10. Bella
— ? —
Bella
The morning of the incident starts like any other. Adrian and I wake early, have breakfast together like we always do, laugh and joke, steal some kisses, and review our schedules together for the day. The trial is coming up soon, and we’re both busy with final preparations.
I can’t help but note the differences between Adrian and Marcus. Marcus never let me in on any of his business, never really told me anything that I didn’t overhear and that was common knowledge anyway. Adrian is open about all of it, every detail.
I mean he gave me a job, for God’s sake. With Adrian, we’re partners.
“I have a meeting with Rachel this afternoon,” I tell Adrian as I sip my coffee. “She wants to go over my testimony one more time.”
“I’ll come with you,” Adrian says immediately, eyes flashing and seriousness falling over his expression.
“Adrian, you don’t have to-”
“I’m coming with you,” he repeats, his tone brooking no room for any sort of argument. “Marcus is still out on bail, and I’m not taking any chances.”
I want to protest, want to insist that I can take care of myself. But the truth is, I’m grateful for Adrian’s protectiveness. Marcus’s text from a few weeks ago still haunts me, and I can’t shake the feeling that he’s planning something.
“Okay,” I agree. “We’ll go together.”
The meeting with Rachel goes well. She’s confident in our case, and more importantly, she is confident that the jury will see through Marcus’s lies, take into account the mountain of evidence piled against Marcus, and convict him.
As we’re wrapping up, my phone buzzes with a text from an unknown number.
I know you’re at the DA’s office. I know you’re preparing to testify against me. But you’re making a mistake, Bella. A big mistake. And I am going to make you regret it.
My blood runs cold. I knew it. I had this sick feeling that this was never going to be so simple, it couldn’t be. I show the text to Adrian and Rachel, and Rachel immediately calls Detective Morrison.
“He’s violating his bail conditions again,” Rachel says into the phone. “He’s harassing a witness. You need to bring him in. No bail.”
“How are we going to get the judge to rule that?” Adrian hisses in a hushed, outraged voice.
She shrugs. “He’s going to have to deem him a flight risk. Won’t be hard since he’s also filthy rich. Anyone with that much money could easily hire a private jet and a one-way ticket out of this country and this case.” She narrows her eyes at us solemnly, her words forbidding.
While Rachel is on the phone, Adrian pulls me aside. “This is escalating,” he says, his expression grim. “Marcus is getting more desperate, more reckless. We need to be extra careful.”
“I know,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady. “But we can’t let him intimidate us. We can’t let him win.”
“We won’t,” Adrian promises. “But I’m not letting you out of my sight until he’s back in custody.”
I open my mouth to argue but Adrian holds a hand out, getting that serious expression in his eyes and effectively silencing me. “No excuses, this time,” he snaps. “I don’t want to hear it.”
“Yes, boss,” I joke, trying to make light of this whole situation.
Adrian shakes his head at me, not particularly amused and my eyes crinkle as I look at him with concern. I never stopped to think, I realize now, how this whole case might be affecting him. He really is worried for me and that seems to be taking its toll on him.
This is all my fault. If he didn’t love me, he wouldn’t be under this much stress. The sooner this whole thing is over, the better, I think to myself.
Detective Morrison arrives within twenty minutes, and she’s furious.
“We’ve been monitoring Marcus’s movements,” she says.
“He’s been staying at a hotel downtown, mostly keeping to himself.
But this morning, he left the hotel and we lost track of him for about an hour.
He must have sent that text during that time. ”
“Can you arrest him?” Adrian asks.
“We’re working on getting a warrant,” Detective Morrison says. “But it takes time. In the meantime, I’m assigning a patrol car to keep an eye on you. If Marcus shows up anywhere near you, we’ll know.”
It’s not as reassuring as I’d like, but it’s something.
Adrian and I leave the DA’s office with our bodyguard, a large man named Mike who’s been with us for the past few weeks. As we walk to Adrian’s car, I can’t shake the feeling that we’re being watched.
“Adrian,” I say quietly. My eyes scan around, and I’m about to tell him that it’s too quiet, that something isn’t right, someone’s here, something. “I think-”
“I feel it too,” Adrian says, his hand tightening on mine. “Let’s get to the car. Quickly.”
We pick up our pace, Mike staying close behind us. We’re almost to the car when I hear footsteps behind us, moving fast.
“Bella!”
I turn to see Marcus running toward us, his face twisted with rage. He’s disheveled, his hair messy, his clothes wrinkled. He looks nothing like the polished businessman I once knew.
“Stay away from her,” Adrian says, stepping in front of me.
He doesn’t look shocked or shaken at all.
A careful mask of casualness rests over his entire demeanor, and as I glance at him worriedly, I start to wonder if it even is a mask, or if that confidence is just who Adrian Sterling is.
“She has a restraining order and regardless of the police and what they decide to do with a lawless sack of shit like you, we both know I’ll never let you get anywhere near Bella. ”
He smirks and slides his hands into his pockets.
That gesture alone makes Marcus go wild suddenly.
It’s like a slap in the face, I’m sure, and I’m not too stupid and oblivious to understand that much.
Those hands in his pockets are just Adrian’s way of telling Marcus he’s not even worried about him enough to stand at the ready.
“This is all your damn fault,” Marcus snarls, pointing at Adrian. His eyes are crazed and red around the rims like he hasn’t slept or has been crying profusely.
In fact, he almost looks the exact same way that I’m sure I looked the day he stood me up at the altar.
Don’t forget, this whole thing is about revenge in the end.
“You destroyed my life. You took everything from me,” he roars, loud enough that his voice rings in the open air. He points a finger at me. “You better not take that stand, Bella!”
I keep my eyes on him, on Marcus, on the wild card of the evening, unsure of what he might do.
“You destroyed your own life,” Adrian says coldly, keeping his careful demeanor intact.
“You’re a criminal, Marcus. You deserve everything that’s goddamn happening to you.
” He points one damning finger at Marcus coolly, who glares at it like he wants to bite it off.
“You took the goddamn gun and pointed it at your own goddamn head, and all I did was hear the shot fired and come goddamn running.”
He smirks, amusement tainting those cruel, unique eyes. I’ve never seen this side of Adrian with anyone other than when he has dealt with Marcus.
“And you,” Marcus says, his eyes shifting to me. “You were supposed to be my wife. You were supposed to stand by me. But instead, you betrayed me. You chose him over me.”
“I’m not your goddamn wife, and I never was. Thank God for that,” I spit. I’m shaking. I just want him to leave and not be around him anymore, for me and Adrian both to be away from him. “You left me at the altar, remember?” I say, finding my voice. “You betrayed me first. With my own sister.”
I wonder where Victoria is right now. No matter what has happened between us, I’m glad she isn’t here for any of this. I still would hate for her to get hurt, regardless.
“That was a mistake,” Marcus says, taking a step closer. Mike moves to intercept him, but Marcus pulls something from his jacket.
A gun.
Everything seems to happen in slow motion. I see the gun, see Marcus’s finger on the trigger, see the wild desperation in his eyes.
“Marcus, don’t,” Adrian says, his voice calm despite the terror I know he must be feeling. “Put the gun down. This isn’t going to solve anything.”
“It’ll solve everything,” Marcus says, his hand shaking. “If Bella’s gone, she can’t testify. If she can’t testify, the case falls apart. I can walk away from this.”
“That’s not how it works,” Adrian says, taking a small step forward. “There are other witnesses, other evidence. Killing Bella won’t save you. It’ll just add murder to the list of charges. And it will have to be a double homicide, Marcus.”
“Oh yeah?” Marcus snarls, sounding deranged.
There’s a roar in my ears and I hear their conversation clearly over the din of it, but none of this feels real.
“And how is that, Sterling?” he asks.
The gun shakes violently in his hands.
“Because,” Adrian says in a voice like ice. “You’ll have to kill me first in order to kill her.”
And then Adrian is in front of me, his body shielding mine.
He spreads his arms, shoving me further behind him and this time I fight him. I fight him because I know that he means it. Adrian would die before he let Marcus kill me, and I know that without a shred of doubt.
And I also know I can’t let that happen. I can’t let him take a bullet for me.
“Adrian! No!” I shriek.
He won’t let go of me. He holds me there behind him with the strength of one of his arms.
“I don’t care,” Marcus shouts like a madman, sweat beaded on his brow, and I can hear the truth in his words as clearly as I heard the truth in Adrian’s voice.
He’s past the point of rational thought, past the point of caring about consequences.
“I’ve already lost everything. What’s one more charge? ”
He raises the gun, pointing it directly at Adrian.
Time seems to stop. I see Adrian’s eyes widen, see him start to move. I see Mike show up like a streaking blur of color, suddenly and without warning. I see him reaching for his own weapon.
And then… I see Marcus’s finger tightening on the trigger. He’s rushing, sloppy.
“No!” I scream.
The gunshot is deafening.