6

Just after four in the morning, Bella awoke. She crawled out of bed and changed from pajamas into a pair of leggings and a favorite shirt she'd stolen from Garrett. She slipped into running shoes and inserted her earbuds, syncing them to her phone, which was shoved into her pocket. She started downstairs, unsurprised to find her father leaning against the front door, waiting.

No words were spoken as she reached past him, opened the front door, and stepped out into the cold morning air. He followed, and the two walked down to the sidewalk before stretching their arms over their heads, as they always did when they went on a run together. Then, sharing a look, they turned and started their usual route.

When she entered the yellow house on Mulberry Lane the afternoon before, she found her mother leaning against the railing with a bottle of wine in one hand, two glasses in the other, her arms, shirt, and neck sprinkled with paint. She simply raised an eyebrow and said, "I can't believe Edward Masen talked you into coming back, Bee."

Bella had tried to insist that she wasn't back, that she wasn't going to stay, but who was she kidding? Her father had known the moment Masen told her Phillip Dwyer was active again she wouldn't be able to resist. It had been easy to walk away when Dwyer had all but disappeared, but now that he was making his move again, she knew there was no way she could stay away.

Once they'd run two and a half miles north, turned, and followed their route back to the house, they found themselves on the front steps. Charlie was trying to catch his breath while she ignored the way he kept looking at her, the way he'd been since he got home the night before and found her sitting on the sofa with her mother, an empty bottle of wine on the coffee table. While he smirked, she glared, stood, and walked upstairs to her room. She just hadn't been able to handle talking to him again, not knowing how he'd manipulated her return to D.C.

"Liam called."

Her eyes closed for a moment.

"Said Heidi was really glad to see you," he added, and she felt his eyes on her. "Told me you encouraged her to leave her bedroom."

Bella nodded.

"Why'd you go see her?"

She rolled her eyes, turning her head toward him. "Because someone needed to show Masen why she's more than just a fucking file and seeing as you're too busy letting everyone haze him than actually teaching him, I took it upon myself to educate the boy."

"Masen is a good cop, Bee. A damn good cop. Good instincts, smart and clever. Like you."

She hummed but didn't reply.

"If it makes you feel better, Mom yelled at me last night."

"Doesn't hurt." Bella smiled and looked at him. "She's not mad, though. At least about me being here. She just doesn't want me to go back to the job. She talked my ear off about her latest art piece. There's a lot of nudity, which she unfortunately showed me. I've never seen so many penises in one room."

"She's referring to it as her sexual reawakening," Charlie laughed before he turned serious. "She may not want you to return to the team, Bee, but she knows you need to finish this."

She sighed. "Why? Why me?"

"Because he made it personal. I mean, it's personal for all of us, but especially to you."

Bella bit the inside of her lip, shook her head, and stood. "It's bullshit that you used Garrett to bring me back, Dad."

As she turned and walked into the house, she heard him say, "Wouldn't have had to if you hadn't runaway in the first place."

It took all her strength not to turn back and kick his ass, but she knew he had been worried about her — they'd all been worried. So, instead, she walked upstairs to her bedroom, and with tears in her eyes, she stripped off her clothes and took a shower.

—^—

Just before seven a.m., Bella hurried downstairs, dressed in black slacks, a white button-up, and a black jacket. Charlie and Renee were seated in the living room; both stood when they heard the sound of Edward parking her truck in front of the house.

Charlie walked to the front window, pulled the curtain back, and looked over at her. "You let Masen drive your truck?"

"Clearly."

Renee shook her head as she walked toward Bella, placing her hand on her face. "He sucked you right back in, didn't he, Bee?"

"Mom."

She sighed. "Guess I can't say I'm surprised. You never were one to back down from a fight. Just be careful, Bee. Please."

"I promise." Bella leaned up and kissed Renee's cheek, causing her mother to smile. "Love you, Mom."

"Love you, too."

Renee gave Charlie a look before she turned and headed into the kitchen, and a moment later, the sound of her studio door closing and Edward knocking echoed simultaneously. Charlie stepped toward the door, but he stopped when Bella put her hand up. She opened it, finding him standing with his back toward her. Turning around, he looked at her, his lips curving upward into a smile.

"Don't do that," Bella quipped, pushing the screen door open and stepping onto the porch.

"Do what?"

"Smile at me. Just give me the keys so we can get started."

"Okay." Edward dropped them into her hand. "Did I do something wrong?"

Bella glanced back to the house, where her father stood in the entry room. "No, Masen, it's not you. Let's go."

"All right."

As they walked down the front steps and got into her truck, she saw her father watching them, this time from the front porch.

—^—

Instead of going to the office, Bella drove to a small brick two-bedroom house in Silver Springs, Maryland, about half an hour from the heart of D.C. It was considered one of the area's best art and entertainment scenes. Though it was abandoned now, it was once a beautiful, picturesque house that was the envy of the neighborhood. Now, however, the yard was overgrown and littered with trash; the windows were broken, and someone had written the word 'killer' across the front door in white spray paint.

"Phillip Dwyer was raised here by his mother and father from the time he was ten years old. I'm not sure where they lived before settling here. Texas, Arizona, and Oregon for sure, but there are some pretty large gasps in his family history."

"How do you know this? None of it was in his files."

Bella tilted her head in his direction. "I was curious."

"Curious, huh?"

She nodded. "He did kill my husband, Masen. You didn't think I'd want to learn every single detail I could about him?"

"Figured that when you left, you left everything behind, including him."

Bella pushed away from the side of the truck and walked up to the broken picket fence. "You've never been in love, have you, Masen?"

"No."

"That's what I thought. Because, if you'd lost the only person who ever made you feel . . ." She looked at Edward. "He made me feel beautiful and wanted and loved . . . so loved and needed. But mostly, he made me feel like I was more than just the daughter of the great Charlie Swan."

"How . . ." Edward gripped the back of his neck. "How could you just leave after Dwyer killed him? Why didn't you stay? Help find him?"

"Because I couldn't breathe here, Masen. Felt like the world was closing in around me, and the longer I stayed, the harder it got not to fall apart, and I couldn't let them see me at my weakest."

"Why?"

"Because next to Garrett, they're my family."

"So why are you staying now?"

"Because you were dumb enough to follow his orders and drive to North fucking Dakota in the middle of a blizzard. I figured if you were willing to chase after me, I should be brave enough to come back."

Bella looked back at the house. "Dwyer was . . . a seemingly normal child. He made good grades and was an all-state baseball player. Got a full ride to Stanford University, where he led his team to the college world series his last three years. They won the title his senior year, and he was offered a spot with a minor league team in the Braves organization. He spent two and a half seasons with them before getting called to the majors. He was in his seventh game when he took a line drive to the side of his noggin," she said, gesturing to her head. "The damage was severe, and it effectively ended his career. For the next ten years or so, he worked at least a dozen different jobs, everything from substitute teaching to working at Walmart to opening his own baseball school, which flopped within the first year."

"How'd you learn all of this?"

"I'm thorough."

"I wasn't insinuating you aren't, I just . . . I mean, I've looked into him, too, and I haven't found crap."

Bella smiled. "Well, let's just say my search wasn't entirely legal."

Edward's eyes widened.

"Look, don't worry about it, okay? The point of bringing you here is for you to understand that Dwyer isn't like most serial killers. He's not only methodical and conniving, but he is also disciplined. If he's active again, and that's a big if because I haven't seen the new case files yet, he will be waiting for me."

"Why you?"

"Because, like I told you yesterday, Masen, this is a game to him, and he's going to expect me to play."

"Are you going to?"

"I don't think I'll have much choice." Bella glanced back at the house before saying, "Let's go."

"Where are we going now?"

"To work. The faster we find and stop Dwyer, the faster I can get the hell out of here once and for all."

—^—

Forty-five minutes and a stop for decent coffee later, Bella led Edward into the FBI building, pastMr. Banner (who smirked and winked as she walked by him), over to the elevator. When Bella reached for the up arrow button, Edward pushed her hand away and smiled when she looked at him.

"Sorry. I've always liked pushing the buttons."

Bella smiled. "What are you five years old?"

"No," he scoffed, folding his arms in front of him. "I just like it."

"Oh, okay, because that makes it less weird."

Edward rolled his eyes as the doors slid open. He placed his hands on the side of the doors, motioning for her to enter first. She almost called him out on the sexist behavior, but she knew he'd been raised by a woman who taught him respect, which was almost endearing.

"Tell me about your sister."

"My sister?" he asked as he followed her inside.

"Is she older?"

"No, younger by almost five years."

"She still in Texas?"

"No, she lives here in D.C."

"What does she do?"

"She's a teacher."

"What grade?"

"Kindergarten."

"Brave woman."

Edward nodded.

"Are you two close?"

"We are."

"And how does she feel about you working in the FBI?"

"She's not crazy about it, but she knows it's been my dream for a long time."

"And how do you think she would feel if you almost died in a blizzard in North Dakota?"

"She wasn't very happy about it. Called me quite a few names, actually."

"Oh?" Bella smiled and tilted her head to the side. "Like what?"

"Like names that aren't appropriate for the workplace."

She laughed. "You really are a noob, aren't you?"

"Why do you say that?" he asked as the elevator jolted to a stop.

Reaching over, she held the button before she leaned toward him and said, "Because cursing is like police one-o-one, Masen. It's no wonder they pick on you."

"So you're saying that because I choose not to spout four-letter words while I'm on the clock makes me a noob?"

"No, you're a noob because you still have a lot to learn. They pick on you because you don't fight back. I've done nothing but give you crap for four days, and you have yet to put me in my place, Masen."

"Is that what you want? You want me to tell you you're being cruel because sometimes you talk to me like I'm a child? I could do that, but I won't."

"But didn't you?"

"No, and I won't."

"Why not?"

"Because I respect you too much to be just one more person who lets you down, Swan."

And reaching over, Edward pushed her hand off the button, and the doors opened. He motioned for her to exit first, which she did even though she kept her body facing his, her eyes locked on his. She moved her head to the side, but before she could speak again, she heard the rest of the team, and she turned away from him and walked down the hallway.

Jasper and Rosalie were seated at their desks while Carlisle and Emmett were standing in front of a large whiteboard that had pictures of all Phillip Dwyer's victims, with the exception of Garrett. They knew better than to put his photo up with the rest. Bree was first, then Jane, Heidi, and the two others whom she hadn't seen before.

It wasn't hard to see why they assumed the girls were Dwyer's victims. Both girls had long brown hair, ruby-red lips, and dark brown eyes, the first looked to be in her early twenties, and in her photo, she had both an eyebrow piercing and a stud in her nose. Her eyebrows were perfectly manicured, and there was a slight indention in her cheek when she smiled.

"Tell me about her," Bella said, drawing everyone's attention. "Tell me about his first victim."

Carlisle and Emmett shared a look before Carlisle walked to his desk, picked up a file, and held it out to her.

"If I wanted to read it, I would have picked it up myself. Tell me about her. What's her name?"

"Her name is Chelsea Sanchez. She was twenty-five when she went missing a month ago outside her apartment building in Foggy Bottom. She . . . was an artist and had been seen loading canvases into the back of her Jeep Wagoneer by her neighbor, a man named Randall. A few minutes later, he came back outside and found one of her canvases lying on the ground behind her Jeep, and she was gone. He called the police, who alerted us."

"Why?"

"Because a man matching Phillip Dwyer's description had been spotted a block from her apartment building the day before she went missing. And, well, we made sure all local P.D. knew to call us immediately if they received as much as a sniff he was seen. But they didn't take it seriously until after Chelsea went missing. We checked his usual haunts, but he's found someplace new to keep his victims. Her body was found two weeks later," Emmett added. "Like Bree, Jane, and Heidi, she had been sexually assaulted multiple times and severely tortured."

"And he already had his next victim," Rosalie said, drawing Bella's attention as she walked to the whiteboard and gestured to the second woman. Unlike Chelsea, she didn't have any facial piercings, and there was a darkness in her smile, something that had Bella on edge. "Gianna Rollins, age nineteen. She was a freshman at Georgetown University. She worked part-time in the campus bookstore. On the night she went missing, her co-worker, a man named Eric, walked her out to her car, but she never made it back to the dorms. She was reported missing by her roommate, like with Bree Tanner. She called Gianna's parents, who notified the local P.D., who then called us. Her car was found on the other side of campus, next to the activity center. Her backpack and cell phone were locked inside, along with her keys. The car had been scrubbed top to bottom; they didn't find any of Gianna's prints inside or out. Her body was found eight days ago. And like the others, she had been sexually assaulted and tortured."

"Any sightings of Dwyer on campus prior to her disappearance?" Bella asked.

"No," Jasper said, also standing. "I've searched through every second of campus security, Bee. She was seen getting into her car and heading in the same direction as her dorm, but before she got there, she suddenly turned and left campus. From there, I lost her. Eight hours later, her car was parked in front of the activity center, but I can't get a good look at who the person driving is."

"So we don't know for sure if Dwyer is responsible for Gianna's kidnapping or murder."

"Both girls were found with four-leaf clovers carved into the side of their breasts, Bee."

Bella closed her eyes before she turned and saw her father leaning against the doorway to his office.

"We didn't want to believe he was back either, but he is," Charlie added.

"Which means he already has his next girl," she said quietly.

"Yes, he held Chelsea for fourteen days, but Gianna only for ten."

"Meaning we should be getting a new body any day now." Bella clenched her hands into fists before she walked over and yanked Chelsea's filefrom Carlisle's hand while reaching around him for Gianna's. She took several steps back, holding them out to Edward.

"Any idea who our missing girl is?"

"A couple of possibilities, actually." Jasper picked up two files. "First is —"

"Stop." Bella put her hand out. "Just give me the folders."

"Fair enough, Bee. Just trying to help."

"I know, but you know how I work."

Jasper grinned as he gave her the info. "I do."

Inhaling a deep breath, she turned from everyone and walked around the corner, leaning against the wall as she opened the first one. Katie Marshall went missing from outside a local drugstore. Witnesses saw a man pull her into the backseat of a dark sedan before driving away. She had long, curly, dark brown hair in her picture, but Bella could tell she wasn't a natural brunette seeing as her roots were already starting to show, at least based on the images they had gotten from the security cameras. Pictures also showed her wandering up and down the aisle, looking over her shoulder almost as if she were looking for someone. In one of the pictures, Bella saw a man in the corner watching her. It wasn't Dwyer, she knew. Dwyer was Caucasian, and the man in the picture was an African American. Katie Marshall was not Dwyer's next victim.

Bella closed the file and opened the next. Lauren Mallory went missing the day before Gianna's body was found. She was a senior business major at Howard University. She was last seen leaving her shift at a small pub just off Dupont Circle. She was a beautiful girl with long brown hair, a stunning smile, and dark eyes, precisely the kind of girl Dwyer longed to destroy.

Blowing out a deep breath, Bella turned and walked back around the corner, finding everyone waiting near their desks. She glared at Charlie before she tossed Katie's file onto Carlisle's desk and motioned for Edward to follow her to the elevator.

"Either you all thought I'd lost my touch, or you're just dumb as shit. There's no way Dwyer went after that girl."

"Why not?" Rosalie asked, raising an eyebrow, confirming they were testing her.

Bella snorted. "You mean besides the fact that the man who kidnapped her can be seen in one of the pictures as being all tall, dark, and leering?"

Carlisle picked up the file and looked closer at the photo. "Oh, shit."

"Yeah, my guess is Miss Marshall has a little drug problem, and he came to collect on a debt. Also, she's not a natural brunette, and Dwyer likes his girls young, innocent, and pure. Lauren Mallory is his next victim. So while you stay here and try to sort through what you thought you knew, Masen and I will do some real police work."

"Wait, Masen?" Carlisle grumbled, putting his hand on his chest. "I'm your partner, Bee?"

"You were my partner. But seeing as Masen had the guts to battle a blizzard for me, I'm choosing to work with him. Besides, you're all too damn busy hazing him than teaching him anything useful." She looked at each of them before turning to her father, who was still watching from his office. "Let's go, Masen."

Turning, she led Edward to the elevator, leaving the rest of their team gaping. Yes, she was being cruel and hateful, even bitchy, but she'd told them she didn't want to come back, and they insisted.

Now, they'd just have to deal with her.

Thank you for all the AMAZING reviews! Big shout out to Sunflower Fran for being an amazing Beta and friend! See you next Monday!