Chapter 13: Tightening the Noose
Disclaimer: All characters are the property of S. Meyer.
My amnesia lasted until I finished kissing Bella goodbye. I wheeled Billy back home, took a shower and went to bed. The whole wolf pack decided to sleep in tonight, since we'd be cornering the Terrible Trio at the frat party tomorrow night.
I had already alerted Charlie about the incident yesterday, and apologized for my little white lie. He and the posse were out en masse combing the woods; and even had spies on the watch for suspicious cars. I could hear the dogs barking in the cool night air. Every once in a while I caught the sound of the men talking among themselves. I didn't think Cisco and his buddies would get through the guard tonight.
Damn, that fact didn't help me any though; I still couldn't relax. I kept thinking about my Bella walking into that barn. Suppose something happened? What if our plan failed? I was tempted to run back to the Clearwaters', leap through her bedroom window and cart her across the state line. We'd both be safe for a little while at least, but then they'd return to face us another day. Filthy, stubborn leeches. God, I was a nervous wreck!
I kept thinking, I have to get some rest. I need to be alert tomorrow. Bella's life is dependent on me. I put on a classical CD—Mozart to be exact. Hey, I can appreciate good music—don't let the cutoffs fool ya. Anyhow, the music calmed me down some and finally lulled me to sleep.
Sam called a meeting at ten. Thank God, Bella was at Charlie's for awhile. He laid out the plan for all of us.
Sam got everyone's attention. There were a few of us—who shall remain nameless—that didn't seem to understand the gravity of this situation, and kept foolin' around. "Listen up!" Sam shouted. "The Cullens are going to be at the barn at six forty five. They're going to warn the Volturi that we are in the vicinity. Hopefully, Jane will send out Felix to meet with them. I can't imagine that the Volturi would want the Cullens interfering with their plans. It might look suspicious having vampires appear at a frat party. Jasper, Edward and Emmett will lure him away from the remaining two. When Felix is on his way to the Cullens' home, we will circle around the barn and trap the others. Until then, we'll stay downwind and far enough so our scent doesn't scare them off.
"When we're sure that they are secure, Jared and Paul will phase back and take the tracker to the shed out by Beggar's Pass. Seth, you stay in wolf form in the truck's bed in case he tries to escape. Embry and I will take the girl to the cabin near Cripple Creek. Quil, you'll be in the other truck bed, on the lookout. Jacob, you and Leah will help rounding them up, but I want you to stay with Bella afterwards. I'm sure she'll be in need of you especially, Jake. Take her to the Clearwaters'; I don't want those escapees complicating matters. Sue won't mind if you have to stay with Bella for awhile. If any of you have any questions ask them now."
No one raised a hand. "Okay then, meet at my place at six, no excuses."
Bella called me whining about the party. "But, Jacob, can't you beg off for just this one night? Leah has to patrol too. Why do you both have to go? There's got to be some way you can trade with someone."
"Sorry, Bells—Sam's orders. I'm gonna be gone till midnight at least. You go have fun. It's gotta be better than sittin' around waiting for me to come home. It'll make the time go by faster. I promise I'll drop by the house after patrolling."
"If this wasn't Eric's party, I'd stay home and watch 'I love Lucy' reruns. Ugh! That sounds pathetic, doesn't it? Okay, I guess you're right; it would be kind of lonely here. Seth went out somewhere and Sue's gone over to my dad's, so the house will be empty. I'll save you a couple of brownies. And just so you know, I'm not going to stay long, maybe an hour or two at the most. I'll wait up for you. I love you, Sunny."
"Love you too, Bells. I better get goin'. See you tonight." Whew, I hated lying to her. I only hoped nothing would go wrong.
The decorations seemed highly appropriate. Considering two male vampires who had never hosted a party in their lives were in charge, the place looked very festive. There were several cars parked in the front of the building. It would be a while before anyone reported them missing, and longer for them to be found.
Jane had gone to a music shop earlier, asked for the clerk's opinion and purchased a few CD's, and some electronic equipment to play them on. The music only needed to fill the air for a few minutes, just long enough to mask the real intent of the occasion. Jane started up the music and cringed at the noise emanating from the player. These Americans had the worst taste in entertainment.
The trap was set. Things were running smoothly, that is until Demitri piped up. "That's odd, I detect vampires in the vicinity—very close vicinity. I do believe I recognize the scent as belonging to the Cullens."
Felix rubbed his forehead in frustration. "God's teeth, if we should have to scrap these plans, I shall certainly go mad!"
"We cannot have that, now can we, Jane?" Demitri always seemed to find levity in every situation. "Come now, surely this can only pose a minor kink in our scheme."
Jane turned abruptly to the towering vampire. "Calm yourself, Felix. Go greet them and see what they want from us. Try to distract them. We cannot have them here. It would appear highly suspicious if Isabella were to spot them. Be sure that they remove themselves quickly."
Scowling at the two of them, Felix huffed indignantly and slipped out the door.
Oh bother, what could these vegetarians possibly want, and at this most inopportune time. He glided toward the entourage. If he was not mistaken, Jasper Hale, Edward and Emmett Cullen made up the scouting party. He managed to put on some semblance of a smile.
"What an unexpected visit," he offered as politely as he could under the circumstances. What he actually wanted to say was, Bugger off you three nincompoops! Can you not see there is a private gathering going on? Could they be any more obtuse? Would they not have been given invitations, if they were to be admitted? Damnable interlopers!
Edward nodded a greeting, "Felix."
"Edward," Felix replied. "Is there something specific you needed to impart to us? As you can see, we are about to entertain some people."
"Yes, I see that you are."
"Can we talk somewhere more private? I would not want to detract from the gaiety of the occasion." That remark would certainly be a good excuse to lure them away from the barn.
"I completely understand. We were out hunting when we picked up your scent and wanted to warn you of the dangers in this part of the country. But as you inferred, let's finish this conversation in our vehicle."
Felix was well aware of the danger, but he couldn't let on that he already was cognizant about the werewolf situation. He followed the Cullens to the car. Edward indicated the back seat and Felix complied. Jasper and Emmett immediately took their places at either side of him, Edward hopped into the driver seat and the Volvo shot off into the night, leaving their confused passenger with a perplexed expression on his face.
Jane and Demitri meanwhile patiently awaited his return. Unbeknownst to them, they would wait for quite some time—quite some time indeed!
We all met at Sam's place, and sailed into the forest bent on meeting a mile from Hanson's Barn.
We all arrived at the rendezvous point quickly. Brady was phased and stationed in the yard at Sam's. It was his job to communicate with us. Collin was inside. He was watching the clock and feedng the info to Brady. It was 6:43. I kept pacing back and forth, wearing a furrow into the soft forest floor. I was so antsy that Embry finally nudged my shoulder with his muzzle. Damn, Jake, calm down. We're not going to let anything happen to Bella. I'd stake my life on it.
I know that Embry. My brain accepts it, but my heart won't rest until those disgusting parasites are in our custody and Bella's safe in my arms.
It was Sam's turn. The Cullen's have arrived. Felix is with them. It's time; let's move out.
At last, I felt like I was doing something useful. I hit the ground, running. Understandably, I was leading the pack. I was racing so fast even, Leah couldn't outpace me.
I heard Sam's thoughts again. I'm only sensing two remaining vamps. The Cullens must have succeeded in capturing Felix."
Good news! Eight against two; the odds were definitely in our favor. My paws pounded the earth, catapulting me at an even faster clip. Hanson's Barn swept into view, and just as suddenly, I heard the roar of Bella's Chevy. There was no mistaking that sound. I had my hands under that hood too many times to miss it.
Bella parked her truck and opened the door to the driver's seat. She stepped out into the cool night air, one hand holding a platter full of brownies, the other pushing the door closed. She walked slowly toward the bright lights emanating from the building. The pulsing rhythm of the music drowned out the sounds of the rustling leaves and the chirping of the crickets.
It was almost comical, that the vamps chose a barn for this occasion. They were just itching for the big bad werewolves to crash the party. Anywhere else and we literally would've had to crash through the walls to fit our huge bodies inside.
Bella was a few steps away from the barn when Leah and I pounced, rushing through the open doors, intercepting her entrance. We were followed by Paul and Jared. The rest of the pack surrounded the barn obstructing any means of escape.
Bella let out a scream and—dropping the platter—fell to the ground. I wanted to run to her, but I knew I had to finish the pressing job before my face. The battle was actually forfeit. I thought the Volturi would put up a fight, instead, Jane smiled, "I see this was well planned. As much as I do not care to admit it, I am very impressed. Demitri and I surrender. There is no sense in wasting our valuable lives. Volterra needs us in operating condition. I do have one question, however. What have you done with Felix?"
At that moment, Sam and Embry entered the barn in their human form. Sam addressed Jane. "He's safe. The Cullen's have him at their home. By the way, I'll have to take your cell phone. I can't have you calling for help."
Jane dug the cell out from her jeans pocket, and reluctantly handed it to Sam. "You have thought of everything. But . . . you know the Volturi will have to come back shortly to deal with Master Deveraux," she smirked.
Her expression changed as Embry retorted, "You don't need to worry; we took care of him. That's one less vampire to bother our borders."
Was there a sudden flash of regret in those ruby eyes? "That is such a shame. I was getting rather fond of him."
Paul and Jared still in wolf form followed Jane as the two escorted her to the awaiting truck that had just pulled up. Collin was in the driver's seat. He jumped down from the truck as Sam slid onto the seat and Embry lifted the girl to sit between them. Quil leapt onto the truck bed and the group headed out to the cabin at Cripple Creek. Two vamps down, one to go!
A few minutes later, another truck arrived. This time Brady was waving at us. Jared and Paul phased back. Leah and I had our noses—as disgusting as he reeked—at Demitri's back. It was a pleasure to watch the infamous tracker as he was led to the remaining vehicle. Seth was already in position along with Brady. They all embarked and rolled off to Beggar's Pass.
Relief flooded my body as the last truck pulled away. I phased back, pulled on my shorts and flew out the door. I left Leah in the barn to get herself dressed.
When I saw Bella, she was still sitting on the ground, legs folded under her. The platter was broken beyond repair, the pieces of white porcelain glistening in the moonlight. There were brownies scattered everywhere. The birds would have a feast tomorrow.
She looked up at my approach, her arms straight out, begging for me. I reached down and scooped up the most precious treasure in the world. Her little hands clung to my neck tightly; she pressed her cheek against my shoulder. I kissed the top of her head, tucking it under my chin. I pulled her in close to my chest. Her heart was still fluttering like a humming bird's wing.
Leah sauntered out of the barn. By then, I was trying to get us into the Chevy. "I'll drive, you've got your hands full," she remarked.
She took Bella from me—with some difficulty I might add—as I settled onto the seat. Leah lifted her, placing her on my lap. I stroked her hair as we started down the road to La Push. The silence in the cab was deafening.
As we rounded the corner to the highway, Leah peered over at me, looking deadly serious. "Whatever you do, Jacob, don't let go of her. She's in shock. I'm afraid she's going to implode any minute now."
"You couldn't pay me enough to let her go. She's everything to me. You hear that, Bells?"
She didn't answer, but I could feel her heartbeat slowing, and her breathing was becoming easier.
We pulled into the driveway at the Clearwater residence. I carried Bella inside and lay her down on the bed. She wouldn't let go of me, so I stayed by her side, my arms still holding her in a tight embrace. Leah took off Bella's shoes and pulled the covers over both of us. I don't know about Bells, but I was out like a light in a matter of minutes. I didn't wake up till morning.
A/N: This was a toughie. I didn't want to repeat a lot of violence capturing the Volturi. I hope this doesn't disappoint anyone.