"Do you know why I am here?" The officer growled. You could see the veins popping out of his neck. His face burned bright red as he murderously glared at the shackled man: James Hunter.

"I assume that you've found my darling little vixen. She is a beauty," said James calmly. He was talking to the FBI agent as if they were friends out at lunch, not talking about an active serial killer case.

"I'd suggest you let me do the talking," his lawyer curtly said.

"Why would I do that? A man has got to take pride in his work!" James laughed, tugging at the chains.

"You know that you're admitting to the abduction, rape, and murder of fifty-six children?" The officer said incredulously. It was never this easy to get someone to confess. They always claimed innocence to the day they died.

"Yes, I-"

"Mr. H-Hunter!" His lawyer stammered. "You're already facing fifteen to twenty years in prison for drug trafficking. I'd suggest that you keep your mouth shut if you don't want to be put in jail for life!"

James turned to his lawyer. He was a young, well put- together man just out of law school. This was his first big case and he wanted to win. This case could make or break his career and his client was being very difficult.

"Thank you for your concern, Seth but I believe that I won't be needing you any longer." He cruelly smirked.

"W-what?" Seth was in a scramble trying to figure out what his client was saying. "Yo-ou don't understand. How do you possibly expect to win this case if you have nobody to represent you?"

"I have myself."

Seth wildly shakes his head back and forth in a panic. "Do you have any knowledge of the criminal justice system? Do you know anything about a court appearance?"

"This isn't my first time in jail," he rolled his eyes. "I've been at this longer than you, kid. I think I'll be fine."

The lawyer's face heats up in embarrassment. Yes, he may be young but he wasn't a kid. It was the condescending attitudes of people like James that he hated. He graduated top of his class at Harvard. He made valedictorian and immediately was employed at one of the largest firms in the country. He had a great life and didn't need to take this shit!

"Well then have it your way." Seth huffed. "When you're losing your case, don't even think about calling me!" He grabs his stuff and storms out of the room. The door locks behind him securing the officer and prisoner.

"Do you think that was a smart idea?" says the officer.

"Probably not."

The officer shakes his head, not understanding this man. He'd probably face life in prison if not the death penalty. Any other person would have been doing anything they could to defend themselves.

"What do you want out of this?" He sighs. "Do you take this investigation as a joke? Do you not care about all those people- all of those children that you brutalized?"

James feigns a look of innocence. He says, "I've just come to my senses, sir. It was wrong of me to do what I did. It was such a shame to have to kill the young ones, some of them could have grown up to be beauties-"

"Tell me the damn truth!" The man's fist slammed against the cold metal table. "I know your type. You don't give a damn about the victims!"

"Oh how wrong you are," he smiled. "You don't think that I cared about my darling Marie? She was a good girl. I had saved her from the horrid life she lived. I loved her with all of my heart and you know what they say, 'If you love someone, set them free. If they come back they're yours; if they don't they never were."'

"Isabella Swan was never yours to have! She was just a little girl with a loving family and you took that away from her. You stole her entire childhood!"

"I don't view it as stealing. I saved that little girl and taught what it meant to be a woman. She should be damn grateful." his voice hardened. "All I ask is one thing… I'd like to speak with her in person. I'd like to see her face one last time."

"Why would I do that?" scoffed the FBI agent.

"What is your name?" demanded James.

"Agent Lahote," he grumbled.

"Well, Agent Lahote," James said. "That is the only way you are going to get me to testify. I want to see my beautiful Marie."

"Well, that's not gonna happen." he laughed. "So you can forget about seeing, Isabella." He emphasizes her real name.

"May I ask why?"

"Because I said so!"

Lahote didn't want to say that there star witness for the trial was currently missing. It would give James the advantage that he so desperately needed. What the officer didn't already know, is that James had many connections inside the police department as well as outside.

"You don't that I know, Marie is gone?" He smirks. "I'm sure that she is very comfortable at the moment. After all, my friends promised that they would take great care of her when she was out of my custody."

"You know where she is?" says the officer, aghast. "Tell me what you have done with her!"

"I haven't done anything. I've been locked in a cell, remember?" he shrugs his shoulders. "But perhaps, you might want to pay our friends in Seattle a visit. I'm sure that they would be very happy to see you!"

The Volturi. Any suspicions that they may have had were now confirmed. Isabella had been taken by The Volturi.

Only a year ago did bodies start turning up in the city. The young girls were mutilated and beaten beyond belief to the point of being unrecognizable. The FBI and surrounding stations had been trying and failing for years to enter their compound and shut down the Volturi crime syndicate. Nothing had worked so far.

"You are apart of the Volturi?" Lahote whispers.

"I'm one of their best customers," he gloats. "Do you really think that I would just free Marie? No no no, that would be far too easy. All of my good work would be put to waste. I needed to make sure that she was in good hands once I was locked away."

This was his plan all along. Isabella was never truly free. He knew he was going to jail. It only made sense that if he was going to be punished, so did Marie.

"They would have found her eventually, despite your protection. It was inevitable."

Lahote sucked up all the pride he had left and asked, "We can make a plea bargain. Tell me where the Volturi are and I'll try to have your sentence reduced."

"Why would I do that?"

"You will agree to this if you don't want your ass to end up in the electric chair," growled Lahote. "Do we have a deal?"

James cocked his head to the side. His face screwed up into a look of concentration before he said, "I think I'll pass. Why would I betray one of the most powerful organizations in this world? I'll be dedicated to them until the day, my ass does end up in the electric chair. You won't be getting anything out of me."

Aro Volturi was the most powerful man in the country and possibly the world. Whatever he wanted… he got.

He remembered meeting James the first time. He was just a young man out of college trying to make ends meet. He was determined, skillful, and cunning. James was willing to do whatever it took to make it to the top and Aro saw this as an opportunity for the both of them.

He took James under his wing, introducing him to a life of crime. Women, sex, drugs, and money became his every day. Aro provided him with a comfortable lifestyle as long as he continued to collect imported drugs.

It had been good for a few years but James became restless. He wanted a change. Something new. All the woman that lived at Volturi were used up whores. He didn't want to borrow someone's girl for the night. He wanted someone who was innocent and untouched and still young and impressionable. He wanted a girl that he could make his own.

James first started out by kidnapping children. He hoped to find the perfect one for him but each time was disappointed. He couldn't give them back to their families because that would be too risky. He took to killing each girl and burying them in his backyard.

Then three years later, he caught his lucky break. James saw Maria. She was everything he had ever dreamed of and more. It had been a struggle at first to get her to submit but he kicked the fight out of her. As time went on, she came to fear yet love him. Maria couldn't imagine her life without him by her side and James felt the same way. He promised himself that he wouldn't develop feelings for her but it didn't work. James was in love.

As she grew older and older, it started to become increasingly difficult to keep her away from Aro. He had made a deal with the leader that if he didn't acquire a five hundred thousand dollars to donate to Volturi by the time Maria turned eighteen, Aro would take her away and sell her himself. James knew that it was an impossible goal to reach so he did the only thing he could think of. He slowly starved her death. If he couldn't have her then no one could.

Then three months later came, Marie. She was named after his beloved. He went to great lengths to hide her from Aro but the man was smarter than James thought. Aro knew of her all long and decided that with this girl, let James have his fun.

Aro played the supportive, unexpecting friend. He promised to James that if anything were to happen and he was unable to take care of Marie, then the Volturi would gladly keep her safe for him. That was all he needed to do to plant the drugs on James. He'd go to jail and Aro would get Marie.

Now, the man stared down at the quivering girl, kneeling at his feet. He chuckled to himself, remembering how all of the girls were like that at first, scared out of their wits. James called her Marie and it fit perfectly. The child had developed quite beautifully since he last saw her. Four years it had been. Four years since he decided that she would be his someday.

Marie was too precious to sell off to a stranger. She would join his darling little flock of birds. There was a childlike innocence within her that attracted him. Although her virginity had been already taken, she was pure in so many other ways. Finally, after giving away so many girls, he finally got one of his own. Marie would be his little pet. She would be cherished and loved and taken care of. Nobody else would touch her. She was his to do as he wanted and pleased. Marie would learn to love it and if she didn't then she would pretend to love him to the fullest extent.

His milky white fingers touch under her chin, guiding her head up. He wanted to see her chocolatey doe eyes. Marie whimpers in pain at the touch of her swollen shut jaw. It had turned a yellowish color and the taste of blood floated around in her mouth. She bit down hard on her tongue to keep from screaming in pain.

Shivers went down her spine as she stared at the man above her. His pale skin and long brown hair reminded her of a vampire. His dark brown eyes seemed to get darker and darker as he noticed her injured face.

"What happened, mi amore?" his voice was as smooth as silk. "Did someone lay a hand on my little dove?"

Marie nodded her head, unable to speak. Everything about him screamed power. The way everyone else in the room, bowed in respect, acting subordinate only declared her fears. She was in the hands of a deranged psychopath. She had promised herself that they wouldn't break her. She would be brave and fight until the end but it didn't take long for her to realize that she had literally entered hell. Armed guards were stationed at every possible exit of the mansion and patrolled the halls. They would kill her before she even made it out the door.

Aro follows her gaze to Riley who was trembling in his shoes. With just one look, three guards surrounded him, forcing him on his knees. "Aro, please." the young man pleaded for his life. "I didn't know that you wanted her. I was only trying to teach her a lesson. She spit in my face."

"Is that your excuse?" Aro exhales. "You lost your temper because a defenseless little girl spit in your face? What is my rule?" his voice becomes deeper with each passing second.

"D-don't hit them in the face before they've been bought," said Riley through clenched teeth. "We'll lose money if they are already damaged."

"Precisely." is all Aro said. "You've already hurt my pet. If I use her now then she will just break."

"I'm sorry, sir." Riley hung his head in embarrassment. He knew that Aro would not be kind to him. It was useless to beg for mercy.

"Take him away," Aro said with a flick of his wrist. The guards move forward, hauling him up to his feet.

"To the dungeon?" one asks.

"To the dungeon," repeats Aro. "Make sure that he is treated with the utmost care." A sickly sweet smile illuminates across his face. Riley would wish he were dead by the end of what Aro had planned for him.

Marie watched in fear as Riley was dragged out of the room kicking and screaming. What were they going to do to him? Would Aro do the same to her?

Marie didn't want to find out. It was obvious that she belonged to this man now. He was responsible for the murder, torcher, and rape of thousands of girls. He encouraged his members to be as brutal as possible… to teach their girls their place. He sold them left and right like they were animals. Marie knew that Aro didn't care about her. She was only an object in his eyes and all objects are replaceable.

"Don't worry my sweet girl," Aro cooed. His hands ran through her soft hair. "You are safe now. You will always be safe with me."

"Edward!" Esme yelled from the bottom of the stairs. "Get out of bed! You are going to be late for school!"

Edward rolled over onto his stomach. He pulled the blanket over his head and tried to block out the sound of his mother's shrill voice. He didn't want to wake up this earlier. He didn't want to wake up at all. Everything was peaceful when you were asleep. He didn't have to worry about grades or football or… Bella. Edward could breathe when he was asleep. He could hold his head above the water and float forever. Thoughts of Bella constantly consumed his mind. He was angry at himself. He was angry at the world. He had been such a dick towards her and well… everyone else. Now she was gone again and this time he wasn't so sure that she would come back alive… or sane for that matter.

"Edward!" Esme yelled again. This time she was standing right outside of his door.

"I'm sleeping!" he roared back.

"Very funny," annoyance coated her voice. She opened the door open and walked into his room. The first thing she notices is that it smelled like Vodka and Hotdogs.

"What did you do in here?" She pinches her nose shut and gags. Something crinkles under her foot and she bends down to pick up a condom wrapper.

"Edward!" She chastised her son. Esme stomps over to his bed and rips the blanket off the bed.

"Mommm!" Edward groans. He rolls onto his side, pushing himself up.

"What is the meaning of this?" She holds up the wrapper. Her hand is on her hip and she glares at her son, expecting an answer.

Edward's face flushes an alarming red. How was he supposed to tell his mother that he had three girls over yesterday?

"I'm waiting for an answer." she snaps at him.

He mumbled, "I just needed a distraction."

Esme's mouth dropped open as she stared at her half-dressed son. Did he really just say what she thought he said? "Edward Anthony Masen Cullen." she says in a deadly calm voice. "I thought that I raised you better than that!"

"Mom-"

"Don't!" she cuts him off. "Your father and I taught you to respect women. We are not just objects that you can use whenever you please," she scoffs. "I'm disgusted with your behavior! This is not the Edward I know."

"I'm sorry." his voice thickens through the tears. "Everything has just been a mess. Bella finally came back and I treated her like shit and now she's gone again and I'll never have a chance to apologize and tell her how I really feel and-"

"Edward." Esme stops him. With a big sigh, she sits down next to him. He hunches over, not being able to hold back the tears. Esme holds him in her arms, trying to calm him down. Edward hadn't cried in front of her possibly since he was ten years old. He was really hurting.

"Shhh. It's okay," she whispers into his ear. "Everything is going to be alright."

"N-no, it's not." Edward exclaims. "Bella's probably being abused somewhere and we're sitting here doing nothing! Nothing is alright!"

"The police are working very hard to find her. They are doing everything they can." Esme tears up. "We just have to be patient."

"I can't just sit here. People are getting murdered every day and what if the next girl is Bella? Being patient is going to get her nowhere."

"I know that you are frustrated." She tries to reason with him. "I am as well but I right now, we have to go on with our lives. We have to let the police do their job."

"I don't want to." says Edward under his breath. He rubs his red-rimmed eyes with his fists and leans against Esme.

"Well, I'm not giving you a choice," she exhales. " If you're serious about helping her then you need to get up and get dressed. You can't save her if your drunk. You've got to pull your act together." her voice was stern.

Edward nods his head, understanding the severity of this situation. He was just digging himself a deeper grave and at this point, he had to stop before it completely overtook his life. He grabs the closet shirt and pants putting them on.

"You're brother and sister already left for school but you might make it on time if you leave in the next five minutes." she stands up, grimacing as she kicked dirty clothes aside. Esme's hand is on the door but at the last minute, she turns around. "Edward?"

"Yeah?" he looks up at his mom.

"When you get home, clean up this room. It's a mess." she tries to be stern but a smile spreads across her face. "You can't save Bella if you can't take care of yourself."

"I know," he says. "I know."

Edward refused to believe that Bella was gone for good. He didn't want to go the rest of his life wondering what happened. He already wondered for the past eight years and look where it got him. He wouldn't rest until she was found even if it took a lifetime.

Authors Note:

Hey everyone! I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. I'm sad but happy to say that this is the last chapter in this story. I know that it's been an emotional journey and we all just want justice for Bella and I promise that it is to come, for her and for Edward! Thank you all so much for sticking with me through all of this! I can't believe that I finished an actual story because y'all know how I am about that :-). There is going to be one more update on this story and that is a preview of the sequel if you want to know what happens next! It should be uploaded sometime this week or next week!