AN: Steph Meyer owns the characters, I own this plot.

Also, keep in mind, this is another character's perspective and things aren't always the same. Different views, even with a shared experience.

Chapter Five

The ride back into town was quiet. The kid gave me a reprieve from all her talking, and it wasn't like I didn't enjoy hearing her voice, but I couldn't answer any more questions. It would only make me second-guess my actions. What the hell was I thinking by introducing her to Jasper and Alice? In hindsight, it wasn't a big deal. They would eventually find out that she was sleeping in my bed, and it wouldn't surprise me if Rose went running her mouth about Bella the first chance she got, but nothing made the shit easier.

I was stuck and had no choice.

Hiding her away would look more suspicious.

What was there to hide?

She wasn't my girl.

I didn't know her.

The kid needed a place to crash.

Yeah, I understood that hospitality coming from a fucker like me was unusual, but I'm not a heartless bastard. Once upon a time, I had compassion and was a dutiful member of the 4-H club.

Although, robbing the mentors of their funds wasn't saint-like, but that was in the past, and I already cleansed myself of that sin with a couple hundred Hail Mary's.

Shifting the car into park, I took a glance around the parking lot but didn't see Jasper's Jeep. Emmett's SUV was sitting up front, and even from this vantage point, I could see his goofy ass inside the pool hall racking the table. At least one of these fuckers believed in being punctual.

"We're here, kid." Reaching over, I put a hand on Bella's knee to get her attention.

She jerked at my touch but leaned forward to look out the front windshield. "Are we meeting your parents here?"

What gave her that fucking idea?

"My parents?"

She was confused by my stunned response. "You said that I was going to meet—"

Well fuck.

I saw where the miscommunication lied and cut her off short to correct the record. "No, I said that I was going to take you to meet my family. I never said anything about meeting my parents."

"Oh," she said, but it cleared nothing up for her.

"Are you nervous?"

I watched as she squirmed in her seat, biting that bottom lip, and looking fragile again. Why did this girl make me want to take care of her? It was a pang in my stomach that I couldn't fucking shake.

"Well, maybe…wait, why are we doing this again? You know, the whole meeting the family thing?"

The girl's looking at me for affirmation that this means we're together.

I laughed and shook my head. "It's not what you think."

"Oh, so there's no diamond ring in it for me then?" she said with a roll of her eyes. Jo

"Jesus, kid! What is with you? Zero to sixty in a second flat. Look, if you want a diamond ring, you got to learn how to fucking steal it." I leaned over and unbuckled Bella from the seat because her perfume was wearing me down. "But before you go and do all that, you got to meet the people who will help you do it."

"That's profound," she said and then rolled her fucking eyes at me—again!

If she were mine, I'd kiss that smirk right off her face, but she wasn't, not by a long shot.

"Get out of the god-damn car!"

As we walked into the pool hall, I noticed a few assholes looked our way, but it wasn't me they eyeballed, it was Bella. I glanced back to see her lagging behind me. She didn't wear makeup, but without that sweater, and now wearing her tight jeans, the girl was cute as fuck. Some motherfucker's in there didn't know she was with me and moved to approach her.

Nah, not if I can help that shit.

"Come on!"

Bella got right up to my backside, but every time I didn't feel her warmth, I looked back and glared at her. She worked hard to keep pace with me. The asshole's who thought they'd get a piece of her only had to look at me and see they would die for trying.

"Yo, Eddie!" Emmett shouted at me and waved us over. He looked about a pitcher into being shitfaced. "I called and texted your ass, what were you doing that was so important that you couldn't get back…" He trailed off as Bella popped up from behind me. I clenched my fists, knowing exactly where his mind was going. "Oh, I get it. Hey there, little Bella bug, how are you?"

"She's not fucking five," I said.

"Nope, I am just seventeen," Bella said. "Some people would consider me to be a kid."

I glanced down at her as she laid it on me thick—fucking brat.

"Oooh, she's got spunk. Can we keep her?" Emmett said, but as drunk as he was, I know he was giving me his approval.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever," I deadpanned, mimicking the kid's sarcasm, but winked at her.

She smiled at me.

I stopped overthinking for once and took her hand. It was soft, and my grip dwarfed hers, but I squeezed to let Bella know she could trust me. When I led her to a seat, I doted on her, said she could order anything she wanted. She needed to eat. It was what any decent guy would do, but I'm Edward Cullen, and I had ulterior motives.

Looking around the room, I saw a few people missing from our gathering. "Where is everybody? I told those assholes to be here at six o'clock sharp. It's six-fucking-thirty."

Emmett gave me some bullshit, but I wasn't listening. The fact they weren't there to meet my girl was pissing me off.

"What about your woman?" I paced the area we inhabited and popped my knuckles as my anxiety grew. "Where the fuck is she?"

"I'm here!" Rose came out of the crowd with two pitchers in her hands. "Calm down."

"Did you talk to them?" I asked her quietly as she passed me.

Rose smirked.

She fucking did.

"And?" I pressed.

"You can relax," she said.

That's all it took, and all the stress rolled off my shoulders.

It didn't mean I was out of the woods and had to answer for my idiotic decisions, but Bella wouldn't get the wrath of that.

She was safe from judgment.

"Now all we're waiting on is Jasper and Alice," I said and approached her. She looked fragile again, holding on to that damn menu and nodding to my words. Of course, stupid fucking idiot me, I had to get closer. My mouth was right on her ear as we shared a secret. "They're going to love you."

"Great," she squeaked and quickly looked back down at the drink selections.

I patted her on the leg, and pointed to Emmett, suggesting he rack the balls. Playing a game of pool will hold me over until I can smoke. It eased my nerves, and I haven't had a cig all god-damn day. Walking across the room to grab a stick, I still caught some brave assholes looking over at Bella. The few I knew was going to get an unpleasant visit from me, and the other ones I didn't know, better hope I never find out who they were.

Anonymity would be the only thing that saved them.


After reprimanding Rosalie for being a bitch and interrogating Bella, Alice and Jasper strolled into the pool hall. They gave me a bullshit excuse about a guy stiffing them in Phoenix, but I knew they were sneaking around again, just by the way Jasper was grinning, like an idiot, and Alice looked like the cat that ate the canary. I'd sniffed out their down-low hookups about a month ago, and it wasn't like me to care, but now it was rolling over into my business.

I glared at them and hissed. "It's seven-thirty."

"Not nearly, but we are sorry," Alice said and shoved a wad of money into my hand. "It won't happen again."

Jasper nodded.

Now my anxiety was back. I needed a cigarette. Plus, I still had fucking business with my boys to discuss. Rushing through the introductions with Bella, I waved Jasper and Emmett outside.

When I rounded the corner and away from the windows, I pulled out my smokes and lit one.

"Man," Emmett said with a laugh. "That Bella chick can fucking play stick like no other. You sure she's only seventeen?"

I inhaled deeply, letting the sweet nicotine saturate my lungs, and forced a stiff nod.

"Rose told us she's staying with you and Emmett for a while?" Jasper said in the form of a question. He was skeptical of the situation. "What's her status?"

"She's not a fucking junkie," I said and met his suspicion with a glare.

Jasper leaned back on his heels and peeked inside. "The girl's a bit thin."

Emmett groaned and prepared to intervene.

"Yeah, and I inspected her damn arms, no track marks."

"What about between her toes?" Jasper raised a challenging eyebrow.

"I've been with the girl for past twenty-four hours, asshole. If she were on something, she'd be fucking withdrawing." I'm pacing in front of the pool hall because he's pissed me off. "Jesus, man. You just met her. The girl's a runaway. The idiot kid—" I take a desperate drag off the cigarette to calm me. "Look, reserve all judgment until you get to know her. Can you fucking do that for me?"

Emmett's smirking, but I can hear what he was thinking.

I'd fucked up and let Jasper mind-trick me into showing my cards. The girl means more to me than I wanted these assholes to know, and it changed the game.

Now, with their eyes on me, I feel like a weak pussy.

"The girl's young," Jasper said.

Like I didn't already fucking know that shit.

"I told him to smash her anyway," Emmett added but fell back when I gave him a hateful scowl.

"It's not my business," Jasper said. "But if you want my advice."

"I don't." Turning my glare toward him, I flicked my cigarette at his feet. "Is there anything else to discuss?"

"Yeah," Jasper said but stopped short when a group of girls stumbled out of their car and walked into the middle of our circle. "We'll talk later."

"Fine," I said and shoved my way past them.

Going back into the pool hall, I searched the room for Bella like a crazed man. Each face bored me if it wasn't hers and the more I'd come up empty, the more agitation I'd felt.

What the fuck was going on with me?

It'd been less than ten minutes since the sweet smell of her filled my head, but it had lessened to a faint hint, and I fucking craved a substantial hit.

Then my eyes found hers across the room. I locked them in, and from my distance, my gaze had affected Bella's breathing. I couldn't pull myself away from her. Even when assholes came up to me, chatting bullshit in my ear and requesting some product, Bella was my sole focus. I kept her stare and smiled when she bit her bottom lip.

Jesus, man, the girl was gorgeous.

Staying a well-behaved boy for ninety days was going be hard.


Bella was out by my car talking with Rose and Alice; joking and laughing with them. I smiled. It was a relief that things had gone over so well. My family was a tough crowd to win over. All the girls I'd dated casually in the past, even the good ones, would never be able to measure up and she out shined them without having to try.

What the fuck was I thinking?

I wasn't dating Bella.

Repeat.

I wasn't dating Bella.

When was I going to get that through my thick fucking skull?

Why did I insist blurring the lines with her?

Every second of the day, I was thinking about touching her and using any damn excuse to get close. The shooting lesson was a prime example of me seeing an opportunity and seizing it. It was going so well, too. I still had her delicious scent floating around in my head, but then, like a fucking idiot, I lost sight of what I was doing and almost kissed her. I couldn't let myself lose control again.

Not with her.

"I like her—a lot actually," Jasper said and pulled me out of my head.

It was just him and me standing outside the doors of the pool hall. Emmett ran over to Filberto's to get a fucking burrito. That asshole was always toking up and eating.

Jasper held a cigarette to me.

"I'm good." I waved him off. "Thanks."

He shrugged and lit one for himself. "But as much as I like Bella, I'm worried."

"Why?"

"Because you're going to get involved with her," he said it so matter-of-factly.

I scoffed, reaching for that cigarette now. "Trust me, Jasper, you don't have to worry. I'm not even thinking about that." It would've been convincing if I wasn't puffing away on that damn cigarette.

"Sure," Jasper said with a chuckle.

"Besides," I said, glancing back at Bella. Alice was hugging her now, and Rose didn't look like a complete bitch. That was a first. I looked back at Jasper. "Would it be so bad if I did...you know, get involved...with...her? Like if I waited until she turned eighteen in September?"

Fuck me.

There I go again, pushing back the line, contorting that fucker until it's practically torn to shreds.

"My concern isn't her age, man."

"What is it then?" I inhaled the smoke in deep, waiting for his insightful answer.

Jasper was always calling me out on my shit.

It was the most annoying thing about him.

"What you two have between each other will be very deadly and dangerous."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "I would never hurt her."

"No, Edward. I'm not talking about you hurting her or her hurting you. I'm talking about you guys taking whatever passion you guys have and…" His easy smile grew tight. "It's going to erupt."

"What in the fuck are you talking about?"

Usually, Jasper wasn't so hard to understand, but Jesus Christ, he wasn't making any fucking sense. What made him so worried?

He rubbed his forehead in frustration and huffed. "Look, have you ever seen Natural Born Killers?"

"The one with fucking Woody Harrelson?"

"Yes, that movie. Do you remember it?"

I shrugged, flicking my finished cigarette to the ground, and stomping it out with the ball of my foot. "Yeah, sort of. A guy and his girl go on a killing spree. So, what?"

"That's exactly what you and Bella have. You, by yourself, are dangerous, but together, you guys will..." He sighed again for the fifth fucking time since we started this useless conversation. "If you're not careful, Edward, you two will go on a fucking spree of whatever crime suits your fancy, just for the fucking fun of it."

I smiled. "Like Bonnie and Clyde?"

He groaned. "You're not listening to me, are you?"

"Yes, I'm listening, but you're overreacting. I'm in control. Nothing's going to happen." The lie even sounded like a lie to my ears.

"You might be in control tonight, but what about tomorrow, or the next day? I see the way she looks at you."

"I can beat it." As if fighting the attraction for Bella was like swearing off smoking.

"Edward, man." Jasper shook his head sadly. "You're not getting it."

"No, I get it. Bella's off-limits." Glancing her way, I smiled as she laughed and pushed Emmett away as he teased her. "Fuck!" I hissed under my breath and ran my hands anxiously through my hair. "Maybe if I smash her once, I'll get whatever this is out of my system."

"It goes beyond that."

I'm too wrapped up in the fantasy of fucking Bella until I'm senseless. It's a tempting thought and an itch I would have her scratch for me that night, but Jasper happened.

He fucking opened his mouth.

"You got to get rid of her."

"What?" My eyes cut into him like a knife, and, intuitively protective of the girl, I was reaching back for my gun. "Get rid of her how?"

He took a step back and held up his hands. "Not like that, Edward. I mean, you need to think about her future."

Up until then, I had thought about her future, and despite all my denials, it would end up including me.

Rushing through his words, he continued in an attempt to calm, yet, convince me. "Bella can have a life, man. Don't you want her to do something more than being a drug dealer's girlfriend?"

My hand slowly retreats from the grip of my Glock. "What are you talking about?"

"She's a kid," Jasper said, eyes pleading, but as my shoulders slumped in defeat, he got more confident. "Look, all I'm saying is think about her and less about yourself, man. If you do it right, you can get her a stable place to stay, and she can go to college. She might marry a good guy and become a mom." He put a gentle hand on my arm. "If she stays in this world. If she stays with you…"

The words hang there, but the truth fucking stung.

"What if I fuck up and cross the line with her?"

Jasper shrugged. "Then you'll ruin Bella. She won't recover."

I pulled out my car keys. "Are we done?"

"Yeah, we're done." He waved his hand, dismissing me.

"Look, I'm heeding your warning, but don't fucking push me. All right?" I squeezed his shoulder, hoping to reassure that I wasn't a fucking animal. I could handle myself and resist her. God fucking help me. "It ends tonight."


If you ask Bella, she tells this story differently, and likes to skip the bad and go straight to the good part, but this was how our story really started.

I'm being honest, even though, it puts me in a bad light.

So, here we go:

Jasper's words stuck with me as I drove home, and it made me look at Bella differently. What had he seen in her to make him think that we would fuck this town up? When I wasn't ignoring the kid, I'd take a quick peek over at the passenger's seat and study everything about her. She was young, and so her face was still chubby with baby fat, but despite the fucking obvious, what I saw in her wasn't anything like me. Bella was good, innocent, and not a blood-thirsty lunatic

Jasper was full of shit.

All he was trying to do was make sure that I kept my head screwed on straight. He knew I wasn't boyfriend material and I was as romantic as a fucking rock. She deserved better than me.

That's why I decided to close myself off. I wasn't going to talk to Bella, or touch her, or do anything that would break my will. It wasn't easy—not with her. Bella had no idea anything had changed and tried to lure me into a conversation. I slipped up a couple of times but kept with the plan.

Yes and no was all I could give her.

Even when we got back to the apartment, and she went to my room for the night, I knew keeping this shit up long-term wasn't workable. Sitting on the couch, smoking on a cig, and sipping on a beer, I thought about all my options. The homeless woman's shelter was a fuck off and not going to happen, but having Bella live with me wasn't a good idea, either. My next thought was that she could stay with Alice for a while. Even that bitch Jasper texted me and offered to take Bella in for a couple of months. It could work. I'd know she would be safe, but the girl wouldn't be with me, and I wouldn't see her.

And when I would think about letting her go, I would get angry. My fists would ball up, and I would want to let off and punch something solid.

For now, for the sake of my apartment walls, it was best if I kept her around until she turned eighteen. I could help her get a job and find her a place. Then, after some time, we could hang out and build a friendship.

"Fuck. Get a grip." Throwing myself back into the couch, I ran my hands through my hair.

This idiotic line of thinking of mine was counterproductive and frustrating.

What the fuck was wrong with me?

It was too soon get this wrapped up in some girl.

I needed to sleep.

Kicking off my shoes, I stretched out on the couch and closed my eyes.

I groaned as Bella's face popped up behind my lids. "Fuck!" Tossing and turning, I pounded my fists into the cushions. She was all I could fucking see. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck."

I was in hell.

And it would only get worse.


The buzzing of my phone jolted me awake. I reached into my pocket and flipped the face open. There were four messages from an unknown number. Sitting up, I rubbed my eyes to get a better focus on what I was reading. It didn't make sense at first. I was still half asleep, but as my head got less foggy and clearer, my teeth ground with anger.

"What the fuck?"

Going back to the first message, I read them in order:

-Have you fucked her yet?

-Is she tight?

-I bet that taco's tight.

-Tell me, lover boy. Did her pussy tear?

They were all sent to me within the last hour. I laughed because, one, I knew who the messages were from, and, two, it was a sad attempt to taunt me. That fucking loser, Jake, must've gotten the number of my disposable phone, the one I'd kept around for my clients, from a mutual buyer. Why in the fuck would they risk my wrath and quality drug, for a gasoline-coke? The 'whys' no longer mattered. It was all about 'what' and 'whom' and I would deal with them quickly, efficiently, and that night. When I told Jake that he would be seeing me again, that wasn't a threat, but a promise.

Looking back, I wasn't even annoyed with his harassing me. It was a welcomed distraction, and after the shit I'd been through that day, I needed a little something to unleash all this anger and frustration.

Glancing at the clock on my phone, it was five minutes after one in the morning. I could do what needed to be done and get back home and showered before Bella woke up. And if she wouldn't overthink it too much, I'd make her breakfast or take her out.

Nah, I decided in the next second. Taking the kid out would be a date, and I was trying to distance myself.

Snatching my wallet and keys off the table, I shoved them into my pocket and bounced to my feet. The sudden adrenaline had me hyped up.

Going over to my bedroom, I crept up and put my ear against the door. It was silent. Bella was asleep, and a part of me was half-tempted to peek inside to make sure, but that would be crossing a line. She deserved her privacy and respect.

Glancing down the hall, I saw Emmett's door opened a crack. Rosalie wasn't staying over, and I'd overheard her at the pool hall saying she had court the next morning to dispute a speeding ticket. Usually, I'd roll my eyes at her tenacity, but this stroke of luck made it possible to pull my best friend along for the ride. The guy didn't give a fuck about anything and was down to cause mischief, but unfortunately, Rose kept him on a short leash and our time causing trouble had been few and far between.

"Yo, Emmett Dale McCarty." I tapped on his door with my knuckles, and used his full name, so he would know shit was serious. "You up, man? I got a favor to ask."

There was grumbling, a loud thump as Emmett rolled out of bed and put his large feet to the floor. He came stumbling out to the hallway, eyes barely managing to focus, but nodded at me.

"What up?"

"I got a motherfucker to take care of, and I need your help."

"Let me guess," he said with a knowing smirk.

There wasn't a plan, but I lied to Emmett about it when he asked. As far as he was concerned, I'd been thinking about it all day and every detail formulated. No planning was a first for me, going off on a whim and winging shit, but I wasn't too worried. When Bella and I stopped at Jake's yesterday to get her stuff, it wasn't for nothing, and I scanned the house for its strengths and weaknesses. The weak in Jake's gang was his members. They were kids that didn't know how to handle their balls, let alone their guns, and dominating them wouldn't be a problem. The only strength was their weaponry and luck.

If we didn't catch them by surprise, they might have a chance to hit us with a bullet or two. I knew visiting Jake the same night he sent those messages could be a mistake and he could be expecting me, but the gods were on my side. I'd noticed Jake's blue Blazer parked outside a convenience store as we got off the freeway and headed towards the Rez.

I was even smart enough not to drive up in my Chevelle and chose Emmett's Escalade instead.

"Yo, look!" I elbowed Emmett and pointed at Jake and his crew exiting the store. "We can beat them there."

"Nice," he said as he increased the speed.

When we got to the house, there weren't any lights on, and we circled to the back and parked.

Armed with three pistols and a shotgun, we entered through an unlocked door and set up shop in the living room.

"You're losing your touch, man," Emmett said after a few minutes of silence in the dark.

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"This asshole texted you to coax you out and where's he at?" Emmett waved his gun around the room, and I ducked out of his range. "He's not scared of you."

I laughed. "That mistake works in our favor."

"Yeah, maybe."

Headlights flooded the living room as Jake pulled into the driveway. Emmett and I didn't move from our spot on the couch. We cocked our weapons and set them on our knees. This ritual was the way we did things: calm, cool, collected, and deadly.

Paul strolled in first, followed by Jake and Jared. They were carrying a twenty-four pack under their arms and didn't see us. Emmett was itching to pounce, but I shook my head at him.

We waited.

When the light flicked on, they all froze.

"Shit!" Paul dropped the beer and struggled to get his piece out.

Jared tried pulling Jake out the door to protect him, but it was too late. Emmett was on Paul, giving him a Saint Louis southpaw, and sent the guy into the wall. I was quick to grab Jake back into the house and shoved him to the floor. Jared wanted to run, and typically, I'd let a chicken-shit go, but I was all out of mercy.

"Get your fucking ass back here!" I wrapped my arm around his neck and put my gun to his head. Dragging him inside, I tossed him down with Jake and Paul.

Emmett disarmed them and smiled appreciatively. They had decent weapons. The idea hatched on the spot, and we pocketed our guns and pointed Jake and his crew's Glocks right back at them.

These pussies looked up at me pissed, but not scared. I realized what Emmett said earlier might be true.

Was I losing my touch?

Squatting to Jake's level, I took out my phone and showed him his texts. "Recognize these?"

He smirked.

The guy was drunk and had been all day. No one was thinking clearly and assumed they could prod me with no consequences. If it weren't the kid and any other girl, I'd blow off the texts and not waste bullets.

Unfortunately for them, this shit was personal.

"That's what I thought," I said, rising, and pressing his gun to his forehead. "Any last words?"

The severity of the situation hadn't hit him, and disappointingly, he didn't beg for his life.

Emmett laughed when no one reacted. "Dude, you showed them your soft side with Bella, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but just because I'm soft on her, doesn't make me a choir boy." I glared and redirected my gun at Jared. He, at least, looked fearful, but that ended with a bang.

Emmett jumped back as the guy slumped forward. Paul let out a pitiful wail. He was trying to get his friend to wake up, but the light had gone out in his eyes.

"You mistook my affection for the girl as a weakness." I turned my gaze back to Jake and pressed the hot barrel to his forehead. "You're wrong. It just makes me more dangerous."

"Fuck!" Emmett swore and popped a few off into Paul's back. When I looked over at him in surprise, he shrugged. "I couldn't handle the crying anymore. It was giving me a fucking headache."

The pain in his head was the fault of the guns going off in the house and causing that painful ringing in our ears. We'll be deaf for a couple of days, but we knew better and still did stupid shit.

Now, my sole focus was on Jake. The death of his family in front of his eyes sobered him, and he realized the next person on the chopping block was him. That pleading and hopeless terror I wanted was wrapping his arms around my leg and sobbing.

"I'm sorry, man. Don't kill me, okay? I didn't mean it. I was just having fun."

"What fun did you have with her?" I kicked him off me. "Huh? Did you fucking touch her?"

"No, no. I didn't lay one finger on her. She was just this bitch—" And he abruptly stopped himself. "I promise I didn't touch her."

I didn't believe him.

"Give me your phone," I ordered, but he was shaking too much to be functional. Emmett stepped up and reached into Jake's pocket and handed me the iPhone. He protected it with a four-digit code. "What's the password?"

Jake gulped. "1234."

Emmett laughed and threw himself onto the couch. "You got it bad, man."

That comment he aimed at me.

I sighed.

He was right.

Taking out Jake and his crew was equivalent to squashing a gnat—and as annoying as they might be, they weren't a danger and easily ignored.

Unlocking the phone, I went through his pictures and videos. There was plenty of evidence that Jake roofied girls at his parties, but Bella wasn't one of them.

He was telling the truth.

Still wouldn't save him.

Slipping Jake's phone into my jeans, I nudged him with the tip of the gun to regain his attention. "You don't fuck with a man's car," I said, but that decision brought me Bella, and a part of me was thankful to him for that.

It was why I didn't kill him yesterday.

What sealed his fate was the fact he did bring that girl into my life, which fucked with my head, and then goaded me by treating her like a throwaway whore. I hated him because he only reminded me how much I already cared for the kid.

If I snuffed him out, would it release me from her hold?

There was only one way to find out.

POP.