E-POV
"Finally," Jasper growled in his head as I joined him on the roof.
I ignored his thoughts. When Alice was kissed by another man against her will, then the two of us would talk. Until then, I wouldn't hear it. He was lucky I showed up at all. By all rights, I should still be on that couch with Bella safe in my arms.
But I was in Seattle. Far from Bella and across the street from Jacob's gym. Where he presumably stood inside, daydreaming of the day he would be able to kiss her again. If I didn't murder him, first.
"Watch it," Jasper instructed, sensing the violent shift in my emotion.
I said nothing as I let the anger boil away. As much as I hated it, Jasper was right. I needed to keep a level head. Peace with the Hunters was our best bet for the safety of the family. As much as I wanted to rip Jacob's face from his skull, I wanted Esme to be alive and well much, much more.
Because it was more prudent for me to hear the occupants of the building rather than see them, I left Jasper to his own surveillance and settled on the roof of the gym itself. Once I heard the Hunters begin their gathering, Jasper would contact the rest to join. Then, Emmett, Carlisle, and I would approach with our hands in the air and proof of our harmless existence. Jasper and Rose would remain close by in case things went sour.
Simple.
I scanned the interior for Jacob's thoughts. As abhorrent as they were, they were also the most familiar. At first, I didn't find them. I frowned and tried again, broadening my search to the edges of my range. Again, I found nothing. Dread gnawed at my chest. My mind went to Bella, and I quickly banished the thought before it could consume me. Jacob had what he needed from Bella: proof of what I was. Clearly, he didn't want to bring her harm, because out of all the ways he could provoke me, he chose to kiss her. Besides, Jacob had no idea where she was. One benefit of the abysmal way he treated her in their youth was that he knew as little about Bella as she knew about him.
She was safe.
As the golden sunlight behind the clouds faded into silver moonlight, I listened to the thoughts in the gym. Waiting for them to shift from protein powder and rep count into vampires. We waited and watched until the gym closed, and members cleared out and left one, female employee. Her thoughts were wrapped up in the pint of ice cream she had hidden from her fiancé, eager to devour the mint chip without him asking for half.
Across the way, Jasper sensed my hesitation before I fully realized what I was feeling. He was crouched beside me in the blink of an eye.
"Is this the right place?" Jasper asked in my mind.
"It should be." The Hunters pictured his gym in their mind. They decided they were going to meet. If they weren't at their established meeting spot, where could they possibly be?
"What happened?"
I was unable to explain their thoughts if there were none for me to read. "I don't know. Schedule conflict. Werewolf sighting. There are plenty of reasons why they wouldn't meet up tonight."
"I'll stay here in case anyone comes back. Then, you take the day shift and listen to figure out what the hell happened."
I nodded.
"Update the family."
I nodded again.
When there were no more instructions to heed, I launched off the roof, back to the only place I wanted to be. I would call Esme, but there was only one place for me to be.
I told myself my urgent haste was excitement to see her, and not fear for her safety. Because she was safe. I simply wanted to be with her. After all, some of our best memories happened when I crept through her bedroom window. She was a warm sleeper, and I was happy to keep her cool. Taking the time to cool her lips down first, obviously.
Her old, rusted truck was parked in the driveway, which was a great relief. Charlie was home—another relief. Surely, Jacob wouldn't be able to bring her harm with her father in the house. Bella would be curled in her bed, as she should be. Either I would join her, or I would sit on the floor beside her, toying with a strand of her dark hair as she slept. Everything was in its place in Bella's chaotic, little sanctuary. Clothes were strewn on every available surface. The books I bought her were scattered on the desk, three bookmarked as she cycled between them. The record player I lent her sat in the center of her rug, for she had nowhere else to put it. Apparently, she was more willing to trip over the thing every day than rearrange her shelves.
Yes, everything was where it was. Except for my lovely Bella, herself.
Punching down the wave of panic, I forced myself to think rationally. Just because she wasn't in bed, didn't mean she wasn't home. I continued my journey up the house onto the roof and walked over towards the bathroom. I knew Bella had already bathed once that day, but she had been known to spill things on herself. There was a chance she wasn't in bed because she was in the shower.
My dead heart sank another notch when I didn't hear water. I squeezed my eyes shut.
I couldn't hear her thoughts, or her father's, but his boyfriend's thoughts were available. It wouldn't be out of character for Bella to sit silently in her father's presence. At least, that was the deluded hope I told myself. Only a moment in his mind told me Billy only had eyes for Charlie. I didn't want to wait to see if he would scan the room. I would have to use a more traditional route to see Bella. I retraced my steps and landed on the top of the front stairs without a jolt.
The voices stopped when I knocked on the door. The approaching footsteps took too long. I was almost vibrating with anxiety when the door finally opened. I tried not to look absolutely devastated when Charlie opened the door, but clearly didn't do a good job.
"Edward?" Charlie's tone was one of a concerned father. "Are you alright?"
Bella wasn't there. Otherwise, she would have called out at the sound of my name.
My frazzled mind strained to push past the dread and anxiety. I didn't want to alarm Charlie, on the desperate hope there was no need to cause alarm. Again, Jacob did not know where Bella lived. Again, he wouldn't harm her. There had to be a rational excuse for her whereabouts that didn't involve the Hunters.
"Is Bella not with you?"
"She is," I lied. My eyes were not as wide as they should be, nor was my smile as natural. "Well, not currently. I surprised her and, well, you know how she feels about surprises."
My lie must have been more convincing than I thought, because Charlie laughed, utterly charmed. "I'm surprised you got her out of the house at all. The girl can dig her heels in like no other."
I smiled like I understood his plight and never once threatened to throw his daughter over my shoulder if she didn't stop acting like a child.
"Anyway, she asked me to fetch her something from her room, and since she was already put out from the horrors of romantic spontaneity, I promised her I'd do so."
Charlie waved me in. To maintain my role as doting boyfriend instead of psychotic vampire, I took the time to wave to Charlie's boyfriend. Bella might be missing, but it would still upset her if I damaged her relationship with her father. It didn't matter how dire the situation was, or how close she was to death's door. She would still look at me with her big, innocent brown eyes and inquire how I could have been so rude. It was the first time I'd met the man, though I heard plenty about him. I knew he was wheelchair-bound and Native American, but I didn't expect his face to seem as familiar as it was. I couldn't read Bella or Charlie's thoughts, so I didn't recognize him from memories, as was often the case.
I was halfway up the steps when Billy said in a comforting, affectionate voice, "I told you it would be something like that."
"You're right, you always are," Charlie sighed. "She probably called. Quite the time to lose my cell phone. Again," he added, sheepishly.
Billy's laugh was low and full of mirth. "Lost your phone. Forgot to fill up on gas last week. If your head wasn't attached to your body, I'd worry you'd forget that, too."
"I still can't believe Jacob squealed on me. I told that story to him in confidence."
My hands froze on the book I was about to grab. For at the mention of Jacob, Billy pictured his son.
Jacob Black.
The supernatural Hunter and my romantic rival.
It all crashed together in my head like a ten-car pile-up. Jacob's father was dating Bella's father. Jacob knew where she lived because his father knew. He had her.
He had her.
He had her.
I would never forgive her.
Bella's habit of minimizing her distress had a hand in her own kidnapping. She conveniently did not disclose the fact that Jacob was tied to her in yet another way. Had I known, I would have never left her at her house. I only chose to do so because I knew she would be happier in her own space after a long and chaotic day. If I knew Jacob could find her at her house, I wouldn't have cared about her comfort as long as she was safe.
I focused on Billy's thoughts, wondering how aware of the situation he was. He didn't recognize me when I walked into the house as anyone other than Bella's elusive boyfriend. The thought of her at my house did not concern nor surprise him. Either Billy was a method actor, or he truly did not know where Bella was. It made me feel a bit better. At least the father wasn't a Hunter, too.
Tucking the book under my arm, I flew back down the stairs. If I was enraged and panicked before, it was nothing compared to how I felt. I thanked Billy and Charlie for accommodating my request, barely able to keep the growl out of my voice. It took all my strength not to break the front door down.
On my way out, I stopped by Bella's truck. The rain had stayed away that day, so it still reeked of Jacob's stench. Along with it was another scent I recognized from the gym, most likely to switch vehicles. I swallowed a cry of fury, not wanting to alarm Charlie and Billy more than I already had.
I sprinted home. Faster than I ever thought possible. It had been over a century since I needed air in my lungs or blood in my veins to survive, but my body was on full alert that something essential for my survival was missing.
This time, I broke the door as I entered the house, smashing the solid wood into three large pieces.
"They took her!" I roared.
Esme was at my side in an instant. She placed a tender hand on my shoulder. For once, I had no time for my mother. I stalked towards my sister, instead. Eyes wild, heart torn in two, I fell to my knees before Alice. "Please," I begged, not caring about the abysmal image I made, "Please tell me where I find her."
"Edward," Alice's light, windchime voice was strained, "I can't control my visions like that."
I already knew that. Still, I needed to exhaust every avenue. And one avenue was that Alice would miraculously gain the skill to call upon the future and then tell me exactly where to search for my lost love.
"I know," I crumped, pathetically.
Behind me, Carlisle was on the phone with Jasper to catch up on the situation. Esme had gone to fetch Emmett and Rosalie. My family sprung into action, and after another moment of self-loathing, I did as well.
I got up, turned on my heels, and stalked out of the house.
"Edward!" Carlisle called from behind me. "Where are you going? We will figure this out as a team."
"I'm going to look for her."
"What are you going to do?" Alice asked, frustrated. She already hated that she couldn't control her visions. Now, Bella was gone as she was utterly helpless. "Run around and listen to the thoughts in every house until you find her?"
"Yes!"
Alice and Carlisle both attempted to quell their concerned thoughts to no avail. I knew it would be a fruitless endeavor. What else was I supposed to do? Futile as the plan was, it was better than sitting in the house, formulating a stupid plan with too many facets and too many liabilities. Carlisle would be annoyed, but I didn't care. I needed to find her. The logical part of my brain was certain they wouldn't harm her, but the gaping hole in my chest couldn't be convinced. It needed to know where she was—see that she was safe. Until then, I could not rest. Then, if they touched a single hair on her head, I would destroy them. Peace treaty be damned, I would rip every head from the shoulders of every Hunter. I would dedicate my life to hunting and killing Hunters. I would—
Rosalie's mental judgment derailed my train of thought.
She stood outside the garage I stalked towards. It housed the fastest, most efficient car I would need to reach the secluded mountain homes and begin my search for Bella.
Serves him right, the most selfish part of her thought. Apparently, my missing girlfriend was my just desert, because of the reckless way I chose to utilize my gift. It didn't matter that I had no choice but to listen to what people thought. It didn't matter that I couldn't control what I heard as much as Alice could control what she saw. It was my fault. And not just that, but it was a well-deserved punishment, as well.
If that wasn't enough, she had the gall to worry about herself and how I would perceive her after witnessing her cruel thoughts. While Bella was missing. While Bella was gone. While there was a chance—no matter how slim—that I would never see her again, Rosalie had the audacity to think I would care about her ridiculous, petty thoughts.
"That's right, Rose!" I seethed, my voice becoming more manic with every word. "Like always, I'm the villain of the story. I purposely fell in love with a girl and got Hunters to kidnap her so I could hold that negative thought over your head for the rest of eternity."
I didn't mean it, my sister thought at me.
But I wasn't finished. Either I was less stable than I thought, or I was never that stable to begin with. "Because that truly is the purpose of my existence. I live and breathe for the opportunity to ruin your life. Your thoughts are the center of my universe!"
I stood right in front of her, now, glaring into her eyes. Her returning scowl was just as bitter. In her heels, she was almost my height. Neither of us said anything. She simply held out the keys to one of her creations, silently instructing me to take them. It was the fastest car we owned. Small and sleek and yellow. I accepted them without another word.
I sped out the driveway, without a plan other than find her. I would. The fabric of my essence depended on it. Bella had worked herself into the warp and weft of my life. Without her, I would unravel.
B-POV
"If you really think you're going to get away with this without being mauled by Edward, you're stupider than I thought."
We were in our second car of the night. After a mere fifteen minutes of driving in the truck, Jacob dragged me out, with one hand clamped over my mouth and the second securing my wrists. He shoved me in the front seat of a sedan and tossed the truck's keys to another Hunter. I hoped Jacob had been stupid enough to keep the truck—a sure way to alert Edward of my disappearance and a beacon for him to find me. But Jacob was wilier than that. Or someone helped him devise the plan.
Jacob laughed. "He can't touch me, Honey."
"Don't call me that."
"What do you prefer? Sweetheart? My Love?" He said the pet names Edward used for me in a cruel imitation of his voice. He laughed again, entertained by his own joke.
"What are you going to do with me?"
"Don't worry." He had the audacity to place his hand on my knee. I jerked my leg away. "I'm not going to let anyone hurt you." There was a shocking amount of tenderness in his voice.
We drove in the second car for hours. I tried my best to pay attention to landmarks and exit signs. Jacob already took my cell phone and keys, but if I managed to get them back, I wanted to give Edward something useful to find me. But Jacob accounted for that. He took backroads, looped in circles, and retraced our steps until I was utterly disoriented.
Finally, we pulled up to a cabin in the middle of the woods. All the lights were on, including three floodlights that illuminated the entire yard. They clearly weren't trying to hide the house. Jacob pulled me through the front door, into a large living space. It looked like we stumbled into a frat house. Plates of pizza and red solo cups covered the table in the center of the room. Four couches were arranged around the enormous flat-screen TV, and two of the four sat on platforms like stadium seating. The entire place reeked of microwave taquitos.
Eight boys stood around the TV when we walked in, ensnared by whatever game was on. Simultaneously, they turned their attention to me. I did my best to keep my chin held high, though I had several nightmares that began with this exact scenario.
"This is your big plan, Jakey?" a lanky blonde boy asked in an insulting tone. I pretended not to notice which word he emphasized. A few of the boys around him sniggered.
"It'll work, Aaron." Then, in a louder voice, "Sam! I got her."
The boy named Sam stepped out of the kitchen, drying his hands on a rag. He looked a lot like Jacob. Same long, black hair and golden skin. There were even tribal tattoos around his forearm and peeking out from the collar of his shirt. I wondered if he was of the Quileute tribe, too.
"Good job, Jake." His voice was calm, welcoming. As if he were receiving a guest instead of a victim. "I'll meet her in a sec."
I expected to be shoved into a closet or tied up in a basement. Instead, Jacob led me into the adjacent room and slammed the door shut behind me. I heard the lock click followed by Jacob's most charismatic voice. "What can I say, boys?" He addressed the group of Hunters. "Fat girls must have more blood."
A group of them burst into uproarious laughter. A few silenced them, but not fast enough.
Blinking back the tears, I scanned my surroundings. I was in a sitting room of some sort. There was a deep, L-shaped couch in the corner. Blankets were rolled and packed into a large basket. The center of the coffee table had a tray with snacks, lotions, and charging cables neatly arranged. A mini fridge hummed in the corner, which was concerning. I wondered how long they planned to keep me in here.
The air smelled of eucalyptus and driftwood. I spotted the flickering light of the candle in the corner, emitting the soothing scent. Sam entered then and caught me staring at the candle. "You like it?" he nodded back towards it, "It's my fiancée's favorite scent."
My mind reeled from the good treatment I was receiving. Then, I thought back to what Edward said about the Hunters, sadness darkening his golden eyes. "They're technically the good guys."
"You'll like Emily," he continued. "She should be back any minute. She wanted to make sure you didn't have to be alone in a house full of dudes."
He motioned for me to sit on the couch. The petty part of me wanted to defy him and continue to stand, but my knees were trembling with fear. Rather than collapse, I did as I was told. He sat in the chair across from me, careful to keep his distance. He rested his elbows on his knees and clasped his hands in front of him.
"You're Isabella?"
I nodded.
"It's nice to meet you. I'm Sam," he smiled. It was a warm, comforting smile. I assumed it was the reason he was in here talking to me rather than anyone else. "Look, I understand this is going to be difficult to hear, but please know that what we are going to ask you to do is going to save a lot of people. A lifetime of them."
I said nothing.
"You know the truth about your boyfriend and his coven?"
Unsure of the best way to handle the situation, I nodded.
Sam's lips pressed together in a hard line as if that news troubled him. "May I ask why you seem to be perfectly alright with that?"
"No."
His eyes flickered to my neck as if he were looking for bite marks that weren't there.
"I don't know what they said to you, but they are dangerous creatures. Their survival is dependent on death. Our job," he pointed vaguely to the front room, where the rest of the boys were gathered, "is to keep people like you safe from creatures like your boyfriend and many others like him."
He shifted in his seat. He sat up, switching from a comforting friend to an authoritative figure just by straightening his spine. "I'm going to need you to call your boyfriend and let him know where you are. Jacob says he'll come for you."
"I don't know where I am," I said with a frown, thinking back to Jacob's deceptive route.
"I'll tell you as soon as you're on the phone. Don't worry. You won't have to see him again. We'll take care of him far, far from you. Emily can even take you out of the house if that's easier for you."
"No."
My answer confused him. "No, you don't want to leave with Emily or...?"
"No, I won't contact him."
Sam pursed his lips. He leaned back down on his knees, turning into a friend, once more. "Whatever promises he gave you, I can assure you, they're not worth it."
"I'm not going to let you hurt him."
Sam's eyes softened with pity. "I'm very sorry, Isabella, but I am going to hurt him. With or without your permission."
Okay, even I had to look this up in my own story because I forgot. But Bella never tells Edward that Billy is Jacob's dad. All Edward knows is that Bella encountered Jacob at the Bloated Toad. She kept it vague on purpose. And we know Bella keeps things to herself…
