A/N... Oh boy, so let's hear about the rest of their day in L.A., yeah? I do need to give you guys a little bit of warning on this one. Some of the things they discover aren't exactly pretty. So just brace yourselves. But as always, this group will work together to get through...using humor and their smarts.
I'll let you get on with it. See me at the bottom...
CHAPTER 14
BELLA
"I'm calling Kate. She'll box that boy's ears," Carlisle muttered softly, though I think I was the only one that heard him. He was glaring at the sonogram picture in Mickey's hand while she sat in the front seat with Edward.
I shook my head at him. "Leave it," I hissed at him. "Between you and Edward...I swear. This is their problem, Carlisle."
He grimaced, but nodded, looking out the window. "I know, but..."
I tsked at him, and he shut up. We'd just left the women's clinic where Edward had practically bribed and threatened the poor staff to let Mickey in ahead of everyone else. She'd asked if I would join her in the room, which I did. It had been moving to watch her, because nothing came close to bringing a woman to tears than that first sound of the whirring machine, that little blurry glimpse of the bean on the monitor, and the doctor telling you that everything looked good. It was more emotional for Mickey, because she really wished Obie wanted this.
In fact, just to give her extra comfort, I'd called Edward into the room when the baby was on the screen. He'd turned what could have been a really tough situation into something really good, because he could truly appreciate the little blurb on the monitor more than anyone.
When we'd pulled in, everyone in the car had been confused, and Mickey had finally had to tell them. I was pretty sure the news would get back to the beach house before we did. Makenna had hugged her fiercely, telling her that we were there for her. Kurt had been confused, but just like Edward and Carlisle, had turned angry at the thought of Obie missing this first checkup. Kurt was young, but he was all about his family.
Edward's phone rang shrilly in the silence of the car as we made our way to Kyra's home. "Yes, Alice," he answered, turning the phone on speaker.
"Okay, okay, okay," she chanted with a sigh. "I let a few leaks out there, Edward. I just wanted you to know. I waited until after you left Solstice before I did it so that when we let those pictures out, they'll make much more sense. I haven't released your name yet, but I'll wait until you are in the house before allowing another leak out. Okay?"
"Got it, Alice," he told her. "Anything else?"
"Yes," she giggled. "Esme and Alec want to know what Bella wants for her birthday dinner. It's tomorrow night, and since you guys can't really go out..."
"Nothing," I stated with an eye roll. "Just make dinner as usual," I chuckled and waved a hand.
"Bella, no..." Edward argued with a laugh. "Tell them we'll talk about it when I get back."
"Edward..." I huffed. "Please, don't..."
"Hush, sweetness," he chided sweetly. "I've got this. And I haven't forgotten what you wanted, love." He raised a deadly sexy eyebrow up at me in the rear view mirror, daring me to counter him.
I smirked, but shut up, because I knew better than to argue with him on this. He obviously had something in mind, and even though I didn't really need a big deal made over my birthday, Edward liked spoiling me. The only thing I'd asked for was just some alone time with him, though as long as we were at the safe house, I didn't see that happening anytime soon.
"Excellent," Alice sang. "I'll let them know. See you guys in a few. Call if you need anything."
"Alice!" I said, sitting forward. "How's Kyra doing?"
"Oh, Bells," she groaned sadly. "She's been working with Esme and Gator all damn day. The mere idea that Ike is out free – even though he's being monitored by the Feds and isn't allowed to leave Seattle – has really just knocked her on her ass. I even tried pulling up the security of the hotel he's in, but she doesn't get it."
I sighed, falling back in my seat. "Damn, she's not really seeing it, Alice," I told her, shaking my head. "To her, it's just a picture on the screen. The threat is still very real to her."
"Well, it doesn't fucking help that the news is plastered with Ike's old, wrinkled, wretched ass! He's claiming that it's a false arrest, that he's been set up, and that nothing that he's being accused of is true. He may have a point, but Wes is withholding those tapes from the media, and Ike knows that Kyra is his accuser. So she's freaking out. She keeps saying that no one will believe her, that everyone will think that she's lying, and that they'll believe him."
"We should just put a hit on him," Mickey growled, shaking her head. "One less pig in the world..."
"Tempting," Carlisle muttered, but smirked at Alice's laugh.
"Get in line," she said through the speaker. "Alec, Emmett, and Jasper are all trying to come up with a plan. They range from the plausible, to the ridiculous. I believe tar and feathering came up, not to mention public hanging and castration..."
The whole car full of us broke into laughter, but Edward snorted, "What? No guillotine?"
"Yes! A small one...that was the castration part!" she answered him, bursting into hysterics.
Edward's shoulders shook with his laugh as he nodded in agreement. "Food for thought, pixie. Maybe when we get back, we can add to the list. Ask Emmett if he can still get ahold of that acid..."
"I will," she snickered. "You're coming up on Kyra's neighborhood, so I'll let you go. Oh, and a pic of you and Bells walking in alone wouldn't be a bad thing," she hinted, before ending the call.
Kyra's neighborhood, while extremely upper class, was spread out enough that we could pull off what Alice was asking of us and get everyone inside the house without much fuss. Kurt hopped out of the car, camera in hand, and planted himself across from the driveway as we pulled in. Since Alice hadn't released that Kyra was going to her home, the streets were empty, quiet, and pretty damn still in the middle of the afternoon.
Edward parked the car, telling his dad, Cassie, Mickey, and Mack to head on inside when Cassie opened the garage door. We were waiting for them to all go in so that he and I could walk in together, giving Kurt his photo op.
With a sexy as hell crooked smile, he opened the car door for me, asking, "Hmm...let's see... If you were bringing me home for the first time, sweetness, how would we act?"
I had to laugh, because he was enjoying this shit way too much. Still giggling, I gripped the front of his jeans and tugged him closer as I still sat in the back seat of the SUV. "I'm thinking we would be...desperate to get inside," I purred at him, pulling his mouth to mine.
He chuckled low and deep against my lips. "No tour? Just straight to the bedroom, love? Hmm, my naughty girl," he crooned, wrapping his arms all the way around me and picking me up off the seat. He let my body slither down his own, though his strong arms didn't relent their hug around me.
"You're kinda hot, Edward...and definitely hard to resist," I told him, grinning when the radio in our ears filled with groans. "Shut it, all of you!" I ordered with a laugh. "No one said you had to fucking listen!"
"Omigod, just kiss already so I can get off this street," Kurt whined, but there was a laugh laced in there, too.
Edward and I laughed, but pulled away just long enough for him to close the car door. He laced my fingers with his as we walked into the garage, aiming for the door.
"Stop," Kurt ordered. "Do something there, because you can tell this is Kyra's house, but not that you aren't her. And Bella, with your back to me, we won't need to alter the picture."
"Okay," I sang with a cheesy as hell grin, and I pushed Edward up against the garage wall right next to the door. "Kiss me," I ordered.
Edward didn't waste a single second. One hand shot to my hair at the base of my neck, while the other cupped my ass shamelessly, bringing our bodies that much closer. Just to fuck with me, I was sure, he kissed me stupid, with a deep moan, exploring tongue, and soft, sweet lips, all the while kneading my ass with strong, knowing fingers.
With one hand, I reached for the doorknob, opening the door wide as I broke from Edward's mouth. "Got the shot, Kurt?" I asked breathlessly, and then bit my bottom lip as Edward gazed down at me.
"Yup, just need one more," he chuckled.
"Then get this," I laughed, stepping inside the hallway, grasping the front of Edward's shirt, and tugging his ass inside the house, only to slam the door. The whole thing caused Kurt to burst into hysterics.
"Shit, that was perfect," he chuckled, and soon, he was stepping into the hallway to join us. "Whoa..." he breathed, looking around.
Whoa was right. The house was stunning. It was Tudor style on the outside, but inside, it was light, airy, with comfortable colors and furniture. Lots of windows let in natural light as the three of us went in search of everyone else. We found them in the main living area.
"You two are having way too much fun with this shit," Carlisle teased with a chuckle, rolling his eyes at his son's shameless grin and shrug. "Don't make me pour cold water on you," he warned, pointing his finger at us.
"I can't help it," I sighed, kissing Carlisle's cheek. "Your son is too cute to resist," I told him.
He scoffed, again rolling his eyes. "Yes, his mother said the same thing, and that's why he got away with the most insane things as a child."
Edward grinned, but said nothing as he ran a hand through his hair and looked around the house.
I did the same, my eyes landing on the coffee table in the living room. I could see where Ike had torn through Kyra's scrapbooks looking for the picture of her and Edward from the USO tour, because he'd left them all right there. I looked up when Cassie breezed through the room, a small duffel bag in her hand, but it was Makenna's curiosity that was making me smile.
"So you don't like men...like at all?" Mack asked, following right behind her like a shadow. "I mean, did you at one time? Or did you always know?"
Kurt, Carlisle, Edward, and I chuckled, because Mickey leaned up against the wall just observing the conversation. Her face was hilarious, because it was almost like she knew what was coming.
"Oh, I tried it," Cassie chuckled, seemingly unembarrassed to have this chat in front of everyone. In fact, she was pretty damn comfortable about her sexual preference, even though she'd barely mentioned it since she'd been with us, but we'd hardly broached the subject. "I had a boyfriend in high school, but foreplay seemed to be the best part. The rest was...I don't know...boring work."
I glanced up to the boys and wanted to crack the fuck up, because they were paying really close attention to this shit.
"Yeah, but don't you...I mean... Toys?" Makenna finally sputtered out, again seemingly unaware that we were all listening as Cassie pilfered around in the hallway closet. "I mean, that's a dick... They're usually dick-shaped..."
I slapped my hand to my forehead, because the conversation was just so...Makenna, but took a spot against the wall next to Mickey.
"You so started this shit, didn't you?" I muttered to her.
"I did," she giggled softly. "I couldn't help it, because Mack was way too curious for her own good. And I was interested as to just how...close Cassie and Christine were."
"I think we're about to find out," I snickered, looking up when the two girls breezed back through the room, heading toward a door off to the side.
Poor Cassie was trying to hurry to pack the few things she needed, but Makenna wasn't relenting.
"So you don't buy the ones that look real," she surmised, and again, I just shook my head.
"Um, no," Cassie chuckled. "Penises are kinda ugly."
"No they aren't," Mack, Mickey, and myself all muttered at the same time in argument.
Cassie laughed, looking up at all of us. "Opinions vary, I see."
"Yes," we all answered her, which truly just pushed the boys over the edge, causing them to burst into hysterics.
"Some are ugly...or they can be...beautiful," Makenna added with a swoon to her voice, ignoring the guys. "But if they're..."
"Big?" Mickey provided.
"Straight?" I added, because I couldn't resist.
"Standing proud," Mack finished with a laugh. "'Cause you know..."
"And they..." Mickey gestured with her hands to represent a slight curve.
"All like...so you can" I said, cupping my hand in mid-air, because by now, my husband was listening with rapt attention to this cryptic conversation that only women truly understood.
"Um, no," Cassie laughed, shaking her head and setting down her bag. "Yeah, there are veins..."
"Yes!" the two girls and I chanted loudly, which caused Cassie to practically gag.
"And that's why I prefer women," Cassie stated.
"Christine, specifically," Makenna surmised, raising her eyebrows in wait for the answer.
"Yes, Christine, specifically," Cassie sighed, smirking at her. "We've been together for a few months now. I miss her."
That seemed to chill the room out a bit, and we all gazed at her. It really just hit me how much of her life Cassie had given up in order to not only take care of Kyra, but to go into hiding with her.
Cassie looked to Edward. "Thanks for that, by the way. It'll be nice to keep her up to date. She's trustworthy, I promise."
"Just...be careful. We don't need any fuck ups," he told her, waving her gratitude away, but his eyes were warm.
I smiled at him, because despite the circumstances, he could've ignored the whole damn thing, but apparently, he'd taken sympathy on them. He obviously trusted Cassie enough to value her opinion of Christine. And even though he was acting all cranky and shit about it, he was really being so very sweet.
We all jumped when the doorbell went off. But Carlisle sighed, walking away from us.
"That would be Teri. I had her meet us here. It made the best sense," he explained as he opened the door.
I stayed leaning against the wall as everyone made their way down into the living room to greet Teri Foley. Warm lips pressed to my temple, and I couldn't help but lean into them.
"You're very sweet for letting Cassie stay in contact with Christine," I sighed, watching as Carlisle reintroduced Teri to everyone.
"Mmhm," Edward hummed against my cheek, trailing his lips to my ear. "So you like the way a cock looks, love?" he asked in a deadly sexy whisper, and I grinned, shaking my head, because as much I wanted to explore this particular conversation with him, we needed to join everyone else.
"Just yours, baby," I crooned to him, brushing my lips across his. "And I miss it," I sighed, kissing him one more time.
"Oh, and it misses you, too," he groaned, shaking his head to clear it. "Soon, baby. I'll take care of you really soon," he vowed, cupping my face and caressing my cheekbones with his thumbs as he gazed at me through his beautifully long eyelashes, the green completely gone in his eyes, leaving them dark, heated, and filled with sensual promise.
"Good," I said with a smirk, because the last time we'd made love was the handcuff incident. As hot as that had been, it had been a few days since. All the playing around, flirting, and making out just for pictures had me aching for him, especially since he was enjoying it so much. "Let's go be sociable," I chuckled, linking his fingers with mine. "Otherwise, I'm going to shove your ass in that closet and prove to you just how...mmm, pretty I think you are," I told him, letting my eyes purposefully drag down to the front of his jeans and back up to his oh so green eyes as I licked my lips.
He grinned shamelessly, kissing my forehead. "Fair enough, sweetness."
Edward and I stepped into the living room, and Carlisle reintroduced us to Teri.
"Teri, you remember my son, Edward, and my daughter-in-law, Bella," he said, before taking a seat on the sofa.
"Of course." She smiled and shook our hands, but it fell quickly when she turned back to Carlisle. "How's Kyra doing?"
He wrinkled his nose, shook his head, and let out a deep breath. "She's...struggling. Apparently, the abuse has been going on since the beginning."
"Stupid bastard," Teri hissed, wincing at the mere thought. She turned to Cassie. "You didn't know?"
Cassie shook her head no. "No, she hid it really well. And I guess Ike would wait until I wasn't around to say anything. I have only lived with her since she bought this house," she explained.
Teri nodded in acceptance and listened as we caught her up to speed on all that was going on with Kyra. We didn't tell her where we were keeping her, but we did let her know that the singer was safe and most likely taking some time away for a bit. When we got around to the subject of Ike and Preston, the name Molly came up again.
"That name sounds familiar, but... I'm not sure," she said, looking around at all of us. "You said this would've been about five years ago?"
"Yes," I answered, nodding once and pulling out my phone, where Alice had been able to send a picture of Molly from the video we had. "Do you recognize her?"
"No, not at all," she answered, shaking her head, "but I don't always represent singers. I help Kyra with her acting career. Damn, she looks scared to death in this picture."
"It's funny you should say that, because she's presumed dead," Carlisle stated grimly. "She's been missing this entire time."
"And with good reason, I guess," Teri groaned, looking at the picture one more time, before handing my phone back to me. "I imagine both of those men scared her, if what you're saying they did is true. Preston has quite the temper on him, but he never used it against his father."
"What makes you say that?" I asked, sitting forward in the loveseat.
"Ike was tough on him, everyone saw that, but Preston would take it. He was a grown man, but he still took the insults, the condescending tone, and the rules his dad would lay down. I heard Ike once tell Preston who he could and couldn't date. Pissed Preston off something fierce, but as far as I know, he never saw the girl he'd been interested in again."
"Oh, this makes much more sense," I sighed, rubbing my temple. "What if... What if Ike suppressed Preston his whole life? I mean, everything about the guy would be right there under the surface, but Ike made him push it back down. What if it started when he was a kid?" I asked, my gaze landing on Carlisle. "He would be angry, defensive, and dangerous...if his mental capacity snapped. And what if it snapped around the time his high school girlfriend broke up with him?"
Carlisle rubbed his bottom lip slowly as he thought it over, but it was Kurt that piped up.
"Well, let's look at what we know about Preston," he murmured, ticking his points off with his fingers. "He's possessive, he's smart, he's angry, and he's been told all his life that nothing he does is good enough. He's probably reaching the point that he's rebelling against Ike, which will be dangerous, because despite what an asshole Ike is, he's most likely saved more than one woman from Preston's issues. He's completely obsessed with Kyra, which is interesting, because at this point, you would think that due to his past, he'd have let her go by now, but he's only gotten worse. He let go of his high school girlfriend once he realized that she was surrounded by protection, but now, Preston's just...escalating."
"You know," Makenna sighed, holding up a finger, "certain events can push someone with psychotic tendencies past a breaking point. Maybe... Maybe Preston's breaking point was Kyra's breakup. Or maybe his father finding him stalking Kyra. Something pushed him over the edge way past what he's been doing."
"Or has it?" Edward added. "What if it was Preston that caused Molly's...disappearance? Not Ike." He ran a hand through his hair. "In the video, it was Preston that was pissed off. Ike dismissed them both completely, and if what everyone is saying is true, then Preston would blame Molly for embarrassing him in front of his father, for not being what he'd promised his dad she could be. He beat up his high school girlfriend, but what if he had upped it to murder by the time Molly came around?"
"Hmm," I said, studying Edward's face, but I pulled out my phone.
"Ali's Mortuary... You stab 'em, we slab 'em," Alice answered, and I rolled my eyes.
"Alice, I need you guys to look into something for me," I told her.
"Hit me," she sang, and I could hear her fingers flying over her keyboard.
"Pull college security records at USC at the time that Preston was going to school there," I told her. "I'm curious if there were any unsolved attacks, maybe dismissed stalkings...anything. I have a funny feeling that while Preston was away from daddy, he was testing his wings."
"Okay, I'm on it. Give me a few," she told me, ending the call.
I got up from the loveseat, pacing slowly in front of everyone, but I spun to Edward. "I want inside Ike's house. Now. Today."
He grinned, saluting me. "Yes, ma'am," he grunted, causing the whole room to chuckle.
I snorted, rolling my eyes, because his bad habits were starting to rub off on me, apparently. "Sorry, but I want to see Preston's room. I want to poke around the house to look for where those video tapes could be."
"We'll have to call Wes to get clearance," he replied with a nod, pulling out his phone. "I'm pretty sure they're watching that house just in case Preston comes back."
"I'm sure. Tell him we won't touch anything, but I just want to look around. I need to see how they lived," I begged him.
"Done, sweetness," he said, standing up from the sofa and putting the phone to his ear. "Wes, we need a favor..."
~oOo~
EDWARD
Two heavy metal gates swung open when I pulled the SUV into Ike's driveway. I sneered at the place, because it was audacious and a disgusting show of wealth. I drove through, getting stopped by an officer.
"You must be Cullen," the guy said. "Wes called. You guys have been cleared. Just see Myles when you get to the house. He'll show you around."
"Thanks," I said with a nod, and then drove the rest of the way up the driveway.
It was dark by the time we'd made our way across town, and the place was lit up and crawling with Feds. There were a few walking the grounds, a few posted at the front doors, where crime scene tape had been draped, and several clustered around a CSU van.
I stood up out of the car, immediately opening the back door to let Bella out, and we were met with a young, tall, African American agent.
"Cullen?" he asked, holding out his hand.
"Yeah, Myles?" I verified, shaking his firmly.
"Yes, sir. Welcome to Neverland," he chuckled, sweeping an arm behind him. "Benny and Wes speak highly of you. And you must be Bella..."
"Yes," she laughed, shaking his hand, as well. "Neverland?"
He shot her a smirk and turned to look behind him. "The boys have dubbed it that. Just simply for its massive size." He spun back around to us. "I've been told to let you guys look around. We're pretty much finished here, but I will ask that if you find something – because Wes is pretty convinced that you will – that you'll just...share. Okay?"
"Okay," we both said, and we all turned around when everyone in the SUV piled out.
Myles' eyes lit up. "Which one of you ladies is Cassandra Winters?" he asked, and Cassie nervously stepped forward. "Excellent!" he gushed, clapping his hands together. "We were wondering if we might have you look at a few things. Maybe you can give us some names?" he asked.
She nodded. "Sure, but I didn't really work for Ike. I work for Kyra," she explained.
"I know, I know," he chanted, dismissing her worry. "With as many videos and photos as we've found, any help you can give us would be appreciated."
Makenna smirked, shooting Bella a wink. "I'll stay with her. You guys go...do what you do."
Bella turned to Kurt. "Bring the camera. I want everything."
Kurt nodded, diving into the back seat of the SUV to grab the camera, slinging it around his neck. We introduced Myles to my dad, Kurt, and Mickey, and he led us up the steps and into the house, leaving Mack and Cassie in the protection of another agent by the name of Allen.
"God, could Ike be more flamboyant?" Bella muttered, rolling her eyes once we set foot inside the foyer. "He showcases his wealth like he's making up for other shortcomings," she chortled, grinning when Mickey shoved her a bit.
"Maybe that's why he's such an asshole...shortcomings," Mickey laughed, which caused us and the officers near us to laugh as well, because Mickey held up her finger and thumb about an inch apart.
"Ah, it seems we've found our topic of the day," my dad sighed with a slow shake to his head, which only caused my wife to laugh that much harder.
"Okay, okay," I sighed, unable to fight my smile. "Let's just...get this shit done. Sweetness, where do you want to start?"
"Upstairs. The bedrooms," she answered, but she turned to Mickey and my dad. "I'm looking for hiding places for those tapes. I'm also looking for signs of anything to do with Preston, Kyra, or even Molly..." She turned back to Myles. "You've swept the whole house?"
"Yes, ma'am," he replied. "We weren't really dusting for prints, except down in the recording studio. I doubt we got much in regards to the missing girl...Molly?"
"Yes, Miss Bailey identified her to Wes," Bella told him with a nod. "We're thinking it was Molly Parsons, a girl reported missing about that time by her grandfather. It seems she used to date...or had at least been seen with Preston."
"That was the last call I got from Wes," he stated. "I hope you're right. When we pulled up that old cold case, there was just nothing on it. No clues, no leads...nothing."
Bella nodded, like she'd figured as much, but told us all to start looking around.
The house was humongous. Mickey and my dad took the downstairs, starting in what looked like an office or a library. Kurt and I followed Bella upstairs, each taking different bedrooms. There were several rooms that just looked like unused guest rooms, except for one close to the end of the hallway.
"Hey, Mick! Get up here!" I called, and she ran up the stairs to me.
"I didn't find shit down there," she huffed, jerking a thumb behind her and rolling her eyes. "I would've thought for sure that the asshole would have had a home safe type situation, but I've looked everywhere."
I nodded that I'd heard her, but tugged her closer. "What do you think? Is that to keep people out? Or in?" I asked, pointing toward the door. There was a lock on it that didn't match any other bedroom door down the hall.
"In." Mickey grimaced, looking up at me. "Look," she said, opening the door and leading us inside the room. "The keyhole is on the outside, but in here...there's no keyhole or switch to lock it. It's simply for outside use."
"Fuck," I growled, running a hand through my hair. "How many..."
"Don't think about it," she groaned, glancing around the room. "He's been doing this for decades, pretty boy. There's no telling how many girls he locked in here."
We worked the room together, opening drawers, closets, and looking under the furniture. But it was Mickey that found the most disturbing piece of evidence – evidence that eventually had us calling down for Myles.
"Oh Christ... Is that...blood?" she asked, leaning on the nightstand to look at the wall.
I leaned next to her and shook my head, because I couldn't tell. If it was blood, then it was old, because it wasn't red; it was more of a rusty brown color.
"Don't touch a thing," Bella ordered from the doorway. "Myles!" she called, and the guy was there in an instant. "You might want to black-light this room."
Myles called up CSU techs, and they sprayed some bluish colored shit everywhere. As we watched from the hall, they turned on a black light, turned off the bedroom light, and the room fucking glowed. Blood was everywhere. And I mean...fucking everywhere. There were splatters on the wall and headboard, the ceiling, even the nightstand. There were a few splotches of it on the floor, the door, and in the bathroom.
"Jesus," Bella breathed, shaking her head.
"Damn, that was a helluva mess to clean up," Myles muttered. "I think we have our answer on Molly's disappearance," he stated sadly, shaking his head. "I can't wait to get my hands on this Ike bastard."
"Get in line," my wife snapped, turning from us and walking away to another bedroom. "Edward, come here."
The bedroom she was standing in the middle of looked lived in. It was masculine, messy, and slightly dusty, except I could tell that the Feds had rummaged through this room pretty damn well.
"Preston's room?" I asked, leaning in the doorway.
"Yeah, look," she said, pointing to the walls. "Kyra. Everywhere. The whole room is a shrine, it seems."
I glanced around, and despite a few personal pieces of high school and college memorabilia, the walls were covered in posters and photos, all featuring Kyra. Bella walked to me, grabbing my hand and tugging.
"Come. Look at this," she said, walking into the closet. Clothes on their hangers had been shoved to one side, leaving an open wall, but it was the middle of the wall that was interesting. "He knew. He watched, Edward."
I stepped up to the wall, running a finger over the hole that had obviously been drilled into the dry wall. I pressed an eye to it, and clearly, I could see every last motherfucker in the room next door as they documented the blood they'd revealed with the black light. The bed was in my direct line of sight.
"Oh, you've got to be shitting me!" I growled, turning to gaze down at my girl. "This guy just keeps getting better and fucking better."
Bella snorted humorlessly, rolling her eyes. "Damn it, he knew," she breathed again, staring at the hole. "What if...he didn't just...watch?"
"What? You're saying Preston did the raping? No, Kyra said..."
"Oh I know that...but what if after a few years, it wasn't Ike. What if Preston started copying his dad?" she asked.
"Oh, baby," I sniffed, stepping out of the closet and gazing slowly around the room again. "I really hope I can give you the chance to ask him."
My hands balled up into fists, my nostrils flared, and my breathing was heavy, because I absolutely despised these kinds of monsters. It was beyond my comprehension as to how a man could violate a woman like that. I honestly just didn't fucking get it. I'd worked with Alice long enough to have done my homework, so I knew it wasn't about sexual gratification; it was about control. But even in a loving relationship, control could be extremely sexy. This guy, or both father and son, really, were sadists. They lived to see the tears, hear the begging, and feel the fight leave their victims, and for that, I really needed to get my hands around their fucking necks.
A warm, sweet kiss pressed to my jaw. "I'm pretty sure Preston won't live to have a conversation with me," she snickered against my cheek. "Come on. Let Kurt take some pictures of this room. I still want to look around downstairs."
I silently followed Bella down the stairs, past the front doors, and through the rest of the house. There was a game room, a main living room, a formal sitting room, and a huge fucking dining room. The kitchen was enormous, having every new appliance known to man, but it was obvious that no one really cooked in there, because the fridge was filled to overflowing with take out boxes, cold pizza, and shit that had fur growing on it.
As I opened and closed cabinets, I heard, "Shit," behind me.
I turned to see Bella gazing down the stairs of what seemed to be the basement. My girl was frozen at the top, biting down on that bottom lip of hers and rubbing her temple. She looked up at me when I walked to her.
"It's the fucking smell!" she growled, shaking her head. "Why?"
I smiled, not in humor, but in sympathy. I'd gladly talk her through basements the rest of our lives, because if that's the only shit that remained after Miller's kidnapping, then I was okay with it. She hated it, because it made her feel weak. To me, it was just simply a fear. My mother had hated spiders. Emmett couldn't stand the sight of a clown. I couldn't deal with bats, but I was pretty sure that stemmed from several trips down to South America. Everyone had something that freaked them the fuck out. That was just life.
"I'm here. We'll go down together...or not at all," I told her, kissing her temple. "I'm not sure that's a real basement, anyway, my sweetness. I think his studio is down there," I explained softly.
"It's the stairs, and the smell, and that cold fucking air..." she rambled, her brow furrowing.
"You can do this, love. It's just steps. There's nothing down there that I can't take care of for you," I soothed her, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Want me to go in shooting?" I teased, and I was rewarded with an adorable snort and an eye roll.
"You'll scare the shit out of the Feds, Edward," she chided. "No, just...make me go."
"Yes, ma'am," I whispered, kissing her neck. "Move that sweet ass, baby. Go. Weapon out, if it helps," I suggested, but she shook her head no.
With a hand on her shoulder, I guided her to the first step. We looked down before taking the next step, to see my dad leaning against the wall, watching us.
"Hey, baby, there's Dad," I whispered. "He's just fine down there. Okay?"
She nodded fervently, gazing up at me, and then down to my dad. "Good thing you didn't go in shooting, huh?" she asked wryly, and I chuckled, because there was my girl's beautiful spark coming out, despite the fucked up fear she was fighting.
"Yeah, I guess so," I sighed dramatically, grinning at my dad, who was flipping me off.
He held a hand out for her. "Hey, I want to show you something I found down here," he told her, ignoring the slight panic she was in, which was what Esme had taught us to do, although I never fucking listened. My girl needed to hear my voice in these situations. It seemed to be the only thing that helped.
Jutting her chin out, she practically ran down the steps to get to him. Once she was level with him, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, kissing the side of her head and shooting a wink my way. We both loved her madly, so we tried our best when it came to her fears. And she trusted us both explicitly – probably more than anyone else, because we'd been there when she was at her worst.
"This is Ike's studio," he told her, not mentioning a thing about the stairs. He led us around the corner, through a door, and into a fairly large music room. "They found all the tapes in there," he said, pointing to the control room.
Bella seemed to gather herself, her curiosity taking completely over. She wandered around the room, soaking it all in. Her eyes drifted up to the corners of the ceiling, where a few cameras were mounted.
"That one recorded there," she muttered, pointing to the piano. "So that one...there," she continued, pointing to the sofa in along the side wall. "I didn't see any videos with the sofa in it. Did you?" she asked us.
"No," I said, frowning at the sofa. There was no fucking telling what hideous shit had been done on that couch. "And I'm pretty fucking happy about that, to be honest."
Bella smirked, but it fell quickly as she shook her head slowly. "I think we've got to change our thinking," she said, sitting on the piano bench. "I think Preston watched his father his whole life. I think with the abuse that Ike put him through, the debauchery that he witnessed, and his already obsessive nature, Preston was bred to be a monster. He had no choice. He lived it every day."
"I think he's also rebelling against his father," I added with a nod. "I think Kyra was the final straw of that. I think Preston wanted Kyra, and when he finally got her, I'd be willing to bet that Preston witnessed Ike hurting her. There's no other reason for him to keep coming at her the way he has been."
"Didn't Ike say that he caught Preston outside Kyra's house? And didn't Kyra say that Ike just about beat the boy to death?" my dad asked.
"Kyra also said that the last time Ike came at her was at her house..." Bella mused, standing up slowly from the bench.
"Oh hell," I sighed, picking up on what they were getting at. "Ike didn't catch Preston stalking Kyra. Preston caught his dad raping her! Ike must've seen him and beaten the shit out of him. They didn't have a falling out; they had a knock-down, drag-out fight."
"Shit. No wonder Preston's snapped," Bella gushed, pulling out her phone. "Preston finally got the girl he wanted, only to find out his father has been hurting her her whole life. But being just like his dad, he fought for her, finally finding the balls to stand up to him. The only problem with that...Kyra didn't want Preston, either. No wonder the flowers were marigolds!" she squeaked, her eyes wide. "Jealousy and cruelty. Preston was calling her cruel, and he was jealous that his father could take what he wanted and he couldn't."
"Oh, damn, and now Ike's public arrest will make that all the worse," I groaned, running a hand through my hair.
"Shit, call Alice. Have her contact Wes to put more guards on Ike," my dad ordered, and Bella immediately dialed her phone. "With that line of thinking, Preston will assume the only way to take over and get the girl is to eliminate the one person that's been hurting them both."
"Bells!" Alice yelled over the speaker. "I was just about to call you. You guys gotta get back here."
"Why, what happened?" Bella asked, locking eyes with me.
"Wes just called. Ike's gone off the grid. Everyone is freaking out, but mostly Kyra," she blurted out. "We're tracking his ankle monitor. He stepped out of his allotted area about an hour ago," she explained.
"Just keep telling her that she's safe. Repeatedly," Bella ordered, shaking her head, because we could hear the cries in the background. "No one can find her where we are. Please tell her to trust us. And have Esme give her something to calm her down."
"No, you don't understand," Alice sighed exasperatedly. "It's not herself she's worried about. With Ike's unknown whereabouts, it's you guys she's freaking out about. She's convinced he'll get to you, too – for revenge for arresting him at your house. And she's absolutely frantic about Cassie..."
"Oh," Bella groaned, wincing up at me and my dad. "We gotta go. She won't believe we're okay unless she sees us with her own eyes. We need to get back anyway. I want to get those things from the safe back to Alice."
I nodded, rushing up the stairs. I called for Mickey and Kurt, and they appeared in the foyer, along with Cassie and Makenna. Myles was right behind them. "We've got to head back. Get loaded up," I told my people, but then turned to the agent. "Ike Raulson just left his monitored area. His ankle monitor registered him leaving it about an hour ago."
"He was assigned his hotel and a two block radius, and then he was cleared for his court dates. That's it," Myles muttered, pulling out his phone and dialing someone. "Wes...what the hell..."
"Myles, are my friends still with you?" Wes asked over the speakerphone.
"Yeah, Cullen's right here," he replied.
"What'cha need, Wes?" I asked.
"Edward, what did you find at the house?" he asked, which frustrated Myles to no end, because he wanted answers on Ike's sudden disappearance.
"Blood. Lots of it," I answered in a growl. "It seems there was one single room that was used to lock someone in. We're thinking it was that girl, Molly. We also discovered that Preston used to...watch from his bedroom."
"Oh damn," Wes sighed. "Okay, well, that explains a few things. There was a man matching Preston's description wandering around the hotel. I'm pulling the security feed now."
"Get with Alice," I told him. "She's already hacked into it, because she was trying to show Kyra exactly where Ike was. She's probably still got it up."
"Ten-four," he replied. "I'll call you when I know something. This is now my case, because Benny's been pulled away. Myles!" he barked. "Let me know the minute you have everything back from the lab down there."
"Sir," Myles answered, and the call was ended. "Wonder where Benny's gone to?"
I grinned, smacking his shoulder. "His wife was due any minute, so he's probably with her. I'd be willing to bet Ang has gone into labor. She'd be just about the only thing that would pull Ben from his job."
Myles smiled back and nodded. "Well, then cheers!"
I shook the man's hand, thanking him. "I'm sure we'll be in touch. Just get with Wes if you need anything."
"I'd like to talk to Miss Bailey," he stated.
I shook my head. "Not a good idea at the moment. She's scared shitless right now. She only just admitted the rape, and she's still receiving threats from Preston."
He held out a card, and I took it. "Well, call me when she feels like talking. I want this arrest down here. I want Ike, I want Preston, and I want to find out what happened to that Molly. So anything she wants to tell me, I'll take."
I nodded, reaching out my hand for Bella when she and my father joined us at the door, and she linked her fingers with mine. "I'll let her know, but for now...no one sees her. In fact, no one comes near her. Kyra's safety is our responsibility, and I don't trust anyone outside my crew right now. It's why we left Seattle."
With that said, we piled back into the car, and I backed out of the driveway. It was a quiet two hour drive back to the beach house. The SUV was filled with a nervous energy. It wasn't that any of us were afraid of Ike finding us. That shit was impossible. But we were worried as to what Ike's disappearance meant. Was he trying to get away from the authorities for some reason? Was he on the run? Or on another completely different path of thinking... Did his son get to him? And if that was truly the case, then where the fuck were they?
Thousands of questions flew through my mind, and it pissed me the fuck off that I didn't have an answer. By the time we pulled in through the gates of the beach house, I wanted answers. I wanted to know what Alice knew, and I wanted to know what the hell we'd taken from the safe in Ike Raulson's office.
But my anger and frustration dissipated when we all walked inside the house. Kyra was in a full blown panic attack – something I'd seen my Bella go through more times than I'd have liked. She was on the sofa, her knees drawn up under her chin as she rocked back and forth. Cassie immediately rushed to her, forcing her to look up.
"We're back, K," she soothed her, brushing her hair from her face, wincing when Kyra grasped at her arms. "Look, sweetie..." she urged, making Kyra look our way. "We're all okay. Nothing happened, and Ike's not coming here."
Gator looked relieved at the sight of us, simply because he looked like he'd been dealing with Kyra's distress for some time. Esme had a sad expression on her face, but seemed fairly resigned, and I'd be willing to bet that Kyra was reacting just like Esme had predicted. But it was Bella that stepped forward.
"Kyra," she said calmly, stepping in front of her, only to sit down on the edge of the coffee table, "I need to go over some things with you, but you've got to calm down for me, okay? We learned some interesting things while we were gone. Do you want to hear about them?"
I shot Esme a wink when she smirked up at me, because it seemed when no one else could get through to Kyra, Bella did. And my girl knew exactly what Kyra wanted to hear. News. Work. A fucking update. She didn't want to be told over and over that she was safe. Hell, in the back of her mind, she was probably well aware of just how safe she was, but when it came to panic attacks, knowing and feeling were two completely different things. I knew that from dealing with Bella.
Kyra sniffled a bit, nodded, and dropped her legs to the floor, but Bella stayed right in front of her.
"Good, then breathe for me," Bella ordered, tilting her head until Kyra took one long, deep, shaky breath and let it out slowly. "Better. One more," she told her, waiting patiently for it.
"Ike escaped," Kyra whispered, swiping at her tears with the back of her hand.
"Yes, we heard," Bella stated calmly with a nod. "I'm pretty sure my girls are working on that situation. But I've got some other things to go over with them. You can come in there and listen. Some of it isn't pretty, but you should know the shit that's going on around you."
"Ooh, Mommy owes the swear jar," Bethy giggled from the corner of the room, and like fucking magic, she broke every last bit of the tension in the room.
I barked a laugh, because I damn well couldn't help it. Bella rarely cursed in front of the kids, but they loved trying to catch her on it – especially Bethy and Caleb. Gator hid his smile behind his hand, Esme snickered softly, but Bella grinned, waving our girl to her.
"How much, pretty girl?" she asked her, tugging on her ponytail.
Bethy grinned, looked up at the ceiling, and then said, "I fink dat word is fifty dollars."
"Yeah it is!" Emmett chuckled from the doorway, rubbing his hands together.
Kyra sniffled again, smiling in spite of her earlier outburst. "That's a pretty expensive swear jar, Bethy," she told my daughter.
"Yeah, well... Mommy said nuffin' else worked on my daddy and uncles," she explained. "It started with just quarters, but dat didn't work, because Unca Em would just bring a roll wif him and drop it in every time he came over."
"A swearing cover charge, huh?" Kyra giggled, and we all let out a collective breath, because the panic was over for the moment.
"Tell her absolutely, baby girl," Emmett chortled, giving Bethy a wink.
"Ab-so-woot-wee," Bethy struggled, but beamed when she got it out.
There was a tug on my jeans, and I looked down to see my little man grinning up at me.
"Hey, son," I sighed, scooping him up into my arm. "Were you a good boy?"
"Yeah," he said slowly, tilting his head at me. "I want pizza, Daddy."
"Yeah, pizza!" Bethy chirped. "Will you make it?"
"Oh God, will you make it, Eddie?" Emmett gushed, his mouth hanging open. "Your pizza rocks, dude. I'm not kidding. It beats any delivery...and we can't order delivery."
The whole room was filled with nodding heads, and my gaze shot to Bella, who was smirking up at me.
She shrugged one shoulder. "It is good. I've got the team if you want."
I smiled, looking at Sammy. "Pizza?"
"Pizza!" he whispered enthusiastically.
"That's a lot of pizzas," I sighed dramatically, suddenly just wanting time in the kitchen with my kids and away from hearing about rapists and murder and blood. "I'm sure I'll need help..."
"I'll help you, Daddy," Bethy volunteered, hopping up and down.
A chuckle from the doorway caught my attention, and I looked up to see Alec standing there, leaning against the wall.
"What Irish boy knows anything about Italian food? Especially pizza sauce?" he scoffed, rolling his eyes, which caused all the girls, including his wife, to giggle. "Come on, kid. I'll help, too," he said, rolling up his sleeves. "Besides, we need to talk...birthdays," he grunted, raising an eyebrow at Bella.
She waved him away, but turned to Kyra. "Come. You can watch us work. Maybe then you'll understand that there's no need to panic," she told her.
I set Sammy down next to his sister – and Caleb and Abby, who had joined her. "Go wash your hands and meet me in the kitchen, soldiers!" I grunted, giving my own raised eyebrow at them all, which only caused more laughter.
"Sir!" both my kids giggled. Bethy grabbed Sammy by the hand and practically dragged him down the hallway, the other two right behind them.
I stood up, handing over the things from the safe to my wife, kissing her forehead.
"You need them," she stated softly, smiling so very sweetly up at me.
"Yes," I breathed into her hair. "Very much," I sighed. I was too angry at Preston and Ike to be any help to the girls at the moment, because I wasn't thinking rationally; I was thinking vengefully, emotionally, and the only thing that was going to bring me back to myself would be my kids.
"Good. They miss playing with you in the kitchen," she chuckled, pulling back and kissing my lips. "I'll let you know what we find out."
"Yes, ma'am," I said, watching her walk away from me toward the room just off the deck.
As the kids all ran past me, bolting into the kitchen excitedly, Bella shut the door, saying, "Okay, guys... Let's get to work."
A/N... Did you every have one of those days where you just couldn't deal with the shit any longer? Yeah, that would be Edward at the end here. He needed his kids and fun and the simple pleasure of cooking for everyone to get away from it all. Don't fault him for it.
So lots of things came about in this one, and their profile of Preston is changing slowly. Kyra's having ups and downs, but she's surrounded by people that know exactly how to handle it. Coming up will be Bella's birthday, and a touch more information.
I need to thank JenRar for beta'ing this for me, and who was just a little squicked out over the room. A big thanks to GooberLou for pre-reading this one... who seriously just wants to eat Sammy up. And another big hug and thank you to MedusaInNY, who handles my blog stuff for me.
The next chapter is done and is off to be beta'd, so the next posting looks good for Wesnesday. Much love, let me hear you, and until next time... Later. :)