6

"Rosalie," Carlisle said, pulling hers and Edward's attention away from the back entrance of the house. "We need a list of everyone who comes into contact with Bella, and I do mean everyone. Doesn't matter if they are in her life every day, or just randomly. I need to know where she picks up her grocery order, her favorite takeout spots, and any place where the stalker could have seen her. I'd like to run some background checks, see if any of them could her stalker. Might be a long shot, but I'd like to thoroughly vet everyone in her life. Can you get me a list before you head out for the planned sighting? I'd like to get our staff on this as soon as possible."

"Um, yeah, of course, shouldn't take me too long," she murmured before she hurried into the house.

The second she was out of sight, Edward brought his hands up to the back of his head, taking a deep breath. He should have been more careful not to touch her. He'd known exactly how she would react. Hell, he was the same way. Over the years he had learned to control his flinch better, or he had until he walked into his office and saw her standing in front of the window. Twenty-five years later and the little girl in the white dress still haunted his every moment.

"Edward, son, you gotta breathe for me."

He released a gust of air and looked over at his father. "Dad."

"I know, Edward. I know. I'm going to call your brothers, have them get here now. You three can escort her to the music store. I'm going to get Al on these background checks, and then Sam and I are going to sweep the neighborhood, make sure there aren't any blind spots that we need to get eyes on."

Edward nodded. "We need to find out who her 'father' is," he added, using quotation marks. "He could be dangerous."

"I'll look into it, but, odds are someone adopted her, just like we did you, Edward."

"You were adopted?"

Edward looked back and found Rosalie standing there with a USB drive in her hand.

"Sorry," she said, clearing her throat. "I'm not trying to be nosy. Just . . . This is a list of everyone she has any kind of contact with. Most of her business affairs go straight through me, seeing as she's very private. There are only a couple of handful of people who interact with her on a regular bases, and even then it's rare for me not to be with her all the time. I also burned the video from the break in that you asked for."

"Thank you, Rosalie, this will give us a place to start." Carlisle glanced at Edward before he walked over to her, taking the drive she offered. "May I ask why you're surprised that Edward is adopted?"

Rosalie glanced back into the house before she sighed. "She doesn't talk about it, but she was found on the side of a highway with a pretty severe head injury when she was around five years old. She spent almost three months in a coma. They didn't think she was going to ever wake up, and when she did, she had no memory of who was she was, what had happened to her. If her name hadn't been written on the tag of the white dress she was found in, they wouldn't have even known her name was Isabella. She was adopted by the man who found her. He raised her as his own." Rosalie took a step backward. "Don't say anything to her, though. When she tells you she values her privacy, she means it, but if it helps figure out who is stalking her, then you should know."

"Why hasn't she seen her father in three years?" Edward asked.

"Because she feels like she's been a burden to him since the day he brought her into his home." Rosalie frowned. "I'd better go get ready. Have to protect her image," she added with roll of her eyes. She paused in the doorway and looked back at Edward. "I know she can be difficult and stubborn, but it's only because she's scared. I've known her almost twenty years, and I've never seen her this scared before."

"Of course she is. We will do everything we can to ease that fear, Rosalie," Carlisle said.

"Thanks."

Carlisle waited until Rosalie was back inside the house before he turned and looked at Edward. "Are you okay?"

Edward nodded. "I'm fine, Dad."

Though he could tell his father didn't believe him, Carlisle walked back into the house and a moment later, he heard the front door open and close. They'd dumped her on the side of the road like she was a piece of trash? If they weren't already dead, he'd kill them himself.

—TB—

Edward did his own walk around the property while he waited for Rosalie and Bella to finish getting ready for her 'planned sighting'. It was preposterous, he thought, planning out when the press would see you just so you could sell more music, but then again, he wasn't America's Sweetheart. Nobody would bat an eye if he were seen in public. She, however, was the center of attention everywhere she went. Had been for longer than she realized, apparently. She'd been the favorite, out of all of them. They were equally cruel, of course, but they favored her.

He was standing in the middle of the living room when he heard someone clear their throat, and when he looked behind him, he found her standing in the entrance to the hallway. She was wearing a short denim mini skirt that showed her long, creamy legs and a black Clash T-shirt that fit her perfectly, showing her curves. On her feet were a pair of worn black and white checkered vans. Her hair had been left down, and framed her face, and when she looked up at him, he felt his heart start racing.

"Sorry," she said. "I didn't want to startle you."

"I appreciate that," he replied, swallowing against the lump in his throat. "You look nice."

Bella smiled. "Thanks. I feel ridiculous. These media spots . . ." She shook her head, leaning against the wall. "They help my music sell, though, so I guess it works, but I hate them."

"Can't imagine it's easy. Always being in the spotlight like you are."

Her eyes darkened as she said, "No, it's not."

Bella wrapped her arms around her torso as a door behind her opened and she looked behind her. He watched her tense as Rosalie hurried down the hall, making sure she didn't accidently touch her. Like Bella, she had changed into nicer clothes. Rosalie was wearing a red and white floral skirt and a white tank top with a pair of red heels that would make it difficult for her to run if the occasion called for it, but what would he know?

"I do this, Ro, and then I'm done for a few days, right?" Bella asked.

"Yes," Rosalie said, nodding. "I cleared the next ten days for you, Bee. Give you a chance to rejuvenate. Maybe get some real sleep. Especially once he's here."

Bella tensed, her eyes shifting to Edward before she nodded. "Yeah."

"We're just waiting for backup," he said, drawing Rosalie's attention to him as well. "My brothers," he added. "We work together, and given the intensity of the stalker, I . . . We thought it would be a good idea for some extra hands on deck when you're out of the house."

"And I can trust them?" Bella asked.

Edward nodded. "Yes."

"I hope so," she whispered just before they heard the doorbell.

Edward gave her a look before he walked over and opened the front door, finding Emmett and Jasper standing there. "Come on in."

Neither spoke as they stepped into the house, stopping just inside and looking around, searching for weaknesses Edward knew. They were as well trained as he had been, thanks to Carlisle. He made sure all of his sons, biological or not, knew how to protect their blind side. It was the first thing he taught Edward when he brought him into his home, once he wasn't feral anymore at least. Protect himself, protect his blindside, never put himself at risk again.

Edward gestured toward the two women. "Emmett, Jasper, this is our client Isabella Swan and her manager Rosalie Hale."

Emmett and Jasper shifted their eyes from him to Bella and back before either spoke. Emmett, being Emmett, made sure he dragged his eyes down the length of both of their bodies, his eyes lingering on Rosalie a moment longer than expected.

"It's nice to meet you," Jasper said first, followed by Emmett adding, "Big fan of yours."

"Thanks," Bella murmured, her arms tightening around her.

"We need to head out, but I . . ." Rosalie glanced at Bella before saying, "Don't touch her."

"I'm sorry?" Jasper asked, tilting his head to the side.

She put her hands up in front of her. "That came off harsher than I meant, but please don't touch her. She doesn't like to be touched, so just don't do it."

"Okay," Jasper said, shifting his eyes to Edward. "We can respect that."

"We will do everything we can to keep our hands to ourselves, but you need to know that if we feel you are in danger, Ms. Swan, we will have touch you."

"Of course," she said, though her eyes shifted to Edward for a moment. "And it's not Ms. Swan. It's Bella. Everyone calls me Bella in private."

"Okay, Bella." Emmett grinned. "Now, we should get out of here."

Though she nodded, Edward saw the way her body tensed, the stress in her shoulders. Rosalie leaned in, making sure she didn't touch her, and whispered, "It's going to be okay, Bee. Everything's going to be okay."

"I know, Ro," she whimpered, her eyes closing for a moment, and when they opened, she smiled and said, "I'm okay."

Rosalie lead the way out of the house with Emmett in front of her, Jasper next, then Bella followed by Edward as close as he could get without touching her. Emmett and Jasper climbed into the front of the large, black SUV they had driven over. Rosalie climbed in next, followed by Bella in the middle and Edward, giving the area a quick glance before he climbed in next to her.

"Surprised you don't travel around in style. You showed up to my building in a limousine, didn't you?" he asked, sitting as close to the door as he could so he wouldn't accidently touch her, for both their sakes.

Bella rolled her eyes. "That was not my choice. The label insisted on a driver, but it makes me more likeable to my fans when they see me out like this. You know, on the street just like them. It's bullshit."

"Then why do you do it?" he asked.

She shifted her eyes up to his. "Because it sells my music, and without my music, I wouldn't have anything."

—TB—

Half an hour later, Emmett pulled the SUV up in front of a small music store located in the heart of Los Angeles. As the three men climbed out, they scoped the area, searching for signs that her stalker was there. Problem was whoever was stalking her could be anyone, someone she didn't even know existed. Someone who knew here, thought they knew who she was, at least.

There were a handful of photographers set up across the street, clearly there to capture the moment, give her fans a piece of her. Edward turned and motioned for her to climb out the car, which she did. He could feel the tension radiating off her, knowing just how uncomfortable and scared she had to be in the moment. Rosalie met them on the sidewalk, gesturing for Bella to head inside the small, music store.

He watched her take a deep breath, center herself as she placed a fake smile on her face, laughed like Rosalie had just told her a funny job before the two women headed inside the music store with Emmett and Edward following, and Jasper hanging out next to the door, just in case.

The moment Bella walked inside the small shop, everyone stopped and looked at her, and several of them squealed, hurrying up to her. Edward moved to get between them, but Bella shook her head, telling him to stop.

"This is part of the gig," she whispered, before clearing her throat and saying, "Hey, girls!"

"Oh, my God, oh my God, oh my God!" two girls who couldn't have much older than sixteen squealed as they shoved receipts and pens toward her. "Can we have your autograph?"

"Of course," Bella told them and signed both receipts. "Here you go."

"Oh, my God, thank you!" one of them cried.

"We are, like, your biggest fans."

"You're too kind."

Though Edward could tell the girls wanted to talk more, Bella gave them a small wave before she walked over and started flipping through the vinyl records being held on milk crates that sat on top of old, wooden tables in the middle of the store. As she shopped, she would have to stop and sign autographs, have her picture taken with fans. Rosalie stayed right by her side, close enough to be seen as friend, not just her manager. They'd been inside the shop for almost an hour when Bella walked over to where the guitars were located. She ran her hands over a bright red guitar.

"It's nice," Edward said, causing her to look over at her.

"It's incredible," she replied, wrapping her fingers around the neck and carefully lifting it up in front of her. "1964 Gibson ES-335 Bigsby. It's a classic, only a few hundred were ever made."

Her eyes closed as she began to strum the chords, the slow, steady hymn that had haunted his nightmares for twenty-five years, and Edward felt the lump creep up into his throat. The urge to rip the guitar out of her hands and slam it against the wall filled him, but the price tag hanging off the neck stopped him. Almost thirty grand for a guitar was ostentatious.

"Where'd you learn that song?" he asked, unable to keep his tone from faltering.

Her eyes opened. "I don't know. Just . . . just something that plays inside my head a lot. I've tried searching for it, but I can't quit get the lyrics close enough to find the song's title."

"It's called 'Come Thee, Child of Mine'," he murmured, and when her eyes widened, he said, "We should go."

"How do you know that song?" she asked.

Edward shook his head, his eyes shifting over to where Emmett and Rosalie stood by the register. "I heard it a lot when I was little." He blew out a deep breath. "We should go."

"Tell me more about the song," she said, reaching for his arm, but pulling her hand back.

"We should go," he said again.

Though he thought she was going to argue with him, she simply nodded, placed the guitar back on the rack, and followed him through the music store, past Emmett and Rosalie and out to the SUV, where Jasper was waiting with the back door open by the time they got there. Once they were inside the car, Edward placed his hands on his knees.

"Look, Bee," Rosalie said, and when he looked at them, he saw Bella staring at him. "Bee."

"Sorry," she murmured before turning her eyes from him to Rosalie. "I'm sorry, Ro, what'd you say?"

"Your sighting is already being reported," she said, showing her pictures of them on every social media platform known to man. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok, there she was exposed and vulnerable. "Should really help boost your presales for your single."

"That's good, Ro," Bella said, smiling, though Edward could see the effort behind it. "That's really good."

While Rosalie turned attention back to her phone, Bella reached up and grabbed the silver locket hanging around her neck as her eyes once again met his.

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