So I had a very eventful night... My neighbours dogs (who I am quite good friends with) escaped from their yard and at four in the morning I saw them in my yard... Went out to get them... They ran off! And we haven't seen them since. Spent the entire morning looking for them... No luck.
So, this is likely going to be the only chapter I put up today.
If Edward was surprised by the way Bella pressed herself against him, he didn't show it. His arms automatically rose up and around to pull her trembling body close to him. "It's okay; you're safe with me," he soothed as he stroked her hair. He could hear her ragged breaths and the fast pace of her heart as she whispered through her tears.
"You don't have to." Edward swore. "You don't ever have to go back there again." He pulled away to look at Bella. "No one's going to hurt you, Bella. You don't have to go back. I promise."
But it was a useless point to make, while Edward told her that she would not have to go back she knew it wasn't possible. She would... Or Riley would come and find her. He'd kill her for sure. Or he'd send Darren and the other guy that had been with them that evening.
"What did they do, Bella?" Edward asked after a long while.
She sniffled and looked up at him. She knew her eyes must be red and puffy from crying, she hid them from him and she was thankful when he didn't reach for her face to force her to look at him.
"Bella? Did they..." Edward didn't quite know how to say the words but he feared the absolute worse. "Did they rape you?"
Still unable to look him in the eye she shook her head no. A fraction of Edward's tension left his body but he was still upset. "What did they do?"
Swallowing she drew back and wrapped her arms around herself. She focused her eyes on a spot on the couch. "They... They told me to dance for them... To strip like I would normally. So... I did... I pretended to be Isa. I... danced for them and I gave them lap dances but..." A tear escaped her eye, trailing down her cheek as she spoke. "One of them touched me."
She brought her arms up to cover her chest as though she could still feel the man's sweaty hands touching her skin. "I pulled away but he grabbed me and held my waist so that I couldn't get away... His hands went all over my body. I pleaded with him... And no one tried to stop him. In fact, they all watched... They were laughing and then his hands were between my legs... Touching me... Touching me there."
Bella's eyes flickered up to Edward's and then away again, she couldn't bear looking into his eyes; shame filled her when she saw the anger that was building behind his eyes.
"And then they pushed me away... And they had a gun... He pointed it at me and I thought I was going to die. But... I didn't. They let me go." She swallowed; her body trembled as she remembered the fear that had gripped her so hard as Riley had held that gun to her head. One squeeze of the trigger and she'd have known nothing more.
For the second time that day, Bella wondered what it'd be like to give in to that serenity. She'd dangled from an air conditioning unit less than eight hours ago knowing that she'd most likely face death if she fell. But Edward had saved her, she'd clung to his body as though he were a bit of driftwood and he was the only thing keeping her afloat. And when she'd stumbled out of Riley's office she'd collided into him and once again, she'd clung to him. She hadn't wanted to let go, not even to find her some clothes to wear.
"Bella, why? Tell me why they're making you do this." Edward was asking her and she knew that she couldn't lie to him. She couldn't feed him the same stories she'd fed Alice and Rosalie. But she was so ashamed. Edward was going to hear her story and he would no doubt look down his nose at her and see the pathetic human she was.
Silence filled the room until she finally looked up to see Edward's expectant expression. He wanted information but she couldn't find it within herself to tell him. She stared at him, helplessly.
"Bella, tell me. I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong." Edward begged, his hand reaching up to cup her damp cheek in the palm of his hand. And he did so badly want to help her. His grey eyes, soft with concern, met her teary brown ones.
"Let me help you." He whispered. "Please. Tell me."
Bella sighed. She was tired. So exhausted from everything that had happened that day and all she wanted to do was close her eyes and sleep. But Edward was pressing her for answers and she knew that she owed it to him.
After everything...
But she feared what his response would be.
"When I was nineteen, before I met Rose. I got caught up in... Drugs. I was addicted to heroin." She couldn't even bring herself to look up at him, knowing what he must be thinking of her.
"I couldn't get off it. And I needed more... I had a friend... He gave me money but he fed my addiction too. He convinced me to take up stripping... To help feed my addiction. That was the first time. And then... And then I got out!"
She'd been free. Riley had given her an out; she'd thought she'd never see him again.
How wrong she'd been. When she'd first seen Riley after all these years she'd been relatively happy to see him, although a little apprehensive. Riley represented a past she had left behind but he had helped her. When he'd come back saying that she owed him a lot of money, she'd tried to close the door on his face.
The hours that followed after that had been some of the most horrifying ones she'd ever experienced. Riley had changed. He'd changed so much so that Bella didn't even recognize the man he'd become.
"I was free..." Bella continued. "But toward the end of last year, it all came back to haunt me."
At her words, Edward's fingers twitched from where they lay chastely on Bella's waist. His gaze automatically dropped down to her arms, trying to see for the signs of any recent drug use which (to his great relief), he found none.
If he knew who this "friend" of Bella was, he would go after the man with a bat, Edward thought rather savagely. He paused as a thought suddenly occurred to him. "Was it Riley?" he demanded, his eyes flashing. "Did he do this?"
Bella glanced sharply at Edward at the mention of his name. Edward couldn't know. It was far too dangerous for him to know anything about this, let alone know the man responsible for what he was putting Bella through. Riley had threatened Bella himself that if she ever told anyone about their little arrangement that he would personally see that they learned nothing more. The threat behind those words sending a thrill down her spine.
Bella seized up. "No, it's not Riley," she lied. "And you can't know who it is... Edward, listen to me." She finally looked up at him, her eyes meeting his stony stare. She grabbed at his hand. "You can't get involved in this... I have it under control. I... I'm nearly there. I'm nearly free. I just... I slipped up tonight, it won't happen again."
"Bella…" His hand reached out to grab hers and he shifted closer so that his leg was resting against hers. Edward's green eyes were beseeching now as he tried to reason with her, tried to get her to understand where he was coming from. He couldn't back out now, not if he knew that there was the slightest possible chance that Bella was in danger. If everything she had said had been true, then the guys at Indulgences were bad people and too dangerous to be messed with.
"You don't have to go back to that place. Trust me. Please, let me help you."
He touched her face, wishing she would look at him. "He's threatening you because of the money, isn't it? The money he leant you from before? Bella, that's blackmail. And what he did tonight – he can't do that, he can't touch you! That was as good as assault. If you're in danger, we should call the police."
Edward didn't understand. Bella shook her head feeling hopeless. "It's bigger than just him... There's more than just him and... And even if I went to the cops and told them what he was doing to me... His... The people that he works with. He promised me that they'd find me floating in the bay... If I ever said anything to anyone."
"You have to promise me you won't say anything to anyone, Edward. I don't want you getting hurt..." She shook her head. "I shouldn't have even told you any of this!"
If anything, Bella's protests only made Edward more determined. She was just so stubborn. Didn't she see that the police would help her, would keep her safe? He wasn't sure if this guy – these guys – were serious with their threats should Bella not comply with their wishes, but either way, the police would ensure her safety.
"You should have told me even sooner." He countered with a scowl. "Damn it, Bella, when will you realise how much I care about you?" Edward's jaw clenched tightly.
"How much are they asking?" he asked. "How much do you owe them?"
Bella paused. Everything she told Edward she had to weigh up. She had to make sure that it was information he could have. There was so much she couldn't tell him… She was already compromising his safety but so long as he didn't get involved in it, so long as Riley didn't find out that Edward knew so much, then it'd be alright? Right?
She swallowed. "I owed over fifty thousand… I've paid off over half of it already… I sold my car, and I gave up my savings… And then when I was getting desperate to pay more back, I started working at the club."
His eyes widened at the amount. Fifty thousand? How on earth did she end up owing these men fifty thousand dollars? That amount was more than enough to put a person through two years of uni!
"Bella… if you need money…" Edward trailed off. He touched her hand. "Let me help."
If money were all these men were asking for, Edward would gladly hand it over. Money he could give. Anything to stop Bella from stripping again at Indulgences. God knew he had enough of it sitting in the bank somewhere from the inheritance his grandfather had left for him before he passed away a good few years back. He hadn't touched it though, hadn't liked what it stood for but this was different. This would be helping Bella, would mean saving her.
So now you know a little bit of her past. Now Edward just needs to convince Bella someway to let him help her.