14

Bella managed to keep control of her emotions as she rushed out of Carlisle's house, throwing open the front door and nearly falling on the front porch. The cool air that often settled in after the sun drifted below the mountains that surrounded Forks slapped her in the face and she heard herself sobbing. She'd done it. She'd killed him. She wasn't sure she'd be able to go through with it, but she had. He'd never touch her again, never hurt her again. Her or anyone else.

The way he looked at her as she knelt on the floor on his fucking kitchen told her that the time to fight had come. He was never going to let her go. Leaping onto his back and choking him until he passed out had been easier than she expected. Bella suspected the sudden burst of adrenalin helped spur her forward, helped give her the upper hand, so to speak. Heaving him onto the table, stripping his clothes off, and tying him down had proven harder than she expected. And while she waited for him to wake up, waited for her chance to make him pay for every horrible, painful, cruel act he'd put her through, Bella activated plans that had been set for months.

Bella knew Carlisle well enough to now that he didn't hide all his secrets on his computer at his office. A man like Carlisle wasn't going to leave such incriminating ammunition laying around. No, Bella knew he was too smart for that. After finding her clothes, the ones he'd taken from her the night she willingly walked into Hell, she set out to find his personal computer. It hadn't been hard. Carlisle was a creature of habit, after all. There was a hidden room behind one of the walls in his bedroom, and in the corner of the room was a large safe. A safe that she'd broken into. A flash drives with hundreds of video files on it. It didn't take more than looking a few to know that each and every one of them were filled with the images of the people Carlisle had bent to his will. Men and women being forced to become his whores, girls barely old enough be legal, all used and abused by him in some form or fashion. Including her.

Yes, there was a file with her name on it, too. From the first time he fucked her, when he set off a chain of events that would be his downfall. She forwarded the encrypted files to Edward, knowing he'd be able to break through the codes. He'd taught her everything she knew about hacking, after all.

Bella scrambled to her feet and started toward town. There were others that she needed to deal with, others who'd taken too much pleasure out of hurting those she loved, and she would make sure they paid for their sins. Demetri and Eleazar had already been taken down, even if they didn't know it yet. The videos of them with underage girls would be landing in Edward's inbox by morning, along with a perfectly timed upload onto all the major news channels. Hacking into the programming had been easier than Bella expected. Sometimes, life as a genius was too easy.

But now it was time to get back to her mission: saving Leah and Alice.

—CG—

Bella hid in the shadows and peered up at the small, brick building, letting her plan play out inside her head. Laying on the ground at her feet was a bag she'd stashed long before she found herself locked in Hell with Carlisle Cullen. She knew the day would come when she'd need the contents and tonight was that night. There were too many people inside for her to rush in. Not everyone inside was a victim. If she was going in, she'd need to the darkness to help. Kneeling next to the bag, she pulled out two items: a hunting knife and a pair of night vision goggles. Taking a deep breath, Bella slipped around the back of the building, searching for the power box.

She found it in the back and pried open the metal door, finding each circuit had been labeled. How nice of them, she thought to herself as she began flicking the switches, watching as the lights inside began to go out. The bars on the windows had kept everyone inside prisoner, not that anyone in Forks paid attention to the derelict building. Nobody knew the horrors that went on there, the lives that had been ruined at the hands of these monsters. Bella's hand tightened around the knife and she couldn't help wonder if Carlisle had taken his last breath yet. She had wanted to make him suffer, but knew she had to act fast. There was too much at stake for her to truly make him feel every ounce of pain she had felt at his hands.

The backdoor swung open and a tall, beefy man stumbled out, muttering to himself about having to do the grunt work. Bella was hidden in the shadows, keeping her out of his view as he walked over to the circuit box. As he reached up to open the door, she leapt on his back and thrust the blade into the side of his neck, feeling his warm, sticky blood pour out onto her arm. He gasped for air as he dropped to his knees, his hand coming up to his throat as he tilted his head back and looked at her.

"I'm sorry," she murmured before pushing him onto his side and watching as his eyes closed and he died.

Bella put on the night vision goggles before she crept inside, letting the door close quietly behind her. Keeping her breath calm and easy, she stayed against the wall as she crept along the building. Around her, people were panicking, screaming for the lights to come back on, screaming for help. Help she couldn't give them. No matter how badly she wanted to save all of them, she couldn't. Not yet at least. She needed to find Alice. She owed that much to Aro.

As Bella slowly and quietly made her way through the building, being careful not to bump into anyone, her heart raced and more than once, she struggled not to cry out. Especially when she saw how many people had been bound to crosses, tables, benches. Dozens of people had been left naked and exposed.

Bella was close to the front of the building, when she spotted Esme brushing past everyone, and heading down the long, dark hallway that led to the lobby. Bella followed, and when Esme stopped outside a thick, wooden door, she knew that's were Alice was. Exhaling a soft breath, Bella pushed herself against Esme, feeling her knife sink into her back as she carefully turned the door knob and they fell inside the room. There, with her hands bound together by a thick leather strap, her hands pulled up over her head and attached to a hook hanging from the ceiling, and her body bruised and battered, was Alice. She had been blindfolded and stripped naked.

Esme cried out, but Bella put her hand over her mouth and nose, pulling her head back so that her ear was next to her lips. "Shh, now, don't want to alert people that I'm here, do we?"

Bella twisted the knife in Esme's back, causing the woman to scream against her hand.

"Carlisle sends his love. Said he'd see you in Hell." And then Bella removed her hand from Esme's mouth, pulled the knife out of her back and slid it across her throat. Her scream died out, replaced with the gurgling sound of her attempting to take her last breath.

Bella shifted her eyes up to where Alice hung and stood up. As she approached her, the girl whimpered.

"Who's there?" she asked, her voice laced with tears and sorrow.

"A friend," Bella whispered. "I need you to be quiet, okay?"

Alice whimpered again as she nodded. Bella pulled a chair over and stood on top of it so that she could cut through the straps that kept Alice suspended in the air. Once she'd cut through them, Alice crumbled to the floor, another whimper tumbling out of her mouth. Bella knelt next to her and removed the blindfold. Alice blinked several times as she stared at Bella, who pushed her goggles up on top of head.

"Can you see me?" Bella asked.

Alice nodded, her eyes drifting to where Esme laid dead.

"Hey, look at me, not her," Bella said, drawing her attention back. "Do you remember the night I was brought here?"

Pain flashed through her dark eyes, but she once again nodded.

"I'm sorry I couldn't save you that night," Bella whispered, slowly bringing her hand up to the side of Alice's face. The woman flinched, almost like she was afraid she was going to slap her. "Are you strong to stand up? To walk out of here with me?"

Alice's head barely moved as she nodded.

"Okay." Bella wrapped her arm around Alice and helped her to her feet, trying not to think about the fact that Alice was naked. "We have to be quiet. Just stay next to me, all right?"

Alice released a shallow breath, but tilted her head up and down. Bella pulled the goggles back over her eyes and led Alice out into the hallway. Since they were closer to the front of the building, she knew that would be the safest exit.

After several minutes, Bella pushed open the front doors and led Alice outside. The girl began weeping, her arms wrapped around her as she turned her face to the sky, and Bella began to wondered how long it had been since she last felt fresh air.

"Come on. We have to hurry," Bella murmured, tugging on her arm and leading her into the shadows where her bag lay. She dug a pair of sweats and a tee out, holding them to the small girl. "They'll be too big, but it's all I've got."

"Who are you?" Alice asked, accepting the clothes and putting them on without question.

Bella pressed her lips together for a moment before she said, "A friend of your grandfathers."

"Nonno? You know my Nonno?" Alice cried, grabbing Bella's arm.

She nodded as she pulled her arm from the girl's grasp. "I'll take you to him, but I need you to be quiet. Can you do that?"

Alice nodded.

Bella picked up her bag and slung it across her body before motioned for Alice to follow her. She wouldn't be able to save everyone who needed her help, and that thought had her heart aching, but she was only one person and there was only so much she could do. Hopefully, Edward would find her emails and would save those she couldn't.

Alice kept her word and didn't utter a sound as the two walked down dirty alleyways, in between buildings, and stayed in the shadows. After almost an hour, Bella led Alice up the front walk of Aro's house and rang the doorbell. Alice stood next to her with her arms wrapped around her body and as a light flickered on inside, Bella could feel the tension radiating off the girl.

The sound of the door being unlocked and the creak as it opened, pulled both of their attention to the man standing in the doorway. Aro gasped, his hand flying up to his mouth as he looked from Bella to Alice.

"Il mio, dolce nipote," he said, reaching for his granddaughter. "Alice!"

"Nonno!" Alice wailed, throwing herself into her grandfather's arms, their cries filling the air. Bella struggled to keep from crying with them, knowing how long Aro had been searching for his granddaughter. "Momma? Daddy?"

"I'm sorry, dolce nipote, I'm so sorry," Aro murmured, nestling her against his chest as she wept for her fallen parents. Aro shifted his eyes up to Bella and opened his other arm, inviting her to join their embrace.

"I can't stay," she whispered. "I still have work to do."

Aro sighed, his eyes flicking down to the blood on her arms and clothes. "You did it then. You killed him."

Bella nodded. "Still have to get Leah, though."

"Or you can let the police handle it," he argued.

Bella shook her head and stepped away from him. "No, I can't. It's personal, Aro."

"Yeah, I suppose it is," he agreed, placing his hand on the back of Alice's head. "We'll stick to the plan, yes? Alice and I will leave tonight, and you'll meet us once you get Leah to safety, right?"

"Of course," Bella said, smiling. "Like we planned."

Aro opened his mouth, but then promptly shut it. "Be safe, sweetheart." And pressing his lips to the top of Alice's head, he whispered, "And thank you."

"You're welcome." Bella stepped over to him and pressed her lips to his cheek, feeling the moisture from his fallen tears on her lips. She looked once more at Alice before she turned and rushed off the porch and disappeared into the darkness with one thought in her head: Killing her father.