Chapter 21—No Patience

How many a man has thrown up his hands at a time when a little more effort, a little more patience, would have achieved success.

Elbert Hubbard

Jacob's POV

It has been a month since Bella disappeared and I shot my right-hand man, Embry. He was lucky that I hadn't aimed at a vital area, but I haven't seen him since I fled the bar with an FBI agent on my heels. My guess was that he was rotting in a cell, and that would serve him right for letting Bella slip from his sight.

Riley had been elevated in status from henchman to my number one. He and the rest of the crew had been searching for Bella. They all had assured me that she would be found and brought back. I was losing my patience. Usually, she was back in my loving care within a half hour of her running.

"Why the hell haven't you found her?" I roared, grabbing Riley by the collar when he returned empty handed again.

His eyes went wide. "We've canvased the area, Jacob. We've shown people her picture. No one has seen her."

"Have you asked the bartenders if they've seen her?" I asked, pushing him away.

"No."

I turned and faced him. He cringed, his fear evident on his face. "Why the hell not?"

He stiffened his back. "I've assigned guys to go to the bar nightly. If she shows up, they'll corner her and drag her back."

I wanted to punch Riley, but opted to hit the wall behind him instead. "Find her," I said, fingering the gun on my hip. "You have two days."

He gulped, nodding.

Edward's POV

I left work early and stopped by the bar. There was something I wanted to ask Jasper about, and calling him didn't seem appropriate—I needed to see his reaction.

Parking next to Rosalie, I got out and was immediately approached by a teenage boy.

"Excuse me, sir," he said. "I'm looking for my sister. Have you seen her?"

He handed me a picture—Bella. My heart started beating fast. I knew she was an only child. "Sorry. I haven't seen her," I answered, handing the photo back.

"Thanks," he said, moving on to another person who had just gotten out of her car.

I covertly glanced around to see if anyone was watching the kid, even using my powers to tap into the conversations in the area. Nada. Getting out my phone, I snapped a picture of the kid when he turned. Maybe he was a friend of Bella's.

"Poor kid," the bouncer said, shaking his head and looking in the direction I had come from. "He's been searching for his sister for a month."

"Hope he finds her," I replied, sadly.

Once inside, I headed to the bar, brushing off the hands of women. I wished Bella was with me, but it was safer for her at home. "Jasper," I shouted, leaning over the bar and grabbing a few cherries.

"Be right with you, Edward," he yelled back, filling a tumbler with ice, rum, and Coke.

"What an old-fashioned name," a female voice said close to my ear, her hand settled on mine. "Care to dance?"

"Not interested," I answered, withdrawing my hand out from under hers.

"Your loss, sweetie," she said, walking away.

That was a first. Women at the bar were usually relentless, but this one left right after I rejected her.

A laugh resounded. I immediately knew it was Emmett. "See you've met Crystal."

I glanced over my shoulder at him with a raised eyebrow that said "seriously."

"She, well, he is the bar's newest patron."

I blanched. "Good to know, not that I would do anything with anyone here."

"Neither would I," Emmett said, leaning against the bar next to me. "So, what brings you here tonight?"

Jasper joined us then and had placed a glass of wine in front of me.

"Needed to ask Jasper something, but since you're here too, I'll ask the both of you. First, did you know someone is looking for Marie?" I asked, using Bella's middle name.

"No," they both answered.

"Who?" Emmett asked, turning to scan the crowd.

"A teenage boy approached me outside with a photo," I answered, pulling my cell out. "I got a picture of him."

Emmett took my phone. "Hmm, I've seen him hanging around. He wasn't breaking the law, so I let him be." He clicked a few times before handing it back. "I sent it to myself."

I nodded. "Makes sense. Have you found out anything about James yet?"

"Zilch," Emmett replied. "I still have people digging, though. If there is anything, we'll find it. There was a juvenile record, but it was expunged when he turned eighteen. If you ask me, and I know you already did, if we don't find something, then he must have cleaned up his act and kept on the straight and narrow."

"Maybe I should just come out and ask him if he knows Marie," I said.

"That's your decision," Emmett remarked.

"If you do, be careful what you ask. It might be a good idea for Em to stop by your office," Jasper suggested.

"That's an idea," Emmett said. "I'm free Friday afternoon."

I nodded. "Friday it is, then."

"What's the second thing?" Jasper asked.

I rubbed the back of my neck, suddenly nervous. My family knew Bella's story and that she was a witch, but they didn't know about our special connection. I had to be careful.

"Out with it, man," Emmett said.

I took a deep breath and let it out. "I haven't talked to Marie about this yet, but Halloween is getting close. She wasn't well when her parents were buried and hasn't had the opportunity to visit their graves at all. I was thinking about taking her to the grave—"

"Say no more," Jasper said. "We've got your back."

"Sure do. Plus, a visit to our old stomping grounds would be good. Rosie needs a little vacation, too," Emmett commented, slapping my back.

I rolled my head around, stretching my neck. "That's not all. I was planning on asking her to marry me after the festivities are all said and done."

Both of my brothers started chuckling. "We wondered when you were going to tell us," Jasper said.

I raised my eyebrow.

"You're transparent, Edward. I bet you even have the ring in your pocket. Have you spoken with her grandfather?" Emmett asked.

That was a conversation I had been avoiding until I spoke with these two knuckleheads. "No. He'll be back in town on Thursday night. I plan on speaking with him Friday morning and then speaking with James in the afternoon."

~~ L.C. ~~

I decided to go straight to the embassy instead of spending a couple of hours with Bella. She knew I had taken the morning off, but she didn't know the reason. Traffic was at a standstill, and I tapped the steering wheel nervously. I was confident that Malcolm would give me his blessing, but the thought of facing him as a contender for his granddaughter's hand had me sweating bullets.

Finally, traffic started moving, and soon I was sitting at a table, eating breakfast with Malcolm.

"So, Edward, what do I owe this visit to?"

"Well, sir," I said, having made the decision last night to be as formal as Malcolm would allow.

"None of that 'sir' business," he said, as he put down his fork. A smile was planted on his face. He knew why I was here.

I rubbed my hands on my jeans. "I love Bella and have from the moment I met her. I would like your permission to ask her to be my wife."

Malcolm sat back, rubbing his whiskered chin. "Is that so?" He snickered. "You don't need it," he said.

"What?" I exclaimed.

"Lad, you are her other half. Crystals don't act the way they did for ordinary, run-of-the-mill soul mates that are meant to be friends. So, it's beyond my control, and whether or I not I give you my blessing, you two are meant to wed," he said in explanation.

I thought about that. What he said made a little sense. "Are you saying that the connection is written in the stars?"

"Aye, I am. It took me a while to come to that conclusion. It was only after I spoke with a few clanswomen about what I witnessed, and them telling me that crystals only jump when two become one. You meeting Isabella sealed your fate."

I didn't know how to respond to hearing that. "Still, I would like your blessing."

Malcolm shook his head, laughing again. "You have it, lad."

We talked for two more hours, and I told him about wanting to take Bella to Forks.

"Do you think that is a good idea?" he asked.

"I'll place protection and concealment spells on the house we'll stay in," I answered.

He gave me a hard look. "It's not a question of you being able to protect her, lad. It's more about Jacob showing up. He's from La Push, and from what I hear, he still has family there."

I closed my eyes, running a hand over my face and through my hair. "I figured as much. But she needs to go, Malcolm."

"Aye, she does. But why Samhain?"

I opened my eyes and just stared at him for a moment. "Were Charlie and Renee's graves blessed?"

His eyes went wide. "The community buried them, and I didn't think about it when I was released from the hospital two weeks later."

I waited, sure that he would be able to answer his own question.

"I want to be there, and I think it would be good to have my security detail with us."

"Agreed." I glanced at my watch. "I have to get going. There's a post-production meeting in two hours, and there is no telling how long it will take me to get to the studio."

"Dinner tonight," Malcolm said. "I'll send a car to your place around six-thirty."

"Bella will be happy to see you," I remarked over my shoulder, walking out of Malcolm's office.