Chapter 9 – #109 - Room Service
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A mere twitch of my hand and I could slay you. Be aware that you have got about a billion heart beats left.
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Note #109 was written on a piece of paper tucked away in the back pocket of Edward's jeans.
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Time: 22.10
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"I do hope the room is to your liking. If there's anything you desire all you need to do is ask."
Bella produced a keycard from the front pocket of her maid uniform and used it to unlock the door.
"Let's step inside and I'll show you how to adjust the air conditioner," she offered with a polite smile gesturing for him to enter the room..
"Uh…the air conditioner?" Edward stared at her blankly for a moment, before he realized what she was up to. There were after all other people in the hallway and it was possible - likely even – that they were being watched. She needed a legit reason to be entering his hotel room.
"Yes, the thermostat can be a bit tricky to find if you don't know where to look."
"Okay, you better show me then miss," he nodded playing along with the charade. "Oh, and if you could arrange a bowl of water for my dog, it would be much appreciated," he added for good measure as they stood there in the doorway waiting for Bentley to make his way down the hallway. The leash was quite long and the dog sure took his sweet time stopping and sniffing at everything that came in his way.
"Does he have a preference or would tap water be acceptable?," Bella asked, turning around to look at the dog. "Oh, and what is he doing with that plant over there? He's not going to lift his leg, is he?" She was beginning to sound a little irritated, impatiently tapping the toe of her shoe against the floor as she spoke.
For the second time that evening, Edward found himself engrossed by the sight of her nicely shaped legs peaking out from beneath the hem of her skirt.
"The plant, Mr. Cullen! Save the plant!"
"Right," he grabbed the dog by the collar and practically dragged him over the threshold. "Sorry about that, he's still a puppy. He isn't obedience trained yet, but he is friendly and almost house broken."
"That's sou-…wha-…"Bella's response was cut short when she nearly tripped over the dog leash.
Edward reached out to steady her out of reflex. Funny how some reflexes never die. Shedidn't need his help though. In fact her balance was remarkable steady considering the high heels she wore. In one swift move she had managed untangle her feet from Bentleys leather tether, coax the uncooperative and squirmingdog further inside the room and then finally, FINALLY, get the door shut and locked behind them– all with a grace that left Edward baffled. So much so, that the next thing he knew, Bella was snapping her fingers in his face.
"Edward!"
"Eh… what?"
"Keep ogling my legs like that and the dog won't be the only one sleeping on the floor tonight."
"Geez, sensitive much," he muttered with a roll of his eyes."That wasn't even what I was looking at…."
"That better be the truth, because if you try anything funny with me tonight I'll snap your neck like a twig. Is that clear enough for you?"
"I hear you loud and clear, special agent Swan." Edward gave a mock salute before dropping his bag down on the end of the bed with a little more force than needed. It bounced a few times on the mattress and nearly fell of the narrow bed… the very narrow bed…
His forehead creased into a frown as the thought registered properly. "There is only one bed in here!"
"That is correct. One man, one dog, one room, one bed. Anything else would look suspicious…" Bella commented as she walked over to the windows, pulled the drapes shut and then quickly discarded her wig and the silly little apron thingy that came with her uniform.
"Alright, but that bed is not nearly big enough for two full-grown people."
"If that's how you feel then I suggest you make yourself comfortable in one of the chairs, Cullen."
"Why me? You're the one insisting on us sharing a room. There is no way I'm giving up a nice comfortable bed to sleep in a chair."
Bella snorted "I'm the one who need to stay well rested and alert incase someone tries an attack. To emphasize her words she pushed her black maid uniform skirt up just a little to reveal the gun holster tied around her left thigh. "I'll do a better job if I'm not cranky, don't you think?"
Edward clenched his fists and tried to remain calm. "Okay, fine. We'll share or take turns or something."
"Good. I knew you'd see it my way," Bella said in a smug voice and tugged the hem of her skirt back down again. "Oh and Edward, I don't think you need to worry about watering the dog because by the look of things I'd say he just took care of that himself."
"What?"
"The dog is lapping water straight out of the toilet bowl as we speak"
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Time: 23.46
"Geez, do you have to keep your gun lying around like that?," Edward asked from his sprawled out position on the left side of the narrow bed.
Bentley was curled up around his feet and on the TV Hallmark was playing an old zombie movie. The dialog was laughably melodramatic but strangely intriguing at the same time. Just like woman on the other side of the bed. She always –then and now- seemed to have an air of drama around her… Nothing was ever easy or simple with Bella. She was stubborn to the point of obnoxiousness at times, but she also had certain spark of spunk and sass to her personality, he had to give her credit for that. She was in surprisingly high spirit considering her recent loss and Edward couldn't help but admire her inner strength.
He hadn't worked up the nerve to address that particular topic yet, or the topic of their shared past either for that matter. He wasn't sure it was a good idea to bring up any of those subjects when Bella kept insisting on keeping her handgun within arm's reach at all times…
"Didn't you hear me? Can't you put that thing away? It makes me nervous," he repeated, with a little more force behind his words this time
"Don't be such a wuss," she chuckled, not even bothering to look up from the article she was reading. She was settled with her back against the headboard and the gun in question, a Beretta 92F, was on balancing on top of a stash of glossy magazines on the nightstand.
"It's not the gun itself that scares me, it's more the way you are handling it that gives me the creeps."
"Well, thank you Edward!"
"That wasn't a compliment."
"Yes it was,"
"No it wasn't"
"It was"
"It wasn't"
"It was"
"It wa-… Hey, are you laughing at me? Stop that, it's not funny," Edward protested sourly.
Bella only laughed louder. "You're the most stubborn person I have ever known," she said when she could catch her breath.
"Yeah well, you bring it out in me. You're pretty stubborn yourself, you know."
"I know, that's why I'm laughing. Look, we are stuck with each other whether we like it or not. We are actually not that different, you and I. Your music is still your number one passion, right? We are both married to our work. In a weird twisted way that kind of makes us in-laws… "
This time, it was Edward's turn to laugh. "No wonder you get on my nerves, you're if possible even more annoying than Rosalie."
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. Time: 07.17
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Edward slept like shit.
Finally giving up after hours of tossing and turning, he pushed his blanket away and sat up in the bed.
His slumber had been anything but restful. The few hours of sleep he had managed to grab had been plagued with nightmares about his past and things he thought he'd finally gotten under control, and new things, like red envelopes and the mesmerizing dark eyes of a certain FBI agent.
Yep, that's right he had only spent a few hours in her presence and she was already haunting him in his sleep.
Stretching his limbs, Edward swung his legs over the side of the bed and stepping onto the floor. Only instead of hitting the floor, his feet landed on something solid and fleshy. And a piercing scream suddenly filled the room.
"WATCH IT! THAT'S MY ARM YOU'RE STEPPING ON!"
Edward peered over the edge of the bed, confused by what had just happened "What are you doing down there?"
"I'm RESTING what does it look like I'm doing?
"But you're on the floor…"
"Brilliant observation there, Sherlock. I wouldn't be down here if someone hadn't pushed me out of the bed in the middle of the night," Bella explained.
"I did? Sorry… I don't remember that," Edward said slightly embarrassed.
"That's because you slept through the whole incident. You were thrashing around on the bed like a madman…I figured it was safer for me to stay on the floor. "
"Ah-ha! See! I told you that bed was not big enough for the both of us! Maybe next time you'll listen to me."
"Okay, okay, point taken! Don't you look at me with that smug look on your face."
"What smug look?" Edward asked looking innocent.
"Don't look at me with that innocent look either" Bella said getting annoyed.
"What innocent look?" Edward asked looking confused.
"Ugh – Don't look at me at all until I have had my morning coffee, okay? Now, make yourself useful for a change. Call room service."
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Time: 07:49
"So what's on the agenda for today?," Edward asked looking up from his bowl of cereal.
The spoon clinked against the edge of the porcelain mug as Bella paused stirring her coffee for a moment and then looked up at him.
"Not much really. Once breakfast is over and done with I will make myself disappear and you will check out and head back to your place."
"Alone? Are you sure that is safe?," Edward questioned, his eyes involuntarily seeking out Bentley, who was curled up on the bed.
"You won't be alone. Your studio apartment is under constant watch."
"It is? Since when?"
"Since this morning…. Go home, finish packing. Someone will keep an eye on you and make sure you survive the weekend. You'll have 24 hour protection. Everything is under control, I promise."
"Okay, if you say so," he paused a while to consider how to approach the next subject on his mind. "I've made my decision."
"About moving? We figured that much when we saw the cardboard boxes."
"No, I meant about accepting your help. You told me to think about it and get back to you."
"Well, thanks for letting me know. I already have several men working on the case, but your cooperation will make things run a lot smother, so that's good."
"Just so we're clear, I'm only doing this because I' don't want anything happening to my family. If it was just me I'd… well I'm not sure what I'd do, runaway and hide probably… I just want my life back in some sort of semi-normal fashion."
"I will do my best to keep everyone safe, but I'll need your help or it won't work. I need your full co-operation. I have to know that you'll listen to me. No matter what I say, I have to know you'll listen and obey my orders... "
"I'm here aren't I," he grumbled, clearly irritated. "I've just spent what eight, no ten, hours cooped up in this room with you. I've been very cooperative. Doesn't that count for anything?"
"Sure it does…, " Bella sighed. "We made it through the night without strangling each other. That's quite the accomplishment. The real test is going to be weather or not we can actually work together without one or both of us going complete nuts. Only time will tell how that goes…. "
AN:Thanks for the favoriting but I WOULD LOVE SOME REVIEWS. Pretty please? You don't wanna see me cry, do you? Don't answer that.
I'd appreciate anything! even if it's just a smily face or a frown just something! ...
It's a good idea to keep me entertained with your reviews, because if I get bored I might start killing main characters, to amuse myself. =D