A/N... Hee Hee... So I guess I don't have to tell you guys what's coming up. So yeah... a LEMON WARNING is in order. But, as I have a tendency to do, I have mixed the good with the...not so good. Some of you have guessed that this is the calm before the storm. Hmm...yeah...a bit.

So...Where were we? Oh yeah. The Cave. ;) Enjoy.

CHAPTER 16

BELLA

"Sit," he ordered, pointing to the pile of pillows as he grabbed the bottle of champagne out of the ice, "and we'll really celebrate your birthday, sweetness."

~oOo~

I kicked off my sneakers, not wanting to mess up the perfection that was in front of me, but the pillows, the blankets, they looked so very inviting. I settled down, leaning against some pillows and the cave wall, gazing up at Edward.

He handed me a glass of champagne, only to turn around and kick his own shoes off. As much as I wanted him, as much as my body and lips were still stinging with his kisses from just mere minutes before, I couldn't help but give into him.

Edward sat down beside me, stretching his long legs out and crossing one ankle over the other. "Happy Birthday, love," he whispered, touching his glass to mine.

Grinning, I took a sip and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "Thank you." I pulled back to look around, shaking my head again. "Okay, spill, Cullen," I teased him. "Where did you get all of this?"

He laughed, glancing around at his own handiwork, only to turn back to me. "Some of it was in the garage," he said, reaching up to tug at the mosquito netting. "This stuff..." he murmured, his brow furrowing a bit as he poked at a pillow. "This was in the closet in the laundry room. I guess it was leftovers or some shit from when they decorated the house."

Warm lips pressed to my neck when my head fell back with my laugh. My giggles came out in snorts as I gazed over at him, because the mere idea that he'd gone to this much trouble was not only so very fucking sweet, but really funny. The fact that he was keeping it secret made it even cuter, because he was saving the both of us from relentless teasing. He'd only trusted two men to help him.

"Alec and Jasper?" I asked, smirking up at him before taking another sip of champagne.

Edward grinned and nodded, shrugging one shoulder. "Alec started it, because he asked what I was giving you, and I explained what you wanted. When I told him that I thought it was impossible to get away, he agreed, but he helped come up with this. We found the place on our first perimeter run together. Jasper added the fire and the netting."

My brow furrowed at how disappointed he sounded at not being able to give me what I wanted. "It's really beautiful, Edward," I sighed, looking around again. "But I'd have been okay with just...locking the bedroom door for the night."

He turned onto his side, setting his glass aside and cupping my face. "I know, baby," he stated softly, rubbing his finger along my cheekbone. "I just... Things have been so stupid and crazy. This case and Kyra's behavior... I just wanted to show you that I wanted the same thing. Just...this," he murmured, motioning between us. "There's nothing I wouldn't do for you, love. Fucking nothing."

I set my own glass down into the sand, wriggling closer to him, because I could tell that he'd missed just...being with me. We'd been overwhelmed with Kyra's actions and what we'd thought was her attraction to him. For weeks, we'd been so damn busy just trying to keep her safe and find the threats against her to stop them, and we'd been surrounded by crew, family, kids. Since the very beginning of our relationship, we'd always battled fears, attraction, and issues behind a closed door. We'd valued our privacy. Due to my own fears and scars, we'd had to take things so very fucking slowly, talking everything out step by step, and I was absolutely certain that was what made us so damn strong together.

And we hadn't done any of that since the very start of this case.

We'd talked about our faith in each other, Kyra's attraction, their past, and the case itself, but we hadn't talked about us. Squirming as close to him as I could get, we lay face to face on the stack of pillows, a strong, warm arm pulling me closer by my waist.

"I've missed you," I sighed, pressing my forehead to his and fighting my tears, because this is what I'd truly wanted since he'd asked me what I wanted for my birthday – uninterrupted quality time with him.

"Me, too, sweetness," he crooned back, holding me that much closer.

So we just started...talking. About everything – the kids, the crew, Mickey's pregnancy, and just...life. It was healing and fun, filled with soft laughs, even softer kisses, and traveling hands. The only thing we didn't discuss was the damn case, but there was something bugging me in the back of my mind. Not the case, but Kyra herself.

So after a little while, I finally asked the one question I wasn't sure anyone had bothered to stop and ask him. "How are you dealing with Kyra being around us all the time?"

Long, knowing fingers reached up to tug my hoodie's zipper down slowly. Once it was open all the way, his hand slipped inside, rubbing up and down my side and toying with the hem of my t-shirt.

He opened his mouth to speak, only to snap it shut again, his brow furrowing in what I'd define as anger. "At first, I hated it," he started, his voice smooth, soft, and tentative. "I mean, she's a fucking blatant reminder of my past, you know? And I never wanted you to think that there was ever any...thing still there."

Smiling, I cupped his face, tracing my fingers along his sharp jaw line. The stiff hairs of his stubble tickled the pads of my fingers, his jaw clenching under my touch. "We had that discussion a long time ago. The whole world can see how you look at your kids...and me."

He laughed, kissing me quickly. "I'm an owned man," he sighed dramatically, shaking his head. "Nothing matters outside the three of you, I swear to fucking God."

Reaching up, I ran my fingers through his hair, just to give him some sort of comfort, because his smile fell quickly.

"Guilt was next," he groaned. "I felt like shit that she was there, even worse when it seemed like she still felt something for me, and more for her being shoved in your face. I kept thinking that if the roles were reversed and this was say... I don't know... that guy you dated in Virginia..."

"Jack," I provided, because he was obviously talking about the short term relationship that I'd had at Quantico. I'd told Edward about Jack the day we first admitted we loved each other.

"Whatever," he growled, rolling his eyes at my giggle. "If it was Jack, I wasn't sure I could've acted as...gracefully as you have."

"I put a gun to her head, Edward," I sighed, shaking my head at my loss of temper, at my inability to recognize that what Kyra had been going through was so very similar to what I'd experienced – only worse.

"I would have pulled the fucking trigger, Isabella," he countered firmly, only to grimace at how awful that sounded, but he was only being honest. He despised even the thought of someone touching me against my will. He'd never allow it again. "Now I look at her..."

Edward was quiet for so long that I thought he wasn't going to finish, but he sighed deeply, pressing a long, slow kiss to my lips. He did it one more time before starting again, only in a different direction.

"She's so broken, Bella," he said softly. "And I hate that I may have...contributed to that in some way back then. Her panic, her fear... And I just...blew her off."

"Hey," I soothed him. "You didn't know it then, baby. She didn't want you to know." I sat up, curling my legs underneath me. "I believe this very smart man once told me that I wasn't broken...just bruised," I whispered, cupping his chin so he'd meet my eyes, and he nodded when he realized that the very smart man was him. "Kyra is very, very bruised, Edward. More so than I was, I think. But if you really look at her, she's learned to cope. She's just got to learn to cope with the acceptance of what happened. No more hiding it. That's...hard. I only hid my feelings for weeks. She's been hiding hers for years."

Nodding, he sat up to face me. "I don't see her as a former lover, baby. She doesn't even remind me of that same girl... At first, she did, but not now. I see her as an acquaintance, someone we're helping out. I'm not sure I ever really knew her. She's...different."

"Right now," I started, making sure my voice was firm. "Right now...she's her real self. She's stripped down to nothing, so who you are looking at now is truly who Kyra is. I'm pretty sure she doesn't even recognize herself." I leaned forward to kiss his forehead. "And Edward... baby, you aren't the same man. That's a fact. To be honest, you two are strangers now."

"Good," he huffed, pulling me to his lap so I was straddling his thighs. He cupped my face, only to slide his hands down to my shoulders. Pushing at my hoodie, he helped me shrug out of it. "Strangers is good, because there's nothing about me, my past, my entire being that I won't tell you. Nothing that could change the way I feel about you...about my family." Once I was free of my sweatshirt, he cupped my face again, bringing my lips to his for a soft, but brief kiss. "N-Nothing a-about m-me w-was w-worth sh-shit b-before I-I f-found y-you i-in th-that b-basement, B-Bella. I fucking mean it. And I don't want to talk about her anymore. Just for one night, let me just have you."

I smiled softly at the sweet mixture that made up my Edward. The sputtering uncertainty, the firm vow, and the fierce, but loving gaze as he looked up at me through his so very beautiful long eyelashes. The deep green of his eyes was sincere as the firelight glimmered in them.

Unzipping his sweatshirt, I forced it off of his shoulders, leaving him in a wife-beater undershirt. I could've groaned aloud at just what the shadows and dancing light of the fire did not only to the muscles of his chest and arms, but how dark and sexy it made the ink appear on his bicep. I traced a finger along a few curls of the tattoo, only to lock eyes back with him. He was so fucking gorgeous, I could barely breathe. Or maybe it was because I'd missed just working shit out together. I wasn't sure.

"You'll always have me, baby. I swear, that will never change," I told him, my voice barely above a whisper, because it didn't need to be; his patience was hanging by a thread for me to say something. "And this is my birthday, Edward," I teased him with narrowed eyes. "You don't make the calls. I get to have you..."

With a sexy as hell soft growl, his fingers threaded themselves into my hair at the base of my skull as he brought my forehead to his. "Tell me what you want, Bella. Tell me...and it's all fucking yours."

My breathing picked up, because my want for him practically tripled. "I want to finish what we started at breakfast, what we were doing in the kitchen a few minutes ago...not to mention that poor palm tree out there."

Edward's face quirked up into my favorite smile – all crooked and sensual, filled with deadly carnal promises that he had every intention of keeping tonight. "I want to take my time with you," he stated softly, his voice deep, husky, and so very sexy.

I nodded, completely unable to keep my hands off of his gorgeous face. Slipping up his arm and over his tattoo, I placed a hand flat on the side of his face as I leaned in to kiss him. Instead of the frenzy that had overtaken us before we got out to the cave, this time, we were slow, almost languid. Suddenly realizing that we had at least until sun up to drown ourselves in each other, I whimpered, rolling my hips over his.

Turning my head, my hand gripped a fistful of his undershirt, pulling him as close as I could get him, but I wanted skin. His skin. All of it. I wanted to run my hands all over him, so I pulled back, pressing my forehead to his and panting heavily. Grasping his face, I kissed him hard, only to pull back again.

"Stand up," I ordered, slipping slowly off of his lap and getting to my feet.

Edward's smirk was in place as he stood before me, but his brow was furrowed in curiosity. I wasn't sure what I wanted to touch on him first – his steel hard arousal that was trapped behind denim, or his torso that seemed to be twitching from his pecs to his abs under my stare.

Grabbing the front of his undershirt, I tugged him to me, whispering, "Off... Take it off."

Muscle after rolling muscle writhed as he reached back, grasped the fabric, and yanked the shirt off over his head. He tossed it down to the side, waiting for my next command as his hands opened and closed slowly. I knew he wanted to touch, that he wanted his turn next, and I also knew that once he got his opportunity, I didn't stand a chance, because he could render me fucking useless with his words alone. Never mind what his hands, mouth, and body could do to me. But at the moment, I wanted to play.

I stepped up to him, ghosting my hands up his chest, across his strong shoulders, and over his nipples, humming in approval when his moan met my ears and his arms wrapped around my waist to pull me closer. Leaning in, I skimmed my nose along his skin, breathing in the scent of fire, ocean air, and something floral that had to have been from changing Sammy. The latter of those scents made me smile against his chest, opening my mouth to leave a long, slow kiss to his Air Force ink, while my fingers traced the Cullen crest on his arm blindly. Just knowing it was there, knowing what it looked like when he braced himself over me was enough to make me sigh in want, dragging my teeth lightly over his Adam's apple.

"God, I want you," I breathed, shaking my head as I finally met his lips again at the same time as my hand roamed lower and lower, finally finding the sweet, sweet trail of hair just above the button of his jeans. I couldn't help but drag my thumb up and down it teasingly. "I don't even know where to start, baby," I admitted with a bit of a soft laugh against his mouth, which instantly curled at the corners into a smile.

"Mm, you're doing just fine, sweetness," he crooned, his hips bucking slightly against my hand.

His fingers immediately tickled the edges of my t-shirt, but I backed away, giving him a wry smile and a shake to my head. "Not yet, handsome," I giggled, reaching for the button of his jeans and tugging it open.

"Bella..." he protested, but chuckled darkly at the same time. "I want to see you..."

"Uh uh." I shook my head, locking eyes with dark, barely there green, and needy. "My birthday, Edward. And if you're my present, then I'm so playing with my toy..."

An unabashedly sexy, sweet, and slightly amused smile spread over his face like the sun rising in the morning. It was crooked and all things naughty, but it was also surrendering, too. His shoulders slumped just a bit, until the sound of his zipper opening met the air. Slipping my hands inside both his jeans and his boxer-briefs, I pushed at them until he relented and kicked out of them.

"Fuck," I hissed, shaking my head slowly at the sight before me, unable to not lick my lips in want of him.

Every dip, muscle, curve, and extremity was highlighted and shadowed in all the right places, due to the flickering fire. He was better than the statue of David, because standing proudly at attention was his cock, already leaking from the tip.

"I'm dying here, sweetness," he growled, pulling me to him suddenly and trapping his arousal between us. "Can't you fucking tell?"

I smirked up at him, pulling out of his arms. "Lay down," I ordered, pointing to our pile of silk blankets and pillows, because I truly just wanted to see his pure perfection laying in the middle of it all, but I was also going to give him something in return.

He did as I asked, frustrated sigh included, and he stretched out in front of me on his back. Reaching for the edge of my t-shirt, I tugged it off, tossing it down with his clothes. A wicked grin spread across his face as his tongue dragged across his bottom lip as I flicked open the button of my jeans. Kicking out of them, I reached behind my back for the clasp of my bra.

"Oh fuck, not yet, beautiful," he begged, his eyes raking over every inch of me. "Christmas came early, I see," he chuckled darkly, but it was his hand from which I was unable tear my eyes away.

As Edward took in red lace and satin, I watched with an aching need as his strong hand wrapped around his cock. His bicep, his ink – both on his chest and arm – and his forearm, all flexed and rolled with his movements over himself. Long fingers were wrapped around what I knew for a fact was silky steel and heat.

"I want to touch you...just like that," he stated, his eyes fierce as he gazed up at me, finally meeting my own hungry stare. "Okay? Please?"

I knew my scars were there, but rarely gave them much thought when Edward and I were together like this, because he never looked at them. He never flinched away, and he never forgot to kiss at least one. Walking to him and standing over him, I knelt down, straddling his stomach.

Bracing my hands on his shoulders, I pressed my forehead to his, but looked down between us to watch his hand leave his shaft and immediately cup my sex possessively.

"Mm, baby," he purred, using his free had to ghost over my breasts. "You must be...very happy with your birthday gift," he mused aloud, licking his lips.

"I am," I conceded in a whisper, leaning down to his ear, because I was ready for him to take control, to let loose that sexy as hell mouth of his and touch me fucking everywhere, and I knew just what to say to make him snap. "Watching you touch yourself makes me...mmm, very wet, baby."

Edward hummed that he'd heard me, but locked eyes with me as his fingers swept slowly, softly over the damp fabric of my underwear. Lips glided softly over mine when a low moan escaped me, causing my mouth to fall open. Trailing his fingers down my spine, over my ass, to my leg, he hitched it higher.

"Your hand is good, too," he admitted, pulling my body flush over his, his hands gripping my ass and grinding me over him. "Your mouth is better," he continued, rolling his hips up just to hear my intake of breath when his tip hit me just right, even through the material of my underwear. "But nothing beats this beautiful pussy, love," he said, slipping his hands farther over my ass so that they were between my legs, his fingers caressing me through saturated satin from behind.

I moaned shamelessly when fingers dipped, swirled, and teased my center, my clit, and my other entrance all while warm, wet kisses were being given to my neck and the soft spot just below my ear. Purposefully stinging my skin with the stubble of his upper lip or chin, he'd follow right behind with a swirling tongue to take the sensation away.

"Edward," I breathed, sitting up a bit so I could truly grind over him, my head falling back when his hands didn't stop touching me between my legs.

"Turn around," he ordered huskily. "Take this stuff off, and then bring that sweet ass back to me," he added, tugging on my underwear at the hip.

I did as he'd asked, straddling him again with my back to his face. Firm, yet gentle hands pulled at my hips, swiftly bringing me back so that I had to brace my hands on his thighs. I felt lips, tongue, and teeth trail up the back of my thigh to the cheeks of my ass as he spread me open. Fingers joined in, touching both entrances as Edward suckled at my clit. I was lost to him, barely able to remember to breathe as he held my hips still to keep me from grinding over his face shamelessly. Everything he was doing to me caused me to gasp, whimper, and my whole body to start to wind tight – the scrape of stubble across the inside of my thigh, the grip of firm hands cupping my ass. Teeth, tongue, thumbs, fingers, hums, and licks all seemed to be happening at once.

As he drank from me, his cock twitched in front of me, and I couldn't help but drag my tongue over it, relishing the flavor of the pearl colored bead at the tip. Wrapping my hand around him, I braced myself on just one arm. Edward moaned against me, causing my whole body to clench one time. Hard. But he pulled away, attaching his mouth to the inside of my thigh and sucking hard, leaving a stinging love bite.

"Uh uh, love," he rasped, kissing the spot once more, before licking me from one end to the other. "Don't touch, or this will all be over too soon. Come for me, Bella," he commanded, his voice somehow attached directly to my clit, because as soon as his words stopped and his mouth met my center again, my body completely shattered.

Edward rode out my spasms that didn't want to stop, pressing fingers, nose, and tongue in all the right places in order to make me cry out, almost pulling away, because it was just too much. My skin, my throbbing center, and my very bones were now overly sensitive. Sitting up and slipping me down his body, he held me close with my back to his chest as a post-coital shiver wracked my frame. His hands soothed, his arms tightened around me, but his voice didn't stop.

"I love it when all I can see is this sweet thing in front of my face," he whispered in my ear, dragging his teeth across my neck and spreading my legs wider over his. "Open wider for me, sweetness." With flat palms, he skimmed up the inside of my legs, just shy of my apex, and my whole body shuddered again. "I didn't want to come in your mouth. I want to come in here," he stated, smiling against my ear when my whole body quaked as he cupped me possessively again.

"Edward, please," I begged, not really knowing what I was begging for, because he'd give me anything.

My head fell back to his shoulder when he skimmed his hand up my torso, between my breast, and then swirled his fingers over each nipple, just to watch them tighten up even more than they already were.

"What do you want next, love? How do you want your...toy to take you?" he growled low in my ear as my whole body writhed over him. "From behind, so I can taste the sweat on your back?" he asked, moaning when his cock slipped between my folds, making me gasp. "Maybe just like this?" He lifted me slightly, using his hips to slip just inside my entrance and back out. "Or do you want to be on top, baby? I don't mind..."

"Fuck," I half-whined, half-moaned, because he was killing me. Just his voice. Just his mere suggestions. But I didn't want any of those things. I wanted to see his face over mine. I wanted to watch his eyes as they never left mine. I wanted to watch him watch me, gazing down at me like nothing else mattered, because when Edward made love to me, the world could end, and we wouldn't hear a thing.

"Please, tell me, baby..."

"Christ... Edward, make love to me," I finally was able to blurt out. "Please..." I begged, and my request was instantly cut off because he flipped us, and I found myself on my back with my favorite face looming over my own.

"Like this?" he verified, bracing his elbows on either side of my head.

Only able to nod, I wrapped everything about me around him, feeling almost emotionally wrecked due to wanting him so badly. One arm snaked around his neck, the other to his ass. My legs were everywhere, up and down, tangling with his, over his ass, and around his waist.

Edward's mouth descended on mine, and he kissed me slowly, deeply, claiming my mouth with his tongue. His thumbs sweetly caressed either side of my face as we both turned our heads at the same time. He slowed the kiss down, taking my top lip, and then my bottom, and I opened my eyes to see his heavy-lidded, lust-glazed gaze on my face.

Grasping his face and kissing him once again, I panted, "God, baby. I love you so much."

"Love you," he breathed right back, skimming a hand down my side in order to lift my hip. "Happy birthday, Bella..." he whispered, and he slid home deep inside of me.

~oOo~

EDWARD

A sweet whimper caught my ears, and I turned from rebuilding the fire to make sure my girl was okay. A tiny shiver wracked her frame, but she snuggled farther down into the blankets.

As usual, I was up before the sun, but I didn't want to disturb Bella, because I'd kept her up most of the night – not that she was complaining, but fuck, if we hadn't needed it. Since the beginning of this fucked up case, we hadn't really had time for each other. Not that things were bad between us, but I simply just fucking missed her. Like crazy. I just wanted one damn night where we weren't worried about someone hearing us, the kids walking in, or where we were. I needed her laugh to let me know that she was okay, her smart as hell mind to soothe the shit that had been bugging my ass, and I needed her sexy as fuck voice calling my name unrestrained. And I'd received all that and more.

I glanced back over at her as I stood up, brushing my hands off on my jeans. It was all I could do not to strip back down and take her again, because remembering how she'd looked with firelight reflecting over every inch of her had been intoxicating. I also knew that we didn't have the time. We'd have to get back to the beach house soon, but I wanted her to sleep just a little bit more. When my girl shivered again, I got my ass back into gear to get the fire going again.

It wasn't really cold, but the breeze blowing in off the Pacific was damp, and I wasn't taking any chances, so I stepped out of the cave to find a few more pieces of firewood. I would put the damn thing out when we left, but for the moment, I'd just keep it going until she was ready to get up. Not wanting to go far, I stayed along the edge of the trees, pulling my phone out of my pocket to see if there were any messages. There weren't, so I snatched up a few dry pieces of wood and took them back to the cave.

I smiled, shaking my head when I saw that not only was my beautiful wife awake, but she'd found the card I'd made her, thanks to my commanding little five-year-old. Her sweet giggle met my ears as I knelt down to stoke the campfire.

"Hush, sweetness," I laughed, shaking my head. "She made me make it."

Bella held the blankets up around her, her sleep-ravaged hair spilling down around her shoulders beautifully, but she also held up piece of construction paper that had my hand traced on it. Bethy had forced my hand down onto the page and taken a blue crayon around it.

"I'm sure she did, but I guarantee that she didn't make you write exactly where you'd like this hand," she laughed, falling back to the pillows. "God, baby. You're shameless."

"I am. And I'm pretty sure I accomplished at least eighty percent of those places just last night," I told her, crawling to her and bracing myself over her. I waggled my eyebrows at her, just to hear her sweet laughter start all over again as she studied the paper. "I also can't help that I'm a fucking sucker for tiny commanding brunettes," I sighed dramatically, raising my eyebrow up at her, because she was one of them.

"Ninety-five percent," she murmured, setting the page down. "That's a great...score."

I laughed, shaking my head at her pun on words. "Indeed, sweetness," I murmured against her lips. "A very nice score, if I do say so myself."

"Thank you for last night," she said, tracing my face with her fingers. "Actually, thank you for all day yesterday."

Smiling, I quickly kissed her again. "Always," I simply said, because she didn't need to thank me. I'd do anything she asked of me just to see that sweet smile, hear that happy laugh.

"I want to drive your car," I growled, pressing my forehead to hers, chuckling with her.

"Maybe," she teased with narrowed eyes. "We'll see. If you're good..."

"Humph," I scowled dramatically. "I'm pretty sure I was good, sweetness," I purred in her ear. "How many?"

"Mm," she hummed, giggling a little. "I believe it was four, but I wasn't sure I could think straight toward the end."

"Can you walk, love?"

"Probably not," she laughed, her head falling back to the pillows.

Our laughter died when my phone went off, my dad's ringtone echoing in the small cave. I sat back on my heels, snatching the damn thing out of my pocket.

"Yeah, Dad," I sighed, watching as Bella sat up in front of me. I reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear, leaning in to kiss her forehead.

"Where the hell are you?" he growled.

"Bella and I took a perimeter walk this morning," I lied smoothly, winking at my girl.

"Okay, well, hurry back. There are some really fucked up news reports on the TV," he stated, and I could almost see him pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Damn, what happened?" I asked, standing up and starting to put out our fire, which caused Bella to reach quickly for her clothes. I turned the phone on speaker so she could listen with me.

"Robert Reynolds is now missing," he stated, almost without any emotion to his voice.

Bella gasped as she slipped her shirt over her head. The loss of the vision of her sweet skin was almost fucking depressing. I wasn't sure I'd ever be satisfied when it came to her.

"Who the fuck is that?" I asked, but Bella seemed to know, because they both answered the question at the same time.

"The producer that Kyra dated a few years ago."

~oOo~

The house was in a frenzy by the time we stepped through the back door. Luckily, Kyra and Cassie weren't up yet, but the crew was, and the office was a beehive of fucking activity. Esme offered us cups of coffee as we breezed through the kitchen, and we thanked her, joining the room.

Up in the corner, the TV was on with the volume low, the channel set to an all news station, where what looked to be the camera of an ATM played security footage of a tall, older man being led away by someone with a hood over their head. It seemed his kidnapper was well aware of the camera, but that didn't stop him from forcing something into the man's side.

"Damn," Gator hissed, pacing back and forth. "Kyra's gonna flip the fuck out when she sees this shit."

"Yeah, probably," Bella agreed, grimacing when he spun to look at her, but she was immediately in work mode, turning to the crew. "Alice, get me everything you can on that video. I don't care if you have to hack their network to do it," she stated, pointing up to the TV, and the pixie waved a hand at her, because she was probably already on it. "Mack, call Wes. Get everything he can tell you about this shit. I want to know where that video was taken, where Reynolds had been all day, and what exactly he was doing at an ATM at one o'clock in the morning." Mack nodded, pulling out her phone and leaving the room. "Kurt, what's the word with Kyra's announcement?"

He fucking grinned, spinning his computer around. "She is a freaking hero!" he gushed, shrugging a shoulder. "Most of her fans think she's telling the truth, that she was brave for admitting it now, and they fully support her decision to seclude herself away. Of course, there are a few skeptics, but that seems to be the media, not the public. Media whores suck."

I snorted, but nodded once in agreement.

"Bells," Mickey called from the end of the table, holding up the key. She was slightly green, but holding up fairly well, considering she couldn't guzzle coffee like she used to. "Safety deposit box. Alice and I found it this morning. Ike has a small bank account at Riverside Mutual; the fee for the box came out of his account automatically every month. It's a smaller bank near his house. The accounts are frozen, but Wes is trying to get us into the box."

"If he can't, we'll just...go," I stated, shrugging a shoulder and raising an eyebrow at Bella when she snickered, which caused Kurt to bark a laugh.

"I figured you'd say that," she laughed, shaking her head. "Slow down there, Mission Impossible. I don't want to rob a bank if I don't have to."

Grinning, I shrugged again and took a seat next to Jasper, who was scanning over a map online, occasionally glancing up at the wall where Bella had one posted.

"Fucker's got an agenda. I just can't see it, yet," he muttered, giving me a side glance.

"I do," a voice rumbled from the doorway, and we all spun to see Eleazar studying the map with Alec and Felix beside him. Esme hovered in the background. He jammed a finger on the map of California, turning to the room. "So Ike raised his kid to be a killer. I'm sure if we interviewed people from his past, Preston's troubles started at a very young age, probably around the time that he was taken in by Ike. I'd be willing to bet we'd discover that neighborhood pets went missing, that he bullied children in school, but somewhere along the way, his sociopathic tendencies took over and he was able to hide that shit. From everyone."

He walked farther into the room, and we all gave him our attention. He was CIA, former Navy Seal, and had a sharp as hell outlook on things. He'd been quiet for most of the case, but that didn't mean his ass wasn't listening. To everything. He was like his sister that way; Esme could quietly observe a room full of people and tell you exactly what was going on with them at the end of the day.

"So Ike...abused Kyra," he huffed, sugar coating it, but I could see he carried the same disgust the rest of us did. "Preston probably always had a crush on her, most likely from the very second she moved in with them. And he watched his dad...learned from him. Ike was a dominant personality in the house, but now...now things have changed. Preston is starting to come into his own, and it probably stems from his broken relationship with Kyra. Preston could take and take and take from his dad, but once he'd experienced something with the one person he'd always wanted, then the mere idea that his dad was still hurting Kyra was just too damn much."

Bella opened her mouth, but snapped it closed when he held up a finger.

"Wait, sweetheart," he said gently. "Here's your pattern. Up until a few weeks ago, Preston shadowed Kyra's every move. He knew her schedule, knew where she would be, and when she would be there." He jabbed his finger at the map, pointing out the arena, the TV station, and even Twi Tech's office. "When we changed her schedule, overwriting what he knew, he panicked. Then comes his father's arrest – an arrest for something he already knew his father was doing. So now he's got another problem, because I'd be willing to bet that Ike knew all about his son's problems, and there is now a possibility that Dad will rat son out. Can't get to the girl if you're in jail for stalking...or worse, murder, because I'd bet a shit-ton of money that Preston killed Molly Parsons and Dad knew all about it. Maybe even helped him cover it up."

My eyebrows rose high, but fuck, if he wasn't onto something. "Okay, so if we're looking at it that way," I started, standing up from my chair and walking to the map, "then you're saying Ike didn't run. Preston took him."

"Oh, I know he did," El chuckled darkly, nodding slowly. "We'll never see Ike Raulson again – or if we do, he'll be deader than a doornail. Preston has finally submitted to his father for the last time."

"The pattern!" Bella gasped, her hand flying to cover her mouth as she looked from the TV back to the map. "He's taking out every man that ever hurt Kyra."

"Bingo," El sang, smirking at her and pointing to the TV. "You'd better have a list of former boyfriends, because it looks like Preston's got one."

"Oh hell," I groaned, because all eyes fell to me instantly, but it was Bella's worried gaze that I addressed. "Don't you dare," I growled, pointing a finger at her. "There's nothing I can't handle, sweetness. Look around you."

"I know, but..." She groaned, rubbing her face. "We've put you out there, Edward!"

"Stop, stop, stop," Alice chanted, standing up. "Yes, we've put Edward out there, but he's just a face. I've never once released a name, or even the mere hint of one. And nothing can be traced. Please trust me. He's still the unknown."

Bella spun to Makenna, who was off the phone with Wes. "Talk to me, Mack."

"Wes said that he's working on the warrant for the safety deposit box, but we're not to hold our breaths, due to Ike's disappearance," she said with a grimace. "He also said that according to his men in L.A., Robert Reynolds was taken off the grid some time around noon. He was due for a lunch meeting and never showed."

"Preston's back in L.A.," Bella whispered, rubbing her temple. "He's already working on his list of men. That leaves two out there," she mumbled, and Makenna was already on her line of thinking, rushing to the wall with four pictures – Reynolds, myself, Jordan Nichols, and someone I didn't recognize.

Makenna tapped each picture. "Robert Reynolds, producer and now missing. Jordan Nichols, the director. Edward, of course. And Ryan Peters, the former English co-star."

"Movie?" I asked.

"Yeah, but that relationship was a staged ruse," Bella stated. "Still, I wonder if Preston knew that."

"If he did, it may not matter," Eleazer mused, rubbing his chin. "He'd still see the guy as a threat, someone that broke Kyra's heart. He's going to destroy everyone that ever touched her."

The room quieted down, but Gator continued to pace as he finally came to a standstill. "Can we do something? About those guys, I mean. Can we warn them? Send cops over? Anything? Nichols and Peters both have homes in L.A."

"Well, we're in luck, actually," Kurt stated, shrugging a shoulder. "Peters is back home in London. Something in theatre. It's a big deal or something, but Jordan Nichols..."

"What about Jordan?" we heard from the doorway, and we all froze, turning to see Kyra step into the room.

Esme and Cassie hovered behind her, but I wasn't sure I wanted to be the one to tell her what was going on. However, Gator took the lead with her. Stepping quickly to her, he forced her down into the closest chair.

"K, honey, I need you to stay calm," he said softly. "There have been a few...developments."

"Tell me," she whispered. "And what's wrong with Jordan?"

I flinched, because I could hear her panic already rising to the surface. I could also see that my very intuitive wife was right; Jordan Nichols was the one that Kyra had unfortunately had to let go, to push away. And she still loved him. It was written all over her face.

Bella stepped forward, sitting down beside her and taking one of her hands. "Robert Reynolds went missing yesterday."

Kyra gasped, frantically glancing between her and Gator. "Preston?"

"We think so," Gator said, still keeping a soothing tone to his voice. "Ike's still MIA, though."

"Kyra, stay with us," Esme crooned, kneeling at her feet. "There's no need to panic. We'll figure something out."

Kyra looked up at the wall, her eyes moving over the map, the pictures, and the pins that marked several spots along the west coast of the country. And suddenly, it hit her. Hard. She spun to me, tears streaking down her face.

"Edward, no," she sobbed, shaking her head. "I can't... He's threatening you? Jordan?"

I walked to her, kneeling next to Esme, but beside my wife, as well, who rubbed my shoulder and said, "Edward can defend himself, Kyra."

I nodded, adding, "This isn't your fault. Preston is...sick." I tapped my temple. "I'm not under any sort of threat. There's nothing this asshole can do that scares me."

"But Jordan," she breathed, taking my hands. "Please, Edward. You can't let anything happen to him! Not because of me! I left him so he wouldn't get hurt...and now this?" Her voice dissolved into sobs, and my heart broke for her.

Turning my gaze to Bella, I sighed, running a hand through my hair, because I could see sympathy written all over my wife's beautiful face. She understood Kyra's pain. Love made us weak, made us make irrational decisions, because we just couldn't bear to let something happen to someone we cared about. Bella had faith in my abilities, but this Jordan guy wasn't trained like I was.

I sighed, looking over at Eleazar and Alec, and then to Emmett and Jasper, the latter two of whom were whispering back and forth to each other. I didn't even have to ask the question; they'd be on board with whatever I asked of them.

"Go get him," Mickey murmured, and the whole room turned to me.

"We could," my dad stated as he leaned in the doorway.

Glancing past him, I could see that he'd been taking care of the kids' breakfast, and Sarah had now taken over. A scrap of paper appeared in front of my face, and I glanced up to see Cassie standing there, her face serious.

"Jordan's address for his home and his studio," she stated softly. "If... I mean, if you decide to go."

I could tell that she was just this shy of begging me to go – for her friend – but she was fighting it, simply because Kyra was a sobbing mess.

Kyra gripped the front of my sweatshirt. "I have no right to ask you for anything, Edward. I know, but... Please, please do something..." She hiccuped a sob, her head shaking slowly. "My statement to the public did this. It pushed Preston too far..."

I rubbed her hands, prying them off of me. "I need you to relax for me, Kyra," I requested softly, making sure she was actually looking at me. "I'm not saying no, but you must understand that I need every detail before I just...act. Okay?"

She swallowed thickly, nodding and sniffling, but her eyes followed me when I stood up. I ran another hand through my hair, glancing between Bella, Alec, Eleazar, and my dad when they stepped in front of me.

"We could go get him, kid," Alec said with a shrug. "Take a small team. The English guy is safe, because Preston can't leave the country due to the alert Wes put on him. But this guy has a sword over his head."

"You're sure?" I asked, but it was El that answered.

"It's really a matter of time before Ike turns up a corpse, Ed. I'm sure of it. Preston got to this Reynolds guy. Nichols is next. Mark my words," he murmured low so that Kyra couldn't hear him. "What would it hurt to snatch this guy up?" He shrugged a large shoulder.

My eyes fell to Bella, who was biting her bottom lip, so I reached up and tugged it free. "Talk to me, sweetness. What do you think?" I asked her.

"I'm with El," she stated softly, shrugging a shoulder. "What could it hurt? Hell, he may even help her," she muttered, giving a still crying Kyra a forlorn glance.

I finally turned to my father. "What would you do, Dad? Honestly. Bring another person under this roof?"

He wrinkled his nose, taking a long deep breath. "I think if you don't, she'll shatter," he sighed, shaking his head, but that wasn't his answer, so we waited as he thought it through. "Hell, I'm not sure Esme has enough meds for that shit..." he mumbled, taking another deep breath, but he turned to Bella. "Is she right? Did her statement to the public set this shit in motion?"

"Maybe," Bella mused, rubbing her temple. "Preston is cleaning up Kyra's past. It could be that Kyra's verification of what Ike did to her set him off. It looks like he's removing every man that hurt her, starting with his dad."

"Which puts you out there," my dad added, looking to me. "I think you should get him..." he started to say, but the table exploded into gasps and curses.

We spun to look at them, but their attention was on the TV, where a breaking news ticker flashed up on the screen. Ike Raulson's arrest photo was the main shot, but it was the blinking words of Ike Raulson, music mogul of Solstice Music, found burned to death in a car just outside of Seattle.

"Oh Christ," I growled, turning to see Kyra's mouth open, her entire face in shock. Hell, at this point, I wasn't even sure she had anything else in her to cause her to react. She was stunned, standing there frozen as Cassie and Gator held her close.

I turned to Alec, suddenly pissed almost beyond reason that this motherfucker wasn't stopping. "Do it. Go get this Jordan guy. We don't need another innocent getting hurt by this asshole. Go in with the Feds if you have to, but I want his ass under our protection by tonight. We'll send a message to Preston today," I snapped, balling up my fist. "He'll know then that we're onto him."

"Sir," Alec grunted with one nod. "Who am I taking?"

"Take Emmett, Eleazar, and Felix with you. I need Jasper here," I told him, pointing toward the floor. "I need him here to plan something else."

"You're going after that bank box, aren't you?" Bella asked, narrowing her eyes at me.

"Maybe," I hedged, shrugging a shoulder. "I want everything we can possibly have on Preston by the time I get my hands on him. He's going down. And he'll go down for every-fucking-thing." I started ticking the shit off on my fingers. "He'll go down for knowing what his father did, for the murder of Molly Parsons, for the death of his father, for the kidnapping of Reynolds, and for the stalking of Kyra. He'll pay for it all.

"Get a plan together," I ordered Alec. "You need it tight and fucking flawless."

"You aren't going?" he verified.

"No." I shook my head. "If Wes can't get us into that bank box, then I'm going in with a team. And a bank isn't fucking easy. I'll need the girls, Jasper, Kurt, and definitely Mickey for that shit."

"Got it," he grunted, pulling his team to the other end of the room.

I turned to Bella, who gazed worriedly up at me. Cupping her face, I whispered, "Don't you fucking dare worry about me. I've got this, love. Okay?"

"I'll always worry," she huffed, frowning up at me. But suddenly, a wry, wickedly sexy smirk crawled up her gorgeous face.

"What now, you naughty girl?" I chuckled, wishing some days that I could read her mind.

"I've got an idea, baby," she whispered, giving a quick glance around the room. "Oh, and it'll so work, Edward," she practically squealed, almost sounding like Bethy. "Alice, come here," she called over my shoulder.

The pixie appeared beside us, her eyes flickering between the two of us. "What's up?"

"We're picking up Jordan Nichols, then we're going after those tapes, and then..." she said, looking to me. "And then...Edward and I are going to lure Preston Raulson right into our hands."

My eyebrows shot up, and I shook my head, but stopped, because she was so fucking right. Once we had everything we needed, we could totally trap this asshole, backing up every charge with fucking proof. And it would end every threat against Kyra. I huffed a laugh, running a hand through my hair as I tried to quickly run through every damn thing that could go wrong, but in reality...

"It's perfect," I breathed, kissing Bella's forehead. "Beautiful...and a fucking genius..." Bella and Alice giggled, and I shot them a wink, turning to the room. "My crew...on me!"

A/N... You just gotta love Eleazar coming in there with the home run theory, turned spot on fact. Yup, Ike Raulson is dead and now one of Kyra's other exes is missing. Looks like Preston has a mission...

Mmm...and the cave... Yeah. That's all I'm sayin' about that. LOL

I need to thank both JenRar and GooberLou for this chap, because I was unsure of it, but both said the exact same thing... "Don't touch a thing!" lol Love you both with a sickness. I also need to thank MedusaInNY for all my blog things and being a calm voice of reason when she's probably completely unaware of it. ;)

Chapter 17 is done and back to me with things I need to fix, but the next posting will be Wednesday. So let me hear from you. Until next time... Later. :)