Jacob

The alarm clock rang and Jacob reached one arm out to silence it. He dragged himself out of bed. It had been a singularly unsatisfying night. The dance had been miserable, as he had half-expected. He had spent much of the evening tailing Laurent without anything to show for it. After his initial meeting with James, Laurent had merely wandered the dance floor, occasionally moving into the quiet of the hallways behind the gym to make calls on his cell phone, conversations Jacob had been too far away to hear.

Worst of all had been the way Bella had spent the entire evening dancing with Edward. When Jacob had bumped into the two of them he had been sure he was finally going to be able to settle everything in the way he knew best: with his fists. But to his chagrin, Bella herself had come between them. He had seen the flash of fear in her eyes—fear of him. She had wanted to protect Edward from him. It was that flash in Bella's eyes, more than Edward's sudden calmness, that had deflated Jacob and made him turn away. How could he fight in front of Bella?

He punched his fist into his hand in frustration. He had to convince Bella rationally that Edward was bad for her. He grimaced. Objective reasoning had never been his strong suit. Still, he had to do it. He had to. It had nothing to do with his own feelings for Bella. It was just the right thing to do.

He skipped breakfast, saying a quick goodbye to his father. Then he was out on the street in the chill air, running to Bella's apartment building. He would get there before she left for school; accompany her as she walked to class. He didn't know yet what he would say, but somehow he would convince her of the danger Edward posed.

He skidded to a stop as he turned the corner onto Bella's block. Two figures were embracing outside her front door. To his horror, he realized that they were Edward and Bella. She waved cheerily to Edward as he strode to a sports car parked at the curb and sped off. Bella stayed on the sidewalk smiling.

Jacob's entire body tensed. Had the bastard actually spent the night with Bella? No. It couldn't be true. Bella would never do such a thing.

His feet carried him forward; he ran to Bella as she stood there on the sidewalk, not even wearing a jacket, seemingly oblivious to the early-morning cold, still gazing after the person who had driven away.

"Bella," he gasped, coming to a stop a few feet away.

She whirled, the fear in her eyes becoming relief when she recognized him. "Jacob." Her voice sounded even more lovely and warm than usual. "What are you doing here so early in the morning?"

"I—just needed to talk to you about something important," he said, still out of breath.

Then he stopped. He couldn't help himself. "Was that Edward Cullen I saw driving away just now?" He couldn't keep an angry note out of his voice.

To his chagrin, Bella blushed a cute shade of pink at his words. "Yes, it was," she said, not meeting his eyes, and speaking very fast. "His aunt wouldn't let him in the house last night, so he asked if he could sleep on my couch, and I said yes." Her face grew bright red and she wrung her hands together.

Jacob shook his head. Something more than Edward innocently sleeping on her couch last night had happened. "Bella," he began, "Cullen really isn't good for you. He's just not safe."

Bella's expression switched from embarrassment to defensiveness. "What? What do you mean? Edward is a kind, good person."

"How much do you really know about his past?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"I mean that he's just playing the role of squeaky clean straight-A student. I think he's involved in some bad things," Jacob said. "I've seen him doing some questionable things over the years."

Bella shook her head. "What are you saying?"

"I've seen him brawling on the street with thugs and criminals, although he pretends to be just a nerd. And I've seen his friends talking to Volterra members."

"What are you accusing him of?"

"He's got gang connections. He has dealings with Volterra but is hiding it." Jacob wanted to shake Bella. He knew his evidence was sketchy to say the least, but his gut was telling him he had to get her away from Edward now at any cost. "Haven't you noticed him behaving suspiciously?"

Bella shook her head, but Jacob saw the flicker of doubt in her eyes. "You're so obsessed with Volterra, Jacob. You see everything as a conspiracy with that gang behind it."

"Because it's true!" Jacob burst out, his legs planted wide. "Don't you see, Bella? Volterra is behind the spread of Rapture. Haven't you seen all the new addicts on the streets? Our clinic's beds are filled with overdose cases."

"Yes, I agree it's terrible." Bella was shouting as well. "But Edward has nothing to do with it! How can you even say that?"

"Come on!" Jacob stuck his hands in his pockets to restrain himself from grabbing Bella. "How does he get the money to have that fancy car, to take you out to all these expensive restaurants?"

She stiffened. "Edward has a part-time job."

"Do the math, Bella! You're supposed to be the mathematics genius. How many hours a week would he have to work at minimum wage to be able to afford to take you out every week?"

"How do you know how often he takes me out? Have you been spying on me, Jacob?" She put her hands on her hips.

"No! I've just been trying to watch out for you, since you don't seem to be able to do it for yourself!"

"Just because you're my friend doesn't give you the right to tell me whom I can choose as a boyfriend. I like Edward and I'm going to continue to go out with him no matter what. Now, leave me alone so I can get ready for school." She spun around and flounced back into her apartment building.

Jacob stood alone on the sidewalk, cursing himself. What had happened to reasoned argument? He had just yelled at her and jeopardized his own friendship with her. Angry at himself, he jammed his fists into his pockets and slouched off to school.


Emmett

Emmett stood in the shadows of the unkempt vegetation around the old apartment building. He had watched the argument with great interest. So, Jacob thought Edward was connected with Volterra. That could be very useful information. He put his head to one side as he considered what he should do with it. Emmett collected information about Edward as well as about everybody else, and he was judicious about how he chose to use or reveal that information. It was the most valuable commodity in his world.

He knew many people considered him Edward Cullen's best friend. But Emmett knew better. He doubted that Edward really had any friends. Emmett and Laurent simply played the roles of Edward's close friends. Good students. Kids who stayed away from drugs and drinking. Who would never join a gang.

While all the time serving as Volterra's lieutenants.

It was a good cover story for Emmett. Especially the "staying away from drugs" bit. Why not combine business with pleasure?

As to Edward, no one had yet learned what lay beneath any of his cover personalities.

However, Emmett did know Edward considered him useful, and that serving in his gang was quite lucrative. Emmett had a nice little nest egg put away, just in case.

The question of Edward's relationship with Bella Swan—now that was interesting. Most of what Edward did, even for his own entertainment, served dual purposes, cementing his control over his gang or furthering various plans to increase Volterra's influence or profits. He knew how Edward treated most women he'd had sexual relationships with, and there were some key differences with Bella. Nevertheless, Emmett had some difficulty believing that Edward could really have what others might consider a normal relationship with anyone.

He knew Edward's attitude about attachments. "It's a mistake to make yourself vulnerable, Emmett," he had once told him. They had been relaxing in the clubhouse after a particularly successful operation. Edward rarely drank hard liquor, but this particular haul had included a rare bottle of aged Chivas Regal scotch. Edward hadn't been able to resist the exclusive, numbered bottle.

Edward had been unusually loquacious that evening, dispensing advice and dropping hints of secret knowledge until Emmett had been practically salivating for more of his favorite commodity. Edward's eyes glinted with reflected firelight as he showed more emotion than Emmett had ever seen.

"Attachments are dangerous," said Edward.

"What about Tanya? She's one fine woman. Seems like you might have some feelings for her."

"Feelings?" Edward scoffed. "If I did, it would only turn out badly for me—not to mention her."

"Really? I think she likes you, Captain."

"They all like me." His fingers caressed the stem of his glass, swirled the amber liquid within. "It serves my purposes."

A shiver passed through Emmett.

"We have no need for weaknesses like that." His eyes glittered and he pinned Emmett with a dark glance. "Don't you agree?"

It was only afterward that Emmett had wondered.

Did Edward suspect his secret?

Had the whole evening been a setup?

Emmett had been so careful, in all his furtive and increasingly desperate searches through the foster care system.

He could have sworn he had never left any evidence, had never let her name cross his lips where Edward might find out.

He still hadn't found her. He had no idea where she had ended up after she went into the system. And Edward had never given any sign he knew of Emmett's… attachment.

Emmett shivered. If what he suspected now was true, it would be easy to displease Edward over Bella Swan. He did not want to be added to the list of people who had disappeared. He had gotten to where he was, and kept his position as Edward's top lieutenant, by carefully anticipating and attending to his every need and desire.

Still, if he could gain leverage over Edward—it could be extremely lucrative.

He thought again about her.

In more ways than one.