Author's Note: Two more chapters after this and then the Epi. I was going to do an EPOV but it kept falling flat, so I've decided to just give you a taste during the epi, when I finally get to write it. I've got a kid home sick from school today, so it's hard telling. I'm hauling them both to the MD tomorrow, because the boy who sits next to Big E's mom told me on FB that he has strep and had the same symptoms as my little guy…so I'm not going to take any chances.

A big thanks to AgoodWITCH who has been 'illing' on this story for the past few chapters. She's been super speedy with the beta duties this week. Also big thanks to my WC ladies for their support and feedback. Alright…now on with this phone call….

Chapter 9

"Hello, James," I replied, trying to keep my voice as steady as possible. All three guys in the room snapped their heads in my direction, eyes wide. I motioned for them to be silent as I tapped the button to go to speakerphone.

"Well at least you figured out that part, Nightshade. I was beginning to think my dear brother lied about you as an excuse for being captured."

I cleared my throat before continuing. "Well, I'm a little emotionally compromised, considering who you have taken from us. I think it's clouding my thinking."

He chuckled, "Oh, but you have loverboy to pick up the slack. He's quite good, I must say…not as pretty though."

I took a deep breath and tried to steady my voice as I added an extra sharpness in my reply. "What is it you want, James? We're a little busy trying to locate you."

He chuckled again. "Yes, yes, you're catching onto my clues expediently, but your time is running out, Nightshade. When dawn's light strikes the home of the orchids, the Rose shall wilt and wither. If anyone but you comes to her aid, they will die along with her. Only you, Belladonna, can save the precious Rose. You have a little less than six hours to find us. We'll be waiting with bells on."

I started to reply when my phone beeped indicating he had ended the call. My stomach boiled as I stared at the rectangular device before looking up at the men in the room, Edward looking at me with horror while Emmett, white knuckled the table and ground his teeth. The silence was broken when the teams from the flooring store arrived hauling in boxes of records. I stared at Edward who blinked at me in silence, all of the color now drained from his face.

"You can't go, Bella. It's not safe."

I swallowed before rasping, "I have to. Rose is dead if I don't. At least she'll have some kind of a chance if I go."

Edward began to shake his head jerkily. "You know as well as I do that if you go in there alone, you're not coming back. You're his new nexus. It was never Rose…Rose was King's obsession. Caulfield is in it for the thrill of the chase and the defeat of the most worthy opponent. That's you, Bella. He wants to conquer you."

I nodded shakily before standing up and moving to stare out the window. I licked my lips slowly, gazing out into the darkness before wiping a tear away. With one last breath, I turned toward my extended team. "I want all the concealed weapons you can find me. Emmett, I want you to see if you can get me that sample of Dragon Skin body armor. I want to be able to maneuver when I'm in there. Johnson, I want to be wired in an obvious and at least two more discrete ways. Make sure at least one is vid. Edward," I paused when I locked eyes with him, seeing the agony on his face, "Find them for me. I need you to do this for me. His last comment about waiting with bells on was probably another clue. Look for addresses or complexes having something to do with bells. Also, look for flowers and name or titles of monarchs, and assign someone to cross reference our suspected locations with former foster homes Caulfield stayed in after he was released from the hospital. This could be a place he spent some time in."

Edward nodded slowly before looking back down at his keyboard, but his strokes were noticeably slower than they had been before the newest revelations. I took a breath and lifted my phone from the table, dialing the one person I needed to talk to most. It only took one ring before Carlisle answered. Apparently he had already been apprised of the situation, as the first words out of his mouth were, "You can't do this, Bella."

I almost didn't recognize my own voice as I responded in a flat monotone. "I have no choice, Carlisle. I'm Rose's only chance."

"NO, Bella! You are not Rose's only chance. Let a strike team go in and get her. This isn't Silence of the Lambs and you aren't Jodie Foster. This is suicide, Bella. There's no honor in this."

"And I can't live the rest of my life knowing that I was too scared to face the demon and not even try. I'm doing this, Carlisle, with or without approval."

Carlisle sighed. "I'm calling Arogani and the rest of the big wigs and I am on my way there as of five minutes ago. You are not going in without any backup and I am going to be in your ear the entire time."

I smiled and let out a slow breath. "I wouldn't have it any other way, Carlisle."

The teams dove in head first, working away while I stared out the window and tried to wrap my mind about what I was about to do. Suddenly, the room got quiet and I saw the reflection of Edward moving toward me before I felt his heat behind me. It was like the world was moving in slow motion as his hand moved out to touch my arm at the time that his face lowered to my shoulder. He placed a soft kiss before sliding his hand down my arm to twine his fingers with mine.

"I just found you…I don't want to lose you," Edward whispered into my ear as I leaned into the warmth of his chest, no longer caring about professionalism. I needed this personal connection before I walked directly into hell. I took a deep breath before turning toward him, wrapping his arm around my waist as I twisted.

I rested my hand on his chest, feeling his heart hammering away under his sternum. "I don't want to either, but I meant what I said, if I don't try, I won't be able to live with myself."

He pulled me closer with his arm around my waist, his free hand moving up to grasp my hand on his chest, squeezing lightly. We stared at each other for one very long moment before he leaned in and softly brushed his lips across mine. I gasped as my heart jumped hard in my chest, threatening to beat right out of my ribs in response to his touch.

Our kiss deepened as we moved closer, my hand sliding up to wrap around his neck, as his slid up my arm to tangle in my hair. Without conscious thought, my lips parted and I took a small shared breath with him before they fell together again, this time my tongue peeking out to taste his lower lip. Edward hummed before reaching out to brush my tongue with his, causing my heart to clench with bittersweet joy. Our kiss did not break until the rattle of the door knob warned us we had company and we jumped apart, still staring as we struggled to catch our breath.

Through the door marched Carlisle, another small army of agents following him in with armloads of supplies. He took in Edward and my condition with a smirk before barking out orders at his entourage. Everything I had requested had been brought along with the new crew and more. I now had everything I needed to enter the lion's den…now I just needed to muster that last bit of courage.

Just as I was slipping on the last piece of Dragon Skin armor, an agent dashed in, laying something out on the table. "We missed it at first because we were looking for installations on a Bell or Belle Avenue. It wasn't until Uley was looking at the map that he realized that there were lots of installations on corners. We found this one on the corner of Ellerslie and Belle Terre Avenues, and it was also one of the homes Caulfield was placed in toward the end of his time in the system."

I picked up the picture and looked at the cute little blue three-story Victorian home with white trim, a chill running up my back. It was within relative close proximity to Clifton Park, had the right carpeting unless it had been replaced by another dealer in the years since it was first installed, and it had a connection with Caulfield. It looked too pretty to be the ninth circle of hell, but then again, King never looked like the devil incarnate either.

All was in place and we had two hours to go…I just prayed that I could find a way to get us both out alive.