36

Marcus passed out from the pain. He never let her pass out, always pushed her to the point where she begged for mercy, where she could feel the darkness trying to pull her away from whatever Hell he was putting her through, but never, ever letting Bella fall into the darkness.

"Do you believe him?" Alice asked.

She and Bella had moved away from Marcus's hanging body. Not wanting to be any nearer to him than they had to. Even though they were in complete control of what happened to him, Bella was still terrified of him, knowing if she gave just one moment of weakness, he would pounce.

"About him having Charlotte? Do you believe him?" she added.

"I do," Bella replied, picking up a bottle of water and taking a drink. "He took her to hurt me, because he knows she's my weakness. He knows I'd do almost anything to get her back."

"Almost?" Edward asked, drawing their attention to him and Jasper. "What would you not do to get Charlie back?"

Bella took another drink of water before placing her bottle on the table and looking at her options. "Let him live. That . . . that I can't do."

"Even if it costs Charlie her life?" Jasper asked, frowning.

Tears filled Bella's eyes as she nodded. "He never showed me mercy. Not even when I begged him to kill me, and trust me, I begged every fucking day for death."

Bella picked up the torch gun again and walked back over to where Marcus hung. She shifted her eyes to Edward before she pulled the trigger, and pressed the torch gun against Marcus's right nipple.

The man woke with a start and started screaming, thrashing against the binds against his arms and ankles. His eyes were red from his teas, but there was a wild, crazy look that had Bella shivering.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" she asked, moving the torch gun to his other nipple.

Marcus screamed again. She trailed the torch gun to the middle of his chest, letting the flames scorch his skin as she dropped it lower and lower. His chest heaved, tears fell down his face, and his eyes narrowed. Bella smirked as she pressed the torch gun against his testicle.

"You stupid fucking bitch!" he roared, trying in vain to break free from his restraints.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" she asked, using the torch gun on his other testicle. "Remember when you used it on me? When you burned your name into my flesh? You said nobody would ever forget who owned me. Remember?"

"And they won't," he gritted out through clenched teeth. "No matter what you do to me, whore, my name is still branded on your body. Nobody, fucking nobody will ever want you. You will always belong to me."

Bella stepped closer. "I never belonged to you, Marcus. Besides," she smiled, looking over his shoulder at Edward, "someone already wants me, despite what you did to me."

Before Marcus could offer a rebuttal, the door to the room opened and Garrett came hurrying in. He stopped in the middle of the room, tilting his head toward Bella, who gave Alice the torch gun before she walked over to him.

"Did you find her?"

Garrett nodded, smiling. "She's okay, B. Scared as shit, but okay. He, um, he had her in the trunk of his car. He fucking brought her with him."

"Where is she now?" Bella asked, looking toward the door.

"I left her with Kate, Rose, Emmett, and Jacob." Garrett paused, his eyes flickering to Marcus. "I didn't think you'd want her to see . . . this."

Bella nodded, not disagreeing with him. As much as she wanted to hold Charlotte in her arms, she had to finish what she had started, so she turned and walked back over to the table, picking up the knife they had used on Marcus before. Taking a deep breath, she walked over to where Marcus.

"I'd hoped this would take longer," she said, sliding the knife along his chest, digging the top into his burnt flesh. She dropped the blade to his penis. Marcus groaned, his teeth clenched together so tight, she was sure he would break his own jaw. Just before she cut it off, she said, "Tell your brothers, Al and I will see you in Hell."

Then dropping the knife onto the floor, she grabbed Alice's hand and they followed Garrett, Edward, and Jasper out of the room, leaving Marcus to bleed to death slowly, painfully, justly.

Thank you for all the amazing reviews!