DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc., are the intellectual property of the respective author. The original characters and plot are the property of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.

-Chapter Twenty-Nine-

Edward stood frozen in place as he watched me get closer and closer to the garage entrance. There was no way to prove to him that I wasn't innocent or perfect but just as crazy as he was—hell, if not more—without going balls to the wall.

Granted, making snap decisions on the fly and worrying about the consequences after the fact wasn't a smart game plan. However, I would've probably reconsidered if I had allowed myself to think about it and examine what I was doing.

I just prayed whatever I decided to do didn't get me killed or arrested.

Edward's two-second delay had passed, and he came back to his senses, the realization of what I was about to do dawning on him.

"Don't you fucking do it," he said cautiously.

I wasn't close to the car, but I had to move fast. If he caught me, he would only talk me out of it. So, I turned around and ran like a full-on sprint.

He bolted after me. It was crazy. I could hear his heavy breathing and feet pounding on the cement behind me. Every second and minuscule inch, he was closing the distance between us. I picked up my feet and increased my speed. Skidding around the corner, I gripped the corner of the wall and darted up the stairway, skipping two the three steps at a time. Holding on to the side railing, not wanting to trip and tumble to my death, my fingers clenched around it, helping me push myself up the rest of the way.

Coming to the top of the stairs on the third floor, I spotted the car a few rows down. The proximity of it boosted another round of adrenaline in my veins, and I ran towards it. My heart hammered against my chest, hurting like crazy, and my lungs deflated, gasping and panting for air.

Momentum and sheer velocity caused my body to collide with the car, nearly denting it, and I fumbled with the keys, hands shaking as I entered it into the lock. Unfortunately, it missed the hole, and the sharp edge of the key scraped some of the red paint off the door. I cringed, knowing full well that Edward was going to be pissed.

Glancing behind me, I saw him at the top of the stairs, leaning and resting against the wall, out of breath and eyes wild. I panicked, cursing loudly, and reinserted the key. The lock clicked over, and I was mid-way through opening it when he crashed into me, slamming it back shut.

Edward snatched the car keys away from me, brows furrowed in contempt, and grunted a disjointed sentence. "What the fuck…are…you…Jesus…I can't…fucking…keep up with you."

"Give me the keys, Edward," I said, reaching out and trying to snatch them from him.

He held his hands behind his back. "Why? Where are you going?"

God, he was so infuriating.

"Fine," I huffed. "Don't give me the keys." I pushed him away from me and opened the car door. He watched with confusion as I crawled over the seat and got into the glove box, pulling out the Colt.

"No, no, No!" he hissed, grabbing me by the ankles and dragging me out. The gun was securely in the front of my pants, and he flipped me over, his hands groping and yanking at the handle.

I lifted my knees to his chest and shoved him off me. "Stop it! Leave it alone."

"No, God damn it, Bella." He reached for it again and managed to grasp a hold of it, just about pulling it out of my waistband. "I refuse to let you do something stupid to prove a fucking point and get yourself killed."

"I am not!" I said, turning over and crushing his hand with my weight. He yelped, smacking my ass with his other hand, and I rose to my knees, scrambling over to the other side of the car and forcing the door open.

"Shit," Edward yelled from somewhere behind me.

Stumbling out of the car, my hands hit the concrete ground, and tiny pebbles stabbed into my palms. My foot caught up in the seatbelt, keeping me trapped in the car, I tugged at it frantically and eventually freed myself from the constraints, but in the process, the force propelled me out the door.

I fell to the ground, landing hard on my back, and it knocked the air right out of me. Sensing defeat, I lay there for a moment, tired and hurting. Then, Edward came around the back of the car and towered over me.

He shook his head and crouched down, brushing the hair away from my face. "You want to prove to me that you're badass?" I nodded. He took the gun from the front of my pants, smirking crookedly. "Go into a store and steal a sexy dress for me."

I scanned the racks for something in black, preferably short and revealing. I didn't know why Edward was testing me like this or why he wanted me to steal a dress, but it was a challenge. It excited me, and I relished it.

My eyes and ears were everywhere, focusing on the two employees of the little boutique. They weren't paying close attention to me, and snagging a dress wouldn't be a problem, but the high heels, sneaking them out, was a different story.

The store was busy with needy customers, asking for this and wanting to see that, giving me ample opportunity to stuff the dress in my purse. Glancing down at my shoes, I smiled as an idea to get those high heels formed in my mind. The black chucks I was wearing were old and worn, and parting with them wouldn't be so bad.

Checking to see if the coast was clear, I took them off and pushed them underneath a clothes rack. Nobody was around, and I walked up to the shoe racks barefooted.

The heels I wanted were top-shelf and would go perfectly with the dress in my purse. So, keeping an eye out for the employees and the camera on me, I slipped on the heels and walked around casually, pretending like I was a noble shopper just feeling them out.

After a minute and thirty-two seconds of prancing around the store and no security guard escorting me to the back, I made my way out towards the front door. No alarms had gone off, and no one had tackled me—hell, even one of the employees waved goodbye to me.

I was practically home free.

Nodding and giving them a polite smile, I walked out the door.

Edward was waiting for me outside the mall, and I hurried past him, afraid if I stopped just for a second, karma would catch up with me and refuse to take that chance. Half a block down the street and far away from the store, my pace slowed down, eventually stopping altogether.

Edward caught up with me, throwing his around my neck, and smiled. "I love those fucking heels on you."

"You should see the dress," I said, raising an eyebrow at him. "Are you going to tell me why I just did that? That hardly proves anything."

"Did Alice pack any makeup for you?"

"She did," I answered slowly, still not knowing what he wanted. "It's in my purse. Why?"

He nodded over to a restaurant. "Go get dressed, and do your hair and make-up. I'll tell you when you come back."

"No," I said, stubbornly crossing my arms over my chest. "Tell me now."

He narrowed his eyes and smiled. "Fine then, we'll play it your way." He turned me around and faced me toward the Ritz-Carlton. "That's where my parents are staying, and soon my father will be in the bar having a few drinks. I want you to go over there and seduce him."

I sputtered, shooting a skeptical glare at him. "What? No! Why?"

"I want you to lead him back to a room...alone. He'll pay for it. Just make him believe that you're ready and willing. I won't be too far behind."

"Are we robbing your father?"

"Yes." It was simple and direct. "Do you think you can do it?"

I shook my head. "He'll never go for it. What about that guy on the street? What was his name?"

"Eleazar?"

"Yeah, that guy! What if he told your dad about seeing you? He'll recognize me."

"Although, I have no fucking doubt that Eleazar told him about seeing me, I'm sure my dad assumes that I've fucking left town. My dad won't recognize you and Eleazar will be nowhere in sight. My father tends to cheat in secret."

"And you think I can pull this off?"

"I know you can," he said, smiling as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "You're beautiful and young. My father won't hesitate to approach you. I can guarantee it."

It was crazy.

Edward was crazy.

He expected me to seduce his adulterous father?

"So, I lead him up to a room, then what?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Improvise until I get there."

I laughed. "Are fucking kidding me? What if he wants to kiss me or…."

"It won't get that far. I won't allow it. Trust me, Bella. It'll work. I just need you to do this one thing for me, okay? Baby?" he asked, green eyes pleading, and I was screwed.

I nodded. "Fine."

"Go get ready. I'll be out here waiting for you." He kissed briefly on the lips and then patted me on the tush and sent me on my merry little way.

The bathroom in the quaint restaurant was empty, and I changed into a stall. I took my hair out of my ponytail and shook out the tresses, fluffing it and adding some needed volume. It was still flat, and I hated that I didn't have time to do it, but I guess makeup will have to pick up the slack.

A while back, during those few days when Edward was down in Mexico and Alice was over 'babysitting' me, she got into the girly slumber party mood. She'd given me a makeover and taught me the basics about applying blush and eye shadow. She said the essential features on a face were the eyes and lips, and if you magnified those, you'd be a knockout.

Taking her word and running with it, I applied black shadow and gave my eyes that smoky look, and then finished it off with a dab of blush and clear lip gloss.

It wasn't much, but it worked. I wanted to look pretty young and sophisticated. My age and unassuming innocence would be my most significant selling factor.

Pulling and yanking the dress down, I threw my purse over my shoulder and walked back out. Everyone looked at me in the dining room, watching me as I left. I'm not sure if the short dress and high heels caught their eye or something else less flattering.

Exiting the restaurant, I saw Edward leaning against the wall, texting on his phone. His eyes were cast down and focused on his screen. He had yet to notice me.

I smiled, tapping my heels on the concrete, alerting him to my presence. He glanced up briefly only to look back down, but the image of me in a black mini was a slowed delay, and he snapped his head back up, his eyes wide like saucers.

Edward closed his phone, all of his attention on me now. "Jesus Christ, baby," he muttered, licking his lips and stalking over to me.

"How do I look?" I asked, spinning for him so he could see every angle and aspect of the dress.

He groaned and gripped me roughly by the hips, pulling me to him. "You have no fucking idea…." His sentence trailed off as he looked up over my head. He swung my body around and away from the street. "Alright, Eleazar is leaving." He scoffed. "God, my dad's a cheap fucking prick. He can't even dish out a little money to put Eleazar in a decent hotel. I bet he's making that poor bastard stay at the Holiday Inn." He looked down at me, searching my eyes to feel my courage. He was deciding whether or not I could do it.

I was still on the fence.

"What does your father look like?" I asked, gulping back my nervousness.

"He's blond."

"Blond?" I was surprised. "How old is he?"

"He's forty-eight. My parents married young."

"Okay," I said, untangling myself from his arms. "Is there anything else I need to know?"

"He'll proposition you, Bella, okay? So, you go in there and sit down at the bar, order a fruity drink and wait." He pulled out his phone and looked at the time. "It's ten-forty right now, my mom usually takes her prescription pain killers around ten and he'll be waiting for her to pass out. You might be able to beat him there."

"Sounds simple enough," I said, oddly feeling bolder and braver by the minute. "Where will you be?"

"I'll be close. Don't worry, okay? That bastard won't touch you," he said, placing his hands on my face and lowering his lips to mine. "I promise." He kissed me. Not deep, but forceful, penetrating, it made me grasp his arms to stay upright.

He was one beautiful and consuming bastard.

"Here, there's one more thing," Edward said, breaking away from the kiss and stuffing a few silk ties and stockings into my purse. I looked up at him questioningly. "The fucker is kinky. Blindfold him. Gag him. Tie his ass up to the bed. It'll keep him well behaved until I get there, alright? Trust me. You got this."

This plan, poorly hatched and not well constructed, could be a disaster or fucking amazing. It was hard to know for sure at this point, but hell, it was quite the thrill not knowing.

"You're beautifully demented, do you know that?" I asked, taking a step off the curb.

"I'm well aware." He shrugged, putting his hands in his pocket and looking so young and adorable. "Be careful."

"Please, I'm always careful," I said smugly, walking out into the street and practically getting hit by a car within the next second. The horn blared, the sedan swerved, and Edward looked like he had a mini heart attack. I grimaced, immensely embarrassed. "Well, starting now, I am."

"Christ, kid," he groaned, running his hand through his hair. "Will you just across the street alive, Bella. Please."

"Yeah, yeah," I said, waving him off.

I haphazardly made it across the roundabout intersection by running and stopping, tripping and stumbling, all done with great effort in my four-inch heels. Hell, this was more dangerous than stealing a Lamborghini.

Eventually, I made it to the red brick drive of the Ritz-Carlton without spraining my ankle and up the front, where a tall and somewhat older man stood at the door. He eyed me curiously, watching me as I approached, my heels getting caught in the cracks of the brick road.

I smiled at him.

He opened the large and lavish glass door and gestured me in. "Good evening, miss."

"Evening," I said, stopping short and facing him again. "Um, where's your bar?"

"The lounge is straight back and to your right."

"Thanks," I said.

"You're welcome. Have a good night, miss." Then he tipped his hat.

Here we go…

The lounge was dimly lit and had a hint of music in the background. Jazz, I presumed. There was a bar in the far back, deep cherry wood adorned the walls, and about five to six round granite top tables, surrounded by red leather chairs. It wasn't that busy in the lounge; a few people were sitting back and drinking. I scanned the room for a blond-haired man in his late forties, but nobody fit the bill.

Sitting up at the bar, I crossed my legs and tried to look appealing. Edward gave me minimal instructions on how to act, only saying his father would approach me. So, I tried to relax, taking deep breaths and focusing on the wall of liquor bottles. Finally, the bartender came around, and I ordered a cranberry Sprite. It felt good on my parched throat, my nerves making another appearance as I waited and waited.

Thirty minutes went by, and nothing. No one spoke to me or acknowledged my existence. Maybe Edward was wrong, and his father had changed his cheating ways.

It was around eleven-thirty when I decided to call it quits, and as I grabbed my purse and spun around on the bar stool, I came face to face with the man in question.

The man was dangerously handsome, and despite the steely blue eyes and striking blond hair, he looked identical to Edward. The full lips and strong jawbone were all eerily familiar, and I couldn't help but stare at him. He was an older version of the man I loved. That was one gorgeous gene pool.

"Leaving so soon?" he asked, sitting down beside me.

I shook my head, trying to clear my fucking thoughts. "No, I was just…."

He smiled, placing his hand on my knee. "Stay then. Have a drink with me."

"Okay," I said, setting my purse down on the bar, feeling slightly shaky and hypnotized by this man.

"What are you having?" he asked, those light blue eyes boring into mine.

"Cranberry Sprite," I answered.

He seemed surprised by the choice but didn't say anything. Instead, he just signaled the bartender and ordered my drink plus a scotch on the rocks for himself.

We sat silently, sipping on our drinks, neither of us conversing. Then, finally, I shifted in my seat, uncrossing my legs and crossing them again, the senator's eyes following my movements the entire time.

"I've been watching you all night," he said, never looking up from his drink, his hands clenching tightly around the glass.

The sudden admission threw me off, sending my thoughts into a tailspin. All these questions formulated in my head. He was here the whole time, and I didn't see him. How long had he been watching me? Did he see me with Edward? Was our plan already ruined even before it even got underway?

Thankfully, I didn't allow my inner turmoil to break through my calm demeanor. Instead, I casually swirled my drink with my straw, clinking the ice cubes against the crystal glass. "Is that so?"

"Yes, you're very intriguing," he said, placing a hand on my thigh, inching higher and higher. The pad of his thumb idly made circular motions on my skin.

I wanted to shrink back and bat his hand away. The thought of him touching me so intimately was repulsive. I tried to keep the disdain off my face, needing him to believe I would sleep with him.

"How old are you, beautiful?" he asked.

A part of me was going to lie and tell him that I was older than I was, but I remembered Edward saying that he liked them young, and I was as young as they come without breaking the law.

Inexperienced.

Innocent.

Pure.

Perfect.

"Eighteen," I answered, peeking over at him. There was a twitch of a smile on his face, thinking he'd won the jackpot. I could see the lust behind his eyes as he raked over my body, taking in the black mini and stilettos.

He was making this shit way too easy.

"Are you…" he paused, glancing around the bar, and leaned forward, whispering into my ear, "available?"

That was a gentleman's way of asking if I was a prostitute, and I almost slapped him in his face. It was unsettling how aggressive he came off right out of the fucking gate. He reminded me a lot of Phil, which filled me with this overwhelming and unadulterated anger. I didn't know Edward's father, but I had already hated him.

That feeling fueled me to get him alone, away from these people, and into the hands of his criminal son.

I smiled sweetly and seductively. "I'm very available. Do you have a room?"

"Yes, I do," he answered eagerly. "Should we leave?" Even before I could answer, he was waving down the bartender, pulling out his Gucci wallet with shaky hands, and paying for our drinks with a single hundred.

Glancing behind me quickly, looking out towards the exit, I saw Edward, but only briefly as he passed the lounge entrance. Nevertheless, he was there watching, protecting, and keeping me safe.

"Are you ready, beautiful," Edward's father asked, redirecting my attention.

Sliding my hands up his thighs and leaning my body over, I smiled. "Just lead the way, Senator."