30

"Are you ready?"

The day before, Bella almost had a panic attack when Felix removed the casts from her arms and replaced them with braces that stretched to her elbows. The cracks in her wrists had nearly healed, he'd told her, but she would have to be careful, cautious.

Edward had brought her clothes to change into, telling her she'd be more comfortable in sweatpants and a T-shirt than a hospital gown. She didn't disagree, but letting him help her change had been terrifying yet soothing at the same time. He was slow, careful not to touch her more than he had to. The burns and bite marks on her back made wearing a bra impossible.

They'd just placed the heavy walking boots on her feet, and now, she was expected to get out of bed.

"Are you ready to give it a go, Bella?

"No," she replied. "But let's try anyway."

Edward kept his eyes locked on hers as he slid his arms under her legs and around her back, shifting her onto the side of the bed. His hands moved to her waist; his eyes locked on hers.

"You okay?"

She exhaled slowly before nodding.

"Go slow, sweetheart."

Bella placed her hands on his shoulders before gingerly slipping off the bed, and standing. Tears trickled down her cheeks, and she cried out as pain shot up her legs.

"Hey, hey, look at me. Just . . . just look at me."

Bella shifted her eyes to his. "I can trust you, can't I, Masen?"

"Yes." He slid his hands from her hips up to her face. "I don't know what he told you, why you doubt me so much, but I would never hurt you, Bella. Never."

"I hope not."

Edward used his thumbs to wipe the moisture away before he gripped her hips again. "You ready to take a couple of steps?"

Bella bit her lip as she nodded.

"Okay, hold on to me."

She curled her fingers around the top of his shirt before she slid her left foot forward, followed by the right. The pain was excruciating, yet she managed a few more before she found herself seated on the chair he'd been camped in for the last two weeks.

"Show me again."

Though she could see the irritation in his eyes, Edward stood and removed his shirt. Once more, she felt relieved when she saw the smoothness of his skin.

"Maybe I should just keep it off," Edward suggested, tossing his shirt on the bed before he sat.

Bella hummed. "Come here."

He moved so he stood in front of her.

"Don't move."

"Okay."

Closing her eyes for a moment, she lifted her hands to his chest, dragging her fingers over his skin. He shivered but didn't try to stop her as she touched every inch of bare skin he showed.

"Better?"

Bella dropped her hands onto her thighs as she nodded.

"You could tell me why you keep asking to see my chest."

This time, she sighed.

"Hey, it's fine; you don't have to if you're not ready."

"Edward, I . . ."

Bella shook her head, but before she could speak again, they heard someone outside her room, causing him to snatch his shirt and pull it over his head. She would have laughed had doubt not seeped inside her head once again. She could trust him, couldn't she? Dwyer had lied about her mother, lied about carving the word traitor on Edward's chest, and lied about killing him. But then again, he hadn't lied about sexually assaulting Garrett. How could she know without a doubt that Edward wasn't still playing the game?

The door opened, and Bella felt her eyes fill with tears when she saw her mother. Her words echoed inside her head, and it took all her control not to fall onto her knees and beg her mother to forgive her for putting her in Phil Dwyer's grasp.

"Hey, Bee," Renee whispered, letting the door close behind her. Though, she didn't move any closer.

"Hey, Momma."

Renee's eyes shifted to Edward and then back to her. "You . . . you look better."

Bella nodded. "He brushed my hair, so . . ."

"Bet you loved that," Renee whispered. "You used to scream when I . . . I brushed it."

"It always hurt when you did it," she murmured.

Renee cleared her throat. "Yeah."

"Why don't I give you two a minute alone?" Edward suggested, causing Bella's eyes to widen. He squatted in front of her. "I'll be right outside. I promise."

Bella nodded. Edward stood, kissing the top of her head before leaving her alone with her mother. Renee sat on the edge of the bed, her hands lying flat on her thighs.

"I'm sorry I haven't been by in a few days. I . . ." Renee shook her head. "I don't . . . I don't like seeing you like this."

"I don't like being like this," Bella replied. "Are . . . are you . . . He didn't hurt you. That's . . . that's what you said. He . . . Dwyer never touched you."

Renee sighed. "No. I never even saw him. Just . . . just her."

Bella nodded. "I'm sorry. I didn't know she . . . I missed her connection to him. I don't know how, but . . . I missed it."

"I don't think any of us thought she was part of his plan." Renee moved to the window, wrapping her arms around herself. "Every time Dad would go into the field, I would wait for the call. Part of being married to law enforcement, you know? When you were little, and you'd beg him to tell you every detail of his case, every fucking detail, I'd see the sparkle in your eyes, and I hated it. I hated it so much because I knew you wanted to be part of his world." She looked at Bella. "And then you left. I missed you so much, Bee. So fucking much, but at least I could sleep at night without worrying about getting the call."

Renee shook her head. "But Dad . . . He just couldn't let you be, could he?"

"No."

"I want to hate him, Bee. I want to hate him so much for . . . for not letting you stay away."

"Me too." Bella picked at a piece of lint on her sweats. "But it was only a matter of time before . . . before Phillip Dwyer upped the stakes. He was never going to let me go. Never. Sooner or later, he would have made his move."

"You're probably right." Renee sat back on the bed. "I'm going to stay with Aunt Charlotte for a while. I, um, I just need some time to, I don't know, evaluate some things. Maybe try to find myself again."

Bella nodded.

"They said you're going with Edward to Austin."

"Yeah, I . . . I guess I need some time to evaluate some things, too."

"I don't know what happened inside that room, Bee. Dad won't tell me, and honestly, I'm not sure I want to know, but if you need me, I'm just a phone call away."

"Mom . . ." Bella whimpered. "I'm sorry, Momma, that . . . that she hurt you."

"Me too, Bee." Renee wiped a tear off her cheek. "You love him, don't you? Masen, I mean. You love him."

"I do."

And she did. Even though part of her still questioned if he'd betrayed her, she loved him. "It scares me, Mom. It scares me so much, but I . . . I don't know how to trust him again."

"Did you stop trusting him?"

Bella frowned. "For a moment."

"Because of what happened inside that room?"

She barely nodded before whispering, "Because of something Dwyer said. . . I can't get it out of my head."

"But honey, you can't believe anything that man said. He is deranged. A liar and a killer."

Bella just nodded.

"The first time I met Masen, I thought, who was this kid? God, he was . . . so green. Dad had just returned from the field, so I'd taken him a change of clothes and some dinner. I stepped off the elevator, and there was Masen sitting at your desk. He smiled a genuine smile. The rest of the team had already gone home, and Dad came out of his office and introduced us." Renee smiled. "He called me ma'am. Yes, ma'am. Nice to meet you, ma'am. I wanted to smack him."

Bella laughed softly. "Me too."

"But I saw the fire in his eyes, Bee. The same one you have."

"Had."

"No, it's still there." Renee stood before kneeling in front of her, bringing her hand to her face. "Don't let fear or anger keep you from being happy, Bee. That boy . . . Well, that boy loves you, honey child."

"What if love isn't enough?"

"Love it always enough." Renee leaned up and kissed her forehead. "Always."

Standing, her mother walked out of her room. A moment later, Edward entered. Their eyes met, and without her having to ask, he reached behind him and slipped off his shirt, tossing it onto the bed.

—AoM—

"Still no word on his test results?"

Edward tensed. "No. They keep coming back as inconclusive."

"He's faking."

Edward nodded.

"What? You think he's telling the truth?"

"No. I don't know, Bella. I . . . I just don't know. He's pretty adamant from what I've been told, but then again, he's a sociopath, which means he's a damn good liar."

The door opened, causing her to tense as she glanced over, almost expecting to see her father. Four more days had passed, and he'd come to see her, begged her to speak to him, and pled with her to forgive him.

But she couldn't.

Not yet, anyway.

Logically, she understood why he hadn't shared everything Garrett had suffered. He was trying to protect her, keep her from falling apart more than she already had been. Garrett's murder had already pushed her to the edge of reason. Knowing that Phillip Dwyer had used him like one of his girls would have been unbearable.

"Ms. Swan," Felix said, tilting his head toward him as he, Maggie, and Elizabeth Masen entered the room. He stopped a few feet from her bed, almost giving her a chance to acclimate to his presence. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"The same," she replied.

He nodded, folding his arms. "I have everything arranged for your discharge. You're still going to Austin, correct?"

Bella shifted her eyes to Edward before saying, "Yes."

Though she couldn't explain why, she found herself agreeing to let Edward take her back to Austin with him and his mother. Maybe it was just because she had nowhere else to go. Belcourt was no longer an option now that she knew Jessica Stanley had worked hand in hand with Dwyer to lure her into playing his game again.

Yet, she couldn't go back to D.C., knowing her father had lied to her. She needed time and space, she told herself. But could she trust Edward? She wanted to, more than anything she wanted to believe that Dwyer had lied about Edward's involvement in his psychotic game.

But Edward had been infatuated with her long before he came for her. Some might even call it obsessive. Was she just setting herself up for more pain? More humiliation? Was she swapping one sociopath for another?

"All right." Felix shifted his hands to his hips, pushing his white coat backward. "I scheduled an appointment with a colleague in Austin next Thursday at eleven. The address is in your discharge papers."

"What's his name?"

"Her name is Irina Long."

Bella nodded, once again looking at Edward.

"I've already run a background check on Dr. Long. Everything came back clear," he told her.

"Okay."

"If I didn't believe that Irina would take excellent care of you, Ms. Swan, I wouldn't recommend her. She's the best in her field."

"If you say so," she repeated. "When do I leave?"

"As soon as you're ready."

Bella nodded. "And, um, any news on Dwyer?"

"He's being transferred to Oklahoma Corrections Center this afternoon, pending extradition to Washington D.C," Felix explained, glancing at Edward first.

"What was that look for?" she asked.

Edward grabbed the back of his neck before looking at his mother, who rolled her eyes before leaving the room.

"The Attorney General here in Oklahoma wants him tried here for Jessica Stanley's murder, where they have the death penalty. We want to extradite him to D.C. first so he can be charged with six counts of murder, plus kidnapping and attempted murder. But D.C. doesn't have the death penalty. The US Attorney General wants to try him federally, but it's . . . there are a lot of hoops to jump through."

Bella nodded. "And he's claiming not to remember any of it."

"Yes, but the evidence speaks for itself, so . . ."

"The . . . videos?"

Edward nodded. "He's not getting away with anything he's done, Bella. Any of it."

This time, she was the one who nodded.

"Right now, Ms. Swan, you need to focus on healing," Maggie said. "Let the courts do their job. You've already done yours."

"No, I didn't. If I had, he wouldn't be breathing."

Turning her head, she tried to keep from letting her tears be seen.

Thank you for all the AMAZING reviews! Big shout out to Sunflower Fran for being an awesome beta and cleaning up my messy chapters!