A/N: This chapter isn't necessarily an outtake, but it is from Bella's POV. I thought now would be a good time to hear from her. A big thanks to PTB for all the help. And for those of you who celebrate Thanksgiving, Happy Turkey Day! Thanks so much for all the awesome reviews! I've been a total fail at responding to them, but know that they are read and appreciated.
I couldn't believe how stupid I'd been. I'd come back from lunch with Angela and some of the other people in the office and decided to hit up the bathroom before returning to my desk. I didn't think to ask anyone to go with me. Why would I? I was in the building, surrounded by co-workers.
I'd walked down the hall to the bathroom when the door to the stairwell opened and a man had walked out. I hadn't thought much of it since people had to be cleared by security to get into the building, but I should have been more vigilant.
Before I'd even had time to blink, let alone call for help, a hand with a cloth in it pressed itself over my mouth and everything had gone black.
I came to with a massive headache and panic soon set in when I tried to move my hands to rub at my temple and found that I couldn't. My hands were bound behind my back so tightly that it felt like my circulation was being cut off, and I discovered that my legs were bound as well.
James. He must have taken me, and all I could think about was how worried and scared Edward must be. That thought was all it took for me to make a decision then and there to somehow find a way back to Edward.
My wiggling around must have alerted James that I was awake because he hollered at me to stop moving. Not wanting to anger him and have him cause me serious harm, I obeyed, but I didn't stop trying to get my wrists free; I was just quieter about it.
As I lay there, I took a look at my surroundings and tried to memorize every little detail. I was on an ugly, carpeted floor in what looked to be a sleazy motel room. There were orange drapes and hideous, green wallpaper. There was a bed near a window and a man perched on the side of it, his back to me.
I guess he figured that I wasn't much of a threat and that was why his back was turned to me. I hoped that I could prove him wrong.
Freeing my hands was much harder than I'd thought it would be. They make it look so easy in the movies. The rope that was tied around my wrists had cut into my skin with every move I made, causing the skin to break open and bleed. My fingers were slippery with my own blood, something I tried not to think about as I continued to tug and pull at the rope.
I kept my eye on James the whole time, stopping anytime he turned toward me.
He was talking in hushed tones into his phone, finally telling the person on the other line to hurry up and get over there.
Tossing his phone onto the bed behind him, he stood up and headed toward me. Crouching down next to me, he reached out and traced a finger down my cheek, and I jerked away in disgust.
"Hold still!" he growled, slapping me across the face before pulling a knife out of a sheath on his belt.
Immediately, I stopped moving and held my breath, my lower lip throbbing from being split open by his slap. I prayed to every God out there he wouldn't use that knife on me. I'd rather he hit me than slice me up into tiny pieces.
"Good girl," he said after I stilled.
I watched, warily as he moved closer to me. He laid the knife down on the ground next to him, before taking my head in his hands and turning it. I closed my eyes and prayed that it would be quick. I didn't want to suffer.
I braced myself and my eyes flew open as he unclasped my earring before standing up. To say I was confused would be an understatement.
A knocking on the door had James picking up the knife and grasping it tightly in his hand. He looked through the peephole then opened the door a fraction. Moments later, the door shut and James sat back down on the bed with a small box in his hands.
I couldn't see what was in the box from my spot on the floor, but I saw him fiddling with my earring before putting the object back in the box.
Standing up, he walked past me and headed into the bathroom before coming out with a familiar looking cloth. He was going to drug me again, and I couldn't let that happen.
He reached down, grasped my arm, and yanked me to my feet. I began to struggle earnestly, lashing out any way I could. A blow to the side of my head had me seeing stars, and I watched in horror as he covered my mouth with the cloth.
The world started to blur, and I felt him hoist me over his shoulder. Then my world slid into darkness.
"Wake up, you stupid bitch!" a voice hollered at me, and then I felt a stinging pain grace my cheek.
I jerked away from the pain, only to feel it again.
I opened my eyes and found myself staring at James, and he looked furious. Scary and furious. His eyes had a wild, manic look to them, and his face looked haggard and stressed.
"How did you do it?" he demanded to know, hauling me up to my feet, which were now unbound.
I had no idea what he was talking about, and I said as much.
"Don't fucking lie to me!" he screamed before hitting me in the face again, and I felt my lip split reopen, tasting the copper of blood in my mouth. I swallowed back the bile that wanted to come up.
"I don't know what you're talking about!" I shouted back. "If I did, I'd fucking tell you!"
He shoved me away from him, causing me to lose my balance and slam my hip into the side of a wooden table. I gasped as the sharp edge dug into my side, then quickly shut my mouth. No need to piss the crazy bastard off even more than he was.
"How the fuck did this happen?" he roared into his phone.
There was silence from him for a minute before he started hollering again. "She would never turn on me! Never. That stupid bitch worships the ground I walk on. If she did give me up, it's because she was forced into it!"
I assumed he was talking about Victoria throwing him under the bus.
"I bet anything that Tanya is behind it. Find her and take her out! I want her gone! Is that understood?"
James paused as he listened, and then he said, "Good. Now, I've got my own problem to take care of."
Hanging up his phone, he turned to me with a menacing smile. He grasped my arm and shoved me down onto a chair before pulling up another chair and facing me.
"Your little boyfriend should have received my gift by now. I wonder how he's taking it?"
I knew that he wanted me to ask what he was talking about, but I refused to play into his sick and twisted game.
"Shall I gave him a call and see how he's holding up?"
Again, I stared at him, hoping like hell that he'd get what was coming to him.
James seemed unfazed by my lack of response and picked up his phone, twirling it in his hands.
He sat back down in the chair across from me and pulled out his knife, warning me not to do anything stupid. He told me he'd hate to have to kill his cash cow before he got his cash.
I sat there and watched in silence as he pushed a button on his phone, crossing one leg over the other and playing with the knife.
"Where is she?" I heard Edward shout through the phone.
I opened my mouth to respond but shut it when James pointed the knife at me.
"Now, now, Cullen. There's no need to get testy. Did you get my present?"
I didn't hear what Edward said but whatever it was, it made James laugh.
"Here's what you're going to do, Cullen. If you want to see your precious Bella alive, you will follow my orders. Understood?"
Edward must have responded because James smiled and replied, "Excellent. See how much easier this is when you cooperate with me?"
The next fifteen minutes were spent with James giving Edward directions on what to do and where to go. Edward was supposed to meet James at a cabin deep in the woods near Albany. Once there, James would supposedly let me go in exchange for money . I hoped like hell that Edward wouldn't fall for it. It was obvious that James would kill both of us.
"… and come alone. If I see anyone else there, I won't hesitate to kill her."
After James hung up the phone, he got up and began to shove things into a black duffle bag. I saw several large knives and a gun as well.
"Why are you doing this?" I asked him.
"Why not?" was his reply.
"I want to know. Why do you want to kill Edward so badly? He never did anything to you."
He zipped up the bag and turned to face me. "I have a job to do, and I always complete my jobs."
"What?" I asked, confused.
"It's not like I'm doing this for free."
My mind whirled, trying to comprehend what I'd just heard. What did he mean by he wasn't doing it for free? Did that mean someone had paid him to kill Edward?
"You're telling me that someone hired you to kill Edward?" I asked, disbelief in my voice.
"See? I knew you weren't just a pretty face."
I reeled with the news. Someone seriously wanted Edward dead. The only person I could think of was Tanya, but she didn't have much money, and I had a feeling James wouldn't be killing someone for cheap.
"So, why not just shoot him on the street or something? Why take me?"
"You ask a lot of questions. Then again, it doesn't really matter since you won't live to tell anyone the answers," he told me, delight in his voice.
Subconsciously, I had known that he was going to kill me, but hearing him say it was more than unsettling.
"Then tell me!" I demanded.
"My instructions were to make his death as painful as possible; to make him suffer. Who am I to argue with my client? What my client wants, my client gets. As for you—what better way to make Cullen suffer than for him to watch you die a slow, painful death."
He truly was a sick fuck. There'd never been any doubt really, but now I knew it to be true.
"Enough talking. We've got to get on the road," he said, coming over with some rope in his hands.
The second he was in front of me, I lashed out, kicking him as hard as could near his groin. I must have made contact because he dropped to his knees, pain on his face. I ran for the door, trying to unlock and open it with my hands still tied behind my back. It was extremely difficult and it took far longer than I wanted, but I managed to get it open.
I ran down the hall, screaming for help, but not one person came to my aid. I kept running until I came to the front desk, which looked abandoned. I didn't stop to hang around, and headed out the door only to get hit with the realization that there was no one around to help.
From the look of the outside of the motel, the sign, and the parking lot, the place hadn't been used for a very long time.
My only real chance was to make a run for it, but I had no idea where to run. I had no way of knowing if there was a town or houses nearby. I couldn't hear any traffic, and the road in front of the motel looked desolate.
The slamming of a door had me turning around, and I saw James limping toward me. There was no time, I had to run.
I'd never been athletic and as I ran toward the road, I prayed that I'd have the strength to get somewhere safe.
I could hear James running after me, cursing and hollering.
I pushed myself to run faster, knowing that my chances of outrunning James were slim.
The sides of the road were covered in dense woods, and I decided that I'd have a better chance in there then on the open road.
I ran around a bend before going off the road and into the woods. I went a ways into the woods, yet close enough to still see the road. I ducked behind a tree, bending over and trying to catch my breath. I swore then and there that if I got out alive, I'd start exercising.
I heard James calling my name, and I held my breath, not wanting to give away my spot. I knew that I couldn't just stay in one place, so as quietly as possible, I began to move.
The woods began to get thicker the further in I went. While I'd wanted to stay near the road, I knew James would be able to find me easier.
I kept moving, hoping that I was heading in the direction that the road had been going. I heard the snapping of a twig behind me and immediately ducked behind a large pine tree.
I heard more twigs snapping and then I heard James.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are! I know you're out here, Isabella!" he called.
Shit, shit, shit! He was closer than I'd thought. I hunkered down and stayed where I was until I heard his footsteps moving on. Not willing to risk it, I waited for another ten minutes before I began moving again.
Nightfall was beginning to cross the sky, and I feared being stuck in the woods in the darkness. All kinds of creepy animals came out then, and I had no idea what lurked in these woods.
Quietly, I began moving, much slower than normal, since my vision had become limited. I paused when I heard the sound of water nearby. I figured if I could find the water, I could follow it to civilization.
Minutes passed before I found what seemed to be a river. I let out a sigh as I walked down to its bank.
The bank was dry, and I figured I could camp there for the night; not that I wanted to. However, I figured that would be safer than wandering the woods in the dark with James lurking about.
The moon was quite bright, something I was grateful for, and I scouted around for a sharp rock to use to get the rope off my hands. It didn't take too long to find one, but it did take forever to get the rope off. I scraped the hell out of my wrists and winced at the pain, but it was better than being tied up.
It had been the longest night of my life, and I hadn't slept a wink. I'd been too scared. Scared of wild animals, of James, and scared for Edward. I had no idea how far away from Albany I was, but if James was to meet Edward there today, then I figured James wouldn't be hanging about in the woods. At least I hoped he wasn't.
As soon as there was enough light, I began trekking down the river bank. My body hurt, I was dirty, and I was frightened. I jumped at every little movement, thinking it was James.
I had no idea how long I'd been walking but eventually, I saw a dock along the river. If there was a dock, it would make sense that there was a house or a road nearby, right? I headed toward the dock and saw a small dirt path heading up a hill.
I started running up the hill until a cabin came into view, and I heard voices: one female and one male. My body sagged with relief when I spotted the elderly couple sitting in a couple of chairs on the deck of the cabin.
"Good morning, dear!" the woman called out as she spotted me.
That was all it took for the tears to start. I stumbled toward them and collapsed upon reaching the deck stairs.
Almost immediately, warm arms wrapped themselves around my shoulders, and she helped me up the stairs and settled me into a rocking chair.
"Walter! Get the first aid kit!"
The elderly man scrambled out of his chair and hurried inside, coming back a minute later. He handed her the kit which she took and opened, pulling out supplies.
She cleaned the scrapes and cuts before applying some ointment to them.
"What in the world happened to you, dear?" she asked.
With tears streaming down my face and a quiver in my voice, I explained everything that had happened. I told them about James taking me and holding me hostage. I told them about Edward and my fear for his safety, and how he was probably going out of his mind with worry about me. Before long, I couldn't speak because I was a blubbering mess.
The woman, who introduced herself as Dottie, dried my tears as she told her husband to get the phone. Walter complied immediately and handed me the phone.
With trembling fingers, I dialed Edward's number. It rang and rang before going to voicemail. I tried it three more times, before deciding to call Charlie.
"Hello?" his gruff voice answered.
"Ch—Charlie?"
"Bella! Oh, God! Where are you? Are you okay? Talk to me!"
"I'm—" I paused and took a deep breath. "I'm okay. I've got some scrapes and bruises and a nasty headache. But I got away from James."
The tears began again and, at some point, Dottie took the phone from me and told Charlie where I was. Once she handed the phone back to me, I was told to stay put and that he'd be out to get me.
"What about Edward?" I asked. "I can't get a hold of him. I'm afraid he's gone off to meet James!"
Charlie mumbled out a curse.
"I'll find him, and then I'm going to beat Edward's ass. The boy knew he was supposed to stay put."
After talking to Charlie, I'd learned that I'd been missing for two days. It had felt like I'd been gone longer than that.
Dottie insisted that I take a shower and get warm while she made me something to eat. I had a feeling that she always got her way, and who was I to argue when I wanted both.
My emotions were all over the place, and I spent my time in the shower crying before becoming quite angry. Angry at James for being the vile human being that he was; angry at the person who had hired him, and angry at Edward for going off to meet him. I didn't have any proof that he had, but I knew Edward.
Dottie had laid out some clothes for me that she told me belonged to her granddaughter, and once I was changed, I found her in the kitchen. She placed a bowl of soup in front of me and I quickly devoured it.
A few hours later, there was a knock on the door, and Walter let Charlie in. I ran to him, throwing my arms around him and holding on tight. Charlie grasped me to him, burying his face in my hair.
Eventually, he pulled away, and I saw tears in his eyes. He quickly looked me over as if to reassure himself that I was okay. I assured him that I was.
Charlie wasn't alone though. He'd brought with him a detective that was working the case, David Beckett.
Charlie sat with me as I told Detective Beckett everything that I knew. Including the fact that James had been hired by someone to kill Edward.
"Did he say who?" Detective Beckett asked me.
I shook my head no.
"Could it be his ex-wife?"
"I don't think so," I told him. "She doesn't have the money, I don't think. Also, James ordered a hit on her. He thinks she's behind Victoria turning on him."
Charlie spoke up then. "We've got Tanya in custody, so she'll be safe. I don't believe that she would have hired James, but I'll have my deputy question her, and James' wife as well."
While Detective Beckett asked me question after question, Charlie was on the phone with his deputies. Once the detective had asked all his questions, he excused himself to make some phone calls and send out some men to the cabin where James wanted to meet Edward.
We sat in silence while Detective Beckett was on the phone.
"… okay. I'll let them know," he said before hanging up his phone.
He turned to face Charlie and I before saying, "We located the cabin where Hunter arranged to meet Edward."
"And?" I asked, not liking the look on his face.
He ran a hand through his hair before answering. "Edward's rental car is there, but he's not. We think that James has him."
No, no, no! "James will kill him! He'll torture him to death! You have to find him!" I shouted.
"Bella—"
"No, Charlie! You don't understand! James is a sick fuck! God, only knows what he's doing to my Edward!" I hollered before turning my gaze to Detective Beckett. "Why didn't you have men watching Edward? You had to have known that he was going to meet with James."
Detective Beckett squatted in front of me. "Bella, please listen to me. We did have men watching Edward, but he gave them the slip. James had told him that if he brought anyone with him, he'd kill you. Chances are good that Edward believed him."
I buried my face in Charlie's shoulder, sobbing quietly. All I wanted was my Edward. I wanted him safe and sound and in my arms.
"We will find him," Detective Beckett promised.
I was afraid, however, that they wouldn't find Edward in time, and I knew that I couldn't live without him. He was my everything.
a/n: We'll be back to EPOV next chapter. As always, let me know what you thought!
