We meet again!

Bella sighed as she stood and stretched. Her back was aching from falling asleep on the couch earlier. She had gotten home from work and like the workaholic she was, she continued to work before dozing off.

'I really need a life' she thought to herself.

She walked to her window and smiled. The city looked alive as the clubs let in more people, the lights brightened the street and the people hurried by. Bella looked at her watch, it read 8:00 pm. She had only been asleep for a couple of hours.

Bella sighed as she looked at the work on her desk it was never-ending. Then, she turned back to the street and decided to take a break from work for one night. 'A walk sounds good right about now' she thought as she put on her coat and shoes.

The city was buzzing around her, as couples and single people walked by. Their laughter was infectious as she moved around them. As she walked past Paul's street she was tempted to see if he would like to join her. Shaking her head, she decided against it, after standing there staring at his door for a few minutes.

Musicians and performers filled the streets, she was lost in the throws of the melodies and movement. It had been too long for her to remember the last time she had just walked about aimlessly, enjoying the night.

A dark figure watched and followed Bella from the shadows. Ever since she got home from work, he had been standing outside her building waiting for her to come out. As she moved in the crowd, He had almost lost her a few times. The man was told he had to get her tonight. When Bella moved on and so did he.

The crowds were thinning out bit by bit now. Bella smiled as she watched a beautiful woman dance alongside a saxophone player. She envied the woman's agile body as she swayed to the rhythm. Bella was so distracted by the dance that she didn't notice the man come up beside her. He grabbed her arm and pushed a knife into her side. Bella gasped as the point pierced her skin.

"Don't move or scream" the man ordered.

Bella froze in shock. "We are going to walk back to your apartment. Make any fuss and I will kill you and whoever comes to be nosey, understand?"

Bella nodded, knowing it was no good to argue. They walked back through the crowded streets. Bella scanned the faces as she walked by, hoping someone would notice her distress. Every time she thought of screaming the knife would jab into her side some more, reminding her to stay silent.

Bella could see they were coming up to Paul's street now, that would be her last and only chance to escape. She dreaded to think what would happen when they got back to the apartment. They were halfway across the road, She could see his house.

'Now or never!' Bella thought. She then stomped on the man's foot, brought her elbow up and connected with his nose. The man was so surprised he let her go completely with a cry as he cradled his bleeding nose. Bella took her chance and ran for it.

'Please be home, please be home' she begged in her head.

The pain in her side was becoming unbearable, but she couldn't stop.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"Not again!" Paul shouted, Sam and Jared, looked on in surprise.

Paul reached the door just as the banging faded away. He pulled it open with a yank and Bella slumped forward.

"Bella!" Paul cried as he caught her.

Sam and Jared were right behind him. As they looked up from Bella, they noticed a man further up the street still on his knee's holding his face. Without a word they moved around Bella and ran after the man. When he saw the two hulking figures coming towards him he raced off still clutching his nose.

Paul carried an unconscious Bella inside. Eventually, Jared and Sam pulled the struggling man through the door. He placed her down on the sofa, and gently searched for the blood he could smell. He growled when he came to the small wound at her side.

"First aid kit!" he ordered.

Jared raced to the kitchen to get it before going back to Sam. Paul cleaned Bella's wound, luckily it wasn't that deep. Once he felt she was gonna be ok he turned his attention to the man.

"Who are you?" Paul ordered and the man shook in fear.

"I ... my name ... is Mike," he said.

"Were you the one that attacked Bella the first time?" he growled.

Mike couldn't speak, so he just nodded. Paul growled again. Mike visibly shrunk back trying to make himself look small.

"Why have you attacked her twice?" Jared asked.

He could see Paul was getting close to changing, which wouldn't be good for anyone. Jared nodded to Sam, he got the hint. He pushed Paul back and out of the room as Jared continued the interrogation.

"Well?" Jared demanded as Mike looked up at Jared fearfully.

"I … I didn't want to. My cousin told me to keep an eye on her, he paid me to. Then a few days ago he told me to get rid of her, he said she was getting too close to something. He wouldn't tell me what," he explained.

Once Paul felt more in control of himself he and Sam came back. Jared told them what Mike had said so far.

"Who is your cousin?" Jared demanded.

"We aren't that close, to be honest. I didn't even know about him until he tracked me down. He told me to call him cuz, no first names. You know so nothing can get back to him," he sounded really stupid.

"So, you were willing to stalk and kill a stranger for a cousin who is just as much as a stranger to you then she is," Sam asked incredulously.

"Well, I knew his parents helped mine out sometime back and he said that this was a way to repay that. Plus, he offered money if I helped him," he explained

Bella groaned and all four men stared at her as she slowly opened her eyes, took in her surroundings then closed them again. Paul turned back to Sam and Jared.

"Deal with him," he ordered,

Mike shook in fear as Sam and Jared nodded and picked him, carrying him back out the front door. Paul picked Bella up and walked to his room. He laid her down on his bed as Sam knocked on the door.

"Forgot to give you this, it's the background check on her" he said.

Paul looked at the envelope. 'Bella Swan, Full Background Check' was written in big, bold writing. He tossed it onto the table and went back to Bella's side.

The next morning Bella awoke to a pain in her side. She groaned as she opened her eyes. At first, she wasn't sure where she was. As she looked around the room the events of last night rushed back through her mind.

The man, the knife, running to Paul's door then collapsing against said door.

'Paul must have answered his door; this must be his room,' she thought to herself.

Slowly she got up, the pain in her side made her wince. Whilst holding her side she walked past the big desk and stopped.

'Bella Swan, Full Background Check'

'A background check? On me?' she thought to herself as she picked up the envelope.

Inside was all her information, her address, where she went to school, where she lived, her family everything. Bella gasped 'why would he have this?' she asked herself.

She stopped when a banging downstairs made her jump, it sounded as if someone was knocking at the door. Slowly she made her way downstairs still holding the envelope.

Paul, Jared and Sam were sat at the kitchen island talking. They stopped when they heard her walk downstairs and into the main room. Her eyes fell on the three men as Paul walked around to meet her with a smile on his face. However, it dropped instantly when he noticed the anger in her eyes. Bella was seething.

"What's wrong?" Paul asked.

Bella held up the envelope, Both Paul and Sam recognised what she was holding.

"What is this?" she demanded.

Paul's face fell the instant he realised he was in trouble. Bella threw the papers at him.

"What the hell is going on?" she shouted.

Paul tried to speak, but he couldn't think of what to say or how to explain. Bella walked to the front door.

"Wait!" Paul shouted.

He grabbed her arm, Bella stopped and turned.

SLAP!

Paul's face burned as he stepped back, a red handprint instantly started to appear on his cheek. Bella turned and practically ran out the door. She didn't stop until she got to the apartment. Her side was throbbing and her hand ached. Paul stood stunned as he turned to Sam and Jared.

"What just happened?" Jared asked.

He had been the only one to have no idea what had been in that envelope so he had no clue what was going on. Sam laughed as he smacked Jared on his back.

"I like this girl!"

---

The next day Sam had the task of finding Bella. He didn't want to show up at her home, so he decided to find out where she had been working.

He eventually found someone that knew where the auditor from New York was. There were two desks in the room and only one was being used. On it there was a small looking man, who Sam could tell was trying really hard to make himself look more important than he was. Angel shot up when Sam entered.

"Can I help you?" he asked as he moved to meet him.

Sam could smell Bella here; he knew he was in the right place.

"I'm looking for Bella Swan, I was told she was working in here," he said, Angel flinched

"Oh, yeah erm she was, I mean is. However, she hasn't come in today," he stammered.

As the time had ticked by that morning Angel had slowly started to relax, her not coming in was a good sign to him.

Sam nodded and left without a word. As he made to leave a very stunning woman approached him.

"Hi, are you the one looking for Bella?" she asked.

Sam stopped in his tracks, she was breathtaking. Her long dark hair fell in waves like a serene waterfall and her dark eyes held so much life in them he struggled to remember to breathe.

"Erm yeah," he choked out. 'Smooth,' he thought to himself.

Emily smiled, "She called in sick today, she said she will work from home. I can tell her you were looking for her when she comes back in if you like?" she offered.

"No, that's ok. I will just come back," he took her hand and gave it a kiss.

Emily blushed as she watched Sam leave. 'Who on earth was that?' she thought to herself as she made her way back to her desk.

An hour later, Sam banged on the door to her apartment.

"I know you are in there Bella," he shouted. "My name is Sam, I am a friend of Paul's. Please let me in."

Bella wanted to ignore him, but his banging was becoming annoyingly incessant. She walked slowly to the door and yanked it open.

"What!" she demanded.

She recognised him as one of the guys with Paul yesterday. Bella remembered he had also recognised what she had been holding too.

"Paul sent me to find you. He wants to talk, to explain things," he said.

Bella stood and looked like she was thinking it over. 'This might be easier than I thought' Sam said to himself happily. However, his face fell when she turned to him with a glare then shouted 'NO!' before slamming the door.

'Uh Oh!" thought Sam, 'Maybe not then.'