Chapter Ten - Protector
Screams and gunshots attacked the air, muffled through the strength of the double glass doors. Instinctively, I grabbed Bella's arm, yanking her away from the ledge and forcing her against the wall, out of sight of anyone in the ballroom. She gasped, out of fear or pain, I couldn't tell, but I hastily pressed a finger to my lips to beg for her silence. As more gunfire sounded from the hall, I forced down my dread and slowly, slowly, moved from the safety of the cold stone and peeked through the glass to see what was going on.
Men. Lots of men. Covered head to toe in black. Fabric masks concealing their faces, guns in their hands, surrounding the crowd of wealthy guests and servers, forcing them on their knees while they ran around, pointing their weapons and demanding wallets and jewellery.
A robbery, was all I could think. But who in their right minds would try and rob a roomful of people like this? They must be either stupid or desperate. Or both. But stupid and desperate could be a lethal combination, and if they had guns, they could very well be willing to use them.
Fuck! What the fuck do I do?!
I'd been preparing for something like this for months, yet now real danger was upon me and my mind had gone completely blank. What do I do? What do I do?!
My heart was pounding out of my chest, sweat beading the back of my neck, shivers feeding on my spine. Turning back to Bella, I saw her face reflecting mine; wide watery eyes and quivering in fear.
Get a grip, My mind lectured. Your job is to protect her. You can't show you're afraid. You have to get her out of here!
But could I really leave Mr Black behind? What if he died tonight? What if the whole organisation blamed me for not protecting their boss when I was the one guard he'd trusted to bring with him?
I was frozen solid, gripped by panic, but when I felt a hard squeeze on my sweaty hand... I made my choice.
There was no way I was throwing Bella into this madness. Mr Black told me to protect her, and protect her is exactly what I was going to do.
Searching frantically around the balcony, I locked on the staircase leading down to the gardens. Unfortunately, the steps were still blocked by the large wroth-iron gate. But it was our only shot. Forcing my body to move, I hurriedly pulled Bella towards it, praying the hotel staff had left it unlocked. I lightly, lightly pushed and... nothing.
Fuck.
"Alright, Bella," I whispered, clutching her trembling hand as she visibly shivered. "You're going to have to climb over this gate. I'm going to help you up, but I need you to be as quiet as possible." I explained urgently just as another gunshot shook the pair of us.
"Bella," I encouraged as she fearfully shook her head. I was freaking out as well, but I needed to be strong, for her. If we were the only ones who made it out of this alive, then that was an outcome I'd fight tooth and nail for. "I'm going to help you up. I'll be right behind you, just be as quiet as you can." I told her supportively, trying desperately to hide my own panic as the yelling in the ballroom only grew louder. I couldn't risk seeing what was happening in there. I had to get her to safety.
Gesturing her forward, I bent down on one knee, clasping my hands together, palms-up. She was shaking so violently I was afraid she'd be paralysed, but as another bang thundered from the ballroom, she jumped and rushed towards me, kicking off her heels and placing her barefoot on my interlocked fingers. Using all my strength, I launched her into the air, careful not to use to much force. I cringed at the audible clank of metal as she landed, hoping beyond hope that whoever they were, were far too preoccupied with their agenda to take notice. I held the gate still as she clumsily clamoured up, each new slip of her bare feet causing my heart to splutter. Her face twisted in pain as she awkwardly manoeuvred over the spiky top, before hurrying back down the other side. My pulse pounded furiously as she landed wrong, staggering and seizing the gate for support.
It squealed. I froze, panic enveloping me. Disregarding all my caution, I yanked myself up the gate as fast as possible. It was intricately patterned, with sharp curves and decorative shapes that made it very difficult to find footing, but I blundered over, each new creak and squeak urging me faster. Bella was still standing on the staircase, appearing too afraid to run without me. But she should have, because as I reached the top of the gate, the metal cried.
"Shut up! What was that?" A muffled, masculine voice asked loudly, before the balcony doors burst open, and a masked man looked right at me.
Fuck!
I jumped, sticking my landing as someone screamed to go after us. Grabbing Bella's hand in mine, I yanked her forward and ran.
We booked it down the stairs, terror coursing through my veins as yells and bangs chased our retreat. Reaching the final step, a shot fired.
Oh, fuck! They're shooting at us!
We ran. Not thinking of anything, we just ran. The gardens were large, and dark, yet provided no place to hide. The neatly trimmed shrubs and tiny decorative trees offered no concealment as we pounded across the pavement. I searched desperately for a door, someway out onto the street, hoping running into a populated area would deter them from following after us. I heard nothing but my own heart pounding through my eardrums. Felt nothing but the burning pain of my legs, the sweat on my skin and the grip of Bella's hand. I had to find a way out!
It was too dark, there were no lights on anywhere. Obviously, the hotel hadn't planned for this, but how did these thugs even get in? Weren't there precautions in place to prevent such attacks? But I had no brain power to speculate, because turning the next corner behind a group of trees led us straight into a dead end. With a wall before us and tall shrubs blocking us in, there was nowhere left to run.
We were completely trapped.
"Don't try anything, kid!" A masculine voice yelled angrily. I spun helplessly, only to be faced with the terrifying visage of two big, burly men, so covered in black they practically moulded into the dreadful darkness. The one to the left was taller, while the one to the right looked just as ripped as Emmett did. There was no way I'd be able to beat either of them in a fight, but it didn't look like that was an option either way. As the moonlight gleamed off their shiny metal pistols, the danger we were in became all too real.
"Throw us your weapon!" They demanded.
My weapon? My weapon! Fuck! How did I forget?! I was meant to get a replacement before coming here tonight and it completely slipped my mind! Fuck! How could I be so fucking stupid?!
"I don't have a weapon," I admitted desperately, panting, holding up my trembling hands in surrender. Bella did the same.
"Yeah fuckin' right, all of ya' rich shits got guns. Toss it over before I give ya' a taste o' mine!" The one to the left - though it was tremendously hard to tell - yelled, his thick southern drawl easily discernible even through the fabric covering his features. Their hostility made me quiver, but I tried my best to hide it. If they were already this angry, they could kill us both without any remorse and I'd have no way to defend myself, or her. Realising the stupid predicament I'd put the both of us in, I took subtle steps to block Bella from view. If they started shooting, those bullets were hitting me first, no question.
"I mean it! I-I don't have a gun! Don't shoot! We'll give you anything you want!" I bargained hysterically before remembering I had nothing to bargain with. What was I going to do? Toss them my shitty phone? My car keys? My extra stick of gum? If they had come here to rob people, I was the absolute last person they should have targeted.
"Well now, that there necklace ya' wearin' looks mighty pretty, girl. Why don't ya' be a darlin' and toss it over?" A slick, dangerous voice to the right spoke. There was something sickeningly suggestive in the way he addressed Bella. If his face was exposed, I had no doubt he'd be leering.
I felt Bella tremble as she hastily tried to unfasten the necklace Mr Black had bought during auction. Unfortunately, she was so terrified she couldn't seem to manage it. Her fingers fighting the clasp while she shook, the men's growing impatience only fueling her panic. Fearfully, she cried, "Edward, I can't do it!"
"Okay, okay, Bella, it's okay. Gentlemen," I spoke politely, fearful they still hadn't lowered their guns. Their eyes squinted suspiciously. "I'm going to help her get the necklace off, alright? Don't shoot." I pleaded, as respectfully as possible so as not to incite them. I was anxious as fuck about leaving Bella exposed but had no other choice. Slowly moving behind her, careful to keep both hands in view, I fiddled with the latch that was causing so much trouble. She was shaking like a leaf and my fingers weren't much better, but she needed me to be calm right now.
Finally, I managed to unclasp the shitty thing and hastily pull it from Bella's neck, making her wince. Holding the sparkly chain out in front of me, I thought fast what I should say next.
"Gentlemen, this necklace is worth two million dollars, maybe even more to the right buyer. Please, just take it and leave us in peace." I begged, trying desperately to keep my voice from cracking. I knew my knees were knocking, but I hoped they wouldn't notice. Even under darkness, I saw the greed in their eyes as they gazed at the twinkling diamonds. Their obvious desire gave me hope. If we were lucky, we'd all make it out of this alive.
"Toss it over!" The tall one demanded. I did as ordered, using the opportunity to put Bella behind me again. The southern man caught it effortlessly, holding it up to the moon as if admiring its beauty.
"C'mon, D, let's go. The cops have probably already been called."
The muscular man, D, I assumed, didn't seem to share the other guy's urgency. He was staring right past me, straight at what little of Bella was in sight. And even though I could barely see a thing through the shadows of midnight, there was absolutely no denying the gleam in that man's eyes. I gulped.
"D, C'mon, the cops are comin'! We got what we wanted, let's go!" The southern man insisted, a note of desperation entering his tone as he pulled at D's arm, but he didn't budge.
"No," He said. His voice made me sick. "I reckon this little lady would be worth a lot more than two million. Why don't you come a little closer, sweetheart, so I can see ya' pretty face."
I froze. I felt Bella cower behind me, doing her best to hide herself as her tiny hands harshly gripped the damp fabric of my shirt. She was terrified.
"D, leave the girl, man, she's not worth it! We've got to get out of here! They could be here any minute!"
"Shut the fuck up! This little shit's gonna pay for making us chase him! And there's a lot I can do with a bitch in a minute. Get your ass over here, girl! Now!"
She whimpered, trembling viciously, making no move to obey the command. Even if she wanted to listen she was in no state to. The man did not appreciate her disobedience.
He charged, coming right at us like a bullet from his gun. He stopped right in front of me, his potent breath mere inches from my face as he towered over me and ordered menacingly, "Move."
I could see the evil in his eyes, it bore right into my soul. There was no doubt what he'd do if he got ahold of her.
"No. You can go to hell." Blood was pounding in my ears, my body quivering in fear, my heart numb from the pain as it hammered against my ribcage. But no matter what this demon did to me, I couldn't let him hurt her.
I felt his sneer. He raised his rifle. I closed my eyes. I heard a yell and then a gunshot.
...
It took me a moment to realise I wasn't dead.
My eyes shot open to see the man collapse. Hitting the cobblestones with a harsh thud. His gaze wide and glazed as though he were merely stunned, but I knew the truth. Flashbacks of the innocent bartender I murdered bombarded me so heavily I nearly collapsed in shock. It was only when I tore my gaze from the man's vacant eyes did I comprehend what had really just transpired.
Mr Black stood, smoking pistol in hand, staring at the pair of us with a blank expression. My body near sagged in relief as I also recognised Tanya's father, looming over our other captor. He, too, dead.
"Bella." Was all Mr Black said, before dropping his gun, running towards us and yanking the traumatized girl into his arms. She must have been truly petrified, because she embraced him like a lifeline to a sinking ship, throwing her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly as she wept into his chest. He held her silently for a moment or two, gently stroking her messy hair before merciless eyes zeroed in on me.
"Where the fuck is your weapon?!" He demanded to know, angrier than a raging bull. I stammered.
"I... I... I lost it, sir. I'm so sorry! I..."
The next thing I knew, I was on the ground. The side of my face on fire.
"You fucking lost it! You knew something like this could happen, and you fucking lost it! You-"
"Jacob," a small voice cried. Looking up through watering eyes, a hand on my throbbing cheek, trembling in fear of his mighty wrath, I saw Mr Black gaze down at Bella, his fury immediately softening.
"Please," She pleaded, face still pressed in his large muscular chest. "Please, just... let's just go home."
Her weak, whimpered words seemed to derail his anger entirely, his rage instantly crumbling as he placed a soft, desperate kiss to her forehead. Lifting her into his arms, he stared at her tenderly before turning back to me with a coldness that froze me solid.
"If this ever happens again, Cullen, I'll be sending you back to your mother in a doggy bag, do you understand me?!" He growled menacingly, mindful of the sobbing girl in his grasp. I nodded wildly, eyes downcast in shame.
"Yes, sir."
Without giving me so much as a backwards glance, he walked away with Bella cradled in his arms, cooing at her softly until they both disappeared from sight. I stayed on the ground, right beside the dead man. Honestly, at that moment, I was lucky I hadn't joined him.
My inevitable panic attack was interrupted as a pair of shiny leather shoes entered my peripheral. I looked up to the disapproving glare of Tanya's father.
"You're lucky she was here, boy, or he would have torn you to pieces. You're supposed to protect her, not the other way around. Now do something useful and grab that little shits body. We have to clean this shit up before the cops get here."
AAA
Hours later, I was exhausted. Mr Black had ordered me to stay behind, a clear punishment for my immense failure.
I felt so ashamed. I was meant to protect her, yet if Mr Black hadn't shown up to save the day, there was no telling what that man could have done, to Bella or to me. And Mr Denali was right; I had no doubt that I'd be just as dead as the men in the gardens if Bella hadn't begged him to just take her 'home'. I was disgraced, humiliated, and I'd never hated myself more.
The cleanup had taken a while. While some of the thieves had been lucky enough to escape, most... had not. I was right about them targeting the wrong people, and though the deaths could easily be written off as self-defence, none of the powerful men or women wanted that stain on their name, so the hotel staff had been properly bribed/threatened and all the dead men were removed and cleaned up before the police finally responded to the gunshots.
For the past few hours, I helped drag body after body to an unmarked van that had arrived remarkably quickly, swept any evidence, then stayed to give my statement to the cops. Mr Black had left before they arrived, as well as a few other, more anonymous guests, leaving the rest of us to claim they had left the party before the 'criminals' had even arrived, thus keeping their names out of any police reports. Even though it was unlikly this 'investigation' would go anywhere anyway, in case of an overzealous rookie or headstrong reporter, all the horrors of tonight had been promptly erased. All the public would know was that a robbery had taken place, and to be on the lookout for anyone suspicious. Something told me it wouldn't be anyone from the public who would inevitably find those few remaining men. Something also told me they wouldn't make it as far as a jail cell when they were caught.
By the time I finally got in my car, it was well past 3 AM, and I was a wreck. Should I even bother going into work tomorrow? Did I even still have a job? I was disgraced at how badly I'd handled things tonight, and I swore that if Mr Black let me return, I would never fuck up like this again. Ever.
Walking through my entranceway, I was subsequently tackled by my hysterical mother, who squeezed me as hard as her frail arms could handle and immediately began sobbing into my chest.
"Oh, Edward! Thank goodness, you're alright! I heard what happened on the news! Why didn't you answer any of my calls?!" A wave of panic overtook me at my mother's hysteria. Of course, she'd watched the news. My vain hope of keeping this whole affair secret had just gone down the drain, as I also remembered I'd put my phone on silent for the party, and hadn't even thought about checking it, even after everything had calmed down. Shame quickly enveloped me as I eased my weeping mother back into her wheelchair, and took her into the living room so I could explain an abridged version of tonight's traumatic events.
"Edward, I really don't think you should be working for that man anymore! Clearly it's not safe to be around someone so wealthy and influential. They tend to attract all the wrong people."
I wanted to laugh at just how accurate she was, but refrained as she was still upset. I felt so guilty that I hadn't checked my phone. She'd left dozens of messages and hundreds of phone calls. Her face was unusually pale, even for her, and her short brown hair seemed to be missing chunks, like she'd been yanking and pulling at it for hours before I'd arrived.
Meeting her pained eyes I gave her a sympathetic smile.
"I understand mum, but I can't quit. If I did, all this," I gestured around the house, and its beautiful furnishing, "disappears. I can't risk us going back to the way things were before."
"Edward," She sighed, leaning forward and taking my larger hand in her frail one, "This house is wonderful, but it's not worth your life. You have no experience being a bodyguard. I'm just wondering if it would be safer if we just-"
"No mum," I interrupted sternly, gently pulling away from her. "You know how much we struggled before I got this job. I know how sick that old, run-down apartment was making you, and I know how miserable Seth was. Everythings perfect now. What happened tonight... was a freak occurrence. The security at the hotel dropped the ball, but it won't happen again. Besides, I've signed a contract. I can't just quit. Mr Black is a powerful man, and danger comes with the territory, but I promise, nothing like that will ever happen again."
She sighed in defeat, accepting my words with a sad nod and an insincere smile.
I felt so guilty, lying to my mother, but what other choice did I have? She knew I was working for Mr Black, but had no idea who the man really was. Knew I was acting as security but didn't know about Bella. Knew I made good money, but had no idea the circumstances behind it. And if I had anything to say about it, she never would.
I didn't bother trying to sleep, as I laid in bed my mind was barraged with images of that masked man looming over me, his gun mere inches from my face, his hand mere inches from Bella, the lust in his eyes right before there was nothing. The anger on Mr Black's face just before he punched me. I was grateful my mother had been too distracted to notice the mark, but considering how badly my cheek still throbbed, I didn't doubt there'd be a lovely bruise before I left for work later that morning.
And I was right. I looked a mess. Mr Black sure had some strength behind his fist because my normally pale lightly freckled cheek was now decorated with my medal of disgrace. A medal I'd be forced to display until the swelling went down.
Getting to the mansion extra early, I made sure to go to the armoury and check out a small handgun before solemnly heading upstairs. I got stares from everyone I passed. Or at least I felt they were staring. Maybe I was just being paranoid, but the thought of everyone in this house hearing about my fuck up was nearly too much to stand. To be honest, I'd considered avoiding work altogether, but I knew that was a bad idea. If people were going to criticize me, they may as well do it to my face, and if Mr Black wanted to punish me, it was better it happen here, and not in front of my mother and brother. So I dragged my sorry ass to stand outside Mr Black's door with my head down, completely dreading my fate.
It didn't take long for Michael to join me. Unfortunately for me, he was in an unusually chatty mood.
"I heard what went down at the ball. Must have been exciting. Not very often you meet people stupid enough to rob a group of men like Mr Black. I'm actually kinda jealous I wasn't there to join the fun." He chuckled.
I wanted to snap at him that it had been anything but fun, but this man had been Jacob Black's personal guard for a long time. There was no doubt in my mind he'd have to be a little twisted, despite his baby blue eyes and boy-next-door appearance.
I was grateful he didn't say a thing after that, and left me to wallow in the uncertainty of my future until the boss stepped out of his room. Immediately, I could tell he was still angry. He walked right up to me, crowding into my personal space. I had to resist the urge to retreat into the wall as the intimidating man stared me down.
"Your weapon." Was all he said, but I got the message and hastily fished the small firearm from the holster I'd been given, holding it out to him with noticeably quivering hands. He didn't even look at it, his dark eyes boring straight into my soul. I tried my hardest not to cower.
"Keep that with you from now on. And I swear, Edward if your incompetence ever puts my Bella in danger again-" He breathed harshly through his nose, as though he, himself, had trouble describing what nasty things he would do to me. I nodded submissively.
"Yes, sir. I promise. I promise it won't happen again." I stammered, both terrified and relieved that I was getting a second chance. This man was not known for generosity.
He didn't reply, merely glared one final time - long enough for me to nearly lose control of my bladder - before turning to give Micheal a quick nod. The fucker winked at me before following his boss to the elevator.
A mountain of tension released from my shoulders the second he was out of sight. I still had a job. Even more surprisingly, I was still breathing.
The harshness of what could have happened slapped me in the face when Bella emerged from the room, shocked at seeing me standing there. Without a doubt, she also believed I was done for.
She looked like she'd had just as rough a night as mine; deep brown eyes tinged with red and decorated with dark circles, face still flushed and pale from crying, hair matted and tossed up like she could care less what she looked like. Had she been reliving last night as well? Seeing that man's menacing eyes, feeling the fear we both shared? Was she alright?
I was going to ask, but she didn't say a word, just closed the door and walked towards the elevator, looking straight ahead, like I didn't exist, as per usual. It was like last night had never happened. She just went about her normal routine of eating breakfast, then retreating to the library. But as she sat on her chair wading through a Russian classic, I couldn't relieve the weight on my chest.
Perhaps it was because we had experienced something traumatic together, that I'd expected more from her today, but she had gone right back to acting like I wasn't there. Was she angry at me, for how I'd acted? How obviously scared and unprepared I'd been? Maybe it was because I couldn't protect her, thus forcing Mr Black to swoop in to save the day. Whatever it was, I felt I owed her an explanation as much as I did the boss. So, biting the bullet, I took a tentative step closer and called out,
"Bella?"
She looked up immediately, almost as though she sensed my distress. Rubbing the back of my neck nervously, I wondered why it was always so hard to talk to her.
"I'm sorry." I submitted. She stared at me, bewildered.
"For what?"
"For... for not being able to protect you. For not doing my job, for not having a gun with me when I knew I'd need one, for-"
"Edward, it wasn't your fault," She interrupted my self-deprecation, gawking at me as though the thought of blaming me had never even crossed her mind. But how could it not have?
"But... but if I'd had my gun-"
"You would have what? You were outnumbered Edward, what could you really have done? Jacob may be angry at you for not carrying, but not even he can shoot two people at once."
Her words, while remarkably understanding and even compassionate, had me feeling even more like shit than I already did. I felt that if anyone had the right to be mad at me, it was her. That man, there was no telling what could have happened to her if Mr Black hadn't shown up. Even if she was right about me not being able to do much, I just felt like I should have been able to do... more.
"I'm still sorry. That I couldn't get you out of there. And I... I wanted to thank you. You probably saved my life last night. You had every reason to let Mr Black kill me, but you protected me, even if it wasn't your intention. So thank you." I told her humbly.
I expected her face to sour, as she no doubt remembered that the only reason she was in such a dangerous situation in the first place, was because of me. But it didn't. Instead, she turned her solemn gaze to the floor, watching her shoes as they rubbed against one another nervously. Finally, she spoke.
"You don't deserve to die, Edward. For other things, maybe, but not for last night. You tried your hardest to defend me even though I've been... cold... towards you." Her jaw seemed to tense as though finding it difficult to form words. She didn't look away from the floor as she said, "We may never be friends, Edward, and I may never forgive you for what you did, but... I think at least... after last night... we can at least... be civil."
I couldn't stop my mouth from dropping but quickly composed myself before her conflicted eyes raised to meet mine. Did she mean it? Was she being honest? Her words genuinely sounded like they pained her to say aloud, but if she did mean it then... I was ecstatic. They weren't exactly words of affection, far from it, but if this meant a truce between us, and no more days filled with tense, empty silence and veiled hostility, then I'd gladly take it. I'd take anything she was willing to give me.
"I'd like that," I replied with a small smile. And I would. I would like that... a lot.
Hi everyone, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, because I've never been great at writing danger or action sequences, so... this is the best you get. Emmett's story coming up next. If you're curious about why he's so loyal to Mr Black, then stick around for the next chapter. See you then.
