Just as Bella got out of the shower, and dressed, her phone rang.
The voice on the other end sent an instant chill through her spine.
"Hello, Bella."
It was soft. Calm. And wrong in every way.
James.
"Hello, Bella."
Bella's breath caught in her chest. The room seemed to spin slightly around her as James's voice poured into her ear like warm oil laced with venom.
"Hello, Bella," he repeated, his tone smooth—almost tender.
She swallowed hard. "What do you want?"
James chuckled, low and soft. "So many things. But let's start with a conversation."
Jasper took a cautious step toward her, but Bella turned her back to him, clutching the phone tighter, panic surging through her spine.
"I know this is all overwhelming for you," James said, "but I just wanted you to hear something."
There was a muffled sound on the other end of the line—shuffling, the clink of something metallic, then…
"Bella?"
Bella's blood ran cold. Her mother's voice—weak, frightened, unmistakable.
"Mom?" she whispered.
"I—Bella, honey—I'm—" The voice cut off.
James came back on the line, calm as ever. "She's quite lovely. I see where you get it."
Tears blurred Bella's vision, her knees nearly buckling. Alice stepped closer, her expression sharp, but she didn't interrupt.
"What did you do to her?" Bella hissed, voice shaking.
"I haven't done anything," James said smoothly. "Yet. But she's scared. She keeps asking for you. And honestly, Bella… it breaks my heart to see a woman like that so afraid."
"You're lying," Bella whispered, but she already knew it wasn't true. Her mother's voice hadn't been fake. It hadn't been staged.
"I'm at your little dance studio," he said. "You know the one. Lots of mirrors, sunlight, the smell of floor wax and childhood dreams. Come alone, Bella. Or I'll stop playing nice."
The line clicked dead.
Bella stood frozen, the phone still pressed to her ear.
Bella stood still for a full minute after the call ended, the silence in the room as loud as a scream. Her mind raced, every rational part of her screaming to tell Alice. To tell Jasper. To wait.
But she couldn't.
Not if her mother was really in danger.
She slipped the phone into her back pocket. Her hands trembled. Her heartbeat sounded like thunder in her ears.
"Bella?" Alice's voice drifted from the hallway. "Everything okay?"
Bella turned, slow and steady. She forced a smile, the kind she used to wear in Arizona when everything was falling apart and she had to pretend like it wasn't.
"Yeah," she lied. "Just Charlie. He was checking in."
Jasper didn't look convinced. His eyes narrowed slightly as he studied her heartbeat, her still-shaking hands.
"I'm gonna grab some fresh air," Bella added quickly, already heading for the door. "I won't go far."
"Bella—" Alice started, but Bella was already through the door.
She moved fast.
Down the hall.
Into the elevator.
Heart pounding. Lungs tight. Mouth dry.
I'm coming, Mom. Just hold on.
The lobby was empty—just a sleepy concierge reading a paperback behind the desk. He didn't even glance up.
She slipped out into the Arizona heat, the air dry and thick, swallowing her whole.