Intensity 56

Paul's POV

I woke up in the morning feeling surprisingly refreshed. Stepping out of my cabin to take in the fresh air, I closed my eyes, then inhaled and exhaled before looking out at the ocean view.

I knew today would be another hectic day, and this was my moment of peace. I glanced at my phone to see if Bella had called. No. Sadly, she had not. I missed my wife so much it hurt. I wanted her next to me, giving me support.

"Morning," Charlie greeted, stepping out of his cabin. "How did you sleep?"

"Pretty good. I was so exhausted my brain decided I needed a good rest and shut down for the night."

"Yeah, I hear ya. Have you heard from Bells?"

"No, but it's early yet. She's probably still sleeping. What time is it?"

Charlie chuckled. "It's ten am, boy. I've been awake for four hours."

"Ten? Why did you let me sleep for so long? Why didn't anyone wake me up?"

"Because you clearly needed the rest. We're not so helpless here. Anyway, Bella persuaded Susie to bring all the imprints and kids to Arizona. She lectured my wife for a full twenty minutes, then told her that if she was going to be stubborn, then at least let Linda bring Geoffrey to safety. In the end, Susie acquiesced, and they are all on the plane now. The only imprint here is Eric. The wolves are all here except for Jared. He's accompanying them on the plane. He will check on Bells and Rose in Oklahoma for you and Emmett while he's down south."

"Well, that was nice of him to see them all to safety."

"Yes, it was. Also, a woman named Kate Denali has arrived to train you in your vampiric gifts."

"Wasn't Eleazar Denali supposed to arrive here, too?"

"He hasn't shown up yet, but I believe they're coming from two separate locations."

"Oh, yeah. Kate was at my house, and Eleazar is coming from Alaska." I decided to change the subject. "How are Peter and Aaron working out for you?"

"They haven't officially arrived at the station yet. Emmett and Garrett are guarding the station for now. No sign of Fuller or any vampires yet."

"That's good news, at least."

Our conversation was interrupted when two giggling female vampires approached us: a blonde with enormous, bouncing jugs and a tiny brunette with a pixie haircut and a starstruck expression.

"Oh, my God! It's him!" The brunette gasped, pointing to me.

"Wow! He's better in person than in your sketches, Alice. Look at those guns!" The blonde turned her attention toward Charlie. "Hey, now, you're not bad looking for an older guy."

"That's Chief Swan, Bella's father."

"Hello, Alice," Charlie greeted. "What are you doing here?"

"We are here to help. Trust me, you need both Peter and me working together with our visions now that the Volturi are involved," Alice said, then hopped up onto the deck Charlie and I were standing on and abruptly hugged me. "I'm Alice, Jasper's wife. You're Bella's husband, Paul."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Alice."

The blonde also hopped on the deck and hugged me. "I'm Pete's wife. My name is Char."

"Nice to meet you, Charlotte."

"You really do have a fine body. Now, where are our husbands?"

"They're in their cabins. I can show you. I just need to…"

"It's okay. We can find them. You should hurry. You really need to begin training up those shields with Kate."

"Let me just get ready first."

As soon as they left, Charlie blew out the breath he was holding and shook his head with an aghast expression. I nodded to him, pointing to my brain. They were going to drive us nuts.

XOXO

During the afternoon, Kate and I began training my shield. Peter, Jasper, and Sam assisted in this endeavor. Of course, Alice kept butting her nose into everything, saying we were doing this or that wrong.

"Alice, if you don't muzzle your fucking mouth, I'll do it for you right here and now!" Kate snapped.

"I can't help it if my visions get in the way. You don't have to be a bitch about it. In fact, you've always been a bitch to me because I'm not pretty like you are. You think you're better than me because you're pretty!"

Kate really was pretty for a blonde. But it wasn't her looks that made her attractive; it was her sense of humor. She was also very down-to-earth; she wasn't overly made-up like Alice and nowhere close to image-conscious. She probably would get along great with Bella, but she was pissed off at my wife at the moment for taking off to Oklahoma without warning.

I was shocked out of my thoughts when I heard Alice let out a keening wail. It sounded like someone continuously running their fingernails on a chalkboard. Kate had Alice uplifted by the neck and was simultaneously strangling and shocking her.

"Fuck, I'm glad Babs isn't a vampire with Katie's gift. We'd all be dead with her temper," Sam noted. Crispy's wife's temper was legendary. The only person who could withstand it was Bella. She would calm her down gently, which made Babs stew in her guilt. My wife was a pro at inducing guilt. I wonder who she inherited that trait from?

I needed to put a stop to this, though. It was not conducive to fostering teamwork.

"I'm ordering you both to stop now!" As soon as I said the words, both ladies were cocooned into separate shields.

Katie tried shocking the shield, but it held firm. She tried again, but it still wouldn't budge. She gave me a smile and a thumbs-up, and I released the shield. Alice, however, was still ensconced in one.

"You can release Alice now. This was all a ruse to get you to activate your shield," Kate explained.

I tried hard, but I simply couldn't release Jasper's wife. I felt better with her in there. She was much quieter.

"I'm doing my best but can't seem to release Alice."

"Hmm… We need to work on it some more," Jasper noted. "You need to be able to activate and deactivate your physical shield on demand. Sam, can you phase and attack my wife. Let's see if the shield holds."

Sam phased into his wolf form and ran straight for Alice. Her eyes widened in fear when she saw him coming, but she stood encased in my bubble. Sam collided head-first into the bubble, but then he bounced off it and was flung back by about two hundred feet.

"This is excellent. We just need to work on your control," Jasper said.

"Try saying, 'Release shield,' out loud," Peter suggested.

"Release shield," I said, but nothing happened.

"Release shield!" I yelled, but still, there was no change.

"Stop, stop, stop," Peter said, touching my shoulders. "Alright, let's try this a different way. I want you to concentrate on what you want to do and then say, 'Release shield' again."

Sam turned his attention to me. "I think I get it, Paul. Think back to when we first phased as teens. The thing we had the most trouble with was controlling our bodies so we didn't shift in public. How did you learn to control it? For me, I did not want to harm Emily any further. Think, Paul. Think! You had it the roughest. How did you finally change back?"

I thought back to his teenage years. Everyone in the pack worked with me to try and get him to stay in control, but nothing worked. Nothing had worked except for one incredible night that would stay in my memory forever. For some unknown reason, my mother was sober when I returned home. She had cooked dinner. It was simple fare, just spaghetti with meat sauce, but it was the best thing I'd ever had in my entire life. She served it with lemonade, which she had squeezed and juiced herself.

My mother had asked me how things were going. Apparently, she had received a phone call from my guidance counselor and had gone to the school to see her. My mother had been ready for another meeting about my behavior. Instead, she only received compliments. My grades had improved significantly since my sophomore year—especially in math and science. The guidance counselor thought there was a good chance I'd be accepted to college and even qualify for a few scholarships, but only if I kept my grades up.

Mom had been so stunned and proud of me that she decided I deserved a nice dinner. She cleaned the house and cooked for me to the best of her ability. During dinner, we talked.

"I used to be smart like you. You get all your smarts from me, and I'm so proud of you. You get your looks from me, too. Here's the thing, I want you to keep your dick in your pants and stay focused on school. You don't need to be knocking up some girl before you're ready. Paul, you don't want to become like me or your old man. Don't fuck around. Go to college and get off this reservation. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Mom. I do, but how? We don't have the money!"

"Money is just paper. Paul, you have ingenuity and determination. You have to feel it. You have to want to change! You can do it as long as you believe that you can. I know I'm a fuck up, Paul, but I love you. Even if I may not show it, I have complete faith in the world. Promise me. Promise me you will go to college."

I nodded to her and said, "I promise, Mom."

"Oh, Paul. I love you so much!" Then she put her arms around me and hugged me. I didn't remember being hugged by my mother much, but that one hug would stay with me forever. It was the hug that changed my life because, with the knowledge that my mother had faith in me, I began to believe in myself.

It was that evening, while I was running patrols, I realized I controlled my wolf—not the other way around. It was the same as my vampiric gifts. I directed them—they did not hold me.

And with that thought in mind, I turned to Jasper, Peter, and Sam and threw a physical shield over them. Then, I released them. I did this several times until I was confident enough to keep doing it.

Kate approached me with a smile. "Congratulations, Paul. I knew you could do it," she said, then extended her hand to shake. I took it, of course, only to have her shock the hell out of me. "Don't let your guard down. You need to remember to cover yourself. And don't forget to activate your mental shield. It's the only thing that will protect you from Alec, Jane, or even me."

"Now, let's try this again."

I felt an incredible urge to cry but really had no reason to. Then, suddenly, I was on the ground laughing like a loon. It took me a second to realize it was Jasper hitting me with his gifts. When my guard was down, he could penetrate through my shield, so I imagined I was closing a door and locking it securely with a key.

"That was incredible," Kate said. "You used your shield to resist Jasper and me hitting you simultaneously with our gifts."

Alice hopped over to me, bubble and all. She raised her hands up in the air and cheered for me. "Oh, yeah. I forgot to release you. Sorry." I grinned and let her out.

"Oh, my God. Can you just do that again?" Alice asked.

"Do what?"

"Just say 'sorry' and smile at me. I want to capture that moment forever in my memory."

I flung my physical shield over Alice again and turned to Jasper. "Is she okay in the head?"

"For the most part, yeah. She's just obsessed with your body."

"Well, stop!" I ordered, glaring at Alice. I rereleased the shield. "I'm Bella's mate, remember that."

"Yes, yes. I know. You need to stop being so uptight. You're just like Bella!"

"Yeah? Well, you need to stop being a voyeur!" I snapped.

"I wouldn't have to be if Jasper would be a bit more creative! Doggy style is fine, but not all the time! And it would be nice if he would go down on me every once in a while instead of expecting it all the time from me!"

We all stared at Alice, then turned to Jasper, who raised his chin and looked away.

"Dude, fair is fair. If she gives you a blow job, you need to reciprocate," Sam reprimanded. "Everyone knows that."

"In my time, we didn't do that."

"It doesn't matter! Get with the times!"

"Yeah, buddy, it's kind of selfish of you not to," Pete added. "I always take care of Char."

"I can't believe you, Jasper. Garrett spends at least half an hour down there, and he's older than you are," Kate informed us.

"Jasper, you don't have to spend half an hour, but give it a good, long kiss," I advised.

"Tell me the truth, Paul. Do you always take care of Bella?"

"Hell, yes, I do. She deserves my attention."

"God, damn it! You're being honest—all of you are. I'll work on it!" Jasper huffed.

"That's all I'm asking for, Jazzy. Baby steps," Alice replied.

"Alright, I'm done with my stint at being a sex therapist. We should get back to the cabins and check in on everyone. Let's go."

XOXO

In the evening, we all gathered together to touch base.

Charlie informed us about an interesting development in the case against Kurt Fuller, Mark Cedro, and Terrance Johnson. They were the sons of Tony, Marcus, and Travis. All three boys were now talking and pointing their fingers at Tony Fuller. Mark and Terrance were also blaming their friend, Kurt, stating he had threatened them if they didn't cooperate and sell drugs. They were all trying to work out a plea bargain.

"Geez, I'd forgotten about them. What the boys did to Willy was so heinous," I recalled. "And the way Kurt treated Jenny Cameron was beyond the pale."

"Well, he's not enjoying his jail time, and he just found out his father escaped and conveniently forgot about him, so the boy is now talking."

"I can't believe my brother is such a shit!" Brady snapped. He was raising not only his own kids but also his youngest brother. Fortunately, Blake was doing well with counseling and family support. Brady also had his mother to worry about. She was currently at a women's facility where she was learning to be independent. She was also receiving counseling. My wife had placed her there after realizing she needed help. In the end, Brenda Fuller was also a victim of Tony Fuller.

"Hey, Kurt is still going to be paying for his crimes," Charlie said. "And believe it or not, jail is the best place for him. You are not responsible for his behavior, Brady."

"I know, but it's disappointing."

"I know it's not easy to consider, but remember this, Brady. Your brother is also a victim of your father's manipulation. Each and every one of you were. You and Logan were able to see through your dad's schemes, and you're making sure Blake doesn't become his pawn."

"I never thought about it that way. Thanks, Charlie."

Dang! That certainly was a different perspective of the situation. Sure, Kurt Fuller was a criminal, but his behavior had been fostered by Tony Fuller. By all accounts, Kurt had been his favorite son. From what I'd heard, every Fuller kid had fantastic grades, and Kurt was the best. The boy had straight As without even trying, and Tony Fuller bragged about how his son would take after him and go to college. Tony had abandoned Kurt when he was jailed. What a selfish bastard!

I knew what it was like to have a selfish bastard for a father, but then again, my dad had been a victim of Tony Fuller, too. He had been fed drugs until he was unable to think for himself. However, there was one massive difference between Fuller and my father—my dad felt remorse for his actions, but Fuller did not. I vowed to double up on my promise to rehabilitate my father. He might not be Father of the Year, but he was still my dad, and I wanted him in my life.

I peered over at Charlie. I had such an awesome father-in-law. He was so good at putting everyone at ease and had become the de facto pack father—more so than any of the elders. He advised everyone, whether coyote, wolf, or vampire, and had more compassion in his thumb than most people had in their entire bodies. It came naturally to him to be kind. It was why he was the town's police chief. His daughter took after him. I missed Bella. Speaking of which, I wonder how she's doing? I know Jared is checking on her, but he hasn't called me yet.

I was about to use my tracking gift to locate him when there was a knock on the cabin door. Santiago opened it to find two vampires standing on the doorstep. They were Wanagi. I remembered the male. His name was Tokala, and he worked as head of security for the Wanagi Nation. I didn't recognize the female.

The woman scanned the room and then zeroed in on me. She took her glasses off, unbuttoned the three top buttons of her shirt, and unfurled her hair. She did some kind of a weird hair flip thing and ran her tongue over her lips.

"Can I help you?" I asked the woman.

"My name is Chepi. I was sent here by Bella. Are you single?" she asked in a sultry voice.

"I'm Bella's mate," was my reply to the odd question.

In an about-face from her recent sultry voice, she hollered, "God, damn it! Are there any good-looking men left? Listen, I need a favor. I need one good fuck—that's all I'm asking for. One good fuck so I can have a mind-blowing orgasm. Who is going to do the honors?"

I had no idea whether to laugh or cry. Alice was definitely not the nuttiest one here; this chick was. And Bella? She had some god-damned explaining to do because she just sent me a horny, bat-shit crazy vampire for some odd reason.

I regained my composure. "I'm sorry. Why are you here?"

Chepi put her hands on her hips and huffed. "I am here to help you bring down the Fuller creep, duh! Why the hell else would I be here?"

"Ah, I see. I wasn't sure from your grand entrance."

The woman got right up into my face. "Listen, buddy, I need to get laid. I've gone through every single dude on my reservation, and I am sick and tired of BOB. I want a real man to give me a good fucking. It's bad enough that I had to fly here with him!" She pointed to Tokala, who grimaced. "Ugh!"

This shit is not happening to me. I closed my eyes and then opened them again. Chepi had her hands on her hips and was tapping one toe, waiting for my answer.

"Uh, is Bob your mate?"

"It might as well be at this point!"

"Well, maybe you should begin by showing Bob a little respect," I scolded. "Referring to him as it is probably demoralizing for him. Have you considered that?"

Chepi turned to me with an aghast expression. "Demoralizing? Why should BOB be demoralized? BOB has no feelings! What the hell is wrong with you? You know something. I don't have time to discuss my non-existent sex life with you! You'd better talk to the dickhead that chaperoned me here."

It was a good idea. I didn't have time to play sex therapist to some stranger who was hellbent on abusing her lover in public. I felt terrible for this Bob guy. He was being emotionally abused by this woman. I decided to turn my attention to Tokala.

"Tokala, how are you? I assume you're here to assist as well?"

"Yes, I am. You're one man short, and Chepi needed protection, so I was sent here by Qaletaqa."

Qaletaqa was the shaman and one of the elders of the tribe.

"I see. Welcome. I'll see to it that you are each assigned a cabin." I nodded to Eric, who was in charge of assigning rooms. The Oceanside had graciously allowed him to manage the room assignments since I had temporarily taken over the entire property. Eric was the one who had initially set up their system, so they trusted him.

"Of course. Let me see." Eric got into the computer system and assigned them two separate cabins. "You're right next to Aaron and Jasmine," he said. Handing her a key.

I took the opportunity to introduce everyone to the newcomers.

"Why don't I show Chepi to her room," Jasmine offered graciously. As soon as they left, Tokala ran his hands down his face with relief.

"Alright, Tokala. What's going on between the two of you?" I asked.

Tokala was tall and muscular with tanned skin. It was an odd thing to say about vampires, but since he had been naturally tan as a human, it resulted in tan skin as a vampire. The same was true for all of the Wanagi. I imagined that if I had become a vampire, I would be tan, too. Speaking of which, I needed to pick up more sunscreen. My wife was a stickler when it came to that.

"Chepi is my ex-wife," Tokala explained.

"What?" everyone chorused.

"It's true. When we were human, I was married to her. We loved each other deeply. But then we were turned into vampires and discovered my neighbor's wife was my mate. We tried so hard to deny it, but ultimately, we could not. My mate's husband walked into a pyre and killed himself. Chepi, however, soldiered on. She has become independent, and I am incredibly proud of her, but my guilt is atrocious. I have no idea why Qaletaqa sent me—usually, we are kept separate, but he was adamant I come."

"Jesus Christ! I thought what I went through with Sam was horrific, but at least our issues were resolved in the end," Leah said. "Poor Chepi! She's been living like this for hundreds of years." Our she-wolf glared at Tokala. "I will go and speak with her." With a look of determination, she stood and left the cabin.

"What the fuck is this? Are we suddenly the Jerry Springer Show?" I asked.

"I know how you feel. Leah and I had a rough go in the beginning. I turned into a wolf and imprinted on her cousin. The guilt I felt was horrific. But then she found her own imprint, and she was happy. She also finally understood the pull we feel to our mates," Sam explained.

"I hope Chepi finds her mate soon," Tokala said. "She's a very vibrant, caring, and loyal woman. She would make any man a good wife, but to her mate, she would be his true partner in all."

While Tokala was talking, I decided to reach out to Jared because some weird shit was going down in Oklahoma without my knowledge.

Jared's phone buzzed several times before he finally picked up.

"Hey, Paul."

"Where the hell are you, Jared?"

"I'm in Oklahoma, and I can't talk right now. I'm in a bit of a jam."

"What kind of a jam? Can I help?"

"Yeah, I wish you could, but…" Jared suddenly stopped. I heard a lot of yelling in the background, and it sounded pretty chaotic, to tell the truth.

Someone asked Jared, "Are you alright, sir?"

"I'm fine, thank you," Jared replied calmly.

"You might want to leave the store. These guys are dangerous. We're pretty sure they escaped from the psych ward." The man speaking to Jared sounded official. He was probably a cop.

"Uh, sure. Thanks for your help," Jared muttered.

What the heck was happening? I became worried. I could tell Bella was nearby. She wasn't with him, but close enough. Ironically, Carlisle was there, too. Wasn't he supposed to be in Arizona?

"Jared, what the hell is going on? Are you okay, man? Were those cops? Where's Bella. I know she's with you. I can tell with my tracking gift."

"Calm your alpha ass down and be glad you're not dealing with the shit we're dealing with here!" The line went dead.

I can't believe the little shit hung up on me! I am his alpha, for spirit's sake! What happened to respect?

Well, at least I knew Jared was not the cause of the trouble wherever he was; otherwise, why would the police officer advise him to leave the store.

I looked up to see everyone staring at me. "Hey, is everything okay with Jared?" Emmett asked.

"I think so. It looks like he's still in Oklahoma."

"Oh, yes. I'm supposed to tell you that Jared will be staying on our reservation for a few days," Tokala stated. "He's needed there."

"And exactly who decided that?" I asked, incensed that someone was stepping on my toes.

"Your wife," the vampire replied.

"I dare you to call her," Jasper gibed with a smirk.

"Yeah, be a man. Put your foot down, Paul!" Garrett added.

I shook my head. "Fuck no. If Jared is needed there. She has her reasons. Besides, we have Tokala now." Okay, it was a lame excuse, but after the day I've had so far, I wasn't ready to face Bella.

XOXO

An hour later, Chepi returned to the cabin with her hair in a bun, glasses affixed to her face, and her shirt buttoned up. Her posture was upright, and she dragged a suitcase behind her. Jasmine and Leah were behind her as she stopped before me.

"Mr. Bella, where should I set up my computer equipment?"

"You can call me Paul or Mr. Lahote," I said. "Bella is Mrs. Lahote."

"Oh… Well, thank you for the clarification, Bella's Bitch. Where should I set up my computer equipment?"

This woman was going to irk me. Hell! What was I talking about? She annoyed me already. I inhaled a deep breath and then sighed. "For what purpose do you need to set up your computer equipment?"

"Okay, listen here, buddy. I'm a hacker. I can hack the shit out of the FBI, CIA, ATF, BIA—you name it. I can figure out a way in, so finding dirt on a private citizen should be no problem. Now, where do I set up my gear so we can bring this Fuller Fucker down, oh Great Protector!"

It was amazing how quickly Jason Jenks and Eric Yorkie bolted up from their seats and made room for her. They currently had their equipment on a long banquet table.

"Oh, and Chief Swan?"

"How did you know I was Chief Swan?"

"Your daughter has your eyes, duh. You'd think the fucking police chief would know better." Chepi shook her head. "Bella said to tell you that any questionable activities she or I may have or will engage in did not happen. The same goes with the BIA dude, Jeff."

"That would be me," Jeff raised his hand. "I appreciate any and all assistance you can provide."

"Thank you."

"Excuse me. What questionable activities did you and Bella engage in?" Charlie asked.

"I haven't engaged in any yet. Bella hasn't either, but she doles out orders like a mob boss putting a hit on someone. Anyway, that's neither here nor there. I aspire to become like your daughter. That's all you need to know."

While Chepi was setting up her computer equipment, I contemplated what she had to say. Clearly, Bella was not sitting complacently in Oklahoma. She was working behind the scenes but needed to communicate with me. Usually, she was pretty good about that.

It had been an odd day. Not only had Alice and Charlotte arrived without warning, but so had Chepi and Tokala. Then, there was the mystery of Jared and Carlisle. Why were they both in Oklahoma? And where the heck was Eleazar Denali? He was running late, too. Vampires never ran late.

Jeff's phone suddenly chimed. It was odd to get a call so late in the evening. He went outside to take the call and was gone for several minutes. When he returned, he had a forlorn expression on his face.

"What's wrong, Jeff?"

"That was my contact in Canada. The bank where Angela Weber keeps her safety deposit box was broken into. All the contents within were stolen, which means the flash drive is gone."

"Shit!" Several of us cursed.

"We needed it, too. It probably has vital information on it. Do they know who broke into it?"

"No, that's the thing. The entire bank security system had been disabled. The only thing stolen was the contents of the safety deposit box. Whatever was on that flash drive had to be important."

"Uh… excuse me. Excuse me, hottie." Charlotte interrupted our conversation with a smile. "The flash drive is safe. Chepi has it."

"What?" I questioned, then turned to Chepi. "How come you have the flash drive?"

"I don't know. Alice, over there, gave it to me. Actually, your wife had to order Alice to turn it over to me."

"My wife? My wife?" I spoke into my phone. " Hey Siri, call Bella."

"Calling Bella iPhone," Siri replied in a robotic voice.

"She's not picking up!" I griped.

"Of course, she's not picking up. Why would she want to talk to a grouchy husband!" Chepi stated. "I'm glad you're mated. You're hot, but fucking a grouchy man is a hard no for me."

"I am not grouchy."

"Dude, you're being grouchy," Crispy agreed. "Besides, why don't you ask Alice or Charlotte about the flash drive. It'll be less painful for your ego."

"Char, darlin', why don't you tell Paul how you and Alice got the flash drive," Peter suggested, giving her hand a squeeze and winking at her.

"Just so you know, that's how you should treat your mate," Chepi told me.

"Of course, baby," Charlotte gushed, then turned to us. "Bella gave Alice a challenge. She told her to break into the bank in Canada and steal the flash drive."

"Yep," Alice nodded. "It was our pet project. Anyway, we did exactly what she asked, then brought her the flash drive. Then she gave it to Chepi to hack into it."

"By the way, I heard Alice tell you she was breaking into the bank for Bella the other night on the phone when she told you to keep Jasper in your bubble," Charlotte reminded me.

Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. "Did Bella say why she wanted you to steal it?" I asked because my wife was the cause of my current chaos.

"Duh!" Chepi said. "She took control of the flash drive because she knew it was important. If you crossed all your T's and dotted all your I's—it would have taken you years to get that drive into your hands. Canadian authorities would have had first dibs on it, then Indigenous Affairs Canada. After that, it would have trickled down the system in the US, beginning with the Feds, State, Local, and finally, the BIA. Now, tell me, do we have years to bring this fucker down, or did my queen, Bella, do the right thing by thinking outside of the box?"

"Chepi's right. Bella thought like a criminal to outsmart a criminal. I am impressed by her deviousness. And her hands are clean, too. She didn't commit the actual crime of breaking into the bank. She's definitely my girl." Charlie nodded in satisfaction.

"Alright, if she's so smart, how will we introduce any evidence we find on the flash drive in court?" Jeff asked.

Chepi shook her head. "I swear you government bureaucrats are all alike. If it's on the flash drive, it's on a computer somewhere. Mr. EZMoney definitely left digital footprints all over the place. I can flesh him out easily." She addressed Jason and Eric. "I assume you two are the main tech guys?"

"Well, yes, I was the one who initially found Fuller's password. He brought his computer in for repair at a friend's shop, so I copied his hard drive," Eric explained.

"Do you have it?"

"Yes, I have it hooked up to my system."

"Alright. Let me see your rig." She got underneath the table, checked the cables and wires, plugged a few things in, then sat in a chair and started clicking away."

"My password is…"

"Lp-5324$_FH%853, yeah, I know," Chepi interrupted Eric.

"How the hell did you figure that out?" Eric seemed appalled.

Hell, I was amazed. That password she rattled off was way more complex than mine. Hell, my new password was Barista007, which I suppose is as bad as Fuller's EZMoney. No, no. I have three numbers in there, at least. Damn it! I'm going to have to change all my passwords again.

"It's easy. There's an algorithm."

"Hey, Eric, that's what you said," Jeff reminded him.

"Well, clearly, Chepi is more up-to-date on her algorithms than I am!" Eric snapped, annoyed.

Everyone was congregating around Chepi now. Her fingers blazed on the keyboards. "Whoa! That is some really bad porn!" she announced. "Vampires don't have fangs. What the fuck?"

Jeff, Eric, and I had already seen this, but the others had not. They crowded in to see the lousy porn.

"That is sick, man! I never thought I'd see a live shot of Angela Weber's hoo-ha!" Emmett cringed.

"Hey, think about how I feel. Angela's my ex-wife. I've been inside that, hoo-ha!" Jacob pointed out, making everyone laugh.

"Jake, dude, don't brag about sharing dick space with Tony Fuller," Collin joked.

"Ouch! That hurts!"

Chepi logged onto one of her laptops. Exactly how many laptops did she need? I see three, but she has more stuff in her suitcase.

"Uh, why do you have so many laptops?" Charlie asked.

"Shh!" Chepi scolded.

"Well, alrighty then." Charlie waved his hands in the air and did the zip-the-lip sign. "Hey! How the hell did you get into the Forks PD server. Never mind. Just go to it."

Chepi turned to Jason Jenks. "Is this your workstation here?"

"Yes, it is. I have sensitive information on other clients, so I would prefer if… Okay, feel free to access it."

She quickly scanned through a few files, clicked on a couple of items, and then returned to another one of her laptops. "Got it! Malcolm Blackcrow has an account at Fleeting Savings Bank in Sacramento, California. Twenty-nine transactions have been made this month alone, including six in Seattle, Washington. He's only made cash deposits into this account. Let me dig deeper." She rattled away on her keyboard. "Bingo! A big wire transfer into his account from the Quileute Nation approved by the comptroller." She kept clicking. "And it's not just one transfer. There are tons over the course of many years. This account is worth millions."

"God damn! I love you!" Jeff hugged Chepi. "How did you figure out the bank?"

"Are you single?"

"No, I'm not. I've got a mate waiting for me at home. But you know, if I were single, I'd definitely ask a pretty gal like you out."

"Man whore," Manny coughed.

"Not a man whore, but a flirt. He's very skilled at flirting," Leah pointed out. "And he's hot, which helps his cause tremendously."

"He's not grouchy like Jasper and Paul are either," Alice added.

"Speaking of flirts, wasn't Eleazar supposed to come here?" Santiago asked.

"That's a good point," I said. "Is it normal for him to be late?"

"No, Eleazar is very punctual. Have you tried locating him with your gift? I know you've met him."

Great suggestion. I closed my eyes and pictured him in my mind. He popped up immediately, along with Bella, Carlisle, Jared, and Rosalie."

"He's in Oklahoma, but he's not on the reservation. I don't know where he is, but he's near it." I couldn't pinpoint their exact location because I wasn't from the area. I only knew they weren't far from it.

"If Carlisle is there, then my sister Tawanna is, too. They discovered they were mates early this morning, right before the hot, naked dudes arrived from the spirit world," Chepi informed us.

I'm not so sure if I heard her right. Did she say hot, naked dudes arrived from the spirit world?

"I'm sorry. Can you clarify what you said?" Sam asked. "Did you say hot, naked dudes arrived from the spirit world?"

Thank God he asked because I'm still trying to process the information.

Chepi nodded her head. "Yep, four hot naked dudes arrived in some kind of ball of light, and not one of them wanted to get hot and sweaty with me." She shook her head. "It's the story of my life."

"Exactly who were these hot, naked dudes? Did they have names?"

"I'm sure they did, but I focused more on ogling them."

Tokala cleared his throat. "I believe their names were Aha, Daka, Hala, and Taha Aki. Aha said he was the Quileute spirit shaman, Hala—the Wanagi one, and Daka for the WaYa. Taha Aki said he is known as the Great Wolf. After some discussion between Bella, Qaletaqa, and the visitors—Chepi and I were dispatched here."

I closed my eyes and digested the information Tokala imparted to us. The three spirit shamans that Carlisle had encountered more than a century ago had again descended upon earth—this time with Taha Aki. But why did they appear to the Wanagi Nation? More importantly, why did they show themselves to my wife and not me? I was missing something. But what?

"I need to speak to Bella." Why did I say it out loud? They didn't need to know my personal musings.

I noticed Chepi fiddling with her keyboard, and suddenly a very pretty female face appeared on the screen. "Hello? What do you want, sis?"

"The Great Protector wants to speak to his wife," Chepi announced.

"To Bella? Oh, she's somewhere here. Hmm… Carlisle, have you seen Bella? The Great Protector is on FaceTime."

"Oh, hello, Paul." Carlisle came on the line, smiling jovially. It looked like they were at a bar, and judging by the empty bottles on the table, they'd all been drinking up a storm. Damn! There were at least twelve empty bottles of Everclear, several of Jack Daniels, and a bunch of empty mason jars.

"Hi, Carlisle. I need to speak to Bella. Is she available?"

"Oh, dear. I wonder where she went. She was just dancing with Eleazar." Carlisle disappeared from the screen, but someone else approached the table. "Eli, you're back from dancing. Where's Bella?"

"Ah, the lovely Isabella is playing Beer Pong."

"Beer Pong?" Several of us chimed. Now, everyone approached the screen.

"Bella is awesome at Beer Pong," Jake said. "She's an expert at all drinking games."

"Why?" I groaned.

Of course, Jake, totally out of touch with how I currently felt, thought I was legitimately asking why. "She said she got a lot of practice in at college."

"I'm not surprised. I've gotten to know Isabella tonight. She's a fascinating lady."

"Would you mind looking for her?"

"Of course, of course." Eleazar walked at human speed around the bar. We caught sight of Jared and Rose taking part in a line dance before Eli moved into a section in the corner where a game of Beer Pong was going on.

Bella had a look of concentration on her face as she aimed for the last cup of beer.

"Focus, Bella!" Charlie said into the screen, "You drop that ping pong ball into the cup like I taught you!"

We all turned to Charlie with incredulous expressions on our faces.

"What? She was leaving for college, and I needed to teach her useful skills. The better you are at pong—the less drunk you become," he explained. "Every girl should be a beer pong expert."

"That explanation actually made sense," Crispy agreed.

"Uh, Charlie, can you teach my girls how to play Beer Pong?" Jacob asked. "I suck at it compared to Bella."

"We'll get your girls college-ready. Don't worry."

My father-in-law's idea of college readiness differed tremendously from mine. Beer pong?

My wife landed her ping pong ball precisely into the final cup and was declared the winner. She hopped up on the table with some other girl, and they high-fived each other, hooting, hollering, and grandstanding.

"Bella? Bella? How much have you had to drink?" I yelled into the screen, but she didn't hear me.

Eleazar came back onto the screen. "Hold on, Paul, she's disappeared again. How are you, by the way?"

"I'm well, thank you. I heard you had an eventful day," I said, hoping it would get him to speak a little more on Taha Aki, but then again, a public bar wasn't the place to talk about the supernatural. What the hell am I saying? I'm a wolf with an infusion of vampire talking to an ancient vampire attempting to get drunk at a dive bar.

"Ah, there she is! Let me try to get Bella's attention."

Bella was sitting at the table, tipping back a bottle of Jack.

"Isabella, your husband is on the line," Eleazar said.

"Where?" Bella stood on the chair and looked around the bar. "I only see Jared and Rose. Holy shit! That lady just grabbed Jared's ass!" She hopped off the table and went barreling to the dance floor.

Eleazar went rushing after her, as did Carlisle and Tawanna.

"Hands off, lady. I'm married!" Jared told some crazy lady. She had curly red hair and wore a too-tight T-shirt and jeans. She also had on glaring pink lipstick. She kind of reminded me of the redheaded vampire I offed in Forks.

"The bitch kind of looks like Victoria, don't you think?" Jasper asked.

"Definitely," I replied.

"How about it? Just you and me for the next dance. I'll make it worth your while," the redhead said, licking her lips.

"Ew!" Leah commented. "That lipstick clashes with her hair."

"Excuse me, you're interrupting our dance!" Rose snapped with a fierce expression.

The woman was undeterred and kept coming onto Jared.

The band started covering Gretchen Wilson's "All Jacked Up" just when Bella shoved the woman away and snapped, "Hey! Leave my friend alone. He's married."

"I don't give a shit. He's fair game if he's here, and you lay another hand on me, and I'll give you something to remember me by." The redhead, who was both taller and heavier than Bella, attempted to stare Bella down.

My wife's stance was relaxed as she took another swig from her bottle of Jack Daniels, standing defiantly in front of Jared, protecting his honor. It was kind of adorable, actually.

The redhead swung out, but her fist didn't connect with Bella, who swerved and ducked under it. The woman tripped and fell to the ground. With a furious expression, she got up and rammed into my wife.

"Bella!" Jared yelled. He and Rosalie rushed towards her, but my wife was fast. She hopped into a fighting stance, then landed a left hook across the woman's jaw.

"Damn! My girl's got fighting skills!" Jacob chortled.

That little shit! Bella is mine—not his. Oh, no! The redhead has backup. Two of her friends were lined up on the sides of the witch and were facing down my wife. The vampires couldn't really get involved because they'd cause serious injury to someone.

"Eleazar, you should close out the check because we're going to need to make a quick getaway," Carlisle advised. "One of you be ready to grab Bella."

"Fine, then you take the phone," Eleazar said. "Tawanna, grab the extra bottles of liquor. We paid for them, after all. We'll finish them on the reservation."

"Hello, Paul. We have a slight mishap occurring right now."

"Mishap? Carlisle, my wife is…"

I stopped talking. Some blonde witch had just slapped my wife. Not to be deterred, Bella slugged her back.

"No one lays a hand on my wife, bitch!" A redneck with a grubby beard, a greasy t-shirt, and a beat-up ball cap approached Bella, who kneed him in the nuts and dropped him with a left hook.

"Harlan! Oh, my God!" the blonde who slapped Bella rushed for her husband. One of his buddies attempted to step in, but this time, Jared got involved and knocked the dude out with one punch.

And then, amidst the chaos, some asshole decided now was the ideal time to hit on Rose. "Hey, sweetheart, why don't you come home with me so you can ride me until dawn with those pretty little thighs of yours?"

"Hey, get away from my mate!" Emmett shouted at the screen.

Jared suddenly appeared. "For real, man? That's the worst pick-up line I've ever heard," he told the guy before jabbing him right on his nose! "Stay the fuck away from her!"

"That's right! Fuck him up, Jared!" Emmett yelled.

"Where's Bella?" Jared asked, looking around before he went rushing off, calling her name.

The bar was complete chaos! It seemed almost everyone was involved in the brawl, which, I hate to admit, my wife started. Fists were flying, people were cursing, and glass was shattering all around, but I had to hand it to the band; they were valiantly performing behind a cage. This bar must be accustomed to brawls if the band was performing behind a protective fence.

"Bella, where are you?" Carlisle called while chugging on a jar of something clear. I knew it wasn't water because vampires can only drink high-proofed liquor. "Bella, we need to leave! Where are you?"

Meanwhile, I saw Jared singlehandedly beating the shit out of four guys at once. Of course, he had a supernatural advantage. But, still, I was impressed. Rosalie, too, clocked a couple of them.

The video rattled when a couple of people bumped into Carlisle. They were down for the count. "You should really be careful," the vampire told them. "Ah, there you are, Jared. We need to find Bella and get out of here. The others are already outside."

"Got it, doc."

"Behind you! Duck!" Carlisle yelled.

Some guy came rushing at Jared, but Bella suddenly appeared and smashed a bottle over the attacker's head.

"Come on Bells, let's get out of…" Jared was interrupted by a fist to his jaw. He turned around and slugged the assailant. When the guy tried to get back up, he bumped right into Bella, who in turn kicked him where it hurt.

Unfortunately, this gave some jackass the opportunity to grab my wife from behind and wrap his arms around her. "I got the bitch, Darla. Fuck her up!"

The crazy redhead who had hit on Jared showed up along with her blonde friend.

"Jared! Get to Bella!" I hollered. Of course, he couldn't hear me.

"Don't take that shit from him, baby girl! Fuck him up like I showed you!" Charlie yelled, getting to his feet.

Bella stomped on the guy's foot with her heel, then elbowed him in the groin before hammering her fist backward straight into his windpipe. The guy immediately released her. Jared dove on top of him and started slugging him.

Meanwhile, my wife faced the two women. She got the redhead down with a jab, a cross, and a hook. When the redhead's blonde friend tried to help, Bella elbowed her and growled, "Wait your fucking turn!"

"That's it! You show them not to mess with a Swan, princess!" Charlie punched his fist into his open palm.

"Princess? She's more like Athena, the Goddess of War, come to life," Jasper commented.

"She would have been a magnificent vampire," Kate commented.

"Haha! She would have been a perfect match for Jasper if she were a vampire. Imagine the God and Goddess of War," Peter chortled.

"Okay, can we stop imagining my imprint as a vampire, please!"

The redhead screeched like a banshee and shot out like a bull to ram into Bella, but fortunately, Jared was quick. He moved my wife out of the way, slung her over the shoulder, and made a run for it out of the bar. I could tell Carlisle was on my friend's heels.

"Paul, are you still on the line?"

"I am. You guys had an eventful evening."

"You don't know the half of it!" Carlisle laughed. "Believe me when I say we needed to indulge in libations tonight. I can't discuss it over the phone, but I'll tell you about it when we see you. Would you like to speak to Bella?"

"Yes, that would be nice."

Carlisle tried to pass the phone to Bella, but she was already sound asleep.

"How the hell is she sleeping while you guys run at that speed?" Leah asked.

"Oh, she's used to it," Carlisle said dismissively. "She's been running with our kind since she was a teenager."

"I am telling you. Bella is the coolest chick I've ever met," Chepi declared. "Think about it! The girl runs with shapeshifters and vampires!"

It didn't take the group long to arrive at the reservation. Carlisle handed the phone to Jared. "What's up, Paul?" he asked.

"What the hell is going on, Jared?"

"Fuck if I know. I'm just following orders."

"Whose orders?" I demanded.

"Your wife's."

"Give me the phone, Jared." I heard Bella say.

As soon as I saw her face, I asked. "Why the hell are you starting fights in a bar in Oklahoma?"

"Paul," she said drowsily.

"What?" My response was testy, but I was annoyed.

"Paul, honey. I had a really long day today. I'm tipsy and too tired to talk, but I can't wait to hear all about the Ahoka Twins when we speak next. I love you. Goodnight, honey."

She blew me a kiss and then hung up before I could say anything else. I covered my face with my hands and sighed.

"If I were you, I wouldn't mention the bar brawl again," Sam suggested. "Not unless you're willing to go into detail about how you dated the drive-thru twins of La Push at the same time."

"Just so you know. I still think you're a legend," Embry said, patting me on the shoulder.

"Man! I'm glad you're married to Bells and not me." Jake laughed. "She really knows how to put you in your place!"

"So, tell us about the drive-thru twins of La Push," Emmett prompted jovially.

"Yes, do tell us about your man-whore days," Leah added.

I shrugged my shoulders. We were done for the evening anyhow. Bella made sure of that when she shut me down. "Well, it all happened during my sophomore year of high school…" I began.

We talked, we shared, and I heard about the lives of all my pack members—shifters and vampires—before they became supernatural beings. It was a much-needed respite from constantly dealing with the bleak Fuller misery, giving me a good deal of insight into each member's character. It ended up being an excellent evening.