Twilight is the property of Stephanie Meyer.
Officially improved by the magic that is mynxi.
Chapter Fourteen
BPOV
I finished tucking my damp hair into a messy bun and hurried out of the bathroom. Thanks to Jasper's idea of a wakeup call, I was running late this morning. An involuntary smile crossed my lips at the memory of Jasper waking me up with his tongue on my clit, and I decided the pleasure had been well worth being five minutes late to the bookstore.
Working for this past week at the store had been a dream come true compared to my previous jobs. The job was less physical and certainly less stressful. There were no drunken ass holes to fight off, no happy hands to avoid, just people in search of books and coffee. Madeline and I got along really well and my hours at work passed quickly.
I grabbed the first pair of jeans I touched and threw on a t-shirt and hoodie. Grabbing my chucks from the closet, I hurried out to the kitchen to grab breakfast. Smelling the scent of fresh coffee, I sent a wave of gratitude to Jasper, who was sitting at his desk. He was talking on his cell phone with a serious look on his face.
He flashed me a quick little grin, but frowned again almost immediately. "I'm sorry, Carlisle, but you have to tell Esme that Bella's answer is still no," he said firmly. My stomach sank at his words, but I shrugged it off and began looking for my favorite coffee mug.
Jasper had returned Carlisle's calls last weekend when we returned from the cabin. Unsurprisingly, he was calling because Rosalie and Emmett had returned home and given him the abbreviated version of my last two years. Jasper said that Carlisle had been shocked and disturbed, and that he wanted very much to speak to me in person.
I hated it that I still felt unable to comply with that request. I still respected Carlisle very much, and I knew that the decision to leave Forks had been made at Edward's request. However, in my mind, their decision to sever all ties had ended any sort of familial relationship I had with the Cullens.
Jasper had earned his way back into my heart, and Emmett was hard to stay mad at, but I just wasn't ready to let anyone else into my life yet. Jasper had been nothing but supportive of my decision, but it put him in the uncomfortable position of being the middleman during Carlisle's daily calls to ask about me.
"I'll certainly tell her you asked, Carlisle," Jasper's smooth voice broke into my reverie as I poured my coffee. "No, I don't speak for her, I'm just relaying the message," he spoke again, tension slowly invading his words. He ran his fingers through his dark blonde hair as he leaned back in his chair.
"Yes, I agree with you, but as I've said before, the decision is all hers." He closed his eyes, and I imagined him counting to a billion in his vampire mind, trying to stay patient. He had told me that Carlisle was having a difficult time understanding my resistance to seeing the family again. I felt a small amount of guilt at upsetting the people I had cared so much about, but seeing the image of my father's body washed that feeling away.
"I'll tell her, that's all I can do. Yes, please give my love to Esme and tell Rose and Emmett I said 'hi'," Jasper said in a final tone before hanging up the phone. His expression was bleak and I could almost see the frustration pouring out of him.
I walked over to him and pressed a kiss onto the top of his head. "Anything new today?" I asked, smiling wryly. Carlisle and Esme ended every conversation with Jasper by sending me their love and asking me to call them.
"No, just the same message as always."
"So what has you so frustrated?" I asked gently as I carefully hopped up onto his desk and began to sip my coffee.
He picked up my free hand in his and toyed idly with my fingers as he rocked his desk chair side to side slowly. Leaning forward to press a kiss into my palm, he finally gave me a small smile before he answered.
"Just a bad update from Jenks. He has two guys on Andy, but he somehow managed to fall off their radar yesterday. Jenks says the gang is a larger network than anyone had anticipated and that it's no easy task to track the leaders without being noticed." His normally smooth voice was rough with tension. "No progress on Andy's grandmother either, so even if we somehow managed to get him away from them, it's unlikely he'd accept the help."
I found myself in the unusual position of providing encouragement to Jasper. Usually he was my cheerleader, not the other way around. I fought my worry about where Andy might be and put hope and faith into my voice.
"Give it time, Jasper. Things will start falling into place." Placing my now empty mug on the desk, I stood up and climbed into his lap, letting our peace fall over us for a brief moment. He wrapped his hard arms around me and sighed into my neck.
Groaning, I forced myself to stand up. "Now how about giving me a ride to work, since it's your fault I'm late?" I suggested in a flirty tone. Usually Jasper walked me to work, but I knew he was going to head out hunting this morning, so I didn't feel bad asking.
He grabbed his keys from the tray on the desk and stood up. I turned to walk away when I felt him smack me smartly on the ass. "March that butt into the kitchen and grab one of those gross looking breakfast bars," he ordered. "Don't think I didn't notice you haven't eaten anything."
I just shook my ass at him and walked into the kitchen to grab a granola bar. I met Jasper at the front door and we held hands as we walked to the garage. Things had been really good between us during the week we'd been back from the cabin. I was making a conscious effort not to shut Jasper out, even when I was stressed over the Cullens wanting back into my life.
For the most part, I had been successful. When I did start to clam up, the memory of Jasper's face after I shut him out last weekend was enough to snap me out of it. I didn't want to be responsible for causing him pain, ever.
Before I knew it, Jasper was pulling the Porsche over in front of the bookstore. Unbuckling my seatbelt, I leaned over to give him a proper good bye kiss. "Thanks for the ride, Jas," I whispered as I pressed my mouth to his.
His hands reached up to gently frame my face as we kissed sweetly. "It was my pleasure to drive you to work, Bella. You can thank me for the ride after I give it to you tonight," he whispered back into my ear before pulling back from our embrace. He was giving me the sexiest smile I had ever seen and it was all I could do not to climb on top of him.
"Teasing isn't nice, Jasper," I scolded in a breathy voice, even as I moved to open my door.
He winked at me and kept smiling. "That wasn't a tease, that was a promise, Bella. Now go earn your paycheck, Sweets."
The sight of him smiling still left me breathless, so I took a minute to take it in before I got out of the car. I gave him a quick grin and blew a kiss at him as I walked away and into the store, noting with relief that I was actually right on time.
"Good morning, Bella," Madeline greeted me cheerfully as I hung my coat in our little staff room. I returned her greeting and we started planning our day. After we went over our game plan, I headed over to the coffee bar and started setting up for the morning. Madeline went to the front of the shop to start working on some new displays.
We had a steady stream of customers for an hour or so, but we hit a lull before the expected lunch crowd. I was crouched behind the coffee bar, cleaning out a cabinet and trying to rearrange the mugs and glasses to make things easier to reach. The door chimed as someone entered the store and I automatically began to stand to greet the customer, lifting a pile of dessert plates with me to put on the counter.
Before I was on my feet, the rapid sound of gunshots roared through my ears. Acting purely on instinct, I dropped to the ground and covered my head, ignoring the broken shards of glass around me. My lungs seized up and my heart pounded as I fought to control my panic. I knew without a doubt that whoever was shooting up the store was here to take me, and I needed to think clearly about how to help Jasper find me.
Praying desperately that Madeline was somehow okay, I ran through options as heavy footsteps approached me. Wincing as a piece of glass dug into my knee, I had an idea. The footsteps came closer, so I quickly grabbed a bigger piece of glass and sliced it across my right palm. The blood began to well immediately and I fought for control over my aversion to the sight.
Before I could plan my next move, the barrel of a gun touched my head as my assailant reached over the bar. "Stand up, Bitch," he ordered gruffly, and I quickly complied, keeping my head down. Blood dripped from my hand onto the wooden floor, the drips coinciding with the pounding of my heart.
"Hey Tony, she's bleeding already, and we ain't even got started," the unfamiliar voice shouted to the front of the store.
"Bring her up here, I want to take a good look," a gruff voice ordered. The gun wielding man in front of me waved his hand impatiently, indicating I should walk to the front.
"My hand," I choked out, holding it up to him. "Can I grab a towel, please?"
"Make it fast, Bitch," was the only answer he gave, so I grabbed a wad of paper towels on the counter as I followed him to the front of the store, vitally aware of the gun pressing into my back.
As I approached the front, the scent of fresh blood grew stronger. From the corner of my eye I saw a pool of crimson spreading from behind the register counter. My breaths became ragged as I fought my panic, and I forced myself not to look closer at the image of my kind hearted employer shot to pieces on the floor. There would be time to freak out and time to grieve after Jasper found me. I just had to keep myself together long enough for him to save me.
The walk to the front seemed to take hours, although it was literally only twenty steps from the coffee bar. My heart stuttered as I recognized the figure standing in the doorway, turning the open sign to read closed. Tony, the hot head who had tried to hit me at the club, turned to smile at me menacingly.
"Miss me, Bitch?" he snarled as he stomped over toward me.
"What do you want with me?" I asked hoarsely. I couldn't understand why these people had any interest in me.
"Your old roommate misses you," he sang out in a mocking tone. "He misses you so much that Alex decided it was time we made you pay poor Andy a visit, let him know you still care."
My heart sank at these words. I knew Andy would never intentionally bring me closer to the members of K2, so something else was going on.
Suddenly Tony began snapping his fingers impatiently. "Enough of this, Bitch. Now, you're going to follow me and Carlos here out to the car. You're not going to make a scene or yell for help, because if you do, I'm gonna shoot you in the head," he explained matter-of-factly. His eyes were hard and cold, and I saw the truth of his words written in them.
I nodded my head, surreptitiously checking to see if my hand was still bleeding. Sure enough, a small puddle had formed near my feet. More than enough for Jasper to see and smell. The pressure of the gun in my back spurred me forward into the cold air outside. I calmly crossed the sidewalk, sandwiched between the two thugs who had murdered my boss. People automatically moved out of our way, but no one noticed the weapon being held to me.
They steered me toward a black BMW sedan of some sort and I calmly slid into the back passenger seat, discreetly wiping my bleeding hand on the outside of the car as I did so. Tony got behind the wheel and Carlos joined me in the back. Looking out the window, I was relieved to see several drops of blood on the pavement outside the car. Now I just needed a way to keep my trail of breadcrumbs going as we drove.
Tony pulled the car out into traffic, honking and cursing at the cars in front of us. Swallowing my panic down, I pulled the towels away from my hand and moaned dramatically.
"Keep it down, you bitch," Tony snarled from the front seat.
"I'm sorry," I whispered, fighting tears. "The smell of blood just makes me really sick. Do you think I could have the window open? I really don't want to throw up in the car," I pleaded, trying to sound as if I were already gagging. "I'm not going to do anything stupid, I don't want to die. Just please let me open the window so I don't get sick."
"Do it Carlos, no way I want her puking in my car. Just remember, Bitch, his gun is on you. You try to get away, he's gonna shoot you in the head. No warnings."
Carlos immediately lowered the window, and I made a show of taking deep breaths as the cold air filled the car. "Thank you," I whispered quietly as I closed my eyes and slumped against the door frame, trying to keep my face in the fresh air. I quietly raised my bleeding hand to the door and draped it out of the window, wiggling my fingers trying to force as much blood out as possible.
I remained still for several moments before cracking my eyes to peak at my captors. Carlos was looking at his cell phone, his gun still absently pointed at me. Tony was driving, cursing at the traffic and paying little attention to the back seat. Grabbing the chance, I pulled a piece of blood soaked paper towel off of my hand and tossed it out the window.
Carlos looked up at the movement and narrowed his eyes at me. I quickly raised my good hand in appeasement. "I just thought if I put my hand out the window, it wouldn't smell so much," I babbled, waving both hands around frantically, hoping more blood was dripping onto the street as we moved. He seemed to buy it and made no further comment as he returned to playing with his phone.
I continued the process as we drove, squeezing blood and dropping soaked bits of paper towel as often as I could without being noticed. We continued north, heading deeper into Harlem before suddenly turning west toward the river. The neighborhood became sketchier, full of run-down apartment buildings crammed in next to abandoned brownstones and warehouses.
Tony parked the car in front of one of the buildings and he and Carlos opened their doors to get out. Tony jerked my door opened and yanked me out onto the sidewalk. He stared at my hand and then looked at the car door.
"You bled all over my car, Bitch. When Alex is done with you, I'm gonna kill you for that," he threatened in a horrifyingly calm voice. "Gimme that shit," he growled, grabbing at my makeshift bandage and throwing it on the ground in front of the car. "Carlos, park the car. Alex is waiting on us."
Tony grabbed my arm and roughly pulled me along the sidewalk toward the decrepit building. Every fiber of my body wanted to struggle against being taken inside, but I forced myself to cooperate. As we reached the building entrance I saw one last opportunity to help Jasper find me.
The concrete sidewalk had crumbled, leaving a large crater in front of the door. As Tony yanked my arm, I feigned a slip and fell forward into the doorway, reaching out with my bloody hand to catch myself. My captor growled and pulled my harshly into standing, but not before I took the chance to spread my blood along the dirty door frame, smiling grimly to myself as I prayed I would survive long enough to deal with the infection I was sure to get.
Tony dragged me up three flights of stairs as I continued to drag my bloody hand along every surface possible. We left the stairwell and he pushed me up against the first door in the hallway, raising his fist and pounding once.
The door opened immediately and another thug leered openly at me before looking up at Tony. "Pretty quick, T. Alex'll be happy. Go on in."
Tony just grunted as he shoved me in the door and into the dimly lit room. It appeared to be an abandoned apartment. There was a kitchen area, but other than a dirty sofa and a small table and chair set the room was unfurnished.
Panic welled inside me again as I registered that one of those chairs was occupied by Andy. He was slumped over forwards, held up only by the handcuffs restraining his arms behind his back. His face was a mess of bruises and his eyes were almost swollen shut. Forcing myself not to react, I made no sound as Tony forced me further into the room.
"Ah, back so soon, Tony, and successful on your mission as well." Alex's slick voice rang across the room as he strolled in, a menacing grin on his face. "Wake up, Andy. Your long lost friend has come to visit," he cooed as he approached Andy and pulled his face up by his shaggy hair.
Andy's eyes shot open as Alex pointed me out to him. "No, Alex, let her go, she has nothing to do with anything…" He was unable to finish his plea as Alex cruelly backhanded him across the face. "Shut up, Slut. Your little Izzy is here to remind you what happens to people who don't do what they're told."
Andy moaned and slumped over again, apparently losing consciousness. Alex let go of him and strolled over to where Tony held me. His icy eyes were empty of humanity, almost a blue version of James' crimson orbs.
"What do you want with me?" I whispered, full of confusion as to what this man's problem with me was.
"Well you see, my sweet Izzy, your pal here decided he didn't like hanging out with us anymore and figured he would just skip out on us. We don't play that way around here, so I sent Tony here to find him. Luckily for us, it wasn't too hard once Andy started craving hard. We taught him a little lesson about running out on your friends, but we're not sure he got the message. So, my lovely, you are here for two purposes," he purred, flashing me a wide smile. "I'm handing you over to Tony as a reward for finding our little lost boy here so quickly. He was so taken with you at the club, I know he'll appreciate the chance to get to know you much better."
Tony's grip on me tightened at those words and I fought the urge to throw up on Alex's shoes. "I'm gonna have so much fun with you, Bitch," Tony whispered into my ear. "I told you you'd beg for it, and today you will."
"Now, now, Tony. Make sure you don't get so excited that things end too early," Alex warned mildly. "Remember, our little Bitch's second job is to remind Andy that we own him. I'm sure watching you work over his little sweetheart will send that message clearly. If Tony leaves you in one piece, we'll pass you along to someone else. Who knows, maybe I'll even give you a try," he continued, leaning in to take my head between his hands.
"You're a dead man," I said quietly, looking him straight in the eyes. "It doesn't even matter what else you do to me, the second you touched me, you were a dead man."
He laughed heartily as he drew back his hand and slapped me across the cheek, causing me to see stars. "Are you referring to your blonde hero? He has no chance of finding you, and if he does, he has no chance of getting to you alive. I'm afraid if he comes after you, it'll just mean his death."
"You have no idea what he's capable of," I replied honestly. "If you're smart you'll put me in a cab and start running. It won't do any good, but it's your best chance."
"Delusional to the last," was his only reply as he walked over to Andy again, picking up a needle and a vial of clear liquid. He filled the syringe and tapped along Andy's restrained arms, looking for a vein.
"What are you giving him?" I demanded loudly. "Don't hurt him!" Alex ignored me as he found a patent vein and plunged the needle in. Andy moaned weakly and opened his eyes briefly as he fought to hold his head up.
"Just something to keep him relaxed while Tony's busy with you, my dear. He should stay conscious, but honestly, you never know. Tony, you'll just have to make sure things are nice and noisy so Andy remembers to pay attention."
Tony pulled me back against his body and I stiffened as I felt his erection in my back. "No problem, boss. I'll make sure she screams."
"No, don't fucking touch her! She never did anything, she doesn't deserve this!" Alex just smiled as he picked up a roll of duct tape.
"Hush," he reprimanded gently as he taped Andy's mouth shut, muffling his ongoing screams. My heart broke for him as his eyes continued to beg Alex for my freedom.
"Enjoy, Tony. Good work brining both of them in."
With that Alex walked out the door, motioning to the other thug to follow him. I heard him speak briefly to someone in the hallway and realized Carlos was probably guarding the door. I didn't have long to ponder the thought before Tony shoved me harshly away from him.
Channeling my panic into desperate determination, I turned to face him. I knew I had no hope of stopping him from hurting me, but I vowed to inflict as much damage as possible. He must have read my expression as he began to taunt me.
"Go ahead, Bitch. I love it when a girl fights back. It makes me even harder," he gloated as he advanced on me. He pulled his hand back and I watched in slow motion as it flew at me, striking me on the side of the head. The pain shot through my entire skull as I slumped sideways from the impact. Tony leaned in closer as I carefully clenched my fist.
I rapidly turned myself to face him and punched him across the bridge of his nose with everything I had. He howled in pain and outrage and I took the opportunity to jam my knuckles into his eye socket before I sprang up and ran toward the door.
I was unsurprised when I felt his hands on my ankles, dragging me back toward him. "You're gonna pay for that, Bitch," he snarled as he stood up to tower over me. I saw him draw his leg back and I closed my eyes. The impact of his foot into my abdomen forced a scream from me.
My thoughts were foggy from the pain, but I vaguely registered the sounds of Andy moaning in the background. Tony's revenge continued as he punched and kicked me repeatedly. I instinctively curled into a ball as I struggled to remain conscious. I had to fight to stay alive until Jasper found me. I knew he would come for me, I just needed to hang on.
I realized the blows had temporarily ceased as Tony pulled me into a standing position. My legs wobbled and I gasped from the pain of standing. I looked over and noticed that Andy appeared to be unconscious. "Not much of a fighter after all, are you?" he asked coldly.
Saving my energy, I made no answer as I forced my limbs to cooperate. He leaned over me and I seized the opportunity to knee him hard in the balls. He doubled over and screamed in pain, releasing me in the process. I stumbled forward and again tried to make my way to the door. I felt him grab me and pull me back upright.
As he slammed me into the wall, I noticed the door opening out of the corner of my eye. He also noticed the motion and let me go. I slid to the floor, fighting to raise my head to see what was happening. A blur of motion confused my eyes before Tony's limp body fell to the floor with a loud thud. A heartbeat later, Jasper's black eyes stared down into mine as his hands quickly roamed my body, scanning for damage.
"Knew you'd come," I whispered as my eyes drifted closed.
"I'm here, Baby. Now stay with me," he ordered firmly. "Open your eyes, Bella and tell me where you're hurt."
I dragged my eyelids open as I wryly answered. "Everywhere, Jasper." I felt his cool lips against my forehead and smiled as relief that he was here washed over me.
Remembering Andy, I gasped as I tried to sit up. "Andy, Jasper. They shot him up with something and he's unconscious!"
"Easy, Sweetheart," Jasper murmured as he eased me back to the floor. "His heartbeat is strong, and I have someone coming to help him." I absently noticed him pull his Blackberry out and start dialing. "He'll be fine, but I need to get you to the hospital," he continued before beginning to rapidly bark orders into the phone.
I zoned out for a few minutes, my eyes open but not really seeing as I fought to stay awake. "I have to pick you up now, Baby. I'm so sorry, but it's going to hurt." Jasper's soft voice focused me and I nodded weakly, reaching up to run my hand across his worried face.
I was unable to stifle my moan as he smoothly picked me up and carried me out of the apartment and out to his car. He was very gentle as he laid me in the passenger seat, but every movement caused exquisite pain in my head and my lower ribs.
"Hang on, Baby," he said urgently as he buckled me in. His eyes were still black and I realized he hadn't been able to hunt before coming to my rescue.
I smiled weakly at him, hating that he was worrying about me. He quickly got into the car and started the engine. The ride to the hospital was a blur. I heard his voice talking to me and into his phone, but I was unable to reply. I moaned as I felt him move me from the car and into the bright lights of the emergency room.
I heard the loud voices around me as people shot questions and answers back and forth across me. I grabbed desperately for Jasper's hand, fighting when the doctors tried to separate us. The last thing I saw before my eyes closed was Jasper's beautiful face etched in worry as he tried to convince the staff to let him stay.
"Don't leave me," I whispered as everything grew dim.
JPOV
I watched Bella enter the bookstore before I pulled the car back into traffic. My plan was to go hunting in New Jersey since it had been three days since my last meal, but I had a stop to make first. I was relieved that my thirst hadn't been an issue since Bella and I had started having sex. I was able to go back to my normal hunting schedule of every three days without having any lapses in control. It was as if I craved her body so much that my craving for blood didn't even register.
Arriving at my destination, I parked the car on the street, absently thinking I was having a lucky day to get a spot. I walked into the Apple store and got to work. I had noticed how much fun Bella had dancing around in the car on the first half of our trip home last week, and I wanted her to have music around whenever she wanted.
An hour later I left the store with two of the newest iTouch players and every imaginable accessory, plus a docking station for the apartment. I knew Bella would be mad about the cost, but if she got pissy I could always keep the other stuff back until she got used to having the iPod.
I got in the car and headed toward the George Washington Bridge, wanting to hunt quickly so I could get home and set up an iTunes account for Bella and myself. Traffic was heavy on the bridge due to a wreck, so it took me longer than I had hoped to cross into Jersey.
I used the time in the traffic jam to call the building manager of my apartment and ask him to drop off Bella's box that afternoon. I was still worried about her reaction to its contents, but I knew keeping it from her any longer was dishonest. Fighting my fears that she would shut down again, I told myself that if she pulled back I would just hold on. I was determined to live up to Bella's faith in me.
All of the sudden, I was struck by a feeling of extreme unease, a sensation that something was very wrong. Fear for Bella hit me like a jolt of electricity and I immediately took the next exit to U-turn as my cell phone rang. Hoping it was Bella I hit send without looking at it. I didn't even get a chance to answer before I heard Peter's voice cutting urgently through the phone.
"Go back to her right now, Jasper!" he ordered without preamble, confirming my dread that Bella was in trouble.
"What else can you tell me?" I shot back. Peter's intuition was strong, but often incomplete. I wanted every detail I could get so I could plan.
"I just know someone has your girl, that's all I can tell you," he replied in a frustrated tone. "I'll call if I pick up on anything else. We're still in Russia, so I can't get there to help, but Char and I will start making our way over there. Call me when you get her."
He hung up without another word and I focused on using every vampire skill I possessed to get to Bella as soon as possible. Weaving expertly in and out of traffic, I made good time back into the city. I finally approached the bookstore, again getting a lucky street spot.
As soon as I exited the car, I picked up the scent of Bella's sweet blood. It wasn't strong, but it was there. Fighting dread, I rushed into the store, noticing the sign had been turned to "Closed" even though I knew the shop was open at this time.
The scent of a large amount of spilled blood washed over me, but I was grateful to realize it wasn't Bella's. I registered the body of Bella's employer behind the counter as I scanned the rest of the store for clues. Reaching for my phone, I dialed Jenks.
He answered immediately and I filled him in on the situation.
"I'm assuming it's K2, the other people threatening her wouldn't use guns," I explained to him. "Find out everything your team knows about activity today."
He agreed and I could hear him speaking into another phone as I continued to speak. I noticed Bella's purse and coat hanging on a hook, so I picked them both up, inhaling her scent as I did so.
"I also need a team over here at the bookstore. I want every trace of Bella gone from this place, employment records, fingerprints, everything, Jenks. The cops are going to show up here eventually, and I don't want them anywhere near her."
He assured me it would be taken care of and I hung up to start looking for clues about where Bella had been taken. I picked up the scent of her blood strongly as I neared the coffee bar, and noted a small puddle had formed near a stack of broken crockery. Forcing my vampire sense of smell to narrow down onto Bella's blood, I tracked the trail of little drops to the front of the store.
Sadly, I made my way over to the remains of the kind woman who had hired Bella, removing the keys from the chain around her neck. I hated that my actions would delay the discovery of her body, but I needed time before the police became involved. I hoped that Madeline would have understood my need to protect Bella.
I exited the store, locking the door behind me and tossing the keys into a nearby garbage can. I smelled Bella's blood again, and noticed another small pool of drying blood on the sidewalk. I closed my eyes, focusing every ounce of concentration on my sense of smell. The many odors of the city surrounded me, and I slowly sifted through them, turning my body slowly as I tried to pick up the scent of Bella.
As I faced north, I got a distinct whiff of her. I walked quickly in that direction for several blocks, filled with relief as I realized the scent was still strong. I even noticed that there were small droplets of her blood on the street every so often. My smart girl was leaving me a trail.
I walked quickly back to my car and got in, giving myself a minute to locate her scent again. I opened the windows and pulled out onto the street. Her scent led me further north up into Harlem, before turning west into a slummy neighborhood near the river.
I drove slowly down the streets, stopping briefly in front of a building where I smelled Bella's blood the strongest. There were no people in front, but I felt sure that this was where she was being held captive. My phone rang as I parked the car in an alley nearby.
"Wherever you are is the right place," Peter's voice rang out. "Get a move on, she's hurt."
"Thanks," I shot back as I hung up and ran back to the building. I smelled Bella strongly at the doorway and noticed a smear of blood on the door frame. So smart, so brave, I thought to myself as I followed the trail up the stairs.
I heard a heartbeat as I approached the door leading into the hallway. Pushing out a strong wave of complacency and lethargy, I opened to door and walked toward the thug guarding the door. Befuddled by my ability, he didn't even raise his weapon at me as I approached.
"How many are in there with her," I demanded as I grabbed him by the throat, continuing to drown him with lethargy. His eyes began to droop, but he managed to answer that Tony was alone with the girl and the junkie.
Before he lost consciousness completely, I withdrew my emotions from him, enjoying the sight of his eyes dilating in fear. Fighting my urge to torture anyone responsible for hurting Bella, I snapped his neck cleanly before I broke through the door, taking in the sight before me.
Bella was crumpled on the floor near the wall. Tony was leaning over her as he unfastened his fly, violence and lust pouring out of him. Rage flared through me as I realized he was planning on raping her. Unleashed by my anger, my bloodlust broke through. Using vampire speed, I was on him before he knew I was there.
Lifting him by the throat, I looked into his sick eyes, reveling in the fear he was now feeling. I wanted his blood, and I could already taste it in my mouth. My jaws opened, but suddenly the image of Bella looking into my red eyes stopped me. I could imagine it clearly, her expression full of sad forgiveness. Forcing myself to be strong for her, I jerked my hand, breaking his neck and killing him instantly, before I tossed him to the floor.
I rushed to Bella's side, feeling her tiny body for obvious broken bones. Relief washed over me as she opened her eyes and spoke to me, telling me she knew I'd come for her. Her face was bruised and she was clearly fighting to stay conscious. I felt no other injuries to her limbs, but I was worried about internal bleeding.
She struggled to sit as she worried about Andy. I vaguely registered that his heart was beating and reassured her that he would be fine. I pulled out my phone and dialed Jenks.
"I have her," I said quickly. "I need another clean up team at this location. Two dead bodies, just make them disappear. Remove all traces of Bella from the premises, especially the blood stains. Good news is that Andy's here too, but he's been injected with some unknown drug and is completely out. I want him transported to a safe place so he can detox. Call in a nurse to monitor him while he dries out. Keep him comfortable but don't let him go until you hear from me. I have to get Bella to the hospital now, update me on your progress."
I ended the call without waiting for a reply, knowing he would follow every order. I leaned over Bella and prepared to pick her up, dreading the pain I was about to cause. "I have to pick you up now, Baby. I'm so sorry, but it's going to hurt."
She reached up and touched my face, trying to reassure me even as she suffered. She groaned weakly as I picked her up, and my cold heart tightened in my chest. She made no other sounds as I carried her quickly to the car, bravely fighting the pain she was in. I drove quickly to the nearest hospital, talking to her all the while. She mumbled vaguely back, but she was clearly fading. I parked at the ER entrance and carried her inside.
The staff members were on us instantaneously, lifting her onto a stretcher and wheeling her to an exam room. I kept a tight hold on her hand, despite several attempts to separate us. The doctors shot questions at me, and I quickly made up my lies to answer them.
"I found her like this at her old roommate's place. I don't know who did it. Yes, she was conscious when I got there, but she's been fading in and out." I projected trust and sympathy onto all of them, realizing I was a prime domestic violence suspect. I continued answering stupid questions about her health history, forcing my frustration down and letting them do their jobs.
"We need to take her for x-rays now, Mr. Whitlock," one of the interns finally said. "You can't go with her to x-ray, you'll have to wait here."
At those words, Bella's eyes flew open and she clenched my hand. "Don't leave me," she begged urgently.
"Just let me walk there with her and wait outside," I begged. "She's so scared; she needs to know where I am."
"I'm sorry Sir, but that's just not possible due to the risk of radiation exposure."
Bella began struggling to sit up as she heard the answer, crying out as the movement caused her more pain. The nurses and doctors moved to restrain her and began pulling her hand away from mine. Unwilling to allow her to hurt herself further, I quickly pushed her into unconsciousness with a heavy wave of lethargy.
As her fingers slipped from mine, fear for her condition swept over me. The staff members led me out to the waiting room. My phone rang and I answered it, glad to have something to focus on.
"She'll be okay, and so will you," Peter said cryptically before hanging up on me.
Puzzled at his words, I stared at the phone for several seconds before it rang again, showing Jenks' number on the screen. He reported that both clean up operations were underway, and that Andy was currently being moved to a safe place. The team was regrouping with plans to increase their surveillance efforts on the gang. I filed that information for later, knowing I would be making my own plans for retribution against Alex and his "friends."
"How's the girl?" he asked hesitantly, concern heavy in his voice. I smiled at the thought that Bella had wormed her way into Jenks' heart without ever having been in a room with him.
"Having x-rays right now, but I think she'll be okay," I replied in a tired voice. My vampire body felt no fatigue, but my mind and heart were heavy with the events of the day. I thanked Jenks for his assistance and hung up. I began to count the seconds as I waited for Bella to come back, barely registering that my throat was beginning to burn slightly.
I forced the thoughts about my thirst away, knowing I wasn't going anywhere until I knew for a fact that Bella was healthy and safe. She would not be leaving my side until I knew K2 was no longer a threat. I passed the time by sifting through different ideas to neutralize the fuckers who had hurt my Bella.
Someone brought me paperwork to fill out about her ability to pay for her treatment since she was uninsured. I filled it out, frustrated that they wanted her money before they even knew what was wrong with her. I realized I would need Jenks to build her another identity now that Bella Sanders was on the record as being treated for violent injuries at a hospital. It was unlikely the police would connect it to anything, but I didn't want to risk exposing her to Victoria's attention.
"Mr. Whitlock, you can come back now," a young nurse said politely from the doorway.
I had to force myself to walk at a human pace to get back to Bella. My unnecessary breath caught as I looked at her little body unconscious on the stretcher. She looked so small and frail, her pale skin marred by bruises. She had IV lines in both arms and an oxygen mask over her face.
"She's heavily sedated right now," the doctor explained as I stepped into the room. "She started struggling as soon as we left the ER, so we had to give her something to put her under."
"How bad is she hurt?" I asked quietly as I picked up her limp little hand. Our peace flowed over us and I closed my eyes for a moment to listen to her heart beat and reassure myself that she was still with me.
"Her most serious injury is a hairline skull fracture on her temporal bone, so we're watching for bleeding in her brain. She also has a small contusion to her liver, so we're monitoring her liver enzymes and will be doing more tests to make sure she doesn't develop internal bleeding. Her ribs aren't fractured, just bruised. Oh, and we had to stitch up the laceration on her palm."
"When will she wake up?" I asked, hoping he would be able to give me an answer.
"Hopefully within twelve hours or so. The sedative should be worn off by then, although her liver may not process it as quickly since it's so banged up. We'll be doing neuro checks every hour to make sure she doesn't show signs of brain injury. Other than that, we just wait for her body to heal enough to let her wake up."
"Thank you," I murmured absently as I ran my finger through her tangled hair.
"They'll send someone down to transfer her once they have a room open up on a unit. Let the nurses know if you need anything," the doctor said in a kind voice.
I nodded my head as he left the room and moved a chair over to sit next to Bella's stretcher. Lying my head down next to her arm, I inhaled her sweet scent, feeling relief from the burning in my throat as I did so. The thought of my thirst troubled me, but I was still unwilling to leave her to hunt. I was still in control, and touching Bella took away the worst of the discomfort.
Hours later, we were finally transferred to a real room. After the initial flurry of activity, the staff pretty much left me alone, so I sat and held her hand, counting her steady breaths. Every once in awhile she would moan faintly, but she never opened her eyes.
A social worker came in and asked me a barrage of questions, clearly looking for signs of abuse. I projected all of my trustworthiness at her, and she finally seemed satisfied. Two police detectives interviewed me briefly, but they seemed to accept my story. They told me to expect them back after she woke up so they could take her statement.
A nurse asked me to leave when visiting hours were over, but I shot her all of my charm and sympathy, and she allowed me to stay. I clung tight to Bella's hand, fighting my growing thirst. The scent of blood from hundreds of injections and IV lines was everywhere. The scent of the busy little humans scurrying around doing their jobs wafted around me. The peace from Bella's touch and her sweet scent was the only thing holding me back from a total loss of control in this highly populated and tightly monitored building.
I feigned sleep when the staff checked on Bella. Listening to their hushed conversations, I learned that Bella's condition was stable, but that they were surprised she still wasn't conscious. They planned to do another head CT if she wasn't awake by tomorrow afternoon.
Clenching my free hand into a fist, I hoped that she would wake soon. I couldn't leave her until I knew she was okay, but my need to hunt was only getting worse. If I was the same vampire I had been in Forks, I wouldn't have been able to resist the urge to drain every human who approached me. I was thankful that I had worked so hard on my tolerance since I had left the Cullens.
I forced myself to stop breathing and pressed my forehead against Bella's limp palm. I listened to the sound of her pulse and used it to focus myself on fighting my thirst. I forced myself into a trance-like state, only vaguely aware of the activity around me. I actually jumped when the new nurse came in to introduce herself.
"Are you okay, honey?" the middle aged nurse asked. "Have you eaten anything? You have to take care of yourself, we're taking care of her," she advised as she moved over to check on Bella.
"I'm okay, just tired," I whispered hoarsely, forcing my limbs to remain where they were. I would not attack this woman whose job it was to help Bella. I repeated the words to myself as she completed her assessment.
"Look at that," she announced cheerfully. "Her eyelids are fluttering a little. I bet she's awake before too long."
Please be right, I said to myself as I nodded absently at her retreating figure. I settled back to my previous position and tried to zone out again. Never before had I had to endure thirst like this while surrounded by humans. In my first life as a vampire, I had fed at will, rarely experiencing the sensation of thirst as I helped Maria carry out her violent agenda. Even after joining the Cullens, I had always been able to remove myself from temptation when the blood lust took over. My slip ups over the years had always been stupid accidents when a random human would cross my path while on my way to hunt an animal.
More hours passed, and I noticed that Bella was moaning more frequently. Occasionally her fingers would twitch in my grasp, and I started whispering her name over and over under my breath. "Bella, Bella, Bella,"I murmured, too quietly for anyone to hear. I laid my head down beside her again, grasping at my unraveling control.
Suddenly, her tiny hand grasped mine tightly. I immediately raised my head to look into her beautiful brown eyes. "Shit, Jasper, your eyes," she gasped as she began to sit herself up. "We've got to get you out of here," she stated as she reached for the call button, grimacing as she moved.
I couldn't reply, the combination of relief at hearing her voice and my need to feed robbing me of the ability to speak. I moaned quietly as I pressed a kiss onto her hand. She reached up to touch my face and smiled gently at me. "Don't worry, Jasper. I'm here, you'll be okay."
AN- I have to tell you all that the hospital scene is one of the very first situations I dreamed up between these two. Getting them here has been quite a ride, so I really hope you guys like it!
I ain't to proud to beg, I actually got fewer reviews after the lemon last week The reviews I got were all positive (thank you!) but there weren't as many as for the last few chapters. I'm sorry if it seemed like I abandoned the storyline for the smut, but it's just where it seemed to fit in naturally. It really isn't all about the numbers, I just love hearing what you people think and having the chance to chat back and forth about it!
Thanks for reading!
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