"Everything she's done has been to protect you, Edward. From her testimony, to leaving you heartbroken, to coming back and working for Jacob."
I watch Edward's face as Sue starts to explain. It seems there's a tiny bit of awe, and confusion, in his expression as he looks to me. I nod, silently confirming Sue's words. Edward grasps my hand tightly, his warm skin soft on mine. The simple touch brings up so many nostalgic feelings.
"Five years ago, Charlie started looking for a mistress." Sue wrinkles her nose, her thoughts on that matter perfectly clear. "He picked me, but I wouldn't cooperate, and he didn't count on my refusal. Even if I'd been single, I'm nobody's mistress," she scoffs. "I told him to fuck off, and he flew into a rage, screaming about how I had children to think of, and it was obvious I didn't know who his connections were. I still didn't budge." She pauses for a moment, and I can hear the dripping faucet of the kitchen sink, and a dog barking in the distance.
"Soon after, Leah went to the reservation and didn't come back. She was 18, so there was nothing I could do, though Lord knows I tried. Seth followed her, only he came back to tell me what was going on. That's when I truly learned about who runs the town of Forks." She covers her face briefly with her hands.
"Charlie got more and more hostile with Mom," I pick up the story to give her a reprieve. "He'd been counting on her inheritance, and he was incredibly pissed that he couldn't have it. So he went to Black and offered to go on the payroll."
"Charlie gets a monthly stipend to turn a blind eye to all the crime going on in this town. He covers, he creates alibis, and sometimes he arrests a fall guy." Sue looks pointedly at Edward.
"And Emmett was home from college, inadvertently becoming one of their scapegoats," Edward interjects.
I nod. "Jacob crossed county lines in a stolen car that night, with drugs in the back. When he was pulled over, he alerted Charlie. Charlie arrived before things went too far, and argued jurisdiction with the other cop, with the intention of letting the matter drop once he'd been given the green light. And as soon as the other cop left the scene, he released Jacob. But what Charlie didn't count on was the continued interest of the other officer. He continually contacted Charlie with questions about court dates and the like. The night in question, it was a new moon, so the only thing the other officer remembered was that the guy had dark hair. Charlie came to me… the last night we were together?" I ask Edward, looking to him for confirmation that he knows what I'm referring to. "He choked me." The tears fall unbidden at the memory of how disillusioned I became in that moment.
"Bella-"
"Your family was a safe haven in a rotten storm of lies and violence. I argued with him, I begged him not to make me do it. He wouldn't listen. Money and power have always been more important to Charlie than anything else in the world, including his wife and only child."
"You were so distant that night. I had no idea that it was that horrible," he murmurs.
I palm his cheek, pleased when he leans into my hand. "I needed you," I whisper. "I needed that time with you to get outside of my head and forget what I had to do, what I was about to put you and your family through."
Edward sighs and sits up straighter. "I'm with you until this point, but why did you… what was the reason for breaking up with me?"
"After I testified against Emmett, I finally convinced Mom we needed to get out of this town. Jacob Black came to the house personally and threatened to kill you if I broke my silence, or so much as kept in contact with anyone in Forks. He was in the middle of some trouble in Seattle, but promised me that one day he'd come for me, and I was expected to marry him."
"Do you know why?" Sue asks Edward.
Edward looks me over, as if the answer is obvious.
"Because I would inherit my grandfather's money. My mother had money from her grandparents, so he left it all to me. I wouldn't have inherited until I was 25, but-"
"But your mom's murder made sure you got the money early," Edward finishes for me.
I nod, wiping away more tears.
"Okay, but why did you come back? You have all that money, what made you come here and act as Black's groupie?" he demands, and I can hear the hurt in his voice.
"You," I whisper. "He found me at the hotel I was in after the funeral. He left a note, demanding that I come back, or he would kill all of you." Sue hands me some tissues as I sob. "Carlisle… Esme… Alice… You. Even Emmett." I drop my head in my hands as I cry, and it feels like four years worth of pain and misery are pouring out of me. Edward stands from his chair and kneels in front of me, still holding my hand tightly. He wraps his arms around my shoulders as they shake. "You can't know the sickening feeling of burying your mom, I won't allow it to happen!"
Sue rubs my arm before speaking. "More than once I've been told that my diner would be under protection if I gave a cut to that asshole. But I refuse. My punishment is that I haven't seen Leah in five years, and I put up with a string of 'unsolved' burglaries," she says, using air quotes.
"What does he do?" Edward asks from my side.
"What doesn't he?" she snorts. "Chop shop, money laundering, drugs. Murder for hire. He has operations in Seattle, Olympia, and Aberdeen."
"What the hell do we do?" Edward sounds frustrated now, and I can't blame him. It's incredibly frustrating to deal with such a large criminal operation, especially when law enforcement is working for them.
"I'm not sure why he's biding his time with me. There must be something he expects to gain, because swiping keys can't be it."
"To keep you under his thumb?" Edward muses. He's so close his breath puffs against my cheek.
"What we do, is take him down," Sue informs us. "Seth and I have been working with the FBI for the past few years. We've shut down some of his smaller operations, the ones run by others. The group in Seattle is getting out of control; they're forgetting that even they have rules to follow. Jake has spent too much of his time there fixing their mistakes, and I believe he's on the verge of killing off his underboss there."
"This is too damn much. How does this happen right under our noses, yet no one in town is aware of what's going on? And Charlie? He has everyone snowed, everyone. I don't understand how this has happened, let alone that it's been going on this long. And now you're telling me Jacob is running a mob?"
"Do you see now? Do you see why I didn't want to tell you? Charlie is crooked, God knows who else on the force is, and I didn't know where to turn. I was drowning, and I wanted to keep myself separate to ensure your safety. It wasn't until talking with Sue that I started to realize that I could do something. I have to do something."
"I'm going to give you two a minute," Sue says, getting up and leaving the room.
There's silence for a few seconds as Edward and I look at each other warily. Then, he speaks.
"When I close my eyes, I still see you. No matter how hard I tried to forget you, I couldn't. I tried to force myself to stop loving you, to replace that feeling with hatred. After all, I was justified in that, wasn't I?" He brushes my hair out of my face, and I sigh.
"Where do we go from here? I know I'm an anathema, but I'm not backing down from this now. I'll do whatever it takes to rid this town of it's infestation, no matter who hates me."
"I don't hate you, Bella. I told you I would love you forever, and you still have my heart," he murmurs. His face is so close, and I glance at his mouth as he leans even closer. My heart rate spikes as I breathe him in. He smells so familiar, and his touch is like the happiest memory of my favorite place. When Edward's lips touch mine, my heart feels like it could explode with joy.
It's a sweet kiss, but it's over entirely too soon. "I still love you, too. I never stopped. Please forgive me," I all but beg.
"Of course I forgive you."
Sue returns with some papers in her hand. "This is just some of the documentation we've been able to provide to the FBI agent that Seth and I have been in contact with. I thought we should start talking about where we go from here. We have to make sure to protect you and Mallie, Edward. So, I think we should hash out some ideas, and see if we can set up a meeting with the Agent. Hopefully we can come up with a plan to rid this town of it's scum, and get Emmett and Leah back where they belong."
Edward and I begin looking over Sue's documents, each of us worried, yet hopeful that we can end this nightmare once and for all.
Excellent chapter
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