Hey guys! Thank you for the follows and favs :) Feedback is awesome!
This story is by no means appropriate for children. Go away kiddies, or you'll make me feel guilty for corrupting your beautiful minds.
SM owns Twilight.
. . . . . . . . . .
I had always thought that I would love working in a library. I loved to read, so you'd think it would be nice being surrounded by books, right?
Nope.
It was horribly boring work, I spent most of my time cataloging, maintaining old documents, procuring old documents, and retrieving information from books for people. The research part I didn't mind, it at least presented a bit of a challenge and something that could occupy my mind, but I didn't really enjoy my job. I was going to keep it for now though, because although the quiet drove me crazy, it was also a little comforting, and it gave me something to do. They were incredibly flexible with my hours too, because I was a damn good worker and I knew they'd do anything to keep me on staff at some level.
And then there was Jasper.
He appeared in front of my desk with a giant pizza box in one hand and a bright smile, and I quickly shut the thick book I had been buried in, clearing off enough space on my desk for him to set the box on.
"How was your weekend?" He asked, opening my top drawer and taking out some napkins.
"Not bad. Bit of excitement at work Friday night, but Saturday was slow. How about yours?"
"Boring. My mom set me up on a blind date with one of her friends' daughter that was in town."
"And you found that boring? How bad was she?"
"Oh my god B, she was just so… angry? Maybe pessimistic would be a better word. Not even cute angry like you are," he teased with a grin. I rolled my eyes, pulling a big slice of pizza out of the box. Mmm, bacon and mushroom. "But it was kind of depressing just being near her, like she was able to physically suck the joy out of you just watching how she watched the world. She had no drive for life."
I got what Jasper was saying. It's been over two years since we started working here, and he was the only real friend I had. Yes, I was friends with Rose, but she was like a sister to me now. It was different with Jasper, we just got along. I loved him, only as a friend but it was a very strong friendship. He always spoke his mind, but was a gentle and caring person by nature. He was comfortable with himself, he knew who he was, liked it, and I knew would never change himself. It was a quality that I greatly admired, and envied.
I didn't know who I was. I was just living, moving. I didn't know what I wanted, because I knew it wasn't safe to want anything when I was living on the edge of a cliff. I would think about that later.
After I found him, and killed him.
Victor had to die, and it was going to be by my hands. I knew without a doubt that he was still looking for me, though I hadn't gotten any sort of message from him in years. It had also been that long since he had killed anyone that I was aware of.
Why was I the only one who survived being thrown out of the car? It was another reason that I needed to stay below the radar, the families of all of those girls, they blamed their daughter's deaths on me. Victor used them for his pleasure, then used them as stationary before throwing them out the window like garbage.
But back to Jasper, we had gotten to know each other pretty well. He knew some of my story, it had to be done so he would know why I had to live my life the way I did. He was just such an easy person to love, and he had this aura about him that just made you feel happier. He needed and deserved someone who could do that to him in return. Someone who was capable of being as passionate about love as he was. I had been looking out for someone for him, not easy when you don't have many friends. I had yet to find somebody good enough for my Jasper though. I wouldn't settle for anything less than perfect for him.
"Well, at least you found this out on the first date. She could have pretended to be someone else all night, and then flipped once she got comfortable?" I wasn't good at this whole comforting thing. I was better at beating people up, but Jasper wasn't the type of person to want something like that.
He grinned with a mouth full of food. "You're right, that would have been worse." He took another bite and chewed it before talking. "Did you hear that Maggie and Garrett broke up?"
I nodded. Of course Jasper would have known, he was probably there helping Emmett destroy Garrett's liver. When Jasper had moved here, he was completely alone, leaving his parents in Texas. We had started working here together on the same day, and after he got lost and ended up in my office, I gave him directions.
He had come to my rescue, very chivalrously, that very same day right before I beat the shit out of two men who had tried to corner me in a hallway.
Then he bought me lunch, and the next day I'd paid him back, and we'd continued having lunch together every day that we've worked together since.
We had never had or given mixed signals to each other as to what this was. He never asked me on a date or tried to kiss me, we were both happy and comfortable with what we had, and just like me he had felt we were more like family than anything else. We did start hanging out after work though eventually, and when I had introduced him to my brother they clicked quickly. They were best friends now, and they hung out even more than he did with Garrett now, who had been the first friend my brother had made when we moved here.
I was happy with my little family, the four of us and Zeus. What Rose had said the other day was still bothering me; I wasn't lonely. This was all I needed.
. . . . . . . . . .
My week went by as it always did, seemingly in slow motion, but time passed none the less. I didn't like the fact that I hadn't gotten a hit on Victor for months now. There had been nothing since the woman was found outside of Chicago with the usual message on her arm.
"Don't worry baby, I'll find you. We'll be together again soon. I love you."
He could be anywhere in the world right now, and that put me on edge. We had quickly discovered that I wasn't safe in the hands of the police, or the FBI, and I took my safety into my own hands. I wasn't going to hide in a safe house that could be easily found, not again. That wasn't living, and it never worked. So I had help, a few contacts in different police departments, but it was usually Paul that I talked to. The police didn't have my address or any contact information about me, but I could talk to them. And then there was Alec. He's my one contact left with the FBI, the one that convinced them to let me get my way, and set Emmett and I up with with the contact that made the false identities we still use. They helped with things like having a job, or when a problem arose. I could go through doing things and be exempt from having to sign the dotted line. It was an annoying hassle, but better than the alternative, trying to be invisible in the middle of nowhere. I was always wearing my giant sunglasses, not working a single full-time job so I wasn't seen in the same place too often.
But I had managed to build a pretty amazing life here around that. When we had left Washington, I had had a pretty substantial balance in my bank account. I had done a few years of college, but between what was left of my screenplay, my father's estate and insurance, the lawsuit against the hospital, and other amounts left over from scholarships and martial arts tournament prizes, I had been able to buy my building and Emmett's gym on foreclosure, (thanks to Paul's tips.) His gym took off like crazy, and it only took him a year to pay me back for my investment. I was fair with my tenant's rent in my building, but there was still more than enough profit from them to keep the maintenance on the building, and support my own apartment, with extra income left over. My shares from Emmett's gym weren't needed, either was the extra income that I got for teaching my class and the others that I covered. So I really didn't need that job at the Library.
And then I'd met Rose.
That night still haunts my memories. Walking around the corner outside of my building while coming back from a walk with Zeus, and hearing the muffled cries in the alley. We ran around silently, finding her duct-taped and naked, bloodied and bruised, while the three men were taking their turns with her. Her eyes had gone wide when she saw us running up behind them silently, tears pouring down her terrified face, but they didn't notice. I had quickly grabbed a metal pipe that was sitting by the dumpster, cracking it over the skull of the guy who I walked up behind. He fell to the ground, revealing my presence to the others. The second once had better reflexes, catching the bar as I swung at him, but I kicked him in between the legs as hard as I could before jumping on the last man who was still trying to pull up his pants. He landed heavily on the pavement, and I swung furiously at his face, until the guy I had kneed grabbed me. I broke his arm with a sickening crunch, kicking him hard in the ribs before knocking him out.
I quickly ran back over to the beautiful, terrified woman, pulling my knife out of my boot and cutting her restraints, and pulled the tape off her mouth as gently as I could. I pulled off my long, baggy shirt, and helped her slide it over her head.
I tried to get her to let me take her to the hospital, but she didn't want to. She didn't want to go home either. I didn't know what else to do, so when she passed out when I lifted her up, I took her up to my apartment. She had been so cold, and I remember even Zeus being worried about her, and snuggling up to her in front of the fire while we waited for her to wake up. Once she did, she took a shower, and then let me clean up her cuts after I lent her some clothes.
We'd been tight like room temperature macaroni ever since. She had stayed in my apartment with me for two weeks, before I put her up in the second half of my apartment for a few months, and I hadn't minded in the slightest. I wanted to take care of her, because I knew exactly how horrible it was to go through something like that. I had even told her my story. She told me all about her life, her family, her aspirations and dreams.
She had moved into the city looking for work. She wanted to open a night club and needed to save up the money or find an investor. Her family was loaded apparently, but had no interest in helping her.
I had read her business plan though, and thought it was great. So I ended up making another amazing investment. I bought the club for her, helped her set up everything, hire trustworthy people, and she offered me the job as head of security. The club was exactly the thing New York had needed, and it took her even less time to pay me back than Emmett had. Along with my security paycheck though, I also had my shares in the club.
Most of my money went into savings, because I knew that someday I would have to leave again, and it can be expensive building a new life from nothing. I donated to a lot of charities too though, mostly to abuse and rape victim support groups.
I had introduced her to my brother, so she could see my work and talk to another independent business owner, and they had clicked immediately. I didn't believe in things like love at first sight, but that's what it seemed like when I watched them. It was hard for Rose at first, because even though she was crazy about him, it had only been a month since the accident at the time. My brother was a sweet guy though, even as a bit of a jock in high school he had always been respectful towards women, and Rose hadn't been able to resist his charm for long.
I knew he would be asking her to marry him, and I was pretty sure it would happen soon. I was still waiting for him to tell me, because I knew he would talk to me before he did it, but I wasn't going to bring it up myself.
. . . . . . . . . .
I felt great by the time I got to work on Saturday. Friday had been a peaceful night, and I had gotten a full five hours of sleep afterwards. Emmett had even been able to walk Zeus for me, giving me a chance to pick up the new grips for my bike that had come in early before the store closed.
I should have known that I wouldn't have two good nights in a row, but I was pissed that she had ruined it. I wasn't sure what exactly had happened to make her throw her glass at the other woman, I'm pretty sure it had something to do with some guy, but I didn't really care. The other girl didn't want to press charges, so I just dragged her out, telling her that she was banned before her face started leaking everywhere. It was disgusting, but I knew if I didn't hold her up she would just fall over and keep crying.
I almost smiled when I saw Emmett walk through the door, until I saw who was behind him.
Fuck.
Get over yourself, he was probably just going through something last time, that didn't mean he'd be staring again all night. I was still pissed though, this wasn't helping my mood.
"Hey, is everything-"
"I'll be right back," I hissed in annoyance, cutting him off. I could hear his booming laughter over the music as I pulled her down the stairs. I handed her off to Seth on the second floor, pulled Felix off the couch where he was sitting with a pretty red head, told him to fucking work, then did a pass around the main floor before walking back upstairs.
I felt a bit relieved when he didn't notice me go back to my spot. He looked even better than he had the last time I saw him. His face was bright, the tired circles that had been under his eyes last time gone. He seemed more attentive, alert, and completely annoyed by Rose's friend that kept hitting on him. The suit he was wearing was amazing, a dark Charcoal with a black silk shirt underneath.
I quickly realized the major difference in him though; he wasn't drunk right now.
I tried to ignore their table and the fact that he and my brother were apparently buddies now. What the hell? It was distracting, but I made my eyes take in the rest of the room.
I noticed when he noticed me though. My heart fluttered oddly when he stood up a second later with a determined look on his face.
I didn't have time to figure out how I felt about that, because his sister bounded over to me and just threw her arms around me and hugged me.
My heart stopped, and I felt the blood drain out of my face, not able to breathe as I looked at her in horror. What the fuck was she doing? Why was she hugging me? If she was a guy, I would have just punched her in the face immediately, but I didn't know what to do with this adorable, tiny woman that looked so fucking happy to see me. It was uncomfortable, but… I was more worried about hurting her feelings, so I just patted her awkwardly on the back while forcing myself not to throw her.
Then I heard the most beautiful, warm, heart-melting laugh I had ever heard. I looked up to see Mr. Movie Star watching us with an amused grin. I quickly composed my face. If I hadn't noticed him watching us for those few seconds, I wasn't doing my job right, and quickly looked around to make sure I hadn't missed anything else.
"The restraining order was issued on Monday. It really worked, I don't know how to thank you," she said in a grateful voice, smiling up at me. Man, I thought I was short. I wonder if she had a step ladder in her kitchen too, and if it was bigger than mine.
"You don't need to pay me back for anything," I told her, a little shocked by her words, and relieved when she finally let go of me.
"Please, there has to be something I can-"
"Seriously, don't worry about it," I told her. Could she not see that I had just been doing my job? Taking down guys like James was the best reward I could get.
"But you must have done something for it to happen that fast, I'm really-"
"I mean it," I said, my frustration leaking into my voice slightly. I didn't want anything from her, and I did not enjoy repeating myself. "That was just my job, one of the perks actually. Just forget about it." Her brother was listening to our conversation, seeming completely unembarrassed about doing so, and the rudeness of it pissed me off even more. How was I supposed to work like this? Rose needed to get her relatives under control and out of my personal space. I still kept forcing my eyes to scan the room every other second, starting to feel cloister phobic.
"I can't forget about it. You've changed my life, I've been running from that man since high school, and now he can't even look at me anymore, you-" I didn't hear another word as I shot across the room, seeing the two men pushing at each other angrily. It looked like they had been shouting, faces red and strained. Their friends were attempting to pull them apart, but I jumped in between them, giving them a hand while pushing them away from each other.
One of them recognized me, some model that was a regular here, and seeing his face pale as he quickly stepped back, holding his hands up as a show of surrender almost made me smile.
The other man didn't know me, and my presence seemed to anger him even more. He was obviously drunk, his moves sloppy, and I was able to easily dodge as he swung for my face. I grabbed his arm with both of my hands quickly, pulling him towards me as I turned and used his own momentum to roll him over my shoulder, taking the brunt of his weight in my bad hip. He landed heavily on his back, but I was still pissed that he had taken a swing at me, so I dropped down on him and punched him hard in the face for good measure, knocking him out.
The music stopped, and I finally noticed the cheering of the crowd abound me. My anger flared. What the fuck was wrong with him?
"Mitch, are you purposely trying to cause a fucking scene? Put the music back on!" I hissed. I saw him wink at me as I called for someone to come up and help me move him, and I gave Mitch one more glare before I started dragging the heavy man towards the door to my office. Seth was there in seconds, and helped me pick him up so we could quickly carry him out. He woke up on my couch a few seconds after we laid him down. I asked him if we should press charges against each other, Seth clicking the lock audibly on my office door after he closed it, and the man paled before saying it wasn't necessary. Then apologized for taking a swing at me. I let him go with a pleased smile, telling him not to come back.
Hollywood wasn't at the table when I came back out, but it was only a few seconds before I noticed him walk out of the washroom. I bit back my smile; his hair was even crazier than usual, sticking up in all directions, and it looked like he had tried to fix it with some water.
It was absolutely adorable.
He noticed me quickly also, and immediately changed his course, walking straight towards me. I pretended not to see him as he strutted over to me, hands in his pockets with that sexy, crooked smile. He stopped next to me.
"What's up pretty boy?" I asked sarcastically. He seemed surprised to hear me speak first. It took him a minute to respond.
"That was another pretty bad-ass move there," he said in a deep, smooth voice. I kept my face neutral though, not looking at him as I continued to watch my room. I wondered how many women he had been able to win over with that voice.
I wasn't one of those girls. Not in the slightest.
"Hmm." He could take that however he wanted to.
"Will you get in trouble for knocking him out?"
I looked over at him curiously, and was only distracted for a moment as his eyes seemed to widen slightly. Why would he ask something like that? Why was he even talking to me?
Had someone asked him to ask me questions? What could he possibly learn from that? I was immediately suspicious, and… uncomfortable. So I did what I did best when asked questions I didn't trust; deflected them.
"Are you playing a cop in your next movie or something?" I wanted him to get whatever he was trying to do over with so I could go back to work. He seemed confused by my question.
"What?"
"What's with the interrogation Chief Wiggum? I'm trying to work here."
"Oh, uhm-" He stuttered. He seemed a little taken aback, losing his train of thought. "My name's Edward."
I fought the urge to laugh, rolling my eyes instead. Half the world knew who he was. It was kind of cute seeing him falter like that.
Shut up!
"I am aware what your name is, Mr. Hollywood." I just wasn't comfortable saying it, or even thinking it. Names were too personal, and I didn't know him anymore. He wasn't the same man as eight years ago.
"Are you going to tell me your name?"
"No." More like a big Hell No, but I was trying not to be a total bitch.
"Why not?"
"Because you don't need to know it." And I don't trust you in the slightest. My response seemed to frustrate him, and that made me smile. Maybe if I pissed him off enough, he would leave me alone.
Or maybe if you gave him what he wanted, he would move on. I almost flinched from the sickening feeling that idea gave me; his hands touching me, holding me down, covering my mouth until my lungs screamed in pain from the lack of oxygen, ripping through me… No, no man was ever going to do that to me again. I wasn't going to make an exception for this gorgeous asshole.
He leaned in closer to me, and I almost knocked him out right there. Instead I turned and looked at him suspiciously. I wasn't going to let him see how much his presence bothered me.
"Let me take you out to dinner," he purred in that thick, sweet voice.
Holy Shit. Edward Cullen just asked me out to dinner. That's one to put in the books.
"No thanks," I answered quickly, looking back to the room.
"What?"
"I said, no thanks," I repeated irritably.
He straightened up, and I saw as he looked at me with a confused expression. I ignored him, and waited for him to walk away.
He didn't, and it looked like he tried to speak a couple times, but couldn't find any words. His sister dashed back over to me. What was with these siblings and their determination to not let me work?
"There you are!" She sang. I forced myself not to run away in fear. Please don't hug me again. "I was looking all over for you! Are you okay? Is your hand okay? How did you flip that guy like that? He was huge!"
Her excited words were adorable, and I fought to keep my lips from curving into a smile. I liked her energy.
"It's all in the hips." Unfortunately today, it was the wrong hip, and I'd probably be paying for it in a couple hours.
"What?"
"The flip thing. You take the weight in the hip, so it doesn't really use any energy." It was always the favourite move to be learned in my classes, and I loved teaching it.
"What do you mean?" She asked me curiously. I took a second to scan the room again so I could concentrate on answering her. Everything seemed pretty calm. I asked her if I could touch her, assuring her I wouldn't actually hurt her, and she was all too eager to agree. I couldn't help but smile, the excited one on her face was contagious. I loved doing this.
"Okay, well it doesn't look like it when you see it that fast, but it's all in the hips so it takes very little energy. You saw how I took his arm?" She nodded, and held out her arm excitedly without being asked, making me smile again. "So after gripping the arm and turning slightly, you use the angle to almost roll him onto your back like this," I turned in slow motion, pulling her arm over my shoulder while I turned, lifting her off the ground easily by supporting her weight with a hand on her waist so I didn't put too much strain on her arm. "Once he's there, you're using his own momentum to roll him over." I shifted her on my back to demonstrate the motion, but not bringing her far. "When you do it fast, it's much more fluid," I explained, setting her back down gently and scanning the room. I caught Rose and Emmett grinning at me hopefully, and looked away quickly. I straightened out my shirt habitually, and fought the urge to fidget before I went back to scanning the room.
"That is sooo cool, you should teach self-defence classes or something."
I almost laughed. "I do, actually." Shit, why had I said that? Damnit.
"Seriously! Can I take one?"
Her question caught me by surprise, and I asked her what just before her words clicked in my mind.
"One of your classes, silly."
That was a hard thing to turn down, because I'd never denied someone the opportunity to learn how to defend themselves. It's why I barely charged anything for my classes, and used most of the money to buy the women cans of pepper spray and snacks for the sessions.
I could do this without her knowing about Emmett, it would actually provide her with an excuse as to how we knew each other. Though it bothered me that someone would be able to associate me with two of my jobs… but Rose and Emmett trusted her, this would make them happy. "Oh, uhm, yeah, sure," I stuttered, still not believing the words that were coming out of my mouth. I looked over to the side, finding it easier to concentrate while not looking at her excited smile. "I'm not sure when the next ones are coming up. I do them at Emmett's gym, we only start them if there's enough to form a class. Just ask him."
"Cool! So you know Emmett? He's dating my cousin Rosalie, but of course you already know that, since you work for her. How did you meet them? Does she force you to wear those clothes for work? I'll have to have a talk with her about that, we could find you something much cuter. Oh, I'm working on…" I stopped my mouth from popping open as I listened to her, but was happy that she wasn't actually giving me time to answer any of her questions. I was once again in awe of her energy, and the happiness that she just seemed to radiate. It was unsettling, but I enjoyed it at the same time. "So I think we should hang out. I can tell that we are going to be excellent friends. What are you doing on Monday? The club's closed during the day right? We could go out for lunch!"
She did stop speaking then, actually waiting for an answer this time, and I froze. It wasn't enough that I told her she could join my next class, but she wanted to hang out too? She wanted to be my friend? This was so weird, fast, an unexpected. It made me uncomfortable because I felt like I had no control over this conversation. Maybe Rose was right though, about trying to make more friends. And Alice was awesome, she seemed really nice and I bet she'd be a lot of fun to hang out with.
"Oh, I work somewhere else during the week. I don't get off until three on Monday." Oh god, what was I doing… Why was I telling her these things? And in front of her brother of all people, who was still standing with us and watching our conversation curiously. I turned suspicious, was she doing this for him? It would be the simplest solution to why she was suddenly so interested.
Or what if someone else asked her to do this? Asked both of them?
"That's fine, dinner then! I know this amazing restaurant we could-"
Nope, I wouldn't go that far. I hated restaurants, I couldn't eat in them. Not while feeling surrounded like that. It was different if I was working. Sometimes I escorted Rose and her friends out if they were going out partying, just to make sure that everyone was safe. She had a few celebrity friends also, and I was good at spotting and handling photographers. "I don't really do restaurants."
"That's okay, just come over to my place and we'll have take-out."
Fuck, she was persistent. Maybe it was a family trait, her brother seemed very dedicated to staring at me. My nerves were on edge, and he was pushing me slowly off the cliff that was my professional demeanor. I pinched the bridge of my nose while closing my eyes, forcing myself to remain calm. If she was doing this for someone else, I had to know who, and to find that out I would need to get closer to her. Damn it.
"Yeah, okay. Sure."
Alice squealed happily, and I froze when she hugged me again. I almost threw her off this time. I really wished that she'd stop doing that. Thankfully it didn't last as long as the last one. "Excellent! Here's my card, it's got my number and address on it, let's plan for six-thirty? Monday night?"
I nodded dejectedly, sliding her card into my pocket. I already knew the address and phone number, but I wasn't going to tell her that.
"I'm so excited! What's your name, by the way?"
I looked down at her again. No, I couldn't tell her that, certainly not yet, and not in front of him. I didn't even feel safe giving them my fake name. "You can call me B," I told her, looking away again.
"Is that short for something?" He said suddenly. I had kind of assumed he had lost his voice. If I wasn't going to tell her my name, and I'd already refused to give it to him, did he really think I'd tell him now? Hah.
"No, my parents were aiming to have twenty-six kids, and I was the second. They thought it would be easier." I forced my face to remain serious, neutral, and it was hard not laughing at his surprised and unsure face.
"Seriously?"
"No." I looked back to Alice, while I returned to ignoring him. "I'll call you during my lunch break on Monday, but I really do need to get back to work." Please leave me alone.
"Oh yes, of course, sorry! That sounds great though! I'll talk to you then!" She said happily, turning to walk back to their table. Her brother was still looking at me.
"Hey Alice?"
"Yeah?"
"Take your brother with you. I think he's having some sort of mental episode, you should keep an eye on him." Alice burst into giggles as his mouth popped open at the clear dismissal. I met his eyes for the briefest second, winking at him. I was not some chick at a bar he could just corner and easily persuade into doing his will.
I didn't have time to see his reaction as I caught sight of two girls topple over together. I shot across the room, pulling them apart just as they had started rolling and pulling at each other's hair. They were both tanked, and not very difficult to handle. I led them both downstairs with a hand holding on to each of their upper arms, but by the time I had gotten to the main floor they were crying and hugging and telling each other how sorry they were and that they loved each other. God. I gave them both a bottle of water and stuck them into a cab together, fairly certain that they weren't going to kill each other anymore. I checked in with each of my guys as I went up, then settled back into my corner.
He looked at me every once in a while, but wasn't openly staring which I saw as an improvement. He didn't try to come over and bother me again either, though Emmett did come over to say hi, and had noticed his new friend's apparent interest.
"How's your night going so far?"
"I just want it to be over," I complained quietly. "Those siblings are exhausting, and drunk girls always know just how to piss me off."
"Has he been bothering you?" He asked angrily. "I can take care of him for you, just say the word."
I bit my lip, smiling. Yes, Emmett would be glad to beat the shit out of him for even looking at me. I had no doubt about that. I loved my brother, but I could take care of myself just fine.
"He's annoying, rude, and kind of weird, but I can handle him."
"I know you could take him, no problem, but it's one of the perks of being an older brother. I never get to beat anyone up anymore," he said with a joking pout, making me laugh. I pushed him away, telling him to let me get back to work, and he tried to grab me. I dodged easily though, getting in a light jab into his side, which gave him the chance to grab my arm and mess up my hair. Oh, hell no. My hair was never messy here, it was part of the persona I had built. I shot him a look letting him know that he'd gone too far, and sent him a swift kick in the shin. He held up a hand in surrender just as Seth called me.
"Hey boss, there's a girl throwing up really bad in the washroom. Uhmm… what do I do?"
"Fuck. I got a puker. Talk to you later," I said, and he gave me a sympathetic nod. I took the stairwell down one flight, coming out by the bathrooms, letting Seth know I'd be there in a second. I needed more female employees. Actually, I needed more people period, and soon. After losing those three asshole that had tried to steal from me, I was extremely low on bodies right now. She had already stopped and flushed the toilet by the time I got there, and opened the door for me when I knocked.
The first thing I noticed was that her eyes were almost completely dilated. Fuck.
"Did you take it on purpose, or did someone slip it to you?"
She looked at me in shock, hiccoughing as she tried to steady her shaky breathing. "I-I took it. They said it'd be f-fun."
"Where are your friends?"
"I d-don't know," she cried. "TheyleftwithoutmeandIdidn'tknowwhattodoandIgotscaredandthenIgotsickandthefloorismovingallfuckingweirdandit'sreallyscary!" She gushed in one breath before gasping and wrapped her arms around my legs tightly, hugging them as she cried. I easily stepped out of her grasp.
"Are you going to be sick again?"
"I don't think so," she whispered.
"Can you walk?" She nodded. "Then come with me."
She followed me up to my office obediently, and I gave her a cloth to wash her face in the sink in the corner. After she finished, she sat down on the couch when I told her to, and I poured her a tall glass of water which she took with trembling hands.
"What did you take, how much, and how long ago?" I asked sternly.
"Just one pill… ecstasy, about… Two hours ago maybe?"
"When was the last time you ate?"
"Lunch, around two."
"What you did was very foolish. Not only is that a very dangerous drug that could easily kill you, but it's made even more dangerous when you consume alcohol."
"What do you mean?" She asked with her wide, dilated and scared eyes. Good, she should be scared. Fear forces people to learn.
"Ecstasy dehydrates your body, making you thirsty. So it will make you want to drink, but alcohol also dehydrates you, it's what causes hangovers. It's a chain reaction, the drugs make you drink, and the drinking makes you even thirstier and you don't notice your body shutting down because of their effects. It can easily kill you." I kept my voice impassive and informative. She started crying more.
"What do I do? Am I going to die?" She asked in a desperate, scared voice.
"You should probably keep drinking that water," I said easily, sitting down in my desk chair and switching on my monitors. I smiled as she started chugging down the water, and I told her to help herself to the cooler and she kept drinking like a person who had been trapped in the desert for days. I tossed her one of my bananas also, and she ate it without question. She was stupid, but at least she could listen. I let her sit in my office with me for an hour, watching my floor on my monitor as I went through resumes and application forms.
Before I let her leave I checked her eyes, her motor skills and her blood pressure. She was still a little high, but she knew where she was and how to get home, so I put her into a cab with a bottle of water. By that time, the Cullen siblings had left, and I went back to my spot. Rose called me over once it quieted down, and I slid into the booth with her and Emmett.
"What's up?"
"You're hanging out with Alice on Monday?"
"Ughh… Yes, I am. She wants me to go over to her place for dinner," I said in annoyance.
"You don't sound very excited about this," Emmett speculated.
"I'm not, but I want to know what she's up to, what her agenda is. I don't trust her, either of them."
"She's not up to anything B, she just wants to be your friend," Rose said gently. That sympathetic look on her face pissed me off. Instead of saying something I'd regret, I said nothing at all. I was able to leave quickly, and after the stragglers were given the boot, everyone counted their tills and turned in their things, I locked up and headed home.
As soon as I was on my bike, feeling it vibrations underneath me and its loud rumble filled my ears, I felt myself relax. It was Sunday. I loved Sundays. Not as much as Thursdays, but it was still a great day. I got home, picked up Zeus, then drove us over to central park in my truck to get us there sooner. I was usually too tired after work to go out this early with him, but today I just felt restless. We ran two laps around the lake, watching as the sun began to rise. Zeus seemed upset that we didn't play catch as usual, but the park was getting too crowded so we made our way back to the truck.
We were home again by seven, and I still couldn't bring myself to lie down in my bed. I had a shower and got changed into a pair of shorts and a long t-shirt, and made myself a big smoothie.
Yup, not tired. It's probably a good thing, if I don't sleep this morning it will be easier to sleep tonight, and I'm going to need to sleep tonight if I'm going to survive tomorrow. After I finished my breakfast, I put my hair up and started pulling cleaning supplies out of my big storage closet. I kept all sorts of other junk in there; my pool table, a large table and chairs that I had for holiday dinners. I don't know why I had gotten such a big table, it could comfortably seat six, but there were never more than the three of us in my apartment. Now that we had Jasper, whose asshole parents still hadn't forgiven him for leaving, there were four of us, but we always ate at Emmett's place. I still wasn't ready to let Jasper know where I lived. I trusted him with keeping my secret, but I didn't trust myself. I also had boxes of decorations, boxes of old memorabilia, an emergency generator, a few flats of water bottles and my tools.
I pulled out my things, and went through the lengthy process of dusting my book shelves. After that was done I cleaned the top shelves of my cupboards, washed my giant windows, then swept and mopped my floors. Zeus loved trying to help me mop, and by help, I meant he kept attacking my mop and trying to pull it away from me. I still didn't get what his obsession with mops was about, but he was leaving paw prints all over the clean, wet floor, and I had to order him back to his spot about half a dozen times. When I finished, I grabbed a beer and brought him up to the roof while I gave the floors some time to dry. When I finished my drink, I went back inside, changed the sheets on my bed, and opened up my wall panel to use the laundry machines that I had in the other half of the apartment. I never used the ones on the ground floor; I preferred not to let my tenants see me too often. I felt more comfortable being the invisible person whose name was nothing more than 'Landlord.'
I had another shower, and got dressed in my normal clothes. Jeans and a t-shirt. It's how I would dress all the time if I wasn't trying to make myself seem like four different people. At the club, I was quiet, strict, and always wore my black slacks and blue shirt that made it easier to camouflage into the background, my hair in a tight bun that couldn't be easily grabbed. At the gym, I always wore my hair in a ponytail, with my black yoga pants and baggy t-shirts. That's where it was easiest to let out the anger that was constantly clouding my mind, but it helped with my persona. My people there saw me as the constantly angry instructor and partial owner. Then at the library, I dressed the part with my white blouses, black pencil skirts and heels, my hair in either a braid or a messy bun, and my fake glasses. It was my best disguise, because this would be the easiest place to find me. It had to be better. It was also the only place where I was constantly forcing myself to reign in my temper and annoyance.
But if I didn't have to do all that, I would always be in my comfy clothes. I know I probably seemed like I had a boring wardrobe, but it was a crucial part of hiding. I liked dresses, I even had a couple, but I never had the opportunity to wear them. My goal was to blend in with the world, and I couldn't do that in a dress, or showing off my tattoos. They'd make me stand out, and where my brother and sister had a pretty high social status, I needed the photographers to look over me.
I tied my hair into a long braid while I admired my spotless apartment. I loved my place, one of the perks of owning the building was that I could do almost anything I wanted with it. I had completely destroyed and rebuilt the two, two bedroom apartments. The side I used looked more like a big bachelor's apartment. I tore down most of the walls, leaving it big an open. My large kitchen, bar, and bathroom were on the side my front door was on, and on the other side was my living room area in front of my expansive shelving unit, fireplace and entertainment system. The center of the room was big and open, and on the opposite wall I had my giant four-poster bed, my rack of clothes on one side, and my tallboy on the other side next to the bathroom door. The other half was smaller, now a one bedroom with a decent living room, large bathroom and open kitchen, with a large storage closet that I used for my washer and dryer, along with other miscellaneous things I didn't have room for. It hasn't been used since Rose moved in with Emmett.
This was mine, I created it and owned it, and it was the only place I felt truly safe. Only my brother and sister could find me here. The only way in was through the locked service elevator and one stairwell, both which I kept monitored. Even if he found me, there was no way he'd be able to get into here. My door was fucking bulletproof. He'd need a grappling hook to get up to my window and break through if he wanted me in here.
Not that I would put that past him, but it was still pretty unlikely.
I invited Rose and Emmett over for dinner, something to keep myself busy. Rose was able to come, which made me smile, so I quickly started cooking her favourite. Coconut-pineapple chicken with citrus and pepper rice.
She came over just as I turned on the rice cooker, setting down a giant bottle of white wine; my favourite. Rose didn't care that I was technically under-aged. She knew I'd never drink at the club, not that she hadn't tried to persuade me to a couple times, but I'd never risk her liquor license for something so stupid.
She made up for it by trying to make me drink whenever we were at one of our apartments. Some people may think she drank a lot, but she really didn't. She wouldn't touch the stuff if Emmett or I weren't with her, and I knew she drank a lock of mocktails to keep up a certain image. I grinned, tossing her the cork screw.
"So, are you excited about tomorrow?" She asked curiously.
"I'm not sure excited is the right word," I mused.
"You know, it is okay to talk about your feelings B. I get that you were raised by men and all, but talking about how you feel isn't a weakness."
I knew she was right, every shrink Charlie had ever tried to send me to had told me the same thing. It didn't matter though, because I could never open up to someone like that, looking at me like I was some attention-seeking child that was their next paycheck.
Rose was different though, she knew me. It bothered me when she called me by my nickname when we were alone, because she was one of the few people in my life that actually knew what my real name was, but I knew it was a safer habit to be in.
I missed hearing my actual name sometimes.
"I don't trust her, and I don't trust her brother even more. I'm worried that someone is asking her to ask questions about me, and I'm even more worried that he is asking for her to ask me those things, like she's spying for him or something. I really don't trust him, he annoys me and makes me uncomfortable and I hate the way he's always fucking looking at me. But I figured the only way to find out what her motives are is to get closer to her."
Rose didn't laugh at me, or tell me that I was being paranoid. She set down her glass, and moved closer to me to take my hands. "Bella, Alice isn't trying to spy on you. She was so incredibly grateful for what you did with James, and she only knows half of the story. She admires your strength, and enjoys your attitude. She thinks you're a genuinely interesting person, and she just wants to be your friend."
"She… told you that?"
"Yes," she said with a gentle smile. "Is it that hard to believe that someone just wants to be your friend?" I looked down at my lap, not wanting to answer that aloud. People didn't like me, they were scared of me, and it was safer that way. Rose understood my silence though, and hugged me quickly. "Oh Bella, you really don't have any idea how spectacular of a person you are, do you?" I laughed, hugging her back before squirming out of her grasp to check on the chicken. "Now, Edward on the other hand-" I froze, and looked at curiously. "He just wants to get in your pants, the man is a little slutty and on the rebound. It's obvious that he has some sort of thing for you."
"Man, is he ever wasting his time then."
"You know, he asked me if you were a lesbian," she said wryly.
I choked on absolutely nothing. "Seriously?"
"Seriously. The man couldn't comprehend how you weren't interested, so his first explanation was that you were gay."
I couldn't stop laughing, and clutched at the stitch in my side as I tried to breathe. "Oh man, thanks Rose. You just made my day."
"That's what I'm here for," she said lightly. "But seriously, Edward might come off as a bit of a pretentious douche, but he's actually a pretty sweet guy."
"What are you trying to say Rose?" I asked her suspiciously. I swear, if she tried to set me up with her cousin I'd kick her out.
She sensed my anger, and quickly held up her hands. "I'm not trying to persuade you into doing anything, especially not him. You can do better. I'm just saying that he may be annoying, but he's harmless. He's also persistent, so please try not to hospitalize him? He is family, after all."
I grinned before turning and taking the chicken out of the oven. Cooked to perfection. "I'll try Rose, but I can't make any promises," I said teasingly. She knew I had a temper, it's one of the many reasons we got along so well.
After dinner, she helped me wash the dishes, and we played some tennis on my Wii-U while finishing off the bottle of wine. I walked her downstairs with Zeus when Emmett came by to pick her up, and after their cab pulled away we walked in the opposite direction.
This was one of those things that I specifically told the women in my classes to avoid. You should never put yourself into a vulnerable situation. I was completely comfortable walking around my neighborhood by myself though. No one got close to me with Zeus by my side, and I could protect myself just fine without a weapon.
And I refused to live in fear anymore.
I didn't really enjoy the scenery though, walking through the concrete jungle. It made me miss home. I loved trees. I loved my roof, but you couldn't walk far on it. I had even been debating getting a place closer to central park, but… I liked the security here, the control I had over my surroundings.
You could have both.
Hmm.
No, too many celebrities live there, which means too many photographers. I could end up in the background of someone's picture. And anyone could just walk onto my property, climb a fence. I had twenty-five floors of monitored safety between me and the front door here.
After, then. I'll just wait until after, like everything else.
Once again, my anger seemed to turn my vision almost red. I hated him so god damn much. I'd never killed someone before, but I knew when it came to him, I would have no regrets.
God damn it, I really needed to sleep tonight, and I couldn't when all I wanted to do was punch something. So I dipped into my stash and sat up on my roof for a bit, then collapsed in my bed and was out within seconds.