Chapter Fifty Eight

Bella

I woke up in a dimly lit wooden shack, sunlight filtering through the shutters and a smell of dust in the air. My head ached and I felt sick then I remembered the stinging sensations and knew I'd been drugged. My thoughts went straight to Jasper, had he too been captured? Or had he evaded whoever this was? It wasn't the Volturi, the building was too temporary and the air colder. I could hear voices and footsteps, light but not silent like the Volturi Guard but I braced myself as the door opened and bright sunshine flooded in making me screw up my eyes. The two men walked in and went to grab me by the arms but I had my wits about me this time and they were repelled. They looked at each other and the older of the two spoke,

"Come with us."

"Not until you tell me where I am"

He shrugged,

"Mexico."

"Mexico?"

What the hell was I doing in Mexico?

I searched my memory, I'd heard Mexico before somewhere, something to do with Peter or Charlotte or...oh shit...now I remembered. Charlotte had said they worked for an evil Mexican bitch called...Maria.

I struggled to my feet, still feeling sick and dizzy, but the two men seemed to know they wouldn't be allowed to help me. I made it to the door before throwing up then after a few deep breaths of the relatively fresh air I walked out into the hot sun. The two men, well vampires as I saw now, led the way to the largest cabin in the compound and opened the door for me. I hesitated then walked in, my shield up protecting me.

I saw the woman Maria sitting at a table with a map spread out before her. As she heard my entrance she got up and turned to smile at me. She was beautiful, petite, and raven haired with full red lips stark against her white skin.

"So Bella Swan, its good to meet you at last. I hope the drugs haven't upset your system too much, I wasn't sure with you being only part human. You know who I am, so let's get straight to business."

I cut her off,

"Where's Jasper?"

Her lips tightened, she wasn't used to being interrupted but she shrugged her pretty shoulders.

"He's safe...for now. Whether he stays that way is down to you."

"I want to see him"

She sighed and gestured to one of the men,

"He'll show you. We'll talk when you get back"

I turned and followed the man across the compound to another shack, he opened the door but stopped me going in by thrusting his arm out. I glared and he stumbled back with a torrent of Mexican. Then I heard Jaspers voice,

"Bella?"

I looked down and saw a grating at my feet, kneeling down I saw him at the bottom of a sheer sided pit.

"Jasper? Are you OK? What happened?"

"Bella are you OK? Have they hurt you?"

I shook my head stretching my arm towards him but he was far out of my reach,

"I'm fine. What happened?"

"I got stupid" he sounded very angry with himself.

"I love you Jazz" I threw him a kiss which he mimed catching. "I'll find a way to get you out"

"Just get yourself out darlin' that will be enough for me. I think she might want me to work for her. If it frees you I will."

"No. I wont let you. We stay together."

"How sweet"

I turned to see Maria standing behind me. She pushed past to look down on Jasper.

"Actually Major I'm not interested in you, but your mate. I understand she has a gift that will be of great use to me."

I turned on her,

"Never. I'll never help you"

She smiled hugely showing beautiful white teeth,

"Yes you will, if you want your mate to stay healthy."

So that's how it was going to be!

"OK, but you have to release him from here."

She laughed,

"Do I look that gullible? You do as I say and he feeds. You don't he starves. It's very simple Bella but just so you know I'm in deadly earnest I've arranged a small demonstration for you. Please understand that I never threaten something I'm not prepared to do."

She nodded to a man standing at the corner of the room and there was a sudden whoosh followed by a hiss of escaping steam and a terrible cry of pain.

"Stop, stop. I'll do whatever you want but please stop."

She smiled and nodded again and the hissing stopped. I fell to my knees looking in the pit. Jasper was on the ground his clothes steaming from the jets of super heated water she'd had blasted in. As I watched he sat up and I could see the huge blisters forming on his marble skin.

"No real damage done, he'll soon heal."

I turned on her,

"What do you want me to do? You didn't need to torture him."

"Oh I know. I just wanted you to see I mean what I say Bella Swan Volturi."

I looked at her open-mouthed,

"Oh yes, I know who your father is and that you wouldn't work for him. Obviously he didn't know how to motivate you, unlike me. Now come we have work to do."

I looked back down at Jasper sitting on the pit floor hugging his healing body and my heart started to shatter with the pain of my mate.

Jasper

Maria had certainly turned the tables this time but how did she know about Bella? Who could she have been talking to? The pain of the scalds was abating but it would be hours before I could move without pain and my throat had already started to burn, I needed to hunt but I didn't think I'd be getting anything for a while. Maria meant to keep me weak from thirst and pain to control me. All I could think was how stupid I'd been putting Bella at risk and hoping she'd forgive me for that stupidity. Peter was coming but there was nothing he could do alone and no one knew where Charlotte was. The future was looking pretty bleak at first glance. I checked my pockets and found with relief that Maria had been so eager to get me in this pit that she'd made the cardinal mistake of not having me searched first. I flicked it open and dialed Peter's number.

"Major"

"I fucked up Peter."

"OK, then its The Captain to the rescue. Excuse me for asking but if you fucked up that badly how come you're able to ring me?"

"I'm down a deep pit with a broken ankle just healing and a shit load of scalds."

"Sounds like a bad day."

"You could say that. Maria's using me as a lever to get Bella to work for her"

"Scheming bitch. So what do you want me to do?"

"How about come rescue us?"

"OK but I'll need help."

"Use whatever you need. I want Bella away from here."

"I don't think she'll come on her own so it's a package deal. Leave it with me. You still have a watch?"

"Yeah."

"Turn the phone off to conserve the battery. I'll ring you in three hours with an update."

"Thanks Peter."

"No problems Major. I owe you anyway."