Good morning and happy Friday everyone. I hope everyone has had a great week. As always I must thank my most awesome pair of helpers, My Bella and Hope4more. If you don't subscribe to updates on my blog there is a Polyvore picture posted there and on Polyvore with their outfits for this chapter. You can also find a link to the whole Polyvore collection on my blog.
Stephenie Meyer owns it all. Get your coffee, Mountain Dew, or whatever it is that gets you going in the morning and enjoy the chapter. See ya at the bottom. ;)
My fantasy has turned to madness
All my goodness has turned to badness
My need to possess you has consumed my soul
My life is trembling, I have no control
Obsession, by Amimotion
~*EPOV*~
July 29, 2010
It had been a long day that felt as if it had gone on forever. We had spent most of the day going over the clues we already had. But even with that to occupy our time, everything pertaining to the investigation felt as if it had come to a screeching halt as we waited for the banks to compile the information they'd been ordered to by the courts. Emmett and Bella had both assured me it was normal for it to take about a day or so for the financial institutions to gather all the information. I knew it was sure to be a mountain of paperwork to sort through, but if Emmett's hunch was right, money was the link and I was eager to find the clue that would tie it all together for us.
In reality even if it appeared there was nothing happening, there was stuff going on that we weren't handling. The three agents continued to keep watch on their assigned targets, and the FBI in conjunction with several area local police departments continued to investigate possible sightings of the missing prison guard. There had been sightings called in from as far north as the Canadian border and as far south as the Oregon-California border. All of them had come from the local authorities in those areas when a car closely matching the description of the one the guard owned had been spotted. And even though we were working closely with the authorities in the neighboring areas as well as the state patrol, it still made it really hard to pinpoint an area to focus on. The hunt for the guard had not yet gone public in the media, however Emmett had told us this morning that if nothing turned up soon, a picture of the guard would be released to all the major media outlets, along with a statement, in hopes that with more eyes aware of him being out there, the more likely it was of him being spotted.
By the time five pm rolled around and it was time for us to head home, I could see how much all of this was weighing on Bella and I knew she needed some sort of a distraction to take her mind off of things. I figured Emmett and Rose could use a night out too, so I sent a quick text to Emmett asking him if they would like to join us for dinner. When he replied back asking why, I explained briefly and instead of replying with another text he called me.
"Hey, man, I think that's a great idea. Where'd you have in mind?" Emmett inquired.
"How's the Space Needle sound?"
"Sounds great. Rose and I haven't been there in quite a while."
"Good. How long do you think it'll take you to get Rose and meet us there?"
"Maybe an hour. I'll call her now so she can be ready and then we can meet up with you guys. Does that work?" he asked.
"Yeah that should be perfect," I replied smiling as Bella watched me with curiosity, no doubt wondering who I was talking to. "I just need to run by my office and check on a few things and then we'll be ready."
"Ok we'll see ya at the Needle in an hour."
I hung up the phone and Bella immediately questioned me. "What was that all about, Mr. Cullen?"
I got up from where I had been sitting in front of her desk and walked around to her. I took her hand in mine and tugged her up out of her chair and into my arms. "I thought you could use a break from all of this and a night out for dinner would be a good distraction for you. You need to give yourself and your mind a break," I told her while tucking her hair back behind her ear. "I know we just had the weekend in Vancouver, but with all that has happened since we've been home, it has taken a toll on you. So if you are agreeable, I would like to take you out for the evening and give you something else to focus on. Emmett and Rose are going to join us."
She nodded and rewarded me with a sweet smile that told me she would enjoy it just as much as I thought she would. "You know," she said slipping her arms around me. Her hands slid into the back pockets of my pants and gripped my ass, immediately causing the front of my pants to be extremely tight. "There are other ways to distract me too." She looked up at me through her eyelashes while biting her bottom lip, knowing exactly what she was doing to me. It still amazed me how easily my body responded to her, but I loved every minute of it.
Burying my face against her neck and gently biting on her ear, I whispered to her, "Mmm, Sweetness, if you want me to take you home and worship your body all night, I'm all for it. But you get to be the one to call Emmett and Rose and tell them of our change in plans." It wasn't that I wouldn't be happy doing exactly as she suggested, but I felt as if she needed more than that right now. And we could still make love once we got home tonight. I'd make love to her until she couldn't walk if she wanted.
I felt a shiver run through her body before she composed herself and smacked me on the chest playfully. She was completely sexy and adorable at the same time as she pouted and said, "Fine. Let's go to dinner. But maybe we could squeeze in the other later?"
"You have my word, Sweetness." The smile she gave me this time far out shown the one from just a few minutes ago. Damn she was irresistibly gorgeous.
After a brief stop at my office so I could sign off on a couple of alarm install bids that Mike and Paul had done, we were on our way to the Space Needle's Sky City restaurant.
Once we arrived, we quickly found Emmett and Rose waiting for us by the elevator that took the restaurant's patrons to the top. We chatted lightly about the things that came into view on the ride up. After a short wait, we were seated at a table next to the window for the best view of the city and surrounding scenery as the restaurant did its three hundred and sixty degree rotation.
After placing our orders for dinner the four of us chatted about everything we could think of except for the case. Emmett and Rose told the story about how they met the summer after high school graduation when he'd taken his car to her father's automotive shop for a repair. He said he'd been completely dazzled by her from the first moment he saw her. Rose filled in with little details about how Emmett had at first assumed she was the receptionist or at the most the errand girl who ran to pick up parts that had been ordered. But she had quickly put him in his place letting him know she was a mechanic and he'd do well to remember it if he ever wanted his car to run well again. They went on to tell us how Rose had worked at her father's shop all through college while working on getting her business degree. After graduating she became more or less a partner to her father and a few years ago when he passed, she took over running the shop entirely.
"I bet you've taken a lot of shit over the years, being a woman in your profession," I told her.
"Yeah I have, but most men are smart enough to either accept me for who I am and what I know in the industry, or stay away completely," she replied.
Emmett was quick to jump in and add, "There are a few assholes who try to challenge her and treat her like a dumb blond and let me tell you, you ain't seen shit until you've seen my Rosie put one of those fuckers in their place. She is fierce and a force to be reckoned with if you try to mess with her or undermine her capabilities."
"You would know," she teased while looking at her husband with nothing more than love and adoration in her eyes.
"Learn the hard way?" I asked him with a teasing smirk on my face.
"Something like that." he chuckled.
"So tell us how the two of you met," Rose urged. "I mean I know the basics. You were over in Italy to keep an eye on Bella, but just how did the two of you run into each other?"
Bella and I took turns filling them in on the details of our first couple of encounters on the beach and how that led to me getting up the nerve to ask her out to dinner, and how things changed from there.
"Sounds like you were both quite smitten right away," Rose declared.
"I think it's pretty safe to say we were," I said while looking over at Bella, loving the rosy hue of pink that tinted her cheeks.
Lifting her glass of wine to take a sip, Rose then said, "Well I hope you know how lucky you are to have won her heart. She doesn't give it away easily."
"I do," I said softly as I leaned over and kissed Bella on the cheek.
We finished our dinner and then for dessert each couple shared an order of Tiramisu. After dessert Emmett and I grumbled back and forth over who was going to pay for dinner. I finally got him to let me do it by telling him that I would use it as a business expense and he could pay next time. Once the bill was settled, Bella and Rose insisted we take a trip up to the observation deck.
The sun had recently set so while the sky was beginning to darken, it still had a bit of a soft glow to it, giving it almost that early morning hazy blue color.
"It's really amazing how much you can see from up here," Bella sighed as she held onto my arm and rested her head against it.
I pulled my arm from her grasp and wrapped it around her, holding her close to me as the deck made its circle, showing us all the sights of downtown Seattle and the surrounding area. The scenery really was amazing. From our current position we could see Puget Sound. The waters looked almost black in the lack of sunlight and the buildings all around us were tiny in size. They looked like something in one of those miniature disaster movie sets that they build only to destroy. As the deck continued to turn, we saw Mount Rainier, the Cascade Mountains and the Olympic Mountains. Even this time of the year, Mount Rainier was still snowcapped at the upper elevations. We could also see planes flying in and out of Sea Tac, as well as the football and baseball stadiums. There wasn't much we couldn't see.
Emmett and Rose had walked off a short distance from us to allow them and us some privacy, but our quiet moment was suddenly interrupted by a loud boom of thunder and lightning jutting across the sky. By the time we reached the elevator to head back down, it was already pouring.
Watching the storm on the way down in the elevator was pretty cool. Seeing the flashes of lightning race across the sky, lighting it up, and the water running down the glass walls of the elevator. Once we reached the bottom, Emmett suggested he go get his suburban while I waited with Bella and Rose and that he'd drop Bella and me off at my car.
As soon as Emmett pulled up behind my mustang Bella jumped out, giggling as she ran through the rain. I smiled at the sound of it; that laugh told me tonight had been a very good idea and she was in a much better mood and more relaxed.
Driving home Bella had been incredibly frisky. She had driven me mad running her hand up and down my thigh but stopping just short of where I wanted her to touch me. However by the time we'd made it home and I had showered, she was sound asleep. No matter how much I wanted to make love to her, I knew she hadn't slept well lately so I crawled in next to her and fell asleep with her in my arms listening to the sound of the rain outside. There was no place in the world I'd rather be.
July 30, 2010
I woke to the incredible sensation of Bella's backside grinding against my morning arousal. It was making it extremely difficult to not give in to my urge to wake her up. It was still too early to think about the day that lay ahead of us. I wanted to keep her here wrapped in our little cocoon of peace for as long as I could. This left me torn between laying here holding her and letting her sleep, or encouraging whatever it was she was dreaming about that caused her to grind against me.
Of course, the last thing I wanted to do was go back to sleep, especially after getting so worked up last night. She had slept really well throughout the night so I told myself since Bella was actually having a good dream, maybe I should reward her for it. Make this good dream a reality for her. I brushed her hair aside and kissed the creamy soft skin of her shoulder exposed by the t-shirt of mine she was sleeping in. I loved seeing her in my clothes and this shirt she had on now was a favorite of mine for her to wear. It was one of my training t-shirts from the Army boot camp and it had my last name and unit number on the back. It thrilled me to no end to see my name on her, like she was marked as mine. She was the only woman I had ever dated that I had felt so possessive over. What thrilled me equally was it was one of Bella's favorites too, which made me think she liked my name on her just as much as I did.
She moaned softly in her sleep and I wondered again what she was dreaming about. She certainly wasn't in the middle of one of the nightmares she'd been having off and on because of Reynolds. It seemed last night's dinner really had taken her mind off of the case.
Over the past few days as more and more clues began to surface with the case, I began to think about how life after it was closed was going to be. I had gotten so used to waking up next to her every morning and I didn't want to go back to sleeping in separate beds for even one night, let alone living in separate houses. With what had recently taken place in her home and the memories that would forever be associated with it, I had begun to wonder if she would be able to live there again. And that thought along with the fact that I never wanted to go to sleep or wakeup without her again had me wanting to ask her to move in with me. But I didn't want her to do it simply because she didn't want to go back to her house. I wanted it to be about us and our love and our desire to be together.
Actually ever since I had slipped her diamond necklace around her neck last Saturday night, I'd been having thoughts of slipping a diamond on another part of her, specifically the ring finger of her left hand. Seeing my name on her made me think about it even more. I wanted more than to just see my name on her; I wanted it to be her name too. But as much as I wanted that, I knew it was still a bit too soon for a proposal. At least one that involved name changing. However one that involved address changing would be a good place to start. We needed time to be able to do all of the things normal couples did. Go out for dinner, take walks in the park, go to the movies or hang out with our friends. We needed to just experience a normal life for a while before I popped the big question. So as I nibbled on the spot just below her ear and slid my hand under her shirt and around the front to cup her breast, I made up my mind that I would ask her to move in with me.
Bella woke up quickly under my wandering hands and persistent lips. She rolled over and whispered "good morning" while hitching her leg up over my hip. When she used that same leg to pull me closer to her I knew she was game for some early morning love making, and I leaned over her and whispered, "Good morning, Sweetness."
She quickly replied, "Good morning indeed." She reached up and knotted her fingers in the short hair at the nape of my neck and pulled me to her, closing the distance between us and kissing me. Clothes were quickly removed. Bella's body was warm and inviting as we continued to caress and explore every inch of each other. It was like we were parched and dying from a thirst that could only be quenched by one another. Her mouth was soft and warm as she kissed along my neck and up my jaw until she found my lips again. As we continued to kiss I rolled her on her back and positioned myself between her thighs.
I broke the kiss and peppered light kisses all over her face and neck. "I love you, Bella," I whispered.
Bella pulled me down to her again and repeated the same words back to me as I slipped inside her. Her body rippled underneath me as we moved in unison matching each other move for move until we reached our peak together. It was the perfect way to start the day.
A little while later after we'd showered, I watched as she got dressed. It was the last Friday of the month, which she deemed was casual Friday. For a small donation to a charity her office had agreed to support, the agents could wear casual attire to work. Bella was wearing jeans and a short sleeved white shirt which clung perfectly to her luscious curves. She also had a black casual blazer laid out to wear with it and since it was raining heavily and cool out today she opted for a pair of boots instead of her usual dress shoes. I shook my head in awe at how sexy she could look in absolutely anything.
I decided there was no time like the present to ask her to move in with me. I walked up behind her and snaked my arms around her waist as she stood in front of the mirror fixing her hair.
"Help me with my necklace?" she asked holding her hand up with the piece of jewelry in it. She wasn't one for expensive gifts so it made me very happy to see her wear it all the time.
After I finished putting the necklace on her, I kissed her neck and then said to her, "Come sit on the bed with me for a minute. There's something I want to talk to you about. Something I want you to think about."
While I waited for her response, I nuzzled my face against her neck, inhaling her scent. She had taken to using the tropical scented body wash and shampoo that had been in my bathroom all along and I loved how it smelled on her.
"Ok," she giggled as I pulled her backwards with me towards the bed.
She started to sit next to me, but instead I held on to her so she'd sit on my lap. "What's this all about?" she asked tapping the tip of my nose with her finger. She was in an extremely good mood and I loved seeing her so carefree and happy. I wanted to think the way our morning started had a little bit to do with it, along with getting some restful sleep.
I took in a long pull of air, let it back out and then dug right into what I wanted to say. "Would you agree that things are finally happening with the case and that we are very close to finding out who is assisting Reynolds?"
"Yeah, I would, why?" she asked with a somewhat puzzled look on her face.
"Well, I've been thinking a lot about what happens when it's all said and done and I am no longer required to be with you all day every day."
"Ok," she said, dragging the word out slowly.
"I've grown quite attached to going to sleep and waking up next to you every day. And to be quite honest with you I don't want that to change once the case is closed."
"I like sleeping next to you too," she whispered while running her fingers through my hair.
"That's good. It gives me reason to believe you will be receptive to my idea," I told her while charming her a little with the smile I knew she loved.
"And just what is this idea of yours, Mr. Cullen?" I knew she had busted me on the smile when her tone had a hint of sarcasm to it and she had a smirk of her own playing on her lips.
"I want you to move in with me permanently." She started to say something but I shushed her and asked her to let me finish first. "I know your life has been turned upside down for weeks now and I know you are looking forward to living a normal life again. Coming and going as you please, driving yourself places again and spending time with your friends. And I want all of those things for you too. But I also want you here with me, or if you really want, I'll move in with you. All that matters to me is that we are together. You don't have to decide right now. I know it's a big step, and like I said, I don't expect you to answer me yet, you can take all the time you need. But would you promise me you'll think about it?"
"I will, I promise," she said resting her head on my shoulder and letting out a long sigh.
Afraid that something was wrong, or that maybe she was feeling pressured, I asked, "You ok? Did I say something wrong?"
"No, not at all," she declared while sitting up and looking me right in the eye so I could see she meant what she said. And that was exactly what I saw.
"Then what's wrong? Talk to me, Sweetness."
"Nothing's wrong. Not really. I…I love all of the things about us living together too. And I can't imagine how I would feel going back to living alone or sleeping without you. And like you, I want us to be together. But I don't want to say yes just yet. I need for this case to be closed and not hanging over my head anymore. I want to be free to make the choice and not feel like I have an axe hanging over me forcing me to choose, so that when I make that choice I know I am doing it because it's really what I want. I promised you I would think about it and I will."
"That's all I'm asking."
I gave her a quick peck on the lips and she got up. Walking across the room, she put on her holster and placed her gun in it before grabbing her jacket, throwing it on and rolling the sleeves up a couple of times. After that we made our way downstairs to have breakfast. While we ate we discussed all the information that had come to light this week as well as how we hoped that the bank had the records ready to be picked up today so that we could begin to dig through them. After we finished eating, we both cleaned up the small mess and then left.
When we entered the office it seemed everyone was already there and already busy going about their day's work. I couldn't help tensing a bit as we walked past Jacob. I had had enough of him taunting and making advances at Bella and if I had another confrontation with him I didn't know if I'd be able to stop before I beat the shit out of him. Fortunately he seemed pretty engrossed in whatever it was he was working on.
On our way to Bella's office we walked past the conference room and saw Seth and Sam lifting boxes off a wheeled cart onto the huge table that was in the room. Bella pulled the door open and I held it for her and followed behind her.
"Is this the bank records?" she asked Seth when he looked up and made eye contact with her.
"Yes, ma'am it sure is. You ready to dig in?"
"You know I am," Bella replied with a huge smile. I could tell she really was excited to get started. She set her purse and laptop bag down on an extra chair and then sat down after rolling her sleeves up a bit further than they already were.
A few minutes later, Emmett showed up with juice, coffee and donuts for us all. After indulging in the sweet treat and a cup of coffee, the five of us dug into the bank files.
The court order demanded the bank give us records covering the last year and they had even been nice enough to label the boxes for us. So that we didn't get information misplaced and mixed up we started with one person at a time. Since at the moment Jessica Stanley was at the top of the list, we began with her.
As we all began going through the mounds of paper work, Emmett reminded us all that we were most likely looking for deposits of several thousands of dollars but that the amounts were also under the ten thousand dollar mark because amounts larger than that had to be reported to the government.
The minutes and then hours seemed to tick by. I had never gone through so many papers in all my life. So far we had found one large deposit but it was traced back to a loan coming from the bank, which made it legitimate.
Before we knew it, it was nearly one in the afternoon. Emmett ordered a couple of pizzas for us to eat so that we could keep working. While we were eating lunch, Bella asked the question that I was sure had been weighing on her mind all morning.
"Hey, Em?" Bella called, gaining his attention.
"Yeah, Bella. Something on your mind?" he returned with a slight smile as he took a huge bite of pizza. I was confident he already knew what she was going to ask. In fact like me he was probably surprised she had waited this long.
"Um…you have any idea what time they are transferring Reynolds?" she asked tentatively. I knew she wouldn't be completely relieved until she knew for certain that he was in California and securely locked away on death row.
"No…well not the specifics anyway. For security purposes all they give us is a date the transfer will take place on. That could mean anytime from twelve am this morning until eleven fifty-nine tonight. He could be already on his way or still sitting at Stafford waiting to go. And given the fact it's about a twelve hour drive from Olympia to San Francisco, he may not actually arrive at San Quentin until early tomorrow morning," Emmett explained.
"Oh. Ok," Bella replied. I could tell that she was disappointed to not have a concrete time that she could look forward to as a source of relief knowing he was gone and out of the state of Washington.
"Hey, it's ok. I understand," Emmett told her. "And even though we don't know when he will be leaving, they will notify us once he is there. I promise to let you know as soon as I do."
"Thanks, that makes me feel a little better," Bella admitted.
After we ate, we got back to going though the bank files. We had been working for about an hour when someone knocked on the conference room door.
"Come in," Emmett called. Bella's co worker Tyler entered the room. "Whatcha need, Crowley?"
"Erikson is on line three for you, McCarty," he answered. "Says it's urgent."
"I'll be right back," Emmett said as he got up and left the room.
A few minutes later, he came back. "Seth, Sam." The two men looked up at their boss immediately. "We have a situation that needs to be checked out down near Turnwater. A state trooper found an abandoned car off of I-5. The plates were run and it came back registered to Henry McMillian."
"That's our missing guard," Bella stated.
"Sure is and Turnwater is just south of Olympia. That's why I need Seth and Sam to head down there with forensics to check it out and make sure it is handled properly. I also think it's time to go public with McMillian's description and see if we can get this scumbag found and brought in. If he was stupid enough to remain so close to Olympia and Stafford, we need to get his ass hauled in now."
Seth and Sam showed Emmett where they were in the section of information they were going through and then left right away. Emmett followed them out to speak to Erikson briefly and left Bella and I in the conference room to continue sifting through the documents.
As soon as the door was closed behind Emmett, Bella got up and walked over to the large window that looked out over downtown Seattle. I gave her a minute and then got up and quietly strode up behind her. She was staring out the window and sliding the diamond pendant of her necklace back and forth on its chain. I loved this woman with my whole heart and it pained me to see her having to go through this ordeal. I knew that if she hadn't been caught up in it, I might have never met her, but given the fact that we lived in the same city and we both knew Emmett, I wanted to believe that we would have met somehow. Because I believed that we were meant for each other. I made a mental note to talk to Emmett about giving her some time off after this was all settled so I could take her away, even if it were just for a few days, so she could decompress and put it all behind her.
I encased her in my arms and kissed the top of her head. "Not the same as the view we had at the Needle last night is it?"
"No, not even close," she sighed as she turned in my arms and buried her head against my chest.
"Hey," I whispered, using my finger that I'd placed under her chin to encourage her to look up at me. When she did, I could see so many emotions swimming in her eyes. Hope, fear, stress, worry and fatigue; it was all there.
She opened and closed her mouth a few times but nothing came out. "Shhh, Sweetness," I soothed her and held her tighter. "It's going to be ok. We are going to get this figured out. I promise I am going to be next to you every step of the way until this is over."
She nodded and I felt her body relax against mine. We stood there quietly for a few minutes when Bella's cell phone rang.
I watched as she made her was across the room and dug the phone out of her jacket pocket from where it was hanging on the back of her chair when she had taken it off earlier.
"Hello," she answered. "Oh hi, Dr. Bartholomew," and then a minute later said, "Um sure," as she turned and glanced at the clock on the wall behind her. "Ok, see you in a few."
She slid the phone back into her jacket pocket. "That was Dr. Bartholomew. She's had something come up and has to leave her office early today and asked me to come down for my session now."
"Ok, then let's go. I'll walk ya down."
She grabbed her gun and holster off the back of her chair and slid it back on along with her jacket that she had also removed earlier to be more comfortable as we worked.
We stopped by Emmett's office long enough to let him know where we were going and I told him that I'd be right back. He nodded since he was on the phone and we left. As we walked through the office, I noticed Jacob was the only one left there. Everyone else must have been out working on their cases or getting lunch.
With it being so close to lunch time, there was a lot of activity in the building and because of the long line waiting for the elevator, Bella and I opted to take the steps.
Once we reached the waiting room of the doctor's office, I pulled her to me and planted a searing kiss on her lips. "I love you. I'll see ya in an hour," I told her.
"I love you too," she replied and started to lean into me for another kiss, when we were interrupted by the sound of Dr. Bartholomew clearing her throat.
Bella blushed when I gave her a quick kiss anyways before I let go of her. I reiterated that I'd be back in an hour and she nodded and then disappeared behind the door to the doctor's private office.
The elevator was less crowded this time so I took it back up. When I got there Emmett was already back in the conference room digging for clues. I grabbed a bottle of water out of the mini fridge in the room and sat down to dig back in myself.
About a half an hour had gone by when Emmett's cell phone rang. I listened to him as I continued going through the April bank statement of Reynolds' attorney, Marcus Volturi.
"Good news," he said as he hung up. "They found a small box with what they believe is the missing tape from the prison in the car. It appears to be damaged so we may not be able to get anything off of it. But I am sure our experts will do all they can."
"Sounds like he may have left the car behind in a hurry."
"Yeah it does. Seth said they'd be back in a couple of hours."
"Ok," I replied as my cell phone began to ring with Lady in Red playing.
Emmett chuckled and said, "I know who that is."
I smirked and nodded before answering the call. "Hey, Sweetness," I said to her.
"Hey there yourself, handsome." I could almost hear the smile in her voice. "Look my appointment was cut short today due to the doc needing to leave. So I am on my way back up as soon as I use the restroom."
"Wait there. I'll be right down to walk you back up."
"Edward, that's crazy. It's stupid for you to come down here just to turn around and go right back up."
"Damn it, Bella. I'm coming down there. You are not supposed to be alone. We don't know who the nut-job is helping Reynolds yet. Until then you are stuck with me twenty-four-seven."
"Look, I'm already in the bathroom and the stalls are full which means there are other women in here. I don't want to argue with you while they can hear. Besides, we are in a federal building with armed guards everywhere. I will be up there before you know it," she argued.
"I understand all that. But I am just trying to do my job and keep you safe," I told her.
"I know and I love you for it." There was a pause and then she said, "Gotta go, empty stall and I really have to go. Love you, see you in a minute." The line went dead and I filled Emmett in.
I went back to what I was doing while waiting for Bella. It seemed like no more than a few minutes had gone by when I came upon a large transaction in the attorney's account.
"Emmett, what month did Bella start getting harassed?" I asked.
"April I think. Why?"
"Look at this," I said as I got up and walked around the table to him.
'Whatcha got?" he asked.
I placed the statement on the table and showed him where on April eleventh there was a deposit made in Marcus Volturi's bank account in the amount of nine thousand, seven hundred and fifty dollars and then three days later there was a withdrawal of the same amount. We looked through the additional documents for that month and found that a photo copy of a check matching the amount on the same day from a James Wolfe's bank account.
"Wolfe?" I asked. That name was nagging at me for some reason. "You think Reynolds had an alias?"
"Anything's possible. It looks as if the withdrawal of the same amount was a direct transfer to another account so let's see if we have the paperwork showing us where it went."
As we looked for the papers, I glanced at my watch thinking Bella should be walking through the door any second.
"Here it is," Emmett stated, holding up the document. "It went to an account belonging to one William Black."
"William Black? First the name Wolfe strikes a chord in me and now Black. What am I missing here, Em?"
Before he could say anything, it hit me. "Holy fuck," I exclaimed.
"What?" Emmett asked.
"Isn't Jake's last name Black?"
"Yes," he answered and then the connection hit him. "Oh fuck."
"Emmett, Tuesday when Bella and I got here, he made some wise ass crack to her about the big bad wolf messing with her again."
"Where is she?"
"On her way up here."
"Ok, I want you to calmly but quickly walk through the office without saying a fucking word to him and go to Bella. Get her out of here. You got it? I mean it Edward, not a word or even a glance. I don't want him to be tipped off. I will handle him. I'm gonna call Erikson and get him in here for backup and then I will go from there."
"Fuck," I muttered.
Worried and in a hurry to get to Bella, as I was heading out the door to the conference room, I pulled my gun out of my holster and released the safety. I had barely heard the last few words Emmett said, in my rush to get to Bella. But when I entered the front office space it was empty except for Tyler Crowley. I started to tell Tyler to go tell Emmett, but Emmett was right behind me.
"He's gone," I bellowed to him. I could see the blood drain from his face with the news.
"Go! Go get to Bella!" he growled.
I bolted out the door and heard Emmett barking orders to Tyler on my way out. I stopped at the elevator and dialed her phone, not wanting to miss her if she was about to get off the elevator. But it opened with no Bella in sight the same time her phone went to voicemail. There were still a few people waiting to go up so I took the stairs again, running down them two and three at a time. Once I reached the floor she was on, I ran down the hall to the ladies restroom.
Not caring who might be inside I flung the door open while calling out loudly, "Bella, you still in here?"
But I was met with nothing but an empty restroom. The doors to all the stalls were hanging open with no Bella in sight. I felt a crushing pain in my chest as my breath caught in my lungs. Oh God please let her be somewhere in this building, I thought, when I heard a chirp coming from my left.
There sitting on the bathroom vanity was Bella's phone chirping and her gun right next to it. As I turned to reach for her phone to see if she had somehow left me a message, a clue as to where she was going, I was heartbroken to see it was just a missed call alert. I looked up at the mirror. What I saw smeared in soap across it instantly made my blood boil.
"Fuck," I bellowed as I hurled my fist at the words, causing huge cracks to splinter out from where my fist had landed in the middle of the mirror. That fucker had taken my Sweetness. I leaned forward resting my hands on the vanity, squeezing my eyes shut, trying to get the images of him taking her out of my head and knowing I needed to compose myself. I needed to get a grip so I could go get her back.
I heard the door open and spun, hoping I'd see the love of my life walking through the door, but instead I was met with the angry face of Emmett. "Didn't find him did you?" I seethed.
"No. The building has been put on lock down. If he is still here he won't get out."
"He's gone and he's fucking got her, Emmett. If he harms one hair on her head, I'll kill him. He won't live to see another minute when I find him if she isn't in the same pristine condition she was in when I last saw her." I could feel my temper flaring again.
"Are you sure you didn't miss her on the way down? Maybe she was in one of the other elevators."
"Look at the fucking mirror, Em."
As he did, I could see the realization on his face. He knew there was no doubt as to where Bella was. As if seeing them wasn't enough, he read the words out loud. "Who's afraid of the big bad wolf now?"
Ok, maybe I should run for cover now. Hold on tight, we are heading for a bit of a bumpy ride. Loved it, hated it? Let me know.
Until next time, thanks for reading,
~EA~