Disclaimer: I don't own it... never did... never will. No copyright infringement intended.
Chapter 29
"Charlie would have a heart attack if he knew." Jacob's grin was as wide as his face.
"That's why we're not telling him," I offered. Charlie was having a hard enough time with me being gone. If he knew Jacob was here, spending the night, he would really lose it. I could see the vein popping in his forehead at just the mention of Jacob being alone with me.
"Well I guess I better behave then," Jacob said as he kissed the back of my neck.
"I guess so. What were you planning on doing, knocking over a liquor store, or something?" I mused.
"I was thinking a bank. If I'm going down, I want to go down in flames," he joked.
It was nice to see Jake's humor back. Even though his face looked worn and weary, his smile was bright and alive. I could tell the last few weeks had been a struggle for him. Just the anticipation of not knowing if the person you love will ever come back into your life was a draining experience. It was an experience I knew all too well, and my heart ached at the thought of him in that kind of pain.
Jacob was spending the night with me, alone, in my apartment. I knew that the underlying connotations of my offer were extreme. I didn't have to contemplate very long to figure out what Jacob had derived from my question. Of course, I asked fully aware of what would be expected. The next step was monumental. I wasn't sure I was even capable of it, but there was no way I could disappoint Jake again. My last rejection caused irrefutable damage. I had not completely convinced myself I was ready but I wouldn't hurt Jacob anymore. He needed me to prove myself, even if that meant taking a step that I wasn't prepared for.
I slid my body in behind Jake on the couch, positioning my legs around him. I grunted just trying to push his body forward. I didn't know much about sex, and the logistics of his body on mine seemed almost impossible.
"You're tense," I said as I started massaging his neck.
"It's to be expected," he countered.
"I really am sorry."
"Keep up the massaging, you're almost back in my good graces," he responded through a low moan.
I pressed my thumbs to the nape of his neck, and slowly increased pressure down to his spine. I started working on his shoulders, but I was having difficulty massaging through his t-shirt.
"You know, this would go a lot better if you were topless." I stopped rubbing, moving my face to meet his.
"You just don't like to see me with clothes on. Admit it," he stormed at me, showing his famous impish grin.
"You're a dirty boy, Jacob Black, a dirty boy indeed."
"Touché," he agreed.
Jacob started to remove his shirt. My eyes followed as if they were being forced to watch. Jacob was the image of perfection, warm-blooded perfection. His stomach was firm and hard; his chest was immaculately chiseled. Every contour, every cut, was mouthwatering. I needed to avert my eyes but they were immovable, unable to even blink. His shirtless body was making my teeth sweat. I was choking for air. My eyes followed a trail from his belly button down to the top of his jeans that hung low on his hips, showing just a tease of the boxer shorts underneath. He threw the shirt down and resumed his position on the couch.
"Get on the floor," I scolded.
Jake gave me a sour look.
"Accommodate me, please," I begged.
I started rubbing out the tension in his shoulders, working my way down his back. He seemed to relax at my touch instantly.
"I never knew you had magic fingers," he said.
"You're welcome," I said, forcing my hands deeper into his shoulders, while I kneaded my hands all over his back. I finished the massage off with a kiss on his neck and each shoulder, allowing my lips to absorb his sweetness.
Jacob sat up on his knees and turned to face me. I could feel his breath on my face as his lips slowly collided against mine. His vigor increased and my mouth opened instantly allowing him to overtake my senses. My body was on the verge of crumbling, slowly collapsing with every movement of Jacob's tongue. He pulled me in closer, placing his hand on the small of my back, thrusting me into his lap. Jacob's kiss and his touch were so powerful, so needed. I became sinuous liquid in his hands.
When the seasons change the winds feel it. The sun and the moon feel it. The earth knows that something greater, something paramount is happening, that in order for another day to exist, the seasons must change. Everything in existence must align and succumb to the inevitable force that is taking place. That is the best way I can describe kissing Jacob Black. Every portion of my body can feel the electricity from him. Something within my core shifts, and for me to be able to exist one more day I need him; I need his touch and his warmth.
I didn't want to let go of Jacob, and I resisted when he broke our embrace. I didn't want to solidify. I wanted to stay fluid in his arms forever.
He seized my hands into his and pulled them up to his lips, kissing my fingers, gently.
"Bella, I love you. I want forever with you," he whispered.
The seasons were changing again, and something inside of me was catapulting closer to Jacob. Not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually. Being next to him, being in his arms was not enough. I needed more of him. With our hands still entwined, I led Jacob down the hall toward my bedroom.
I turned around to face him. The hunger I saw in his eyes proved to me that he was ready to make the next commitment. Did my feelings completely mirror his? I was unsure, but the magnetism between us was almost visible. It was more than just an emotion, it was reality. I couldn't deny the veracity of this feeling, this essential need.
Just as I tried to make sense of the confusion in my mind, my cell phone rang. I let go of Jacob to pick it up from the nightstand by my bed.
"Hello," I answered.
"Bella." The voice on the other end was ragged and low.
"Yes. Who is this?" I questioned.
"Bella, come get me. I need your help." The voice was more distressed this time, barely above a whisper.
"Who is this?" I asked again, harshly. Of all the times to be getting prank called! I was in the middle of a pivotal turning point in my relationship, I didn't have time for prank calls.
"Bella, its Hollie. I'm in trouble. Help me," she begged.
"Where are you?"
"The basement of our dorm. I think." She seemed unsure, but before I could probe further the phone clicked and she was gone. I frantically dialed her number, hoping it was a joke. After the first ring, it went straight to voice mail.
I pondered the situation for a moment. Hollie and I weren't close, we were not really friends. Why would she call me? Why did she think I could help her? What kind of trouble was she in that she couldn't call 911? Nothing was making sense.
"Uh, Bells, who was that?" Jacob asked.
"Hollie. I think I have to go find her, she's in trouble."
Fear dominated all of my emotions, and I set out to find Hollie. Something terrible was wrong, I could feel it. I was no stranger to horrible situations, and friend or not, Hollie needed rescued. What choice did I have? I was in no position to defy karma. Whatever situation Hollie was in could easily have been me. I had no immunity to disaster. Fortunately, I always had a protector.
Hollie didn't have any true friends on campus, and most of her visitors were one-night stands. She had added my phone number the first day I met her. Maybe she couldn't call anyone else, maybe she tried and no one else would come. Hollie was in trouble and I had to help her.
Jacob came with me, and in a few minutes, we were standing outside of Leason Hall.
"The basement entrance is around back," I informed him.
I tried to open the door but it was jammed. I started pounding on the old metal door with my fists when Jacob moved me out of the way.
"Bella, here, let me do that."
With one thrust, Jacob opened the door. The basement in Leason Hall was huge. It was used as dry storage, and only campus security and staff had access. Why would Hollie be here?
We searched through the front room, calling out her name. We made our way down a narrow corridor, and looked through several dark rooms. She still did not appear. The basement was extremely eerie. The air was bone chilling, and every hair on my body was standing straight up. It smelled damp and musky; I refused to breathe through my nose.
I called out her name again, but no response.
We searched the entire perimeter and couldn't find any trace of her. At the end of the hall was another door that opened into a small closet.
"This is it, the end. We didn't find her." I was out of breath, and growing impatient with the situation.
Jacob was moving some boxes around when he discovered a pocket door. It was almost invisible, completing blending in with the walls. Was this real?
"Bella, stay close behind me. It's dark, you have to trust my vision, do you understand?"
"Yes." I knew to trust Jacob. His senses were much keener than mine. I felt helplessly average. I didn't possess any supernatural ability, and I had the God-given grace of a one-footed goose.
Jacob had to bend down just to get through the narrow opening, and I followed close behind him. The corridor was dark. The floor beneath me was rough and jagged. I had no idea that this tunnel existed, or where it led, so I increased my hold on Jacob. I was trying to avoid full blown panic when just ahead was a small amount of light. Jacob grabbed my arm and we began to move faster through the winding passageway. Several minutes went by, and the tunnel opened back up into a small room. I stumbled through the doorway and my eyes took a few seconds to refocus.
I yelled for her again, but no answer. Through another doorway I could see a brighter light. I screamed for her louder. Automatically, I started running, with Jacob behind me. The room we were in was stacked with old furniture. A mountain of wooden desks, chairs, beds, bookcases, and even a few washers and dryers occupied almost every square of the concrete floor space. The path was barely large enough to squeeze through. Jacob was having a hard time manipulating his way through the clutter. One false move could result in devastation. I was being as careful as I could. In the far corner was an opening. I made a dash for the clearing and stopped dead in my tracks.
Hollie was there. Time stood still as I took it all in. Half of her body was lying on the cold concrete. Her arms were suspended by an old rope from two rusty eye bolts in the brick wall above her. Her shoulders looked misshapen, as if they were torn from their sockets. She was wearing nothing but a pink tank top and her underwear, and her face was bruised and bloody. She had been beaten so severely that she was almost unrecognizable. Her inner thighs were slashed, and torn flesh was visible in the blood bath between her legs. Bloody blankets and sheets littered the space beside of her body. Her cell phone laid on the floor beneath her in a million pieces.
I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I had to cover my mouth to keep from throwing up.
"Oh my God," I screamed as I moved toward her.
I checked her pulse. It was faint, but she had a pulse. She was unconscious, but she was alive-barely. Her breathing was staggered and uneven.
"Hollie, can you hear me?" I was hoping for some response, but got nothing.
"We have to get her out of here," I said to Jake when he finally made his way to me.
"Bella, you can't move her, she's hurt bad. One wrong move could end her life."
I grabbed my phone to call 911, and as luck would have it, my battery was depleted. I looked around for Hollie's phone. It, of course, was in a million pieces.
"Listen, I'll go get help. You stay here with her. Talk to her, just keep talking to her," Jacob commanded.
Jacob found a window in the corner of the room and started kicking his way out. In three swift movements, he had created a large enough opening for an elephant to get through.
"Hollie...please...Hollie...stay with me...you have to stay with me." I couldn't believe this. Who would do this to Hollie? Who would do this to anyone?
My whole body was shaking; it was cold in the basement. I wondered what building we were in. I couldn't see much of the outside even with the opening Jake had created. It was dark and there were no lights shining anywhere. I continued to talk to her, and begged her to wake up. My mouth tasted like salt from all of the tears running off of my face. Hollie's body was so cold, and her pulse was weakening. "Hurry, Jake, hurry," I softly cried.
After what seemed like an eternity I heard faint footsteps, which slowly become louder. Jacob was on his way back.
"Hollie, help is on the way. Stay with me." I was pleading, begging her.
"Well, this is a nice surprise," the strange voice said.
I looked up and saw Ryan, one of the football players from the other night. I immediately jumped to my feet.
"You did this, you did this to Hollie?"
He moved closer to me. His face just inches from mine. His breath was stale and hot, a mixture of cigarettes and cheap beer. He kept moving closer to me, and I backed up until I couldn't any further.
"Well, you know Hollie, she's a freak. She likes these games. I had hoped to bring you along, you seem like a little more fun. Imagine my disappointment when I realized you weren't there. This game is more fun with three. But, since she's pretty much useless now, perhaps you and I should finish what we should have started the other night," he leered. With each word he touched my face, moving his body closer.
Eventually, he had me pressed against the wall, his arms enclosing me against the cold, damp bricks. My back stung as the jagged surface scraped across it.
"Are you like her? Are you a freak?" He was moving his fingers across my lips, tracing the outline of my mouth. His skin tasted putrid and I held my breath to keep from getting sick.
"Since I saw you the other night, I've thought about all the things I wanted to do to you. All the ways I wanted to touch you, make you scream."
"Get the hell off of me!" I yelled as loud as my lungs would let the air escape. My former thoughts of karma came back to me. If not for Alice this would have definitely been me. My theory was right. Alice saw me because Jacob wasn't around to protect me. I needed Jacob more than I even knew.
"So you do like games." He started poking my ribs, jabbing his fingers into me as hard as possible. I was on the verge of screaming, but my voice was gone. My breath was leaving. Sharp burning pain sped through my ribcage, as he increased the force of his jabs. I closed my eyes expecting the worst, just waiting for the horror to set in. His hands quickly released from my body and before I could catch my breath, Ryan was being hurled into the air away from me. All I could hear were growls and deep snarls somewhere in the distance. He landed with a deep thump, somewhere among the stacks of furniture.
Jake.
End notes:
Really could anything else happen in Bella's life? Can you guess my fave line...leave me a review to let me know.
