I apologize profusely for the extra two week delay. I had a sprained and a rather nasty cut both on my writing hand. I wasn't able to write for a month and then I had exams and hardly any computer time AFter that my internet failed because my router/modem broke. Had to get a new on. I hate making you guys wait because you are all awesome and can't thank you enough for the wonderful reviews you guys send me.

I would like to give a shoutout to Tatiana A.K.A. Twilove914. She let me a hilariously long review from her phone! I loved it, especially because I was having a particularly bad day and that lifted my spirits a lot. And I would appreciate it if you didn't through the Paramore CD at my head. I have a headache as I'm typing this.

I would also like to give a shoutout to Love Does Last Forever. Your review had me laughing so loud and crazy my mother thought I was delusional. REALLY. Lol.

My last shoutout goes to Fear-My-Glitter (love the screename btw). I do know what it's like to lose someone close to me and it's not pretty. Your review just touched me and I appreciate the love you gave me about my story reading like an actual book. Thanks sooo much.

Now I know this is a ridiculously long A/N but I had to get it out. My last bit of love today goes out to my beta, BellaTonks, who's the most awesomest beta ever! She rules! And my best friend Little Silver Rose. She keeps my spirits up when I get frustrated because I can't write anything and puts up with me all day everyday. Thanks!

Disclaimer:"Hey! Steph, here! This chappie's really good. I had to wait for it forever but it was well worth it. Enjoy, dearies!" S.M.

Chapter 28

BPOV

Why was this happening to me? What did I ever do to deserve this? I don't remember ever being an adolescent teenager with the exception of those fights I got in, but that was all after Charlie blew a gasket, to put it lightly. I knew Charlie would go after the money after he found out about it but I also knew that Renee would never let him find out, no matter what happened.

Now, I have no idea where she is or what she's doing. I have no idea where I am or how long I've been here, wherever here is. I tried to shake my hair from my face but it didn't work. I was locked in a room or basement it seemed like, since there was nothing but pipes along the walls and ceiling and an old mattress I was now sitting on.

There was a small window behind me just above the bed, but I was too hurt and tired to try for it. And on top of that, I think it was covered by a board or something because I was just barely able to see through the small cracks and could visibly tell whether it was day or night. Most of the time, I wasn't conscious enough to focus on it.

Someone cuffed my hands to a pipe on the wall, so I awkwardly leaned against it while sitting on the bed. It was cold and dingy here and I swear a rat ran by my foot. I sighed and then coughed. The thick air did nothing for my lungs. It hurt to breathe. A few of my ribs, I knew, were cracked on the left side. I leaned heavily against the wall trying not to move too much. My head throbbed, it was bleeding and so was my lip.

I tried to think of good things to get my mind off the pain but it wasn't going to well. It was so intense that every time I moved I whimpered. I knew I was going to lose consciousness again soon. My body couldn't take it much longer and neither could my mind. I thought of Edward's face the night he made love to me. I thought of the pleasure he'd given me and I'd given him.

Something slivered past my leg and I jumped and then let out something like a groan and a whimper mixed together. I heard something rip.

Crap.

I was still wearing Edward's shirt. The blood had dried and it didn't stick to me anymore, but it was the only thing I was wearing save for my boy shorts. The shirt tore open on the side and the rock on the wall that tore it bit into my skin. I cringed and whimpered again.

"Edward…"

I lost my mind to the darkness.

'Hello, Isabella.' I turned my head to see Mike standing in the doorway. He was smiling the most sinister smile I'd ever seen on his face.

I cringed.

Then anger rose in my chest. How dare he put his hands on my Edward. He never did anything to him. He always protected me, to the best of his ability. He was there for me. He didn't harass me or stalk me or break restraining orders. He loved me and no one was allowed to hurt him.

I climbed off the bed, almost falling as my feet were tangled in the sheets. My vision was practically red as I made my way over to Mike.

"What did you do to him?" My voice was low and menacing, surprising even me.

"He got what he deserved. He shouldn't have been messing with what's mine." Mike smirked and raised his hand to brush my hair back from my face.

I pulled back and slapped his hand away. I raised my other hand to slap him but he grabbed it and twisted it behind my back spinning me around so my back was to his chest. He tightened his hold on my wrist and I whimpered. I could feel his breath on my neck, hot, slow and heavy. I hated it.

"Oh, Bella, you were always a feisty thing." He licked my neck. I shivered and not in a pleasurable way.

"Leave me alone, Mike," I whispered.

My eyes closed and I willed myself not to cry. I wouldn't cry in front of him. I wouldn't.

"I can never do that. You see, you are my ticket to enough money so I won't have to work a day in my life. I need you and you're coming with me."

I shook my head vehemently.

"I will never go anywhere with you. Let me go!" I struggled against him but he only tightened his hold. His other hand fisted in my hair and he jerked my head back, my scalp stinging from the pull on my hair.

"No," He said menacingly.

He pulled me out the room and into the living room. I tried to kick him but I wasn't having much luck. There was someone sitting on the couch. He rose and his face came into view when he took his hat off.

"C-Charlie? What are you doing here?"My voice shook and I cursed myself for sounding weak once again.

"I've come to collect you. Seeing as how your mother has somehow gotten away from me, I need you to get my money. But don't worry about her. I'll find her after I get the money. I'm sure she'll love having a visit from me." He laughed.

No! Not my mother. I knew she was safe and I hoped he didn't find her no matter what happened.

Charlie made his way towards me slowly. The look in his brown eyes was hatred mixed with revulsion and a slight tinge of fear on the edges. What was he afraid of? He continued his walk towards me and when he reached me he pulled out his gun and hit me on the head with the butt of it.

I was shaken awake by the creaking of the old door at the top of the steps I could barely see to the right of me. I groaned as a shiver ran through me. It hurt. Someone came down the steps. I couldn't see in the darkness so I just waited for the beatings to come.

But they didn't. Whoever it was sat something down on the bed and uncuffed one of my hands. He heaved a heavy sigh and walked back up the steps.

I looked down at the black spot on the bed. I squinted to try and see what it was but then the smell of it caught my nose. It smelled like bread and cheese and meat. I moved my hand as slowly as I could and pulled the plate towards me. There was a bottle of water next to it and I grabbed that after moving the plate.

I ate the turkey sandwich slowly. It hurt to swallow, but the water helped some. It was the first thing I'd eaten in what felt like forever. My stomach twisted and turned as the food filled it. I was hungry but I didn't realize it until I started eating. When I was done I sighed. My body wanted more, but I knew I wasn't going to get any more for a while.

I wanted to get away from the pain again. It dulled some when I was eating, but then not really. Sleeping was the most comfort I got or fainting if I got beat too much. Charlie would come down sometimes and demand to know where the money was. I didn't exactly know, but I knew it didn't belong to him.

He would never get it.

Edward wouldn't let that happen. His whole family wouldn't. My mother wouldn't. I wouldn't. No matter how much he hurt me I wasn't going to give it to him. I knew he'd kill me once he got it. It was a chance I wasn't willing to take.

I groaned as his foot came in contact with my side again. I whimpered when he slapped me.

"S-Stop, please. Why are you doing this? I never did anything to hurt you. I-I jus—" He kicked me again.

I curled into the fetal position and tried to defend myself as best I could, but it wasn't going too well. My midsection was burning. My heart was pounding. My head hurt and blood was pouring down my neck from a scratch on my face. Tears were running hot down my face. I wanted to get out of here. I wanted Edward. I wanted my mother. I wanted my family.

"You want to know why I do this? You really want to know?" Charlie didn't give me a chance to answer before he kicked me again and spoke after chuckling when I let out a scream.

"My real name is Mark Perry."

I peeked out from under my arm to look at him. He smiled evilly and squatted in front of me.

"I'm really from Detroit, Michigan. Grew up in the worst neighborhood you could ever live in. Gun fights, gangs, mobs, you name it. I watched a man rape and kill my mother. My father wasn't there. I never knew him. I was moved from foster home to foster home for over ten years. I was beaten and abused and starved. You wouldn't believe the shit I went through.

"I fought, stole, even killed a few times; did three years in juvie for robbing a bank outside of Detroit. I ran away my second year in high school to wet, cloud covered Forks, Washington. I found I had a knack for computers, so I made myself a whole new identity. I enrolled in school and met your mother soon after."

Char-er, Mark's eyes seemed to have taken an out of focus glint to them. It was like he was reliving his other life. He didn't speak for a moment. I focused on breathing and relished his moment of stillness and silence because he wasn't beating me. He blinked and then remembered where he was.

"I really did love your mother. She was everything to me. She kept me grounded. When you were born I can't tell you how happy I was. I thought I was standing on top of the world. But then I caught your mother talking to that Dr. Snow at the hospital one day. I'd gone there to surprise her but it seemed she was busy.

"They were talking and laughing and he touched her arm like a lover would. It pissed me off. You were asleep in my arms that day so you wouldn't know. Dr. Snow hugged her and ran his hand up her back. I was seeing red. I hardly had anything that truly belonged to me my whole life so when I saw that…" He shook his head as if to dispel a horrible thought.

"I started drinking. I couldn't take the thought of her cheating on me and I didn't want anyone else to have her. I beat her to show that I was the only one who could touch her. I was the only one who owned her. I beat you because you were just there. You were in the way. I was drunk and didn't know what I was doing and the times I started doing that when I wasn't drunk, well that was just because I was mad. To this day, I'm still mad. I'm just not sure why but beating felt good so did it.

"Then your grandmother died. Renee told me about her once. She told me how her mother was always there for her, how she was her best friend. She never told me that her mother was rich. She never told me about the will or the house she left you."

I gasped. He wasn't supposed to know about any of that. That was the money he was talking about.

He chuckled darkly.

"Yes, Isabella. I know about all of it. I want it. The bitch lied to me and kept secrets from me. She was supposed to be my best friend. She was nothing."

He breathed deeply.

"M-Mark, mom came home that night to tell you she was pregnant."I whispered.

He knew I was talking about the night in the kitchen, when she told me to run. He knew. His eyes grew wide and his breath hitched.

"She never cheated on you, Mark. She went to Dr. Snow because he was the one doing her checkups. He was friendly. He knew she was married to you. He was congratulating her on having another child. The unborn child you killed."

Mark's breathing was slow and shallow. His eyes lost focus and he fell back on his hunches.

"You—you're lying! She wasn't pregnant!"

"She was. She told me a few years later when we happened to be at home together and you were working. She cried for half the night. She loved that child and you took it away from her." It hurt to talk now because my breathing was speeding up. I wanted to get my point across. I wanted him to see what he did. I wanted him to see that he ruined our lives over jealousy, lies and deceit.

"I just found about the money right after I left for Phoenix. She only kept it from you because she knew you would kill both of us when or if you got it and she wasn't going to let you kill another one of her children…"

Suddenly, he stood up. I stopped talking as he moved towards me. His face was angry.

"I wanted that money because it was the only thing worth it in the pathetic marriage. It was the only thing that kept me from divorcing her because I was going to. I had the papers done up and all she needed to do was sign them. When your grandmother died, I did some research on her. I wanted to find out why your mother didn't let me go with her to the funeral home for that family meeting. I was already suspicious of her, so that first time you went to boarding school I beat it out of her." He sneered in my face.

"So this was all about the money? Is that all you care about?" I knew being indignant wasn't going to help me but I needed to know. Why did he ruin our lives for money?

"Of course, what else is there? I got busted the last time I tried to hit it big and this time I won't get caught. I missed my old, reckless self. This is a good way to get it back."

"I hate you," I whispered.

That was the wrong thing to say.

He slapped my face and kicked me again before turning and stalking up the stairs.

I wasn't sure how long I was asleep. It dulled the pain in my head some, so that was good. I turned my head to look at the poor excuse of a window and surmised that it was day time, though I couldn't tell exactly what time it was.

Then I heard loud voices coming from up the stairs. I could make out Char—Mark's voice, but the other one I had no clue as to who it was. I just hoped they didn't get any ideas about coming down here today, though; lately, I haven't gotten my way.

I wanted Edward. I wanted my family. I wanted to get out of here.

Edward. Where are you? Why haven't you come to get me yet? I need you.

Hot, salty tears ran down my face. Sobs racked my beaten and torn body. They hurt like hell but it wasn't like I could do anything else. I looked at the ring on my finger. I was surprised that Mark hadn't taken it yet. It reminded me so much of Edward. I missed him something fierce. I wanted nothing more than to be in his arms right now.

I used to be this strong girl, that didn't take anything from anybody. It started after Mark put his hands on me. I didn't want anyone to see me at my low points. I didn't want anyone to look down on me. I never did. I thought that going to another boarding school would just cause me to get into more fights and have more enemies and cause me a world of hurt, but it didn't go that way.

Edward's gaze went right through me. He broke every barrier I'd ever built to protect myself and when I tried to put them back together he told me not to. He told me he was there for me. He told me he loved me and I couldn't doubt his words even if I wanted to.

The years of pain and suffering took its toll on me and I laid everything out for him, on him. He took every part of me without complaint and I couldn't thank him enough for that.

Suddenly the door opened and the arguing from upstairs got louder. Mark's voice boomed down the stairs.

"Since you want to be so noble, you can spend the rest of your time down there with her!"

Then a gun went off. A man came rolling down the stairs.

"And don't even think about getting your cut! You fucking betraying bastard." Mark slammed the door shut.

The man at the bottom of the stairs groaned and turned over. I wanted to go help him but one of my hands was still cuffed to the pipe.

"Excuse me? Are you alright?" I asked. What a stupid question. The man just got shot.

He groaned and muttered a yeah. He stood and made his way towards me. I cringed back against the wall.

"It's okay. I won't hurt you."

When he got closer I recognized his shape.

"You're the one that's been bringing me food." I stated quietly.

He plopped down on the bed and nodded. I noticed he was gripping his shoulder.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, no, I'm fine. He just shot me. Luckily I had my vest on, but I took a rather nasty fall down those steps."

"What's your name?"

"James."

"What happened up there?"

He sighed, heavily.

"I didn't want to get in on this to torture you, Bella. I was in it for the money. He told me that he was going to hit it big and I needed the money to help pay hospital bills for my girlfriend, Victoria. She's sick in the hospital with Breast cancer. I thought Charlie was talking about the lottery or something, and then he told me to call up some guys in Phoenix to scare you into coming back and then vandalize that guy's room."

I gasped. He was the one who did all that?

"Yeah, it was a set up. You can blame that Michael kid. We only told him to scare you, not get drunk and half rape you." I cringed. "Sorry."

"So he was the one that messed up Edward's room?"

James nodded.

There was a moment of silence before he spoke again.

"I tried to get him to change his mind about all this. It's all gotten way out of hand and I don't know what to do anymore. I tried to get him to let you go and forget about all of this, but as you can see he's hell bent on seeing this through."

So he was in it for the money, too, but for a better reason then just self pleasure. He had the right goal just the wrong way to achieve that goal. It made me sad that he wasn't going to get the money to help his girlfriend.

"Do you want me to take that off? It looks painful." He nodded to the cuffs.

"Please."

It took him a minute because of his shoulder and he had to lean over me and unlock the cuffs with his opposite hand.

"There you go."

"Thanks."

I rubbed my wrists. They were chaffed from the awkward position I was in and because of the cuffs.

"How long have I been here?"

"Um, about a week,"

A week? It seemed so much longer. My time was off.

"So, since we're both stuck down here, what do we do?" I asked.

He shrugged.

"I get no reception down here, so calling for help is out. I'll search the room for something."

I nodded and he stood.

I watched him walk around. He felt along the walls and the floor. He knocked over a few paint cans I think. After ten minutes or so he gasped.

"James?"

"I think I found something."

Something rattled and then opened. A bright light filled the room.

"I found a way out!"

Betcha didn't see that one coming, huh? It didn't seem to farfetched though, does it? The characters kinda took over me while I was typing so ya'know. Review and let me know.

OH! I have a one-shot coming out soon. Maybe this week or next week, not sure. It's from the Inheritance Cycle so if you read the books and like some lemons you'll like it. And the next update for S.A.M. won't be so far away. I promise!

That's all for today! Press the green button below and Edward may come visit you...or anyone to your liking. :)