Morning, Lovelies!

Thanks to Mel!

CHAPTER ELEVEN

BELLA

"The heaviest penalty for declining to rule is to be ruled by someone inferior to yourself."

― Plato

It had been almost two weeks since I had seen the sun. I had almost forgotten how brilliant and bright the world could be as Edward and I finally emerged from the sub, our eyes blinking against the rising sun.

Captain Stevens and one of her deckhands had climbed out of the sub into a dinghy to accompany Edward and me to the small island where we planned to meet Alice and Edward's crew.

As they navigated us through the frigid Atlantic, I couldn't help but tilt my head toward the sky and bask in the watery warmth of a rare sunny New England winter morning.

The island was off the coast of Maine and mostly constituted a spit of rock with a host of seabirds claiming dominion over it. No humans inhabited it, but that was the point.

We didn't want to draw any sort of attention to ourselves.

I could see a group of people standing on the shore as we approached. Most of them were men and women in black suits with black winter coats, but off to the side, with her arms wrapped around her thin body, was Alice. She looked pissed, which was admittedly how she always looked. She was wrapped in a puffy coat, but even with the added bulk, she was tiny. Had she gotten smaller somehow?

Our dinghy hit the rocky shore and immediately the crewman jumped out, hauling us to drier ground. Edward stood once the boat had stopped moving and offered me his hand.

Without even thinking about it, I took it, allowing him to help me to my feet. I climbed out onto the rocky coastline, Edward right behind me. Captain Stevens followed last, clapping her hands together as soon as we were all ashore.

"Mr. Whitlock," she said, making my head turn. I took inventory of the men and blinked when I realized that Jasper was indeed amongst them.

He strode forward and shook Captain Stevens' hand, offering her a smile. "Good to see you, Captain," he said, giving her a warm smile.

She grinned at him in response and Jasper turned toward us.

"How bad is it?" Edward asked in lieu of a greeting.

Jasper let out a long breath. "It's not good," he said, shaking his head. "I've got a chopper to take us to an airstrip on Matinicus."

"States?" Edward asked.

Jasper shook his head. "Too hot. We'll puddle hop and bunker down in Iceland until I can get you both underground in Europe somewhere."

Edward looked at me, seeming to ask if this was okay with me. I shrugged one shoulder and turned from them, my attention shifting to Alice.

She was watching me warily, and despite her ire, she looked exhausted.

"Hey," I said, walking over to her. "How are you?"

She let out a breath that somehow conveyed her deep levels of both frustration and fear. I nodded.

"I want out of this, Bella," she said, shaking her head. Without warning, her last words to me came running back. I regret it every day that I came to find you, Bella.

I fought a flinch.

"I want to be done with this world," she continued.

I understood exactly what she meant. There were many times throughout the day that I wanted the same thing. "It's not that easy, Alice."

She glared at me as her feet kicked at the ground. "I know," she snapped, her voice lacking its usual edge.

"Has anyone come after you?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Not that I know of, but then again I've been prisoner to Edward's goons." She shot a contemptuous look toward Edward's men.

"They didn't hurt you, did they?"

Alice shook her head before I'd even finished speaking. "No, no, they didn't do anything like that." She took a breath. "They just didn't leave me alone. Ever."

I frowned. "Ever?"

Alice looked me dead in the eye. "That chick over there has witnessed me taking a shit, Bella."

I bit my bottom lip to stop from laughing in surprise. It was so absurd. Why would security need to be that tight?

"I'm sorry," was all I could say.

Alice rolled her eyes. "Yeah," she said bitterly.

"Were you able to make any progress with the flash drive?"

At that, Alice focused back on me. "Actually, I did. I've been running different algorithms trying to crack the security on it. I'm down to one more lock."

I frowned. "How many were there?"

Alice rolled her eyes. "Sixteen."

I should have guessed.

"You had to break sixteen different security points to hack into that tiny thumb drive?"

Alice nodded. "I have no idea how they did it. It's masterful work, Bella. Truly. If I wasn't trying to break their system, I'd be bowing down to them." She shivered slightly. "Whatever is on that flash drive has to be worth a hell of a lot to put such security measures on it."

I nodded. "Yeah, must be." My mind raced as I tried to imagine what that could be.

"Bella?"

I turned as Edward's hand landed on my back. His eyes flickered between Alice and me before he spoke again. "We're ready to go."

I nodded and turned to Alice. She let out a huff but started after Edward's men, who were making their way across the island where not one but two helicopters were waiting for us. I frowned when I saw them. Had they been here the whole time? How had I not noticed?

Jasper, Alice, Edward, and I climbed into one helicopter while everyone else climbed into the second. Though this wasn't my first ride, I couldn't help the sudden thrill that went through me at the prospect.

I loved seeing the world from a helicopter.

I tilted forward in my seat as much as my seat belt would allow and leaned over to look out the window as we lifted off the island. Warm fingers wrapped around my wrist and I looked up at Edward, smiling as he wove our fingers together. He brought the back of my hand up to his lips, pressing a kiss to my skin before his eyes flickered out toward the window.

I felt warm from his affections and couldn't help the pleased smile tugging at my lips. I turned to look out the window too when I caught Alice's gaze. She was glaring at me, her eyes moving from my hand clasped with Edward's to my face.

I let out a slow breath. I didn't owe Alice an explanation about my relationship with Edward. At least, I didn't think I did.

Did I?

Her gaze lifted, meeting mine, and before I could even open my mouth, Alice was turning with a disgusted look on her face as she focused on the outside world instead.

Why did I feel like a kid caught cheating on their homework?

I turned my face toward the window and tried to force myself not to think about Alice anymore. It was difficult, given that I could feel the tension radiating off her.

It was a short flight to the airstrip on another island, this one actually inhabited by people, though by the looks of it, not many.

The helicopters landed on the tarmac and we unloaded from the crafts. Edward gently placed a hand at the small of my back, guiding me toward an airplane.

It was similar to the ones we'd used in the past, and the moment I climbed aboard, I longed to stretch out on one of the soft plush leather seats and pass out.

Instead of doing just that, I stopped short when I found a blonde woman sitting in one of the chairs. She looked to be about twenty-five, though her real age could have been sixty and I would have been none the wiser. She was ageless, with smooth porcelain skin and large blue eyes.

She was wearing a white puffer coat and white slacks that were tucked into white snow boots. Immediately I knew she was one of the Sixteen, but I'd never seen her before.

"Hello, Bella," she said, a smile pulling at her bright red lips. "It's so very nice to finally meet you."

I felt Edward come to a sudden stop right behind me, and I felt more than saw his confusion.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"All in good time," she said, reaching for a champagne flute resting on the mahogany table in front of her. "Won't you come in and take a seat?"

Despite the fact that I really had nowhere else to go, I hesitated.

Edward let out a tight breath, and then he gently took my hand in his, guiding me toward a seat. We sat opposite her in the cabin, both of us keeping wary eyes on her as she lounged.

When Alice boarded next, I noticed her shoulders tense as soon as her eyes landed on the stranger.

Alice knew her.

Before I could ask, Jasper was joining us, his face seemingly surprised when he saw the woman. How could that be? Wasn't this his plane?

"Jasper," she said with an incline of her head. "Good, the gang's all here." She smacked her lips together and smiled. "We'll be on our way now."

"I think you'll find this plane is mine," Jasper said, taking a seat.

The woman grinned. "It was," she conceded.

"Jasper, who is this?" Edward demanded, his voice growing impatient.

I heard an attendant shut the cabin door and the woman grinned.

"Tanya Albrecht," she said, her head tilting to one side. "You know, Edward …" She leaned forward, and somehow her puffer was unzipped just enough to flash us a glimpse of her impressive cleavage. Irrational jealousy raced through me as I realized she was trying to flirt with Edward. "Before the rift, your mommy and daddy would have probably arranged for us to marry." Her smile was predatory as she grinned at us. "We would have made quite the dynastic couple."

My mind raced as I tried to place the name Albrecht. "Are you one of Sasha's daughters?" I asked, recalling the woman with a severe scowl whom Charlie had spoken to before the meeting began.

Tanya's eyes cut to me. "Very good, little mouse."

I felt Edward shift agitatedly and I squeezed his hand, urging him to stay calm. What did I care what this woman called me? I didn't even know her.

"Why are you here, Tanya? You're not powerful enough to get away with kidnapping us," I pointed out.

Tanya's beautiful face hardened like ice. "I am more powerful than your pathetic little mind could ever dream of," she snarled at me.

I rolled my eyes. "Not enough to be named heir though, right?" I recalled the young blonde with Sasha. She looked to be even younger than Tanya. My guess, she'd been barely older than eighteen. "Was that your little sister who was chosen above you?" I asked, my voice verging on mocking.

Tanya's fist curled before she took a deep breath and steadied herself.

"You won't be laughing long," she said, her voice chilly, forced under control despite the anger I could still see in her eyes. "I've come on someone's behalf, someone that has been dying to get their hands on you." Her eyes never left me as she spoke, indicating that whomever was backing her wanted me specifically.

I tried not to let my panic show.

There couldn't be anyone worse than Charlie, could there?

…

Edward hardly left my side during the flight.

I could feel Tanya's eyes on me, even though I'd moved farther down the cabin to get away from her. She kept looking at me with a smirk on her red lips.

Reluctantly, Alice had joined Edward and me, and after a time of what seemed to be idle chitchat with Tanya, Jasper did too.

"This isn't a kidnapping," he said by way of greeting as he sat down in the fourth empty seat.

"It sure feels like one," I said dryly. "And unfortunately, I've had enough experience to know."

Jasper shook his head, though he did shoot me an apologetic look. "We're free to leave whenever we want, but Tanya assures me that whatever she has in store is something we want."

Edward leaned back in his seat, eyebrows furrowed. "How did she even find us?" he asked. "The only ones who might have known what we had planned were the four of us."

"And your team," Alice pointed out.

Edward looked at her. "They wouldn't betray me."

Alice rolled her eyes. "For a guy with trust issues, you sure have a lot of faith in your staff." She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "People can be bought, Edward. Everyone has a price; you should know that better than anyone."

I didn't like where this was going. "Did you notice anything, Alice? When Edward's men were with you?"

Alice's bright eyes slid to my face. She looked troubled and deeply upset, but I couldn't pinpoint what exactly was the cause of her dismay.

"Where are we going?" I asked, directing my question to Jasper.

He licked his lips and scowled. "South, somewhere," he said with a small shrug. "She wouldn't give me anything exact."

I looked at Edward, who appeared to be as deeply embroiled in his thoughts as I felt I was in my own head. On the one hand, Tanya could certainly be leading us into trouble. In fact, it was almost a guarantee.

But what sort of trouble remained to be seen. I didn't think she was going to deliver us to the Sixteen, if she was, surely Jasper would know about it, wouldn't he?

"Jasper, was it ever discussed how word got out about our marriage?" I asked.

Edward's hand lifted from the back of the seat we were settled on and slid up my neck, gently massaging the tension growing between my shoulder blades.

"I didn't hear anything," Jasper said with a shake of his head. "Harry said that an anonymous package had been slipped under his door the previous night. It had some sort of proof of your marriage."

"But he didn't say what proof?" Edward asked.

Jasper shook his head.

"How do we narrow down who betrayed us?" I asked aloud. "Or is it worth even trying to find out who it was?"

"What do you mean?" Edward asked.

I licked my lips. "It had to come out at some point, right? I mean, we couldn't hide it forever." I shrugged one shoulder. "Plus, we already didn't trust any of them there. What difference does it make at this point?"

Edward frowned but didn't argue my point. Jasper let out a breath. "The council agreed to halt division of the Moroni estate until you two are sorted," he said, gesturing between Edward and myself. "Old Walter Hale wanted one of your heads to roll." He rolled his eyes.

"What?" I asked, feeling my neck tense at even the suggestion of being beheaded. "Metaphorically, right?"

Jasper brought his drink to his lips and beside me, Edward grunted. "Walter's old school," was all he said.

I glanced at Alice who shook her head, looking horrified.

"Tell me no one went for that," I begged, turning to Jasper.

"Well," he said, wincing. "It wasn't an unpopular opinion, though I think the more modern approach is injection." He shook his head and took another sip of his drink.

"They can't just kill us," I objected.

"They can kill me," Edward pointed out. "My brother could still take over as my parents threatened."

I shook my head and reached out, my hand landing on Edward's knee. "No, no one is killing you." My voice was surprisingly fierce, almost a growl.

Edward smiled and leaned over, kissing the corner of my jaw.

"For now, no one will make a move to kill you," Jasper agreed, his eyes flickering between the two of us. "Charlie threatened war if anyone even looked your way." He gestured toward me and I blinked.

"Really?"

Jasper nodded. "Alliances are shifting. You two getting married is going to shake everyone up and the rift is going to change." He sighed. "Then of course, there is the Moroni estate."

Edward nodded. "What about it?"

"It was decided we'd hold off on the division of the estate," Jasper said, eyeing us. "But it was suggested that to prevent giving either of your lines more power, the Bourgaults, Cullens, and Platts would abstain from making any deals for any assets."

Edward jolted in his seat. "The Moronis control more than sixteen percent of the globe," Edward argued. "We can't be cut out of that."

Jasper sighed. "They wanted to execute you, Edward. What was I supposed to do?"

I sat back. So it had been Jasper to suggest excluding us. I didn't fully understand the significance of cutting us out, but if it kept us alive, then so be it.

"Was the motion finalized?" Edward asked.

Jasper shook his head. "No, it was all talks still. We didn't get much done after your exits." He shrugged one shoulder. "We'll probably reconvene to talk about you two and then we'll finally settle the Moroni estate."

Edward looked mutinous, and I gently reached over, placing my hand on his knee.

"Edward," I said, squeezing his knee to get his attention. "So long as we get to live, I don't care what they cut us out of."

He couldn't hear me. He was too angry, too focused on what Jasper had apparently done. I could see it in the crease of his brow and feel it in the tension radiating through his body.

"Edward," I said softly. I had to get him away from Jasper so that he could calm enough to think.

There wasn't a bedroom on this plane, but there was a large bathroom at the back of the cabin. I stood abruptly, startling everyone, and tugged Edward to his feet. Without a word, I dragged him to the bathroom, shoving him inside and locking the door behind me as I squeezed in beside him. It was close quarters, despite the size of the room, and immediately, Edward's hands landed on my hips.

"We're not here for a quickie," I warned him.

Edward blinked, going from one primal state to another in record time. "Why did you drag me in here then?"

I let out a breath. "You need to calm down enough to explain to me what is going on."

At my words, Edward's shoulders drooped and I could feel him fighting with his anger again.

"I don't know where to start," he said after a moment.

"Try," I urged. "Because I need to know what we're up against so that I can make wiser choices."

His gaze held something like admiration before he blinked and shook his head. "Sixteen families rule the world," he said slowly. "But the world isn't split up evenly. The Moronis before they died had the lion's share."

"Meaning?"

"Over sixteen percent of the world belonged to the Moronis," he said softly. "For context, the Cullens own only seven point oh-five."

I tried to wrap my head around the numbers he was spilling out. It was difficult.

"Together my parents own almost what Charlie controls," he explained. "That's how they've all held the power they've had for the last several years. They have the biggest pieces so no one is willing to go against them." He winced. "But the Moronis have so much that it could be the boost other families need to unseat us. If we can't get in on the negotiations, we have to sit by and watch as they reshape the world and use us for target practice while they do it."

My mouth felt suddenly very dry and I took a deep breath.

"Okay," I said slowly. "So we need to be in on this."

Edward grunted. "Bella, the only thing keeping us alive is how powerful our parents are. No one wants a war; it'll rip the world apart."

"Can we still trust Jasper?" It was the question I didn't want to ask but knew I'd have to.

Edward let out a long, tired breath. "I don't know," he said honestly. "My instinct is to trust no one," he said, and I nodded, understanding completely. "Right now, I don't know what choice we have."

"Where is your team?"

Edward winced. "Spread out, at the moment." At my questioning look, Edward sighed. "Some are with my parents, trying to keep tabs on what's going on with them. Some are in Oxford, and some have been sent to Iceland." His lips pursed slightly and he shook his head. "In hindsight, I should have had them follow our plane."

"Why are some of your team still in Oxford?"

Edward blinked and focused his gaze on me. "When you first called me from that barn, the head of my security, James, reported that you were still in Oxford." My eyebrows rose and Edward shook his head. "He sent me photos of someone in your apartment. Even I wasn't convinced until you were directly in front of me."

"Someone was in my apartment?" I hissed, anger flaring up beneath my ribcage.

"Baby, you are missing the point of this," he said, his hands squeezing my hips to get my attention. "Someone out there, for whatever reason, wanted me to believe that you were still in Oxford." Edward shook his head. "Someone is keeping tabs on us. I just don't know who."

I swallowed. "Is she still there?"

"No. Apparently she disappeared right after we left for Norway. My team is in Oxford with instructions to wait and see if she returns."

My head was spinning. Why was someone trying to impersonate me? To what end? And who was walking around out there looking just like me?

It seemed like the deeper into the dark world of the Sixteen that I fell, the more questions I had.

"I'm sick of this," I said suddenly. Edward looked at me questioningly. "I'm sick of always being steps behind what's going on. All I have are questions and no answers." Edward nodded in agreement and I let out a breath. "It's time to go on the offensive," I said slowly. "We need to start making moves of our own."

"What do you have in mind?" Edward asked.

I shook my head. "I don't know. But as soon as this plane lands, we're cutting ties with everyone until we know exactly who we can trust." I looked him in the eye and saw him take in my words. "Agreed?"

"Agreed," he said, without a single moment of hesitation.

I nodded. If I really was the daughter of the most powerful man in the world, then it was time I started acting like it.

I was going to make a plan and then I was going to burn their fucking system to the ground.