TW: Violence, torture.

Dame Fortuna

Chapter 15: Banks

Colton Banks was enjoying his long holiday immensely. It was already four in the afternoon, but he'd been lying in the poolside lounge of the mansion he'd rented since noon.

He wasn't the only one enjoying it, naturally. He took a sip of his Long Island as he looked towards the pool, where his lovely guests––both men and women, almost all fully naked––were massively…enjoying themselves. Some were already copulating in the other lounges.

He leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes and enjoying the loud R & B being played by his hired DJ, which only barely masked the sounds of sex. It was exquisite.

God, he loved his job. If only it wasn't so tedious and bureaucratic at times. After all, that was the reason he booked this vacation. He didn't want to be involved in that at all––didn't need to, even. The Banks' stake in the sex business will survive with or without Bluewave, he was sure.

Well…half-sure. A quarter. Ah, fuck.

"Mr. Banks?"

Colton immediately groaned, sitting up in his seat and eyeing the guard who had approached. "What the fuck did I tell you about calling me that?"

The man cleared his throat, looking down apologetically. "My apologies…Colton."

"Good," he said, running a hand through his sandy blond locks. "I'm not my father. And the name's kind of sexy, don't you think?"

"Er, yes." The guard shifted awkwardly. "Well, Colton, we have a couple of guests here to see you. Urgently."

Banks raised a brow. "What kind of guests are we talking about?"

"Your debt-collector."

Immediately, Colton blanched at the sound of the new voice. Fuck. Of course he'd hunt him down himself. Beads of sweat were already forming on his forehead as he struggled to think of a way to talk himself out of this. Any way.

Edward Cullen eventually stood before him, hands casually tucked in his grey slacks, his signature formidable green eyes narrowed down at him. Oh, boy. He really wasn't happy this time.

"H-Hey," Colton greeted a little too enthusiastically, standing up from the lounge.

Edward's eyes wandered down and his sharp nose crinkled. Colton followed his gaze and realized that he'd left his robe wide open––

"Fuck, sorry," he quickly apologized, clumsily tying the wraps around him a little too tightly. He cleared his throat before facing the man again.

"I'll…take it as a compliment that you're happy to see me."

Colton laughed, again a little too loudly. Nervously. "Right. You here for the party?"

Edward looked around then, his expression vague as he regarded the obscenities around him. As if on cue, a sharp cry of ecstasy came from the lounge adjacent to them. "Hmm," he began, turning back to Colton. "So this is what you've been up to for the past weeks? While all hell was breaking lose back home?"

Banks grimaced, his gaze dropping to the floor. "I…heard."

"Even the players under your faction showed up when my father called," Edward said, his voice dangerously low as he stepped forward to tower over the man by a couple of inches. "I'm sure you're aware of what happened that night. How those who wronged him were…punished. Sex and information is your business, after all."

Colton sighed. "I––never gave my favor. Of inducting him back in."

"Are you telling me you're against it?" Edward tilted his head. "Mind you, in my eyes, that would mean you're for the other side."

"No, no," the blond immediately retracted, shaking his head rapidly. "I'm––Come on, Edward. You know I'd never side with Wynona. She's fucking nuts for even thinking of going against you and Bluewave."

"Neutral, then?" Edward narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "That's the side you're taking?"

Colton's jaw clenched. Eventually, he heaved a sigh and settled back down at the armrest of the lounge. "I'm a child of divorce, man. Not picking sides is kind of my thing."

"Interesting." Edward pursed his lips for a moment. "Well, I brought someone. For the party."

Colton widened his eyes, immediate dread rushing down his spine. Another guest. Holy shit, if he brought Carlisle fucking Cullen here––

"Sweetheart!" Edward suddenly called, waving behind him.

Colton slowly stood up, absolutely bewildered as he regarded and recognized the woman who came rushing to Edward's side. She was dressed for the occasion, clad in a pair of denim shorts and a sheer white blouse that barely covered the black bikini top underneath. The one and only––

"Dame Fortuna," he greeted in a low voice, smiling wickedly as he looked the woman over several times. Edward never brought her along with him to business meetings. And clearly, it was for a good reason. There was truly something about that sweet, wide-eyed face of hers. It was no surprise even someone as frigid as Edward Cullen was smitten by it.

Said man wrapped an arm around the girl's waist, his eyes strangely calculating as he continued to stare at Colton. Fortuna, on the other hand, smiled coyly up at the council member, stretching out an elegant hand to shake his.

Banks couldn't help it. It was in his nature––and his business––to toe the line. He lifted the hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles softly.

Edward didn't even bat an eye.

"I don't think we've ever properly spoken to each other," Fortuna noted. Then, gesturing vaguely around her, she said, "Lovely party. It's a great turnout."

Colton bit his lip as he let go of the girl's hand. Turning to Edward, he chuckled, "You brought your lady for the party? This party?"

Edward shrugged. His head swiveled to his partner, saying, "Go on, baby. Enjoy."

"Love you," Fortuna murmured, kissing Edward swiftly on the lips before walking away from them and heading towards the pool.

"Jesus," Colton swore to himself as he watched the woman undress herself as she walked, until she was only clad in the black bikini. After shoving her clothes in her tote bag, she picked up a beer from the pop-up bar and settled herself down to sit at the pool's edge.

From the corner of his eye, Colton noticed Edward sit himself down on an empty lounge couch, crossing his legs casually. "Tell them not to touch her," he ordered. "Unless she tells them to."

Colton released a shuddering breath. He walked over to sit next to the Bluewave head. "Don't worry. They know who she is. Based on who you are."

"That's good," Edward sighed, leaning back as he pulled out a box of cigarettes from his pocket.

Colton kept his eyes on Fortuna, who was now in a conversation with a handful of girls at the pool. "It's not going to work, Edward."

The man lit his stick before speaking. "What is?"

"I know what you're doing," Banks said, shaking his head as he chuckled. "You know your girls have no effect on me. I have my own supply. And I prefer the ones that I can actually fuck."

"It's a party," Edward said smoothly. "She was bored. So I brought her along."

"Bored?" Banks repeated, turning to face him incredulously. "Man, you better start coming home earlier, then. Or do you need a couple of tips?"

"Watch yourself," Edward warned.

Colton merely raised his hands cheekily, as if in surrender. His gaze wandered back to Fortuna, and he couldn't help the tingling in his nether regions as he realized she was dancing now. Her arms were wrapped around another girl's bare shoulders as she did.

After quietly watching her dance several songs with fascination, he decided to say, "I will admit, though. She's…something."

Edward remained silent longer than he did. "What would it take, Colton?"

"Huh?" The man was still mildly distracted.

"I'm offering a deal," Edward continued. "The carrot. And it's a one-time offer. If you don't take it now, I'll have no choice but to let Carlisle handle you. Take your pick."

The sound of the man's name sobered him up immediately. Clenching his jaw and facing Edward, he said, "Well, what can you offer?"

Edward leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. He took a deep drag of his cigarette before saying, "You can't touch her. But you can watch."

What? Colton felt as if he was about to pass out. This had to be a trick. He'd always thought the man was a bit more of a prude than most of the men he'd met at Bluewave. And this was his special, forbidden Fortuna. Edward would never––

"One-time offer," Edward repeated, his expression indecipherable.

Banks turned around towards the pool, but was mildly surprised to find that Fortuna had disappeared. Along with the girl she had been dancing with. "Where––"

"I suppose she liked that one," Edward sighed. "Not my type. But I'm sure I can make do."

"Edward." Colton chuckled nervously. "You're serious?"

The man cracked a half-smile. "I mean, I already know you don't think me half-bad," he quipped, nodding towards Colton's lap.

Despite himself, Colton became excited at the proposition. "I…can consider it. I can be swayed by one-time offers like this one. I'm sure it's never happened before and would never happen again."

"Never," Edward agreed.

"Fuck," Colton laughed. He stretched out an arm in the man's direction. "Fine. Deal. My soul is yours. As long as you keep your rabid father off my back, too."

Edward nodded once, shaking the man's palm once. "Good choice. But naturally, I'll need you to pay up first before I hand over the reward."

Colton pursed his lips, looking down at the ground. "What do you want to know, boss?"

"You already know."

He sighed. "My birds tell me she's gone international, man. I think she's trying to set up her own Bluewave. Laurent's still her largest ammunition supplier, but he's only the first. Her drug supply's coming in from Canada and Asia. Her endgame is exports, something even Bluewave hasn't managed to do."

"Huh." A pause. "How does she plan to bump us off?"

"She's already started," Colton said grimly. "The Delgados I'm sure you've heard of. But she knows our Oregon branch is weak. None of our narcotics players have presence there anymore. They're either dead or inducted to her side. Which is why she's set up shop at the state."

"You mean that's where she's staying?"

Colton shrugged. "I think so. She knows you hate it there."

"Hmm." Edward furrowed his brows as he processed that. "Any weaknesses?"

Banks thought about that for a while as he rubbed his forehead. "I––don't know. She's insane, but she's smart. I think she's been planning this for years."

Edward's phone suddenly buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out. His expression remained neutral as he read the message preview. After a few seconds, he tucked the cell back into his pocket and asked, "Is that all?"

Colton pursed his lips. "It's all I got. For now. But I'll keep digging, of course."

Edward wordlessly stood up then, and began to unbutton his black shirt as he walked towards the glass slide doors of the house. "Let's get this over with."

Banks stood up quickly and tailed the man, his heart racing with anticipation. God, he really loved this job. Fuck the bureaucracy. It still had its merits.

Once they reached one of the bedrooms, however, Colton became very confused. Because while Fortuna was there, she was now dressed back into her shorts and blouse, and the other girl had all but disappeared. There was a formidable, unforgiving expression in her usually sweet face. But the most damning of all was the black piece in one of her hands.

He heard Edward quietly close the door behind him. And lock it.

"What is going on?" Colton asked slowly.

His breath caught in his throat when the woman suddenly raised the gun steadily to point it directly at him. Fuck. This isn't––

"I'm very disappointed, Colton," Edward sighed, walking over to sit at the edge of the white bed. "It really was a one-time offer. And you didn't follow through."

"What are you talking about?"

"You didn't tell me everything," Edward continued, his eyes sharpening. "You pulled back on telling me about the mole Wynona planted at Bluewave."

Oh…shit. He was utterly screwed this time.

"The girl told me everything," Fortuna said, her voice just as dangerously low as her partner's. "It wasn't very difficult to pry it out of at least one of them, since you've been…overworking your streetwalkers lately. You never earned their loyalty. That's the difference between your business and ours."

Colton's hands tightened into fists. His nostrils flared as he said, "I'm going to kill that––"

"Oh, you don't get to make any decisions," Edward snapped, walking over to Fortuna's side. "I tested you with the carrot. You failed. And I was very clear about the consequences."

"No, I––" Colton began to breathe unsteadily. Fearfully. "It wasn't because I'm on her side. I swear to you."

Fortuna released a humorless chuckle as she pulled on the safety lock.

He instinctively raised his hands in surrender. "Child of divorce, Edward. I…sincerely didn't want to fully place my bets on any side, not until I was sure who'll be winning. But that's clear to me now. It'll be you. So please."

They stood there in tense silence for a long while, but eventually the girl lowered the gun to her side. But her cold expression remained.

"I think it's time for the stick," she said simply.

Carlisle heaved several deep breaths, throwing his head back as he did.

Thankfully, the man under his boot––pathetic codename Churchill, one of Wynona's favored players for commercial hallucinogens––was still breathing. Carlisle decided to step harder on one of the several knife wounds he'd strategically placed on his torso. That resulted in a sharp wail.

"Please––" the man choked. "Just kill me."

"Why would I do that?" Carlisle said calmly, removing his foot and kneeling down next to the trembling man. "You haven't given me anything."

"And why would I––give you anything––after you'd just done this?"

The man gestured weakly around him, towards which Carlisle's gaze followed. Around a dozen of Churchill's men lay frozen on the ground of the secluded ranch house that served as the wayward player's personal base. "Well, it wasn't all me."

Garrett remained silent as he leaned against the opposite wall with a couple of his own men, his now four-fingered hand still hovering over the trigger of his AMG, just in case. Even though Churchill was clearly in no state to fight back.

"I'm fucked regardless," Churchill groaned, shutting his eyes tightly. "How the hell did you even find me?"

"Wynona's fed you a delusion that I've grown weak, just because my son took the helm," Carlisle murmured, rubbing his blood-covered hands together. "It won't take long for me to find every single one of you greedy, traitorous bastards myself. But it would be kind of you to help me speed up the process."

Churchill managed a dark, twisted chuckle. "What would be the point? I'm still a dead man."

Carlisle smiled angelically. "Not yet," he murmured, pulling out his silver switchblade again.

Garrett sighed. "I'm sure you can handle this from here, Carlisle."

"You're watching," the blond ordered, manic ceruleans orbs flashing towards the man. "Take it as a supplementary lesson to the kindness I've given you that you didn't deserve. In fact…"

He stood up suddenly, walking over to the taller man. His gaze remained fixed on Garrett's face as he roughly took the gun away and replaced it with the switchblade.

Garrett's eyes widened as he whispered, "Oh, come on. I know the guy. Even went to his cousin's birthday just last year."

"That's nice. He might open up to you more." Carlisle tilted his head. "Don't let him bleed out until you have what we want."

Garrett pursed his lips. Reluctantly, he said, "I'll do my best."

And the man reluctantly walked away to do the deed. When the blood-curling screaming recommenced, Carlisle turned to Garrett's men. "Take all the goods and cash to the vans. Leave nothing behind. We're burning this place down."

"Yes, sir," they simultaneously said.

Carlisle leaned against the wall after that, watching the interrogation unfold with mild amusement. After only ten minutes, however, his phone began to ring loudly in his now bloody pair of khaki pants. "Carry on," he advised Garrett before stepping out of the living room to take the call.

"You know I'm busy," he sighed once he picked it up.

"Hey, Carlisle."

Immediately, his lips curved up to a smirk at the sound of the sweet voice. He had to walk further down the hallway and speak a little louder now since Churchill's damn screaming turned almost deafening. "Hi, sweetheart. How are you doing?"

"You're on speaker," Edward's voice called. "We just finished up at Banks'. You were right. And the coward's already fucked us over by pulling back on vital information."

We? Carlisle couldn't help but smile even more widely at that. "I'm guessing Bella here helped you fish that out."

A short pause. "It wasn't very difficult," the girl eventually said.

Carlisle began to chuckle. So Edward did take his suggestion and pulled his head out of his ass. This…was the best news he'd heard in a while. "Well, what's the information?"

As his son caught him up to speed, however, Carlisle's smile gradually disappeared until all that was left was a scowl. His eyes had also sharpened with anger at the news.

"For fuck's sake, Edward," he swore. "I can't believe you let that slip. I'm sure I taught you better than that, you fucking idiot."

A pause. "I deserve that. I'll fix it."

"You better get your shit together right at this moment or so help me. If you weren't my––"

"Carlisle, we'll handle this," Bella chimed in. "We just need you to handle Banks. We're sending him back to base. Is that okay?"

Carlisle ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "You should know Garrett's with me, sweetheart. As in, right now."

Silence.

"I'll clean this up and fly home as soon as I can," he continued, hanging up the phone as soon as he finished.

Carlisle took several deep breaths to calm himself before stepping back into the living room. He kept a neutral gaze as he regarded the man who was still kneeling over the tortured man. The latter was unmoving now.

Garrett turned around, looking slightly apologetic. "I tried to keep him alive longer," he sighed, wiping the specks of blood on his face with his sleeve. "He managed to say a couple of locations after the third finger. Most are out west––"

He suddenly stood up with hands in the air when Carlisle raised the machine gun to point at him.

"What the hell––I did what you asked!" Garrett cried.

"What did you tell her?"

Garrett gestured widely around him. "I didn't tell Wynona anything! I've already told––"

"Not Wynona!" Carlisle cut off. "Edward only hunted you down in the first place because of what you did at the club. The girl who gave you a private dance. What was it for?"

"The girl––" Garrett widened his eyes. "You mean the new dancer? I––I'm so confused right now. Are you…upset about that too?"

"Idiot," Carlisle groaned, leaning his head back momentarily in frustration. "The girl's a plant. Banks found out she's one of Wynona's. She's only been around for six months, but I'm sure that's more than enough time to get enough information from Bluewave players. You said Wynona has no plans of pulling you in. So what was the dance for?"

Garrett blinked several times, processing the man's words. "I…Oh."

"Speak."

"Now that I think about it, it was––unusual. That the dance was really just a dance. She didn't try to propose anything." He swallowed once. "But she did ask a lot of questions, mostly about the status of Bluewave's active players. Not just in narcotics."

Carlisle stepped forward, pressing the tip of the AMG to the man's chest. "What did you tell her?"

"Relax, Mr. Cullen," Garrett exhaled. "I didn't say anything no one else already knew. But…others might have. I'm not the girl's only client. And if I recall correctly, she was there when you, er, came home."

Of course Carlisle remembered that. Sighing, he pulled the gun back and let it clatter on the floor next to Churchill's dead body. "So she knows all your faces. All the players who are actively on our side."

Garrett swallowed. "Protection's still on the table, right? I paid the price already, after all."

"As long as you keep paying it," Carlisle said. He nodded towards the unmoving bodies around the room. "Burn it all. My legal team will handle the rest. Then let's head home."

As Edward continued to drive them home––they were still a couple of hundred miles away––Bella stayed awfully quiet since the call. When he slightly turned to her, he noticed a strange, pensive expression on her face.

"You all right, sweetheart?"

Bella pursed her lips. "Yeah. Just––reeling from the news. About Rose, I mean."

Edward nodded slowly, but he had an inkling that wasn't all there is. Thus, he pressed, "Anything else on your mind?"

She bit her lip. "It's nice that you're not pulling me back anymore. Even from your own father."

It was Edward's turn to look slightly abashed.

"That call went better than expected, didn't it?" she continued, turning to look at him with a small smirk on her lips. "You think he has a soft spot for me. That maybe he even trusts me."

"I know how to make him heel better than anyone," Edward admitted. "And I know he's fascinated by you. You softened the blow for me. I hope…that doesn't bother you."

Bella chuckled softly. "Well, it's the closest I'd ever get to a parent's approval." She turned mute for a long while, looking mildly distracted again. "Now, I'm curious."

"About what?"

"Say Banks had followed through from your carrot approach," Bella said slowly. "I know you said you had an inkling he wouldn't disclose everything, which was why you made me fish out the information straight from his walkers. But what if he did? Would you have gone through with your…indecent proposal?"

Edward's hand tightened around the wheel, and he felt his cheeks burn. That was very rare. "It doesn't matter now, does it? I was right."

"Hmm. Yeah, it doesn't."

Another round of silence ensued after that. But there was…something in the air, but Edward couldn't figure out what it was just yet.

He only did when he turned to look at her again several minutes later.

Bella's cheeks were flushed, and her eyes slightly glazed as she stared blankly ahead. She was biting the edge of a fingernail while her other hand was twisting the hem of her shorts almost anxiously. And her thighs were crossed together too tightly that they even trembled.

Edward wordlessly turned his car rather sharply to pull them in to a deserted road with a dead-end. He didn't even bother being gradual with braking to a park. "You really are a little minx."

"I didn't say anything."

"Well, I would've done it. Had he followed through."

She released a shuddering breath, her thighs firmly pressing themselves together again.

Edward's eyes turned dark as he turned his torso to lean over the console. "That get you excited, sweetheart? That I would use you this way? This is what you asked for, after all."

Bella finally turned to look at him, and her brown eyes were just as dark as his. "I hope…that doesn't bother you."

He thought he'd never be more attracted to this woman than he already was. He was wrong.

It didn't take long for them to settle in the backseat, hurriedly stripping off their clothing as if their lives depended on it. They'd done this countless of times before, and while he knew he'd never ever get enough of her, this felt different. A fresh perspective. As he watched this woman––the only one who managed to bewitch him body and soul––ride him recklessly and passionately, it was as if he was seeing her for the first time.

She was never innocent, Tanya had said.

Neither am I, Edward thought, as he pulled the woman's hair back, and pressed open-mouthed kisses to her chest, not bothering to be gentle with his love bites.

And when they came together––with her crying out his name desperately––it all became clear to him. Not only did she never need protecting in his world, but just like him, she thrived in every depraved aspect of it. Possibly even more than he did.

Two twisted souls entwined and destined by fate to be together. Damned together.

It was glorious.