17

Bella stared at her phone for a solid five minutes before she texted Dwyer back. Where did you first see me?

His response was immediate: Oh, no, my love. That's for you to figure out.

Just give me something, anything, that would set me on the right track.

Where's the fun in that? You may have stopped me from getting that little bitch in Belcourt, but that doesn't mean I'm done. I'm starting to get bored, and when I'm bored, my girls tend to suffer more. I suggest you hurry, my love.

Bella wanted to throw her phone across the room but knew that wouldn't get her any more answers. She'd already known that Dwyer had set eyes on her after Jane's body was found, but what if he'd seen her long before that? Was she the reason he'd started attacking women in the first place? All his girls were within an inch of her height, close to her weight, and had the same color hair and eyes as her. But when? When did he first see her? And how would she ever be able to stop him when he refused to level the playing field?

"Bee."

Startled, Bella scrambled to her feet and turned, placing her hand on the door.

"Bee, let me in."

"No," she told her father. "I need to be alone."

"I'm worried about you."

"I know, but I can't . . . I can't deal with you right now, Dad. I just . . . I'm sorry."

"Me too, Bee. I just want you to be okay. That's all I've ever wanted, you know? I worry so much about you."

"I know. I wish I could tell you I'm fine, but well, that would be a lie, and you know me better than that. I just . . . I just need some time. Just a little bit of time."

"Okay, honey, but don't forget that no matter what happens, I'm here for you, Bee. Always here for you."

Nodding, she pushed away from the door and crawled onto her bed.

Her father was there for her, Edward offered to let her stay with him, and her team wanted her back, but all Bella wanted to do was hide from Phillip Dwyer. None of them were getting what they wanted.

—AoM—

Bella hadn't been able to sleep, not that she actually tried. She found herself scrolling through the texts Dwyer had sent her, trying to find a clue that would help her catch him. He was smart, though. Smarter than the rest of the team gave him credit for. All his girls were chosen for a reason. He hand-picked them. Loners who were solely focused on their futures.

Like her. . .

She'd put off having a family because her career was more important. More important than her husband, Garrett had said often. He wanted her to pick him, to choose him over her job. Maybe if she had, he would still be alive, and Bella wouldn't feel like she was drowning without him.

Giving up on sleep, Bella took a shower, letting the hot water beat against the tension in her shoulders and back. Once the water cooled, she turned off the shower, dried her body, and dressed. Making sure she had her badge and gun, she headed downstairs, unsurprised to find Jessica seated in the kitchen with Renee. The two looked up at her, both frowning.

While she knew her mother hated that she'd come back to the job, Renee understood she needed to end this once and for all. And somehow, she would.

"You have everything you need, Jessica?"

"Your mom gave me some clothes seeing as I didn't exactly have time to pack a bag when they dragged me out of my house." Jessica stood. "Can't I go with you?"

"You're safer here with her."

"Safer," she mumbled. "Funny how I didn't feel unsafe until you came barging into my life. I wish I'd never met you, Bella. I truly do."

"Me too." Bella looked at her mother. "I'm counting on you, Mom."

"I'll protect her, Bee. Just . . . just stop this son-of-a-bitch."

Bella nodded and left the kitchen, stopping when her father came downstairs. They shared a look, but instead of speaking she threw the front door open and walked outside.

Edward had already arrived and was leaning against the side of her truck, his ankles crossed, and his hands shoved deep into his pockets. He tilted his head back, his lips curling into a smile, and for reasons she couldn't understand, she felt a flutter of butterflies in her stomach. Why, though? Why did he have her feeling for the first time in over a year?

Inhaling a deep breath, she walked up to him, holding her hand out. "Was she pissed with you?"

Edward dropped her keys in her hand. "Who?"

"Your sister."

Edward grimaced. "No, she understood, but at the same time, she's not happy that I'm working so much. Said she was tempted to call my mother, but we both agreed that Momma coming is not a good idea. Especially right now."

"She worries about you. Your mom, I mean."

"No, I know . . . but right now, all of my attention has to be on helping you stop Phillip Dwyer."

Bella's eyes filled with tears as she looked away. "What if we can't stop him, Masen? He's always one step ahead of us, always. I just . . . I don't know how to get ahead of him."

"Well, I was thinking," he said, drawing her attention back to him. "You think he has another girl out there, and she's still alive, right?"

Bella nodded.

"We should review all missing girls that match his type."

"That's going to be a lot of girls, don't you think?"

"Probably. And we should look here and in North Dakota, too."

"Why?"

"Because we know he was watching you there."

"Very good, Masen," she said.

Edward lifted his hand toward her face, but when she moved away, he dropped it back to his side. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I won't be okay until we stop him."

"Do you need to talk to Sam?" he asked, frowning.

"Probably, but we don't have time for me to have a mental breakdown. Let's just get to the office."

—^—

Bella parked, but while Edward reached for the handle, she just stared out the front window.

"Are you coming?"

"I need to run an errand."

"I'll go with you," he said, reaching for his seatbelt.

Bella shook her head. "It's personal."

"You shouldn't be alone, Swan."

"I'm a big girl, Masen. I can take care of myself."

"I don't know," he fretted.

"I don't need a babysitter, no matter what my father thinks. I'm not leaving."

Edward nodded but still didn't make any effort to climb out of her truck.

She sighed. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"No."

"Fine."

Bella shifted into reverse and headed toward Oxon Hills. Half an hour later, she parked in front of a large white house with a wraparound porch and red shutters. She glanced at Edward before she exited the vehicle. He was quick to follow, and the two slowly walked up to the front door. However, before she could ring the doorbell or knock, the door opened, and she found herself face to face with a tall, thin woman with long, curly, fiery red hair and freckles sprinkled across her nose and cheeks. She shifted her blue eyes from Bella to Edward and back before her lips twisted into a smirk.

"Damn, Bee, you look like shit."

"Yeah, well . . ." She cleared her throat. "Is he here?"

The woman nodded. "He's in his office."

"Is he going to talk to me?"

She grinned. "Probably not, but why don't you try anyway? But first, you could introduce me to the noob behind you."

"I'm not a noob," Edward muttered.

"Oh, please," she scoffed, opening the screen door. "You have noob written all over you."

"Vic, play nice," Bella scolded.

"I am!" she laughed, holding her hand out toward Edward. "Victoria."

He shook her hand. "Special Agent Edward Masen."

"Yeah, you're definitely a noob," she snickered before looking at Bella. "It's good to see you, Bee."

"No, no, it's not."

Bella stepped past Victoria, with Edward following closely. You know, in case she did something stupid like not telling him that the person responsible for eight deaths was texting her like they were old friends. Bella stopped at the door built into the staircase, glancing back at Victoria before opening it. She then started down the wooden stairs until she found herself facing a thick metal door.

Inhaling a deep breath first, she knocked three times. A moment later, she could hear the locks being turned, the door opened, and she found herself face to face with a man who looked eerily like her dead husband.

James Mitchell had the same dirty blond hair and blue eyes that Garrett had, but he wore his longer and shaggier, and he had a scar over his left eye from getting his head busted open during a fight when he was thirteen. He and Garrett were twins, only six minutes apart. They had always been close, but like most siblings, they had their fair share of scuffles. While Garrett chose to go into medicine, James was a computer genius, often skirting the letter of the law more than he should.

James shifted his eyes from Bella to Edward and back before he moved to shut the door. But when Bella threw her hand and foot out to stop it, he sighed.

"What are you doing here?"

"I need your help."

His eyebrow lifted. "My help? Funny how you ain't needed me in the last year."

"Well, things have changed."

"Changed, huh? Sounds like a you problem to me."

"You've always been such an ass."

"Yep, and some psycho murdering my brother just turned me into an even bigger ass. I would apologize, but you've made it quite clear you don't want anything to do with me. So, do me a favor and go fuck yourself."

Again, James tried to shut the door, and again, Bella stopped him. "He's back."

James' hands curled into fists. "I saw. Still not my problem."

"I need your help."

"My . . ." James scoffed. "Now, you need my help. After ignoring me and Vic for a fucking year, now you need my help. Why should I help you, Bee? Why?"

Looking at Edward first, she cleared her throat and said, "Because he started texting me again."

"What?" Edward exclaimed, grabbing her arm and spinning her toward her. "When?"

Bella shook her head, easing her arm from his grip. "Yesterday, when we went to pick up Jessica."

"Why didn't you tell me? Tell all of us!"

"I have my reasons," she gritted out before looking at James. "How could he get through my security, James? After last time, you told me I would be protected."

James dragged his fingers through his hair before saying, "Give me your phone."

Though she didn't want him to see the messages, she dug her phone from her pocket and handed it to him. He waved them into the room before closing the door and settling at this workstation.

"The technology I installed on your phone a year ago, Bee, is outdated. It changes fast. I could have told you that had you not pulled a Houdini on me."

"I did what I needed for myself, James."

"Yeah, I know." He looked back at her. "I can fix it."

"I don't want you to."

The moment the words were out of her mouth, both James and Edward's eyes widened.

"I need you to use my phone to trace his number; tell me where he is."

"Bee, I . . ."

"I know you can do it."

"Wait, wait, wait." Edward held up his hands. "What's he been texting you? Why didn't you tell me? Don't tell the rest of the team, whatever, but . . . but me? You should have told me!"

"I wasn't ready!" Bella snarled. "You act like I owe you something, Masen. I don't owe you shit. Just because I've taken pity on you doesn't make us partners."

Edward nodded. "Guess you're right there, Swan. I just thought you were different from the others, but you're not. You jumped down everyone's ass for keeping shit from you, but here you are, doing the same damn thing. You keep talking about how we forced your hand and made you come back. Truth is, you want to keep being the victim."

Turning, Edward went back upstairs, and a moment later, they heard the front door open and close.

"Damn, noobs," James scoffed, causing Bella to look at him. "He's got a point, though."

"Can you get me a location or not?" she asked, ignoring him.

"Probably. Going to take me a while, though."

"Give me a time frame."

"Five, six hours at least. Maybe more."

Bella nodded. "I'll be back. Nobody can know about this, James. Especially my dad."

"I'm not about to put my . . . slightly illegal work in sight of the FBI, especially your old man, Bee."

"Thanks," she turned to go upstairs but stopped and looked back at him, saying, "I miss him, James. I miss him so much."

"Me too, Bee. And if this helps get the son-of-a-bitch who killed him, then, well, we can deal with our shit later, I guess."

Nodding, she hurried upstairs, bypassing Victoria, who was leaning against the doorframe. Bella paused just long enough to shake her head before she hurried out of the house, finding Edward leaning against the passenger side of her truck. He had his arms folded and his legs crossed.

"Did you call him?"

"No."

"No?"

Edward sighed. "No, Swan, I didn't. I should. Lord knows I should, but . . ."

"But what?"

He pushed away from the side of the truck and closed the distance between them. "I don't want to be another person who betrays you, but you're going to have to trust me."

"I do trust you. I do, Masen."

"No, you don't, or you would have told me where we were going and why we were here. Your father isn't the only reason I insist on staying with you, Swan."

"I know it's not."

"Yeah?"

Biting the inside of her lip, she nodded. "I told you not to have feelings for me, Masen."

"I can't stop how I feel."

"You should." Bella took a step backward. "We should get to the office."

"Are you going to tell me what Dwyer texted you?"

Bella tilted her head as she sighed. "He knew the second we picked up Jessica. He confirmed that he has another girl and that he's getting bored, and I need to work harder to find him. When he's bored, his girls tend to suffer more." She paused before adding, "He also told me he's been watching me for a long time, most likely before he took Bree Tanner. I . . . I think I'm the reason he started killing Masen."

The moment the words trickled out of her mouth, the realization of what that meant hit her harder than she expected. She felt her knees give out, but instead of hitting the ground, Edward wrapped his arms around her and held her.

The weight of the deaths of Bree Tanner, Jane Sinclair, Chelsea Sanchez, Gianna Romans, Lauren Mallory, and Garrett, and Heidi Crenshaw's destroyed soul was now squarely and wholly on her shoulders.

Thank you for all the AMAZING reviews! Big thank you to Sunflower Fran for being an amazing Beta. A small hint: I've already told you were Dwyer first saw our dear Swan…