Chapter 20
CPOV
I was staring out the window of the plane praying that we would get Edward back in one piece but the more I watched the preparations Bella was making the more I began to realize that may not happen. I needed a quiet moment with Bella to ask the question I was afraid I already knew the answer to, when she moved into the seat next to me I wondered if she could read my mind.
"We will be landing in Lake Placid in about 45 minutes then we will travel by SUV's to just north of Tupper Lake and set up a base camp. Billy seemed pretty sure the cabin is in Franklin Co., the St. Regis Canoe Area but that still leaves thousands of acres to search. We can't use a helicopter or anything that would alert them to our search and that will slow us down some."
"How long do you think it will take us to find him Bella, really?"
"I am expecting it to take 2 or 3 days of searching. They had to get there the same way we will so there is a trail to follow, we just need to find it. Liam is the best at this Carlisle. He will find the trail that will lead us to Edward."
"But will he be alive when we get there?"
"Carlisle, I know..." I cut her off
"Truthfully Bella, can they afford to let him live?"
"I don't think so, he can identify two of them. I recognized Sam Uley from one of the photos. If he is involved I can guess between a few people who the other man is and all of them have killed before. That is the main reason we are doing this slowly and starting at such a distance, this must be done quietly or Edward is in even more danger. It is also the reason I have asked for help from the people I have, they will not hesitate to use lethal force if necessary. Carlisle when we land, you will be introduced to some people and some you will not. I need everyone to ...I am not sure how to say this. The people you aren't introduced to leave alone, don't try to find out who they are or talk to them at all. I know it is hard to be left in the dark but it really is in everyone's best interest, especially Edward's."
"Edward said at the party that you have valid reasons for the level of security you keep around you. Will we ever know the story?"
"Edward will, but the rest of the family - no, probably not. I need you to understand that your family knows more than anyone else ever has, it is not easy for me."
"I understand Bella. Please bring my son back to us safe, that is all I ask and all I will ever need to know."
"Thank you. Upon landing we will load up and leave immediately, we are trying to avoid the locals knowing we are here. The men holding Edward will need supplies eventually and we don't want them overhearing town gossip. Please discuss this with Esme, Emmett and Jasper, getting in undetected is essential."
We landed at a private air field and moved into one of the hangers before the plane stopped close to 4 SUV's, they all looked as if they had seen better days. Stephen was the one to tell us which one we would be riding in. "We will be leaving one at a time about 10-15 minutes apart. We do not want to draw too much attention to ourselves. We will meet up at the base camp. Remember if you are stopped or approached by anyone you are here to canoe the St. Regis area and will be camping by the river." Stephen said.
It would be a two hour drive to the base camp so I took that time to explain to the others about the talk Bella and I had on the plane. Esme was having a hard time understanding the limitations.
"I don't understand why we are being kept out of so much Carlisle and I don't like it. He is our son and we have a right to know what is happening."
"And we do what is happening. She could have done this without us being here, she is asking that we not question how she knows these people or exactly what some of them do. She is planning on telling Edward everything, after this she won't have much of a choice in the matter. It boils down to this Esme, either you trust her or you don't and if you do then we do this her way."
"I trust her to get Edward back to us alive. I trust her Carlisle."
We were the last to arrive at the camp and it was shocking to see everything that was set up. It looked like some thing out of a movie. "Carlisle, bring everyone over I want to introduce you to some of the people here." Bella called out. "This is Mitchell, he does the communications, he is an expert hacker and once it is full dark he will be trying to pick up heat images using infra red. Mitchell, I'd like you to meet Carlisle and Esme Cullen, Edward's parents, Jasper Hale and Emmett Mc Carty." We all shook hands and then he went back to his computer equipment. We also meet Mason, he would be leading the extraction team that would actually bring Edward out. We were not introduced to the two men with Mason that appeared to be cleaning weapons or the two men helping Mitchell.
Bella turned to me saying, "Joshua is checking out Adirondack Medical Center in Lake Placid, it is the nearest hospital and where Edward will be taken once we have him. Any medical equipment he feels he may need that they don't have will be brought in, he also has a nurse with him, someone he swears we can trust. Michael, my helicopter pilot from Seattle is on stand by with Mountain Rescue in case we need to get Edward to the hospital faster than the SUV's." Bella didn't come out and say it but she meant a life flight and when I heard a whimper from Esme I knew she understood also.
"Infra red is coming on line." I heard Mitchell call to Bella.
He projected onto the side of the tent a map of the St. Regis Canoe Area that was being searched and it had hundreds of red dots on it. "Can you get rid of anything that would be under 100 lbs?" Bella asked.
"Sure, it won't be as accurate but Edward is what close to 200? It should be ok." Mitchell responded.
"Edward is almost 220." Emmett stated. Everyone looked at him wanting to know how he knew this. "He wanted some help in the gym and he has been putting on some muscle in his upper body lately." Emmett said as he shrugged. Mason asked to talk to Emmett to find out Edward's physical capabilities.
When Mitchell made the adjustments it cut things down to about 50 red dots. "What do you do now?" I asked.
"Now I will blow up and look at each dot and try to determine if it is one person or a group of people trying to give Liam an idea where to search tomorrow." Mitchell answered.
Bella walked over to the map as dots on the lower portion of it started to drop away. "Is that the section that was searched yesterday?" she asked.
"Yes it was easy, there are several campgrounds there and it is pretty open ground. The hard part will happen the farther north we go, that is mountains and more dense." Mitchell answered.
"How far in have we searched?" Bella questioned.
"By tomorrow morning we should have searched about 15 miles in." Mitchell said.
"Ok tomorrow we move camp up to just outside the unsearched area. Has Liam found anything yet?" She asked.
"He has found several trails in from the river but so far they have led to campsites and not what we are looking for." Stephen answered.
"Fine, Mason are you and the boys going out tonight?" Bella asked and he nodded. "Let me know in the morning how things are going and if there will be any issues?"
"Yes, Ma'am." With that he and his team left into the darkness.
"Come on Carlisle. I will show you guys which tent is yours and Esme can bunk with me. If that is ok with you Esme?" Bella asked.
"That's fine Bella."
"Bella, what are Mason and his team looking for at night?" I asked.
"In general they are getting the lay of the land and pinpointing any difficulties they would have getting him this far. They will also investigate the heat spots Mitchell located that are not close to Liam."
"Why stay away from Liam?" I asked.
"Liam is actually following trails left behind by someone. Odds are they have kept him either drugged or tied up for most of this journey. They can't risk him making a scene so he is subdued somehow. Even if they brought him by the river, they have a car or some form of transportation to take him to the cabin. Liam is following the trails that were obviously made by either more than one person or some vehicle. They are our best bet to actually find him but we can't ignore any heat spot that could be a person."
We waited and watched and moved camp twice in 3 days, on the fourth day Liam reported back that he came across a very promising trail but was concerned because it looked too fresh and it covered an older trail. It was late in the day and when Liam radioed that he had found a cabin with a truck and an ATV parked in front of it. He was told to stay put and Bella sent Mason and his team to check out the cabin.
EPOV
I have been here four days, the sun was setting and this was my fourth day here. I knew they were looking for me, Bella would not believe their lies. My mind drifted to the taunting Quil enjoyed on day two.
"You know they think you ran off with Tanya? We have footage of her at your condo, at your house and we planted your car in front of her condo. She isn't at home either, it was convenient that she chose now to take a vacation at Aro's insistence of course. But with both of you gone the rumors are flying." He taunted.
"Bella would never believe that, she will see right through your lies." I spat at him.
"Really then why did she flee to her ranch in California. Her housekeeper was heard in the grocer talking with her son about how she left. It seems you may have broken her heart, she thought you were done with Tanya." He laughed while he was telling me this but I don't think he realized that what he said made my conviction grow. Bella's employees didn't gossip to anyone EVER. If Mary was talking about something in public it was because she was told to. I knew I was right Bella didn't believe the Tanya story.
"Believe what you want Quil but I know Bella she is not easily swayed, so good luck with that." As I walked away I could tell he was pissed he couldn't get a rise out of me. He was looking for a fight and I wasn't going to give him one. I could finally see out of both eyes. My kidneys were still killing me but the bruising on my torso was getting better, it had settled into a nice blue/purple color and my hands didn't hurt to flex as much. I was on the mend and needed to stay that way, I was not going to let a jackass taunt me into a fight.
The days were boring, there was nothing to do. There was a television but only to play movies and the porn these guys watched just made me think of Bella and I as not jacking my junk anywhere they could hear me. So I spent my day looking out the windows trying to figure out where I was or reading. I tried to rest as much as possible, it was obvious I was in the wilderness somewhere and I would need my energy to help get myself out of here.
It was the third day that I was allowed outside with Sam for a few hours. We took a small hike to a nearby stream. Sam would at least talk to me civilly, I think he actually liked me or didn't get the satisfaction out of seeing me hurt that Quil did. It was on the return trip to the house that I noticed the truck, it had New York plates on it. So I was in the mountains of New York, the Adirondacks maybe? But how deep in them was I? I made sure to note the location of the sun before entering the cabin so I would at least know which way was south. I think south would be my best bet to find someone. I looked at myself and thanked god I had been at Bella's when taken at not coming from work. I was dressed in jeans and more importantly sneakers instead of a suit and dress shoes.
It was this morning that I heard what sounded like and ATV in the distance. When I perked up Quil laughed.
"Don't get excited there Cullen, I am sure it is just the guys bringing more supplies up and updating us on when we can get rid of you."
Sam spoke up quickly, "Shut the fuck up Quil. You know we can't do anything without approval."
I walked out of the room. "You know as well as I do what that order will be. He has seen us Sam are you prepared to let him live knowing we will go to jail for kidnapping?"
That was the confirmation I needed, I would stay as long as I could but when I felt they were getting ready to kill me I would have to run for it. They would have to hunt me down to kill me, I would not make it easy on them. I prayed Bella was close to finding me when I needed to run.
Quil was right the ATV was pulling a wagon and there were two guys. They unloaded the supplies and came inside to tell Sam & Quil what had been happening. Throughout the course of the conversation I found out that one was named Paul and the other Embry but I had no idea which one was which. They avoided me all day, if I walked into a room they left. I was sure they would be left here to deal with me and because of that kept their distance.
We had eaten dinner and the four men were playing cards and drinking. The drinking surprised me, Sam had been very carful that either he or Quil not drink at the same time but I suppose he felt confident because I was definitely outnumbered. As they continued to play and drink they began to talk, so I stayed in my room and listened carefully.
"They say she is still at her California ranch but what bothers me is that some of the Cullen's haven't been seen either." One of the new men said.
"What do you mean some the Cullen's haven't been seen Paul?" Sam asked
"The last time anyone as actually seen Carlisle & Esme Cullen was the day after Edward was taken. The same goes for Jasper Whitlock and Emmett McCarty, their wives are in Seattle but they are not." Paul stated.
"Where are they? Do you think they are searching for him?" It must have been Embry who asked.
"Of course they are looking for him you idiot. Have you been able to trace where they went?" Quil asked
"No we checked every flight and train, there is no record of them traveling anywhere. I thought maybe they took a private plane but there isn't a record of that either." Paul offered.
"How sure are you that Sinclair is at her ranch?" Sam asked.
"You know how she is with her security. We can't get within 10 miles of that ranch but some of her security is there so we are going with that assumption. We also have not been able to reach anyone about Cullen. They people we are dealing with haven't heard from their source." Paul said.
"What?" Sam yelled. "Do you we know if someone is still in charge or have they been caught? This is such a cluster fuck and it just keeps getting worse."
"What do we do with him if we can't reach anyone?" Embry asked.
"How long have you gone without contact?" Quil asked.
"Tomorrow will be the third day?" Paul answered. "No one has logged into the secured site we have either in 3 days. It was last logged into the day after you arrived here."
"Well, we can't afford to wait to long to do something with him." Sam said.
That was all I needed to hear, I wasn't going to give them the chance to do something with me. I tuned them out and took a nap. It wasn't hard I hadn't been sleeping well since they kidnapped me. I woke up I think around midnight and still heard 2 of them talking or trying to talk their speech had become very slurred and they sounded as if they would be passing out soon. I waited for about 30 minutes before I popped the screen out of my window and let myself drop to the ground. I started walking in the direction I had determined was south this afternoon and hoped to be found soon. I couldn't help but think this would be easier without the clouds covering the moon.
BPOV
It took Mason's team 2 hours to reach Liam on foot. It was another hour before we received any communication from them.
"Infra red shows 5 bodies inside. Four in one room and the fifth in a separate room." Mason's voice crackled over the radio.
"Five people?" I questioned Stephen. He shrugged and shook his head.
"Visual confirmation needed on the kidnappers or hostage should only be three bodies." I radioed back to Mason.
"Roger that getting visual." Mason answered.
"What does that mean Bella?" Esme whispered to me.
"Either it isn't Edward or 2 more people have joined them since he was taken. If it isn't Edward then Liam bunks down for the night and Mason's team will investigate other hot spots. If it is Edward they will have to observe longer because instead of a one on one ratio it now becomes two to one." I saw Esme perplexed face. "With the numbers 5 to 3 one of the team will be assigned to Edward, he is that person's only concern. That leaves the other two to deal with the four kidnappers making it 2 to 1."
"Affirmative on the visual confirmation, Sam Uley is inside." Mason voice sounded in the night.
"Roger that, Charlie team moving forward to assist if needed. Alpha Leader has point." Stephen looked at me as I answered Mason.
"Roger that, Charlie will be in the woods. Alpha out."
"You can't do that Miss Bella, it is too dangerous." Stephen said walking to me.
"It's done Stephen I will not leave him out there if back up is needed. Are you coming with me?" He nodded at me. "I want William and Grey with us. Anthony you stay here to communicate with me. I trust your judgment to anticipate what may need to be done. We move out in 15." I turned and walked towards my tent but still heard Carlisle question Stephen.
"What is happening?"
"Isabella is Charlie, she is moving within a half mile of the cabin. Close enough to respond if need be."
I was back dressed in black yoga pants and a black under armor shirt in less than 10 minutes. Anthony handed me my utility that held my throwing stars and daggers. William, Grey and Stephen stepped up dressed in camo with their sniper rifles slung over their backs.
"We have movement in a window." Mason's voice said. "Someone has dropped out of it, assumption is it is the hostage. He is moving away from the cabin heading south towards us. Will hold our position and wait for him to reach us."
"Anthony, tell Joshua to get the helicopter in the air. Pick out landing sites and basket drops if need be." He nodded to me. We were about a half mile from where we would stop when Mason's voice sounded in my ear.
"We have movement in the house and yelling. They realize their package is gone, do we move in now?"
"Yes, take them if possible." I answered Mason. We picked up our pace as shots rang out in the air. "Who's firing?"
"No one on my team." Mason answered. "Charlie hold your position by the stream, do not cross. Switch to close combat until the package has been picked up. Move in."
"Roger that holding." I answered Mason. We could hear shouting and it sounded like a stampede was happening they were making so much noise looking for Edward.
A voice yelled, "There he is," off to my left and I motioned that we would be moving that direction as another shot rang out in the night air. I turned to Grey, "Find whoever the fuck is shooting and take him out now." He nodded and took off in the direction the shot came from.
"Sniper in the woods." I said to alert Mason that one of my team had been given an order to fire.
"Roger that sniper is weapons hot." He responded.
The rustling was getting louder and it was impossible to tell who was running towards us. "Anthony, do you have any idea which one is Edward?"
"No, everyone is too bunched up. I think they are circling him." He responded. "They are about 25 yards to your left and 150 yards in front of you and closing fast."
Two more shots rang out close together and I recognized Edward's voice yell out, "fuck."
I pressed the panic button on my belt. "I found him, converge on my signal. Anthony release the girls." As we ran towards Edward's voice the clouds cleared from in front of the moon and I could see he was on the ground with 3 men standing over him and one of them was pointing a gun at him. I noticed his shirt was bloody. "Shoot him and you all die." I said as they turned to look at me in shock.
"As if you could stop me." The words were barely out of his mouth when the red dots signaling laser sites lit up on their chests.
"I may not be able to but the snipers can. If you look at each other you will see you each have a sniper rifle trained on your heart and your head." They looked at each other and immediately took a step back. "Drop the gun." All I could tell for certain was that Edward was still breathing. He dropped the gun onto Edward and I heard him groan. "Move away from him." I said as the sound of running animals broke the silence. The girls approached the scene growling, teeth bared.
I pointed to Edward. "Girls, chosaint." (Protect) They moved so they were standing over his body protecting him, hackles raised growling at the 3 men they didn't know.
Mason's team approached to take control of the kidnappers. "Anthony we need the helicopter, Edward has been shot. Have the Cullen's meet us at the hospital." I turned to Mason, "Keep them under wraps until we know who to turn them over to. I need Jacob Black found and they should know where he is." Mason nodded and I knew he would get the information out of them.
I ran to Edward and he was unconscious but he was breathing steady and his pulse was good. He had a gun shot wound to his shoulder that looked like it had stopped bleeding, he had been beaten and his run through the woods hadn't helped matters but he was alive and that was what mattered the most.
"We need to move him to the river Isabella. That is the closest the helicopter can get." Stephen said. I had been holding his hand and as they lifted him to move I felt him grip tighter onto me. I squeezed his hand tighter, "I'm not letting go Edward. You are stuck with me forever."
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or its characters.
Thanks for reading! We are getting close to the end.