"All your take, on that?" Pete asked.
"Yup," Jacob said, sighing a bit, resigning himself to the incredulous look.
"Sure," he shrugged, looking at him. "Your dough."
Jacob nodded, this business done. Heading out of the dingy backroom that served as Pete's office, he spotted Amanda, stuffing the last bites of a hasty dinner into her mouth. She raised a hand in greeting, quickly returning it to her practical use.
Jacob waited until she was done, folding his arms, smiling softly. She reminded him of Bella, in some ways.
"What's up Jake?" she asked, putting down her bowl on the counter.
"I was wondering if I could ask a favour?" he said softly, eyebrows up hopefully.
"Oh, yeah," she said, "um, somewhere here? Or, you have somewhere else in mind?"
Jacob's eyebrows pushed together in confusion, and then lifted in troubled understanding. "Oh, no," he said, shaking his head quickly. "I need some help...not that. No."
She blushed, grasping her misapprehension. "Sure," she mumbled.
"I have a friend," Jacob started, "she's in trouble. With some bad people."
The fear was so easy to read on Amanda's face.
"Nothing like that," he said softly. "But I need some help convincing her to leave. To come with me."
"'K," Amanda said, not so certainly.
"I was wondering if you would talk to her."
"That's it?" she asked.
"Pretty much."
"Sure," she shrugged. "When?"
"A week or so?" Jacob said, scratching the back of his head. "Still putting a few things together."
From the office, Pete called out, "Yeah, you can use it," to Jacob, who nodded.
"Thanks," he called back.
"Not doin' it for thanks," Pete yelled, going back to the phone call.
Jacob nodded to Amanda, "'K, I'll let you know when."
He turned and walked outside, skirting the puddle of suspect near liquid by the door. Using the phone Pete had given him, he punched in the familiar combination of numbers.
"Hey," he said, "Good to hear you too...Yeah, I'm good...Any news?...Well, that's good, I guess...No. I'm not talking about that again….You know my answer….Well, he can go stuff himself….Uh-huh...Really? Copalis?...Didn't know. Thanks for telling me….I know. You too. Talk when I can...Yeah….Bye."
Tucking the phone back into his pocket, he made a fist in excitement, the pieces of his plan coming together.
- 0 -
Charlie put down the receiver, trying to keep his excitement from showing, not that he needed to try too hard with Mike. The boy was off his game these days, as tired and cranky as his toddler was, fighting the eruption of her new tooth.
"I think," he said aloud, "I'm going to book off for next week, see if Darcy'll spare us someone to cover me."
"Sure," Mike said, rubbing his face with his hands. "Mentioned they'd have some people free."
"OK," Charlie said, sitting back, hands together, thinking.
"Who was that?" Mike yawned.
"Just an old friend," Charlie mumbled, slipping a file back into the cabinet. The corners on it were well worn.
Mike didn't have to look to know whose file it was.
"Think I'm gonna head home," Charlie said, standing, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He looked at Mike, checking to see how he was holding up.
"Sure," Mike waved airly at him. "I'm good." He wasn't, but he'd manage, better than Charlie anyway.
Nodding, Charlie grabbed his jacket, and walked outside to his car.
An old contact from training days had called—one Roy Whittaker—now a senior detective in Spokane. He'd always had a sharp eye, and had filed away Charlie's phone call, and bulletin in the back of his mind. When the piece of crap he'd been interviewing had told he'd been roughed up by some giant shirtless brown dude, it'd jiggled the memory of the bulletin. The picture Charlie had sent showed Jacob shirtless.
"Said it was him," Roy had huffed into the phone, "told me they'd had their run in a few weeks ago."
The file was being FedExed over to Charlie's house for tomorrow.
He was going hunting.
- 0 -
Bella was trying to convince Edward that he should go hunting too.
"I'll be fine," she said. "It's just for a day." She'd watched his eyes go dark, peppered with flecks of lighter colours from inadequate hunts.
Edward remained unconvinced of the need. "And I'm fine too," he said, "no need to be apart."
Alice had made her own concerns known at this point. She'd been able to see flickers of Bella's future again—just wisps here and there, really, but enough to know that Edward should hunt. It only took showing him these, to make him stiffen with concern.
"We were thinking of a girls only trip," Bella said softly, almost apologetically, "but if you're not OK with it—"
"No," Edward said, feeling guilty at the thought of endangering her to fulfill his desire for hoarding her company, "you're right. I should go. It's only a day."
"We'll keep her safe, Edward," Rosalie said, "and she might even have some fun too." Then she winked at Bella.
Resigning himself to the time apart, he resolved to miser the remainder of it between now, and when they would travel to their separate destinations.
Her dinner finished, Bella put her knife and fork down, only to blink and have them vanish from in front of her.
They'd started gathering around the dining room table at dinner time, trying to maintain this small human ritual for her. She ate more when they were all together, and it helped mark the rhythm of her day.
It'd become something of a running joke, that one of them would snatch away her dish as soon as she was done.
"Bella," Jasper said, sitting kitty corner to her, sliding a chair over so they could talk more easily. "You mentioned wanting to sell your truck?"
"Yes," she replied, making herself feel resolved on this.
"I have a buyer, if you're still interested in selling," Jasper said softly. "A good price, too. I can close tonight. They'll be in the area."
It seemed so fast. But what use would she have for it? Be practical, she chided herself. Billy could use the money.
"That's great," she made herself say, "thank you."
Edward squeezed her hand. He knew what it meant, that it was more than a truck she was selling.
Jasper nodded tersley, slipping away, pulling out his phone.
"Maybe we should go car shopping?" Edward murmured beside her, "Find something you're comfortable driving?"
Still a little subdued, she managed to smirk at this notion. "Really?" she asked, "you, letting me drive?"
He tilted his head towards her, eyebrows up, challenging this accusation. "I have, and I do."
Her own eyebrows rose higher.
"Perhaps not lately," he admitted.
"I don't need a new car," she said, "besides, I think there are enough in the garage already."
There were multiple snorts in response to this.
"But I accept that I may be the lone opinion in that camp." She laughed, and so did Edward, not pressing this point.
It was strange, but not troubling, parting ways in the morning, he with his brothers and Carlisle, she with his sisters and Esme.
The space where her truck had been was a noticeable emptiness.
"Here," Jasper said, pulling an envelope from his pocket, "I had a money order made out for you."
"Thank you for managing this," Bella said, taking it.
Jasper's face registered his confusion over her mixed feelings, but he didn't address it. "You're welcome," he said instead. "The collector was happy with his purchase—don't worry, it went to a good home." He gave her a small smile, trying to offer some comfort with his words.
She tried to smile back, but it was fleeting. Her attention had been caught by the amount on the order. "Wait, this can't be right, can it?"
Edward peered over, and nodded. "Yes, for a collector."
"Thank you," she said more earnestly to Jasper. "I really appreciate it." The money would help Billy substantially.
"Come on lover boy," Jasper called to Edward. "She'll be here when you get back."
Edward leaned over Bella, kissing her forehead, and then taking the lips that were offered to him.
"I'll see you tonight," he said, making his voice light. "Have fun."
She watched him turn and walk away, feeling the tug of some invisible string, stretched too tight, strung between her heart and him.
He didn't look back, despite a mutual pull in his own chest.
Jasper's influence was wide, slipping over Bella and Edward. Soothing.
"Come on," Rosalie said, physically tugging at Bella's hand.
"Sure," she said, turning. "Just need to make a stop on the way." She waved the money order.
Rose shrugged. "No problem."
At Charlie's door, Bella hesitated before knocking. She contemplated leaving the order with a note, but then scolded herself for being a chicken. She could talk to her Dad.
Right?
She raised her hand, knocking firmly.
When Charlie opened the door, he stood there a moment, staring.
"Bella," he managed.
"Hi Dad," she said awkwardly.
They stared a bit longer.
"I was um, wondering if you could give this to Billy." She held out the envelope.
"Yeah," Charlie said, "I can do that. You wanna come in for a minute?"
From the door, though, Bella could see the dining room table.
She swallowed, remembering the dull smack of it against her face, and the pain of her arm, twisted up behind her back.
The feeling of her heart lodged in her throat.
"No." She held her arm out straighter, wanting him to take the trembling envelope.
He did, holding it between his hands, trying to occupy them, to keep himself from reaching out to touch her.
"It's the money from my truck. Figured he could use it." She stood a moment longer, then no longer able to keep her feelings in check, said, "bye, Dad," turning and almost running back to the car.
"Let's go," she said to Rose, as soon as she was inside.
Rose didn't ask, but hit the accelerator, swinging them out and back onto the road in one smooth motion.
"I think I need to go see John," Bella pushed out next.
Rose only nodded, signalling and turning.
Bella rummaged for her phone.
"Let me," Esme said, pulling out hers, dialing and purring into it. "He'll see you when we get there."
In her fresh distress, Bella had the cognition to wonder at the pull money could get you.
Cullen sized money.
The Cullen women were less than enthused by her request to see John alone—and out of their earshot.
"Really," Bella said, "what do you think will happen?"
They looked nervously at each other, but nodded. "We'll be outside," Esme said. "Just out of earshot. We'll hear you if you raise your voice though, OK?"
Nodding, Bella breathed out a distressed lungful of air, fidgeting in the waiting room chair.
"Hi Bella," John called, motioning her to follow him. She nearly tripped, doing so.
"This isn't your usual appointment time," he commented, taking stock of her hands, pressed too tightly around her arms.
"No," she said, "I just saw my Dad." She wished this could explain everything.
John wasn't lacking in insight. He understood the significance of such physical proximity.
"I see."
Did he?
"Where did you see him?"
"At his house."
John said nothing, waiting. Giving her space. They were seated in his office, the door now closed.
"I went to drop off a cheque for Billy. Jacob's dad."
John's eyebrows went up.
"He's in a wheelchair," she mumbled. "He sold my dad his truck, and I don't need it—anyway, with his kids gone, he doesn't have any help. I wanted him to have the money from the car." She felt like she was rambling. Her voice rose in pitch. "I saw the dining room table from the door. When he made me see—when he forced me—" She stopped, taking in a deep breath. "He put my head down on the table, pulled my arm up my back—" Her supply of air was up, and he throat too tight to ask for more.
The oxygen was squeaking in, and whistling out.
Her hands were shaking.
After a moment, John was confident her respiration was normalizing. "He betrayed you, Bella. He's your father. He's not supposed to harm you, or put you in its way. This a perfectly normal reaction to seeing him, to seeing where that betrayal happened."
She'd smushed four tissues into her hand, too distraught to only be able manage the taking of only one.
"I thought—" she started. "I could forgive him. I haven't wanted to see him, but I thought I could just let this go." Here she stopped, silently berating herself for such a notion.
John's forehead crinkled as he smiled a little. "You strike me as a very loving person, Bella. Very forgiving. Some hurts take longer for our bodies, or minds, or hearts to let go of."
The shaking had lessened, but a small tremble still clung to her fingers.
He let her think while he made some notes on a large piece of chart paper.
"Triggers," he said, pointing to one side, "and plans," gesturing to the other. Walking her through the sights, sounds, smells and situations that seemed most potent, they concocted a variety of possible remedies she might draw from.
At the end of the hour, she was calmer, and feeling more hopeful in general, as well about salvaging the remainder of the day.
Alice was just walking into the waiting area when she emerged.
"Better?" she asked, squinting in worry at her sister.
"Yes," Bella replied. "Sorry. I really didn't expect that today."
Alice was already shaking her head. "Nothing to apologize for. You're doing so well. I'm glad he's helping." She lifted her chin in the direction of John's office. "But if you're ready for some fun?" She raised her eyebrows inquiringly.
"Fun it is," Bella said, tucking her hair out of her face, determined to resurrect the intended spirit of the day.
