A/N: SURPRISE! With some sadness, I bring you the last regular chapter of Love Ink. I thought I might get another chapter before the end, but it isn't in the cards. I have already started the Epi, though ;) I hope to get that done, and posted before my surgery.
I was told to 'fuck the long-ass A/N' by someone not so near, but very dear to me. I'm not sure I can do that, though. I am completely humbled by the response this story has recieved and thank each and every one of you. I've read all the reviews (I know, I haven't responded, and honestly, not sure that I will be able to...) But please know, that I appreciate you all for doing so!
Kari, I really don't have the words. You know I love you and wouldn't trade what we've got for anything. Well, for Rob, I would...but so would you! LOL That sounded totally wrong, but, you know what I mean. :)
Kim, all I can say is thank you for reading and reviewing my story. It's turned out to be such a wonderful thing, making a new friend in you. Love you, too, chica!
Okee Dokee On with it, then, shall we?
SM owns Twilight and I am sure has already seen BD! damnit
Rated M for language and lemons
Love Ink
Chapter 28
EPOV
Same fucking address...
I quickly ran back to Bella's car, Jasper hot on my heels. I didn't even give a thought to my father and Paul, I was on autopilot, headed for Beachcomber Drive.
"What'cha thinking, Edward?" Jasper asked tentatively.
"I'm thinking that I am gonna kill that bitch if she has so much as laid a hand on Bella!" I spat, as I slowed at a stop sign. Seeing no one at the intersection, I sped on through.
"Edward, you don't even know for sure that this Carla chick even knows anything." Jasper pointed out.
But I did know.
"Jazz..." I warned.
My head was spinning with images of Bella. I saw her laughing, crying, smiling...and then I saw her eyes, as they looked on me with love. The panic was rising faster than I could control it. I don't know how I knew that she was in mortal danger, but I did. The thought of losing her gripped my chest, making my heart clench. I noticed that my breathing had increased, close to hyperventilating. So did Jasper.
"Edward, you need to calm down, man. And slow down." he complained, as I took the corner so fast, that he almost was in my lap. "Deep breaths, dude."
I tried to calm myself as I turned onto Beachcomber. I pulled quickly to the curb, and shut the engine off.
"Edward, I think this is the wrong address." Jasper observed.
"It's right there. The one with the 'For Sale' sign." I pointed. The house was half way down the block. It was the dilapidated house I had taken a look at a couple of weeks ago. "I don't want to alert Carla to our presence."
"Okay." Jasper sighed. "What's the plan?"
I had no fucking idea. I suppose we couldn't just storm the place, not knowing who else could be there. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Being this close, I wanted to run right in the front door, but logically, I knew that wouldn't be a good idea.
Jasper and I decided that we needed to approach the place from the front and the back. He suggested a diversionary tactic, to possibly give us an advantage. We quickly made our way to the house. Jasper went towards the back, making some noise along the way, hoping to draw attention from the entryways. I tried looking in the windows, but the blinds were drawn tight. I heard voices, and strained to make out what they were saying.
A man's voice, then a woman's. That was definitely Bella. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It sounded as if she was begging him to kill her. What the fuck? I nearly fell to my knees, and took a moment to compose myself.
Bella needed me, I had to be strong.
I heard a louder noise, and ducked, just as someone pulled the blinds back. I scrambled onto the porch and chanced a look into the window at the top of the door. The man was just walking out of the room. I said a silent prayer and tried the knob. It was locked, but I was certain there wasn't a dead bolt. I took my pocket knife out and put it in the door, right by the latch. I hit it with the palm of my hand. On the second try, after hitting it harder, the door popped open. Quietly, I opened the door. I had to stifle my voice, as I took in the room.
Bella sat, gagged and tied to a chair. I made my way in, crouched low, trying to stay inconspicuous. The floor creaked and Bella opened her eyes. Relief was the first thing I saw in her eyes, but it quickly changed. She looked frantic. Tears were streaming down her face and she started to shake her head.
I could see that someone had laid a hand on my girl. Her cheek was red and swollen, threatening to turn purple. The anger inside me rose ten fold. Carefully, I slipped the gag off her mouth.
"Edward," Bella whispered wildly. "Go. Get out of here. He's crazy. You need to leave now!" she plead. I looked at her like she was nuts.
"The only fucking way I'm leaving, is with you, Bella." I slipped around her and cut the rope with my knife. I noticed that her wrists were cut up by the restraints. "Who else is here, besides that bitch Carla?" I asked, moving to free her legs.
"That would be ME, cousin." I heard from behind me. I felt a blow to the head and toppled to the floor. I saw a few stars, but rolled away before he could do anymore. I felt blood trickling down the side of my face.
"And I would appreciate it if you wouldn't refer to my wife as a bitch." he laughed.
I immediately found my feet and faced my attacker. Where in the fuck was Jasper? I wondered.
"Nice to meet you, Edward." the man extended his hand. When I refused to acknowledge him, he shrugged his shoulders. "You don't recognize me, do you?" he asked, his eyes danced with excitement.
"It's Jimmy, Edward!" Bella yelled. My eyes darted to her, then back to Jimmy. "He's really your Uncle Marcus' son!"
I shook my head slightly, processing that information. I took a closer look, trying to pick out something familiar about him. I noticed that he had a lump on the side of his face. I hoped that Bella was the one who had taken a shot at him.
"Yes. Your little whore would be correct." he laughed.
I balled my fists and took a step towards him. "You motherfuck..."
"NO!" Bella hollered. "He's trying to goad you, Edward. He's crazy!"
"SHUT UP!" James screamed at Bella.
"Fuck you!" she screamed back.
"You need to watch it." I warned in a low, steady voice. I needed to get his attention off of Bella. "I'm here now. Let's make this between you and me."
"Oh, Edward..." he cackled. "This has been between you and me from the start!"
"Since I'm new to the game, why don't you fill me in?" I asked. I had to know where this guy was coming from in order to deal with him properly.
"The short story is, that this is about righting wrongs. You are guilty of sooo many, Edward. Starting with you killing my sister." he sneered.
"IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!" Bella yelled.
"Bella, baby? Let me handle this, okay?" I asked gently. She looked at me with frightened eyes, and nodded slowly.
"She's right, Jim...James." I said, truly believing it for the first time. "I never meant for that to happen. I loved Beth like a sister."
"But she was MY sister, Edward!" he yelled. His face was contorted in rage. "I never even got to meet her! You and your carelessness took her from us. As well as everything else that should've rightfully been ours" he added.
"I have no fucking idea what the hell you're talking about. I didn't take anything from you!"
"You took my family and you took my money. My father has been in prison because of your father! You and your family are responsible for EVERYTHING!" James started shaking his head and mumbling incoherently.
I glanced at Bella who was now tearing at the ties around her ankles. James abruptly stopped his manic activity and looked me dead in the eye.
"That is why you are going to watch her," he pointed at Bella, "die." James took a step towards Bella and I lunged at him.
I hit him low and hard, taking him to the floor. I ended up straddling him, as he fought to roll out from under me. I grabbed fistfuls of his shirt, pulling him up off the floor.
"EDWARD!" Bella screamed.
I looked up just in time to see a large framed picture coming at me. I moved and it landed across my shoulders. I swung my arm around, catching the assailant off guard, and knocking them to the floor.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Bella fall onto who I now saw was Carla. I turned my attention back to James, who was smiling up at me.
"What the fuck are you smiling at?" I asked, before pulling him up with me to stand.
"This." he had gotten a hold of my knife and was about to plunge it into me. I pushed back from him and swung with everything I had. The sound of my fist connecting with his jaw, bounced off the walls. I watched as he fell to the floor.
James looked down for the count, so I turned and pulled Bella off of Carla. "Get those ropes, Bella."
I quickly tied Carla's hands behind her back, then went for James. Just as I picked up his hand, he suddenly jumped up, pushing me to the floor.
I took some blows to the midsection before we started rolling across the floor. As soon as I had the opportunity, I sat up, on top of him again. This time, there was no mercy. I proceeded to beat the ever living fuck out of him. The blood flew as I felt James' bones break beneath my fists.
When I was sufficiently sure that he was either dead or comatose, I stopped. My chest was heaving and my knuckles were bleeding, but it was over. I stumbled a little getting up, but found my balance and looked for Bella. She was sitting on her heels a few feet from Carla.
"Baby, are you alright?" I asked, kneeling in front of her. Her watery eyes looked into mine, and she nodded. Bella fell forward, sobbing into my chest and wrapped her arms around me. I held her tight while kissing her head and sending up prayers of thanks.
"Aren't you sweet." Carla said, her voice full of contempt. "This isn't over, ya know." she warned.
"What the fuck is your role in all this?" I asked, not seeing any connection.
"Beth was my best friend! I remember the day your father came and took her away. He wouldn't even let me talk to her!" she wailed. "You're a MURDERER!" Carla screamed.
Bella pushed off me and stomped over to where Carla sat. I watched as she balled up her fist and cocked her arm. I jumped up and got over to her.
"Wait!" I grabbed Bella's hand and pulled her thumb out of her fist. "Okay. Go for it."
Bella pulled back and hit Carla square in the mouth. Carla yelped in pain as her head bounced off the wall. Bella had split her lip, and blood was dripping down her chin. I wrapped an arm around Bella and pulled her away.
"Nice one, baby." Having Bella in my arms again settled me; she sighed, leaning into my chest. I heard something scrape across the floor and saw Carla smile. Her teeth were covered with blood, making her look sinister. When she started to laugh, I looked over my shoulder.
James had woke and had my knife again. What the fuck was gonna keep this guy down? I had a split second to push Bella away, before the knife came down, slashing my forearm. If I hadn't moved her, Bella would've been stabbed.
The cut momentarily shocked me, and I stumbled backwards. The next thing I heard was someone running. A blonde blur ran past me, taking James with it.
Jasper.
He was moving so fast, they fell back against the window. The glass shattered, and I watched as Jasper and James fell out, taking the blinds with them. I turned to see if Bella was alright before running to the window.
Jasper had grabbed the drawstring from the blinds and was already wrapping them around James' wrists. When Jasper stood, I saw blood all over the front of his pants. My eyes searched him, looking for the source. Then they landed on James. My knife was embedded in his thigh, and his jean clad leg was soaked in blood.
Bella joined me at the window. I draped my arm across her shoulders and pulled her into me. I felt her body start to shake and looked down, expecting to see her crying. Instead she was laughing. It was a nervous, bordering on hysterical, laugh. I turned her by her shoulders to face me.
"Baby, are you alright?" I asked carefully. Bella sniffled hard and smiled up at me.
"It's over." she sobbed.
I pulled my phone out to call the police and saw that I had 5 missed calls...all from my father. I called him first and told him that we were all okay, and the house's address. I called the police next. When they were on their way, I was able to take a moment to let the adrenaline die down.
I walked Bella over to the chair and sat down, bringing her to my lap. I brushed the hair from her face and assessed her injuries, first. When I saw there wasn't any fresh blood, I looked into Bella's eyes. While they were still brimming with tears, I saw my life in her deep brown beauties.
"I thought I had lost you." I whispered. Bella's hands came to cup my face. I leaned my forehead against hers and just breathed her in. "I love you, doesn't seem like enough."
"I know, Edward." Bella kissed my closed eyes. "I know."
My dad and Paul ran through the door just as the police arrived. We got up and walked back to the window. The neighbors who were home had gathered around and stood whispering and gawking. They moved back to allow a couple of ambulances through.
My dad immediately examined Bella. He had her shirt off in a flash when she said that James had kicked her. I saw a boot print right above her breasts and saw red. James was already cuffed to a gurney, otherwise, I would have finished the job and killed that crazy fuck.
We all received first aid and were taken to the hospital. The police said they would meet us there for questioning. I was looking forward to it, as I still didn't really know what had happened. When they tried separating Bella and I for treatment, we grabbed each other's hands and refused.
"I'm not leaving her, so you can fucking forget it." I growled at the nurse.
My arm needed a few stitches, but otherwise I was fine. My father insisted on x-rays for Bella's chest, which turned out to be needed; James had fractured her sternum.
The cops gathered us all in Bella's room for questioning, since we all had different pieces of the puzzle.
Bella told them how she was chloroformed and taken from the hospital. She told us about James' God complex and how he planned to rain down retribution on me. It turned out that Carla and Rachel were one in the same. She had acted the part of a waitress on the boat, and at the restaurant, to watch us.
As the whole story came out, I realized how crazy he really was. He had been watching us, and I never even knew it. I also realized how lucky I am that Bella was still here. Bella looked at me sadly before continuing. Something in her eyes moved me beyond what I was prepared for.
"James planned to kill me...while...Edward watched." she uttered quietly. "I begged him to just do it, but he was determined that he make Edward watch me die." My breath caught in my chest. That was why I heard her begging him. Bella didn't want me to have to see that.
"Jesus." I hissed. "Fuck." I moved from the chair and sat on Bella's bed, pulling her to me. She buried her head and cried softly.
Another officer entered the room and spoke quietly to the detective. After writing a few things down, he addressed us.
"Victoria has decided to cooperate with us. Apparently, James was the one who attacked your friend, Leah Clearwater. She said that James had thought he'd find Bella there on the beach. When you never showed, he went after your boss, thinking to send a threat to you."
Jasper told how, when he came through the back door, he encountered James. While James had him in a choke hold, he told him how he sat in wait after the benefit to crash his car into Emmett. Jasper ended up passing out but luckily for us, woke up at just the right time.
After hearing all this, I asked to speak to the detective in the hall.
"Bella has been through enough. Is it possible, that any of this shit that she doesn't need to know, isn't talked about in front of her?" The detective looked a little shamed. He cleared his throat then told me that it wouldn't be a problem.
They were keeping Bella overnight, so I herded everyone out of the room.
When the nurse I had growled at earlier, tried to tell me to leave, one pointed look sent her scurrying away.
I got in bed with Bella and we held each other until she fell asleep. I couldn't find it in me to even try. I ran my fingers through her hair and brought her hand to my lips. I was so grateful that she hadn't been taken from me. My heart was trying to beat it's way out of my chest. All I knew at this point was that I would never let her go. After all, she was my life. Bella stirred, moving her head to lie right over my heart. I snuggled into her and let sleep take me, after all, safe in her embrace. I decided right then, that very soon, I would make her my wife.
A/N: So there you have it. If there are any questions, that I haven't addressed, please let me know in a review, and I will make sure it is explained in the Epi. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this final chapter, maybe even what you think of Walk. Thanks so much for reading!
*As promised, here is a snippet from my new story Walk. It isn't a lot, but hopefully enough to give you a feel for it. I'm not sure when this will actually post. I'm due to have surgery soon and am looking at a 6-8 week recovery, putting it smack in the middle of the holiday season.
I simply had nothing to say to her. I couldn't, even if I tried. I was reeling and the only coherent thought in my mind was that I had to get out of there. She continued yelling, throwing insults at me.
"You're so goddamned noble aren't you, Edward? You know what else you are? BORING. 'I want a home and a family'." she mocked. "You have no inspiration, Edward! No desire for the finer things in life!" I heard her throwing things around behind me. "You should thank me for being on the pill when we were first married! We wouldn't have been able to take those trips, or go to all those parties at my agency."
She was on the fucking pill? No wonder she couldn't get pregnant.
I nearly tripped over my box of college stuff when I came out of the bathroom. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. The stupid bitch had been lying to me since day one. I bent down and picked it up. Somehow I managed to hold it, both suitcases and my duffel. I didn't even know where Kate went.
I walked straight to the front door, then to my car, loading it with my belongings. I went back for my phone and laptop, stopping to take a look around. I figured that I'd come back another time for anything else I wanted. I walked out the door, leaving it wide open. I got in my car and drove to a motel.
That was 2 months ago. I filed for divorce, submitted my resignation at the hospital and put out feelers for a new job. I had to thank my father for suggesting the pre-nup. I was able to put the house up for sale and auction off the contents, minus our personal possessions. Kate was only to get half of whatever the house sold for and her own shit. After I threatened her with telling everyone what she'd done, she backed off on contesting the divorce. I knew she wouldn't want any negativity about her getting out. God forbid it affect her potential for making partner. I donated my share from the house to the prenatal unit at the hospital I had resigned from. All I wanted now was to get my life back; to figure out where I was going and what I wanted out of life.
So this is what I was in the process of doing...reclaiming my life. Starting over. My best friend lives in Phoenix, and that is where I'm headed. He offered me a place to stay until I could find one of my own. I had sent out resumes to a couple of hospitals and one private facility, and had interviews set up for the following week.
It's hard for me to reconcile my feelings at this point. I'm excited, but feel a little numb, too. It's been a long time since I've made decisions based solely on myself. While I wanted to embrace my new found freedom, I was still feeling vulnerable and unsure of myself and just exactly what it was that I wanted.
Turning down Arbor Drive, I noticed the homes along the road. This wasn't a cookie-cutter subdivision. The houses were all different styles, and while all were well kept, they each held their own personal charm. I felt myself wishing that I was turning into my own driveway.
I pulled in behind Jasper's Jeep and turned the engine off. It felt like such a momentous occasion. I almost expected to hear one of those deep voiced announcers pop up in the back seat.
"Edward Cullen, welcome to the rest of your life," I muttered, laughing quietly.
