7
Edward didn't question Bella as he followed her into the elevator. She leaned against the wall, her eyes locked on the picture of Lauren Mallory while trying desperately to ignore the feel of Edward Masen's penetrating gaze. She couldn't explain why she found it difficult to refuse him, why she wanted to work side by side with him. She told herself it was because he needed to learn how to handle the fragility of their victims, that they weren't just facts written down inside manila folders. Garrett wasn't just a name. He had been her husband, her life, and Edward needed to understand.
She needed him to understand.
When the elevator opened, she said, "Let's go," as she walked out.
"Where are we going?"
She stopped and looked at him. "You're fresh on a case that is a solid two weeks old, which by all intents and purposes makes it ice cold. Where would you go, Masen?"
Edward pressed his lips together. "To where our last body was found."
She smiled. "Very good. I can't just read other people's interpretations of the scene. I need to see it for myself, visualize what you saw, or in this case, what I'm hoping you didn't see."
He nodded. "And did you mean what you said? About wanting to work with me?"
Bella tilted her head to the side. "I did."
"Why?"
"Because, like I told Carlisle, you fought a blizzard to bring me back. And while that was stupid and dangerous, and if your momma ever finds out, she will probably whoop your ass, I respect the fact that you tried."
"Even though I'm a Noob?"
"Masen, we were all Noobs once. We've all been there. Just stop being a pussy and letting them walk all over you."
"I'm not a pussy," he muttered under his breath.
"No?"
He shook his head.
"Then prove it."
And then she turned and left him standing there. She heard him follow, which she knew he would. They climbed into her truck and headed to where Gianna had been found.
—^—
Her body was discovered on the side of Interstate 66, five-point two miles outside of Washington D.C., in the early morning hours when a commuter — a man named Paul Lahote — parked on the side of the road to change a flat tire. As he was digging his spare tire out of the trunk, he spotted her nude body in the line of trees. According to Gianna's file, he said he thought it was fake until he got closer, only to realize she was not only real, but also dead.
Bella climbed out first, followed by Edward. As she slipped on a pair of latex gloves, she said, "Tell me about her."
He flipped open her file and started reading, "Gianna Rollins, age nineteen. She —"
"I already know what that says," Bella interrupted. "I want to know what you've learned about Gianna Rollins. Who was she?"
"She . . . she was a student. Studying bioengineering. Is this what you want to know?"
"Who are her parents? Does she have siblings? A boyfriend? A dog named Fido? Who was she, Masen, when Dwyer stole her off the streets, tore her soul and body into a million little pieces, and left her on the side of the road like a piece of garbage?"
"Her parents, John and Amanda, live in Chicago. She has a brother, John Jr. According to them and her roommate, Diane, she wasn't seeing anyone. No dog, either, but she had a cat named Juniper. Diane told us between work and school, Gianna was busy and rarely had time for a social life. She described her as quiet and reserved, but when she got comfortable with someone, she was the life of the party." He paused. "She liked to read. Hated talking on the phone, but loved to text. She hated social media; said it was a waste of time. She was close to her brother, who is three years younger than her. Her mother told us she was protective of him, almost to the point of being overbearing."
Bella held her hand up, stopping him. "She wasn't just another body on the side of the road. She was John and Amanda's daughter, their firstborn. They celebrated her birthday and Christmas. She was her brother's number one fan, and she was a friend, someone important to those who knew her, who knew the real her. You can't get caught up in the stats in that file. Do you understand what I'm saying, Masen?"
"I do, but isn't it dangerous to let yourself get emotionally attached to victims like this?"
"It's more dangerous to become numb to the horrors of the world. Being complacent means you stop fighting, and if you can't fight for John's big sister and Amanda's little girl, what's the point of the job?" Bella looked toward the trees. "Now, tell me where she was found."
"Over here," he said, leading her toward a small section of trees. "He placed her on her back, with her arms folded across her chest with her palms covering her breasts. Her ankles were crossed, and she was naked."
"He knew she would be found quickly," Bella murmured, walking around. "He'd scouted this area and knew it was a high-traffic highway. The guy who found her, Paul or whatever it was, did he find what caused his flat tire?"
"Paul Lahote and I don't know. We never asked."
"Of course you didn't." Bella nodded and squatted so she could look closer to the ground. "She hadn't been here long when she was found, had she?"
"M.E. estimates she hadn't been here for more than a couple hours when she was found, though the time of death was ten to twelve hours before."
Her eyes shifted around the area, pausing when she saw a small, narrow dirt road on the far side of the trees. If one didn't know it was there, one would have missed it, she thought. "Paul called 911?"
"He did, at seven minutes past eight in the morning. PD showed up twelve minutes later and secured the scene. When one of the officers saw the four-leaf clover on the side of her breast, he had everyone stop and call us in. We arrived two hours after the initial call."
"Of course, he was gone by then. He would have left as soon as he heard the call being made."
"Who? Who was gone? What are you talking about?"
But Bella didn't reply. Instead, she simply stood and walked through the line of trees to the edge of the small dirt road. She put her hands up in front of her to frame the scene before looking back at Edward, but her attention was pulled to one of the trees.
The bark on the backside had been peeled off in a perfect ten-by-ten-inch square, and a message had been carved into the trunk. As Bella walked closer, she felt her stomach drop when she saw the words, "My Love, she makes six," whittled deep into the wood.
"Is that . . . is that a message from Dwyer?"
"Yep." Bella closed her eyes before she pulled her cell phone from her pocket and took a picture of it. She texted it to Charlie before calling. After half a ring, he answered with a rushed, "Bee."
"You get it?"
"I did."
"He left it for me. You realize that, don't you?"
"I do. We're on our way."
Bella didn't reply as she ended the call and shoved the phone into her pocket. Her eyes closed, and her fingers clenched into tight fists, but when she felt Edward place his hand on her shoulder, she looked at him.
"Don't touch me, Masen."
He pulled his hand back. "I'm sorry. Are you okay?"
"No, no, I am not okay." She pointed to the tree. "We only have five women connected to Dwyer: Bree, Jane, Heidi, Chelsea, and Gianna, right?"
"And Lauren."
"We don't have anything concrete that says he's the man responsible for her disappearances, but we do with those five."
"Okay, I'll give you that. What's your point?"
"Who is number six, Masen? And don't say Garrett because he wasn't one of his girls. Dwyer used him like a pawn, like he was dispensable. His girls were special to him."
"You think he has another body out there?"
"I guarantee he does."
Bella gave the tree one more look before she walked to her truck to wait for the rest of the team to arrive. Phillip Dwyer had started killing again to lure her back, and it had worked.
—^—
"I can't do this anymore, Bella. I can't be the only one in this marriage making any kind of effort."
"You're not. I'm here. I'm right here."
"No, you're not. You're out there, chasing some crazy psychopath whose sole intention is to hurt you. Do you not get that? The letters? The phone calls? He's not going to stop until he gets his hands on you, Bella!"
Bella shook her head, her arms folded in front of her. "It's my job, Garrett, to stop him!"
"And I'm your husband." He placed his hands on either side of her face, and when she tried to pull away, he tightened his hold. "Put me first, sugar. I'm asking you to put me first for a change."
"I am putting you first, but you knew what my job was when you asked me to marry you, and now you want me to quit? To throw eight years down the drain just because you're scared?"
"I want you to think about our future for a change. We agreed to start trying for a baby three months ago, Bella, and you keep putting it off. First, it was the Henderson case, and now this one? When is enough going to be enough?"
She placed her hand on his chest. "I'm going to quit. I just can't do it in the middle of this case."
"You could, but you choose not to."
Bella prepared to argue her side once more, but before she could, her phone rang, which only caused Garrett to roll his eyes, climb out of bed, and grab his shirt off the chair in the corner.
"And now you have to go."
"I'm sorry," she said, grabbing her phone as she stood. "I love you."
"I love you, too, Bella, I do. But I don't know how much longer I can do this."
"Bee."
Bella was startled when she felt a hand on her shoulder, and when she looked to her right, she found her father. He was looking down at her with concern marring his features, the same expression he'd had when he sat next to her at Garrett's funeral, waiting for her to break down.
She hadn't, though. She'd held it together until she found herself standing in the middle of their apartment, and only then did she allow herself to cry. Two days later, she had packed up as much as she could load into her car, arranged to have the rest donated to local shelters, and walked away from everything — everything except her nightmares.
"Sorry," she muttered, pushing his hand off her shoulder.
"You okay?"
She nodded. "Did you see it?"
"I did."
"He watched until she was found. Probably put glass or nails on the road so someone would get a flat tire and have to pull over and see her. He set all this up just to draw me out again."
Charlie sighed. "Probably."
"Is that all you have to say?" Bella stood, placing her hands on her hips. The rest of their team was with Edward, analyzing the message Dwyer had left for her. "Why couldn't you just let me be, Dad? Haven't I given up enough for the job?"
"Because I didn't raise a quitter, Bee, and Garrett wouldn't want you to isolate yourself from your family, either."
She shook her head. "You have no idea what he wanted me to do, Dad. None." Bella stepped backward before yelling, "Masen, let's go."
"Where are you going?" Charlie asked, but shook her head before looking over at Edward, who jogged to her.
"Get in the truck, Masen."
"Don't do it," Charlie ordered, and Edward stood by and looked from him to her and back. "Bee, just talk to me."
"I don't want to talk to you," she said, her voice wavering as she took another step. "Get into the fucking truck, Masen."
"Um, okay." Edward hurried around to the passenger seat, shutting the door with a resounding thud.
"Bee," Charlie whispered.
But she simply shook her head before she climbed into the driver's seat, started her truck, and drove away, leaving her father and the rest of the team watching.
—^—
Edward didn't say a word as Bella drove back into the city. Of course, that might have more to do with the fact that she'd turned the radio up, trying to drown her memories in rock and roll. She could feel him watching her again, and for reasons she couldn't explain, it was the only comfort she could feel at the moment.
Bella parked in front of a small, privately owned gym that only a few people seemed to know about. She didn't say a word as she got out, hearing Edward follow, as she headed inside. The front lobby was dark, shabby, and covered in an inch of dust, but when she walked through a set of double doors, she almost smiled.
There was a large ring in the middle with a dozen punching bags lining the left side and speed bags on the right. In the back of the gym were shelves filled with gloves, helmets, and jump ropes, anything and everything one might need to fight.
"Well, well, well," a deep tenor cooed from her left, and when she looked over, she saw a tall, muscular man leaning against the doorway to the office. He had long, black hair pulled into a ponytail at the nap of his neck and dark eyes. His russet skin was covered in various tattoos. "I heard they were sending someone to bring you back, Bee; I didn't think it would work."
"Can't say I did, either," she quipped. "You look like shit."
He snorted. "Bitch, I look good."
"Hey, don't call her that!" Edward exclaimed, causing both him and Bella to laugh. "I'm serious. It's rude."
"Calm down, Masen. He's a dick, I'm a bitch. It's just who we are," she said with a laugh before waving her hand toward the other man. "Sam Uley met Edward Masen. The newest member of my father's team."
"Well, shit, that explains it all. Noobs always get offended when I call you a bitch." Sam pushed away from the doorframe and walked over to them. He held his hand out to Edward. "Nice to meet you, Noob."
"My name isn't Noob."
"Sure it isn't," Sam snickered before looking down at Bella. "You need a round or two in the ring?"
She nodded. "You have time?"
"I'll make time. Emily has some clothes in locker four. Help yourself. I'll get everything ready."
"Thanks."
Bella looked at Edward before she walked across the gym and into the locker room, letting the door close behind her. She leaned against it, her eyes closed, and took a deep breath.
"I love you, too, Bella, I do. But I don't know how much longer I can do this."
She released a shaky breath, her hands clenching into tight fists before she all but sprinted to locker four, yanked it open, and changed out of her black slacks and white dress shirt and into a pair of cotton shorts and a red T-shirt with Uley's Gym across the front. When she walked out of the locker room, she found Sam inside the ring, his hands taped and a pair of gloves by his feet and another in his hands.
Edward was seated on a bench, bent over, his eyes locked on her as she joined Sam in the ring. She held her hands out, earning her a raised eyebrow when he noticed the way she shook. He snorted but didn't say anything as he taped her hands and then tied on her gloves. He placed a helmet on her, tightening the strap under her chin before putting on his own.
"You ready, Bee?"
"Yeah."
Sam brought his hands up in front of him, preparing to receive the first hit. He wouldn't make the first move; he never did. Like Edward, he held a firm stance when it came to hitting ladies. Though, once she'd clocked him in the jaw, he started fighting back.
It took a minute, but as Bella got into the groove, she stopped holding back and started throwing punches faster and harder than before. Right hooks, uppercuts, and roundhouses. She unleashed a year's worth of frustration and anger, rage, and fury she had kept locked inside until she stumbled upon an unconscious man in the middle of a blizzard.
After Bella had given all she could, she crumbled to her knees, placing her gloved hands on the mat, and panted as she tried to catch her breath, tried in vain to stop the tears that seeped down her face mixing with sweat. Sam knelt next to her and removed the helmet. Shifting so she was sitting with her knees in front of her, she held her arms out so he could remove her gloves.
"Thanks," she whispered. "I needed this."
"No shit," he scoffed, rubbing his jaw. "I'd forgotten how hard you hit."
She laughed, bending her knees up in front of her. "Emily's good?"
"She's . . . Emily. She'll be sad she missed you, though. She's out of town for a few days. Her cousin's having a baby, and she went to help."
Bella nodded.
"Why'd you come back, Bee? Thought you were staying away for good."
"That was the plan." Bella leaned back on her hands and looked at Edward. "He sent Masen to fetch me, and he followed orders because he's a good little soldier. Almost died in the process. Couldn't very well leave him on his own, could I?"
"Goddamn, he's relentless."
"He is."
"You didn't have to come back, though."
Bella lobbed her head in his direction. "He's killing again."
"I saw the paper."
"What do I do, Sam? I don't . . . I don't know how to stop him."
"Good thing you have a team behind you, Bee." Sam stood and offered her a hand. She rolled her eyes and let him help herup. He kept her hand in his as he brought the other one to the back of her head, leaning down so he was face-to-face with her. "You're not alone. You've never been alone. Trust them to help you."
"I don't trust anyone. Not even myself." Bella pulled her hand free. "Thanks for the workout."
"I'm here every day, Bee."
She nodded and climbed out of the ring, her eyes meeting Edward's for a moment before she turned, walked into the locker room, and, for a moment, tried to be braver than she actually felt.
Thank you for all the AMAZING reviews! Big shout out to Sunflower Fran for everything she has done to help me with this story. She's amazing. See you next Monday, loves!
