Hello!

I'll be brief - thank you to everyone who reads the story and gives me feedback, you truly made me happy!

This chapter is rather short, but I hope you like it!

Chapter 11

EPOV

Our quick awakening forced us to react to an unexpected situation. As soon as I opened the door and saw that Bella was also awake and ready, I signaled with my hand for us to go downstairs. In situations that are not premeditated, you have to act and think quickly. The quieter we step and move, the less chance there is of drawing attention to the house, in case an ordinary passerby is outside. If we are the target, there is nothing to do but try to defend ourselves.

Bella and I quietly descended to the lower floor, and from there, we headed towards the staircase to the hidden room to check the cameras, or at least that was my plan. Bella was stoically prepared to shoot first and ask questions later – a rather primal approach on her part.

When she saw me shifting the rug to open the small door, she approached me. I gestured for her to go first, and then I slipped through to pull the rug over the door. If someone decided to enter the house, it wouldn't be possible for them to discover us.

Once downstairs, we both checked all the available screens with a glance. The darkness didn't give us much opportunity to see everything in detail, so we waited with bated breath.

At first, neither of us saw anything, but seconds later, Bella's finger shot towards one of the screens, and she whispered softly, 'See.' Through the small window, a clear angle of the forest surrounding the house could be seen. I opened the video on full screen, and there was a fox wandering between two trees.

We both sighed in relief and left our weapons on the desk.

„If we wake up like this every night, a long stay here awaits us" Bella said with a deep sigh.

„There's nothing else to do; we're likely to have other such moments" and I somewhat agreed with her statement. Bella just shrugged, still irritated. I didn't know exactly what about.

Whether the situation was pressuring her or maybe something else – me? There was no way to be sure about that. And I didn't have enough confidence and courage to ask. Perhaps the previous evening and the banter that sat innocently enough in my head seemed too much to her. Maybe the reason was fundamentally different – both of us relied on the active life we led outside of Italy, and this unexpected halt could lead to changes.

I still didn't feel the effect of the closure, but I have never been too fond of freedom – that was a point in my favor."

However, Bella seemed more pressed by the circumstances, as if she were thinking too many things at once – probably circumstances beyond her control.

"I suggest we stay here, I still don't trust the cameras. Something else might have triggered the alarm" she said, turning her gaze back to all the cameras.

"If you want, we'll stay. I don't think I'll be able to go back to sleep right away any way." I agreed. She sighed again, this time more heavily, and lifted her gaze to me. In her gaze, you could read various things at once – concern, nervousness, anxiety, but also determination. It was as if she was trying to convince herself of something. She nodded slightly, a sign for me not to ask questions. We both returned our gazes to the screens. Alternating this way, we spent the night.

Our sleep was particularly successful as we took turns every few hours. Only when the sun rose, and the daylight clarified the pictures we were monitoring, it became clear that there was no immediate danger for us.

"Bella, I think everything is fine. It's probably okay to go back upstairs." I suggested, but when I turned to her, she was curled up on the small couch. Her hair was scattered around her face and shoulders, and her face looked carefree. Compared to her first night's sleep here, she now slept peacefully. When I went down to her that evening, she was crying in her sleep, and as soon as she woke up and I embraced her, it was as if everything stopped for a moment. We weren't just colleagues, nor were we on a mission; we were a whole. From her tears and soft words, I understood that she needed closeness and reassurance. Her actions that evening made me ponder over some questions. Was it possible that she, too, felt attached to me as I did to her? Because even if I wanted to deny it, I couldn't. I was drawn to Isabella too strongly, even in my fantasies. Even if I claimed to know the feeling of love and attachment, what I was experiencing now was too new and different.

I focused again on her sleeping figure and dispersed my thoughts. Her beauty was so delicate, and I allowed myself to simply observe her. How many authors recreate perfection and feminine tenderness in their works, how many words are said about them and never enough to accurately describe the perfect creature lying before me? I gently raised my hand and ran it through her hair, and even with that small action, she seemed to sense the closeness I felt towards her and leaned towards me. Her eyes flickered a few times, and then two brown orbs looked at me, first slightly confused, but then with clarity.

"What's happening?" she asked.

"Nothing to worry about. The sun has risen outside, and I suggest we go back upstairs."

"Okay, give me a minute." she said, then stood up gracefully and stretched in front of me, fixing her hair slightly and smiling. I had to turn my sight somewhere else Oh, Bella, what are you doing to me?

We both went back upstairs, covered the door, and headed to the kitchen to make breakfast. Since sharing our daily lives with Bella, I noticed her passion for coffee. It was the first thing she reached for when her foot approached any machine. Even in my busiest years as a student and academy student, I never felt such a clear dependence on caffeine. I chuckled lightly, and Bella turned to me, raising her left eyebrow slightly.

"I see that coffee is your loyal companion always." I said, trying to sound playful. She simply giggled and nodded.

"Yes, I got used to drinking coffee from a young age, along with Alice. If you think I'm attached, you should see her." she explained.

"Ah, I understand. Since I won't have the honor to meet her soon, I'll leave your words as they are." my words seemed to remind Bella of something unpleasant, and she frowned. She lifted her gaze to me, then shook her head and turned her attention back to the cup.

The day passed slowly and without any other false alarms. In the evening, we returned to the living room and left the choice of the movie in her hands. Honestly, I wasn't picky about the type of movie, and with the years spent with Tanya, I knew one thing – if the woman next to you is happy, you won't have problems either. The woman next to me? – wishful thinking, maybe?

She inserted the disc into the DVD player and sat next to me. While she was focused on the movie, I observed her, studying every gentle feature on her face, the expressions she made, and the slight wrinkling of her nose when something didn't please her. The quiet words with which she advised the characters in the movie. Everything she did drew me even more towards her, like an enigma, which was Bella Swan.

The following days passed monotonously – we divided our time between our personal tasks, which weren't many, and the time we spent together, talking about various things. She told me more about her family, her upbringing, her sister Alice, memories from her childhood, and her preparation for the FBI. Over time, however, I noticed that when her stories were even minimally connected to the current situation, it was as if a dark storm cloud hung over her. From what I know, her personal motivation to go after the Volturi was enough for me to want to put an end to this long-standing farce myself. I wanted her to be happy and at peace, just as she was in her dreams most nights.

While her thoughts were divided between the internal struggle she waged with herself, in me, a completely different one raged – the one between my mind and the heart that was maybe already Bella's. A week later, our conversation topics were no longer so introductory. Both of us had shared the essential moments of our lives – personal and professional – naturally, as far as we were allowed to share. My feelings for her were gradually turning from attachment to love; this was one of the things in which I was absolutely certain.

However, since I wasn't sure about her feelings despite the close moments we had from our acquaintance and they were becoming more frequent, I didn't want to burden our already monotonous existence and jeopardize the understanding and peace that existed between us.

To maintain our agent form, we had undertaken individual and joint training, similar to what we did in the office. Initially, we shared the space downstairs together, as it was convenient for both of us, but a few of her workouts later, I found myself training alone upstairs in my room, or rather getting distracted by the sealed-in images of Bella in a clinging workout outfit, bending at various angles. The physical attraction to her, although present from the first day, was growing proportionally to my feelings for her.

Over the days, I noticed something else – Bella was questioning some of the events during our undercover mission, which gave me food for thought. Although my experience as an agent was more related to remote investigation rather than active participation, I always noticed that the directors' actions were well thought out, and time was both our friend and enemy. However, since my arrival in Seattle, things didn't sit well. Here, the action during the said mission was rather hasty and uncoordinated, but I didn't have enough arguments to support it. Even though we were exposed, they could pull us back for the past two weeks. They could do so many things differently, but something evidently held them back. Our names were never shared with other people, our contacts were not many – what would make Liam be so cautious about 2 agents? How was the rest of the mission going, and all the other undercover agents?

The same evening, I decided to raise the question with Bella. After all, she has more experience working with Liam and might be able to provide a more precise explanation of his actions. When she entered the living room and sat on the couch next to me, handing me a cup of tea, I decided to ask directly.

"Bella, what do you think Liam is doing?" She first looked at me in surprise, as if she hadn't considered that I might be pondering similar things. But then she focused her gaze on something on the opposite wall and relaxed on the couch.

"Honestly, I don't know. I do, however, question every action from the moment we left. He has never acted this way towards any agent before."

"What way is that?" I asked. She paused briefly, then continued.

"From my work with him over the years, I know that he always approaches situations adequately, rationally, and swiftly, in case there is danger to any of us. His first thought is to preserve us as agents, and then he focuses on solving the case. But now things are not like that – first, he chose only me for the mission but wanted someone to accompany me. He didn't mention a name but left the choice open – something that has never happened before. He always has a prepared scenario in which we simply take on the assigned roles."

She continued:

„Moreover, until that moment, we hadn't planned any active operation; our intention was solely to observe them from a distance. Suddenly, new colleagues arrived in the office, and the director received information from a source he had been in need of for years, but it was previously unavailable."

I nodded in understanding. Until this moment, this wasn't something I had contemplated, and I left it as a task for later. Some of that information was new to me. In Chicago we were warned that the investigation against the Volturi and their expanding business had been going on for too long, and they needed support. Here, our information seemed contradictory.

"Secondly – we were given a task, but there were no clearly defined expectations. Would one package be the reason for us to be here? Why send two agents to check a shipment that will reach the States anyway? We didn't intend to stop it, so our walk here so far has been absolutely fruitless."

Yes, we shared the same opinion here. Something didn't make sense in my head, but it was clear that she felt confused about this matter too.

"Furthermore – what exactly did he expect from us? To find a connection between Enzo's family and the Volturi? To check if only they are sending goods to the States? To disrupt the line between them? How would that happen? For heaven's sake, they sent us into captivity, and he didn't even try to explain what the goal was. It just wasn't clear." – With the last sentence, she stood up in front of me and began pacing around the room again, immersed in deep thoughts, slightly shaking her head. I decided to stay silent, not to interrupt what she wanted to say.

"Up to this point, he had too many opportunities to give us a sign to retreat, to take new actions towards them, or, if the undercover was compromised, to bring us back to Seattle. Something doesn't add up in my head, and I think I'm almost sure of that."

"You're saying he's involved too? With whom? The Volturi? The Italian family here?"

"Yes, I don't... I don't know," she said, shaking her head again. "I just know that until now, we were supposed to work in pairs in the office or be given new tasks."

"Yes, I agree, but we also don't have clarity about what the connection might be."

"No, Edward, think about it. Have you looked at the arsenal we have downstairs?"

"Yes."

"And what did you notice?" – She asked me, staring into my eyes.

"Unsynchronized cameras, missing important angles, and a missing camera that I noticed during our arrival, but it has no connection to the main computer. I also noticed the absence of long-range weapons. I saw the lack of some of the bullets for these weapons – some of them are only halfway loaded. Who loads a weapon halfway, or rather, how many bullets exactly have been fired from them? Do you think I would overlook that during my observation?" During my explanation, I had stood up, sitting across from her, waiting for her answer. She looked at me in astonishment and again in contemplation.

"I didn't think you had seen all of that." she said very softly. It became clear to me that she still didn't fully trust me, and to some extent, that was normal – we had only known each other for about a month.

"Bella, I know we haven't been working together for long, but believe me, when I observe something related to my profession, I do it very carefully." I was confident in this statement.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to imply anything like that. I just didn't expect you to have examined it in such detail. I've been considering the possibilities since our first night here."

"I have too! That's why I decided we should talk. I see that you have been thinking about it too."

"Edward, I think there's something rotten in our entire stay here." she said, returning to the couch and slumping her shoulders, making it look like she was broken.

"Do you want to try to escape from Italy? We'll be careful, and I assume we can make our way to a boat or..." she waved a finger in disapproval.

"No, I don't think it will be safer than staying here. So far, we haven't had any security issues."

"Then should we contact Liam?" I suggested, expecting her to reject my proposal again. However, she only nodded and remained silent.

"Maybe, at least we will have tried to reach him."

"Alright, then I'll bring the phone and laptop downstairs," I said and didn't wait for a response, heading upstairs to the rooms.

When I returned downstairs, Bella had stood up again, pacing around the room. As I turned on the laptop, she came back to me and sat down. First, I checked if we had received any messages from him, but unfortunately, there were no new updates. Then I opened the program, configured the system not to display our exact location, and dialed his number. Both of us held our breath, waiting for a response from the other end – nothing. When I hung up, Bella's hands went straight back to the green icon, pressing it again, but once more, there was no answer to the call. Considering the time difference in America, it was daytime, and there was no apparent reason for him not to pick up, especially when undercover agents take priority over office bureaucracy.

Considering all possible scenarios where something in our cover might have gone wrong, I was even prepared for the moment when we would find ourselves in a tight spot. However, the present situation wasn't as clear-cut as I expected.

"I suggest giving him some time to try to contact us. If he doesn't respond after that, we can try to escape on our own."

"How much time?" she asked.

"One day?"

"Okay, I agree," Bella said, then returned the laptop to the table in front of us and went upstairs to her room, slamming the door loudly.

After Bella's retreat to her room, I decided to use the time to prepare for any circumstances. I checked our supplies and equipment, making sure we had everything we might need in case of an emergency departure. Enough time had passed imperceptibly, and since it was getting dark outside, I decided to check if she had calmed down.

I first knocked on the door, but when there was no immediate response, I opened it slowly, trying not to make noise in case she had fallen asleep. She sat upright near the window, evidently lost in thought, as she didn't hear anything. When she turned and saw me, she immediately came towards me, wrapped her arms around me in a hug, pressing me against her, but didn't say anything more. I responded, and we stayed like that for some time before she gently released her grip and stepped back.

"I don't want anything bad to happen to you. I want us to go back; nothing is more important," she said, and the emotion was evident in her words. However, what she said confused me greatly. What could happen to me, and why was she even considering such an option?

"Bella, what do you mean? Nothing will happen to us; don't worry. We'll both make it back successfully," I said, and despite all the unknowns in the puzzle that surrounded us, I tried to sound convincing. I didn't feel concerned for myself, as there was currently no direct threat to us, but that didn't mean she couldn't emerge at any moment.

Bella didn't reply, but she kept her gaze on my face, and I noticed tears welling up in her eyes. She blinked rapidly a few times, and then her gaze again started moving between my eyes and my lips. The atmosphere around us seemed to shift rapidly, and all I managed to do in that moment was to draw closer. And then our lips touched, exchanging so many unspoken words between us. First gently, then in a struggle for dominance. My hands, which had been at her waist until that moment, began moving chaotically, as if I were trying to satisfy myself only with them. Bella started playing with my hair and slowly unbuttoning my shirt when we heard a knock on the front door.

Both of us pulled away from each other, panting heavily, initially confused. But when we heard the repeated noise from below, we rushed to the guns. We descended quietly and slowly, the knocking rhythmic over a certain period, after which the latch moved downwards. Oddly, not only did the alarm not activate this time, but someone apparently knew for sure that there were occupants in the house.

I signaled to Bella to go behind the door in case someone managed to enter.

"Edward, Bella!" – and we both heard Liam's voice, so we holstered our weapons.

She opened the door, and despite the darkness, we could clearly see that he was sitting in front of us.

"Liam?"

With a slight smile, he said, "It's time to go back."