25

Bella wasn't sure she believed a word that came out of Felix's mouth. Sure, maybe he was like her and Edward, maybe he had gone through Hell and somehow survived it, but how could she be sure? He had battle wounds, scars that matched the ones she did the best she could to cover. She'd used vitamin E and Collagen and anything else she could to make the scars fade away, tired of looking at them every day when she looked at herself in the mirror. When she allowed herself to look at herself in the mirror. All she really knew was that Felix was just one more person who knew all her dirty little secrets, secrets she didn't even know she had until Edward Cullen came barreling into her life.

"Did you want anything else to eat?"

She smiled and tilted her head back, looking up at him. She'd pulled her chair up as close to his as she could and was leaning her head on his shoulder. "I think I might bust at the seams if I eat another bite. You're a good cook."

Edward scoffed. "I can fry bacon, cook sausage, and fry some eggs. That's about all I can do, though."

"Well, you do it well."

"Thanks." He paused and sighed before saying, "We need to join the others."

Bella groaned.

"I don't want to, either, but we need to make a plan, Bella."

"Do you trust him?"

"I don't trust anyone."

"Except your family."

"Except my family," he admitted. "No, Bella, I don't trust him, but at the same time, I do trust that he will do everything he can to take Marcus down. We have a common goal, so while I don't much like him personally, I think he's a hell of an asset for us, for you."

Though she wasn't sure she agreed, she found herself nodding and asking, "And who are the guys with him?"

"The blond haired guy is Garrett. Garrett Mitchell, he started working with Felix about five or six years ago. He's formal military, Marines I think. Spent some time over in the Middle East. Doesn't like to talk about it much, though. The dark haired guy is Tyler Crowley. He joined Felix's team two years ago. He's an expert hacker. Spent some time in prison after he got caught breaking into the Federal Reserve. Not sure what he was after, because it wasn't money, but he got it, negotiated his way out of a harsher sentence. He was paroled less than halfway through his five year sentence, and has been a part of Felix's inner circle ever since."

Bella bit the inside of her lip. "And when we leave here, when we reenter the real world, they'll be what? Be my new security team?"

Edward nodded. "Along with me, Emmett, and Jasper."

"And the label is going to allow that?"

"Rosalie's been working on it, but I'm not giving them a choice, sweetheart."

"But I have a contract, Edward."

"Oh in that case," he scoffed with a wave in his hand. "I know all about your contract, including the clause that states they must provide you with suitable security, and seeing as the assholes they saddled you with are too busy hitting on girls, who are not always of legal age I might add, instead of protecting you, I think we can get you out from under their protection without any trouble."

"I knew there was something off about those motherfuckers. They just . . . they just never seemed to care about keeping me safe."

"They did their jobs to the best of their ability. They just weren't trained to be efficient."

Bella nodded. "And Felix, Garrett, Tyler are trained to be efficient?"

"They are."

She sighed. "Fine. I'm going to try my hardest to trust them, Edward, but they scare me."

"They scare me, too, but you and I are going to get through this. I promise. And then, maybe, we could, I don't know, go on a proper date, or something."

Before she could reply, the door to the kitchen opened and when they turned and looked back, they found Charlie standing in the doorway. She felt herself tense, especially when he shifted his eyes from her to him and back. He was worried about her, he had said to her while they were upstairs in her bedroom. She was relying on Edward too much, latching onto him, depending on him, he had added.

She couldn't deny it, because she was, but Charlie didn't understand how she out of control her life had felt like for the last twenty-five years. How stupid she felt for being afraid that someone would accidently brush their shoulder against hers, afraid to shake someone's hand because she might have a full blown panic attack to the point that she spent days locked in her bedroom, shaking and crying uncontrollably. She'd learned to control her reactions, how to hide her fears for the most part, but that terror, that anxiety never left her, never not once. Edward understood those feelings, Edward made her felt normal and perfect and beautiful.

"If you're done eating, we'd like to get to work."

"We'll be there in a minute," she said, giving him a look that told him to back off.

Charlie rolled his eyes, but walked out of the kitchen, and when she turned back to Edward, she saw him glaring at the doorway. She scoffed and stood up, reaching for their empty plates. "You're both being ridiculous."

"How?" he asked, pulling the dishes out of her hands and carrying them to the sink, dipping them in the hot, soapy water he'd prepared to soak the skillet he used.

"You're both too busy trying to prove you care more about me than the other that neither of you can see that I need both of you. He's my father, Edward. He was there for me for twenty-five years. I know you think he did, but he never gave up on me, not even when I . . . when I wasn't the easiest person to live with. I need him, Edward, and I need you, so please try to trust him."

"I'm trying. For you, I'm trying."

"Try harder," she said, walking over to him and placing her hands on the middle of his chest. "And maybe kiss me before we go in there."

Edward grinned, his wet, soapy hands coming up to either side of her face. His fingers brushed across her cheeks for a moment, the smallest, briefest moment, before he leaned down and his lips once again met hers.

Just like every time he kissed her, or she kissed him, the moment their lips met, the most incredible feeling of peace and tranquility filled her from her fingers to her toes. She found herself unafraid of his touch, finding herself needing the feel his hands on her skin, to feel him holding her body against his, and she wondered what it would feel like to feel him inside of her. It was the first time she had ever thought about what it would feel like be with anyone like that, something that both excited and scared her.

"Eddie, shake a leg already. We know you're not happy they're here, but get over it already. We've got work to do," Alice called out just before they pulled away from each other and they turned toward the door to the kitchen, finding her standing there with her eyes wide open. She looked from him to her and back before turning and hurrying out.

"Guess we've stalled long enough, huh?"

"Yeah, guess so." Edward kissed her once more before reaching down and wrapping his fingers around hers. "Let's go be brave, sweetheart."

But she didn't feel brave or strong or fearless as she and Edward walked out of the kitchen, through the empty living room, down the small, narrow hallway and into the office. Her instinct was to run, to hide, but she couldn't, because she only had a handful of days left before she found herself having to step out hiding, and once again become Isabella Swan, America's Sweetheart.

—TB—

Bella's heart was racing, beating hard against her ribs as Edward reached out and wrapped his fingers around the doorknob. The urge to scream at him to stop, to drag him back up to the third floor, their floor, and lock themselves away from the evils of the world was overwhelming, yet she didn't. Hiding wasn't going to make Marcus Volturi and whoever was helping him go away. Hiding was only going to cost her everything she had spent the last seven years working her ass off for. Putting herself in the spotlight to get her music heard was the hardest thing she had ever done. Well, second hardest. Letting herself fall in love with Edward Cullen was the hardest, and she couldn't deny that she was falling in love with him. And loving him scared her more than Marcus Volturi.

As the door swung open and he pulled her into the room, everyone turned and looked at them, only Alice being the exception. Emmett and Rosalie were standing next to Jasper, Charlie, and Esme, who looked almost as nervous as Bella felt. Carlisle was standing with Felix, Garrett, and Tyler. The three newcomers looked her the hardest, like they were trying to read her mind, which did very little to make her relax. Edward knew every thought that she had, every feeling that welled up inside her, because he had lived it with her, and maybe Felix did, too. But Garrett and Tyler had no clue, even if they knew the dirty little details.

"Bella, this is —"

"He told me," she interrupted Felix, earning her a raised eyebrow that irked her more than it should. "Sorry, but I asked, and he told me about Garrett and Tyler."

"He did, huh?" Felix shifted his eyes from her to Edward before looking back at her. "Fair enough. Let's cut through the bullshit, shall we? Before we get into the nitty, gritty details of what's going on, let me go over my rules."

"Your rules?" she asked.

He smiled and nodded. "They're really simple. When we leave here, when we reenter the real world, you do as I say. I am in charge. Despite what you've told, Bella, I am in charge."

She glanced at Edward, who was glaring at him. "I don't agree to that."

"I didn't ask if you agreed."

"I didn't say you did, but Edward is my bodyguard, not you."

"Fine." Felix looked back at Garrett and Tyler. "Get our shit. We're out of here."

"Wait, wait, wait," Carlisle interjected before anyone could move. "Nobody is going anywhere."

"And he isn't in charge of jack shit," Bella quipped, tightening her grip on Edward's hand. "I agreed to let him come and help, let all of them come and help, but Edward is in charge of my security. Not Felix, and he isn't going to order me around."

Carlisle sighed and turned back to Felix. "She's right."

"This has been a waste of my time." He grabbed the back of his neck. "You said you needed me, you said he couldn't do it alone."

"That's not what I said," Carlisle was quick to say, before looking right at Edward. "That's not what I said, Edward."

"Then what did you say?" he asked, and she could hear the hurt and anguish in his voice.

"I said that this hits too close to home, not just for you, but for all of us, Edward, and it does." Carlisle turned and looked at Felix. "And it hits close to you, too, so stop bullshitting us and trying to prove your dick is bigger than my son's, and get on with it. She knows what's at risk, and we know there is nobody she trusts more than Edward."

Bella saw the way Charlie frowned, but before she could attempt to assure him that she trusted him, she just needed Edward more than she needed air to breath, something that scared her more than she was prepared to admit, Felix started to speak again.

"Fine," Felix gritted out through clenched teeth before folding his arms in front of his chest. "Neither of the people who broke into your house is Marcus Volturi."

"So you don't think this has anything to do with him?" she asked.

"On the contrary, Bella, I think it has everything to do with him."

"But you said —"

"I said he wasn't one of the two people who broke into your house, not that he isn't involved," Felix said, interrupting her this time. "Whoever broke into your house is younger, more agile, and focused than he ever was. You may have been his favorite, Bella, but he wouldn't have waited this long to make his move."

"So what you're saying is that we're not any closer to discovering who these people are than we were before," Edward grumbled.

"Did I say that?" Felix asked, raising an eyebrow in their direction again.

"Felix believes, and I am inclined to agree," Carlisle said, moving so that he was standing between them, giving Edward a look that Bella knew to mean to calm down, "that whoever these people are may be idolizing the Gathering of Twilight, focusing more on Marcus Volturi's . . . unique tastes."

Bile crept up her throat as she was quick to throw her hands up in front of her. "Are you . . . are you saying the Brothers have . . . have groupies?"

Charlie smiled. "It's not that unusual, Bee. People are naturally intrigued by serial killers and cult leaders. Richard Ramirez, who was known as the Night Stalker, killed thirteen people and had dozens of 'fans' who wrote him letters, or even visited him in prison. When Ted Bundy was on trial, dozens of women flocked to the courthouse proclaiming his innocence, despite the fact that he preyed on women. Sometimes, those 'fans' get a little too involved, and on occasion, they start emulating their idols."

"And that's what's you think is happening now? That Marcus Volturi's fan club is after me because I was his . . . his favorite, or whatever?"

"Or, they are acting on his orders." Felix shrugged his shoulders, folding his arms in front of him. "Point is, most likely these two people are not working alone."

"We've been digging into those around you, Miss Swan," Tyler said, his voice deeper than she had expected. "Most of them appear clean, but we have a couple people of interest."

"Who?" she asked, regretting it immediately.

"How well do you know Katelyn Denali?"

"Kate?" she asked, shifting her eyes to Rosalie, who looked as shocked as she felt. "Kate's my publicist. She and Ro work hand in hand to when it comes to setting up my tours, media posts, public sightings, and such. I've met her a couple times, but she seems nice."

"You think Kate is the one of her stalkers?" Rosalie asked, but then shook her head. "No, no, no, no, I'm sorry, but Kate isn't dangerous."

"You sure about that?" Tyler asked and when Rosalie didn't reply quick enough, he said, "Because eighteen months ago, she was ticketed a block from Miss Swan's house after she parked in a fire zone. Kate wasn't in the car, which makes me wonder where she was. Maybe trying to get closer to Miss Swan."

"No, I don't . . . Kate? I just don't think she's that kind of person."

"Her phone records show almost three dozen calls that pinged off the same tower a block from where Miss Swan lives."

"If you call me Miss Swan again, I'm going to scream," Bella gritted through clenched teeth, causing Tyler to shift his eyes to her. "You're saying that Kate Denali is female who broke into my house?"

"I'm saying she is a person of interest, Bella," he said, giving her a small smile. "Her computer's search history hasn't given anything up out of the ordinary. She's googled you, of course, but seeing as she is your publicist, it would be unusual if she didn't keep track of your online reputation. Right now, that's all we have on her, but I'm still digging into her history."

"Who else are you looking at?" Rosalie asked, moving over and standing next to Bella, who turned and wrapped her hand around the top of Edward's arm. "You said you have a couple people of interest. Who else?"

Garrett spoke this time. "Mike Newton for one. Jacob Black is another."

"Who are Mike Newton and Jacob Black?"

He gave Bella a look before he said, "Mike Newton is the Chief Financial Officer of Sin Records, which alone doesn't make him a suspect, but seeing as he has been to eighteen of your last twenty-five concerts kind of does."

"Eighteen?"

Garrett nodded. "According to his credit card receipts, which have been used in every city that you've performed in for the past two years, on the same dates that you've performed there. With the exception of your last show in New York, which is the same weekend your house was first broken into. He does have a credit card charge at a gas station about three miles from your house, though. Bit of a coincidence, don't you think?"

Bella didn't know what to say, or think. This Mike Newton certainly fit the bill for one of her stalkers. It made her sick to think that someone involved with her music could be behind all of this. She had never met Mike Newton, and barely had more than a handful of interactions with Kate Denali.

"What about Jacob Black?" Edward asked, sliding his arm from her grasp and wrapping it around her waist, pulling her even closer to him, if possible. "Who is he? He's not connected to the record label. We already checked, so who is he?"

Garrett and Tyler shared a look before they turned and looked at Felix, clearly expecting him to handle this one. Felix, however, didn't seem too bothered as he shrugged his shoulders and said, "Jacob Black is your half-brother, Bella."

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