Chapter 10 – Threat

Regardless of the fact that Jasper was convinced he knew Edward from somewhere, he was never rude to him the way Emmett was with his mistrust. He simply kept his distance, but at the same time, tried to keep an eye on him as well. Jasper knew I loved him, and he certainly didn't want to get in the way of that, but he was still protective and was worried I'd end up getting hurt in some way.

However, Edward's perplexing familiarity to both Jasper and me, was quickly put on the back burner because we were finally ready to open the ranch. Our first patient was a little boy with autism. He actually reminded me quite a bit of Alice in several ways: withdrawn into himself, didn't speak, and would often have severe meltdowns that his parents didn't know how to help. And like Alice, he too had one of the most beautiful souls I had ever encountered.

"Wow, that was really awesome," Edward told me after the boy and his family left.

"I know, wasn't it!" I said, almost feeling an adrenaline rush from just how engaged the boy had been with the horses. I definitely had goosebumps. "His parents were in tears, I was in tears, it was so incredible."

"I'm pretty sure you have a repeat customer in them," Edward said with a proud smile, while wrapping me in his arms.

"I really hope so… and not because we need the money. I think these horses are going to help a lot of people."

"I think so too," Edward told me. "Bella, I really do feel privileged for being here and getting to see that. So, thank you. I never lived anywhere I could be proud of before."

I hugged myself tighter to his chest. "I love you… and I know we wouldn't be open right now without you," I said assuredly.

"You would have found a way," he said tenderly. "I don't think you even know how to fail."

That night we celebrated our grand opening by spending the evening with everyone together, eating a delicious dinner. It was actually pretty much like any other night, except that night definitely felt celebratory, and Edward surprised me with champagne.

"Wow, this really is a party," I said, feeling lighter than air.

"Hell yes it is!" Edward replied enthusiastically.

"Oh, none for me, thanks," Jasper said when Edward tried to pour him a glass.

"Alice?" Edward offered her some. I was about to protest, but reluctantly let it go when I saw just how excited she was by it. "She must really love champagne," Edward said to me as we watched her down the first small amount he had given her.

"I don't think her parents have ever allowed her to have any before," I mused, feeling slightly guilty knowing they wouldn't approve.

"Why not? She's well over twenty one," Edward said with annoyance laced in his voice.

"I guess they just… didn't think she could handle it."

"Yep, like they didn't think she could handle books without pictures in them," he scoffed.

Edward did seem to get annoyed quite often by things I'd say the Cullens did, which I thought was strange, but I let most of it go. I too realized a lot of it was annoying since he had started pointing it out, but they were still my family and I didn't like speaking poorly about them.

The next few weeks saw a steady stream of patients, and a pleasant visit from Esme. Alice was doing so well, but basically refused to go anywhere alone with her mother out of fear she'd force her to leave with her, so reluctantly Esme ended up letting her stay. I knew she missed her daughter, however the separation was definitely good for Alice. She was absolutely thriving.

All in all, everything was going so smoothly that I began to think we dodged a bullet with the storm that had been brewing around us, but, as I would soon discover, the storm was never gone - we had only entered the eye, and the full force of all its fury would soon be upon us…

"Hey, what's this?" I asked one evening in bed, as I noticed a bandage on Edward's arm when his sleeve rode up a bit.

"Nothing," he said dismissively, but I knew better.

"Did you cut yourself?" I asked concerned.

Edward laughed once. "You say that like it's something I'd do on purpose."

I raised a brow at him. "No, but it's not like I could forget what happened the last time you got a cut."

"I know, but this was nothing. I was opening the barn door, but the latch caught, and then it slipped and sliced through my forearm. It wasn't a big deal. Hardly bled."

"Really?" I asked in disbelief. "Why are you lying here in bed next to me, with a long sleeve shirt on, if it was nothing?"

"What? I'm not allowed to wear a shirt?" he asked with faux confusion. He knew exactly what my issue was, and he was playing dumb.

"You never wear a shirt to bed," I pointed out. I was wondering why he seemed to be avoiding sex that evening. It certainly wasn't like him, but now it made sense.

"It was just comfortable. What's the big deal?" he asked, beginning to get defensive.

"The big deal is you got hurt, and you're trying to hide it."

"Okay, yeah, maybe I am. Because I knew you would be upset by it, and look, I was right!"

"Let me see your arm," I insisted.

"No."

"Edward, let me see it!"

"Why? So you can freak out even more than you are now?"

"Please just let me see it," I said more gently. "Are you really planning to keep your arms covered until it heals? That's going to be a lot of nights without sex," I pointed out.

He smirked at me. "Sex doesn't require me to remove my shirt."

I narrowed my eyes at him, so he huffed and pulled his shirt over his head. Much to my horror, once again, his arm was covered in hand print bruises.

"Oh Edward," I sighed, and had to force myself to not cry. "Why do you do this to yourself?"

"Bella, I'm fine."

"No, you're not. This isn't fine. You said it wasn't going to happen again. Please just talk to me. Maybe I can help you."

He sighed. "Nothing has changed since the last time this happened. I'm still not going to tell you the truth, so if you're going to insist on some kind of explanation, then I'll have to make something up… and Bella, I hate lying to you. So please, just let it go."

His words just about broke my heart again. He never raised his voice – in fact, it sounded more like a desperate plea. He was almost begging me to let it go, and the pain in his eyes became my pain, as I realized that I just couldn't help him if he wouldn't let me. I could do nothing for him except to keep loving him, and that's exactly what I intended to do.

"Okay," I told him gently, and then caressed his face before kissing him. I wanted to kiss his arm where he was injured, just to try to further prove to him just how much I loved him, but he made it clear he didn't want me anywhere near his arm at all. I didn't understand it, but I did as he asked and proceeded to kiss him everywhere other than there.

The weeks continued to roll by, and before I knew it, we were getting ready for Thanksgiving, and I couldn't have been happier. Although Christmas was my favorite holiday, I loved Thanksgiving almost as much, and this year I was excited more than ever since I had more to be thankful for than ever before. But as it turned out, it was not the happy family filled holiday I was expecting…

"What do you mean, you're leaving?" I asked, completely dumbfounded. I couldn't even imagine anything that could possibly take him away from home on a holiday.

Edward huffed. "Do you remember a few months ago you said that I should contact my mom because she may be upset that I haven't been back in so long?"

"Yeah, and you assured me she wouldn't be."

"Yeah, well I started really thinking about it, and with the holidays here, I just…" He shrugged.

"What?" I asked confused.

"I contacted her yesterday, and she's … not doing so well. She's been divorced from my step father for a while. I guess you were right, she was really happy to hear from me."

"Yesterday?" I asked, trying to calm down. Contacting his mother could only be a good thing, except it felt incredibly wrong for some strange reason. "Why didn't you tell me after you talked to her?"

"I meant to, it just… you were going on about how excited you were with all the Cullens coming, and how it was going to be such a big deal. I don't know, I felt bad. My mom basically begged me to come home for the holiday since she's going to be alone…"

"Why don't you have her come here? I'd love to meet her," I suggested.

"She's been sick. She can't travel and I doubt she would anyway. She's not the most social of individuals. Look, I told her I'd go after the holiday, but she gave me a guilt trip about being so sick. I'm sorry. I don't know what else to do."

"I do. I'm going to go with you," I decided.

"Bella, no."

"No, you're right. If she's sick, we should go to her. It's okay, I'm sure the Cullens can host everyone at their place, or they can still come here and just do it without us. I want to meet your mom."

"Bella, you can't come," Edward said strangely.

"Why?" I asked, reluctantly becoming suspicious. I wanted to believe everything he was saying, but there were times when he made it really hard.

"Because we have patients coming on Friday, and I probably wont be back until Sunday at the earliest. You can't cancel on them; they're counting on this."

I tried to think of ways around it, but in the end, he was right. I couldn't cancel or reschedule. It was upsetting that he was leaving for the holiday and I had to stay, but I suppose it was quite common for some couples. Rose and Em didn't spend a Christmas together until they were actually married. I wanted to be with Edward for that time more than anything, but at least we still had the rest of the coming holidays to celebrate together.

So Edward left the next morning, and I was already missing him by the time the Cullens arrived, but with so many people, it was a nice distraction.

"Well, hey. I thought it would take a miracle to get you out here again," I said as I hugged Carlisle hello.

"I know, sweetheart. I do apologize," he told me warmly. "But the ranch looks every bit as wonderful as Esme was telling me. Congratulations on your business opening. Your father would sure be proud of you."

"Thank you. I'm glad you're happy with how everything looks. This is still your home, so…"

"No Bella, this is your home. You're the only one who could ever do anything constructive with it, and I'm so happy you have."

"Thank you," I said again.

"So, where's Edward?" Emmett asked in a strangely sharp tone.

"Oh yes, where is this new boyfriend of yours that seems to have won over this whole family so quickly?" Carlisle asked curiously.

"Uh… he had to go see his mom for the holiday," I told them, confused by Em's off demeanor.

"That's too bad. I've been really looking forward to meeting him," Carlisle said sincerely.

Emmett, on the other hand, was less pleasant. "His mom? He told me he doesn't have any family."

"Well, it's been a long time," I explained.

"Huh. Sure it has," he said sarcastically. "Seems awfully convenient."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I questioned him.

"Emmett, what is with the attitude?" Esme asked.

"Nothing, mom. Sorry. I guess I'm just hungry." Emmett looked at me strangely, and then he seemed to let it go.

When dinner was ready we all sat together, and as our usual tradition, we each took turns stating what we were thankful for. When my turn came, I recited my list of personal blessings, and made sure to single out Edward in particular, despite him not being there to hear it. Esme got teary eyed hearing just how happy and in love I was, but abruptly, Em scoffed.

"What's wrong?" I asked him, since it wasn't like he was trying to hide his resentment.

"Nothing," he said shortly. "Who's turn is it next?"

I let it go for the moment, but as soon as we were done eating, I decided to pull him outside and confront him.

"Bella, I'm sorry, that was really rude and I don't mean to do that to you. It's just hard to conceal my bitterness for that guy right now."

"For what guy?" I asked.

"For Edward. I'm really pissed he's not here actually."

"Em," I sighed. "He wanted to be here. He just had to go see his mom."

"That's a load of crap!" he exploded, but then he decided to lower his voice. "He told me he doesn't have any family."

I narrowed my eyes at him, unsure what he was really upset about. "I told you, she hasn't been in his life in a long time. He hasn't considered her family since he left home."

Emmett shook his head.

"Where is all this anger coming from all of a sudden?" I asked him. "You just called here last week, and talked to him for over an hour. "

"Yeah, well… that was before I found out."

"Found out what?" I asked, getting frustrated that he wouldn't just come out and say whatever it was that was wrong.

He shook his head again. "I'm sorry, Bella, I wanted to confront him in person, but since he's not here, I need you to know what I found."

"Okay?" I said, suddenly feeling anxious. What could he have possibly found that upset him that much?

"Well, I received a phone call from my buddy at the police station a couple of days ago. He said he just arrested a guy for burglary, who then admitted to them that he had a much bigger target he was planning to hit over the holidays."

"Okay?" I said, unsure what that had to do with anything.

"Bella, the target is our family. This guy said he was working with someone else who was already on the inside, and they've been planning some big scheme to steal millions of dollars from the Cullen family. It's been a plan they've been working on for over a year."

"That's… horrible, but… what does that have anything to do with Edward?" I asked slowly.

"The guy said his partner's name is James Anthony. Sound familiar at all?" he asked. I shook my head no, so he huffed. "Really? Because Rose told me you called her after Edward first got here, and were worried because he slipped up and introduced himself to Mike as Anthony."

"He told him his name was Edward Anthony… He never said James."

"Close enough. So I got worried, and asked the guy to run a background check on James Anthony, and he sent this to me…" he said before pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket, and handing it to me.

I unfolded the paper, and my stomach jumped into my throat. James Anthony had a long record, ranging from shoplifting and drug possessions, to stealing cars and trying to cash stolen checks. He even had an assault charge, which scared me more than everything else combined. That person couldn't be Edward because he swore to me that he never hurt anyone physically, and I believed him with all my heart, but then Emmett handed me a mug shot…

"Looks like a spazzed out hobo version of him, but it's still him," Em said quietly.

The man in the picture had long - bleached out hair that draped down on either side of his hollow cheeks. He had a heavy beard and a blank stare, and looked to be absolutely filthy. He didn't resemble the man I loved whatsoever, except there was no mistaking his eyes. Despite the intoxicated daze he appeared to be in, and the black circles that surrounded them, the unique green shade of his irises were unmistakable.

"Oh my god," I said, while my hand reflexively reached up to cover my mouth.

"I didn't want to believe it either," Em murmured while rubbing my back supportively.

I didn't know what to say or do, I wasn't even sure which way was up at that point, but Em knew exactly how he wanted to handle it.

"I'm going to stay here until he gets back so I can confront him… Make him admit it all, and then I'm going to call the police."

I swallowed roughly as my brain worked in overdrive to try to think about where to go from there, but I did know one thing for sure…

"No," I told him as strongly as I was capable of.

"No?" Em asked confused.

"No, you aren't going to confront him, and you sure as hell aren't going to call the police."

"But Bella…"

"No!" I repeated stronger. "Thank you for telling me about this, but I need you to leave when the rest of your family does. This doesn't concern you."

"The hell it doesn't!" he retorted. "If you think for a moment I'm going to leave you alone with that piece of shit, you have another thing coming."

"Emmett, Edward is my boyfriend. He lives here with me. He shares my bed. It has nothing to do with you!"

"Except for the fact that he is planning to con and steal from my family!" he argued. "And he used my wife as a way in. He was probably planning on stealing from her first because her last name is Cullen, then I bet she mentioned this ranch and he figured if he played his cards right, he could have an even bigger payday."

"I don't have anything of value for him to steal," I contradicted.

"He certainly didn't know that when he first got here. She probably called it her family ranch. He probably assumed he could find access to my dad's bank account here. That son of a bitch came here to rob us, Bella!"

I shook my head. "I don't believe it."

"What don't you believe? The guy who was arrested named him, and told the police their entire plan."

"Well… plans change." I said, surprising the both of us. "Edward loves me. He wouldn't do anything that would hurt me like that," I said confidently.

I was devastated to learn about the plan Edward may have had in coming to the ranch, but then again, I already knew he had some huge horrifying secret that he was scared I'd discover. I promised him I would love him regardless of his past, and I still meant it.

"Bella, would you even listen to yourself right now?" Em asked, completely flabbergasted. "He's using you, and you're just taking the bait. I can't believe you could be this stupid."

"Emmett, I love him. And maybe he had a terrible ulterior motive for coming here, but that's not him anymore. This is not him," I said confidently while pointing at the mug shot. "Whatever he was planning to do, that plan ended a while ago. I'm sure of that."

"So, you're just going to sweep it under the carpet? Be his doormat and let him walk all over you?"

"I'm not his doormat. He loves me too."

"So he says. Seems like a good way to gain your trust," Em tried pointing out. "Bella, I'm willing to give you a chance to confront him first yourself, but then I'm calling the police. I will not allow him to spend one more night in this house."

"But it's not up to you. Your dad just told me it's my house. If I want him to stay, then he stays," I said impassively.

"Yeah, well I'm sure the police will have to disagree with you," he said like a smartass.

"Except these are all past crimes," I pointed out. "Says here he was in jail and already punished for most of them. There's no outstanding warrants, so I really don't see the police doing anything at all," I countered.

"Bella, he was planning to rob us! His buddy, Victor Laurent, who is currently sitting in a jail cell, admitted everything and ratted him out."

"And you just said that guy was arrested for a separate crime that has nothing to do with Edward."

"What does that matter? They had been working together on a plot to steal from our family."

"That doesn't mean Edward was still planning it. That guy was probably just bitter that Edward abandoned the plan, and wanted payback so he told the police all that in hopes of getting him in trouble too."

"You don't know he abandoned the plan!" he argued. "The Laurent guy said it was set for the holidays, and surprise-surprise, look who suddenly left during Thanksgiving to see some mystery mom that he hasn't cared about until now."

"So you think he's off somewhere trying to rob us? That doesn't even make sense. If he wanted to steal from your dad, he would have stayed here. He's still never even met him."

"The holidays are just starting. Christmas is still a month away. Maybe he left to go work on the plan with Laurent some more, and didn't realize he had been arrested."

"Or maybe he is visiting his mother… Or maybe he was planning to do what you said, and he left to go meet that Laurent guy to tell him the plan was off. We don't really know anything for sure right now."

"Why are you still defending him?" he asked angrily.

"I already told you why. I love him, and that's not changing anytime soon. So you're just going to have to accept it, and leave it alone."

"This bastard has been living with my sister," Em seethed. "Bella, you have a criminal living with Alice, and you're just okay with that?"

"He would never hurt her, and she trusts him."

"It says he's been charged with assault," he said heatedly. "Assault!"

"That could mean anything," I maintained. "Look, Em, I'm not going to have him arrested, and I'm not going to make him leave. I appreciate your concern, but this is Edward's home now, and you're the guest. Don't forget that."

"His name isn't even Edward!" Em shouted at me.

I bit my bottom lip. "It is until he says otherwise."

Emmett shook his head. "Nope. I'm not going to just sit back and let this go. No way, no how. I wonder what my dad will think of all of this. Doesn't matter what he told you in the past, this place is still legally his. I'm sure he will do anything to keep that garbage off his property and away from Alice. You stand by him, and you won't be allowed here either."

"I never thought you would ever threaten me like that," I said, stunned and hurt that he could be so cold.

"Yeah, and I never thought you'd take the side of a criminal over your own family," he snapped back. "I'm not the bad guy here, Bella. He's a threat to us all. He can't stay here. I won't allow him anywhere near my sister, or on our property. You want to be his little accomplice, you're going to have to find somewhere else to do it."

"This ranch is my dream," I told him with tears spilling over my cheeks.

"And yet, you're willing to throw it all away for a felon."

I shook my head ever so slightly, but it wasn't in denial of what he was saying, it was in denial of the entire situation. It seemed I had just lost my future due to that one conversation; a future which had seemed so secure just an hour earlier.

"I need some time to think about it," I told Em.

"I honestly don't understand what there is to think about," he grumbled.

"Would you be able to turn off your feeling for Rose so easily?" I asked him, praying he'd show a little compassion on the matter.

"Rose is my wife!" he rebutted. "We have a history. You only met this guy a few months ago, and it's now clear you still don't even know him at all."

I let out a long, slow breath. There would be no changing his mind. Emmett had me against a brick wall, and I had no choice but to choose. It was either my dream ranch that I had worked so hard to achieve, or a newish relationship with man who had admittedly lied repeatedly, and clearly had some substantial mental issues….

"Okay," I said quietly. "But he won't be back for two more weeks," I said, feeling completely defeated. "I need to talk to him about this in person."

"Fine. I can't wait for him here that long, or I'm sure I'll lose my job… But I will be back. Since you agreed to get rid of him, I'm not going to mention any of this to my parents because I'm sure they will have a heart attack knowing Alice was here with that garbage, but Bella, I'm not kidding around. He's not allowed to step foot on this property unless I'm here, or I will have to bring my parents in and have them force your hand. This is incredibly serious. You don't really know this guy. He could be dangerous."

"I understand, dad," I spat bitterly.

"You can be pissed at me all you want, but I guarantee your dad would have said the same thing."

"Whatever Emmett. Just go. I need time to… let this all sink in, and figure out what I'm going to say to him."

"You may not believe me right now, but I am sorry. I hate that you have to go through this. It is for the best though. In the long run, you'll see it's for the best."

I just shook my head at him and was done listening, so he left me alone outside and went back into the house.

"Everything okay?" Jasper asked me concerned when I finally rejoined the group for dessert.

"Everything is fine," I lied.

Em tried speaking to me casually a few times that evening, clearly hoping to smooth things over, but there was no way I was even capable of being all chummy with him at that moment. He was forcing my life into a tailspin, and it wasn't something I could forget about, not even temporarily, not even for the sake of the holiday.

I was sure everyone could sense the tension around me, but thankfully, everybody seemed to ignore it.

The Cullens all needed to get back on the road bright and early the next morning, so they said their goodbyes. Of course, Esme tried convincing Alice to go home with them, but she refused, so we agreed on another two week interval.

The moment they left, I did all the necessary morning chores for the horses, and then I immediately started planning my next move. I had lied to Emmett when I told him Edward would be gone for two weeks; the truth was I was expecting him within a couple days, so I needed to figure it all out fast.

I just kept thinking about all the pain in Edward's eyes at times, and his upsetting issues with his own blood, and I knew there was still so much more to his story than a past of petty crime. I refused to give up on him, and I would use those two weeks to try to come up with some kind of solution.

Just when I thought things couldn't possibly get any worse, I made a discovery that would make the situation infinitely harder…