Something Sweeter - Alec Volturi

XLI. Night

I awoke in the middle of the night from a restless slumber. I promptly rolled over and quickly realized I was in bed alone. Annoyed, I grabbed my phone and checked the time. It was a little past two.

"Alec?" I called out from bed, unwilling to leave my toasty cocoon.

No response.

My frustration grew as I reached out and popped on the lamp on my bedside table. We had one weekend all to ourselves and Alec left. I sharpened my focus and listened for movement in the house, but I was only greeted by heavy silence.

I sighed heavily and sat up, glancing around the room for any indication of where, or why, Alec disappeared in the middle of the night. Still unable to draw any conclusions, I dialed his number and pressed my phone to my ear, impatiently waiting for him to pick up. I was sent to voicemail.

My irritation was beginning to fester and, childishly, I wanted one more thing to be angry about. I crawled over to Alec's bedside table and yanked open the drawer, revealing a small, rectangular black box. I snatched it up and checked it's contents. One measly condom remained.

Thoroughly pissed, I flung the box across the room. It anticlimactically landed on the floor with a light thump. I glared at the box for another long moment, unsatisfied by my little outburst. I allowed myself a few minutes for a pity party before I collected myself and climbed out of bed to physically comb through the room for clues. I turned up nothing.

I considered calling Renesmee for a brief moment, but decided that it would be unwise to involve a third party in whatever altercation that was unfolding between Alec and me. My relationship was my responsibility.

I knew I wouldn't be able to fall back asleep without Alec so, after two more unanswered calls, I pulled my hair into a high ponytail and tossed on my black denim jacket before heading out to the Jeep, purse in hand. The weather was way too cold for my thin t-shirt and leggings, but I didn't care. The frigid air helped clear my mind.

Once I cranked on the heat and fiddled with Spotify, I pulled out onto the street and headed for the highway. I didn't have a particular destination in mind, I just didn't want to sit and stew back in the cottage while I waited for Alec to return.

Driving had a way of soothing my nerves, and after fifteen minutes of empty roads and good music I began to calm down. As my anger ebbed, I realized I was overreacting. He respected my independence, and I needed to respect his. Regardless, I wished he had given me a heads up, but that wasn't a reason for me to be as bothered as I was. I took a few deep breaths and loosened my grip on the steering wheel. I concluded that I should be patient and hear Alec out with an open mind. I was sure it was no big deal.

After a little more aimless driving, I pulled into the parking lot of a 24-hour convenience store. I parked close to the door, even though the parking lot was empty, and briskly entered the building. The store was dated, but functional. The white tile floors were scuffed from years of wear and tear, and the fluorescent lights embedded in the drop ceiling had yellowed from age.

I gave the two employees at the checkout counter a half smile in response to their lackluster greeting. I didn't care. I wasn't in the mood to socialize and, from the looks of it, neither were they. I grabbed a plastic handbasket and cruised the aisles, taking my time as I studied poorly stocked shelves. My options were sparse, but I was able to find most of the items I needed.

I'd arbitrarily strolled down the auto parts aisle when a product caught my eye.

WILLIAMS brand bolt cutters.

My mind churned sluggishly as I stared at the item. I didn't want to believe it. I didn't even want to think it. But the thought had already crossed my mind and there was no way I could ignore it.

I knew exactly where Alec was.

Pushing down the panic, I forced myself to focus on the task at hand. I needed to act. I tossed the bolt cutters in my basket and forced myself to walk calmly to the checkout counter, grabbing a pair of gloves as I went. I unceremoniously bumped the contents of my basket on the checkout counter and ditched it on the floor. I focused on maintaining a calm demeanor in front of the store employees in order to avoid attracting any extra attention.

My chest tightened as an employee began nonchalantly scanning my items.

Two cans of dry shampoo, tampons, a box of condoms, bolt cutters, leather gloves, a tube of mascara --

"Can I get one of those, too?" I asked, pointing at the Bic outdoor lighters that hung on the wall just past the employee's shoulder.

"Sure," they said indifferently, scanning one and tossing it in a bag.

"Thanks," I said, swiping my card.

I kept a steady pace as I walked back to my car and haphazardly tossed my bags on the floor of the back seat. I calmly drove until the convenience store was out of sight, then I pulled over, not bothering with the emergency lights. I put on the gloves and climbed out of the car, stopping to grab the bolt cutters from the backseat. I then methodically removed the license plates from the front and back of my car. When I returned to the driver's seat, I slid them under the passenger seat before pulling back onto the road and continuing on my way.