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Here's chapter 21! Enjoy!
Chapter Twenty One
EPOV
Emmett, Jasper, Charlie and I made it back to Bella's apartment building just minutes before Officer Twain did. I couldn't bring myself to head straight up to her apartment so I stood waiting by my car whilst Charlie and Emmett went on up ahead of us. Jasper stayed with me, one hand on my shoulder in a comforting gesture for which I was eternally grateful. Officer Twain pulled into the parking spot next my car and got out swiftly. He strode around his cruiser and stopped in front of us, arms folded across his chest.
"Any news?" he asked
"No." I replied my head hanging as my heart ached in my chest.
"Have any of you met with the security of the building yet? Asked any questions? Touched anything in the apartment?" he fired of questions rapidly. I simply shook my head in answer to all of them, not quite being able to speak.
"Ok, well, lets head on in and get to work. My partner is on his way here too with a couple of other officers. We're going to need a recent picture of Ms Swan and if possible one of the person you suspect has taken her. I'll go and speak with the security guard and see if he knows anything and maybe try and gain access to any security film footage whilst I wait for my back up. Keep in mind not to touch anything in the apartment when you get up there, ok?" Officer Twain spoke as he started towards the entrance, Jasper and I trailed behind him.
We left Officer Twain in the lobby and caught the elevator up to Bella's floor. As soon as we stepped out I froze, unable to go any further as images of my Bella assaulted my mind. Jasper stopped next to me and once again laid a comforting hand on my shoulder and squeezed.
"I know it's hard, Edward, but you need to face it. Bella needs you to come through for her." He said softly.
I nodded and started forward again after taking a couple of deep breaths. I slowly reached out and opened her door, her scent washing over me, nearly bringing me to my knees. I braced myself against the wall just inside her front door and used my breathing techniques. I rubbed my hand over my heart sub-consciously to ease the pain residing in there. I could see Jasper watching me carefully out of the corner of my eye, but I ignored him. Slowly but surely I ventured further into the apartment, still breathing deeply.
I stepped into the lounge and gazed around. Nothing had changed in here in two days, but the air felt cold and unused already. I moved towards the mantle and stared at the pictures lined up there. There was one of Bella and Charlie, with Charlie holding up a fish proudly, Bella beaming beside her dad. There was another of Renee and Phil and one of Charlie and Sue on their wedding day. Then there was one of Bella and Alice on their graduation day, their degrees held high in their air, big grins on their faces and last but not least, the most recent addition was a picture of Bella and me on one of our nights out with the gang. We had gone dancing so Bella and I were standing our bodies flush against each other, my arms were around her waist and hers were around my neck and we were looking at each other, soft smiles on our faces, love shining clearly on our faces. It was this picture that broke me.
I picked it up from the mantle and held it to my chest as I dropped to my knees, sobbing as the pain threatened to tear me from inside out. I felt a pair of strong arms wrap around my shoulders and pull me into a hug. I knew it was Emmett from the sheer muscle. I didn't care that I wasn't being a man right now. I didn't care that my girlfriend's father was most likely watching me come apart. I certainly didn't care that, once again, it was my brother that was holding me together. The only thought in my mind was of Bella. My Bella. My Kitten. I whispered her name over and over as my brother held me and simply let me cry, not saying anything.
Eventually my sobs quieted and I pulled back, out of Em's embrace. He gazed at me, concern clear on his face.
"I'm ok now. I'll be ok. Let's just get to work." I said hoarsely. Em stared at me for a moment longer and then nodded once.
I rose from the floor and replaced the picture on the mantle, trailing my finger down the side, over Bella as I did. I gazed at it for a few more seconds and then turned to face my audience. I was surprised to find not only Jasper and Charlie standing in the doorway, but Officer Twain and three other officers too. I flushed slightly with embarrassment.
"No need to be embarrassed, son. We all need to let it out somehow." Charlie said with a small sad smile. I tried to smile back, but it came off more as a grimace. I turned to Officer Twain.
"Bella keeps her photo albums on the top shelf of her wardrobe in her room; would you like me to see if I can find some suitable picture for you in them?"
"As long as the wardrobe is the only thing you touch, then yes, please." He replied, gesturing for me to go ahead.
I left the men in the lounge and made my way into Bella's room, hesitating on the threshold before I fully stepped in. her scent was especially strong in here causing the pain in my heart to throb. I opened the wardrobe doors and retrieved the stack of photo albums from the top shelf and carried them into the lounge. I sat down on the sofa and reverently stroked the cover of the top album on my lap before opening it. Sod's law that the first album I opened turned out to be her engagement photos. The very first picture was a standing pose with her and Jacob. Bella was standing slightly in front of Jacob and he was just behind her and slightly to her left, his hands were on her waist and her hands were resting over his. I felt an intense wave of jealousy crash over me, blurring my vision for a few seconds.
I stared at the picture for a long time and the more I did, the more I noticed the little details. Jacob looked pleased, almost smug but Bella, although she was smiling, looked a bit uncomfortable. Her smile did not reach her eyes. I knew her every expression very well and this smile was not one of happiness. It was forced. The smiles she gave me always made her eyes sparkle and her beautiful face light up. The smile in this picture was dimmed, almost as if it had been painted on as an after thought. This receded the jealousy, but only slightly. I was still jealous that Jacob had gotten to share a day as special as an engagement with her before I did.
My eyes hungrily drank in her features and my fingers traced over her face as I flipped through the albums one by one. I wasn't choosing a picture for Officer Twain anymore; I was just looking at her now. I needed her back. I missed her so badly that the pain was almost unbearable. I needed her. Here. With me. And I had two more day to find her before Jacob forced her to marry him and she was lost to me forever.
Charlie POV
I watched Edward flick through Bella's photo albums, the pain on his face excruciatingly clear. As much as I loved my daughter and wanted her back, it seemed to be a fraction of what Edward was feeling. Edward and Bella had always been like the sun and the moon. Even in high school. They always seemed to revolve around each other. But now…now it was so much more intense. Their love was a palpable thing and although I had at first been sceptical of it when my daughter called to inform me, once they had visited and I had had a chance to observe them together I really couldn't find fault with their relationship. Sure, Edward had had a problematic past, but then who these days didn't? Not to mention the problems he faced were caused by my daughters' disappearance from his life in the first place.
Before Bella had left LA and moved to New York in her senior year of high school, the two of them were as thick as thieves. Edward was a good boy, raised right. Even the times I had caught him drunk or high, he had still always been respectful when speaking to me or any of my men. The boy had impeccable manners and not even drugs, drink and depression had taken those from him.
I should have seen it then, I suppose. The source of his pain then was the same source now. Bella. Her absence from his life was like removing a part of him. I should have seen how empty they both were then. The same dead look was in his eyes now as it was back then; I just don't know why I hadn't seen it back then. But I saw it clearly now and Lord help me, I would do anything in my power to restore the light.
I remembered all too clearly the pain and emptiness in my daughter's eyes too and if that time was any indication then I would hazard a guess to say that the look that was in Edward's eyes now was most assuredly in Bella's eyes too. Jacob would pay for this. I would make sure of it.
Jas POV
My friend was hurting. Again. And there was nothing I could do. Again. I felt so bloody helpless and frustrated. There was nothing I could do to take his pain away. This wasn't like the last time where I had the choice of actually telling him where Bella was, even though I didn't at her own insistence. No, this time, I didn't actually know where she was and that was somehow so much worse.
As I watched Edward go through Bella's photo albums I vowed there and then to do all that I could to bring my best friends back together again and if I got a few licks into Jacob in the process then all the better.
EPOV
I selected three pictures of my Bella from two different albums and handed them over to Officer Twain. One of them was a picture or Bella on her engagement day. She was sat on a grassy knoll by a pond with a small fountain. There was a swan sat next to her as she smiled up at the camera. She looked so beautiful that even the fact that it was taken on her engagement to another man did not detract me from recognising her beauty.
I had found a picture of Jacob on his own, standing by a large cherry blossom tree in the same album, so I gave that to Officer Twain too. The last picture was one of Bella, Alice and Rose sitting in Bella Italia, their faces shining with mirth. Though even in this picture I could see the light missing from Bella's eyes so I assumed it was taken before we had reconnected because the empty look in her eyes was the same I had carried in mine for those eight years.
I continued to browse through the albums lingering on each photo of Bella, tracing her beautiful features, drinking her in and memorising her. The longing and pain in my heart intensified with each passing picture yet I still couldn't bring myself to stop.
I was brought out of my stupor by the sound of the front door banging open. I looked up to see Josh, Sam and Officer Twain rush in looking excited. I jumped up from the couch.
"What? What is it? Have you found her?" I demanded.
"No, we have the security tape. I think you need to see this." Officer Twain said, holding up a disc.
He stepped over to Bella's entertainment centre and slipped the disc into the DVD player and switched on the TV. He moved back towards me, clearing my line of vision. The TV flickered for a moment and then a black and white image popped up of the lobby downstairs. My heart jumped in my chest when the image of first Jacob appeared and then a trailing Bella. I watched as Bella cleverly manuvered herself to face the camera and then mouthed something I didn't catch. I leaned forward.
"What was that? What did she mouth?" I asked
Officer Twain rewound the tape and played it again. This time I caught the words clearly. She mouthed 'Help me'. Officer Twain paused the tape and I moved to stand in front of the TV. I dropped to my knees and traced my fingers over Bella's face.
"I'm coming for you baby. I love you." I whispered to her image.
A new sense of resolve stole across me and I abruptly stood and spun to face my companions.
"Where do we think Jacob would take her? He's had her for two days now and we have two more days to find her before he manages to carry out his twisted plans. We need to find her before that happens. Charlie, have you spoken to his family? Would he have taken her back to LA?" I said determination clear in my voice.
"I spoke to Billy; he hasn't seen Jacob since the engagement. I don't think he's taken her back to LA, but we can check flight records to be sure." Charlie said to me before he turned to Officer Twain.
"Officer, I am Charlie Swan. Bella is my daughter. I am the Chief of Police in LA so I think I can help in your investigations but I won't get in your way. Just tell me what you would like for me to do?"
"A pleasure to meet you Chief Swan. I think we need to take a look at flight records and also go through rent agreements, property records and car hire details. If he hasn't flown, he may have driven, though I do think it's highly unlikely he drove to LA. If he plans to force her to marry him in two days, he would not drive to far out of state. I think he's still within the state of New York, we just need to figure out where." Officer Twain replied.
Charlie and Officer Twain discussed possibilities for a few more moments as I watched until I felt a hand on my elbow. I turned and found Josh gesturing at me with his head for me to follow him. I followed him from the room into the kitchen and he stopped by the sink.
"E, I think my team may be able to help in looking up records, but I need to apologise to you first. Her guard failed on the job and that should not have happened. I'm sorry, man." He said, his head hanging in shame. I laid my hand on his shoulder.
"J, just help me find her and I can let it go, yeah?" I replied softly. I hadn't quite forgiven his men but I couldn't and wouldn't turn down any help to find my Bella.
"Thanks, man. I'll get to work on the records. I have contacts that the police may not have access to. I'll call you in a couple of hours with an update." He said. I nodded.
Josh left me to start his search. I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. My body was aching to hold Bella and being in her apartment was making my heart ache for her painfully. Everything, her scent, her things, her pictures, all of it was reminding me that I was here and she wasn't. I missed her. I missed not being able to feel her, hold her, kiss her, I just wanted her.
I strolled back into the lounge and my eyes were immediately drawn to the frozen picture of her on the TV. I stared at it for a long moment until I noticed there was a reflection in the glass window to her left. I moved to get a closer look and I reeled back in surprise. There, plain as day was stood Bella's guard, Jared, talking with Jacob. I growled as the realisation that Jared knew Jacob hit me. I whipped out my phone and dialled Josh's number.
"Hello?"
"Josh, question Jared. He knows Jacob."
"What? How?"
"He's on the tape speaking to Jacob and they look extremely cozy."
"Are you sure, E?"
"Of course I'm sure! You wanna take a look at the tape yourself?"
"No, I trust you. Fine, I'll pull up the history on Jared too and speak to him once I've done my homework. I need to know as much information as possible if I'm going to be accusing one of my men."
I could hear the unhappiness in his voice and I didn't care. If Jared was involved in some way, we could find Bella that much faster.
"Trust me, J, you need to speak to him and I would suggest you tell him that he would rather it be you than me. If I get my hands on him, I may just kill him."
I didn't wait for Josh to reply, I simply snapped my phone close. I kept my eyes on the image on the screen as I spoke to Officer Twain and Charlie.
"Officer Twain, Charlie can you pull up phone records for Jacob Black and Jared Buckman for the last few weeks? I have a feeling Jared is Jacob's accomplice."
"Of course. I've already asked for a tap on Jacob's phone. I'll just ask for one on Jared's too." Officer Twain said before he left the room.
I felt rather than saw Charlie come and stand beside me. He placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed once.
"We'll find her." He whispered.
"I know, I just hope it's in time." I replied quietly.
"Where's Em?" I questioned as I realised that I hadn't seen my brother in a while.
"He left with Josh. He's going to help him while I help NYPD." Charlie replied. I nodded.
"We will find her in time, Edward." Charlie said forcefully.
"Thank you." I whispered, taking in his strength.
Charlie squeezed my shoulder once more and then left the room too. I continued to gaze at Bella and began desperately praying for her safety and for her return. If we happened to be too late, God knows what I would do. If I lost her to him, I knew, this time I would not survive without her.