A/N: Thanks to my ladies, Tiffany, Sherry, Paige & Cristina xx
Chapter 30
EPOV
I shouldn't have walked away. I shouldn't have left things the way I had. She just made me so fucking mad. Why couldn't she see that I was trying to protect her and keep her safe? I understood her not wanting to stay with my parents after the way they had acted, in fact, I didn't blame her, but it was the safest place for her to be. No one was asking her to fucking talk to them. She could have stayed in her room the whole fucking time. I wouldn't have cared, at least I would have known she was safe, but now I would be left wondering if she was okay every second of the day. I needed my focus to be on the task at hand, not on her. That was how mistakes were made and lives were lost.
I hadn't told anyone where I was taking her. I figured Marcus' house was one of the last places anyone would look, but there was still a chance that they would look. There was still a chance that they would find her. The idea of any harm coming to her made my blood boil. She didn't make it easy, but I cared for her. I cared for her a lot. I had watched her grow up for years now. I had waited on the sidelines and anticipated the day that she would be mine. When she wasn't busy being a spoiled principessa and she let her guard down, she was actually a good person. She had the potential to be a really good wife. I just had to get rid of her spoiled attitude somehow. Her father had over indulged her too much and now he wasn't here to cleanup his mess.
It was never supposed to be this way, and I couldn't really blame her for acting out, not after everything she had been through. A forced marriage, losing her parents, and finding out her sister was a backstabbing bitch. I just wished that she would learn to trust my judgment, to trust me. I was on her side. The sooner she realized that the easier all our lives would be.
I pulled the car over to the side of the road and slammed my fists against the steering wheel in frustration. I wanted to go back. I wanted to go back and make sure she was okay. I felt guilty as hell for walking out and leaving her like that. It was a dick move and certainly not how I had wanted the morning to go. I had let my anger get the better of me again, but I knew if I went back there now, I would only cave-in out of guilt and let her come with me. I couldn't do that. It wasn't safe for her to come to New York. I wasn't sure how bad things were about to get, but the further she was away from the city, the better.
I gave myself a shake and banged my head against the steering wheel a few times, telling myself to pull it together. I didn't have time for this shit. I had a plane to catch, business to take care of, and a man to find. We weren't any closer to finding Jacob Black. For someone who had grown-up outside of the lifestyle he sure as hell was good at making himself disappear. Jasper, Emmett, and a few of my most trusted men were coming with me to New York to help me look. I had also received word this morning that Garrett had requested a sit-down. Now, I wasn't stupid, I didn't trust that fucker any further than I could throw him. I knew he was up to something, but I was curious to see what he had to say. See, as far as I was concerned, he had nothing to offer. New York was mine. Bella was safe. I held all the chips. So why ask for a sit-down? What was he up to?
I pulled my cell out of my pocket and texted Marcus to see how Isabella was. He texted back several minutes later to say she was crying, and feeling sorry for herself, but she was fine. I warned him never to take his eyes off her, not for a fucking second. His life depended on it.
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~TTTB~
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The sit-down happened several days later. We had agreed to meet in neutral territory. I had arranged the sit-down to take place at a local bar before opening hours. I had paid the owner a substantial amount to make himself scarce for a few hours. I had also anticipated damages to his property, so I had given him enough to cover that as well. Like I said, I didn't trust the fucker.
It was of no surprise to me when Garrett showed up with Isabella's bitch of a sister and several Russians. It was my suspicion that he had been the one who put the hit out on Isabella's parents. He may even have been the one who had set Charlie up with the Russians in the first place. Though, I had no evidence to backup my claim. Yet.
Garrett took the seat across from me and pulled out a pack of smokes, sticking one in-between his lips and lighting it. He offered me one before tossing the packet on the table. He looked like such a smooth operator, a completely different man than the one he had portrayed to me before. I couldn't believe that I had allowed us all to be fooled by that scumbag. "Why don't we skip through all the bullshit and get straight down to why we're here?" he said, cocking his eyebrow at me.
"Sounds good to me," I said, eyeing him.
"I want New York, but I guess you've gathered that much by now." I never responded. "Give it to me and I'll ensure that Isabella is left alone. I can tell she means a lot to you, more than some arranged marriage. Refuse me, and I'll put a bullet in her head myself."
"Is that the best you've got?" I asked, stifling a laugh. "And you," I said, turning to Bella's sister, "you're alright with this? You're alright with him putting a bullet in your sister's head."
"Don't talk to her!" Garrett barked, banging his hand on the table, but I ignored him, continuing to stare at Kate, waiting for her to answer.
"New York wasn't hers in the first place," she snapped. "It was supposed to be mine. It was supposed to be ours. You and she had no right to it. The bitch deserves what she gets."
I clenched my fist together to stop myself from launching out of my seat and attacking her right now, but I knew she would get what was coming to her, soon. How the hell had Isabella ended up with such a fucked up family?
Garrett laughed at me, clearly seeing my frustration and I couldn't help it. I snapped. I grabbed his head and bounced it off the table, breaking his nose. Guns were drawn on both sides, and shouting filled the room. This could easily turn into a blood bath, with neither side coming out victorious. I should have known better. I shouldn't have let my temper get the better of me, but when it came to Isabella I struggled to keep a lid on my emotions.
"I'll let that one slide," Garrett said, getting up out of his seat and wiping his nose. Kate was at his side in an instant, trying to nurse him, but he pushed her out of the way, almost causing her to fall down. I could be wrong, but to me, it didn't look like he loved her. He was only using her and the stupid cow was too blind to see it. "You have one day, Cullen. One day to make your decision, and then I go after your wife," he said before turning and heading out of the bar.
"You're a dead man walking!" I shouted, getting up from my seat. Jasper put his hand on my shoulder, which was probably just as well, or I would have gone after the fucker. No one threatened my wife and got away with it. No one. "Call Marcus," I ordered Emmett once they were all out of earshot. "Tell him to take Isabella to my parents' house. I don't care if he has to drag her. Just tell him to get her there and get her there now." I wasn't taking any more chances, not where she was concerned, and I didn't care if she was happy about it, or not.