Happy Tuesday!
Driving into the sunrise was an awe-inspiring experience for Bella. When the fiery globe first crested the horizon, she could feel the solar radiation shoot straight through her. Bella watched the orange bulge expand until her eyes watered and she had to look away. She blinked away the tears and glanced over at Masen. He had been driving for almost three hours, staying barely above the speed limit, never deviating from the center of their lane. His skin was pale and his eyes were bloodshot. She had never seen him looking so drained.
"We need to stop soon. We should eat something. You need sleep. And you need to take those contacts out and give your eyes a break."
"Huh. You're right. Let me check in first." Moving slowly, he dialed Mahardy's cell phone and they both listened to it ring.
"G'morning," their supervisor greeted them groggily.
"Sure looks like it. No sign of a tail. How's the other team doing?"
"Enjoying a day off. Less than five minutes after you cleared out they had a visitor. Not really what we expected. A call girl came to their room and Miller turned her away. A few minutes later a couple of heavies in masks busted down the door and searched the place. They roughed Miller up a bit. Nicholson put on a good show of hysterics and they left empty handed. It only took them a few minutes to find their way down stairs. Nicholson says they did a quick search but didn't stick around for long."
"Is the drive safe?"
"Yep. It's been destroyed," said Mahardy.
"Good," Masen breathed, sounding relieved. "Tell them thanks for us."
"Yeah, well, you owe 'em both a case of beer."
"Take care of that for me, will you? You know I'm good for it."
"You are such an asshole," Mahardy grumbled.
"Yeah. I know," Masen shrugged.
"When did you realize you got made?" Mahardy asked the same question that had been eating at Bella. They had the advantage of several minutes on his pursuers. He must have known he was being followed and given them the slip at some point to have established such a long lead.
"That's the thing, I don't think I was. I'm pretty sure they were more interested in what I had than who I was."
"Huh. What makes you think that?"
"A dozen different clues. For one thing, I'm still alive. But from the start, Maria was far too happy to see me. Reporting on me probably earned her some brownie points. Trying to prove her loyalty, no doubt. She talked too much. Wanted to keep me around to meet some of her girls. Asked a lot of questions. Tried to plant a bug on me. Probably would have drugged my drink if I wasn't watching her like a hawk the whole damn time. She even ordered the car to take me back to the hotel. Naturally I sent them to the wrong one, then had the driver drop me off at a club on the other side of town. I thought I lost my tail by the third cab. They may be in with the taxi companies, or possibly just individual drivers."
"Shit," breathed Mahardy in a tired voice.
"Yeah. Lot's of it."
"Well, then. We know a little more about what we're up against."
"Yes we do. And, Rick. . ."
"Yeah?"
"Thanks. You were right."
"You're welcome," Mahardy said, sounding pleased. When Masen cleared his throat, Mahardy's tone changed. "Don't say it. Don't even think it."
"Say what? That there's a first for everything?"
"Fuck off, Masen. And get some sleep. You sound like shit."
Masen hung up, chuckling under his breath.
"That answers some of my questions," Bella spoke up for the first time.
"You have more?"
"What did they have to gain by following you? What were they looking for?"
"You haven't figured it out yet?"
"Obviously not," she retorted, wishing he could give her a straight answer for once.
"They were looking for you. It's only a monopoly if you own all the pieces." The humor was gone, leaving Masen's voice as hard and black as asphalt.
Shivers dripped down from her scalp to her spine, and she crossed her arms defensively. "They won't buy what they can take by force?"
"Pretty much."
"Hmmm." Bella mulled over what Mahardy had told them. "So who was the girl?"
"I have no clue. None at all. Could have been an honest mistake on her part, could have been a scout."
"And the hard drive you destroyed?"
"Best not to be found in my possession. We'd lose a lot more than our cover identities. Until I knew we weren't being followed, I couldn't risk keeping it, no matter what it cost to destroy it."
So there had been more valuable information on his computer. What else would she have learned in the coming days? What vital information were they being forced to do without?
"What next?" she asked.
"Like you said, we need to find something to eat, find a place to crash for a few hours, and I need to get these contacts out before they become permanently fused to my eyeballs."
"Glad to know you listen to me sometimes."
"I always listen to you, Swan," he grinned at her as they exited the interstate.
They headed south on a two-lane highway until they hit a small Ohio town that offered over-priced fuel, convenient calories and cheap lodgings. Masen checked them into a tiny motel, paid cash and parked their car beneath an oak tree in the far corner of the lot. Carrying only their toiletries and electronics, they hurried across the cracked and broken pavement to room number 8.
Masen seemed as comfortable with the stained and threadbare furnishings as he did surrounded by luxury. He removed his contacts, drowned his eyes with saline, inhaled three greasy breakfast sandwiches and collapsed onto the queen-sized bed with a muffled grunt. Bella's appetite hadn't handled her near-abduction as well as she thought. Her stomach felt like it was twisting in on itself. She forced herself to eat one sandwich before she got undressed down to her underwear, brushed her teeth and slipped beneath the covers. The too-tight bra was bruising her ribs so she self-consciously unhooked it and tossed it on top of her other clothes. She didn't think she could relax, but sheer, bone-deep exhaustion won, and she fell into a dreamless sleep.
The promised rest turned out to be far too short. Masen woke her up three hours later with a painful pinch on her upper arm.
"Come on, rookie. We both need some exercise before we lock ourselves back in our four-wheeled prison."
"I am not running in stilettos. I thought we already discussed this," she groaned, hiding her eyes from the light.
"Not running. Yoga."
"You want me to lie down on that carpet?"
"Unless you've discovered the secrets of levitation, yes."
His expression challenged her to argue one more time. With a murderous glare at her partner, Bella levered herself out of bed, used the bathroom, splashed ice-cold water on her face, then put on her shirt before joining him on the floor. It didn't matter that he never seemed to notice her body, she was not doing yoga topless. He led her through simple breathing exercises before beginning a sequence of poses. The tension seeped out of her body with every calming breath. When he helped her back to her feet half an hour later, she was moving more easily than she had since they first started driving. They took turns showering, redressed and were back on the road by late morning.
"How far today?" Bella asked as she fastened her seatbelt.
"Cincinnati. Then we'll take I-75 clear through to Florida. We'll stop in Macon tomorrow night and be in Palm Beach on Sunday evening. Right on schedule."
"I'm gonna need more than half an hour of yoga when we get there," Bella sighed, flexing her bare feet.
"We'll work the kinks out. Don't worry."
"Don't worry. Ha. That was cute."
"You think so?"
"Better than 1-2-3-4-5," she laughed.
"Believe it or not, I've actually seen that movie."
"Congratulations. You may be human after all."
"If you say so." His easy smile grew serious and he continued, "Ms Swan, there's something we need to discuss."
"Okay. What is it?" Bella turned in her seat to watch him. His eyes stayed fixed on a point a hundred yards in front of the car.
"You were right to question our plan for approaching the sexual violence we will see and experience while we are there. This isn't my first mission, but it is yours. You have no idea what to expect, and I can't expect you to know how to respond to or cope with the challenges in front of us."
Bella waited in silence as he gathered his thoughts before continuing.
"From what I've seen in the past, public displays of deviance are the norm with groups like this. The act of exposing your crimes establishes a solid baseline of morality among criminals. And trust, of a sort. I don't plan to subject either of us to that. Edward Cullen is aloof and insular, much more so than our targets. Standing above such public displays of licentiousness is completely in character for him. They'll accept it."
"So we won't need to perform in public."
"Not sexually, no. I will be rough with you, though. Nothing you can't handle. But others will flaunt their depravity. There is no way for you to prepare for that. It's not something that you can ever become immune to. Not unless there is something wrong with you."
"And we can't do anything to stop it," Bella acknowledged, feeling ill.
"We are doing something to stop it. But that requires allowing what is already happening to continue until we are in the position to bring the perpetrators to ultimate justice. If we jump the gun, a lot of guilty people will go free. This may be the hardest part of our job. Harder even than the physical challenges."
Bella was unable to speak so she nodded to show she understood.
"If everything goes to plan, Mr. Cullen will be invited to present Marie to the Volturi and see some of the other girls. We will both be watched at every turn. If they believe he is who he claims to be, they may extend an invitation to enter their compound. Wherever it is, we can expect both audio and video surveillance. I'll do what I can to eliminate that nuisance, but in the event that I cannot, I'll give you these signals." He rubbed his temple as if he had a headache. "We're being listened to." He pinched the bridge of his nose and scowled, the picture of a man stressed to his breaking point. "We're being watched. Easy enough?"
"Yeah. I can remember that."
"I see no value in practicing an assault. From the position of a man who is enraged or overcome by violence, the actions he takes must be spontaneous and fluid, reacting to the catalyst and the environment. Unpredictable. The same goes for a victim. Marie's reactions must be truly authentic."
"I do better when I follow your cues anyway."
"I know. From the very beginning, your instincts have been your greatest asset."
"Thanks," she said, softly.
"Just being honest," he smiled. "Now, Edward Cullen is the picture of rigid self-control. That is his strength. However, he may need to show weakness before the Volturi are willing to truly trust him. He'll only give that up in private. It shouldn't come to that, but if it does, do exactly as I say and we'll be okay."
"Of course," she agreed without hesitation. Her imagination was filling in the blanks. With a man as base and immoral as Edward Cullen, losing control could only take one track. The thought terrified her. But she trusted Masen.
Didn't she?
Yes, she decided. She trusted him with her life. And more.