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Adore

Chapter 36 –Family Matters

Bella, please don't leave me. Wake up!

Unfortunately for Bella, she did wake up. Peter was hovering over her, his face revealing pure panic and worry. She soon realized that it wasn't his voice that woke her up, but an intense cramping in her lower region.

"Jesus fucking Christ!" Bella wailed, clutching her stomach in agony.

Peter ran to the bathroom, coming back with a glass of water. "Drink this."

Bella shook her head, too concerned with the searing pain she was experiencing. Peter was at a loss; he didn't know how to help her, and the only thing he could think of was that she might be dehydrated. That wasn't it, he knew. He watched as Bella continued applying pressure to her abdomen, her face screwed up in pain. Peter put the glass down, knowing she wouldn't like what he was about to do, but hoping it was the right thing.

He laid next to her on the bed, placing his hand alongside hers on her stomach. She didn't object or squirm; it hurt enough for her not to mind his touch.

After a few minutes, her cramps finally began easing up. Bella felt completely drained, and she wasn't sure that she would be able to walk across the room just then, much less make a run for it. She had never had such intense cramps before in her life.

"Are you okay?" She glanced over to see Peter watching her worriedly. He had yet to remove his hand from her stomach, but she found the heat from it was comforting. Still, she gently nudged him off, and turned around to face him.

"I don't know," she answered. "That's never happened before."

Peter blushed as he asked his next question. "Are you on your period?"

Bella held back a snort. That was the one thing it couldn't have been. "No…"

It was scary how intuitive Peter was. Even scarier was how similar to the Cullens he was in that way. She was already half-convinced that he was their cousin and not hers.

"You're pregnant."

Bella averted her eyes, embarrassed and taken aback. She hadn't wanted him, or anyone else, to know. "Is it that obvious?"

"Not at all," said Peter. "I just had a feeling." He reached out, hesitant, and grabbed her hand. "We need to leave as soon as possible."

Bella nodded. "I don't even have a plan. I have no idea what this house looks like or how many people are in it." The more she thought about it, the worse she felt, the more uncertain.

"It's my dad's house," Peter said. "One of them, that is. I've only been here a few times, but I have a good idea of the layout. It's a start."

It made Bella feel only a little better. There was still a question mark as to how many goons were around, not to mention their respective fathers.

"Bella, not to be ironic, but we should see a doctor when we get out of here." He was genuinely worried. He didn't like discussing it, and he knew she liked it even less, but it had to be done.

Bella didn't understand. "Why? I'm fine now."

Peter squeezed her hand, but was interrupted by the sound of footsteps and the door opening with a bang. James came gliding down the staircase, his face blazing with anger.

"Who the fuck let you near my daughter?"

Bella was too late in defending Peter. In the next moment, her father swung at him, making contact with his jaw. Peter went crashing onto the bed.

"Dad, stop!" Bella stood in front of Peter, her arms spread out protectively.

"He's not allowed to be down here, Bella," he growled in response. "Who let him in?"

Bella didn't hesitate to throw Laurent under the bus. She loathed him, and really, didn't he know by now what her father was like?

James called out to one of his men, who came scurrying to the top of the stairs."Find Laurent." The man disappeared as quickly as he had appeared.

Laurent wore a false air of confidence when he arrived. Bella could see it in his eyes; he knew he was in trouble. He looked from James' cold eyes to Bella's fiery ones, then to Peter sitting on the bed avoiding any and all eye contact. "What's up, boss?"

James crooked his finger, beckoning Laurent to come down. He couldn't say no.

"Laurent, Bella tells me that you let Peter in here."

Laurent nodded, shooting Bella a nasty look. "Yes, Dr. Mercury."

"And why would you do such a thing?"

Bella was amazed at Laurent's obvious lack of preparation. Was he that unaware of the dos and don'ts? "They're cousins, I thought they should get to know each other as such."

Laurent could play dumb all he wanted, but James wasn't an idiot. "Well, as you might recall, they already know each other. You were following them for months, so…do you have amnesia?"

"No," Laurent was beginning to get angry. "Look, they may have known each other, but they didn't know they were cousins until today. I thought it was only right for them to come to terms with that."

James drew closer to him, his face a mere inch from Laurent's. "You know Peter wants to fuck my daughter, right? And you locked him in a room with her, the person who means the most to me out of everyone in the entire world. You left her with him; you defied my orders."

Laurent began shaking his head, panicking. "No, boss, you've got that wrong –"

But James had already pulled out his gun. It was lucky for Laurent that he was still of value to him; James shot him in the arm. He wanted to punish him, not kill him. Laurent fell backwards, groaning in pain.

"Christopher, take him to my brother. He needs fixing," James ordered.

Bella was rooted to the spot. It didn't matter how many times she saw her father kill or maim; he could do it in front of her every day and she would never become desensitized. She stared at the blood on the floor, her guilt finally hitting her full force. She hated Laurent, but she didn't want to be responsible for his death.

She looked up, still in a daze, to see her father cocking his gun at Peter.

"Dad, please don't…"

"He wants to touch you, baby," he cried. "Has he been touching you?"

"N-no! Dad, he's family. Family is more important than anything, remember? He hasn't done anything to me." She realized that he already seemed aware of her interactions with Peter in the past, but maybe it was simply his paranoia. He generally thought she was banging everyone, or that everyone was trying to bang her. It was in that moment that Bella noticed something else: she was wrong when she thought he hadn't changed in the last few years. He had. There was more fear in him, and that fact excited her; it gave her hope. She could play on his fears, butter him up. She might be able to escape after all.

James directed his words at Peter, who had remained silent but watchful. "The only reason you're alive is because my brother won't let me kill you. I love my brother, but if you do anything…" James clenched his teeth, barely in control of his anger. "I will kill you. He has two other children, I'm sure he'll get over the loss tolerably well."

He was on the edge, so close to giving in to the urge. And in that moment, Bella hugged him. It immediately made her want to take a shower, but it stopped him cold. He dropped his arm, returning the unexpected embrace.

"It's okay, Bella. We'll be gone soon, and I promise nothing bad will happen to you. It'll just be you and me." She could feel his gun resting at the small of her back.

Just you and me.

He dragged Peter upstairs then, calling to his men to take him to his room. Bella wanted to stop them, to keep Peter with her. She didn't trust her father to let him live.

She needed to act fast.

Just

You

And

Me

Wait… "Dad!"

James turned around, about to leave. "Is something wrong?" The fear in his eyes was gone, replaced with only madness and mischief. Something else was going on.

Bella knew him too well. It was bad enough that they were all going to Texas, but this was much, much worse. "What did you mean when you said it'll just be you and me?"

He smirked, descending the steps at a slow, confident pace. Now that Peter was gone, he was himself again. "I mean exactly that."

"But…the others…"

"Don't worry about them. All you have to do is wait for me to come get you." He caressed the long strands of her hair; her stomach clenched. But he had more important things to do than focus on her right now. He left with a, "Tomorrow is the big day!" and she was once again alone.

As soon as he closed the door, Bella began reprimanding herself. She should have made a run for it. She could have grabbed his gun and just chanced it. There would be blood on her hands if she didn't get out of here soon, because now she knew what he was going to do.

He was going to kill everyone. He didn't love his brother, and his children mattered even less. They were only alive to serve a purpose, and once they were no longer useful, they would be disposed of. She wondered how many of her father's people were here. He was insane, nasty, but he had a few loyal followers who loved him for it. Laurent was one of them, though he hid it well on the surface. He never came across as a sheep, as truly devoted, but he had done everything her father asked, and had come back to him after years of freedom. Of course, now that James had shot him, perhaps he was rethinking his life choices.

She didn't sleep well that night. What time was it? She didn't know, but she would grab her first opportunity. The next time that door opened, she would go for it. She would try to break out if there had been anything useful in her little room, but it had been prepared carefully. There was nothing sharp, nothing to pick a lock with, and she didn't dare try to break it open. No doubt there were guards up at all hours of the night.

In the end, she didn't have to wait as long as she thought. The door opened, and a man with a tray of food appeared. She had seen him several times by now, but had yet to learn his name. He was a short, slim man, only a few years older than her, by the looks of it. His hair was buzzed and his eyes were lowered; and he was tense. He was always tense, she noticed. It might have been his environment, period, but she had a feeling that tending to her was his biggest burden of all. That was why he never spoke or looked at her. It took him ten seconds to get in and back out. Well, he wasn't getting away so easily this time.

She put on the waterworks as best she could, which, given the situation, wasn't too hard. Bella let out a choked sob, giving the stranger a pitiful, helpless look.

"Please," she said, "He's going to kill me."

The man paused, unsure of what to do. Bella could see that he was about to leave, which was the smart thing to do. He shook his head and began walking away. Bella ran after him, grabbing his arm.

"No, please, I can't…" She was sobbing for real now. "I can't take it anymore. We're all going to die."

He didn't look convinced, but it caused a reaction, which was the most she was hoping for. "Don't be ridiculous."

"He's insane. Why is it so hard to believe?"

"Because we're an empire. Empires don't last if everyone gets slaughtered, you dumb bitch."

Bella was happy that he wasn't a nice guy; it made what she was about to that much easier. "You think he cares about an empire? He's for himself, and himself alone. Don't you have any idea who you're dealing with?"

She thought it would take more effort to grab his gun, but she slipped it from his holster before he even noticed that she was going for it. Bella was no marksman, but she had held a gun before. Hell, she even shot one or two. One of the keys to holding someone hostage was to make them think that you actually might hurt them. Bella didn't show fear; this was simply the wrong time and place for it. It was now or never, and if she had to kill this lovely gentleman, she would.

"What the hell are you doing?" It gratified her to see that he was taken by surprise. She had a feeling this was one of this biggest shocks of his life. His gun, taken by a little female prisoner? He would be dead whether she pulled the trigger or not.

"I guess we're about to find out," said Bella. "What's your name?"

"Fuck you."

"Well that's not a good start. Our relationship is so new!" She was getting impatient. "Fine, I'll call you Steve."

He was offended. "It's Barry."

"That's your misfortune, not mine. Now, Barry, how many people are upstairs?" Bella knew there was little point in asking. He wasn't going to be truthful, but she was desperate, and she hoped that she could figure out a ballpark figure based on whatever lie he fed her.

"You are a dumb bitch," Barry spat. "As if I'd tell you."

Bella rolled her eyes. "Look, you're going to die. They'll kill you for letting me take your gun, or I'll kill you for being so rude and unhelpful. Your choice."

"Why are you doing this? You're not being treated raw. Your daddy's here, that's why no one's laid a finger on you. And believe me, a lot of these boys here would love to do a lot of nasty shit to you."

"Barry, I've been raped before. Dozens of times. And you know what I found out? You can do all sorts of bad things to a body. You can cut it, beat it, kill it, but you know what? You are not a body. Bodies are just shells, and at this point, I'm not too worried about my shell. I'm still me at the end of every pain I've experienced with this shell. However, I kind of hate your shell, and won't hesitate to send you straight to the underworld unless you tell me what I want to know." She began pressing on the trigger without really thinking about it. She wasn't sure if she could go through with it, though. "This is your last chance."

Barry's jaw tightened. He was scared. "The apple really doesn't fall far from the tree, does it? All right. There aren't that many. Most of the guys sleep in another house down the road. There are about five night guards, and someone on surveillance."

"How many cameras are there?"

"How should I know?"

"You're never worried about being watched? I think I'd be counting."

Barry was struggling to think. The gun she was pointing at him didn't help. "I dunno, maybe five?"

"That's it? I don't believe you."

"Maybe more, but I honestly don't notice them most of the time. I'm only allowed on the first floor."

Well that was interesting. "Why only the first floor?"

Barry shrugged. "I guess because they keep people upstairs. You know, your cousins. Look, I've only been here for a week. I don't know that much, just the basics."

"So you know about Texas?"

"Sure, of course."

"And who do you work for? My father or uncle?"

"Dr. Wesley. Been working for him for the last year or so."

Bella was right; he was a dead man. She would be surprised if her father let any of Frederick's men live. He was too practical to leave witnesses or invoke vendettas. Everyone must go.

"Is there anyone standing outside the door?"

"Not when I came through." He stared at her, wondering what she was going to do with him. That was the first big question. Bella knew her options were limited, and her plan had only extended as far as actually getting through that door that had been haunting her the last few days.

"Barry, go into that corner," Bella said. She couldn't kill him, she just couldn't. She didn't want to be that kind of person, even if he was scum. Barry did as he was asked, both grateful and surprised that she was letting him live. Bella kept her gun trained on him until she was at the door, at which point she made as hasty an escape as she could manage, bolting the door behind her. It was only now that she saw how secure her prison door was. There were only two different locks on it, which wasn't all that unusual. They must have been very confident that she wouldn't try to get out.

She found herself at the end of a very dark hallway, which led to a kitchen. Bella was cautious, making as little noise as humanly possible. She quickly realized that it was unnecessary; no one was there. Was Barry right, and there really weren't that many people there overnight? Judging by the light, or lack thereof, it had to be around dawn, which meant she didn't have much time.

You can do this.

Bella wasn't good at being stealthy, and having a gun wasn't proving to be a big comfort. The house was dead quiet, and the only light she saw was coming from a room down the hallway. She didn't see much point in going into every room. If anything, that would be a very, very bad idea. What she needed to find were the stairs. Barry said they were keeping her cousins on the second floor, and it was then she realized that she forgot to ask if there were men guarding all of their rooms, but she doubted he even knew.

The stairs were carpeted, but she was convinced her footsteps could still be heard from a mile away. Bella reached the landing, holding her breath as she poked her head around the corner. Empty. Were they really this lackadaisical? No, not lackadaisical; they were confident. Everything was going their way, and nothing would stop them. But they didn't know that little Bella was creeping through the halls with a handgun.

There was no way to tell which room was Peter's or his siblings', and she couldn't simply whisper their names and hope that the right people heard and the wrong people didn't. Her father and uncle were most likely somewhere on that floor. Bella was at a loss. One misstep could get them all killed, yet the right move could free them.

It was pure luck that she heard it. Scraping, jiggling. Bella tensed, unsure of whether or not to hide. It was coming from a door on her right. Someone was messing with the doorknob, no doubt trying to get out.

"Peter?" Bella whispered, her heart pounding. And after a terrifying few seconds, she heard the reply.

"Bella?"

She couldn't believe she found him. "How close are you to getting out?"

"Very close…I think." He began working harder. Bella didn't know what he was using, but suddenly the door popped open and he was standing in front of her. He held up a credit card. "Always wanted to try that," he said.

"Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" It was too dark for Bella to get a good look at him, but she could tell that he was smiling.

"Not too bad. I was more worried about you, to be honest." He sounded solemn, having last seen her in the clutches of her father.

"I'm okay, but we need to get out of here. Do you know which rooms your brother and sister are in?"

Peter wished he knew. He was especially keen to find Stephanie.

Muffled footsteps emerged from one of the adjoining rooms. Peter was quick to grab Bella, yanking her back into the bedroom and closing the door. They heard a separate door open and someone walking up and down the hall. It was all Bella could do not to hyperventilate. She felt Peter put his hand on her back, no doubt trying to calm her down, but it only added to her worries.

Whoever was in the hallway was taking their good old time. They must have heard them, or thought they heard something. Bella wasn't sure they would have the chance to leave this room now that they'd grabbed the enemy's attention. There was no way out except through that door. The windows were barred, as did every other window in the house, she suspected.

Bella shook off Peter's hand, walking over to a rocking chair and sitting down. She thought about her boys and how worried they must be. Most of all, she missed them. She had tried not to think about them over the last few days, in fact. It was too painful to think that she might not see them again, but all she did was see their beautiful faces. She forgot her past anger and frustration with them, and the fact that she has walked out because of it. She would give anything to be that angry, tearful Bella from last week if it meant seeing them one more time. If she had to die, if these were some of her last moments, then she wanted to spend them remembering every moment she had been in their presence. If only she could tell them how much the last few years had meant to her, how she regretted nothing, and would do it all over again in a heartbeat. They had saved a wretched little girl from the Devil, and they would always be her angels.

Peter slowly came and stood beside her, quietly analyzing her face as much as he was able. He reached out and touched her face.

Bella threw him a warning look. He had the decency to look guilty, which was only right considering their current predicament. But he didn't take his hand away. Instead he bent down, placing his hands on either side of the chair.

And he kissed her.

Bella wanted to cry, to beat him. It didn't help that making any noise would alert the person outside the door. Still, she pushed him away, just in time for the door to open and a tall, dark figure to appear.