The response to last chapter was beyond overwhelming. I'm so glad that you all feel so passionately protective of Bella. I'll ask you to trust me through the next few chapters. We'll get through it.

Dozens and dozens of cupcakes for Kikikinz, Lexiecullen17, and Catie22866 for working overtime to beta this chapter, and the next few so quickly. You ladies are amazing, and I am consistently humbled by your friendship.

Fly, Ludovico Einaudi; Possibility – Lykke Li; Roslyn – Bon Iver & St. Vincent; The Ghost of You – My Chemical Romance; and Comatose – Skillet inspired a few of the songs that inspired this chapter.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Chapter 20

EPOV

The door slammed shut, and I sank to my knees. The all-consuming anger that had controlled every thought I'd had in the last few hours disappeared the minute she ran out. It was as if every feeling, every emotion was sucked out of me. I looked around the kitchen, the place everything had started, and felt empty.

Numb.

The empty quiet of the kitchen screamed at me to go after her, but my pride and her betrayal kept me firmly tied to the ground. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't go after her.

And I didn't.

No matter how I turned this situation around in my mind, I couldn't get past the simple truth that she had lied to me. The words looped through my head over and over again.

"He's not my husband anymore. I took care of it before I left Phoenix."

"If I were still married and hadn't told you, then I would have lied."

Why would she do that? It just didn't make sense. After everything we had been through, she had lied, point blank, to my face... twice. I groaned in frustration as the thoughts I'd tried to keep at bay pushed through the barriers I had created. I didn't want to think about her lies anymore. It was over.

As I stood there, staring at the cupcakes all over the kitchen, I replayed the conversation we'd just had. I was so pissed that even after I had called her out on the lies she had tried to deny them, to explain that there was some "technicality" that wasn't dealt with, and this was just some big misunderstanding.

Yeah, I fucking doubt that.

Exhausted, I turned towards to the back door and walked out. I looked at the parking lot and immediately noticed her car sitting next to mine.

I looked around, trying to figure out why she hadn't driven it home, when I saw her bag on the ground. Alarm bells went off in my head as I ran over and picked it up.

Standing up, I scoured the lot and noticed her keys on the ground, near the door of her car. Panicking, I grabbed them. I could feel my heart starting to pound as I called out her name.

"Bella!"

My voice echoed against the concrete walls of the building. Dread coursed through me as I realized something had happened here. Love, anger, and fear all collided as I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

I stared at her bag in my hand and her keys on the ground, and the reality of the situation caused me to double over as if I'd been punched in the gut.

James.

I felt light-headed and sick to my stomach as fear gripped me from the inside out. I couldn't breathe or think; all I could see was Bella's face, her eyes clouded with terror as I tried to imagine what she must be going through.

Fighting for clarity, I whipped out my phone and rapidly dialed Charlie's number, willing him to answer. I had no idea how I was going to explain everything that had happened without breaking down. The phone clicked, and I could barely get the words out.

"Charlie, it's Edward. She's gone! We got into a fight, and I told her to get out, and she's gone… he's got her…"

"Edward, stop, wait. I'm going to need you to slow down. What happened?" he asked groggily.

"He's got her. James… he has her. He has her! We have to find her!" I said, my voice hysterical and laced with panic.

"James? When did this happen? Where are you?" he asked quickly.

"I'm at The Diner."

"Stay there. I'm on my way."

I paced the parking lot while I waited for him to arrive. My emotions were all over the place. I was trying to reconcile everything that had happened tonight with the fear that something was going to happen to her. I had failed her, and I would never forgive myself if he hurt her.

My head was consumed with thoughts of where he'd taken her, him abusing her, and how scared she must be. I couldn't process anything else. The one thing I promised her I'd do - protect her from him, keep her safe - and I'd failed. I had allowed my pride and anger to overrule every rational thought and feeling I had, and now she was gone. I pulled my hands through my hair, exasperation and frustration overwhelming me.

I replayed the devastation on her face, the tears pouring down her face, and the desperation in her voice as she pleaded with me to understand.

"…You won't let me in, and you won't let me explain."

"Oh, God… what the hell did I do?" I cried out, the sickening feeling of despair slowly dragging me to the ground.

I felt the fissures that had formed in my heart from everything that had happened widen, grow deeper until my heart shattered. I had lost her, and the realization was like someone had punched a hole in my chest and ripped out my heart.

My breath caught in my throat and tears ran down my face as I dropped my head into my hands, my elbows sitting heavily on my knees. Sobs wracked my body and all I could think about was her beautiful smile, her sweet laugh, the gentle press of her lips against my mine, and the way our hands fit perfectly together. It was all gone. She was gone. Because of me.

I gulped for air, trying to piece myself back together, but the tides of regret and guilt pulled me back under, slowly drowning me in my misery.

The sound of squealing tires in the still of the night brought me back to the surface. Charlie swerved into the lot, and in an instant, he was out of his cruiser. He was wearing jeans and an old t-shirt, his hair disheveled from sleep. He was the picture of calm except for the flicker of panic in his eyes.

"What the hell happened, Edward?"

I looked up at him, my face awash in tear, and I could see he knew something had happened, that this was bigger than just him getting her.

"The whole story," he said, the tone of his voice making it clear he wasn't kidding.

With a deep breath, I told him everything. I told him about finding the envelope and how she wasn't divorced. I told him about the confrontation here and her attempts to explain. I told him about her running out of here and my indifference. I told him about finding her bag and keys in the parking lot.

"That's when I called you. We should have told her," I said, my voice broken and quiet. The guilt of not telling her was eating me alive. Why didn't we tell her? We should have. Maybe if we had, she wouldn't have run out.

Or maybe you shouldn't have yelled at her like that. What the hell is wrong with you?

I shoved my thoughts aside. I wasn't ready to process them yet. Everything was too raw and real to really examine it closely, but I knew I would have to deal with it soon.

He looked at me, his face serious and deep in thought. A nod was his only response as he looked down, his eyes drifting to the ground. He rubbed the back of his neck, and I could see his shoulders rise and fall as he took in several deep breaths. He looked up, and when he spoke again, his voice was gruff and thick with emotion.

"Yes, we should have."

He paused, swallowing his own regret. "I should have pushed harder. I asked her about her divorce a few weeks ago, and she said she hadn't gotten any information about it. I had a feeling it wasn't final. I should have done more…"

I looked down, scrubbing my face in frustration. So, she had doubts? Why didn't she tell me?

Probably because she knew you'd freak out on her… just like you did!

"Well," I said, grabbing the letter I'd found earlier in the day, "according to this, the divorce has been contested, and she has to report to court next month."

"Hmmm," Charlie murmured, stroking his mustache in thought.

The thought of her having to face James in court was disturbing. From what I could tell, he was completely delusional and unstable; I was afraid of the things he might pull in order to get her back… or worse, to get back at her for leaving in the first place. Part of me wondered if he had taken her back to Phoenix in an effort to prove that she belonged to him. I was just about to say something to that effect when Charlie looked up at me, his eyes penetrating and serious.

"Can you remember anything else?" he asked as he jotted down some notes in a little black notebook he had pulled from his back pocket.

He was all business. The concerned father had been replaced by the calm, collected police chief.

"No, sir," I whispered.

"What was that?" His voice was harsh. This was business now…and his baby girl was his business.

"No, sir. I don't remember anything else. That is what happened."

He looked at me, his eyes telling me how disappointed he was… in me. I had essentially pushed her away and into James' waiting arms. Wallowing in that realization, I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole.

With one last piercing glare, he turned and walked backed to the cruiser. The look on his face was like a slap in the face, his disappointment in me palpable. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I followed after him.

He walked back towards me, flashlight in hand. He flashed the beam of light against the ground, searching, presumably, for clues. He walked around the exterior of the building a few times and stopped suddenly, his light catching something on the ground.

I felt my heart start to pound as he squatted down and picked up something shiny. He stared at his open palm and turned the item over a couple of times before he walked towards me and held out his hand.

"Is this familiar to you?"

I stared at the two hearts and the broken chain lying in his hand. A cold chill passed through me and my heart sank.

My necklace.

"Edward? Do you recognize this necklace?" he asked again.

I nodded, stiffly, barely able to move. "It's the necklace I gave her in Seattle," I choked out. "She never takes it off."

He closed his hand and patted my shoulder with the other and promised we'd find her before he walked back to the cruiser.

The next few hours were a whirlwind of activity. The entire Forks Police Department, all four of them, and a couple of neighboring departments were alerted about Bella's disappearance. With the little bit of information I had given them, they began conducting search patrols within a twenty-five mile radius. Several other officers surveyed the back of the building for additional clues but couldn't find any.

I was a mess, my hands frantically tugging on my hair as I paced back and forth. I felt guilty for pushing her away and angry at myself for not listening to her. The more I replayed our argument, the more I realized she had been trying to tell me something. Words like "technicality" and "misunderstanding" kept coming back to me, and I wondered what it all meant. I had even reread the letter from the court looking for answers but didn't find anything meaningful.

The longer I waited there, the lonelier I became. Charlie had busied himself with all the police work, directing operations and running patrols. Without thinking, I called Alice. I needed someone, anyone, to help me; I just didn't know what to do, and the anxiety of everything that had happened was weighing on me heavily. The panic that I had been pushing away came roaring back as I dialed her number. I had no idea if she would even be willing to talk to me, but I hoped given the situation she would put aside her anger.

The phone clicked and a sleepy voice whispered said hello.

"Ali? It's… me, Edward. I need your help," I quickly said, not wanting her to hang up on me before I had a chance to get some of it out.

"Edward? It's… it's 4:45 in the morning. Is everything okay?" She asked, immediately awake.

"She's gone, Ali. He's got her, and I need your help," I stated as the panic, the emotion locked just under the surface, spilled out.

"Gone? What do you mean gone? Bella?" she asked, confused.

"James took her, Alice," I said, my voice on the verge of hysterics. "I don't know what to do." I knew I sounded like a crazy man, but I couldn't help it. I was exhausted and emotionally overloaded. I didn't know how much more I could take.

"Where are you, Edward?" she asked quickly. I could hear the intensity in her voice and quickly told her where I was. "I'm on my way," she said and hung up before I could say another word.

As I waited for her to arrive, I tried to make myself useful. I wasn't consciously thinking, but I made a big pot of coffee for everyone, trying to get my mind on something else.

There was no reprieve from my thoughts until Alice and Jasper walked in, their faces mirroring my own panic and concern. Without thinking, I grabbed Alice and pulled her into a tight hug. All the tension and anger that had come between us this week melted away as she wrapped her arms around my neck. She was home and refuge and comfort. She was my baby sister and Bella's best friend. She knew, at least in some small way, what I was feeling.

"This is all my fault, Alice," I breathed out, the tears starting to fall.

"How could this possibly be your fault?"

"I pushed her away. We… we got into a huge fight… and I…" I paused. I couldn't even get the words out. I couldn't even think about all the mean things I had said or how horribly I had treated her.

"What happened here, Edward?" Her voice was quiet and soothing, and I knew she was trying to get me to calm down, to breathe a little.

I tried to push down the guilt and the plethora of whirling thoughts in my head to no avail.

She looked at me and grabbed my hand. Jasper walked over and put his hand on my shoulder, a move that was unexpected but strangely comforting.

I looked them both in the eye and took a deep breath. I didn't want to see the anger and disappointment on their faces. Nothing they could say could make me feel worse than I already did.

I looked up to see them staring at me, concerned and patient. Alice gave me another reassuring squeeze, and I pressed on.

"I told her it was over. I said the worst things to her, and…"

Alice's gasp and the look of shock on Jasper's face stopped me. I pinched the bridge of my nose, knowing that the sanitized version I had been planning to tell them wouldn't do.

"What do you mean you told her it was over?" Jasper asked. I could hear the disapproving tone of his voice.

"She's still married. I found the papers in her kitchen telling her she needed to come to court because it had been contested," I said, frustrated. "She lied about it, and when I confronted her… I was just so angry. I yelled at her, called her a liar, and told her to get out. I told her it was over… and she ran out. That's when he got her."

I couldn't believe how matter of fact I sounded. It was like hearing someone else's story, instead of living the nightmare that had become my own. I neglected to mention the part about knowing James had been around, that he'd been watching her. That thought was still nagging at me, but I just didn't know what to do with it.

"So, that's it? You're just going to walk away? After everything she has done for you?" Alice was fuming. Her hands were on his hips, her face was flushed with indignation, and I took a step backwards.

"That's not… it's… look, Ali…"

"No, you look here, Edward," she said haughtily, stepping forward until her face was almost pressed against my chest. "Bella has been amazing to you! She has been through hell, and has fought every step of the way for your relationship. And you… ugh… rather than pause to let her explain, you just dumped her? What the hell is wrong with you?" She was furious, and if I didn't know better, I would have thought she was going to slap me.

"This is the same bullshit that happened every time I tried to talk to you about why Dad did what he did when Mom died. You never listen. You just assume."

"It wasn't like that Alice," I said equally exasperated. "And what do you mean, 'every time you tried to talk to me'?"

Ignoring the second half of my question, she pressed me for more. "Well, what was it like? You pretty much made it out to sound that way. You know, maybe you don't even deserve her."

Jasper glared at me, and I dropped my head, running my hands through my hair in frustration.

"I was shocked, okay? I mean, what did you expect me to do? She told me she was divorced, and I found out that she wasn't," I groaned in frustration. "I didn't… I didn't mean it. And now… Trust me; I know I don't deserve her. She's probably never going to talk to me again, and I don't blame her. I wouldn't talk to me." I could feel the emotion starting to well up inside, and I knew it was only a matter of time before I lost it again.

"I just don't know how to fix it, and now… he's got her, and what if I…" I said, my voice barely a whisper as I looked at Alice.

Her eyes flashing with anger as she glared at me.

"Edward, you need to pull it together. You are going to have to learn to listen before you freak out on people! Do you even realize how it comes off? Me! Me! Me! This is not about you! This is about Bella, the love of your life and my best friend… who is missing and at the mercy of her psycho ex-husband! And yes, I said ex, because that is effectively what he is, despite some bullshit piece of paper telling you otherwise.

"Pull you head out of your ass and focus on what is important, instead of yourself for once. How do you think Bella felt after you blew up at her without even giving her a chance to explain? Do you not think she had a reason for not telling you? Did you ever stop to think that maybe all of this just happened, and she was trying to figure out how to deal with it? Did you think about any of that Edward?"

I stared at Alice, dumbfounded and completely taken aback. She rarely raised her voice, and she had yelled at me twice in less than two weeks. I shook my head, trying to process everything she'd said. I hadn't stopped to consider the answer to any of those questions; hell, I hadn't even thought to ask the questions at all. It hadn't even crossed my mind. I had no defense, no excuse for my behavior. I should never have said those things to her… ever.

Alice pressed on. "Bella needs you to be strong for her, Edward. And when we find her, you are going to have to figure out how to make this right, and then figure out how to fix yourself."

I pressed the palms of my hands against my eyes and willed myself to stay calm. I let my mind take the lead as pictures of her flashed before me – Bella sitting across from me at the park as her hair danced softly in the wind; Bella bent over her workstation, icing bag in hand, swirling buttercream on top of cupcakes; Bella sleeping peacefully beside me – and I felt my heart rate slow and my breathing return to normal.

I dropped my hands in defeat. She was right. I needed to man up and stop wallowing in self pity and anger. As much as I hoped Bella would be willing to give me yet another chance, this wasn't about me right now. This was about me doing everything I could to find her.

Her face softened. "She's going to be fine, Edward. We're going to find her. You have to believe that. She needs you to believe that."

She needs me to believe that. She needs me… God, please let her still need me.

Alice wrapped her arms around me, and I buried my face in the crook of her neck as my tears stained her shirt. I wanted to believe that she would still want me, or at least give me the chance to fix it, even though I didn't deserve it.

I nodded. "You're right. I need to find Charlie." The rest would have to wait until after I found her.

We were just about to walk out to the back parking lot when Charlie came in, his face tight with worry. I wasn't used to seeing that look on his face. He was usually cool and calm, all business. Something was bothering him.

"What's going on Charlie? Did you find her?" I asked anxiously.

He shook his head and stared right into my eyes before taking a deep breath. "I spoke to the private investigator and explained what had happened. He did some checking and apparently James hasn't reported to work in the last three days."

"What!" I exploded. "How did we not know this before now?"

"Calm down, Edward!" Charlie snapped. "You need to keep it together. You aren't the only one who's hurting here. You got that?"

I was stunned. Charlie never lost his cool, but it was clear by the look on his face that he meant business. And of course, he was right. This wasn't just about me losing Bella. It was about him losing a daughter and Ali losing a friend. It was my turn to be strong. I needed to do something, anything, to help find her.

"What can I do? Please give me something to do, Charlie? Do you want me to drive around and search for her? Go back to her house and look for clues? I need you to tell me what to do here." I could hear the desperation in my voice, but I didn't care how it sounded. I needed to find her, to talk to her, and work through all the shit that had gone down today. I needed to tell her I was sorry for yelling at her, for not listening to her when she tried to explain, and for telling her to get out.

I knew we needed to work through everything that had happened…together. None of it made sense. I mean, she had said she was divorced, that she'd taken care of it, so why was it being contested? Why now? Why now that things were perfect, when we were just getting settled?

"Edward? Are you listening?" Charlie asked, annoyed at my short attention span.

"Sorry, yes," I said contritely.

"Go back to Bella's house and look for anything that feels out of place or that you haven't seen before. We need something to point us in the right direction. They could be anywhere, and truthfully, besides the obvious Phoenix connection, we don't have anything other than some muddy tire tracks to go on."

I swallowed, my throat constricting at the news that they really had no clue where she was or where he had taken her.

"Could she still be around here? At a hotel or some place? I mean, what about the woods or some place like that?"

"Those are all good ideas, but we don't have the resources or the manpower to embark on a search like that without some direction. The team is looking for clues here, and we're trying to get her phone records in hopes of something standing out. But for now, we need you to stay calm and do your part."

I nodded. My stomach was in knots. I felt sick. How could they not have a single lead? How was that possible? They were the police for heaven's sakes!

As if she sensed the turmoil inside, Alice grabbed my hand and tugged me towards the door. I squeezed her hand back and smiled tightly at Jasper.

We drove to Bella's house, and together, scoured her house for clues. We had no idea what we were looking for, and it was incredibly frustrating. One of us would find something and call out for the others to check it out, only to realize it was easily explained. The longer we worked, the more anxious I got. I was desperate to find something, anything, to help fix this mess.

I sifted through her mail and wondered what she was doing, where she was. Was she hurt? Was she scared? Was she thinking about me? A familiar pang of regret filled every cell of my body as I thought about what she must be thinking, how she must feel knowing I had yelled at her and essentially cut her out of my life. The optimistic part of me hoped she could separate the anger in my reaction earlier from my words, but deep down, I knew this time was different. I had been abundantly clear that we were over.

I knew I had felt that way, but now that the fog of anger had cleared, I knew I couldn't live without her. She was the one person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Hell, I'd even told my Mom she was "the one."

Shaking my head, I tried to clear away all the pain and confusion I felt. The emotional roller coaster I was on was giving me whiplash, and it was exhausting.

There was no doubt that she was still married, but could I get over it? Could I get past all of this and move forward with her? Deep in my gut, I knew the answer. I knew I could. I guess the deeper question was, did I want to?

Yes. Unequivocally, yes. There was no way I could live without her in my life. She was the fire, the sunshine, the warmth in my life, and there was no doubt that she had changed me for the good. Every step of the way, she had challenged my thinking about others and myself. She pushed me to be open, to actually talk through my feelings, and to find a better way forward. She was perfect for me, and I loved everything about her.

I loved her laugh, her sweet smile, and her gorgeous brown eyes. I loved the way she looked in the morning, her face soft and swollen with sleep. I loved the way her expressions told me everything she was feeling as we made love, the whispers of adoration that fell from her lips, and the feel of her skin against mine.

The sound of the front door opening pulled me, unwillingly, from my memories. I looked up to see Carlisle, Rosalie and Emmett standing in the doorway. I looked between them and Alice, who had made her way back into the living room, and welcomed them in. This was the first time Carlisle had ever been here, and I could tell he was nervous, our truce still too new to bring any sort of comfort between us.

"Hey guys," Alice called out.

Everyone said their hellos and sat around the living room, staring at me. At some point while we were working, Alice must have called them and explained the situation. I looked at them and was overwhelmed with memories of each of them with Bella - Rosalie handing her that atrocious pink uniform when she landed the job at The Diner; Em teasing her about her fire building skills when she tried to start the fire in her new fire pit; Jasper talking to her quietly while Ali and I had a moment before going to the cemetery; and even Carlisle welcoming her into our home on that fateful day. Her absence was so profound, so oppressive, that when I finally tried to speak, nothing came out.

My head dropped to the back of the couch, and I closed my eyes, trying once again to get my emotions under control. I heard the quiet murmuring around the room but didn't look up until I felt the couch shift slightly and a warm hand rest on shoulder. Carlisle didn't say anything. He didn't need to. We all felt the same way, and I was grateful that even after everything he and I had been through, he was there for me. I didn't deserve it. I didn't deserve the love and concern he was clearly showing me, but I was grateful for it nonetheless.

We sat there for a long time before either of us said anything. Everyone else had gone off to do something, to search for clues or whatever needed to be done.

"We're going to find her, Son, and everything is going to be fine." Carlisle was sincere, and I wanted desperately to believe him. Everything within me ached to believe it, but I knew what James was capable of, how much he had hurt her all the other times, and what he'd promised to do to her if she ever left again. Selfishly, I wanted everything to be okay with us but even that was in doubt after what I'd said to her.

He must have sensed the battle raging within me, one side warring for hope, the other threatening to pull me into despair.

"Look at me, Edward," he said firmly.

I glanced up. The look in his eyes was sincere and reassuring but despair won out…

"I fucked up, Dad. I don't know how much Alice told you, but… I said some horrible things to her. I yelled at her, told it was over, called her a liar. I told her…" I paused, overwhelmed with grief and loss. I tried to loosen the lump in my throat, to swallow it down, but it didn't budge. Tears welled up in my eyes as I choked out the hateful words I had said to her. "I told her to get out. The look on her face, the hurt… I just… I just don't know how to make it right. What if I don't get the chance? What if I lose her, just like I did Mom?"

When it was finally out, I gave into the pain, the loss, the guilt. I collapsed against him and cried.

I cried for Mom. For the relationships I had poisoned because of her death.

I cried for Bella. For what I had said and done to her, and for what she must be feeling and enduring all by herself…and I couldn't do anything about it.

He never said anything; he didn't have to. He let me get it all out, and when I was ready, we stood up and joined the others as we scoured the house for clues.

x-x-x

The next few days were depressing. The police department had followed up on almost every lead but still didn't have anything solid. I had talked to Charlie several times a day, and although he was patient with me, I could tell my constant inquiries were irritating him.

My family, Rose, and Emmett had spent every single day out in the woods nearby, searching for some kind of indication that she had been there. We found nothing. It was like she had vanished. The longer we looked without finding her… or even a hint of her, the more despondent and desperate I grew. I needed something, anything.

Charlie had said over and over that he was confident that they would be able to find her. There had been no reports of him returning to Phoenix yet, and the police didn't expect him to go there, at least not right away. That would have been too obvious. Police barricades had been set up on the highways in the surrounding area in an attempt to catch him trying to slip in or out of town. There had been a couple of potential sightings, people that matched his or her description, but they never panned out.

When I wasn't searching for her, I spent my time at Bella's house, our house, lying in our bed. It was my personal refuge from all of the craziness, the one place that felt safe for me to break down, cry, or just slip into my memories. This was our space. At least, I hoped it was still our space.

The night after she went missing, I lay in our bed and wrapped my arms around her pillow, inhaling her scent. The ache in my chest was almost impossible to bear. Sleep didn't come that night, and it had been sporadic ever since. My whole body was on alert, hoping that something would trigger a memory or a clue, but no matter how hard I looked or thought, nothing came.

When Friday dawned, I knew I was going to have to do something different. I had barely managed to make it through my classes yesterday. I wasn't able to focus on anything the chefs had said, and I wasn't sure why I even went. Everyone was sympathetic and allowed me to be there without really participating. They knew what was going on. Rosalie had given me all the time off I needed from The Diner, as had Chef J. I was grateful, because there was no way I could have focused long enough to cook anything.

Bella had been gone almost a week, and I was growing more and more despondent. I looked over at the clock on the bedside table and was surprised to see it was after ten in the morning. I had been asleep for over ten hours.

Shit! Did anything happen?

I frantically reached for my phone and saw the four missed calls. The first two were from Alice, the third from Carlisle, and the last one was from an unknown number. I quickly called my voicemail and nervously waited for the messages to play. I groaned in frustration as the first two messages were about Alice bringing me dinner. Carlisle's message was equally simple; he just wanted to check in and make sure I was getting some sleep. I rolled my eyes in irritation, still not used to this new dynamic between us.

When the voice mail system indicated I had one more message, I quickly pushed the button and waited.

Click.

I deleted the message and tossed it back on the table in frustration. Of course it was a hang up call.

Pulling myself up, I walked into the shower. I needed the heat and the pounding water to help clear my head and ease the ever-present tension in my body. When the water started to run cold, I shut the shower off and opened the door.

Just as I was about to step out, I heard my phone ring. I grabbed a towel and quickly made my way into our room, wrapping the towel around my waist.

I looked at the caller ID and saw it was an unknown number.

"Hello?" I asked, a little breathless.

I could hear noise in the background, but nothing that would pinpoint who or what it was.

"Hello? Who is this?"

The sound of a door being closed filtered through the phone, but beyond that, the line was silent. I was getting really agitated.

"Who the fuck is this?"

Silence. Then it dawned on me. Could this be him? Maybe it was Bella, but she couldn't say anything, and she just needed me to know she was okay.

"Bella? Is that you, baby?"

I needed to believe, even for just a second that this was her.

"Baby… I don't know if this is you, but… I'm sorry for what happened. We're going to find you -"

I was cut off by the sickest laughter I had ever heard, and I knew it was him.

"You are a sick fuck, you asshole! We are going to find you, and when we do I'm going to kill you for taking her."

He just laughed and hung up.

When the line went dead, I dropped to the bed, completely dumbfounded by what had just happened. I couldn't believe he had the gall to call me, to jerk me around. I was going to find him, and he was going to understand what it was like to have someone's fists in his face.

The red fog of anger cleared enough for reality to take hold, and I called Charlie.

"He called, Charlie," I said frantically. "He called my cell twice."

"When?"

"Sometime last night and then a few minutes ago."

"Did he say anything? How do you know it was him?"

"Well, at first, I didn't know it was him. He didn't say anything, he just laughed. I thought it might be Bella, so I told her we were looking for her and that I was sorry, and that sick motherfucker just laughed and hung up."

I didn't wait for Charlie to say anything before I pressed on.

"We have to get her Charlie. I know he's in the area, I can feel it."

"Look, Edward. I agree… she's most likely in the area, and we've gotten a couple of promising leads today from a gas station and casino near Sequim."

"I'm on my way-"

"No, Edward! This is police business. Just stay at Bella's house, and we'll take care of it."

"But…"

"No buts. This matter is closed for discussion. Stay there and wait."

I sat on the other end of the line fuming. How could he expect me to wait this out? I had been searching this entire godforsaken town for a week and had found nothing. There was no way I could just sit here while everyone was out searching for her.

"Did I make myself clear, Edward? I'm not telling you this as Bella's father; I'm telling you this as the Chief of Police. If you come near Sequim, I'll haul your ass to jail for impeding an investigation. Is that clear?"

I hesitated, knowing that I didn't really have a choice.

Begrudgingly, I muttered my concurrence. "Yes, Sir."

"Good. I'll call you when we find her," he said before hanging up.

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The next chapter will be up later this week.

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