A/N...I need to thank those of you that are pimping this series pretty hard. :) You know who you are, and just to let you know, it seems to be working, because I've had a bunch of new readers pop up. So thank you. I'm glad you like this series enough to talk about it. You have no idea how much that means to me.

Now...I know you guys have been guessing, begging, and urging for your favorite safe houses... Just FYI, this is one you haven't seen. So enjoy the new place.

And we'll join the team in a meeting...

CHAPTER 13

BELLA

"We have no choice," Carlisle sighed, sitting back in his chair. "The music video needs to be postponed for now. Kyra's not ready, and neither are we."

"I agree," Gator said with a nod, glancing out the large windows.

We'd been at the new safe house for twenty-four hours. It was just long enough for everyone to settle in, get some rest from the night of the concert, and for clear minds to finally sit down to discuss Kyra, Preston, and what steps we needed to take next.

We'd moved the whole crew, even going as far as picking up Sarah and Abby in Olympia on our way down. The only person that Edward had offered an out to was Makenna, because Wes was stuck in Seattle working Ike Raulson's case. However, she volunteered to come with us, because she knew we needed her and Wes promised to keep her up to date on Ike's case.

The kids were pulled from school and Mrs. Cope's with the explanation of extended vacations. Mine and Edward's home was closed up tight, and we'd pulled out of Forks that next morning. After a very long drive, a handful of bored, cranky kids, the youngest of whom was still a touch sick, and a parade of cars, we arrived to a house I'd never seen.

It was situated just about two hours north of L.A. and not far from Santa Barbara. It was a beautiful two-story beach home, entirely secluded away from everything. Completely fenced in and solitary, it backed up to a gorgeous beach view. On one side of the property was a mountain, and on the other side, thick woods. The house was white, with large, open spaces, plenty of rooms, and an amazing back deck. Huge picture windows along the back of the home showcased the ocean like a large painting.

It was one of the homes that Carlisle kept a secret. According to Edward, his parents had rented the place decades ago on a getaway, but Carlisle had decided to buy it. The deed was untraceable back to him, but Alice tried it anyway with a wink and a giggle his way. What she found was one of Carlisle's alternate identities – something he once used when pulling missions as a mercenary – but for the average person, the man that truly owned the house only existed on paper.

"I think it's time to take over control of Kyra's media exposure," Alice stated, turning to Edward, who was working in the kitchen to unload supplies and get the place ready to really use, because we weren't sure how long we'd be staying. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about, Edward."

"Spill, pixie. I'm listening now," he told her, shooting a smile over his shoulder.

"I want to take over her Facebook, Twitter, and web pages. I want to leak...well, you," she told him. "Since your first paparazzi pic, you've been the center of curiosity. And...you're pissing Preston off something fierce. I think we can continue to push that envelope."

"Yeah, I was thinking that, too," he sighed, but he turned to face me. "But I'm not putting Kyra out there anymore. She's officially off the grid." He braced his arms on the counter. "What do you think, sweetness?" he asked, and every eye turned to me.

I got up from the table and paced in front of the sliding glass doors. I knew what he wanted. He wanted to use the two of us as bait. I wasn't so sure it would work – not because we couldn't pull it off, but because it would need to be done in a specific way so that my face wasn't seen. Kyra and I may have had the same color hair, but our faces weren't alike at all. Her fans were picky, observant, and rabid, so they would absolutely be able to point out a fake.

I rubbed my temple and faced the full room. Alice, Kurt, Cassie, and Makenna all had laptops open in front of them. Carlisle, Eleazar, and Alec were glancing between me and Edward, who was just waiting patiently for my answer, because he would do whatever I decided. Faint chatter from the far living room wafted into the dining room, adding to the crushing roar of the ocean behind me, and I wanted to smile at the giggles of two five-year-old little girls, who could find the fun in any situation.

My gaze landed on Kyra, who was nursing a hot cup of tea and honey, because her voice was still a little worn out from the show.

"The only problem I see is Ike's arrest," I finally said, meeting Edward's gaze. "The whole world is gonna want a piece of her. Preston is going to want to verify with her personally that the shit she's saying is true. In reality, if the threat of Preston didn't exist, she still wouldn't be able to take a step out in public without the paparazzi swarming her."

"So fake it," Rose stated, folding her arms on the table. "Have Kyra give one interview. Just one. To someone reputable. Have her confirm what Ike has been arrested for, and then push the Kyra and Edward story. Manipulated photos could pop up online of them in L.A. or some shit. A group of us could go down there, set up a bunch of fake shots, and then Alice could plant them online."

I turned to Kyra. "Are you ready to face the reality of going public with this?" I asked her, wrinkling my nose at the thought of it. Not only was it damn soon after her admitting the abuse and rape, but she had the whole world to think about.

"It's already public. I would just have to confirm it," she said softly, grimacing as she wrapped both hands around her mug. "I'm coming to terms with the fact that I'm not the only celebrity that's had a shitty life," she snorted humorlessly, giving Esme a side glance.

"You're not the only human being, Kyra," Esme corrected gently. "No one would think less of you if you decided to wait on saying something. It's a very personal and scary thing to tell this room full of people, much less the whole world. And you've only just started your healing process."

"But I'm not his only victim," she stated, frowning up at her, but pointing toward Alice. "There's video proof of that over and over."

"Except yours," Kurt muttered, frowning at his screen and looking up when we all froze to gaze at him. "I've gone through every last tape, and Kyra's isn't in there. Period."

"Oh, the sneaky shit," I whispered, looking out at the water, and then back to Kyra. "He pulled them. He pulled them when he started to blackmail you. I guarantee it."

"You're so fucking right," Alice hissed, shaking her head and typing away furiously on her computer. "If I'm reading him correctly, he's a serial rapist. All the tapes that would've contained any sexual acts would've been pulled from the stash the Feds found. But he would never, ever, ever have gotten rid of them. Oh, no, no, no," she sang, but an angry expression took over her face. "Those tapes would be someplace special, because he's been doing this shit for a very long time. Some of those tapes date back to the early eighties."

I studied Kyra's face as Alice worked on whatever it was she was trying to hunt down. "You want others to come forward," I surmised, narrowing my eyes at her.

"If they want," she countered, "but what about Molly?"

"There was only one tape of her," Kurt answered, shaking his head. "Nothing before, and nothing after. Yet, we're still looking at missing persons around that time. We've narrowed it down to a Molly Parsons. She'd be about the right age, and she'd been reported missing by her grandfather. According to the original police report, guess who she used to date," he said, smirking over the screen of his computer.

"Preston," we all groaned.

"Exactly," he huffed, nodding once.

I turned to face the windows, my eyes locking onto the crashing waves against the rocks. It was beautiful, soothing, and humbling to watch, but it was helping me think. Warm lips pressed to the back of my head.

"You're thinking awfully hard over here, love. Care to share with the rest of the class?" Edward whispered in my ear so that only I could hear him.

I smirked, but turned to look up at him, leaning my shoulder against the glass. "Basics," I sighed. "We need to know the fucking basics. In order to catch Preston, we have to go back to what we do best."

"Hunting," Jasper stated from the table.

"Yes, but our way," I countered. I turned to Carlisle. "You still haven't gone down to the Solstice office in L.A., have you?"

"No, ma'am," he answered with a slow shake of his head. "But I have a feeling that's about to be remedied."

I turned back to my husband. "I think we need to start at Preston's beginning. We're off on his profile...or something. I want to be with Carlisle when he interviews those people." I pushed off the glass and walked slowly around the table. "Alice, I think you're right. Ike kept all those videos, because that's his thing, but the most important ones are missing. Those are someplace special. I want to find them."

"And what about the rumors surrounding Edward and Kyra?" Rose asked, folding her arms across her chest.

I spun back to Edward. "You're okay with this. Putting yourself out there."

He shrugged a shoulder nonchalantly, taking a deep breath. "Honestly, no, but we've got to use what's been handed to us. If my presence fucks this guy up, if it brings him out in the open, then I'll work with that."

"It's no different than playing man-slut to catch a cheater, dude," Emmett chuckled, grinning when Edward flipped him off.

"That's true, but this is on a bigger level," Mickey added in.

"That's my point," Edward stated, rolling his eyes at Emmett's laughter. "I can play this part, get it done, and call it a day."

I nodded, because I knew he was being honest.

I leaned back against the window next to him, smiling when he sweetly tucked my hair behind my ear.

"Playing man-slut with you isn't exactly a hardship, sweetness," he teased softly so that no one else heard him, giving me my favorite smile and a wink. "Hell, that's fucking easy. Bring it. In fact, let's start...now."

I grinned and shook my head, because he was a shameless, insatiable thing, and I loved him madly. He waggled his eyebrows cheesily, and I rolled my eyes at him, trying not to completely burst into laughter, because we truly needed to get this plan straight.

"Shut it," I snorted, facing the room, but mainly Carlisle. "Okay, then let's kill a few birds with one stone. We'll take a small crew down with us to L.A. We'll interview a few people at Solstice, check out Raulson's office and his home, and we'll set up a few fake pictures for Alice to fiddle with."

"What about... I mean, do you need me to..." Kyra started, looking sheepish and a touch nervous.

"Make a public service announcement?" I finished for her, tilting my head just a bit.

"Yeah," she said with a grimace.

"That's your call. I think we can work around it if you don't," I told her. "Ike's arrest will be big news, and that alone will cause Preston to worry."

"Oh hell," Makenna groaned, her forehead falling to her hand with a soft smack as she studied her computer screen. She shook her head slowly, but met my gaze. "I'm not saying this shit out loud, Bellsy. Come look," she sighed, pointing to her screen.

Edward and I walked around the table, standing behind her and reading over her shoulder. I groaned, closing my eyes, not because I was worried about that bit of news, but because of what it would do to Kyra. I locked eyes with Esme, who came over to read the email from Wes, too.

"Be honest," she sighed, grimacing a bit. "That's all we can do, but she'll be scared."

Edward grunted, but nodded, turning to Kyra. "It seems Ike's lawyers succeeded in their appeal. Ike's been released until the trial date, but he's had to turn over his passport and his accounts are frozen. He's also been fitted with an ankle monitor."

"He's free?" Kyra squealed, and it seemed all three of us moved at one time, because it looked like she was about to bolt from the room or faint – I wasn't sure which.

"Trust me, he can't find you here," I soothed her. "No one can find us. Not even Wes clearly knows where we are."

"He won't touch you, Kyra," Edward stated firmly as Esme eased her back down in her chair. "That'll never fucking happen."

"Kyra," Esme said, forcing the singer's gaze to hers. "You need to trust us. We won't let anyone hurt you. Understand? You're safe."

"He'll kill me..." she breathed, and I wasn't even sure she was aware that she was crying.

"Oh hell no, he won't!" I snapped. "Look around this table, Kyra. Look." I pointed around the table, because the most dangerous people I'd ever had the pleasure of knowing were looking like they were about to haul ass out of there and kill Ike, my girls included. "Everything Ike told you was bullshit, honey. You need to start realizing that...right now. Nothing he threatened you with, nothing he told you about yourself was true. None of it. You didn't deserve any of it. It wasn't punishment, it wasn't guidance, it wasn't fucking consensual. It was torture, and it was wrong. All of it. And he will be punished for it. But he won't come here."

She finally nodded, sniffling a bit, and I stood up straight and faced the table.

"The visit to Solstice will be our photo op, as well as a fact finding mission." I turned to the head of the table. "Cassie, I need to know who you think we should talk to the most. Make a list for me." She nodded, and tugged a notepad closer. "Kurt, Makenna...I need you to play paparazzi for me and Edward. Got it? You can use my camera."

"Yeah," they both said, nodding.

"Carlisle," I snapped, turning to see his unreadable expression, because he was still studying Kyra's upset face until his gaze snapped to mine, "we go in without warning. We'll get more honesty if we surprise them, especially if they think Ike's under some sort of investigation."

"Sure, sweetheart," he conceded, but glanced around the table. "I'd like to take one more with us."

"Well, I want Alec here and in charge once we leave," Edward stated, "and I want Emmett and Jasper here, as well."

"I'll go," Mickey volunteered, shrugging a shoulder, and Edward and Carlisle nodded in acceptance.

"What about Cassie and Gator?" Rose asked, gesturing down the table. "Kyra never goes anywhere without them."

"Cassie should come, but I'd like to leave Gator here," I said, holding up my hand when he started to protest. "Hang on, and I'll tell you why. First, Kyra needs one of you here for support. I don't want to take both of you away from her right now. Second, if we're trying to make it look like Edward's taking your place at Kyra's side, then we need you to not be there. It'll make more of an impact for her fans to see your absence and Edward's presence. Does that make sense?"

Gator winced, giving Kyra a loving, sympathetic look, and then nodded to me. "Okay. Yeah, it makes sense."

"Last thing," I huffed, again turning to Carlisle. "I want to see your friend Teri Foley while we're there. Kyra's agent needs to be brought up to speed, and now that we know the whos and whys, I want her opinion. You still trust her, yes?"

"Yes," Carlisle replied. "Do you want me to call her?"

"If you trust her, then set it up," I told him, and he immediately stood up from the table, pulling his phone out.

"When do we leave?" Edward asked me.

"Tomorrow morning," I sighed, shaking my head and finally turning to Alice. "Alice, start the leaks. Do it. Take over every one of her accounts. Make it good, but subtle. I don't want to be attacked when we get to Solstice tomorrow."

"On it, on it, on it," she said, waving Cassie closer. "Okay...talk to me. Tell me where Kyra hangs out, where you usually tweet from, and how often. Let's get this started..."

~oOo~

"Ew, Daddy! A bug!" Bethy squealed, and Edward's sweet, patient laughter met my ears.

"Not a bug, little sweetness. A crab," he chuckled, waving her closer as he picked up a rather disgruntled crab about the size of a golf ball. Its pincers were trying their damnedest to attack the large hand holding him captive. "Don't touch, baby. He'll hurt you."

"Wass Daddy got?" Sammy asked from his spot in the sand not far from me.

He was bundled up from the chilly breeze, but he was feeling a whole lot better. He was currently building a sandcastle at my feet as I sat on a blanket. The kids had woken up early, wanting to go down to the beach, so Edward and I got up with them just to have a little family time before everyone started moving about the house.

"Go look, handsome," I told him with a giggle.

I smirked at Sammy's natural curiosity as he pushed himself up into a standing position. He was dressed just like his dad – jeans, sneakers, a gray Air Force hoodie, and a black backwards baseball cap. In fact, Samuel had insisted on it when he woke up that morning, once he saw what Edward was wearing.

Samuel trudged through the sand to get to his dad, giggling when Edward showed him the still unhappy crab. But both kids watched with fascination as Edward set the little thing back down so it could burrow itself back under the rocks by the shore.

"Breakfast!" Esme called out the back door, and Edward told Sammy and Bethy to go to Gamma, which they did at a cute and awkward run.

I watched as they ran past me to the back deck and inside, and a hand suddenly appeared in my vision. I gazed up into piercing green eyes, smiling at him.

"You should eat, love," he told me, but I tugged on his hand with a giggle, bringing him down on top of me, and we fell back onto the blanket.

"Not hungry," I purred at him, causing the sexiest, sweetest smile to cross his handsome features.

"I am," he laughed, bracing his hands on either side of my head. "Starving, actually," he purred, brushing his lips across mine.

"What do you want?" I giggled, biting at his earlobe, because his cold hands shot up underneath my sweatshirt as his lips trailed to my ear.

"I still want that Bella sundae," he growled, nipping at my skin. "Mmm, chocolate syrup, whipped cream..."

I laughed, my head falling back to the blanket. "Sounds...sticky...and messy."

"It really does," he chuckled, kissing my lips softly. "I'm willing to clean up afterward."

"You are so...tempting," I snickered, cupping his smiling face.

"I certainly hope so, because you have to pretend to kiss on me in public," he laughed, sitting up a bit.

"Pretend," I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "There's no pretending, Edward. We've got to make look good, you know," I sighed dramatically, grinning at his deep, sexy chuckle.

"Tough job," he sighed back, taking his hat off and running his fingers through his hair, only to tug the cap back on.

"It is," I laughed, but we both looked up when we heard footsteps in the sand.

"Esme said to get your butts in the house and eat, because you've got a long day ahead of you," Mickey snickered.

My eyes narrowed on her, and I wasn't the only one, either. Edward was studying her with a sharp, intense glare.

"That means you, too," he said, tilting his head at her.

"I'm okay," she sighed, shaking her head and sitting down next to me.

She seemed too pale, a little shaky, and she wasn't quite meeting our gazes. Edward sat up completely, huffing a deep breath.

"How far along are you, wild child?" he asked softly, and my eyebrows shot up as I glanced between them. "Tell me," he ordered, his face grim for some reason.

Suddenly, it all made sense. She was more emotional than she usually was, she'd thrown up when she'd heard Kyra's story, and I hadn't seen her drink a single beer since she'd moved to Forks. And it looked like the mere thought of breakfast was going to make her sick.

"Oh, God," I breathed when she finally met his eyes. "Mickey? How far?"

"I think about six weeks," she whispered, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Does Obie know?" Edward growled, groaning when she shook her head fervently. "Oh damn, Mick. He needs to know. I should fucking fly up there, I swear to God..."

"No!" she sobbed, grabbing at Edward's sweatshirt. "Please don't, Edward. Please? He doesn't want kids, but I just can't... I mean... I found out just before we had the biggest fight we'd ever had, and I couldn't tell him. But I can do this alone."

"Oh, sweetie, you're so not alone," I sighed, pulling her to me and looking up at Edward.

"He deserves to know," Edward urged. "Even if he doesn't want kids, which I don't fucking understand, he at least needs to know he's going to be a father anyway. He has that right, Mick."

Edward's voice was gentle, but firm at the same time as he pleaded Obie's case, though I wasn't sure if Edward wasn't planning on flying to Alaska just to bring his ass down here. That would be one very angry conversation. Edward took being a father so very seriously, but he also protected his friends and family, so I couldn't even conceive of how pissed off my husband would be once he got his hands on Obie.

"Okay, okay," I soothed – both of them, if I were to be honest. "Edward, give her time, baby."

He grimaced, but huffed angrily. "I can't believe you fucking flew to China like that, Mick. I should kick your ass!"

She half giggled, half groaned, looking up at him. "You can't."

He smirked, but shook his head. "You're right. I can't. And it looks like morning sickness is doing a fine job for me," he teased her. "Thought you were going to blow in my chopper the night of that concert."

"Oh God, don't I know it," she moaned, rubbing her face. "Is that how you figured it out?"

"Yes. You've never gotten air sick with me," he sighed, his eyes warming to a sweet green. "You shouldn't go today..."

"What?" she gasped, sitting up straight. "I'm not useless..."

"She's going," I stated, holding up my hand when Edward started to argue. "Wait! She's going, because while we're there, she's so seeing a doctor," I said through gritted teeth, raising my eyebrow at her to dare argue with me. "We'll find a women's clinic. They can just give you the once-over."

Mickey nodded, letting me wipe her tears away. "Okay...doctor it is," she sighed.

"Good," I said, standing up from the blanket. "They're going to figure it out, Mick," I told her, jerking a thumb toward the house.

"I know. I'm just not ready to tell Obie yet."

"No offense, Mickey," Edward said, letting me pull him up. "But he's a fucking idiot if he loses you over this. He's an even bigger fucking idiot if he misses out on this...amazing opportunity. Fuck," he groaned, shaking his head. "I can't imagine missing out of all the cool shit the pregnancies gave me. Hearing the heartbeat, first kicks, seeing them on the monitor for the first time. Damn, that shit rocked. I'm telling you...he should know. Maybe becoming a father without a choice will slap his ass into gear."

My eyes watered at how unbelievably reverent Edward sounded when he talked about my pregnancies. I'd always known he loved every second of both of them. He'd lived to talk to my big belly, relished every doctor visit, and strutted like a fucking peacock when he had picture proof of first a beautiful girl, and then his son. I realized if anyone could talk sense into Obie, it would be my husband.

Mickey huffed a laugh and looked to me. "You kinda said that same thing. That he was just too comfortable."

"I did," I chuckled with a nod, linking my fingers with Edward's. "Come on, Mickey. At least get some toast in you."

She nodded and allowed Edward to help her to her feet. "Don't treat me like a weakling, pretty boy," she growled, pointing a finger at him.

"Fine, then... Get your ass in the house," he laughed, playfully pushing her forward. "We need to eat, and then get on the road. Let's go!"

I chuckled at the two of them, because they truly acted like siblings. He lived to tease her, protect her, and she valued his opinion and friendship. I was totally interested in knowing just how Emmett and Jasper were going to react to this bit of news.

~oOo~

EDWARD

I pulled into the parking garage next to the building in which Solstice resided. I shut the engine off, because Cassie was giving us some instructions.

"Okay, so here's the list of Solstice employees you should speak with," she said, handing a piece of paper to my father. "Next, you are playing Kyra, so you'll need to act it," she said with a smirk. "She had no shame about walking in through the front doors, so we'll walk in through there." She pointed a finger toward two double doors at the far end of the garage that led out to the street level. "That's your best photo op, too."

"Got it," Kurt said, tugging on Makenna's shirtsleeve. "Come on. We'll go set up, like we're waiting for them."

Mack grinned, giving Bella a wink. "Make it a big fat kiss, guys."

I laughed, shaking my head. "Just go!"

"I'm just sayin'," she giggled as Kurt still continued to tug at her. "A kiss will hide the fact that it's not really Kyra..." Her voice trailed off as Kurt slammed the SUV back door.

"And me?" Mickey asked, looking between me and Bella.

"You're with Carlisle. You can act as his assistant," Bella told her. "But once we're inside, it won't matter."

She looked better than she had before breakfast as she nodded, because she'd at least taken Bella's advice and picked at a piece of toast, but the fact that my wife had practically poured a glass of milk and a glass of orange juice down her throat probably was what was keeping her energy level up. She didn't say a word at the table before we left, and Bella and I followed her lead. However, my anger at Obie hadn't abated. I understood that he'd had a tragic childhood, but as far as I was concerned, he was losing out on some of the best shit in life. Mickey really loved him – so much so that she'd moved all the way to Alaska to be with him – but he needed to understand that there wasn't a perfect parent out there. And he was going to miss out on learning just like the rest of us, because it was the fucking learning that was the hardest, most rewarding, and unconditionally loving part. I was seriously debating on kicking his ass as I told him those things. Or...I'd just call Aunt Kate. I was pretty sure she'd do it for me.

"Last thing," Cassie said before we all got out of the car. "We should drop by Kyra's house. A shot at her home would really seal the deal... Plus, she's asked for a few things from there."

My eyebrows rose up high, because I hadn't given it much thought, but she was right. "Well, let's get it done. This is going to be a long ass day."

We piled out of the SUV, and I tugged on a jacket to conceal the weapon in the small of my back. My dad walked with Cassie and Mickey, and I put on a pair of sunglasses as Bella did the same, stepping out of the passenger side of the car.

"How do you want to do this, sweetness?" I asked her, grinning at her sweet as hell giggle, because it was a touch naughty.

"Alice said that we should be casually holding hands, and the kiss should look stolen," she said with a sweet grin. "You should hold the door for me, too."

"Okay, got it," I chuckled, rolling my eyes, because this shit so wasn't work. It was way too easy to play with Bella. It wasn't exactly a hardship to have to hold her hand, and I definitely wasn't complaining about a fucking stolen kiss. Even if we hadn't been acting, I'd probably have stolen one before we walked in the door anyway.

We exited the garage, and I caught sight of Kurt and Mack just across the street in the courtyard of the building in which we were aiming.

Linking my fingers with Bella's, I spoke into the radio. "Okay, hotshots. Get to snappin'," I snorted, rolling my eyes at Bella's giggle.

Kurt aimed the camera our way, but we pretended not to notice him. Bella and I waited for a car to pass by before crossing the street. Just before I reached for the door, I tugged my wife to me, wrapping an arm around her waist and firmly planting my hand on her ass.

I bent my head to hers, brushing my lips over Bella's. Mindful that I wouldn't just maul her in public, I kept the kiss short and sweet, pulling back to press my forehead to hers.

"Love you," Bella chuckled, kissing me chastely one more time.

"Oh, sweetness," I sang, shaking my head but keeping our foreheads together. "You have no idea..."

She grinned, but pulled away, letting me open the door for her.

"Oh God, guys!" Mack gushed in our ears as we walked through the lobby to the elevators, where my father, Cassie, and Mickey were waiting for us. "That's perfect! Hell, we may not even have to manipulate them much, because the faces are kind of hidden just right!"

"Good," Bella chuckled. "And it was just awful letting my husband kiss me..."

Chuckles echoed over the radio, but Kurt said, "I bet. Okay, we'll be out here when or if you need us."

"Keep your eyes pealed," I ordered before stepping into the elevator. "Let me know if you see anything out of the ordinary."

"Sir," they both replied.

Solstice Music was on one of the upper floors, taking up the entire level. When we exited the elevator, my dad stopped us.

"They're most likely going to panic at my appearance," he told us, holding up the paper that Cassie had given him. "I'd like to conduct the interviews, if you don't mind, Bella."

"Nope, but I want inside Ike's office. So if you could arrange some sort of tour..." Bella shrugged a shoulder. "What are you telling them in there?"

"Well, when I bought the company, I never gave them any sort of guarantee of job security, so if they would like to keep this office open and running, they'll concede to my demands today," he stated, and I smirked at just how ruthless he could be in business. It was almost as ruthless as when he was in the field.

"And what about Ike?" Bella countered.

"He's fired, so getting into his office will be no problem," my dad chuckled, giving her a wink.

With that said, he opened the double glass doors of the music studio. My father walked in ahead of us, giving the receptionist a cold smile.

"Carlisle Cullen from Twilight Tech to see Sid Williams," he stated, and her eyes went wide as she snatched her phone up with a nod.

I took a second to look around at the waiting area. It was different than normal waiting rooms. Posters, framed gold records, and several framed photos of celebrities graced the dark walls. I had to smile at the one entire wall that was dedicated to Kyra alone.

"Her first gold record," Cassie muttered, catching the direction of where I was staring. "She gave them to Solstice, because not long after that, she went platinum. That's the album she recorded after we got back from the USO tour."

I frowned, pissed off at Ike all over again, because it seemed to be a double-edged sword. Had Ike not threatened her, abused her, would she have succeeded as much by burying herself in her work? Remembering Kyra the way that I did, she probably would have, because she was truly talented, not to mention driven to make that talent perfect.

The receptionist got off the phone and turned to my dad. "Sid will be right with you," she told him, but she turned her gaze to the rest of us, her brow furrowing when she caught sight of Cassie. "Cass," she hissed, waving her forward. "What's going on? Where's Kyra and Gator? And what are you doing with Mr. Cullen?"

The questions were rapid fire, and I could tell that they caught Cassie off guard, but it was my dad that answered.

"Miss Bailey is taking some time for herself..."

"Monica," the girl replied.

"Nice to meet you, Monica," he said cordially with a smile. "Cassie has been kind enough to escort me around L.A. today," he told her. "I'm just here to see how Solstice is handling the buyout. Are you happy here, Monica?"

"Y-Yes, sir," she whispered, her eyes going wide.

"Good, good," he praised. "Then you won't have a problem with keeping this meeting to yourself... As in, no leaks, no emails or texts...that sort of thing, because we wouldn't want what happened to Mr. Raulson to happen to everyone here, would we?"

"N-No, sir," she breathed, shaking her head.

We all glanced up when a side door opened up, revealing a rather scrawny little man with greasy hair, glasses, and a sharp beak of a nose. The motherfucker was sweating bullets.

"Mr. Cullen," he said with a smile, offering his hand. "Sid Williams."

My dad took his hand and shook it so hard that the poor man's hold body quaked. "Call me Carlisle," he told him, and then gestured around to the rest of us. "This is my team... Mickey, Bella, Edward, and of course, you know Cassie."

"Of course, of course," the man wheezed, nodding profusely. "Why don't we all come back to my office... We'll get started. I'm assuming you're here to check on some things. I can show you around the place."

"That would be perfect, thank you." My dad smiled again, though this time, it was menacing. "Oh, and Sid... There are a few people I'd like to speak with today. Can you make sure that they're available?"

"Absolutely! Who is it that you'd like to speak with?" Sid asked.

"I need..." Dad pulled out his list and read off of it. "Let's see... Cyrus Baker, Christine Fairchild, and a Jared Walker..."

Sid nodded, looking over at Monica. "Have those three people sitting outside my office in five minutes, okay?"

"Sure, Sid," she replied, picking up her phone again. She was hissing instructions as we left the reception area.

The back offices of Solstice were busy, loud, and in constant motion. The center part of the main room was cubicle after cubicle, and every desk was occupied. Despite the employees' curiosity, they continued their work. Situated around the main room were private office doors – some open, some closed – but it was the far back corner door that we were aiming.

Before he closed his door, Sid gestured to the room. "As you can see, this is the main part of the office. It houses the accounting department, marketing, as well as human resources. Farther down the hall, which I'll show you later, houses art and design, scouting, our IT department, and of course, the recording rooms."

We all nodded in acceptance, but my father was itching to get started, and I had a feeling this guy would sweat to death before the interview had even begun.

Sid shut his door and gestured to a few chairs in front of his desk before he sat down. My dad took one chair, Bella and Cassie, the other two. Mickey and I stood in front of the doors, which made our pal, Sid, even more nervous.

"This guy is about to pass the fuck out," Mick muttered, and I smirked, shooting her a wink.

"I think that's what Dad wants," I whispered back, because my father was all about control when it came to situations like this. He wanted people nervous, because anxiety made people honest. If it didn't make them tell the truth, then the lies they told were really fucking thin.

"The first thing I want to go over is Ike Raulson," Dad stated, sitting back in the chair and crossing an ankle over his knee. "He's no longer an employee here."

Sid's eyebrows shot up high, causing his brow to wrinkle. "Is this due to his arrest in Seattle?"

"Yes, among many, many other reasons," Dad said, smirking a little. "Tell me about him."

"He's the best this company has ever seen. He's produced some of the most top selling artists on the charts—"

"Tell me about him," my father barked, anger crossing over his features. "I don't give a shit about how much money he's made. It's irrelevant. This company could make money without him. Though that's yet to be seen."

Sid was sharp, because he caught that threat instantly. And he nodded slowly, wiping a shaking hand across his sweaty upper lip. "He's a tough man, both personally and business wise," Side answered softly. "He's been divorced three times, has three children – one from each marriage – and he's never been arrested before now... As far as I know."

"Better. More," my dad prompted.

"He's an ass," Sid breathed, smiling slightly when my dad chuckled. "He is. He couldn't keep a personal assistant for more than a few months. I finally just started using a temp agency." Sid picked up a bottle of water and drank deeply from it, clearing his throat to continue. "He even fired his own son..."

Bingo! That's what we were aiming for, right there.

"Preston," my dad finished for him. "And where is Preston now?"

"No idea," Sid answered, shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders. "As far as I know, they had a pretty big falling out."

"Yes, I've heard that, too," my father sighed, tilting his head at Sid. "What was Preston like?"

"Ambitious," Sid answered simply. "He wanted so badly to prove himself here, and had his father not been here, he might've been able to do that, but Ike was never...satisfied. Ever. Nothing Preston did – whether it was bringing in new talent, to typing a simple letter – was up to his father's standards."

"Dick," I grunted to myself. "No wonder..."

Mickey poked my arm to shut me up, but Bella shot me a wink, before turning to Sid. "Mr. Williams, how long have you known Ike and Preston?" she asked him politely.

I stood up straighter when Sid smiled at her, because his eyes betrayed him. They dragged lazily down her face to her chest and back up.

"Sid...answer her question," my father prompted.

"Oh, um, going on twenty years, I think," Sid finally replied.

"And was Preston always treated that way?" she asked him, completely ignoring his ogling.

Sid grimaced, but nodded, setting his elbows on his desk. "Yeah, Ike was really tough on him, but for good reason. The boy was a handful when he was in his teens."

Bella's nose wrinkled adorably, but she nodded, sitting back in her chair.

"Thank you, Sid," my father sighed, standing up. "I'd like to talk to those other employees now."

Sid nodded, standing up behind his desk. "Of course. Let me get them..."

"Actually, what I'd like to do is leave you to your work," my dad countered, holding up a hand. "Perhaps I can take Ike's former office...conduct my interviews in there?" he asked, though his tone of voice left no real room for argument from the little weasel like man.

"O-Okay," he sputtered, but bolted around his desk to come to stand before me.

I slid out of his way so that he could open his door, but I turned to my father once Sid had left the room. "Who's first?" I asked him, but it was Cassie that answered.

"Christine," she urged. "You'll really get some insight from her. And you don't have to scare her, Carlisle," she giggled.

I chuckled, rolling my eyes at my dad's unabashedly evil grin. "Sometimes, he can't help himself," I snorted.

"Um, pot...kettle," Bella teased with a sweet laugh, pointing a finger between the two of us. "Edward, you can't stand there and say you haven't done the same thing."

"If Sid stares at your tits one more time, we may just get to see Eddie scare him for real," Mickey laughed, shaking her head at Cassie's gasp.

"True," I growled, but Bella only chuckled, rolling her eyes.

"He's a slimeball, and I have it on good authority that he's milking this company for all its worth," my dad stated, chuckling a bit at our whole exchange. "Let's just say he won't survive this whole take-over."

The door shifted behind me, and I stepped back when Sid returned.

"If you guys will follow me, I'll show you to Ike's office," he said, again nervously wiping the sweat from his face as he led us through a few winding hallways.

We came to the end of the corridor to some double wooden doors and an empty receptionist desk. Sitting in three chairs off to the side were who I assumed to be the people that my father had requested to speak to, and they looked nervous as shit. It didn't take a fucking genius like Alice to realize that the one woman sitting between the two men was Christine. She was thin, pretty, with dark-framed glasses. Her hair was just a shade shy of being true blonde. Her eyes narrowed on Sid as he opened the doors to Ike's office.

"It's all yours," Sid told my dad, backing away a bit.

"Thank you, Sid. That will be all for now," my father stated, waving him away like he was a fucking bug or some shit.

As soon as the little weasel scurried away down the hall, Christine was up and out of her chair, walking straight to Cassie. "You changed your phone number?" she accused, frowning at her. "What the hell, Cass?"

"I had no choice. Come here," Cassie hissed, grabbing her hand and pulling her past all of us and into the office.

Mickey shut the door and leaned against it, a funny as hell smirk on her face as she jerked her chin toward the two girls. I spun to see Cassie in a fair amount of trouble, but also being checked over.

"What do you mean, you had no choice?" Christine snapped in a whisper, seemingly unaware that we were all watching them.

"Kyra's in trouble. They had to change my number. I had no choice," Cassie growled back. "I'm sorry, Chris. I didn't have time to let you know."

"Is it true?" Christine asked her, touching her face. "Are you okay?" she asked, and Cassie nodded. "Did Ike really..."

"I'm afraid so," my dad interrupted them, amused at the little exchange, because it seemed that Mickey's statement that Cassie wasn't into men was absolutely true, and it seemed that we'd stumbled upon her girlfriend – or at least, a very friendly relationship.

"Sorry, Carlisle," Cassie sighed, backing away nervously. "Christine Fairchild...this is Carlisle, Bella, and Edward. That's Mickey back there at the door," she introduced us.

"Nice to meet you all," she greeted, but turned to my dad. "Ike really...hurt Kyra?" she asked him, and when we all nodded sadly, tears welled up in her eyes. "I knew it!" she hissed, shaking her head. "I knew she was in fucking trouble, but she'd never say anything. Is she okay? And where the fuck is Preston? I know he flipped the hell out when she ended things with him... Ike wouldn't even allow us to say his damn name."

Bella snickered and was probably reading the girl just like I was. Christine seemed sharp, cool, and no nonsense, but she also seemed to be the type of person that was extremely observant. My wife turned to my dad. "May I?" she asked him, and he nodded. Bella turned back to Christine. "How did you know Ike was hurting Kyra?"

"I didn't, but I could damn well guess," Christine huffed, rolling her eyes. "The guy's an asshole. I was one of his assistants, until I couldn't take it anymore and asked for a transfer to the art department. Nothing's good enough. And she lived with him when she was younger, so I can just imagine the happy train that was," she muttered the last sentence sarcastically, and we all chuckled, because Rose had pretty much said the same thing. "Poor thing had to deal with him way more than anyone else did."

"That's true," Bella conceded, but neither confirmed, nor denied Christine's assumptions. "You were his assistant, right?" she verified, and the girl nodded. "Christine, we're looking for something Ike might have hidden...possibly in here. Would you know where we could look?"

"You could try his desk. He hated anyone touching it," she said, and my dad and I walked around to rummage through the drawers. "There's his safe, too, but no one knows the combination..."

Mickey laughed, pushing off the door. "Who needs a combination?" she chuckled, cracking her knuckles dramatically, because opening a safe was nothing to her. "Where is this safe?"

"Behind that picture of Kyra," Christine answered, pointing toward the far corner of the room. I looked up when Christine rounded on Cassie again. "Who are these people?"

"They're trying to help Kyra," Cassie sighed. "Preston's kind of..."

"Lost his damn mind," I finished for her, because she seemed nervous about telling her friend anything. "He's become a...problem. A problem that we can't seem to get our hands on."

I yanked open drawer after drawer, looking for false bottoms, something with Kyra's name on it, or even some sort of clue as to where to look next, but came up empty handed. I stood up straight, giving Mickey a quick glance.

"How ya doin', wild child?" I asked her.

"Shh!" she hissed, waving her hand over her shoulder as she pressed her ear to the safe that she'd revealed behind a frame. "Thirty," she muttered, using a pen to write the number on her hand. "Seventeen," she whispered, doing it again, but then shook her head. "No, not seventeen...sixteen," she continued.

I shook my head, because as soon as she muttered the number, the safe cracked wide open.

"Excellent, Mickey," my dad praised her, walking to reach inside. He pulled out a small envelope, a notebook, a file folder or two, and what looked like a bank account ledger. He reached in again and pulled out a stack of hundred dollar bills that were still wrapped. "We're taking this shit to Alice," he stated, leaving the money in the safe, "because we don't have time to look through it here. Bella?"

"Hmm?" she answered softly from the other side of the room.

"Sweetheart, keep looking through this office. I'm going to go speak to the two gentleman outside, okay? Let me know if you guys find anything else," he told her.

"Okay," she sang softly, but when I spun to look at her, I could see the wheels turning as she just took in the room around her.

Once my dad left the room, I walked to a filing cabinet. Wes had been unable to obtain a warrant for the office, so he told us to "do what we felt we needed to do." I had no shame in pilfering through the fucktard's shit, though I wasn't finding much.

Mickey scanned through the bookshelves, while Cassie and Christine had a hushed conversation.

"But you're okay," Christine verified.

"I'm fine. I promise. We had to disappear for a while," Cassie answered.

"For how long?"

"Until they catch him, I think," Cassie sighed, and I wrinkled my nose, because she sounded sad about that, or maybe she was just sorry that she couldn't live her life the way she wanted until this shit was all over. "Preston's trying to hurt Kyra. He's the one leaving those creepy flowers..."

I glanced up when she said that last statement, simply to see Christine's reaction. I wasn't sure how many of Kyra's people were aware of those fucked up burned flowers. Christine reacted almost as how I thought she would, because I was reading her pretty well. Her eyes widened, her nose wrinkled in disgust, and she shook her head. But we all turned when Bella addressed the room – or maybe she was just thinking aloud. I wasn't quite sure.

"Look at the shit on his walls," she stated, pointing around the room. "Look at how he's arranged the framed posters, photos, and awards." She started by the doorway, where some gold and platinum records were hanging almost from ceiling to floor. "Some of these records date back to the seventies. They're every artist he ever worked with." She walked to the left side of the door. "Over here, there are some promotional posters, even one of Kyra's movie posters, but look next to his desk," she continued, walking to his chair and sitting down. "From here, his main view is that fucking safe. Where everything else is arranged in some sort of order on the wall, the stuff over and around that safe isn't. There's no pattern to it. It's random pictures. And it's not all Kyra, either."

"And it's all fucking women," I whispered, coming to stand behind her. "But isn't that..."

"Pauline Asbury," Cassie and Christine stated at the same time.

"The singer that overdosed in a Vegas hotel room in the mid-eighties?" Mickey asked. "My brothers loved her. Said she reminded them of Janis Joplin."

"She was a lot like her," I said with a nod. "We listened to her stuff overseas. One of the commanding officers was a pretty big fan. I didn't matter that she'd been gone for twenty years."

"Suddenly, I'm not so sure it was an overdose. What about you?" Bella asked, looking over her shoulder at me, and I grimaced. "I think we just found his...collection."

"Yeah," Cassie sighed, glancing up at me and Bella, before walking to the wall. "Oh God, I see it. Kyra, Pauline... This is Jen Jones, Ashley Watson, Layla..."

"All are his clients," Christine stated. "Some did very well at one point. Layla's touring right now. However, Ashley's been to rehab more times than I can count."

"Jen went the way of TV," Cassie added. "She's married now, lives in Malibu. Has a beautiful little boy."

"Yet he keeps her picture," Bella mused, rubbing her temple. "Does he keep it because he hurt her? Or does he keep it because he's blackmailing her? Shit, we're going to need Alice on this stuff," she rambled, shaking her head.

We looked up when my father came back into the room, his face grim. "We should get going. We still need to make a stop at Kyra's house, right?"

"Yes," Bella said firmly, standing up from the chair. "And we're making one stop before we leave the city," she added, giving Mickey a dangerously raised eyebrow. "What did you get from those guys?"

"Nothing we didn't already know. Cyrus has been here as long as Ike has, so he was able to give me some insight on Ike's relationship with Preston. It was abusive from the get go – severe punishments, long periods of alone time, nothing was ever good enough. If Preston brought home a B on his school work, Ike wanted to know why it wasn't an A. Same went for when Preston was working here. If he brought in talent, it wasn't good enough."

"Oh, which reminds me," Bella gushed, spinning to face Christine. "What do you know about a Molly?"

"Molly..." she whispered, looking at the floor as she thought about the name. "I don't remember a Molly. How long ago?"

"It would be about five or six years ago," I told her. "She was young, not really well off, medium brown hair..."

Christine was shaking her head. "I swear, I don't know," she sighed.

I turned to Cassie, saying, "Give her your cell number – the one that Alice set up. Maybe if she comes up with anything, she can call you. But keep that shit limited," I ordered. "And she can't know where we are, Cass. I mean it."

Cassie's eyes lit up, and she nodded profusely, tugging Christine away from us.

Bella chuckled, shaking her head. "I think you just made their day, baby."

"Whatever," I scoffed, rolling my eyes, but looking down at her. "It sucks to be separated from someone," I said simply, shrugging a shoulder.

"Going soft, pretty boy," Mickey snickered, elbowing me.

"Shut it," I growled, but smirked down at her. "Just wait...the poking and prodding you're about to go through is no field trip."

She grimaced, shoving my shoulder, but we made our way out of Ike's office, only to be met by Sid. My father gripped his hand again, shaking it way too hard, but Sid took it, even with a wince.

"Sid, I'll have my office contact you in the next few days," my dad said with a firm nod, turning to me, but my eyes never left Sid. "We should get going, son."

"Okay," I said absentmindedly, because Sid's eyes were planted on my wife, specifically on her ass in those sexy as hell tight jeans she was wearing. "She's fucking hot, right?" I asked him, leaning closer to the little weasel and ignoring my dad's snicker. "That's a sweet ass," I murmured in his ear.

"God, yes," Sid breathed with slight nod, "and I bet she's really good at..." He finally met my gaze, freezing instantly in mid-sentence, most likely from the murderous look on my face.

"Yeah, she really is...my wife is fucking gorgeous," I told him with a low warning to my tone as I slammed a hand to the wall behind him, causing him to jump almost clean out of his skin. "Mind your manners, asshole. You might wanna keep your eyes to yourself, Sid. Otherwise, I'm going to rip them out and shove them in your front pocket, right next to your pen."

"Y-Yes, sir," he whispered, going pale as I loomed next to him. "Wait! I-I don't have a p-pen!"

I smirked, chuckling low, "I know."

My dad huffed a small, but humorless laugh, shaking his head as he glared at Sid. With a deep breath, he said, "We'll be in touch, Sid." He turned to the rest of us. "Let's go. There's more to do before we leave L.A."

A/N...So we're learning about the Raulsons... Believe me, their day in L.A. isn't over.

And Mickey's pregnant. Some of you started to pick up on that in the last chapter. I'd been dropping that hint for awhile. :) And you gotta love Mercward in protective big brother mode.

Kyra's still having her ups and downs, but she's surrounded with the right people. Bella and Edward probably understand her more than any of them, aside from Esme.

I need to thank JenRar for her help on this one and for all the suggestions she tosses at me. Also a big hug and smooch to GooberLou, who just wanted to eat Mercward up in this chapter – from the big brother syndrome, to the possessive husband at the end. She loves his shamelessness. LOL And a huge thanks to MedusaInNY...I've missed you. Thank you for the blog help.

Okay, so the next chapter is off to the beta...so the next posting will be Sunday. I trust everyone had a safe and happy NYE. I can't wait to hear from you, so let me know what you think. Until Sunday... Later! ;)