Author's note:
I have important/exciting new! But I'll leave that till the end. Enjoy!
Disclaimer:
Everything recognisable has its own respected owners. If you are unfamiliar with anything the chances are it's mine. Savvy?
Chapter seven.
Rosalie found the small, two bedroomed house with not much of a problem. It situates on the surrounding edge of Forks, Washington and it is easy to find when you know how, but because she came from a large city (Port Angeles) then Rosalie has never found the need to visit. But with help from her Sat Nav, it only took a little over an hour to get there.
When you first look at this house you think 'it's small, but definitely homey'; with colourful potted plants lining the front door, a neatly mowed lawn and white stoned walls with a white roof. A ghastly looking red, rusty truck takes up most of the space in the driveway. Rosalie smiled sadly, imagining Edward parking his car and returning home after a long day at work. But then again, did Edward have a car? Maybe this red truck is his? Rosalie only then realised how little she knew of him, or Isabella, yet is still going out of her way to help them. She had told Emmett a little white lie about meeting a friend for the day – she never said who or where and he never asked.
Pushing back the guilt that now trickled through her, Rosalie gathered her bag and walked along the lawn to get to the front door. After a moment of waiting, a small, vulnerable brunette answered. "Hi." She peeped, "you, er, you must be Rosalie."
"That's me. It's nice to meet you, Isabella, given the circumstances."
Bella stepped to one side to allow her newly introduced friend to enter. "Yes, sadly it isn't for a happier reason. And please, call me Bella – I haven't been called Isabella since I was a child and getting a thrashing from my parents."
"It's when they starting using your middle name that you should be worried. Rosalie Lillian was used far too often during my childhood."
Both ladies laughed and both felt the instant connection and friendship blossom.
"I can't stay for too long - Emmett doesn't know I'm here and I have to drive all the way back to Port A."
"That's fine."
Before being led into the living room, Rosalie was asked if she'd like something to drink, "water is fine, thank you." She replied. As Bella went back off to the kitchen, Rosalie looked around the small room she was in and it became apparent to her that Bella hadn't touched Edward's things in all these years – his jacket still lay draped over a seat and his shoes were lined up by the fireplace. Of course, these might not be Edward's clothing, she had to remember, but in the five minutes that she's known Bella, Rosalie can tell she is still grieving…also, Rosalie never moved Emmett's stuff either. It makes the house feel like he's never left, and it's a warming feeling to them that they will come home and will put on those shoes and that jacket again.
With their refreshments sitting on a side table between their two seats, Rosalie slowly thought over how to start this conversation with Bella. Maybe Bella will ask the first question? There are so many different possibilities.
It turned out that Bella did, in fact, spark up the conversation first. "So, my dad was pretty vague, but he said that Emmett was involved in this…thing as well?"
"Bella, before I tell you anything, I need to start off by saying that I can't tell you everything – some things I don't know the answer too and some things are, as stupid as this sounds, too private to share. But I promise you I will give you the answers that you need (as long as I can answer the questions." Bella nodded slowly, a sign that she understood, but not fully. "First off, yes, Emmett was involved. He, in fact, went missing exactly the same time Edward did and only came home recently."
Bella's eyes bulged; this was far from what she expected to hear. "Really? Oh, my God…how did, um…why was Emmett sent home?" And Edward wasn't…
"I don't know why they released him, but it wasn't without a warning, one that I must stick too, hence why I can't tell you everything even if I know the answers to them."
"Okay, I understand. Um…" Bella's playing with fire with her next question, but she asked it anyway. "Was Emmett…um…hurt at all? I mean…like…did they…" She couldn't find the strength to finish.
"Did they torture him?" Hugging herself tight, Bella took some deep breaths and then nodded quickly. She didn't want to know if he was being tortured as they speak, but at the same time a part of her needed to find out. "He came back with some bruises…and had lost a severe amount of weight, but that was all I saw. He has nightmares quite often, but apart from that Emmett is absolutely fine."
Tears blurred Bella's vision and soon overflowed, yet she didn't want Rosalie to see her weakness. "I'm sorry…" She mumbled, doing her best to hide the emotion.
"Hey, whatever you do, Bella, don't apologise for crying – especially not in front of me. I know exactly what you're going through and there wasn't a day that I didn't break down crying either. So please, sob away until snot hangs out your nose; I don't care."
Their laughs seemed to brighten the mood slightly. "Have you spoken to the police?" Bella asked.
"Not yet...only because of the warning we were given. However, when Edward returns and they no longer have anyone to use against us, I plan on bombing the shit out of whoever can bring those fuckers down and put them to rest once and for all."
"Here here!" Bella cheered. Her voice soon dropped back to sounding small and mousey. "Um…am I allowed to know what your warning was?"
Rosalie hesitated – did she tell Bella? Tell her that her fiancé could get killed all because of the conversation they are having right now? No; she didn't have the heart. "I'm sorry, I can't tell you that. Are there any other questions that you want the answers too?"
Where do I begin?
"Is he in Amsterdam?"
Again, Rosalie hesitated. Answering this question wouldn't exactly be breaking the rules, so to speak, so she didn't see a reason not to say anything. "To be honest, I don't actually know. Emmett flew back from France, but according to him they were carried around all over Europe – sometimes hiding out in the Highlands of Scotland; places remote and easy to hide like that. So I'm really sorry, but I can't tell you where Edward is right now."
"That's okay, thank you. See when Emmett first went missing, who did you contact, etc? Because I spoke to all sorts of people – including Dutch police – and I'm really confused why they wouldn't tell me that Emmett was missing too; seeing as he came from the same company and you were looking for him as well."
"Yeah, I don't understand that either. I spoke to police as well, criminal investigators – you get the picture. Like all unsolved cases, the police I worked with gave up after a few minutes. I spoke to the company as well, but as soon as they went missing, the phones went unanswered and Alec left town; we haven't been able to find him since."
"Alec? The boss?"
"Yep; he's got something to do with this, but no-one can find his sneaky ass."
I knew I never liked or trusted that asshole… Bella sneered quietly.
"What are the chances of Edward coming home too?"
Honestly, Rosalie wasn't overly confident – they only had Emmett and Edward, and if they lost Edward, they wouldn't have anyone to ransom for money or whatever the fuckers wanted.
Again, though, she didn't have the heart to tell Bella. "Stay positive. I did, and Emmett came home. Don't ever lose faith, Bella."
Shortly after that, they had to say goodbye, but Bella felt confident with what Rosalie had told her.
"Remember you have my number and if you ever need someone to talk to or simply to cry with, please don't hesitate to phone me."
They hugged each other tightly. "I will. Thank you so much for today; I really appreciate it."
0-0
One week later
Demetri nodded a thank you to the guard that allowed him through the double stone doors. Up ahead, they loomed over the open area like King and Queen on a throne.
"I have something to report."
The man in black straightened up to Demetri's words, rose slowly and approached him with a probing expression on his tense face.
"Oh? And what would that be, young Demetri?"
"The warning to Emmett McCarty has been broken."
He didn't have to say any more; those few words were enough to enrage the menacing figure before him.
"Well, well, well…I think you know what to do."
Demetri nodded once again and turned on his foot to leave. He took the first turning on his right, went down the coiled stairs, straight along the walkway until reaching the holding cell. He unlocked the dead bolt, startling the prisoner awake.
"Come with me." Demetri ordered.
The prisoner stood on shaking legs, taking a second to hold his balance before stepping once and then twice. The two made their way further down the walkway – the prisoner kept one hand on the dusty wall for support.
They stopped and turned into a cold, black cell – almost like a large coal bunker.
Demetri made the prisoner take a seat on the wooden chair situated in the centre of the room.
Picking up a camera, Demetri smirked and said, "its time to make a video. Smile…"
0-0
IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT
Come Hell or High Water has been recommended for FIC OF THE WEEK over at The Lemonade Stand! This has never happened to me before and it is my DREAM to get something noticed there. Please, if you love this story (and me) as much as I all hope you do, vote, vote, vote!
WARNING FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER!
