Only At Night
Chapter 33
The Waiting
"Jasper, sweetie wake up, Mary will be here with Jacob's sisters any minute." Char's sweet voice rang out in the deep recesses of my mind. At first I thought I had been having a very bad dream, but the mention of his name pulled me from the deceptions my mind tried to use as a defense mechanism.
"Char?" I reached for the hand on my shoulder.
"I'm here sweetie."
"Just tell me it has all been a bad dream." My fingers intertwined with hers and I felt her squeeze around my hand gently.
"Oh Jas, I wish I could baby, I really wish I could. Bella is so strong Jasper, I know she is doing everything she can to come back to you, she loves you so much."
"I know Char, I know she does, I'll never doubt that."
"Come on, I'll get you some coffee and maybe Jacob's sisters can be of some help."
"I'll be right out, let me just get cleaned up and changed."
The quickest shower on record finished and one cup of coffee later Mary knocked at the door to the suite. I had no idea what to expect here. These were Jacob's sisters, maybe they still held a loyalty to him, hell, maybe they had told him they were coming to talk with us, warned him we were here. Could we really trust anything they said, or was this a huge waste of time? Worse yet, could this be a set up?
In walked two of the most beautiful women I had ever seen. Well, next to Bella anyway. They both had long, shiny, black hair that seemed to possess life of its own; it swirled around their faces as they walked. The cheekbones were so high and so pronounced, yet soft. I don't think either of them wore any makeup other than that stuff women put on their lashes, but they certainly didn't need even that. I had never seen lashes so long that curled up to meet the eyelids like that. Skin so bronzed they looked like they just stepped off the St. Tropez beaches, but I knew it was all natural. There was sadness in their eyes, years of strain, and worry across their foreheads.
When Mary introduced me, both women looked down and I saw a tear run down a perfect cheek. Rachel and Rebecca took their seats around the dining table as Dimitri, Peter, Char, Rose and I joined them. Emmett, James and Felix sat on the couches. Tyler and Liz were huddled together standing by the windows and the others were out gassing up the vehicles and stockpiling supplies.
Mary handled the introductions and then sat in the last remaining seat, next to Rebecca.
Rachel was the first to speak and all eyes were on her as she began.
"First let me say on behalf of my sister and myself how very sorry we are. Once upon a time our tribe, our family, had a very proud history; Carlisle Cullen destroyed all of that. Our brother, our father, they have become obsessed, crazy; we fear that they are beyond help. We will tell you what we know, but we haven't spoken to either of them in years so we may not be able to help as much as we'd like to."
"Thank you both, for coming, for helping. We are so sorry to put you in this position." I mustered all the sincerity I could and put it into words for them, I was truly grateful.
"It is not you that has put us in this position, but Jacob, and Jacob alone. We fear he has done some horrible things, but we have no proof."
"You mean besides taking Bella? What is it you think he has done?" I looked at both girls and then around to everyone else in the room. Everyone leaned closer toward Rachel. The expectation hung in the air heavily.
"Let me tell you the whole story as I know it. When were very small Carlisle saved our tribe from a disease that was spreading, he was revered by all of our people. What the tribe did not and still does not know is that Carlisle was a sick and twisted man. He took his payment for his services in the flesh of our mother while our father had no choice but to sit back and let it happen. Oh he was a kind and gentle lover, not sadistic as Jacob and father would like to believe. I think it makes it easier on them to think that he was a monster in the way he treated her, but he wasn't. It was wrong, make no mistake about it, but he never hurt her, restrained her or beat her. When she became pregnant with Carlisle's child father went mad, he refused to speak to her, and he said horrible things about her to us. It destroyed him and their marriage. Eventually he drank until he passed out on the couch every night."
"So Carlisle is Jacob's father?" Tyler confirmed.
"Yes. He is also my daughter's father."
"Oh my God." Rose reached for Rachel's hand and tears ran down her cheeks as she just held her hand across the table.
"Neither father nor Jacob know of her existence. Carlisle continued sleeping with my mother for years. By the time I turned 18, the toll of the years of verbal and emotional abuse from Billy and the shame of what she felt she had allowed to happen with Carlisle made her older than her years. The funny thing is Carlisle is the one who was always there for her, listened and held her when she cried over Billy. It was difficult for her to wrap her head around, on the one hand it was all his fault and he was a monster, but on the other, he was kind and considerate and often generous with her. Mother and Carlisle had not been intimate in quite some time because she was too fragile, too damaged and Carlisle told her that I would have to take her place. That was when she finally began to stand up to him, but it was too late. Carlisle took me to the place he and my mother had used for years. I was always blindfolded so I do not know exactly where it is, except that it is somewhere on the reservation. What he did was wrong, but he was very gentle and very nurturing, it certainly could have been much worse. I got pregnant very soon after it started and my mother threatened to go public if he didn't stop and leave all of us alone."
"Is that when you two moved to Seattle?"
"Yes. Carlisle set up an account for us and bought us a very nice condominium. He started a trust for our daughter. Jacob had become obsessed before we left and we decided it would be safer for all three of us, Rebecca, I and the child I was carrying if they knew nothing of our whereabouts or of the child. Mother just told them that she got Carlisle to leave us alone and we would be safer if we cut all ties. Not long after that our parents were in a car accident and mother didn't survive, Billy lost the use of his legs and Jacob blamed Carlisle for all of it. We haven't spoken to them since. Carlisle sent something every month for the baby and then one day it just stopped. We believe Jacob killed the entire family. We tried to find them, but they all just disappeared, all except Alec. That was seven years ago."
"We are all so sorry. Do you think it is possible Billy is Alec's father?"
"Well, I know Carlisle isn't. Billy was so angry and so vindictive at that time, it is possible, if that is true, Carlisle didn't know it and I don't think Esme did either, she believes it was a biker she had a short affair with, uhmm, I think she said his name was Vendetto D'Marito, Ven, she called him."
"OH My God. That means revenge of the husband in Italian, loosely," Dimitri explained.
"So, Billy got his revenge it seems, and now Jacob is seeking his. He hated Carlisle for denying him as his son, and he hated Edward for having that role. We believe that is the reason he took your Bella. Jacob is getting even with Edward for having the life Jacob felt should have been his."
"Do you have any idea where he would be keeping her?"
"I would bet money he is holding her in the same place Carlisle took our mother and me; the only problem is I don't know where it is. Billy does though; he and Jacob would be the only two that know its exact location. It is a shelter for the Chief."
"Damn it," I said. I knew it; I knew he was protecting him.
"Rachel, any ideas how far it is from the house? What direction? Anything that would help us narrow it down?" Dimitri asked.
"I can't be sure, I don't know if he drove around in circles or went straight to it, but the ride was ten minutes, give or take. I used to count the seconds but it would change, I'm not sure if he took different routes or if the speed varied imperceptibly or why it varied. It never seemed like he went very fast. It is under ground, no windows, one way in and out. There were several rooms, I was only ever allowed to see the bedroom and bath but I was always walked through a room I never got to see to get there. I heard doors locking, oh, I walked down steps to get in, and I think 9 steps. I don't think you can see it from the ground."
"Well, that would explain why we haven't been able to find anything," Peter said.
"You need to be very careful on the reservation; the entire tribe will die to protect Billy and Jacob. You have to remember, no one knows a thing and they are loyal to a fault to Billy as the Chief and Jacob as their next Chief. You need to find her soon; we believe he is looking for his own heir."
"Oh hell no," I gritted my teeth.
"I am sorry Jasper, but that makes the most sense." Rachel looked genuinely apologetic.
"Jasper, that is not such a bad thing, it means he won't hurt her if he needs her." Peter put his hand on my shoulder as he spoke and I knew that it was meant to calm me.
"What do you know of this church; Jacob left this on Bella's car awhile back." I showed Rachel and Rebecca the invitation and they exchanged a quick look before Rebecca began to speak.
"This is how you get her back. They will be there. This is the place the Cullen's attended church, where Edward and Bella would have been married, where Carlisle and Esme were married, where Carlisle denied Jacob. This is the key." Her long bronze fingers tapped the back of the photo.
"Thank you both, so much. This is not going to end well for your brother I'm afraid, at the very least he will likely be going to prison. I'm sorry."
"Jasper, he is our brother, Billy is our father, but we have not had a relationship with them for many years, I hope you can get her back without bloodshed, more because of what that will do to you than what it will mean to Jacob, but do what you must to get her back. We can't sit back and watch another innocent life destroyed, but we can't be a part of anything further. We are heading back to Seattle now. Please just let us know when it is over."
"We will, thank you both again, and we are all so sorry for everything."
"Thank you."
With that the pair walked out with Mary and I was saddened but hopeful. Twenty five years of hell for who knew how many people. Would I have been just as messed up had I been in Jacob's shoes, who knew? I would certainly hope not, but honestly, that shit could really mess a person up.
"Peter, let's go for a walk."
I kissed Char on the head and slapped Peter's shoulder and then turned for the door. I heard Peter get up and kiss Char and his footsteps falling in behind mine. I heard the door close behind him as he followed me out into the hall. We walked silently to the elevator and through the lobby out the hotel front doors. We walked about a hundred feet before I turned sideways to look at him. Peter stared straight ahead.
"Peter, I want you at the reservation tomorrow. If I miss him at the church, if he spots anything he doesn't like he will head back there. I am so sorry to ask this of you, but I can't lose her and he can't be allowed to hurt her anymore."
"Jasper, you know that I will do anything for you and for Bella. What's the plan?"
"You, James and Preston at the reservation. If you can find them before they leave for the church great, if not, maybe you'll get lucky and catch them on their way out. I'll be at the church with Dimitri and Wade. I want everyone else along the three routes between the reservation and the church watching, following if need be. I want Emmett and Rose together, Tyler and Liz together, Mike with Char, I want them watching only, calling it in if they spot them. I can't ask any more of them and if the girls are with them, they will be more likely to stick to the plan. I figure the girls will refuse to sit it out, so that's the best way I can think of to keep all of them safe. Felix and Mary can set up across from the church and pick up his route if anyone sees him. We keep Sam and his boys away if we can help it; call them in if we need to."
"Yep, sounds right. We will get her back Jasper, she is going to be alright. She is a smart girl, she'd find a way to stay safe."
"I know that, I just hope she can live with whatever it is she has had to do to stay alive."
"Can you?" Peter stopped and stared right at me as he asked the hardest, easiest question I'd ever have to answer. It was hard because I knew the pain behind the answer and it was easy, because the answer required no thought.
"I will never fault her for anything she felt she had to do to stay alive, I know she did it for us. How could I not live with just the knowledge when she would have to live with the rest?"
"No matter what has happened Jasper, you are both going to need help to get past this."
"I know. Let's just worry about getting her out first; we'll worry about the rest later." I patted his shoulder to let him know the conversation was over.
Peter turned and began walking back toward the hotel.
The room was a buzz of activity when we returned. Dimitri was on the phone with Steve and as soon as we walked through the door Dimitri was cutting Steve off and waving us over.
"Steve is on the phone. A customer at the garage called for Jacob this morning to find out whether his truck needed any work. The truck is not there and the garage has no record of the truck being brought in. The man dropped it off the day before Bella disappeared directly to Jacob. Jacob was going to do some routine maintenance while he was out of town for a few weeks. He just happened to call to see if there was anything going on. The Seattle Police sent out a BOLO for the truck. We have the make, model, color and plates. Steve thinks Jacob traded out his car for the truck before he grabbed her. They are going through hotel security tapes to see if there is any footage of the truck."
"Finally, a decent lead." Peter fist pumped the air. There was a renewed sense of energy throughout the suite.
"I am going to go drive around the Reservation see if I see the truck," James announced.
"NO. James we can't take a chance on Jacob seeing you today, let Wade and Preston go, Jacob will not recognize them, but Bella will if there is any chance they are out." I just couldn't chance it even though I knew he felt as helpless as the rest of us.
"Yeah, alright, fuck." James hit the wall with his fist.
"I think I should go with, a guy and a girl walking around is a lot less suspicious if anyone is watching," Liz offered.
"She is right, let Liz and Wade walk around, holding hands, acting all cozy. I'll follow behind. One guy alone won't raise flags, I'll carry a tackle box and a pole, make it look like I'm headed to the beach."
"Good thinking Liz," I said smiling at her. It was amazing to see our friends, our family rally and show their strengths to help Bella. I always knew the guys had my back and the girls to some extent, but to see them so ready and willing to put their necks on the line with this psychopath was something else entirely.
Finally it felt like we were starting to get some advantage. We knew the church, the time, and the likely vehicle. We were confident that he was somewhere on the reservation and had a plan to cover all the routes between the reservation and the church. Most importantly, Jacob's mistakes were starting to catch up to him.
I hated like hell to think that if we didn't find them tomorrow we would be back to searching the reservation inch by inch. At least now we had some idea what we were looking for.
I took a nap for several hours while Peter and Char went to the church posing as a newly engaged couple to take pictures of the layout, all the entrances, and to explore every nook and cranny trying to uncover every possible hiding place. Wade and Liz and Preston were off doing reconnaissance at the Reservation and Tyler continued to search cyber space for any other information. I left James pacing after several attempts to convince him he needed to get some sleep.
By the time I got up it was dark out and Char had 8 by 10 pictures of the church taped to the walls and was pointing out details to Dimitri.
No one else was around.
"Hey, where is everyone?"
Char bit her lip before she responded and my stomach clenched. The steady rhythmic beating of my heart took off and escalated to a frantic pounding in my chest and head. Oh God, what was she afraid to tell me?
"Wade and Liz spotted the truck; it was in an old dilapidated garage behind Billy's house. The door was partially open and they were able to see parts of it, enough to see the license plate and confirm it is the missing truck."
"OK, so where is everyone?" The pounding increased, the vein in my head throbbing against my skin.
"Jasper, you are not going to like this, but they went to the reservation. They are searching for the hideout." Char was rubbing her hands together and gritting her teeth.
"What? Are they fucking stupid? If he sees them or anyone else sees them he will not come out tomorrow. Damn it, Dimitri why the hell did you let them do that?"
"I wasn't here when they left. Felix, Mike and Emmett are in the trucks, driving around. Peter, James, Wade and Preston are on foot." Dimitri outlined locations as he knew them.
"The girls went shopping, they went to get some blankets, clothes for Bella, a wig, and they figured we might need to disguise her when we get her, just in case Jacob gets away. They also wanted to be prepared for anything so they are picking up some first aid essentials." Char added, talking on and on as though it might alleviate the news that they had just jeopardized our cover story and any chances that we had left.
I don't know what I was more upset about, the fact that they were out on the reservation or that they didn't bring me with.
"Where the hell is Tyler, he better not have been dumb enough to go with them?" I asked.
"Oh, no, he went down to the gym for a run."
"I think I'll go join him." I could use a run, burn off some of this stress and frustration and kill time until the others came back. I was entirely too close to snapping.
Tyler was no happier than I was with the decision to go running around the Reservation tonight. He swore up a storm as he was finishing mile ten and I just hit my stride at the first mile. Fortunately there was no one else in the hotel fitness center and we were able to vent our frustrations. By the time I finished mile five Tyler was done with the weights and I hit the stop button and just stood on the sides of the treadmill.
"Are you alright?" Tyler asked from across the small room.
I listened to the fan humming, felt the occasional breeze as it oscillated back and forth. The chill against my heated back was a stark contrast and it matched the sting of the tears that were mixing with the sweat that dripped down my face.
"No. I am not alright. I've never loved anyone the way I love her, she is everything to me Tyler, everything. If he...if he hurt her, if he touched her.... Tyler I swear to God, I'll k...."
"STOP, don't say another word. Of course if you or Bella are threatened in any way, you would be right to defend yourselves, do you understand me?"
"Yeah, loud and clear. I'll protect her, she is worth it you know, no matter what happens."
"I know."
We could hear the voices as we walked into the suite. Peter was telling everyone to calm down, Dimitri was yelling at them about their carelessness. Emmett was restraining James. Yeah, this brought back memories from the night this whole nightmare started.
"We missing a party?" I quipped as Tyler shut the door behind us. "We don't have enough problems without you guys fighting each other?"
"Jasper cut the shit. It was worth the risk, James found tracks from the truck, and they stop about ten minutes from the house in the middle of nowhere. It was too dark for us to find a way in, but we think we know the general location of his hideout. In the morning we can stake it out, maybe get lucky and find them as they leave for the church."
"Good."
"Will you boys all please sit down and eat something, we picked up Chinese." Rosalie pushed Emmett to the table.
By the time everybody stuffed their faces the tension had diminished and several light but lively conversations ensued. We all needed to relax a little; the stress was eating at every one of us. We would be in better form the next day if we lightened up at least a little tonight. I got up and grabbed the bottle of tequila and held the bottle up to the room.
"Who's ready for a shot?" I wagged my eyebrows and reached for the sleeve of little plastic shot glasses behind me.
"I'm in." Peter was the first to shout out.
"Pour, I'll pass." Char started holding up glasses one at a time and handing them out.
When each of us had a shot we held them out and toasted.
"To Bella, 1, 2, 3, fuck it." I led the toast.
"1, 2, 3, fuck it,' chorused through the group followed by, "to Bella."
"Everyone get some shut eye tonight, we have a big day ahead of us tomorrow. Breakfast at 6:00."
I called Room Service and made sure that a giant spread was delivered promptly at 6 and arranged wake up calls for 5:00 and a back up at 5:30. I was still ripe from the run with Tyler earlier and showered before turning in with a couple Tylenol. At some point I felt someone lie down on the opposite side of the bed and wished like hell it could have been Bella. We had been sleeping in shifts for the past few days; tonight we were short on beds so we were bunking up.
In the darkened room I heard James say "Sorry dude, go back to sleep, tomorrow night you'll have her with you instead of me."
"Thanks for everything James."
"Dude, I'd do anything for her, including kicking your ass if you ever take her for granted."
I chuckled and drifted back off to sleep, tossing and turning.
I was up before the first wake up call, dressed and going over the pictures of the church that Char and Peter had taken the day before. I was planning contingencies and familiarizing myself with every possible means of exit. I had to hope that the sick fuck didn't actually invite anyone to the ceremony and we wouldn't have to deal with innocent bystanders. I couldn't imagine he could be insane enough to want witnesses to his kidnapping and forced marriage. I wasn't even sure how a priest could possibly agree to this without so much as meeting Bella.
Peter and James were the first up and they were showered and dressed before the first wake up call. Everyone was somber in the morning and got ready quickly. Breakfast arrived and disappeared just as quickly, without much in the way of conversation. We ran through the plan a couple more times, everyone was clear in their roles. At 6:45 Peter, James and Preston were on their way to the Reservation. They wanted to be in place to observe where James had found the tire tracks ending.
At 7:30 everyone else left the hotel for their own destinations. Dimitri drove while Wade and I watched the streets for any sign that any one was paying too much attention to the area around the church. When we were confident that there was nobody watching we parked the SUV and walked back from different directions meeting at the church.
It was nearly ten o'clock when Peter called me with an update; there was no sign of Jacob or Bella. Billy was sitting on his front porch drinking coffee for the past hour and a half, no sign he was nervous, or outwardly concerned in any way. He also did not look like he was attending his "son's" wedding in a few hours.
From their perch among the trees in the forest Preston kept an eye on the area around the spot the tire tracks disappeared. James continued to scout for the entrance to the hideout.
Emmett was next to check in. There was no sign of the truck or Jacob or Bella on any of the three routes between the Reservation and the church. I updated Dimitri and Wade and we all took up positions around the church. The waiting was the hardest part. There was so much time to do nothing but think. My thoughts went in a million different directions and as much as I tried to keep them positive they kept running the gambit. Horrible images flooded my imagination and each time I tried to quickly dispel the horror.
At noon the next round of status updates started rolling in and still, nothing, no sign of them leaving the Reservation or along the routes. I wondered whether they would show up at all. Maybe someone had seen them wandering the Reservation yesterday and Jacob got wind of it. Had he called it off, decided the risk was too great? I would have an answer in the next hour. If they didn't show up, I would storm the damn Reservation myself.
At 12:37 just as I thought surely my mind was parting with reality I started hearing things. Her voice, like an angel began floating through the air, echoing against the vast ceiling, bouncing around, tormenting me. It was so real I could smell her Strawberry Freesia shampoo.
"Jacob, is there somewhere I can powder my nose, fix my dress, I want to look perfect for you?" The sweet sound of her voice.
The vibration of the cell phone in my pocket buzzed me back. I looked down to see a text from Mary.
They just walked in the front door. We are right outside the door.
Mary
Oh my God, it's really her, she's here.
I waited silently listening for a clue as to where he was.
I quickly sent a text to Dimitri and Wade.
"Sure, there is a Bride's room Bella, I'll be right outside the door. Oh and there is no other way out so don't try anything stupid Bella."
OK, she was separated from him for a few moments. If I could make it to him before he could get through the door she'd be safe. I reflected on the layout and knew exactly where he was. I couldn't get there from where I was without him seeing me. He'd have enough time to get through the door and use her as a shield. Patience. I had to be patient for just a couple minutes. If I waited though, Bella would be in his grasp again and in more danger. I edged closer, I could see him, he was looking around, searching with his eyes running quickly over the back of the building, up to the loft, over to the altar. I watched as he bent down looking under the rows of pews. Then I saw the gun, the glint of metal in his hand. The sun hit it and it sparkled in the light.
"Alright Bella, that is long enough, let's go love."
"I'm almost ready Jacob, I'll be right out."
He reached for the door handle and turned his back to me. I moved as fast as I could as quietly as I could. I saw Wade moving from his hiding spot out of the corner of my eye. I knew Dimitri was clear across the church hidden behind the altar. He couldn't move without being seen.
I was creeping quietly when Jacob suddenly looked over his shoulder. He must have caught a shadow out of his peripheral vision. He spun around and raised the gun. Crouching, only ten feet away from Jacob I leaped at him, yelling out to Bella.
"Bella, don't come out."
Wade was on his feet running full out towards us as I crashed into Jacob. We collided in a loud bang, exchanging profanities. I swung my clenched fist and connected with bone. The next thing I knew Jacob's fist found purchase with my kidney. I was throwing another punch as I cringed from the pain. This time my fist landed squarely on Jacob's jaw. I could feel Wade pulling at Jacob's arm and heard Dimitri running down the aisle, his shoes pounding hard against the marble floor.
I swung again and felt my knuckles hit the moist surface of Jacob's mouth. Blood spurt out in a spray that hit me in the face. I heard Wade scream as the back of Jacob's head made contact with Wade's nose. More blood poured from Wade's broken nose all over the floor. We slipped in the spray covering the already slick marble as we all struggled to stand. I bear hugged Jacob trying to wrestle the gun from him as we slipped and fell again to the floor.
I saw Felix as the front doors flew open casting a bright light over the entry way where we were still struggling.
I heard Bella scream and my head snapped toward the door to the Bride's room where she stood. She was pale, there were dark circles under her eyes but she looked like an angel, beautiful in the flowing white gown. Her mouth was moving but I couldn't hear what she was saying over the ear splitting noise echoing through the church.
Felix was airborne over the top of me. I watched in horror as Bella ran toward Jacob and me, still entangled on the floor. She was screaming but I couldn't make out what she was saying. I couldn't figure out why everything seemed to be happening in slow motion, I knew Bella was screaming, I knew Dimitri was screaming, but I couldn't make out what they were saying, it was the oddest sensation, like being under water. It was then that I felt the hot liquid on my shirt. Looking down, there was blood everywhere. Jacob was thrashing around as he pushed his way out of Felix's hold.
My angel shoved at Jacob and dropped to her knees. I saw Jacob swing at Felix and Felix flew backwards. Jacob was moving towards Bella pulling his arm back, his fist clenched.
OH FUCK NO.
I tried to get up and suddenly felt the burning in my chest.
It felt like hours ticking by as I watched Bella grab the gun from the floor in her right hand and with her left hand pull back the slide as she sat back against her heels. I watched as her left eye closed and then saw Jacob fall backwards as another loud noise rang out.
Bella dropped the gun and was at my side screaming my name. All I heard was "Jasper, Jasper, No, somebody help."
Why the hell was she screaming like that?
WELL???? What do you think? I know, I know another evil cliffy, I'd apologize, but yeah, I'm not sorry. I love it! As one of my favorite readers said recently, who wants a story that has all the conflict, the suspense and drama and the solution in one 4k word chapter? We want to build and roll around in it and come out the other side over time. So I hope this is delivering.
Leave me some love in the form of reviews, I so love to hear what you thought and even if I don't get to reply to every single one I really read and cherish each of them.