Chapter Eight

Peter

I saw Charlotte talk to two different women before taking a seat beside the second, a girl with long dark brown hair and hunched shoulders. She looked as if she were expecting a blow at any minute, was this the mysterious Bella we'd been sent to find? I watched as she rose only to sit down again at Charlotte's touch and continue to talk. When she got up again I saw Char still speaking and as the girl opened the door I heard her last words,

"You're about two hundred miles and a thousand years too late"

She sounded so sad, so weary, and suddenly I knew this girls life had been touched by vampires, Bella really existed and she was about to drive away from us so I got out and forced the lock on her truck, it was so old it almost fell off in my hands in a shower of rust. She unlocked her door and got in, freezing when she noticed me.

"Hello Bella, I'm Pete Whitlock, you've already met my wife and my brother Jasper I understand."

"Jasper is your brother? Good one Peter or whoever you are but you should have done your homework, Jasper has two brothers, Edward, and Emmett, no Peter. Good try though, now would you mind getting out of my truck I'd like to leave"

"And where are you going Bella? Do you have a destination in mind because I have to tell you that Carlisle has a long reach and you wont find Jasper."

"Why not?"

"Because my dear, no one has seen him in two years, ever since your party. He's vanished."

"Since my party? That did more damage than I thought. Still if you know about that you don't need me to tell you that the Cullens and I aren't exactly friends"

"That's OK neither are we."

"But Alice rang you about me, Charlotte said so"

"Yeah, because she was out of options and she knows I'd do anything to fuck off Carlisle Cullen."

She looked out the wind shield and then rested her head on her arms over the steering wheel.

"You OK?"

"No, I have a splitting headache, backache, and I feel dizzy and sick."

"Wow all at the same time? You must feel like shit"

"I'm used to that. My life is pretty much all shit Peter."

I nodded,

"I can relate to that"

Her head snapped up and her eyes flashed with anger, she looked kinda sexy!

"Your life is shitty? Really? I'm sure it must be far worse than mine. Would you like to hear the sad tale of the stupid girl who fell in love with a vampire? I loved him with all my heart but he left me, using the excuse he couldn't keep me safe, ironic that really. Then I stupidly gave what was left to a wolf and lost him to a motorbike accident followed by my baby, so you see I think my life is probably a little more fucked up than yours."

"Yeah that's pretty shitty. So how come you are here?"

"Well it seems that the Shit Imps haven't finished with me yet. I found out my treatment for depression was actually being supplied by none other than Carlisle Cullen."

This Bella really had upset the Shit Fairies to have all that dumped on her but I had to reassure her we were friends.

"Look at it this way, you're running from a vampire with an extremely long reach so you need a good place to hide. We are the vamps with the white hats on this time and we can protect you from him. You're not well so you can't keep running and you're out of options."

She lifted her head and despite the fact she was sick, tired, and close to giving up, she was still beautiful in a way. I wondered if The Major had seen that and where he was. If Alice were telling the truth and this human girl really was carrying his child then we had a responsibility to keep her safe as if she were our Sister, our Brothers mate perhaps"

"OK Peter, if I accept your help what does it entail? What do you want from me?"

"Sorry? You got it all wrong, we don't want anything we're doing this for our brother Jasper."

"Why? He's nothing to me, he hardly knows I exist and we only exchanged a few words the whole time I knew him."

"Did Alice tell you anything other than drive until we found you?"

She shut her eyes obviously running back over the conversation with Alice then shook her head,

"No, only that if I didn't find you I would lose, though why she thought losing my life should bother me that much these days I have no idea. Exchanging this sorry mess for the peace of death sounds like a good exchange to me."

"Hey, never say that. However bad your life is, it beats the alternative"

"Oh really Peter and just how would you know that? Have you stood in my shoes? Lost two men you loved? Lost a baby? Lost your mind? Don't you dare presume to lecture me."

"Point taken but you misunderstood Alice's words or she never got to finish telling you"

"She was cut off short and I never heard any more from her except the text message. She told you more?"

"It would seem so. This is going to come as a shock to you, it did to us, but Alice says you are pregnant with The Majors child and Carlisle wants it and you."

I wasn't expecting the loud laughter as she shook her head.

"You've been had Peter. I think if I'd had sex with your Major I would remember it, and I don't. No way."

"Yeah I kinda expected that, but either way we are your best bet to keep out of Carlisle's clutches. Do you have any idea why he's been experimenting with you?"

"No"

She was so tired she couldn't think properly so I nudged her,

"What have you got to lose?"

"Nothing I guess"

"Then slide out and get in our car with Charlotte and let her drive. I'll follow in your truck, you can sleep if you like."

She looked like a beaten puppy as she got out and walked over to our car. Whatever was going on in her life this girl didn't deserve what had been done to her and she was now officially our responsibility. I'd try to speak to Alice as I drove, get more information, that girl had a whole heap of explaining to do.