OMG – sorry for the long wait but I just got busy with "life stuff." Also, I am only one other chapter ahead so my brain is on overdrive. Thanks for all my reviews again! You make me all kinds of happy that I'm doing the happy dance. So, on with the show. Guess what? Edward and Charlie finally meet! I wonder what will happen?

Chapter 28 – Daddy Dearest

EPOV

I still sat on Bella's bathroom floor mesmerized by the little white stick I held in my hand. Twirling it around and around, tapping it on the top of my hand, or tossing it side to side didn't make the plus sign go away. Not that I wanted it to or anything, but the suggested meaning of those two little perpendicular lines were so monumental I actually couldn't believe what I was seeing.

I was going to be a father.

How did this happen? Not that I wasn't schooled in the birds and the bees, but we were careful every time. I had stopped using the condoms because Bella was taking care of the birth control. We had gotten over the trust factor of our relationship when she told me she was on the pill, so what went wrong?

Suddenly, it all made sense. Bella caught a bug a couple months back which required antibiotics. I remember one of my dock workers telling me his wife got pregnant when she took those, making the pill lost its effectiveness.

Her losing weight, the paleness, and Alice warning me about her having the flu − why didn't I see the signs? I remember Emmett telling me she kept throwing up in Vegas too. He thought she had stage fright, but obviously, that wasn't the case.

I had never envisioned myself with a wife and kids before, but for some reason, the thought of it didn't disturb me like I thought it would. Maybe it was because I never thought I'd see myself falling in love with someone enough to want to create a human being together. It was strange; this feeling I had right now was unlike any other emotion I'd ever experienced. Tingling sensations took over my body, overwhelming every cell in my body which only made me realize one thing.

I was fucking ecstatic about becoming a dad. However, there was one problem. One huge problem.

The mother of my unborn child had been kidnapped, possibly beaten and definitely drugged. Would the baby still be alive? Hell, Bella could be left for dead, her body washed ashore any day now since that fucking lunatic James snatched her right in front of me.

My hands balled up at the sides of my head, pulling hard at my now really messed up hair. I cringed a little, my right hand still killing me from punching the wall, but the pain was minimal to what I felt inside my gut right now. I finally had a chance at happiness; an opportunity to have a family, a real family and James comes up, stealing it all away from me.

I chuckled out loud. Damn, who was I kidding? He didn't steal it from me. I stole it from myself. I was a fool for thinking I could be in my child's life. Hell, Bella was probably all set to arrest me when she found out she was pregnant, and it all went to hell in a hand basket. Somehow, it was more comforting to know she was throwing me in jail rather than teaming up with James. I knew how ironic it sounded, but it was true.

I needed to pay for my actions and man the hell up – especially now. No, I wouldn't put Bella through all of that; I'd gladly turn myself in just to know she'd be all right. Both her and the baby needed to live a better life; one which wouldn't be full of sleazy scumbag dealers or traitorous competitors beating down her door. I'd never forgive myself if something happened to them which was why I needed to get a grip and start a search party.

The ringing of my cell phone dragged me out of my self induced anguish long enough for me to slightly care who was calling. It was probably Alice, wondering where the hell I went without her and why I left her so quickly.

Pulling it out of my pocket, I noticed the time was close to six am. Had I been sitting on the bathroom floor this long? Not recognizing the number, I assumed the only person calling me at this hour was James, so I blew out a nervous breath before answering it. I wanted to kill him – slowly – but if I lost my temper now, who knows what he'd do to Bella – and our baby.

"Hello?" I answered it timidly; almost afraid of what he was going to say to me.

"Oh my God, I'm so glad you answered. I was afraid it'd go straight to voicemail." A familiar voice talked on the other end, but it was a little muffled with lots of heavy breathing. "Edward, I escaped him. I'm not in great condition now, so I need to get to a hospital. Can you meet me at Miami General?"

"Jasper? Is this really you?" My heart sped fast as my buddy's voice filled me with encouragement.

He chuckled a little, but I could still tell he was badly hurt. "Yeah, man, but I really need a doctor. Those fuckers shot my leg and beat me pretty good. You sure have one psycho of an old friend, I'll tell ya that. Things are real fuzzy though.

I got up from the cold floor, my attitude and demeanor changing dramatically. "You don't know how good it is to hear your voice. How'd you do it? How'd you get away from him?"

"I had help from an angel, Ed. No lie. I sort of remember lying on the floor, dehydrated, starved and beaten pretty badly. I think I was trying to get away when some fucker and I got into a fist fight, and the next thing I remember, he shoots me in the leg. I'm losing blood fast, man," Jasper's words were getting slower and starting to run together.

"Listen, are you close to the hospital? Don't wreck man. Just get there. I'll meet you as soon as I can, okay? I'll stay on the phone with you until you arrive." All the while we kept talking, I somehow managed to get my keys out of pocket and get down the elevator to my car.

We talked for the next fifteen minutes until I heard his breath get really staggered. His memory was for shit, too. "Jazz, you gotta stay with me, man. How much further are you?"

"Uh, I see one of those blue signs up ahead. Ed, I don't know if I can make it. I'm bleeding all over the place. Things are getting . . . blurry."

"PULL OVER! Give me a landmark. I'm close to the hospital." If I lose another close person, I swear I will lose my mind. Please, God, let him live. I'll do anything.

"Oh, I see . . . the hospital. Think I made it." His voice was super slow and soft at this point.

"Pull right into the emergency room entrance and fall on the horn. Someone will hear it and come out."

The car accelerated over 130 mph, one of the fastest speeds I've gone in an Audi for awhile but I had to get to him. Squealing around the corner, I saw the hospital ahead and people rushing out to a car from the entrance.

Thank God he made it. I saw medics carrying him in as I veered the car into the nearest parking spot. Running into the ER, I caught up with them, blurting out his name.

"Jasper! It's going to be all right. I'm here, man."

"Ed . . . so tired. An angel saved me. Pretty woman too – long brown hair, brown eyes . . ."

What the hell?

"Jazz, what was her name? Hurry, tell me her name!"

One of the orderly's shouted at me suddenly. "Sir, we need to get him into surgery. He's not going to make it if you keep talking to him. We'll be out later to talk to you."

"Just give me one second. Jazz, was the lady's name Bella? Just nod once if so."

Jasper's eyes were closing fast but as the medics whisked him away, I saw him give me a slight smile – and a nod.

The big doors shut on me. I tried opening them, but the damn things were locked tight. A receptionist stood up and stared at me as I kept trying to yank them open. Standing there like an idiot, I started pounding on them with my good hand, sobbing like some freaking immature idiot.

Bella. Oh. My. God. She was alive. I didn't know if I was crying tears of joy or sadness for my buddy who's possibly dying behind these closed doors. I sank down on my knees, tears flowing yet again down my face for the second time today. At least I knew she was alive which meant a possibility the baby was as well.

And she had helped Jasper escape. How the hell did she do that? Here she was, pregnant with our child, and she's out kicking ass and taking names. She managed to save Jasper somehow, but where was she? If he got away, why wasn't she here too?

My pounding got louder and faster.

"Sir, you can't go in there. Please take a seat."

"I need to see how my friend is doing. He has to make it. I need to ask him some more questions."

The lady was perturbed at this point. "Sir, I will get security in here right now if you don't stop pounding on the door. I mean it."

I finally stopped knowing my only good hand would be left like the other one if I didn't quit the pounding. A nurse walked by, noticing I was favoring my other hand.

"Sir, if you could come over here, maybe I can take a look at your hand, and you can also tell me the name of the patient who just went in there. We'll need some paperwork filled out on him as well." She peered down at my pathetic looking self with sorrowful eyes. I pushed myself up with my good hand, knowing I had to get a grip. I wasn't doing Jasper or Bella any good by having a mental breakdown.

After a half an hour of paperwork, the nurse took me back to examine my hand. She sent me on to x-ray another forty-five minutes later which helped pass the time. While I had the down time, I strategized how I was getting Bella back which was going to take a lot of manpower and experience.

And I knew exactly where it would come from; Charlie Swan. If we were going to team together to find Bella, I had to be the bigger man and work with the FBI, knowing full well they were hauling my ass to jail at some point. However, I had to persuade them to let me help find Bella first. It was my battle to fight; James was my enemy, not Bella's, and I'd do everything in my power to get her back home safe and sound.

Jasper was the key to finding Bella, so he just had to come out of this alive. He had to have the address of where they kept them; that is if they were still there.

The nurse finished with the x-ray and afterwards, I ran back over to the ER desk for any word on Jasper's condition. There wasn't any, so I made an executive decision. Someone had to stay with him here in the hospital while I assembled the search party over at Bella's condo. I dialed the only person I could think of at this particular moment.

She answered the phone in a split second.

"Edward! Where the hell did you take off to? What's going on? Did you find her? Is she okay?" Alice's questions never stopped when she nervous; hell, they never stopped at all so this wasn't any different.

"Alice, you need to slow down a bit. I need your help with something. To answer your questions, no, I haven't found her yet, but I'm working on it. Listen carefully because I know I woke you up. I need you to come down to Miami General and sit with a friend of mine. He's in pretty bad shape and probably getting ready to go into surgery but I can't wait any longer. I have to go find Be-Marie."

This whole name thing was getting to be a pain in the ass. I decided to tell Alice a portion of the story of who Bella was – at least tell her that Marie and Bella were one in the same. Actually I told her it was her middle name. For all I knew, that could be the case.

If Bella were alive, no, when I found Bella alive, I would let her explain to Alice what she was truly doing here in Miami. If I divulged everything, Alice probably wouldn't want anything to do with trying to find her. She would feel totally betrayed.

Betrayal didn't even enter my mind anymore. It was quite the ironic story to me; I had fallen in love with an FBI agent who, more than likely moved to Miami for the sole purpose to throw my ass in jail. If I were a betting man, she probably didn't know who I was when we first met in the lingerie store. If she did, she was a great actress. I kept a really low profile and rarely was my picture taken - at least not as Edward Masen.

If someone had said to me six months ago I'd be leaving the business, falling in love and having a child, I would've thought they'd been taking the drugs I'd been selling. No way in hell would I want to give up everything I'd worked my whole life for, but after everything that's happened to me, or better yet, to those around me, I knew it was time to get out.

Bella made me a better person. It was time I showed her I could live up to that expectation, so now was the time to man up and get her out of the bad situation I put her in.

Alice agreed to come right away, so I gave her Jasper's name and let the hospital know she was his contact person because I had to leave. I gave Alice specific instructions that if he were to wake up and could give me any more information, to call me as soon as possible.

My next stop was to set up a command center at Bella's condo. Her father should be here in a few hours, and I needed to assemble my own people to track down some leads as well. I knew I should've talked to him longer but truth be told, I didn't know what to say to him. I'll explain more to him when he gets here, but for now, I knew I had to get the ball rolling.

When I met Eleazer down at the pier last week, he was ready and willing to take on the task of blowing James's head off his shoulders. Now, he'd have to get in line behind me to do it. There was nothing more in this world that I wanted then to blow him to smithereens. Well, actually there was; Bella and my unborn child needed to be safe and sound first. Then I'd take him out – slowly.

I called Eleazer and gave him Bella's address. He said he'd meet me down there in thirty minutes, right after he gathered up a few of his best men for the job. Raffi was also on my list as well as a few guys who worked the docks for us. These men had seen some really bad things in their life and encountered all kinds of surly, mafia types. James would be a cinch for them.

By the time I arrived at Bella's condo, Raffi had already unlocked the door.

"Thanks, man. As I told you on the phone earlier, I don't have any new leads yet, but we've got quite a few men coming to help us out. We've got to find her, Raffi," I started pacing as I spoke, my hand running through my already unruly hair for the tenth time today.

"Ed, if you don't mind me asking, is everything okay? I mean, I know she's missing and all, but for some reason I get the impression something else is going on. What is it?"

Raffi was more intuitive than he looked.

"Everything's fine. We just need to find her. I have a few leads to check, and I need this address ran through the system." I pulled my wallet out of my back pocket and retrieved the address written on the napkin. Eleazer had checked it out before and didn't find anything, but I had to double check every detail. I couldn't afford not to at this point.

Raffi stood there, staring at me. "C'mon, Ed. This is me you're talking to. We've been friends and have worked together for a long time. There's something you're not telling me, I can feel it."

Raffi and I had been through a lot over the years. He knew me better than I knew myself. "Listen, I can't get into it right now but you need to do exactly as I say, okay? I need your help to find Bella, and as soon as we've accomplished that, you need to leave town and get as far away from here as you can. Do you understand?"

"Would you mind telling me why?" Raffi asked as he leaned against Bella's kitchen countertop.

"I really can't get in to it right now. Just trust me. I'll put some money in your account later, and if you want to take your girlfriend with you and start a new life, I think that'd be a great idea. There's some things goin down –″

We were interrupted by a loud knock on the door. "Edward! Open up, it's me, Eleazer."

I walked over to the door and Eleazer strolled in, bringing in quite a few of his henchmen along with him. Carrying some papers under his left arm and a six pack of Budweiser in the other, he went straight into the kitchen, sitting everything down on the small table.

I took a minute to introduce everyone while grabbing a bottle of water out of the refrigerator.

Eleazer spread out the papers he brought and started to fill us in on his findings. "I've been talking to a lot of guys down at the docks. Those who know of James don't want to say a lot. It's like he's got some hold on them or something. I don't know if he promised them drugs, or jobs, but everyone is keeping a low profile. However, there were some others who despise the bastard."

"And?" I asked, wanting him to get to the point because time was ticking away.

"I was given a few addresses he's used in the past to hide his drugs. He's also gotten into this gang of thugs; they're a really bad bunch, Edward. I'm talking the 'slit your throat rather than talk to you' kind of gang. We need to be really careful." Eleazer grabbed a beer. Taking a slug back, he slammed it back down on the table.

I didn't care who these people were. I had dealt with many slime bags in my life, one more wouldn't make any different. "We need to set up a meeting with them. I'll give them whatever they want for information." I pulled up a chair and sat down, looking at the map Eleazer had set on the table. For two hours, we poured over maps, discussed strategies and tossed ideas around.

After awhile, I began delegating orders. "Raffi, I want you to check out this address marked in red. Take Jack with you and call me immediately if you see anything out of the ordinary or if you see any signs of inhabitants. Eleazer, I need two of your men to check out the tattoo parlor at this address," I scribbled down the address of where I talked with Irina a month ago. "Ask for Irina, and tell her to think of any other address James might use to keep hostages. If it's needed, use whatever force you have to get the information from her. Just FYI, there's armed guards there, so take them out if you need to."

After dividing out the remaining addresses between the other men, I went to another room and made a phone call to my lawyer, Vincent. His phone went straight to voicemail, but I left a lengthy message about Emmett being held by the FBI. I also told him my existence out in the free world was probably going to be limited as well and to be prepared for things to happen. Vincent had gotten me out of some past indiscretions, but this was going to be a little tougher than those. I hung up, deciding I couldn't dwell on my problems right now. Bella needed me, and I was going to find her.

I pulled my cigarettes from my shirt pocket only to find I had one left. Dammit. This was a nasty habit I engaged in when stressed, and it was the only thing that made me sane when I was in my freaked out mode. I put the cigarette up to my mouth, letting it dangle there until I could find my lighter.

The men all started to leave, assignments in hand, when a loud knock came from the door. Instantly, everyone reached for the side pieces, safety's off and guns pointed directly at the front entrance of Bella's apartment.

"This is Charlie Swan, Bella's father. Open up now!" the voice on the other end screamed out, and suddenly, my heart leapt into my throat.

My unborn child's grandfather, also an FBI agent, stood a few feet away which scared the living shit out of me. Ever since I told him on the phone about Bella, I knew I'd be face to face with him at some point, but for some reason, I still wasn't prepared to meet him. He had made it here pretty quickly it seemed. However, if it was my daughter who was kidnapped, I'd have been here hours ago which led me to believe he was far away to begin with.

Huddling the men together in the kitchen, I had to let the guys know immediately who we were dealing with. "Get your act together. Behind that door is Bella's dad, who just happens to be an FBI agent." Groans were instantly heard around the circle. Whispering again, I had to also let them know one more thing. "I don't think he knows who I am – I could be wrong, but I'm taking a guess he hasn't seen me before. As of now, my name is Edward Anthony. Don't make any mistakes and call me anything else. Got it?"

More moans escaped from their mouths, but they all nodded their heads. Guns were being put away as I made my way to the front door. I blew out a big gust of air as I reached for the doorknob. Better late than never.

"About damn time you let me in." Mr. Swan stormed into the apartment, five people following him as he began to take in his surroundings. "Which one of you answered my daughter's phone?"

This man carried an air of authority about him that was unprecedented. Standing about a couple inches short than me, he was dark headed with streaks of gray throughout and a moustache to match. He simply wore a pair of Levi's and a long sleeved plaid shirt which made him look less ominous to the common person. His facial structure resembled Bella's, making me ache for her all that much more.

"That would be me, sir. I'm Edward Anthony."

"Who are all these people? Do you know anything more? Why the hell didn't you stay on the line longer so I could get more information from you?" Mr. Swan began pacing the living room floor, running his hand over his moustache a few times before he started casing the place.

Why the hell was I so tongue tied with this man? I was right earlier, he doesn't know who I am yet, but I'm sure that was just a matter of time. Bella must not have given him any photos of me which led me to be sure of one thing – she really had fallen in love with me.

"Sir, if I may?" I now stood directly in front of him, hands nervously twitching at my side. "I've set up a command post, if you will, hopefully to get to the bottom of this. We've got maps here in the kitchen, all with the latest addresses of the person we think has kidnapped her. His name is James Tanner. All of the people you see in this room are here to help find her. And to answer your last question, it was all I could do to let you know that Bella was even missing. It would've just made it harder to stay on the phone discussing it with you. Besides, time is running out to find her and bring her home."

Mr. Swan spoke immediately. "Wait, did you say James Tanner?"

He knew him? "Yes, do you know him?"

The guys were behind me getting antsy. They needed to get the hell out of here and out on the streets to find Bella.

"Uh, Mr. Anthony, we really need to get a move on. We're going to head on out, okay?" Raffi informed me as he headed toward the door. Eleazer moved past him, his head hung low, his jacket collar pulled up around his face as he walked to the left of me, hiding his face from Bella's father.

"Great. Report back to me as soon as you get any kind of positive information. Keep your phones on at all times and if anything looks strange to you, don't make any move until you call me. Got it?"

"Sure, boss. We'll check in with you later." They all left hurriedly out of Bella's condo with Charlie Swan just staring at them.

Turning toward him, I asked the same question as before. "How do you know James Tanner?"

Charlie let out a big sigh. "First, tell me who you are and how do you know my daughter? And what are you doing inside her apartment?"

This was going to be a long night. As if I wasn't stressed out enough, I had to fucking explain myself to an FBI agent no doubt. Fate was looking down, mocking me into lying to my girlfriend's father of all people. I knew it was karma; the situation I'd been thrown in was totally my own doing, and I was paying for it.

"Why don't you sit down?" He looked at me like I was insane. The posse he brought were standing behind him, flanking his back as if I was going to attack or something.

"Look, dammit, my daughter is missing, and I want some answers! Who the fuck are you, and why are you here?"

Okay, he had gotten my attention. "Bella and I are friends. We met at the gym, and when I found out she was new in town, I offered to show her around. I'm from here."

I wasn't about to tell Bella's father we met at a sexy lingerie store and she fell right into my lap. Hell, I found it hard to believe.

He gave me a real skeptical look for what seemed like ten minutes before he spoke. "How long have you known her? She's never mentioned you to me, which is strange."

"Look, I don't mean to be rude, but we're wasting time here. Just know that she trusts me to be here, and I'm doing the best I can to find her. I know a lot of people in the area, and I've got the best guys out looking for her."

Mr. Swan actually grunted. "Fine."

"Now, how do you know James Tanner?"

"Bella dated him in college for a little while. When she went to break it off with him, he hit her. He broke her nose pretty bad. I'm not quite sure why you think he's the one who has her though. I hadn't heard anything from that man in years, and she didn't mention to me that she had seen him here."

I didn't feel the need at this point in time to let him know about James and I's past history. I did decide, however, feel the need to lie again.

"Bella and I were out at a restaurant one night when I discovered a funny look on her face. Come to find out, she kept staring at this man with long, blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail. Since it seemed to bother her, I inquired about him, and she just said that he was an old college friend and nothing more." It was amazing how lies spewed out of my mouth so quickly.

"The other night, we were out with some friends when Bella gets a strange phone call and just darts right out on me. She seemed out of sorts, so I decided to follow her. She drove out to a far away strip mall, and I parked a little far back so she wouldn't see me. The man she met was the exact same man that freaked her out months ago. Plus, he handed her an envelope, but I'm not sure what it contained. Anyway, next thing I know, someone comes from out of the blue with a handkerchief in his hands, puts it across her mouth, and she's out in less than ten seconds. I tried following them, but they got away."

Charlie ran his hand through his moustache again. "He chloroformed her." He muttered the words so softly, I barely heard him.

"Yes, it appears so, because she could hardly fight him back. And she's got some moves I've never seen on any other woman, so that's saying something!"

Charlie actually chuckled on that one. "Yeah, I taught her well. Wow, of all people, I never thought James Tanner would be involved with this. I must say, I'm surprised at the layout you have here. It looks like you've got a lot of ground covered. Have you covered this address yet?"

Charlie took out an address from his shirt pocket which looked familiar. It was the address I had in my wallet. How in the hell did he get – wait a second. Bella stole my wallet on purpose when we had sex in her office that one time. She must have been looking for something concrete, but was it to bust me or see if I had any information on James?

"Um, actually yes. We have a couple of guys going to that address right now." I hoped he didn't ask me how we came about the address as well.

He turned back and murmured something to his men. They looked at me then nodded. The next thing I know, they're leaving the apartment. He had yet to divulge his involvement with the FBI, so I decided to move things along for him.

"Well, Mr. Swan, I hope I didn't interfere with your work or anything like that. It's pretty incredible you called when you did because I was actually looking for a way to get in contact with you. I knew you'd want to know right away about your daughter. Thanks for getting here so quickly."

He walked over to the maps we had in the kitchen and started perusing them. Without looking up, he started talking. "Son, nothing is more important to me than my daughter. Not my work or anything else in this world. I feel sorry for whoever has taken her because he's going to die one slow, horrible death. You can trust me on that one."

For the next half hour, we conversed about everything that was James. Without revealing my past, I told Charlie about the tattoo on Bella's neighbor's wrist, and how we had traced it back to a gang that James was either a part of or the head honcho. He absorbed everything I had to say, taking notes where he thought sufficient.

"So, let me get this straight. A gang of thugs are running around with the exact same tattoo with James as the possible leader, is that correct?" I nodded to him. "And it's a black octopus?" Again, I nodded.

Picking up his cell phone, he dialed up someone while walking out on Bella's balcony. I took this opportunity to check on Jazz. If nothing panned out with the other leads we had, he was our only hope.

Alice picked up on the third ring. "Hello, Edward." She was barely whispering.

"How is he, Alice?"

"Touch and go. He came out of surgery, and the doctor said if he makes it through the night it's a good sign. Any word on Bella?"

As if I didn't feel bad enough, another life was lingering on the edge. "He just has to make it. Jasper might be our only hope. He's never regained consciousness?" My head started throbbing in the temples.

"I'll keep you posted. Oh, and Edward?" Alice asked as quietly as possible.

"Yes?"

"You didn't tell me you had such a good looking friend. He'd better make it, because I think I'm in love." She giggled which put a small smile on my face. I think it was the first time I'd smiled since Bella had been missing.

I gave a half chuckle which is all I could muster. "I hope he makes it too, Al." I hung up with a heavy heart just as Charlie came in from the patio.

"Who was that?" he asked, as he walked over and sat himself on the couch. The stress showed in his face as he put his hand behind his neck, rubbing it as if to work out a few kinks.

"James got to a friend of mine as well. I hadn't filled you in yet in fear of having nothing to say until now. That was a friend of ours on the phone, mine and Bella's. She's currently at the hospital with him, and the doctors say it's a good sign he made it out of surgery. If he wakes up soon, I'm hoping he can share the details of what happened to him and where he was being held." There was no way I could share his name with him, so I hoped he didn't ask.

If I were a betting man, my house along with Emmett's was bugged to the hilt.

This piece of information perked Charlie up. "Why didn't you mention this before?"

"Like I said, I wasn't sure if he was going to make it. At least it's hopeful now."

There was a knock at the door which I was thankful for. Being alone with Bella's father was nerve wracking.

Standing outside in the hallway was Bella's doorman holding a small, rectangular box. "Hello Edward. This package was just dropped off for you. I had specific instructions to give it to you only."

Maybe this was the break we were waiting on. "Thanks, Ted. Did you happen to get a look at the person who left it?"

"Yeah, I did. It was just some ordinary kid. He was a pimply teenager who works down at the delivery store on the corner. We see him from time to time, why?" Ted asked. Bella had told me Ted was as reliable as they come, so I was going to take her word for it.

Overhearing our conversation, Charlie chimed in. "What's the name of the delivery store?"

The two of them talked for a few minutes with Charlie getting the details out of Ted before the anticipation of opening the box got to both of us.

After shutting the door, he picked up the box, inspecting every inch of it before even trying to open the damn thing.

"You'll excuse me if I ask you just what the hell is going on? Time is running out, and I really need to find my g-, my friend." Shit. What the hell was wrong with me? I couldn't afford any slips.

Charlie acted like he didn't even hear me. He put his ear down on the package next, listening for what, who the hell knows?

"It's okay to open it now."

"Really? And how do you know that?"

"Trust me. I just know." Charlie began to pull out his pocket knife and slicing open one side.

"Actually, I'd really like to know how you know. What are you, psychic or something?" I knew damn good and well he wasn't, but I was going to drag the whole FBI thing out of him one way or another.

"No, son, not psychic. Just experienced. Take my word for it." And with that, he took the knife and sliced open the other side.

He took the top of the box off so slowly I thought I'd rip it out of his hands. Once it was open, we both peered inside with anticipation.

Inside the package was a piece of Bella's dress and a lock of her hair. Beneath that was a photo. Before Charlie picked it up, he pulled a rubber glove out of his pocket.

"You're pretty prepared. Is there anything you want to tell me?"

He glanced up at me while slipping on his glove. "Mr. Anthony, please let me handle things from here on out. We definitely have a hostage situation on our hands and now we have proof. There has to be fingerprints on this, so I'm taking all precautions necessary. If you haven't figured it out by now, I know what I'm doing. I appreciate the help, but I'll handle things from now on."

And on that note, the photo was pulled out of the box by the ever experienced Charlie Swan's rubber gloved hands. My heart beat faster in my chest, praying that it wasn't a picture of her lifeless body.

Turning it over in his hand, Charlie sucked in a deep breath. As he flipped it, we both took a look at it and immediately looked up at each other.

Of one thing I was sure. James had Bella and at that particular moment, she was alive.

A/N: Wow. Another cliffie. I just can't help myself. However, we do know that they know she's still alive so that's a good thing. Next chapter is chock full of enlightening things so stay tuned. I hope to gets lots of reviews on that chapter. I actually hope to get them for this one too, if you know what I mean Hint Hint ;-)