I don't own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.

Cheryl and Gabby, thank you for pre-reading, and April, thank you for editing. Any mistakes left are my own.

Ch. 26

Garrett.

I mused over him for a moment. He seemed like a decent guy and was genuinely trying to get me out of there before his uncle sold me. However, my mother went from liking him to not trusting him in an instant. Which made me wonder what I was missing.

"We know Garrett is next in line. He never hid it from us. He told us he wanted revenge for Katrina and to stop his uncle from trafficking. Do you know more?" Edward asked.

Heidi crossed her legs. "I really don't have contact with Garrett, I just don't trust him. I don't doubt he started this over Kat; however, even if he stops the trafficking, there's still the drugs and guns they move."

"My mother didn't trust Garrett either. She didn't want me to leave with him or to let him know where I was going," I pointed out.

Edward's lips pressed into a thin line. "None of us fully trusted him. I still don't know how he even heard of us. My dad handled the initial phone call."

"Look, Heidi, I'm not sure what you want us to do? We help women, and at times children, to escape abusive relationships. Our main focus was to get those girls out of there. I don't think any of us thought we would be taking down a full mafia family," Emmett told her.

"But I thought you were willing to take Afton out," she stated, looking confused.

"We were under the impression Garrett wanted to do it," Emmett told her.

Heidi's scowl deepened. "I'm fairly confident he wanted you to do the dirty work for him, so no one would question when he took over. Did you know that he was planning on using Bella as leverage to make sure you did the job?"

Edward frowned and reached for my hand, giving it a tight squeeze. "No. I thought he sympathized with me because of Katrina. Does he know where Bella is right now?"

Heidi shrugged. "I don't know for sure. I think he suspects, especially after Costa lost two of his best men in Washington."

"Who is the lesser evil? Afton or Garrett?" I asked.

Heidi rolled her eyes. "Garrett; but I don't trust him not to try and cover his bases and eliminate you guys after you get rid of Afton for him."

Edward sucked in a breath. "You mean he wants us to take the fall, so his hands don't appear dirty."

"Exactly." Heidi nodded.

Edward was starting to cut off my circulation. I touched his arm and tried to wiggle my fingers. He glanced down and when he caught sight of how light they were, he immediately loosened his grip. He kissed the back of my hand and gave me an apologetic smile.

"Who takes over if both Garrett and Afton are eliminated? Your grandfather?" Emmett asked, looking suspicious.

I could see his reason, with Heidi's sudden show of hand. I wanted to know how trustworthy she was as well. I wanted to believe her because she seemed so sincere, but I wasn't so sure anymore.

"No. He's family, but not blood. It would be Garrett's younger brother, Santiago. However, he's a drug addict," Heidi confirmed.

"What do we do now?" Emmett asked, running a hand through his hair.

"We get Jasper, my dad, and Uncle Peter up to speed then decide where to go from here," Edward answered him.

"You can't let anything I told you leave this room. I wasn't even supposed to blow my cover to you four. My father and grandfather think I'm here for a baby shower," Heidi pleaded.

"If you were hoping to stay discreet, what was with your reaction at the mall?' I raised an eyebrow.

Heidi looked sheepish. "I tend to get carried away when I'm in that mode. I was happy to see you were alive and well. I thought Garrett had you hidden somewhere."

"Do you have any security that follows you who would report to your grandfather?" Edward was still concerned.

"I'm my own security. I'm low enough down I don't qualify for one of Costa's men. Which makes me a perfect spy." She smirked.

"What can you tell us about the girls? I'm assuming your comment about the gender imbalance was intentional now. Can you tell us where they are being kept or how many?" I asked.

"I'm not sure on the number. A few were taken that night, but my guess would be ten to fifteen left to go. But new girls are taken all the time. I suspect they use an old hotel Afton is supposedly renovating," she answered.

"Shit! What the fuck did the old men get us into? We're in way over our heads. And now we are in a damned if we do and damned if we don't situation," Emmett complained.

"That's what I told my grandfather." Heidi frowned.

"But we're just expendable, right?" Emmett snarled.

"I'm sorry," Heidi whispered, looking remorseful.

"It's not your fault," Rosalie told her.

There was a knock on the door and Emmett stood and went to answer it. He reappeared with Jasper and Alice in tow. Instantly, it was as if a switch had been flipped on Heidi.

"Oh. Em. Gosh. Jasper and Alice, it's been forevas. Like, Alice, I totes love your sweater. That color is literally the best on you," Heidi squealed and stood to give them hugs.

"Um…thanks." Alice blushed.

"What's the emergency that we needed to get here right away for?" Jasper asked.

"A surprised baby shower, of course." Heidi pointed to the gifts.

"But we're not pregnant…only Rose is," Jasper told her.

"Duh. But since you're, like, twinies. I didn't want your ESPN to ruin the surprise."

"My…" Jasper looked thoroughly confused.

"I totes gotta go. Buh-bye." Heidi waved, then bounced out of the apartment.

"Oh-kay. What the hell was that?" Jasper glanced over his shoulder.

"I need a drink," Emmett mumbled, heading to the kitchen.

"Get me one?" I glanced at Edward in surprise when he asked for one.

"Is someone going to answer me?" Jasper looked annoyed.

Days

By the time we entered the apartment, it was late afternoon. The guys had a deep discussion on how to proceed. Jasper was filled in on everything Heidi had said. They didn't want to betray her, but knew they could trust him.

Their decision worried me. They knew they'd have to take out at least Afton and Garrett. Possibly Heidi's grandfather and Santiago too. Hopefully, that would send the Costa family into a tailspin.

None of them were comfortable with going, but at the same time, they knew they had to. It'd be a suicide mission to let Tony and Peter go alone. Emmett and Jasper commanded most of the conversation as Edward had been eerily quiet.

I headed to the bedroom to change out of the wig. It was itchy and I was seriously considering dying and cutting it at this point. I paused in the hall, contemplating if I should move my things into Edward's room or not.

"You look like a bobble head," Edward teased, coming up behind me.

"I was trying to decide whether or not we're ready to share a room," I told him.

He cocked his head slightly before he hoisted me over his shoulder and carried me into his room. He tossed me on to the bed, then flopped down next to me.

"Decision made." He grinned. "Now would you like to christen it?"

I laughed. "I believe we already did. Besides, my dad is going to call soon, and I don't want to miss him."

"Later then." He kissed me lightly.

As I was rolling off the bed, I noticed the unopened condom on the nightstand. I stiffened as I realized what this could possibly mean. This would be the worst time for me to get pregnant. I immediately contemplated on telling Edward. The last thing he needed right now was more stress. I tried to count the days in my head since my last period. The chances were slim that I was, so I decided to hold off for now.

"Are you okay?"

I realized Edward had been standing with his hand out for a while, waiting for me.

"Yeah. We probably shouldn't forget this next time." I pointed to the condom.

"Oh. But aren't you on—"

I shook my head. "I went off after we broke up. The timing would be off but there's always a risk," I confessed, unable to lie to him.

He took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. "I'll run across the street to the store while you talk to your dad and get more. It shouldn't take me long."

As soon as he left, I called up my Dad.

"Bells?" he answered.

"Hey, Dad." I smiled slightly, glad to hear his voice.

"I'm sorry to hear about your mom," he said softly.

"I can't believe she's gone. I hate Phil and the Costas. If it weren't for them, she'd still be alive. I hope they rot in hell," I stated.

"Bells…" He blew out a breath, and I thought he was about to scold me. "Be careful, sweetheart, wanting revenge is a slippery slope."

"I know, I've seen it firsthand. I'm not saying I want to kill them myself, but I don't want them to get away with it anymore either."

"I don't blame you. I've been there. I take it you've met Peter and Anthony Jr. then?" he said.

"Yes. And I don't want to end up like them. Or let Edward follow his path. He said he'll leave with me," I informed my dad.

"You don't know how happy I am to hear that. Carlisle and I have wished he'd stop for years." I imagined my dad smiling.

"I just hope his father doesn't stop him," I confessed.

"Hmmm…Anthony is a piece of work, that's for sure," Dad agreed. "Are you guys staying under the radar?"

"Yeah. If we go out, I make sure to wear wigs and other disguises. There hasn't been any trouble here. What about you?" I asked. I had already lost one parent.

"That joker is still hanging around town. Don't know who he thinks he's fooling. In such a small town he sticks—"

There were a series of gunshots, then nothing.

"Dad!" I sat up straight, glancing at the blank screen.

My heart started to race. I ran out into the living room, looking for Edward, but he wasn't back yet. I went to call him when I realized it was his phone I was using. With shaking hands, I tried to find either Jasper or Emmett's numbers, but they were under codenames, and I had no idea who was who.

The phone rang in my hands, and I recognized my dad's number instantly.

"Daddy?" I cringed when I heard how panicked I sounded.

"I'm okay. I wasn't shot," he immediately told me.

"What happened?" I demanded.

"I can't explain now. I have to deal with things here. I'll call you later, I promise." He sounded distracted.

I couldn't answer him as the vice grip on my heart hadn't loosened.

"Isabella Marie, answer me," he demanded.

"What?" I gulped.

"I'll call you as soon as I can, okay?" he stated gently.

"Okay." I nodded, although he couldn't see me.

He hung up and I dropped the phone on the couch. I couldn't stop shaking and wondered if I was having some sort of breakdown. I glanced at the clock, wondering where the hell Edward was, as he should be back by now. My imagination was starting to work overtime.

The door opened and he stepped through smiling. "Guess what—"

I didn't let him finish his sentence as I flung myself at him, hugging him tightly.

"Wow, if this is the type of welcome back for just being gone a few minutes, then I'm looking forward to seeing what I get after Florida," he joked, unaware I was losing it.

I hugged him tighter and my body started to tremble. "You can't go," I spoke into his chest.

"What? I can't hear you, love. Are you cold? You're shaking like a leaf?" He pulled back to look at me. His smile dropped. "What's wrong?"

I started rubbing my chest, it was hurting so bad. "You can't go," I said in a shaky voice.

"I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here." He reached my wrist to still it. "Your pulse is racing. Love, what's going on?"

"What's going on?" My own voice sounded foreign to me. "I'm wanted as a sex slave…a friend's building burned down …my mother got blown up…my dad was shot at….and it's all because of me. You can't go. I can't lose you!"

"Bella, you've got to breathe." Edward tried to soothe me.

A thought occurred to me. "Emmett can't go…he has a baby on the way."

"Babies—"

"Twins!" I was starting to struggle to breathe since my chest was so tight.

"Bella, breathe. Please, love. You gotta calm down." Edward looked into my eyes, but my vision was starting to blur. "Shit…love, hold on."

I felt myself moving, and suddenly, I was on my back.

"Uncle Carlisle, I need you up here now. Bella's having a panic attack, and I can't calm her. I'm not sure, but I think something happened to Charlie." Edward's voice sounded far away.

I felt a different type of pressure on my chest and glanced to see B.B. climb on top of me. She nuzzled my hand and started to purr. My hand shook as I reached out to pet her.

"Not now, cat." Edward was about to lift her.

"Leave her," I told him. I found focusing on her was helping.

"Love, you scared me." He knelt on the floor next to the couch.

"You're right. I'm too weak for this," I confessed.

"Give yourself more credit. You were literally thrown into the deep end of a pool that happened to be shark infested. You're actually doing better than you think." He kissed my forehead.

"I would agree." Carlisle appeared over Edward's shoulder. I was wondering how he got here so fast. "Can you give me some room?"

Edward moved out of the way and his uncle took his place.

"I think I'm having a heart attack," I told him.

"More likely a severe anxiety attack. Try to focus on breathing in and out." He took my pulse and raised an eyebrow.

"She was purple before I called you and she couldn't stop shaking. Then I watched as her eyes seemed to glaze over," Edward told him.

"Mm hmm. I think you need some rest, dear. I can give you some sedatives to help you sleep. Then a milder one that won't make you drowsy if you need more to cope," he suggested.

"I don't like the idea of drugging myself," I told him.

He frowned. "I can understand your concern, but at least take the first one. Your heart rate is way too fast, and you need to calm down for your health. We can always revisit it in the future."

I nodded in agreement.

"Edward, can you get her a glass of water?" he asked.

Carlisle held a pill. "This will probably knock you right out. I prescribed them for Rose after her attack. Before you take it, can you tell us more about what happened to Charlie?" He looked apprehensive.

"I was on the phone with him when I heard shooting, then the line went dead. He did call back and said he wasn't shot, but he couldn't tell me anything else." My voice caught in my throat.

"That's enough for right now," Carlisle said warmly. He handed me the pill, then the glass of water.

He took Edward off to the side to talk with him. I focused on petting B.B. while I watched them. I was terrified I would lose Edward again—this time for good. I could feel my body relax, and I couldn't fight it as sleep overtook me.

A/N: Just a reminder Charlie is okay at the moment. However, obviously, Bella has reached a breaking point, every person has one.

A reviewer had a question what 'totes' means. It slang for totally. I tried responding to the review, but I know they don't always go through. It slang for totally. Speaking of Heidi, ESPN wasn't an error on my end. She purposely said it instead ESP. Reminder Jasper and Rose are twins.

Thank you for sharing all your thoughts with me and Happy New Year