A/N...Your response to the last chapter was amazing. I'm certainly glad I thought to add a tissue warning at the last minute, because you guys needed it apparently. You won't need one for this chapter, I don't think. I do think the cuteness level between Mercward and his Little Sweetness is at an all time high though, so just prepare for that. LOL
But I know it's Bella that you're worried about, so let's get back to her and Kurt...and see what his motivations are...
CHAPTER 9
BELLA
"Hit me!" Kurt said. His grin was infectious.
I huffed an incredulous laugh, shaking my head, and brought both my hands up. "Are you sure?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Yes, hurry!" he hissed, looking back into the room, and then back to me. "Make it good, and then we're going to pretend I caught you outside, okay?"
I gave him a warning with my eyes before swinging on him. I made sure to clip the spot by his brow, causing the skin to split and bleed.
"Shit," he hissed, doubling over. When he stood back up, he looked in the bathroom's mirror and fucking grinned. "Perfect. Let's go."
He grabbed my wrist and tugged me out behind him, quietly opening the motel room door that led out to the parking lot. He urged me to the end of the property, and then turned me around. My bare feet slapped the pavement, and that was the only sound that could be heard in the darkness.
"Now, fight me...and be loud about it," he snorted.
I stopped him, just for a moment. "Why are you doing this? Why are you helping me?" I asked him, and surprisingly, he met my gaze.
"Adults can fuck with each other all they want, but it pissed me the fuck off when Rusty and Kenny showed up with two babies," he grunted, rolling his eyes. "I have a little sister. That shit would not be cool if it was her, you know?"
"Bethy said you were nice to her," I told him.
He smiled, fondly I noted, and said, "She's something else. Brave little thing. Wouldn't let no one touch her without permission, and even then, it was limited – picking her up, putting her in a car. Kept reminding me not to talk with my mouth full," he chuckled. "The other one was scared to death. That shit wasn't right." He paused and sighed. "Besides, I hate Lilith...and Dr...fuck that. Walter is just an asshole. I'd let you go, but they'll kill my mom and little sister. Without me there, they have no protection. I saw the people that were working with you. I can't wait until you take them down for what they did – to me, to you, to my dad."
I studied his face for a split second, and then nodded. "Okay...let's do this."
He turned me around and grabbed my hair. "Go," he whispered.
"Get the fuck off of me!" I yelled, reaching back and pretending to fight his grasp. "Let me go!"
"Maybe if you hadn't run on me, bitch," he countered loudly.
Suddenly, two motel room doors slammed open.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Walter hissed, looking up at one end of the motel to the other. "What the fuck happened?"
"Bitch ran on me, Walt. Damn. What the hell does it look like?" Kurt snapped back. "She set those kids free. I barely caught this one. Look what she did to my eye, man!"
"Rusty!" Walter yelled, and a scruffy looking, rather smelly man came forward. "Go track down those kids – they can't be far – and then follow us to the mountain." He pointed a finger at Kurt. "Get her shit and get her in the fucking van. Tie her down if you have to, and if she gives you any more shit, gag her. It's time to go."
"Are you gonna give me shit?" Kurt asked, barely keeping his smile at bay once Walter had stormed back into his room.
"Are you gonna give me my fucking shoes back?" I countered with a real question, but I laced it with a venomous tone.
"We'll see," he whispered, guiding me into the room. "Get your stuff."
I grabbed my jacket and followed Kurt back out to the van as he held my gun. In seconds, Kenny, Lilith, and Walter piled in with me. We pulled out without any lights on, and I swore I heard two gunshots behind me. Spinning around to look out the back window, I could barely make out two sets of headlights in the middle of the street.
"Think they made it?" Kurt whispered from the seat next to me.
"If they did, then your pal Rusty didn't," I breathed back, looking up as he smirked. It was a good thing we were facing the wrong way.
"Good," he sighed with a nod. "This next part will be...unpleasant, Bella. I'll do my best to protect you," he said, taking advantage of the fact that Kenny had turned on the radio.
I nodded, swallowing thickly. "Okay." There wasn't much more to say than that. I was now on my own, and once again...I was someone's prisoner.
~oOo~
EDWARD
I don't think I'd ever been as grateful for Esme as I was by the time I landed the chopper at home. Sam had opted to drive the SUV back, so he wouldn't arrive for several hours. However, Mickey and Alec rode with me, taking care of the girls as I flew us home. It had been a quiet flight, because both girls pretty much slept the whole time, and Alec and Mickey didn't want to disturb them.
Benny and Wes immediately whisked Abby off to her mother, despite the early morning hour. I had no fucking clue what story they were going to give Mrs. Carmichael, but I was sure it pretty much didn't matter. The woman had her little girl back.
Esme took a quiet and wrung out Bethy from me, saying a bath and some clean clothes would do her a world of good. "Maybe even some breakfast, huh?" she asked her as Bethy lay her head on Esme's shoulder.
Bethy picked up her head and looked at me. "Pancakes, D-Daddy," she muttered.
"Yeah?" I chuckled, just happy to see she wasn't crying anymore. "I think we can do something about that, little sweetness," I told her, kissing her temple and whispering a thank you to Esme. "Go get a bath and come see me about a stack of pancakes, baby."
"Okay, Daddy," she sighed, clinging to her grandmother as they walked down my hall.
By the time Esme had her in a warm bath filled to the brim with toys and bubbles, Bethy's spirits started to lift. She babbled about doughnuts and cartoons, but when she mentioned Kurt, my dad and I froze in the living room.
"Kurt was nice," she chirped, and I could hear splashing in the tub.
"How was that, sweet one?" Esme urged softly, though at this point, I'd be willing to bet she was in full doctor mode.
"He wouldn't let the mean man yell at us or take our food," she stated. "He let us watch all the cartoons we wanted."
"And who's the mean man, Bethy?"
"Kenny. I didn't like him. He made Abby cry and pointed a gun like Daddy's at us."
"I'm gonna kill a motherfucker," I muttered, shaking my head. My hands fisted at my sides as my temper practically made me shake.
My dad smirked, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Relax. When Benny gets back, we'll talk about that mountain cabin."
"What about the lady?" Esme continued.
"She wasn't nice, either, but she didn't stay in the room wif us. I don't think she likes kids," Bethy whispered conspiratorially.
"And what happened when you saw Mommy?"
"Mommy woke me up," Bethy said, and her demeanor changed to really excited. "I gave her kisses on her bruises."
"What bruises?" I breathed at the same time Esme asked her the same thing, and my pacing started from the living room to the end of the hallway.
"They were on her cheek," Bethy answered. "Then she woke Abby. She put us in sweatshirts, and...Oh!" she gasped. "Mommy gave Daddy a love note! D-Daddy!"
"Oh shit," I groaned, looking to my father before walking to the bathroom. "Where, little sweetness?"
"My front pouch," she said, pointing to the pile of dirty clothes on the floor next to Esme. My little one was covered in suds, and so was Esme, for the most part. "I forgot, D-Daddy."
I fumbled around with her clothes, finding the folded piece of paper all crinkled and nestled in the corner of her hoodie's pocket. I pulled it out, recognizing my wife's neat script.
"It's okay, baby," I told her, bending down to kiss her nose – the only place that didn't have suds on it. "You missed a spot," I chuckled, scooping up a handful of bubbles and plopping them on her nose and the top of her head.
"Daddy!" she squealed into an adorable giggle.
I was just barely able to avoid her splashes as I left the bathroom. I opened the note and began reading, as my dad followed along over my shoulder.
Edward,
I'm sending the girls to you. I couldn't get them and myself out. I'm sorry...I didn't have a choice. They will most likely move me tomorrow, but they've taken my boots from me, so I can't set off the other chip yet.
They will ask for double the amount and will call you or Carlisle. Try not to give in. Try not to give them any indication how much info we have on them.
Baby, I don't know what that place will be like, but please know I can tough it out as long as it takes for you to come get me. I love you so very much. Be safe.
Bella
"Damn," my father sighed, shaking his head and giving my shoulder a squeeze. "Don't worry about the money, son. I'll take care of it," he stated, making sure I was listening. "We'll get her back."
"I know," I sighed with pure nerves and worry. I ran a hand through my hair, holding up the note. "She sounds...in control here," I told him. "Like she's okay. She's reassuring me."
"I'm sure she is," he agreed, "because she knows what your fear is when it comes to this. The fact that she doesn't have access to that chip worries me, but her statement about not giving away anything to Walter makes me think he has no clue as to what we know."
"They don't," I grunted, looking over at him. "That Rusty guy was completely shocked that I knew who he was and where Walter was heading." I paused for a moment, skimming over Bella's letter again. "Maybe Benny's right," I said with a shrug. "They have no idea what's coming their way, because our...identities aren't completely factual."
My father smiled, and it was evil, wry, and completely smug. I couldn't help but chuckle at him.
"Oh, son, I'm betting on that," he snickered, looking over my shoulder as we read the letter one more time. "They'll never underestimate anyone again. Not that they'll live through this..."
As we finished, a squeaky clean Bethy in bright purple pajamas came running into the living room. Her hair was still damp, but at least brushed out, and her skin practically gleamed.
"Pancakes," she ordered, wrapping her arms around my leg.
"Yes, ma'am," I said, pocketing Bella's note. "Blueberry or chocolate chip?" I asked, walking with her still attached to my leg.
"Boo-berry!"
~oOo~
BELLA
It was a long, agonizingly boring drive up the mountain, but just as we neared the top, things became interesting. The road was dirt and bumpy. It was crooked and winding, but it was also guarded at the very top. Two heavy metal gates met at the center of the road, chained and secured with a padlock. Two men stood sentry on either side, automatic weapons slung over their shoulders.
But they looked...amateurish. They looked like criminals and ruffians – Jasper would call them rednecks. Or maybe it was because I was used to rock solid, disciplined, no-nonsense, professional soldiers. I was used to perfect postures, steely glances, and faces that screamed do not fuck with me. I was used to real military garb, not plaid shirts, dirty tees, and ratty old jeans. I smiled to myself, shaking my head, because I missed my husband and my family and crew, but I could almost see their faces at the sight of this place.
Despite the fact that I was held captive, I wasn't as nervous as I'd expected to be. Walter wasn't driven to sexual dominance like Miller was. He wasn't a sadist. He was an asshole that was money hungry. I could handle being locked up, and I took solace in the fact that this guy had shown no inclination to fucking touch me. I could survive anything but that.
The gates were unlocked, and we were waved through. The road wound around a clump of trees, and we came out onto a really large piece of property. Alice had brought up the images, but it didn't really show the sheer size of the place until I was actually on it. There was an extremely large three story home that was the focal point of it all, but spreading over the entire piece of land were small hut-like buildings. They looked to be the size of the average hotel room, with a small front porch included. From where I sat in the back of the van, there were about twenty five of them spread out. At my far right was a building that looked like it had once been a horse paddock. It was red with white trim, and the main doors were propped open. I could see that this place was once a home – or at least a vacation home – but now, it was a compound.
"Let's go!" Walter growled, waving his gun at me as he stepped from the van.
I nodded and crawled my way out of the back of the van, hissing when my bare feet hit cold rock. "It's fucking freezing up here. Can I at least have my shoes?" I asked him, unable to hide my disdain.
"We'll see," he said with an irritating smirk that I'd have liked to smack the fuck off of his face.
"Fine, jackass. Wait, then. When I die of pneumonia, there won't be any money to be had," I sighed dramatically, rolling my eyes at him.
"Yes, but maybe a little suffering will knock that spoiled rich girl out of your system," Lilith added with a laugh.
"Bitch, I can show you spoiled..." I growled, taking a step toward her, but Kenny and Walter stopped me. What was satisfying was her fearful step back from me. Handcuffed or not, I could add another bruise to her face. And she knew it. "I've never been spoiled," I snapped. I pointed at her. "Lilith, one day, you won't have these guys to protect you..." I warned her with a raised eyebrow.
I heard Kurt snicker quietly, but he said nothing. He couldn't really say anything, because he needed to act his part, if only to protect his sister and mother. I understood what he'd meant when he said he couldn't let me go. Walter could order a hit on his family, especially with as many men that he had under him. And now that Kurt's father was under arrest, there would be nothing Kurt could do. There would be no way for him to get to his mother and sister quickly enough.
"Let's go!" Walter stated, losing his patience with the whole situation. He grabbed my arm roughly, shoving me so that I would start to walk. "Kenny," he grunted, "show Isabella where she'll be staying."
"Gladly," Kenny chuckled, gripping my shoulder and marching me toward the side of the barn. "You'll love this," he snorted, and I could see where he was leading me.
It looked like a storm shelter, or a bomb shelter from the fifties. Steps led down to what was once a door and was now a steel barred gate. It was a fucking jail cell underground. I remembered a time when I couldn't even step near a basement or anything underground – thanks to Miller – but I eventually overcame that last fear just before Bethy was born.
Kenny unlocked the gate and shoved me inside. "Yo, asshole! I brought you company!" he yelled into the darkness of the cell. He flicked on a dim light, wearing a shit eating grin. "Hey...Humpty Dumpty!"
Inside were three more cells, all wrapped in steel bars. They were just barely big enough for the cots, the toilets, and the sinks that filled them. In fact, it looked like the jail from an old western movie, where the town drunk went to sleep it off for the night.
I caught movement in the dim light provided by a low watt bare bulb that hung from the ceiling. As Kenny led me into the cell on the far left, I looked over at the one on the far right and sighed.
Christopher Douglas – the drunk driver who had killed the Greenes and Lilith's daughter, Ashley – was staring, ashen faced and nervous.
I shook my head as Kenny slammed and locked my cell. It didn't make sense why he was here, unless Lilith really was out for revenge. I had thrown that theory to the wayside when we figured out Walter's part in all of this. Christopher had no real money that I knew of. In fact, his criminal record was proving difficult for him to find a job – not to mention he was still an alcoholic.
I looked back to Kenny, who was staring me down. I could remember with complete clarity my daughter's instant dislike of him, and for just a moment, I saw what she did: a lack of compassion, an evil smirk, and a love for watching others' fear.
"What?" I sneered.
"You look like you know chubby-fat ass over there," he stated, tilting his head at me.
"I do," I snorted, rolling my eyes. "Christopher Douglas from Seattle," I started, looking over at a rather shocked Kenny, and an even more shocked Christopher. "Thirty-two years old. Five-foot-ten. Two-seventy-five...give or take. Arrested a few years ago for drunk driving and vehicular manslaughter. Killed a family of three and a semi truck driver. He's currently living with his mother and working part time at a local fast food restaurant. Disappeared about two weeks ago, but I guess we've found him..."
Kenny huffed a laugh. "I guess we did." He walked to Christopher's cell and rattled the door. "She sounds like she hates you just as much as Lilith there, Tubbo. Not exactly popular with the ladies, are you, bud?"
"Go away, Kenny," Christopher whined, sitting down on his cot, which gave a creak under the weight of him.
Kenny laughed, his head falling back as he left us, locking the main gate on his way out. I heard his steps ascend up, only to fade away once he hit the grass. Thankfully, he left the light on.
"Do I know you?" Christopher asked, standing up and walking to the side of his cell. He gripped the bars as he stared through the empty cell between us.
"Yeah, you probably do," I sighed, looking up at him. "You killed my friends."
~oOo~
EDWARD
"Who are the babies, Daddy?" Bethy asked as I carried her through the house. She was pointing to the group of pictures on the wall in our living room.
I just needed the contact with her. She had been gone too long, and she smelled sweet and clean. She seemed to only really want to talk to me, so I humored her, and it helped that she looked so much like Bella when she tilted her curious head at me that it was comforting. After she took a quick nap and I sat in on my father and Eleazar's discussion concerning the next steps, I hadn't been able to put her down.
"You know who that is," I chuckled, kissing her temple as she gripped my shoulders. "Tell me."
"That's you and Mommy!" she giggled, continuing to stare at the picture that Charlie had left Bella in an album. It showed the two of us the day that Bella was born, all curled up together in the same bassinet. Our parents loomed proudly around us.
"That's my girl," I crooned, kissing her temple again. I was trying to find the courage to leave her with Esme, because they needed me to run a reconnaissance flight in the chopper.
Alice had studied the satellite images until she said she was going blind, but she wanted zoomed in shots, thermal shots, and a full picture of what we had to deal with. Benny and Wes hadn't returned from their trip to Mrs. Carmichael's, so we weren't sure where we stood with them. However, my father and Eleazar weren't really waiting. They wanted to start a plan, and soon. My father was even contemplating calling in some old buddies to help us. But they needed detailed photos in order to do anything.
"And that's you and Mommy," she stated, pointing to mine and Bella's mothers on the front steps of Aunt Kate's. She was specifically pointing to the two rather large bellies.
I chuckled again. "Yes, ma'am," I said, unable not to smile, because those pictures meant the world to me and Bella.
Bethy studied a picture of our wedding day, my wife's belly huge with Bethy. "That's me," she whispered, turning to look at me.
"Oh yeah," I said with a grin. "You made Mommy crave tacos and bananas – the weirdest thing I've ever seen someone eat at the same time, and I've seen men eat scorpions in the desert."
"Ew!" she giggled, her little nose wrinkling so adorably that I couldn't help but rub my own against it. "You aren't suh-posed to eat bugs!"
I laughed and shrugged. "I didn't. But they say scorpions taste like peanuts."
"Y-Yucky," she huffed, reaching up to touch the picture.
"Little sweetness, I have to go to work," I started softly. "I need you to stay with Gamma."
"No, no," she countered, shaking her head. "No, D-Daddy! I come wif you!"
"I won't be long...just a few hours," I told her, but I never should've tried to reason with a three year old.
"No, p-please, D-Daddy," she begged, grabbing both sides of my face as big tears filled her eyes. "You'll leave, like Mommy!"
I sighed, walking her to the sofa and sitting down with her in my lap. "Elizabeth Renee, listen to me. Your mommy didn't leave you, baby. She was taken. She wouldn't leave you in a million years and for all the money in the world. Do you understand me?" I verified, and she nodded. "She loves you more than anything."
"P-Please?" she begged again, scooting closer on my lap. "I'll be good. I promise. Mommy told me to help you!"
I heard chuckles from the doorway, and I looked up to see my father and Esme watching us. Alec was leaning against the wall in the background, because he was supposed to fly with me. It was the big, sad, green eyes looking up at me through really long, dark eyelashes that just fucking killed me. It was the slight tilt to her head, but most of all, it was the tenacious grip on my t-shirt that finally had me giving in.
"Not without a jacket, little sweetness," I sighed in defeat, because I just fucking couldn't tell her no. "But listen to me," I told her before she got down from my lap. "There will be a point where you can't go, baby. And I need you to be strong for that, okay?"
She nodded, kissing my cheek, muttering, "J-Jacket!"
She scuttled off down the hallway, and I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. "Shit," I hissed softly, shaking my head.
Esme sat next to me, putting a comforting arm around my shoulders. "You're doing the best you can, sweetheart," she soothed. "It's safe for her to go, yes?"
"Yeah," I sighed, looking up at her with a nod. "We'll be pretty high up, so no one will get a good look at us. One pass just before sunset, and another after dark. We'll be right back."
"Well, then take her, son," my dad urged, wearing a sympathetic smile. "She obviously needs you."
"She's handling this remarkably well, Edward," Esme stated softly. "So far...no nightmares during that nap, no lashing out...just..."
"Clinging," I finished for her, looking down at my hands. "I'm worrying about when I have to leave her for this...next phase." I glanced up at my father, and then Esme.
"You're seriously underestimating my grandmother magic," Esme huffed, rolling her eyes. "I can handle it, son."
My dad and I laughed, and I raised my hands in surrender. "Okay, okay," I chuckled, opening my arms when Bethy came back into the living room. "Ready, little sweetness?"
"Yup," she chirped, turning to the coffee table and picking up my baseball cap. She reached up and put it on my head backwards, like I always wore it when I flew. "Now mine, D-Daddy," she commanded.
God, she was cute. She handed me her own little pink baseball cap and a hoodie. She was wearing her hair half up, jeans, and a pink camo t-shirt. As much as Bella tried to dress her girly, sometimes, she was all tomboy.
"Arms up!" I ordered, and her little arms shot in the air. I tugged the tiny, gray Air Force sweatshirt over her head, pulling her long hair out and straightening the hood. "Ponytail through the cap?" I asked, but she shook her head no.
If someone told me just five years ago that my life would revolve around two beautiful brunettes, ponytails, and pink camo, I'd have laughed out loud and most likely cursed their asses out, but damn, if it wasn't the truth. I fucking loved it, too. I always envisioned a son, but Bethy was more than I'd ever dreamed of, so bring on skirts and tights, ponytails, and hair thingys. I could live with dolls and play makeup, because she was the best thing I'd ever accomplished, and just looking at her made me miss my wife with an all consuming ache.
"Nope, like yours," she said with an eye roll, and I swear to God, she looked identical to Bella when she would accuse me of being an idiot.
Her grandparents saw it instantly, trying their damnedest not to laugh out loud.
I grinned, pulling her hat on backwards and scooping her up in my arms. "Kiss Poppy and Gamma, 'cause we gotta get going, okay?"
She reached out, hugging and kissing them both. "Love you," she sang sweetly.
"Bambina," Alec chortled, shaking his head at the whole thing he'd just witnessed. "Come with me while your dad gets the chopper ready. I'll strap you in."
"I'm D-Daddy's co-pilot," she stated with authority and a thumb to her chest as she went to him willingly.
My dad laughed, shaking his head. "Co-pilot, assistant chef, carpenter's apprentice...the list is endless," he muttered wryly.
I grinned over at him and shrugged. It was true. There wasn't much I did that Bethy didn't just...help. She loved to just be with me and Bella, no matter what we were up to. She could play quietly with dolls or draw pictures while her mother worked on the computer, and she would bring me whatever I asked for if I was in my wood shop or cooking, so we allowed her to just hang out with us. But flying with me was one of her favorite things, because I'd been taking her up for as long as she could remember.
"Yes, yes," Alec laughed as she went to him. "Don't I know it. You'll be flying soon, mark my words," he told her as we walked out the screen door.
Mickey and Emmett, just about the only two people I would trust with my pre-flight checks and fueling, were just finishing up as we walked out, but it was Rose that my eyes landed on as she walked out of Gravity's office with Caleb in her arms. She looked tired, but determined.
"We have a problem," she stated, her face unreadable as she looked to me, and then my father. "Wes and Benny just called. They can't get any authorization to go into Walter's compound. How we obtained the information wasn't exactly legal. Despite the fact that Benny called it an anonymous threat on Ruiz, the information regarding Walter's compound was achieved illegally. Wes had no reason to speak to Walter Sr., so they can't get a warrant."
"But they have my wife," I growled low, not wanting Bethy to hear me.
"Doesn't matter," my dad grunted. "We'll go without them."
"That's what Eleazar said," Rose countered with a nod. "Right now, he's on the phone with his own office...so we'll see..." She looked to me, her eyes a touch sad. "Alice says you're good to go. The camera is calibrated, and your radio is set to some obscure channel. Encrypted, if I'm not mistaken, because she doesn't want to take any chances."
"Thanks, Rose," I told her, sliding open the chopper's cabin door and watching as Emmett climbed on in.
"What?" he asked, his eyes serious. "I'm fucking going with you. I need to see this shit for myself."
"Language," Rose hissed, her eyes darting to Bethy, who was thankfully preoccupied with her Uncle Alec on the other side of the chopper.
"My bad. I'll pay the swear jar," he sighed, looking sheepish, and I chuckled at him. "But seriously. I wanna go."
"Then go," I told him, waving him on. "Close the door and strap in, then."
I knew Emmett was going stir crazy. He'd been like that when I met him in Afghanistan. All we'd ever needed to do was tell him who the enemy was, put a weapon in his hands, and point him the right fucking direction. He was a strong, fighting, noble soldier, but he'd rather go in with guns blazing than to plan. I understood it, but I'd prefer a plan to stick to this time around. At least if he went, he felt like he was doing something.
I pulled myself up into the pilot's seat, putting on my headset. I reached over and opened a door where Bethy's headset was stored. Where Bella had found a small pair, I'd never know, but at least they didn't swallow her head whole like a regular pair would. And they were, of course, pink.
Once Alec and Emmett were strapped in and the doors shut, I waved to everyone and called in my flight. I was a simple "sight seeing trip," as far as my manifest was concerned. Flipping switches and checking gauges, I started her up.
I turned to Bethy, who was playing with the strings on her hoodie. "Ready, little sweetness?" I asked her through the headset.
She nodded, her little feet kicking a bit.
"Good girl," I told her, and lifted off slowly from my yard.
~oOo~
BELLA
The cells were dank and cold, and my feet had started to ache with the chill as the night fell around us. I wrapped my jacket around them as I lay on my cot, glancing over at my neighbor. Christopher had fallen asleep after he realized who I was. He fumbled with an embarrassed apology for what he'd done to the Greenes and the truck driver, and then gone quiet on me. I imagined that his guilt was more than he could bear, because he looked like he relived the shit every-fucking-day.
There was a part of me that still hated him for it, but so much time had passed that I probably had let it go long before I realized it. Besides, there were bigger problems than my feelings about something that had happened several years ago.
Crickets chirped loudly through the main locked gate at the top of the stairs. It had been a long fucking few hours, and my short nap was filled with dreams that were both scary and erotic. I dreamed of dungeons, of sadistic men that couldn't keep their hands to themselves, and I dreamed of long, slow kisses and murmurs of naughty things coming from a velvet voice. Dreams of strong arms and groping, calloused hands had woken me up with a need for Edward so large, it had brought tears to my eyes. I wanted his warmth wrapped around me, and I wanted to breathe in that perfect smell of him – fresh cut wood and clean soap. I needed him to tell me that he was there, that he would never let anyone touch me again.
Walter ran hurriedly down the stairs, a worried Kurt following behind him. I didn't see Lilith, but I did see Kenny walking in with fast food bags, tossing one through Christopher's bars so that it landed on his rather large belly, which woke him up instantly, before he tossed a bag to me.
From the look on Walter's face, I was pretty sure Rusty had never made it with the girls. I kept my face unreadable as I glanced up at him from my dinner.
"Something wrong?" I asked, and Kurt smirked sightly, shaking his head at me.
"How'd you do it?" he seethed, his temper barely under control. "How'd you get those girls away?"
"No idea what you're talking about," I muttered around a bite of sandwich. I shrugged and blinked innocently up at him.
It was Kenny that moved first, slamming his hands against the bars of my cell. "Rusty's fucking dead, bitch."
"Oh?" I huffed in false surprise around another bite. "Sorry about that. Suicide?"
Kurt had to rub his face in order to hide his smile.
"No, it wasn't fucking suicide," Walter sneered from behind a still panting Kenny. "They found his car wrapped around a tree!"
"Drunk driving?" I asked, shooting a glance over to Christopher, who snorted softly, as he watched everything with rapt attention. Both Kenny and Walter shook their heads. "I take it the girls weren't in this car," I stated, not even bothering to give them my full attention.
"No, he was alone," Walter answered. "Tell me how you did it."
"You let them get away," I accused, pointing a French fry at them. "Hell, they may still be wandering in the woods."
"Oh no," Walter chuckled, pointing a finger at me. "I'm not fucking stupid... I know for a fact that you wouldn't just set two three-year-olds loose in the woods. No fucking way. You were meeting someone."
"How could I meet anyone, Walter?" I sighed, rolling my eyes up at him. "No one knew where you took me. No one followed us. You said so yourself."
"Who were those people at the station, Isabella?" he yelled.
"Friends...family...FBI..." I took another bite, looking up at them all, but my gaze fell to a very frustrated Walter. "Have you asked for the money yet? I'm curious as to what they say."
"Funny you should ask," he said, pulling out a cell phone. "I was just about to make the call. Wanna listen in?"
"Sure," I sputtered around the last bite of my sandwich. "Tell them hello."
My nonchalance was killing Kenny. In fact, Walter stopped him from opening my cell door.
"What's the matter, Kenny? Miss your...cellmate?" I sneered as he called me every name in the book.
They all froze like deer in headlights as they stared at me. Kurt bit the inside of his cheek as he leaned against the wall behind Kenny and Walter, who were gaping like fish out of water.
"You know, you can blame Lilith," I sighed, scooting up on my cot so that I could lean against the wall, crossing one leg over the other. "Showing up at the wedding was a huge mistake. Huge. I'm a P.I., so I checked on everyone she knows."
"She's lying," Kenny yelled, turning to Walter. "There's more to it than that. Rusty didn't run into a tree by accident... I'm telling you, Walt!"
"Shut up!" Walter snapped at him. "I'm calling now."
I wasn't sure who he was calling, Carlisle or Edward, but I did hope they'd play along, that Bethy had gotten my note to her father. Walter put the phone on speaker, and we all held our breath as it rang.
"Cullen," Edward snapped on the phone, and I couldn't help but smile, because he sounded beautiful and frustrated, tired and angry – all things that were the epitome of sexy to me. And all coming through the phone with one word said. I totally swooned over my own husband.
"Hey, baby!" I called out, wearing a smile ten miles wide, because it pissed Walter off something fierce.
"Shut her up," he growled, and Kenny dove into action, opening my cell and yanking me up to press a hand to my mouth.
"Bella?"
"Well, now you have proof of life, asshole," he said over the phone. "She fucked up, Cullen," he told him. "She was supposed to come alone."
"And you were supposed to bring those girls," Edward countered, "but...you didn't." He said the last three words in a singing sigh, and at that point, I knew he'd gotten my note. He was totally playing these guys.
"I assume you've got them now," Walter growled, rolling his eyes.
"Oh, I do," my husband said, "and I have a message for Kenny."
"What's that, motherfucker?" Kenny yelled, like his voice wouldn't carry, like we were talking on two tin cans and fucking piece of string. My ear rang as he fucking did that right at my head. Idiot.
"I will personally see to it that you die," Edward stated, his voice menacing, and I knew he meant every word. "Rusty cried like a bitch when I was through with him."
"Who the fuck are you?" Walter asked, shaking his head.
"Someone you should have never fucked with," he replied. "Now, give me your demands for the return of my wife, and I'll think it over."
Good boy! I mentally fist punched the air, because that was exactly what I'd wanted him to do. Walter thought he was in control, thought he was surrounded by protection, but he didn't know protection. And he damn well didn't know control.
"Twenty million," Walter demanded, looking a little nervous, but he maintained his composure. "Twenty million, and you'll get her back."
Edward sniffed over the phone, like he was thinking about it. "We'll see...but know this... If one hair is out of place on her head, if there is one bruise on her, if she has a fucking paper cut, I will see to it that you suffer, motherfucker. It will be long, slow, and very, very fucking painful. I shit you not."
I swooned again and giggled a bit behind Kenny's hand, because I already had a bruise, and Walter's wide eyed glance at my face showed it.
"Call me back in twenty-four hours with the time and place, and you'll have your answer," Edward ordered over the speaker. "And one day, Bella...I'll do it again. I did it when we met, and I'll fucking do it again. Warn them if you want, sweetness. It won't fucking matter." With that said, he ended the call.
Kenny let me go, and I sat down on my cot as he left my cell and locked me back in.
"What the fuck did that mean?" Walter asked me, and I looked up at him.
I knew exactly what that meant. Edward had just told me that he was coming for me, that he would save me. Again. He was coming in one day, and I was pretty sure he would be bringing all the demons of hell with him. But on top of all that, he just gave me permission to tell Walter what was about to happen.
I shrugged, sitting back against the wall again. "A bit cryptic for me," I lied smoothly, because I didn't want to tell him just yet.
Walter eyed me for a moment, but I didn't break eye contact with him. He turned to Kurt. "Give her back her shoes," he ordered, and then left the building.
Kurt nodded, but waited until Kenny and Walter were far enough away before he spoke. "I'll get you your boots, but give me a few. They're at the main house."
"Okay," I sighed, closing my eyes for a moment.
"Who is your husband?" Kurt asked, tilting his head at me.
I smiled, not opening my eyes yet. I took a deep breath, letting myself relax, if only for a few seconds. "He's...my hero."
~oOo~
EDWARD
I set the phone down, bracing my arms on the conference table in Gravity's office. Hearing Bella's voice just about broke me. I had to channel all my anger, all my frustration toward the man that held her life in his hands. I meant what I'd told her; I was coming for her, and I could give two shits if she decided to tell them. Nothing could fucking stop me.
"Twenty million?" Makenna asked no one in particular. "Damn."
"He won't see a dime," my dad answered her, placing a hand on my shoulder as I hung my head. "She sounded okay, son," he soothed softly. "Tomorrow night," he stated, turning to the room filled with fucking people. "By the time this asshole calls again, we'll be on his front doorstep."
"I can't help you...legally, this time," Benny stated, his voice sounding nervous. "The case has been taken over, and I don't know by who..."
"By me," Eleazar admitted as he came in from the computer room, slapping a file down. "This is now a Homeland Security problem," he said, a wry grin spreading over his features. "It's now my case, my problem, my mission."
I stood up straight and leaned on the table, my arms crossed over my chest. "I'm still going," I said, pointing a finger at him.
"We're all going," Eleazar snickered. "Hell, I need all of you. And then some..." he sighed, looking over at my dad. "Call them in, Carlisle. I've got some retired men coming in myself."
"I already have," my father answered. "They'll be here in the morning. What I'd like to go over is what Edward just brought back."
"I'm on it, I'm on it, I'm on it!" Alice sighed exasperatedly. "God, gimme a sec. I've been printing since he started back!"
We all snickered at her, because she came out with a large stack of photos in her arms, slapping them down in front of her on the conference table. We all gathered around her so we could see as she spread them out for us.
"Okay, first thing," Alice started, laying out one section of the entire property in order. "This is what we're dealing with," she said, pointing to an aerial view of the mountain itself, including the woods, a small stream, and the winding road up the side. "This," she huffed, pulling the one picture away, only to replace it with several photos that, when placed together, not only took up the entire table, but showed the complete compound in high definition color. "This is Walter's place. As you can see, it was once a vacation home for his grandparents. The smaller buildings have recently been added throughout the property, but the original buildings still stand – the main house, the stables, and interestingly enough...a bomb shelter."
"What?" I growled, looking up at her.
"Yeah, I thought that, too," she groaned, her face filling with a combination of sadness and anger at the mere idea that Bella could be underground again. "It's really a bomb shelter. The grandparents were a product of the cold war threat, so they installed an underground shelter. It's on the original plans."
"Can you tell that's where Bella is, Alice?" Jasper asked, pointing to the structure not far from the barn.
"No," she stated firmly with a shake of her head. "I can't, but I'll show you why."
Makenna quickly taped the overview of the compound together, pinning it to an open space on the wall as Alice spread out another view. It was the thermal shots.
"This shows every warm body on that property. I count about thirty-two, give or take one or two, but I'm not far off," she said, gesturing to the house. "There's activity in the house, the barn, the small cottages or huts, and in the fields. But see this?" she asked, looking to me and my dad, and we nodded at where her finger was pointing. "When you were flying over, I watched activity there. People go in, people come out, but I can't see them once they're inside."
"It's lead lined?" Eleazar asked, bending closer to the picture.
"It would make sense," Emmett piped up. "Some of those old bomb shelters were built like that, because back then, people were told that lead protected you from radiation, never mind that thermonuclear blast that hits you so fast and hot that you're ash before you blink," he said wryly, rolling his eyes. "It's expensive as hell to do, but it looks like Gramps could afford it."
"I hope not," Alice groaned, shaking her head, "because even if Bella activates that last GPS chip, I don't have a clue whether or not it will transmit through lead."
Makenna taped that set of shots together as well, putting it on the wall next to the other one so that Alice could toss out a few more pictures.
"Lastly, some zoomed in shots. You guys will love this," she stated, rolling her eyes. "They've got weapons hidden all over the place. Someone among them used to be military, because they've got an old machine gun here," she said, pointing to just in front of the main house. "They've got razor wire around the entire property, and they've got a cache of a bunch of shit inside that barn," she stated, looking up at me. "You flew over just right, so I was able to zoom in through the open barn doors. They've got it all...grenades, RPGs, automatic weapons, and plenty of fucking ammo."
"I thought these guys were non-violent," Mickey huffed as she pulled the shot of the barn closer. "I thought they were just some riff-raff group."
"They're stocking up for something," Benny muttered, rubbing his chin.
"Yeah, but what?" Eleazar asked no one in particular. "They have no mission, as far as I can tell."
"Maybe they're those survival guys," Jasper suggested. "You know...a country boy can survive type shit. Grow your own food, live your own way, no need for government or police, or even society."
"They look it," I sighed, picking up a picture of the guarded front gate. "They don't exactly look...organized."
"Maybe not," Eleazar mused, glancing up at the pictures on the wall, and then the ones on the table again, "but we're not giving them any time to find out just how organized they could be." He looked up at me. "Ed, this is Bella we're talking about, so we need to decide exactly how you want to go in."
"I don't want to fly in," I stated, shaking my head and tossing the photos in my hand onto the table. "They'll hear us coming, and I don't want that."
Eleazar studied my face, but I could tell he was mulling this shit over. Finally, he nodded. "Stealth, commando, a ground assault?"
I nodded, running a hand through my hair and walking to the main layout on the wall. "Look how fucking close that bomb shelter is to all those weapons, all that ammunition in the barn. I can't take a chance that someone will blow it, or set some shit off. It's too close, and it could collapse if blown right. No. I'd rather walk in."
"How many are going with us?" Jasper asked, tracing his finger over the winding road up to the guard gate.
"Well," Eleazar sighed, looking to Benny, "I'd like to think fourteen. That's all of us," he said, gesturing around the room, which included himself, Eric, Felix, Alec, Emmett, Jasper, Mickey, Sam, my father, and myself. "Carlisle, you've got two coming, yes?"
"Yes," Dad stated with a nod. "I've called in Ned Cauldwell and his brother, Harry."
"No shit?" I asked, my eyebrows raising up high. "Don't they run..."
"A hunting shop in West Virginia, yes," my dad replied. "And they've offered to help us out with some extra weapons and ammo, not to mention the truck they're driving. They just happened to be nearby in Nevada at a gun expo. They're coming straight from there."
"Very fucking cool," Jasper said with a grin. "Ned and Harry are great."
"Perfect," Eleazar whispered to himself. "I've got two retired agents coming in...some old Navy buddies of mine...Spike Devlin and Elam Hart. Both are excellent shots and military trained." He turned to Benny. "I'd like you on information feed with Alice. Her here, you with us. Will you do it?"
Benny and Wes were already nodding. "Definitely, because I think Alice and I can rig a few of you with cameras, so we can monitor your progress. With Mack's and Rose's help, we should be able to get you anything you need."
"Sweet Jesus!" Emmett sang, clapping his hands together one time. "Well, let's get to fucking work!"
It took almost three hours – well into the night – for us to form a basic plan. Right around three in the morning, we all started getting punchy and drunk with weariness, so Eleazar sent everyone off for a few hours' sleep, at least until the four extra men arrived in the morning.
I walked into my house, pulling my baseball cap off and tossing it on the coffee table as I fell tiredly onto my sofa. There was a part of me that knew I'd sleep better in my bed – funnily enough that voice sounded like Bella's – but I just couldn't find the heart to sleep alone in a bed that I shared with my wife. The mere idea made a hole crack open in my chest.
I heard a shuffle of feet from the hallway, and I glanced up to see Bethy standing there in an oversized t-shirt that came down to her knees, Mr. Bunny firmly clutched in her arm. Her hair was down and hung in messy waves over her shoulders.
"Pretty girl, what are you doing up so late?" I asked softly, opening my arms when she ran to me.
"I miss Mommy," she mumbled, crawling up into my lap.
I sat back in the sofa and pulled her face up so that I could see it. "Me, too," I whispered, kissing her forehead. "But she wouldn't want us upset, little sweetness."
She frowned down at me, reaching up to touch my face. "Gamma says you're going to find her."
"I'm going to try," I said, trying not to promise anything, because I was trying my damnedest not to get my own hopes up, not to mention my daughter's. "In fact, I need you to be brave and stay with Gamma tomorrow."
"I want to go wif you, D-Daddy," she stated, setting Mr. Bunny on my chest between us.
"You can't, baby," I groaned, cupping her face. "I need your help here."
Her eyes widened as she tilted her head at me. "Wif what?"
"You have to keep Gamma company, because Poppy is going, too," I explained. "So she'll be very worried, and you have to take care of her. Can you do that for me?"
She frowned again, her little brow wrinkling, but she studied Mr. Bunny. Finally, she nodded. "Okay."
"Okay," I sighed with a nod. "Good girl," I praised softly, giving her little nose a kiss. "You should be in bed."
"I'm not sleepy," she said, as a large yawn erupted from her.
"Hmm, I see that," I snickered, reaching over to grab the remote for the TV. "You want to stay with me?"
She nodded, bleary eyed and silent.
"Okay, but you have to lay down," I told her, turning her around so that she was facing the TV, her head on a pillow by the arm of the sofa.
"Lay wif me?"
"Sure, baby." I lay behind her, and she pulled my arm up, just like her mother did, setting her chin on my knuckles, so I was basically cuddling with her and Mr. Bunny.
I placed a kiss to the top of her head, breathing deep the clean scent of her hair, as I flipped through the channels. Old sitcoms seemed to catch both of our interest, so I left it there with the sound pretty low.
At one point, she rolled to face me. "Will you tell Mommy th-that I-I d-did wh-what sh-she said?"
I smiled down at her and nodded, because despite the fact that her little stutter was starting to fade, it still showed up full force every now and then, just like my own.
"Little sweetness, that'll be the first thing I tell her."
She rolled back over, sighing contentedly, and fell asleep almost instantly. I wasn't far behind her.
A/N...Okay, so more information, Bella is holding her own, and Bethy has become a touch clingy, though that last thing is completely understandable. Plans are already underway for getting Bella back, so you know what that means... a fight.
Coming up we'll see how Bella is holding up, how the plan gets set in motion and who runs the operation. We'll also get to see a little bit more of Lilith's personality.
I need to thank JenRar who beta's this for me and who said she just loved Pilot/Daddyward. Heehee... I also need to thank GooberLou for so much more than pre-reading. You wouldn't believe what she's willing to research! LMAO And MedusaInNY...for all things blog-ish, and for just having a willing listening ear! Flove you all.
Wednesday will be the next posting. So let me know what you think. I know Daddyward is melting you right now. He makes me a gooey too. LOL So until Wed... Later! :)