Bella was awfully quiet sitting in the passenger side of my car. She had been rather vocal when we started on our little journey prattling on about some of the information we had gained from Weiss. There were still some questions that needed to be answered so while walking him to the door, I asked that he continue to look a little further into the life and times of Karen Kohn. I didn’t know what her game was or what she wanted with Bella and the last thing I was going to let happen was a ‘proactive’ attack.
I almost had a fucking heart attack with that suggestion. Although I will admit it brought me out of the stupor I was in. Up until the point where it registered that Bella was suggesting that she go talk to Karen face to face, I had been rather over taken by what were told.
Who the hell wouldn’t have been?
Never in my wildest imagination would have even considered the possibility of what Weiss discovered. The connection between James and Karen at least made sense, after all they came from the same small town and he was very close with Karen’s family. I just hadn’t realized that closeness extended to more family members then Victoria.
Karen being molested – and that’s what it was, molested, victimized, raped – at fourteen was sick enough. Impregnating her and then basically shipping her off to have the child on her own was deplorable. Paying her for the silence was another matter altogether, but at least the mystery of the six hundred dollar monthly payment was solved. Personally I think Karen underbid herself, that poor girl had been through enough suffering to warrant a much larger settlement.
Especially when it is quite possible he was the cause of her having to deal with a mental illness that will require lifelong treatment. Bella had eloquently explained the disease process to Charlie, telling him the causes ranged from heredity to trauma with no definitive answer. That was very true, however I would lay bets that she was correct in stating the ordeal James put Karen through was more than likely the majority of the catalyst. The rest of the description of the illness was also accurate and that alone would have been enough to seclude Bella from the outside world. The fucking kicker was the missing link, the one thing that kept eluding me but was the stronghold in tying everything together.
When Weiss pulled the three pictures out of that manila folder and laid them on the table in front of us, I could not believe my eyes. Everything that had been happening, the rumors, the invasion of privacy, the missing alcohol, and probably – although it couldn’t be proved -the break-in, was all fucking Newton.
Weiss pieced most of the puzzle together while I sat there staring at the pictures of, Newton, Jess and some guy I’ve never seen before. I was at a total loss and all I kept thinking was ‘What were the chances of everything occurring as they had?’ Far worse than that ‘what sort of fucked up force in the universe had Bella pissed off to warrant such retribution?’
I mean come on, hadn’t the poor girl dealt with enough bullshit in her life? Hadn’t there been enough years of pain, tragedy and uncertainty that she deserved some kind of normalcy? A boring mundane life of days filled with going to work, doing the housecleaning and Saturday morning yard work. Not the turmoil that seems to be surrounding her from the psycho ex-husband and his baby’s momma. Then of all things to have happened, she walks right in under Newton’s nose and one question was on the top of my mind. ‘Was Karen looking for Bella before Newton met her or did Bella’s emergence at the club stimulate the activity?’
Not knowing that answer was the reason why I decided to continue paying Weiss. The answer would sort of tell me how delusional or deranged Karen is. Had she been planning and scheming for months or possibly years to get to Bella and now just seemed like a good time because of her proximity? Or was it simply Bella’s arrival on the scene that caused Karen to fixate on her? Either way I wasn’t happy yet it seemed to me that one scenario was far more dangerous than the other.
And then Bella wanted to be proactive.
Was she fucking crazy?
I probably shouldn’t have shown my hand so openly in front of Charlie by telling Bella she was basically forbidden from seeking out Karen. It was just the thought of what could happen to her that scared the shit out of me. I made it very clear Bella was to go nowhere near any of them even going so far as to say she was not to walk the streets alone. Expecting Charlie to call me out for the highhandedness I displayed, his response was shocking. Without missing a beat his eyes narrowed with disgruntlement as he questioned his daughter “Isabella Marie, Are You Clear On That?”
Had I been in a better frame of mind the shock on Bella’s face would have been almost comical. As it was all I wanted to hear was her acquiescence. Once that was given I glanced over to see Charlie with the same expression of relief I felt. And I got the feeling he wouldn’t care if I chained Bella to the wall, just so she remained unscathed.
The response from my maybe soon to be father-in-law was rather surprising, then again throughout the morning, he had been full of surprises. His showing up at the house was the first one as he was the last person I expected to see coming home from my run. Yet there he was standing on the other side of the street looking at the house. His appearance surprising me so much that I had to look twice to make sure it was really him before calling his name. Then I wondered why Bella hadn’t informed me of his visit especially after our very recent understandings. So it was actually a good feeling to know that his arrival was just as shocking to her as it was to me.
Charlie surprising us with a visit wasn’t the only bomb he had to drop on us.
After he had left Bella was finishing up the dishes and I came into the kitchen with the framed stained glass piece of art she had bought at the festival in Victoria. I knew she wanted hung in the window over the sink and since we were going out to do some shopping I wanted to see if there was anything I needed to properly install it.
Laying the package flat on the table I started to remove the brown paper it was wrapped in, revealing the rather pretty piece of art. I hadn’t really gotten to appreciate it before but the transparent light blue background was a perfect sky for the yellow roses and dark blue butterflies.
The merchant had placed a small bag of hooks and wire inside the package so it didn’t look like I was going to need anything extra. Taking the framed art over to the window Bella stepped out of my way while I held it up against the glass letting the natural sunlight illuminate the colors.
Bella gasped “That’s beautiful”
“It is” I agreed “I really like it”
“Me too” She said with a joy in her voice and then out of nowhere added “Charlie knows”
I couldn’t stop the laugh because it was obvious he did “Gee do you think?”
For a man who guarded his emotions he practically shouted it in our faces that he was very aware of our lifestyle and it’s not that he approved but he would accept. That was more than I could have asked for, I wanted to spend my life with his daughter and it would be nice to not have to hide what we are. Not that he has to know all the dirty little details; there was no need for that. Yet there might be times – such as earlier - when my imperious nature comes out around Charlie. For the most part I can control that side of me, keeping the monster at bay until an appropriate time. But there are incidences when the natural tendency takes over and I wouldn’t want Charlie to be shocked, offended or attempt to intervene.
The Chief’s parting words to me were a testament to his acceptance “You keep our girl safe, I don’t care how, just do it”
I think I could have told him I was going to put Bella over my knee and spank the ‘proactive’ out of her and Charlie would have gladly given me his blessing. I was basically granted Carte Blanche from one of the few men in Bella’s life whose opinion truly counted.
“I wonder who told him?”
“Does it matter?” I wondered handing her the art work so I could get the step stool out of the closet.
“Only if it was Jake” eyeing Bella while setting the stool down she shrugged “it was probably Leah or Sue”
“Sue knows?” I questioned while climbing up the three steps to remove the small curtain.
“She was in the kitchen while Leah and I had our fight, she wasn’t shocked and she definitely heard everything “
I hadn’t considered the fact that Sue was present but I didn’t think she would tell Charlie. To me it seemed like she kept her husband on a ‘need to know’ basis “I don’t know Bella, did you ever consider the fact that your dad is a cop and he might be more observant then you give him credit for”
“Charlie only see’s what he wants to” she said handing me the art work and added “no, somebody told him, or at least made the suggestion that peaked his interest.”
While the stain glass art work went up we continued to talk and came to the conclusion that it just didn’t matter. Charlie could have heard it from someone, dreamt the answer or had aliens send him subliminal messages from outer space. The only thing that mattered was his acceptance of the fact that Bella and I were together and his desire for her happiness, which ranked fairly high on my priorities too.
Finished with that task we stood there with our arms wrapped around each other admiring the subtle beauty of the colored glass. The sunlight shining through the back, cast prisms of color out into the room and although it was not something I would have picked, I had to admit it added something special to the rather barren kitchen. It was like a touch of Bella had come to the spot and she had brighten it the same way she had with my life.
Placing a kiss on her head I asked if she was ready to go shopping. While she got her coupons and purse I left Seth out to do his business and ten minutes later we were in the car. That was when Bella had brought up my curiosity of Jess’s relationship with Mike. I had seen the reaction Bella gave at my inquiry and I wanted to explain my reasoning to her.
I knew from the altered sign-in book at the club that Mike had more than an acquaintance with Jess, I was just curious as to how long it had been going on. If Jess was indeed the person who broke into the house then I wondered how much persuasion it took to get her to comply. Had they only been together for a few weeks and he used her simply to do his dirty work or had it been longer and she acted out of loyalty?
Not that either one of those circumstances warranted being involved in a crime but Jess had never been the smartest one in the bunch. She was naive, gullible and I suppose lonely so she would have been an easy target for Newton to use. As I told all of that to Bella she sat there listening with a strange expression on her face and didn’t speak until after I made my last statement “It appears that’s exactly what Mike did, he took advantage of their relationship and her gullibility. Then when he either didn’t get what he wanted from her or just didn’t need her anymore he broke off all ties.”
“I feel sorry for Jessica”
My head shot in Bella’s direction “What?”
There was a sadness on Bella’s face; she truly meant what she said and in an attempt to understand the workings of her mind I had to know. “After everything she’s done, how the hell can you feel sorry for Jessica Stanley?”
Bella irritated me by leaving out a frustrated sigh “She’s just looking for what everyone else is looking for Edward. To forge bonds of friendships and find a place of acceptance, it’s kind of sad that she was taken advantage of…”
“Bella you’re the one that said she broke into our house” I could sort of see where she was coming from; Jess didn’t deserve to be treated so callously but she should have known better than to be talked into doing something like that.
“I’m not condoning her actions; she was totally in the wrong. All I’m saying is…Jessica must have been really desperate for Mike’s approval and acceptance to go along with doing such a thing. Especially since she already knew that Mike was with Karen and she was never going to be anything special to him. It kind of makes me wonder what or how they talked Jessica into breaking into the house.”
“Yeah I was kind of wondering that myself”
Was it as easy as just asking her to or did it require more finesse on Newton’s part by making promises of undying affection or did her threaten her? That was a question I didn’t think would ever be answered.
“I guess it doesn’t matter because in the end what did it get her?” after a moments’ hesitation Bella answered her own question “Mike doesn’t want her anymore; in fact he probably never did want her and believe me that’s a hard fact to acknowledge. Someone pretending to care, only to find out they were using you, making all kinds of promises to your face while laughing at you behind your back.”
That was something Bella had firsthand experience with and as she continued talking I saw more of her point.
“And then add in Aro banning Jessica from the club, which was the one place she could find like-minded people to bond with. It was from her own lack of good judgment or maybe spiteful revenge either way in a few short days she lost everything. She is probably feeling very empty and distraught right about now so how could you not feel sorry for her?”
“I guess, but she did bring it…”
I didn’t get to finish my statement as Bella looked out her window at the exit ramp we passed and asked “Where the heck are we going?”
The question making me smirk “I was wondering when you were going to ask”
“When we got on the five, I thought we were going to Whole Foods…”
That surprised me because Bella hated that store “You want to go to Whole Foods?”
“No…” she was adamant “…they don’t have Fruity Pebbles”
I laughed “Then it doesn’t matter because you’re not getting Fruity Pebbles anyway”
“Oh yes I am”
Ah…there’s my petulant girl making an appearance
Putting on the right turn signal I told her with assurance “No you are not”
“We’ll see” she mumbled under her breath making me smile at the determination. If it was going to be a test of wills, I was up for the challenge.
“Why are we going to Northgate, do you need something?” Bella asked as I turned into the Mall entrance.
“No, I don’t need anything, but you do”
“Me?”
Pulling into the parking space and turning off the car I gave Bella my full attention “Yes you, this is one of those surprises I was talking about.”
Moving quickly before she had a chance to reply I could feel her eyes on me as I walked around to open her door. Bella was practically staring daggers at me while I held my hand out for her, which she wasn’t taking or moving for that matter.
It appeared to me that the test of wills was beginning.
Moving my hand slightly closer to her I tried for a cordial conclusion by appealing to her rational side “Bella…”
Rational wasn’t going to work, she cut me off “I don’t need anything Edward, especially from…” her eyes went to the store in front of us “…Nordstrom’s”
Resting my other arm on top of the car I leaned in closer to her “I beg to differ, we are going out tonight and you need a new dress”
“Edward I have enough dresses”
Ok, this was going to be harder than I thought but one way or another Bella was getting out of that car and we were going into that store and she was getting a new dress.
Squatting down so we were eye level I squared my shoulders and fixed my gaze on her. She once told me it was my dominant look and it belonged to only her so that what she got – her look. “Bella, you are getting a new dress today and that can be done one of two ways. We can go in there now while we have the time and our evening will not be interrupted or…” glancing at my watch “…we can come back here in four and a half hours at exactly six o’clock and take time that I already have allotted for other things. Either way you will end up with a pretty new dress, it’s just a matter of deciding if the experience is going to be a pleasant one or not”
“That’s not fair…”
It was my turn to interrupt “I don’t see it that way, I think it is very fair. I want you to have something and one way or another, you will have it. Now which is it going to be?”
The mechanisms in her brain were working overtime as I watched her for a long moment as she warred with her inner self until she seemed to come to a conclusion.
“One dress” she acceded while holding up her index finger.
I nodded “and shoes”
“I…”
Glancing quickly at my watch I informed her “Four hours and twenty-five minutes”
The exasperated huff wasn’t as irritating as I would have thought in fact I found it rather endearing as she clutched my hand to finally get out of the car. It took Bella a trip around the women’s department before she became pleasant. Her main objective was to fine one dress to try on and preferably one that had a small price tag. That was not the experience I was going for.
After she couldn’t find one thing that appealed to her I took it upon myself to explain the way a shopping trip worked. “You have ten minutes to pick out three dresses that you find appropriate and I will pick out three. Then I will meet you at the dressing room where you will go in, change, and come out to show me how each one looks on you, so I can pick the one I like best.”
When she didn’t move I sighed “Fine, we’ll come back later…”
“No…”her eyes imploring me to be patient “…ok, ten minutes, three dresses”
Ten minutes later Bella had the dresses and I was sitting in the chair outside of the ladies changing room waiting for the first one. Bella emerged in a silver shimmery one shoulder dress that came mid-thigh. It was nice but not what I had in mind. The next was one I had picked out, a sleeveless blue dress that came to the top of her knees and hugged her shape. It was really nice and we been going to a wedding it would have been perfect. The next one was black sleeveless lace; Bella came out with an amused smirk on her face “This one looks like I’m going to a funeral”
I chuckled in agreement “Next”
That one was a shiny bronze colored monstrosity that as soon as Bella emerged from the doorway I shook my head in disgust. The next one was red almost burgundy colored, sleeveless with clingy material that seemed to wrap around her body hugging it sensuously. The style was slightly more conservative then I had in mind but Bella looked spectacular in it.
“I like that one” I told her
“Should I try on the last one?”
“Yes, you should”
While I waited to see the last dress, my eyes roamed to my left where I saw a mannequin wearing a little black party dress. It was cute and sexy with a plunging neck line that was softened to an almost a peek-a-boo effect by the way the material was gathered. Getting up to have a closer look, I was even more excited at the openness of the back. The whole thing was cut out with just two tiny strings tied together to keep the straps over the shoulders from falling down. I didn’t see any on the racks so as the salesgirl walked by I asked if there were more in the back.
While she went to check Bella came out in another little black dress that had its own deep neckline and the back was cut out with a Criss-Cross design. It was in two pieces and the top came down over her hips. Using my finger I made a circling motion, having her turn for me.
“Hmmm…do you like this one?”
“Yeah…I…” her fingers fumbled with the bottom of the shirt “…it kind of makes me feel like I’m…square”
I chuckled, she was right the dress was flattering but the way it fell it did make her look square.
“So…the red…” Bella was cut off by the salesgirl’s return “Sir we only have one left, it’s a small”
Perfect
“One more nâhtötse” I said taking the soft garment from the girl who was eyeing Bella.
I thought she was going to say something derogatory instead she moved to Bella’s side and adjusted the waistband so it turned up on itself and draped over one hip. “This garment can be worn several ways”
She then adjusted the waist again drawing it higher up Bella’s stomach so that it hung slightly above the waistband of the skirt. “This look is great if you’re going dancing at a club. But you can drape it several different ways. Even tuck the top inside of the skirt and wear a gold belt, which is very stunning.”
As the salesgirl spoke she gave a demonstration of each idea and the dress always took on a whole new appearance.
“This garment is very popular, especially with the college crowd, because it cuts down on cost by giving several different looks from the same dress. It’s also one hundred percent Rayon which is an easy care fabric that doesn’t wrinkle and is machine washable. Now this garment…” the woman fingered the soft black material of the dress on the hanger “… is seventy percent Pashmina, which is a blend of cashmere and thirty percent silk. It requires dry-cleaning and proper care but the material flows very naturally and feels luxuriously soft against the skin. It is a bit more expensive but you will defiantly be able to feel the difference and know why it’s worth the extra money.” Those words were said for my benefit as the salesgirl spoke to me before turning to Bella with a smile “Would you like me to help you try it on?”
Bella’s eyes shot to mine as she hesitated before answering “Ah…sure?”
She didn’t sound very sure but the two women went back into the dressing room and a few minutes later both returned with smiles on their faces. The salesgirl carrying the rejected dresses walked away with them while Bella stood like a vision in front of me. The black dress was absolutely perfect on her, lying softly against her curves and accentuating every asset she had.Twirling my finger, Bella slowly spun around, stopping on the half turn to give me a sly smile over her shoulder before continuing. Wanting to see that smile again I rotated my finger half a turn then rolled it, telling her to turn around and bend over. Bella stood there looking questionably at me so I repeated the combined signal. With a slight hesitation she turned her back to me and glanced over her shoulder to watch my hand but she still was unsure of what I wanted. I could have saved us some time by just telling her but we had come to a place in our relationship where Bella needed to speak up when she was unsure of my commands.
And I was very happy that there was no further hesitation on her part “What does that mean ásgaya?”
The added ásgaya –sir- told me what frame of mind she was in as I repeated the signal I told her “Bend over, grab your ankles”
Complying caused the back of the dress to ride up Bella’s thighs and coming just below the full roundness of her bottom. I didn’t think that there would be cause for her to bend over like that this evening, but I wanted to make sure. There would be nothing underneath the dress except for a few adornments and I wouldn’t want her to be uncomfortable or inhibited.
Snapping my fingers got Bella’s attention and after making the signal she stood, tuning to face me just as sales girl returned. “What do you think?”
Giving Bella the signal to come to me, my hand slid down the soft silky material from her hip to where it ended at mid-thigh. It was the luxurious, soft and surprising silkier to the touch then it appeared to be. If it felt that good against my hand I could only imagine how it felt to against Bella’s more sensitive skin.
Having her slowly turn around one more time and seeing how the material clung to Bella’s body in all the right places I told the saleslady “We’ll take it”
The little squeal of delight from my girl was humorous as she was not at all happy when we began our quest but it appeared she had changed her mind. That was the shopping experience I was hoping for.
After Bella told the girl she didn’t need any help in the dressing room the salesperson left us alone saying she would be at the register when we were ready. Once we were alone Bella turned to look at herself in the three-way mirror, obviously happy with what she was seeing.
Getting to my feet I stepped in behind her letting my hand run down the length of her arm and she turned to face me. Taking her chin in my hand I had to know “Was that so bad?”
“No, actually it was rather fun”
“Good, that means next time you won’t be so uncooperative to my surprises”
Her hands came up to rest flat against my chest as she continued to gaze up at me “Your girl should have been more gracious”
Titling her head back a little future I placed a chaste kiss on her lips before agreeing “Yes, she should have.”
“Thank you Master” there was no hesitation or hush of the word, Bella spoke my title as plainly as any other word.
“You’re welcome nâhtötse”
Angling her head to the side she eyed me inquisitively “Was this really the surprise you were talking about?”
“Well there are the shoes”
Finding the shoes went a whole lot easier than the dress. It’s not like a shopping trip was going to be a weekly thing or even a regular part of our schedule. However there would be times when the desire for me to buy her something new would come upon me. It was all part of the control and Bella needed to know that if it brought me pleasure to bestow her with a gift, then it was her responsibility to act graciously and appreciatively.
After leaving Northgate Mall we made our way to Queen Anne area to get the meats and seafood from A&J’s. My mother had always bought her meats from there and swore they had the freshest fish so that was where I always went. Our last stop was our own neighbor Safeway, Bella scoured the aisles with the weekly sales ad in one hand and her coupon box in the other. I was more mechanical in reading the list that she started and I had added to, check off items as we went.
We made a simple shopping trip a rather lengthy expedition I would read off the item. Bella would stand there looking for what was on sale along with a corresponding coupon, because heaven forbid we pay full price for something. There was a few things I refused to gamble with, like toilet paper. Bella could laugh at my spoiled sensitive ass all she wants, because with or without a coupon we were getting Charmin Ultra.
Halfway through the store Bella sent me on a wild goose chase to get body wash. She gave me three different coupons and told me to get the one that was the best buy. I should have known she had something up her sleeve yet I went along with the distraction. When I came back Bella was two aisles over getting laundry detergent. As I put the body wash in the cart I noticed that the boxes of rice and noodles were on their sides. Picking them up I saw why.
“What is this?” I asked holding the bright red box of sugary cereal.
“Now how did that get in there” I’ll say this for her, she tried to fringe innocence – tried and failed.
“Put it back” I told her shoving the box in her direction.
“But I have a coupon for it”
“I don’t care if it was free, this is pure garbage. You might as well eat a Hershey bar for breakfast” pushing the box at her again I demanded “Put it back”
“Look it’s not that bad” picking up the box a Cheerio’s she scanned the nutritional label then pointed to the Fruity Pebbles in my hand “See this one only has eight more calories…eight, that’s not so many.”
Eight? How could that be?
At first glance she was right but I wasn’t born yesterday “Bella the Fruity Pebbles is a smaller serving size and it also has twelve grams of sugar and absolutely no fiber. It’s crap...put it back”
“But…” she actually began to pout as her eyes turned pleading “…couldn’t it be like a treat?” Her head tilted while she attempted to implore to my sense of generosity “After all I didn’t get to any of the chocolate you bought me at the beach. Couldn’t we just get it and then every now and then I get to have some…” her eyes narrowed as her voice became beseeching while she practically begged me “…just a little bit”
Oh she was good
“You’re right…” she didn’t let me finish before her face turned hopeful “I can get it?”
“No…” the smile was gone “…not now, on the next shopping trip”
“Why not now?” she whined and I needed to bring the conversation to an end “Because as you so plainly pointed out we just came home from vacation where our diet was not exactly healthy. So extra treats at this moment would not be the best thing.”
“Next time? Because my coupon expires at the end of the month” the dejection along with her logic made me chuckle as I did concede “Next time…”however she had to know the condition “…just as long as your diet stays satisfactory”
With her nod I exchanged the Cheerio’s for the Fruity Pebbles “Now put this back”
She wasn’t exactly happy, pacified would have been a better description but Bella did take the box back where it belonged. Just as she rounded the corner I heard my name spoken softly from behind me, turning to see who it was I felt my whole body tense as I said her name “Jess”
We stood there staring at each other for a long moment until I decided to just get to the point “Did you want something?”
“I…” she sighed “…I was just wondering if you would be able to help me be unbanned from the club. The letter said I assaulted someone but, I swear I didn’t do anything”
“I have no say over what Aro does…”
“But if you told him that I’m innocent he would believe you and I could come back.”
I saw what Bella said about her being distraught but she had brought this on herself and there really was nothing I could do about it. “I’m sorry Jess, Aro’s decisions are final…”
“But I didn’t assault anyone…”
“You grabbed Isabella’s arm, left a scratch…”
“That’s why?” she laughed in disbelief “Because of that girl…Bella?”
“Isabella” I corrected but she wasn’t paying me any attention as she went off on a tirade “What is so special about her? I don’t see what is wonderful about her, she’s not even that pretty but ever since she came around everyone has changed and she’s all they talk about, Bella this and Bella that, it’s like they are obsessed with her, like she cast some kind of spell on them or something”
The more she talked the angrier I was getting at the disparaging remarks she was making but then I started to realize that I had some questions that Jess would be able to answer for me, so I let her finish.
“Even you…” pointing her finger “…changed, and started acting like the ground she walked on was covered with gold or something. What does she have that I don’t have? I mean come on Edward you even got a dog now”
And there is was
“I have a dog?” I asked doubtfully and Jess fell right into the trap.
“Come on Edward I seen him, he scared the crap out of me”
“When did you see our dog?” Just as Jess figured out that she said something she shouldn’t of, Bella came around the end of the aisle and didn’t hesitate in the least to stand at my side. “Hey”
“Hey babe” I said wrapping my arm around her and kissing the top of her head “Jess was just about to tell me when our dog scared the crap out of her”
“Oh yeah, when was that Jessica?” Bella wondered as fear seemed to come over Jess’s face at the realization that she inadvertently confessed to breaking in our house.
“I um..umm…it was…ummm…” she was trying to come up with an excuse but then just gave up “…I don’t really remember.”
“Oh, I guess it must have been dark or something” Bella stated to Jess before looking up at me “maybe next time we should leave a light on, that way people can see better after all we wouldn’t anyone to trip”
I nodded “I hate wasting electricity but I think you’re right”
“Yeah…well…” Jess started talking again “…I’m going to go, don’t worry, you don’t need to talk to Aro for me”
“I told you Jess, I have no control over what Aro does, and who is allowed on the property is solely at his digression. I will however put in a good word for you to someone else I know, there is a police officer I’m sure will be very interested in talking to you.”
“Police?” Tears filled her eyes “Please Edward don’t call the police. I didn’t do anything…no was hurt and nothing was damaged”
I figured if I was ever going to get any answers from her it was then so I just came right out and asked “What did Mike want from my house?”
Tears were streaming down her face as she first looked at Bella before wiping the her face off and fixing her eyes on me. She looked…lost and I did feel sorry for her “All he wanted me to do was hide a dog collar somewhere in your dining room.”
“A dog collar? Did he mess with my dog?” Bella became the protective mother while Jess gave her a look of total distain that resonated in her voice “No he wouldn’t hurt your dog, he didn’t even know you had one”
“Then why would he send you with a dog collar?” Bella asked the same thing I wanted to and Jess’s face took on a look of total confusion.
She really was obtuse
Bella continue to drive home the point “If we didn’t have a dog, then the collar would have stuck out like a sore thumb. And someone had already messed with my baby and I’ll tell you what Jessica Stanley…” Bella’s voice became menacing as she took a step closer to Jess, staring her down“…if anyone ever hurts my dog they are going to answer to me”
Jess cringed as she took a step backwards while I put my hands on Bella shoulders trying to calm her down. “It’s ok nâhtötse, they didn’t hurt him” as I said the words she turned in my arms and I could see why Jess backed away, she was fuming mad. “They fucked with my baby Edward and they can’t get away with that”
My hands rubbed the top of her arms in a soothing motion while I attempted to calm her down “Ok …Ok…I promise, they won’t get away with it”
I had seen her protectiveness of Seth come out once before when Jacob had taken him to mate with Bessie. Bella was beyond reason, threatening to get a whip and beat him with it and all he did was take Seth for some tail. I could only imagine the devastation she had planned for Jess and Newton for actually bringing harm to the dog.
While I continued to calm Bella down Jess thought it was a good time to explain “I told you we didn’t hurt the dog…I love dogs…” at that Bella abruptly turned around and the expression on her face must have been murderous because Jess was quick to continue “…really I do…besides all Mike wanted me to do was plant the collar somewhere inconspicuous so that he could hear what was being said at the meeting you were having…”
Meeting? What meeting?
“…but when I got the door opened the code Mike gave me didn’t work and when I put it in the second time the alarm went off and that’s when the dog came. He was barking and growling at me, so I ran out of there”
Jess was looking at me like I was supposed to feel sorry for her but I couldn’t muster any other emotion except contempt “Why would you agree to break into our house”
Stressing the word our caused a reaction of anger to come over her “It’s your house Edward, not hers and that’s why I did it, to prove that everyone was wrong when they said you were living together.”
“Who said that?” We were living together but I was wondering where she was getting her information from.
“Mike and…” At her hesitance I added “Karen.”
“You know about Karen?” Jess asked suspiciously.
At my nod she went on “Yeah Mike and Karen, they were talking about it and how it was going to be harder to talk to Bella…”
“Isabella…” I corrected and she huffed “Isabella…they call her…” she pointed her finger “…Bella”
“And what do they want with her?”
“It’s not they Edward, it’s only Karen. Mike could care less about Bel…Isabella, except Karen is really fixated on her. She keeps saying Bel…Isabella has something that belongs to her and that she has something for her that will even the score.”
“Even what score?” I hadn’t meant to say that out loud but even at the question Jess just shook her head “I don’t know, Karen is crazy lately. One minute she’s laughing and then she’s crying. She keeps blubbering about how it hurts to be touched and being afraid of the cage.”
I heard the quick intake of air from Bella and my arms instinctually wrapped tightly around her, placing her in a cocoon of security while I asked “What else does Karen say?”
“Nothing and it doesn’t matter anymore because Mike told me to get lost. He said that Karen needed him now and that I shouldn’t come around for a few weeks until she felt better.”
At least it sounded like Mike was taking care of Karen; maybe he really did have feeling s for her. But I still had one more question. “You said something about a meeting at my house, when was that?”
Jess shrugged “I don’t know, Mike said you were having Aro and Emmett over to talk about the club and he wanted to hear what you were saying”
Bella glanced up at me “That must have been the night before we left, when everyone came for dinner”
“And what was Mike hoping to hear?” I figured it had something to do with his illegal activities but I was curious to know if Jess was aware of Mike’s extra income.
“He said that there were a lot of changes happening at New Moon and he wanted to hear if Aro was going to promote him to head of security. Because if not he was going to start looking for a new job”
I stared at her in disbelief, if Jess was telling me the truth and she truly believed that was the only reason Mike wanted to know what was said in my home, then she was dumber than I thought. “So you committed a felony crime by breaking into the house so Newton could hear about a promotion?”
At her nod I asked “So why you? Why didn’t he do it himself?”
“He tried to. Mike went to your house but he said that you made him stay by the door and you only left him alone for a minute while you talked to her. So he couldn’t put it anywhere and then Mike said he saw you put the code into the security box….” Something seemed to dawn on her “…When did you get a security system anyway? I’ve been to your house lots of times…”Jess’s eyes shifted to Bella who stiffened in my arms “…you never had one before”
Jess gave me a coy smile and I knew the observation was made for the sole purpose of hurting Bella. A little dig to remind her that she had been in my bed. Well not literally because Jess never slept in my bed but the meaning was clear.
There was no need for a reply because whatever I said would only serve to prove that Jess knew more about me personally than she had a right too and also it was none of her business. What occurred at the house only concerned two people- Bella and me.
When Jess saw I wasn’t going to respond she sighed “Anyway, Mike must not have seen you do it right because he gave me the wrong number and then…well you know the rest. And now I don’t know what I’m supposed to do”
“I would suggest you hire a good attorney”
Jess was visibly shocked at my suggestion “An attorney?”
“Yes, you knowingly committed a felony by breaking into our home…”
“But I wasn’t going to hurt anything…it was like a joke...nothing got…” Holding up my hand to stop her I said “You can explain all of that to the police along with Mike’s involvement and see what they say”
“You’re really going to turn me in? After all those times….and our friendship you would do that?”
“Our friendship couldn’t have meant very much if you so easily agreed to betray it”
“I was just so…mad Edward. Why did everything have to change? Why did she have to come along…”
We weren’t going to rehash old times or run down memory lane just for the sake of hurting Bella “That’s the point Jess, things change, people change and Isabella did come along and she has filled a spot in my life that I didn’t even now was empty. You were mad for petty reasons, I seek justice for legitimate wrongs committed against us. So in answer to your question, Yes, I will be calling the officer in charge of the case as soon as I get home. I say that gives you about an hour to get an attorney, which I might add is more time than you gave me to prepare for what you did.”
The color drained from Jess’s face and for a moment she looked like she was going to be sick but then she smiled broadly “You’re only teasing, trying to scare me”
I tried to keep that expression –Bella’s look – off my face but I also wanted to convey that I was not kidding and I had every intention of calling officer Hawk when I got home. Jess must have seen the determination in my eyes as she looked between Bella and I and without saying another word turned to leave us standing there watching as she disappeared.
Bella’s hands grasped my arm that was still securely wrapped across her chest and after Jess was completely gone her hand patted my arm. “I take it back Edward, I don’t feel sorry for her anymore”
“Neither do I Bella”
And I didn’t, Jess made a decision that she was going to have to stand accountable for and our previous relationship had no bearing on what I had to do.
Bella turned in my arms to gaze in my eyes “Are you really going to turn her in?”
“Yes…I really am”
“Oh…” was the only comment Bella made as she moved away from me and started pushing the cart down the aisle stopping to get dish detergent. As she picked up the Dawn from the shelf she didn’t look at me while he asked “Aren’t you afraid what Jessica might tell the police about your…relationship with her”
“I have nothing to be ashamed of Bella. The bottom line is Jess committed a crime and she has to answer for that. What kind of a citizen would I be to let a known criminal get away with being unpunished?”
“Do you think I’m a bad citizen?”
The question was spoken so low I could hardly hear what she said and even once I understood the words it took me a moment to put my statement together with her question and figure out what Bella meant.
“No, I don’t think that at all. I think each one of us does what we can, when we can”
That answer seemed to placate Bella, as the subject was dropped and we continued on with our shopping. I could only hope that eventually she would be able to summon up enough of the courage that I knew laid within her and do the right thing. I didn’t know how long it was going to take or what was going to happen before she could move past her own embarrassment and do what only she could do. In the meantime something Jess had said was weighing heavy on my heart and it made me even more determined to keep Bella safe.
Jess said something about Karen thinking Bella has something of hers and she wants to give Bella something to even the score. Whatever the hell that meant to Karen I had no clue. What it meant to me was starting immediately Bella is going on lockdown. She is not going to like it one bit and I was sure there was going to be a tantrum or two. However Bella was going to have to see reason, after all Jess described a rather unstable Karen who was laughing one moment and crying the next. So I wasn’t going to take any chances and I would much rather deal with a disgruntled safe Bella then a liberated injured one.
Looks like the test of wills was in for a workout, I might have compromised on Fruity Pebbles but this was one mêlée that couldn’t afford a retreat. And come hell or high water - I would win.
