I sat in my car for forty-seven minutes, watching my apartment building like it might explode.
The parking garage felt like a trap. Every shadow could hide someone watching me. Every car that hadn't been there this morning might belong to Edward's people. I'd driven around downtown Seattle for two hours after fleeing my building, taking random turns and doubling back on my route, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I was still being followed.
Now I was back where I started, staring up at the sixth floor where I could see lights on in what used to be my apartment.
My phone had been buzzing nonstop. Missed calls from numbers I didn't recognize. Text messages from contacts that had never existed in my phone before. When I finally worked up the courage to check them, they all said the same thing:
Come home, Miss Chen. We need to talk.
The messages came from names like "Edward C." and "E. Cullen" and "Your New Friend." Someone was playing games with my phone, adding contacts and sending messages without my permission. Just like they'd deleted all my investigation files.
I needed clothes. I needed my laptop charger. I needed to grab my passport and whatever cash I had hidden in my jewelry box, then get the hell out of Seattle before Edward decided he was done playing with me.
But first, I needed to get past whoever was waiting in my apartment.
The building's main entrance required a key card, but I'd lived here long enough to know every way in and out. The fire escape on the east side had a loose latch on the third-floor landing. If I could get up there without being seen, I might be able to slip in through Mrs. Patterson's apartment. She was eighty-three and deaf as a post, so she'd never notice me climbing through her window.
I left my car in the garage and took the elevator to the lobby, trying to look casual as I checked the mailboxes. Through the glass front doors, I could see the street was busier than usual for a Tuesday afternoon. Too many people in dark suits walking too slowly, looking too alert.
Edward's people. Had to be.
The side exit led to an alley that smelled like garbage and broken dreams. I kept close to the wall, moving as quietly as I could toward the fire escape. The metal ladder was rusty and probably hadn't been inspected since the building was constructed, but it held my weight as I climbed.
Third floor. Mrs. Patterson's window was dark, just like always. The old woman lived like a vampire herself, sleeping all day and watching late-night talk shows until dawn. I tested the window latch—still loose, just like I remembered.
The window slid open with a soft squeak that sounded deafening in the quiet alley.
Mrs. Patterson's apartment smelled like cat food and lavender soap. I could hear her TV blaring from the bedroom, some game show where people were screaming about winning cars they'd never be able to afford. Perfect cover for my breaking and entering.
I crept through her living room toward the front door, trying not to knock over the dozens of ceramic cats that covered every available surface. The hallway beyond was empty and quiet. My apartment was just three doors down.
The new lock gleamed under the fluorescent lights. Someone had done a professional job installing it, probably while I was running around town getting doors slammed in my face. I pressed my ear to the door and listened.
Silence.
Maybe Edward had gotten bored and left. Maybe this was my chance to grab what I needed and disappear before he came back. Maybe I was finally catching a break.
I should have known better.
The door swung open at my touch, revealing my living room exactly as I'd left it that morning. Same mismatched furniture, same stack of bills on the coffee table, same wine stain on the carpet from last week's particularly bad day.
But the air felt different. Heavier. Like someone had been breathing it for hours.
"Miss Chen," a familiar voice said from the direction of my kitchen. "I was beginning to think you'd decided not to come home."
Edward Cullen stepped into view, and my heart stopped beating for what felt like a full minute.
He'd changed clothes again. Gone was the blood-stained coat from last night, replaced by a charcoal gray suit that probably cost more than I made in six months. His bronze hair was perfectly styled, not a strand out of place. He looked like he was heading to a board meeting, not conducting a home invasion.
But those eyes were still wrong. Still that impossible burning gold.
"How did you get in here?" I managed to whisper.
"I had a key made." Edward held up a shiny new key that matched the lock perfectly. "Locksmiths are remarkably efficient when properly motivated."
"This is breaking and entering."
"Actually, it's just entering. I had permission from your landlord." Edward's smile was polite, almost apologetic. "Mr. Kim was very understanding once I explained that I was your new employer."
"My what?"
"I bought your contract from the Herald this morning. Technically, you work for me now." Edward moved closer, and I noticed he was carrying a manila folder in his left hand. "We need to discuss your new assignment."
I backed toward the door, but it slammed shut before I could reach it. I hadn't seen Edward move. Hadn't heard him cross the room. But somehow he was now standing between me and my only exit.
"Please don't try to leave," he said, sounding genuinely concerned. "We have a great deal to discuss, and I'd prefer to do it civilly."
"Let me out of here."
"I'm afraid that's not possible. You see, Miss Chen, you've stumbled into something rather dangerous. For your own safety, I need to keep you close."
"My safety?" I laughed, but it came out high-pitched and hysterical. "You murdered someone last night!"
"I eliminated a threat to my family." Edward's expression didn't change. "Marcus Webb was stealing proprietary research and planning to sell it to my competitors. Worse, he was asking questions about things that could endanger people I care about."
"So you killed him!"
"I protected what's mine." Edward shrugged like we were discussing the weather. "It's what any reasonable person would do."
"Reasonable people call the police!"
"The police work for me, Miss Chen. As do the courts, the mayor's office, and most of the city council." Edward opened his manila folder and pulled out what looked like a contract. "The advantages of living in a city for a very long time."
"How long?" The question slipped out before I could stop it.
Something flickered in Edward's golden eyes. Amusement, maybe. Or approval.
"Long enough to accumulate significant influence," he said carefully. "But we're not here to discuss my business practices. We're here to discuss your future."
He held out the contract, and I saw my name printed across the top in official-looking letterhead. The document was thick, maybe twenty pages, with more legal jargon than I could process in a quick glance.
"What is this?"
"An employment agreement. Very generous salary, excellent benefits, and most importantly, a non-disclosure clause that will keep you from making any more unfortunate accusations about my character."
"You want to buy my silence."
"I want to ensure your survival." Edward's tone sharpened slightly. "Miss Chen, what you witnessed last night was not meant for human eyes. The fact that you're still alive is a courtesy I rarely extend."
"Are you threatening me?"
"I'm protecting you. From people who would be far less patient than I am."
Edward took another step closer, and I could smell something strange about him. Not cologne or aftershave, but something metallic and cold. Like old pennies and winter air.
"Sign the contract," he said softly. "Take the very generous salary I'm offering. Live comfortably for the rest of your natural life, and never speak of what you saw."
"And if I refuse?"
"Then we'll explore other options."
The way he said it made my skin crawl. Other options. Like what had happened to Marcus Webb. Like what probably happened to anyone who crossed Edward Cullen.
But something inside me rebelled against the idea of giving up. I'd spent my entire adult life chasing the truth, exposing corruption, giving voice to people who couldn't fight for themselves. I wasn't about to stop now, even if it got me killed.
"I need time to think about it," I said.
"I'm afraid time is a luxury we don't have." Edward closed the folder and set it on my coffee table. "Other interested parties have become aware of your... discoveries. They're considerably less diplomatic than I am."
"What other parties?"
"People who view your continued existence as a liability." Edward's golden eyes seemed to glow brighter in the dim light of my living room. "People who would prefer to solve this problem permanently."
"You mean kill me."
"I mean eliminate a potential security breach. Yes."
The casual way he said it made my blood run cold. Edward wasn't just threatening me. He was stating facts, like a weather report or stock market update. Completely matter-of-fact about discussing my death.
"So my choices are sign your contract or die?"
"Your choices are accept my protection or face the consequences of refusing it." Edward tilted his head slightly, studying me like I was a puzzle he couldn't quite solve. "I'm trying to keep you alive, Miss Chen. I'd appreciate some cooperation."
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why do you care if I live or die? Why not just kill me like you killed Marcus?"
Edward was quiet for a long moment, his golden eyes searching my face. When he finally spoke, his voice was softer than before.
"Because you're different."
"Different how?"
"That remains to be seen."
He moved toward me again, and this time I didn't back away. I was tired of running, tired of being afraid. If Edward Cullen was going to kill me, at least I'd face it standing up.
"You're injured," he said, his eyes focusing on my left arm.
I looked down and saw he was right. There was a long scratch along my forearm, probably from climbing through Mrs. Patterson's window. I hadn't even noticed it, but now I could see blood seeping through my sweater.
"It's nothing," I said.
"Let me see."
Edward reached toward me, his pale hand moving with careful precision. I should have pulled away. Should have told him not to touch me. Should have done anything except stand there like an idiot while a murderer reached for my wounded arm.
His fingers brushed against my skin.
The reaction was instantaneous.
Edward screamed.
Not a shout or a yell, but a genuine scream of agony that sounded like it was being torn from his throat. He jerked his hand back so fast it was a blur, stumbling backward until he hit my bookshelf. Books tumbled to the floor around him as he doubled over, clutching his hand against his chest.
His golden eyes were wide with shock and something that looked like terror.
"What—" I started to ask, but Edward cut me off.
"Don't move," he gasped, his voice hoarse from screaming. "Don't come any closer."
I stared at him, trying to process what had just happened. Edward Cullen—the man who could lift grown men over his head and move faster than anything human—was cowering against my bookshelf like I'd just set him on fire.
"What's wrong with you?" I asked.
Edward straightened slowly, still cradling his hand. When he looked at me, his expression was completely different from before. The polite menace was gone, replaced by something that looked almost like awe.
"The question, Miss Chen," he said quietly, "is what's wrong with you."
End of Chapter 3