1,322Finn has a rough first night in the cabin. She barely sleeps, and when she does, she wakes up screaming from nightmares. It's hard to watch her cry and not be able to help. Eventually, I give her a little over-the-counter sleep aid around four in the morning, which finally knocks her out for more than an hour. I don't like giving her drugs, but she needs her rest.
Around ten, there's a knock on the cabin door, and I slide out from under Finn, leaving pillows in my place. I see Emmett through the glass, standing beside a tall, beautiful blonde—Rosalie, I assume.
I quickly opened the door, ushering them in. "You must be Rosalie," I say, holding my hand out for her. "It's good to finally meet you."
She smiles, nodding. "You too, Edward. Where's your little girl?"
"Still asleep, thankfully. We had a . . . difficult night."
"Night terrors?"
"Yeah, I guess that's a better description than just a nightmare. She screams in her sleep, and there's nothing I can do but hold her and tell her she's safe now."
She nods. "Do you two talk about them?"
I shrug. "It's hard for her to talk about what she's been through. We have a virtual visit with a counselor in a few weeks, but . . . I hate to ask, but maybe you could talk to her a bit. She doesn't open up to me much. I think it's because she knows it upsets me. I try not to show it, but it's hard."
"Of course it is. I have no problem talking to her," she says as my phone rings.
I fish it out of my pocket and see my dad's name. "Hello?" I answer.
"Hey, Edward. I hate to bother you with this, but that FBI agent, Victoria Mitchell, just called me."
"What did she want?"
"To talk to you and Finn. She wanted to know where you were, but I wouldn't tell. She left me her number and asked that you call her."
I sighed, knowing this was bound to happen sooner or later. Dad gives me the number before we hang up, and I pull out my spare burner phone and dial it. I sit down with Emmett close by so he can hear.
"Agent Mitchell," she answers.
"It's Edward Cullen."
"Jesus, I've been so worried! Where are you? What happened to your phone?"
"I don't feel comfortable telling you where I am," I say as Emmett nods, whispering to me to keep it short and not to tell her where we are. "We're safe," I respond.
"Please, Dr. Cullen, I just want to help you find your wife and get justice for your daughter. I won't tell anyone where you are, but I need to meet with you two again. The case has basically gone stagnant without Finley's help."
"On your end, maybe."
Emmett shakes his head, clearly telling me not to mention what we're doing.
"So, she's told you more?" Victoria asks. "I need to talk to her. I can help."
Emmett grabs a piece of paper, jotting down, tell her to meet you in Port Angeles. This way, we can sniff her out.
"Port Angeles. There's an old diner outside of town called Carl's. We'll meet tomorrow at noon."
She sighs. "Thank you. I know you don't trust me, but I swear all I want to do is help that little girl and your wife. I have resources that you don't."
She's not wrong, and she seems so genuine, but I just can't tell if she's trustworthy. Hopefully, Emmett and Jacob can.
Hanging up the phone, I toss it onto the table and scrub my hands over my face. "Are we sure this is a good idea?"
Emmett shrugs. "Won't know until we get there, but you're not bringing Finn. I'm going to have Seth dig up what he can on Mitchell. Might not be a bad idea to have something to hold over her."
"I'm not threatening an FBI agent."
He cocks his brow. "You would for Finn. I'm going to see if Demetri can come up tomorrow. It'll be good to have eyes from a distance. If someone follows her, he'll be able to tell. I'll be back."
He heads across the street to Jacob's as I hear Finn call for me.
I rushed into her room to find her sitting up and rubbing her eyes. "Good morning, little one. Are you okay?"
She nods. "Is someone here?"
"Yeah, Emmett and Rosalie. Are you ready to see them?"
"Can I change first?"
I nod, going to her drawers and pulling out clothes for her to pick from. She mostly wears shorts or sweatpants because of the cast on her leg, so she chooses a pair of black ones and a white long-sleeve shirt. I leave her alone to dress and then carry her out to the living room once she's ready.
"You must be Finley," Rosalie says, smiling as she stands and holds her hand out for my daughter's. "I'm Rose, and it's so good to finally meet you. Emmett just adores you and speaks so highly."
"It's nice to meet you, Rose," Finn says, shaking her hand awkwardly. I place her on the couch and Rosalie sits beside her.
"I hear you're probably the bravest girl on this planet."
Finn blushes, shaking her head. "Not really."
"After everything you've been through. Yes, you certainly are. I'm not sure if Emmett mentioned it, but I work with girls and women who have been through traumatic experiences. I know you're not my patient and that you have an appointment to talk to someone, but I'm going to be here for the next week, and if you feel like talking, I will listen."
"I don't like to talk about it."
"Sometimes it's helpful to talk about night terrors or flashbacks if you have them. Bottling it all up isn't good for us. I won't pretend I know exactly what you're going through, but a long time ago, when I was about your age, someone hurt me too."
Finn looks at me. "I don't have to listen if you want to talk to Rosalie," I say. "I need to make us some breakfast anyway. Eggs and bacon today. Do you and Emmett want some?"
Rosalie shakes her head. "Emmett made a feast this morning, so I'm good. He could probably eat again, though." She laughs. "My man has a stomach the size of a football field."
"I remember. He'd finish my MREs for me."
She smiles. "Aside from the muscles and tattoos, you don't strike me as a military man. Why did you join? To pay for medical school?"
I shrug. "My parents could have afforded it, but Bella and I married at eighteen, and I wanted to be independent. Not to mention the fact that nine-eleven had just happened, and it felt like the right thing to do."
"True. That makes sense. Was it a good career for you?"
I nod. "I loved it. I saw so much of the world and helped so many people, but I put my twenty years in, and I was ready to get back to a normal life. I just never imagined my normal life would involve my wife being kidnapped and finding out I had a daughter. The second I find Bella, I'm bringing her home here."
She nods with a smile. "You deserve that normal life, and you'll get it."
I lean down, kissing Finn's forehead. "Do you need anything else, baby?"
She smiles timidly. "A Coke?"
I laugh. "How about some apple juice to start the morning?"
She nods. "I guess. But I should get two Cokes later."
"Oh, we're negotiating now, are we?"
"It's a compromise."
I just chuckle and roll my eyes on my way into the kitchen. Of course, I'll give her two today—just not for breakfast.
. . . . .
I call Charlie after breakfast and explain the plan to him, asking if he'll watch Finn for me while we go to Port Angeles. He quickly agrees but cautions me to be careful that I'm not followed home. I assure him I'll have my team watching out for me, but he still worries for Finn's safety.
I won't lead anyone to her.
I try not to eavesdrop and go into my room to unpack some boxes, but it's hard not to hear Finn and Rose talk in the small cabin. Finn is telling her about Caius and how the man treated her. He physically and emotionally abused my poor child and then raped her—and threatened her with it more afterward. When we rescue Bella, my only other goal is to kill that man. I'm going to put a bullet between his eyes, and I won't feel an ounce of remorse or guilt for it. He'll be lucky if I put him out of his misery quickly.
When Emmett returns, he tells me that Demetri is on his way. We talk in my room to give the girls space and formulate a plan.
"I'm going to go in with you to talk to her," he says. "Dem will keep an eye out for anyone else, and if there is, we won't stay. Wolf's going to be in the next booth, listening. She probably won't be happy that you didn't bring Finn, but if she seems trustworthy, I figure we can set up a secure phone call between them after."
I nod. "As long as she's safe. It's taking everything I have not to go out there and comfort her right now, but Rosalie seems to be doing a good job."
"Yeah, she understands a bit about what Finn went through. She was sixteen when it happened to her. The guy got away with it too. I've considered hunting him down, but she says he's not worth it."
"I'm not letting Caius get away with it."
"Fuck no. We're taking these guys out. We'll plant guns on them for all I care, but they're going to pay for stealing your family."
"I can't thank you enough for helping me, Emmett. You're risking everything."
"We're brothers, man. We take care of each other. You'd do it for us."
I nod, shoving a few t-shirts in a drawer. "Damn straight, I would."
"So . . . not to change the subject, but how's it going with Kate?"
I shrug. "I haven't heard from her since I ended it, but who knows if she's even gotten the message. I feel shitty for ending it in an email, but with Bella alive, I can't keep it going. It was never fair to her in the first place."
"You had no idea."
"I had a feeling. It's why I could never commit. I know she loves me, but I never felt the same about her. I just . . . used her, which was wrong. It was easy to be with her. She allowed me to talk about Bella."
"I wish you could have done the same with us, but I get it. The wound never healed. If I lost Rose, I could never move on either. But we're going to get Bella back. Hopefully, after tomorrow, we'll have some help from the Feds."
I nod. "I just hope we can trust Agent Mitchell."
Don't own Twilight.
Thanks to May, Brier, and Mary for prereading. And thanks to Fran for beta'ing.