A/N: This chapter begins on Thursday, the day before the incident with Jasper.
Edward
"So, what gave you the impression that my father would ignore this, Aidan?" My patience is running out for the nervous man sitting before me.
"Oh, come on, Eddie, it's just a few crates." His anxious tone betrays his bold statement.
"A few crates," I say, shaking my head, laughing incredulously. "Did ya hear that, Em?" I ask, looking over at my brother. "It's just a few crates!"
"Oh, well, in that case, what are we doin' here, Eddie? Da didn't need to send us because Aidan here has it all under control," Emmett says, slapping his beefy hand onto Aidan's shoulder, giving him a good squeeze. "Don't ya, Aidan? I mean, I'm sure they'll show up, right?"
"Um, yeah, of course. I just need some time to track them down."
"Well, that's an excellent idea. I'm sure my father wouldn't want to hear that he lost over half a million dollars in product because of blatant incompetence. Because I simply don't understand how they could be missing. You were in charge of the trucks. The shipment arrived, and according to the other men we've questioned, everything was accounted for. So, that leaves you. Either you're the dumbest fucker to ever do business with the Cullen family, thinking you could rip us off-"
"Wait! No, I don't think..." he interrupts.
"Was I done? Emmett?" I look over at my brother, my eyebrows raised, astonished that this fucker would dare interrupt me. I may not be the boss, but I'm still a goddamn Cullen. "Was I finished speaking?"
"Nah, Eddie, you weren't."
I turn back to the weasel in front of me. "Then don't fuckin' interrupt me!" I close my eyes, taking a deep breath, trying to calm myself. As much as I'd just like to end him now, we really have no idea where the crates are, so we need him to get them to us. Da sent us here to find the missing coke, and it'll be our necks if we go home without answers. Feeling a little more in control, I open my eyes. "As I was saying, either you're fucking stupid, because you thought you could cross us, or you're fucking stupid because you lost half a million of our merchandise! So, here's what we're gonna do, Aidan. You've got twenty-four hours to find the missing crates. If they don't show up, Emmett and I will be back for another visit. And believe me; you don't want to see us again."
"No, of course not, Eddie. I'll have them in twenty-four hours. You have my word." Wringing his hands, the beads of sweat are running from his temple down his neck, disappearing into the collar of his shirt.
Rising from my seat, I button the top button of my suit jacket, and step around my desk, stopping at the front. Towering over him, I look into his eyes, pointing down at him. "Do not fuck this up."
"I won't let you down Eddie," he says, anxiety still pouring out of him.
Without breaking my commanding stance, I move only my eyes to glance up at Em, and he immediately delivers a swift right hook to Aiden's jaw; his worried expression quickly turning to shock when he sees it coming.
"See that you don't."
His cowering nod as he holds his face tells me he understands the not so thinly veiled threat.
Emmett and I walk through the vacant warehouse and out to the waiting car.
"Think it'll turn up?" Emmett asks from the other side of the five-year-old Acura we drove down here. No, dear old Dad didn't want us driving our personal vehicles; God forbid we stand out a little.
"Fuck if I know. If he's got half a brain, it will. I don't know how he thought we wouldn't miss it."
"Oh, come on, he probably thought being all the way down here in Jersey we wouldn't be checking things so carefully," he says, unlocking the doors.
I pull off my jacket and roll up my sleeves before we both get into the car; Emmett behind the wheel. The engine groans to life, and we're headed back to our hotel.
"Yeah, well personally, I'd never have set up running shipments through this damn city in the first place. I'd have things running straight through Boston. Then you'd be able to keep a closer watch on the fuckers you've got managing things for you. But, Da would say we never had any trouble dealing with his old man. So I don't know what the fuck Aidan's problem is. Apparently, honor and loyalty aren't passed down," I scoff, loosening the noose of a tie around my neck.
"But hasn't our own brother shown us that the last few years?"
"Didn't Da tell you? That's why we're the ones dealing with this fucker in the first place. It started with Jasper taking a cut of the fuckin' coke for himself, and when Da finally figured out he was using, he pulled him out, put him on something else. Now we have to do business with him. Aidan probably thought if the Cullen he was dealin' with was strung out and didn't care, he could get away with it; probably thought we weren't any better," I say looking out the window, watching the landscape pass by.
"That mean you're gonna do things differently when you're in charge?"
"We'll see. But, that's a few years off, at least."
The car is silent for a while as we drive through the city before Emmett speaks again.
"So, just back to the hotel, then?"
"What? You don't wanna hit that club we went to last time we were in town?" He knows I'm half kidding. I know he's been a one-woman guy since he met Rosalie.
"Nah, I actually wanna get back so I can call Rosie. She's waiting for me to FaceTime her."
"Aww, little brother's pussy whipped already." I give him a nudge, laughing at his embarrassment.
"Oh, shut up, Eddie. You're just as bad with Heidi, aren't you?"
"Eh, not so much. We get along okay. She's there when I need company, but I don't think it's goin' anywhere. She's a little high maintenance, even for me."
"Then what was all that shit about bringing her to family dinner?"
"Oh, come on, you know as well as I do that I needed to get Ma off my back. She's been pushing me for months that I needed to find a girl and settle down. Remember, she had Jasper practically married off before he was twenty-three? And we all know how great that turned out. I'll bring Heidi, just to keep Ma happy, but she's not the one. I plan to keep my options open, at least for now. So, while I'd be okay with hitting the club, I won't keep you from your girl." My teasing comes to an end when we pull into the hotel lot.
Going our separate ways, we each head into our rooms for the night. As much as going to the club to take in the sights, have a few drinks and maybe get a lap dance sounds pretty good, I really can't afford any distractions. Though we're relatively safe here, we are away from home and didn't bring any additional security with us. We didn't want to alert Aidan that we were coming, so it wasn't broadcast that we'd be making a visit.
Dear old Da has been giving me more and more responsibility lately, preparing me for the day that I'm running things, which is why I'm here handling this and not him. Jasper has been a loose cannon for the last few years, and Da doesn't intend to hand things over to him when the time comes. So, it's falling on my shoulders to show him I'm capable. Finally getting my business degree this summer was more for show, though Da has shown me over the years, there are benefits to having at least a few legitimate business endeavors. So, I'm sure I'll put it to good use at some point.
Stripping out of my suit, and sitting back on the bed, I at least decide to check in on my worthless brother; make sure things are going okay at home. The line rings three times before he finally answers.
"Yeah?"
"Is that how you answer the phone, Jasper?"
"Apparently so. What do you need, Edward?" He sounds distracted.
"What are you doing? You sound like you're busy."
"Yeah, okay."
"Jasper!" My bark finally gets his attention.
"What?" he yells back.
"I asked what the fuck you were doing. You watching porn or something? Alice not doin' it for 'ya anymore?" I chuckle at the thought of his lush of a wife not putting out now that she's got the ring on her finger.
"Oh, fuck off! I'm just taking in the scenery."
"What fuckin' scenery? It's not like there's much to see out those damn windows, except the pool. Unless you're creepin' on Bella and her friends." I'm teasing, but when he doesn't answer me, I question him again. "Jasper," I groan, "please don't tell me that you're being a peeping Tom to a bunch of young girls." Pinching the bridge of my nose, I can feel the tension headache coming.
"What? There's nothing wrong with looking!"
"If you're looking for an eyeful, go eye your wife. Or hit a fucking strip club and ogle someone closer to your own age, Jasper. She's a goddamn kid, for Christ's sake."
"Alice isn't even here. She decided to go to New York for the weekend. She said something about a shopping trip or girls' weekend or some shit."
"So, you're there alone with Bella?" I get a knot in my stomach; the thought of him being alone with her making me nervous.
"Yeah, and what the fuck of it?"
"You leave her the hell alone, Jasper." Knowing my brother's proclivity for young, petite women makes me worry for Bella; my brother being known to be persuasive when there's something he wants.
"Why you so worried, Eddie, ya want her for yourself? Well, maybe not little brother..." His voice trails off, again sounding distracted.
"Goddamnit, I mean it, Jasper. You better keep your feckin' distance and leave her alone. You hear me?"
"Yeah, yeah, I hear ya, distance... I'll try, but I won't make any promises. Hey, it was good talkin' to ya, but I gotta go..." His voice trails off, and I hear him laugh before the click of the line leaves me in silence.
"Son of a bitch," I mutter, thoroughly disgusted by my brother. Quickly dialing another number, I get Emmett on the phone.
"What's up, Eddie?"
"We need to be ready to hit the road the second we're done with Aidan tomorrow."
"Okaaay. Is there a particular reason you want to get back so soon?"
"Not really, I just don't want Bella left alone with Jasper any longer than necessary."
"Yeah, all right. I'll pack my shit tonight. Maybe we can meet with him a little earlier then?"
"We'll see. I'll make a call in the morning and see if he made good on his promise. Have a good night."
"You too, Eddie.
The next morning found us back at the warehouse. Though Aidan said he was ready, he wasn't ready for us to physically inspect things. While he had managed to track down the missing crates, they were a kilo short.
Aidan didn't live to see another sunset.
I spent part of the drive home making calls. One was to Da to tell him we needed to move things closer to home, and one was to a contact of mine in Ireland, hopeful that we'd be able to make some new business arrangements. Spending many summers and some holidays there over the years, I got to know many of my father's associates; people whose families have known ours for generations. Being able to arrange a few meetings myself will show my father that I'm ready to take on more responsibility.
I made one more call to Heidi, letting her know I'd try to stop by later. She seemed happy at the idea of seeing me. Me? I just needed to relieve some of the tension I've been carrying around for the last few days.
As we drive through the gate, we wave to Sam at his post; his ever present scowl firmly in place. Pulling up to the house, it's dark, not any lights visible from outside. The knot I had in my gut has returned.
"Em, just drop me at the door before you park."
"Sure thing." Pulling to a stop at the front door, he lets me out and continues around the house to the garage.
Stepping inside, the house is quiet, except for sounds floating down the hallway from the media room. Walking that way, I expect to run into either Bella or my worthless brother. When I find an empty room, I almost turn and leave, but the television gets my attention. A toddling Bella is babbling on the screen. I see the man who we called Uncle Charlie, and a woman I don't remember seeing, trading places in the frame. The woman's facial features and build tell me this must be Bella's mother.
Taking in the room, I see a discarded blanket and two empty glasses. Picking them up one by one, the first contains what must be melted ice and the other smells of whiskey. Dropping it to the carpet with a thud, I take off for the stairs; that sick feeling back.
Taking the steps two at a time, I'm upstairs and walking quickly down the hallway. Approaching Bella's door, I hear a voice coming from her room that I shouldn't. As I get closer, it opens.
"Thanks for lettin' me have first crack at that box 'o yours," I hear him say over his shoulder. Turning to walk out, he faces me and his surprised blue eyes catch mine.
"What the ever lovin' fuck have you done?" My voice is low, barely containing the rage quickly building inside me.
"Just havin' a little fun; blowin' off some steam."
I grab him by the collar, dragging him down the hallway; Jasper laughing the whole way.
"Oh, come off it. We had a drink together, she got a little handsy, and I figured why the hell not," he says, trying to shrug out of my grasp.
"Why the hell not? Have you completely lost your fuckin' mind?" I'm shaking him now, both my hands gripping onto his shirt. "Jasper, she's sixteen fucking years old! Sixteen! I don't care if she stripped her clothes off and gift-wrapped herself for you; she's sixteen for Christ's sake! You're fucking twenty-six! And feckin' married! And I know Bella wouldn't do that; she's not that kind of girl. So what did you do?"
I'm seething, waiting for his answer.
"Eh, it just took a little something in her drink to loosen her up a bit...and she..."
I don't let him finish his sentence before I throw the first punch. He's obviously still drunk or high because that one punch knocks him off his feet, dangerously close to the staircase. I'm in a blind rage, throwing hit after hit. Thoughts of that little defenseless girl in there and my monster of a brother forcing himself on her drugged body, it almost drives me to madness.
"You motherfucking cocksucker! How could you do that to her?" He's edging closer to the stairs with every hit. "She trusted us! Trusted our family, and you...you... Agh!" With an angry shove, I push him down from the top step, watching as he goes tumbling one at a time, coming to a stop on the landing in the middle of the staircase.
That's the moment Emmett chooses to ascend the stairs, taking in the scene in front of him with wide eyes.
"What the fuck happened? What did he do?" He bends down to check on the worthless piece of shit we call brother, looking for any obvious injuries. "Well, he's got a pulse." He looks up at me. "Do I want to know what he did to deserve this?"
I'm still standing at the top of the stairs, my heart pounding, my chest heaving. Ignoring his question, I bark out an order. "I need you to call Rosalie and ask her to come over. Bella is going to need some..." I close my eyes and swallow the lump in my throat, thinking about what's waiting for me on the other side of her door. "She's going to need some help when she comes to." I make eye contact with Emmett, and I see the moment it clicks for him.
"What? Did he...?" He can't say it either, and I can't answer; only nodding in response. Standing up, he looks down at our unconscious brother. "You son of a bitch." The kick Emmett delivers to Jasper's side probably bruises his kidney, but he doesn't stir. "Do we move him first, or do I need to make that call?"
"Call your girl first. I mean, they're close, right? Does she have any other friends that come around?"
"No, I think Rose is it right now. Any friends she had before haven't been around since Charlie's been gone."
I nod. "Okay then, call Rose, I'll call Ma and Da, and hopefully they can wrap up their business and get home early. Then we'll worry about moving that piece of shit," I say, pointing down at the bruised and battered lump that is our brother.
"Got it."
Emmett hurries down the stairs, I assume to make his call in private, and I turn to face whatever is waiting for me behind Bella's door. As I approach it, I take a deep breath and brace myself for whatever I'm about to find.
Turning the knob, and pushing the door open, I notice only a single lamp is lit on her bedside table. My eyes sweep across the room, taking in the discarded clothing strewn over the floor. When my eyes finally land on her bed, the sight causes that lump to again form in my throat.
Her tiny body is wrapped haphazardly in her sheets; her limbs at unnatural angles. Stepping closer, I can see the gentle rise and fall of her chest. Thank God, I don't see any bruising, or obvious injury, or I think I might go back out there and haul Jasper back up the stairs just so I could push him back down again. But let's be honest, I can only imagine what might be under those sheets. He could still be dead before this is over.
"Bella," I whisper, seeing if I can rouse her from sleep. When she doesn't respond, I decide to settle into the chair in the corner of the room, just to keep an eye on her. I know it'll more than likely be hours until she comes around, but I don't want her to wake up alone. I don't know for sure what Jasper gave her, I can only assume, but she'll probably feel like shit.
Leaning my head back, thoughts of dealing with the fallout from another of my brother's bad choices flood my mind. Though, I'm not sure if this qualifies as a bad choice. This crossed so very many lines, and I'm not sure what specific kind of hell Da is going to put him through. Hell, Bella may even decide she doesn't want to stay here with them. I know that would break my mother's heart. She's always had a special place in it for Bella, ever since she was a young girl, back when Charlie first started bringing her around.
Memories of all of us sharing family dinners with Uncle Charlie and Bella come back to me. Those were happier times. Back when we were still innocent to most of the evil things in this world. Yes, there was business to conduct, but they were like family to us; distant family that only came around a few times a year, but family nonetheless. He trusted us with his precious daughter, and we've failed to protect her. But, who would've predicted we had to defend her from the evils of one of our own?
A/N: Wow, you guys blew me away last week! Thanks for all the love, even if most of it was just telling me how vile you all think Jasper is.
Big thanks to Fyrebyrd, Gabby1017, Life and Death's Lullabies, and TheMetroDad for pre-reading, and to my beta, SunflowerFran, but please remember, all mistakes are mine.
Forged By Fire has been nominated for one of the top ten completed fics over on TwiFanfictionRecs. com! How cool is that?! I'd be forever grateful if you could head over there and give it some love. I'm nominated along side some amazingly talented writers and their equally amazing stories! You can vote daily, so spread the love and vote for your favorites!
I hope you're all taking the time to read the entries in the Age of Edward Contest. (fanfiction dot net /u/9351628/Age-of-Edward-2017) The submission period is over, but all entries should be posted soon.