CHASE INTO THE UNKNOWN- JASPER POV
XOXOXOXOXOXOXO
I'm so sorry this outtake sooo long to be posted. I'm like a month little too late lol. Well I suddenly woke my butt up and finally finished it. So here it is.
Disclaimer: the usual, SM owns all recognizable characters
This outtake, like my other stories, is unbeta'd so I'm so sorry for all the horrible mistakes you will pin point. They are not at intentional, obviously.
I haven't read the last part again as I just finished typing and posting it so again sorry for any obvious mistakes. I just didn't want to procrastinate it any longer. Ha you must be thinking, procrastinate my ass, she girl took a month to update.
So hope you guys enjoy.
XOXOXOXOXOXO
I should have known something was hell wrong as soon as I saw 5 missed calls on my phone. They were all from Edward, which surprised me because 1 missed was fine, 5 were totally out of character for him. I checked the timing and they were between 3-5am. What was that idiot thinking? I mean okay I have the reputation of being a nocturnal being, but c'mon some nights I did enjoy my sleep. He even sent a message saying I must be sleeping –Duh Einstein- and that he'll call me later. Well that proved something was wrong. I didn't bother replying, as I was already getting late for work. It was already 8 in the morning and I had to report early today. Emmett had to leave for London for a deal.
If you're wondering what the Cullen inc. does, well, it does everything. Carlisle is the main head of the company, and I literally mean head. He's the brains, eyes, ears and even nose of the company. He completely trusts Edward and Emmett with their fields but everything has to go through him. He has a one on one direct relation with all of his employees, which is rarely seen here in NYC these days. Personally he's like my second father. I was born and brought up in Texas, but for college I went to Stanford with a 90% scholarship- one of the reason I could attend it- and fortunately got Edward as my roommate.
He, like Emmett who was 2 years our senior, was getting a degree in business and financial administration. I on the other hand was the tech guy, as Edward puts it, and was getting a degree in computer administrations.
After college Carlisle gave me an internship alongside Edward and over the years we have become partners in the electronics division of the company. Emmett handles the financial front. It is suppose to be the Cullen inc. but Carlisle being a great man silently adds my name alongside the ownership of Edward. Obviously I know about that because I'm the one who scans through the documents before they go into the database. Edward just shrugs it off every time I mention it.
This has other advantages too, as I get my individual share of the profit. As much as I hate this, I can't ignore the money issue, probably because of their misunderstood reputation, they just want to come out clean. My parents have kept me simple and down to earth, so every month I invest my share in security. I have full load of computers at home so I can scan the company security 24x7, until I fall asleep, because then no one can wake me, so latest I tried installing an automatic security check, something like the spyware. It checks any hacking or cracking, but viruses are pain in the ass. Trojan, worms, hate them. Trojans come hidden, harder to track, may come under secure file names. Worms are irritating, they just keep on multiplying.
Obviously Carlisle is aware of this and thus he gifted me this huge mansion through which I was currently running, trying to multitask between putting a slice of bread in my mouth, handling a cup of coffee and checking the system for any action along with checking my mail. At 8:45 I was on my way to the office.
Thankfully the office wasn't too far and by 9 I was on the private elevator Edward and I use for the dept. I requested my assistant Lauren to send Emmett the message that I'll be on my way in 10 minutes. He was scheduled to leave at 10:30, again thankfully I had arranged the company's private jet yesterday only, so one less work for me. I collected the paperwork, Carlisle's main issue with deals is whether the company is clean or not. That was exactly what I have been doing for the past half week; scanning the company.
By 9:25 I checked in with Jessica, Emmett's assistant I wonder how they deal with her, she always gave the creepy look, which was what, trying to be seductive? Wonder how Rosalie deals with that.
By 9:30 I was sitting in front of Emmett with my files open. Emmett's size always amazed me; he's 6'5 for crying out loud and his built is like a grizzly bear as Edward puts it. But in actual he's one of the nicest guys I have known and wouldn't hurt a fly without reason. He sure helped us out in our first year of college.
"Where's Edward?" his question caught me off guard because there were rarely any secrets between them."I don't think he'll be coming in today, donno why, but I'll get in touch with him."
"Ah never mind, you don't have to act like his mom. He must be caught up in something."
Hey sue me for looking after my friend, but I really should get in touch with him after those missed calls and message.
Back to the main purpose, it didn't take long as the company had come out pretty clean. In between Carlisle had joined up and the final papers had been signed.
Emmett finally left on time at exactly 10:30 the jet was about to take off. Carlisle was standing behind me and now that the whole business atmosphere had ended I saw his façade drop and there was a sad expression on his face. I wanted to know what he was upset about but simultaneously I didn't want to be nosy. I could have asked Edward about it later. Surprisingly an hour later Carlisle left for home, I mean there wasn't any major work, but he rarely went home early.
Before checking in my office I made a quick trip over at Edward's, his assistant Angela was on her desk.
"Morning Angela, any news from Edward?" I asked her, she didn't seem busy.
"Morning Mr. Whitlock, yes Mr. Cullen called up before to say he won't be coming in today, family matter or something."
"Thanks let me know if he calls by."
"Okay I will."
Angela was a sweet girl, it had only been a year since she started working, her resume had been passed through me and I had suggested looking her up. I'm not trying to get all high and mighty; just she's an amazing person. Edward's lucky to have such an assistant. Lauren is efficient, but she doesn't know when to keep her mouth shut.
I didn't have any major work to do myself, not until Emmett gets back. That's when I started pondering over the 'family matter' issue. Something was definitely wrong and my guess, Emmett wasn't aware of it. Carlisle was definitely tensed, but I won't know until Edward gets in touch. I sent him a quick message saying sorry for missing those calls and whether everything was okay.
Just to stop my mind from exploding because of where my imagination was taking me with this, I switched on all the computers in my office, I knew I had done a scan a few days back only, but I just needed something to do apart from sitting idle. This always took time, some days I curse the speed, but today was different, today I didn't mind how much time it took to do a whole scan. And somehow it worked, because by the time I was my phone buzz it was already around 1 in the afternoon. Thankfully the call was from Edward. I pick it up and without any hi, hellos he spoke up, "Jasper it's me, I need the company plane for tomorrow. Can you keep it prepared?"
Wow I knew something was wrong but what's up with that? So I reply because he speaks more, "Dude easy there. What happened? Sorry buddy, Emmett took the plane over to London." Bet he forgot that!
"Then I need bookings. I don't give a damn about the airport to anyplace closest to Volterra. Let me know ASAP." Okay, this is getting weirder than I thought, but then again, let's go with it, no point talking about details on speakerphone; I hate it when he puts me on speakerphone.
"Got it, just you?" I had to joke around, the guy needed to calm down. The thing that surprised me was when a females voice came up saying something like make that two. Now I was seriously curious what was happening. I mean okay Edward hasn't dated a woman for a few months now, and here he is with one, booking a ticket to where, Volterra. This was seriously screwed.
I open my travel agents site and go through a few flights, JFK would be convenient and I found 2 flights to Pisa and Florence, I quickly get a few details on arrival and tell him that. Obviously he wanted to know which one would be shorter and that was till Pisa which would take around 11 hours and 30 minutes and departure at 1720 hours. Both of them had a connect in Rome, well all the flights had a connect in Rome. Then I go through a quick map distance and find out distance between Pisa and Volterra was shorter.
After letting him in all the details I tell him to take care with whatever he's up to and then we shut our phones. So that sets up a meeting between us in the morning and whereas I was worried what this meant, getting this shit done was far more entertaining than doing nothing.
I book 2 tickets to Pisa and I still couldn't believe he was taking that woman there, but I told myself that it might be business or anything. After the tickets I had to book an accommodation for them, I tried finding something in Volterra only, as it is the distance between then was of around 32 miles. However all the hotels were further away from Volterra, they were great, but then Edward would have to cover the same distance, so I started searching for something in Pisa and that's when I hit the perfect spot. It was closest to the airport and convenient towards Volterra.
I got this from Tuscany travelers called Relais dell'Orologio. It looked better than the others I searched through, so I booked a villa with a later conformation. I still had to get the details from Edward and soon again I had nothing to do. During the whole time I didn't realize I hadn't eaten my lunch yet, so on my way back home I picked up some Chinese take away, no point staying here any longer.
Edward came by around 5 in the evening, so we sat in the living room and it was time for some explanations.
"Dude what have you been up to?"
"It's Alice, she's been kidnapped." Out of all the theories, this one never popped my mind. I had never met Alice, but I had heard a lot of things about her, sometimes when Edward had to go out of town, I used to do some tracking work of her whereabouts. That's all, and she seemed like a very sweet person, hyper but sweet.
So Edward started narrating the day's events, starting from how he dodged Isabella Swan, chief's daughter till meeting up with James. James was another person I didn't really like; he always gave me the creeps, worse than Jessica. However he was an important element of the company, Carlisle trusted him out of the odds, but after listening to what he did, I doubt Carlisle would ever let him live peacefully.
"So you're saying the Volturi's are involved?" I finally speak up.
"I'm dead sure they are involved, James just confirmed that in front of us."
"Okay, so how did this Isabella get dragged into this?"
"She is Alice's best friend and you can some bad timing."
"So now you're going to Volterra to save her?"
"That's the plan for now."
Now that most of it was out in front of me, even though it was pretty hard to digest, I offered Edward all the details I could get before. Apart from that, till the time he was going through that, I did a quick search on Volterra, I had no idea what a place that was, but interestingly I found some amusing facts about it.
By the time all this was happening, I couldn't help but go back in time and remember when Edward told me about their past. It was during the last days of our first year, the exams had ended and we were packing to leave for home. I didn't know much about his family; he never liked that subject, but that day out of the blue he just started telling me.
XOXOXOXOXOXO
"Hey Jazz," Edward began while sitting on his bed, "I never told you about my family did I?"
He could easily see a surprised expression on my face when I shook it lightly.
With a small chuckle he continued, "My family history isn't a very pleasant one I'll tell you that. My grandfather, he comes from a line of powerful mafias." He didn't let me speak, obviously I wouldn't have anyway.
"He was married to two women, however loved only one. His first marriage was more like an alliance. He loved my grandmother, Elizabeth, and never once let her know about his dark secret life. She died young, very young, when Carlisle was just 4. George loved Carlisle more than his elder son knowing he was the last evidence of Elizabeth. Just like her, neither did Carlisle know about the secrets of the underworld. That is, until one day, when he came home early from boarding school and accidently walked into a meeting in George's office. He couldn't believe what he saw and heard; they were scheming against a rival business and had planned on kidnapping his daughter.
The first thing Carlisle did was run. He was only 17 at that time. George never stopped loving him, even though Carlisle broke all connections. He even removed his name from his will; he couldn't take the blood stained money. He even gave up his surname 'Volturi' and took up 'Cullen', after his mother's maiden name.
George died more than 2 decades ago, Emmett was 10 and I was 5. Aro Volturi, his elder son and Carlisle's half brother took over the family business. However he never got the full inheritance. George donated everything that was under Carlisle's name and that made Aro furious. To make him pay, Emmett was kidnapped. With a broken arm bone he was found in the hospital. That time Esme was pregnant and the results showed the baby was a girl. Carlisle didn't want her to suffer anything because of him; so she was given away to the Brandon's as soon as she was born."
My face showed more signs of confusion, I mean I got the main part; just the last one was really confusing. So he first told me about Emmett's case as I knew him better. I still wanted to know who this Alice woman is too.
"As I mentioned before, Emmett was kidnapped when he was just 10 years old. Carlisle had never seen that coming, he didn't even know about the will until Aro brought it up during the time, that's when it struck Carlisle that it was actually Aro who had kidnapped Emmett. Still he didn't have any proof, plus Carlisle was still establishing himself and the reputation was always there to haunt him. Esme was devastated, she till date blames herself for not looking after him full time, but truly it wasn't her fault at all. He was away from the house when Esme had gone with me to get some groceries. Emmett had to study for a test so Esme didn't bother him much. But after coming back home, she realized the house was in a mess and Emmett's room was a disaster. Grandfather had a trusted friend, Caius, who had always kept a close eye on Carlisle, and even though Carlisle knew what was happening, he didn't want to confront anyone from his past. Caius finally contacted Carlisle directly and told him he'll help in finding Emmett. Carlisle couldn't have said no because he would never put his pride before his children, especially Emmett. Being the elder son, Carlisle had an attachment towards him, probably because he somewhere deep feared of this only. After 5 days Caius contacted him that he had rescued Emmett however he had broken arm. Thankfully he had admitted him in a hospital and the next thing I knew was Carlisle and Esme heading towards the hospital. They didn't want me to see anymore so I was handed to Caius who took me back home and stayed until my parents returned. I tried asking him what had happened, but he didn't speak much, just told me about some dungeon and it was horrible. I was 5 so I don't remember the details. It's still a sour topic for my parents, so they hardly bring it up."
"Edward, why are you telling me this, I mean I am honored, but why now?"
"It just came up in my mind and the fact that I'm going home, you know? Plus over the years, I have thought of you as my brother, so I think I can trust you enough to tell you this."
One thing I liked about him was, he had a weird style in showing feelings, he wasn't too open about him. But the little things he did were more than normal words could have said. That still didn't solve who Alice was though, so I asked him.
"What about this Alice person? You say she's your sister?"
"Yeah, Carlisle knew John, Alice's current father, from school. He helped him a lot during the initial days and with time their bonding just increased. When he got to know Esme was pregnant with a girl, his concerns increased, especially after what had happened to Emmett.
Mary his wife wasn't able to conceive a baby, they had been trying for awhile then, so it kinda like worked in both of their favors. John was more than happy to take Alice's guardianship. Esme was in two minds whether she wanted to see her or not. If she did, it would be difficult to let her go, if she didn't then what kind of a mother would she be? Carlisle dealt with it and thought it would be better if she didn't see. Esme cried all night in her hospital bed and Carlisle stayed beside her. He had to be strong for her, though we all knew it was tough on him too. Within a week the papers were complete and Alice was officially Mary Alice Brandon. The Brandon's didn't change her name, yea Esme is the one who named her Alice. She's currently in school, but we have got to know she has an interest towards art. Mrs. Brandon is an interior designer, so they all think it's in the genes. However Alice is interested in designing clothes." He ends with a chuckle and that's the cue that he's done telling his tale. I could easily see the connection, Esme was a popular designer herself, she had a clothing line of her own, I wondered if she would give Alice some experience or internship. That thought seemed funny, but then again, it might be tough on Esme to be like that. She's got a few years to figure that out.
"Edward, thanks man, I appreciate it."
"No, thanks for listening, that's all. Let's get this room packed; can you believe it's been a year here in this room?"
I knew what he was talking about, this room sure had some fun and some twisted moments. Like once Emmett had barged in our room with a bottle of whisky and vodka, god only knows why he would want to mix those two, but he did and we got literally wasted that night. We still had a crack in the left wall where Emmett had smashed both the bottles after he emptied it. Thankfully his piss mark was gone.
"Happy days buddy," I spoke winking at him and nodding at the cracked plaster.
"Happy indeed."
XOXOXOXOXO
I was pulled out of my flashback by Edward shaking my shoulder, "What's up with you now?"
"Nothing, just remembering that last day of our first year," I replied and he knew exactly what I was talking about.
We did some research on Volterra together; if they were involved in human trafficking then we needed to find a few possible locations. I suggested the Roman theatre, it looked creepy enough for them to do such a thing, but Edward wanted to know all of them he seemed interested in the Medicean fortress. Surprisingly Edward knew some history on them, so we didn't really dig deep in it, it was tough anyway. The house of Medici was one of the powerful families in Italy; they started as a banking family and later turned into royalty.
It was already pretty late and Edward had to fix up a few more things, so we quickly got the reservation done under the name of Mr. Mason. That name dragged me back to one of our college days.
XOXOXOXOXO
My last class for the day cancelled so that gave me enough time get back to the room and grab a few hours of sleep I had skipped the previous night. The project I was working on, a database, took more time than I had expected. I saw Edward was on his desk, probably finishing his own assignments, it was Friday and Emmett had planned go out tonight.
"Hey Jazz, whatcha doing back early?" he asked without looking up from his desk. That guy knew my timetable better than me.
"Hey, my last class got cancelled," I replied while sitting down on his bed.
I saw his drawer was open and a huge album caught my attention. "Hey dude, Edward what's this?" I asked pointing into his drawer.
When he finally looked at me and later followed where I was pointing, he quickly left his assignment or whatever he was doing and came sat across from me. He then took out the said album and kept it in between. I could see the cover was nicely decorated in red handmade paper and the "Mason" was written on top.
"My grandfather gave me this on the day of my high school graduation. Throughout school I used my mom's side of the name, 'Mason' but later I planned on changing it."
"Why would you change it? Can I look inside?"
"Of course you can," he said while opening the first page. I saw the whole album was handmade with white handmade paper again. Edward pointed out towards the picture of his grandparents during their wedding and that's all.
"Mom tells me grandma started making this when I was born, to keep as a memory she stuck a picture of them and my parents wedding. Rest is all mine, over the years. I was fond of them; used to go visit them in every holiday possible. Once when I was young, I spent the summer at their place and by the time I came back I was referring myself as Mason. My dad tells me I was happy with that name that they allowed me to keep it.
In middle junior year my grandma passed away and my grandpa didn't take that very well. He was still fit as a horse, but in the inside he was miserable. He didn't want me to miss out on school; knowing me I would have picked up the keys and rushed over. It was grandma who had suggested I would like the Volvo among other cars and my grandparents gifted it to me. That was my first car and I love it. Later my parents suggested shifting my grandpa here with us and since then he's been completing the album. He says my grandma would have liked it and his day used to pass like that. So before graduation I thought of dropping the name Mason and use just Cullen. The name always reminds me of grandma and I want those memories to be saved in this album. Plus in my legal documents I'm still Cullen, friends in school used to call me Mason."
Then we just sat there explore the whole album. I had yet to see Edward's family, but from the pictures, they looked amazing.
XOXOXOXOXOXO
Suddenly in bed I remembered I had yet to order a rental car for them at the airport and I knew exactly whom to call for the exact order. But for now I had to get my sleep.
The next day I had to get some paperwork done from Edward's behalf as I had no idea for how long they would have been gone. From the office only I got in touch with the travel agency and booked a Volvo, same as Edward's first one. Plus I knew they wouldn't be taken any guns through security I added a favor and told him to place 2 hand guns in the glove box. Thankfully I knew the owner so I could pull out a few strings else they would have never accepted my request. I typed in a quick message to Edward telling him where exactly his rental would be standing, very conveniently skipping out the detail as to the model of the said rental. Let him have some fun.
The rest of the day was uneventful; Emmett was to return tomorrow, late evening. I didn't have much to do as it is so I ended up going home early. After a very long while I attempted to make something decent for dinner. However my definition of decent would have clashed as I settled in for some boiled macaroni with thick white sauce. That was practically one of the only things I knew how to make. Visiting the Cullen's, I used to help Esme once in awhile and her cooking always awed me.
My whole day was so slow paced so I thought of going to bed early. Hopefully after going to the office I could go and visit Esme and Carlisle. I hadn't seen Carlisle since Edward told me about Alice and it would be nice to go and spend some time with him, god knows how he must be dealings with all this.
Next day was every more uneventful but soon I was on my way to the Cullen's mansion.
The Cullen house was on the outskirts of the town; Carlisle had found a huge 3 storey old Victorian mansion, which Esme also loved. They were never the ones for formality, so I made my way in directly. It wasn't hard to spot Esme in the kitchen, "Good afternoon Esme," I wish her
"Oh Jasper what a surprise, good afternoon. Would you stay for lunch dear?"
"Oh don't bother about me; I'm here to meet up with Carlisle."
I saw her face fall as she said, "Please I insist, it'll help keep my mind off things."
Of course, it would be hard on her and I didn't want to upset her so I replied, "Of course Esme, I'm love to join in for lunch."
She smiled and gave a gentle nod and continued whatever she was doing in the kitchen. I made my way over to Carlisle's study. He was sitting behind his desk going through some paperwork.
"Jasper come on in, sit down." And that's exactly what I did. I wasn't here for any exact purpose, I just wanted to know how they were doing as Edward and Emmett both were out and they were like my second set of parents. I could see Carlisle was engaging himself with business so that's when he pops up a random question.
"What do you think about the Newton's? Are they good to have a deal with?"
"Well they have a line of adventure equipments, I can't really see any connections I'm sorry, but if you want I can surely look them up for you."
"Nah its fine, I thought so too."
After a short pause he mumbles a soft "Human trafficking" that catches my attention. He's really stressing over this issue, his worried expression was coming back on.
"What say Jasper, how's the idea of organizing a fund raiser next month?" he speaks up finally.
"Why I think that's a fine idea Carlisle, it's been awhile since we have had those here."
"Probably when Emmett and Edward return, we can come up with a list."
"Yes sir, but don't include Tyler Crowley please, his budget is running short, all he'll do it eat the food," I had to lighten the atmosphere somehow.
"Well you said the same thing about Eric Yorkie last time."
"And I was right, he hardly made any donation." We both chuckled at previous set of words I had chosen.
"Yes, you were right. Probably we can call the Brandons for sure," he spoke in a low voice.
"Of course, they have been very active throughout and this time the whole family can come." I tried emphasizing on the fact that Alice will return home safely, I just needed to see some hope on his face.
"Speaking of family, don't your parents miss you?" That was an unexpected question.
"They keep themselves busy."
"Still doesn't answer the question."
"Well they understand I have a life here now and they kinda like got used to it."
"How about after the whole fund raiser you take a nice long vacation and meet them."
"That's very kind of you Carlisle, but I was thinking of calling them here soon, probably they can meet you all and attend the fund raiser also."
"Hmmm, that can work. Thanks Jasper, you somehow always calm me down. It was nice of you to come down here."
"You're like family and I like coming here. Anyway I'm glad I did come, I'll see if Esme needs my help."
And soon I was out of the room and into the kitchen helping Esme assemble the food, well I mostly just watched, she asked when Edward you land and when Emmett would return. Lunch was mostly silent, Carlisle told her about the suggested fund raiser and Esme was happy about it, she couldn't wait to get started on it.
While leaving Esme packed the leftover's for me, which was a lot, she knew I couldn't cook and would either eat takeout or junk. It was sweet of her to give it; well at least my dinner was set.
On my way back home I got a call informing that Emmett had returned early, so I quickly made my way over to the office. I was glad to have some sort of action, because otherwise I would have ended up doing nothing at home.
It was kinda wrong to keep information from Emmett, but Edward thought it would be better not to tell him about Alice. He was already a victim to the Volturi's and they didn't want Emmett anywhere near them. Carlisle was against Edward also in going over to Volterra but that's the thing about the Cullen brothers, once they set their minds into something, they do it completely.
Before going over to Emmett's office I order Sam, the pilot who was responsible for Emmett's journey, to refuel the tank fully. I told him I'd require it the next day in the morning and that I'll be piloting it and he doesn't need to come over. Another thing I had Carlisle to thank.
Meeting up with Emmett took most of the evening. He asked about Edward again and I told him he had gone to Seattle for a last minute meeting. Emmett never cares about the details, which was in my favor at the moment. We went through the deal and soon around 7ish we left. I told him I won't be available tomorrow, but he was a little too tired to even ask any more questions so we just said our goodbyes and goodnights.
By the time I reached home I appreciated Esme's food even more because I was starving and I couldn't wait for ordered food. So I quickly heated it, ate it and went to bed. It had been awhile since I went to bed early on such a continuous basis.
Next morning I took my sweet time in reaching the office, I had nothing to do as I had already discussed matters with Emmett last night and I doubted he'd show up for work either. I quickly went over to the jet, but before that I had to go through the route and got to know I would have to stop to refuel somewhere before I reach Volterra, so I opted for Rome. Mostly the flights did connect in Rome, so it would be the safest option.
Soon afterwards the jet was taking off from the runway and I was on my way to Volterra.
If someone asks me how the ride was, I'd say hell boring, because it seriously was. The refueling in Rome wasn't a problem. I had absolutely no idea about the time gap between New York and Volterra but by the time my destination, the sun had already set. I had informed the airport runway service that I would need a free way to land the jet. The airport was really close to the hotel I had booked for Edward and Bella. I had also hired a car which was very promptly sitting in the car park just where they had informed me.
When I was settled in the car I switched on my phone and saw 2 missed calls by Edward, thankfully during the third he actually send a voice mail. He said something about finding a dungeon under the Medici Fortress; it wasn't clear because evidently he was just rambling shit in frustration and concern. It's not like he's devoid of such a emotion, just that I haven't seen it come out in awhile.
Finally he did reach the main topic, saying they were heading towards the fortress again, they had a round of auctions today, which didn't sound very pleasant to me. Knowing Edward, no matter how calm and composed he may be, but everyone makes a mistake, just that Edward's mistakes arises when he's 'concerned', frustrated or impatient. Latter happens rarely, but it does happen.
I was surprised the voicemail took such a long message, but that wasn't my main concern here. I started the car and made the long drive over to Volterra. It was already dark, so there was no point in looking around admiring the beauty, hell like as if I could have concentrated on it anyway.
While driving my mind drifted off to the first time I had actually seen Alice. It was almost a year ago, Edward and I were going out for lunch to some new restaurant Edward had heard about. There as soon as I entered it, Edward right behind me, I saw a bunch of ladies standing in front. One that caught my attention was a tiniest one with short spiky hair. She had an air of excitement around her. Then I realized the woman was approaching me and I stopped with a stunned and confused expression on my face. She had a serious expression on hers and suddenly she spoke up, "You've kept me waiting a long time."
It was like my natural instincts just kicked in and I bowed my head and replied, "I'm sorry ma'am."
Suddenly her serious expression just dropped and was replaced by a playful one. Then giving me a huge smile she spoke again, "I'm sorry, you're too sweet to tease you like this," and then she was gone. Her friends followed her out. Edward had an amused expression and was trying really hard not to laugh, as soon as we were seated, his laughter came bursting out. Thankfully we were sitting in a relatively isolated table; else people would have been glaring at us. After his laughter died, he told me that woman I had talked with was Alice Brandon. I was stunned to know the woman about whom I had heard so much, when she did talk to me all I could say was 'I'm sorry ma'am"? But still I was glad we had such a casual first meet, even though none of us whom the other person was.
I was still smiling when I realized I had entered Volterra. Now I just had to navigate the way to the fortress and the show on the road. Edward and I used to say that throughout our high school and college before going to a party, we thought it was so cool.
I parked the car a little distant from the main building, didn't want anyone to know someone was approaching. I saw there was a mud road going towards the backside of fortress so I followed it. After awhile I saw a number of cars parked, it didn't take long to spot the Volvo.
One of the advantages of flying in a private jet is, you can carry a gun. Well yea then you also need to know a few people from the customs department who'll give you a go signal.
I took out the gun and headed towards a window where I could see some light. Surprisingly it was the conference room, from its setting, and there I spotted the same face I had seen a year ago. She had a sheet wrapped around her, her hair weren't spiky and the whole air of excitement was missing. She looked dull and depressed, well of course anyone would be, but it ached to see her like this. the playful woman that approached me was now just standing there with her head down.
Then I saw Edward quickly approaching the platform, that idiot, what did I tell you about him making mistakes. What he was doing was utter reckless, putting not himself and Bella in danger but also Alice. I was glad I had showed up in the right time, because that dumbass obviously didn't know where I was. The thing I heard was a gunshot and saw Bella had shot someone.
I heard some footsteps approaching me so I stood in the corner waiting for them. I had one advantage here as they didn't even know what hit them. I shoved the butt of the gun straight to their foreheads. It's surprising how weak such bulky men these days are. I was successfully knocked off 4 guards, like that was tough.
I approached the main door, because from the actions happening inside, they just had one door to exit from. As soon as I reached the main door I saw another big built man with short cropped hair standing in the doorway. Inside I saw Edward had Alice in his hands and Bella was stunned, gripping her gun tightly.
I have no idea where the feelings came from, but I knew my best friend's life was I danger and he was responsible for Bella and Alice, which boiled up rage inside of me and without giving a second thought I aimed the gun on the back of the man's head and pulled the trigger. The next thing I saw was his body crumbing down a shocked and surprised expression on Edward's face.
I quickly took Alice from Edward, we ditched our car and within 5 minutes we were back on the road inside the Volvo. I sat in the backseat with Alice lying down; she might have lost consciousness during the chaos, which was a good thing. The Cullens' have always protected her from the big bad world, so now it's their decision as to what they would like to do.
The ride back was mostly silent, with a few concern questions popping up by Edward and Bella from time to time. We reached the hotel in record time and thankfully they had already packed their suitcases so we were once again off to the airport.
Edward took Alice to the private bedroom to lay her down, while I was preparing for the take off. Hopefully I'll never have to make another such trip ever again.
XOXOXOXOXO
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