18

Bella felt humiliated as Edward held her. She knew better than to let her emotions get the better of her like that. She couldn't be weak, not when Dwyer was still on the loose.

"We should get to the office," she murmured, easing herself out of Edward's arms. "Before he thinks you've let me runaway again."

"I can handle him, if . . . if you're not . . . I mean, we could go somewhere else."

She tilted her head. "And where would you take me, Masen? To your place? To your bed?"

"If you want," he said, smirking.

Bella rolled her eyes. "You're getting bold."

"I wasn't suggesting anything that you didn't."

"You really shouldn't have feelings for me."

"I know, but I do. I'm not going to lie to you."

Even though she didn't understand how he could feel anything for her, she found herself smiling, feeling the warmth spread across her cheeks. "Let's go to work, Masen."

Laughing, he nodded and the two climbed into her truck. She glanced back at Victoria and James's house before she pulled away from the curb and headed back into D.C.

The rest of their team, plus Newton and Alice, were seated at their desks with a pile of files in front of them. Each looked from them to the door to Charlie's office before turning their attention back to their work. Sighing, she ventured over, but instead of knocking and waiting for him to tell her to enter, she just walked in.

Charlie was seated behind his desk, his hands folded on top, and his eyes filled with anguish and sorrow. He tilted his head toward one of the chairs, watching her as she sat and crossed her legs.

"Your momma is worried about you."

"I know."

"The team is worried about you."

"I know."

Charlie frowned. "I am worried about you."

And again, she said, "I know."

"That's all you have to say?"

"What am I supposed to say, Dad? I told you I was done. I told you I didn't want to do this anymore, but you sent Masen to drag me back against my will."

"You made the choice to stay. Maybe I shouldn't have sent Masen after you, Bee. Maybe I should have just . . . just let you keep hiding."

She nodded. "Wouldn't have mattered, though. Dwyer would have made sure I rejoined his little game. If not with Lauren, then with Jessica until his little pawns weren't enough and he came for me."

"Tell me what I can do to make things better between us."

"I can't. Right now, being angry is the only way I can deal with this. I just . . . I just need to end this, Dad, once and for all."

"What happens after we stop Dwyer? Are you going to stay then?"

"You mean, if we stop him. He's not playing fair and keeps changing the rules."

"They never do, Bee. Remember the Henderson case?"

"How could I forget? The man nearly got away with the murders of ten women before we stopped him."

"He was a tough one, that's for sure. Took us almost a month to connect him to the cable company he worked for."

"He was smart. Instead of killing women who had put in service orders, he targeted ones who lived in the same proximity. Made it easier to hide. It wasn't until he targeted his last victim, who happened to be the primary account holder for both houses that we made the connection. Got there before he could hurt her."

Charlie nodded. "He slipped up, got complacent, and because of that, we were able to catch him. Sooner or later, Phillip Dwyer will make a mistake."

"He hasn't yet," she quipped. "How many more are going to die? Bree, Jane, Gianna, Chelsea, Lauren . . ." She looked away. "Garrett."

"Bee," her father whispered.

She stood and walked to the door, but before she opened it, she said, "I wish he'd have killed me instead."

And without letting him stop her, she left, hurrying to the stairs, and scrambling down two flights before she crumbled against the wall, letting her tears fall. She wanted to run away, find the farthest, most secluded hideaway where Phillip Dwyer would never, ever be able to find her.

But she couldn't.

She couldn't run away and let him take his anger out on innocent women just because she was scared to face him.

The door to the stairway opened, and she looked over, finding Edward walking down to her.

"Go away."

"Nope." He squatted in front of her, holding his hand out. "Come with me."

"Where?"

"Trust me, Swan. All you have to do is trust me."

"I don't trust anyone."

"It's time you start."

Though her instincts told her it was dangerous, she found herself placing her hand on top of his, allowing him to pull her to her feet. "Don't make me regret this, Masen."

He grinned. "You won't."

—^—

Edward insisted on driving, which given Bella's current mental status probably was for the best. Half an hour later, he parked in front of a large metal warehouse with a large sign that read The Rage Room.

"What is this place?"

"You'll find out." Edward hopped out and hurried around, opening the passenger door for her. "You need this, Swan."

"Is it dangerous?"

"Not to you."

"To you?"

He laughed, shaking his head. "No. It's . . . Well, you see Sam for your therapy, this is mine."

Though she was hesitant, she exited the truck and followed Edward into the building. There was a young woman leaning against the counter, her hair was a mixture of red, blue, green, and orange. She tilted her head back, and Bella saw a piercing in her left eyebrow, another in her nose, and one just under the right side of her lip. She shifted her yellow eyes from Edward to Bella and back before she grinned.

"S'up, Edward. Haven't seen you in a while."

"Been busy. Got my usual room available?"

"I do." She reached under the counter and held out a long, silver skeleton key. "Don't have too much fun."

Edward laughed, before motioning for Bella to follow him through a set of double doors, down a long, barley lit hallway to a metal door at the end of the hall. He used the key to unlock it, pushed it open, and motioned for her to enter the room.

Bella gave him a look before she walked inside. The room was filled with various breakable items: plates, bowls, glasses, picture frames, windows, and more. She turned when the door closed, and she found Edward leaning against it.

"When my dad was killed, I was angry, Swan. My momma was grieving, but someone had to take care of Esme. That fell on my shoulders. For a long time, I kept my own feelings locked inside. I didn't want to add to my momma's struggle, but . . . Well, I got into a lot of fights at school. Even got suspended once."

"You did?"

Edward nodded. "Asshole was talking shit about the police, and I took it as a personal attack on my dad. I . . . Well, I hurt him. Quite severely in fact, and when my momma picked me up from school, she didn't yell at me, she didn't ask me why I hurt that boy. Instead, she took me to a place much like this and told me to let it all out. I didn't understand what she meant at first, but then she walked over and picked up a plate, much like this one," he said, grabbing one of the white, ceramic plates, "and threw it against the wall."

Edward reared his arm backward and threw the dish, which broke into several pieces.

"When I left Texas, I was scared, Swan. I'd never been away from my momma or sister, and I found myself struggling to deal with my feelings. Being the new guy on the team, didn't help," he groused, picking up one of the glasses. "So, I found this place, and when I find myself struggling to keep myself centered, I come here and let my frustrations out."

"A lot apparently."

He laughed. "Usually once a week. Especially when I do all their paperwork while they just watch me."

"So, what? I throw some dishes and suddenly I'm going to feel better?"

"No, but it's fun, and I think you need to have some fun, Swan."

Bella bit the inside of her lip before picking up one of the glasses. Glancing at him first, she threw it against the wall.

"Well?" he asked before throwing his.

"It didn't suck."

"Keep going."

Over the next half hour, Bella picked up dish after dish, picture frame after picture frame, and threw them against the wall. She would be lying is she said she didn't enjoy breaking things. She wouldn't call it therapeutic, by any means, but it was fun.

While she continued to destroy everything she touched, Edward leaned against the door, watching. She could feel the intensity flowing off him, and it scared her. Because while she kept telling him not to have feelings for her, she was starting to question her own feelings. But caring about anyone wasn't going to keep Edward safe. If anything, it was putting a target on his back, and she couldn't lose another person she cared about.

Once there was nothing else to break, Bella swept her hair out of her face, her body slick with sweat and her arms sore from all the throwing.

Edward had slid to the floor, sitting with his knees bent. "Fun, right?"

"I didn't hate it," she confessed, sitting next to him. "Did you tell them about the texts?"

"No."

"No?"

He shook his head. "I should have, and when they find out that I kept it from them — that we kept it from them — they're going to be angry."

"So why didn't you tell them?"

"Because I do trust you, Swan. They put a lot of pressure on you, even before I brought you back, every case was conducted based on how you would handle it. Part of the reason I investigated your cases in the first place. I needed to see for myself why you were so revered."

"Why? I'm just another agent, Masen. I'm not special."

"You are, though. You see things that the rest of us don't, and it wasn't until I started looking at your previous cases that I saw the difference. Your notes were not just factual, but you detailed the impact that every bad guy you caught had on the victims, their families . . . Well, it inspired me to be better, to learn more. They just . . . I would ask questions, and they told me to stay in my lane."

"I could kick their asses for that," Bella grumbled.

"Thanks, but I don't need you to fight my battles for me. I can handle them on my own."

"Then why haven't you? Why'd you let them make you do their work? Why didn't you stand up for yourself? Why do you keep letting me push you around?"

"Because I learn more from people's behavior that way."

"What do you mean?"

Edward smiled. "Take Ro for example. She's tough, puts a wall up around herself. A cockiness that isn't unexpected seeing as there aren't as many women in the field. She's careful and cautious about getting close to people, except with McCarty."

"Not surprised," Bella replied. "She would never admit it, but she loves him."

"He loves her, too. They just . . . they don't want to take the chance and it mess up the team dynamic."

Bella nodded. "It's dicey. Getting involved with someone you work every day with is not a good idea."

"I don't know about that," he said quickly. "Taking a chance on . . . on someone is always worth it."

"Masen," she whispered, unable to stop herself from leaning her forehead against his shoulder.

She felt his lips against the top of her head before he said, "We should clean up and get back. Charlie's already texted me at least a dozen times. I've ignored him, though. Probably going to get me in trouble, too, but this was worth it."

Bella smiled and leaned away. "Does he know you call him by his first name?"

"No," he scoffed. "Usually just call him sir, but, well, I'm not going to lie, Swan, I'm losing respect for him."

"You shouldn't. My father . . . He's doing what he thinks is best for me. While he and I butt heads, a lot, those are our issues, and shouldn't affect the way you look at him, Masen."

"He makes you sad. I don't like it when you're sad."

"He's not the reason I'm sad."

"Then why? Dwyer? Because we're going to find him, we're going to stop him."

"It's not Dwyer, either, Masen. I . . . I lost my husband because I put the job first, he died because I refused to walk away when he begged me, too. I left because his death was preventable, because if I had just walked away before Dwyer had started killing, he would be alive. We might have started a family, lived the American dream, or whatever. It's the 'what could have been' that makes me sad."

"You really think you could have walked away from the FBI and lived a normal life, Swan?"

"I could have tried."

"The job is who you are. I never met your husband, so I can't speak for him, but . . . For what it's worth, if he loved you as much as he said he did, he wouldn't have asked you to choose."

"That's not fair."

"Neither was him asking you to give up who you are."

Edward scrambled to his feet and reached for the broom in the corner, but before he could sweep up her mess, his phone rang. He glanced at Bella before he answered, "Hello . . . Okay, we'll be right there."

He ended the call and shoved his phone back into his pocket. "That was Victoria."

"How did she get your number?"

"I gave it to her before I went to wait for you at the truck. Figured they would need a way to contact us if he was able to trace Dwyer's whereabouts."

"And he did?"

Edward nodded. "She said we need to get to their house as soon as possible. Said he would only tell you."

"Then we should hurry."

Bella ripped the broom from his hand and started sweeping up their mess, piling it up before reaching for the dustpan.

"He's your brother-in-law."

"He was. James and Garrett were twins, and they didn't always get along, but he was always, always there if we needed him. And as I'm sure you figured out, he hasn't forgiven me for leaving, either. Can't say I blame him, though."

"He's helping you, isn't he?"

"Because of Garrett. Otherwise, James wouldn't give two shits about me, Masen."

Half an hour later, Bella parked in front of Victoria and James' house in Oxon Hills. As before, the front door opened before they could knock, and Bella and Edward hurried past Victoria, down to James' office. Unlike earlier that morning, the door was already open, and he was seated in front of his computers, his eyes shifting between the four screens.

"Took your time, I see. Thought you were in a hurry," James quipped, spinning and looking at her.

"Just tell me where he is."

"I managed to trace his location, Bee, but it doesn't make sense."

"Why not?"

James stood and held out a piece of paper, which she took. "Because according to the data he's . . . he's at yours and Garrett's apartment."

Thank you for all the AMAZING reviews! Thank you to Sunflower Fran for being an amazing Beta!