SECRETS AND SPIES

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Bella

When I return to the room from the bathroom I take the armchair opposite the window so I can check what's going on outside. The light is fading, which is ideal for both attack and escape unless James has sensors on the building that trigger floodlights. I search the trees for movement although I shouldn't be able to see anything if the Colonel's Unit is up to scratch. When the rescue happens it will happen quickly and I'll have to be ready for anything.

Edward is sprawled across the sofa trying to avoid eye-contact with me which is understandable. Jesus! I wish I was a mind-reader. He must be so mixed up by now. He trusted me, which means he's probably doubting his own judgment which is crazy. His intuition so far has been spot on. He smelled a rat after coming back from the funeral and found Carlisle's study cleaned out. He didn't trust Yorkie from day one, and then had the balls to front-up Yorkie's boss and call bullshit on their excuses. Looking for bugs in the cabin and the office and laying verbal traps about the basement, he's done everything right in my book. When all this is over he should be proud of himself.

Going back over my call to the Colonel while Edward was on the Headlands with Yorkie, something about our conversation is bothering me. It isn't what the Colonel said, it's just that my intuition is telling me I've been kept from knowing important facts about what's going on. For a start, he could've warned me that Edward was on the point of being arrested. If the Colonel is working hand in hand with the CIA and the police, he must have known what was about to happen. I get that I'm protecting Edward by not telling him what's going on behind the scenes, but keeping me in the dark as well so I don't have to act being shocked and angry when the police turn up with firearms is dangerous in my book.

Not being trusted with all the facts pisses me as I'm risking my life here. I have to trust the Colonel and I have to presume he's following orders too, only a strong feeling has been growing in me that Edward and I are pawns in a much bigger game. I understand why the Colonel wants to catch whoever is financing James, but to do that he's putting Carlisle - if he's still alive - and Edward, and me, at unnecessary risk. The guys who I hope are in the woods could over-run the villa and rescue us now, and could still catch Mr Big. I guess what the Colonel and the police want as a minimum is to witness us being dragged out of the villa by this guy and bundled into the helicopter so there's no argument that he's involved. I presume it's a he. It could be a she I suppose.

If I get out of this alive and unscathed, I've got less than two weeks to serve before I can turn my back on this life forever. I've had some exciting times, but I'm done with this now. Nothing is going to tempt me to stay a minute longer. However this ends, this has not been a satisfactory way to end my time in the military. Trust in your Commanding Officers is fundamental to an effective Unit, so if the Colonel and his superiors have kept me in the dark and have unnecessarily put me and untrained civilians at risk, I would never be able to trust anybody in command anymore.

The way Edward feels about me now means I'll have to kiss The Yard goodbye as well, so I'll be job-hunting as soon as I'm officially a civilian again. Maybe I should pursue the stunt girl route? Actually no, I don't think I could put up with the bullshit that the movie industry is famous for. I'll stay with mom for a while and then travel. Japan would be a good destination. They have fabulous gardens there. England as well. 'Stop it, Bella, I'm running ahead with myself. I should be concentrating on the trees.'

Edward might want to chuck everything in once all this is over as well and go live on an island, or emigrate to New Zealand where apparently everyone is blissfully happy. There's plenty of mountains and open space there by all accounts. Oh God, I'm rambling again when I should be paying attention to what's going on around me. I can hear James shouting at someone. Maybe he's fronted Laurent about the money. If I hear a shot, that'll prove it.

However this turns out though, Edward will be a changed man afterward and this saddens me. He's had a small insight into a world that exists in the shadows, that the general population has no idea is playing out while they're carrying on with their lives. Occasionally a story hits the headlines, and then it's forgotten a few days later. If the citizens of this country knew half of what I know they wouldn't be able to sleep at night.

Edward, and probably Carlisle, have no idea that the trauma they're going through will hit them sometime in the future. At the moment they're living on adrenalin, but the come-down will hit them like a train. Carlisle will need intensive therapy if he survives, and if he doesn't, Edward will almost certainly have some sort of breakdown. Either that or he'll channel his anger toward whoever's decision it was to keep him in the dark about his father being abducted. What will anger him more will be him not receiving any sort of explanation or apology. The words 'national security' will be flung at him and then the book on this matter will be slammed shut. That injustice will eat him alive.

The guard standing by the door and watching me is nervous. I guess he's only about nineteen which makes me wonder how he got mixed up with Hunter at such a young age. He's right-handed, well-under six feet, probably about 150 to 160 pounds. If I can knock him out before the action starts there's a good chance he can survive this relatively unharmed. James, when he was a good guy, told us not to target the youngsters in a fire-fight. Impressionable teenagers weren't the enemy - the older guys who should know better were our premiere targets. If there was no option you'd have to take them out, but like I did in the hostage situation, the young guys who survived I didn't shoot to kill.

I've been trying to work out how many people are inside the building. Victoria disappeared after I saw her outdoors with James and Laurent. I have to presume she's in here somewhere. Besides James and Laurent, there's Drew, the young guy in this room, and at least one guy from the forest. I guess if there's a basement there's a guard down there as well. There could be more as I've only seen about half of the property. If the Colonel's men are using thermal imaging equipment they'll be able to work out how many people are in here and where they are, and hopefully where we are. The people who stay put when the shooting starts are always the hostages, so we should be easy to spot. My plan is to get Edward out of here before any shots are fired though, although I haven't worked out how to do this yet.

My heart is pounding in my chest and I'm definitely experiencing a full-on adrenalin rush. This hasn't happened to me since the airport incident when the terrorists attacked my unit. It all happened so fast. It was over in less than three minutes, yet the after-effects lasted years. I'm about to be tested for the first time since my PTSD diagnosis, and even though I'm pumped and ready to go, there's a niggling doubt in my mind that I'll freeze if there's gunfire. I didn't freeze that day; my body was on autopilot. You're trained to react without thinking. It was only when I saw my fallen comrades that I fell apart.

Edward is blissfully unaware of what might happen in the next few minutes or hours. He has absolutely no idea that out in the woods some of the most highly-trained soldiers in the world are preparing to storm the building when whoever the Colonel is after turns up. Also, and this will be an even bigger shock, his father could be in the basement. I'm glad now that I put the idea that Carlisle could still be alive in his head.

It's my responsibility now to ensure Edward survives this. If the Colonel's unit doesn't arrive soon, I can't see any way I can rescue Carlisle single-handedly without a weapon, even using all the toys that Drew has left me to play with.

Edward

I don't know what to say to her. I've been trying to think of something that will alert her to the fact that I've worked out what's going on. I wish the guard would go for a piss. He's not going to leave us on our own for a second though.

Trying not to look at Bella is impossible as her face is fascinating to watch. I can tell she's sizing up the guard and the room, which I admit I was doing when she was in the bathroom. The guard is a wimp. Even Mitzi could take him out if he didn't have a gun. His right hand is permanently hovering close to his shoulder holster; his left hand tucked inside his belt. I'm guessing he must be tired of standing as he's constantly alternating his weight from one foot to another. My bet is he's not a professional soldier. I'll also bet this is Bella's assessment too. Poor guy; he won't last five seconds.

Bella keeps checking out the window. Her eyes are darting from side to side which means she's watching the trees for movement. Fifteen minutes ago I felt calm. I'm feeling anxious now anticipating what might happen. Thinking back to the action movies I've watched over the years, it's best to dive towards the spot under the window if bullets start flying in from outside. I could pull the sofa on top of us but it's so knackered it wouldn't stop a BB gun, never mind an automatic weapon.

She was in with James a long time which makes me wonder what they were talking about. My guess is Bella tried to make out she wasn't aware anything sinister was going on but James didn't believe her. Either that or she's still working for him, so putting her in here with me is part of the game. Is there some sort of 'Stockholm Syndrome' plot going on here, where she coerces me into talking dad into cooperating with James or his paymaster because I have feelings for her, or to save our skin? No, she lied to James, but then that could be part of the game as well. A double or treble-bluff? Ah shit! I don't know what to believe, who to believe, or what the fuck's going on!

My inner-monologue parrot is back again, whispering in my ear.

Why are you over-thinking this? Whether Bella is working for James or not isn't an issue. You're in a situation you have no control over. Be alert and react to whatever happens around you. If you survive, you'll discover who was working for you or against you. Self-preservation is your only concern now so concentrate on that.

Before I can agree or not with Polly Parrot, I can hear raised voices coming from the direction of James' office which is worrying. Bella shuffles in her chair and reaches for her backpack.

"Okay if I have a cigarette," she asks our guard. He shrugs his shoulders and Bella takes this as permission. As she's scrabbling around in her bag I hear the sound of a helicopter approaching and know instinctively things are going to kick off very soon. I have an idea.

"Can I have one?" I ask.

Before she has a chance to question this because I'd given up, I add, "You promised me you'd stopped because of your mom's cancer. What happened?"

Bella visibly stiffens before throwing a cigarette at me. "Yeah well, stress gets to you sometimes. These are your cigarettes anyway. I ran out when you left me in the house so I had to go searching."

"Thief!" I reply as I catch her lighter in mid-air. I really don't want the cigarette but it's done its job. Bella knows now that I've picked up why she lied to James. She's lied again, as there were no cigarettes in dad's house other than her own. As she takes her first puff, the corner of her mouth turns up in a smile. I reciprocate. Order is restored.

Bella goes back to searching her bag and brings out a small bottle of perfume. Even I'm not stupid enough to believe she wants to smell nice when the action starts, so what is she doing? Her hand goes in the bag again and this time I notice her sliding what looks like a pen inside her sleeve. It's like watching Mary Poppins – it'll be an aspidistra or a hat stand next.

There are more raised voices outside and footsteps walking towards us along the corridor. Bella picks up the perfume bottle and unscrews the top.

"Do you like this scent," she asks and pretends to spray it on her wrist. As I lean towards her to fake sniff it, she springs from her chair and rushes up to the guard spraying perfume in his face while covering her nose and mouth with her t-shirt. As his hands automatically fly up to cover his face, she grabs his gun then jumps away from the cloud of whatever she's sprayed on him. Pointing the gun at his balls she makes the zipped mouth sign. The guard's eyes widen for a few seconds and then close slowly as he collapses backward on the door and slides into a heap on the floor.

"Jesus, what the hell was that?" I hiss.

"Incapacitating agent, better known as knockout gas," Bella mumbles from inside her t-shirt. "He'll be fine in about fifteen minutes."

"What do we do now?"

"Put your t-shirt over your face including your eyes and help me move him," Bella whispers.

I do what she says jump to my feet and feel my way over to his body. I grab his legs and pull him out the way.

"Sofa, in front of the door next, Edward."

"That won't stop them," I argue.

"I want them to believe I've barricaded us in. Do as you're told and you can pull your t-shirt down. The gas is on the floor by now so it's safe."

As silently as possible we push the sofa over and then the chairs. It won't stop them for long but enough for them to think this is our plan of defense. Bella shoots over to the window and tries to open it but it's locked. She pulls the pen from her sleeve and flicks the cap off. Inside is an odd-shaped nib which I guess at first is a screwdriver. Trying to be helpful I look for anything to unscrew but Bella is already dragging the nib across the bottom of the glass.

"Diamond cutter," she mutters in response to my un-asked question as an etched line appears. "Here," she says and hands it to me so I can reach the top of the window. I take it and complete the square. I presume she's going to ask me to push the glass out so wait for instructions.

"Now what?" I ask.

Bella doesn't answer. Instead, she delves into her bag again and brings out a different pack of cigarettes. After knocking four of them out she hands two to me then pushes me so I'm flat against the wall next to the door.

"Keep your nose and mouth covered by your t-shirt. When I say 'snap', take a deep breath, break the cigarettes in half and throw them on the floor. Okay?"

I nod my head and pull my t-shirt over my nose and mouth again. Bella turns the light out and stands behind the door.

"Ready," she asks.

I tempted to say 'no'. Instead, I nod my head even though I don't know what the hell I'm ready for.

Yorkie

I've had enough of this. I'm not waiting for the Colonel's call which will never come. I was there at the start and want to be there at the end. He's not my boss so he can't stop me from sniffing around. I'm technically out of my jurisdiction, but I'm still a San Francisco cop. I've got more right to be here than he has. Okay, that's probably not true but I'm not walking away, especially not from Bella.

I've never met anyone like her before. She's like whatshername from Tomb Raider. The girl Angelina Jolie played … Lara Croft, that's it. They should make a movie about Isabella Swan – a true-life Lara. I'd pay to see that. I wonder why the army let her go. I'm beginning to wonder now whether they did. It would make sense if she's working undercover for the Colonel or the CIA.

I'm honored that she trusted me enough to call me from the house and ask me to help her and Edward get away. I followed her instructions and headed south but I still can't work out why she asked me not to mention to Edward that she wanted to check out the villa. She must trust him by now, surely? I can only guess he might not have wanted to come here without back-up, which is understandable. I hope I'll have an opportunity to ask her later.

Talking to the Colonel was weird. When she slipped me his number with the pack of chewing gum and candy I didn't ask for, as well as the prompt to call him, I'm hoping this is because she wanted me to be involved at the end. That's what I've convinced myself anyway. Why has she been secretive about this as well? Does Edward not know Bella is working with this Colonel guy? Why the hell hasn't she told him? This whole case has revolved around keeping other parties in the dark. I've got no idea who's been leaning on my boss and his boss, so why all the subterfuge?

I'm going back to the villa. To be honest I don't care if I get fired for this. Life is for living and I'd regret it for the rest of my life if I walked away now. I like being a detective and San Francisco is a great city, but compared to all the humdrum cases I've worked on, this is the most exciting thing I've ever done in my life.

James

This is it then. Crunch time. I still have options even though none of them have me coming out on top, or should I say unscathed. I could do what Bella suggests and cooperate with the police, which means I'd end up with a shortened but still a long prison sentence. If I have time I could hand the Cullens and Bella over to Li and deny any involvement when the cops turn up, even though Laurent, the bastard, led the police to my doorstep and there's enough evidence in the basement to prove Carlisle has been working here. Or, I could blow Li's helicopter out of the sky either before it lands or as it leaves. The final option is tempting only I'd be on the run from Li's organization for the rest of my life.

What to do with Laurent? That's another burning issue I'll have to deal with. I've done many bad things in my life but I've never killed anyone unless it was with the approval of the US military. This is a route I don't want to go down but he's scammed half a million dollars from me, and there's also more than two hundred thousand dollars in expenses he's effectively stolen from my business. If I kill him, I'd never get that money back. The half-mil would stay in a Caribbean tax haven for eternity unless Victoria is in on Laurent's scam. I'll have to give this some thought.

When Li finds out he's been brought here under false pretenses he'll go insane. Calling him and pretending that Carlisle had produced the device was the only way I could get him here to take the Cullens away. I'll have to come clean as soon as he lands and say I hope he has more luck than me getting Carlisle to cooperate. With Edward here as part of the deal plus all Carlisle's computers and papers, he may let me keep some of the 250k he deposited in my bank account.

My only other option is to get in the Jeep and drive. I've learned enough skills during my time in the military to disappear for a few years and come up with a new identity. Okay, I'll be broke for a while, but somehow I'll rise like a Phoenix and get back on my feet again.

Bella was right when she guessed Laurent had led me down this path. For someone who gave the best twenty-one years of his life to the army and left with full honors, I've sunk so low. Why the hell did I listen to him and be tempted to take the quick route to wealth so easily. It was against my nature and my principles. Bella was right there too. Where has the James Hunter she knew gone? Is it too late to get him back? I suppose it is.

I'm pacing around the office like a caged tiger listening out for the helicopter and trying to decide which option to take when three things happen almost at once.

Drew races into the office without knocking, yelling "The security detail aren't responding to their radios. There's something going on out there but it's definitely not cops. There's no way they'd be able to sneak up on our guys."

I rush to the door to look out only it's impossible to see anything past the tree line in the half-light. Even though I can't see them I know who's out there. It's an instinct that never leaves you no matter how long you've been away from the Service. My guys wouldn't have stood a chance.

At the same time, the distinctive throbbing sound of a helicopter fills the air breaking my train of thought. Leaving all this shit behind and making a run for it is not an option anymore if the villa is surrounded so I'll have to bluff this out. The noise becomes deafening as the beast drops out of the sky, it's searchlight illuminating the landing pad. The downdraft blows leaves and cigarette ends through the open door. The dog is barking furiously. I dash to my desk drawer and take out one of my pistols, checking that it's loaded before tucking it in my belt behind me.

As I'm digesting the implications of my security team not being contactable and therefore I'll be unprotected from Li's anger, the third and worst disaster happens. The guard who should be stationed outside the basement door bursts into the office shouting ...

"Boss ... Cullen's dead. He's killed himself."

As my life crashes around me I feel fury bubbling inside me like a volcano about to blow, only this time there's nothing left on my desk or shelves to throw.

Bella

I heard it.

Edward heard it.

There's no way to un-hear what the guy was yelling at James.

The expression/cliché, whatever you want to call it, when someone says 'the Earth stood still', I totally get now. It's as though the air has been sucked out of the room and we're in some sort of void. The only reason I allowed us both to be captured by James has gone. Everything I and the Colonel have worked toward has been for nothing.

I remember being glad I didn't see Edward when he dropped Mitzi off with Emmett after he got the call to say his dad was dead. Emmett said he looked crushed that morning. I now know what Emmett saw. The pain in Edward's face is extraordinary. I want to hold him, to hug him, but I have to act quickly because James will presume we heard what was being shouted. I have to get Edward away from here as we have no value to either James or Mr Big now.

My plan to make James think we'd both escaped through the window but I would stay in the building and take out as many of these assholes as possible before rescuing Carlisle, is now unnecessary. Escaping is our only option.

As I'm wracking my brain about what to do, the throbbing noise of the helicopter which is overhead fills the room. It's deafening, even though it's landing on the other side of the villa. I'm not good at identifying aircraft but I can tell this is a big one so it's expecting to take passengers.

I grab the noise opportunity and dash towards the window, pressing my hands against the glass. It doesn't move immediately but I keep pushing until I feel it shift under my palms. I jump backward as the pane pops and watch as it slides away in one piece until it smashes when it hits the ground outside.

"Edward, we've got to get out," I hiss. He's staring at the door and it's as though he's in a trance and hasn't heard me. His hands have balled into fists and I know if I don't get him out of here he'll shove the furniture aside, kick the door down and attack James. I grab my backpack and sling it over my shoulders, and with the guard's gun in one hand and Edward's hand in the other, I tug him towards the window.

"I want to kill them, Bella," he says in a low voice laden with fury.

"Not now, Edward. I need to get you to safety. You and I can't do anything here. My Unit is in the woods. They'll bring these bastards to justice. You're going to have to trust me as you've never trusted me before."

As I'm dragging Edward towards the window I can hear the door being unlocked. I'm tempted to shoot through it, but it could be Drew on the other side. I could use the cigarette smoke bombs to confuse them, but that would indicate we've only just got away. I want whoever it is to think we're long-gone. We have time because of the barricade and I clamber out the window first, cutting my left hand in the process and catching Sue's skirt on the hem. It rips and I feel guilty - damn. Edward is more cautious when he climbs out, but he still cuts his palm badly on the sharp edge of the window frame. Blood is dripping from his right hand but there's nothing I can do for him. We have to get away.

Bent double and staying as close to the villa as possible, we run hand in hand until we're around the corner of the building. Whoever it was trying to get in our room won't be able to see us now if they poke their head out the window. The woods are more than a hundred yards away and there's still enough light for us to be spotted, but the trees are our only hope of escape.

"Do you want to risk it?" I say to Edward. Even though the light is dim, there's enough for me to see his face is glistening with tears. He nods his head so I grab hold of his right hand with my left hand. My bleeding hand is holding the guard's gun.

"Let's go," I whisper.

As soon as we move away from the building we activate a sensor. Our path to the trees is flooded with bright white light. We can't turn back now so we keep running across the open space. We're almost at the tree line when we're spotted. I can hear yelling behind us and a shot rings out.

"Don't look back," I scream at Edward. "Keep going, even if I get hit."

Another shot is fired and another as we dive into the woodland. As we're scrabbling through thick bracken and then over rough ground covered with tree roots I'm trying to work out which way is the road but I've totally lost my bearings.

We've been under the trees for about thirty yards when a huge man wearing combats jumps down from above, landing in front of me. He grabs my gun before I can react and roughly gets hold of my arm. I'm still holding Edward's hand but this is wrenched away as Edward is grabbed by another man also wearing combats.

I turn my head and look into Edward's eyes and the only word I can think of saying to him is 'sorry.'

Disaster!

Poor Edward. He'll be devastated. To get this far and then hear that his dad has just killed himself. That's what Carlisle threatened to do because he couldn't risk Edward being harmed by James.

What is James going to do now? Li has just turned up wanting the device which he hasn't got. He can't hand Carlisle over to him either. His security team is not answering their radios and he presumes, correctly, that the villa is surrounded by the military so he can't even make a run for it. He'll soon realize that Edward and Bella have escaped and will tell their story to the cops. To put it mildly, he's ... (fill in your own expletive here)!

So who has captured them? Is it Hunter's men or the Colonel's?

The next chapter is going to be emotional.

Joan x