42

Jasper couldn't comprehend what the men in front of them had just told them. The Tribal Council not only facilitated the marriage between Sam Uley and Bella Swan, which was in no way legally binding, but they would have had sexual relations with her afterward. He knew there was something off with the Tribal Council. Why else would they have looked past Sam Uley's sexual assaults on two of their little girls? Now . . . Well, it didn't make sense, but at the same time, it kind of made sense. They were just as sick and disgusting as Sam Uley was.

And Eric Yorke wasn't any better. The men standing in front of them had gone to him when Bella Swan was taken, had told him about the accusations against Sam Uley. That along with the concerns Charlie had shared with James, who also told Yorke, should have been a major red flag that Sam Uley was the animal responsible for Bella Swan's kidnapping. Instead of hunting Sam Uley down, Yorke chose, made the fucking choice, to ignore a lead — a lead that would have saved that little girl years of pain and torment.

"Where . . . where . . ." Garrett trailed off and shook his head, the same disgust in his eyes that Jasper knew was in his. "Where would they have . . . where would they have held such a . . . ceremony? Here?"

"No," Ephraim Black said, shaking his head. "No, they wouldn't dare hold something like that here on the reservation. Most of us do not share their beliefs, and forcing such traditions here on the reservations would have brought them unwanted attention."

"Then where?" Jasper asked. "On Quileute land? Did Sam Uley bring Bella home just to destroy her once and for all?"

"No, no, of course not. We would have known. We would have helped that little girl," Collin Littlesea insisted. "We don't condone Sam Uley's actions, or the actions of the current council. Why do you think we're telling you this, Detective? You have to stop them before . . . before they find another little girl."

"Let's everybody calm down," Garrett said, giving Jasper a look that clearly told him they were a snarky comment away from losing the only three people on the reservation willing to help them. "Bella's not Quileute, right? So the . . . marriage, or whatever you call it, can't be legal. We need proof that Sam Uley and the Tribal Council abused that little girl."

Ephraim, Collin, and Brady shared a look, the latter two nodding toward Ephraim Black. "They would have taken her into the mountains, to the old ritual grounds, about twenty miles up the mountain, off Ellwood Park Trails, going north, northeast. They used to belong to the Quileute people, but back in the fifties, they were sold to the state."

"Do you have anything? Documentation? God help me for even considering this, but pictures or video, anything that would link Sam Uley and the Council to Bella Swan that night?"

Ephraim turned and walked over to the back side of the bar, pulling out a manila envelope. He closed his eyes for a moment before he walked back over and held it out Garrett. "We found these three days ago, Captain Mitchell. When we heard about Sam Uley's arrest, we . . . Well, we decided to find our own evidence, I suppose. The Tribal Council used an old marriage ritual that was outdated by the middle eighteen hundreds, which we hope would make the marriage null and void. After they 'wed' Sam and Bella, they would have consummated the marriage, and then . . . then they would have marked her, with a tribal tattoo. They documented everything . . . vividly."

Jasper reached out and took the envelope from Garrett, who almost looked like he was going to argue, but in the end, Jasper knew he needed to be the one to see it first. He pried the back flap of the envelope out and reached inside, his fingers coming into contact with photographs. His eyes filled with tears as he pulled them out and flipped them over.

"Oh, my God," he whispered, covering his mouth with one hand.

The first picture was of Bella dressed in a slinky white dress that was too big for her, and did nothing to hide that fact that she was completely naked underneath. Her collar bones was sticking out, her skin pale to the point of being translucent, and she was covered in purple bruises and scars. But it was the look in her eyes that had Jasper struggling to stay off his knees in grief. Her eyes were dead, void of life. Sam Uley had beaten her down, damaged that little girl's soul.

The next few pictures weren't any better. Sam and Bella standing in front of one of the tribal members, their hands clasps, but again, Bella's body language was stiff, her eyes hard, filled with tears. It was clear that she didn't want to be there. Did she know what they were about to do to her?

The last picture was of Bella standing naked, her back toward the camera. She was so skinny you could count each and every rib, her shoulder blades were pointed, and in the middle of her left shoulder was a tattoo of an elegant 'Q'. He'd fucking branded her.

"Who would have done the tattoo?" Jasper asked, shifting his eyes to the three men standing before him. "Washington State law states that nobody under the age of eighteen can get tattooed, no matter what, so who would have tattooed that little girl?"

"Quil Ateria, one of the council, would have arranged it. I believe he has an uncle who would have done it. I don't know his name," Collin said. "If we had known. . ."

"You wouldn't have done a damn thing," he groused. "Sam Uley preyed on little girls' right in front of you. The right thing to do was to put the animal down a long time ago. Saved Bella Swan from a lifetime of pain. This lies on your shoulders, gentlemen. Your shoulders."

Jasper and Garrett turned and walked out of the small bar, and climbed into Jasper's truck. Though, they didn't leave the reservation, instead Jasper kept his eyes locked on the council office door, while Garrett called Kate. They weren't leaving without every single one of them in their custody, ready to charge with the sexual abuse of Bella Swan.

May they all burn in Hell.

—SfH—

She didn't like it there anymore. The room Rosie had given her was . . . too quiet, too . . . uncomfortable. She wanted to be with Rosie, but she missed Esme's pancakes, and holding Beth. She missed her pancake man. She missed Edward, and sitting in the closet with his hand wrapped around hers. She missed listening to Claire De Lune with him, and hearing him tell her about Elizabeth and Anthony, Carlisle, Emmet, and Jasper. She missed the way he looked at her, the way he always held hand, and kissed her forehead. She just missed him.

She felt her shoulders tense when she heard the door to the bedroom open. A breath later, Rosie stood in the doorway to the closet, a sad smile on her face. She squatted and placed her hands together in front of her. She worried about her Rosie. How sad she was all the time. She made her sad. He made her sad, and she hated him for making her Rosie sad.

"Are you hungry?" Rosie asked.

She quickly shook her head. Truth be told, she was starving, but Rosie wasn't a very good cook, and she wasn't sure if she could eat anymore of her food.

Rosie smiled. "I was thinking about making an ice cream sundae. You know with caramel syrup, cherries, maybe some gummy bears,"

"Vanilla ice cream?" she asked, her eyes widening.

Rosie nodded. "Of course. And you could try that whip cream Jay gave you. What do you say? Want an ice cream sundae?"

"It's morning time. Can't have ice cream in the morning. It's against the rules."

"We can have ice cream any time we want," she said, laughing and holding her hand out to her. "Want one?"

She bit the inside of her lip before she placed her hand in the middle of Rosie's, letting her pull her to her feet. The room was still dark, but not dark enough. Not for her, at least. Rosie held her hand as they walked out of the bedroom and down the hallway, into the living room. Emmett was standing in front of a mirror, trying to tie his tie.

Rosie released her hand and hurried over to him, slipping the tie from his hands, and draping it around his neck, quickly making a perfect knot. Tears filled her eyes. Mommy used to do that for Daddy, she thought. When he had his big meetings in the city. He would always bring them home chocolates, and flowers. The flowers were for Mommy, but the chocolates were for her and Rosie.

"Hey, honey, what's wrong?"

She bit her lip and shook her head, turning away from them. "I'm not really in the mood for ice cream anymore."

She wrapped her arms around herself and walked back into the bedroom, picking up the phone, and settling back inside the closet. She wanted to call Edward again, to hear his voice, to feel his arms wrapped around her. She wanted him to kiss her forehead and hold her hand, tell her how important she was to him, how he loved her, needed her. She just wanted Edward.

A few minutes later, she heard the door to the apartment open and close, followed by the sound of Esme and Alice's voice. She pushed herself to her feet and walked to the doorway of the bedroom, trying to see if he was there without being seen.

"I don't know how to help her," she heard Rosie say, the sound of her words sounding thick, full of tears.

She frowned. Her Rosie was sad, because of her. She wasn't being a good girl. Good girls didn't make people sad. She made him sad all the time, he told her, because she was ugly and stupid, and he should get rid of her. That's what he said. Would Rosie get rid of her?

She retreated back into the closet, pulling her knees up to her chest as she tried to keep from crying. She didn't want to leave her Rosie. She wanted her sister back, her life. She wanted to be a good girl, a someone again. She would have to try harder, not cry all the time, and not be so bad. That way her Rosie wouldn't send her away.

—SfH—

Edward felt physically sick to his stomach as they pulled up outside of Emmett and Rosalie's apartment. Just the thought of having to pry more details out of Bella angered him. She'd already given them too much, bared parts of her soul nobody should have to share with anyone. She was pure and innocent, and he didn't want her to hurt anymore. She'd suffered enough, he thought.

Rosalie's eyes were red when she opened the door. She tried to smile as she stepped back and waved them inside. He looked around for Bella, but she wasn't in the room.

"Down the hall, door on the left," Rosalie said, frowning. "She's probably in the closet. Something happened, I don't know, but she retreated in there while I was helping Emmett with his tie this morning."

"I've got her," Edward said, and ignoring the way everyone watched him, he walked down the hallway, into the bedroom on the left. It was smaller than her room in his house, darker too. The door to the closet was barely open as he wrapped his fingers around the wood frame, and pulled it open. She tensed as she looked up, her knees pulled up against her chest, and then she did the most incredible thing: she smiled. He loved her smile, the delicate way her lips curved. She was beautiful, so beautiful.

"Hi," she whispered.

"Hi," he echoed, crouching down in front of her. "I have a crazy idea."

"Oh?" she asked, her eyes widening. "What's that?"

Edward stretched his hand out toward her. "Let's go for a walk."

"A . . . a walk?" she asked. "A walk where?"

"Just around the block," he said, wiggling his fingers at her. "Just you and me."

"You and . . . you and me?"

Edward nodded. "You and me. Will you go for a walk with me?"

Bella nodded, placing her small, fragile hand in his. He helped her to her feet, keeping his fingers wrapped around hers as he back up into the bedroom. She watched him as they walked into the hallway, and out into the living room, where Carlisle and Esme sat with Beth, who was asleep. Alice and Emmett were next to Rosalie, all of them staring at the two of them. Edward felt her tense, and knowing she had to be uncomfortable, he cleared his throat.

"We're going to go for a walk," he told them, giving each of them a look that clearly said not to question.

"Okay," Carlisle said, and before anyone else could stop them, Edward turned and led Bella out of the apartment.

Edward kept her tucked against him as they walked a few doors down, settling on the curb. She leaned her head on his shoulder, scooting so that she was sitting against him. She felt like home in his arms, like warm summer days, and easy breathing. She was everything he never realized he was missing, and he was scared to death that she would never love him the way he loved her.

"Can I ask you something?" he asked.

She hummed.

Tears filled his eyes and his heart dropped into his stomach as the words left his mouth. "Did you marry Sam Uley?"

Bella leapt to her feet, her arms wrapping around herself as she stumbled away from him, her eyes flickering in every direction. Edward stood slowly, not wanting to startle her more than she already was. Her chest was heaving as she turned and looked at him, and he knew, the second she looked at him, he knew it was true.

"I didn't want to," she whimpered. "They made me, Edward. They made me! He said I was his, and he was going to bind us together, so nobody could take me away from him. I didn't want to, Edward. I didn't want to!"

"Hey, I believe you," he said, stretching his hands toward her. She, however, tightened her arms around herself. "You can trust me, remember?"

She nodded, though her eyes were dark, full of fear. "Because you're my Edward."

"Yeah," he whispered. "Because I'm yours. I'll always be yours."

"And you'll keep me safe, safe from him."

"Forever."

Though her arms loosened, she kept them around her. Edward stepped up to her, placing his hands on either side of her face, using his thumbs to wipe away her tears.

"It's okay, sweetheart," he murmured, leaning his forehead against hers. "Everything's okay."

"Why are you here, Edward?" she whispered. "Why does everything feel better when you hold me in your arms? Why, Edward? Why?"

"Because I love you."

"They love me, too, but they don't make me feel safe like you do," she murmured, grabbing the front of his shirt, pressing herself against him.

"They love you, Bella, but . . . but not like I love you." He placed his fingers under her chin, tilting her head backward, looking her in the eyes, waiting for the fear or doubt to come, but it never came. "I love you the way Alice loves Jay, and Rosalie loves Emmett. I love you the way . . . the way Carlisle loves Esme. Bella, I am in love with you."

"You're . . . you're in love with me?" she asked, her eyebrows crinkling as she frowned.

"I am," he confessed. "Do you know what that means?"

Bella bit her lip, and shook her head.

"It means you're the most important person in my life, Bella. It means that when you're not with me, my heart hurts, because you've taken it with you. It means . . . it means I want to kiss you."

Bella's mouth opened, her eyes shifting to his lips. "You want to kiss me?"

Edward wet his lips before he nodded. "I love you, Bella. I want . . . I want everything with you."

"But . . . but why?"

Edward smiled, sliding his hands to the sides of her face. "Because I love you."

Bella's lips trembled as she slid her hands up his chest, causing him to moan. She cupped the sides of his face, her eyes shifting between his before she leaned up, catching him completely by surprise by pressing her lips against his.

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