20
Marcus Henderson crossed their radar three years before Phil Dwyer's name meant anything to Bella. He raped and strangled three women in the Detroit area before they were called in by local police, who had failed to connect their murders for almost nine months.
He was patient and selective about who he targeted. He researched each one of his victims, holding them for a minimum of three days before strangling them with pantyhose.
During their investigation, he attacked seven others. All victims were either in their forties or fifties and didn't work outside of the home. Since most lived alone, it wasn't unusual for their families not to hear from them for days, even weeks at a time. Meanwhile, he kept them drugged and tied to the bed while he raped them repeatedly.
Bella had been the one who connected his job as a cable repair man to the last victim he'd murdered. He would service homes in the area, select the women he wanted, most of whom lived within four blocks of the call, and enter their houses in the middle of the night.
Mary Webber, however, had been spared that horror. She owned three houses in the subdivision, which she rented to others. Instead of making each tenant obtain their own cable service, she divided the cost equally as part of their rental agreement. And that was how they were able to stop Marcus Henderson. One of Mary's renters made a service request after her cable kept going in and out.
Marcus was the tech assigned to her. When Mary's husband, who had gone out of town, couldn't get his wife on the phone, he immediately called the police, who, in turn, alerted the team.
Knowing they were taking a gamble, they rushed to the house, but when they knocked, no one answered. All the curtains had been drawn, but the garage door had been left open. Though they didn't have probable cause, the team entered through the kitchen, where they encountered a pot of burned coffee, the sink filled with dirty dishes, and the trash overflowing.
They had just entered the living room when they heard a sound coming from upstairs. Bella hadn't thought twice before she drew her weapon and rushed the steps. There was a dull light coming from inside one of the bedrooms, and when she pushed the door open, she found Mary half-naked and tied to the bed. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, but due to the tape over her mouth, she couldn't scream or alert Bella that Marcus Henderson was standing behind the door.
He came at Bella from behind, causing her to drop her weapon. Bella fought back and managed to get the upper hand through the struggle. Or so she thought. She'd pinned Marcus to the ground, but when Carlisle distracted her when he came into the room, the man managed to cut her with the knife he had up his sleeve. Thankfully, it was a shallow cut, and they were able to overtake and arrest him.
That was the first night Garrett asked her to leave the job.
"Bee," Charlie said, placing his hand on her back.
She shrugged off his touch. "Mary's daughter? That's Mary's daughter?"
"Yes," Rosalie confirmed. "Angela's parents reported her missing eighteen months ago, but they don't know exactly when Dwyer took her."
"How can they not know? She was their daughter!" Bella exclaimed.
"Angela left for school the August before Marcus Henderson targeted her mother. She had no roommate, took twenty hours of her fall and spring semester classes, and worked full-time in the campus bookstore. The detectives investigating her disappearance confirm she attended her last biology class on February twenty-fifth, but she never arrived for her shift at the bookstore. The manager didn't think much about it, seeing as she was a college student, he thought she had simply flaked out on him."
Emmett shook his head as he spoke, "The next day, she missed every class, and her last professor, who taught English Lit, alerted campus security when she didn't show up. He said it was unlike her to not only miss class, but not be the first one there. He requested a welfare check, and when they went to her room, there were no signs of a struggle, and, except for her backpack, nothing appeared to be missing."
"The police were called, anyway, but the cameras outside the dorms showed her leaving in the direction of the student center, but she never arrived. I guess we know why," Rosalie added, gesturing toward the wall.
"Where did she go to school?" Edward asked.
Rosalie and Carlisle shared a look before he said, "NYU."
"Of course she did," Bella whispered. "He would have done his research. That Goddamn son-of-bitch. There's no stopping him. He's won the fucking game."
And turning, Bella climbed into her truck and left.
—^—
"Hey."
Bella looked toward the door of the integration room she'd been hiding in since she arrived back at the office, finding Edward leaning on the doorframe. He and the rest of their team arrived not long after she did, but she hadn't been ready to deal with them, so she settled into one of the rooms and, once again, tried to find a weakness in Phillip Dwyer.
"Hey," she whispered.
Edward sat across from her. "Do you need to go back to The Rage Room?"
She shook her head.
"Do I need to take you to Sam?"
Again, she shook her head.
"Do I need to take you to my place?"
"Masen."
"I'm just trying to figure out what my partner needs."
"Told you we aren't partners."
"And I said we are."
Bella rolled her eyes.
"You went to school at NYU."
"I know."
"He took her because you went there."
"Probably."
Edward nodded. "Why'd you go there?"
"So I could get away from my father."
"Really?"
She nodded. "I wanted to prove I could make it without him."
"Did you?"
"I thought so, but . . ." Bella sighed. "Even in New York, the name Charlie Swan carried a lot of weight."
"Must have been hard. Always being compared to him."
"It was, and it wasn't. I was smart, clever. I don't say that out of cockiness. I worked hard, Masen. Graduated high school early and earned a full ride to NYU. I busted my ass to get my degree, and when I entered the Academy, I made sure they knew I didn't need my father to help me succeed."
Edward nodded. "Did you ask to be assigned to his team?"
"No."
"No?"
"Of course not. I despise nepotism, Masen. I put in for bureaus on the other side of the damn country, but I was placed here. And don't think he took it easy on me, either. If anything, he's harder on me than anyone else."
"How?"
"Who do you think they made do scut work? Me and Ro. Or they tried. We stood up for ourselves and demanded respect. Fought for it." She laughed. "Why else do you think McCarty made the comment about reserving the ring the day you brought me back?"
"You took him down?"
"A few times."
"That's something I'd like to witness for myself."
"I bet you would, Masen."
"I didn't mean it like that."
"No?" She tilted her head. "You're saying you've never thought about what it would be like to put your hands on my sweaty body? To pin me down? To control me?"
"I mean . . . not like that," he mumbled, his ears turning red.
Bella stood and leaned across the table. "Do you want to fuck me, Masen?"
Edward choked, pushing his chair away from the table. "What if I do?"
She smiled. "Then at least I would know you're honest."
He stood. "Do you want me to fuck you?"
"What would you do if I said yes?"
"Take you to my place right now."
Bella grinned. "Good to know."
"Is that what you want?"
"Maybe later." She leaned back. "Right now, I want coffee."
"Coffee?"
She nodded. "Girly coffee."
"Oh, like one of those Frappuccinos. Vanilla, mocha, skinny, extra milk things."
Bella laughed. "Wow, you really do know me."
"Did I seriously get it right?"
"No," she scoffed, stepping back. "You just drink plain, black coffee, don't you?"
"I do."
"Thought so." She walked to the door. "Come on, Masen. I'm going to introduce you to the world of gourmet coffee."
"What if I don't want gourmet coffee?"
"Then I guess you don't really want to fuck me that bad, do you?"
His eyes widened.
"You make it so much fun to mess with your mind," she chuckled before opening the door.
The entire team, minus her father, turned to look at her. Newton and Alice were crowded around Edward's desk. The mixture of pity and disgust in their eyes enraged her. It was the same look they had given after Garrett was murdered; when they gathered around her at his funeral and told her to call if she needed them.
"We'll be back," she said, clearing her throat.
"Where are you going?" Carlisle asked, standing.
"We have an errand to run," Edward replied, moving so he was standing beside her. "Guess that means you'll have to do your own paperwork for a change."
Newton and Alice snorted, sharing a look before returning to the files they were reviewing. But the rest of their team didn't seem to find him as funny. However, instead of dressing him down for being disrespectful, they turned when Charlie opened the door to his office. He placed his hands on his hips, his eyes landing squarely on Bella.
"In my office."
"Can't," she quipped and started toward the elevator. But when he said, "Now," she stopped short. His tone was clear that he wasn't asking as much as giving her an order. So she simply nodded and did as she was told.
"You, too, Masen."
Bella and Edward watched as Charlie walked around the desk and sat across from them. He didn't speak for a moment. Instead, he shifted his eyes from her to him before he leaned back.
"You two are going to Detroit."
"We are?" Bella asked.
He nodded.
"Why? I mean, I know why, but for Masen's sake, let's pretend I'm stupid."
Charlie raised an eyebrow before turning to Edward. "Why do you think I'm sending you and Bee to Detroit?"
"To talk to Mary Webber."
"And?" he pressed.
"Marcus Henderson."
"Why?"
"To find out if there is a connection between him and Phillip Dwyer, other than the fact that Dwyer kidnapped the daughter of Henderson's last victim."
"Very good." Charlie placed his arms on the desk. "I don't believe in coincidences, so I need you two to cover Detroit while the rest of us try to figure out where Dwyer is holding Angela."
"Yes, sir," Edward replied.
"She'll meet you at the elevator, Masen."
Edward glanced at Bella before nodding and leaving the two of them alone. The second the door closed, Charlie was on his feet and next to her.
"I'm sending your mom and Jessica Stanley to Aunt Charlotte's."
"You think he'd go after them?"
"I don't know what he'd do, so I'm not taking any chances. We already know he's marked the Stanley girl as one of his, but I won't let your mom get caught in the middle of his little game."
Bella sighed. "You're not wrong."
"Bee, promise me you'll be careful in Detroit."
"I promise."
"I'm serious, Bee! Don't . . . don't go anywhere alone, don't . . . don't reply to him if he texts you again."
"He won't."
"You can't know that."
"The only reason he texted me in the first place was because he knew I would trace his phone back to the apartment — so I would know that he's invading every single part of my life."
"Shit, maybe I shouldn't send you to Detroit. Ro could go instead."
"No."
"Bee."
"They treat Masen like he's nothing more than shit on the bottom of their shoes, Dad." She paused before adding, "Dwyer started all this because of me. I think he's somehow connected to Marcus Henderson. I've just got to figure out how to get ahead of him. I've got to be the one who finishes this."
"I know, but I don't have to like it."
Bella wrapped her hand around his. "Even though I'm mad at you, I still love you, old man."
Charlie smiled. "Love you, too, brat." He pulled her into his arms as he stood. "Just . . . just don't do anything stupid."
"Like I would," she whispered.
He scoffed but released her. "Let me know when you get there. And take it easy on Masen, will ya? That boy can only take so much teasing before he breaks."
Bella smiled and rolled her eyes. "He hasn't yet."
"Maybe not with the rest of them, but you're different. I'm not an idiot, Bee. I see the way he looks at you."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Sure you don't." Charlie smirked. "And I see the way you look at him. This is not coming from your boss but from your father, okay?"
She nodded.
"He could be good for you, Bee. Real good."
"Dad!"
"I'm just saying."
"Whatever," she scoffed as she walked out of his office.
Edward was next to the elevator, his hands shoved into his pocket. When he looked at her and smiled, she knew without a doubt that her feelings for him were stronger than she wanted to admit, especially to herself.
Bella followed him into the elevator and leaned against the far wall. Edward pressed the button for the lobby and stood across from her.
"Do I need my cuffs?" he asked.
"No," she said.
"Are you sure?"
Bella smiled. "No."
The elevator jerked to a stop, but Edward reached over and pressed the emergency stop before the doors could open. He stood a mere inch away from her as he placed one hand on the wall and the other on her hip, sliding it around to her back.
"Masen," she whispered.
"Tell me no, and I'll move."
"What if I don't want you to move?"
He grinned as the corner of his lips lifted just a smidge higher on one side than the other. "Then I guess I won't."
And before she could process what he was doing, Edward Masen kissed her.
Thank you for all the AMAZING reviews! Huge amount of gratitude to Sunflower Fran for being an awesome beta and cleaning up my messy chapter.