Chapter Forty Seven

Darius

I drove to the airport to meet my sister but when she emerged from the terminal I could see that her time in Volterra had scarred her. She was no longer the sweet excited girl I had seen off on her travels. No this woman had a hardness in her eyes and a bitter twist to her mouth although she smiled when she recognised me and ran over to hug me in greeting. As we drove back I explained the situation to her,

"But if it makes you happy we can leave and find a new life somewhere. Just tell me what I can do"

She sat back in her seat and a strange sound issued from between her lips, part sob. part laugh.

"Caius is dead Darius and you have a part to play in helping your friends. As for me, I'd like to thank Bella for freeing me from his clutches but what happens after that I have no idea. I don't think I will ever be the girl I once was."

Such words coming forth from the mouth of a beautiful young woman almost broke my heart, she had changed so much.

Bella

I was curious to see the girl Caius had kept more or less as a sex slave for so long. Would she be bitter and hard or would she have the strength to put it behind her and not let it ruin the rest of her life. After all there was someone out there for her if she could go forward and find him. Perhaps she would feel better knowing Caius was dead but I didn't know and when we saw the car drive up I took a deep breath and walked down the steps with Charlotte to greet her. Darius sister was a stunner, a dark-haired beauty with a dazzling smile but I could see it was an effort for her to keep it there. Darius introduced us and she stepped forward to take my hands in hers,

"I want to thank you for freeing me from Caius and in return I want to help you. Athenadora told me something to pass on to you Bella. The Lord of Mischief is none other than Aro Volturi. I hope this makes sense to you because it baffled me."

"Yes it makes sense, it also means a return trip to Volterra soon but come and meet the others."

She returned to Darius side and took his hand allowing herself to be led inside to meet the others. As she went in Jasper came out and they exchanged a short greeting before he bounded down the steps to my side.

"Beautiful isn't she?"

He shrugged and I realised that he genuinely hadn't noticed her as a woman. I couldn't believe it but he just took me in his arms.

"No woman could be as beautiful as you are in my eyes. We heard by the way. What Athenadora told her. So Aro is behind it all? We were right in our guesses?"

"I don't think Aro set this up although I think once he realised what Alice was doing he was happy to give her a nudge in the right direction. Maybe he had someone keeping an eye on things and reporting back to her, after all she couldn't possibly keep tabs on everything that was happening personally."

"Yes I think you're right. So what do we do next?"

"Find Alice."

"That's easier said than done Bella."

"I know but with Darius contacts and yours maybe we can get a clue as to where she is."

"It's worth a try but if I were her I'd have left the country if I saw that things were beginning to unravel."

"OK so lets tell the others."

Peter

Darius was a different man when he was with his sister, more relaxed and easy to get along with and she had survived her enslavement surprisingly well. We'd all heard Athenadora's message and I knew Bella wouldn't let it lie but when she came in to tell us we were going to trace Alice first I was slightly surprised. It meant leaving Aro and his spies free to report on our actions, still she seemed to know what she was doing so I sat to listen. Darius nodded his assent,

"I'll get on it now. I have a few contacts abroad too."

He went to his bag and pulled out a small laptop which he set up and soon his fingers were flashing across the keys. I pulled out my cell and soon we were all working everyone we knew looking for clues as to Alice's whereabouts. It was slow going and wherever she was she had been very careful to cover her tracks. I knew it didn't matter how long it took, sooner or later she would slip up and I just hoped she didn't see us coming. I really didn't want to chase the fucking bitch round the globe!

It was a week before we finally got a break and it was of course Darius who found the faint trail in cyber space.

"Folks, I think I may have got something. There was a passenger who left for Russia a month ago, a Miss Grandaj Ludanto."

"A Miss what?"

"It means greatest player in Esperanto."

"That sounds like the kind of word game Alice might enjoy. So a trip to Russia then?"

"Actually Peter no. She only stayed there two weeks before moving on to Japan."

"OK well I've never been there either so I'm game."

"She's not there any longer either but she was using another name this time, Miss Alicia Laludo"

"And I'm guessing that means something significant to you?"

"La ludo is the game in Esperanto."

"Do you think she's leaving a deliberate trail for us? Maybe she thought we'd follow her around the world."

"Well she's right out of fucking luck then Rose. Where is she now Darius?"

He shook his head,

"I'm still looking, I'll find her again don't worry."

Edward

I was largely ignored now and made the most of it staying clear of Peter and Garrett in particular. It galled me to see Jasper and Bella so close although even I could see they belonged together. I sat quietly reading a book when my cell phone vibrated. Looking round I saw no one seemed to have noticed and I strolled outside, only Garrett's eyes following me but he didn't get up from his seat. Taking my phone out I looked at the screen, there was one new message and the number was Alice's. I flicked through until I could read it,

"Edward, I know you are all busy looking for me but I think this time I was just too clever. Tell the others the game is over and I win. So long as they leave me alone I'll return the favour. Thank you for making it so much fun. "

I sent her one back,

"Don't you realise Carlisle and Esme are condemned to death and the rest of us wanted by the Volturi all because of your game?"

"Of course. If the stakes weren't high it wouldn't have been such fun. Besides Aro won't kill them or you. He values Carlisle's friendship and your gift too much for that. As for Esme, well she'll live because Carlisle does. As for the others, they still have their relationship so they should think themselves fortunate and be fair Edward, I never lied to Jazz. I told him Bella was his mate and that she'd find him. I just omitted to tell him how long the process would take. Must go now, Domino xx