Brace yourselves.
BPOV
I was cold. The night had lower temperatures this time of year, so the sun must have gone down. I could only guess, as there was no light in this cold, dark abyss of a room that echoed, terrifying me. I wasn't certain, but I thought he was trying to scare me by leaving me alone in the dark, that maybe part of his torture method was to break me down. I tried to keep my brain sharp, reciting hated multiplication in my head to pass the time and keep the panic at bay.
Until I heard a door slam. The following silence was resounding and freaked me out. With no heavy footsteps to warn of his approach, I couldn't help but scream when I felt a hand on my head. If I thought it possible, I would swear there was no heart beating in his empty chest. He had no compassion or empathy for anyone. But mine, mine thundered with dread, the unknown suddenly very known.
"I'm going to enjoy the things I do to you."
The medical records of Carmen Denali flashed in my mind's eye, and I stifled the whimper that rose in my throat. I would not give him the satisfaction, despite the slip-up when he first touched me.
But a body's responses could not always be controlled, and the trembling of my nerve endings would not be quelled.
He laughed maliciously.
EPOV
I was going to enjoy ripping that son of a hairless whore apart. He was the epitome of evil, and all I wanted was a few minutes while everyone turned their heads and let me have at him.
One of the computer techs had found two abandoned properties in Newton's mother's maiden name. Not surprisingly, she'd long been buried and I wouldn't even be surprised if he had been the one to do it.
Emmett and Charlie and I were at one of the houses, with approximately the entire Seattle SWAT team, give or take a guy. The other house was checked out, and there'd been no sign of recent tire tracks, and no heat signature. As we moved closer, the SWAT officer at the front switched on the infrared.
"Two inside," I heard him say quietly. Charlie gave a few hand signals, and those with the ram went first, moving up the porch and to the door. Having been involved in the briefing, I knew they had stun grenades, which was going to suck for Bella. In the long run, I didn't think she'd mind that it took such effort to save her. There were men at the back of the house, making a much more quiet entry with their special tools. The heat sources were at the back, but the idea was to drive the bastard away from her to save himself, thereby allowing the small, silent team to swoop in and grab her. I was to stay outside by the paramedics waiting to care for Bella.
It was it's own kind of torture, not being allowed inside. I couldn't fathom what he might have put her through in the last fifteen hours, but if she could withstand that, I could man up and wait for her out here.
The noise was deafening for a minute, the battering ram taking the door in and cracking the silence in pieces. The stun grenades fired off next, and the sound of screaming split through the chaos. My fists clenched at my sides, my heart recognizing instantly the sound of Bella's terror.
Jasper appeared at my side, his hand restraining me in a knowing way. He hadn't been able to convince his father or brother that he could go in, either.
"That's her, Jasper. The screaming, that's her," the desperation easily spewed from my throat.
"It's over, Edward. He has nowhere to hide, and the team must have her by now. She's not screaming anymore."
I looked him in the eye, realizing the truth of what he said. It was eerily quiet now. "Why-"
"Everything is on comms now, it'll be a minute before you hear anything from out here," Jasper explained.
I nodded, too emotional to speak as we waited. The hand that had been restraining me now rested on my shoulder, a gesture of solidarity.
Movement became apparent at the front doorway, men in tactical gear coming out like ants from a destroyed hill. It was a blur of men coming from the smoky interior, and I grew more and more frustrated.
"Where is she?" I growled.
Jasper shifted beside me, craning his neck impatiently. "There!"
I looked to where he was pointing near the inky darkness of the backyard. Men were coming forward, their outlines bulky in their gear, and one of them was carrying a small form. She was suddenly a little girl in her father's arms, and I found myself rooted to the spot as Charlie came into focus, the tears running down his cheeks unchecked.
Emmett became apparent behind Charlie, and Jasper moved to open the door of the ambulance. The paramedics quickly pulled the stretcher from the back and pulled the legs out, locking them in place. I watched each move like it was the most important piece to the puzzle. Then, turning away from the scene in front of me, I lost the contents of my stomach in the dirt before falling to my knees. My head in my hands, I knelt there rocking, shaking.
"Hey." The voice was sharp, unforgiving. I looked up at Emmett's looming frame, the trembling in my hands worsening. "Get your ass up and get over there. She's going to need each of us, including you."
"I just need a minute, for God's sake," I rasped.
"Yeah, well, she didn't get a minute."
He walked away, and I wondered if he'd ever forgive me for putting her in this position, however indirectly. I stood, legs shaky as a baby's, and made my way back to the others. She was blocked from view, every person present leaning over and hovering.
"You're going to trigger her claustrophobia," I muttered to no one in particular.
"Edward?" It was muffled behind the oxygen mask, but it was still the most precious sound to me.
"I'm here."
Her hand snaked out from behind the paramedics, and I grasped it tightly in both of my own. It was cold, so fucking cold. I still couldn't see her clearly, and then there was a parting, just a few people shifting so there was a path to her face.
I couldn't let her see my thoughts in my expression, so I plastered on the serene smile I'd practiced for ten years. "Baby... I'm so glad... to see you," she said haltingly.
"That's my line," I teased her, forcing the words past the rotten feeling swirling in the pit of my stomach.
"Maybe." She closed her eyes, the tears leaking out almost unnoticed. I didn't know what else to say. I just wanted to get the fuck out of there, and at the same time I wanted to wrap her in my arms and pretend it was Saturday night again.
"Do you want me to ride with you, if they'll let me?"
"I don't think... they will. Ride with Daddy... so I know... he'll get you to... the hospital."
I leaned in and kissed her temple just before they loaded her up, whispering my love for her in her ear and squeezing her fingers before she had to let go.
"They shot him." Startled, I spun to see Charlie behind me. He swung his keychain in an arc on his finger, then motioned to his vehicle. Handing the keys over to Pete, Charlie climbed in the back with me. "I needed answers only he could provide, but they said he had a weapon. Turned out to be a screwdriver," he scoffed.
"I'm only grateful that he's dead, relieved even." I swallowed thickly, afraid that I would vomit again. I had the image of Bella's ravaged face burned on my retinas. "What he did to her, he paid for with his life. I'm relieved," I repeated.
"You're not fooling me, son."
"I wasn't trying to, sir."
"You saw, but it's not just her face." The grief was evident in his voice.
"I didn't know. She was hard to get to, to see clearly." Fuck, this night just needed to end.
"She'll be fine, with help."
I couldn't tell who he was trying to convince.
A collective sigh of relief, I hope. Anybody not in love with Edward?
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