Chapter 91

EPOV

A blown radiator hose, I suppose it was possible after all stranger things have occurred. However from the moment I semi-agreed with Bella making a stop at the grocery store I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. Instead of putting my foot down and demanding that Bella adhere to the terms she agreed to, I against my better judgment relented to her request. All under the excuse that I didn’t want to come off as an overbearing inflexible bully. 

To say I was anxious was an understatement, I sat in the kitchen staring at the clock with my thumb perched over the accept bottom on the phone. My edginess growing with every second and had it taken two more minutes, I would have caved and called her. As it was even with Bella on the line talking about the most mundane things all I kept thinking was how stupid the plan was. The whole time we talked the voice in the back of my head whispered ‘if something happens…what are you going to do about it?’

 Worse was the fucker was right, there was nothing I could do, not while Bella roamed around the store and not when she called me frantic about the car. Then – holy-mother-fucking-hell – my heart stopped at hearing a man’s voice and the terror of her scream and there wasn’t a god-damn thing I could about it.

I didn’t even know where she was or how I could find her, and even if I did there was no way I could get to her in time. That was a stupid thought to have because of course my mind started recalling every episode of 

Criminal Minds I ever saw. How it only takes a short time for an attacker to incapacitate their victim and for some strange reason my brothers voice kept shouting in my ear ‘FIRE!’

The few seconds of suspended time it took for Demetri to get the phone, robbed ten years off my life. I was dizzy from the adrenaline running through me and not recognizing the voice immediately I demanded into the receiver “Who is this?”

“It’s Demetri”

My mind was so muddled it took me a second to comprehend who I was talking to before I could ask the rest of the questions that needed to be answered.  He assured me Bell was unharmed, the car was in a secure place and most important he would take care of her until I could get there. Those little bit of reassurances did wonders to ease my nerves yet I couldn’t totally relax.  The drive to his shop was the longest fifteen minutes of my life. The tension didn’t leave my body until I could see for myself she was indeed unscathed and I vowed then and there– never again.

Call me an over protective dictator all you want, it wasn’t going to happen again because there was no way in hell Bella was ever leaving the house alone until the mess was settled. And if she didn’t like it – tough shit!

I’d chain her to the fucking wall in the playroom for the next month is that’s what I had to do. It might have been selfish yet there was no way I was going through that HELL ever again.

I was eager to get back to Demetri’s store before Jacob arrived, I had already set the appointment to commission Bella’s ring and I was heading there anyway. He had wondered while we transferred the packages Bella bought from one car to the other if perhaps I wanted to postpone the meeting. And in all honesty I thought about it because I didn’t want something so significant to be overshadowed by stress.

Then the most ridiculous thing happened.

The wetness from the rain caused the last bag to slip out of my hand, leaving the contents on the bed of the trunk. Trashy Hollywood tabloid rags and women’s magazines spilled out along with the one thing I was sure Bella did want me to know about, and I started laughing.

Demetri chuckled along with me commenting on the bold black subtitles “Ten Things to Blow Your Man’s 

Mind in Bed”

But my humor was directed at the box of cereal and all I could do was mutter “Damn Fruity Pebbles” through my laughter.

It took me a few minutes to gain my composure and I told  him I’d be back in half-an-hour, then pulled myself together because I couldn’t wait to see what Bella had to say. It took everything I had to keep a straight face while she stuttered and stammered out an excuse.

“Y..Y…Y…Master you said…your exact words were …You can get them on the next shopping trip.”

Oh my girl was a sneaky one

It was Monday morning far outside of our usual and maybe it was my fault, I had called her Isabella and she in turn replied with a Formal title. My submissive was in the car with me along with all the etiquettes that come along with the label.

Questioning her memory I asked. “Those were my exact words?”

“Yes Master…” Completely secure in her recollection Bella’s eyes grew as if she was trying to convince me. “…exact words”

“Uh…” Grunting in cynicism I placed the cartoon covered box in Bella’s lap before starting the car and pulling out into traffic.

Sitting in the seat with her eyes trained on the sugary cereal, her fingers flexed in nervousness against her legs while her teeth bit into her lip. Leaving her to stew a little bit while I drove all the while knowing she was waiting for my response. The thing was, I wasn’t exactly sure how to react Bella knew damn well what she did was scheming and underhanded, my problem was getting her to admit it.

“Mast…”

Shocked by her speaking out of turn I quickly retorted “Quiet”

She immediately went back to the same stance and I told her the truth “Don’t worry Isabella; you will get a chance to plead your case. However before I decide what to do about this there are a few questions I need answered. And believe when I say your answers are going to be the deciding factor. So if I was you, I would be very careful in what I said”

At the continued silence I asked the main thing I needed to know. “When you talked me into going to the store this morning was it with the intention to purchase the sugar coated cardboard”

“No Sir…it was an impulse buy”

That’s my girl – impulsive

“And the whole time we were on the phone and you had them in the cart, it never dawned on you to inform me?”

“Your girl didn’t tell you anything she bought”

That was true

“Yet you knew that particular item was something you should not have gotten.”

“Master you did say…”

Again I interrupted her “Isabella, believe me when I say your tenacity is withstanding and I can completely understand your endurance with the whole ‘that’s my story and I’m sticking to it’ thing. If I was in your spot at this moment I would be trying to pull the same shit. However do not for one minute think that I was born yesterday or that I am not aware of the fact that you knew exactly what I meant by the next shopping trip”

After a brief moment of silence I stopped for a red light, there was one thing I had to know and I needed to see Bella’s face while she answered “Now look at me Isabella”

That wasn’t such a good idea because she turned her head giving me the biggest pout I had ever seen. So dramatic was her expression I was forced to bit the side of my tongue to keep myself from reacting to the antics.

“Were you planning to bring the box home or was your impulse purchase something you were going to hide?”

Not getting a reply I prompted “Isabella?”

In the blink of an eye the endearing pout was gone, squaring her shoulder the forlorn eyes and sulky lips were replaced with a glaring scowl.

Holy Shit!

Talk about a demon processed, she gave me a look of pure unadulterated fury and then yelled 

“Alright…One bowl, that’s all I wanted. One damn bowl and then let the kids have the rest. Why can’t I get em!”

Even after watching the exorcist occur right before my eyes the petulance caught me off guard. We were not in a total D/s mode and that knowledge truly was the only thing that saved her ass. However she’s the one that took us to the Master and sub level so she was going to fulfill her end. Besides respectful tones at all times is a mandatory rule that was not negotiable and that included raging hormones.

Narrowing my eyes I gave the sternest voice I could muster on short notice “Watch your tone young lady or what you’re going to get is put over my knee for a good spanking. Now calm yourself, speak correctly to me and apologize”

The beeping horn had me driving again while Bella spoke with a much more rational tone. “This one shouldn’t have yelled at you Master, she was just angry”

“And why was that Isabella, what made you angry? Was it my asking for an explanation or was it being caught at something you were trying to hide?”

“Wasn’t hiding it” she grumbled

“Really?” I question “Then can you explain why you very nearly almost shit yourself when I put the box between the seats. If you truly thought buying that junk was something you could do with a clear conscience then I would think the reaction would have been much different”

Always so damn stubborn she was sticking to her point for all it was worth “You did say…”

“Are you honestly going to sit there and tell me you didn’t know that the next shopping trip I referred to was the one we did together?”

“Your exact words wer…”

Getting frustrated I figured it best to put an end to that line of defense and interrupter her “Be very careful here Isabella and make sure you know what you’re getting into. If that’s you’re only contention then you had better be damn well positive it’s something you are willing to do…live by exact words.”

Glancing over I gave a pointed look and asked “Is that how you want it?”

If Bella really wanted to go down that road I would make sure that would be a lesson she would never forget.

Thinking before answering the pout returned “No Sir, this one would rather not”

Smart girl

Pulling up to the gate for the underground garage Bella rattled off the code for the door to open. Once I had pulled into a space and I could give her my undivided attention I asked again. “So what had you angry?”

Unfastening the seatbelt Bella turned to face me “Not angry, that was a poor choice of word. More disappointed that I wasn’t going to get to eat them and well…sort of feeling bad that I was being conniving.”

Shocked by the word I asked “So you admit there was no misunderstanding in what I meant”

“At the time I wasn’t thinking about it and yes I sort of talked myself into justifying getting them because …well…I just wanted them”

Nodding I got out of the car to open her door, Bella sat there for a moment looking at the box on her lap and then started to move it to the console. “I don’t want that crap, take them with you”

“I thought…” taking my offered hand she stepped out of the car questioning me “I can have them?”

“You’re a big girl…you decide”

Opening the trunk to get all the bags, Bella just stood staring at me “That’s not fair”

“Should I tell you to ‘go ahead Bella devour the whole box’ or would you rather I forbid you the bowl you want so very badly?”

“I want you to tell me what you really think”

“You already know that…so no I won’t make the choice for you, it was your decision to buy them so you decided what to do with them.”

Continuing to watch me while I gathered a few bags in my hands and then finally relenting, Bella followed my lead in helping to empty the trunk. It took two trips to get all the stuff upstairs where the offices were and once that was done I kissed Bella goodbye telling her to have a good day and left.

The rain had let up just as Jacob arrived with the tow truck at the same time I did, getting out of the car I met him and Demetri came out of the store. “I’m glad you’re here Edward because you didn’t leave me the keys”

Truthfully I hadn’t thought about it and besides I assumed Jacob had a set - which he did – after making the brief introductions Jacob pulled a key ring from his pocket.

“I have three sets. Bella can be a bit ditzy sometimes and had a thing for losing the keys or locking them in the car. Hell one time she shut the trunk on them and I had to rip the whole backseat out. Not a hard thing to do in a ninety-four Honda, but this thing…” pointing to the Silver Saab A3 “…I couldn’t imagine what a pain in the ass that would be. So now I keep a set at the shop, one at home and one on my key ring”

Demetri chuckled but I wonder “Bella had a Honda; I thought she drove that old truck”

“Yeah well…” Jacob gave me a knowing look “…It was a long drive to Port Angles every day and the truck used a lot gas. That caused more…grief, I had the Honda it needed work, so I rebuilt the engine and that was what she used. Not that it made much difference …there was always something to…”

Trailing off Jacob changed the subject “Overheated? Uh…” he huffed, probably having the same thought I did – weird

“When was the last time Bella drove?”

“Two weeks…before we left…” not remembering the exact day

Demetri went back inside to get out of the rain that was once again starting to fall while I finished up with Jacob. It only took a matter of minutes before the car was hoisted up and ready to go. I asked if he would please let know what the problem was because somewhere in the back of my mind it just didn’t seem …logical.

Jacob must have had the same thought as he assured me “I’ll give it a thorough inspection and get back to you.”

Shaking my hand Jacob got in his truck and was still idling in place while I went inside to meet with Demetri.  He had an area set up on top of the glass display case that housed the collection of ‘engagement rings’ at least that’s what the etched calligraphy sign called them. There was a nervous excitement building inside me as I glanced at all the rings. It’s not that I doubted the decision of wanting Bella to become my wife…

Wife? What a strange word

Yet that was what she would be, my other half, my better half.

It was a stage in my life that I never contemplated happening to me, meeting someone who I couldn’t imagine not being there. Throughout the year’s woman have come and gone with nothing more than a passing good-bye. In all that time I can’t say there was ever anyone who I missed or who I couldn’t live without. They were easy to physically replace, maybe that’s because there was never an emotional connection. Bella was everything I could have ever wanted she completed me in the most basic ways. In her own imposing style she challenged me to become a better person, someone worthy of her love and respect. 

I wanted the ring she wore to be as splendid as she was, a treasured and cherished jewel as timeless as the love I had for her.

“Are you buying a ring?”

My attention was so focused on the shiny gemstones I hadn’t heard Jacob step up beside me.

“Yes”

“For Bella?”

Who the hell did he think?

Grinning I gave the same one word answer “Yes”

Several emotions played across his face, confusion, surprise, indecision then finally clarity. “Like a real diamond?”

 What the hell did that mean?

Demetri spoke for me “This isn’t Walmart, I don’t sell fake ones”

“No offence dude…” Jacob held his hand up “…I’m just a little shocked here; give me a minute to process this...ok?” Turning back to me Jacob asked “Does Bella know…or Charlie?”

“No…I was going to get the ring first and then speak to Charlie” I wasn’t exactly sure how I was going to do that because it didn’t seem like something you talk about by phone. He would be here for the weekend but I highly doubted the ring would be ready by then. So I was considering making the three hour trip out to Forks but as of that moment hadn’t come up with any concrete plans.

“Well that will be a first for both of them” Jacob muttered eyeing the display

“What do you mean?” I questioned not understanding the comment.

Jacob’s eyes narrowed “The asshole never asked Charlie…” he laughed “…wished he would have, Charlie probably would have shot him…and Bella never had a diamond”

What?

Seeing my expression Jacob explained “Yeah, it was just a cheap piece of glass. When she got to Dartmouth Bella needed the money so she took it to the pawn shop. They told her it wasn’t even real gold, just some plated piece of metal that wasn’t even worth fifty bucks.”

Stunned…that was all I was, completely stunned and then even more nervously excited. I would be giving the woman I loved more than life itself something she had never had before. That made my choice even more important, my girl was going to receive from me the first and only ring of her dreams.

“Wait a minute…” Demetri was just as stunned “…we’re talking about Isabella, that funny, charming, enchanting woman…”

At the description Jacobs eyes narrowed “enchanting…how do you know Bella?”

The suspicion in Jacob’s tone had me speaking quickly “Demetri is a friend of ours”

Purposely including Bella in the group, for one thing my friends were hers and also from what I saw of their exchange it would appear she was comfortable enough around Demetri to agree with me.

“Sorry I just use to knowing all of Bella’s friends”

Yeah well…not anymore

The chimes on the door sounded and for a second I wondered why I hadn’t heard them when Jacob came in. Before I could turn around to see who it was Felix called out “Hey why is that tow truck in our loading zone?”

“I better go” Jacob clapped me on the shoulder “Don’t get anything to big, Bells doesn’t like that”

I didn’t like the advice, Jacob meant well however I didn’t need anyone to tell me what my girl liked or didn’t like, and if I wanted to buy her a fucking ten karat diamond, I would and there was nothing he could do about it.

Jacob shook his head “Leah’s going to freak”

“Don’t tell her” it was bad enough that he knew I didn’t want everyone to be aware of my plans. It just seemed wrong that Bella would find out last after all.

“Are you kidding, I like my fucking balls where they are” Jacob laughed without humor making me wonder if Leah was going to be a problem.

We had come to a bit of an understanding during the weekend I spent in Forks; still she wasn’t my biggest fan. Yet with a ring on Bella’s finger my intentions towards her should be a whole more obvious to Leah.

“Leah?” Demetri questioned when Jacob left

“Bella’s sister” was all I said as Felix stood next to his brother looking over the selections that had been prepared for me.

“Hey Edward, you’re going to take the plunge uh?” before I could answer he got a smirk on his face “And here I thought you were allergic to diamonds”

I chuckled “Yeah well I guess I been immunized”

“Well congratulations, Isabella’s a hell of a vaccination”

Felix excused himself leaving me with Demetri  who eyed me suspiciously.

“Speaking of Isabella, did you let that girl have her Fruity Pebbles?”

That was a question I could only partially answer “She took them with her…”

“But?” amusement clear on is face

“But I’ll have to wait and see what she does with them”

Pursing his lips Demetri wondered out loud “I don’t see what’s so bad about letting her have a bowl of cereal. Then again I don’t regulate eating habits”

“You would if Gianna’s nutrition was insufficient to the point where she was underweight”

“Isabella’s not underweight”

“Not now…but before…”

Demetri thought for a moment before asking “Is that what she’s hiding? An eating disorder…”

“No…” I couldn’t let him think that “…Isabella isn’t hiding anything…” adding with a chuckle “what you see is what you get”

He chuckled along before fixing his eyes on me “If she’s not hiding anything …then what’s she afraid of?”

“That’s a story for another time my friend” I wasn’t about to get into all the drama with him. There might come a day or time when Demetri becomes privileged to the information, but it wasn’t this day.

Putting off his question for a later time I looked down at the display before me and set about making one of the biggest decisions of my life.

An hour later I was leaving secured in the choice of style, cut, size and clarity. I never knew there was so much involved in picking out gems. Vintage, modern, Edwardian, princess, pear, marquee, gold, silver, platinum, the choices seemed to go on and on. I had finally settled on something Demetri had drawn out, it was a design that encompassed all the aspect I had wanted. The scrolls Bella loved so much along with a representation of the binding bands I desired. He had tried to talk me into getting a sapphire as the center stone.

“She loved that ring I had her try on Edward, her whole face lite up”

I thought it was ingenious that Demetri would use small talk to ascertain Bella’s correct ring size; after all I had no clue.

Still I was adamant, even more so after hearing from Jacob about the bubble gum ring she had received before “No, the center stone has to be a diamond and no more than two karats”

After all even though I didn’t need the advice Jacob was right, flashy gaudy excess wasn’t my girl’s style. She was timeless, classic and unique just the way the ring that would hopefully adorn her finger would be.

The last thing we discussed was a price point, giving Demetri a range he could work within to fulfill what I wanted with the best possible stones. He assured me it would be no problem but he highly doubted it would be ready for the weekend. Leaving the jewelry store with the idea I had two weeks to decide how and when I was going to speak to Charlie.

Sliding behind the wheel my phone rang with Bella’s tone telling me I had a message, opening up the app I smiled at her words.

Master, your girl was impulsive and it is not something she is proud of. She knows you understand and wants to assure you she did not eat any of the ‘sugar coated cardboard’. Your girl will wait until she can enjoy them with her Master’s full approval – the children however had no problems eating the whole box. :)

Isabella signing off until Wednesday 6 pm.

P.S. Carol will bring me home tonight. I love you – Bella

She truly was amazing, we had slipped into our roles and honestly I wasn’t sure how to stop that from happening in the future or if I even wanted to. There didn’t seem to be any confusion on either of our parts when it happened. I could tell by Bella’s mannerisms when she was behaving more like Isabella and needed my firm hand. And there really was no mistaking my reactions on her part, there were times when she wasn’t going to allow me to get away with it. Those were few in comparison yet swift in rebuttal, telling me and everyone else within ear shot she was no doormat to push around. Yet when we both needed the reassurance that our D/s bond provided we could utilize the connection to gain the security it brings.

 Arriving back at home the first thing I did was check on the workmen, it was just noon and two men who had been there all morning were breaking for lunch. Inspecting their work I was rather please to see the progress they made. All the fixtures had been removed; the plumbing shut down and close to half of the room was devoid of wall tiles.

While I was gone, Seth had been locked in Bella’s room, she had called in such a panic that I needed to do something with him quickly. He might have been just fine being allowed to roam freely however with two strangers in the house I didn’t want to take the chance. Opening the door the poor little guy was over excited to see me. Following me downstairs I let him out while I made myself a toasted ham and cheese sandwich. Getting a glass of milk I had just started eating when my phone rang. Looking at the caller ID it didn’t surprise me to see my uncle’s name. His meeting with Mike was set for the late morning and I assumed he was calling to tell me how it went.

“Hello Aro” I said before taking a drink of milk.

“Edward, I just wanted to let you know Mr. Newton never showed up today. I tried phoning him but the number I have has been disconnected.”

That didn’t really surprise me “He probably heard about Laurent and figured he was next”

“Yes, that was the same thing Marcus and I thought. We are sending a registered letter to his residence informing him of his termination along with a no trespassing clause.”

That was all well and good but there was another problem Aro had to deal with “What about his theft of the alcohol?”

Aro sighed “We’ve spoken with the police, other than Laurent’s admission that he was aware of what Mr. Newton was doing we have no proof. The police will be investigating by speaking with all involved parties and they will take it from there. I did however mention Mr. Newton’s other enterprise, they were interested in his afterhours club” Aro chuckled “Seems the city frowns on unregistered businesses, cuts back on their tax revenue.”

I laughed swallowing another bite of sandwich “I imagine it would”

“Yes well, I can only guess they just might be making an unexpected visit there one night in the not too distant future”  

Normally that piece of information would have no bearing on my life, I could care less what happened to Mike Newton. In fact had he not pilfered the alcohol from New Moon, the underground strip club or whatever the hell it was could have went right on operating. His mistake was going to cost him, I just was wondering how soon.

“They didn’t by chance give you an idea of when that might be, tonight, tomorrow, next week?”

“No, however I understood it to be a raid which would take place while the bar is open for business. I don’t know if it’s open every night or only on weekends…”

“Mike works at New Moon on weekends…rather he did so he couldn’t be in two places at one time.”

“That’s true Edward but you are forgetting about his partner in crime one…” I could hear the papers shuffling “…Benjamin Cheney. I’m sure while Mr. Newton was here, Mr. Cheney was holding down the fort, so to speak. After all the weekends are the most lucrative for that kind of business.”

True, if people were going out drinking especially that late it would stand to reason they would not be out on a work night.

“So, more than likely it will be towards the end of the week?”

As I was asking the question the doorbell rang. Thinking it was the workmen coming back from lunch we continued the conversation as I went to let them in.

“That would be my guess…” pausing for a moment Aro asked “…are your concerns centered around the extra work at New Moon or Ms. Swan?”

“I’m not worried about the club at all…Emmett and I have that covered” I assured him as I opened the door and then stopped dead at who was on the other side “Aro I have to call you back”

“Alright Edward”

Closing the phone without even saying good-bye I held open the outer storm door “Officer Hawk…please come in”

“Mr. Cullen” The man was all business as he took a look past the entry way into the living room “Is Ms. Swan available?”

“No she’s at work, was there something you needed?”

Taking the small note pad from is front pocket he thumbed through a few pages “I spoke with you on Friday about Jessica Stanley; you had mentioned Ms. Swan was with you when you had the confrontation in the store…”

“I wouldn’t call it a confrontation…”

Narrowing his eyes the officer used his normal diplomacy to interject “You told me Miss Stanley approached you and Ms. Swan, the three of you had words and she all but admitted to breaking into your house, is that correct?”

“All except for the fact she flat out did confess to breaking in my house with the intention of planting some kind of listening device.”

He nodded “So you say”

What the hell does that mean?

I didn’t get a chance to ask because his next question caught me off guard “I was curious if either you or Ms. Swan had seen Miss Stanley since then”

“No, I assumed the police were going to question her”

“Hmmm…well it seems that Miss Stanley is missing”

“Missing? Missing how?”

“I thought maybe you could tell me Mr. Cullen”

What the hell was wrong with this guy?

“I have no idea…”

Taking out his pen Officer Hawk started jotting things in the notebook then asked “Do you know of any family members or friends she could be staying with?”

I was still too stuck on the word …missing to answer his question “How long has she been gone?”

And why the hell was he making me feel guilty, like I had something to do with it?

Flipping back one of the pages in his little book Officer Hawk irritated the shit out me with his heavy sigh 

“Miss Stanley left work early on Friday after which she had the confrontation with both you and Ms. Swan in the Safeway which is rather far from her home..” lifting his eyes from the notebook he asked me “Do you know of any reason why she would have been in this neighbor?”

The accusatory tone was totally uncalled for but I kept my calm “No…Other than a brief hello I haven’t had any interaction with Jessica in months and I have no idea where she would go…I told you I don’t even know where she lives.”

"She resides in Beacon Hill Mr. Cullen and the last person to see her was a neighbor. Who reported she saw Miss. Stanley carrying a large black garbage bag out of her apartment Friday afternoon. No one has seen her since and she did not show up or call into work this morning.”

He eyed me suspiciously “Admittedly you know Miss Stanley for several years yet you have no idea where she lives or any family she may have. You can’t even give me a name of a friend…”

“I can give you names of people she talked to…I don’t know if they were friends. I know she had been…” choosing my words carefully “…associating with Michael Newton, he’s the one who put her up to coming to my home that night. Maybe he knows where she is”

“Do you have a contact number for him or any of the other people Miss Stanley speaks to?”

Mike’s number I still had programed in the memory of my phone all the others were women and I had deleted them. Giving him the only contact I had there was only one other way I could think for him to speak to someone else.

“Jess was friendly with some of the waitress from New Moon, particularly Lauren Mallory and Angela Weber. If you give me a few minutes I can call my uncle for those numbers or I’ll be in the office at New Moon most of the day tomorrow, I can give them to you directly.”

“Tomorrow will be fine; in the meantime I have a few more things to check on. Based upon the information you supplied a complaint has been filed and a warrant issued for her arrest. Right now it is for felony breaking and entering so should Miss Stanley be sighted or stopped for any reason she will detain. In the meantime I will contact this Michael Newton and see what he has to say about his part in what happened and maybe he has a better idea of where she could be. If you think of anything else, let me know after all I’d hate to have to explain to the Chief of Police from Forks why I’m not doing my job...again.”

I knew Charlie had said he was a good cop, but as a person he was an asshole.

The workmen return as Officer Jackass Hawk was leaving and after letting Seth in I returned the call to Aro giving him the new information and finished my lunch. My brain was swirling from the fact that Jess was missing. Was she gone on her own accord or did something happen to her?

Aro didn’t have any answers however he would make a few inquiries and get back to me. The whole thing was turning into a major clusterfuck and the more I sat around thinking about it the more fucked up it became. The biggest fear I had was that Karen in some way freaked out. That she had gotten off her meds and was so unstable she took it out on Jess. After all the only real piece of information the police had was Jess was last seen taking out a bag of trash.

Great…just fucking great

Jess was taking out the garbage, not twenty feet from her house and she’s gone. And here I was letting my girl walk around the goddamn fucking store with nothing but a freaking cell phone.

Dangerous…fucking insanely dangerous

As if sensing my tension Seth came over to me, stood on his hind legs with his front paws planted on my thigh. My hand automatically rubbing the fur behind his ears as I thought out loud.

“Do you know what I did today?” His ears perked up “I bought mommy a ring…shhhh…don’t tell her but that’s why we have to watch out for her…she’s going to be my wife”

His tail started waging in excitement “I know…that’s some pretty great stuff uh?”

It was just a week earlier we had been sitting on the beach in our own little bubble, far away from all the crap that seemed to be zeroing down on us. My mind went to our last day in Oregon when Bella suggested we extend our trip…in hind sight it wasn’t such a bad idea. “Mommy was right boy, we should have went to Mexico”

Seth let out a small whine “I know you would have missed her, but I can’t let anything happen to her, it’s up to us to keep mommy safe”

He looked at me as if in agreement or maybe he was just really enjoying the ear rub, either way I couldn’t keep sitting there. If I did I would have gone insane or worse raced down to that center and whisk Bella away to some secluded island where none of the bullshit could affect us.

“What do you think boy hmmm…should we take mommy to Bora Bora…we could go with Aro…no one would find us there” The more I spoke the more his head moved earnestly against my scratching fingers. He would have been content to stay there the rest of the afternoon, however I had things to do.

 “Come on boy” I said patting his back “let’s go clean up the playroom”

I still hadn’t had a chance to sanitize the leather mattress pad from the weekend or the swing we used when we came home from the party. The bed was a simple procedure that did nothing to reduce my fears; the swing on the other hand was a more tedious project. The woven leather needing extra attention to make sure every part was properly cleaned helped clear my head.

Better still while I was doing that my mind started conceiving a nice little scene for Wednesday night. I wasn’t exactly sure how long Bella would be bleeding however with what I had planned it wouldn’t be a problem. Once I had finished with the swing I put my imagination to work, setting up the room and equipment. Covering the toys I choose with the cloth to keep them clean and setting Bella’s mat in its normal spot.  With that done I grabbed the dirty towels out of the bathroom and the sheets still piled in the corner, turned out the lights and went to start the laundry.

The workmen were ready to leave for the day; the bathroom was down to the bare walls. The same two men would be back in the morning with the plan to rip out the existing closet and gutting the room to the studs. With them gone I had about an hour before Bella came home so I switched the laundry and started dinner. The rice was cooking and the chicken was broiling when Bella came into the kitchen looking rather…distracted.

Jesus what else could have happened?

Giving me a kiss she smiled slyly “Just what I like to see after a long day at work…my man in the kitchen barefoot and cooking”

Replying to her giggle with a deep voice “Hey…I’m not barefoot, I got socks on” Lifting my foot to show her the added conventionally “How was your day?”

“Ohhhh…” she groaned

“That bad?” not sure if I even wanted to know.

“Actually no… it was a good day…” she moved to the refrigerator taking out the orange juice she asked “do you want some?”

“Sure…” watching her get the glasses I wondered “…if it was a good day what was the groan for?”

“Well…” placing my juice on the counter while I stirred the green beans in the steamer “…Carol had ulterior motives for bringing me home.”

Leaning with her back against the counter Bella looked at me “One of the speakers at NCADV cancelled and…”

I cut in asking tentatively “NCV…?”

“NCAVD…” Bella clarified “Nation Conference on Domestic Violence” at my nod she went on “It’s held in different cities every year…this time it’s in Anaheim…”

“California?”

“Yes…” she grinned “So like I said the speaker cancelled and the organizers contacted Carol to see if someone from the Seattle Center would fill in. She told them yes…” the rest came out so fast I barely understood her “…andshewantsmetodoit”

“Excuse me…what did you say?”

“Carol wants me to do it”

I didn’t understand the look of worry I was getting “When is it?”

“The end of July, it runs from the thirty-first through the fourth of August”

Turning off the heat under the pot I gave Bella my undivided attention “Did you already have something scheduled for those days?”

“No…that’s not it…I wasn’t even planning to go. And I certainly don’t want to stand up there on a stage in front of a thousand of people giving a Speech”

Setting the half empty glass of juice on the counter Bella reached into the pocket of the dark green suit jacket she had on, pulling something out. Twisting the small silver flat-bottomed tear dropped shaped candy in her hands before popping the Hershey Kiss in her mouth.

She was eating candy?

“We’re going to eat in a few minutes Bella”

“I know”

Bella ignored my shaking head instead going about setting the table while she went on telling me all Carol had said. The focus of the speech was on ‘Living as a Survivor” and was slated to be given on the second last day of the convention. Carol offered to pay for Bella’s airfare and the hotel would be provided free of charge for all presenters. So none of that was a problem the biggest obstacle was Bella herself, even though I thought she’d be a great speaker, it was not something she really wanted to do. I tried to lure her with the possibility of a small detour trip to Disneyland but she just wasn’t going for it. We talked some more about it through dinner however most of the conversation centered on my visit from Officer Hawk.

Bella’s eyes narrowed as if in deep thought and she questioned “Missing? Where would she be?”

“I have no idea” shrugging in ignorance while she continued to have a look of concentration on her face until finally seeming to remember something.

“Friday night while I was walking around the club with Dougie looking at all the stuff, Angelia said something about Jessica and then told me ‘it doesn’t matter, she’s gone now’…I thought she was talking about Jessica being banned from New Moon…but maybe…”

“You think Jess left?”

Pursing her lips Bella nodded her head “If she was scared enough…and you did tell her you were going to call the police…” she thought for a moment “…I’ll bet she went home, threw everything she could into garbage bags and high tailed it out of there”

That little scenario not only fit in with how utterly senseless Jessica was, thinking that by running the problem would just miraculously disappear, it also did wonders for easing my nerves. Because no matter how much I tried pushing the thoughts of an irrationally delusional Karen from my mind they were always there. If she wasn’t taking her medication or even if she was and something exceptionally traumatic occurred, with her fragile mental state it was completely possible she could become violent, especially if she felt threatened.

Considering Bella’s theory was a whole lot better than the thoughts I had been having and I found myself grasping onto the idea of Jess leaving town as if it was a bona fide truth.

“I’ll bet Angela knows where she is”

The certainty on Bella’s face along with her tone reminded me of the morning “Well you are quit the little parrot today, repeating people’s words”

Chagrin covered her face turning it the prettiest shade of pink making me chuckle and for a moment all was right with the world. My girl was with me; she was safe and was her normal intuitive self with a natural girlish way that made my dick hard.  

I should have known it wouldn’t last

Feeling more at ease I made up my mind to give Officer Hawk the extra information Bella had passed on to me. When I had called Aro back we had discussed the idea of making the phone calls to Mike and the girls myself. He quickly talked me out of that, pointing out it was a police investigation so it was best to allow them to handle it. He understood my fundamental need to protect Bella, telling me to use my head instead of my heart.

 The unexpected ringing of the doorbell pulled me from my thoughts and Bella started clearing the table while I went to see who was here.

Jacob was standing on the porch with a white plastic bag in one hand and a manila envelope in the other.

“What can I do for you Jacob?”

“Do you have a minute; I have something to show you”

Following me out into the kitchen Bella was by the sink starting the dishwater seeing him she smiled “Hey Jake…did you bring me a present?”

“Ah…yeah…come here” he said putting the envelope on the island and opening the bag while Bella sat on a stool and that bad feeling returned in my stomach.

“So all the antifreeze from your car was gone and when I went over everything I discover what the problem was.” Pulling a curved piece hose from the bag he explained “This is the bottom radiator hose from your car Bells” flexing it to show a hole “…someone sliced it”

“Are you sure it just didn’t rip?” Bella asked

“No…it’s a clean cut probably made with a utility knife or some kind of straight edge blade”

“Why would they do that?”

I fucking knew why but Jacob answered for me “To disable the car Bella, without the fluid it would overheat…just as it did and you would have to pull over”

They must have done it when Bella was in the store but that made me wonder “Wouldn’t the hose and fluid have been too hot to touch?”

Jacob shook his head “No. The top hoses carry the hot fluid back to the radiator, the bottom hose pumps the cooled water back into the engine so they are always cold. Usually due to the high heat it is a top hose that blows but damage to the bottom one will cause all the fluid to drain out too.”

Handing me the hose I examined the damage and came to the same conclusion – it was definitely a clear slice. They had fucked with her car in order to get to her.

“Jesus Christ Bella…next time you’re going to fucking listen to me!”

Her eyes widened “Nothing happened”

“How can you say that…something happen!” roaring in frustration while shoving the hose at her.

“I wasn’t hurt Edward”

“Only because you happened to break down outside of Demetri’s shop…what if it would have happened someplace else and no one was around? You would have been standing there all alone.”

I couldn’t even begin to think about what could have happened to her or how Bella was trying to write this off as some little incident. Taking a few deep breathes I calmed down and listened while Jacob talked some reason into her “Whoever did this Bella had the intention of stranding you someplace”

“How far can the car drive before there would be a problem?” Maybe if I knew when it would tell me where and perhaps that had some significance.

 “Less than ten minutes”

Bella however had another concern “When will my car be done?”

“You’re not fucking driving anywhere” becoming indignant Bella glared at me “We agreed”

“That was before this happened. Besides you already reneged on that agreement by stopping at the store. That makes our bargain null and void.”

There was no fucking way I was backing down and there was not a chance in hell she would be out driving again.

“What’s this” Bella asked picking up the large envelope with the word ‘IMPORTANT’ written on it in permanent marker.

“It was on the seat of the car, I thought you might need it”

“It’s not mine”

My world was coming to a fucking end and she’s sitting there calm as can be having a discussion with her friend.

Opening the envelope Bella gasped “Edward”

Seeing what was in there my heart dropped, photo after photo of Bella, walking Seth in the park, getting out of her car at the house, one she was pulling a push cart up the front stairs of someone’s house. Some she was alone others she was with people in those a circle was drawn around her head, clearly marking her as the intended target. The last one was of us coming out of New Moon, from the dress she had on it was clearly taken at the Anniversary party Saturday night.

Stuck to it was a post it note with the message

See how easy it is

I don’t know how long I stared at the words but suddenly I heard Charlie’s voice. Jacob must have phoned and placed him on speaker phone. He was asking all kinds of question, who, when why, trying to get a grasp on what the hell was happening. Looking at Bella my worst fears were coming to life, her eyes were finally filled with their own terror at the enormity of the situation.  Paging back through the pile of a dozen photos the rage built inside me and meeting Bella’s eyes there was only one thing I could think to do.

“Now you’re fucking grounded!”

Jacob agreed wholeheartedly “Definitely”

From the phone came Charlie’s “Absolutely!”