Chapter 126

Jasper

As soon as she saw me Bella threw herself into my arms craving some comfort and we sat together in the chair as she curled around me holding on like a drowning man as I took out my phone.

"Who are you calling?"

"Well, I don't think the Volturi jet will be made available for us to leave, not if your father has anything to say about it. He'll want you here until he gets the chance to speak to you so I thought I'd see if Darius could do us a favor, or you anyway."

She took the phone from me as we heard Darius curt voice,

"Yes?"

"Darius I need to get out of Volterra now."

He heard something in her voice because his own became more gentle,

"Volturi jet not available?"

"No, at least not for me."

"Ah, I warned them this would backfire and I wanted no part of it. I told Carlisle to tell Charlie he should keep you in the loop, but they all thought they knew better so I high tailed it away. I'm really sorry Bella. I'll have a plane waiting at the airport first thing in the morning or is it really urgent?"

"No, the morning will do thanks, Darius."

"Look, it sounds like an emergency so give me a couple of hours then get yourselves out of the town. I'll pick you up there."

We packed our stuff quickly, Bella silent and shaking with emotion while what I really wanted to do was to find every fucker who had hurt her and kill them, build a huge bonfire in the square and watch as they turned to smoke, but I stopped myself... just.

"Will you see of they're really gone Jasper, please?"

I nodded and opened the door cautiously to find Charlie and Chloe sitting on the floor in the corridor waiting.

"Looks like your father isn't going to take no for an answer Bella."

He stood up as she appeared in the doorway and stepped forward, a bad move because it revealed Chloe now standing behind him and Bella snarled in fury launching herself at the other woman. Charlie shielded her while I tried to stop Bella, getting badly bitten myself in the process. Once Bella saw what she had done, venom flowing down my arm from savage bites in the flesh, she stopped wide eyed with shock and turned on her father,

"This is all your fault. I hate you."

Then she ran off down the corridor so I picked up our bags and went after her leaving the shocked couple to sort themselves out.

I caught up with Bella outside the citadel sitting on the steps of the clock tower like a little waif.

"Come on darlin' let's go. We can wait outside the walls."

She took my hand and we walked silently through the almost deserted streets finding a fallen log to sit on and wait. She looked at my arm and shook her head,

"I never meant to hurt you, Jasper, I love you."

"I know you didn't, but better you hurt me than anyone else. It would have given them the moral high ground."

"Moral high ground? That's a laugh. How could they do this to me? What could have made Charlie think I wouldn't be hurt at missing his wedding? I didn't even know her. And as for the others, well they must have been laughing behind my back. Poor old Bella doesn't even know her dad got married because she's too savage to understand."

I pulled her close sharing the deep love I had for her, showing her how much I cared that she was hurting. There were no words that could tell her, no actions to prove it, but I could let her experience my feelings and understand I was standing with her on this. I thought she had been treated terribly by her family and close friends.

We heard a helicopter approaching just as I noticed several figures running towards us from the town and cursed low but of course Bella heard me and looked round.

"If they get here before that helicopter I won't be responsible for my actions Jasper. I hate them all."

Luckily Darius swing the helicopter round and dipped low enough for us to jump aboard before Carlisle and Charlie could get close enough to be heard over the rotors and we were rising faster than they were running swooping over them on our way to...well it didn't really matter so long as it was away from Volterra.

Darius peered round,

"Some reception committee, I take it they wanted to speak to you, Bella. Want me to mow them down? It won't kill them, but it will give them a terrible fucking day."

She smile wanly and shook her head,

"Thanks, Darius but no. It's tempting, but I just want to get away from this place. Thank you for coming, I didn't realize you were so close."

"Well, once I knew what had happened I thought you might need a quick escape route so I hung around."

When he put down at a small airstrip outside Pisa I saw Peter and Charlotte waiting for us and as soon as Bella's feet hit the tarmac Charlotte was there, her arms around my mate comforting her.

"You know something, those fuckers need setting light to. How could they think that was gonna be OK in anyone's eyes?"

"Darius told you?"

"Yeah, we've been waiting. You want me to napalm the bastards?"

I looked at Bella who was now talking quietly to Charlotte but looked a little happier.

"No, they aren't worth the price of the napalm.

"Oh I don't know, I get it at cost. Hey, what the fuck happened to your arm?"

I looked down at my venom soaked shirt sleeve and covered it by putting my jacket back on.

"Bella, it was an accident, she was trying to attack Chloe, Charlie's new wife."

"Right, you shoulda stepped aside Major."

Darius handing the helicopter over to the mechanic joined us,

"So, what now?"

"Aren't you kinda torn? After all Carlisle is your friend."

"Was Major, was. What they did was way out of order. Bella deserved better."

"Yes, she did and does. I think it would be best if we flew back to the States. She needs a base, somewhere to call home, me too I guess."

"Well getting a jet will take a little longer but I organized accommodation for a couple of nights at a nearby hotel so maybe we should go there."

I went over to join the girls relieved that Bella looked a little better or at least no worse.

"Darius sorted a hotel until we can decide what to do. OK?"

She nodded taking my hand but not dropping Charlotte's and we walked to the car together, all three of us getting in the back while Darius slid in the passenger seat next to Peter.

The hotel suite was a good place to regroup and as Darius said,

"They won't find you here, I did all the bookings online and used fictitious names."

"Thank you, Darius, I don't know how to repay you for this."

"Well, maybe you could invite me to stay once you get a place of your own, you two."

"Of course, you'll always be welcome, Peter too, after all you're all the family I have now."

"Any idea where you would like to call home Bella?"

She shook her head in answer to my question.

"Maybe you guys should go hunt, give Bella and I a little girl bonding time."

I wasn't too keen despite Darius assurances that no one would trace us here, but Bella just nodded smiling at me wearily,

"Go, you need to hunt to heal. I'll be fine with Charlotte and I promise you if we get any visitors, this time I will not be taking any prisoners."

Charlotte high fived Bella,

"Amen to that Bella. Now go, shoo..."