I know it's been forever since my last update, but if you are part of my facebook group, you know I had a rough month.
Thank you for the amazing feedback. As always, I'm forever grateful for Frannie who makes my words readable.
Someone wanted me dead.
Rosalie's confession had me reeling.
"Who?" I managed to utter through my dry mouth.
"That's the thing. Whoever it is, they have enough power to make Volturi do the dirty work for them," Rose said softly.
"Volturi and Carlisle have wanted Isabella out of the picture for a while. They were talking about her inheritance. I once told them I was interested in marrying into her family to get her money, just to get their reaction. My uncle offered me solutions on becoming a widower before the wedding night."
"Jesus Christ!" Jake shouted. "And why should we believe you're not an accomplice?"
"Are you kidding me?" I jumped to my feet, stalking to where Jacob was leaning against my desk. I shoved a finger into his chest. "Edward risks his life every fucking night fighting the crimes in this city. Would you stop trying to make him the bad guy when he's the best person out of anyone in this room?"
"Hey, easy with the claws." Jake rubbed at his chest, frowning.
"If I only knew what sort of dirt my parents knew about your mom. I mean…it wasn't only the fact they'd fallen through, my mom was speaking ill of yours. Of course, I had no idea who Renee Higginbotham was at the time. They used to be tight. There are plenty of pictures as evidence in the photo albums back home."
"Wish we knew," Emmett said, shrugging.
"We've only met her briefly, and she was the only person to disgust me at first sight," Rose admitted.
"Maybe your uncle…I mean…you know…he might have answers," I said meekly to Edward.
"I'd rather chop off my leg than go near him," Edward spat. His eyes widened and a grin formed on his face. "Liam and Siobhan. They have to know."
"Oh, God. They probably think the worst right now."
"My phone is dead. I checked during the car ride. The screen is cracked."
"We have a spare one for emergencies," Emmett offered, then went to get it.
It was difficult to keep up with everything going on. I met Rosalie's eyes. "Are you back?"
"Not really, honey. Like I keep telling you, just say the word if you need us."
"I think we're okay for now."
"You're okay?" Jake sneered. "He got himself blown up; you're targeted to be murdered; Volutri's daughter turned out dead, and apparently she was with child…at the age of thirteen."
"Did they look into that?" Edward interjected.
"There's an open investigation. That's not the point," Jake insisted.
"It will lead nowhere. How's my leg?" He turned to Rose.
"I think you should rest. You can call whoever you want, but you're not going anywhere for the next twenty-four hours."
"We'll see about that," Edward huffed. He accepted the phone Emmett had brought to him.
Rose said she'd get us something to eat and took Emmett and Jake with her.
Edward spent the next hour transferring his contacts from his ruined phone to the new one through my laptop. He barely said two words, but he polished the plate of stew Rose had brought us.
He also emptied the glass OJ Rose had placed on his nightstand. A grimace crossed his face, and I scooted closer, worried.
"Remind me to talk with Rosalie about how not cool it is to drug people."
"What are you talking about?"
"She put something in my drink."
I couldn't believe it, but it sounded like something my Rose would do. She had put a pill in my OJ many times to ensure I slept and healed after suffering a serious injury.
"Just rest." I helped Edward lay down on the bed. "Do you want me to call Liam?"
"Nah." He yawned loudly as his eyes closed, and he was out cold.
I took the plates and glasses downstairs. Rose was at the kitchen table with Emmett going over a list.
"That was sneaky of you," I said, amused.
"Did it work?"
"Yes. He's sleeping."
"Good. He doesn't strike me as someone who takes orders, and he needs to rest."
I rolled my eyes, laughing. "Anyway, I'm going to try sleeping too. You should, too."
"We will. Jake went home. He hopes to find something to help. You know how Billy was friends with Charlie," Emmett said carefully.
"At this point, I have no idea what to expect. I only know the four of you are the only people I really trust."
"Oh, hon." Rose came closer, wrapping her arms around me. "I should have dug into Renee's affairs when I had the chance, but I didn't think there was any reason."
"There isn't."
"Allow me not to believe it. Something is fishy here," Rose said seriously.
"Maybe," I allowed.
"Yup, something is definitely fishy here," Rose said seriously.
.
.
.
Light was coming through my window when I came around from a deep sleep. Edward was sitting on the floor under his crime wall. His wounded leg was placed on a stack of books as he typed furiously on my laptop.
"Hey," I whispered. "Did you sleep well?"
"Morning." He cracked a smile, his eyes roaming down to my chest. I peered down to see one of my boobs had escaped through the side of my tank top. "For once, I wished to sleep more, but someone was chatty."
"Did my friends bother you?" I asked, worried.
"You talk in your sleep, Kitty."
I dragged the pillow over my head. I had forgotten about it since I hadn't shared the bed with someone in forever. The other time Edward had been around while I slept, he was probably too busy with the murder wall, or I hadn't talked in my sleep.
The last person to point out my terrible trait was Jacob, who had spent the night shift, as he liked to call it, keeping watch over my healing body after one of my nightly adventures the previous year.
"Did I say something embarrassing?" I mumbled.
"I could hold a conversation with you. It was intriguing," he chuckled. "Anyway, besides the fact that you want my uncle dead, you want to confront your mother, and just earlier, you promised to love me forever, even when I become old and ugly."
"Ugh."
"It was cute."
"Shut up, Cullen!" I threw my pillow at him.
"It's been a while since you insulted me like that."
"That's your name," I pointed out, getting out of bed. "How's your leg?"
He grimaced. "I was hoping you have some good stuff hidden somewhere in the house."
"You mean drugs? You might want to ask Rose, but she doesn't condone such treatment."
"I had morphine in my bag, which is in the car…"
"I was thinking," I said, going to his side and crouching. "Think I should go back there and scourge the scene? I'm worried your birth certificate wasn't destroyed."
"You could, but you have to be careful. Go through the front door of the building. There are stairs leading to the garage."
"If the building is still functional, they might have shut it down."
.
.
.
"Go through the front door of the building," Edward had said.
I couldn't wait to return home and get my hands around his throat. I had chosen to wear black because my fiancé was supposedly dead, and I was distraught and looking for answers.
I didn't think I would run into so many people that recognized me. I had only been to Edward's office twice before.
The security man in the lobby greeted me as if we had known each other forever, barely holding his tears as he talked about Edward.
Then I ran into his secretary at the elevator. Sadly, there was no escaping her. She introduced herself as Tanya Denali, sobbing into her hands all the way up to his office. She cried about being the last person to talk to Edward, how he never got a break, and how he worked every waking moment.
She isn't wrong, I agreed silently.
Tanya showed me through a set of double glass doors, telling me to take my time.
I stopped in my tracks when I realized I wasn't alone in Edward's office.
His uncle was sitting in the leather chair, going through the top drawer of the desk. His eyes found mine, and all I could remember was his foot on my throat and his cold eyes staring at me with hatred. I tried not to show any panic.
"Isabella. Do you know anything?" he asked, scrubbing a tired hand over his face. It seemed he hadn't shaved in a couple of days.
"Know…what exactly?"
"Anything," he insisted, his voice cracking.
That was the moment I knew he was another pawn in Volturi's game. Dr. Cullen had never meant for his nephew…his son…to get hurt.
"I'm looking for answers too, Dr. Cullen."
He stood up from the desk, picking up a singed folder with ruffled papers slipping from inside. "Does this mean anything to you?"
I recognized the folder as the one Edward used to keep his birth certificate and his mother's letter in.
"I never discuss business with Edward," I lied through my teeth.
He eyed me thoughtfully. "Did you allow him into your office at the gallery?"
"He's my fiancé. He visited me on several occasions."
"I see. Was he ever alone inside your office?"
"I can't recall. Why?"
He knew. He knew Edward had taken his birth certificate from the painting.
"Do you still have The Hidden Truth in your office?"
"The painting? Yeah. It's there," I confirmed.
"Is it still under lock and key?"
"I'm not sure why you're asking all these questions, sir."
"You know, Isabella…" He advanced to where I was standing, and I held my head high even though I was crumbling on the inside. "…you are a lot of things, but you are not stupid."
I cringed at his proximity. "I really don't know…" I trailed off when he leaned into my personal space.
"Don't be a fool, little girl. You're going to die if you're hiding Edward." He pushed the folder into my hands. "And if you indeed don't know anything…just understand this: his money is my money."
"I'm not after Edward's money!" I shouted, enraged. "I just want to find out what happened; who did this atrocious thing."
"And find my nephew?" He lifted a brow. "You're holding up pretty good for someone who lost a loved one."
"Touché," I spat, clutching the scorched folder to my chest.
The corner of his lips curled. I stomped to the doors, but just as I grabbed the metal handle, the sound of his voice stopped me in my place.
"Send Edward my regards."
I took a deep breath, opened the doors, and headed to the elevator, ignoring Tanya. I didn't dare open the folder until I parked in front of my house.
I opened it against the steering wheel.
There was no birth certificate or letter from Edward's mother. Instead, there were three photos and a note.
IF YOU DON'T SHOW UP AT MY HOUSE IN 48 HOURS, THEY'RE ALL DEAD.
In the first photo were Liam and Siobhan, the only people Edward had left in the world.
The second photo was of me…the other me.
And the third photo was of a scrawny boy with shaggy black hair. He was bound to a chair with a gag in his mouth.
I ran into the house, bumping into Emmett, but I dismissed his question about what was wrong.
Edward was in my bed, scribbling in one of my notebooks. He looked up when I burst through the door.
"Did you not find it?"
I wordlessly handed him the folder, but the moment of excitement in his eyes was quickly replaced by abject horror.
"Seth," he gasped. "We have to go to Liam and Siobhan," he said, already getting out of bed.
I noticed how he winced when he put pressure on his right leg, but, we had more important matters at hand.
"What about me? Do you think he knows?"
"Who?" He turned sharply to me from his bag.
"Right. Shit." I hadn't told him anything. "I ran into your uncle in your office."
"He was in my office?" Edward shouted, smashing his fist into my closet door, leaving a big dent. "What the fuck was he doing there?"
"He was sitting at your desk, riffling through your drawers. I think he knows, Edward. He knew we snooped around. He asked specific questions about the painting inside my office and whether you were near it or not."
"Piece of shit."
"He might know me too…I have no idea how."
"Kitty." He placed his hands on my shoulders. "I'm not sure why your picture is here, but this is the last fucking straw. Once I know Liam and Siobhan are safe, I'll find Seth and make sure he is alive and well, and then I'm going to get all the motherfuckers involved in this mess and put a bullet in each of their heads."
"You don't kill anyone, Edward," I reminded him sternly, trying not to show him how this behavior scared me.
"I see no workaround here—they've gone too far. What the fuck have anyone of you done to make him threaten me like this?"
"Hear me out," I begged. "For a brief moment, he appeared affected by the fact that you were missing. Though, in the end, he told me to send you his regards. I think he might be just a pawn."
"He's fucking mental, is what he is."
When Edward was in this mindset, he couldn't be reasoned with.
Reviews are love. Let me know your thoughts, please.
I appreciate each and every one of them.
For teasers and news about my stories, please join my group: addict_writer fanfiction ( www dot facebook dot com / groups/274198112656668)
You can always use the group for asking me questions. I'm often on FB. Unless it's a spoiler, I'll be happy to talk to you.
