10

"Will you please stop pacing?" Carlisle grumbled, causing me to stop in the middle of the waiting room we were in and look over at him.

"No," I said, before continuing my nervous wandering. I knew I was annoying him, but I'd been living on the edge for too long. Three more days had passed, and the police still weren't any closer to stopping Gabriel Varner. Carlisle had had a new security system installed, but I still didn't feel safe at home. I didn't feel safe anywhere.

Carlisle sighed as he stood up and grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to stop. "Please, for me, take a deep breath and try to relax."

I did as he asked, but didn't feel like it helped. Felt like I was constantly being spied on. I could barely shower without cringing in fear. Goosebumps erupted across my skin at the thought of my stalker watching me, watching us together. "The boys. Call about the boys."

"They're fine," he assured me, but dug his cell out of his pocket and shot off a quick text to Edward and Jasper, who'd agreed to keep the boys at the beach house while Carlisle and I met with the private detective Peter had recommended. A moment later, his phone beeped with a new message and he turned the device toward me.

Stop worrying, Bella. The boys are safe.—Edward

"I don't mean to be annoying," I whimpered, trying to keep my tears from falling.

"None of us think you're annoying," Carlisle assured me. "We're scared, too, okay? All of us, but you've got to relax or you're going to have a nervous breakdown."

"Too late," I mumbled under my breath as the door on the far side of the room opened, and a large, beefy man stepped out of the office. He had shortly cropped brown hair, and small brown eyes.

He looked from Carlisle to me, and smiled. "You must be Carlisle and Bella. Peter's told me so much about you. Please, come in."

Carlisle placed his hand on the small of my back and led me across the room and into the man's office. The room was filled with dark, leather furniture, and thick, heavy wood shelves that were crammed with law books. As Carlisle and I settled on one side of his desk, the man walked over to a small wooden table and picked up a glass container that was filled with a dark liquid.

"Can I get you a drink?" he asked.

"No," Carlisle and I both replied, and I found it odd that he would offer us an alcoholic drink at nine in the morning, but opted out of calling him out on it.

The man placed the container back on the table and walked around his desk, sitting in his leather chair, and leaning forward so that his elbows were on top of the desk. "Before you tell me why you need my services, let me tell you a little about myself. My name is Demetri Romanoff. I've been a private detective for almost fifteen years, ever since I left Ohio and moved to California. I attended UCLA, where I have a master's degree in criminal justice and psychology. I know that you're wondering how a man with two masters' degrees to be private eye, and not a lawyer or doctor. The police, while good at their jobs, are often handcuffed by rules that prevent them from being able to put a stop to dangerous situations. Now, I'm held by many of these same laws, but at the same time, I'm not. If I take on your case, I will do everything possible to protect you, and those you love." Demetri leaned back in his chair and folded his arms in front of him. "Now, tell me what's going on."

While outlined our case, telling him everything from the first time Gabriel Varner looked at me to him taking pictures of us together and then burning down the diner, Demetri watched me. I felt exposed and uncomfortable, like he was scrutinizing me, blaming me for everything. Was it my fault? Had I, somehow, made it appear that I wanted the attention?

"We feel like we're at a dead end. This guy has proven over and over that he's determined to get his hands on her, and we're afraid that our children will be hurt in the processed," Carlisle told him, placing the pictures we'd taken of everything, along with statements from Jasper and Alice that confirmed the attempted rape in Forks, on his desk.

For a moment, the room was silent. But then Demetri looked from me to Carlisle, and picked up our evidence. Slowly, he flipped through each one, his face staying blank and unreadable. "And you want me to do what exactly?"

"We want him stopped. The police can't, or won't, do anything. Not until they have more evidence, or any actual evidence, that links him to the fire, the pictures, and damaging our belongings."

Demetri nodded and leaned forward, picking up his pen and grabbing a yellow note pad. He scribbled something on the paper before turning the pad around and pushing it toward Carlisle. "This is my hourly rate."

Carlisle picked it up, and when I saw the four digit number, I felt my eyes fly open. "Jesus fuck."

Demetri laughed. "That's the usual response to my rates. But I'm very good at my job, and I will not stop until I find him and put an end to his reign of terror of you."

"Can you promise me that my children won't get caught in the crossfire? Or that he won't go after Carlisle, or Peter, or anyone else that I care about? Because I've seen the look in his eyes, and he isn't going to go down without a fight. So, again, I'm going to ask you if you can promise me that you're going to keep me and my family safe," I said, struggling to keep my tears from falling. I was tired of crying, tired of feeling weak.

"No," Demetri admitted. "But it's clear, just based on what you've told me, that this man holds very little regard for the law. He believes you're his, Bella; that you're nothing more than a possession to him." Demetri paused. "I'm worth every penny I'm asking you to pay. In the fifteen years since I received my license, I've never failed to find my target, or bring them to justice. And I don't plan to start failing now."

"Isabella," Carlisle said, causing me to look at him. "Dad wouldn't have recommended Demetri if he wasn't the best."

"I know," I murmured. "If you're okay with it, then so I am."

Carlisle smiled and turned back to Demetri. "When can you start?"

"As soon as you sign a contract," Demetri stated, opening one of the drawers on his desk and pulling out several pages that were paper-clipped together. "I understand your brother is a lawyer, so if you want him to read these over first, I will understand. But it's your basic agreement saying that you'll pay me for the hours that I document for your case, and in return, I agree to do everything in my power to close your case. If at some point you decide that I am not working out, I require written notice before your contract will become null and void."

Carlisle took the contract from him and leaned back in his seat as he began reading through all the fine print. Demetri turned his attention back onto me, causing me to fidget in my seat.

"Do I make you uncomfortable, Bella?" he asked, causing Carlisle to pause and look between us.

"A little." I admitted. "But anymore, I don't feel comfortable around anyone I don't know. It's not personal, but the last few months haven't been the easiest for me, or for Carlisle."

"No, I suppose they haven't," Demetri replied. "How old are your children? Boys, right?"

"Six and four. Though, they're both having a birthday soon."

"Fun age," he laughed, turning a picture on his desk toward me. A small boy had one arm around his neck, while his other arm was wrapped around the neck of an incredibly beautiful woman with dark black hair and nearly flawless olive skin. "This is Benjamin. He'll be eight in January. Keeps his mom and I on our toes."

"So do mine," I murmured.

Carlisle placed the contract on the desk and reached for a pen, scribbling his name across the bottom. "Everything looks good to me. I'm putting my trust in you, and that's not something I give easily."

"Understood," Demetri said. "I'd like to do a background search on this Gabriel Varner, see if he had a history that will help lead me to him. In the meantime, I suggest that you takes measures to protect yourself. Legal measures, of course," he amended. "

"We're working on it," Carlisle stated, standing up. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet. I haven't done anything. I'll be in touch every couple days with any new information that I learn." Demetri shook Carlisle's hand before turning and facing me. "I'm sorry that you've had to deal with this, Bella."

"Me, too," I murmured.

Neither Carlisle nor I said anything as we walked out of his office, through the lobby, and climbed into Carlisle's new car. We'd both agreed that after the pictures of us and the boys had taped to the windows of his other car, neither of us could handle being near it, so he bought us each a new car: him another Mercedes, and me a small SUV. I struggled to accept such an expensive car, but seeing as my father's truck couldn't be fixed, I did so without too much grumbling.

"What'd you think?" Carlisle asked, pulling onto the freeway.

"I don't know," I said. "He seems confident."

"But?" he pressed, looking at me for a second before turning back to the road.

"But nothing. I just don't know what he will be able to do that the police can't."

"Hopefully a lot." Carlisle stated.

The rest of the drive back to the beach house was made in silence. Today was just the first step toward our journey to get our lives back, but I was afraid we were already too late.

—TW—

Three days later, I found myself sitting on the floor of a large studio with Rose, Esme, and Alice next to me, along with half a dozen other women who looked less nervous than I was. Tonight was our first self-defense class, and I was starting to doubt whether I should be taking it or not. Logically, I knew I needed to be able to protect myself, but how much could I really learn in such a short amount of time? Who knew when Gabriel Varner would strike again?

Demetri had called Carlisle the day before and said that he was still digging around inside the man's background, but hoped to have a handle on who he was in a few days. I didn't care about all of that; all I wanted was the man to leave me and mine alone.

"Is it wrong that I'm excited?" Alice asked, bending her knees and placing her feet together and leaning over in order to stretch her back. "I mean, I hope I'll never have to use what we learn, but I like the idea of being able to kick some dude's ass."

"That's not the point of the class, Alice," I muttered.

"Isn't it?" she countered.

"No," I told her. "It's supposed to be about empowering ourselves. Not that it will do any good."

"You don't know that," Rose argued.

"If someone is determined to hurt you, Rose, they're going to," I bit back.

"Sounds like someone is being a victim." Startled by the voice behind me, I turned and looked toward the doorway of the room, where a large guy with shaggy blond hair and deep blue eyes stood. He looked away from me to the rest of our class. "I'm Felix. I'll be your instructor. Up on your feet, everyone."

Felix walked past me as I stood up and tossed a stack of papers on a small table before turning back to face the rest of us. He shifted his eyes from each person, one at a time, before finally looking over at me.

"I don't know what's brought you to my class, and it doesn't matter. In my class, you will learn to fight back, to stand up for your rights as women, and to not let anyone—ever—make you feel like you're a victim. It won't be easy. I'm demanding as hell, and sometimes, I yell. If this is an issue, then I suggest you pack up your shit and leave."

Felix paused and waited as a couple of women grabbed their stuff and walked out of the room, muttering about this supposed to be fun. None of this should have been fun. We shouldn't have to be learning how to fight back, how to protect ourselves, but here we stood, waiting for instruction.

"There are always those who aren't prepared for this class," he said with a sigh. Divide up into pairs." Alice and Esme moved to each other, leaving me and Rose to partner up. "Now, the first thing I want you to learn is that it's okay to be scared."

I shifted my attention back to him, finding him once again looking at me.

"Fear is a natural instinct. It's normal. But letting fear rule your lives is not normal. It's not okay, and that's why you're here." He paused. "Now, you're not going to leave this room tonight and suddenly be able to kiss ass, but you'll have a few basic tools that will help if you should find yourself in a situation where you need to use them."

Felix unzipped his hoody and tossed it against the wall, leaving him in a T-shirt and walked over to where a mannequin was propped up. "Let's assume for a moment that your attackers will be male. The most obvious target is his nuts. Ladies, I don't care what you've been told since you were five years old, if a man grabs you in a threatening manor, take out the family jewels. It will hurt him, and you will be able to get away. When you're being attacked, all the rules get tossed out the window. Make him hurt. Now, if he grabs you from the front," Felix said, grabbing the arms of the inanimate figure, "then you should have a clear shot to his junk. Rear back and let your foot fly."

Felix moved so that he was standing behind the mannequin. "But if you find yourself being grabbed from behind, and in ninety percent of assaults, women have reported that they were grabbed from behind, you'll have a harder time striking him where it hurts. So, what I want is one of you be the attacker, and the other will be the attacked."

Rose moved behind me before I could volunteer to be the attacker, and one look over at Esme and Alice, and I saw Esme standing behind her girlfriend. But instead of grabbing Alice like she was about to attack her, she had her lips pressed against the outside of her ear, and based on the red tinge to Alice's cheeks, she was whispering dirty thoughts. I envied their ability to be carefree.

"Now, those being attacked. You have several options. First, you can stomp on their foot. Second, you can elbow them in the ribs. And finally, you can head-butt them, but depending on the size of your attacker, that may not be an easy task. I, personally, recommend a combination of all three. Especially if you're wearing heels. You dig your heel into their foot, you're going to make the man tear-up. Now, let's work on each one of those separately."

As class wore on, and we worked on disabling our attackers, Felix walked around the room and offered suggestions. It was awkward and weird to be trying to fight Rose off. She was one of my best friends, not someone who as out to hurt me. After half an hour, we switched, and I was the attacker. Rose had less trouble fighting me off, and sent several elbows to my ribs that hurt quite a bit.

"Okay, that's good for tonight," Felix called, and I dropped my arms from around Rose. "All of you did good. Next time, we'll work on some defensive moves. Remember, to be careful when you're out and alone, always be aware of your surroundings, and don't be afraid to scream. You'd be surprised how many times that will stop someone from attacking. See you next time."

Alice, Esme, Rose, and I grabbed our bags and rushed out of the room, or rather, I rushed us out of the room. I felt claustrophobic and needed some fresh air. Emmett, Jasper, Edward, and Carlisle were waiting for us in the lobby. While we'd been taking a class designed toward women, they'd signed up one for men. I suspected they were each hoping to be able to take Gabriel Varner out themselves.

I practically threw myself in Carlisle's arms, pressing my lips against his. "Have you heard from Sasha? Are the boys okay?"

"They're fine. I called when our class got out. She and Eleazar had just finished making them dinner and were about to put a movie on. I expect they'll be asleep less than five minutes," he told me. "How was your class?"

"Great," I lied, or maybe I didn't. I wasn't sure how the class went. I felt so overwhelmed and out of control. "How was yours?"

"Different," he admitted. "Kind of strange to be thinking that we might have to use some of this stuff. Not sure how I feel about it yet."

"Yeah, me, either," I whispered, leaning my head on his chest.

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