23

Edward felt like the biggest asshole on the planet. How could he have been so stupid? He practically handed the Sandman the love of his life. Growling under his breath, he pushed himself out of the chair in the command center and started pacing. How could he have been so naïve? So fucking blind? If he hadn't insisted on bringing Leah to them, none of this would have happened. Bella wouldn't have killed Leah, the world wouldn't know that she was alive, and Peter Davis wouldn't have taken her.

"What do we know about him?" Edward stopped and turned to Emmett, Garrett, and Rose, his eyes shifting to Alice and Jasper, who was sitting in the corner next to the fragile woman. She had known who he was from the moment he walked into the bunker. He wanted to be angry with her for not telling someone, but then he could hear Bella tell him that she had been terrified. Alice had been through Hell. Instead, he looked back at Rose. "You know him."

"I thought I did," she stammered, dragging her hands through her hair. "But I guess I didn't."

"Tell me about him," Edward demanded, rushing over and sitting in the chair in front of him. "How'd you meet him?"

"He, um," she paused, trying to collect herself. "After . . . After Royce almost killed me, Peter was my doctor in the hospital. He . . . Fuck, Edward, I thought he saved my life. I thought . . . I don't know, I thought he was different. After he lost his medical license, he told me if I ever needed anything to let him know, that he would help. I thought he was a good guy. Clearly, I was fucking fool."

"We all were," Garrett grumbled, shaking his head from his seat behind them. From the moment they realized that Peter Davis and the Sandman were one in the same, he had been perched behind his laptop. "Dude is ghost. He has no ties anywhere."

"How is that possible?" Edward asked, once again standing up and pacing. Emmett took his seat, his hands clutching those of his wife's. Edward envied them, envied the ease of their love. Their lives may have been hard, but their love had been easy.

"I don't know," Garrett replied. "I've searched through every database I can find, but there is no record of him ever graduating from medical school, ever legitimately working for any hospital. Nothing. He conned his way into everywhere. How can he have that much power?"

"Probably lying about who he is," Jasper said, and when they looked over at him, Edward was surprised to see Alice allowing him to hold her hand. "Think about it. Peter Davis is a pretty universal name. He knew how to blend, how to stay under the radar. He wasn't like Cullen, who wanted to be known, to be fear. Peter wanted to be a ghost, so he made himself one."

"That doesn't help us find Swan, though, does it?" Garrett snarled.

Edward took a deep breath, before he walked over and sat in front of Alice, who whimpered and tried to scoot away from him. "I need your help. I need you to help me save Bella, Alice."

"I . . ." Her eyes darted around the room, pausing on Aro for a second longer than anyone else. "I only met him a few times. I don't know how long I had been with . . . with her," Alice murmured, pulling her knees up to her chest, but pulling Jasper's hand to her chest. "She had just bought me from . . . from the man who stole me away."

"Dolce nipote," Aro wept, but Edward's attention was on Alice.

"He got tired of me. Said I was boring because I stopped crying when . . . when he hurt me," she whispered. Jasper pulled his hand from hers, but wrapped his arm around her. Alice shifted her eyes to his before nestling herself into his embrace. "He was tame compared to her, though. She found new ways to hurt me. I don't know how long I had been with her when Cullen and Sandman came in. Cullen had Elizabeth with him again. He used to bring her over a lot, but then he had ordered the full closet for her."

"The full closet?" Edward asked, regretting it immediately.

Alice nodded. "All of Mistress's toys tied her up and one by one by one, they . . ."

"Raped her," Edward whispered, his throat filling with bile.

She once again nodded. "She fought. Tried to stop them, tried to free herself. Cullen was angry with her. Said she was stupid for fighting, for not giving in. Sandman, though, he liked that she fought, so he bought her. That was the last time I saw Elizabeth."

"And you don't know where he took her?" Jasper asked. "Was there anything that stood out? Anything? Something little?"

Alice opened her mouth a few times, but shook her head. "I don't know. I . . . I . . . I remember him saying that it was cold where he was taking her, that she needed a coat. I . . . I don't know. I'm so sorry."

"Don't be sorry." Edward slowly reached out and placed his hand on her knee. "Thank you, Alice."

"Save her," Alice whispered, sliding up the wall. "It's your turn to save her."

And with nothing more to say, she fled the room, leaving them sitting there with a plea, but no plan.

—BR—

Bella stared into the sparkling green eyes in front of her. "Elizabeth? You're Elizabeth, aren't you?"

"How . . . How do you know my name?" she asked, taking a step backward.

"We've been looking for you," Bella said, tears filling her eyes.

"We?" she questioned.

"Me and," Bella paused. "Me and Edward."

Elizabeth gasped and grabbed her shoulders, causing her to cry out in pain. "Edward? You know where he is?"

"Yes," Bella sobbed. "Please let go of me."

"Sorry," Elizabeth muttered, releasing her. "You know where Edward is being kept?"

"Kept?" Bella asked, shaking her head. "What are you talking about?"

"They took him, they took him and I had to work for his release," she murmured. "But you know where he is, don't you? You know!"

"Yes, I know, but Elizabeth, Edward isn't being kept anywhere. He's . . . Well, he's free."

Elizabeth stared at her, a blank expression on her face. "Free?"

Bella nodded. "Who told you he had been taken?"

Her eyes darkened. "Him. Cullen. He said my family owed a debt. That I had to work the debt off to save Edward. That was a lie?"

"I'm sorry, but yes."

"Oh," Elizabeth murmured, moving over and sitting on a filthy mattress.

It was only then that Bella was able to get a look around the room they were in. Elizabeth had been right about it being a basement. The walls were made of concrete, the floor covered in dirt and filth. Just like in Cullen's playroom, there was a cabinet with a lock, holding items that Peter used to torture his victims. There were crosses to be tied to, whips hanging on the walls. Bile crept up her throat and it took everything she could to keep it from spilling from her lips.

"You killed him," Elizabeth said, drawing Bella's attention to her again. "Cullen, I mean. He said you killed him."

"I did."

"Did he suffer?"

"Not as much as he should."

"Edward's really safe?" she asked, standing up and walking back to her.

"Yeah," she whispered. "He's been looking for you for a long time."

"He's safe," Elizabeth cried wrapping her arms around herself. "He's really safe."

"Do you know where we are?" Bella questioned, drawing her attention to her.

Elizabeth shook her head. "I think the south, but I . . I don't know. Why?"

"Because we are going to get out here."

"Oh yeah?"

Elizabeth screamed and ran into the dark corner of the basement as Bella spun and found Peter standing at the base of the stairs. He had a smirk on his face and his hand was wrapped around a thin bamboo cane. Clearly he had heard the majority of their conversation.

"So, you think you can take my bitch and leave?"

"I know I can," Bella muttered, clenching her jaw. "You don't scare me, Peter."

The smirk dropped off his face as he took three steps toward her, swinging the cane and striking her across her chest. Bella clenched her jaw tighter, refusing to scream, refusing to let him know he hurt her. He grabbed her face, pulling her toward him, and once again putting strain on the bullet wound in her shoulder.

"You don't have permission to use my name, you fucking cunt," he snarled, striking her thighs with the cane. Yet again, Bella refused to utter a sound. Peter leaned back and laughed. "I am going to enjoy this."

He threw the cane on the ground and grabbed the tops of her arms, yanking her off the hook. He dragged her limp body to stone table that all sociopath rapist seem to have and laid her on her stomach, reaching for the straps that would bind her to the table. She wanted to fight him, but her body was weak, probably from the sedative he had given her before stealing her away from everyone.

Did they know she was gone? How had he gotten into their inner circle? Rose vouched for him. Did that mean Rose was in on it? Once again, Bella found herself fighting the urge to scream. Was she so fucked in the head that she had surrounded herself with the very people she had sacrificed her body to save?

Bella heard movement behind them and looked over her shoulder to see Elizabeth pick up the bamboo cane and strike Peter with it. He stumbled forward before turning back to her. Her eyes were wide, full of fear, and she tried to run, flinging the cane aside, but he grabbed her by the hair and threw her onto the floor, kicking her in the side.

"You fucking bitch!" he roared, grabbing her by the hair again and throwing her across the room.

Bella heard Elizabeth scream as he stalked toward her. Somehow, she found the strength to climb off the table, her legs feeling like they had lead in them. She picked up the cane, and snuck up behind him just as he raised his hand against Elizabeth again.

Striking him as hard as he could, he stumbled forward, his face hitting the wall over Elizabeth, who had curled herself into a ball. He pushed away and looked back at Bella, blood sliding down the right side of his face. Bella raise the cane and hit him again, this time across the knees, sending him to the ground. Bella swung the cane again, but Peter grabbed it, scrambling to his feet and pushing her backward until she fell against the stairs, the full weight of his body on hers.

"You think you can fight me!?" he snarled, drops of spit landing on her face. He shifted the cane so that it was across her throat, and though she tried, she couldn't push him off her. "You're nothing, Swan. Nothing but a whore."

"Fuck . . . you," Bella gasped, struggling to keep from passing out as her air supply was cut off. As the darkness sank around her, she vaguely saw his eyes widen as he gasped, and he looked back at Elizabeth, who stood behind him with bloodied shank.