The second to last chapter. It's been a long trip, thanks for sticking with me!
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Chapter Twenty Two
Missing
Bella POVI hadn't noticed that the room had fallen silent until it burst into a flurry of activity. Carlisle was on the phone to the police, Esme was gathering all the remaining security people to sweep the venue for any sign of James or Alice, and Jasper was on the phone to Emmett. Edward was still holding me tightly and trying to calm me.
The numbness settled in slowly. The first hour had passed with no word, and I grew more panicked, but as we were reaching the third hour, I got strangely calm. I knew that many things were happening around me. I just couldn't bring myself to do anything.
We were still at the venue sitting in the dressing room. The police had finished with us for the moment, and Carlisle suggested we go back to the hotel, but I refused. I needed to be here, this is the place where Alice was last. I couldn't fathom leaving. Edward was still holding me and stroking my hair, but he didn't bother to tell me that everything would be fine. No one told me that, because it would have been a lie.
I knew James was a monster, a horrible control freak that would do almost anything to get his way, but I never thought he would hurt anyone else, not like this. Another thing I was wrong about when it came to him. I thought about how much he must hate Alice. She had been the catalyst to get me away from him last time. She had been a pillar of support this time as he tried to reclaim me. If something happened to her… "I need to go to the bathroom," I muttered, freeing myself from Edward's arms.
I jumped up and ran to the bathroom where I vomited and sank to the floor in silent sobs. Edward came in to find me a minute later and sat down next to me, pulling me back into his lap. "I can't lose her, Edward. I have to do something. I can't just sit here and do nothing, she needs me."
"There's nothing you can do, love. The police are here, and they're doing everything they can. They're putting his picture out everywhere, and they've got roadblocks stopping vans like the one in the security footage. There's nothing else we can do until we hear from him again. There's nothing else to go on."
I heard someone come into the dressing room and started to get up. Edward helped me stand and supported me as I walked weakly to the other room. Carlisle looked up at me as we entered. The concern in his face almost overwhelmed me with emotion again. He looked older, tired, and so incredibly worried.
"There's some press outside. James sent them the picture too. The police think he wants the story out so he can keep up with the investigation," he said softly.
"Oh no, no…" I shook my head and ignored how it made the room spin. "I can't believe I forgot to call Charlie and Renee. They can't find out on television like that." I was rising back into panic territory when Esme cut me off.
Edward tried to quiet me again as Esme continued, "It's okay, I called them and told them everything. They're already driving up and should be here by the morning."
I nodded and looked around blankly. "What do we do?"
"Go back to the hotel," Carlisle said. "I know you don't want to leave, Bella, but there's nothing else that can be done here. It's not going to help Alice to stay here and make yourself sick. It's better to go now before there's more attention, and it's even harder to get out."
I nodded weakly and let Edward lead me toward the building's doors. The moment we stepped outside, the turmoil was overwhelming. My name was being shouted in a hundred different directions, flashes and television cameras were shoved at me regardless of the direction I faced. I heard Carlisle swear behind me and my suddenly stunned mind thought that was strange, Carlisle never swore.
Everything continued to slow down as my brain processed things at an oddly stuttered pace, everything seemed unreal. Edward kept saying something over and over again as I was pushed into a car. The cameras continued to flash, leaving bright streaks in my vision, the shouting became muffled as I felt someone sit beside me and close the door. The car started moving just as my mind finally hit the breaking point, and I passed out.
When I was aware again, I was in a dark room with no idea what time it was. I was disappointed when there was no momentary bliss of forgetfulness, no thought of it all being a dream. From the second I opened my eyes, I was painfully aware of harsh reality and everything that had happened.
I turned over numbly and flicked on the TV to see what they were saying. I didn't have any hope of good news, Edward would have woken me if there was. I flicked and found a headline news channel cycling through the top stories of the hour. I watched as the anchor droned on about stock prices and politics before I turned up the volume and watched what they were saying about Alice.
An image of the outside of the venue came on screen. The frame shook as the camera tried to keep focus on a woman being led to a car by Edward. I realized with a shock that the woman was me. I looked horribly pale and drawn, and there was a vacancy in my face like I wasn't really there.
Edward kept shouting 'no comment' at the reporters while Carlisle tried to distract them from us as we got in the car. Eventually, I tuned in to the voiceover of the newscaster. The picture changed to the horrible photo that was sent to my phone.
"Alice Brandon, 26, was reportedly kidnapped today after a sold-out concert in New York. Ms. Brandon works with Midnight Sun, who played the concert at…"
"Don't watch it, love," Edward said as he walked to the TV and turned it off. I hadn't even heard him come in the room. "There's nothing new, and they're just throwing around any rumor that sounds sensational."
He came and sat on the bed with me. "Everyone's across the hall in, I didn't want to wake you, so we left you here while we sat in Jasper's room. You passed out in the cab, do you remember?"
"Yeah, I do. I think it was just too much."
"Do you want to come over and sit with us?"
"I will, but I think I want to take a quick shower first. Maybe that will make me feel a little more human again."
He nodded. "I had your phone with me just in case. Rosalie was going to answer it if it rang. We thought it would be better if he got a female voice…" Edward trailed off as he handed me back the phone.
"I'll let you get your shower. Like I said, I'm right across the hall if you need me."
Edward left again, and I was grateful to him for giving me some space to think and be alone for a few minutes. I let the hot water run over me as I tried to kick start my brain. It still felt like soggy oatmeal. I moved robotically through my shower routine, not remembering most of it when I realized I was already turning the water off. I toweled off and headed back to the bed to find some clothes.
Edward had brought a tray with coffee and food while I was in the shower. I sipped at the coffee greedily, but couldn't stomach the thought of food at the moment. I had just finished dressing when my phone rang, and I jumped before diving for it. The display showed a number I wasn't familiar with, but there was no question of not answering it.
"Hello?"
"Isabelle," James said warmly.
"James." My voice cracked. "Where is Alice?"
"She's here, she's not very happy, but it's your own fault, Isabelle, you wouldn't listen to me. This was the only alternative you left me."
My hands were shaking so hard now, I could barely hold the phone. I turned in on speaker and put it down before I dropped it. All I needed now was to break the only connection to Alice I had left.
"Let me talk to her, I need to know she's okay."
"Ah, Ah, Isabelle. I see you've picked up some bad habits." His voice grew colder. "You do not get to demand anything, you may ask politely. I will give you what you need. If I don't give it to you, then you don't need it."
I winced as I tried to remember all of James' rules. He wanted to control, and if it meant Alice's safety, I would play along. He took my silence as assent.
"Very good, now, we need to have our reunion so that I can get you away from all of those terrible people you're with. I don't blame you, Isabelle. You just got in with the wrong crowd, you never did know what was good for you. I think I blame Alice the most, or maybe Edward. He has no right to you, you are mine. Of course, Alice is right here beside me, and Edward is not."
I heard a muffled thud and a stifled sob in the background. Tears filled my eyes, and I bit my lip so hard I drew blood, but I managed to keep silent. My head fell forward in defeat.
"You want to come away with me right, my Isabelle? We'll go back to our marriage, and we'll be happy again. We'll move away. Somewhere where no one can tear us apart. It will be even better than last time. Everything will be perfect."
He was utterly delusional. I couldn't understand how he could still think like this after all that had happened and everything I had said. How was it that James just kept being more dangerous and out of control than I'd thought? If he was this unstable, there was no telling what he'd do to Alice or when he would crack. The longer she was with him, the more danger she was in. Once again, I could see no alternative than to play his game.
"Of... of course I want to go with you, James. I love you. I've been thinking a lot about you since the last time I saw you." I stuttered in a voice as clear as I could manage. I forced myself to swallow back the bile that saying these words created. "You'll let Alice go, right? I'm sure no one will care if you and I run away together. I'll leave them a note and explain everything, but Alice has to be safe, or things will be difficult for us. Plus, it will be better if it's just us, don't you think?"
"Very good, Isabelle. You're lying, of course, but we'll keep working at it. I'll have no need for Alice once I have you, my dearest Isabelle. Of course, you have to come now. I'm sure I don't need to tell you to be absolutely alone. If you don't, I will hurt Alice, and you will be responsible for that as well. I may even feel the need to play with her a little first if my lovely wife forsakes me."
"No! No, James, I am yours. I will come alone, of course, I will. Where should I go?"
He gave me the address of a store with a payphone, making sure to inform me that he would be watching it and would know if I was alone. It wasn't lost on me that he'd never actually said Alice would go free. Even if he had, I never would have taken him at his word.
"This number is the only way to reach me. If I need to ditch the phone, you lose Alice. I suggest you don't tell anyone about it. Remember, Isabelle, you are entirely responsible for her fate now. I can't wait to be with you again. You will love me again. Call me within 30 minutes, or I'll know you've decided not to come. Choose carefully, and remember, if you bring Edward, I will kill him. I will protect what's mine, and no one is going to steal from me."
I shuddered as he hung up and blindly grabbed my laptop to put in the address for directions. This was all so James, threats tied with threads of affection, me being responsible for everything he did, the mind games. The trick was that it was impossible to win against James. The rules changed to suit him on a whim. A sob escaped at that thought.
"Bella," Edward said softly as he put a hand on my shoulder.
I gasped and whirled around. "Edward! How long have you been here?"
"Long enough." He looked darkly at the phone.
"I know you don't want me to go. I don't want to go, but I have to. I have to figure something out. Between the police and the press coverage, it'll never stay quiet long, and there's no time for that anyway. I can't take a chance with her life, Edward."
"But you want me to take a chance with yours? Would Alice want that?"
"Of course not, but… she'd do it for me too. Besides, what other option do I have? I don't think he plans to let her go, but maybe I can talk to him, maybe I can change his mind or something." I was desperate now, "I don't have any choice, he's taken them all away. He knows there's nothing I won't do for her."
"Bella, I'm not suggesting you don't go, but I don't think you should rush off with no plan and no help. Let's go across the hall and talk this over with Jasper and Emmett. No one will call the police about this unless it's what you decide to do, ok?"
"Okay, but we need to be quick; he's expecting my call within a half an hour." Frantic ideas came into my head and were quickly disregarded. Now that there was a course of action, my head starting whirling with ideas. There were any number of ways to approach something like this, but with no time to prepare, most of them were impossible. I was known to be ready for everything, but even I didn't keep a stash of weapons and spy equipment.
He wrapped his arms around me in a comforting hug. I allowed myself this one small indulgence before I began to prepare for what was ahead of me.
"I'm going to pack a bag. I'll just be a second." I whirled around the room, tossing various items into a backpack. Edward seemed confused but didn't question me. When I was finished, he took the bag from me and led me across the hall.
"You're shaking," I whispered as I gathered his hand in mine.
"I'm angry."
It was the understatement of the century. "I know, and so am I but I need to keep it together, I need you to keep it together. I'm going to need you to help me get through this."
The room was much the same as the one we just left. Emmett was on the couch with his arm around Rosalie, and both of them watched the television blankly. Jasper was sitting in a chair, staring into space and looking every bit as lost, and I felt.
"Bella," Jasper said, getting up as soon as he saw me and wrapping me in a tight hug. I hugged him back and tried to stifle the automatic flames of panic that his emotion fanned.
I looked around the room and took a deep breath. "I've had news."
I stood near the door with Edward at my side as I relayed the conversation with James. "He gave me an address and a number. I have to be there in twenty-five minutes. We have no time to argue and figure this out. With all the press around, I don't trust it not to get out. If he thinks I'm not doing what he wants, he'll..."
I took another deep breath and once again pushed the emotions down farther. Breaking down would not help Alice.
I cleared my throat and continued. "I don't have an elaborate plan; honestly, it's mostly just winging it and hoping luck stays on our side. Edward wants to go with me, and I assume that you won't stay behind, Jasper. But Emmett…"
"If you think I'm going to let the three of you go without me, Bella, you're nuts. I care about Alice too. Plus, these two would be completely lost without me." Emmett looked at Edward and Jasper with mock disgust.
"Emmett, I don't know what's going to happen. If you get hurt…"
"You let me worry about not getting hurt. We need to get going. Rose, can you get a distraction going for us? Carlisle will be pissed, but he'll play along."
Rosalie looked torn for the slightest moment before she whipped out her cell and started dialing. "Carlisle, meet me in the lobby, we're going to be having an impromptu press conference in 7 minutes." She listened for a few moments. "No, I know. I'll explain everything to you down there." She hung up and started typing a message on her phone.
"Ok, I've announced that Carlisle will be making a statement in the lobby in five minutes. That should get the reporters to congregate there. I suggest you guys head out the back. Take my car. Please, be safe."
I went over to her and hugged her fiercely, touched by the lack of argument and her quick thinking. "Thanks, Rose."
She handed Emmett the keys and gave him a quick hug before disappearing.
"We need to go, do what you can to make sure you're not recognized. We're running out of time. I'll tell you what plans I do have as we drive." I picked up my phone again, remembering the call recorder Alice had insisted I install to keep track of meetings and notes on the fly. I forwarded the recording of James' call to Charlie. By the time he got it, it would be too late to stop me, but if things went wrong, he might be able to find us. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. That was going to become a theme for today, no doubt.
Ten minutes later, we had made a discreet get away from the hotel. Edward drove while I went through my ideas.
"Jasper, give me your phone." He handed it over silently.
"I'm setting you up to track my phone. I have two. James will make me get rid of the first, but the second is a tiny one that Alice got for me as a joke." A sad smile crossed my face as I remembered it. I held up the phone, which was about the size of my thumb before switching it over to silent. I ripped a small hole in the cuff of my shit and tucked the phone inside. "I told Charlie about it and the phone call. By the time he gets my message, hopefully, everything will be over...or we'll be in trouble. Either way, we'll need his help."
"I'm going to need to get out just down here and walk the rest of the way in case he wasn't lying about watching. James knows I don't have a car. I guess that's why the phone is within walking distance. If I get into a cab or something, you can follow me this way if you lose track of me. I'll call you and try to keep the line open so you can hear what's going on, but don't depend on it. I imagine the audio isn't going to be clear, I can't exactly keep the phone out. Everything happened so quickly, I'm hoping James had as little time to plan as we did. We're just going to have to work with whatever happens."
Jasper took his phone back. "I don't like this, but I can't think of anything better with the time we have either. Bella, you have to promise me something. Get to Alice and try to stay away from James. We'll take him down as soon as we can, but even if everything goes our way, it's going to be chaotic."
I started to protest, but he held a hand up. "If we're going to storm in there, it will be safer for everyone if James can't use you or Alice against us. We'll all be more focused if we know you're as safe as possible. Promise me, Bella."
I nodded and pushed at the door. "I'll do everything I can."
The payphone was two blocks down, in front of an all-night convenience store. With less than five minutes left on James' deadline, I punched the in number. It took three times before I finally dialed correctly and held my breath as it rang
"You actually came alone, I'm impressed. Maybe there's hope for you yet, Isabelle."
Placating him was my best bet here. If he thought he was winning, he might get sloppy."Thank you, James. Where do you want me to go now?"
"Very good, you're already remembering. Those clothes have to go through, you look awful. Yellow is not your color."
I looked down at the light summer top and jeans and pulled my jacket closed. He was making sure I knew he could really see me, fantastic.
A tinny cruel laugh came through the phone. He was pleased by my discomfort. "Now, take out your phone and leave it there."
He directed me to take a cab to a motel outside of town. I followed his instructions, repeating them back to make sure I was correct but also so the guys would hear my next moves.
"No phone calls once we hang up. Do not test me."
"Of course not. I'll be there soon."
Once I flagged the cab down, I settled in the back seat and tried to prepare for the final leg of the journey. Rose's car with my backup was nowhere to be seen. Either Edward was an excellent driver, or they'd lost me. The panic fought for control again, and I pushed it back.
I had basic self-defense training, but nothing like Alice. I doubted I'd be able to catch him off guard anyway, and he would overpower me in an instant. My brain whirled with different scenarios and outcomes, most of them weren't good. I was so lost in my thoughts that the cabby's voice startled me when we finally arrived at my destination. My hands trembled as I handed him the fare.
"Are you ok, miss?"
"Yes, thank you. Keep the change."
The young man nodded in thanks and pulled away the moment I stepped out of the vehicle. I looked around at the motel. There were a few cars scattered around the neglected parking lot, the neon sign had stopped working, and the whole building was in desperate need of a paint job and repairs, or maybe a flame thrower.
I finally saw James, backlit in one of the large windows of a ground floor room. He opened the door and searched the lot for anything out of place before calling me to him. His smile was predatory and sent a shiver of dread down my spine.
Just before I crossed the threshold, a small movement in the corner of my eye almost made me collapse in relief. Rose's car came to a quiet stop down the block. I wasn't alone, I had help, we would all be ok. I repeated this mantra as I stepped into the room and back to a time when James controlled almost every aspect of my life.
I waited for him to speak to me; speaking first would make him very angry. I kept my eyes to the floor and showed no sign of defiance. He wanted control, and I was planning to give him whatever he needed to lull him into a sense of superiority. I'm not sure how long I stood there before he was satisfied and pulled me toward him.
"I'm glad you finally saw sense. It's just too bad that this was the only way you'd keep your vows to me."
He forced his lips to mine, it wasn't a kiss. There was no emotion or affection in the action; he was claiming me like property and nothing else. I did my best to control my body, to not respond or pull away. Once again, I saw movement at the window, and Jasper's head slowly came into view, clutching his phone to his ear. He must still be listening. I said a silent prayer of thanks that it was working.
Once he finally pulled away, I risked a question.
"May I please see Alice? I need to know if she's ok."
He nodded. "We're leaving, she'll be coming with us."
"That wasn't the deal, James. You said you'd let her go." He moved like lightning I doubled over in pain before I even realized he'd hit me. "I'm ok. Don't come in, I haven't seen her yet. I whispered softly into the phone in my sleeve.
"What did I tell you about mouthing off. He pushed me to the floor and pulled out a gun from beneath his jacket. "I'll let her go once you've convinced me that you're going to behave properly. I think you might need some motivation." He kicked out at me, landing a solid blow to my stomach.
"I'm sorry. Where is she? Can I please help her?"
"She's in the bathroom. Leave the bag here, and make it quick."
"Bella!" Alice moaned in relief as she saw me come through the door.
"Alice! Oh god, what did he do to you?" I wanted to hug her, but I was afraid to hurt her. She lay on the floor with her hands tied behind her back. Her face was blossoming with bruises, and dried blood caked one side of her face and hair. She looked awful but alert and awake.
"Shut up and let's go." Came the harsh demand from the other room.
"I need to clean her up. She's covered in blood, it's going to draw attention."
"Fine, hurry up." James picked up my bag from the floor and dumped it on the bed. He sifted through the contents but never took his eyes off of us for more than a moment.
"When I say, be ready to move, ok?" Even the small motion of agreeing with me sent a shock of pain across her face.
I went through the motions of helping Alice, grabbing one of the towels from the rack, and wetting it in the sink. Thankfully it wasn't hard to flip the lock on the bathroom door handle without James noticing. It wouldn't hold for more than a second, but that was all we'd need for Jasper and the others to get into the room.
I helped Alice move from the floor to sit on the toilet. I caught her eye. "Into the shower, are you ready?"
She nodded, and I bent gave my sister a hug in such a way that my wrist with the hidden phone was close enough, "We're in the bathroom, Go on three." Alice was alert, trying to decipher the plan from my movements. "One… two…" I hooked the door with my foot and slammed it closed. James swore and started beating on it. We moved quickly to the shower and huddled down. The sound of James crashing into the door was followed by a sharp crack as his foot came through the thin veneer. Splinters went flying as he hit it again, and it flew open. Alice screamed, followed by sounds of fighting and shouting from the front room. Three gunshots sounded, I went cold, and my heart raced as I held on to Alice, praying to anything that was listening that no one got hurt trying to save us.
Through the panic and tears, I tried to loosen the knots that bound Alice's hands together, but my hands wouldn't' stop shaking. The pain was starting to overtake me now that the adrenalin was burning out. James had done some damage, but we needed to take care of Alice first.
A hand reached through the wide hole in the bathroom door, unlocked, and opened it deftly. Relief overwhelmed me as Jasper came into sight. There was a small cut on his cheek, but otherwise, he looked whole. I questioned him silently.
"Everyone is fine. Emmett and Edward have him; he tried to fight, but he gave up fairly quickly." Jasper frowned, and his expression hardened as he took Alice's condition in.
"I'm going to fucking kill him."
"I'm okay really. I'm sure I look much worse than I am." Alice's voice was shaky, overwhelmed with tears of relief.
I finished with the last knot as Jasper went to Alice.
I borrowed Jasper's phone and called Charlie. Everything would move quicker if he explained it to the detectives rather than me calling and explaining the situation to the emergency operators. I filled him in on what had happened and our location, assuring him that Alice was okay, but would need an ambulance. He was angry at what he termed my recklessness but relieved that everyone was safe.
I returned to Alice's side. Jasper looked as torn as I was. He obviously wanted to scoop her up and hold her but was just as worried about her injuries. Alice tried to stand up, but he pressed her shoulder gently.
"No, don't move sugar. Stay still until the ambulance gets here.
"I'm sure everyone will be here very soon. As it turns out, Charlie can handle New York cops just the same as Virginia ones." I smiled down at Alice and squeezed her hand.
She chuckled then winced.
"Bella, you look like hell, and so do you, Jasper. I swear I leave you alone for a while, and everything just falls apart."
"We had a lot on our minds," I said to her, trying to fight back the emotion welling up.
She nodded, realizing that the humor she was trying to inject into the situation would not make us worry any less. She looked over at Jasper. "Did you hurt him?"
"Yes." He replied through clenched teeth.
"Much?"
"He won't be going for any long walks ever again, but he still got off easy. He's lucky I didn't see you first." He said curtly, looking Alice over again.
"Jasper," she said very seriously now as she worked to focus on him. "You have to promise me you won't do anything else. I know you're upset..." She said, trailing off and looking at his eyes.
"I know you're beyond angry," she said firmly as she began again, "but anything else you do will just cause more trouble. Plus, he may be scum, but you're a good man, even his death would weigh on you, and I don't want that."
Jasper held her eyes for a long moment before nodding. It looked like it took all of his willpower to make that small movement of agreement.
"I'm going to go let Edward and Emmett know what's going on, okay?" I cut in with an attempt to break the sudden tension that had filled the room.
She nodded, and Jasper comforted her with quiet reassurances as I went back out to the front room. Emmett was standing over James, who was curled up in the corner holding his leg and whimpering. I couldn't see his face, but there was enough blood on his clothes to show that he had definitely got the worst of the fight. Both of the men watching him were grimly intent on their quarry. I never quite appreciated how large and intimidating Emmett was before. Usually, his laugh and constant mischievous smile made him look more like a teddy bear than a threat, but there was no playfulness in his face now.
Edward saw me exit the bathroom and nodded to Emmett before crossing the room. Emmett leaned down and smiled coldly at James. "I really want to hurt you. Please give me a reason to. I'd like to see how you do when you're not picking on women half your size." James went even paler and quieted.
Edward wrapped his arms around me and held me quietly. I looked down James, the cause of so much pain and suffering, not only mine but my friends and family as well. Strangely as he got more out of control, it helped me to realize that this wasn't my fault. I was sick the entire time Alice was missing, but now I finally realized that this was not a path I had chosen, nothing I did caused or would have prevented this. All of this insanity was on James. I would never give him the power to hold me back again.
We all heard the distant sirens at the same time and were shaken from our collective reverie. Within moments the room became a whirl of activity. EMTs went to Alice, police began asking questions, and more people arrived every minute. It was a chaotic nightmare, and I honestly didn't know how much more I could handle at this point.
I watched as the gurney was rolled past me toward Alice when I heard the angry voice of my father.
"Don't give me that. Where are my daughters? Take me to them right now."
I leaned out the door and waved. "It's ok, Dad, we're in here. She ok, Alice is going to be fine." The tears fought to come out. I had to keep the emotion closed off. There was still a lot of explaining to do, and once the emotional dam broke, it wasn't going to pretty.
Charlie and Renee rushed in as Alice was being wheeled out. Renee threw her hands around me, causing me to wince and hiss as she held on for dear life. "Are you hurt? What happened? Where is he? I'm going to kill him."
James shrunk back at her fury, trying to hide farther in his corner. "I'm ok Mom, Alice is hurt more than I am. I think you should go with her and Jasper, she's going to need you. Dad and I will catch up with you at the hospital later. I'm really fine."
She looked wholly torn, wanting to be with us both. Finally, she went to Alice and grasped her hand tightly. The EMTs wheeled Alice out and started getting ready to leave.
Jasper stopped at the spot where James was huddled on the ground. Charlie was standing over him now, with barely contained rage. No one seemed to be in much of a hurry to get James any medical attention. The New York cops were watching from a reasonably close distance, but they seemed comfortable with letting James sweat as Charlie glared at him.
My Father nodded once to Jasper as he crouched down beside James. I heard Jasper start to talk softly. His voice was calm, but his face was hard and terrifying. There was no doubt that he meant every word he was saying.
"The only reason you weren't dead before anyone got here is that Alice asked me not to kill you. You owe her your life.
"If you ever get out of jail and make no mistake, I will do my damnedest to keep you in there as long as possible, but if you do get out, it would be in the interest of your health to never be found near either of these women. If you bother them ever again, even if you end up in the same area as them accidentally, you are done. If I ever see you outside of a courtroom again, nothing and no one will stop me."
James looked up to Charlie, who nodded once. Not only would he not stop Jasper, he would join him.
Jasper stood and walked over to the ambulance and hopped in. Charlie walked over to the nearby police officers, and Edward pulled me to his side as we followed Jasper. It wasn't long before Alice's ambulance left with Jasper inside. We decided that it was best if he accompanied her while I stayed with Edward to explain to everyone what had happened. Edward wasn't happy, he wanted me to get checked at the hospital as well. I was hurting from the few blows James landed, but I was determined to get this over with.
Charlie was a big help. He knew who needed to hear what and made sure everyone was there at the same time, so I didn't have to tell the story repeatedly tonight. In fact, it wasn't nearly as long and drawn out as I thought it would be. Within 45 minutes, we were finishing up, and Charlie was going to get his car.
The second ambulance was there and finally attending to James. Edward tightened his arms around me and tried to pull me away as they pushed James in our direction toward the ambulance. I held my ground and started to pull away from Edward.
"Bella, you've been through enough already." He said with a hug around my shoulders.
"Edward, I need to do this," I told him as I shot him a reassuring glance. I disentangled myself from his arms and walked slowly over to James.
I wanted to say something venomous to him, something that would forever sever whatever connection he thought we had, and something that would hurt him. No matter what I said, though, he would twist the meaning to whatever he wanted, he always had. There were no magic words to get through to him, so I settled on the simple truth. It would free me even if it didn't get the point across to him.
"You're dead to me now. I will cooperate in any way necessary to keep you behind bars, but that's it. I don't care what happens to you. I will not waste any energy on you ever again." I said with no emotion. I turned my back on him and walked to Edward, who was now standing with Charlie and Renee.
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