Blurry Lines: Chapter Sixteen

Edward

Isabella was beyond consolable.

She was freaking out as she paced the span of our hotel room. Yeah, that's right, a hotel room. There was no way I was going home with some asshole on our tail.

Anthony, thankfully, went right to sleep upon entering the hotel room. I woke him minutes later, feeding him fast food, then put him back to sleep. He was exhausted by tonight's activities.

"What are we going to do Edward, who could possibly want to follow us?" Isabella asked nervous and confused.

"Maybe it's someone with your mother. There is no way that her reappearance and this isn't tied."

"My mother already knows where we live. She wouldn't have had to have us followed. She could just show up at the house again. Oh god, maybe it's Phil. Maybe he's after me again. Maybe my mother was just a decoy, to see if she could get close to me. Why is this happening?"

"I don't know babe. I really don't know. But I have a plan, and I need Jasper."

"What exactly do you need Jasper for? If what you are thinking is going to bring him in this then no. He has Alice and Hailey to think about, we can't bring him into this Edward."

"Well, do you have a better plan? All we need is a diversion and then you and Anthony can get out of here, go home."

"What about you?" she asked panicked.

"I'd distract him. I'd take our car and go to a bar or something while Jasper brings you and Anthony home. I'll lose the tail and get home as soon as possible."

"And what if this doesn't work? What if he's been following us for days, and knows where we live and work, where Ant goes to school? God Edward, whoever this is could have been at this for a while. They could know our entire life story already."

"I know, but if they don't, I don't want to put you or Anthony into a situation where whoever the hell that is can find you. Let me do this Isabella. Let me protect my family."

"If anything-if anything happens to-" She began nervously.

"It won't." I interrupted my tone solid.

"You can't be sure of that. Promise me you will be careful." She demanded.

"I will."

"Promise." She begged.

"I promise you that I will be crazy careful. Let me call Jasper, okay? As soon as I get something sorted I'll get you guys out of here."

Jasper was more than a little helpful. He readily volunteered to help me get my family out of this mess, putting his own family at risk. I did not take this lightly. For someone to do this for us was beyond amazing.

He met Isabella and a sleep hazed Anthony in the garage of the hotel. I'd parked on the street and we'd walked through the front door, but I'd advised Jasper to meet us in the garage. He'd wait for my call, telling him that I was being followed by whoever the hell it was following me.

And when I left, I did just that. The guy didn't seem to mind that I was alone, his car a black Mercedes Benz. He followed me for twenty minutes before I stopped in the parking lot of Skizzy's. A bar about two blocks down from the hospital.

Once I entered the bar I'd waited for ten minutes at the bar before glancing around, looking for my shadow. I found him easily in the darkest corner of the bar. There was no way I was getting out of here without him noticing. Pulling out my phone, I called home.

"Edward," Isabella, whispered on an exhale. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, perfectly fine. How are you and Anthony, you get home okay?"

"Yeah, Jasper got us home and he's staying until you come. He refuses to leave us alone."

"That's good, I don't want you two home alone. Tell him thanks."

"I will. Now give me an update. What's happening?"

"I'm at Skizzy's, down the street from the hospital. He's sitting in a corner of the bar watching me. I don't know, babe. If I want to ditch him I'll have to do something dramatic, but I'm not big on what I actually have planed."

"And what's that?" She asked curiously.

"Start a fight with someone here and slip out through the back door."

"Edward," she sighed frustrated.

"I know I know, I'm too old for that kind of behavior, but I just want to get home to my family. This can't keep going on."

"You're right. Isn't this against the law or something? Can't we just call the police?"

"There's not much the cops can do. They arrest him and then what, hours later he's back on our tail. I need to know why he's following us."

"Edward, I know that voice. Don't you do anything st-"

"Love, I have to go." I disconnected the call before she could finish, already knowing what she was going to say. But this was not about to continue. "Sir?" I greeted as I took a seat at his table. Removing his glasses and cap, he looked straight into my eyes.

My first thought was that I knew the guy from somewhere. My second was from where do I know him, and my third was what in hell will it take to get rid of him. "My name is Edward Cullen, you are?"

"Not important."

"I'd say the name of the guy who is terrifying my family is very important. So you are?"

He smiled, digging into his pocket and pulling out a card. He flipped it across the table and I read it, surprised. "I'm sure you understand now." He spoke.

"A PI? Who would hire you to follow me and my family?"

"I can't discuss my client Mr. Cullen. So ask me something else."

"Why are you following my family, what do you want to know?"

"I'm following your family because I was paid to follow them-and you. I need to know everything."

"Look, this is ridiculous. We haven't done anything that warrants someone wanting to know. Why would anyone follow me, or Isabella, or Anthony. Why would anyone want to know about the girl I love and the son we share? That Anthony climbs through holes in the wall, or that Isabella eats pudding on Thursday's just because, or that I shave everyday or else I'll look like a damn goat. Why would someone…." Then it clicked, all of it clicked. Like an unexpected thunderstorm, the memory rolled in. It's her, I know it's her…

"I know you're going to her. But guess what, I'll be there. The day you think you're the happiest is the day I'll rip it all away. Right in front of your face, I will rip it all away you bastard. You better hope she isn't there when it happens."

"You go back to your … client, and you tell her to leave me the fuck alone. Tell her crazy ass that we are and was always done before we ever begun. And then you tell her that if she comes anywhere near my girl or my son, that I will personally slap a harassment suit against her ass that she'll be seeing stars for the rest of her fucking life. Then you tell her that It's not my fucking fault that she was never it for me."

I don't know how far I got before he caught up to me and pulled me out the bar door and down the street to my car. "Look, since you've figured it out Mr. Cullen I have a nice piece of advise for you. Get out of time for a few days and just…I don't know, have a vacation with your family."

"Why?" I demanded, wrenching my arm from his tight grip. "Why should I do something like that? I have a job, my girl has a job and my kid has school. That's not even possible right now."

"Make it possible. Look, I have had plenty of clients before. Lot's of strange, desperate, delusional clients, but nothing like this. She walks into my office one day, slams ninety-nine gran on my desk, hands me your full name, social and your parent's whereabouts. She says you're her husband and she knows you've been cheating on her for months-if not years. She says that if you're not at your parents place then you're with your mistress, a one Isabella Swan.

"Now, my method is to always look into my clients and my subject's background. See if anything I've been told is legit or if it's some make believe bullshit. I tell her this and she slams down another twenty gran for full disclosure on you, but full closure on herself. I say fine, fuck her background run. I mean the money was good and I have a new kid at home so I went with it. I took her case.

"The first time I reported to her in person, it was like watching a kid hanging on every word of their favorite parent. Her eyes were bright with glee when your name would be mentioned and then they would darken with this…I don't know, evil, demonic hate when I mentioned Isabella's name. It was nothing I'd ever seen before and to be honest with you it gave me the fucking he-bee-gee-bees just to be in the same room with her anymore.

"Tonight was my last conversation with her and it wasn't pretty. See, I've only been following you for the last few months. But Tonight was the first time I told her anything about Anthony and that was by accident. I knew she should never find out about your boy. The hate in which she spoke of his mother with was my first clue. I thought by not telling her about him I was at least doing something right. But I slipped up tonight. And now she knows.

"She went ballistic over the phone man. I mean, I heard crashing and yelling, and ripping in the background. Then, right before the phone hung-up I heard her yell something along the lines of, 'He's going to fucking pay-all of them. And I swear on the life of my child that theirs will too.' I don't know what the fuck that means, but it didn't sound pretty. I've tried calling her back, but she won't answer. It's freaking me the fuck out and not a lot of things can do that shit. So just…I don't know, take my advice. Get out of town for a while. Take your family on a short vacation. Just go, give me time to find her-talk her down or some shit."

Sighing, and rubbing my face harshly I nodded. "I can't believe this shit is happening. When everything seems so fucking perfect, she comes along with her bullshit and my family's being disrupted again. Un-fucking-believable. But you know what, this time I'm not going to walk away with what's due to me…no, this time she'll walk through hell if any harm comes to my family."

AN: I know that I have been MIA and no, I don't have an excuse. What I do have is a reason, well three. First, I fell in love-with a story-of course...lol...It's called Blood & Glory and it's by drotuno and it's fucking amazing. Anyway, I found out while reading the third book-Smoke & Mirrors that there was actually a first book, Blood & Glory and a second book, Sin & Innocence and of course the third-which I'd started first-Smoke & Mirrors. So, for the last month or so I've been catching up on these stories instead of writing and I can't say that I'm sorry. In all actuality-I'm a bigger fan of reading these stories then writing them, but I write for the people who love to read. Makes sense? I hope so 'cause I feel I'm rambling. Anywho, I hope you liked the chapter and of course everyone knows who the crazy ass woman is. Goodnight :)