Midnight Sun (Twilight #1.5)(174)

Go south, they will split up but the prospects of them finding us are slim. Oh, she paused in thought, looks like they aren't planning to leave so quickly after everything after all. I wonder what they are going to do, Alice tried to look further in the future but there were too many decisions that hadn't been decided yet.

I turned south on the main road.

"Where are we going?" Bella finally spoke with a squeak.

No one answered her.

Just tell her, Alice commanded.

I shook my head slightly. Emmett realized we were having one of our private conversations and understood what I was answering.

"Dammit, Edward! Where are you taking me?" Bella shouted this time, looking horrified.

I looked in the review mirror at her slightly crest fallen face and it broke my resolve. "We have to get you away from here - far away - now." I said hastily.

I pressed the accelerator down harder at my words while the Jeep's speed reached a hundred and five miles an hour.

"Turn around! You have to take me home!" she vehemently exclaimed.

This is exactly why I didn't want to tell her where we were going because I knew that she would demand what I couldn't give her. I looked in the review mirror again to see her face. She was fighting with the harness, tearing at the straps with tears welling up in her eyes.

"Emmett," I called.

Emmett looked down at her while she was angrily grasping at the straps. Jeez, she is in a fury. Emmett thought. He brought his hands to her wrists and held them tightly in his grasp. Bella looked in the review mirror with pure anguish in her eyes.

"No! Edward! No, you can't do this," she cried out.

When she begged and pleaded with me like this it broke my heart. I returned her gaze in the mirror. "I have to, Bella, now please be quiet." I implored.

She was stubborn, as always. "I won't! You have to take me back - Charlie will call the FBI! They'll be all over your family - Carlisle and Esme! They'll have to leave, to hide forever!" She shouted with a tragic expression displayed on her face.

Of course Bella was being selfless. It was just in her nature to care about everyone else when her life was in danger. This was nothing to our family - the FBI - it's happened before with Jasper and Emmett.

"Calm down, Bella." I commanded. "We've been there before," I was almost crying with exasperation.

"Not over me, you don't! You're not ruining everything over me!" she began struggling under Emmett's hold.

Edward, what do you want me to do? I don't want to hurt her but she is going to hurt herself with all of her struggling. Emmett thoughts became worried immediately.

"Edward, pull over," Alice directed. Bella has a good plan if you will just listen to her.

I gave Alice a grave look while pressing the gas down even harder, showing her that I wasn't even going to slow down, let alone pull over.

"Edward, let's just talk this through," she continued. He's not following us; he actually has no idea where we went. Now pull over, she inclined her head toward the roads shoulder.

"You don't understand," I yelled in frustration.

Alice had no idea that James was a tracker - that when he hunted his prey he never gave up and always conquered. I couldn't bring Bella back to Forks, he would find her and she would be in danger again. If she were to die, I would too.

"He's a tracker, Alice, did you see that? He's a tracker!" I shouted.

Crap! Emmett looked grim.

"Pull over, Edward." Do it now! We have to talk about this now! We are in this together and we all have to make the decisions together. That includes Bella! Alice raised her eyebrows like she was daring me to disagree with her.

I looked down at the speedometer as the Jeep had reached one-twenty.

"Do it, Edward," Alice said to me in a bossy disapproving voice while glaring at me.

She needed to understand, I had to explain to her but I didn't want to say this in front of Bella. I didn't want her to be more terrorized than she already was. I looked into the review mirror again as I saw Bella's encouraging eyes telling me to pull over. Her heart was hammering loudly in her chest and her scent was circling all of us in the Jeep, emphasizing her human frailness. I closed my eyes for a fraction of a second, hoping when I opened them again that this would all be over with. I couldn't stop, I must keep going!

"Listen to me, Alice," I gave her a reproachful look. "I saw his mind. Tracking is his passion, his obsession - and he wants her, Alice - her, specifically. He begins the hunt tonight."

"He doesn't know where -" Alice began but I cut her off.

"How long do you think it will take him to cross her scent in town? His plan was already set before the words were out of Laurent's mouth."

I heard a faint gasp come from Bella's lips and I looked quickly in the review mirror to see her lips parted in pure horror. "Charlie! You can't leave him there! You can't leave him!" she shouted and began thrashing against Emmett and the harness with nothing but pure worry in her expression.

"She's right," Alice said while she looked to the future and then she looked at me in horror.

I quickly dived into her mind, her vision was devastating. Bella! She will be so hurt and broken I don't know if we could fix her if Charlie is killed. We have to stop him - now!