SECRETS AND SPIES

Chapter Fourteen

Bella's head appears around the door as I throw the cigarettes in the bin. "Who are you talking to?" she asks as her eyes flash around the room.

"Just me," I admit, even though I'd been making a promise to dad.

Bella smiles as she walks over to her desk but doesn't sit down. "Is it okay if I leave early? Mom's not feeling too great. I'd like to go check on her."

"Sure," I respond, even though I really want to talk to her again about James Hunter and his organization. "How are you getting there?"

"I need to take back my friend's bike. He lives not far from mom so that'll save a journey. What time's your flight?"

"Five-thirty. I'm aiming to be back here Monday evening. Tuesday at the latest. I can make decisions on the hotel when I get back?"

"Sure. I'll get the final planting scheme sorted before you return. We can cost it out when we're both agreed."

"When I've agreed, you mean?"

"Yeah yeah, boss. Point taken."

"Good. Glad we've got that sorted,"

I can't help sniggering as I wander over to her and plant a kiss on her forehead.

"You can go now if you want," I whisper in her ear, "but call me when I'm in San Francisco. It'll be good to hear your voice."

Bella returns a quick kiss on the lips. "Be seeing you," she responds cheerfully as she picks up her purse and heads out the door.

Returning to my chair I watch her through the window as she wanders slowly across the yard towards the gates until she disappears. Just kissing her hair has turned me on, so I tuck myself under the desk in case anyone walks in.

My first job is to check my emails to see whether any more weird ones have appeared since spotting the Lychees one last night. There are none in my inbox and my junk folder doesn't reveal anything interesting either. The garbled emails that I didn't bother opening don't have any recognizable words either so that's a dead end. I resolve to check them again more closely when I have time to see whether I can work out a code, like the first letter before every gap - that sort of thing.

There are several requests for assistance after yesterday's storm so I forward those to Alice's inbox to deal with straight away. Bella has left the plans for the hotel on my desk but after about ten minutes of attempting to concentrate on the notes she's made, I have to accept I'm not in the right state of mind to take any important decisions. I'm tired and my brain is mush. After scribbling a message and leaving it inside the file I return it to Bella's desk so she can work on the plan on Monday.

I make some follow-up phone calls regarding several of the garden designs I'm working on which takes me to midday. All three boys have been out on jobs this morning and report to me when they get back in. I'd been worried about them while they were out, hoping they weren't followed or intimidated. When they're all back safely I relax, but ask myself how long will this unacceptable situation have to go on?

My stomach is growling with hunger, which reminds me I'd skipped breakfast other than the two cookies I ate in the hideout. Walking to Carlo's isn't such a good idea so I yell out to the others, "I'm getting Pizza delivered – any requests?"

A cacophony of voices come back at me from every direction. After pleading with them to slow down, Alice offers to make a list and call the local pizza delivery company. Half an hour later we're gathered in the main office drinking root-beers and coke and destroying our arteries with cheese-laden carbs, allowing the phones to go straight to the answering service.

These are the times I enjoy the most. The guys work really hard, but every now and again we kick our shoes off and chat about anything, from football to politics, to Game of Thrones, while eating and drinking together. Jake is already his old self again and beaming from ear to ear. He'd been forgiven and I guess felt confident nothing more would be said about what happened yesterday.

I'm sad Bella is missing the banter as she would've enjoyed it. We all laugh helplessly listening to one of Emmett's stories about being hit on by a female client who invited him to join her in her new hot tub. As I'm wiping my eyes I realize the 'old-Edward' has come back again. In other words, the weight of dad's situation has been temporarily shelved while I relax with my friends.

At three I give Mitzi a cuddle and tell her to be a good girl for Emmett before setting off with Jake for the airport. The traffic is light for Friday afternoon and we make the journey in good time. I bring him up to speed about Bella being threatened outside the Deli but don't mention what happened at the cabin. Jake is incensed that Bella was threatened but agrees not to take matters into his own hands and call the police if he sees anything suspicious.

After waving Jake away I wander unhurriedly into the terminal to check-in and make my way to a private lounge where I can relax away from the hustle and bustle of the public areas. I'll admit I'd been hoping Bella would be waiting for me at the airport. While Jake was driving me here it occurred to me she may have faked her mom being unwell and planned to surprise me. Looking around in vain while my boarding card printed, I felt genuine disappointment when she didn't appear.

I order a Bourbon and Soda for Dutch courage at the bar and settle into a comfortable seat where I can watch the comings and goings on the runway. The sky is clear from murk so I should be treated to a good view of the Rockies from my window seat before shutting my eyes for the rest of the flight.

As I sip my Bourbon, which brings back being in Sue's kitchen after the funeral, I re-live the events of last night, beginning with Bella banging on my door and dragging me outside before I had a chance to argue. I'm still amazed that I effectively handed my personal safety over to her with only a brief moment of hesitation. If she'd given me an opportunity to decide, I wonder whether I would have so readily gone with her?

She was right though when she gave me the pep talk in the cabin about having the strength of character not to question her authority. I'm not and never have been a chauvinist. Both mom and dad brought me up to believe women are equal to men, apart from natural physical strength. Only when I analyze my response to her taking control, I'm still surprised I so readily accepted her authority as it went against the stereotypical behavior of a regular 21st-century guy.

Bella's assertiveness last night was totally at odds with her usual demeanor at The Yard which is still feisty, but not that feisty. Her military training had kicked in and I'd responded to her orders automatically, like a subordinate. This more than anything convinces me that the tale Bella related last night was true, and Bella is a bona fide, ex-military, bodyguard, special ops assassin, or however she wants to categorize herself.

James Hunter is another matter and an anomaly I can't get my head around. Bella said he was one of her training officers, implying he'd had a long career in the Army. I would presume he left with an unblemished record or I doubt whether she would feel comfortable working for him. I haven't known Bella long, and I know I'm probably looking at her through rose-tinted spectacles as she's rocking my world at the moment, but I can't see her having any truck with anyone who would do anything illegal, like abducting or murdering someone for money. When I suggested James could be the enemy, or working for the enemy, or at best he's covering up that his company had fucked-up protecting dad, she definitely reacted. Either this scenario is something she hadn't considered, or she's shocked I've worked this out for myself?

So ... if James is in the pay of one of the Titans for whatever reason, somehow I've got to discover who hired him in the first place, if anybody did of course. The next task would be to find out whether he's involved in dad's abduction or murder, and if so, how deeply. How I do this without alerting him that I'm suspicious of his motives is going to be very difficult and will mean relying on Bella's loyalty to me and not him.

God! This is getting complicated! If I knew who was working against me, this would be so much simpler.

Removing Laura from my company is an indication the success of my business wasn't a consideration for James if there's a good paycheck at the end of the assignment, and it would have to be a huge paycheck if he'd paid for Laura's sponsorship upfront. Would mine and dad's life be a small consideration too?

I get that dad's invention would be worth millions; trillions even, but who would be in a position to outlay that amount of cash on the promise of something that was still just a theory. It would have to be one of the tech giants, not an obscure company trying to get a foothold in the world the big boys dominated. I could approach someone like Bill Gates and ask for his help finding out who this could be. He wasn't able to make it to dad's funeral, which could be guilt I suppose, but no. That's crap. Bill revered dad. There's no way he'd be involved with anything like this.

Depending on what I find out in San Francisco about whether the police are covering up a conspiracy, James Hunter and I are going to have a long talk, and sooner rather than later. I presume Bella hasn't told him that she's blown her cover and told me she's my bodyguard, so she'll have to do that first before I either meet him face-to-face, or call him if he's in Atlanta.

I down the remainder of my Bourbon in one hit and indicate to the waiter I want another. I'm not used to drinking spirits, and apart from beer this is the first alcohol I've consumed since the flight here on Monday. After the turmoil of the last few days, my plan is to be relaxed on the journey as I'm more than likely flying towards more revelations and probable stress in San Francisco. As the Bourbon is placed in front of me, I stop thinking about the 'what if's' and focus on switching off for a few hours.

Two more Bourbons later and I'm feeling exceedingly mellow when I board the plane. After forcing my eyes to stay open so I can see the magnificent spectacle of the Rocky Mountains, I fall into a deep sleep until the steward wakes me by gently shaking my arm when we're coming into land.

I fall asleep again in the cab from the airport. The journey takes over an hour because of traffic on the Bay Bridge so by the time we pull up outside the house it's already dark.

After paying the driver, I stumble across the sidewalk to the gate. Lights are on in Sue's house and I'm tempted to knock to let her know I'm home only I don't want to get caught up in a long conversation. I just want to sleep off my hangover.

While I fumble in my pocket for the new set of keys that arrived by courier this morning, I stare up at the black windows. The house looks sad, which makes me feel sad as it's a beautiful house and should be full of light and laughter. Until I find out what happened to dad, I can't see myself ever being happy here again.

I'm swallowing the familiar lump in my throat when I notice a tiny pinprick of red light at the top of the steps behind one of the tall shrubs. My foot is already resting on the bottom step when the fight or flight instinct kicks in. I'm considering backing off as I'm not in a fit state for a confrontation when a hand appears from behind the bush and I realize it's the burning end of a cigarette I can see.

I'm just about to shout at whoever it is to come out when Bella's head appears. She's sitting cross-legged on the stoop; her dark hair and clothing camouflaged by the greenery.

"Took your time, didn't you," she groans as she rolls onto her knees, stands up, and dusts herself down. "My ass is numb and I'm desperate for a pee."

"What the f…."

Bella grins as she picks up her backpack. "Don't tell me you're surprised to see me. My bet is you were hoping I'd be here."

"I thought you'd be at the airport, to be honest. I was disappointed when you weren't. How did you beat me here?"

"I got the two o'clock flight. Once I knew mom was okay and didn't need me to visit, I high-tailed it to the airport."

"Why didn't you get on my flight?"

"If James is watching you I don't want him to know I'm here, and I wanted to check out the street first. I'm your bodyguard, remember? Hurry up, Edward, or I'll pee my pants."

I'm laughing as I unlock the door. Bella ducks under my arm and is inside before I can disable the alarm.

"Second door on the right," I shout as she skids down the hall.

I head straight for the kitchen to get the coffee going. Searching the fridge confirms there's no milk so it's lucky Bella drinks her coffee black.

"Jesus, that was close," Bella sighs as she comes into the kitchen and sinks into a chair.

"What would you have done if I'd decided to stay at a friend's house?" I ask as I place the cookie jar in front of her.

"Called a cab and checked in at a hotel. I knew you were on the way though. I was following your cell's location."

"What!"

"Yup, your cell is linked to mine so I know where you are at all times."

"When the hell did you do that?"

"Couple of days after I started at The Yard. As long as you've got your cell with you I know exactly where you are. I'm your bodyguard, remember?"

"Jesus! Anything else I should know?"

"No … err well, yes. I put a tracker in the Shogun. It's still there. I thought you'd find it when you told us to search for bugs but you've no idea what you're looking for. It's a shame there isn't a tracker in your laptop."

"Holy shit!"

"What?"

"I'm betting there is. Dad gave me the Mac about two years ago. Said he'd checked it for bugs, but knowing him he's put a tracker in it somewhere."

"It's a Mac?"

"Yeah, why?"

"For fuck sake, why didn't you say so? Have you got an iPhone?"

"Yes."

"Give it here."

I hand it over without question after unlocking it.

"I might be able to pinpoint its location. Is your phone linked to it?"

"I think so."

"You think so? Does it pick up your emails and cancel them when you've read them on the Mac?"

"Yep."

"It's linked. Give me a minute so I can upload the tracer app."

Feeling technologically inept I concentrate on pouring the coffee and place a steaming mug in front of her. She's muttering about me under her breath and it isn't complimentary.

"What are you mumbling about?"

"I can't believe someone whose dad's a computer genius knows zero about technology."

"He knows zero about plants – same difference."

"Touché," Bella responds and grins up at me then concentrates on the phone again.

I take a seat next to her and watch as she navigates the screen. I've just taken my first sip of coffee when Bella yells, "Got it!"

"Where is it?" I respond, jumping up so I can stand behind her and see what she's looking at.

"Hold on. I'm just zooming back. "Holy fuck!"

"What?"

"It's in Fort Bragg … where I … no hold fire. Jesus!"

"Tell me."

"It's not in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. It's in Fort Bragg, north of here on the coast. What the hell?"

Bella stares at the screen and then sinks back into her chair and takes some sips of coffee.

"Did you do your training at Fort Bragg?"

"There and other places. We moved around a lot. I did my specialist training in Nevada but I'm not allowed to say where. To be honest, we were flown in and out of the facility so I couldn't say exactly where we were anyway, but we did fly quite low over the Hoover Dam so not far from there."

"So what are we going to do?"

"I don't know. Give me a minute to think this through. Don't talk for a while."

Taking a cookie from the jar and then another, I watch Bella carefully while I'm eating. I'm debating whether now would be a good time to tell Bella about the strange emails that I suspect have come from dad. Giving up this final secret means an acceptance that even though she's still technically working for James Hunter, she's genuinely trying to help me find out what happened to him. Once this door is opened though, there'll be no turning back. If my trust in her is misplaced, by revealing this to her I could be informing the people who are holding him that their captive has managed to send messages, or, I'd be confirming to a competitor that Carlisle Cullen is still alive.

I recall the conversation I had with Bella about speaking to the dentist, which would be confirmation the police are involved in a conspiracy. She convinced me to dig deeper, but that doesn't mean for certain she's on my side as she could still be using me to get information for whoever is paying her.

My head is swimming as I try to make up my mind. Tell her now, which could go either way, or keep quiet which means I still don't trust her. Dad's insistence that I shouldn't trust anyone still bothers me, although I'd broken that trust when I told everyone at work what was on his computer.

Bella is still sipping her coffee and staring at the map on the cell phone, zooming in and out of the general area. If she has military expertise, I'm going to need all the help she can give me to break dad out of wherever he's being held and that's my number one priority, whether or not she's working for someone else. Her treachery towards me, if this is what it ends up being, may backfire on her if the police know more than they're letting on.

This is a minefield of complications but dad's freedom is paramount, over and above the knowledge I've been keeping in my head.

"I think we should go to Fort Bragg and cruise around the area, preferably in disguise," Bella says breaking the silence. "We could rent a car and go up there tomorrow."

"Okay, but I want to visit dad's dentist first."

"We can do that first thing and then head north. I'll do some reconnaissance on the internet using aerial maps while you're driving and I'll check out any properties near to where your computer's located and note any that look suspicious."

"Great, thanks." I still hesitate as this is the crunch moment. "Bella, I …"

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing … what I mean is, I'm really grateful for your help and I hope you're not going to take this the wrong way. I've … been keeping something from you."

"Don't tell me, you don't find me attractive and you were just playing along in the shack to get me to talk?"

I laugh and shake my head. "No nothing like that. I do find you very attractive, which is why I hope you're not going to be pissed with me."

"Just spit it out, Edward. I'm tired, I need a shower and we've got a busy day tomorrow."

"Okay … So, I've been getting some weird emails since I got back to The Yard. I didn't take much notice of them at first as they were nonsense so I junked them. At the exact time you were banging on the door of the cabin last night, I noticed one of the emails had a word in it that only my dad and I would know is important, which makes me believe my dad is still alive and has access to a computer."

Bella doesn't respond like I imagined she would but sips her coffee without making eye-contact. I can't tell whether she's angry, disappointed, or surprised, as her face is a blank page. I wait patiently for her reaction.

"What's the word?" she asks without looking at me.

"Can I just say the word is the password to the computer I smashed to pieces and leave it?"

"So you still don't trust me?"

"I do trust you, which is why I'm telling you this, but we're dealing with ruthless people. If you don't know what the word is, it can't be dragged out of you if one or both of us are abducted. Don't you understand? I feel guilty that you're putting yourself at risk when you owe me absolutely nothing."

Bella carries on sipping her coffee while she mulls over my revelation. I'm guessing she wants to be angry with me for not trusting her, although I'm sure she would've done exactly the same if our roles were reversed.

"I get it," she responds with a smile. "We can talk about this tomorrow. We both need a good night's sleep so we can think more clearly in the morning. Can you point me in the direction of the shower and a bed?"

Bella gets up and picks her backpack off the floor, slinging it over her shoulder as she leaves the kitchen.

"Follow me," I say and head for the stairs although I'm not convinced she's not pissed with me. When we reach the top of the first flight I point to a door.

"That's my room. The one opposite is, was my dad's. It's a bit of a mess at the moment because of the break-in. There are two more bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs."

Bella follows me up the next flight where I open the door to one of the guest bedrooms. "Is this okay?"

"Great, thanks," Bella says as she drops her backpack on the bed. She turns around and plants a gentle kiss on my lips. Obviously, I take this as permission to go further and kiss her back with passion. My heart rate increases as Bella melts into my arms and as the kiss progresses I attempt to steer her towards the bed.

"Stop!" Bella mumbles when we break for air. I draw back from her and look into her eyes to search for clues as to why I've misread the situation.

"Too fast?" I question trying to sound apologetic.

"Yesssss," Bella replies with a smile and play-punches me in the chest. "We have to keep clear heads in the next few days. Rampant passion and lack of sleep are not conducive to smart thinking."

I laugh and draw her in for a hug. "Message received and understood, Cap'n."

"Good. Glad we've got that sorted," Bella sniggers, copying my put-down about the hotel planting when we were in the office this morning.

"Yeah yeah, you're the boss for the moment. I won't forget it."

Bella pushes me out the door using both hands. "See you in the morning. I like my eggs sunnyside up by the way."

"Goodnight," I chuckle as I pull the door closed behind me and hurry downstairs to lock up.

After securing the house and taking my own long shower, I'm connecting my cell to the charger when it vibrates in my hand. Turning it over Emmett's name comes up on the screen which surprises me as it's already past eleven here which means it's gone midnight in Colorado. I'm guessing this isn't a social call and my heart automatically starts to pound. Briefly, I wonder whether something has happened to them or Mitzi, and my hands are shaking as I hit the answer button.

"What's up, Em?"

"Bad news. Denver police have just called the office line which is switched through to my number tonight. Rosalie only answered it because they kept ringing it non-stop. It was on silent but the screen was lighting up and we were trying to get to sleep. A traffic patrol has found your Shogun abandoned not far from the highway and ..."

"Where the hell's Jake for fuck sake?" I interrupt. "He dropped me at the airport and was supposed to take it straight back to The Yard. If it's been in a wreck I'll ….."

"Ed," Emmett interrupts. "The police told Rosalie there's blood on the driver's seat and a spent bullet in the leather. They think your car was forced off the road and the driver abducted. There're no bullet holes in the windows so it looks like Jake may have been shot after he stopped and while he was still at the wheel."

"Holy shit."

"The police got The Yard's number from the logo on the door. I told them you were in San Francisco and Jake would've been driving. They're on their way to Jake's apartment now to get DNA samples. I told them I'd let you know what happened. Rosie and I are leaving for the ranch as soon as we've got our stuff together. Alice and Jasper are coming too. This is getting heavy, Edward. I'm not risking Rosie's safety now that firearms are involved."

"Good. Stay there and don't move off the ranch until this is resolved one way or another. Don't even think about going in to work on Monday, okay? Holy shit – I didn't think it would get this bad. If they've harmed Jake I'll kill the fuckers myself."

"Before you go, Ed, Rosie's trying to get hold of Bella. Her cell is turned off for some reason. She said she was going to her mom's but I don't have her mom's number."

"Don't worry about Bella. I know where she is. I'll tell her to keep her head down. Thanks, Emmett, and I'm sorry you and Rosie been dragged into this. Can you say this to Jasper and Alice? Stay safe and keep me informed if you can."

"Will do, and boss, keep your doors locked and get some security. Whoever grabbed Jake was after you and they've probably only just realized their mistake. I know you don't like guns, but you need protection. D'ya hear me?"

If it had been any other conversation I would've laughed when Emmett suggests I hire security.

"I hear you, Em, and I promise I'll sort out some protection. Send me a text when you get to the ranch. I don't think I'll be getting much sleep tonight."

"Will do," Emmett replies and disconnects.

"Fuck! I'm in the middle of a Jason-fucking-Bourne movie," I choke as I collapse on the bed and cover my face with my hands as if to block out the world.

"If this is your doing, James Hunter," I say out loud, "if it's the last thing I do on this earth, you're a dead man."

Poor Jake. (Yes, Team Edward, poor Jake!) Whoever grabbed him must think they've got Edward. Scary stuff.

I apologize for the lack of a passionate encounter. Bella is right though - a clear head after a good night's sleep is what she needs before tomorrow. Okay, I can hear you all yellng at me, 'are you kidding'. Hahaha.

So, it's detective work for Edward and Bella tomorrow. Dentist first and then tracking down whoever has the laptop. Two more 'old friends' will be making an appearance soon, and I bet you can guess who they are?

Joan xx