice was truly looking forward to it, because she claimed that Seoul had the fastest Wi-Fi in the world, and she couldn't wait to try it with IGOR. My dad was going to use his private plane to get us there. My only concern was Rose, considering she was pregnant again, but she said she'd be fine simply working information.

Wes looked at Mack, and I recognized a grateful asshole when I saw it. He was simply happy she'd talked to him, never mind the kiss. He'd lived without her, and he'd hated it. He'd fall at her feet just to chat. I pressed a kiss to Bella's head because I knew that feeling. I knew what it was like to look at a girl and know – deep, deep down – that she was it, that she was the reason for waking up every morning.

He squeezed her hand. "Mack, go ahead. It'll give me a chance to move back."

My eyebrows shot up, but I said nothing, remembering my Bella's sharp warning earlier. Bella smirked and let out a soft laugh.

Mack studied his face, and she finally nodded. "Okay, but then vacation."

Chuckling, I said, "Hell, Mack, after Seoul, we're all on fucking vacation."

~o~H&E~o~

"This is some pretentious bullshit," I muttered, looking at Cho's home on Alice's laptop.

Cho's ridiculously expensive mansion was located in the Gangnam region of Seoul, which, when discovered, had caused Emmett to sing the song that had gone completely viral some time back. He'd even done the dance, and that shit had been pretty damn funny.

We'd landed in Seoul in the wee hours of the morning a few days after Bella had handed Jacob Black his ass on a fucking skewer. Dad had brought us all for this mission. He'd used his private plane so he could load whatever equipment without much fuss, but we'd been allowed to land on a military base. Eleazar had pulled some strings, and we'd touched down at Camp Humphreys. We'd checked into the hotel, where we'd all crashed for a few hours of sleep, because we were going after Cho when night fell.

"Haven't we had this conversation before, pretty boy?" Mickey asked, nudging my shoulder. "All this fluff and bullshit makes up for shortcomings." She held up her thumb and forefinger about an inch apart.

Chuckling, I nodded.

"Poor Mrs. Cho."

Bella's addition made us all laugh.

"Okay, settle down," Dad said through a grin and chuckle. He walked to the large flat screen TV that Alice had turned into a monitor temporarily. Tapping the screen, he said, "Cho's home sits on the edge of a wooded area. Some sort of small park or preserve. There's an access road just on the other side of it. We're going to use the woods to take the house."

"Once you're in position, I'll kill the power grid," Alice added, nodding and typing at the same time. "You can go in silent and dark."

"I'm assuming this is just about Cho," Alec mused. "Not the wife, not the daughter."

"Correct," Dad answered, leaning against the wall and pushing his hands into the front pockets of his pants. "Guys, as much as I'd like to say this is the last thing we'll have to deal with, I can't. Too many lives were lost all because we stopped some nuclear bombs from being sold on the black market two years ago. But the web of that action spread far wider than I'd ever anticipated." He gestured to Dean, who nodded slowly. "Your Raider team was lost trying to stop the same man. Your wife and son were wrapped up in it all. Never mind how they manipulated Jacob Black, not that he didn't exactly stay loyal."

Dad glared at the floor for a moment. "I know the current joke is when I'm going to retire, but I'm not. I can't. I can't knowingly walk away from my position when I know there's shit still out there. The more I hold on to the weapons Charlie stashed, the more I bust my ass to shift Twi Tech into something better, cleaner, and the more I see daily… It keeps me abreast of what could possibly come back our way.

"However, this man used to be a colleague. He not only used me to put innocent people in danger, but he was the sole financial backing for Kim Min-Jun. The fact that we can't prove it on paper is the only reason we're here. Otherwise, I'd have let El take him, because Cho would've suffered greatly in prison."

"Are we simply getting you inside?" I asked him. "Or do you want him aware of his death sentence?"

"Oh, I really want him aware," Dad grunted, his lip curling in a sneer. "Which means we have to remove his security people. And considering that his security people are simply more of Kim's men, then…"

"Kill 'em all, and let God sort 'em out," Emmett stated.

"Exactly. We're good to go. Edward, you'll take lead. Once I have Cho's attention, the target is mine to take. Ladies, you'll be our eyes and ears," he said, gesturing to Rose, Mack, and Alice. "Mickey, Bella, you'll be cracking open the doors and taking the security team with Emmett. Jasper, you'll set up somewhere on high. Alec, you're with me."

"Sir," we all answered him, leaving the girls in the hotel room.

Most of the equipment was in the large van we'd rented. So as Dean drove, we all got ready to go dark and silent. Weapons were checked, face paint was applied, and baseball caps were pulled on. Alice guided us to a spot to stash the van just off an access road.

Once we were parked, coms checked, and the van hidden behind some branches, I waved everyone to me.

"Okay, we'll take this at a run up to our entry point. Once the power is down, you all know where to be," I stated, tapping the bill of Bella's baseball cap. "Constant communication, sweetness. Stay sharp."

"Stay safe," she whispered, brushing her lips across mine.

She and Mickey took off, and we followed. Alice kept us aiming in the correct direction. When the lights of the most audacious house I'd ever seen came into view, we all stopped just inside the tree line.

"Alice, we're a go when you're ready."

"On it, on it, on it."

Through my binoculars, I could see pacing guards along the pool area, the tennis court, and the side of the house. I knew for a fact that there was a guarded gate with a small building at the front of the home. Luckily, this asshole had put himself far enough away from his neighbors that we wouldn't be seen accidentally.

There was a soft thump when the entire area went dark. Pool lights, streetlights, and landscaping lighting all went dark. And the house was completely black.

"Okay. Clear," I whispered, waving them all forward. "Jasper, you're our last defense should anyone think of running."

"Roger that," he murmured calmly.

He'd decided to place himself in one of the taller trees, which would place him above the house with a view of just about the entire grounds.

Dean and I were taking the guards on the back deck, and through the NVGs, I could see them on their radios.

Using the shrubbery, we worked our way forward as Mickey and Bella called that they were skirting the edge of the woods to aim for the front gates and guards. I knew Emmett would keep them safe, but really, they didn't need it. They were a deadly pair all their own, and after all we'd been through because of this asshole, they were pissed, too. So this was a bit of get-back for them.

Dean, too, was pretty fucking happy he could get back at the motherfucker who had funded Kim. Without all that money, his family might've stayed safe. And I had to give the guy credit. He was in. He was determined to earn our trust back, to reunite with his family, to make up for all the shit he'd done, and he'd been warned. By everyone.

Bella and I had sat down with him before we'd left Alaska for Seoul. We'd told him he was on thin fucking ice, but of all of us, we completely understood why he'd done what he had. We came to a sort of trial or probationary period. Dean now understood that if he betrayed us again, he wouldn't just get fired, he'd disappear.

That thought made me smirk to myself because he wasn't going anywhere. After looking at all the footage, fighting alongside the man myself, and watching him bust his ass at Aunt Kate's, I'd seen that he'd never pulled a punch or missed a shot on purpose. He'd simply done what he'd had to do to keep his family safe.

I couldn't judge him for that shit at all.

Slipping along the hedges beside the pool, I directed Dean to take the left guard. I was going to take the asshole on the right. My target was on the radio with his back to me as I slipped slowly behind a concrete planter. Once the radio was back onto his belt, I was on him with a hand over his mouth. The snap of his neck was loud in my ears, but a quick glance across the pool area, and I could see that Dean had already removed his target.

"Pool deck is clear," I whispered.

"Front will be clear in thirty seconds," Jasper advised. "The girls have cleared the security shack, the front gates, and are giving one last sweep of the front."

"Copy that. When they're done, you're good for the next stage," I said softly.

"Understood," Dad called back.

"Front is clear," Bella stated. "Mickey's about ready to take the front door."

"Roger that," Dad answered, and I waited for him and Alec to approach before addressing the info team.

"Alice, any movement in the house?" I asked before checking the back door to see if it was locked.

"Stand by, stand by, stand by." The radio went silent as we listened to her typing, but she came back with: "You're good. No movement, three warm bodies upstairs, and two warm bodies downstairs. Those would be his housekeeping people."

"Copy." I turned the knob on the door and tried not to roll my eyes at the way the house was decorated. "Talk about shortcomings," I murmured, smirking at the chuckles over the radio.

It was way too fancy for my taste. Golds and reds, expensive rugs, marble, and artwork that didn't make any fucking sense. Some of the furniture probably cost more than my car – hell, maybe even my chopper. I shook my head a little because I had money and I didn't see the fucking point of living like this.

As Dad and Alec made their way upstairs, Dean and I guarded the back door, while Bella and Mickey stayed at the front. We were merely there to keep everything quiet. Cho's wife and daughter needed to stay asleep.

Over the radio, we heard my dad pull Cho from his bed so fast he didn't have a chance to react until I was sure there was a gun in the middle of his forehead and a piece of duct tape across his mouth.

I knew he was taking the lead with this asshole. I wasn't quite sure where he wanted to have his come-to-Jesus meeting with Cho, but clearly he'd found a room up there, because he started talking to him softly.

"You stupid son of a bitch," Dad muttered. "Did you think you could set my fucking world on fire and not think I'd come for you?"

"Hmmhmm" was all that was heard in reply.

"What was that?" Dad asked, knowing the bastard was taped up.

"Damn," Dean said with a soft chuckle and a slow shake of his head.

Grinning, I shrugged, because if the asshole hadn't set all this shit in motion, I'd feel sorry for him, but as it was, I just wanted all of it over. I was ready for the last few weeks of summer vacation with my kids, to finish up Aunt Kate's barn, and to wrap myself up in my wife. That's it. I was a simple motherfucker, and I wanted my simple normal back.

The soft thump-thump of a silenced gun came across the radios, and then Dad was following Alec down the stairs.

"Let's move out," Dad ordered, and we all exited the way we'd come – across the yard and through the trees. "Alice, you're clear to return the power."

"Already on it. As soon as you're on the road, I'll turn it back on," she told him.

"Ten-four."

The van was not just quiet, but silent as we drove back to the hotel where we'd pack up. Bella leaned into me, and I wrapped an arm around her, pressing kisses to the top of her head. She and Mickey had already removed their caps, and everyone was slowly wiping off face paint in order not to scare the living shit out the hotel employees.

Once Dean had pulled into the parking garage and turned off the engine, Dad turned around to face us.

"If everyone is agreed, I think we should just pack the fuck up and go home," he said, wearing a half-ass grin.

"Hell, yeah," Mickey and Emmett said at the same time.

"Definitely," Bella said through a huffing laugh.

Nodding once his way, I opened the side door to the van. "Then let's go home."

~o~H&E~o~

A/N… Okay so the epilogue is next. I'll be working on it this week. Hopefully, it won't take too long. After that, I'll go back to Judas. There's still a bit more of that story left to tell.

I want to thank each and every one of you for the patience you've given me with this particular story. I started this in 2017, and then got sick in 2018. After that was a giant shit show in my life. Smoking, not smoking…depression, anxiety…Covid, furloughed from work… So here we are, and I just can't say how grateful I am that you guys stuck by me. So huge mooches to you.

I save my thanks to my peeps for the epi. So until next time… Mooches, Deb ;)