Chapter thirteen

"I've found it!" Jacob slammed his hand down on the desk, causing Charlie and Sam to look up at him from the map.

"It's a small house, un-used, just off highway 32." Jacob pointed at the map, showing them both the location. "Here's the address." He handed Charlie a slip of paper which he unfolded and studied before glancing back up at Jacob.

"That transmitter is phenomenal, Boss. He went there, a few hours after leaving the diner, and he picked someone up and then they headed here," he pointed again, "where he dropped the guy off, before leaving."

"This guy he picked up, he left at this address?"

Jacob nodded.

"This is where Isabella is?"

"For sure."

"How sure?"

Jacob clicked on the microphone and Aro's voice filled the room:

'We give him ten more hours and then we'll send him a little token from his daughter.'

'Why ten hours? Why not now?'

'It's a lot of money, James. He needs time to raise that cash.'

'He's had time!'

'Well, we give him some more, but with a little incentive to get a move on.'

'This is horseshit! This should have been over with by now!'

Charlie winced as he heard James hit what he imagined was the car door with his fist. Suddenly, a gurgling sound filled the room.

'I'm sorry,' James choked out, and then he started to cough.

Charlie imagined Aro had gripped his throat for damaging his car, and had now let go. He wanted to choke the bastard himself!

'Ten hours, James, and then you remove something from her person. I don't care, lock of hair, finger, and let me know when you do. Let's see what Mr. Swan makes of his daughter arriving home in little bags!'

Charlie lowered his head into his hands, but continued to listen.

'I'll come back here to pick it up.'

'Why is he taking so long to pay up?' James asked.

There was a pause before Aro responded. 'Like I said, raising the cash.'

Charlie could hear the car hit gravel and then stop.

'I hate this place,' James said.

'Hey, this place was my Grandmother's!'

Aro sounded like he was smiling.

'Oh shit, Jasper's watching. You better go.'

Charlie heard the car door open and slam closed, then the radio as it came on, and the wheels spinning on the gravel as Aro sped away.

Jacob clicked 'stop' on the microphone, and smiled, tapping the slip of paper he had handed to Charlie. "She's here, and we heard it from the horse's mouth!"

"When was this?" Charlie asked.

"Fifteen minutes ago," Jacob told him, looking from Charlie to Sam and back again. "Why?"

"He told that other guy I had ten more hours to pay."

"Yeah, and?" Jacob held both hands up in question.

"I paid already."

Jasper had managed to pull Isabella up three of the steps before he heard the front door slam.

Both their heads whipped round, staring at the open basement door. Jasper didn't know whether to run for it, or push her back down. Who knew how long it would before another opportunity came for them to flee? But Isabella was weak and dazed from being locked down here for days, so she was completely incapable of making a run for it.

"What the fuck?" They heard James before they saw him.

He appeared in the door like something from the macabre, scrunching his face up as the smell from inside reached him.

Isabella began to sob.

James ran down the stairs, and before Jasper could respond, James punched him in the face.

Jasper released Isabella's hand as he hit the floor.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" James yelled at him, kicking Jasper in the ribs as he curled up, covering his face. "Huh? What the fuck is going on?"

James kicked again, and Isabella screamed. "Leave him alone!" She scrambled across the floor, throwing herself over Jasper, feeling the impact of James' boot hit her square in the ribs.

All the breath left her, and she clutched at her side as if to cradle the stabbing pain.

James grabbed Isabella by her hair and pulled her across the room. She was facing the floor and trying desperately to free herself from his grasp, to stop her face hitting the concrete at the same time. She failed on both attempts, and felt her nose crack and blood fill her mouth.

James let go and Isabella tried to scramble away as he drew a knife from his side. It had been tucked between his pants and his belt buckle, and she hadn't seen it till now.

James grabbed her legs and tried to pull her back towards him, but she kicked at him and clawed at the floor, breaking two fingernails clean off in her frantic fight.

Isabella succeeded in landing a kick in James' groin, but it was only hard enough to make him grunt and let go, rather than incapacitate him altogether.

"Fuck it!" James screamed, and bending down, he picked up her finger nails. "This will have to do."

Walking over to Jasper, James kicked him again, but Jasper barely responded. His body moved with the impact, nothing more.

James walked slowly up the stairs, and looking back down at them both, he spat, then slammed the door closed, locking them both in.

Isabella weakly pushed herself up onto her hands and crawled across the floor towards Jasper. Her nose was pumping blood down her face and throat. Her lips were open to help her breathe, and bloody spittle was spraying the concrete as she crawled. Her nails had broken clean off, leaving pulp which felt like her fingers were burning.

As she reached Jasper, she collapsed down next to him, her bloody hand reaching out to touch his, but not quite making the connection before she fainted.

When Edward and Emmett arrived back at the house, James was sitting in the lounge, drinking beer.

He held the two finger nails in the palm of his hand like a prize.

"Where's Jasper and what the hell is that?" Edward nodded towards James' hand.

"Jasper is downstairs with his girlfriend," James took another sip, "and these are a gift for daddy."

"You took her fingernails?" The disgust was evident in Edward's voice.

"He needs an incentive to pay."

"Says who, James? This new friend with the fancy car who keeps turning up? Who is this guy?"

"Yes," James said, "he says."

"Is that all you've got to say?"

James shrugged.

"What did you do to Jasper?"

James shrugged again.

"If you've hurt him..."

James started laughing. "And what, Edward? What?"

Edward grabbed him by the collar and pulled him to his feet, throwing him at Emmett, who yanked James' arms around his back, causing him to wince. Edward poked his finger in James' face. "Then we will kill you!"

James started to laugh again, despite his predicament, but he stopped when he saw the look in Edward's eyes. James knew when you messed with Edward's family you woke the monster inside.

"He's fine," James stammered. "I just locked him in there to teach him a lesson. He keeps interfering, man. He was supposed to just be the fucking driver!"

Edward turned away from James and rubbed his face. He was tired of this. He'd warned Jasper to stay away.

"Emmett, go let him out," Edward said.

Emmett let go of James and walked to the basement, opening the door; he swore before covering his mouth and nose and venturing down. Moments later he reappeared carrying Jasper, who was unconscious and bleeding.

Before James could talk, Emmett had placed Jasper down on the chair, and walked back over to him, punching him in the gut. "That's for my baby brother, dick cheese!"

James crumpled to the floor, trying to catch his breath.

"Where's your phone?" Edward asked him.

James pulled it from his pocket and handed it to Edward. "Who are you calling?" he choked out.

"Your friend, what's his name?"

James ignored him, but Edward soon found the number. It was the only other name in his contacts besides his own and Emmett's.

Edward hit 'Aro' and listened as the ringing went unanswered. He tried several more times before hanging up. "Looks like he's ignoring you."

"Impossible." James had sat up and was leaning against the wall, still holding his stomach. "He's expecting me to call him."

"About your little prize there?" Edward indicated the fingernails now lying on the floor. "Let's try him again, shall we?"

But Aro didn't pick up.

Edward tapped the phone to his chin as he thought. "How about we call Charlie and ask about our money?"

"Are you nuts?" James laughed.

"You told me it was just us, then I find out there's this other guy who is actually in charge! But he ignores your calls even though he told you to call him? How do you know him, James? How do you know he can be trusted? How do you know he hasn't taken the money and ran?"

"Because he wouldn't fucking dare!"

"Seems to me that a man who can convince someone else to steal another human for him, and take all the risks, and be the person who she can identify...well," Edward crossed his arms, "seems to me like that person would be capable of daring to take the money and run, all the while telling you that her father hasn't paid!"

James stared at Edward, letting his words sink in.

"Well fuck me!" Emmett exclaimed. "That seems pretty callous."

"Fucking bastard!" James screamed, jumping to his feet and snatching his phone from Edward. Punching hard on the keys, he located Aro's number and pressed dial. His face became like thunder each time the call timed out. Never any answer.

"Like I said, we should call Charlie," Edward repeated.

"Or we could just go home," Emmett chipped in.

"Fuck that! I want my money!" James spat.

"Then call Charlie."

"I don't have his number," James said.

Edward pointed at James' phone. It was a new device with all the latest gadgets and apps. "Just fucking Google it!" Edward suggested.

James spent a few minutes locating the details for Swan Security Systems, and then rang the business line.

Charlie Swan felt sick. He had paid the ransom as instructed and was waiting for the message to come through that he could go collect his daughter.

But eight hours had passed and still no word.

It was time for plan B.

He was seated at his desk with Sam and his team of officers, surmising a plan to rescue his daughter. They knew where she was, they even had an idea who the other guy was that Aro had been talking to. They also knew rushing straight in there, all guns blazing, could endanger Isabella, so a strategy had to be planned out.

DI Uley had advised Charlie not to pay, to wait for his team to get in there, but Isabella meant more to Charlie than his entire world, and he was not about to take any chances with her life. He told Uley they would try his way first and that he had waited long enough. But then the bank manager had taken his sweet time clearing the funds. Charlie couldn't tell him the truth about the transaction, he would not risk it, but he still expected the bank to oblige him with a speedy account transfer, rather than pushing him to back of the queue.

He vowed to change banks when this ordeal was over.

He had paced the house, waiting for that message telling him it was safe to go get her, but each minute that passed became an hour, and then two, three, four, before he finally caved in and agreed to a rescue operation. It was now time for Sam Uley's way.

He had tried to pay attention as Sam and his team concocted their mission, but his attention kept drifting. He kept wondering what they would find when they burst into that house.

Was she alive or dead?

The business line rang, pulling Charlie back into the present. "Can you get that?" he asked Jacob.

Jacob picked up the phone. "Swan Security Systems." He paused to listen. "I'm sorry, Mr. Swan is not available, can I take a mess..." Jacob paused again, his sentence interrupted. Covering the mouth piece he offered the phone to Charlie. "Sir, you're going to want to take this!"

Charlie looked up at Jacob and noticed the colour had drained from his face. They hadn't anticipated them calling the business line; they'd always used his personal number.

"Aro?" Charlie mouthed, but Jacob shook his head.

Reaching for the phone, Charlie swallowed before speaking. His mouth had gone dry. "Swan here."

"Where's my fucking money?"

Charlie immediately recognised the caller as the guy who had chatted with Aro in his car.

"I beg your pardon?"

"My money, where is it? It's been long enough and I want my money!"

"I want my daughter!" Charlie answered back.

"Then you should've paid sooner!"

"I did pay. I paid over eight hours ago. And I was promised someone would leave me details on how to find Isabella."

"You...paid?" James was choked. Fury was threatening to overtake his entire being, and he shook as he tried to reign in enough control to finish this conversation.

Charlie started to panic. If Aro had taken the money and not told his colleagues, that meant Isabella was dead, or she soon would be.

"I paid," Charlie repeated. "Now give me my daughter!"

The line went dead.