Edward felt restless. Hours had passed since they realized Peter Davis had kidnapped Bella, hours of her being in his grasp, hours of not knowing who the fuck he was, and Edward felt fucking helpless.
How could he have been so stupid? He had learned not to trust anyone. His parents had beaten that lesson into him as a child. He could count on one hand the number of people he trusted with everything, but Bella was the top of his list. And he had failed her.
"I've got something," Garrett said, drawing everyone's attention to him. He was hutched over his laptop, had been since Edward got back from the fake lead.
"Yeah?" Edward asked, placing his hands on his hips.
"Think so," he replied, bringing a hand up to the back of his neck. "I've been going through the files Swan sent you, and I think I know who Peter really is."
"Well, who is he?" Edward asked when Garrett paused.
"Phillip Dwyer. He and Cullen grew up together in upstate New York. He went to school in—"
However, before Garrett could finish, the sound of a cell phone ringing echoed through the room and everyone turned toward it. Edward felt his heart race as he rushed across the room and picked it up. He didn't recognize the number, but only one person knew the number to that phone.
Taking a deep breath, he pressed the talk button and said, "Baby."
"Edward," the sweetest voice he had ever heard murmured. "Edward, are you there?"
"I'm here," he responded, turning and looking at Emmett, Garrett, Jasper, Rose, Alice, and Aro. "Bella, are you okay?"
They scrambled to their feet, rushing to where he stood. He placed the call on speaker, just as she said, "Been better. Need you to come get us."
"Where are you?" Edward asked, searching for a pen and piece of paper so he can get the address.
"I don't know," she whimpered. "The middle of nowhere. It's hot here."
"Georgia," Garrett said. "He went to school in Georgia."
"Who is that?" Bella asked, forcefully.
"It's Garrett," Edward explained. "We've been trying to figure out where you were. Garrett traced him to a school in Georgia."
"Georgia, huh?" Bella scoffed and Edward could almost picture her rolling her eyes. "Heading east right now. Not sure how far until we reach the closest town, though."
"We'll head toward you," Edward said, motioning for everyone to get moving so they can leave. After everyone rushed out of the room, he took the call off speaker phone and brought it to his ear. "Baby, I'm so sorry. I . . .I'm so fucking sorry."
"Yeah, me too," she whispered. "I killed him, Edward."
"Good," he murmured. "Did he . . ."
"No," she said, softly. Though Edward wasn't sure she was being honest. "I'll call you when I figure out where we are, okay?"
"Bella," Edward said but she ended the call before he could say another word. Dropping to his knees, he screamed.
—BR—
Bella blinked back her tears as she ended the call with Edward. There was so much she wanted to say to him, but she couldn't, not with so many people around them. So instead, she tried to be strong as she led Kate and Elizabeth east.
"Is he okay?" Elizabeth asked, and Bella looked at her. "You were talking to Edward, right?"
Bella nodded and said, "Yes, he's fine. He's going to come get us."
"And they didn't hurt him, did they?"
"No, nobody hurt him."
"Nobody hurt him," she murmured to herself. "Nobody hurt him because of me."
Bella didn't say anything, but she reached out and took Elizabeth's hand. She wouldn't believe that Edward was okay, until she saw it for herself. Hell, Bella wouldn't have either. Besides, none of them were okay, were they?
Kate was walking a few feet away from Bella, her arms wrapped around herself, tears falling down her face. Sighing, she reached out placed her hand on Kate's shoulder, causing her to look at her.
"Do you want to call someone?"
Kate opened her mouth, but promptly closed it and shook her head.
"You sure?" Bella asked. "Your mom and dad?"
"I, um, I can't yet," Kate whispered.
"I bet they miss you."
"Doubt that," Kate quipped, shrugging Bella's hand off her shoulder. "They never saw me when I was there. Always too busy with work. Surprised if they even know I'm gone."
"They do," Bella said, softly and Kate looked at her. "Your mom reported you missing when you didn't come home for the camping trip you were supposedly on."
"She . . . she did?" Kate whimpered.
She nodded.
"Oh."
Kate tightened her arms around herself, but Bella could hear her crying softly. She wanted to comfort her, but who was Bella to comfort anyone? She had the blood of six people on her hands.
They walked for a few hours before they crossed the city limits sign for Washington, Georgia. The irony was not lost on Bella, either. The killer from Washington was now a killer in Georgia. The sun was just started to rise as Bella directed them toward the alleys, knowing they would have to be even more careful not to be seen. Bella had no idea how far Peter's connection reached. Cullen had people in place all over Forks and surrounding areas to protect his blind side, and she had no doubt that Peter did as well.
Stopping behind, what she hoped was an abandoned building, Bella leaned against the wall and slid to the ground. Her body ached from the beating Peter had given her. Elizabeth sat next to her, while Kate sat a few feet away. Bella pulled the phone out of her pocket and once again, called Edward.
"Bella," he answered breathlessly. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," she lied. The last thing she was at that moment was okay. "Guess Garrett was right about being in Georgia. We're in Washington, Georgia."
"We just passed the Wyoming state line into Nebraska," he said, clearing his throat and speaking softer, "Bella, I . . ."
"Me too," she whimpered, knowing that he wanted to tell her that he loves her. "I think I'm going to have to steal a car or something. Maybe meet you halfway."
"Cops will be on you faster than you can drive," he murmured.
"What choice do I have? We can't stay out in the open like this, can we?"
"No, you can't," Edward muttered. "Go west. We'll meet you in Tulsa. I have a safe house there. Address is 3405 Marten Road. There is a lock box on the door. Code is Elizabeth's birthday. Do you remember that?"
Bella shifted her eyes to Elizabeth and smiled. "Yeah, pretty sure I remember that."
"Don't go in a straight line. Keep changing direction as you change cars. Keep the trail as mixed up as you can. We will do our best to cover your tracks as we can, okay?"
"Yeah, okay." Bella bit the inside of her lip. "Edward, hurry.
I need you."
Hanging up before he could say anything, Bella closed her eyes and tried to keep from openly weeping. She had to be strong for Elizabeth and Kate, be strong for herself. Once she control of her emotions, she stood up and helped Elizabeth stand before reaching for Kate, who looked from her hand to her face.
"I'll protect you with my life," Bella promised. Kate must have heard the truth in her words because she placed her hand in Bella's and allowed her to help her stand. She reached for Elizabeth's and said, "We're going to have to do some things that, well, that are illegal. I know you're both scared. I am, too. But we can do this. We have to do this."
"You'll keep us safe?" Elizabeth asked. "You'll take me to Edward?"
"Yes," she replied. "I promise."
"Okay," Elizabeth whispered and when Bella looked at Kate, she nodded.
Taking a deep breath, Bella led them down the alley, looking for a car to jack. She knew to be smart about her selection. Nothing too fancy, seeing as almost all new cars had built in GSP systems. After walking through twenty or so blocks, she found an old Toyota Starlet. It was an '82 and faded blue. The doors were unlocked, so everyone climbed in: Kate in the backseat and Elizabeth in the passenger seat. Bella reached under the dash and hotwired it. Just one of the tricks Jake and Sam had taught her when she hung out at the reservation with them. Closing her eyes, she stifled her tears, knowing they would never forgive her for killing Leah.
"Okay, ready?" she asked, looking at Elizabeth and then Kate, both of whom nodded. "Let's go."
—BR—
Edward felt anxious. The closer they got to Tulsa the more anxiety he soared through him. And he knew why. He had put Bella in Peter Davis' hand. He had insisted on bringing Leah to the ranch, even though Bella had pleaded with him not to. But he did. He pushed and pushed and pushed and now Bella was once again on the run. And it was all his fault.
"Are you going to keep saying that?"
Edward looked at Garrett, who was driving over a hundred miles an hour. "Probably."
Jasper had stayed at the bunker with Alice and Aro. Emmett and Rose were on their way to Washington, Georgia to see what damage they could control. If they were lucky, and they probably weren't, they would be able to erase any evidence that Bella had been there, that she had killed yet another person.
"Eventually, Peter, Philip, whoever the fuck this asshole is, would have found her."
"But I should have been there," Edward fretted. "I should never have left her there."
"And she shouldn't have gone charging after that Leah bitch," Garrett argued. "Our lives are fucked up. We can play the should of, could of, would of all fucking day, Edward, but it doesn't change anything. Let's just get to them, and then we can figure out how to get Swan out of this shit, and I don't know, maybe go Disneyland or something."
"Disneyland," Edward snorted, but didn't say anything else. He would give anything for him and Bella to be able to have a happy, normal life together. But would they? That he wasn't sure about.
Took them the better part of ten hours to make the trip from Nebraska down to Tulsa Oklahoma. It was just after ten at night when Garrett pulled up in front of the safe house. There was a beat up Chevrolet Celebrity parked in the driveway. Garrett and Edward shared a look before climbing out of the SUV and heading up to the front door. Before he had a chance to put the code in to unlock the door, it swung open and he found himself face to face with the love of his life.
"You're here," she whispered, throwing herself into his arms. "You're really here."
"I wouldn't be anywhere else." He kissed the side of her neck, but movement from inside the house pulled his attention away from his wife. Though the years had worn her down, Edward would recognize his sister any day. "Lizzie?"
"Hey Eddie," Elizabeth murmured.
Bella stepped to the side, causing him to look from Elizabeth to her. She tilted her head to the side and smiled. Edward felt his lips trembling as he turned back to Elizabeth, tears filling his eyes as he walked over and for the first time in over six years, he hugged his sister.