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T(?)POV

My name isn't Anthony Masen.

It's an alias. One I use for protection. Because someday, I'll be away from this life, and Anothony Masen will disappear into the Chicago wind.

I wanted to tell Doctor Swan all of this, even before I figured out why her chestnut hair and chocolate eyes nagged at a distant memory.

Then she began to talk. When she said her hero was her best friend's trauma-surgeon father, I knew where I'd seen her before. When she said she was from the Pacific Northwest, I knew exactly who she was.

Isabella Swan.

As in my kid sister Alice's childhood best friend, and my mother, Esme, and trauma-surgeon father, Carlisle's, surrogate daughter.

Isabella didn't recognize me. But why would she? The last time we saw each other, I was a scrawny nineteen-year-old too focused on graduating college early to pay attention to my teenage sister and her friend.

Plus, I've put on thirty pounds of muscle since then. The military will do that to you. My hair is no longer the unique auburn it once was but dyed a dark brown for anonymity. So in situations like this exact one, I'm not recognized.

Except I wanted her to recognize me. I wanted to hear her call me Edward and fill me in on the Cullens back in Forks, Washington. The last time I spoke with my family was in early Spring. It's almost Halloween. I allow myself two calls a year so they know I'm not dead. Our conversations are short because it kills me to lie to my parents, and if they knew where I am- what I'm doing- they'd kill me themselves.

The numbing agent Isabella gave me is wearing off, so I pop a couple of aspirin and grab a bottle of bourbon. I don't bother with a glass. It's that kind of night.

I usually wouldn't get a hospital involved in my fuck ups. The fewer records of my existence, the better, but my face could scar, and I couldn't bring myself to be okay with that.

I take a swig of the bourbon and plop down on the old couch that furnished my apartment when I moved in. Back then, I told myself it was all temporary. Four years later, I'm not so sure.

I can't shake the memories haunting me tonight- this morning- whenever the fuck it is.

Sleep won't come until I'm further into the bottle, so I decide to do a little investigating.

It's just curiosity, is what I tell myself as I fire up my laptop. Isabella is a link to home, the first one since I came to the city. I'm homesick, lonely.

I go to Alice's Facebook page. She doesn't use social media the way she once did. She's busy with a job in fashion merchandising and a fiance. He seems like a good guy, from what she tells me. I've never met him.

She posted a few days ago. There's a picture of her and a little girl. It takes me a minute to realize it's my brother Emmett's kid. The child is older than I thought, maybe three, and she's got on a shirt that says "big sister." Shit. Emmett and his wife, Rose, are having another baby. I rub at the ache in my chest. The last time I saw them was at their wedding five years ago.

I take another swig out of my bottle- the burn helps dissipate the pain in my chest. I search Alice's friend list and for Isabella Swan. I spot "Bella Swan" and open her profile. The profile picture is of the good Doctor Swan with her arms around a man I remember as the police chief of Forks. Chief Swan, I think. Must be her father.

I scroll down to pictures she's tagged in from a bachelorette party. She looks good in a tight black dress and heels. She's definitely not the little high school freshman I remember.

The next set of pictures is from a medical conference. She's in a lab coat with a group of colleagues.

I frown at the photos that follow. She's in a club with a group of girls, some of which I recognize from the bachelorette party, but it's the people in the background I'm focused on. Behind her shoulder, a couple of guys are checking them out. Guys I recognize. Two of which I beat the shit out of earlier tonight.

"Jacob fucking Black," I mutter as I start reading the comments.

Hey B. You looked so hot I couldn't take my eyes off you. Call me.-J

Holy shit! Jackpot!

I switch to the profile with the initials "JB"- no last name. Smart mother fucker. We've looked for this jackass's social media accounts for years without luck. He used his damn initials. I feel like a moron.

His Facebook page is a goldmine. He checks in somewhere every other day. I'm sure we can link his whereabouts to the nefarious activities we know he's involved in. Volturi will be happy. So will the field office.

I grab my agency phone and dial my supervisor.

"Newton here." His voice is gravelly with sleep, and I realize I've called him at five am.

"Mike! Hey, sorry. It's Cullen."

"Yeah, hey! Everything all right?" I can hear his girlfriend asking questions in the background. She's a nurse, works nights. I feel bad. She probably just got to bed.

"Yeah. Uh, shit. Sorry man, I probably should have waited to call."

"No, no. It's fine. I'm going to my home office. We can talk."

"I found Black's Facebook page." I can't stop grinning as I break the news.

"What? How the hell did you manage that?"

"Pure luck. I looked up someone I used to know. He commented on one of her pictures, and I recognized his profile picture. Get this. He goes by 'JB.'"

"No shit. Well, I feel like an idiot. We could have searched his damn initials."

"I'm going to send you the link to his profile. He's checking in places left and right. There are some pictures of him with the other guys in his gang too."

"Perfect! What are you gonna tell the other side?"

"I don't know. What do you think? Aro wants to put a wrench in Black's drug deals, but I don't know how much a social media page will help him do that."

"You trying to help him, or you trying to catch him? Give him the info. He might act on Black, and if we know where Black is, maybe we can catch Volturi in the act. If not, giving him the info will at least make him trust you more. You're close to the top, Edward. Close to getting the evidence you need to get out of there."

"Yeah, I know. I'll give Aro the information tomorrow night."

"Ed, before you go, you said you've got a mutual acquaintance of Black's? What's the story there?"

"It's an old friend of the family. Barely even know her." I say, brushing off my connection with Bella. The last thing I need is to get her involved in this mess.

"But you were looking her up."

"I ran into her tonight. Don't worry. She didn't recognize me."

"Where'd you run into her?"

"Uh, the emergency room. By the way, a medical bill is headed your way," I say, sliding my finger across the bandage on my head.

"Jesus, what happened?"

"I was told to send a message to Black and his crew. I got pushed into a bar top. There was broken glass."

"You okay?"

"Yeah, nothing a few stitches couldn't fix."

"So, you ran into this woman while you were there?"

"Get this- she was my doctor," I laugh at the absurdity of it all.

"No kidding. Look, Ed, I need you to find out what she knows about Black."

"What?" Fuck. "Mike, man, she's not involved in any of this." I hope.

"She's a possible witness. Do you think she'll recognize you from the past if you see her again?"

"I doubt it."

"Then be Tony Masen. Ask her out, charm her. You've always been good with the ladies. Friend her on Facebook, then mention that you've got a mutual acquaintance. See what info you can get out of her."

"Mike-"

"Alright, I'm putting a team on Black's Facebook page first thing in the morning. I'll let you know if we find anything important."

"Yeah, okay," I sigh. There's no use arguing. I've got my orders.

"Good work, Cullen."

The line goes dead, and I reach for my bourbon. I decide to play a game. How many more swigs from the bottle before I forget about Jacob Black, Aro Volturi, and the cluster fuck I'm about to drag Bella Swan into? I lose count before I pass out on the couch.

oOo

I sleep until two pm. When I wake, my mouth feels like the fucking Sahara. I force myself up and grab some water and aspirin. My head is pounding. Both from the hit I took and the copious amount of alcohol I consumed.

I drag myself into the shower but skip a shave. After all, tonight, I'm Tony Masen. I don't give a fuck if I'm not clean-shaven. I dress in jeans, a black T, my worn leather jacket, and work boots. I don't know what Aro has in store for me, but I can guarantee it's not something that warrants a suit and tie.

Aro doesn't need me until nine-thirty, so I've got time to kill. I scroll through social media, searching for more evidence of Jacob Black. I find him on Twitter, but his account is rarely used. However, Quil Ateara is listed among his followers and posts multiple times a day. I chuckle at his latest tweet.

Someone bring me painkillers. I'm dying here! -Q

Serves him right.

Yeah, Cullen, but are you any better?

I run my hand through my hair, warring with my sense of morality. I'm losing myself in Tony Masen the deeper I go undercover. If I weren't with the FBI, I would have a rap sheet that could put me away for years. I've been careful to keep my hands clean, but I'm an accessory to theft, extortion, and, unfortunately, murder.

Although, the guy I watched Felix kill had it coming. The God's honest truth- I was willing to do it myself. Fucker was caught distributing pictures of minors. The worst kind of decrepit rat that existed.

The agency didn't bat an eye when I called the following day. They were happy to have the schmuck off their hands.

I'm only semi-conscious of my actions when I search for Bella's profile again. It isn't until I'm scrolling through her summer trip to Puerto Rico with friends that I realize I'm cyber-stalking her. When I feel a stirring of arousal over a video of her dancing in a tiny white bikini, I know I'm taking things to a creeper level. I slam my laptop closed and force myself to work on a game plan.

Despite my wishes, I need to find out what Bella knows. I'm supposed to be back in the hospital in seven days, but that feels like a lifetime away.

I deliberate until a shell of an idea comes to me. I hop to my feet and pull on my jacket.

Chicago Mercy Hospital is a few stops away on the L. Close to the bar Black and his crew frequent. I take this into consideration as I step off the train and put on the cap I brought. I pull the brim low and keep watch as I walk, making sure to avoid unwanted attention.

I'm fairly certain Bella isn't around, but I know from Mike's girl that some ER shifts start at three-thirty, so I'm taking a chance.

There's a man with an ice pack over his shoulder checking in at the desk. I wait as his wife explains, in detail, how he fell off a chair trying to change a light bulb. She's scolding the poor guy who looks to be over eighty. Aging is rough.

When the girl at the front finally gets them to take a seat, I plaster on my grin that's been coined the "panty dropper." Not by me. I'm not that narcissistic.

"Hi, I was wondering if you can help me?" I ask, leaning an elbow on the desk.

"What are you here for?" She flushes, and I get a slight smile.

"I was in here last night, and I had a couple of questions I forgot to ask. I was wondering if Doctor Swan is available to answer them for me?"

"Oh, Doctor Swan is off tonight."

"Darn. Any chance you know when she'll be back?"

"I'm not sure…."

"I'm sorry. I know this is unorthodox, and I should have asked these questions last night. I just don't want to make a mistake and end up with a nasty scar on my forehead, you know?"

"Um, let me check the schedule," she says, turning back to her monitor. "It looks like she'll be back tomorrow."

"Night?"

"She should be here by late afternoon."

"You're awesome! Leah, is it?" I ask, reading the badge hanging from her top.

"Yeah."

"You've saved my face from certain disfigurement." She's giggling as I wink and turn toward the doors. "Have a good night!"

Game plan number one, catch Bella tomorrow before she goes into work. Game plan number two, I've got to deal with Aro's shit.

I stop for a bite to eat at Carmen's. Felix and Alec are already there, perched at the counter. We bull shit for a while before heading to the pool hall that Aro's operation calls home. We don't bother with the lower-level guys who toss greetings our way from the billiard tables as we walk toward the back office.

Caius is here already- going over the books. He's Aro's right-hand man. The agency refers to him as the underboss. The Vulturi family doesn't like to use titles in their organization. They say it's so the top guys can fly under the radar. They're convinced they're outsmarting law enforcement. They're morons.

"Hey, Masen. You've got a head on your shoulders. Come take a look at the numbers for me." Caius calls me over as I grab a beer. Not that I drink on the job, but for appearance's sake, I carry the thing around.

"What's up?"

"I think I'm seein' a discrepancy."

I look over his shoulder at the intake numbers from last month. There's money missing from somewhere, that's for sure.

"Move, let me see."

Caius relinquishes his seat and lets me go to work. It takes five minutes to see where the organization's money is being skimmed.

"It's our friends on the East side. Benny and his crew," I announce.

"No shit?" Caius is back in a split second, checking over my work.

"Yeah, look here. The last six months, his income was steady. He was kicking up three to four grand at a time. This month fifteen hundred twice, that's it."

"Mother fucker!"

"I heard he's got a new girl," Felix says. "She's real high maintenance."

"Aro ain't gonna be pleased," Caius warns.

"Yeah, well, tell him this shit first 'cause I've got some news that might brighten his day." I hand the books back to Caius.

"What's that?"

"You'll find out." I play smug. Caius huffs but doesn't counter. If I say info has to go to Aro first, it goes to Aro first.

Demitri shows up soon after we start a game of darts and schools us all. I swear if there is a national league of dart throwers, he should quit the crime life and compete professionally. Well, he should quit the crime life anyway.

We know when Aro's arrived because the lower-level associates in the game room go crazy. Through our door, we hear them greeting him like a King. Aro feeds off that shit, and I know he's going to walk in with a smug look on his face and his head held high. I can't wait to destroy that big fucking ego of his.

"My men!" He says as he enters the back room. "Fill me in. How did work go last night?"

"We got that shipment you were waiting on," Felix answers. "Stuff is real pure. You're gonna be able to up-sell it."

"Wonderful!" Aro smooths back what's left of his hair as his beady eyes land on me. "Tony, what the fuck happened to you?"

"Got pushed into some broken glass when I was dealing with Black."

"I hope he fared worse?"

"Absolutely."

"Perfect."

"Hey, Boss, Masen and I need to fill you in on an issue," Caius says, wringing his hands. Aro still intimidates him. I want to roll my eyes but refrain.

"What's wrong?" Aro glares between us. It serves to make Caius more jittery. I don't react.

"I- well- we looked over- what I mean is-"

"Benny's crew is skimming off the top," I say, saving Caius the trouble of getting words out like a normal human being.

"That fucker! Show me."

I take the book from Caius and point out the discrepancies. You can hear a pin drop while we wait for Aro's reaction.

"Tony, I want you to take this on. Felix and Alec will go with you. I want it done tonight, you understand?"

"Sure." I've got to calculate a plan fast. There's no way to save Benny from a beating, but Felix and Alec have to be the ones that carry things through. I switch subjects quickly. "I've got some good news for you."

"Oh?"

"I found Jacob Black's social media. He's checking in all over the fucking city. We'll know where he is nearly every night."

"Ah! My boy! That is good news. Show me?"

We don't use smartphones. Too easy to track for Aro's liking, so I wait while he powers on a ten-year-old laptop. Technology isn't his forte. The damn thing runs so slow it takes fifteen minutes to pull up Black's accounts. Aro is enthralled with the information provided to him. He's not going to move for hours.

"Let me know if you need more help navigating the sites. I can come back when we're done with Benny," I say, motioning for Felix and Alec to find their coats and follow me.

"This is good work." Aro praises. I feel disgust, not pride. My "good work" will be when I take him down once and for all.

I nod once before slipping out the backdoor into an alleyway. Felix has his keys out and leads us to his car parked around the corner.

"I want you two on enforcement tonight," I tell the men once we're inside the vehicle. "I think it's a good opportunity for you to gain points with Aro."

"How far do you want us to take it?" Alec asks.

All I say is, "Don't kill him," because I can't bring myself to utter the words they're looking for.

My gut churns as we drive toward the East side. I have to remind myself that every step forward in Aro's organization is a step closer to ending him.

Because I am not Mafia Associate Tony Masen. I am Special Agent Edward Cullen.


A/N:

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