"Please don't kill me."
Her voice was rough, husky from crying and screaming. I snorted without thinking, making her captor flinch. Immediately I sobered, trying to calculate my best move. Carlisle wanted this fucker alive, but no way in hell if it meant sacrificing Bella for it.
Our eyes met, green on brown, but she showed no hint of recognition or acknowledgment. It was still disappointing, although I had been expecting it. I wasn't that fucking kid anymore, her iPod buds in my ear, building bright orange racetracks. My arms were covered in tattoos, my features obscured by facial hair, a jagged scar going down one side of my permanently crooked nose.
I flicked my eyes down to the floor a few times, hoping she understood. Subtly she nodded, and I exhaled quietly. Locking my gaze back on the guy holding her, I drew in a slow, deliberate breath, then said, "Now."
Her body went limp, completely rag doll, and she slipped from his grip. As if synchronized, I dropped to one knee, and let off a shot the same time her captor fired at me. His whizzed where my head had been a moment before, but mine flew straight to his neck, through and through, unleashing a gush of blood.
I didn't wait around to see if he was alive or not, worried there were more soldiers around since we were in their fucking hotel. I sprinted to Bella, grabbing her arm and pulling. She didn't immediately follow, jerking me to a stop.
I stared down at her, confused. "The fuck are you doing? Get up, we have to get the fuck out of here."
She brought her eyes up to meet mine, fresh tears springing forth. "They killed Jessica. I can't leave her here."
"The fuck you can't. We can't save her, and if we don't get going, we're gonna be next." I growled, pulling on her arm again. She blessedly followed this time, staggering at first in the ridiculous heels before she was sprinting along behind me.
I took her back the way I had come in, banging out the steel door off the kitchen and into the alley without slowing. I didn't let her stop until we got to the car, but she didn't seem to struggle keeping pace with me, even despite the footwear.
She slid into the passenger seat without asking any questions, and remained silent as I took off toward Carlisle's house. It was late enough that no one would be at the downtown office, and Bella had some fucking explaining to do.
Perversely, I bit my own tongue and didn't immediately tell her who I was and that she had known me once. I was bizarrely concerned she'd be scared, and want nothing to do with me. I had finally found her, this girl that had haunted my nightmares, and it was nothing like I had expected. She definitely was not a fucking ballerina; it made me want to know what had gone wrong in her life, possibly even help her, if she'd let me.
By the time I'd pulled up to the gate at Carlisle's, she still hadn't said anything. As I pulled in, though, she spoke. Her voice was still choked with tears, but stronger now.
"Why did you help me? Aren't you with those guys?"
I shot her a look, confusion and surprise playing across my features. "No thank you, just straight to the interrogation, huh? First, because I didn't want your brains blown out. Second, fuck no - why would I help you if I was?"
A laugh burst from her lips, shock and adrenaline finally kicking in. She needed caffeine, badly, or she'd probably pass out from the shock.
"Sorry. Thank you." She said, but I was already climbing out of the car. I walked around, holding my hand out to her. Bella took it, raising an eyebrow skeptically as though this were completely abnormal behavior for a man. The thought sent a spear of sadness through me, making me desperately want to ask her what she'd been through, but I stayed my prying mouth.
As we walked up to the door she slowed, balking slightly. "Where are we? What are we doing here?"
I stopped, turning to face her, and tried to appraise the woman in front of me. She seemed scared, and rightly so, but the questions seemed more like an afterthought. Like she wanted to trust me, but her subconscious told her not to. It was comforting slightly to know she wasn't totally devoid of self-preservation.
"My father's house. I promise, we only want to help and protect you. Why were-" My words caught in my throat as I caught the glint, emanating from a massive, gaudy diamond on her left ring finger. "You're married?"
The words came out far harsher than I intended, but fuck me. Not only was Bella not a ballerina, twirling happily in some Broadway spectacle, she was married, and clearly to a guy who was loaded. Even if I had had the illusion of being able to make her fall for me, I couldn't fucking compete with that.
Warily she took a step backward, my outburst alarming her. I pulled a hand through my hair, frustrated at both her and myself.
"Sorry. That's just a huge fucking rock. Please, I'm not going to hurt you. I mean that. Just meet my father, and if you wanna split, you can."
That seemed to calm her slightly, but she still covered her left hand as we entered the doorway. It was late enough, the sun having set a while ago, so not many lights were on outside the one in Carlisle's office. I heard her gasp as I closed the door, muttering something like holy shit.
Not waiting or bothering to take off my shoes, I motioned for her to follow me as I mounted the stairs. Glancing back as we climbed, her eyes were darting around to take in the crisp white walls and marble accents. Everything in here screamed money, so her surprise seemed odd considering the ring.
Carlisle had his head buried in a ledger as I entered the open doorway, so I knocked on the frame. He looked up, waving me forward.
"Tone. How'd it go?"
Never one to give him any fluff, I cut to the point. "They're all burned. There was a complication."
I pulled Bella forward by the hand as Carlisle looked up again, immediately furious. When he saw her, though, his face immediately softened.
"I assume this was the complication?" I nodded, and he gestured for Bella to come closer. "What's your name, love?"
Her frantic gaze darted from Carlisle to me, clearly looking for some kind of assurance, so I nodded.
"A-Arie. I mean, Bella. Bella Swan."
Fury lit Carlisle's face as he leapt from his desk, striding over to me and locking a hand around my throat.
"Do you fucking know who she is, Tone?! That's Marcus' fiancée, and you just fucking took her!?"
I didn't flinch, far too used to his anger by now. I just shrugged, and spoke around my pinched windpipe. "Fuckers had a gun at her head, the fuck was I supposed to do? Let her get murdered? You know that ain't me, sorry, dad."
He dropped me, and I heard Bella's sharp intake from somewhere beside me. Carlisle strode back to his desk, hands clasped as though he were praying.
"I can only assume you're what Marcus is looking for, then?" She nodded mutely, still alarmed at his behavior. "Fuck... do you want to go back?"
This time she spoke, practically a scream, her voice breaking over the sharp escalation in pitch. "Please God, no! Don't make me go back. I'll tell you anything, just do not make me go back to him."
Carlisle nodded, apparently feeling settled. "Tone, take her to get showered and get some clothes for her from Alice. She can stay in your room for now. I need you to go meet up with Sam and Jazz."
Sighing, I motioned for Bella to follow as I left the office, already heading back down the stairs. At first I didn't think she'd followed, but she was right behind me as I walked into my room. Thank God Yelena had cleaned in here; it barely smelled like vomit now.
"Shower is through the door. I'll leave clean clothes on the bed. Just, get some rest. We'll figure out what to do in the morning when Carlisle knows more."
Turning to leave, I stopped when her hand closed around my wrist. Her touch was like electric fire, burning me and zapping every nerve ending.
"I want to ask you something. Tell me the truth... please." I sighed, but moved back into the room to stand by the end of the bed.
"First, is that really your dad?" She sounded skeptical; probably because most fathers didn't act like they were gonna strangle their own kids.
I shook my head, then elaborated. "Not by blood, but he's as good as. Carlisle took me in when I didn't have shit to my name but a debt and an addiction."
Her face took on a contemplative look, then she continued. "Okay... second, then. What family is this?"
"Cullen." I snorted, amused. "Trust me, we can protect you."
The sigh she gave was audible and loud. I wouldn't have been surprised if she hadn't heard of us, but if Bella was attached to Marcus, then she had a better clue than most who we were.
"I believe you. Last..." She swallowed, looking nervous. "Thank you for saving me. Carlisle called you Tone? Is that your name?"
I smiled, the sad turn of my mouth not touching my eyes, and walked to the door. I was freaked she'd find out who I was and would remember me. Maybe even run, or get angry. But still, I wanted her to hear it from the horse's mouth and not feel like I'd lied to her.
"No, it's not my name." I hesitated for a second, and forced myself to continue as I started to close the door between us. "You don't need to thank me, Bella. Just consider it payback for letting me use that pink iPod."
As the door clicked shut I heard a thump, then a gasp that sounded like a sob. I was a fucking chicken, dropping that shit on her and walking away. But the idea of that little girl I used to know hating me twisted my insides way worse than any knife I'd ever caught.
