Chapter 29 – A Bird in the Bush

I was sure our second vandal would act up, once Emmett moved in upstairs. It made sense that if it was Tanya, she'd be upset about it and lash out. There was also the possibility that his truck being parked nightly in the same spot where it had been vandalized before would encourage a second attack, but it didn't.

Emmett had been living upstairs for a month, and the place was quiet. I would have thought his presence would have upset the Tanya-and-Rose balance, but other than the occasional glare from Tanya, everyone seemed happy to have him around.

Since he worked in construction, he left for work crazy early in the morning and was usually home by three o'clock. He would hang out in the waiting area and flirt with the customers. I noticed the people he flirted with tipped bigger, not to mention the relaxing attitude he brought to the place.

I just couldn't understand why our vandal hadn't hit again. I was so sure there was a second one, and that it was Tanya. Of course, ever since I'd hired Jane, Tanya had pretty much kept her mouth shut, at least when it came to me. I was not sure what Jane had said to Tanya, but it seemed to work. Tanya rarely even bothered to glare at me anymore.

It was highly possible that Tanya had been the vandal, but no longer felt the need to lash out. I wondered if we were really safe. Edward frequently pointed out that there were cameras no one knew about except for us, and if she were to act out again, we'd catch her.

He considered the matter settled, and I was starting to think maybe it was as well. I wanted to broach the subject of children with him. It would be time for me to get another birth control shot in just one short week. If we were going to do it, now was the time to discuss it.

I curled up into his side, resting my head on his chest, while he played with my hair. His touch was so relaxing, it was hard to stay focused and awake. "Edward," I got his attention and stopped his hand. He looked down at me worried. "I want to talk to you about something."

"A good something, or a bad something?" he asked hesitantly.

I shrugged. "Maybe good, depending on your take on it."

"Alright, what's up?"

"We haven't talked about kids again. I know you want them, and I do, too, but we never discussed when."

His eyes lit up. "Definitely a good something," he said, snuggling me tighter in his arms. "When do you want to have kids? I'm ready whenever you are."

"Really? Because I'm due for another birth control shot next week, and I can cancel my appointment if-" I didn't get to finish my sentence. I was pinned and kissed instantly. When he finally pulled back, his grin was sure to split his face. "So, I should cancel it?" I confirmed with a giggle.

"Definitely," he growled and decided to ravish me. My shot hadn't run out yet, but it was obvious that Edward thought we needed to practice making a baby. I was all for it.

We were giddy the next day, and it seemed everyone noticed. We decided not to tell anyone, except for Eddie, that we were trying for a baby. I about died, when Emmett clapped Edward on the shoulder and said, "You tried that position I told you about, didn't you? I told you, satisfies every time."

Edward looked at me wide-eyed. I was curious what this position was. "Later," I mouthed to him with a wink, and he broke out in a big grin. I had a feeling I was going to find out all about that position.

That evening, after Edward left to drop Eddie off at the bingo hall, I thought I heard something outside. I turned on the porch light and thought I saw something in the bushes. When Edward came home, he startled me and made me jump out of my skin. He thought it was just a cat. Maybe a big dog, but not a cat, I decided.

Over the next few days, I could have sworn there was something in the bushes that were by the side of the house. It was driving me nuts. I wanted Edward to go check them out, but not in the dark. We'd been so busy at the shop, that we usually weren't done doing cleanup until late in the evening.

I was in the kitchen, when I heard a bang. It sounded like someone had slammed something against our fence. I turned to Edward and Eddie, who were at the kitchen table, and both headed for the back door. Eddie had his cane raised defensively.

"Thought you could hide from me, you little shit!" a large man shouted. He had a small form in his hands, lifting them off the ground.

"Get out of my yard!" Eddie shouted in old man fashion.

"Shut up, you old geezer, and mind your own business."

"Bella, call the cops, now!" Edward ordered, and I didn't hesitate. He stepped out from behind Eddie and into view. "Drop that person and get out of here, now!" Edward's voice commanded.

"This little shit is mine, and I'm not leaving her behind." I watched through the window, as the man flung the small girl over his shoulder. He turned to leave, and I panicked. I ran to my room and dug out an old lockbox that held my dad's service revolver. I knew it wasn't loaded, but I hoped it'd be enough to stop the guy from leaving. I was a mess, trying to tell the 9-1-1 operator what was going on, while running to the door. When I told her about my dad's gun, she asked me who my father was. When I told her he was Chief Swan, she recognized the name.

"Stop right there, or I'll shoot!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. "Drop the girl now!" I ordered.

The man stopped, shocked. He pulled her little body in front of him, using it as a shield. "You've got to kill her first, if you want to get to me," he taunted. I was so relieved, when a cop stepped behind him and put a gun to his head. "Release the girl!" he ordered.

Two other cops came running up, guns drawn. The girl was dropped to the ground and collapsed in a heap.

A fourth cop came up, and I recognized him from our vandal case against Jessica. "You wouldn't happen to still have those cameras up, would you?"

"Yes, we do," Edward answered firmly and waved the cop inside.

I rushed over to the girl on the ground. One of the cops was trying to talk to her, but she was a crying mess. "You need to get her to the hospital. He was beating her, when we came outside."

She looked so young, and her face was swollen. I gently brushed the hair away from her eyes to get a better look. I tried not to grimace. "You're safe now. Talk to these guys, and they'll help put him in jail."

"It's my word against his," she whimpered.

"No, we saw him hit you, too, and we have cameras up in the yard. He's going to jail for assault, honey. Is it alright if they take you in to the hospital to get checked out?"

She looked nervously at the cop, and I suspected she didn't want to go with him, because he was a man. "Would you like me to come with you?" I asked.

She nodded yes. The cop was about to protest, but I pulled him aside. "She was just attacked by a large man, and even though you're not a real threat, in her head, it's hard to focus on that right now. Is there a female officer who can take her report or maybe someone not so big?" I asked, hoping if I stroked his ego a little, he'd give in to my request.

He looked over at the girl and let out a sigh. "Yeah, let me make a call. Would you be alright to ride in the squad car with her down to the hospital?"

"Yeah, that's fine."

"Oh, and what's this I hear about you pulling a gun on that guy?"

"It wasn't loaded," I said with a shrug and pointed to where I'd left it on the porch.

"Go lock that up, and don't pull it out again, unless it's loaded and you're ready to shoot someone. Pulling a weapon out ups the ante in a confrontation. It probably saved this girls life, but if he'd had a gun, when you pulled yours, he might've felt threatened enough to pull his. You would've needed to shoot first and ask questions later. It's good that you have one, but you need to be ready to use it next time," he lectured, bending down to look me straight in the eyes. "Get some bullets," he ordered, and I nodded in agreement, because he was right.

The girl's name was Vanessa, and she had turned eighteen just days ago. She confessed that she'd been living in the bushes alongside our house for the past week, trying to get away from her stepdad. She was a crying mess, because she thought her mother was going to be mad at her for putting him in jail. I told her that if her mother had half a brain, she'd thank her for getting her away from a horrible man. Something about this girl just pulled at my heartstrings, and I wanted so badly to help her.

Her mother did show up and was shocked by Vanessa's swollen face. Then she had the audacity to tell her that she shouldn't have provoked him. I had the woman escorted out of the hospital.

"I'm guessing you have nowhere to go?" I asked, and she shrugged. "I was on my own at eighteen, too. Well, a little younger than that, actually, and I made it alright. You'll be fine."

She cried and shook her head no. "I have nowhere to go and no friends. He made sure I had nothing and that there was no one to help me. I thought I could get away, that I'd be safe."

"You are now."

"Bella?" I was surprised to see Billy in the doorway. "Is everything alright? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, this is my friend, Vanessa, she was attacked by her stepfather. She doesn't have a place to live right now," I said and felt a little bad for spilling her private information.

He waved me out into the hallway. "Do you think she'd be interested in renting the house from you?"

"It does have six month's rent paid up on it. It'd probably be enough time for her to get on her feet."

Edward came jogging down the hallway toward us. He looked worried, but he smiled, when he saw Billy was there. "Hello, Billy, what brings you here?"

"Jake nearly hacked his thumb off chopping wood. They're stitching it back on upstairs. I was looking for some coffee in this place. I've yet to find a machine. They're all over hospitals on TV," he complained.

"Edward, Vanessa doesn't have a place to stay, and we have six months paid up on the house in Forks," I started.

"If you're alright with her staying there," he shrugged. "We really don't know anything about her, sweetheart, but if you're willing to risk it, I'm fine with it."

"You'll keep an eye on her, won't you?" I asked Billy.

"Of course, I'm always driving by and checking on the place, anyways. I'll just knock and say howdy every once in a while."

I pulled Billy into the hospital room, and Vanessa's eyes cautiously darted back and forth between me and Billy. "This is my adoptive father, Billy Black. He looks after my house in Forks for me. It just so happens that it's set to be vacant for the next six months, and you're welcome to stay there, if you'd like."

"Does he live there?" she whispered.

"No, but if you need something fixed or to check out a noise of some sort, I'm just a phone call away," he said with a smile.

She peeked up at him nervously.

"He's a good guy, Vanessa. You can trust him," I said, taking her hand. "He lives outside of town in La Push. He'll pop in from time to time to make sure you have what you need. He did the same for me." I gently tipped her chin up, so she'd look at me. "He's not going to hurt you. I know if someone came after you, he'd hurt them. He's a good man."

Her eyes watered, and she nodded okay. She was released with three broken ribs, a badly bruised jaw and a fractured eye socket. It was a miracle she didn't have a concussion or any missing teeth. I just hoped when Jake was up to taking care of the property again, that he wouldn't scare her. The poor girl had already been through hell, so more fear was the last thing she needed. What she truly needed was someone who would look out for her, a real, loving father figure. I knew I could count on Billy for that.