Chapter 19

Edward paced.

It was all he did these days.

Two weeks.

The police said they had a lead. Chatter about a doctor who'd been underground for a few years, suddenly coming out from the shadows. He'd been stripped of his license years ago due to unethical behavior. But it had just caused him to go underground.

And now he was coming out.

The three brothers had put their heads together to try and figure out what was going on. The police weren't sharing much, but between Emmett and Jasper's connections they were able to come up with a rough idea of the situation and where Bella and Lucy might be.

...

It had been a few hours since The Doctor had visited Bella. Much to her relief. She had no idea how long she'd been held for. There were no windows in her room so she couldn't tell how much time had passed. And she was kept so heavily drugged that she couldn't keep track of anything. They gave her food but she often felt so sick that she turned it down. And now the meals were becoming more sporadic since she wasn't eating. She fed Lucy. That was all Bella could manage.

Mustering up all her courage, Bella slipped from the bed and gathered Lucy in her arms. She'd heard the guard leave earlier and forget to lock the door, thinking she was asleep.

Bella took the opportunity to open the door and peak out.

Lucy's wide eyes blinked up at her mother and Bella quietly shushed her, hoping the baby would understand.

This time Bella didn't creep. She ran. She remembered where the elevator was so she headed that way. She ducked into a room along the way to hide from a guard, she assumed, that was heading her way. And then she kept running.

She hit the elevator door with a thud and furiously pressed the button to open the doors. This time she made sure to hide out of the way of the doors as they opened. When no one walked out she ran in with Lucy, tightly held to her chest.

With her chest heaving, Bella pressed the button for the bottom floor. Just as the doors closed, she saw a guard turn around and spot her, before the door closed with a ding.

"Damn it." Bella swore. She'd been hoping to get out unspotted.

She got herself and Lucy ready to run. Bella knew the building would be on alert now. And as soon as the doors opened she would need to run.

And run she did.

The bottom floor was sparsely decorated. Not a sign of human life.

She crashed into the glass doors ahead of her. But to no avail. With her slipper covered foot she kicked the glass once, twice, three times. With all her strength.

Suddenly, there was an almighty crash. And the glass from the door came shattering down.

And then she was free.

Bella could hear the voices behind her calling out for her to stop but it was too late. She was out in the open. She could fly away.

Bella ripped off the top she was wearing, leaving her only in a tank top. But it didn't worry her. The air was cold, but her adrenaline was pumping, Besides, her wings were about to get a work out.

She unfurled them from her back, leapt into the air and flew off. The zinging of bullets could be heard as she flew through the air, but miraculously she wasn't hit.

The higher she flew, the safer she felt. Until all that could be seen were dots for cars and boxes for buildings. Bella knew she needed to be careful, she and Lucy couldn't be seen. But as for right now she didn't care.

Edward. She needed Edward.

As she flew, she spotted a large area of trees, she'd fly low, use them to help keep cover, she decided.

The police were moving.

It was time.

It was confirmed by someone on the inside that they had a woman and a child being held hostage. And that they were going to be moving. Soon.

As a curtesy, they told Edward and his family they could come along for the raid. The police knew they'd been doing their own investigating and appreciated the information Jasper and been able to pass along.

They also had no idea what state Bella would be in. And a familiar face would be good to help her trust the officers coming to rescue her. They were even letting Edward storm the building with the SWAT team. Something he was incredibly grateful for.

It was a long ride to the place Bella had been held. But he finally heard an officer up the front announce that they were making their final approach. By chance, he looked out of the car window and happened to see something in the air catch his eye.

What was that… he wondered.

And then it dawned on him. It was Bella.

"Bella!"

The officer up front was caught off guard and slammed his foot down on the brakes. The police car are to a screeching halt. And Edward took the opportunity to jump from the car. He frantically began waving his arms and calling into the sky. Begging for her to hear him.

After a few long moments she seemed to see the commotion below and began to descend. At the last moment, she realized he was surrounded by police officers, so she landed some distance away, hoping they wouldn't notice her less than casual approach.

Sure enough, the officers turned and saw a young woman running towards them, with a bundle in her arms. Suddenly guns were drawn. But Edward screamed at them to lower their weapons.

It was Bella. The person they were looking for.

She was safe.

She'd escaped.