A/N: Here it is, the much awaited chapter 25! Now I have to say a million and three thank-yous to those that still wait faithfully for this story to continue. I've left it at the best possible spot ever for me to continue with! Next chapter, let's see what the hunk of a man Vegeta is up too!

Chapter Twenty-Five: A Blown Cover

She let the water move over her toes, lapping at her ankles. Goose bumps covered her legs as the cool liquid moved off of her feet, only to come back a few moments later. Sand made its way between her toes and she wiggled them, loving the feel of the grit on her flesh. Digging her toes into the wetness, Bulma leaned back on her palms and closed her eyes. The setting sun was still warm, kissing her upturned face as she sat there, barely out of the surf. Three months pregnant she was just starting to show, though not much. A slight bulging of her stomach, nothing more, nothing less.

Isis barked and jumped knee deep in the tide, lunging and snapping at every small wave that came near Bulma, which caused the red-headed woman to laugh. "My love. Come and sit with me." The canine did as was requested and sat, panting, beside the woman. Bulma lifted her hand and laid it on the black head, scratching between mis-matched eyes gently. So many things were racing through her mind, but the one thing that was there more than anything else at the moment was the fact that she hadn't been working for just over a month now. Having had been fired from her job at the coffee shop in the mall she knew that she needed another job, but no matter how hard she tried, there was no one hiring.

Maybe if I hadn't punched the manager and poured wet coffee-grinds over her head... She mused. The light breeze that came off of the ocean stirred her red hair across her face, stray tendrils getting caught in her lashes but she didn't care. She needed to get another source of work and she needed one soon. Her bank-account was running low, the rent and bills for her flat taking up more than she had ever thought, but she wasn't going to move. If she had to pinch every penny she earned to make sure that she kept her flat, she was just going to have to do it.

Isis stiffened and started to growl softly forcing Bulma to open her eyes. Walking, more so limping slightly, down the beach with her head down was Keisha. She didn't see Bulma but continued her slow limping walk and as she got closer Bulma could see a spit lip and an ugly bruise forming on her left cheek.

"Keisha!" She called out, jumping from her spot on the sand. The black head snapped up at her name and her dark eyes took a few moments to recognize the woman running towards her.

"N...Nikki?" She said, trying her hardest to keep her bruised cheek out of view.

"Hey." Bulma said as she stood in front of the young woman.

"What do you want?"

Bulma bit her lip. She wasn't sure what made her jump up but seeing a woman that looked so much like Vegeta, Bulma couldn't restrain herself. "Keisha, what happened?"

"What's it to you?"

Bulma heaved a sigh and ran her fingers through her hair. Keisha had to be related to Vegeta, she just had to be. "Don't you dare take that tone with me. I'm just disgusted that you'd actually let yourself get beaten up like this. What's the other chick look like?"

Keisha chewed on her lip gently and shook her head. "It doesn't matter." She grumbled and continued walking at the almost snail-like pace.

"Yes it does. Hey, don't you dare turn your back to me when I'm talking to you!" Bulma growled out. "You're just like your brother!" Bulma gasped and clasped both her hands over her mouth.

Keisha stopped in her tracks and turned around slowly, confusion written clearly all over her face, and yet her mouth was turned down in an deep frown. "How did you know I have a brother?"

Bulma looked away from the dark-haired woman and shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. "Well...lucky guess."

Keisha didn't buy it. "How do you know my brother?"

"I didn't know you had a brother. It was just a lucky guess."

"No. I don't buy that bullshit. I know you know him. You spoke like you knew him." She looked down at Isis and lifted a brow. "That's one of his dogs. How did you get her?"

"Keisha..."

"How are you?"

"Nikki Lane."

"Seriously."

"Seriously..."

"Keisha!" A male voice bellowed out in anger. Instantly Isis jumped up from the sand and turned to face the direction of the voice. The fur on her back bristled and her front paws were splayed apart.

"Shit." Was all she said before she continued down the beach at a much quicker pace.

"KEISHA! Stop right now."

Bulma followed Keisha, Isis torn whether or not she should stay between the women and the enraged man or follow Bulma. She chose the latter and took off at a quick trot to catch up. "Who's that?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Is he the one that hit you?"

"It doesn't matter! Hurry it up before he catches up to us."

They took off at a jog but they could hear footsteps thundering up behind them. Isis stopped once more and whipped her compact muscle body around to face the man. Bulma and Keisha didn't stop running and yet they heard the snarled growls and vicious warnings not to proceed. "You'd better call this dog off Keisha or else she's going to get a knife between the eyes."

The sound of the voice so close sent a shiver down Bulma's spine. How...?

"She's not mine!" Keisha said over the growling and stopped as well. Turning, she faced the man behind them with her head high. "I told you I was done. I told you that I wanted out."

"There is no getting out of the game. I told you that already."

Bulma didn't have the courage to turn around to face the man, the one man that could bring so much dread and fear into her life. "If you don't call th is bitch off by the count of three, that's it. She's dead."

"But I said..."

"One...two..."

Bulma curled her fingers inwards and whistled. "Enough Isis. Settle down." But the dog didn't stop. "Isis, down." She put as much backbone into the word as she could and was relieved when the black and tan canine settled down and came to trot back over to her mistress, though she still stood in between Bulma and the man.

"Who's your friend Keisha?"

"That...that's Nikki."

"Is she in the business too?"

Keisha shook her head. Bulma watched the woman from the corner of her green eye. "No."

"Turn around."

"No." Bulma whispered.

"Turn around."

"Jade! Leave her alone. She's got nothing to do with you!"

"I said turn around." Bulma gulped and turned slowly, eyes downcast as she looked at Jade's running shoes. A breeze blew in from off of the ocean, whipping tendrils of red over her face and neck. "Look at me."

"No."

"Why are you scared bitch?"

"Jade! Leave her alone!" The mentioning of his name sent a knot of fear into her stomach. She felt instantly cold. "She's got nothing to do with you!"

"Look at me!"

Bulma steeled herself and forced her eyes to stay where they were. She wasn't going to give into the demands of the man that had been ruining her life for so many years. He stepped closer and Isis started growling again. Thick tanned right leg lashed out, catching the rottweiler in the chest forcing her to sprawl over backwards. "NO!" Bulma cried and before she knew what was happening, her left cheek was stinging and she tasted blood. She hadn't seen the blow coming, and with the force of it had sent her reeling backwards to land on her side in the sand.

"JADE! Please! Stop!" Keisha begged, tears obvious in her voice along with a thick coating of fear.

Her slim fingers clutched helplessly at the sand. Rolling up onto her knees Bulma took a few deep breaths, calming her nerves the best that she could while watching blood dribble from the split lip onto the dusky-tinted white sand. "When I give you an order bitch, I expect you to listen to me. Got it?"

Bulma let out a cry as she felt fingers tangle into her hair, knuckles brushing against her scalp. "Jade! Stop it!" She begged, hands reaching up to dig her nails into the flesh of his wrist.

"So the bitch has claws do you? Let's see how far those get you...now, let's take a look into that pretty face of yours." He jerked her head back with sickening speed and she found herself forced to look into Jade's eyes. ""Holy-fucking-shit. I'll be damned. My, my, my look what I have here."

Isis shook sand out of her pelt and lunged for Jade. "ISIS! NO!" Bulma screamed, forcing the dog to stop instantly.

"If it isn't little Miss Bluma Briefs!"

"No!"

Keisha was puzzled and yet she wanted to help the woman who's hair was tangled brutally around Jade's fist. "Jade, please stop it. Leave us alone. I told you I was through with you. I don't want to... I do n't want to deal with you anymore."

But Jade's attention wasn't on Keisha at the moment. He couldn't help but sneer down at Bulma as his fist tightened even more. She couldn't help but let out a squeal of pain. "Ja...Jade st..stop you're hurting me."

"Good."

He would have been handsome if his face wasn't contorted by the years of anger that he forced his body to go through. Hazel eyes were clouded with hate and a sadistic joy of having the woman of his deepest fantasies within his fingertips. "Keisha ...help..." Bulma whimpered, but what did she expect the 18 year old to do?

"I..." She chewed on her lip and then took off rapidly down the sand in the opposite direction, fingers digging frantically in her pocket to reach her cell phone.

"Jade. Please..." Bulma started.

"No, you listen me to me you little whore. You should have come to that meeting that I had arranged for you, but no. You decided to be the whore that I knew you were and decided to let your parents house get blown up. I have to admit it though, it did make for some nice fireworks. Did mommy and daddy have house-insurance? Of course they did. They're not stupid enough not too. I think I did them a favor...and now, I'm going to get rich off of them."

"Jade. Let me go. I'll give you anything you want but please, let me go."

"No. You're coming with me." He pulled her upwards and she screamed again. The beach was deserted and there was no one around to help her.

"No Jade!"

"Yes Bulma. You're coming with me and you're going to make me a lot of money. I know a few men that will love to molest that sweet body of yours. I wonder how many dicks you can handle. Two? Three? I cannot wait to see."

Fear forced tears to roll down her cheeks. "Aww, the poor baby's crying. Don't worry, I'll help you get rid of those tears you stupid bitch." He started to walk but Bulma dug her feet in the sand and stayed where she was. For her effort she got another cheek-stinging blow. "Enough with your stupid games. You don't know how long I've waited for you..."

"You said you wouldn't.. Hu...hurt me." She whispered, salt coating and stinging her oozing lip.

"But I'm not. I'm not hurting you at all. If you want me to hurt you, I can hurt you. Have no fear with that. You just need to be taught to submit. That's it, that's all. If you're a good girl and learn easily, then that'll be no problem for you; but if you're gong to continue to be the complete bitch that you are...well..." He didn't finish the sentence. Sirens cut him off and for an instant he was startled. Looking around he saw four squad cars skidding to a halt on the boardwalk, some parked unceremoniously on the sidewalks. Doors flew open and officers both male and female flew out of the cars.

The sun had now set, casting a light bluish-grey over everything. Jade tripped Bulma and she landed with a hard blow on her back, head bouncing once in the soft sand. "I'll be back for you." Was all he said before spitting in her face, kicking her roughly in the side of the ribs and taking off at a dead run.

2 male officers chased after him while a woman and Keisha came running with all their might to reach the fallen woman. "Nikki! Nikki! Talk to me."

"...oww..." was all Bulma could say. Isis was standing at her head, worry in her mis-matched eyes as she bent her head down with a low whine to lick gently at Bulma's brow. Paramedics came rushing to her. A pain gripped her stomach and she wrapped her arms around herself, forcing herself to roll over onto her side. "Help me..." she whimpers.

She was helped into a seated position and then the next thing she could remember was Keisha's worried face as she fell backwards in a dead faint.