38

Kate tossed her briefcase on the floor next to the door before kicking off her shoes. Her head hurt and all she wanted was a hot shower and a glass of wine. Or several glasses of wine. She'd spent the day preparing for Sam Uley's arraignment the next morning, and going through the details of what he put that little girl through, which made her physically ill. She knew evil existed, but she had never dealt first hand with the devil himself.

Kate had just grabbed the bottle of wine out of the fridge when someone knocked on her door. She closed her eyes for a moment before she placed the bottle on the counter and slowly walked over to the door, pulling it open. She pressed her lips together when she saw Garrett Mitchell leaning against the wall next to her door. His eyes were sparkling and his lips curved into a smirk.

"What are you doing here?"

"Thought you might need a drink," he said, holding up a bottle of tequila and a bag of limes. "I know I need several."

Kate scoffed, folding her arms in front of her. "You did, huh?"

Garrett grinned wider before nodding. "Are you afraid, Ms. Denali?"

"Not of you," she quipped, but pushed the door open and waved him inside. "You better have gotten good shit this time."

"I did."

Garrett pressed his body against hers as he walked into the apartment, leaving her gasping when he headed straight for the kitchen. She blew out a heavy breath before closing the door and locking it. When she entered the living room, she found him already seated on the couch with two shot glasses filled to the brim, he'd already cut one of the limes, and had a shaker of salt on the table.

"We're going to need food to go with that," Kate said, shaking her head. "I'll be right back."

"Hurry," he called, and she bit her lip to keep from laughing as she walked into the kitchen.

Kate placed the wine back in the fridge and pulled out the leftover pizza from the night before. Adding a couple of plates, some napkins, and a package of cookies, she walked back into the living room, where she found Garrett standing in front of the window. He turned and looked at her, smiling.

"I'm worried about you," he admitted.

"Why?" she asked.

"Same reason I'm worried about Cullen, and that little girl," he said, tilting his head to the side. "Sam Uley."

Kate inhaled a deep breath before placing the food on the coffee table. She looked at Garrett before she picked up a lime wedge and one of the shots of tequila. She kept her eyes on his as she tossed back the tequila and bit off the lime, shuttering as it went down her throat.

"Impressive."

"Thanks," she said, sitting on the couch, crossing her legs at the knees. "And I'm fine, by the way."

"Bullshit, Kate," he scoffed, walking back over and sitting on the couch next to her. "None of us are fine, not after meeting that little girl."

Kate nodded. "Suppose that's true."

Garrett refilled her shot glass before taking one for himself, and refilling his. "Are you going to be able to lock him away, Kate?"

"I really hope so." Kate leaned forward and grabbed a piece of cold pizza, offering it to him before taking a piece for herself. "Eleazar Santiago is representing him."

Garrett's eyes widened.

"Yeah, I know," she quipped.

"Holy shit, Kate." Garrett picked up his shot glass and tossed it back before grabbing the bottle of tequila, refilling his glass again. "Eleazar?"

She nodded. "Got notice this afternoon. He's already filed a dozen motions to suppress his arrest, the DNA sample you and Cullen were dumb enough to take without permission."

Garrett shrugged his shoulders. "We were providing medical care."

"Sure you were, Mitchell," Kate scoffed before taking another shot of tequila. "Probably would have done the same, though."

"Eleazar Santiago," Garrett whispered with a shake of his head. "How in the hell can he agree to represent that animal?"

"I wish I knew." Kate leaned back on the couch, angling her body toward him, and crossing her legs at the knee. "How'd she survive, Garrett? How'd she live like that for eight years?"

"She didn't have a choice," he said, matching her position. "That's why she needs us to fight for her, Kate."

"It's not going to be easy. Even with the DNA match proving he fathered Hope when she was only thirteen years old, he's going to be hard to put down, Garrett. Knowing Eleazar the way I do, I'm sure he's got a dandy of a defense already in the works."

"You think he'll plead insanity?" he asked.

Kate shook her head. "Too easy. I think he'll plead not guilty. He thinks he's smarter than everyone, better than everyone. Sadly, he's gotten away with way too much. I want to know how the Tribal Council could let him off the hook after what he did to Leah Clearwater and Emily Young. I want to know why they'd cover the deaths of Harry Clearwater and Billy Black, when did he find Jacob Black, and why did he kill him. What about our little Jane Doe? Who is she? Where was she when she went missing? Why didn't anyone report her missing? How did nobody link him to the murders of Charlie and Renee Swan? How did Bella survive eight years of pure and utter Hell? And how could he take that girl's baby from her and shove her into a duffle bag and throw her in the trash like she was nothing? She was his daughter, too, for fuck sake!"

"I'd like answers to all of that, too, but we just don't have them right now. Tribal council is denying that they were ever made aware of the abuse to Leah or Emily. We're not giving up on getting those answers, Kate. But we need you to fight for Bella Swan, to keep that son-of-a-bitch away from her. If you don't, if he gets out for any reason, that little girl is as good as dead."

"I won't let that happen," she said, biting the inside of her lip. "Why'd you come here tonight, Garrett?"

He reached over and weaving his fingers in with hers, lifting his eyes to hers as he smiled. "Because you needed me, and I needed you."

Kate smiled and shook her head. "I don't know about you, Mitchell."

Garrett shifted so that he was kneeling on the couch, one hand still connected to hers while the other came up to her face, cupping her cheek. She inhaled a sharp breath, her hand grabbing the side of his shirt. "I understand why you don't want people to know about us at work, I do, but I'm here, Kate. I'm fucking here right now, because I love you. I love you, Kate."

Kate smiled and pulled him against her. "I love you, too, Garrett."

Pressing his lips against hers, Kate moaned, knowing she was lucky to have a guy like him in her life. Someone who would fight for a little girl like Bella Swan. Garrett was one of the good people in the world.

—SfH—

Carlisle shoved his phone into the pocket of his dark blue scrubs before grabbing the back of his neck. She needs you. Hurry. He replayed the message in his mind over and over and over. Did she really need him? She'd called him a liar, compared him to the man who stole her away, locked her in a box, raped her over and over and over, yet she thought he was a liar, like Sam Uley was. And that crushed him because while she might need him, he needed her more. Needed her to be okay, needed her to love his brother, and needed her to want him to be her pancake man, because for some dumb reason, Bella Swan was important to him.

It sounded creepy. Carlisle could admit that. Most people would question why a man who was happily married to the love of his life, who had a beautiful daughter, would let this little girl affect him so much. Hell, he might have been one of those people had he not been the one to almost hit her with his car. From the moment he saw her on the hood of his car, he knew she was special.

Carlisle didn't think twice before he found himself grabbing his coat and bag from his locker and hurrying down to the elevator. He pressed the button for the lobby, but when the doors opened, he felt his shoulders tense when he found the Chief of Staff standing there, her eyes shifting from the bag on his shoulder and the coat in his arms.

"Dr. Cullen," the tall, curvy blond with hazel eyes said, raising one of her eyebrows. "Where are you off to? You still have six hours of your shift left."

Carlisle pressed his lips together before saying, "I know, and I'm sorry. If it wasn't important, Irina."

"It's this girl again, isn't it?" she asked, stepping off the elevator.

He sighed.

"I've heard the rumors, seen the news. Doesn't take a genius to put two and two together."

He pressed his lips together again, unsure what he should say. He wasn't an idiot. He knew how irrational it was to put everything on hold for a girl who a week ago, wasn't an important part of his family. But she was now, and he needed to help her.

"Carlisle, talk to me," Irina implored. "I've known you for a long time. Just talk to me."

"She's . . . I . . ." He smiled and shook his head. "When my parents died, my family were lost. We had each other, but our mom and dad, they were the central force that kept us close. And then they were gone, and I had Edward to take care of, and Emmett threw himself into school, and Jasper focused everything on his career. We talked and hung out some, but it wasn't the same, you know? We called and texted, but weeks might pass before saw each other again. That wasn't normal for us before they died, you know?"

"I do," she said, nodding.

"I've spent the last year working eighty hours weeks. Even after Beth was born, I'd leave Esme alone for three days before I'd make it home again. It sucked, Irina. I've missed them, missed them so much, and I realize now that I've been putting my career before my family. And I won't do that anymore."

"Because of this girl."

Carlisle shook his head. "Not just because of her. She's . . . she's special, Irina, and she needs me, needs us, and I can't . . . I won't just be another person who forgets about her."

"You're quitting."

"I'm . . . Yeah, I think I am."

Irina smiled. "I hope she's worth it, Carlisle. I truly do. You're a good doctor, and I'd hate to see you throw away a promising career over some homeless girl."

"She's not just some homeless girl, Irina," he said, reaching over and pressing the down arrow for the elevator. "She's my family."

The doors slid open and he stepped inside, keeping his eyes locked on hers as the doors slide to a close. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before dragging his phone out of his pocket and finding Esme's numbers, pressing the call button.

"Hello."

"Hey," he murmured, leaning against the back of the elevator. "So, I might have just quit my job."

Esme didn't say anything.

"Did you hear me?"

"I did," she replied.

"Are you going to say anything?"

"I don't know what to say," she admitted. "I'm worried about you."

"I know," he whispered. "I just . . . I feel like I've missed so much time with you and Beth, and I don't want to miss any more."

"So you just quit your job?"

"I did."

"Okay."

"Okay?" he asked. "That's all you have to say."

"Well, no, but I mean, I trust you, babe, and I know that you're doing what you think is best for us. I'm not going to lie and say that I'm not concerned, but we'll deal with it together. Like we always do."

"I love you."

"I love you, too." He heard Beth fussing in the background. "She's been cranky all day. I think she misses her."

"Don't we all," he quipped.

"You're going to go see her, aren't you?"

"I am. I'll be home in a little bit. I just . . . I need to make things right with her."

"Okay."

"You're amazing. I don't tell you that enough, but you are truly amazing."

He heard Esme laugh. "You're pretty amazing yourself, babe. Call me if you need me, and take care of her, okay? She needs you, Carlisle. She needs all of us, but she really needs you."

He nodded, feeling tears flood his eyes. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

Esme ended the call as the doors to the elevator opened. Carlisle hurried through the lobby and out to his car. As he pulled out and headed toward Emmett and Rosalie's apartment, he found himself nervous. What if Bella refused to talk to him? Had he hurt her too much? Would she ever be able to trust him again?

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