A/N: Can I just say, you guys are the most incredible crowd. I was floored by the responses to last chapter. And impressed. The emotions you have for these characters and this story make writing for you such an honor and a pleasure. Thank you!
Now, here's a funny confession. While I was reading through the reviews, there were a couple that made me go, "What? I KNOW I addressed that!" Then I realized that, while I had in fact written it already, I hadn't yet posted that scene. So, I hope this installment addresses some of your concerns and answers some of the questions from the reviews for Chapter 32.
One question that you won't find the answer to, "When will Bella and Agent Masen fall in love?" Uhhhhh. . . . don't hold your breath. :)
Thanks again for all the fantastic feedback. Love you guys! -Maggie
"How are you really? Be completely honest," Masen inquired, once they were back in the car and on their way back to the hotel.
"A little dizzy. Shaky. I was nauseated for a while, but the swim helped. I'm okay now."
"Hmm," Masen said, doubtfully. "When we get back to the hotel, I want you to have a small snack, another glass of water and a nap."
"No argument here," Bella responded. "Thanks, by the way. The pool felt delicious."
"You were wilting," he said, matter-of-factly. "I told you to tell me if it was getting to be too much."
"I was playing it up a bit. Honest. I'm fine. But even so, thanks," she repeated. "So, the FBI is really going to buy a mansion?"
"We'll get it under market. The wife just filed for divorce. That's why they're selling. They're going to want to unload it pretty quick. After this is all done, we can turn around and sell it at a profit. Might even foot the bill for this entire operation."
"Aha. Agent Masen redefines fiscal responsibility."
"Nah, I'm just practical."
"What about this evening? Are we still on for dinner in the restaurant?"
"Let's wait and see. I don't want to push too hard all at once. This has been a rough day for you already."
"I can handle it."
"I'm sure you can. But being capable of something doesn't mean you should do it. You don't have to prove anything to me. Or yourself, for that matter. You're doing fine."
She wasn't in complete agreement with her partner, but Bella nodded her acquiescence.
Her hair and makeup were a mess, and her shorts bore an embarrassing watermark, but neither of them received a lot of attention as they worked their way through the bustling hotel lobby. People were coming and going dressed in everything from business attire to beach wear.
Back in their suite, Bella rinsed away the chlorine, conditioned her hair the way Jacob had taught her and rejoined Masen in the dining room. He was munching on a plate of cheese and crackers while working on his phone.
Bella didn't have much of an appetite, but she obediently ate everything he had put out for her, finished another glass of water and lay down on the couch. She was physically and psychologically drained, but unable to sleep right away. Her brain needed to unwind after the tension of facing down Edward Cullen and Malcolm Delancy. She turned on the television and flipped through the channels until she found a local news station. Thunderstorms in the forecast all week long. Nothing new there.
The topic switched to a recent fire and rescue operation, and Bella zoned out to the muffled tones of the anchorman's voice. Sometime later, the sound of Masen closing his suitcase snapped her back to wakefulness.
Bella sat up and asked, "Where are you going?"
"A meeting. I'll be back in an hour or so. Get some rest," he said with a smile and let himself out, hanging the "Do Not Disturb" sign back on the door knob behind him as he had every time he left the suite since their arrival. They didn't want the maid popping in when they weren't prepared.
She was curious about who he could be meeting. He hadn't mentioned anything earlier, as far as she could remember. Unfortunately, even her curiosity wasn't strong enough to combat the lethargy that seeped through her muscles. Bella yawned, pulled her robe a little tighter around her body and melted back into the couch.
She drifted back to wakefulness when it was full dark, with blurry images marching across the surreal dreamscape of her subconscious mind. She sat up and looked around, shaking her head to chase the phantoms away. Masen's face was lit by the bluish glow of his laptop as he sat typing at the table.
"What time is it?" Bella yawned, completely disoriented. She normally hated sleeping during the day for this exact reason.
"Almost 11."
"Shit. I slept that long?"
"Heat stress is nothing to scoff at. You needed the rest. Trust me."
She touched the blue stone that rested just below her larynx. It was cool to the touch, but sinister all the same.
"No demo tonight, huh?"
"I don't think it's necessary. Delancy seems quite taken with Marie. And I don't think there's any doubt in his mind about what her relationship with Cullen really is. Let's just roll with things as they stand."
Bella shrugged. The collar demo idea had been a greater source of anxiety than anything else they had thought up. In truth, she was relieved to skip it. He was probably right. If it wasn't necessary, then it was better for them to follow their current track.
"What are you doing?"
"Emailing your parents again."
"Wait. . . what? Again? What are you telling them?" Bella cried, rolling off the couch and hurrying over to see for herself.
"Does it matter? It's all a facade."
"Maybe for you, but they're my parents. What did they say?"
Masen gave an exasperated sigh and rubbed one eye impatiently with the heel of his palm. He had already removed his contacts for the night, but his eyes were obviously irritated.
"Be my guest," he said, turning the screen so she could read.
Bella scrolled through nearly a week of emails. Her jaw came unhinged.
"You've been emailing back and forth with my mom since we left? Why didn't you tell me? I could have written these."
"And said what? It's all random shit. Half of it is made up. Commentary about the gopher tasks at the office, yeah you saw that Facebook post, they're raising the rents at your apart-"
"They're what?"
"Don't worry. It's only 50 bucks a month."
"That's a lot of money!"
"See what I mean? There's no benefit to you doing this. It's just a distraction. Keep your head in the game."
"Wait, so you get to add playing Bella Swan to your acting résumé? You don't have to play me. I'm right here!"
"Not for long. As Edward Cullen, I can use my phone or laptop whenever I like. With the encryption and security features on these things, it doesn't matter what I say or do, or who I send it to. It's completely secure. You aren't going to be allowed to touch a calculator, let alone a cell phone. Lock it down, Swan. This is no time to get mopey and homesick."
"Lock it down, yourself, Masen! I'm not moping. And I'm not homesick. I just figured that if my mom and dad are sending me messages, they should get to the intended recipient."
"They will. You can review your backstory before we go home."
"Great. You have a comeback for everything, huh? What about your backstory? Should I be prancing around the digital universe wearing a Masen mask? Maybe I should be meddling with your stock portfolio or sexting your girlfr-"
"Are you done?" he cut her off with an irritated look.
"I. . ." Bella folded her arms and glared. Maybe she was being immature. In fact, her emotional outburst was pretty much proving his point for him. She ground her teeth together in frustration. "Ugh. Fine, yes. But, you really piss me off sometimes."
"I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't. Now, what do you think about shopping for a pet? Is that something you would do?"
Bella looked at him like he was crazy. "No. Please no."
"Not even a snake? Or a pig?"
"Fucker," she laughed, taking a swipe at the back of his head. He didn't even bother trying to block it.
"Apology accepted."
"Jerk," Bella grumbled, but his teasing had broken through the tension, and her anger drained away quickly. "So, what now?" she asked, finally sitting down beside him and plucking a tortilla chip out of the bowl that rested in the middle of the table. She scooped up some salsa and guacamole and waited for his instructions.
"We'll hit the gym again in the morning. Then there's lunch by the pool. Tomorrow afternoon, I'll continue with my prospecting activities, so you'll be chilling on your own for a few hours. The rest is up to the Volturi."
"How do you think they'll make contact?"
"Best guess? An invitation to a party. Maybe an outing on a boat. Somewhere far away from prying eyes so they can screen electronic transmissions and conversations until I'm properly vetted."
"Hmmm. And William Gibbs and Malcolm Delancy are both active participants, according to Tanya."
"That's right. What we've seen so far seems to confirm that intel. The invitation will probably come from one of them."
"How long do you think it will take?" Bella wondered, thinking of the long hours she would be spending alone in the hotel.
"If we're lucky, sometime next week." He stretched his arms above his head and let out a big yawn. "Damn. I'm ready for bed. You coming?"
Bella gave a start. "I. . . No. Not yet. I just slept for more than six hours. I was thinking of watching a movie."
"Cool. Don't forget to keep drinking water. And there's food in the fridge. We'll head downstairs a bit earlier tomorrow."
"What time?"
"5:30 okay with you?"
"That sounds like a terrible idea, but okay. Why not? G'night," she said, watching his back as he crossed the room. As soon as she heard the bathroom door shut, she checked his laptop, but the screen was already locked. "Fucker," she muttered again, simultaneously annoyed and amused.
Either he had very deeply ingrained habits, or he didn't trust her. He would be smart not to. She wished she could have sent one message to her mom. Just one. She wanted to be the one to type "I love you guys!" before signing off. Even if they didn't know the difference, it would have mattered to her. She settled for the best she could do, under the circumstances.
"Love you guys," Bella whispered into the air, wishing they could hear her, but knowing that they couldn't. And they wouldn't. Not for a long time.
Bella finished the rest of the chips, then, realizing she was still hungry, went over to the kitchen to explore the contents of the refrigerator. They were disappointing. She wanted something sweet or chocolatey. What she found was hummus, sliced veggies, a few apples and foil packets of tuna. The door held skim milk, nonfat Greek yogurt and string cheese. It looked like the refrigerator of a health-conscious, middle-aged control freak.
"You are taking this too damn far, Masen," she said under her breath. She helped herself to an apple and two sticks of cheese, filled a glass at the sink and settled back down in front of the TV to watch an "I Love Lucy" marathon.
Masen shook her awake at 5 am.
"Come on, party animal. Time to workout." He turned off the television and picked up her trash off the coffee table. "And brush your teeth."
"Hnnngh," Bella groaned. "Why do I feel hungover?"
"That's not uncommon after an episode of heat stress."
"I wasn't that bad off," Bella argued.
"No. But that doesn't mean you're unaffected. Take a couple ibuprofen. After lunch I want you to take a nap."
"Yes, Nurse Masen."
"Sarcasm won't get you anywhere."
"That's obviously never stopped you," Bella joked.
"And look where it's gotten me."
"Trapped in a luxury hotel suite with me?"
"A fate worse than death. Come on. You look like shit. Hurry up."
"Sure. We've gotta be the first ones there. . ." she grumbled, as she shuffled off to the bathroom to make herself presentable.
As it turned out, they weren't the first ones to arrive. They reached the hotel fitness room at 5:37. Demetri was already there, walking on the treadmill that Edward Cullen had used the day before. He lit up when he saw Marie slip through the door, and even maintained a neutral, welcoming expression when her controlling 'boyfriend' stepped into the room right behind her.
Mr. Cullen's reaction was not neutral. He took one glance at the other man and muttered under his breath, "Pissant."
With Demetri using the treadmill in the middle of the bank of aerobic equipment, Edward Cullen chose a different routine. He set Marie to work climbing an infinite staircase for 30 minutes. She had only taken four steps when he hooked his finger in her necklace and pulled backing, jabbing her between the shoulderblades with his other hand.
"Stand up straight. You look like a rodent."
Marie gave a surprised sob, but stood up straighter. "Yes, sir," she gasped.
He watched her for several more seconds before scanning the room. When he saw Demetri watching them, he glared. With an unintelligible grunt, he dropped down on the rubberized floor and began doing push ups.
Mr. Cullen's pace exactly matched Marie's steps. Sixty beats per minute. He hit a count of 100 and kept going, his inhalations as relaxed after one hundred repetitions as they had been at ten.
Bella knew her legs were going to feel like rubber by the time they were done. She was frustrated by Marie's need to look straight forward. She was curious to see how Demetri was responding. Why was he there so early? They had arrived at 6 the day before and he hadn't been there yet. Was Masen right? Was he interested in Marie?
She was only four minutes into her stairclimber workout when Edward Cullen changed exercises, doing full sit ups on the floor beside her without a mat or a foot bar. Her spine and hips ached just thinking about it. He was making a statement, and it wasn't directed at her.
A few minutes later, he crossed behind her to the pull up bar that was bolted into the wall. Bella could see him in the mirror. Thirty pull ups, just like clock work. He dropped from the bar and started doing lunges in place. His back was ramrod straight, and there was a military-like precision to all of his movements.
When he had completed a set of sixty lunges, he returned to her side and began the routine all over again. He was never more than three paces away from her. When Marie's timer beeped and the stairclimber slowed down, he was there at her elbow. She stepped off the machine unsteadily, taking his proffered arm out of need, not by choice.
Beneath her fingertips, Bella could feel the blood rushing through his veins and the sweat that clung to his skin. His breathing, however, was still unhurried. Obviously, he could have kept going. The man was a machine. That was an unsettling thought. At that moment, he was not her friend.
They both took turns at the drinking fountain, then he escorted her to the door. A few other people had arrived during the final minutes of their workout, but Mr. Cullen hadn't given Demetri any opening to approach her again. Marie's eyes slid to the side as they passed the treadmills. Demetri gave her a cheeky smile and winked. She caught her toe on a seam in the floor. Embarrassed, Marie dropped her eyes to the floor and didn't look back.