Chapter 16

EPOV

The day Bella found out about Jacob escaping was horrible. When we went to pick up Lila, and we told Alice what had happened, Alice and her cried all night. The last time Jacob went missing, he took Bella when she was with Alice when she went to get the car, so I know my sister has always felt like it was her fault it happened.

Now we all have to worry about it happening again.

When we finally left Alice's house, and went home, we put Lila in bed and my wife came to bed, and cried herself to sleep. I held her, trying to soothe her fear away, but nothing I did could help her. I watched as she soaked her pillow with her tears, and prayed this would all be over soon. I wanted Jacob caught and put back where he belonged, and I wanted it done soon.

The weekend passed slowly, probably because Bella refused to go anywhere. We stayed home all weekend, ordering take out, and watching movies. Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie all came by and Bella would socialize for a while, but every so often her head would shoot to the window, positive she heard someone outside or saw something, but every time there would be no one there. I hated that there was nothing I could do to make her feel comfortable in her own home.

That Monday we went back to work, but of course it was difficult for Bella to leave Lila, but of course Alice promised she wouldn't let anything happen to her. We went to work that day, and Bella did her job, but the second she had any free time, she was calling me, asking if there was any news of Jacob being caught and it broke my heart every time I had to tell her no. For the whole week, Bella went to work, we picked up Lila and she held her until she fell asleep.

Today is Friday, 9 days after we got the news that Jacob had escaped, and as I sit behind my desk and look at all the work that needs to be done, I contemplate calling Detective Aro and asking him what's going on, but then decide against it as Lauren comes in and hands me another stack of papers to be looked over. I get started after she leaves, not taking any breaks as I work to get this stuff done so I can maybe have some time to myself this afternoon.

The hours go by, and when I'm halfway through, I hear a knock at my door.

"Come in" I yell, and look up to see Lauren standing in the doorway.

"Are you busy, Mr. Masen?" she says, and I nod my head.

"Very. Is there something you need, Lauren?" I ask, and I watch as her lips turn up into a smile and she walks forward, the clanking of her heels echoing through my office. She reaches my desk and rests her had on it, leaning over and resting her chest on her forearms, causing her breasts to spill out of her bra. I avert my eyes, not wanting to look at that, and I pick up another stack of papers and set it in front of me as I wait for her to talk.

"Is there something bothering you, Mr. Masen?" she asks.

"Why do you ask" I say, putting the finished papers in a separate stack.

"You've just been looking a little tense lately" she says, and I look up to see her eyes wide and a huge smirk on her face.

"Well, yes Lauren, I am tense. I have a lot going on right now" she stands up straight and starts walking around the desk to me. She drags her index finger along the wood of my desk top as she makes her way over to me, and when she does, she stands behind my chair and puts her hands on my shoulders.

"Well, I'm a certified masseuse, I can help you relax a bit, if that's what you need." she says, leaning her face down to my ear. I reach up and grab her hand in mine as I shake my head.

"That won't be necessary Lauren" her lips jut out in a pout, and she starts to walk around the desk and to the door, when the sound of someone else knocking comes. Lauren walks over to the door, pulling it open and greeting whoever is on the other side.

"Is Edward Masen available?" I hear the person say and I immediately recognize the voice as Detective Aro's. Lauren looks back at me and I wave my hand, motioning for her to let him in, and she opens the door all the way and steps back, allowing Aro to come in.

"Call me if you need anything, Mr. Masen" Lauren says as she slips out the door and shuts it behind her. I get up and shake hands with Aro and motion for him to sit.

"I was going to call you as soon as I finished here" I say, as I push aside all of the papers and rest my elbows on the desk, and intertwine my fingers.

"I figured the news I have to tell you would be better in person." my heart starts to beat faster in my chest and I feel my stomach clench, in fear of what he's going to tell me. Has Jacob been caught, or is he going to tell me that I need to pack up and take my family elsewhere. To hide from the monster that threatens to ruin our life?

"What is it, Aro?" he takes a deep breath and gives me the best news I've had in a while.

"Jacob's been found. He's dead."

A part of me thought I should have reacted differently when Aro told me about Jacob, I mean, should I really be happy about his death?

Yes. I should.

I let out a deep breath and smiled once I heard the news, relieved that we no longer had to worry about him. I called Bella after I calmed down a bit and told her to come up to my office, and when she got up here and saw Aro, she was upset at first, worrying as I did that something was wrong. Her face relaxed and she wore an identical look of peace and happiness on her face after we told her what happened.

Aro said Jacob was found the night before, in a wooded area by some hikers. He had a bullet wound through the head, and they are pretty sure that's what killed him, but they were going to have to run an autopsy to figure out if that was actually the cause of death. Since his body was left out in the woods, animals had practically ripped him apart.

"Do you have any suspects?" Bella asked. I know she didn't really care if they had anyone is custody or any suspicions about who killed him. She just didn't want to seem like a cold hearted bitch.

"At this time, no. but they are looking into it" Aro said.

He left soon after that, promising he'd keep us updated on anything that happens in the case, but to be honest, we didn't really care. Once the door was shut behind him, Bella and I hugged each other and we couldn't wipe the smiles off of our faces as we got back to work.

The rest of the day went by quickly and I was able to finish the paperwork 30 minutes before quitting time. I pick up the phone, and dial for Lauren to come and pick all of the stuff up, and once she does, I lean back and close my eyes for a while before remembering that I wanted to call Garrett.

I sit up and pick up the phone, looking over at the post it stuck on my computer for his number. I dial it, and the phone rings a couple of times before the answering machine picks it up. I hang up and decide to check my email, seeing if he sent anything to me. I log on to my account, and when I see nothing from him, I decide he's just busy or something and I log out, and just start to pack up.

After walking out of my office and going down to Bella's, we walk over to Emmett's, and after telling him the news about Jacob, we tell him we all need to go out for dinner, to celebrate. He smiles and says him and Rose are in and we head down to our car.

We tell Alice when we get there and she hops off to get ready while we wait for her and Jasper in the living room.

That night, we eat at our favorite steak house. The night is amazing and for the first time in a couple of days, we're able to just enjoy ourselves, not worrying about who's lurking around the corner and who's out waiting for us to get home…

We can just be us.

JPOV

I've been watching Bella since the day I hid behind the car in the parking garage, hoping I could find a way to get to her alone, but every time I've been near her, Masen is there too. They haven't left each others side for days. I even parked down the street from their house, hoping I could catch her when Edward left somewhere, but of course, that never happened.

Once I killed Jacob, I threw him into the back of the truck and drove as far as I could go on the little amount of gas that was in the truck. I was able to drive pretty deep into the woods, but I still had to drag him most of the way. I contemplated burying him, but then decided against it. Jacob didn't deserve to be buried, he deserved to be eating by whatever came his way, and I was hoping it would happen.

The next couple of days, I did what I had been doing.

I watched Bella.

I watched as she laid on the couch in her living room, flipping through the channels, but not paying attention to what was happening on the TV screen. I watched as her and Masen got to work, and I saw how she was closed in on herself, and Masen looked around, as if he was expecting someone to just pop out of nowhere.

It took a couple of days for me to figure out what was happening.

They knew that Jacob had gotten out.

I can't believe I hadn't figured it out sooner. I remember Jacob telling me about Bella and Masen, and I know she was pretty scared of him because of all the crazy shit he did, but for whatever reason I didn't put two and two together.

So I decided to do something that would make them relax and act normal so that I would have a better chance at getting Bella alone.

"Seattle PD" said the woman's voice through the phone. I went to the corner store just outside of town to make this call, not wanting anyone to trace it back to me.

"I'd like to report a dead body…." I said, disguising my voice and swinging the cord of the payphone around as I wait for the woman to continue talking.

"What's the location of the deceased, Sir" the woman says, and I can hear the clicking of a keyboard in the background.

"In the woods…. About 10 minutes from the hikers trail." I say, and the clicking of keys continues.

"Can I get your name, Sir" the woman says, and I hang up. I smile to myself as I make my way to the truck, and drive off in the darkness, towards the house.

When I got home and walked up to the front door, I noticed something sticking out from the front door and as I got closer, I realized it was a Detective's card.

Detective Aro V.

Seattle PD

There's a phone number at the bottom, and on the back, there's a handwritten note.

Please contact me ASAP.

I ball the card up in my hands and toss it on the ground. I have no reason to talk to any of these fucking detectives, but I know that they won't stop bothering until they speak to me, so I decide I have to leave. I run to the bedroom, and grab one of Kate's luggage bags. I fill the black back up with all of my shit, and search the rest of her things for any spare cash that she might have kept from me. As I dig through her linen closet, I come across a shoe box, and pull it out. I walk over to the kitchen with it in my hand, and once I open it, I see that there's hundreds of pictures in it. I flip through some of them, seeing pictures of Kate with her friends, and then there's a couple of Kate with old boyfriends. Towards the bottom of the pile, there are picture's of Kate with me and Carmen.

In one of the pictures we're all at a Marilyn Manson concert. Kate and Carmen are wearing worn and torn Marilyn Manson shirts, with ripped up jeans, and I'm standing next to Carmen, with my arm around her, shirtless, with only my jeans and some doc's on. I smile when I remember that day. It was about a year into mine and Carmen's friendship, and I had invited her to the concert, she told me yea, but that we had to bring someone else along, so I asked Kate.

Kate had this little crush on me forever, but I didn't see her that way…. Until of course she became the only one to stand behind me after what happened with Carmen.

I tucked the picture into my pocket, and put the lid back on the box. I decided to take it with me, not wanting anyone to have any ties or me to Kate, and as I made my way over to the door, I remembered that Jake had a wallet on him that had fallen out when I put him in the truck. I place the Shoebox full of pictures on the table, and run through the living room and out the front door, searching in the darkness for the brown wallet I was sure was there somewhere.

After kicking up clumps of mud, and dirt and not finding anything, I was about to give up. I started to walk back towards the house to get the bag and the keys, when I feel my foot hit something. I look down and sure enough, it's the wallet. I pick it up, brushing off the dirt, and I run into the house so I can see what Jacob left me.

I unfold the wallet, and spread the cash compartment… and smile.

I don't know how much money is in here, but it's enough… and then some. I tuck it away in my pocket, and walk over to the counter, grabbing up my keys and then I turn back towards the door, picking up my bag along the way, and I make my way out to the car. I start the engine, and look back at the dark house one last time, knowing I won't be able to come back.

After I've finished saying goodbye to the old house, I put the car in drive, and drive off, ready to do what I need to do to, to bring my Bella back to me.

The next day, I sit in my hotel room, waiting for the time to roll around so I can go and see as Masen and Bella leave their job. I'm hoping that the call I put in last night will have let the police find Jacob's body, so that maybe Bella will hear that he's gone and think there's nothing to worry about so she can start leaving the house again. I've missed her so much.

The clock on the bedside table turns to 4:30, and I hop up from the bed and shut the TV off. I grab the keys and slip out of the hotel room, walk over to the elevator, and hit the button that will take me to the parking area. Once I hit the floor, I step out into the crisp clean Seattle air flowing through the parking garage, and I walk over to my car.

Once I start it, I take off down the road, towards Cullen Enterprises, and I make it there fast. I take my usual spot, behind one of the cars that give me the best view of the elevator, and I wait. I duck behind the car when I hear the ding of the elevator, and slowly poke my head out, expecting to see Bella, but I'm disappointed when I see it's not her. The random people make their way to their cars and I hope that I'm not standing behind any of their cars, and once they drive off, I bring my head back up and check the elevator again when I hear another ding.

I watch as Bella and Masen make their way out of the elevator, hand in hand with smiles on their faces, and I can't believe I hadn't thought of calling in Jacob's body sooner. Bella's face is bright and she is smiling wide as she holds his hand and they make their way to their car. Masen walks over to the passenger side, and opens the door for her, and then moves out of the way for her to get in. As she steps forward to get in the car, she stops in front of him and raises herself up on her tiptoes and kisses Masen's mouth. I grunt when I see that, wanting it to be me she kisses like that, but I remind myself it will happen soon.

She gets in the car and her shuts the door behind her as he runs around the car to get into the drivers side. He doesn't look around the parking garage this time, since the news that Jacob is dead means that they don't have to worry about him anymore. He gets into the car, and they drive off, and I run out to my car, and try to follow them.

They went to dinner that night at the steak house not too far from their job. I watched as Bella cut Lila's meat for her. Lila looked up to her mother with a look of pure adoration, and I wondered if she would look at me that way when I was with Bella, also. I hope she could accept me and look to me as her father once Masen is out of the picture.

That weekend, Bella and Masen were barely home. They went out with Emmett and his wife, as well as Jasper and his wife, and I was there, watching as they waiting in line for their movie tickets, or they ate their dinner, shit, I was even there watching when Masen and Bella would have sex.

After they went out, and they got home, they would put Lila to bed and they would go in their room. I watched from outside their bedroom, as Bella rode Edward, wishing like hell it was me under her, gripping on to her hips as she bounced on top of me, or pounding her from behind. I wanted to kill him right there, and take over for him, but I had to remind myself that it would be me soon. As soon as Monday rolled around, I'd be able to get Bella alone, and I would make her mine.

I woke up early Monday morning, wanting to watch Bella as she walked into work. I waited in the parking garage for their SUV to come into view, and my heart jumped when I saw it come into the garage. I waited as he tried to find a parking space and when he finally did, I waited to catch a glimpse at my beauty. Masen shut off the engine, and I watched as he got out of the car, and walked around it to the passenger side. I took in a deep breath, preparing myself for the beauty that is Bella, and when he open the door, I let it all out harshly.

Bella wasn't in the car.

Masen took out his briefcase from the passenger seat, and closed the door. As he walked away, I heard him engage him alarm and he stepped into the elevator. As soon as the doors closed, I ran over to the car, and looked inside, expecting to see her purse or something that would let me know that she was coming by soon… but I saw nothing.

I ran out of the garage then, and out to my car. I took out the keys and started the engine, and raced down the slick roads until I came to Bella's house. I parked down the street, and went walking up to the house. I ran around back to where her bedroom was and when I peaked in, I saw nothing but the rumpled mess of their bed. It's emerald green sheets strewn about, with no one inside of it. I scratched my head, and then walked around the house to the front, peeking in through where the living room is.

And that's when I saw her.

Sitting on the couch in a pair of tight grey yoga pants, and a white v-neck T-shirt was the most beautiful woman ever. She had her legs bent up underneath her butt, and she had her arm up, holding her head up while the other hand held the remote to the television. I wondered what she was doing home today and I started looking around, thinking maybe Lila was home sick or something, but when I didn't see her, I figured it must be Bella that was sick.

As if on cue, I watched as Bella jumped up from the couch, throwing the remote down on the seat of the armchair in the corner, and she went running with her hand over her mouth towards the bathroom. I waited for her to come back, and I wished I could go in there, and comfort her and make soup and shit like that for her. She finally comes back into view, wiping her mouth with a piece of paper, and walking into the kitchen to toss the paper away in the trash. Bella stands in front of the breakfast bar, placing her hands on the counter top, and staring off into space. She stands there, for what seems like forever, and I watch as her brow creases in concentration. She walks back into the kitchen and comes back out to the counter with what looks like a calendar in her hands. She slips through pages, and counts off on her fingers, before bringing her hand up to her mouth.

I'm trying to figure out what's going on with her, when all of a sudden she straightens up, and walks back to her bedroom. She disappears back there for a couple minutes, and I'm about to walk around the house to see what she's doing, when she comes back into the living room. She has her purse in her hand and she slings it over her shoulder, and then walk over to the key hook in the kitchen, and takes off her keys. She walks through the kitchen, and out the garage door, and I decide to run back to my car, since she's obviously going somewhere. I run through her front yard, and down the street to my car, and once I make it there, I hop in the car. I can see the garage door opening, and I watch as Bella pulls out in her rarely driven Audi coup. I duck my head down as she makes it to the road, and wait for her to pass me so I can follow her. After a couple of seconds, I realize I haven't heard her pass me, and when I look up, I see that her car is no longer there.

I curse out loud in the cabin of the truck, hitting the steering wheel before I decide to just wait for her to get back.

I pull the seat back, and lay my head back against the headrest as I wait for her to get back, so we can have our long awaited reunion without interruptions.

I'm almost finished writing the next chapter, so it should be posted by the weekend.

As always, thank you for reading and don't forget to review.

-Ana