A/N: So, here is the chapter y'all are waiting for. Thank you so much to everyone who reviews, leaves their thoughts, or just reads. You all are amazing. Thanks always to BitterHarpy, Maplestyle, Agoodwitch,and LaMoMo for the prereading. You ladies keep me from falling off the edge a lot and I appreciate it so much. Thank also to Alice'sWhiteRabbit for betaing. Love you! I won't keep you any longer, so off you go! BTW Violence ahead, that's all I'll say.

BPOV

I woke in a state of sheer panic. It took a moment for the memories to come back to me. I had passed out when Mikhail was beating me with his belt. After he had "spanked me" for misbehaving, he started hitting me just for his sick twisted pleasure. He said disgusting things to me—things that he wanted to do to me and would do once I begged him to stop the pain. He was trying to systematically break me down. He wanted me to beg for death, which he would never grant me. This was my life, he had told me, so I better get used to the pain and learn to embrace it. Now, this I felt was a fatal flaw of his because I would not cower and beg for death. He was just giving me more fuel for my hatred. I never hated anyone before—sure there were people I disliked or choices people made that I hated—but I never hated the person. Mikhail? I hated him, and though I never wanted to kill anyone, I wanted to kill him. Sure, I was fine defending Katiya and keeping her safe, but I wanted to separate Mikhail's head from his spinal column and watch his blood leave his body until there was nothing left.

Maybe being locked up and beaten on his whim was starting to make me a little sadistic, but I really felt that the world wouldn't lose a thing when that man stopped breathing. I searched high and low for any kind of weapon, but I was coming up empty handed. The sound of a metal thunk sounded through the room, letting me know that food had just been "served." I came up short when I saw the pills sitting next to the glass of water. I studied medication as a nurse, so I looked at the pills closely, and sure enough, he had given me a lethal dose of narcotic painkillers. He wanted me to kill myself. I knew this was just even more of a taunt and mindfuck. Take the medication to kill the pain and also kill myself. I pocketed the pills and took the plastic cutlery I had been given. I ate the food. Even though I'm sure it was MREs, it wasn't all that bad. I put the tray next to the flap and knocked on the door, signaling I was done. I pulled the lighter out of my pocket that I was able to snag before I had passed out. Mikhail was starting to get sloppy, too ego driven to realize that I was going to kill him.

I got to work bending and shaping the spoon. It was slow work, and it made me distracted enough that I was able to detach myself from the pain that was radiating through my body. I wanted to take one of the pills, but I knew it would make me sleepy, and I was on a mission. I finished with my spoon and went to the bathroom. I did my best to put my hair in a tall ponytail, taking my hair off my face and showing more skin than I already was. I was still in the pajamas I had put on the night I was taken. Mikhail never gave me any other clothes, and the tank top and boy-cut shorts were still fairly revealing. I was thankful I hadn't taken my bra off before I was taken.

I hyped myself up, jumping up and down and stretching my muscles, trying to shake off the pain and get the adrenaline coursing. I knocked on the door and told the guard I wanted to see Mikhail. It wasn't long before the door was opened, and three guards escorted me to him. They weren't stupid, and they refused to put a single guard on my room. Well, at least I made them uncomfortable, I thought, smiling. The smile was still on my face when they practically shoved me in a room. I sat on a chair, waiting. I crossed my legs and pushed my chest out—I knew how to pretend to be seductive.

When Mikhail decided to enter the room, he took one look at me. I imagined the smile on my face and the position of my body caused him to assume what I wanted him to do because he excused his guards. He stayed standing and leaned against the wall. "So, what can I do for you moya krasivaya kukla?"

"What does that mean?" I asked him, trying not to vomit at the breathiness of my voice.

"It means my beautiful doll. Your skin and features are like a porcelain doll."

I struggled but was able to keep my face composed. I really wanted to cave in his teeth after that remark. This wasn't some weird Stockholm syndrome, but I could understand how a woman could see him and find him attractive, not knowing who he was or what fuckery laid beneath the surface. I could subjectively see it. He was a tall, lean, blond hair, blue-eyed, built mafia man. He had the charm and confident swagger that would draw any woman in. I could see how Katiya's mom fell into his trap, but she had no idea that she had fallen into the clutches of a snake, and she was the mouse. I saw now that he got off on the power and bending someone to his will.

I knew that making him think he had broken me was the only way I was going to pull this off. I got down on my hands and knees, crawling to him. I got to his feet and sat there quietly, not daring to look up at him. I could play the submissive.

"Look at me, devochka."

I looked up at him, flashing my big brown eyes at him and let a small smile curl my lips up. He cupped my cheek and ran his thumb along my lips. I was committed, and I would not let him see how much this disgusted me and the hate burning in my heart for him.

He grabbed me by my elbow, making me stand next to him. "What game are you playing, prekrasnyy? I'm not a patient man."

"You also told me you weren't a merciful man, yet you have been merciful to me."

"Killing you would be merciful, but I'm also a selfish man. I see something beautiful, and I must possess it, and I always get what I want." He growled, pulling me close to him. I could feel his excitement, but I forced the disgusted groan I wanted to let out into a moan and rubbed myself against him. He pushed me up against the wall. I was about to pull out my weapon when there was a commotion and a loud boom.

The force knocked us both to the floor. I covered my head just in case something fell from the ceiling. When the shuddering stopped, I heard the pop of gunfire. I gasped and dared to dream. I stood and headed toward the door. Mikhail grabbed me from behind and lifted me off my feet for a second. "You did this! You were playing a game."

"I know nothing about this. Let me go," I said, and I performed the SING method—elbowed him in the stomach, stomped on his foot, thrust my palm against his nose, and slamming a closed fist to his groin. I was proud that I could actually catch him off guard. As he was trying to catch his breath from me punching him in the groin, I grabbed his arm and was about to take him down when he suddenly recovered, and he pushed me to the ground. He straddled me and grabbed me around the neck, squeezing. I heard the rapid gunfire and shouts coming from outside the door. It even sounded like someone might be banging on the door, but it could take them longer to get in the room than it would take Mikhail to choke me out. I knew how to get out of this hold—it was the first thing my dad taught me, how to get out of choke holds—and Edward retrained me on it in McCall. I got my legs under him and got out of the hold, and I scrambled to straddle his chest so he couldn't get free, trapping his arms. I pulled my weapon out of the waistband of my pants and shoved the spoon into his jugular. I felt the spray of blood on my face and heard the gurgle of him choking on his own blood. I went crazy at that point because all I remember is stabbing over and over, screaming unintelligible sounds until I was pulled off Mikhail, and strong arms took the weapon out of my hands and bear hugged me from behind. I sagged into the arms that felt somewhat familiar. That's when I saw Edward standing right in front of me. At first, I was sure I was hallucinating, but when his voice broke through the haze, I knew he was real. He was alive, and he was here, right in front of me. I launched myself into his arms and pulled him to the ground with me, sobbing out the grief, pain, and fear, drawing in the comfort and relief.

"It's okay, Bella, baby. He's gone. You're safe."

I realized while I was crying the familiar arms were Emmett. He was here too, alive. I pulled him into the weird hug we had going on and sighed. My adrenaline slowly wore off, and that was when the injuries I had sustained from Mikhail's torture started screaming in pain again. I whimpered. Edward noticed and started checking me over. The anger and sorrow in his eyes confused me until I realized he was slowly starting to learn what had happened to me while held captive. Edward took his jacket and draped it over me. I put my arms through the sleeves, surrounding myself with his warmth and smell. Emmett scooped me up, even though he had a cast on, and Edward followed after him. When we got to ground level, Emmett set me on my feet. There were several armed men milling around and some leading handcuffed men to a transport van. I saw Emmett's boss being led to a van, and I flew toward him. I slammed his face into the side of the van before several men pulled me back.

"You're going away for a long time; I will make sure of that." I spat at him. He was one of the men who helped hold me down when Mikhail beat me with his belt. Seeing the blood leak from his nose made me feel some sort of payback. Edward pulled me away from the men guarding Mr. FBI.

"Hey, what was that about?"

"I know eventually I'm gonna have to tell you what happened, and I'm sure I'm in big trouble for killing someone, but I hurt all over, and I spent up until 15 minutes ago thinking you were dead, so can you just kiss and hold me right now?"

He gave me my smile—my favorite adorable one, though there was a touch of sadness there. He cupped my cheek, caressing my face softly and pulling my mouth to his. The kiss was soft, slow, and so sweet it took my breath away. Before we let it get too heated, he gave me a quick chaste peck and gathered me into his arms, trying to be gentle with my bruises. I was able to finally breathe. I was home, and the safety that Edward always brought was back and surrounding me. Edward led me to the vehicle he and Emmett travelled in and got me comfortable and told me that we could leave soon, but he had some stuff to square away before we could. He gave me a blanket that I snuggled into. Knowing I was safe, my mind soon followed my exhausted body, and I floated into the black abyss.

EPOV

Seeing Bella with blood on her face and straddling Mikhail, repeatedly stabbing him and completely out of control and beyond reach honestly scared the hell out of me. When she finally calmed and her eyes met mine, they looked haunted, and that killed me. She had gone through hell. Seeing the injuries and bruises on her body just confirmed what I already knew. I could see several of them, and when I looked at her back, I almost lost it. The several thick strips of welts on her back peeking out of the tank top told a story that I wasn't sure I could handle.

She was still alive, and she wasn't fatally injured, but we were too late to keep her emotionally safe. This was going to take a toll on her, but I knew how strong she was emotionally already, and all I could do was just hold her hand through it all. When she wanted me to kiss and hold her, I was relieved because at least she wasn't recoiling from me. That had to be a good sign. Emmett finished talking to the captain who led the team that had helped us and walked over to me.

"He said based on her emotional state when we found her and her injuries, she killed Mikhail in self-defense, and she won't be prosecuted."

"Yeah, but is that going to keep us safe if the Bratva retaliates?"

"I don't know, man, but one problem at a time. At least Bella won't be in trouble for killing someone."

"I gotta call Marcus."

"The captain is already doing that. We need to get her to the hospital. I know the injuries we can see are just the tip of the iceberg. I know there's an eight-year-old girl waiting for you to bring her mom back, but we gotta get this taken care of," Emmett said, smiling sadly.

Despite the shit show we were in the middle of and my concerns about Bella, Emmett mentioning Katiya and her wanting Bella back got my ass in gear. Emmett got in the driver's seat, and I slid in the back. Seeing Bella was asleep, I just gathered her up in my arms and let her continue to get some rest. When we got to the hospital, I gently woke her up. She woke with a start and looked really scared and panicked for a minute. I caressed her face and spoke softly. She calmed down and asked her if she needed help getting out. This time, I was the one who carried her into the ER.

I let Emmett do the talking because I honestly didn't know what to tell them. There was a flurry of activity as we were escorted to an exam room. I laid her down on the bed, but she grabbed my hand and wouldn't let me leave her side. I tried to stay out of the way as they took her vitals and put in an IV line in case it was needed. Emmett stepped out with the nurse as Bella changed into a gown. She asked me for help because she was in a lot of pain.

When I saw the full extent of what was under the tank top and boy shorts, I lost my breath. The emotions that hit me almost took me to my knees. She had welts and bruises all over her back and butt. It looked like she had been hit with a belt over and over. The skin had broken in several spots so there was dried blood and dark purple splotches peppered everywhere. I now understood why her pain was so great. I also saw scratches, cuts, and even a few spots that looked like burn marks of some sort. I felt the tears spring to my eyes, and I tried to hide them from her when she turned back around after I tied the strings on her gown.

She caught me, and I should have known better than thinking I could hide anything from her. She took my head in her small hands and wiped away the tears with her thumbs. She gave me a small, sad smile. "It looks bad, but I took it to keep it from happening to Katiya." Her eyes got wide, and she looked panicked. "Oh, God. Please tell me that she called Marcus and she's okay."

"We followed the sensor signal, and she called us when we were in the air on the way to you guys," I told her as I helped her back in the bed, covering her with the blanket. "We have her with us, and she's back at the hotel with Marcus right now. She's okay and more worried about you than anything else," I said, going to the door and telling Emmett he could come back inside.

"In the air? You guys flew here? Where are we, by the way 'cause none of what I saw looked like Arizona?" she asked.

"You don't know?" Emmett asked.

She shook her head. "No, when Mi… when Katiya's dad took me, I wouldn't go willingly so he knocked me out with the butt of his gun, and I think there was probably some sort of drug I was given to sedate me because I didn't wake up until Katiya and I were in some room, and I was woken up by a bucket of cold water," she explained

"We're in Montana. We think he was planning on getting out of the country through Canada, but we have no idea," I answered.

"How much trouble am I in?" she questioned.

"None, Bella. It was obvious you acted in self-defense. Marcus will make sure that higher ups know you had no other choice," Emmett told her.

"Yeah, the injuries you have and the fact you were being held against your will is more than enough to tell that story," I replied.

Emmett and I ended up telling her stories about Katiya or things she missed while she was gone. We did a good job of cheering her up, I think, because the old smile I missed seeing so much was slowly coming back. Her injuries were taken care by the nurses and doctors, and she was given medicated creams, painkillers, and some IV fluids. Once she was checked out and about to change back into her tank top and boy shorts, I gave her a spare T-shirt I had Emmett grab from the car and asked a nurse for some scrub bottoms so she didn't have to put back on her dirty, revealing, and probably uncomfortable pajamas. The nurse gave us a bag to put her clothes in, a prescription for more painkillers, cream for the welts, and we got her out of that hospital.

When we got back to the hotel, I told her Marcus had told me over the phone that Katiya was chomping at the bit to see her. She sighed and smiled a real smile that reached her eyes.

"You ready for this?" I asked.

She nodded and I led her into the hotel. Katiya saw Bella and started squealing and crying. She ran into Bella's arms. Bella fell to the carpet with Katiya, both of them clinging to each other and crying. Marcus pulled me aside, and I gave him my report of what happened, and he said that it checked out with what the captain said.

"The official record aside, Masen, how is she?"

"Physically, she's pretty banged up. Emotionally and mentally, this is gonna take a toll on her, Marcus. I didn't get an official statement from her, but I saw how scared and angry she was, and I saw all of her injuries."

"Yeah, once this is all tied up in a bow and you guys can come out of hiding, both she and Katiya will be getting counseling."

"What happens now, Marcus?"

"You, Bella, Katiya, and Emmett all head back to Flagstaff and stay put while I do my job. I have several branches of government that need housekeeping, and I'm gonna need the FBI to figure out what the chatter is in Russia. We'll need an official statement from Bella to be able to keep her out of jail, but we'll take that as slow as we can. This evening, we can relax and head back to Arizona in the morning."

I nodded and we both headed out to the living room. Emmett was sitting on the couch with Bella damn near glued to his side. She looked even more like my Bella. She dressed in her own clean clothes with her hair brushed and down. Katiya was sitting on her lap, playing with her hair, looking content while Emmett gestured with his hands, telling Bella a story. She didn't laugh out loud like she usually did while talking to him, but she smiled at him, and I know she was trying. I joined them on the couch on the other side of Bella. I put my arm around her shoulder, and she turned to me and snuggled into me. She put her arms around my waist, and Katiya moved so that she was sitting on both our laps. Emmett reached over and ruffled Bella's hair. She gave him a playful glare while she fixed her hair.

We spent the rest of the evening resting and relaxing. Once we got Katiya to calm down and comforted to fall asleep, Marcus asked Bella if she could tell him what happened. I tried not to be hurt when she agreed to tell the story if Marcus was the only one she told. I know why she wanted that. I knew part of it was because she was worried about how angry I would get, and another was her not wanting me to see her differently. I knew that the second fear was unfounded because I could never think less of her. I had more respect for her and her strength and courage than I had before. The anger thing was a very real worry because I knew that I would be pissed, hearing exactly what had happened. Right now, I was just guessing at what had happened, but hearing it in detail, no, I got why I had to sit this one out.

That night was tough because Bella had several nightmares. One was particularly tough because she tried to fight me off when I tried to wake her up. After that, I just waited for her to wake up and was there to hold her and calm her down. It seemed that her sleeping mind thought she was still being held captive and everything today was just a dream.

The next morning, we flew back to Flagstaff, and I took a nap during the short flight. When we got back to the safe house, I helped Katiya and Bella unpack their stuff. Bella started to cry when I explained to her why I hadn't unpacked their stuff yet. I hated seeing her cry, but I had to let her express her emotions, so I just hugged her while she got her tears out.

"I'm sorry I'm such a mess, Edward."

"You're not a mess. This is a lot of stuff to deal with. A lot of emotions. What we all went through, especially you, it's a lot to process and heal from."

She looked at me, tears still in her eyes, and I finally saw it. I saw my Bella. She was still dealing with grief, pain, anger, and fear, but that fiery spirit and strength shone through, and I knew we would make it through all this. It wasn't going to be easy. There was still a lot to get through and loose ends to tie up. But I knew we would all be okay.

A/N: So, how do we feel? Was it everything you hoped for? We have two more chapters after this and then it's all done! Super sad that this story is over, for me, the last two chapters are already done. If you aren't already doing so, head over to CullenGaff to read my collab story with jgaff! It's a great story. Until next week lovelies!