I walk out to the pole at the stage. It has been two years since he left me and now I'm working as a stripper for my stupid boss, Ross. As I look over the crowd and give them my best sexy smile I suddenly freeze shocked. Jasper and Emmet. Shit! What the hell are they doing here? I wave slightly to the audience and then I hurry off the stage to a very confused crowd and into the dressing room.
"Diamond, what the hell are you doing?" Ross yells as he pushes me up violently against the cement wall with a hold of my throat.
"I know two in the audience." I rasp. He sighs deeply and throws me down on the floor.
"FINE!" He yells and then he grabs me by my hair and pulls me towards the edge of the stage, the next stripper is already doing her thing. "Who?" He growls and I think about it quickly and look around before I lie. Emmet and Jasper are staring at me with shocked expressions.
"They have left." I lie and he sighs and shakes his head.
"Go home. You're up for dubble tomorrow." He says angrily and then he leaves me. I walk into the dressing room and change. I bury my face in my hands. I know they will be outside the club. They wont let me off the hook this easily… but maybe. NO! Don't let yourself hope Bella. I take a calming breath and then I grab my bag and throw it over my shoulder as I walk out into the club. Jasper is standing right by the door and Emmet approaches me slowly. I just nod slightly at them and Emmet walks beside me towards the front door. Some of my regular clients try to feel me up when I pass so Emmet quickly wraps his arm around my shoulders and walks quicker with me. They led me towards the black car with tinted windows that we used when we escaped James. Jasper opens the door for me and I sigh deeply as I slide in. If this isn't the walk of shame, I don't know what would be. Emmet gets in beside me and Jasper drives. We rode during silence for a while and then I sighed frustrated.
"Can you please just say something? Yell at me, make jokes about me, tease me! Just do something!" I say exasperated and Jasper sighs deeply and looks at me through the rear mirror.
"I'm sorry about your birthday Bella. I should have been able to control myself bett-"
"Okay if you're going to apologize you can continue with the silence." I say. "Damn it, what is it with vampires and brooding and guilt." I mutter under my breath and Emmet chuckles and smiles slightly to me. "Damn, super hearing." I mumble again, earning me a bigger smile. I sigh and let my head drop to Emmet's shoulder and then I look out through the window and realise we are already out of town.
"WAIT! Were the hell are we going?" I ask and Jasper just glances quickly at me in the rear mirror, none of them answers. "Where are we going?" I growl and Emmet sighs.
"New York." He says and I stare at them in disbelief.
"Turn the car around, Jasper." I order and he shakes his head slightly and I glare at him. "Then stop the car or I'll jump out while you drive." I say frustrated, completely meaning it as I reach out to open the door. Emmet grabs me. He wraps his hard, cold arms around my upper body and holds me tightly against his chest. I instantly freak out, I get flashbacks to another night…. the cold, the strength. I scream loudly as I struggle and cry, begging him to let me go. I don't even realise Jasper has stopped the car and Emmet has let me go until Jasper calms me down with his power.
"Bella, I'm sorry did I hurt you? Are you okay? I didn't think I held you too hard!" Emmet rambles desperately and I just curl together in fetal position in the seat, rocking myself slightly.
"She's not injured, she's panicked. I don't know why she feels this way, but I think she will recover from it soon. We need to get back on the road, the further away we are from Las Vegas, the lower are the chances are that she gets away from us." Jasper says quickly and suddenly I feel the car roar to life. I whimper slightly at the sound and move myself closer to the door so I can lean against it, cowering in the corner. I feel Emmet's intense gaze and while I know he would never hurt me, I make my silhouette even smaller. I bury my face between my knees and take deep calming breaths. In… out….in… out. One, you are okay. Two, you are safe. Three, relax. I take another deep breath and then I gather myself completely and stop rocking back and forth, straightening myself in the seat and stop hugging my knees.
"Bella?" Emmet asks gently, so much emotion in his voice. I nod slightly but don't look at him. "Are you okay? I didn't mean to scare you, it's just that… we can't let you keep working in a place like that and we heard your boss and then you tried to get away… I didn't know how to keep you safe if I didn't keep you from leaving." He says gently and I just shake my head slightly and rest my head against the window.
"Never forcefully hold me." I whisper in a broken voice and I can almost hear their pity.
"What happened to you Bella?" Jasper asks and I shake my head.
"I don't speak about it." I whisper and then I close my eyes. "I never speak about it." I say a little stronger.
"You will need to sooner or later." Jasper mumbles and I shake my head.
"Bella please, what can I do? I really didn't mean to scare you." Emmet pleads in an almost broken voice and I look up and smile slightly to him.
"Don't worry, Emmet, I'll be fine." I say and he looks sadly at me and then he slowly opens his arms.
"Can I hug you?" He asks and I nod a little and scoot into his arms. I sigh in relief as his arms wrap incredibly gently around me and then I relax my head against his shoulder.
"Can you stop somewhere?" I ask Jasper and he looks sadly at me in the rear mirror and shakes his head.
"I'm sorry, Bella, but we can't let you go back." He says, pain in his voice, and I shake my head.
"I'm hungry." I say and he relaxes a little and takes the next exit of the highway.
"That we can fix." He promises. I smile slightly and relax completely in the care of my big brothers.
"Bella, are you injured?" Emmet asks gently and I look confused at him and he looks pointedly at some bruises on my arms.
"Oh, no it's just Ross. He gets mad when we don't do our work." I mumble and he sighs and hugs me a little tighter but still extremely gently. Jasper orders for me in the drive thru and then we head back onto the highway as I eat.
"What have you been up to the last two years?" I ask after a few minutes of awkward silence. Jasper sighs deeply.
"I ran away for a while… I couldn't handle what I did to the family. Splitting us up…" He says as though he is ashamed.
"It wasn't your fault Jasper, you can't blame yourself for him being overprotective." I mumble and he smiles slightly then I freeze. "Shit! What time is it?" I ask slightly panicked.
"Three in the morning." Emmet says and I swear under my breath.
"Pull the car over somewhere I need to make a phone call in private." I enhance the last and Jasper shakes his head.
"Can't let you out of my sight." He says and I sigh deeply.
"Give me your goddamn phone then and I blame you both for what you are going to hear." I mumble and start dialing the number. He answers after one signal.
"Yeah." He grunts and I take a deep breath and make my voice smooth and calm.
"Hello master." I say quietly and both of them freeze and look pained at me.
"Which of my bitches is this?"
"Diamond, master. I have to go out of town for a while."
"You do know I need to punish you?" He asks angrily.
"Yes, master." I say and the vampires growl slightly.
"Who are you going with?" He demands angrily and I glare at Jasper when he reaches his hand out for the phone.
"My sisters." I say as I glare at them.
"Don't you know better than to take that tone with me, bitch?" He yells angrily and I flinch involuntarily.
"I'm sorry master, I just don't like being away from you. It makes me upset, master." I lie through my teeth.
"I know baby, take care of the things you need to do and then get back to me quickly and your punishment won't be as severe. Understood?" He says in an almost caring voice.
"Yes master." I say and he hangs up quickly. I exhale relieved and rest my head against the window as I close my eyes.
"Was that your…?" Jasper starts hesitantly.
"My what?" I ask and I hear him sigh.
"Your employer?" He asks. I open my eyes and smile amused to him.
"No, that would be Ross." I say and he gulps.
"So he's your?" He asks tense and I sigh.
"I'm a hooker, Jasper. The man I just talked to let's me stay at his place and pays everything for me in exchange for sex and for lending me out to his friends. Ross is my pimp but that man I don't have a word for." I say slightly amused and slightly frustrated.
"Why would you…?" Emmet asks carefully and I take a deep breath.
"After you left, another vampire attacked Rene, Phil and Charlie and killed them. I was alone, the social service didn't care about me, my friends didn't like the catatonic period I had for a few months after you left so I decided to move to Las Vegas. I don't have anything. In the beginning I was taking every job I could… except those who were related to sex but then my money ran out completely and I got into some trouble. Ross got me out of it and let me work at his club as a stripper but then he thought I wasn't making enough money so he started pimping me out to… odd… customers. That man on the phone is Ross's best friend so Ross told me to live there when I lost my lease and now I do." I explain quickly and then I stare out through the window as I wait for their reaction.
"Odd?" Emmet asks after a while and I sigh.
"Everything from humans with abnormal dreams relating to sex, to vampires and shapeshifters. Las Vegas is quite an interesting town." I mumble and they are completely silent for a few minutes. "Sooo… what were you doing in Las Vegas?" I ask and they breathe out again.
"Rose and I are getting married again so we are on my bachelor party." Emmet says and I chuckle quietly.
"And decided to bring a whore back home? Emmet, that isn't what they mean with a souvenir." I laugh and he opens and closes his mouth a few times.
"Bella we didn't. We… I-"
"I know Emmet, I'm just messing with you. I know you are just kidnapping me to try to get me to straighten my life out and quit being a hooker so you won't feel as guilty about leaving me." I say and Emmet shakes his head.
"No, we are worried about you and Edwar-" He stops when I flinch and wrap my arms around my torso. "Bella, are you okay?" Emmet asks as he carefully lays a hand on my arm.
"She most certainly is not." Jasper manages to get out. He is feeling my pain. "He left her, she is feeling the separation worse than he is. They are so closely connected." He gasps.
"Just… don't mention him." I whisper painfully. Emmet envelops me gently in a hug and I lean my head against his chest and for once I enjoy the cold embrace.
"He still loves you." He whispers and I just nod a little, not believing.
"I'm going to sleep for a while… can we just… not… tell them about my jobs?" I ask and they nod a little. "I might tell them later but I'm not ready for them to know…" I say and they nod understandingly and I quickly find myself sleeping securely for the first time in almost two years.