Hello sweethearts!

Here is chapter 21 and i really wanna thank my beta Jenifer Cullen for all her help and advice with this chapter! This chapter would have been very different and would have sucked without her!

So here we go :)

Chapter 21

Bang Bang.

Bpov.

"Guess what?" I asked Edward as soon as he picked up the phone. Today was my first meeting with my boss in Seattle, I was a nervous wreck when I woke up this morning and Edward made me promise to call him as soon as the meeting was over.

"You nailed it!"

"No I didn't." I said while putting the heavy case into the back of the car while balancing my phone in the other hand.

"That's not possible, what happened?" He says as I step into my car.

"I don't know, they changed their mind." I say biting my lip trying not to laugh. The line was silent for a second before he answered.

"Are you joking with me, Swan?"

This I time I couldn't help but laugh. "Maybe?"

"God, you evil woman!" He laughs.

"Sorry I couldn't help it!" I say laughing with him.

"So you did nail it?"

"Well I wouldn't say that but my boss is a really nice guy. His name is Emmett McCarty and he took the company over when his father died. His father was a photographer just like me and Emmett got his passion for photos from him. So we are sort of on the same page, He wants to use the pictures from my portfolio."

"I'm proud of you love, but be honest should I be jealous of that Emmett guy?" He asks joking.

"No he's married." I answer trying to sound disappointed and I could hear him laughing.

"Good to know. Hey love I gotta now, there are customers."

"Alright, I'll be home in few hours." I say while looking at the little music store on my right. I could have been home by know but I made a little stop here.

"Okay, I'm going to be late tonight, Carlisle wants me to stay a little longer so we can do the inventories. Be careful Love, Esme says it's going to snow."

"I will, I'll see you tonight. I love you."

"I love you too, text me when you're home okay?"

"I will, Bye." I say before disconnecting the call.

Today was a cold but sunny day and there was no sign that it was going to snow tonight. I started the car and turned the heat on before I drove out of the parking lot away from the music store and made my way home.

I made a stop here so I could buy a Christmas present for Edward, He told me before that his mother teached him how to play guitar and piano but he hasn't played since he lived on the streets. You could see he missed playing in the way he speaks about it, but when I asked him why he doesn't start playing now he just told he couldn't afford an instrument.

So that's why I was here, I can't afford a piano either but Carlisle told me there was a Little music store with second hand guitars and I went there after the meeting with my boss. I bought this beautiful metal black acoustic guitar, you can see someone has played on it before but that gave the guitar it's old but special look. The guy from the store told me he would engrave something in the guitar for free if wanted and I let him engrave a little note on the back of the guitar.

The hardest thing now was to keep this a secret for two weeks. Carlisle and Esme are coming over for dinner on Christmas Eve, it's been a while since I celebrated Christmas and now I couldn't wait the spent it with Edward.

It was dark when I arrived home and I was happy there weren't any lights on in the house because that meant that Edward wasn't home yet and that I still had time to hide his present.

I took the guitar case from the back of the car and walked to the garden house. There was a dark sheet laying on the floor and I used this to cover the case up. Not that Edward came here much but I want it to be a surprise.

I looked around the almost empty garden house and smiled, this is where it all started. It was getting cold so I walked back to the house and turned the light on when I was inside and grabbed my phone so could text Edward.

Home safe, how's work?xx - B

Good! I'm almost done, how was your drive? x -E

Long ;) What do you want for dinner? xx -B

I'll grab some Chinese on the way home x -E

Aaah I knew there's a reason why I love you! ;)xx -B

Haha very funny love! I'll see you in an hour, I love you x-E

Love you too, be safe! xx-B

Always am –E

The last words reminded me of my dad and I walked to the kitchen so I could make some tea to heat up. I was pouring the hot water in a mug when I heart a bang from the hallway, at first I thought it was Edward so I walked out of the kitchen but there was no one there.

I thought I imagined it so I walked back to the kitchen but as soon as I walked in I heard a click and then there was something pressed against the back of my head making me stop.

"One more step and there's going to be bullet into your head."

I recognized his voice and closed my eyes, my body tensed up in fear when I realized it was a gun but I tried to hide it.

"Turn around petite, slowly." He says and then the pressure of the gun against my head was gone. I turned around facing him and the sight of him surprised me.

He looked a lot thinner, like he hadn't eaten in weeks and his normally long hair was short now, his eyes were wide like he took some drugs, maybe he did. But I saw the scar on the corner of his mouth, I wouldn't have recognized him if I walked past him on the street.

"It's a nice change isn't it?" He pressed his fingers against my cheek and I tried to take a step back but he grabbed my arm in a painful grip.

"What are you doing here James?" I'm glad my voice didn't break, I need to keep him calm until Edward gets home.

"Well I was in the neighborhood and I thought I would pay some old friends a visit, it's been a long time after all. You don't mind do you?"

Lie.

Sslowly shook my head. "No not at all."

"Good." He says while sitting down on one of the chairs and he put the gun down on the table. Now I could see that his hands and legs were shaking.

"Sit down." He says pointing to the chair in front of him. Slowly I sat down and I looked at the space were the hallway is trying to find a way out.

"Don't even think about it." He growls and I bow my head looking at my hands and that's when I notice that my phone is still in my pocket.

"You've changed." He says and I look up at the gentle tone of his voice, he's completely crazy.

"I do?" I ask trying to distract him and I trace my fingers over my phone.

"Yes your hair is shorter." He says while I take the phone from my pocket in my hand.

"Yours to." I say shifting the attention from me to him. He keeps talking about things and I nod and shake my head trying to make him believe that I'm listening while I'm actually trying to send a message to Edward.

I'm almost done when he suddenly stops talking and my heads snaps up, his eyes are looking at my hands and I know I've failed. I should have pressed sent but my body was frozen, his eyes meet mine while his hand reaches for his gun.

"What the hell are you doing?" He asks and stands up taking a step in my direction.

"Nothing." The word has barely left my lips before his fist hits my jaw and I fall from my chair to the ground hitting my head on the floor. A blinding pain rips through my head making me see white spots.

He kneels down beside me and grabs the phone that's lying on the floor.

"You shouldn't have done that ma petite." He grabs my shoulder and the world starts spinning when he pulls me in a sitting position.

"Let's make a deal alright, I won't hurt you if you don't lie, okay?" He asks but I couldn't answer him even if I wanted to, I was trying hard to keep my eyes open because I would be out if I closed them.

"Okay now that's settled. I'm going to ask you some questions and you're going to answer them alright?" He asks showing his gun and I tried my best to nod.

"Edward is at work right?" I didn't want to answer him but he put the gun back against my throbbing head.

"Yes." I whisper.

"Good, thank you." He says while stroking my cheek again.

"When is he going to be home?"

"I don't know." I lie and I'm rewarded with another punch, I can taste blood inside my mouth and I can only imagine how my face must look.

He grabs my chin in one of his hands so he could look me in the eyes.

"One more time, when is he going the get his lazy ass over here?" He growls.

"I don't know." I say again and I try to back away when his fits lifts up.

"Please, stop, I don't know, I don't know." I beg, my head hurts and I'm afraid that I'm going to pass out.

"What do you mean you don't know?!" He yells.

"He's working late, I don't know when he's going to be home." I lie again praying that he would believe me.

He stands up and runs both of his hand through his short hair.

"Fuck!" He yells and he kicks the chair beside me against the wall, I back away but he grabs my shoulders again until I'm standing but my knees are weak and I can't stand up alone. He grabs the other chair and drags both of us to the living room.

He pushes me down on the couch and I try to sit upright. He puts the chair in front of the television before he walks back to me.

"Call him." He says handing the phone to me.

"No." Edward would rush over here if I called him and that is exactly what James wants.

"No?"

I shake my head ignoring the pain.

He laughs and puts his gun at my head, "If you're smart and I really think you are then you are going to take this phone and call that piece of shit or I'm not going to kill only you and him but every one you care about. Maybe Alice hu? Or what about his boss and fiancé?"

My head shots back up and I see him smiling at me.

"I've been following you two for quite a while, I know everything and everyone, so start calling before I lose my temper." He says pressing the gun against my head.

With shaking hands I take the phone from him and I search for Edward's name. It would be easy to call 911 but that could bring everyone in danger.

"Put it on speaker." James says and my eyes glide over Edwards name before I press the call button and bring the phone to my ear closing my eyes so the tears won't fall.

The phone rings three times before I hear his voice.

"Hello love." A sob leaves me lips and I don't care that James is watching me.

"Edward, I'm so sorry." My voice breaks and tears are falling over my cheeks.

"Love what's wrong?" He asks alarmed.

"I tried to, - I didn't want to call you but he's going to-"James grabs the phone from my hands and presses the gun harder against my head.

"It's been a while, hasn't it, my friend." He says into the phone winking at me.

He turned to speaker of so I can't hear what Edward was saying.

"I'm just paying ma petite a visit, so I would hurry your ass over here, it's not nice to keep people waiting and I'm a little impatient." James says and he is silent for a while before he looks at me.

"Well I think it's already too late for that!" He says before he's silent again.

"I want you to get here as fast as possible, no cops and don't call anyone or there is going to be a bullet between your girls pretty eyes." That's when he smashes to phone against the wall and it falls into little broken pieces on the floor.

James walks closer to me and again he takes my chin in his hand rubbing my bottom lip.

Let's have some fun shall we?"

Epov.

I rub my eyes before I look back at Carlisle, "God I'm tired."

"Well you better get used to it if you're going to be the owner of this place." Carlisle says while putting his papers away.

"Yeah well I'm thinking about hiring someone else just like you did with me." I say grabbing my coat so I can go home.

"Maybe you should, extra hands are always good."

"I'll think about, have a nice weekend Carlisle." I say hitting his shoulder.

"You too son, and say hi to Bella for me." Carlisle really has thing for her, always asking how she and if she likes the books he gave her.

"I will." I say chuckling and I walk out of the store to my car. The nights are getting colder and I think Esme might be right about the snow.

My phone rings when I'm at my car and I see Bella's name on the screen, I smile and pick up the phone.

"Hello Love." I say while opening the car door, the line is silent for a second before I hear a sob through the phone.

"Edward, I'm so sorry." Her voice breaks when she's saying this and I could hear that She's crying.

"Love what's wrong?" I ask panicked, is she hurt? Did something happen to her?

"I tried to, - I didn't want to call you but he's going to-" And then she's gone.

"Bella?!"

"It's been a while, hasn't it, my friend." A male voice says and I recognize the voice immediately, anger fills my body.

"James, what the hell are you doing?" I say and I step into the car slamming the door shut.

"I'm just paying ma petite a visit, so I would hurry your ass over here, it's not nice to keep people waiting and I'm a little impatient." James says and I can hear he's enjoying himself.

"I swear to God James if you hurt her I-"

"Well I think it's already too late for that." He says cutting me of.

I close my eyes trying to keep the images of a hurt Bella out of my mind.

"What do you want?"

"I want you to get here as fast as possible, no cops and don't call anyone or there is going to be a bullet between your girls pretty eyes." He says before the call is disconnected.

"God damn it!" I yell, throwing my phone on the passenger seat, I start the car and drive like a mad man. The whole drive I keep thinking about everything he could have done to her in my absence, about every way he could have hurt her and it's making me sick. I swear I'm going to kill him if he touched her. For a minute I think about calling the cops but I'm not going to risks Bella's life, he wants me dead I'm sure of it and Bella is a way of getting me where he wants. I can only hope I can get Bella out of there on time.

I cut the engine when I'm home and run op the stairs to the front door and stop there so I can take the keys from my coat pocket. I slowly open the door trying to prepare myself for what's on the other side.

The house is quiet and the only light comes from the living room. I take a deep breath and prepare myself for the worst, anger and fear fills me when I step into the living room and nothing could have prepared me for what I saw. Bella was sitting on the couch like she always did but this time her eyes were closed and there was blood on her face and her neck.

And I just stood there, staring at her until I felt something press against my back.

"It's nice to see you again Ed, it's been a while."

His voice snapped me back to reality and anger filled me.

"What the fuck did you do to her?"

"Oh we just had a little fun, she's fine. Just unconscious don't worry I didn't fuck her . . . yet."

My breathing picks up and I ball my fists ready to kill him with my bare hands. He must have noticed this because he taps the gun against my back.

"I want you to walk to the chair by the television and sit down, walk slowly and try to control your temper Eddie or else I'm going to put a bullet between her eyes just like I did with her father."

I do what he says and I feel the gun pressing in my back as a walk to the chair, he ties my hands on my back so I'm helpless. James walks away from the chair and that's when I see how much he has changed. He walks closer to Bella until he's standing behind the couch and grabs Bella's hair in his hands. I try to free my hands but the rope cuts my skin

"She really is beautiful isn't she?" He asks touching her cheek with his filthy hands but I don't answer.

"You know I'm surprised she took you back after everything you've done, maybe she's crazy after all right?"

"What the fuck do you want?" I growl making his grip tighter on her hair.

"Easy, Ed or I'm going to hurt her."

"Look James, she has nothing to do with this, you want me, now you got me so let her go." I say trying to stay calm.

"Well you're wrong about that. You know Ed we could have been fucking rich you know that? Business was going great, me and you were a good team."

His grip loosens on her hair and I'm still trying to get my hands out of the rope. "We would have been caught someday." I say trying to distract him.

"No, you did the deals, I erased the evidence that's how it worked until you turned your fucking back at me!" James yells and he slams his hands down on the back of the couch. Now he's no longer holding Bella up by her hair, making her body fall on her side on the couch.

"Look James I'm sorry but you killed somebody, I couldn't live with that." I need to get him on the edge.

"I don't want your apologizes, I want you to suffer just like I did. Did you realize that the whole business fell down when you left? You, you were my best man you could do every deal! But no you turned your back at me and that bitch from the shelter took you back with open arms! And what did I have? Nothing! And look at you now, you have everything!"

James had walked away from the couch and was now walking to me.

"She has nothing to do with this." I say again.

"No? Well I think she has everything do with it! In the beginning I didn't care what happened to you because your life was miserable anyway, you know I followed you for a while and god did you look pathetic wandering the streets on your own but then you disappeared. After a while I thought you were dead and I let it go but one night I see you walking down the street with this girl and you know what? You looked fucking happy!" James yells and his face is getting red from anger, the distance between Bella and him was getting bigger.

"So you want me to suffer? I'll make you a deal I'll do whatever you want me to do but just let her go James."

He stares at me before he laughs.

"Oh so you think I want to kill you? I'm not going kill you that would be too easy."

"Then what the hell do you want?" I ask him losing my temper.

"I want you to suffer just like I did. I'm going to kill her right in front of your eyes but first I'm going to fuck her. Is she a screamer Ed? Does she scream when you fuck her, hmm? He asks and I see him walking back to Bella.

"James don't" I growl and I fight harder against the rope cutting my skin harder.

"Let's wake her up shall we?" He says putting the gun on the couch before pulling her up by her hair and that's when he slaps her in the face making her head fall to the side.

"James!" I yell again.

"Easy Ed, see there she is. Good evening sleepy head, someone has finally joined us." James steps to the side and that's when I meet Bella's bewildered eyes.

Her eyes fill with tears and I wanted to say something to her so I could let her know that everything was going to be alright but James cut me off.

"You see ma petite Edward is here for our little show." Bella's eyes shot from mine to his.

She must have seen what he meant in his eyes because hers fill with panic.

"No plea-" She cries but she's cut of when James pushes her down on the couch with one hand on her throat.

Bella starts kicking and struggling trying to get him off her but James lifts his hand again and the scream that leaves her when he hits her rips trough me.

"Ah so she's a screamer after all." He says more to himself than to me before he straddles her waist.

"James stop!" I say desperate now and Bella screams again when he rips her shirt at the neck so her neck is bare

"She's beautiful Ed, really beautiful." He says while roaming his disgusting fucking hands over her body. I can't see Bella's face but I can hear her sobs and screams when he gropes her to tight. "Please, please, stop!" she screamed, her voice is getting hoarse.

"Get your fucking hands of her!" I'm still trying to get myself free from the rope and I can feel the blood on my hands from where the rope has cut my skin.

My actions become desperate when James hands roam her legs and they move to her zipper, Bella starts struggling harder but he stops her by hitting her again, her head snaps in my direction and I can see the pain on her face, her tearful eyes meet mine and I swear I never felt more helpless.

"Edward help." She whimpered.

"James for god sakes stop!" I say pleading now.

But he doesn't he starts working on his own button and zipper, Bella tries to push him of her by pushing on his chest with shaking arms but it's no use, James is way more stronger than her and he pins her arms down when he's done with his zipper.

He takes the skin of her neck between his teeth making her whimper.

"Hmm you smell good, can you feel me ma petite?" He asks grinding his hips against her before he moves back up so he's straddling her again. One of his hands grabs her throat again while the other moves to her underwear, ready to pull it off along with the jeans that are already around her thighs.

"Are you ready ma petite?"

"James!" I yell, above Bella's cries and whimper, and struggle harder against the rope and I found a slack in it.

"Enjoy the show Eddie." He says before he tugs her jeans down.

"Edward please!" She screams again and the rope around my hands loosens right on that moment, finally I can free my hand from the rope and I jump from the chair lunging myself at James pulling him of Bella and the most satisfying feeling fills me when my fist hits his jaw, blood pours out of his nose and I ignore the pain in my hand. The gun fell from the couch on the floor and I tried to reach it but James surprises me when his fist hits my stomach knocking the air out of me.

James pushes me of him and he gives me a couple of punches.

"You stupid mother fucker!" He growls before his fist hits my face. My head smacks to the side and my eyes land on the gun, I try to reach for it again but it's too far away so I focus my attention back on James, I try to push him of me but he's too heavy.

We struggle for a while, punching and kicking each other but then he wraps his hands around my throat cutting my breathing of.

I try to remove James hands but he's too strong and I'm getting dizzy. And that's when I knew that I was going to die.

They always say that when you die your whole life flashes before your eyes. But I can say that's bullshit, I didn't see my life or a tunnel with a white light on the end of it and I didn't see god if he even exists. The only thing I could think about was Bella, he was going to kill her when he was done with me. She didn't deserve all this, not the pain her mother or Phil caused her, not the pain I had caused and she sure as hell didn't deserve to die at James fucking hands. But there was nothing I could do except accepting that I would gladly go to hell to burn there for the rest of my existence for my Bella.

James' eyes bored into mine and he smiled at me, satisfied. I tried to struggle for breath but gave up and that's when I heard the most beautiful sound of two deafening gunshots.

BANG BANG

James eyes go wide and his grip on my throat loosens.

BANG BANG

James coughs and blood leaves his mouth, he's struggling for breath just like I did a couple of seconds ago.

Slowly I see the life leaving his eyes and that's when I push him of me, his limp body falls to the side and I immediately look at the couch but she isn't there.

My eyes search the room and I see her standing before me with the gun pointed at me, her finger on the trigger.

She shot him.

Her shirt is ripped at the neck but she has pulled her jeans back up, the left side of her face is covered in blood and tears. I can see bruises on her neck and arms but the way she looks at me scares me, she's looking right through me like she doesn't recognize me.

She's in shock.

"Bella?" I say while I sit up slowly her hands grips the gun tighter and I stop moving.

"Bella it's me." I say again and I put my bloody hands in front of my body so she can see them.

A sob leaves her body and her hand that's holding the gun is shaking, it takes all of my strength to not run to her, I stand up slowly, keeping my hands where she can see them but she takes a step back.

"Bella, it's me love. It's okay." It's like I'm talking to a little child, I need to get through her so I take another step in her direction.

Quickly she takes one back and another sob leaves her body, she's scared of me.

"Bella I need you to look at me alright? Look at me." I beg and it works her eyes search mine and I try to smile to let her know it's okay.

"It's me, I'm not going to hurt you, you're safe." I repeat and her eyes leave mine, she's now looking at the gun and I pray that she will recognize me.

I take a another step closer and her head snaps up taking a step back hitting the wall behind her and that seems to snap her out of it because she looks from me at the gun and then at James who's lying behind me.

Bella looks back at the gun and her breathing is uneven, the gun falls from her hands on floor, her eyes land on James now dead body.

"Edward." She cries and I cross the distance between us, I grab her arms and pull her against my chest turning us so she can't see him anymore.

"Don't look love, it's okay."

She wraps her arms around my waist and her body is shaking with her sobs.

She keeps apologizing over and over again as I rock her body trying to calm her down.

"Bella shh, it's okay you're safe now." I say to her.

"I killed him, oh God I killed him, I killed him." She cries into my chest and I grab her face in my hands so she can look at me.

"Bella look at me!" I say trying to get her back to me.

"You're going into shock again, you need to breathe with me okay love?" I ask and I lay her hands on my chest so she can feel my breathing, my other hand is placed on her neck where the scars are. I slowly start to breathe and out while stroking the scars.

"You're doing great, keep breathing with me." I say when she's calming down.

I could hear sirens in the distance coming closer to us, Mrs. Cope must have heard the gun shots and called the cops.

I pulled Bella I little tighter and kissed the top of her head.

"It's going to be okay, I promise."

So, i hope you liked it!

Thanks for reading!

See you soon! :)

Sylvie xx