10
Charlie and Renee didn't give up without a fight. Bella could admit that much. Charlie had taken to banging on the front door every hour on the hour. Every time, Carlisle and Emmett told him to get off their porch, and every time, he let out a slew of four letter insults that had Bella gasping. You would have thought the bruising on his face, especially the two black, swollen eyes, the clearly broken nose, and the busted lip would have taught him that neither Carlisle nor Emmett were people to mess with, but he was idiot as well as a homophobic asshole. He called them every name in the book, but neither Carlisle nor Emmett seemed bothered by it. Maybe they were used to it, but she never would be.
At four in the afternoon, the knocking came again. Carlisle and Emmett stood up and headed for the door, like they had almost a dozen times, but when they pulled it open, they found two patrol officers standing on the front porch. They shared a look before folding their arms in front of each other and staring down the cops.
"What can we do for you today, Sam?" Emmett asked.
"We got a complaint, Emmett. Says you assaulted Chief Swan last night," the officer named Sam replied. He was tall, lanky and had long dark hair that he wore pulled into a pony tail at the base of his skull. He must have been from the reservation, like Jacob. His dark eyes shifted from Emmett to Carlisle, back to Bella, who stood with Alice, Esme, Rose, Edward, and Jasper. "There she is," he murmured to the man next to him.
His partner, just shorter than him, with spiky blond hair and beady blue eyes, smirked. "She's what all this shit's about?"
Alice wrapped her arm around Bella, pulling her back a couple steps. An action that didn't go unnoticed by either officer.
"Chief Swan says you and Carlisle," Sam continued, but his eyes kept flickering to Bella, "broke into his house last night, kidnapped his daughter, and physically assaulted him."
Carlisle nodded. "Sounds about right."
"So you're admitting to it?" the blond beady-eyed cop asked.
"Why not, Mike? You've already made up your mind, haven't you?" Carlisle quipped. "I mean, you're going to ignore the fact that he had his hands on that girl, aren't you?" he asked, pointing to Bella. "Or that he set her up with Jacob Black. And you know what that means, don't you, Mike? I mean, you were the one who found Lauren, weren't you?"
Mike clenched his jaw tight, but didn't acknowledge what Carlisle said.
"Lauren's death was a tragic accident, Carlisle," Sam said. "And Jacob Black hasn't been accused of doing anything to anyone, now has he?"
"I mean, that's fair," he said, nodding before he turned and looked at Bella. "Sweetheart, anything you want to say?"
Bella swallowed against the lump in her throat as Sam, Mike, Emmett, and Carlisle turned to look at her, only Emmett and Carlisle giving her a look of compassion and grace while Sam and Mike were boring holes of hate straight through her.
"Um," Bella murmured, biting the inside of her lip.
"It's okay, beautiful," Alice whispered, tightening her arm around Bella. "Be brave."
"Well?" Sam bit out, his tone harsher than she'd expected.
"Don't use that tone, asshole," Emmett snarled, taking a step toward Sam, but stopping when Carlisle put his arm out.
"Everyone needs to calm down," Carlisle said, giving him a look. Emmett inhaled a deep breath before nodding and taking a step backward. Carlisle turned back toward Bella. "It's up to you, sweetheart."
Bella shifted her eyes from Edward and Jasper, who gave her a subtle nod to Esme and Rose, who were wrapped in each other's arms, clearly worried about their lovers, and finally to Alice, who gave her a genuine smile of encouragement. Taking a deep, slow breath, Bella looked back at Sam and Mike.
"Jacob Black attempted to rape me last night," she said, her voice wavering. "My . . . Charlie set me up on a date with him knowing that he was . . . was going to try to rape me. Last night, when I managed to escape and get home," she said, leaving out the part where Edward and Jasper beat the shit out Jacob, "Charlie assaulted me after I tried to leave."
Sam tilted his head to the side. "So you just managed to fight Jacob Black off on your own?"
"Yep," she lied, trying very hard not to let on that there was more to the story.
"You?" he asked. "You weigh what? One hundred and ten pounds?"
"One oh eight actually," she countered.
"And you broke Jacob Black's jaw? His cheek bone? Cracked three of his ribs?" Mike asked.
"Sure did," she chirped. "What can I say? I don't like being sexually assaulted. Kind of pisses me off."
Though the corner of Mike's lips twitched, Sam glowered at her.
"Nonetheless," Sam said. "You are a minor, and your father has primary physical custody of you, Bella. You are going to have to return to his home, young lady."
"Oh, I don't think that's gonna happen."
Sam and Mike spun around, finding a tall, muscular man standing behind them with dirty blond hair and dark eyes. He was wearing a pair of khaki pants and white dress shirt, but it was the faded black converses that Bella found amusing. Next to him was a gorgeous blond woman with long hair, deep blue eyes, and a smile that would light up a room.
"Gentlemen, allow me to introduce myself," the man said. "Name's Garrett Mitchell, and as of this morning, I am Miss Swan's attorney. We have filed an Order of Protection against Charlie Swan, Jacob Black, and Renee Dwyer. They are not allowed within fifty feet of my client. And, seeing as I also represent Carlisle, Emmett, Esme, Rosalie, Edward, Jasper, and Alice, and there is a threat to their safety as well, I have an Order of Protection for them against Charlie Swan, Jacob Black, and Renee Dwyer."
Garrett shoved copies of the two orders into their hands. "Now, if you'll excuse us, I'd like to speak to my clients."
Sam and Mike read over the Orders of Protection before giving each other a look and walking past Garrett and the woman next to him. They stood on the porch as Sam and Mike walked next door, clearly to let Charlie Swan know that for now, Bella was untouchable.
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