Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. Original characters and plot are the property of the me. No copyright infringement is intended. This story may contain violence and adult themes and is rated MA/NC-17 for a reason, violence and the nature of this story is not recommended to be acted out in real life and is strictly used in a fictional context.
Bella P.O.V
After my little episode with Edward, I whipped out my blackberry to get a hold of Jenks, my personal lawyer. I needed to find out if Edward was who he said he was.
"Jenks," he barked out.
"It's me, I need a favour." I could hear papers ruffling in the background, so I assumed he was getting paper to write down the information I wanted.
"I need you to find out if a guy named Edward Cullen is real and email me his personal information including photo I.D. to verify."
"I'll have it to you within the hour," he replied before the line went dead. Jenks has always been quick and efficient, one reason I've kept him on my pay roll for the past six years.
Just as I finished up my call, I opened the doors to Assaggio Ristorante, looking around for Jacob. I looked down at my watch and noticed it was two-thirty in the afternoon; I was an hour and a half late. I huffed as I pulled out my blackberry again, walking out of the restaurant to call Jacob.
Jacob picked up on the first ring. "Where the fuck are you, Bella?" he shouted into the phone.
"At the restaurant, I was attacked on my way down here. So sorry it fuckin' disrupted your day," I spat at him before I disconnected the call. I wasn't about to take his garbage right now. I started walking back to my car, making sure to keep my eyes on the alert. Just as I reached my Aston, my blackberry started ringing; I pulled it out and checked the I.D. and saw it was Jenks.
"Talk to me," I said as I opened the car door, sliding into the driver's seat.
"I just sent you the information you requested about Edward Cullen. Are you going to tell me why you're looking into a guy who has dropped off the face of the earth for the past two years?" he asked.
"He saved me, I'm returning the favour," I replied, starting the car as I received a beep indicating I had an incoming call. "Listen, Jenks, I'll call you later. I have an incoming call I need to take."
"Okay, Bella, let me know if you need anything else."
"I will, thank you," I muttered, switching over to take the other call. "Bella Swan," I answered.
"Miss Swan?" a girl asked. "My name is Claire from The Seattle Marriot Waterfront, I have..." she paused for a moment and I could hear Edward in the background informing her of his name. "Yes... Edward Cullen here, he doesn't seem to have any I.D. on him and asked me to call you to verify his identity?"
"Yes, I know him. Do you have a reason to doubt him?" I asked. I knew he was catching grief due to the way he was dressed, and that just pissed me off. I did a fair share of business with the Marriott, so I was surprised they bothered to call since he showed them my business card.
"Of course, I never meant to imply he wasn't who he stated," she stuttered.
"I want you to book him under my name, make sure he has everything he needs and just charge it to my card on file," I ordered.
"Yes, I'll make sure of that." She started typing frantically into the computer system. "Thank you, Miss Swan. Sorry to bother you."
"Goodbye, Claire," I said as I disconnected. After the call, I at least knew where Edward was now, so that was a relief. I figured I would swing by McDonald's for a Big Mac and then see what my next move was in regards to Edward.
*%?*%?*%?*%?*%?*%?*%?*%?
I pulled up to the Marriot and got of the car, walking through the front doors toward the front desk, and decided I would try and talk to Edward after reviewing the information Jenks emailed.
"Welcome to the Marriot Waterfront, Miss Swan," Claire greeted. "How can I help you?"
"Hello, Claire," I answered. "I'd like a key to Edward Cullen's room."
Claire looked at me for a beat before she spoke. "Of course," she said, reaching for a card and programming it. "Here you go," she said as she handed me the key card.
I reached out and grabbed the key. "Thanks," I said, turning on my heel towards the elevator. As I reached the 8th floor, standing outside of Edward's room, I started to wonder if I was wrong.
He's been off the radar for two years, maybe it's intentional? I shook my head, dismissing the thought. I slid the card through the lock and opened the door to hear the shower running.
I walked over to the chair by the bed to wait for Edward to get out, and a few minutes later, he walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped dangerously low on his hips. His body was toned; you could tell he used to work out.
"Are you done playing games, Edward Anthony Masen Cullen?" I asked, causing him to jump, whirling around to face me.
"What the fuck?" he shouted. "What are you doing here?" he asked, adjusting the towel around his waist.
I smirked. "Well, technically this is my personal hotel room, so I can come and go as I please," I replied. "Anyway, back to the fuckin' task at hand. Are we done? You're not honestly going to pass me up are you?"
He walked over to the bed grabbing a pair of track pants off the bed and slipped them on under his towel. "Yeah, I was," he muttered petulantly, which irritated me.
"So that's how you want to play it then?" I asked, tilting my head as I studied him
"What is it with you? I said I don't want your help!" he shouted.
I scoffed, taking one last glance at him. "You have 24hrs, Edward... we can do this the easy way or the hard way. It's your choice," I called back to him as I walked out the door. "Don't force my hand, Edward. You won't like it," I said, just as the door closed behind me.
Honestly, who has to threaten someone to help them? I can tell Edward Cullen was going to be a difficult fuckin' case to crack, luckily I'm persistent. I'm helping him whether he damn well wants it or not, no one could like sleeping in a homeless shelter, or anywhere on the streets in Washington for that matter, with the damn rain and cold this time of year.
One thing Edward Cullen was about to find out is that I was a force to be reckoned with when I wanted something, nothing stops me—he clearly hadn't learned that yet. I laughed to myself as I took the elevator down to the main floor. As I hit the fresh air of Seattle, I pulled out my blackberry and called my lawyer to start the ball rolling.
"Jenks," he answered gruffly into the phone.
"It's me, Bella," I replied as I turned the corner climbing into my Aston. "I need you to get all of Edward Cullen's I.D.s ready and I want them yesterday," I ordered.
"Bella, why are you doing this?" he asked. "Why get involved in his mess?"
Irritated by his questioning, I replied curtly. "Because I fuckin' can." I had enough shit for one day... First Jacob, then the two attackers, and now Jenks; I needed to get home and relax. With a sigh I replied, "Sorry, I just need you to do this and not question me." I turned and headed towards Bainbridge Island to my house. I kept a penthouse apartment in the city where I planned on keeping Edward—far enough away from Jacob, who would have a shit fit if he found him.
*%?*%?*%?*%?*%?*%?*%?*%?
Once I arrived at the house on Bainbridge, I noticed Jacob's car was parked in the driveway; all I could think was this should be good. I parked beside him, turning off the car and removing my keys from the ignition. I headed up to the house where Jacob was sitting outside waiting.
"Hey," I said as I approached him, going to unlock the door.
Jacob stood up behind me. "Where have you been, Bella?" he asked. "It's late."
God, why he acts like this I have no clue... this insecure shit is getting on my nerves. I turned to look over my shoulder at him, "What are you, my father?" I asked. "I was out."
Jacob's eyes blazed with fury; he bent down from his 6'5" frame, breathing down my neck. "You seem to do that a lot, Bella--disappear for hours."
"I run a fuckin' multi-billion dollar company, Jacob, don't be so damn insecure," I retorted, throwing my keys and blackberry on the counter.
"Why don't you shuffle some damn responsibility on your so-called partner Alice," he sneered.
"I don't have time for this bullshit," I huffed. "Leave," I said as I waved my hand dismissively. His words registered in my mind, as he mentioned Alice, and how my dearest friend could help me with Edward.
"Whatever, Bella, call me when you can pencil me in," Jacob said as he slammed the door, always one for the dramatics.
We never used to be like this, our relationship used to be fun and carefree. Jacob was my sun; I couldn't wait for my day to end and I could be in his arms again. However, since he proposed to me a little over a year ago, his whole demeanour changed not long after. He became more possessive and wanted to know my every move. He's becoming more hostile since he couldn't control me; I didn't notice it as much at first, but he definitely got progressively worse. Sometimes I wondered if it was me he wanted to control so badly or my money—with money comes power. Jacob isn't poor, but his net worth of around 10 million isn't even a blip on my radar. I've realized overtime I've just stayed with him out of convenience. Now when I'm with him I feel as if I'm about to suffocate—I should have called this sham off as soon as I noticed his change in attitude.
I pulled myself out of my thoughts and headed to the kitchen where I left my cell. Pressing the speed dial button, I called Ali, who picked up on the second ring.
"Hey, Bell," she answered as there was a loud crash in the background. "Shit," she cursed softly.
"Are you alright, Ali?" I asked. "Do you want to call me back later?"
I heard her sigh. "No, no," she said dismissively. "What's up?"
I moved into the living room and sat down on the couch, putting my feet up. "I was just wondering if you would like to help me do a bit of a make-over on someone?" I asked, fidgeting with the hem of my sweater.
Alice started to squeal. "Who? Is it a guy? Have I met him before?" she rattled off.
I chuckled to myself. "I doubt it, Ali, I met him today... he helped me when two guys tried to attack me, so I feel I should return the favour," I explained.
"By giving him a make over?" she asked confused.
I knew I was going to have to explain this further for her to get it. I exhaled a deep breath, "He's homeless, Ali, I'm planning on changing his entire existence."
"Really?" she asked. "I'm in," she replied excitedly. "Do we need Jasper?"
I laughed, she was always so easy to excite. "That might be a good idea, call Emmett too, we'll need muscle. He won't be easy."
"What the fuck, Bella?" she screeched. "He's hostile?"
"No," I replied quickly, trying to calm her. "He's proud. I gave him 24hrs to contact me or I come after him regardless. I need to help him Ali, it's like a compulsion."
"Okay, okay," she said. "We'll help him, how do you want this done?"
I sighed, relieved she had my back. "We need Rose to do the grooming. I need you on fashion—he's Jasper's size, just a bit taller."
"I'm on it, hun," she assured. "When are we doing this?" she asked.
"Tomorrow at 5pm. We'll meet up at my penthouse and we can drop off our items and then go find him from there." I answered, getting up to grab a pen and pad to make a list of everything I needed to get for Edward.
"Okay, we'll see you tomorrow. I'll round up the troops," she said as she hung up. I knew I could count on her.
I walked into my home office and grabbed my legal pad and started making my list.
The first thing I scribbled was a haircut, next came clothes and personal hygiene products such as deodorant, shampoo, razors, shaving cream, cologne, and body wash. I tapped my pencil on the pad and then wrote he'd also need a cell phone and his I.D.s.
I looked at my list one last time, making sure I hadn't forgotten to include anything. Satisfied I had everything, for now, I decided to get the items on the list tomorrow in the afternoon, after my morning meetings. One thing I was sure I needed to do before I started, was to talk to Ben Chaney, who is a P.I. I grabbed my blackberry, looking up Ben's number and dialled.
After a few rings, he answered. "Ben Cheney, Private Investigator."
"Hi, Ben; It's Bella," I said, as I walked out my office, going around, making sure everything was secured.
"Oh hey, Bella, what can I do for you?" he asked. "Angela says hello."
"Tell her I said, 'hi' and I'm sorry to have to take you away," I chuckled thinking about Angela what we used to get into in High School together. "I need you to track someone for me and advise me of his whereabouts for the next 24hrs," I instructed him.
"No problem," he replied, shifting modes. "Who is the target?"
"Edward Cullen, he is currently at the Marriot Waterfront," I said as I switched over to my email. "I'll forward you the information I have on him with his photo."
"That would be great," he said, typing away.
"And Ben, I'm sure I don't need to remind you that stealth will be crucial with him, and I'll be in touch." I said as I hung up the phone. I crawled into bed, hoping everything turned out for tomorrow, but somehow I couldn't shake the sense of dread as I drifted off to sleep.
AN Note: Ok, whew! 2nd chapter is up and I'm working on the 3rd.
Please leave a review and let me know what you think-- first chapter has changed a bit after being beta'd, so take a peek if you had previously read it.
Major thanks to my beta SouthernLady23 for working on this chapter :D
If you'd like preview teasers feel free to add me on twitter: rhapscribbles
Thanks :)