A/N... Hey guys! HAPPY 4TH OF JULY! :) Hope my American friends are having a good long weekend. Much love to everyone else, too! MUWAH!
So...it seems every last one of you has the same concern. Bethy. And Lilith. It's understandable, and trust me there is a lot of information coming your way. I also need you to have faith in the HEA.
Now...we get to meet Moses "The Preacher" Matthews. Someone asked me what's up with my love for the really big lovable guys... I don't know! LOL But I suppose that's a good question. I think you'll like Preacher. So go ahead...let's see how Edward and Bella deal with this case.
Oh yeah...and this chapter comes with a LEMON WARNING...not that you'll complain, but I'm just sayin'.
CHAPTER 3
BELLA
Lilith fucking Laray. My hatred for her could barely be contained, but I just didn't want to talk about her. She'd come damn close to getting her little girl killed several years ago, and it had taken every resource I had at the time to get her back to a safe place. But it had been all for fucking nothing.
The Greenes had been an amazing couple, full of love and life, and had made even more amazing parents. Ashley had adored them from the beginning. She'd settled in to school, gotten her grades up, and had even started making friends, when her mother was granted a visit. One moment they were at the park; the next, Lilith had made a run for it.
We never did find out how she was able to get away so quickly, but getting Ashley back had been a pathetic display of trial and error. I shook my head, trying to focus on the case at hand as I got out of the car. There were things about the Greenes that wracked my frame with guilt.
As if he could still sense my mood, Edward's large, warm hand slipped into mine as he led me across the street and down the sidewalk. He said nothing more about Lilith, but his thumb rubbed soothingly across my knuckles, calming me more than I could even explain.
The Sunrise Worship Center sat on the west corner of one of the most crime infested areas of Seattle. It was small and old, but at least it was well kept. In fact, it was the cleanest building in sight, except for the rather large facility next door that was clearly under construction.
As Edward and I crossed the street, I was completely aware that we were being watched. Eyes were on us from every angle – the group of young boys hanging out on the corner, the old woman tugging her groceries in a small cart behind her, and an older man trimming the dead branches from the small hedge that wrapped around the church itself. It was to that man that Edward was aiming for.
"Mornin'," the old man wheezed, brushing off his hands.
"Morning. I was wondering where we might find Reverend Matthews," Edward said politely, but not without a touch of firmness to his voice.
"Oh, right about now, he'd be next door. He's been fighting the construction workers all week for permits," the gentleman said as he wore a wry, sweet smile. "Red tape has been givin' him hell since he started that community center."
"Thank you, sir," Edward said, before guiding me gently down the sidewalk. He stopped us a short distance away and pointed to a sign. "Remington Construction," he muttered. "That's who my dad got to build Gravity's office. We had no problems with permits," he noted, looking up at me, "because Twi Tech owns them."
"Well, maybe we can help this place out," I chuckled, raising an eyebrow at him. "A little help for information, you think?"
Edward grinned, opening the front doors of the place and letting me in. The dirty, open area was filled with loud voices. However, it wasn't hard to spot the man that we were looking for. Moses Matthews took up a large amount of space as he towered over what looked to be the construction manager.
The inside of the building was in complete disarray. The floors were torn up, the walls were stripped, and the sound of dripping water echoed throughout the place. I understood that he was depending on donations and charity for this place, but according to the information that Alice had given me, Preacher had started this project well over a year ago. There was no reason for it to be this far behind.
"I'm sorry, Reverend, but I just can't start the plumbing without the permit," the construction manager said, looking up with just a touch of fear in his eye.
"I've jumped through every hoop for those people downtown. What more could they possibly want?" Preacher growled, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "I realize charities take longer, but I'm beginning to think it's more than that," he sighed, turning his head and catching sight of me and Edward. I could see him try to shake off his temper before greeting us. "Can I help you?" he asked.
"Reverend Matthews? The name's Edward, and this is Isabella. I was wondering if we could have a word with you," Edward stated, holding his hand out, nodding a greeting as the large man took it firmly.
If my husband was intimidated by Preacher's size, he didn't show it. It didn't escape me that I'd been introduced by my full name, but we never went into anything that Edward didn't have some sort of plan, so I followed his lead.
"Sure," he mumbled, turning back to the man he'd been arguing with. "I'll be back, Sonny. I'll call over there one more time."
"No problem, Preach," Sonny sighed, almost in relief of having the big man out of his face.
"Why don't we take this to my office," Preacher suggested, leading us back out of the community center and across the parking lot to the church, his voice deep and rumbling, like rolling thunder. "I'm sorry about that. It's been like pulling teeth to get this project underway. It's giving me ulcers and migraines. It'll kill me before it's over."
Edward chuckled softly and nodded in understanding, following Moses down a hallway and into a small, but cool office. Flipping on the lights, he gestured to two chairs in front of his desk.
"Have a seat. What can I do for you?"
Edward took Rick Jackson's photo out of the inside pocket of his leather jacket and slid it across the desk to him. "I was wondering if you remember this guy, Reverend Matthews."
"Oh, call me Preacher. Everyone does," Preacher said offhandedly, pulling the photo closer, his brow wrinkling. "Ricky..." he whispered, and then looked up at us with a confused expression. "I haven't thought about him in years." He sighed. "Tragic, what happened to him. Who wants to know?" The last question came out a little gruff, but Preacher reined it in.
"His brother, Todd," Edward stated with a nod. "He hired us to find out what actually happened. He's given up on the police."
Preacher snorted a soft, but bitter laugh. "I imagine he has. Fumbling idiots," he muttered, shaking his head and looking at the picture again. "How did you find me? The police never approached me."
"The police wanted to declare his death a suicide, but the forensic evidence said no," I answered. "Personally, I just think they gave up. We know you worked with Rick. We just wanted to know what happened the night he died."
Preacher leaned back in his office chair, appraising us for just a moment. "I wasn't there that last night..." he sighed, shaking his head. "I hated that job," he said, chuckling deeply, "but I had a brand new baby." He gestured to the photo of what was now a handsome preteen boy with short cropped hair. He had the same smile as his father. "I needed the money at the time, because my wife was on maternity leave from the hospital, and being a minister doesn't always pay the best." He smiled softly at the memory, his eyes glazing just a bit. "The place was Sodom...or Gomorrah...or both, but it was a paycheck. I tried to mind my own business and keep the people from tearing each other apart...both the employees and the drunken patrons." He pointed to the picture of Rick on his desk. "Rick was a good kid. He was there like me, to just try to make enough money to pay the bills. He didn't get wrapped up in the politics of the place, or even the drugs or sexual deviance that happened, whether anyone wanted to admit it or not."
"So there were drugs?" Edward clarified.
"Oh yeah," Preacher snickered bitterly. "The owner, Simon Parker... Do you know him?"
"We know of him," Edward answered. "We know how he made his money, what he does now..."
"Yeah, now you do," Preacher laughed, "but back then, it was all hushed up. Do you know his family?"
"No, sir," we both said, shaking our heads.
"Simon Parker is the nephew of Barbara Parker...the former judge," he stated, "so he couldn't be associated with pornography, homosexuality, and drugs. On more than one occasion, she bailed him out of small trouble, but he knew if he was exposed for what he really did, she'd be ruined. It was all about pretenses. Once she retired, no one cared what he did, and it was easy to track his name to everything he'd touched. Not to mention, his fat trust fund had matured by then.
"What you still don't know is that Simon Parker is gay," he continued. "He keeps it quiet, for some bizarre reason, but back then...he was absolutely petrified of someone finding out. Of a...fling telling on him," he stated with a raised eyebrow.
Edward's mouth opened, closed, and then he said, "Rick."
"Oh," I groaned, wincing a bit, because I was pretty damn certain that Todd didn't know his brother was gay.
Preacher nodded and sighed. "It's a tough lifestyle. Jesus taught 'judge ye not, lest ye be judged,' or even better...'let the those without sin cast the first stone.' I refuse to place an opinion on someone like that. There's plenty of others to do that job. Hell, people still judge on race alone; forget sexual preference." He took a deep breath and sat forward, resting his large arms on his desk. "Rick was a good kid...kind, helpful. He had a sharp sense of humor. But he got trapped in Simon's clutches and was used."
"Is it possible Rick killed himself over this?" Edward asked, narrowing it down to the question I was thinking.
"I doubt it," he replied with a one shouldered shrug, "but Simon wouldn't have done it, either. It would have been...beneath him to have gotten his hands dirty."
"What about Jeff Kelly?" I asked, holding up the next photo.
"He definitely wouldn't have done it," he stated firmly. "He and Rick were really close. Roommates, best friends. More than once did I catch them talking about opening their own place, their own restaurant. Rick could cook like no tomorrow, and Jeff was excellent with finances. Jeff is gone now...and if I'm not mistaken, the same way Rick went, though I'd be willing to bet that Jeff killed himself. He was devastated when Rick was found. It was why I took him to the funeral."
"You took him?" I asked, my eyebrows raising up. "What about Adam Weaver?"
Another humorless laugh escaped him. "Adam is Simon's man until the end. Simon sent him with us to keep us quiet from the family. We were to go, say nothing to nobody, and leave...or we'd lose our jobs, and at that point, he had us, because there wasn't a lot of work, and Jeff was too distraught to think clearly. I needed my job. Not that it did any good... Simon shut the place down without warning not long after that."
"So let me see if I'm picking up on this," I started. "Rick and Jeff were...together, but Simon used Rick."
"Yeah, that's kinda how it went down. Simon has a way of getting what he wants. He wanted Rick. I'm sure there was some sort of blackmail thrown in there. I'd heard him do it before. But Jeff found out and lost his temper."
"I don't get it...all the secrecy," Edward muttered, looking up at Preacher.
"Let's put it this way... Simon Parker was married, with two young kids, but he still liked men. He was a part of a pretty powerful political family at the time...a conservative political family. If word got out that he wasn't just filming gay sex, but participating in it on the sly, he would have single handedly ruined his family's reputation, not to mention his marriage – a financially comfortable marriage. Having Jeff catch them, or at least find out about Rick and Simon, would have been Simon's undoing. He would never have seen a dime of his trust fund."
"Guess we will have to talk with Adam after all," I told Edward, who was already nodding.
"You should talk to Brenda Davies, too," Preacher added, grabbing a pen and paper and jotting down an address for us. "She was Rick's neighbor. Sweet thing, used to come in to help out on the weekends when we were really busy. She, Rick, and Jeff were all pretty close. She was so upset when he died that she couldn't even find the strength to go to the funeral, even when Jeff begged her."
Edward took the paper, and we all stood up, but I pulled out my phone, making a quick call.
"Angela, it's Bella," I said, smirking at Edward's chuckle and wink my way.
"Hey, Bells, what can I do for you?" Angela sang back at me. She was Carlisle's Personal Assistant at Twi Tech, not to mention married to Benny, our good friend at the FBI.
Twi Tech had been started by my father, Charlie Swan, and was now run by Edward's father. Both my maiden name and my married name still carried respect and power at the office. Rarely did I ever use it, but this was for a good cause.
"Two things," I stated. "First, call that guy down at the permits department...Robbins. Tell him there's a Remington Construction job down on Harper Street that needs every last pending permit shot through. Like yesterday. And no more waiting on future ones, either. They've dragged their feet long enough. If fees need paying, send them to Makenna at my office."
"Sure, Bells. What else?"
"Next, call over to Hannah's office. Tell her that Edward and I want to support a charity, and that she should call a Reverend Moses Matthews at the Sunrise Worship Center for whatever he needs, but it's a community recreational center, so they'll need...sports equipment, a computer center, furniture, a library, and volunteers to get it all here and set it up. Okay?"
"I'm on it, sweetie," Angela said, already in focus mode. "Oh! And Carlisle checked in this morning. They landed just fine. Sam was about to take them to the island. I was just about to call you."
"Excellent. Thanks, Ang," I said with a true smile, and then ended the call, looking up at Edward. "Carlisle and Esme landed just fine," I told him.
"Good," Edward said, still highly amused at my phone call.
"Carlisle...as in Cullen?" Preacher asked, looking between us. "As in Twilight Tech? You know him?"
"Yes, sir," Edward chuckled. "He's my father. Isabella used to be Swan. As in...Charlie Swan's daughter."
"Oh damn," he muttered, smirking at the two of us. "Sorry," he snickered, still shaking his head when we laughed.
There was a knock on his office door, and he excused himself, before cracking it open. Sonny was standing there, his face pale as he held up his phone.
"Umm, Preach. We're...um, we're good to go. On everything," he stated, his voice a little raspy. He swallowed hard, and then said, "We'll work the plumbing today, but I'll bring a full crew tomorrow so we can pour the flours, install the insulation, and get the walls finished, okay?"
"Yeah, sure, Sonny. Thanks," Preacher chuckled, folding his big arms across his chest after he closed the office door. "You just did that, didn't you?"
"Consider it a thank you...for answering our questions," I laughed, waving him off. "You should also receive a call from a Hannah Rodriguez today. She's the head of our philanthropic division. She'll ask you a few questions, but be honest with her. She's about to take care of supplies for you. Consider it a donation from Twi Tech. She may ask to see your plans for the place, just so you know."
"I don't know what to say," he whispered, his voice filling with emotion. "I've been fighting red tape, the community, and members of the church for this project for two years. All I wanted was a safe place for the kids in the area to hang out after school. A place they could play some basketball, get their homework done...even talk to someone, if they needed. You're giving me...more."
"Don't say anything," Edward said with a smirk, holding out his hand, which Preacher shook firmly. "We're just grateful. You gave us more information than we were expecting."
Preacher walked us back outside, towering over the both of us as he shook our hands one more time, saying, "In my opinion, I just never saw Ricky killing himself. He always had plans for the future, things he wanted to do. Jeff, on the other hand, may have just...given up."
"Both autopsies stated that there was no gunshot residue on their hands, though," Edward noted.
"Either of them?" Preacher verified.
"Exactly," my husband answered.
"Well, not that I want to encourage it, but I could ask around the neighborhood. Some of these boys know...things. They know guns and getting away with things I'm trying to stop. I could let you know what they say. Do you know what type of gun it was?"
"Twenty-two," Edward stated, handing Preacher his card. "Small caliber, so we weren't sure if maybe the gun itself just didn't put out that much gunpowder..."
"I'll see what I can come up with, guys," he said with a nod. "I'll call you." He held up the card with a small smile. "And...thanks again."
Once we were back in the car, Edward's phone chirped with several messages. A dark look crossed over his handsome face as he read through each one, but the last one made his eyebrows shoot up high.
"Alice found something interesting on the security tapes," he said, holding up his phone, his nose wrinkling just a bit.
"Oh, damn," I breathed, narrowing my eyes at the screen as the video played.
"She said the recording had been compromised, but you get the idea," he told me, as I watched Simon Parker force Ricky Jackson to his knees in front of the open zipper of his pants, just before the screen went fuzzy.
The next segment of the video showed an extremely irate Jeff all up in Simon's face, his fist clenched around the collar of what looked to be an expensive suit.
"And the other messages?" I asked, looking up at Edward.
"Not related to this case," he said smoothly, but his eyes remained glued to mine.
"Right. Got it." I took a deep breath and let it out. I knew he'd want my side of the Lilith Laray story, but not yet.
Edward cupped my chin and brought my lips to his. "What next, then, sweetness?" he whispered against my mouth, his tongue just barely meeting mine.
"Brenda Davies," I stated as I started the car, kissing him once more, just because I couldn't help myself. "Then it will be time to go get our girl, don't you think?"
"Indeed," he chuckled, his eyes so very warm and green at the mention of Bethy. "So who's taking the field trip with Bethy on Friday, love?" he asked. "Because we should be done with this case soon. I don't expect much in the way of explanations from Adam and Simon; they've obviously covered some of this shit up. This Brenda Davies may be our last and best bet."
"I'll take chaperon duty," I chuckled, pulling out onto the street.
~oOo~
"This is cute," I muttered, pulling up in front of the address that Preacher had given us.
The neighborhood looked old, but refurbished, like every large homes had been turned into expensive apartments. Some were brick, some were wood, but they all had quaint porches and multiple mailboxes. Even the roads were re-bricked, with large trees meeting high in the middle, giving off the feeling of being in a tunnel.
"Hmm?" Edward said distractedly, looking up from his phone, which continued to alert him.
"I said aliens have landed, Cullen," I snarked back, unable to hold my giggle in, because his confused face was so fucking adorable.
He grinned, shaking his head and stowing his phone in his pocket. "S-sorry, love," he sighed, looking up at me through his long eyelashes – his most deadly weapon.
I smirked at him, but I could see he was protecting me from whatever he had Alice working on concerning Lilith, so with a deep breath, I asked, "Is it...I mean, do I need to know?"
He winced a bit, but reached up to touch my cheek with the backs of his fingers. "The question is... Do you want to know, baby? You were pretty upset when we left. I j-just n-never w-want y-you to b-be unhappy, B-Bella."
God, I loved him, because he meant every fucking sputtered word he'd just whispered. And it never fucking failed to make my heart beat faster when he poured out pure honesty like that.
I nodded, swallowing thickly and taking a deep breath. "I need to tell you...and I want to know why she's out, but...I'd like to concentrate on Rick, for now."
"Yes, ma'am," he sighed, but brought my lips to his. "I'm here when you're ready, love."
"Thanks."
We walked up the front steps of a red brick apartment building, ringing the bell for Brenda Davies' place. The door opened to reveal a woman just a little older than myself. She had dark blonde hair, blue eyes, and an expectant smile.
"Yes?"
"Brenda Davies?" I verified, and she nodded. "I'm Bella, and this is Edward. I was wondering if you had a minute for us to ask you some questions about Rick Jackson..."
Her smile fell, and I immediately felt badly, because her eyes welled up with tears. "Oh, Rick," she sighed, shaking her head. "It's been so long since I've thought about him. Please...come in." She stood back, allowing us into her apartment and gesturing for us to have a seat in her small living room. "Who sent you?"
"Rick's family hired us, Miss Davies," Edward stated softly. "They wanted to try one more time for some answers as to why he died, but it was Preacher that gave us your name."
She nodded, sniffling a bit and taking a deep breath. "He and Jeff lived right there," she said, a small but sad smile curling the corners of her lips as she leaned against her kitchen counter. She pointed towards the door we'd just entered, so I understood her to mean that they'd lived right across the hallway.
"How long did you know them?" I asked her.
"Oh, a little over a year, but when I first moved in, we were the only two apartments rented out, so we kind of hung out together." She huffed a sniffly laugh, looking up at us. "Even when the other apartments filled up, we still stuck together. We became hall snobs against everyone else."
I grinned, understanding that feeling. I'd done the same with my roommates in Virginia when I'd attended classes at Quantico.
She was quiet for a moment, but walked over to a book shelf and tugged a photo album down, cracking it open and handing it to us. "They never really wanted anyone to know they were together," she stated softly, "but they could be themselves around me. I didn't care. Honestly, they got along better than any guy-girl couples that I knew. Jeff was devastated, of course." She paused for a moment as I looked at the pictures of the three of them, pictures of Jeff and Rick, and just silly shots of them individually doing the fun things that friends do – drinking, laughing, just hanging out.
"And you worked with them at Starlight?" Edward asked.
"Yeah," she said with a nod. "I worked there on the weekends while I was taking some college classes. I was there Rick's last night. Simon didn't know I was listening, but I was..."
"We heard from Preacher that Simon was attracted to Rick," I stated, hoping to urge her on.
"Attracted wasn't the word. Simon was a terrible boss, even worse with money, and had serious drug and alcohol habits. He was abusive, both verbally and – to Rick and a few others – physically." Brenda shook her head again, looking up at us. "Simon always wanted what he couldn't have...and most of the time, he just took it."
"And if someone threatened to report him...or press charges?" Edward asked, picking up on something that I hadn't given much thought to.
"Exactly," she stated with a firm nod. "Rick left Starlight that night, threatening to yell, and yell loudly. He'd been used, threatened, and Jeff had found out all about it...came to his defense, actually...though too late."
"Yeah, but if Rick had reported him, or even told one person outside of that club, then Simon's reputation would have been destroyed," I mused aloud.
"Not only that, but Simon's cash cow would have gone up in smoke," Brenda added. "If Simon's lifestyle had truly been revealed, his aunt would have never given him a dime, but he wasn't the only one relying on porn for extra cash."
"Not Rick," Edward groaned, shaking his head.
"Adam!" Brenda laughed bitterly. "Of all the people that would stand to lose out on that money...Adam. He was Simon's biggest star."
"Oh," Edward and I both gasped.
"So," I sighed, rubbing my temples at the soap opera that was this case, "would Adam have harmed Rick in any way? Because there's not a single person I've spoken to that thinks that boy was suicidal."
"Adam didn't shoot Rick," she stated, shaking her head. "Jeff did."
"I thought you said Jeff came to Rick's defense," Edward mumbled, looking up at Brenda with confusion all over his face.
"He did, but only after he'd followed him out that night. When Simon was...finished with Rick, Jeff walked in on them...thought Rick was cheating. It resulted in the fight of the century. In all reality, I think Rick really was going to kill himself, just over the humiliation of it all, but when he tried, Jeff struggled with him, and the gun went off."
"And Jeff couldn't live with the guilt?" I asked.
"No, he couldn't. He left me a note, but I didn't get to the alley in time," Brenda sighed, folding her arms across her chest. "I know you're going to ask me... Why didn't I tell someone?"
Edward and I both nodded, because that question was on the tip of my tongue.
"I didn't know until the night Jeff left me his suicide note. He explained everything. Up until then, I thought the same as everyone else, that Rick had killed himself. When no one came around to ask questions, then I just assumed that it was suicide. By that time, it had been so long, I wasn't sure anyone would care."
"Okay, okay, okay," Edward chanted, sounding like Alice. "I just...let me get my facts straight. Rick and Jeff were together, but Simon took advantage of Rick, which Jeff saw. Jeff...he assumed that Rick was cheating, but in reality, he was about to scream to the world exactly what Simon was doing. When Rick and Jeff got into a fight, Rick pulled a gun to end it all...or for reasons no one knows. When they struggled, the gun went off, killing Rick accidentally. Jeff kept all that shit bottled up inside for seven fucking years?"
"Edward, language," I chided, shaking my head.
"Sorry," he huffed, his cheeks tinging pink, but Brenda waved it off.
"No, that's it exactly," she stated with a nod. "Here..." She flipped to the back of the photo album that was still in front of us and pulling out a folded note. "Give Rick's family this note. It's what Jeff left me. It explains everything."
"Good, 'cause I'm not sure I could explain that again," Edward mumbled, rolling his eyes at the whole damn thing.
I stood up, and Edward followed my lead.
"Thank you, Miss Davies," I sighed, shaking her hand. "You've been a huge help."
Edward shook her hand, too, and led us out the door.
"I don't know if Rick was right, but he always said his family would never understand his...sexual preference. He hid it from them," she told us, shrugging one shoulder as she stood in her doorway.
"I've been doing this a long time," I started to explain, "and despite how hard someone tries to hide things, the truth is always better than the unknown. It's the not knowing that has plagued Rick's family."
With that being said, she nodded, and we left her front steps.
~oOo~
EDWARD
Hands down, the Rick Jackson case was the strangest case I'd worked on since I'd started working with Bella. It was strange and twisted, and an all around accident.
Preacher actually held true to his word and called us back to tell us what he'd found out about gun powder stippling. He'd asked around, and he was told that the lower the amount of gun powder in the actual bullet, the less stippling on the hand that was holding the gun. He also said that rain and snow could wash it away as well, so after a call to Alice, we discovered that while Rick's death was an accident, the stippling most likely would have shown up on Jeff's hands, but when it came to Jeff's suicide, there were different issues. Jeff had shot himself at night, leaving the window down, but by the time he was found, a severe rainstorm had rolled in, washing away all evidence.
The next day, we met with Todd Jackson, giving him everything that we had, including Jeff's suicide note. Somehow, Bella had been right. The truth was ever so much better than the wondering, because Todd sighed with relief that it had been an accident. He even went as far as to say he felt badly that Rick had found some sort of happiness and someone like Simon Parker screwed it up.
With the Jackson case closed, I had a few more issues. One was Rose was going into labor, which couldn't have been better timing, because Emmett was done with his job and the rest of us had just closed a case.
The other issue was...Lilith Laray.
The things I was hearing about this woman were disturbing, but not as disturbing as Bella's avoidance of the whole topic.
Alice found out that Lilith had been released from Shady Glen, pending follow up evaluations. She'd showed progress in her therapy, gotten her medications regulated, and had proven herself to be trustworthy within the facility, so she was granted release – with stipulations. She was supposed to check in with an out patient program, maintain her medication, and pass weekly drug tests. She hadn't done any one of those things since she'd stepped out of Shady Glen. She never showed up for her first therapy session, her prescriptions were never picked up, and there was no way to tell if she'd fallen off the wagon again. She'd evaporated into thin air. That is... until she showed up at the hotel where my father's wedding was held.
Not that Alice wanted to connect the two incidents, and it seemed fishy to me, too, but the drunk driver that had killed Ashley and her adopted parents was now missing. Christopher Douglas never showed up at work two weeks ago and hadn't been seen at his home on the west side of town, either. His car still sat in the driveway, when coworkers became concerned and called the police. He had also disappeared in a puff of smoke.
How the man wasn't doing a life sentence in prison was beyond me, but he'd only served two years on second degree manslaughter charges. It had to have been a helluva lawyer that pulled that fucking shit off, because that drunk bastard drove so fast through a red light that he was able to flip the Greenes' car, rolling it into a fuel tanker. And the fucker was so drunk, he never even knew he'd killed three people and a child until he woke up two days later, handcuffed to a hospital bed.
The file on the old case didn't give me much information, and Alice and Makenna only knew what Bella had allowed them to know, so I still had no idea what things Bella had thought she'd done wrong. According to her notes, it was an open and shut case. The Greenes reported Ashley missing, hired Bella to work with the police, and Ashley was found just outside of a rundown motel – a motel that was used and usually paid for either hourly or weekly. There was no in between with a place like that, because you either lived there, or you used it with a hooker. Rose was present the day that they found the little girl, bringing her safe and sound back to her future adoptive parents. And that was who I really wanted to talk to, but Caleb Edward McCarty had decided I had to wait.
"So Aunt Rose and Unca Em are gonna have a baby...like me?" my sweet, curious girl asked, while sitting on her mother's lap in the waiting room of the maternity ward of the hospital. Her little hand reached out and tapped the helium filled balloon that was tied to a baby blue teddy bear.
"Well, a lot smaller than you, pretty girl," Bella chuckled, playing with Bethy's long, loose braid that fell over her shoulder. "But yes. Only, they are having a boy."
I grinned when my daughter's nose wrinkled in disgust at the thought of the completely wrong gender.
"Hey, I'm a boy," I argued dramatically.
"No!" she laughed, folding in on herself as if it was the funniest fucking thing in the world. "You're...Daddy!"
Alec snickered softly next to me, shaking his head. "She knows where babies come from at three years old?"
"She knows the birth process," I chuckled, flicking Bethy's nose just to watch her bury herself in her mother's neck to get away from me. "She's been to Aunt Kate's, so she's seen puppies, kittens, baby rabbits, and all that. She's even seen baby chicks hatch. But she can't grasp how they all...came to be." I raised an eyebrow up at him, and he grinned.
"Got it," he chuckled. "Bambina," he called her, and she peeked up from Bella's neck to look at him. "Since you were here first, you gotta show this new guy the ropes, yeah?"
"Huh?" she asked, scrambling off of Bella's lap and walking to him.
He pulled her to his lap to explain. "Oh yeah. See, you've had to learn all the cool stuff on your own. Like...what the best flavor of ice cream there is."
"Strawberry!" she chirped, nodding like he should know this shit.
"And how to eat pasta the right way," he told her, shooting a wink at Bella when she laughed softly.
"No, no, no," Bethy huffed, folding her arms across her chest. "Babies drink from bottles."
"Well, yeah, at first, but Caleb will eventually get big like you. He's gonna need someone to show him," Alec countered, wearing the best of smiles. "Like who your favorite uncle is..." he teased, knowing how she'd react.
"I love all my uncles," she growled, shooting a nervous glance across the room to Jasper, who was fighting his smile.
"Don't stir up...shi...trouble, you jerk," Jasper snapped laughingly at Alec, pointing a finger at him.
I snorted, shaking my head at how we'd all had to tone down our language around Bethy, because we'd learned the hard way. She'd gone through a phase where she'd repeated everything that anyone said. When she was two, she got really pissed at her Uncle Emmett for taking one of her toys, and she'd snapped, "Hey, g-give me that d-damn thing back, asshole."
I, of course, couldn't breathe, because it was so fucking funny, especially the look of pride and shock on Emmett's face, but Bella had put an end to it instantly, telling us if we didn't start watching what we said, she was going to install a swear jar. And not just any swear jar; this bastard was expensive. The fouler the word, the higher the price. An f-bomb was a hundred bucks. She told us it would be for Bethy's future therapy sessions if we didn't "cut it the fuck out!" It took a week and almost a thousand dollars for us to get the hint. We'd started Bethy's savings account with it.
Bethy adored her "uncles," even though they weren't blood related. She wasn't lying about that, but what I noticed was that she went to them for different things. With Jasper, she could be calm, and he taught her outdoorsy things, like how to find the best wild blueberries or track a deer in the woods so she could see Bambi, and he loved to tell her stories. With her Uncle Emmett, she could be rowdy and loud, wrestling with him or playing games. And with her Uncle Alec, she really just listened, like she was doing right then. He made her laugh with his teases and actually talked to her like a tiny adult, instead of a little kid. She respected it, whether she knew what the word meant or not.
She liked Wes, Makenna's boyfriend and our friend at the FBI, and she liked Benny just fine, because he brought her crime scene tape and rubber gloves so she could play cop for an hour or two. But she was nowhere as close to them as she was to Alec, Jazz, and Em.
With her aunts, it was a completely different story. She was learning all sorts of independence, strength, and snarkiness from each and every one of them. But it was Bella she was truly like, because she could spot bullshit a mile away.
"You're t-twying to get me in t-twouble with Unca Jazz," Bethy gasped, her mouth hanging open as she pointed to Alec, who dissolved into hysterics instantly when her eyebrows furrowed and her arms crossed over her chest. She narrowed her eyes at him, not finding it funny at all.
"You tell him, baby girl," Jasper said with pride, cracking the fuck up.
"That's my girl," Bella chuckled softly beside me, and I turned to look at her. "She's never fooled."
"That's very true," I snickered.
"You guys are so stupid," Makenna snorted, rolling her eyes. "You don't see us girls trying to see who she loves best. We know it's Alice," she laughed, jerking a thumb to her left, where Alice was sitting quietly, fighting her smile. "Come on, Bethy. Just for all that drama, I'll buy you a hot chocolate," she crooned, opening her arms when my daughter squealed with happiness and ran to her. "I could use a cup of coffee."
"Wif whipped cream?" Bethy verified, her bright green eyes shining at the thought.
"With whatever you want," she stated, giving Alec a raised eyebrow. "We should make both uncles come with us..."
"Aw heck," Jasper drawled, grasping Alice's hand. "We'll all go. I could stand to stretch my legs anyway."
Without even asking, they all took off to the hospital cafeteria with our daughter.
"They like her better than us now," I pointed out dryly, which only caused Bella to giggle and lay her head on my shoulder. I wrapped my arm around her, kissing the top of her head. "I love you, sweetness," I sighed, taking advantage of the fact that we were alone, even if it was in a hospital waiting room.
She got up and sat down sideways across my lap, curling into me. "I love you, too, Edward," she mumbled into my neck as she played with my hair at the back of my head.
My hands were immediately drawn to her legs, which were bare up to the hem of her short skirt. Up and down and over her knees I touched her. Starting at her ankles, up her calves, and tracing a finger over her kneecap, my hands traveled, only to slip ever so slightly under the hem of her skirt and back down to start all over. Despite being married for three years, despite having had a beautiful child, I couldn't ever keep my fucking hands off of Bella. It was nearly impossible, especially when her mouth opened wet and warm to the side of my neck. I was completely insatiable when it came to her.
Slipping my free hand into her hair, I pulled her back from my neck, our eyes locking. "We shouldn't," I groaned, watching as her tongue glided along her bottom lip slowly, erotically. "Someone could walk in..."
"'Kay," she breathed, nodding slightly, but she made no move to get down from my lap. In fact, her eyes stayed glued to my mouth, her breathing a little heavy.
Suddenly, I just needed to kiss the fucking shit out of her...and then some. She'd been so quiet the last few days, trying to avoid the Lilith Laray topic, but her nightmares didn't fool me. The fact that she'd wake up and run straight to Bethy's room didn't fool me, either. I wanted some sort of reaction from her, even if it was twisted of me to want it inside that fucking hospital.
I wanted to see that spark, that flare of my naughty girl, just for a moment, because I knew she was punishing herself for something that was out of her hands from her past.
I picked her up, setting her on her feet and standing up in front of her. "Come with me," I ordered, taking her hand and leading her out of the waiting room and down the hall.
Just before we got to the elevators, I looked both ways up and down the hall and yanked open a janitor supply closet, pressing her back into the door and leaning all my weight on her, not only to keep her there, but to keep the door closed, as well. I reached up, planting one hand by her head, the other reaching for the deadbolt. It clicked closed loudly in the tiny room.
"Edward," she panted, looking up at me, but she wasn't protesting. She was, however, threading her fingers into my hair to bring my face closer to hers.
Skimming my hand down her sides, I hooked my fingers under her knee, hitching her leg up around my hip. It brought our bodies closer as I nipped at her lips teasingly. My tongue stroked across her top lip, along her bottom lip, causing her mouth to open for me. Our moans were quiet in the small space, muffled against each other's mouths as our tongues teased and tasted. My girl was coffee and all things that just made my cock stand to attention, and I really just wanted to really taste her.
My hand that was holding her leg around my hip skimmed up the back of her thigh, finding no resistance, no cotton. I grunted, pulling back to look at her, my breathing coming out in pants when I caressed her closer and closer to where she was already wet for me.
"Mm, a thong, love," I purred, dragging my teeth down her neck and opening my mouth to the soft spot just below her ear. "That makes this...so fucking easy..."
"Maybe I had intentions of fucking you in a closet, Edward," she whispered, nipping at my jaw.
There was my naughty girl coming out to play. There was the Bella that could absolutely drive me insane with want and lust and just the need to fuck the shit out of her. There was the girl that had given herself to me, even when she'd walked through the gates of hell just to run into my arms on the other side. It was the same girl that could walk into a room and with just one look, have my cock standing at perfect attention.
"Maybe," I chuckled darkly, feeling her whole body writhing under my touch as my fingers moved past the lace of her thong and through her hot pussy. "Have you been wet for me all day?"
"God, yes," she gasped, her head falling back to the door with barely a thump. "Always..."
I smiled against her neck at that admission, loving that we still could do this to each other, still push each other's buttons until one of us snapped. What usually faded with time had only gotten stronger with us, and I often wondered if it was due to how we started, how we had to take things so slow with her that every kiss, every taste, every orgasm meant something.
I slid down her body, kneeling in front of her, my hands on her beautiful thighs. "You have to be so fucking quiet, sweetness," I warned her in a whisper as my fingers skimmed up her skirt, only to latch onto the sides of her underwear. I tugged them down, and she held onto my shoulders as she stepped out of them. "I know just what to do about this...problem you have," I told her, shimmying her denim skirt up around her hips so that her sex was bare and in front of me.
"Fuck, Edward," she panted, her eyes on me as I lifted one of her legs over my shoulder and dragged my nose up the inside of her thigh.
"Oh, we'll do that, too, baby," I purred, flicking my tongue over the sensitive crease where her thigh and hip met, "if we haven't been discovered by then...so if you want me to fuck you against that door," I growled low, giving her apex one long lick from one opening to the other, "you'll keep quiet when you come on my tongue."
"Sweet Jesus," Bella hissed, her eyes squeezing closed as my tongue swirled around her entrance, only to flatten across her clit.
Her hips rolled, her leg pulled me closer, and her fingers gripped my hair to hold me where she wanted me. And I let her guide me, let her show me what felt good, but when she got close, I slowed down, only to slip two fingers deep inside of her. I pulled back watching her face, watching as her normally sweet, chocolate eyes were practically black with lust. She was fucking stunning as her mouth hung open just a bit, her body just feeling as I curled my fingers to hit the spot that always made her breath catch and a squeak escape her.
"Shh, baby," I chided gently, suckling her clit again and feeling her walls clench down on my fingers. My girl was so, so close. I was hard to the point of fucking painful as I watched her unravel as quietly as she could against that door. "As much as I love to hear what I do to you," I whispered, just barely letting my teeth graze her sensitive flesh, "I need you quiet, Bella...but come for me, love."
Bella's teeth sank down onto that gorgeous bottom lip of hers to keep from calling out, and her whole body shook as her climax wracked through her, causing the sweetest of shivers to tremble around me from her legs to the tips of her fingers. I kissed her clit one more time, before standing up in front of her.
"Can you still be quiet, sweetness?" I asked, but she was already nodding and unbuckling my belt.
"Yes, Edward," she answered breathlessly, shoving my pants down, along with my underwear, and wrapping her arms around my neck. "Please, please...baby, I need to feel you..."
Her forehead pressed to mine as I lifted her up effortlessly. Her strong legs wrapped around me, her eyes locked with mine, and we both muffled our cries in each other's mouths as I slid her down over me, engulfing my cock in the sweetest feeling I'd ever had the pleasure of experiencing. No one, anywhere had ever felt as good as my girl did. I'd been lost to her the minute I'd met her, but I was her slave the first time we'd finally consummated our relationship.
"Fuck, you're so fucking beautiful," I told her, nipping at her lips as I buried myself inside of her as deep as I could. "And feel...so good, so damn good, baby..."
"More, Edward," she whispered, and I grasped her ass, thrusting as hard into her as I could dare, considering where we were. If we were discovered, it would be really bad.
I kept my rhythm deep, even, but not slow, with swiveling hips just to brush my pelvic bone against her where I knew she'd come quicker. I wanted her to feel every inch of me, and I needed to watch her come again. I kissed up her neck, but she planted her hands on either side of my face, turning my head to kiss me so fucking hard, deep, and so full of passion that for a split second, I lost my rhythm.
"Tell me, Edward...tell me you love me," she commanded in a whisper against my lips.
"So much, baby. I love you like crazy."
"Tell me always."
"'Til I die, and way beyond," I answered her honestly, but her desperation was worrying me.
"No matter what?" she asked, leaning back against the door and using it for leverage to meet me thrust for thrust. Her hand skimmed down the front of her stomach, and the very second her fingers ghosted across where we were connected, I knew I was going to come, and come fast.
I shook my head, because words were lost to me, and we both came. I buried my cock as deep as I could as my head fell to her shoulder. I held her close as both of us came down from our high.
I turned my head, giving her sweet neck a long, slow, open mouth kiss. "No matter what," I vowed, pulling back to look at her.
Two tears leaked from her eyes, and I kissed them away. "I know something's bothering you, sweetness. I'm here when you're ready, okay?" I asked her, making sure she was looking at me.
"I love you," she said simply, nodding and holding me closer.
"I love you, too, Bella," I sighed, wincing when I set her down and we separated. We straightened our clothes, fixed mussy hair, and Bella pulled her thong back on, but I stopped her when she reached for the lock of the closet. "Hey, nothing will ever change that, love. Ever. Do you know that?" I asked her. "Nothing you've done could ever change how I feel about you, baby. I promise. And there's nothing I don't want to know about."
She nodded, saying, "I know, Edward...I just..."
We both froze when someone tried the door, and I couldn't help but smile when she snorted into the sweetest of giggles. I held my finger to my lips as I pressed my ear to the door, making sure whoever was on the other side was gone.
Carefully, I cracked the door open, and we slipped out unnoticed.
~oOo~
"Look at you, handsome!" Bella cooed sweetly to Caleb, rocking him gently. And not for the first time did I let the desire to have another child flit through me. Just watching Bella holding the noisy little bundle made me want to try again.
Caleb Edward McCarty was a healthy, almost ten pound baby boy. He had a shock of curly blond hair, a sweet chubby face, and two big, curious eyes that took in everything around him. He was the perfect blend of his parents – big and sturdy, like Emmett, and just as fair and beautiful as Rose.
"He looks like a baby doll," Bethy whispered to me, because she'd been told not to make a lot of noise.
I turned to her, squeezing her closer on my lap. "You think so?" I asked her, smiling at her enthusiastic nod. "You did, too, pretty girl. You were the prettiest baby in the hospital," I told her.
She grinned, shaking her head. "Mommy says you say that because you can't see past me...th-that we're p-peas in p-pods."
I laughed, kissing her neck loudly. "Mommy may be right, little sweetness."
Bella giggled softly, looking up at the two of us as we all just hung out in Rose's hospital room. Her eyes were warmer now, more relaxed, but when she watched me and Bethy, an overflowing amount of love just practically radiated from her very soul. It happened every time.
"No, no," Rose snickered wearily from her bed. "I can vouch for your utter cuteness, Bethy. You were the prettiest in the hospital the day you were born. Today...he is." She pointed towards Caleb with a wry smirk.
Emmett and I laughed, but we all looked up when a nurse came in.
"Mr. McCarty, we need you to sign a few things up at the desk," she told him as she wheeled in a bassinet. "And if Mrs. McCarty is feeling up to it, she can change into her own clothes."
"Oh, umm," Emmett started, rubbing the back of his neck after setting Caleb in the bassinet. "Rosie, your bag is down in the car. I'll just..."
"I'll go get it," Bella offered and took Emmett's car keys from him, turning to Bethy. "Pretty girl, do you want to walk with me?"
"Yeah," Bethy said with a nod, but her eyes were wide as she tugged her mother closer. "I have to potty, Mommy."
"I figured. I was wondering when that hot chocolate was going to kick in," Bella said with a sweet smile. "Come on, we'll take care of both, huh?"
I chuckled at my girls, kissing them both as I leaned back in the chair to watch them leave the room.
"What's wrong with her?" the ever perceptive and always sharp Rose asked, raising an eyebrow at me.
They'd been friends since high school, so there wasn't much the two of them couldn't read off of each other.
"I was hoping you could tell me," I sighed, sitting forward and resting my elbows on my knees as I looked up at her. "You've been...indisposed, but... What do you know about...Lilith Laray?"
"That bitch?" Rose growled, looking over at Caleb when he stirred, so I went over and scooped him up for her, placing him gently in her arms. "Where the hell did that name come from?"
So I paced and explained what I knew to her quickly, while everyone was out of the room. I started with when Lilith approached me at the wedding reception, her reaction to Makenna, and the discovery of her name when Mack didn't quite recognize her due to the changes the woman had gone through. I told her that Bella wouldn't even talk about it, and that Alice had given me the case file. I also brought her up to speed on what Lilith was now up to – or at least what Alice and I suspected, concerning Christopher Douglas. When I was done, Rose was shaking her head, her face fierce.
"What?" I asked, practically begging her with my eyes. "Spill it, Rose."
"Shit, Edward," she sighed, leaning her head back to the pillows behind her. "You'd better up security, sweetie. I'm not kidding. If Lilith approached you, then it was really Bella she was after."
"Why?"
"Because Bella..." Rose faltered, taking a deep breath. "Bella truly lost her shit on that woman after the Greenes died. She blamed her for everything, even when Bella was blaming herself. I think maybe she just wanted someone else to...hurt."
I groaned, running a hand through my hair. "But why up security? It was an accident."
"Because I got a call from Shady Glen after Bella left, and Lilith Laray snapped after Bells told her that her daughter was dead, despite the fact that she'd given Ashley up for adoption. The doctors said Lilith kept repeating the same shit over and over... 'I'll kill her...it's her fault. She won't get away with taking my baby from me...'" Rose looked up at me, a frown turning her features into a dark look, even though she was cradling her son. "If she's out, Edward...she'll come for Bella. It's not the first time that Lilith has killed before."
A/N... Okay, first things first... the Rick Jackson case. It is officially closed, before you ask. No, there was no need for Simon or Adam to be talked to, because Brenda had the answers. And no it has no bearing on Lilith. Edward and Bella did what they were paid for...they found out how Rick died...and then some.
Coming up, we'll hear more about Lilith, and Bella finally tells her side of the story. And the field trip to Lafayette's Farm.
I'd like to thank JenRar for not only beta'ing this but threatening me. My bomb shelter is almost finished, thank you very much. LOL Goober_Lou pre-reads this for me, often throwing things at me, but gives me the best feedback. And much thanks to MedusaInNY who helps with my blog, but with so much more. This last week, she talked me down from the ledge! LOL Thanks, to all of you!
This is really going pretty much to schedule, though this being a holiday week, my own personal schedule is a little weird. I actually have to work on the 4th of July, so that sets the rest of my week off. I'm fairly certain that I will post Wednesday on time, but don't panic if I don't. Either way, let me hear you. I know you've got things to say. Until next time...Later.