Chapter Forty Four

Darius

I cursed finding Charlie had given us the slip, especially as we had no idea where the hell he'd gone. My laptop lid was up and the report was still open so had he seen something I'd missed? I couldn't see it but I sat down pushing the notepad away. Emmett had gone for his car after finding the room empty. We all thought Charlie had gone for a walk to grab some fresh air but once Emmett discovered his car gone we understood Charlie was following up on some lead, but what?

Esme came back in still apologizing,

"It's not your fault Esme, who knew he would go walk about but we need to find him and quickly."

Esme picked up the pencil and started doodling on the pad then stopped looking at it.

"Darius, look at this."

Where she'd been shading in the outline of a butterfly I could see the imprint of writing. Three addresses that had been written on the sheet above which was missing.

"Did you write this?"

I shook my head looking at the addresses,

"No, which means it might be Charlie. I have no idea where he got these addresses but look..."

I pointed to the name I'd shaded in... Alonzo Mendoza.

"He's trying to trace the guy I told him about. The one I thought might be the guy we were looking for. Esme, grab Rose and take the top address."

She ran out already calling Rose on her cell phone and looking at the other addresses I discovered Peter and Char were close to the last one so I called him.

"What the fuck is he playing at? Does he want to find her alive?"

"Maybe we should have taken him with us Peter instead of trying to keep him out of things."

"He's a fucking human Darius and we're trying to protect him, at least that's what you all kept telling me."

"Yes but he doesn't know that. Anyway get over there and find him."

Peter cut me off still cussing so I rang Carlisle, I was not getting involved with The Major until I had news for him, hopefully good news at that. Carlisle was as concerned as I was at the thought of Charlie out there on his own, the last two addresses were in a rough neighborhood which didn't bother us but might well mean trouble for Bella's father, cop or no cop.

"We're on our way Darius. Let me know if you hear anything."

"Will do Carlisle, I just hope he's OK, the last thing we need is Charlie in trouble too especially as the cops know we are involved with him. We need to find him and fast."

Peter

I wanted to kill the stupid fucker for putting his neck on the block but at the same time I knew why he'd done it. No one likes to feel they are being be babysat, not as an adult and a police officer to boot. I had spoken to Darius about keeping him out of things altogether,

"Send the fucker home before he gets caught up in our secret."

But as usual I was vetoed, Darius and The Major knew better, well now they were gonna see what their decision might lead to. This place gave me the creeps and I was a fucking vampire. Full of druggies and wino's with a healthy smattering of hookers and pimps, just the kind of area I would gladly hunt in under normal circumstances. I loved watching the tough guys pee themselves when they realized they were up against someone even tougher. Charlotte spotted Emmett's car first and we pulled up behind it testing the air.

"Fuck, it stinks around here. Come on Char lets find the intrepid Charlie Swan before he finds himself mugged or propositioned."

The last was added as a couple of hookers who had started towards me when I got out saw Char and turned back.

We found the address easily enough and went through an alley next door but one that led round the back of the houses, filled with crap, piss, and dog crap with dirty needles scattered liberally over it all crunching beneath our boots. Then we stopped at the other end of the alley, we'd heard footsteps, two pairs moving as they thought silently then a whispered command and we headed out but not in time. We saw Charlie turn as he heard the two men approach him but then there was the gleam of a knife and I smelled blood and knew Charlie had been stabbed.

"Fuck."

I signaled to Char and she took one of the attackers while I took the other sinking my teeth into his throat and dropping him as the blood began to spurt from ruptured arteries. I wiped my mouth hoping Char would keep his companion alive for questioning because mine wouldn't be answering any this side of the grave. I ran to Charlie's side and I could see it was bad, his face was already white with shock and the blood was pumping from his stab wound, it had been a lucky thrust for the attacker and highly fucking unlucky for Charlie.

Charlotte had knocked the other attacker out and ran to join me holding Charlie as he started to collapse, blood dribbling from the edge of his mouth and filling the air with a very tempting scent but I swallowed venom down and looked into his face,

"Charlie can you hear me?"

I waited and he nodded slowly coughing as more blood appeared,

"Find Bella Peter, promise me you'll find her and tell her..."

"Charlie listen to me. You're in a bad way, I don't think we've got time to wait for a paramedic but I can save you."

"You?"

His voice was a whisper and his eyes were beginning to dim, I didn't have time to wait,

"This is gonna be a shock Charlie but you can argue with me when you wake up."

Charlotte tensed,

"Peter are you sure? It's been decades since you changed a human."

"Yeah that's just great, give me confidence Char. What am I supposed to do? Watch him fucking bleed out? Just hold him still."

I moved fast sinking my teeth into the soft flesh of his neck and I heard him gasp as I started pumping venom into his system. She was right of course it had been too long but I couldn't face telling The Major I let his mates father die so I ignored the terrible urge to drink his blood and pulled away with an effort.

"Right get him away now and tell Esme we're gonna need that safe house now. Ask Emmett to join me, fast."

Char left without any stupid questions, it was one of the things I loved about her, she didn't mess around and checking the unconscious attacker I could see he'd be out for a while longer so I went to the lumber pile to see what had interested Charlie so much that he'd failed to hear his attackers approach.

Seeing the body I cursed and uncovered her completely, she was young but not Bella thank God. This girl looked like she'd given birth and bled out but was she connected to Bella's kidnap or had we just found an unfortunate hooker who annoyed her pimp by getting herself pregnant? Hearing a noise I whirled round to find Emmett and Darius had just arrived. I nodded at the girl,

"She familiar?"

Darius sighed nodding,

"Yeah that's the girl who went missing from the same campus Bella attended, Sophie and it looks like..."

"Yeah, she wasn't murdered, intentionally anyway, but there's no sign of a baby. Mind I haven't checked the rest of the yard or the house. I guess we have time while we wait for our friend there to come round."

Darius looked at the guy on the ground,

"Em, stay with him while we check the place out. Carlisle will be here soon."

Emmett nodded looking at the girls body with pity,

"Can I cover her back up, its not right leaving her like that."

I nodded and he bent down to wrap the body back up gently as if she were merely asleep.