A/N... This is an extremely important, extremely touchy chapter. Not that I want to ruin this for you, but I think this chapter needs some WARNING: I need to prepare you for speak of violence against women, rape, and abuse.
My next request, because some of you "don't care what she did," is that you hear out Kyra, Esme, and Bella in this chapter. That is all.
I'll let you get on with it. For some of you...this will explain everything. All of it. And for the rest of you, well...we'll just see...
My last request is that you see me at the bottom...
CHAPTER 11
BELLA
The first thing I noticed when Edward pulled back into the driveway was that not only was Carlisle there, but Wes was currently sitting at the end of our outdoor tables with Ike Raulson, who was wearing an unreadable expression.
"Look!" Bethy squeaked excitedly. "Poppy!"
"Poppy!" Sammy chimed in.
Neither child could get to him quickly enough as he met us at the car, yanking open the back door first. It didn't matter if it had been a few days or a few hours, Poppy always received a huge welcome.
"What's going on?" Edward asked him, giving Raulson a quick glance. "What's he doing here?"
"Well, it was either kill him myself for what he's done...or hand him over to Wes," Carlisle muttered back, a sneer curling his upper lip, even though he was lifting my son into his arms. "It's quite possible that Ike is in some serious trouble."
"What did he do?" I asked, helping a wriggling Bethy out of the car so she could run to her grandfather.
"Well, since the last known residence of Preston Raulson was Ike's home in California, Wes was able to obtain a search warrant for the home," Carlisle said, smiling down at Bethy hugging his leg. "Right now, they're currently combing the place from top to bottom. It seems Ike has been abusive his whole career. And not only that, Kyra's not the only one he took in. There were stacks of video tapes down in his personal recording studio of recording sessions. You know he specialized in underage stars." The last statement was accompanied by a pointed look. "Well, he did up until about five years ago. Then he stopped taking them in, running music camps, and allowing them to live there."
I frowned, shaking my head and giving Ike a long, studying stare. "Not that I don't want him in trouble, but...hasn't the statute of limitations run out on abuse, no matter what kind it is?" I asked, turning back to Carlisle.
"Yes, but not on murder," he answered, and Edward and I gaped at him. "It seems that someone on one of those video tapes was recognized by a Fed as a missing girl from a handful of years ago. That's what they're talking to him about right now. Well, that and Preston's whereabouts."
"What did he do to Kyra?" I whispered, my imagination running absolutely wild with the possibilities.
"That's her story to tell. I haven't heard it myself, but Esme is encouraging her to tell the two of you," he sighed, squatting down to scoop Bethy up into his other arm, "because Kyra insists on continuing to work, so she doesn't want to go with Wes. So she needs Gravity. She needs you two. However, I'm well aware that she's slowly wearing out her welcome here."
"Slowly?" Edward and I scoffed, rolling our eyes.
Carlisle grinned, shaking his head. "Right. So Esme's hoping that if Kyra explains herself, you'll reconsider." He turned his head, kissing Sammy's forehead, only to do the same to Bethy. "I'm taking my grandkids inside, and we're gonna make a mess of your kitchen," he said cheerily, which caused Edward to chuckle. "And then...we're going to veg out in front of the TV with a giant bowl of popcorn."
Both kids cheered, and he grinned, like it was the best sound ever.
"Anyway," he chuckled, turning back to us, "I've got these guys, so take your time. Esme's in the office."
Edward and I made our way across the yard to Gravity's office, not even bothering to give Ike a glance on the way by. We opened the door to see my crew staring at one of Alice's larger computer monitors. It seemed that Rose and Emmett weren't back yet.
"No, no, no!" we heard over the speaker, and then the slam of what sounded like a piano lid, because a discordant note droned just a bit, though the sound of someone crying out overshadowed it. "You'll never make it if you're lazy. Stars aren't lazy. Now...focus!"
On the monitor was a younger Ike, though he still carried a foul, angry look on his face. Sitting at the piano was a boy in his teens, who was rubbing his knuckles, because Ike had apparently slammed the lid down on them.
Alice spun around in her chair after pausing the video. She, Kurt, Mickey, and Makenna were all wearing sickened expressions on their faces.
"He's...he's an asshole," Alice stated, sneering up at the screen. "Wes had his agents forward me some of the tapes they'd found when they searched Raulson's home in California. So far, they're all like that. Verbally and physically abusive."
"And this one," Makenna added, clicking the mouse so that another video started. It was the same setting, though a different student – a girl. "This girl is the one they think is missing. They're not sure. It's been a long time."
"Yeah, I'm running an aging program on her face," Alice sighed, gesturing to another computer. "Wes wanted to know what she'd look like now, just in case she's not really missing. Right now, we have no idea who she is."
Edward and I watched the video in silence, because it seemed that poor girl had it worse than the boy before. He reminded her that she had nowhere to go, that she was worthless without him, and that if she didn't perform up to par, then she would be living on the streets.
"Is that..." Edward started, frowning at the screen and pointing just a little. "Is that...Preston in the background? Can you zoom in on that?"
"I have, and yes, it is," Alice told him, flipping over to a frozen portion of the video.
"Damn, that's disturbing," I muttered, because Preston was watching his father with rapt attention, an almost blissful smile on his face. He would've been about college age, a fair amount of time after Kyra had lived in the house.
"Again!" Ike barked over the speakers, but we all paused when my office door flew open.
An ashen faced Kyra glanced frantically around the room, only to find the source of her terror on the screen. Cassie and Gator appeared at her side in the doorway, but she couldn't take her eyes off the monitor.
"Molly," she whispered, narrowing her eyes a little, but we all jumped when Ike's voice boomed again.
"Preston!" he growled. "Get her out of my sight. Neither of you are doing me a damn bit of good today," he sighed dramatically. "You brought this worthless thing into the house, so you can take care of her. I can't put her in front of the audition board like this..."
Ike waved a dismissive hand at the both of them, but it was Preston's reaction that caused us all to flinch. He snatched Molly up by her arm, whispered fiercely in her ear, and then shoved her out the door.
"Molly who?" Alice asked Kyra.
"Just...Molly. I never knew her by anything other than her stage name," Kyra whispered, still staring at the monitor.
I turned to Alice and Makenna. "Can you narrow in on him? What's he saying to her?"
"I can try," Alice offered with a nod. "I mean, these were taped, not digitally recorded. The Feds converted them and emailed them to me."
I nodded in acceptance, but I knew Alice would indeed try to pull the sound out of it. I turned my gaze to Mickey, who looked like she couldn't decide who to hate more...Preston on the screen, or Kyra in the room.
"Mick," I called. "Get with Kurt...you two search for missing girls about fifteen to twenty-one by the name of Molly. Use her description to narrow it down. Okay?"
"Won't the Feds be doing that?" Kurt asked, though he was already pulling a computer to him.
"Yes, but we're better," I told him.
"You're keeping my case?" Kyra asked, flinching when I rounded my gaze on her.
"Right now..." I started, trying to keep my temper with her in check, because I hadn't forgotten the way that she'd talked to Bethy or the way that she'd touched my husband, but I could see that she was absolutely terrified. "Right now, I'm simply helping an FBI friend."
"Isabella," Esme chided softly from behind Kyra. "You and Edward come in here. I think you need to hear a few things."
Edward took my hand and led us into my office, brushing past Kyra. I could tell my husband had some pretty sharp things he wanted to say to her, because his jaw clenched and his eyes were dark. Esme was sitting behind my desk, a few hand written pages of notes in front of her, so Edward and I took the small sofa I had along the side, while Kyra and Cassie took the chairs in front of the desk. Gator opted to stand in front of the door once he'd closed it.
Once everyone was settled in, Esme sat forward, resting her elbows on the desk. "Kyra has some things she'd like for all of you to hear. I'm going to ask you all to stay quiet until she's finished." She turned to her gaze to me. "You of all people will understand that what she's about to say isn't easy, so bear with her, but she felt that those of you in this room deserved to hear it from her."
My eyebrows shot up, but I nodded, turning my attention to Kyra, who was wringing her hands nervously in her lap.
She suddenly snapped her gaze to meet mine. "Who'd you tell first? About what happened to you?" she asked.
"Edward," I answered instantly, and he linked my fingers with his, letting a deep breath out. "He was there, and he'd seen where I was, so he was the only one that I felt would understand. Eventually, I told everyone."
I paused, letting her study us, because that was what it seemed like she was doing. She took in our body language, our linked fingers with Edward's thumb circling over my own, and Edward's kiss to my head. I couldn't imagine what she was looking for, but I knew what I felt. I felt comfort, our deep history, and Edward's calming presence.
I frowned at her petrified, yet longing expression, because I'd been there. I didn't feel all of my hatred and anger dissipate, but it was suddenly overshadowed by sympathy and pity.
My head shot up to look at Esme. "She has PTSD," I gasped, because I'd just recognized everything Kyra was doing right then – her refusal to see reality, her constant need to work, to bury herself in something she was good at, and her clinging to the one person that made her feel safe.
I'd been so wrapped up in the case, her affair with Edward, and her pretentious attitude that I didn't see it for what it truly was.
"She does," Esme sighed, her eyes sad as she looked back to Kyra. "And a touch of depression and OCD, if I'm not mistaken."
Cassie stayed quiet like she always did, but her eyes flickered around at all of us, finally landing on Kyra. "What happened, K?" she asked, almost in a whisper.
Kyra opened her mouth to speak, but snapped it closed again. Beads of sweat glistened on her forehead, and she suddenly didn't look like the superstar she was. She looked like a child, a lost and scared little girl, despite the fact that she was about thirty years old.
"It gets easier every time you tell it," I murmured, shrugging a shoulder and leaning into another kiss to the side of my head, because Edward hated this type of shit. If he could erase my time with Miller, he'd have done it years ago, and he never spoke of it. At least, not in front of anyone other than myself or Esme. Hell, I wasn't even sure he'd ever talked to his father about it. "Trust me." I swallowed thickly, mentally preparing myself to listen to her. "He hurt you, didn't he?"
All eyes in the room spun to look at her, and she nodded slowly, tears filling her eyes. "Yes," she whispered, licking her lips and taking a deep breath.
With an encouraging nod from Esme, she started.
"My dad was a good man," she sighed, smiling just a touch. "He was a baker in Pittsburgh, but gave it all up when they offered me a national show. He didn't think twice. He moved us to LA immediately." She paused long enough to swipe at her tears, but went on. "He was my manager before Ike. I really relied on him, because it was just the two of us. He set me up with the right banks, the right accounts, the right music, simply by going on instinct. He wasn't a Hollywood guy; he was just a dad trying to take care of his daughter.
"He had diabetes," she sighed, rubbing her face. "So when the show was just about over and Ike offered me a recording contract that was more mature, I jumped at the chance, but my dad... He didn't like Ike. At all. It was the biggest fight we'd ever had, but he eventually gave in, because the contract was too big to ignore. Ike promised huge things for me. You know?"
We all nodded, though I wasn't sure she even saw us, because she was staring back down at her hands.
"One day, his sugar got too low," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "He'd waited too long or something, and he couldn't get to his insulin. By the time he realized it, it was too late. He was gone. I turned seventeen the day of his funeral," she muttered.
"Damn," Gator groaned, shaking his head, because all of this was new to him. He'd only joined her after her second tour. He knelt beside her, but she barely acknowledged his presence.
"Ike offered to take me in," she continued, staring at the rug. "He helped me become an emancipated minor and gave me a room in his house. I thought... I thought that since I was working so much with him anyway that it would be okay. He had a son about my age, he had plenty of room, and I could certainly pay my own way, but I didn't realize...I didn't know..." Tears streaked down her face as she finally glanced around the room. "My dad was right not to trust him."
"What did he do?" Edward asked softly, giving Gator a glance, and then the door, because the asshole in question was mere yards away.
"Don't you dare," Esme ordered softly. "Edward, you'll stay right where you are."
"Yes, ma'am," he sneered, but his eyes flickered to the door one more time.
"At first, he was just really strict," Kyra continued, as if no one had interrupted her, "though he treated me better than he treated Preston. He was really tough on his son. We weren't allowed to really go out, hang with friends, or party, because I was pretty recognizable at that point. We both were responsible for chores around the house. Normal stuff, really. It wasn't bad. I kind of liked it, because I felt like a regular kid, not a TV star." She snorted humorlessly, shaking her head. "Preston went to school, while I was taught by a tutor. We got along, I suppose. Preston was dating a girl named Felicia at the time, and I was kind of jealous, because Ike wouldn't let me date. Hell, he barely let me out of the house, except for work purposes.
"After about six months of living in Ike's house is when... when he first hit me..." She took a deep breath and let it out. "Two months later, he...snuck into my room the first time."
"I'm gonna kill that motherfucker!" Gator snapped, standing up suddenly, but he found himself stopped at the door by Edward.
"Wait, man," he grunted, gripping him by the shoulders. "Let her finish. Esme's right. You need to hear the whole thing, Gator."
Gator nodded, but stayed leaning against the door. Edward took his place back next to me.
"Did he..." Cassie asked, but never really finished her question, because Kyra was nodding.
"Fuck," I hissed, leaning forward and putting my elbows on my knees, because it suddenly made sense, the way she'd reacted to my story about Miller. She'd told me I was lucky, and at the time, I'd thought she was referring to my relationship with Edward, but she hadn't been. She'd been referring to the fact that I hadn't been raped.
"How many..." Gator started, but couldn't bring himself to fully ask the question.
"I don't know. I stopped counting," she sighed, shaking her head. "It would always happen after a terrible practice, or a messed up performance. He would...choke me...during..." She swallowed thickly, looking back down at her feet. "It sort of slowed down when I turned eighteen. I'd started touring, met Roger...and Gator," she sighed, gesturing to the seething man still leaning against the door. "Plus, Preston was giving him trouble. He ran away or something."
"To New York," Edward added, and she nodded.
"Yeah, he'd gotten arrested for something to do with his girlfriend," she gasped, gaping up at him like he was reading her mind. "Ike didn't touch me while I was on tour, because Gator became my personal bodyguard. And I moved in with Roger soon after we got married. However, once he found out about my filing for divorce, he started to blackmail me. Said he'd tell the world that the famous Kyra Bailey had slept her way into a recording contract if I didn't keep quiet, because he started again. It all snowballed at the USO tour," she murmured, giving Edward a quick glance.
"That's why he hated Edward," Cassie surmised, her mouth hanging open. "Not because of Edward himself, but because he was..."
"Yeah, taking what he considered to be his." Kyra nodded. "Well, that and the fact that he was terrified of Edward. He was uncomfortable in Afghanistan as it was, but Edward threatened him, told him if he didn't play nice that he'd find himself in the middle of the desert – or even worse, the middle of the fighting."
Edward smirked, shrugging one shoulder at Esme's tsk, but she was fighting her smile. "What?" he asked her.
"Nothing. Please go on, Kyra," she urged gently.
"By then, I'd figured out that if I was dating someone or working, Ike left me alone. I also noticed I wasn't the only one he was...bothering. There were others," she stated, gesturing a thumb toward my office, but she finally looked up at Edward. "I'm sorry, Edward. I'm sorry I panicked when we parted ways. I wanted so badly for him to stop. I thought maybe if you...if we..."
"I get it," he sighed, holding up his hand, and I could see that he just didn't want to hear the details.
"You were my last shot," she stated sadly. "After that, I tried to avoid him. In fact, I almost quit the business, but he wouldn't let me. So I stayed busy. He left me alone while I filmed two movies, recorded another album, and worked the Oscar circus bullshit," she sighed, almost in relief. "By then, I was drinking heavily, dating around, and just...busy."
"Why didn't you tell someone, K?" Gator asked, kneeling back down beside her.
"She couldn't," I muttered, my fingers gripping my hair, because her story was fucking eerily familiar. She was tortured, although in a different way, but I understood it. A warm, strong arm slipped around me as I gazed at my feet. "She felt weak and used. And I'm sure Ike was still holding his threat above her head. Who would everyone believe? The young talent with a drinking problem? Or the music mogul who had made millions producing the biggest and the brightest?"
"Exactly," Kyra breathed, gaping at me. "I just wanted to pretend..."
"That it didn't happen," I finished for her, sitting up straight to look at her as she nodded, because I had a theory. "Ike flipped the fuck out when he found out about you and Preston, didn't he? Ike blames you, but something else happened, didn't it?"
"Yeah," she whispered with a nod. "Preston figured it all out, once I tried to end things with him. Everything. The two of them didn't have just a 'falling out,' like Ike said. It was a huge fight. Preston assumed it was consensual, so he hated us both. He'd never stood up to his dad before, but he did then, and it almost got him killed. Ike just about beat him to death, because Preston wouldn't stop. He was already upset that we'd broken up, but he was so possessive of me that he just didn't want to believe it."
"Ike's currently being questioned about that girl you said was named Molly," I stated, still not ready to face her request to continue her case. "What do you know about her?"
"Not much," she said with a shrug. "She worked with Preston and Ike, but I thought they'd dropped her. It happened a lot in the business. The talent was either there, or it wasn't. The powers that be either loved you or hated you. I wasn't living at Ike's then. I was already out, living in my own house, when I wasn't on a movie set or touring."
I studied her expression, not knowing whether to believe her anymore. She never quite told the complete truth, but it was Cassie that called her on it.
"You can understand why they're a little wary, Kyra," she murmured. "You've not exactly been a model citizen around here."
Edward snorted, shook his head, and looked to me with a hidden raised eyebrow from the rest of the room. I had to fight my smile at Cassie's sugar coating of things and at my husband's expression, but I squeezed his hand.
However, it was with an almost stone, cold face that he turned back to her. "Of all the people in this room, I would've just...understood, Kyra. You could've just told me, or even that you were just fucking scared and needed my help. There was no need for any of your...actions. I'm not sure what you want from me. And I'm not sure if I can ignore how you've disrespected my wife, my kids, and me." He grimaced a bit before going on. "I'll apologize again for my actions back then, if that's what you want, but had I known what this bastard was doing, I could've done something about it. He would've been...stopped."
Esme and I flinched, because we knew what he truly meant by the word "stopped." Edward was just like Carlisle, and sometimes, they used the same intonations with their words. She and I knew that it was quite possible that Ike Raulson would've met his demise in the middle of a desert. And no one would've thought twice about it, because it was a war.
"I know! I'm sorry," she breathed, tears filling her eyes and flowing down her face.
"Kyra, tell him," Esme urged her gently. "Tell him what you told me."
"The last time Ike..." She huffed a deep breath, but her crying was too thick. "We were at my house. We'd found out that Solstice was being bought by Twi Tech. He told me that Carlisle Cullen was personally overseeing the transition and that no one's job was safe. Teri was there, and she was excited about the change, but Ike looked sick, because he told us that every talent was going to be interviewed." She hiccuped a bit, swallowed, and went on. "I told Teri that I wanted to try recording in Seattle, that a new city, a new studio, and a different sound would be a good thing, but I knew then that Carlisle was your dad." Kyra paused swiping at her face, but took a handkerchief from Gator when he offered it.
"Go on," Edward said softly.
"That night, Ike was awful. He threatened to out me for the whore that I was. He told me that his son's behavior was all my fault, and he choked me so hard that I blacked out. I thought he was going to kill me," she sobbed, but took no comfort from either Cassie or Gator. "The only thing I could think of was to get to your dad and find you," she finally blurted out to Edward.
"Damn, honey," Gator groaned, giving Edward a worried glance, but quickly wrapped her up in his arms. "How could you believe him? We would've backed you up, Kyra," he stated, gesturing between himself and Cassie, who was nodding.
"Because when you're told something enough times, you start to believe it," I stated softly, thinking how I'd been pretty sure that Miller would rape me and kill me and no one would know, simply because he'd taken the opportunity to tell me that every chance he fucking got. I'd been convinced I was going to die alone in that basement.
Edward gazed at me, his face unreadable as he reached up and tucked my hair behind my ear, but we both looked up when Kyra exploded.
"I didn't know what to do! I'm so sorry to both of you!" she sobbed hysterically. "All I could think of was that I needed Edward to make Ike go away. I needed him to make them both go away. I couldn't take it anymore. The only time they left me alone was when I was dating someone, and I couldn't think of any other way. I thought if they knew you were back in my life, they'd back off. I didn't mean any of it. I didn't want you that way, but you were the only one that truly scared him, Edward." She turned her gaze to me. "I'm so sorry, Bella. I didn't mean it. I don't have feelings for him, but I panicked. Ike called me this morning after that talk over the phone in the office. He threatened to kill me if I told anyone the truth, because he knew Carlisle was about to ask me about Solstice. I freaked out. I needed Edward to be with me."
I sighed, because her fear was palpable, like it was another being in the room. And it explained everything – every angry snap, every fight, every flirty statement – especially because it had escalated once Ike had flown in from California. It all made sense, because she'd thought that Edward was the same person he was back then, but he wasn't. He'd changed, and nothing she did could break his hold on me, on his kids. Her last desperate attempt had backfired, because not only had Bethy interrupt her, but it had earned my fist to her face, along with the muzzle of my gun. But her sweaty forehead, her heavy breathing, her now endless tears...they told me more of the truth than anything else. She was fucking scared to death...of everything.
"She didn't know any different," Esme said explained softly, her gaze directed at me. "It's what's always worked, so she used it – however futile it was. With any other man, it might've worked like a charm, but not with Edward. Anytime anyone she was dating got too close to the truth, she ended things."
"Oh," Edward and I said at the same time, looking back to Kyra, who was now wrapped up by Cassie and Gator.
They spoke quietly to her, but Esme got up and sat beside me, glancing between me and Edward. "She's a mess. Emotionally, she's probably a decade behind where she should be, so all of these games she's been playing made sense to her. She didn't say anything about her abuse to you," she said, giving me a pointed look, "because you intimidate her. Not because you're running the case, or even Edward's wife and the mother of his children, but because you survived something awful, and she didn't think she would. While you still experience some panic attacks, you're light years ahead of her, and she doesn't think she's that strong. She's still convinced Ike, or even Preston, will get to her."
I turned to look at Edward, who was wearing the familiar face of anger and control as he gazed at the three people on the other side of the room. He looked like he wanted to hit something.
"Hey," I called to him, turning his face my way. "Calm down, just for a minute, okay?" I asked him, because I knew for a fucking fact that there wasn't a force on God's green Earth that would stop him once we left this room. He was going for Raulson, no matter what.
He nodded, but turned his attention to Esme. "You believe her?"
"Every word," she vowed. "I recognized the signs of a panic attack this morning. I'd seen her do something similar before. She needs extensive therapy...and medication. She's probably a razor's edge away from suicidal. If her faith is in you, then I'm asking you to continue the case, because she's determined to work, and Wes won't allow it. It's part of her OCD – constantly working, constantly performing to perfection. If she works, then everything is okay. If working keeps her focused and calm, I see no harm in it...as long as she's protected from Preston and under my guidance."
Edward looked to me, his beautiful green eyes full of only one silent question.
Did we continue the case?
I sighed, giving Kyra one more glance. She was watching us, practically holding her breath and wringing her hands in her lap. Gone was the pop diva, the pretentious star. She wasn't even looking to Edward for the answer; she was looking to me, because she knew it was ultimately my call.
I stood up and walked to her. "He would've done it for you, you know. All you had to do was be honest," I told her. "He would've acted the part, pretended to be with you. It's something we do when catching cheaters. It's not his favorite thing, but he would've done it," I snickered, smiling at Edward's chuckle behind me. "Things are different now."
"I'd never told anyone," she whispered, sniffling a bit.
"It's easier to keep it inside," I agreed, nodding a bit, "but you don't have to be afraid of Ike anymore."
"You can't know that," she breathed, shaking her head profusely, and her eyes darted toward the window.
"Oh, yeah, I do," I chuckled, turning to Edward. "Baby, why don't you go ask Mr. Raulson why he's threatening our client? I'm sure Wes would like to know."
Edward's grin was a mixture of pure wickedness and childlike gratefulness. He stood up from the sofa and walked to me, dropping a kiss to the side of my head.
"Yes, ma'am," he grunted softly into my hair. He turned to Kyra. "No more games, Kyra?" he asked her, raising an eyebrow at her. "I mean it. No more bullshit, no more lying...and you owe my daughter an apology for this morning."
"No, Edward," she sighed, shaking her head. "I know I don't deserve your forgiveness...from either of you, but..." She paled, glancing out the window. "Are you really going to ask him?" she whispered.
"Yes," he huffed, reaching for her hand, "and you're going to watch."
"What? No! He'll kill me!" she argued, tears welling up in her eyes, and I reached for her other hand.
"Kyra, stop," I hissed in her ear. "He wants to show you what happens when the monster gets called out. Come...I'll be right next to you the whole time," I promised her.
Edward yanked open the door, and the office came to a standstill. "Em, Alec, Jazz...on me. Now!" he ordered, and not one of those men questioned him.
They all stood up, pulling their weapons from their shoulder holsters or the small of their backs, immediately following him out the door and into the yard. Ike Raulson paled when he saw what was coming for him, and Wes turned to see what had caught his attention.
"Em, grab his shoulder," Edward ordered, and they snatched the older man up from the picnic bench, practically throwing him into the thick tree trunk at the base of Bethy's tree house.
"Ed...what are you..." Wes started, but Edward held up a hand and turned to Ike.
"Oh," he chuckled darkly, "I always knew you were a piece of shit, Raulson." Edward wrapped his hand around the man's throat and squeezed. "Sucks, don't it? When you can't breathe?" he asked him, and then leaned in. "I know all about you, you know. I know you like to smack people around, talk trash, rape young girls," he growled low. "Did you think I wouldn't find out?"
Ike's eyes went wide, and he tried to gasp for air, but Edward squeezed just a little bit harder. But when his eyes landed on Kyra, three guns engaged in his face – Jasper's, Alec's, and now Gator's. Emmett, however, smacked his face open handed. Hard.
"Ed's talkin' to you, dude. I'd pay attention to the guy that could order your death," he advised, though his sarcastic tone was loud and clear.
"You're done, asshole," Edward continued. "No more threats, no more job, no more music."
"Ooh," Emmett chuckled, putting a hand to his ear. "Do I hear the fat lady singing?"
Kyra huffed a laugh, because damn it, Emmett just took everything in stride.
"Kyra!" he rasped, and Edward squeezed his throat tighter. "What did you tell them? You can't possibly believe anything she says!"
"I know you threatened her just this morning," Edward stated, wearing a smug as hell smile. "I have proof of it, because every single call that goes through Kyra's phone is recorded. We set it up that way when she arrived here." Edward brought his hand back and let it fly open handed across the man's face. "Every video in your recording studio is now being analyzed by my team and the FBI, so by the time they're done, no one will believe you over her. You like beating up on people, then take your best shot, Ike. Let's go."
Edward backed away, and so did Emmett, but Raulson only stayed leaning against that tree. His legs shook, his hands shook, and he didn't move an inch from that tree. My husband chuckled, shaking his head.
"Wes," he called over his shoulder. "You're going to take this asshole away from me, or his body will disappear in those woods," he stated, jerking a chin toward the surrounding forests.
"Sure, man. What are we arresting him for?" Wes asked, stepping closer and pulling out handcuffs.
"Rape, assault, attempted murder, and whatever else you feel like tacking on," Edward answered him in a sneer, but leaned into Ike's face so that they were practically nose to nose. "I should've left you in the fucking desert years ago."
"She asked for it!" Ike snapped, and suddenly a fourth and fifth gun from Emmett and Edward were being pointed in his face. "She was unfocused and scattered without me! She was so easily distracted. She needed me to make sure she paid attention. She needed my guidance, or she would've never made it in this business. Without me, she would've been nothing!"
"She was a fucking child!" Edward growled low, his face a fiery ire. "Kids are supposed to unfocused, scattered, and easily distracted! You outweigh her by what...eighty pounds? You're twenty years older than her? Did women your own age see you for what you really were? A fucking pig? Did you choke your ex-wives? Abuse your other children? Because you've done a fine job with Preston." Edward started to walk away, but he turned back to Ike. "Oh, and for the record, I will hunt your son down. And I'm going to tell him all about you. I'm going to tell him just what his dad really did to the girl that broke his heart. And then?" He grinned, chuckling just a bit. "Then I'm going to call in a few favors and make sure you two are in the same cell together."
With that, Edward turned to his boys. "Stand down. This is Wes' arrest."
"Ike Raulson, you have the right to remain silent..." Wes started, and that was when Ike's true character came out, because he started to sob like a child, like an emotional woman after watching a sappy movie.
Kyra watched with an open mouth as her tormentor broke down in front of her eyes. He was nothing more than a whining, pleading, blubbering mess by the time Wes marched him by us. Esme wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders, because the reality of the situation was hitting Kyra hard. I knew from experience that the feeling of watching your captor, your worst nightmare, get broken down to nothing can be overwhelming. The monster goes from larger than life to a sniveling cockroach in the blink of an eye.
"I'm going to give you something to help you sleep, Kyra," she whispered to her. "It's been a really tough day, but you did really well."
Edward walked by, his face still dark and angry, and Kyra went to say something to him, but I stopped her.
"Not yet," I whispered, shaking my head. "You have no idea the restraint he just used. He's still...volatile. You can talk to him after you've slept and he's calmed down."
I knew Edward well enough to know that it had taken everything within him not to kill Ike on the spot, because Ike was the lowest of criminals in Edward's eyes. I'm sure there were a ton of factors that helped him focus, one of which was the fact that his kids were just inside the house. The other might have been the Feds' presence.
"Right now," Esme sighed, "the only one that can get through to him is Bella."
"Well, then, thank him for me," Kyra whispered through her tears.
"I will," I vowed.
Before Esme could lead her away, she turned to me. "How'd you get through it? How'd you not just...give up?" she asked me.
I smiled, looking around my yard. Edward was opening up his woodshed, his boys nearby, but not bothering him. My girls were leaning in the office doorway, and glancing up at my front porch, I could see Carlisle leaning there as he assessed the situation. I finally looked to Esme, who was smiling warmly at me, because she probably knew what I was about to say.
"Them," I stated firmly, gesturing to everyone. "All of them. They made me talk, made me get it out, and made me see that I'd survived. I wasn't weak, and he didn't take the best part of me." I gestured to Cassie and Gator. "I'm pretty sure you've got the same support system. Just ask them." Her friends nodded profusely, and I smiled. "Get some rest. This will hit you a bit tomorrow, I'm sure. And you've got a show to prepare for."
"'Kay," she whispered, looking to Esme.
I turned away from them, because I had to go calm my husband down. I walked to the shed, waving off the boys, but flinched at the banging from inside the workshop. I went straight in, leaning on the closest workbench to Edward. He'd already tugged his shirt off over his head and tossed it into the corner. I stayed quiet as he lifted a rather larger, but very beautiful piece of what looked like maple onto his sawhorses. I would be willing to bet it was going to be the top of Bethy's desk.
"I wanted to kill him," I heard him seethe as he kept his back to me.
"I know," I sighed, pushing myself up onto the bench. "I'm not sure I would blame you, but..."
"If I'd known..." he growled, finally glancing up at me. "He would've never laid a hand on anyone again..."
I frowned, but nodded. "He'd been hurting her, threatening her for years. She knew nothing better than to hide it, Edward. She was just a kid when he started. I'm not sure how Esme got her to tell it now." I waved him to me, and he came willingly. Pulling him between my legs, I cupped his still angry face, but it slowly softened as he wrapped his arms around me. I pulled at him until his forehead fell to mine. "You didn't know, baby. And she wanted it that way. It's not your fault."
He let out a deep breath, pulling back to drop a heavy kiss to my forehead. "I love you," he murmured against my skin.
"You're the bestest in the whole wide world," I teased him, smiling when he snorted, but he broke out into a sexy crooked smile.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." I sighed, brushing my lips across his. "I'm a very lucky woman."
~oOo~
EDWARD
"Edward," Alice called from behind me as I yanked the ties through the eyes of the tarp covering my chopper. "I'm going to record the whole show tonight. The arena is letting me tap into their feed. But I was wondering if you boys will wear cameras, too."
"Sure, pixie," I grunted, tugging one tarp down and tossing it aside. "I'm sure that's no problem."
"Um...what happened in that office?" she asked softly, and she was suddenly at my side.
I pulled the other tarp away, gathering them up to stash behind my woodshed. I turned back to her, because Kyra had given permission to let the whole crew and the Feds know what happened. "You mean...you didn't record it, Ali?" I teased her, knowing the whole damn office was wired for fucking sound.
"I did," she said with a cheesy grin.
"Then go listen to it," I said, waving a hand at her. "It's not my story to tell, and I'm not sure I could repeat it if I wanted to."
"That bad?" she gasped.
"That bad." I rubbed my face, because my sleep had been for shit, but I had to ready my chopper, set up teams for that night's show, and make Bethy's and Sammy's breakfast and lunch. "In fact, have everyone listen so that we're all on the same page. And you'll treat it with the utmost care and professionalism, Alice," I ordered, raising an eyebrow at her
I knew those girls were still thinking that Kyra was trying to come between me and Bella, and while their loyalty was always appreciated, it was now a moot point. Once Ike had been arrested, I'd calmed down, and Kyra had been given something to help her sleep, we'd called it a night without explanation, so I knew they were about to go out of their minds with curiosity.
"Yeah, got it," she murmured, but stopped before walking away. "You should know that so far, there is no mention of Ike Raulson's arrest. It's probably because it was here...out of the public eye," she surmised, and I nodded, opening the side door of my chopper. "Also, you should hear that final call from Ike to Kyra. I have it on my..."
"No, I shouldn't," I snorted, rolling my eyes. "It was all I could do not to kill him in my own fucking front yard."
Alice giggled, and it was just as comforting as Bella's laugh, so I couldn't help but smile back at her.
"He threatened her, yes?" I verified.
"Yeah. He did."
"So she was telling the truth."
"Yes, she was," Alice sighed. "Guess I'd better go hear that whole story, right?" she asked, grimacing at the thought.
"Right," I grunted, pulling myself up into the pilot's seat as she walked back to Gravity's office.
I checked my gauges, hopped down, started to fuel her up, and made sure all was ready to go for that night. I was lost in thought, when the best sound piped up from behind me.
"Morning, Daddy," Bethy sang, and I turned to see her already dressed for school.
"Morning, little sweetness," I chuckled, because she was just picture perfect in sunshine yellow. Two loose braids fell over each shoulder, and my baby girl was once again in overalls. "What are you doing out here?"
"Mommy sent me," she answered, climbing up into the pilot's seat. "Where are we going?"
"You aren't going this time, baby," I sighed, standing up beside her. "I've got to work tonight."
"Miss Kywa's singing, wight?" she asked, grabbing onto the control stick, like she was flying.
"Right, smart girl," I chuckled, feeling my bad mood slowly ebb away as I pressed a kiss to the side of her head. "And believe me, I'll miss my favorite co-pilot." I pulled myself inside, picked her up, and settled her on my lap with her back to my chest. "Tell me...is she fueled up?"
One tiny finger traced over the gauges, finally tapping the fuel gauge. "Yup!" Bethy chirped, grinning at my nod of approval. "I want to fly somewhere wif you, Daddy," she stated, but she sounded commanding, just like I had a tendency to do.
I grinned, wrapping my arms around her in a squeezing bear hug. "Oh, yeah? And where do you want to go?" I asked, chuckling into her neck.
A tiny shoulder shrugged up, but she giggled. "Disneyland!"
I laughed, shaking my head. "You want me to land this thing right in front of Cinderella's castle?"
"Yeah!" she cheered, nodding fervently, and her sweet eyes were the brightest of green.
"You're silly," I chuckled, kissing her cheek with a loud, sloppy raspberry. "Now...why did Mommy send you out here?"
"She said both her boys were cranky and that she needed my help," she told me, turning around to give me an assessing look. "You don't look cranky now, Daddy."
"No, not now," I sighed, kissing her forehead. "What's wrong with Sammy?"
Bethy shrugged a shoulder, so I told her to hold on to my neck, and I swung us down to the landing pad and set her on her feet so that I could close up the chopper. We walked into the house to find a very unhappy Sammy sitting in his highchair and my wife looking a touch worried as she fixed herself a cup of coffee.
I gripped Bethy by the overall straps and lifted her up level to her mother's face. "I found this outside. Should we keep her?" I asked, smirking at Bethy's giggle.
"Yes, and she needs to eat," Bella chuckled, wrapping her arms around our daughter and walking her to a stool.
"Daddy," Sammy whimpered, looking up at me with big, brown, sad eyes and a frown that was almost comical. He was so fucking cute, but obviously unhappy as he reached for me.
"Hey, what's this?" I soothed him, scooping him up into my arms, but when I kissed his forehead, he was burning up. "He's—"
"Got a fever," Bella finished for me as she plated toast and eggs for Bethy. "Yeah, I know. I've got to keep him home from Mrs. Cope's today."
It was obvious Samuel didn't feel well, because he kept rubbing his ears, his eyes, and his nose as I sat him on my lap. Bella set down a glass of juice in front of us, checking Sammy's forehead again, only to replace her hand with her lips. She frowned, sitting next to us and offering him some juice, which took some coaxing on her part to get him to drink.
"I've given him something for the fever, which, as you can tell, made him extremely unhappy," Bella muttered wryly. "I'm waiting for Esme to get here so I can take Bethy to school," she sighed.
"I've got Bethy," I offered. "I'll even drop Caleb off when Rose and Em get here." I kissed Sammy's clammy little hand and made him look at me. "What hurts, buddy? Point to it."
He rubbed his eyes again, but tugged on his ear. He reached for his mother, and she curled him to her, laying his head on her shoulder.
"I'm sure it's just a cold," Bella soothed, running her fingers through his hair. "He's been sneezing. And Mrs. Cope said the virus was going around." The combination of her soothing touches, the cold medicine, and Bella's constant soft voice was lulling him back to sleep.
I leaned in to kiss his cheek, whispering, "Love you, big guy. You've got the best seat in the house. Eat it up."
Bella giggled, which caused one small flicker of a smile to creep up my son's face. He put a finger in his mouth and closed his eyes. Tilting her chin, I brushed a kiss across Bella's lips.
"Thank you," I whispered, kissing her again.
"For what?"
"For the little ray of sunshine you sent out this morning," I chuckled, raising an eyebrow at her.
"Yes, well... You had some pretty bad dreams last night," she explained, kissing my cheek, only to cup it with her free hand. "I had my own cranky guy to contend with," she snickered, rubbing Sammy's back.
I nodded, turning to Bethy. "Let's go, little sergeant!" I grunted, pointing toward her room. "Teeth brushed, backpack, lunch...go, go, go!" I chanted, grinning when she scrambled off the stool with a giggle and ran down the hall.
By the time I returned back home from dropping both kids off, the place was filled with activity. But my father met me halfway across the yard.
"We have a situation," he stated, shaking his head and waving away my instant frown. "It's not a huge deal, except maybe to you."
"Tell me."
"Kyra has asked if Esme could join her tonight," he sighed, grimacing, and I assumed at that point, my stepmom had told him everything. "Which leaves no one to watch the kids."
"What about Sarah?" I suggested, because Alec's wife and the mother to Abby was always willing to pitch in.
"She can't," he told me. "She's visiting her mother in Olympia," he said, grimacing again, "which leads me to your son. He's pretty much holding your wife hostage."
I laughed and groaned at the same time. "So what you're saying is Bella's sitting this out," I snorted, but then sighed in frustration, running a hand through my hair as he nodded slowly. "Shit," I hissed, shaking my head. "Is she pissed?"
"I don't think she's had time to even think about it, son," my dad replied, gripping my shoulder. "Go check on them. Eleazar has offered to take her place at your side, so Alec's about to go over your plan. We'll wait on you. Everyone's already in the office."
"Yes, sir," I muttered, walking into my house to find Sammy holding his own against his mother in the stubborn department.
"No, Mommy!" he wailed, but I could hear the cold had finally hit full force. He was coughing, sniffling, and sounded like all around hell.
I walked into the living room to see the coffee table piled with tissues, both used and new, children's cold medicine, toys, remote for the TV – which currently had a cartoon movie playing low – and an open jar of that smelly shit that you rubbed on chests to help them breathe better. It was that last thing that my wife was trying to apply, but was losing the battle, because Sammy didn't want to be set down.
"Damn, I was only gone an hour. The place looks like a bomb went off," I chuckled, but shut up when she shot me a hateful look. "Okay, okay. Hang on." I walked to them, kneeling beside the couch. "Come here, big guy. Let Mommy put the medicine on you," I told him, but he shook his head no.
"No, don't want it!" he growled, but then broke into a cough and finally a sneeze.
"He's truly your child today," Bella muttered, rolling her eyes at my laugh, but she bent to his ear. "Sammy, what if I hold you while Daddy puts the stuff on? Okay?"
Sammy hiccuped, nodded, and sniffled, and I felt so bad for him, because he truly must've been feeling rotten. Normally, he was an easy going kid, but yeah, when he felt bad, he was me made over.
I grabbed up the jar and groaned dramatically at the smell of it, just to hear a small giggle escape my son and to see a sweet smile around the two fingers he was sucking on.
"Now...let's see... Where to put it..." I mused, giving him a raised eyebrow once I had that shit on my fingers. "Here?" I asked, lifting his arm and going for the armpit.
"No!" he huffed, jerking his arm back down.
"How 'bout here?" I asked, aiming for the bottom of his foot.
"No, Daddy!" he said, laughing in spite of it all and curling his pudgy toes away from me. "Here!" he rasped, lifting his t-shirt.
I tsked at him, shaking my head. "See? I knew you'd know what to do..." I sighed dramatically and slowly rubbed the stuff across his chest.
Bella practically sagged in relief, pressing a kiss to the side of Sammy's head, and I couldn't help but let tickling fingers wander, just to hear one more giggle. She grinned, settling back into the couch and keeping Sammy's back to her chest.
I got up, sitting down next to them and dropping an arm behind Bella. "Seems we have a problem, sweetness," I murmured, kissing her temple. "Esme feels obligated to help Kyra tonight, and this little guy needs you," I said, running a hand flat over his head. He was still burning up.
"I know," she whispered against the top of Sammy's head as he stared almost unseeingly at the TV, but at least he was breathing a little easier. "If this wasn't something you and Alec couldn't do in your sleep, I'd figure out a way to go, but this is your specialty."
"El's coming with us, and probably Felix, too," I told her.
Shifting Sammy to her other shoulder so she could lean closer to me, she narrowed her eyes on me. "I'm going to listen to every second of this thing," she stated, pointing a finger at me.
"Absolutely," I agreed with a nod, kissing the tip of her finger. "I'd prefer it that way. In fact, can you patch in from here? Can we set the girls up in the house? I want you on info lead."
She sighed, pressing her lips to Sammy's temple. "Fine, tell Alice to start setting up in here when you guys finish, ask Rose to go get Caleb and Bethy when school is out, and you, mister..." she commanded softly, pulling my chin until she could kiss me. "Tell me your plan – every detail – and then go get everyone ready."
I grinned, kissing her fully, pressing my forehead to hers. "Yes, ma'am."
A/N...Perhaps now you'll understand where Kyra was coming from. She was SEVENTEEN when Ike started in on her. He threatened, beat, and raped her constantly – as Bella said, the more someone tells you something, the more you start to believe it. And that final threat Ike called her with culminated into the confrontation in the woodshed. When I asked you guys if you saw more to Kyra, what I meant was for you to step back and really look at her. She's been crying out for help since the beginning. She used the only means she knew to use, and in her mind, it was the only thing that could possibly make the torture stop – trying to get Edward back. When it didn't work, when Bella finally blew up, it was like slapping a hysterical person – it brought her completely back to reality, and she started to truly panic, which Esme spotted. And the story is far from over. Just because Ike has been caught, doesn't mean there isn't more to come. There is a shit-ton more to come. Preston is still out there.
For those of you that said that you didn't care what Kyra had been through, then...my suggestion is to have patience. She has more to say in the next chapter. Not to mention, it's time for her show, we'll find out how the baby boy is doing, and oh hell yes...some PILOTWARD! :)
I really needed both JenRar and GooberLou on this chapter, because this was a bit hard for me to write. It explained a lot, and they were absolutely supportive when it came to this one. I love them both insanely for helping me tell Kyra's story, because it was so fucking important. So thank you both. A huge thank you to MedusaInNY for helping me on the fly last week...Good Lord, what would I do without you ladies? ;)
We're back to a regular posting schedule. Chapter 12 is done and beta'd, so the next posting will be on Sunday. A brand new outlook and a brand new year. Hmm? ;) Okay... so until then, party safe on New Year's Eve... Later. :)