A/N: Hey everybody! Sorry I didn't update last week…or whenever it was that I last updated my other stories. I've been busy beyond belief recently. Oh well, I'm just glad I've finally gotten this done. Anyway, I've gotten loads of reviews from all you amazing reviewers, so thank you so much. I'm happy to hear that this story is making some of you think about the severity of human trafficking, especially since a huge majority of its customers are in the US.

Anyway, I got a couple reviews a week or so ago from Zedonky. She was telling me how much she hated Victoria…and I had a little idea. In the bottom A/N there'll be an explanation of how Victoria got where she is now and why she's the woman delivering these girls to their doom. I think if you all understand her a little better, you might have a slightly different opinion of her. Though most of you will probably still hate her. Well, on with the chapter!

Disclaimer: …… -beware of the subtle subliminal message in this disclaimer-

Edward: Sovoyita would like to state that she does not own Twilight or its characters.

Bella: And she'd also like to apologize to the characters that are being used in this troubling story. No characters were harmed in the making of this story (not really, anyway).

Edward: Could've fooled me –grumbles to self-. She sure doesn't seem like she's sorry.

Bella: Oh shut it, Edward. You know that she's trying to send a message, just like any author would. Besides, I don't mind. She's offered to write a love scene later in this story if that's what the readers want. I think I'll respond to the poll on her profile too. –blushes-

Edward: …..Umm…I would like to take back any negative comments that I may have said previous to this. -lustful gaze at Bella-

Previously on Human Trafficking:

The growing need for information ate away at my innards and forced me onto my knees. "Please, miss, you need to tell us what's going on. We can't just let this continue. Please, at least a name." Her pacing slowed to a slight shift from foot to foot before she finally looked away from us, facing the wall and never turning away from it.

With a cracking voice, she responded.

"Isabella Swan."

HUMAN TRAFFICKING PART 10: STEEL CONNECTIONS

EPOV

Isabella Swan. The missing girl, the vague description that didn't do justice to the woman in front of me, everything, was now so much more real.

When you look at a Missing Person article, you never truly feel that connection, that need to find the missing person. Because even if you did want to find them, there was never going to be a pull unless you felt some sort of spark, that hint of light beaming in your mind as you reread through the article over and over again. But now that I could connect the face to the description, I could see everything so much more clearly. This was Isabella Swan, the missing girl, the one who had been missing for more than a week now. I had been irritated with the newspaper for not being more specific, for not giving us more information so we could find the girl. I realized instantaneously that though I was angered by the article, I had felt no need to go searching for the girl. I just wished they would make it easier for whoever was looking for her, that those people, her loved ones, her family, could have some closure if they found that their daughter or sister or niece was no longer alive.

"Edward, are you alright? Edward!" A large hand was waving in front of my eyes suddenly and I was able to finally see the confused yet wary face of the girl. Isabella…

I stood quickly, watching as she shrunk back away from me, trying once again to sink into the wall. I ignored her actions and stepped forward. "Isabella...you're the girl from New York…" Her eyes widened, her mouth dropping open in shock. She was frozen in her spot as I stepped forward. I hadn't meant to frighten her, but I needed to understand everything. That meant getting every piece of information I could. The connection, once nonexistent, had suddenly become thousands of steel cables, linking me to this one being. I felt I would die if I ignored this new, unbreakable thread that connected us. I had to do whatever I could, anything, to save these girls. Because all of them only had one face now, all of them were connected to the woman-child in front of me.

"Isabella," I whispered to her, trying to keep my voice even and soothing, "we need to know everything. Everything you can tell us. We're going to help you. Please, trust us." Her wide brown eyes stared at me in a mix of confusion and possibly wonder, her eyes glazing over in what I thought was tears or sadness. After a moment, she closed her eyes and shook her head, looking away.

"Don't call me that name. I don't want to hear that name again," she murmured almost inaudibly. "My name is Bella. Don't waste your time. No one can help me now." She walked to the wall and slid down until she was crouched in an uncomfortable position, her knees pulled up to her chest. Her forehead was laid across her knees and her shoulders were shaking beneath her blanket. Emmett was looking at her in a way that showed pity and slight disbelief. I was looking at her because something about her was drawing me in. Something was telling me that I needed to go to her, to protect her, to save her, no matter how greatly the impossibility of the situation stood.

"Please," I whispered to her, walking towards her before kneeling at her feet. It was getting stronger, this feeling of protectiveness. I wished to encase this girl in my arms, to tell it would be alright when I truly had no way of proving it to her. "We have to do something, anything. Whatever it takes, I'll do it."

"We'll do it," Emmett reassured from above my shoulder. I noticed that he too was on his knees now, just inches taller than me in his crouch.

Bella lifted her head from her knees, her eyes wide and her lower lip trembling in the most expressive pout I had ever seen. It looked as if she had been biting her lip, hard. The skin had very nearly been severed. Tears ran down her face as she nodded her head shakily. Cautiously, I lifted my hand to her shoulder. She stilled for a moment but only shifted her gaze to mine. We didn't look away from each other as I pulled her in for a hug, the one thing that I had been having constant thoughts of ever since she had entered the room. Into my shoulder, she began telling me a tale that chilled my bones as her warm tears fell.

--

BPOV

Thinking back, I realized that I never realized that my big brother would come in the form of a grizzly-sized man.

I'd always wanted a sibling. But I had always thought that if Renee, my mother, would provide me with one, he would be older. I don't know I'd managed that in my head, but it seemed like a pretty nice thought. But still, I always thought that the brother would come in a package that looked more like me. The one I got…still resembled an attractive grizzly-bear. Looking at the curly-locked head that was bent down in front of me, removing the bandages from my ankles, I could honestly say that, though he still scared the hell out of me, I could trust him; for now. I suppose that was how you were supposed to feel about older brothers. You trust them enough not to murder you in your sleep, but you feared for your well-being either way.

Tears didn't flow nearly as thick as I thought they would when I told them my…story, if you could call it that without a shiver crawling up your spine. My eyes seemed to have dried out, finally running out of tears that I could cry for myself. The tears for my sisters though, those would never run out. In our sisterhood, we were allowed to feel sorry for ourselves for a time, but the pain we felt was collective. It was impossible to feel sorry for ourselves for long before we realized that there were others around us, all suffering from the same or worse punishments. We could gather around and compare our scars and bruises and decide whose were worst. And once that mystery was over, we would mourn with the sister and cry out our tears once again until our own wounds had scabbed over. It was a vicious cycle, but it was effective. It made us think about others before ourselves. It strengthened our bond.

As for looking at Edward (he had told me to call him that name, though I still felt more comfortable with Mr. Cullen), I tried my best to avoid it. He was…attractive, to say the least. Had I not been at the point where I hardly trusted his calming, promising words and his gentle, strong hands, I would have been completely taken with him. And he was down-playing himself now, trying his best to seem less intimidating. Too late, I thought to myself. He's already got me worried.

It wasn't that I didn't trust him per se. It was really just the fact that, every time I looked at these two men, chills would run down my spine and I couldn't stop the adrenaline from spiking through my veins. There was a hit of it every time I saw Emmett's large, muscular hands or every time I saw Edward's strong jaw clench when I told them a particularly gruesome part of my memory. They reminded me of anger, the damage that those features could do to me.

Too-warm hands were touching at my knees, pulling them apart no matter how hard I resisted…

Teeth gnawed at the skin on my neck and collarbone, painfully cutting into my skin….

Pain…so much pain…

I would find myself in tears when these thoughts came up, the two men before me just waiting for the fury of my unknown reaction. I did my best to hold in the feelings, to keep these two from knowing that I wasn't crying over the girls that were in the other room, being taken against their wills. Shame clouded my mind when I accepted the fact that I was crying for myself, that I was pitying myself. My skin was still filthy. How could they not see the dirt crawling over my skin like corpse-eating maggots, crawling within the pores and reaching into my very veins?

I didn't like Emmett's hands on my legs. I think he could tell; he avoided touching my skin with his hands as much as possible, resorting to using cotton balls to rub in the unabsorbed ointments. He had seen me flinch just as he was about to pat my leg when he finished rubbing in the cream. He immediately put his hands at his sides and just nodded to me awkwardly. I had refused to keep on the bandages. If Victoria had seen them, if anyone had noticed, things would not end well.

Edward stood by, his hand only mere inches from my own. I never moved to grab it and he too didn't touch my skin (which made me very cautious of even being too close to him; did he see the dirt on my skin as well?). But it gave me some sort of sick relief, knowing that someone else was there, even if they were a complete and total stranger, and they cared enough to actually spend hours of their time with me. Even if the possibility of them actually being able to help was slim, at least I could see that their intentions were good.

Looking at the two men before me, I almost felt safe. There was still something about them, an air of testosterone and masculinity perhaps, which frightened me greatly. I couldn't stand thinking about their gender for too long without feeling a shiver race down my spine. The hair on my arms seemed to be on end constantly now.

"Bella?" Edward called quietly, his voice attempting a soothing air. It still made me shiver. "I'm honestly just curious but…what were you saying earlier about not being able to help us with our…relationship?" His brows were furrowed and for the fourth time this night, I felt heat flash across my cheeks. I shook my head as I stared at the ground, too embarrassed to actually say what I thought.

"I-it's nothing," I stumbled over my words. Internally, I cursed myself for not being able to keep a sharp tongue in front of these men.

"Bella," he whispered quietly, a calm that told me it was okay. It was strange. Why was his voice so smooth? His voice earlier had scared me, its attempt at perfect clarity and suave too similar to the men I had been with. Of course, it wasn't nearly the same. From what I allowed myself to remember, they never truly mastered it quite as well as he had. But that just proved to me that it was unsafe to trust him. Anyone who had the ability to manipulate their voice in such away must be an excellent liar. And liars couldn't be trusted. The girls were living proof of that.

I sighed and faced down, my cheeks still heated. Might as well surrender while I still have my dignity, I thought. "I…thought you two were…well, you know," I gestured awkwardly with my hands, putting my hands together. I was mumbling incoherently now, something about it not being right to drag me into a failing relationship. I wasn't a miracle worker. How the heck was I supposed to know how to help a gay couple with their relationship?

A booming laugh echoed through the room, making me jump in surprise. My head turned to see a red-faced Emmett hunched over the bed, his fist pounding into the sheets, his shoulders shaking with laughter. Seeing him hit the plush material so hard, his fist tight and the tendons showing through his beige skin, it frightened me. I tried not to show it but Edward's eyes were on me, his hand cautiously grabbing mine for support. I cringed slightly at the warmth of his touch, but didn't move away. Instead, I gripped hard and tried to stay in control. Edward glared at Emmett as I clenched a fist around his fingers.

"Shut up, Emmett," he hissed menacingly, his voice low. Burning prickled my eyes at the sound of his voice. It was too angry, too commanding. I tried to release my fist from Edward's fingers, but his fingers closed around mine just as my hand was about to escape his grasp. His eyes sought mine –though I had determinedly tried to avoid his gaze –and he frowned.

"No, no, Bella, I'm not mad at you," he assured comfortingly. I tried to nod but it came out as more of a tremble, the tears already bubbling over. He frowned again and tried to reach forward. I was hyper aware of his skin touching mine. I scooted back so he couldn't reach me. He was too close. I felt closed in between the bed and Edward, Emmett just barely sobering up. The frown on Edward's face grew even more pronounced as he turned toward Emmett.

"Emmett, please calm down, okay?" he requested calmly. I was still shaken up, but I tried my best to hide it. It didn't seem like I was making much of a difference. My muscles were clenched painfully tight and my teeth felt like they would break if they were put under anymore pressure. With my free hand, I wiped the remnants of tears from my eyes. No need to look weak in front of the strong.

Emmett was just getting over his chuckles, his face returning to its normal shading. As he calmed, he looked back towards me, not even seeming to notice my stiff state.

"So Bella," he chuckled, "Edward really made us both seem gay? I should have known he would make it look like my door swung that way." Edward blushed at this comment and looked away. I felt a bit of shock run through me. It seemed like such a…human reaction. It shouldn't have surprised me but the thought of these two men even being mortal just seemed ridiculous. It didn't seem real. I felt bad that Edward was fretting over this. Because honestly, Emmett was completely wrong.

"Actually Emmett," I said, my voice quiet yet sure (it was quite a surprise to me that I could actually keep my voice level), "I thought…you were the one…you know…who was, um, gay?" All was quiet on the Emmett front. The air froze and I feared that I had spoken out and was going to be punished for it. Instead, I heard something muffled from next to me. I looked to Edward to see his mouth covered with his hand and his eyes closed tightly. He looked angry for a moment but then I realized what the sound was.

He snorted.

And once I seemed to figure that out, the chuckles that escaped his mouth reverberated past his hand and through the room. They grew louder as his face grew red from lack of oxygen and his eyes began tearing around the edges. His hands clutched his stomach as he fell back onto the carpeted floor, Emmett pouting like a child who had gotten refused candy.

"Shut it, Edward," Emmett muttered childishly, kicking his foot lightly at Edward's shin. Edward, who was rolling around the floor by now, just laughed harder. There was something in his face, a childish innocence that seemed to glow from his softened complexion, which made me smile. I began listening to his laughter and imagined him as a child, not at all dangerous, just young and mischievous as he played. It was a beautiful picture, full of purity and innocence that had me biting back a grin.

--

It was about five minutes before Edward had also returned to his normal shade of porcelain. By the time he was done, he had tears running down his eyes and his hair was mussed from rolling around on the floor. Emmett was still pouting on the edge of the bed and Edward was grinning at him like he had just won a contest.

"I can't wait till Alice hears this," he taunted. Emmett's eyes widened at the name. His head slowly began shaking back and forth as a look of horror spread across his face.

"No…you wouldn't," he stammered. Edward just smiled a malefic smile at him before he caught my confused eyes.

"Alice is our sister. We're adoptive siblings," he said with a nod. I nodded back, taking in this new information. They had a sister. I wondered how young she was. Was she my age? Was she happy and healthy and free? Did she have someone watching over her at all times, protecting her from the world's hidden dangers? Was she safe at this very moment when her brothers weren't watching over her like they were me, when they weren't there to assure her that she was safe? Were they wasting their time here, with me, when they could be with her?

"Speaking of Alice," Emmett trailed on. "Didn't Jasper used to be in the military? He was in the military police, remember?" Edward nodded, his face suddenly free of all humor. Instead, a look of determination had taken over.

"That's brilliant, Emmett," Edward murmured, pulling out a cell phone from his pocket. Emmett, looking smug, nodded and looked about ready to jump up from his seat on the bed. And I sat there, confused beyond belief, waiting for someone to explain what was happening because I sure as hell didn't know.

"Dammit," Edward cursed under his breath as he snapped his phone shut. He pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers, a habit I noticed he took to whenever he was aggravated or stressed. When he collected himself, he looked to Emmett.

"We're going to have to tell him later. His phone is off," he sighed again. "But this can't wait. We'll have to call the police," and that was all I allowed myself to hear. As Edward picked his phone up to his ear, I knocked it out of his hand with a slap. Both Emmett and Edward's gazes shot to from the now-shut phone on the ground to my hand to my face, their eyes wide. I just tried to keep on a strong face and tried my damndest to keep from trembling in fear that they would find that I crossed the line. I gathered whatever false courage I had and cleared my throat.

"I won't allow you to call the police," my voice came out too soft or more requesting than demanding. But they needed to realize that the lives of the girls outside this room weren't the only ones in danger. Our blood was worth little now that it was tainted with the touch of monsters. But there were still those who were pure, those who still have lives to live.

"I don't understand," Edward said in a confused tone that backed up his question. I nodded to him.

"You don't understand a lot of things," I responded back. "If you call the police, we may get out alive," I spoke for the girls in this moment. We were a united front, "But that doesn't mean lives won't be lost. That's what I meant by the blood that will be spent in this business. The knowing survive while the unaware die. Why do you think I haven't run away?" I shook my head back and forth, trying to rid myself of the memory of Victoria waving the pictures of my mother and father in front of face, teasing me with the lives that she knew she held in her hand. "I owe these people nothing, nothing at all. But they own me because I was caught and they know that if they let me go, they don't know that I won't say anything. So why risk it?"

"But what could they possibly hang over your head? What is more important than your life and the lives of those girls in there?" Emmett asked hotly, pointing in the direction of the still-vibrating bass that I had managed to ignore. I frowned at him.

"Our families," I growled, angry that he thought me to be selfish. "Every single person we care for, dead. This is huge; don't you understand that? It isn't only Victoria and Felix out there," I pointed to the door. "Those are just our chaperones. We don't even need them. We would never run away, not when we have people out there, risking their lives for us without even knowing it. But there are people more powerful than you'd ever know. They are the ones running this. They control everything, including whether our families will live or die. They have eyes everywhere, as well as followers. We're in their control. Every single person in this damn city is in their control," I began getting hysterical, my voice becoming high and uncontrolled. "The one who's throwing this party? He's nothing compared to what you're trying to face!" I found myself laughing at how impossible this entire situation was, how screwed I was in the end. I was going to die when I wasn't usable anymore. It was fucking hilarious. To think that I was so scared of these men when I should have been worrying about when I was going to die. I was sobbing by the end of my laughter, though I wasn't sure if it was because of the laughter or something more.

--

"What time is it?" I asked, breaking the silence in the room. After my episode, no one had spoken and the air was filled with tension.

Emmett looked at his watch, "One in the morning." I cursed beneath my breath and looked at my unwounded wrists and ankles and thighs. I guessed I could always hit them against something…

"What's wrong?" Edward asked, concern seeping through his tone.

"Do I look like I've just spent five hours with two customers at a sex party?" I questioned, raising my eyebrows at him. His jaw clenched as a hint of red spread across his cheeks and ears. I figured it was mainly because of anger. Speaking so casually about what was happening now wasn't right, even if I had come to a realization that I shouldn't fear this and should really be focusing on my end. I didn't mean to make him feel uncomfortable. I sighed and held out my arm. He stared at his questionably. I sighed again.

"Indian burn, please," I asked politely, hoping he would just get to work on leaving a red welt on my arm. Instead, he just gave me another confused look. Exasperated, I looked to Emmett in hope that he would just do as I asked only to find that he had the same expression as Edward.

"Jesus, you make this harder than pulling teeth," I muttered beneath my breath. Rather than waiting for them to make a move, I just grabbed my own wrist and began twisting, pulling at the skin until it burned and stung. I didn't stop until it looked like it would be permanently red and then continued with the other wrist and my ankles. The two men didn't stop me but I could feel their gazes burning holes in my sides as they continued giving me worried looks.

"Look," I said as I continued focusing on the burning, "if they don't see anything wrong with me when they check us over, they'll think I did something wrong. I'll get in more trouble. You can either keep standing there like a couple of idiots or one of you can help me out a bit and make it look like you ruffed me up a bit. Seriously, you don't even have to punch me unless you want to," I joked dryly. "Just mess up my hair or something. I only have a minute or two before I have to get outside of this room. You two won't be able to leave the room until we're gone. They'll know there's something wrong if you come out looking exactly like you did when we got here." They didn't do anything.

"Fine," I muttered, shaking my hair around a bit once I was finished with my now red ankles. I put the stupid heels back on and tried to stand, only to be held down by Edward's hand.

"Bella," he said quietly. His voice was calm but there was something else there. "Do you know if Victoria gives out business cards?"

End chapter

Victoria's History:

So, once upon a time, Victoria was one of the most beautiful girls in a poor little village in Hungary. She wanted riches and luxury in her miserable little life but that wouldn't happen in her village. She began learning English and learning of American customs because she knew that in the United States she would find what she was looking for. But one day, a man came into her village and said he was looking to recruit young girls of beauty to take to the states so that they could become models. Instantly, she agreed, knowing she would thrive with her new knowledge of the states and her beauty.

But when she got there, she realized what was going on. So she escaped (she had a magnificent sense of self-preservation). And then she returned, realizing what she could accomplish by remaining with these people that had tricked her. She could see by the number of girls and cohorts following commands of the leader, Aro, that this was a powerful alliance. So she bargained with Aro, telling him that she would be a valuable asset. Girls would trust her because she too was a woman, beautiful just like they were, and she knew their language. Aro too found her to be useful and decided to keep her as a recruiter for the girls in the Hungarian villages.

When new girls came, Victoria felt no pity for them. She was smart and strong and daring whereas they were not. She was able to protect herself from the men while these simple girls weren't. She was powerful, too.

A/N: So that was Victoria's history. I know most of you will probably still hate her but I can't really change that. It's already been imbedded within you all to hate Victoria. Oooh, I forgot to mention. I'll be posting a Human Trafficking playlist soon (as soon as I can get my HT playlist copied from my laptop to my home computer). I've already got several songs that were kind of fitting for the chapters. Well, hoped you all enjoyed the chapter. I hope the ending didn't throw you all off. If you are confused, you'll find out more in the next chapter.

Oh, all the time lapses were there for a reason. King paid for five hours with the girls. I wasn't about to do commentary on every single second. (This is a pretty freakin' long chapter either way.)

And somebody complained about my ANs again! I honestly considered just quitting them completely but decided that I don't really care what you think about my notes. If you don't like them, don't read them. Author's Notes are my way of getting the stress off my mind from writing the chapter. It's kind of like venting after you have a huge argument with a person you hate that you knew you should have won if the other person hadn't played dirty (because you know you play fair all the time).

Whatever. PLEASE REVIEW!!!!

AUTHORS ARE FRIENDS, NOT FOOD! PLEASE DON'T FLAME THEM (AND EAT THEM). THAT, CHILDREN, IS KNOWN AS CANNIBALISM AND IS FROWNED UPON IN MOST SOCIETIES.