I wanted to say a very big THANK YOU to Nicffwhisperer for mentioning this story over at TLS! Very, very cool.
SM owns Twilight! I'm only playing with her characters, and doing things that children shouldn't be reading about with them.
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I locked the door, then got changed for bed. I turned off the light, crawled under the blankets, and…
Stared at the black ceiling.
He was right outside; he could wake up any moment, and try to come in here.
The door was locked.
He could open that lock with a Q-tip, or break it down.
But he wouldn't. Rose said he wouldn't.
But how well does Rose really know him?
I got out of my bed, and slid the heavy nightstand in front of it.
What if there's a fire? And the smoke knocks you out before you can move it away in time?
I'd rather burn to death than feel another man touch me again.
But he won't. He actually really doesn't seem like that sort of guy in the slightest, but no matter what I told myself I just couldn't seem to settle my unease.
So I just sat up in my bed with the lights on, waiting and arguing and trying to convince myself to just calm the fuck down. But it didn't work, and absolutely nothing happened.
By four I had given up trying, got changed into my work-out clothes, and slipped out of my room. He was still sound asleep on the couch, and I left a quick note explaining where I was, reluctantly putting my phone number down on the paper as well. I was going to change numbers again when I got home anyways, no big deal really.
I didn't wait to get down to the gym; as soon as the door to his suite closed behind me I ran. I sprinted down the hallway, flew down the stairwell, then hit the humid air as my feet connected with the sidewalk. I set my alarm while jogging down the street, and ran until my legs and lungs burned, letting the physical pain pull me away from the worse sort of pain, the one that tried to drown me from inside my mind. I ran until that alarm went off, and then I turned on the spot and started running back.
When I walked back into our room, I quickly ripped down the note I'd left on the door and shoved it into my pocket, rejoicing in the fact that I'd gotten back before he'd woken up to see it. I wasn't worried about hiding this look from him; he'd already seen me at my gym, there was no point. He sat up when I walked inside, rubbing at his eyes. It was kind of adorable. My mouth ran away from me.
"Hey sleeping beauty. You're up."
Maybe I was still high from my run.
"Where'd you go off to?" he mumbled sleepily.
"Running." He still looked mostly asleep, and I took my chance to disappear and steal the shower first. I grabbed all my things, but when I got into the bathroom I froze.
I think the worst part was knowing I was being completely ridiculous, and having that knowledge do nothing to relieve me from that weighted fear that sat on my chest, heavy and impossible to ignore.
So I just pushed through, feeling like I'd be sick again any moment. I took off my clothes and got into the water, staring at the doorknob the entire time. I was more than relieved when I was dressed again, and quickly cleared out of the bathroom in case he needed it. In my room I dried and tied back my hair into that stupid fucking bun, then went out and sat on the couch to go through my e-mail, managing to connect to the WiFi on my phone instead of the hotel's.
I checked the one I had set up to alert me if I got any hits on Victor's description from the program I had running at home. Then there was my account for Alec, the one for Em and Rose, my building, the one I gave out to my contacts and the one for the club. Then I checked my phone. Jacob was able to take care of a mix-up in a liquor delivery, and Sam had a request from a tenant to use the rooftop for a party. I took the time to both thank Jacob and respond to Sam while the shower was going. I told him to get me the usual information; the size of the party and the time frame they would require access for, before I gave him the go ahead to give them the usual contracts to sign.
I sent a text to Benjamin, just confirming my reservation at that corner table, and reminding him of the party I was working for. I ignored Emmett's text asking if I'd slept last night, but was reassured by Ben's quick response that I was reading as Hollywood came out from his shower. He was wearing dark designer jeans and this beautiful deep green shirt, untucked over a black t-shirt. As he walked by and stopped by me, I found myself inhaling the gentle scent of his cologne, or shampoo, whatever.
He smelt good. Like, really good.
My inspection of him was very quick, but when he stopped and looked at me, he just kind of… stayed that way. I felt equal parts uncomfortable, annoyed, and flattered, but I could only take it for so long. I needed to do something, move, fast. Now. "Your agent won't be here for two hours, you hungry?"
He blinked, then looked away as he fidgeted uncomfortably. "Not really, I'm not a big breakfast person. Thanks." He sat back down on the couch he had slept on and picked up the bundle of papers he'd been reading yesterday.
"Your loss," I said, before retreating like a coward. I didn't care. That look had been so intense… I took a shuddering breath, and then looked for something to occupy my mind to help me calm down. I was fine. He just looked at me, it was no big deal. As I opened the fridge I took out the only things that looked slightly appealing to my nauseous stomach; bacon and strawberries. I cut open the package, found a frying pan and some tongs, and started cooking it while cleaning and cutting the strawberries. There were bananas, yogurt, ice and a blender and I immediately decided a smoothie was the way to go. My favourite comfort food.
He said he didn't want anything, but I still felt rude. I even had enough strawberries cut for another smoothie.
No sane person could ignore a plate of bacon though, so I decided to just take it out with me. I felt much more centered now, and confidently made my way back into the living room, setting the plate down within arm's reach of both of us before grabbing my laptop.
I kept myself busy writing the draft for the e-mail I'd be sending the participants of my new class. Prices, insurance waver, types of clothes to wear, the times of the classes and how many sessions there would be along with the personal and medical information pages that would need to be filled out. Not long after I started working I noticed him eying that plate of bacon, repeatedly, but he never reached for it. I smiled slightly. I knew he'd want some, and spoke without looking away from my screen.
"Help yourself Hollywood."
"You sure?" Aw, he just looked so hopeful, like a kid waiting for a cookie. I nodded. I didn't really want anymore, my appetite was close to non-existent, but took a big sip of my smoothie to try and wash away the salt in my mouth. He smiled brightly, and I made sure not to look directly at it. "Thanks."
He quickly cleared the plate of bacon, and I was happy that none was wasted. It was by no means a healthy breakfast though, the most important meal of the fucking day, and I kind of wished he'd eat something else. From what I knew, which wasn't much really, people liked to drink at these sorts of meetings, and he'll be easier to babysit if he goes in with some food in his system first. He liked the bacon, maybe I should have just made him a smoothie anyways.
You're not his mother, girlfriend, or really even a friend. He's your employer. He probably only ate your food last night to be polite. Stop making a fool of yourself.
But he liked the food.
He's a fucking actor, and he was probably just being polite.
Embarrassment was by no means an emotion I was used to or comfortable with, and like most things I was uncomfortable with, it just pissed me off. I took out my anger on the buttons of my keyboard, hitting them much harder than was necessary.
"What are you working on?"
Don't yell at him, he hasn't done anything wrong. You're just fucking crazy, and you don't need to take it out on him.
"Work stuff," I answered as politely as possible. I needed to go for a run, or punch something, or bake some fucking cookies, anything to distract myself from the tremors that started rocking through my hands again.
"What're you drinking?"
"Strawberry-banana smoothie."
"Is it good? It looks good."
I looked up at him, trying to discern if he was teasing me or not, but I couldn't find anything but friendliness in his smile. What would really be the harm in offering him one? The stuff's right there, and it's not like I'm trying to win him over with food. I just like cooking, I like seeing people smile because of something I made them. There's no harm in just offering.
He could think you're a pushover, someone easier to walk over because they like to help people.
Hah! He could think that all he wants. I might like helping people, but by no means am I any sort of pushover.
"Yup. Want one?" I was proud that my voice came out sounding so damn calm.
Then I saw something that erased all of my other fears. He lied. It was so obvious, so transparent, and I saw in that exact moment that Hollywood may be a great actor, but he could not lie for shit. All I had to do was look into those dangerous, beautiful green eyes. "No thanks."
I sighed in relief, feeling a hundred times better, before going back to the kitchen. He did want one, but he was being polite and didn't want me to go out of my way. Sure enough, his face lit up when I came back out and set it down on the table in front of him.
It was getting harder and harder not to smile every time I saw him smile.
"How did you get that restraining order on James to go through so quickly?" He blurted out suddenly. I answered as quickly as I could, that question could lead into a bunch of dangerous topics, worst of all being him knowing that I'd been watching out for his sister, because she was my Rose's cousin.
He couldn't know about Rose and Emmett.
"I know some people." That wasn't a good answer either, it would just make him more curious. I couldn't afford that. Shit.
Ever hear the expression that curiosity killed the cat? My life's a bit different. People get curious of me, and it's me and my family that gets hurt from it. He either finds us, or we have to disappear before he does.
There was a knock on the door, and though he was ten minutes late, I guessed that it must be his agent. He actually got up to answer it himself, and I shot him a look that had him quickly dropping back into his seat. Seriously, who had he had working for him before? Did he actually think it was wise to open his own hotel door? There could be a horde of horny young teenagers just waiting on the other side waiting to chop him up into tiny pieces to share and take home.
Okay, maybe nothing that intense, but still. It wasn't smart or safe.
I put on my sunglasses before unlocking the door, not trusting this man in the slightest, and did feel a little let down when it was only his agent. I recognized him immediately from the picture I had seen on a copy of his driver's license. Not nearly as exciting as battling a horde of crazy people.
"Mr. Crowley," I said politely, and gestured for him to enter. He gave me an obvious once over before smiling at me. My stomach rolled.
"Who are you?"
"Mr. Cullen's security for the duration of his trip." He looked at me expectantly, like he was waiting for some sort of punch line.
He was in my line of fire, and it was very hard not to punch him for that condescending look. I shut and locked the door, then walked over to the living room without a word and took a seat.
My heart clenched painfully when I remembered what Angela had told me back in kindergarten. "Sometimes, when you can't say something nice, it's better to say nothing at all."
When he came in, I knew that I didn't like him. But as I listened to him and watched him interact with Hollywood, I got this really odd, suspicious feeling. There was something in the way he smiled, the tone of his voice, even the angle of his fucking eyebrows that just rubbed me wrong. I was suspicious, but not for me… for Hollywood. I didn't fucking trust this guy in the slightest, and kind of wished I'd looked deeper into him besides him criminal records.
I put it on my to-do list to tackle later. I didn't want to deal with it on the limited resources I had on the laptop I'd taken and a weak connection.
After half an hour of them going over different parts of a manuscript that actually sounded pretty interesting, I called for my car to be pulled up before alerting them that we needed to leave for the meeting.
I had gotten a little used to the way Hollywood would look at me every so often, but it was nothing like the way his agent looked at me. When Hollywood looked at me, it was more like he was checking to make sure I was still there, and he was usually looking at my face. He wasn't very vulgar about it, which is probably why I was able to put up with it.
Tyler Crowley was a different story. His eyes never made it above my shoulders, and the arrogant, indulgent grin on his mouth made me sick and livid. I kept a continuous chant looping through my mind. You will not punch your employer's business associate, you will not punch your employer's business associate, you will not punch your employer's business associate…
The only thing that kept me from snapping was when my employer smacked said business associate in the back of the head, giving him a warning look. I really wanted to thank him for that, but chose to pretend like I hadn't seen it.
The car was there waiting, thank god or else I probably would have snapped. I watched the stragglers on the side walk, only a handful recognizing Hollywood as I held his door open for him. The other guy could get his own damn door, I could care less if he was ripped away by a horde of zombies.
They were both quiet as I easily made my way over to Elemental, and my mood continued to darken as the backseat cargo just watched me through the rear view mirror. I pulled up and tossed the keys to the valet as I made my way over to Hollywood and waited while he got out of the car. I fell in step beside him as the three of us walked to the entrance, and easily heard Tyler as he whispered to him.
"Seriously? You hired a girl for security? I get that she's hot, but come on."
You will not punch your employer's business associate, there are too many witnesses…
Hollywood answered him like I wasn't even there. "Shut the fuck up Tyler. I only hire the best, and she's the fucking best. I've seen her beat the shit out of men more than twice her size without breaking a sweat. And she doesn't draw unwanted attention."
That had to be the most amazing compliment I had ever received.
"Seriously?" He checked me out again, and Edward delivered a perfect punch to his arm. "OW! What the fuck Edward!"
"Stop being an asshole," he spat in a dark tone as he followed me into the restaurant. It was damn near impossible to hide my smile. He was slowly making it harder and harder to not like him.
"Reservation for Mr. Cullen and Mr. Volturi," I told the host.
"Ah, yes ma'am, I'm afraid that there was a slight mix up with the table-"
"Unacceptable. He will have the table I requested," I told him sternly.
"I'm sorry but-"
Oh, hell no. I did not have the patience today for this guy's fuck-up. "Shut up." I took out my phone, and just dialed Ben's number. He would have told me himself if there was a problem, I was certain of that.
"Really B, it's-"
"Shh," I said with a wave, turning away from them. I hated making phone calls in front of people but it was much faster than texting and waiting for a response.
"Stephanie? Hey, is there a problem?" It had been a while since I'd heard my LA name aloud.
"Hey Benjamin, this host greeter guy said there's a problem with the table."
"Shit, sorry hun, he's an idiot. I'll be right over."
"Thanks man, you know I appreciate it."
"My pleasure, seeing your clients go in and out of my restaurant is some pretty awesome publicity. Be right out," he said before hanging up. I put my phone away, and crossed my arms over my chest and stared down the host through my glasses while I waited. He came out very quickly, though it had been a couple years he hadn't changed much with his darkly tanned skin, black straight hair and bright blue eyes, and I tried not to let myself feel guilty when he whispered into his employee's ear and chastised him. He screwed up, but I'd really hate to have cost the man his job.
"I'm so sorry for my employee's lack of intelligence Mr. Cullen. Please, follow me to your table." Hollywood smiled, and I felt very pleased about the shocked look I had put on Tyler's face. Ben shot me a wink after he seated us himself at my requested table, and I was pleased he didn't try to chat me up while I was trying to be professional.
I wasn't too worried about Mac giving me away, even though I couldn't get his number to call and warn him in advance. I knew he would be surprised not only to see me, but to see me here with this particular person. He knew part of my story pretty well; it had made us both a lot of money after all. He knew the beginning, how it started off up until that one point where I changed the truth so it could sell. He knew enough of the truth of what had happened from dad, but I hadn't personally given him many details. He would know enough not to say anything without asking first. If he even recognized me anyways, it's been a few years.
I knew he would though, he was the closest thing to an Uncle I'd ever had, which was why I hadn't spoken to him in so long. I was feeling kind of blessed for this small, coincidental crossing of our paths to be honest.
He came in just as their drinks had arrived. He smiled brightly at Hollywood, pulling him into a hug. "Edward! Nice to see you!"
"You too, thanks for considering me," he replied as they both took their seats. He gave a cursory glance around the table, doing a double take when he passed over me before his eyes went wide.
Be smart, Mac.
"B?"
"Hey Mac," I told him with a small smile.
"You guys know each other?" Hollywood asked in surprise. That's when Marcus gave me the questioning look that clearly said; "He doesn't know?"
I shook my head slightly, and he gave me a small, understanding nod.
"Yeah, we go way back," he said jokingly, and I just rolled my eyes at him. All three of us go back, but he couldn't know. It wasn't safe.
Not yet, anyways…
That thought caught me by surprise, and I rejected it quickly. No, he could never know.
I went into a state of listening but pretending I wasn't listening to their work meeting as I carefully watched the crowds. The tables were very private though, especially this one, and I didn't find anyone snapping pictures or trying to spy on our party. The others at the table seemed mildly surprised that his biggest demand was for a body-double for the sex scene, and I chose to ignore the little voice in my head that was sort of happy about that. It was much more interesting listening to them go over the script and talk about certain parts Hollywood had questions about. I felt bad for the visible strain I could see on Mac's face as he tried not to speak to me though.
I kind of got the feeling as the meeting had started that he wasn't really interested in the role, was more curious about it, but by the time he finished he had this excited light in his eyes.
I really wanted to read that script, I had a bunch of pieces of a puzzle in my head now that I wanted to put together, but there were lines I wouldn't cross. I knew I'd feel horrible if I did something like that without permission, and I definitely wouldn't be asking him if I could read it.
The meeting ran longer than I'd expected, but with no other appointments today it didn't really seem to matter. They shook hands, and Marcus looked like he was going to try to hug me for a moment.
I felt horrible, remembering that the last time he had given me a hug, I'd had a panic attack and passed out. I wished I could make up for it now, but it just wasn't a wise thing to do.
He pulled a small notepad out of his pocket, and wrote something down quickly before tearing off a sheet of paper, folding it, and handing it to me with a wink. I was kind of touched that he was going through that small effort just to talk to me, and really hoped he had written down his e-mail or number at least. I smiled at him, and gave him a nod of thanks as I slipped the paper into my coat. He smiled back at me before waving to the others and leaving. I waited patiently while the others finished their drinks, and then we headed out also.
"So? Where to?" Tyler asked him excitedly. My stomach dropped, realizing it had been wishful thinking that I wouldn't get dragged into some sort of party or club.
"What do you mean?"
His slight cluelessness sometimes was really starting to grow on me.
"We need to celebrate man! This movie is going to be huge!"
"Thanks, but I'm just going to head back to the hotel."
"Dude, are you still beating yourself up about her? You need to just-"
I saw the anger flare to life in his eyes, and the intensity of it startled me. It seemed so out of character for him.
"Shut up Tyler. You don't know what you're fucking talking about," he spat. I knew this feeling all too well, how easy it was to get sucked into it, and how hard it was to push it back.
He had pushed it back for me.
I didn't really think about it, my body just sort of reacted. I reached out, and gently put my hand on his arm. He jumped slightly, but I felt him relax almost instantly as he took a deep breath. I felt myself relax simultaneously, and brought my hand back up to the wheel.
I don't know why I did it, but I didn't regret it.
His voice was much softer when he spoke again, and he sounded so tired. "Sorry Tyler, I just really don't have any more patience for this city. We'll celebrate with the others at the casting party, whenever they have it."
"It's okay man. Sorry, I didn't mean anything by it."
"I know, just drop it."
His ex must have done something to him to warrant such a reaction. It was none of my business, but I did wish there was something I could do to cheer him up. Harbouring that sort of grudge can be exhausting. I was happy to kick Tyler out of my car, feeling much more relaxed when it was just the two of us again.
Huh. Never thought I'd hear myself think that.
He was watching the houses pass by as we drove, seeming to pull into himself more and more as he remained quiet. I tried to remind myself again and again that it wasn't my business, that he hired me to work for him, not to be his friend, that I shouldn't even try because the whole fucking point of this thing was to distance myself despite the proximity, be cold, boring, just fucking unpleasant so he'd stop whatever sort of interest he had in me, but I could only watch him suffer for so long.
"You okay Hollywood?"
He seemed surprised to hear my voice, and shot me a glance before looking away again quickly. "Yeah, sorry."
Yup. Horrible liar. "It's cool. Want to talk about it?"
"Why, you want to hear about it?" He snapped back. He was giving me a calculating look, and this bit of hostility was a side of him I'd have yet to see. It didn't bother me though, because really, I probably would have said the exact same thing.
And I also knew that sometimes, it did help to talk about things. I chose my words carefully, I really didn't want him to think I was looking to sell him out to the tabloids. "I'm not into the whole gossip thing, and your business is your own. If you feel like talking, I'll listen though." I gave him a small smile, trying to let him know that I really didn't mind either way, before looking back at the road.
He was quiet for a few minutes, and I left him alone with his thoughts. I was kind of surprised when he just started talking.
"I was dating this actress named Tanya a few months ago." He paused for a moment. I had already known as much, and just nodded. I wouldn't try to push him into saying anything he didn't want to. My silence seemed to spur him on. "I wasn't in love with her or anything, she was hot, but she was a cold-hearted fucking bitch. Things had been okay at first, but after a while… I had been thinking about breaking things off, but then she told me she was pregnant. I was pissed at first, but once I calmed down and thought about it… I got really excited. The idea of being a father started to sound really awesome. So, I did the right thing, and asked her to marry me. She said yes. I woke up the next morning and she was gone, she disappeared for five fucking days. I thought she'd been kidnapped or killed, I had every cop in fucking LA looking for her, and then one morning she just fucking showed up. She wouldn't answer me when I asked her where she went. She wouldn't even let me speak. She told me the baby wasn't mine, and that she had an abortion. She didn't want to jeopardize her career or body, but said she'd still marry me. I kicked her out of my house, and put it on the market the next day. Packed a few bags and moved into a hotel because I couldn't stand to look at my own house. I hired people to pack up my shit and put it in storage, and as soon as I finished filming I moved back home. I had given up too much for her, which was no one's fault but my own, but being so close to having a family and just having it disappear, made me realize just how much I missed mine. So I moved back to New York to be closer to them. I couldn't stand the idea of staying in this hell hole for another second. Just being in this fucking town, I knew if I saw her, I'd probably fucking kill her."
He slumped in his seat when he finished, the energy just seeming to leak out of him. Not me though, I was seeing red. That a woman could do something like that to him… well, to anyone one really, but I was pissed she had done it to him. He really was a pretty decent guy, which is why he needed to stay the fuck away from me, and didn't deserve that. I didn't blame him for wanting to kill her, I wanted to kill her. I wanted to egg her house, I wanted to set a bag of shit on fire on her door step, I wanted to TP her yard, but none of those were enough.
Most of all, I wanted to cheer him up though. Make him smile. I was slowly becoming addicted to that damn crooked smile.
I was never that great with comforting people with words. Words were mostly just that; words. They were empty. There was nothing I could really say besides agreeing that she was a bitch, but that would accomplish nothing.
I was a woman of action.
The light bulb went off over my head. Those three things might be insignificant on their own, but combined… that could be dramatic. I might just be able to get a smile out of him.
And I already knew where the bitch lived!
Decided, I pulled into the parking lot of the first grocery store I found. It was one of those large super centers that sold all sorts of crap. Perfect.
He looked at me questioningly when I parked, and I kept my game face on. It would be a surprise, I'm great with surprises.
Doing them. I hated surprises, personally.
"You coming in with me or do you want to sit in the car?"
"What?" I gave him a look, he heard me perfectly well, and he needed to learn that I did not like to repeat myself, or answer stupid questions. His mind took a second to catch up. "Oh, I guess I'll come in."
Good, I didn't feel safe leaving him alone in the car. I didn't trust this city.
He was quiet and stayed close, watching closely as I browsed through the aisles. I got the biggest package of toilet paper rolls that they had, choosing something more environmentally friendly since I did feel horrible that I'd be littering, along with some large paper bags. I went through the home ware section and found these large, rectangular wicker baskets that would be perfect, and some bungee cords before going over to the grocery section. I saw some awesome looking steaks and quickly decided that was what I wanted for dinner, a couple cartons of eggs, and this chocolate cheese cake that looked absolutely amazing. I knew what her house looked like, it had some simple wrought-iron gates in front of the driveway that I could use for my slingshots, but I'd have to find some way to keep them in place. When I passed the large grapefruits I smiled, thinking they'd be perfect and I could easily cut them down to size if they were too big. I didn't say a word throughout, or while I went through the checkouts. I was a little flattered when he tried to carry my bags for me, but I didn't want him to be held accountable for any of this if I somehow got caught.
Unlikely. Harry had my fucking back if anyone ran the plates on his car, I'd be gone before LAPD would take the time to get off their asses to trace it if they even bothered.
We got into the car, and I pulled over next to the first park I saw.
"What are you doing?"
You'll find out soon enough. "Can you wait here? I need fifteen minutes."
"Uh, yeah, sure." He was understandably confused, but didn't question me further. I popped the trunk, tied the bungee cords to each handle of each basket, opened each roll of toilet paper so they'd unfurl before putting them in a basket, then carefully filled the second basket with the eggs. I put all my garbage/ evidence into one bag before closing the trunk enough to not draw suspicion, and threw out my bag of trash into a can before quickly hunting the park for the last piece of the puzzle. Unfortunately for those living in the area, it took no time at all, and I wrapped the paper bags with a plastic one before tossing the bag on top of the eggs with my grapefruits. Even in four layers of bags, I didn't want it actually touching a part of the beautiful car, or rolling into the bags with my cake and steaks.
I hopped back into my seat with an excited smile. It's been much too long since I've done anything like this. I think the last prank I played was helping Emmett plant a tree in the middle of our rival town's football field. The look on their faces when they'd gone out for practice the next morning had been priceless.
"What the fuck are you doing?" He sounded more curious then annoyed.
"You'll see," I said ominously. I knew this was a horrible idea, it might even piss him off, but I really doubted it and now I was on a roll, pumped with adrenaline and excitement. I kind of wished Emmett was here.
I'd never personally been in this area before, but I was great with directions and Google maps street-view was a godsend. I had no problem finding the house, and when I pulled up in front of it and parked I checked for any sign of recognition in his eyes. He said he kicked her out and moved to NY, but he could know where she had moved to.
But he just continued to look confused. He didn't look like he was really minding my conspicuous behaviour, just going along with it patiently, and when I really thought about that, the amount of trust it would take me to do something like that… I was really touched as he just watched me patiently.
I smiled at him, not wanting to hide this in the slightest.
Please don't hate me for this.
"I suggest you take out your camera, you might want to remember this."
I popped the trunk and jumped out quickly, leaving the car running as I ran over and checked the gate. It ran on an electric sensor, but had a very simple tumbler system for a manual key. I pulled a bobby pin out of my bun, bending the first third of the crimped end, and smoothly felt out the pins, pushing them in with a swift turning motion and freeing the latch. I opened it up to about two meters wide, almost three times the width of the baskets, and dashed to the trunk. I grabbed my stuff before closing it, quickly wedging the hard grape fruits under the gate doors, attached the cords, grabbed the paper bag and sprinted to the front door. The multiple layers would burn slower, and I moved her door matt so that it wouldn't catch fire. I lit it, bolted to the gate, then without a second of hesitation I launched the toilet paper first, because it was quieter, and then the eggs that would alert her just as well as ringing the doorbell before I jumped back into the BMW and shut my door.
"B, what the fuck-"
"Shut up, just watch," I told him, not wanting him to miss it.
As soon as he turned she came out the door and saw all the toilet paper still unrolling, then screamed when she noticed the bag that was just burning out and stomped on it, hopefully with very expensive shoes.
That melting laugh filled the cabin of the car, but I still heard the click go off on his camera and hit the gas, shooting away from the scene of the crime. He was laughing so hard that he couldn't seem to catch his breath, tears rolling out of the corner of his eye.
That made it more than worthwhile to me. I was grinning as I made my way back towards the hotel.
"Did that seriously just happen?" He gasped rhetorically. "That was fucking amazing! How did you even know where she lived?"
Because I'm addicted into breaking into the police department's database. "I have my ways." I really hoped he wasn't getting upset about my lack of answers but… I just couldn't. "Do you feel a bit better?"
He looked at me, smiling at me for a minute while he watched me. Once again, it really didn't make me all that uncomfortable anymore. "Yeah, I do actually. Thank you for that, you didn't need to do that for me."
"Don't mention it."
"What were the steaks and cheesecake for?"
What did he think they were for? Ugh, what was going on in that head of his? I kind of really wanted to understand his thought process. Those steaks were prime cuts. "Dinner. Did you really think I'd waste a fucking rib-eye on her?"
I saw the obviousness click in his eyes before he started laughing again, and felt very accomplished, and hungry, as I made the way back to the hotel.
. . . . . . . . . .
I shot upright in my bed, gasping for air as I panicked in the unfamiliar, dark room. It only took me seconds to remember I was in a hotel in LA, and I curled up in a ball, rocking as I tried to breathe, to stop trembling, to get the memory of that video out of my head.
"There were a few discrepancies in your film Isabella, I thought I would address some of them in my own film. A sequel if you will…"
I hated that voice, but it would forever be burned into my memory.
He had had it delivered to my classroom, only two weeks after I'd gone to Washington U with Emmett, a couple months after the movie had come out. The boy that brought it said it was my partner's half of a project we'd been working on.
I'd made the mistake of opening it during said class, and the image of Angela, tied up in the back of a car with tape over her mouth while she cried had made me scream and fall out of my chair, ripping the headphones out and letting the audio go on the speakers.
"You two were always such a pretty pair, but her hair is much too long. You always look best with short hair Isabella," he had cooed to Angela before taking a knife, grabbing her hair and slicing off the length of it at her shoulders.
Alec had shut it quickly, calling the police and his FBI team for me.
They hadn't made me watch the rest of the video, but that one minute I saw was one of the worst minutes of my life.
And one of the last moments of her life. Mrs. Webber never forgave me; it was her that told me about Victor's first 'message' to me. He'd sliced it in to Angela's arm.
"To: Isabella. Happy Birthday.
Love, Victor."
It was harder than I thought it would be, recovering from the nightmare without Zeus there for me. When I was able to stop crying I looked at the clock, seeing it was just a bit past three in the morning.
Well, an hour and a half was better than nothing.
I was still shaky after I washed my face repeatedly with ice cold water, then went out and sat on the balcony. It was at four that I got the call from Emmett. I debated for a minute on whether or not to answer, eyed the small ashtray containing the microphones, and tossed them over the balcony before answering.
"Hey," I said quietly, checking to make sure the living room was still deserted.
"Hey Bells, you're up."
"Well, you must have been expecting me to be if you were calling."
"What was it?"
I thought about shrugging it off, but I felt so… isolated here. I really wanted to just talk to someone. "It… The video, of Angela."
"It wasn't your fault Bella."
I sighed, closing my eyes as I leaned my head back. "Emmett… I know what you're trying to say, but my best friend died because she was my best friend, and because she looked like me. She died because he's obsessed with me. I know there's a difference but… do you get what I'm saying?"
He was quiet for a minute before answering. "Yeah, I get it Bells. You didn't kill her though. I love you."
"I love you too," I whispered back. "How's my boy doing?"
"He misses you. I think he knew, he's been restless for a while, I heard him howling and came over."
My heart clenched. "Put me on speaker."
"You know you're no better than a crazy cat lady, right?"
"Are you saying you wouldn't do the same?"
Pause.
"You're on speaker," he said, making me laugh. My boy barked in the background.
"Hey baby! Mommy misses you, but she'll see you tonight!"
"My sister's a nutter…" I heard Emmett mumble quietly.
"Hey, you love my crazy. I keep your life interesting!"
"True, true." I heard him yawn. It was seven where he was now, so he was probably just getting up.
"Hey, go get your day started. I'm fine, really."
"I know you are, but I'm still here if you want to talk."
"I know. I'll see you later Em."
"See you soon Bells."
I sat outside for another half hour before getting changed and going for a run. I put up the same slightly-crumpled note from yesterday, and once again I came back before it seemed like he'd woken up, and stuffed it in my pocket after locking the door and grabbing a shower. I found myself wondering what his schedule was like back in NY, for him to be able to sleep so well at this time.
It was while I was getting dressed that the notification sound went off on my phone, and I saw it was from the account set up to alert me if there were any hits on Victor's description. The familiar sense of hope and dread filled me as I went over the police report. Large man, approx. 6'1 and late twenties to early thirties with curly, dark red hair. Robbed a convenience store in… Clifton?
Fuck, that was just outside NY.
Fuck fuck fuck.
I needed to make calls, now. Hollywood was in the shower, he might hear me from my room but I'd be fine in the living room. I went over quickly and stared at my phone.
Emmett or proof?
Emmett.
And… no answer. God, what was he doing? I left a message.
"I got a possible hit in Clifton, don't leave the building. I'll get back to you when I know more."
Then I dialed Paul.
"Mmm… Hello?" He mumbled.
"Paul."
I heard something get knocked over. "Oh, uhm, hey. What can I do for you?"
"There was a robbery at a convenience store in Clifton yesterday, I want the surveillance footage the police would have taken for evidence."
"Shit, that's kind of out of my jurisdiction. What is this about?"
"He matched a description of someone I'm looking for, I need to verify."
"I'd have to make a lot of calls, it won't be easy, and it's kind of early…"
Oh, looks like someone finally found his voice and wants to use it. Bad fucking time to start.
"I don't fucking care how hard it is, get me that fucking footage Paul."
"If you're so sure it's him why do you need it so fast?"
Because he's too close to Emmett. "Because I want to fucking see it for myself! Get it done, you owe me and you fucking know it." I hung up before he could say another word, whipping my phone at the opposite couch. Today was a bad fucking day to test me. I didn't feel guilty, because he did owe me. He owed me three-hundred thousand dollars, to be specific. If I hadn't saved his ass from those loan sharks, he probably wouldn't have his legs anymore.
Three-hundred K was a decent price to own an NYPD cop though. He was a shitty cop, ethically speaking, but he made my life easier.
"Everything okay?" A hesitant voice asked me.
Holy fuck, I didn't even hear the door, what was wrong with me today?
Angela, Emmett, Victor, Paul, and now this… Just breathe, breathe…
"Fucking dandy," I said, my voice not coming out nearly as calm as I'd aimed for. Get your shit under control, you're working… I took a deep, long breath before speaking again. "Sorry. I didn't hear you come out. You shouldn't have heard that."
"I don't mind," he said easily, dropping onto the other couch and tossing my phone back on mine unperturbed. "You take your job too seriously B, you can make fucking phone calls, I don't care."
But I do. Little slips like that lead to bigger ones, and I can't risk that.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
To my credit, I didn't snap at him. "No. But thanks."
He watched me for a minute, and his brow furrowed before he spoke again. "Why do you always wear your hair up?"
My moment to stare. That was random. "Huh?" Wow, eloquent.
"You always have your hair up in that damn bun. Why don't you ever wear it down?"
Oh, well, I suppose that was a fair question. "It's harder to grab onto like this. Professional hazard."
"Oh, okay."
He sounded kind of disappointed, and I felt myself starting to smile as I teased him. "What, you don't like my hair?"
His answer was immediate. "I didn't say that, but I know you'd look even more fucking gorgeous if you wore it down."
If I had been drinking something, I would have spat it out and choked on it while I laughed. God, those compliments got to me for many reasons; the intensity of his eyes, the sincerity in his voice, the heat in his expression…
It was easier to laugh it off as a joke then to let myself believe he was being serious.
"Man, you're good Hollywood, I have to give you that." I fled the room quickly, trying to shake the nerves out of my mind as I went and packed up my bag. The thing was though… I knew he had been genuine in his compliment, and I felt horrible about blowing it off like that but… I just couldn't.
So when I finished packing and brought my small suitcase over to the door I just acted as though nothing had happened. I packed up my laptop too, leaving it with my other bag, and checked my watch.
"We should head out within the next ten minutes, are you packed?"
"Almost, I'll just take a minute," he said in a slightly irritated tone, heading over to his room without making eye contact. I checked the balcony, the living room, and then the kitchen to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything, stopping that at the fridge.
And there was a whole fucking chocolate cheesecake in there.
"Fuck, I forgot all about you," I whispered, taking it out and setting it reverently on the counter. There was no way I could take this on the plane, and we were leaving the room and he was most likely going to have brunch downstairs. I did the only rational thing, and popped off the lid, scooping up a bunch with my fingers and shoveling it into my mouth.
I moaned. Oh, god, was it ever amazing. I sucked the chocolate off of each of my fingers and took some more.
I heard a really weird noise from behind me, and turned around to see Hollywood standing in the doorway behind me. I straightened up quickly, nodding him over. We had two minutes and I needed reinforcements. "Dude, this cheesecake is fucking amazing, you have to try it. I completely forgot about it last night."
He came over and joined me, and I worried for a minute that he might be some sort of germaphobe like Howie Mandel, but he dug right in with a long index finger, scooped some up, and sucked it off said finger.
"Fuck."
I had to look away when I felt my face heat up, and concentrated on the chocolate amazingness. "I know right?"
I could have cried when my watch beeped, but I made myself walk away and we brought our bags down to the lobby. One of the bellhops took our suitcases to the car for us when I returned the room key, and we went over and met his agent in the restaurant.
I fought the urge to fidget when I noticed that Tyler was sitting at a table almost in the center of the room, but when we walked over Hollywood didn't sit down. He waved over a waitress.
Her face paled when she walked over and noticed who he was.
"Hey there," he said with a bright smile. She looked like she was going to pass out, it was kind of hilarious.
"H-hi. You're Edward Cullen." Okay, then I had to bite my lip to physically stop myself from laughing. His smile got impossibly bigger and he held out his hand.
"Yes, I am. And…" he looked down politely at her name tag. "Mandy is it? It's really nice to meet you." She just stared, but he continued on easily. "Would you mind if we took that corner table over there? It's just my agent, my personal security and I right now, but we have one more coming to join us." He leaned in and whispered a little loudly. "Less people would be able to take pictures, and it's not easy to eat when you're being photographed," he laughed.
Her laugh came out as more of a choking sound, but she was quick to help and immediately led us over to the corner table. It was set up for four, and Hollywood sat himself down in the seat facing the corner.
It was hard not to smile as I sat down in the corner seat. This was perfect.
Did he do that for me? It wouldn't be too crazy of a speculation for him to have noticed my preference. Despite my dislike for restaurants, this was the third time I had been to one with him, and both other times I sat in the corner seat. He made no show about it though, didn't smile or wink at me. Maybe what he told her had been true?
Oh, that poor girl. He had practically brainwashed her, and it looked like it took no effort at all for him. That was a pretty impressive talent, and if that was the usual reaction he got from women, it was hard to imagine why I had never seen him with one, never even seen him hit on another woman.
Yeah, another woman… the only person I've ever seen him hit on or even check out was me.
God damn it.
To distract myself I checked my phone, and replied to Emmett's message that I still hadn't gotten my confirmation. Once I saw the footage I would know, and I'd forward it to him and Alec.
I better hear something before I got on that plane.
Mac's assistant joined us shortly after, and the three of them ordered brunch. Hollywood tried to persuade me twice to order something, and to be honest I was hungry, but eating would distract me too much from my job.
Anyone that knew me well knew that the best way to distract me was with food.
I was so making waffles when I got home, like a dozen of them. They smelt soooo good…
My phone buzzed, and I looked down expecting another text from Emmett, and my eyes almost popped open when I saw that it was from Paul, and had a video attachment.
Look, I'm really sorry about this morning, I was practically talking in my sleep. And sorry this took so long, the evidence hadn't been submitted yet and I had to hunt down whose desk it was on. Let me know if there's anything else I can do.
I opened the video immediately, and I almost stopped breathing. I didn't hesitate on forwarding it to both Emmett and Alec.
Video footage, convenience robbery in Clifton, video is from yesterday. Emmett, keep Rose and Zeus inside, I'm making my flight back, but I'll Be Safe getting home.
I had a gun in my truck, and I knew my truck was safe because I would have gotten an alert on my phone if anyone so much as breathed on it.
"You okay B?"
I looked up, and Hollywood was looking at me worriedly. Shit, I needed to get my act together, and I put my phone away. Damn it, could this be happening at a worse time?
"Yeah." That was an answer for both him and myself. It can always be worse. We don't know for sure he knows where we are, he could just had messed up there by accident.
Doubtful.
The first time in years that he'd been within my reach, and I'd been in fucking LA.
It could have happened today. I could have found him and ended him, but I'd been in another fucking state.
Emmett and Alec would be able to go farther with the information I gave them than I could at the moment, and I concentrated on keeping Hollywood from being trampled by women from the hotel restaurant to the airport. I tried to stay as calm and quiet as possible the entire time, not wanting to snap and say something I'd regret, and checked my messages when we got to our seats and I didn't have to constantly watch my surroundings anymore.
We're safe, we'll be waiting at home for you. Working with Alec. Be careful.
Confirmed, team has been dispatched to sweep. Any signs of exposure?
I replied to Alec's quickly.
Not yet, on watch. About to fly home from business trip, won't be able to update for 6-7 hours.
I reluctantly turned off my phone. A lot could happen in six or seven hours, but there wasn't anything I could do right now. But when the plane took off the possibilities spun around in my mind and I got pulled deeper and deeper into them. I needed to be there to protect them. I had to be. I couldn't lose anyone else.
"Okay, seriously, I'm sorry for prying again, but what's up with you today? What happened on your phone?"
I heard him, but I didn't know how to reply to him. I obviously couldn't tell him, but I so badly wanted to say something. Anything. Keeping it locked in my head was driving me insane.
"There's someone that I've been looking for, for a while. One of my contacts said they saw someone matching his description outside of New York. I just got the surveillance footage, and it turns out it was him."
"Why were you looking for him?" No, see? Bad fucking idea. Answering one question always just leads to another. I couldn't do it. I was too on edge already, and my voice came out harsher than necessary.
"Sorry Inquisitor, I don't feel like playing twenty-fucking-questions."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to push," he said quietly. I let out a guilty sigh, wishing I had a better filter between my mind and my mouth.
"Don't worry about it."
My guilt just got worse the closer we got to NY. We'd been getting along pretty well, much better than I'd expected, much better than I should have let happen really, and now I really didn't want to leave things off like this. He was obviously uncomfortable too, and I wondered if this had finally done it for him. He didn't speak to me again during the flight, or even the entire trip to my truck. I had to concentrate on my surroundings, but I didn't see any sign of Victor.
I didn't know what to say, or even if there was anything I could say. It was probably better this way though, this was the big reason for doing this, trying to make him lose interest, and I started to resign myself to that.
"Hey B?" He asked suddenly.
"Yeah?" There was a long pause.
"Do you think we could like, hang out some time?"
"Why?" I blurted out quickly. What's wrong with you? He's offering you an opportunity to fix this, just take it!
I really did want to know though. I needed to know.
"What do you mean?"
"Why do you want to hang out with me Hollywood? I can tell you right now that I'm not going to sleep with you." His mouth actually popped open, like what I'd said was the most unthinkable thing in the world. It was the blunt truth though. He composed his face quickly, and looked so honest when he answered me.
"I think you're cool. I bet you'd be even more fun to hang out with if you weren't working."
Why did he always say such perfect things? I badly wanted to take him up on his offer, but what good could come out of this? It was just trouble waiting to happen.
I couldn't bring myself to say no either though.
"I'll think about it."
"Okay," he said back casually. I pulled up in front of his building shortly after, watching the street carefully as I unlocked the tailgate and let him take out his bag. He paused, watching me for a moment before speaking. "I'm going to come by the club tomorrow, try not to ignore me," he said playfully.
"I'll stop ignoring you if you stop staring at me all the time and trying to distract me," I replied. There was a reason I stayed away from him, many actually, one of them being that I didn't want him hitting on me. He looked taken aback by my words, but we were both very much aware that they were true.
"I see everything in that bar Hollywood. Don't ever forget that."
I hoped I wasn't lying, there was a chance I might not be in this city anymore by tomorrow. With a pit in my stomach I made my way home, watching carefully to make sure I wasn't being followed.
. . . . . . . . . .
Reviews are awesome, and thank you to those who have left them!
Can you open a locked door with a Q-tip? It only works on those simple ones, the ones where you push in and turn to lock? Break the end off of a cotton swab and push it in straight through the hole in the door knob as you turn. Go give it a try ;) My mom showed me that when I was like eight, my little brothers would sneak into my room, lock themselves in and mess with my stuff.