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Adore

Chapter 35 –Bryce

Peter Wesley did not have a happy childhood. It wasn't abusive, nor was it filled with terror. But he was lonely. They all were. His father was a cold man; a wealthy one at that. He was away more often than not, and his mother had very little to say about it. If she knew what he was up to, she didn't want to say. All she cared about was the money that was coming in, enough that she didn't have to work or worry about feeding and clothing her three children. She wasn't happy, but she was content.

Frederick Wesley expected great things from his children. Jack was the oldest, and the first one to cave. He followed in his footsteps and became a doctor. He had always wanted to be a writer, Peter remembered, ever since he was a little boy. Stephanie wasn't far behind: she was a lawyer who lost her lifelong dream of becoming a veterinarian. And then there was Peter. He wanted to be a teacher ever since he could remember. No one was impressed by this, but they couldn't stop him. The worst consequence he faced was losing his allowance. His father, who already ignored him on a daily basis, continued to give him the cold shoulder along with a few disapproving glares. It didn't faze Peter. Despite all of that, he remained on good terms with his mother and siblings. They weren't bad people, they were simply conditioned to be his father's pets. Stephanie was the most sympathetic, letting him know that she supported him. Jack, on the other hand, was hardly talking to anyone in the family at this point.

And as his father liked to say, family was important.

Growing up, he had always heard that he had an uncle and a cousin. There were no pictures or visits, not even names, but Dr. Wesley spoke fondly of his younger half-brother. He was successful and had made something of himself, and they might one day go into business together. If only Peter had known the half of it, he would have run away years ago and never looked back.

He stood on the basement steps of his father's house staring at the woman he loved. He thought he had lost her, but she was here…how was she here? His name spilled from her lips, sending his heart into a sprint.

"Bella?" He couldn't believe it was her. His joy quickly faded, morphing into gut-wrenching fear.

She shouldn't be here, not with people like this.

Laurent tapped him on the shoulder. "I'll leave you two alone. Don't get too frisky now. She is your cousin, after all."

Funny how it didn't register until then. His father had told him that the whole family would be gathering, even the long-lost cousin and uncle. It wasn't supposed to be her, though. After everything…

And that was when he realized what an utter joke his life was, from start to finish. There was no winning.

She was staring at him with her big brown eyes, and god, she was beautiful. The door closed behind him, and they were alone for better or for worse. Bella didn't look altogether happy about it, but he was grateful for the reprieve. The last few days had not been kind to him, and he'd spent a great deal of it thinking about her and how she was. Now he knew.

He walked towards her with caution, aware that their last encounter must have left a bad taste in her mouth.

"You're alive," she said, surprised.

Peter didn't know why she was expecting him to be anything other than alive. "Yes, of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"You were attacked, weren't you?"

"Yes...but how did you know?"

"Peter, they sent someone to your house when you didn't show up for work. They found blood everywhere, and your dog –"

"Is he okay?!" Peter asked, frantic. That was another thing that had plagued his mind. He had never felt as helpless as he had over the last few days. He loved Bella, and he loved his dog, and both were in danger because of him.

"Yeah, he's fine. He was running around a field covered in what we thought was your blood." She should have known it wasn't what it seemed; nothing ever was these days.

She needed to sit down.

Peter was shocked. He didn't think they would have left any evidence behind…

He sat down beside her. "I only found out recently that my dad was in the drug business."

"Oh god…" Bella gasped. James and Frederick really were brothers. Organs, drugs…she didn't think that was everything they were getting up to, either.

"He actually told me outright. Not only that, but he wanted me to take part in it. He knows I don't make a lot of money. Your father was also mentioned, but…I had no idea, Bella. I mean I knew I had an uncle and cousin somewhere, but no one ever told me who you were."

"So you didn't know when you were first my teacher?"

"No. If I had, maybe things would be different." He shoved his face in his hands, wanting to scream. This was too much. "He told me that my uncle was in prison for smuggling organs. I was horrified…I don't even know why he told me; I'm the least cooperative of all his children. But I think he knew about you at that point. He knew I was your teacher, and that…that I had feelings for you. It must have amused him. He didn't tell your father, though. I would already be dead if he had. But through all that, he still didn't tell me that you and I were cousins. He just said you were off limits, and that bad things would happen if I pursued you. I should have known…it makes sense now."

"So he was trying to blackmail you into doing what he wanted?" What a despicable man. Bella felt sorry for Peter, but couldn't deny that she would still rather keep a safe distance from him. She couldn't even think of him as her cousin.

Peter nodded. "Something like that. And when that didn't work, he tried to force me. I only found out a few days ago about your father breaking out of prison. Apparently we're all supposed to go into hiding. No child left behind." He snorted. "So he sent a couple of guys over to my place, weapons and all. That blood they found…I killed one of them." He wasn't proud of himself for it, but it left him feeling oddly empty. Shouldn't he have felt remorse or disgust? Perhaps he was truly suited to this family after all.

Bella did her best to stay calm. She reminded herself that Peter was being attacked at the time, and that those men were working for her father. She would have done the same thing a thousand times now if given the chance. "You were just defending yourself."

"I was. They were trying to take me, and I wasn't about to let that happen. As you can see, though," he gestured to the walls around them, "they succeeded in the end. One of them hit me over the head, and I woke up in a room with barred windows. Much like you, I expect." He looked at her with wet eyes. "I'm so sorry, Bella. I wanted to tell you that my father was dangerous, I wanted to take you away from all this."

Bella wiped away a stray tear. "I'm not worried for myself, Peter. I never was, really. After everything my father put me through, I can handle most things. I'm worried for other people."

Peter's jaw tensed. "Your boyfriend…"

"And his brothers. One of them was badly injured when they took me. They don't deserve to suffer because of my father."

Peter placed his hand on hers. "Whatever happens, I won't let them hurt you. If I could get you out of here I would."

"I am escaping," said Bella. "So are you. Peter, we can't stay here. They're planning to haul us down to Texas in two days. If that happens, our lives are over. They'll control us for the rest of our lives, and I…I can't go back to living that way. I can't live under my father's thumb."

Peter pierced her with a knowing look. "Bella, has he ever hurt you?" He didn't need to ask; the answer was in her eyes. She simply bobbed her head, wanting to avoid going into detail. "Has…has he hurt you since you've been here?"

Bella clasped her hands together. "No…"

"Not yet, you mean," said Peter. He wanted to grab hold of her and never let go. How could her own father do that to her? He was hardly any better. It was only a few days earlier that he'd forced himself on her. He would never hurt her in that way, though; he'd rather die. He would die to save her if that's what it took. She was right, they had to get out of there.

"We have less than two days to figure out how to escape," Bella reminded him. "Are your brother and sister here, too?"

Peter had been fairly isolated since he was kidnapped. Like Bella, he only saw his father and the occasional goon, and he had only seen his uncle once. He dreaded to think about his siblings being in a similar predicament, especially his sister. Now that he knew how monstrous James Mercury really was, he knew that none of them could stay there.

"I honestly don't know, but I can tell you that they aren't aware of my father's dealings. My father told Stephanie some cock and bull story about why the family needs to go south. I don't know if she believed him, but I don't think she's going without a fight. She has a life here. And Jack…I haven't talked to him in a long time, but I don't see him being very willing, either. He doesn't like our father." Peter was anxious to talk to him now. Maybe he could make him see reason. What was the point of dragging everyone along for the ride? They would only prove to be baggage.

"We'll find them," Bella promised.

Her words came out softer than she intended, but Bella found herself feeling increasingly lightheaded.

"Bella, are you okay?" Peter began to panic. She didn't look well, but he had put it down to being locked up. Now that he really looked at her, he noticed that she was paler than usual.

"Yeah, I guess I just haven't been eating as well as I should," Bella replied. She knew it was more than that. She hadn't been feeling right for awhile, and it was oddly unfamiliar. But she didn't want to worry Peter even more; they had enough to think about.

Unfortunately, her body disagreed, and a second later she collapsed.

Esme awoke at 5AM. It wasn't out of the ordinary for her to do so. None of the Cullens were sleeping, and the dark circles under their eyes proved it. A few more nights like this and they would look like corpses.

She threw on her robe, making up her mind that she would stay up and have a cup of coffee. Sleep had only served to provide nightmares and headaches for her, and she was anxious to make sure her sons were okay. Upon entering the kitchen, she found all three of them awake with mugs of coffee and tea in their hands.

"I didn't think anyone else would be awake," she commented, pouring herself a cup.

"It's pointless trying to sleep anymore," said Emmett. His brothers nodded in agreement.

Esme noted that Edward was finally out of bed. "Edward, are you feeling better?" He looked drained, tired, but not unlike the rest of them.

"Physically, yes," Edward said. "I couldn't stop sleeping before, and now I can't sleep at all. I call that progress."

His mother smiled woefully. She gazed at her three downtrodden sons with worry. Jasper was giving her more grays than Edward and Emmett, however. He was adamant about going to school again. Emmett had seen reason and realized it was a terrible idea. Jasper had yet to give up, and Esme couldn't figure out what he hoped to gain by it. She met her eldest son's gaze.

"Jasper, why are you going to Forks High today?"

If Jasper was being honest, he wasn't sure. He knew no one wanted him to go. There was no logic in it, no benefits. The same was true with staying home and waiting to hear the bad news that everyone was expecting.

"I don't know, mom. I'll find out when it happens."

"Jasper…"

"It's okay mom. I promise nothing bad will happen."

Two classes in and he was ready to rip his hair out. His students were openly watching him, and he made little effort to hide how he was feeling. Emmett hadn't been able to handle the scrutiny and the silent accusations. Jasper simply didn't care at this point. They could think what they wanted, but none of it mattered in the end.

He looked at his students, whose eyes quickly returned to their text books. He wandered back to the photo of Bella he had clutched in his long pale fingers. In retrospect, he thought, this would likely be one of his last days teaching. He hadn't hit him until just then. If Bella died, he would never come back here. He wasn't sure he could live in Forks, period. Life would go on, because he promised Bella it would; she had made him swear on it, that if something happened to her, he wouldn't hurt himself. It would be a difficult promise to keep, but he would do it for her.

"Mr. Cullen?"

Jasper's attention snapped back to the front of the class. A student named Bryce was looking at him nervously, his hand raised.

"Yes, Bryce, what is it?" He probably wanted a hall pass, Jasper thought.

"Is there anything we can do to help?"

Wait, what?

He couldn't have heard him correctly. "Help?"

Bryce was almost visibly shaking now. His fellow classmates eyed him with disdain and embarrassment, not wishing to be included in that statement. Help? He might be a murderer, for all they knew, and some of them had already decided that he was.

"I…I know about that girl," Bryce said. "The one who went missing a few days ago. I was just wondering if we…I mean I could help in any way."

Jasper felt a pang of kindness towards the young man. It clearly took a lot of courage for him to say anything, especially in front of his peers. He wished he could help, that anyone could help, but there was nothing to be done. "No…but thank you for asking." He wanted to express his gratitude, but realized it wasn't the place or time.

Just when Jasper thought the conversation was over, Bryce surprised him once again. "Is is true that she might have been taken by a drug dealer?"

Jasper's heart was pounding in his chest. "Possibly…" Drug dealer, organ smuggler, rapist, murderer…

"The thing is," said Bryce, "my older brother was into drugs. He was an addict and dealt. He's, um…he's in jail now. That's why I thought I might be able to help. He dragged me along sometimes; I know where some of the drug hotspots are, so to speak. So…I don't know…maybe it was one of them." His eyes shone both confidence and insecurity. He thought he could help, but he was unsure how his intimidating teacher would react. That and he was currently on the receiving end of about above a dozen eye rolls, and more than a few critical whispers.

Jasper dismissed them early. Half of them were happy, the other half were offended and wanted to hear the rest of the conversation. Jasper made sure to lock the door.

"Have you heard of James Mercury?" Jasper asked, lowering his voice. He didn't want to get his hopes up. After all, what were the chances that this seventeen year-old kid knew where to find Bella? Slim to none. He had to look at every possibility, though. He would search every damn house if that was what it took to save her.

Bryce thought about it, but couldn't recall hearing the name before. "No, but I know there's guy around here who runs a big operation. My brother never met him, since the dealers aren't supposed to interact with the higher-ups, but he knew where he lived. He wasn't supposed to know that, either, come to think of it. But he showed me. He was a rich guy, too. His house was huge."

"Do you remember how to get there?" Jasper's voice caught in his throat. It was too good to be true, surely…

Bryce was starting to get excited. His shyness was thrown out the window. "Yeah, yeah, I do! It's a bit of a drive, but I remember it. It's easy to find, too, because it's isolated. No nearby neighbors."

"Shit, okay…" Jasper tried gathering his thoughts, but they were racing. He knew if he was going to do this, he had to do it right. It wouldn't be like last time when they barreled into a hostile situation without any weapons or protection. He wasn't going to take the same risk.

"I'm going to need to call your parents," said Jasper. Bryce raised his eyebrows. "And the FBI."