Here's a little glimpse into Edward's mind...

Chapter 3 - EPOV

The ring of my phone wakes me from a restless, shallow sleep. I rub my eyes and see that it's barely three in the morning. "Hello?" My voice is rough and sleep-laden.

"Edward?" The shaky voice on the other end has me sitting straight up in bed and swinging my legs over the edge.

"Isabella? Is everything okay?" I begin pacing the floor beside my bed. I don't know where I'm going to go, but I feel the need to go somewhere… do something—anything to take the fear out of her voice.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called. I'm sorry I woke you."

"Are you okay?"

"I just woke up, and I thought I heard something outside my window. I got up and looked, but there was nothing there. I looked out the peephole in the motel room door, and nothing was out there either, but I felt alone, and I didn't have anyone else to call, so I called you."

Her words are rushed and pushed together. I can tell from her short bursts of air over the phone that she's scared. I hate this for her. I want to put her in a bubble and protect her from the world. If she would let me, I would.

"It's okay. I'm glad you called me."

"I shouldn't have left," she whispers into the phone. I don't know if she's telling me or herself.

"You did what you thought you had to do."

"I shouldn't have gotten you mixed up in this thing with James. I—I'm really sorry, Edward."

"What did I tell you earlier? Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself."

"I fell asleep earlier, and I dreamed that James was at your apartment. You were there, asleep, just like the night I left. And then…" Her voice breaks off into sobs. "I can't. I can't tell you what happened next because it's horrible, and I can't say it out loud." Her cries into the phone rip my heart in two. I wish I could go to her and show her that I'm okay.

"I'm right here. I'm fine, and I'm talking to you. Bad dreams are just that… dreams. They're not real."

"It felt so real."

"I'm sure it did, but it's not. Okay?"

"I just needed to hear your voice."

"I told you to call me anytime."

"I know, but I don't want to bother you. You've done enough already."

"Isabella." I grit my teeth together, trying to keep my frustration at bay. She is so hard-headed. I've told her numerous times over the past four days that I want to help her and that I genuinely care about her, and yet she still feels like she's a burden or an obligation. "I know we just met, and I know it's hard for you to believe, but I really do enjoy talking to you. I want to know you're safe. If I could have you here with me, I would."

She gets quiet on the other end of the line, and I wish I knew what she's thinking.

"Isabella?"

"Yes."

"Get some sleep, okay? At least try. And promise me that you'll go back to the hotel tomorrow."

"Promise me that you'll call me if you see or hear from James again."

"I promise."

"Edward?"

"Hm?"

"I want to be with you too. It's the only good and happy thing I have to think about right now. If I didn't tell you already, thank you for the other night. Thank you for making me feel the way you did… It's what gave me the courage to leave."

That confession from her makes me both happy and sad. I'm glad I did that for her—gave her the strength to leave. I just wish she would've stayed… with me. "I wish that night had ended with you still in my bed," I whisper. "If we could go back and do it all over again, I would've made you stay."

"If I'd stayed, James would've already found me."

"Then this would've been over a lot sooner."

"It would've and probably not the way you're thinking. You don't know what he's capable of."

"I have an idea."

"Please be careful. Don't put yourself in danger for me."

"That's my decision to make."

She exhales deeply into the phone. "Tell me something good. Tell me what we would've done if I hadn't left."

I chuckle into the phone and lie back against my pillow, closing my eyes. "I probably would've woken you up in the wee hours of the morning and taken you again… slowly, softly… telling you how beautiful I think you are and how you make me feel."

"Then what?" she asks quietly.

"Then, I would've let you sleep a few more hours, before waking you up for breakfast."

"What would we have had?"

"Waffles. And bacon," I tell her, loving the giggle that comes through the phone.

She groans. "Oh, God. That sounds amazing. Can the waffles have peanut butter?"

"If it's peanut butter you want, then it's peanut butter you'll get."

"Then what?" she asks again.

I continue telling her what we would've done, what I hope to be able to do with her one day, until I hear her breathing even out and a small snore come over the phone. Placing my phone on the pillow beside me, I turn the speaker on and listen to her as I fall asleep.

~C22~

"Mr. Cullen, there's a call for you on line two," Sadie says over my intercom.

"Did they say who's calling? I don't have any scheduled phone calls this afternoon."

"No, sir. They said it's important and that it's regarding an acquisition." The statement sounds more like a question because she knows I don't deal in acquisitions.

It doesn't take me long to figure out who's on line two. The first time I talked to James, he referred to Bella as "something that belongs to him". I informed him that I had nothing that belonged to him, because she doesn't. She belongs to no one. She's not something that can be bought or sold. I don't know why I'm so protective of her. The night I saw her at the fundraiser, I was immediately drawn to her, like a moth to a flame.

My sister, Rosalie, had informed me that she was involved with James. His name is a hot topic at the country club to which my sister and Emmett belong. He's swindled so many old women out of money it's not even funny. The crazy thing is that he seems to have something to hold over each of their heads.

Rose warned me. She knows me—what I like and how I tick. So she should've known that when she told me not to approach her, that I was going to approach her. I don't like when people tell me what to do.

She told me I was asking for trouble. I told her I didn't care.

That night, all I could see was Bella. I wanted her. God, how I wanted her. She was like a prize trophy.

Maybe it was because she was forbidden.

Maybe it was because she looked like she walked straight out of my dreams. She was everything I've ever wanted in a woman—unassuming, mysterious, genuine, quick-witted… and those were the things I learned within the first ten minutes of introducing myself. It didn't hurt that she was gorgeous—her hair an unusual shade of auburn, her eyes a piercing green. She looked uncomfortable in the gold sparkly dress she was wearing, but that somehow made me want her more. I wanted to know what she looked like when she wasn't in that dress.

Maybe it was because being with her might involve danger.

Sometimes, my life feels so predictable and boring. I'm the heir to an oil fortune, but I really have no interest in the business. I went to school and majored in political science, but I have no desire to be the next governor of the great state of Texas. If I could've majored in something that truly interested me, I would've majored in English Literature, but that didn't make sense for a Cullen. It's not so much my father and mother who put those demands on me, but my grandfather. When I was younger, I was easily persuaded… easily influenced. I wanted to please him. But now, I'm much more comfortable in who I am and the power I have. My sister is the one who will inherit the coveted title of CEO of E.C. Enterprises, when the time comes. I get the privilege of running our public relations. It's a title that allows me to play a part, but also to raise money for the less fortunate and make our family name and company look good in the public eye. I enjoy it. The plus side is that I can remain behind the scenes except for a few appearances I make each year. When I'm not planning fundraisers and delegating money to charities, I'm able to hole up and write. The latter is what got me known as the Cullen Recluse. They talk about me like I'm some old man who hasn't seen the light of day in years. I have a life. I just choose to not live it in the public eye.

The only thing my parents aren't happy about is that I'm still single. They make an effort to match-make at least once a month. Every woman they arrange for me to meet is just like the one before her—power hungry, money hungry. They're either looking to marry up or marry old money. I don't identify with any of that. So, it leaves little room for finding love. And as old-fashioned as it may sound, that's what I want. I refuse to marry anyone because of what their name is or isn't. Life shouldn't be a business deal.

I want more than that.

"Sir," Sadie says over the intercom. "Shall I take a message?"

"No, I'll take it." I'd like to make him squirm, make him wait, but after talking to Bella last night and again this morning, I'm worried for her safety. I need to speak to him to be able to gauge his mood, hopefully giving me some insight into what he plans on doing next. Somehow, I've gotta stay a step ahead of him.

"This is Edward Cullen," I say, picking up the receiver on my phone.

"Mr. Cullen. I believe you still have something that belongs to me." He wastes no time getting down to business.

"I've already told you that I have nothing that belongs to you."

"Oh, but I believe you do." He pauses on the phone, and I can hear his breathing pick up. He's trying to keep his cool, but it's slipping. "I would hate for this to turn into a bad business deal. Seems like someone always gets hurt. That would be a shame."

"Are you threatening me?" I ask, my temper beginning to rise.

"It's not a threat."

"It would be a good idea for you to drop this." I try the rational route, willing to let him walk away but knowing he won't. Bella said he wouldn't, and I can tell by the tone in his voice that it won't be an option.

"I won't drop this. If you know what's good for you and for that little bitch, you'll tell me where she is."

"I already told you. I don't know what you're referring to."

The laugh that erupts over the other end of the line is unhinged and maniacal. It makes my blood run cold because I'm afraid he's more twisted than I originally thought. Worst case scenarios begin playing on a loop in my mind.

"Oh, I think you do." His voice is eerily calm. "I'll find her, and when I do, she'll be sorry. Don't try to be the hero. She's trouble, and she's a whore. I know you're some do-gooder, but she's not worth your time."

The line goes dead, but I don't hang it up right away. I grip the phone so hard that I hear the plastic creak under the pressure. I press the intercom button and ask Sadie to get Garrett on the line. It's obvious that I'm not going to be able to handle this on my own.

Originally, I thought it would be enough to just be a buffer between Bella and James. I thought once he realized that she wasn't going to be used by him anymore and that she had someone who was willing to stand up for her, he would move on and leave her be. But now, I see it's not going to be that easy. He's not going to just let this go.

"Garrett is on line one, Mr. Cullen."

"Thank you, Sadie." I press line one. "Garrett?"

"Edward. How's it goin'?"

"Uh, well, it's been better."

"What can I do for ya?" he asks.

"How busy are you?"

"Depends. Is this personal or business?"

"Personal."

"You know I've always got time for you. What's up?"

"It's confidential. Can you meet me at my apartment in the city later this evening?"

Normally, I only stay in my apartment one or two nights here and there when I'm in the city late for a fundraiser or gala, dinner with family, or when I'm working so late I don't want to drive home. But for some reason, I haven't been able to go back to my house since that night I spent with Bella in the apartment. Something about being there, in the bed we shared, makes her seem closer and like she wasn't just a figment of my overactive imagination.

"I'll meet you there around 7:00?" he asks, bringing me out of my thoughts of Bella.

"Yeah, sounds good."

After we hang up, I sit staring out the window and wondering if I should jump on a plane and head to Phoenix. It's been on my mind since the night Bella left, but I'm not sure it's a good idea. I'm hoping since she left during the middle of the night and James probably didn't even realize she wasn't coming home until later the next day, he doesn't know exactly where she is. If he's watching me, I don't want to tip him off. I'm sure I could get a private flight, but right now, I wouldn't put anything past James. He also seems to be connected in one way or another to a lot of people in this city, so I'm not sure who I can trust.

But I know I can trust Garrett. He's one of my oldest friends from college. His family is old money, like mine, but he's like me—not really interested in the family business or climbing a corporate ladder. We were both political science majors. He went in to law enforcement after college and has done a little bit of everything—detective work, private investigating, security work for local government officials and celebrities. He does work for E.C. Enterprises from time to time, which is why he wanted to know if my call was business or personal.

This is definitely personal. The more the days tick away, the more personal it becomes. Every time I speak to Isabella, I feel the pull increase. It's not just the sex, although that was phenomenal. It's her, everything about her.

I have to have her, but first, I have to make sure she's safe.

A/N:

As always, a big THANK YOU to our beta, GeekChic12! And to Rachel (J Ray Fanfiction) and Pamela (DrivingEdward) for their awesome pre-reading skills!

See ya tomorrow!