Rainer Maria Rilke
A good marriage is that in which each appoints the other guardian of his solitude.

AMOC: Chapter 15: The Male Ego With A Splash of Brandy

JPOV:

The drive to Seattle went by quickly enough. My mind was busy replaying the scenes of my honeymoon followed by the fight we shared before I left. I knew she was disappointed and I understood why but I couldn't pretend to feel something that I simply did not feel. I liked her, respected her but I wasn't in love with her. It would be more cruel of me to lie to her about my feelings, wouldn't it?

Arriving at my apartment I reluctantly got out of my vehicle and made my way inside the metal and glass covered building. My home was in one of the most prestigious condominiums in Seattle. Waving at Lenny our evening security guard I made my way to the elevator. The elevator stopped on the fourteenth floor, the doors opening wide as I turn to my right and made my way to my apartment. I called ahead of time and gave permission for Tyler to enter my apartment until my arrival. I was hoping that this would be a sign of good faith so he and Jesse could calm the fuck down.

Opening my door I walked in and was overwhelmed by the familiarity of my home. I missed it. My old life here wasn't always perfect but it was less complicated than the new one. Entering the living room I expected to find Tyler sucking down my expensive Brandy but what I didn't expect to see was Jesse and two of his goons surrounding Tyler.

"See, man, I told you he would come." Tyler gulped hard before lifting his glass up and chugging down the brandy.

"I guess this time you weren't lying." Jesse scoffed. He looked me over from head to toe and I could see the contempt in his gray eyes. I would almost bet that he hoped I wouldn't show up so he would have an excuse to hunt me down.

"Here is the money I owe." I sat the fat envelope down on the glass table in the center of the room. I was trying to keep a safe distance between him and me. His jaws were twitching and I knew he was dying for a reason to hit me. The man was a sadist.

He picked it up and casually counted the fifty thousand dollars before nodding at his henchmen. They left Tyler's side just to circle around behind me. Jesse looked at me, his eyes narrowed together with a gleam of loathing shining through them.

"I don't like to wait Jake. You were suppose to pay me weeks ago.I don't like tardy payments." His lips curled up at the sides of his mouth.

I felt the hands of his goons grab a hold of my shoulders and force my arms behind me. Jesse glanced over at Tyler, flashing him a warning look before he walked over to me.

"Man, I got it when I could. It's not like I bail on you with intentions of not paying you back at all." I gulped hard.

Jesse was going to hit me, there was no doubt about that possibility. I just hoped that I was able to drive home after the damage was done.

"You are a man of your word but next time don't be late Jake. It's not fair to me or to Tyler. He lost plenty of money because of you."

Tyler glanced at me with remorse before he lowered his eyes just as Jesse's fist met my face with a loud thud and a crunch that left me seeing stars before I passed out.

XXX

I woke up from the sharp coldness of the ice pack that Tyler set on my swollen nose.

"Ouch!" I shouted as the throbbing pain set in.

"Sorry dude." Tyler chuckled roughly.

"What the hell! I paid him his damn money. Was it really necessary to hit me that many times?"

After he struck my face a couple of times he had to punch me in the abdomen as well before he squelched his need to inflict unnecessary pain on me.

"No. He wanted to make a point. Hopefully you won't make this mistake again." Tyler handed me a glass of my brandy before plopping down next to me.

"Trust me I'm done with this gambling bull shit. It's not worth it." I sighed heavily before taking a small drink. The liquor stung the split lip I wore along with a broken nose and I was sure there were a couple of more bruises on my stomach as well.

"I'm glad to hear that. I hate to see good men get roughed up." Tyler winked at me.

"You couldn't have warned me?" I snapped at him.

"They showed up about two minutes before you. Apparently Lenny owes them and let them up here. He didn't even call me to warn me." Tyler rolled his eyes rudely.

"That fucker won't be getting a Christmas bonus from me this year." I growled and regretted it as a terrible aching sensation rippled through my stomach. '

"Oh Congrats man. I can't believe you got married. It seems so damn surreal that Jacob Black, the player, is out of commission. You were my idol man. Now who can I look up too?" Tyler snickered.

"Yeah, well, it's still something I am trying to wrap my own head around."

"Tell me she is hot. I mean, I know you married for the money but please tell me she is worth the ball and chain hooked to your ankle." Tyler teased.

"Actually...she is. She is a vixen in the bed and a smart ass out of it."

"AHHH...perfect combination." Tyler high five me.

"When will I get the privilege of meeting her?" Tyler asked.

"Ummm...hopefully never."

"That's not cool man."

"I've moved back home. As long as I'm married to her I don't see me coming back here." I explained.

"Why not? The city is a decent place to raise a kid."

"Yeah, well, Bella doesn't want to take her daughter out of her comfort zone if she doesn't have too. I don't blame her. The kid drew the short straw when it comes to having a bigoted asshole biological father."

"Shit. I bet he isn't too happy that you are traipsing on his prior territory." He cocked a smug grin at me.

"No he isn't. I grew up with the fucking moron and I know how he thinks and I plan on crushing any dreams he might have had of taking his daughter away from Bella. I owe him a shitload of hurtin."

"Damn. I hate to be in his shoes."

Tyler sat the glass down on the table, which made a clanking sound against the glass before standing upright.

"This has been fun but I need to go out there and make up the money I lost." Tyler ran his hands through his messy mop of hair.

"Why do you do it? I mean, in school, you were smart. Why this?"

"I know it doesn't seem like the best occupation to have but it keeps my pockets full most of the time. I work little and have fun plenty. Of course there are these moments that I seriously dislike but if it wasn't me taking the bets it would be some other schmuck." He chuckled softly.

"I hope you find a different line of work. This is going to get you killed someday." I warned him.

"Maybe. Maybe not." He shrugged his shoulders casually.

"I hope to hear from you again Jake, just don't call me for any bets. I think it's best you give that old life up. You have a wife and daughter to think about now. Next time Jesse won't come for you, he will go after them. He is a sick bastard like that."

I heard his warning loud and clear. Nodding my head I placed the ice pack back over my broken nose while he made his way out of my home.

I couldn't really judge Tyler for the part he played in this nightmare. I was, after all, the weak jerk who made the bet to begin with. Still, I hated to think of the short future Tyler would have if he remained in a business where guys like Jesse took great pleasure in hurting people for a living.

Closing my eyes I wondered how I was going to explain my beat up face to a wife who was already pissed off at me. She was going to be a force to reckon with. Smiling through the pain I realized that was one of the reasons I enjoyed being in her company. She didn't put up with my shit and that only made me respect her more.

XXX

BPOV:

Rolling over onto my side I pried my eyes open and stared at the red colored digits on my alarm clock. It was already four a.m and I still hadn't heard any signs of Jake returning home. Rolling back onto my back I sighed loudly. Where was he? Did something happen to him? So many questions and worries swirled around in my head.

Yawning as I stretch my arms above my head I felt the dryness in my mouth. Pushing the covers off of me I climbed out of the bed. I needed something to drink. Walking down the hallway I checked in on Charlotte who was sleeping easily in her new room. It still amazed me at how well she was accepting the changes that were forced on her. Walking a little further down the hall I stopped in front of the master room. I insisted that Jake take the larger room, especially since it was his money that paid for the house. With an unsteady hand I reached out and gripped the cold knob. Turning it slowly I peeked through the door but all I could see was darkness. I didn't dare flip the light switch on to see if he was present.

Chewing on the corner of my lip I closed the door,turned and walked toward the stairs. Just as I stepped down the last step I heard a sound coming from the kitchen.

A feeling of uneasiness washed over me. Hopefully Jake was in there and not some burglar. I forced myself to move forward, quitely walking on the tips of my toes until I reached the french doors that opened up to the kitchen. Once again I opened a door with my hands shaking nervously, except this room was filled with a bright light. This eased some of my fears that I might find a burglar. Normally they searched around in the dark.

Taking a deep breath I open the door further and saw the backside of Jake as he leaned over the kitchen sink.

"Jake." I sighed with relief.

"Hey." He mumbled but remained with his back toward me.

"I was worried you hadn't made it back yet. Is everything okay?"

I noticed the way he flinched when I mentioned my concern for his safety.

"Yeah. It's fine. Really."

Then he turned around and I saw the damage to his face. My eyes widen as I sucked in my breath.

"What happen to you!" I gasped in shock.

"It's nothing. It looks worse than it feels." He replied with a dry tone.

"I seriously doubt that. Let me get you some ice for that." I offered and then stopped in my tracks when I remembered we still didn't have a damn frigerator in the house.

"Yeah, that should arrive tomorrow hopefully." He smiled and then froze as I heard him wince under his breath.

"Are you going to explain what happened to you?"

I walked past him and took a glass out of a box and poured a glass of tap water while I awaited for him to answer me. Turning around I took a long drink and stared at him over the brim of my glass.

"No."

"Did you fall?"

"No."

Okay, so he wasn't going to come out and give me a straight answer as to why he looked like he had been in a boxing match.

"Were you in a bar fight?"

"No."

I drank the rest of my water and put the glass in the sink. Taking a step closer to him I inspected the bruises and possible broken nose and gave him a disappointed look.

"So I'm out of ideas here. Want to share with me why you look like that?" I pleaded with him.

"I...it...I was mugged." He replied before turning away from me.

"Mugged? Where? Did they get the guy?"

I couldn't stop myself from barraging him with questions. It was weird to hear a man who was as strong and big as Jake admit he had been mugged.

"Seattle and no they didn't. I didn't report it."

"What? Why not?" I cried out.

"What's the point? He only got a few hundred bucks out of me." He shrugged his shoulders.

"The point is that this guy could do this to someone else. You should always report these things."

"It's no big deal Bella."

Jake turned back around and looked at me with a lopsided grin.

"It is a big deal. If it had been me who was mugged wouldn't you expect me to go to the police station and file a report?"

"Of course I would but your a girl, I'm not. Men don't handle things that way."

My mouth fell open in surprise at the immaturity of his statement. His face was pretty banged up and he stood here acting like it wasn't cool to go to the cops if you were a guy. What the hell was wrong with him? This wasn't High School, where he was cornered by the school bully, no this was about a stranger who stoled and beat up another human being. They deserved to be locked up and put away.

"What?" He exhaled sharply.

"I'm just amazed at how stupid you sound." I answered honestly.

"Thanks Bella. It's not bad enough that I got beat up. You adding insults to my already deflated ego only makes me feels tons and tons better about myself."

He stormed past me, nearly knocking me down as he left the kitchen.

I followed him but when he reached the top of the stairs and looked back at me,I saw something that sent shivers through me.

"I'm sorry Jake." I apologized quickly.

"It's okay Bella. I just need to get some rest and I promise everything will be fine tomorrow."

I decided to say nothing at all. Pressing my lips together I nodded my head in solemn agreement.

He turned away and went in pursuit of the solitary confinement of his room while I went in search of my own. Lying down on my bed I felt a tinge of guilt for insulting him. However, my instincts warned me that there was more to this story that Jake was willing to share with me. For now I would drop the subject. No point in looking for more trouble when we had plenty of it between us.

XXX
A/N: Thank you for the reviews. Hoping everyone is having a safe, warm and wonderful Holiday! I'm sitting here trying to find a way to wake up my muse so I can give you guys another chapter soon. xoxo A