A/N: My inspiration level has been sky high so thank you all so much for the amazing feedback. I didn't like the last chapter as much as my other ones so I thought I'd post this chapter a little faster than normal. Just think of it as an early Christmas present to all of you. Also, I'm entering finals week at my university so my updates might be a little slow, but I'll really try to keep them normal.
Please review this chapter when you're finished.
WARNING: THERE IS A SLIGHT LEMON AT THE END OF THIS CHAPTER! It's not too bad.
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Chapter 9- Wrong
Bella's POV
I had never seen someone act so happy in my entire life. Edward's face was so content with gratitude and excitement. He was like a little toddler on Christmas who got lots of presents. I, too, was swelling with happiness. One, because Edward was intoxicated with joy. Two, because we would find James quicker than the police could find us. And three, Edward wouldn't have to go back to prison. We would have our proof, and he would be considered innocent.
"Alright," the bald man whispered. "If that's all there is, then we are done here."
Edward's grin was from ear to ear as he extened his arm to shake the man's hand. "Thank you, sir."
"You're welcome," the overly-dressed owner replied.
Edward placed his hand on the small of my back as he guided me out the door of the small room. I beamed up at him and rested my head against his arm as we walked. "I can't believe it," he whispered. "We're going to find James. I'm going to be free," he said, his smile still plastered on his perfect face.
I nodded my head. "I know. I'm so happy that it's finally going to happen. You deserve it," I added. "You deserve to have everything you could have ever wanted." We began to walk through the revolving doors, exiting the building.
He laughed quietly at my statement and then sighed. "Wow. It happened so fast. I mean, I was expecting a bit more of a challenge, but it was so simple," he stated. Then, he looked down at me and kissed my forehead. "Thank you," he whispered.
"For what?" I asked with a laugh. "I didn't do anything. It was all you."
Edward shook his head. "Bella, you did everything. With out you, this would have never been possible for me. So thank you. For everything and anything you have done."
"You're ridiculous, do you know that?" I asked. He just had to do that. Edward made it seem like I was the person who had gotten all of this information, like I was the hero, when in reality, it was all of his doing. Why was it so hard for him to take credit for his own actions and doings?
"Why?" he laughed as we walked down the sidewalk.
"Because you can't even take credit for something that you did. Believe me when I say it was all you. I did absolutely nothing except sit there and smile when he gave you James' information," I said wrapping my arms around his toned waist.
He chuckled loudly and kissed the top of my head. "Did I look brave in there?" he asked. I nodded my head as if it was childlishly obvious on how much confidence he had. "Well, I was scared, and the only reason I remained calm was because you were sitting right there next to me. So believe me when I say that it was all you," he quoted my last words.
I shook my head in disbelief but let it go. "Where are we going, now?" I asked.
Edward looked down at his watch and then back at me. "It's 4:30 p.m. Are you up for going to find James today or no?" he asked. "I mean you really didn't get much sleep so if you're tired then we could go stay in a hotel, if you'd like," he offered.
"No," I began, "I think we should go find James first. The sooner the better. Sleep can wait. Like you said, we have no time to waste and we have to be vigilant," I reminded him. I hugged myself tighter to him for a short moment, before I pulled away. "Where does it say he lives?" I asked.
He let go of me for a moment and glanced over the printed information we were given. "It says 4824 Main Street under the name David Johnson. He must have made the mistake of signing that name when he checked into the place."
I nodded my head. "Okay, so let's go. The faster we find him the closer you are to having your innocence known."
Edward smirked down at me before taking my hand again. "Let's just get a cab first. I think we've done enough walking for a while now," he joked. I knew that he was talking about taking me in circles when I thought that he truly was a killer. Now, the thought seemed silly. Edward was harmless.
We waved to one of the yellow taxi's that came speeding down the road. Quickly, we stepped inside of it and told the driver where he would need to take us. He nodded his head once and continued with the drive.
Both Edward and I waited anxiously to arrive at the place. He would occasionally rub my back as if I was the one who needed comforting. Edward was a care taker. He put the feelings of others ahead of his own. That trait made him even more beautiful than what he already was. He had the kindest soul I had ever come in contact with.
Thinking of my life, with out knowing who Edward really was, seemed to be depressing. I hadn't realized that I had been so caged inside until now. It was as if Jacob had treated me like I was just another prisoner. All he ever wanted to do was control my life and every move that I made.
But now that I had Edward, there was a side of me that had been unleashed. My whole world had been tipping back and forth before this, but then Edward came and steadied it. I finally felt complete as if there were nothing else I could want more than I wanted him. I guess you could say that Edward saved me in every way that a woman could be saved.
I was torn out of my thoughts when the taxi came to a complete stop in front of a baltic brown colored building. Edward reached forward and paid the driver what he owed. The man mumbled a thank you as we stepped out of the cab.
The building looked as if it were made of granite. You could tell that it was cleaned often due to the reflection of myself that I could see. The building seemed to sparkle in its own sense.
Edward laced our fingers together and began to walk forward toward the automatic doors. The place was extremely beautiful on the inside and had so many mirrors on the walls. It made me slightly uncomfortable so I focused my attention straight ahead as I walked.
There was a man with shiny black hair standing at the front desk of the building. I read the front of the desk that had the words "Home for Care" written across it. I shrugged off the name of the place as we reached the counter.
"Hi, how can I help you two today?" the man asked with an overly cheerful voice. I glanced down at the gold name tag that read the word Jack across it.
Edward grinned back. "Hi, um, we're here to see David Johnson," he said, his voice just as excited, but not for the reason that Jack was thinking.
Jack's face beamed with happiness which really confused me. "Really?" he asked. "Wow, I'm sure he'll be very excited to see you. He hasn't had a visitor in over two years," he said, his voice shocked, but still glad. "He's in room 203. You can go on up."
Both Edward and I looked at each other in slight bewilderment, but neither one of us said anything about it. We strolled past the overly joyed man and walked straight to the silver elevator. When we were inside, Edward pressed the button with the numer "2" on it.
"Two years," I said in disbelief. "No one has come to see him in two years?"
Edward shrugged. "I guess not. He was probably just trying to keep himself low key so that it wouldn't blow his cover. I mean after all he is supposedly dead, right?" he stated.
"Yeah, but it just doesn't seem right to me," I said, suddenly feeling slightly unsure.
He didn't say anything after that due to the dinging of the elevator reaching the second floor. Hastily, we stepped out of the platform and began to walk to room 203.
I was slightly nervous now. I wasn't sure what to expect or how to act. My mind began to fill with worries of Edward losing his cool and then making a rash decision. I grabbed Edward's arm, abruptly, and pulled him to a halt. "Wait, Edward."
He turned and looked at me with confusion. "What's wrong?" he asked.
I swallowed thickly before speaking again. "When we get in there, promise me that you won't make any stupid decisions and that you'll keep your cool. The last thing we need is for you to really kill him. Promise?" I asked.
Edward seemed slightly torn. I knew that he would literally want to murder this man after having to spend those two years in prison. But then that would ruin everything that we had come so far with. He sighed and nodded his head. "Yes. I promise."
"Okay."
And then we kept walking until we approached the room with brass numbers that read 203. "Ready?" he asked me while his hand rested on the knob of the door.
I nodded my head. "Yeah."
With that, Edward opened the door slowly but then barged inside. Instinctively, I grabbed his arm trying to hold him back if worse came to worse.
The room was a bright white color that was almost...boring. The floor held tiles that were black and white and scattered through out the floor. It wasn't until I felt Edward tense beneath my fingertips that I noticed the man resting on what looked like a hospital bed. He was attached to an oxygen machine and had tubes going through his body.
This couldn't be right. Why would James be hooked up to life support?
Edward let out an exhale of frustration. "Dammit!" he hissed.
I couldn't get my words to form a coherent sentence in my head so I spoke what I was thinking. "What...I...Why is James on-"
"That's not him," Edward interrupted, his voice angry and flustered.
I stared at him with disbelief as he rubbed the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb. "It...It's not...not James? Are you sure? I mean maybe it's just the tubes and the whole hospital scenario that has you confused. The-"
He shook his head, cutting off my sentence. "No. I'm sure. I've never been more sure in my life. This is not James, at least not the one that I am looking for."
My eyes stared down at the man who rested peacefully on the white bed. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a clipboard with his records on it. I walked past Edward and picked it up from the nightstand. "Edward, this is David Johnson. It says here," I said pointing to the name. I continued to scan the page. "It also says that he's been in a coma for two years."
Edward's eyes flickered and I could almost here a click go on in his head. "The guy at the front desk said that he hasn't had a visitor in two years. James was supposedly murdered two years ago. It would make sense for him to take this man's identity because no one would notice. This David doesn't have a family, friends, or a job. James could easily get away with it."
I began to understand what Edward was saying. James must have done a hell of a lot of research to find a man that no one cared enough about to even visit. Everything was starting to fall into its place.
The happiness that once traced Edward's features was now completely gone. Anger and disbelief had replaced the other joyful emotions. I felt myself becoming more discouraged by the second as I watched Edward's pained expressions.
"Let's go," Edward said, the hatred obvious in his tone. "There's no reason for us to be here, anymore."
Edward yanked my hand and power walked out of the building, not bothering to even say goodbye to the overly cheeful man at the entrance. He wasn't just mad anymore. He was infuriated. Every move he made had the word furious attached to it. I didn't bother to say anything especially since I knew that he would just be even more angry than what he already was.
There was no way that anything could fix his temper at this moment in time. Knowing that made me sad because I didn't like seeing him so distraught. He was so happy that he would finally become a free man and then those hopes were burned at the sight of the wrong man.
Edward had checked us into a hotel for the night so that we could rest. We obviously had a long way to go and he was debating if he really wanted to resort to calling Rosalie or Emmett.
I took a shower to try to relieve all of my brand new worries now. I wasn't afraid for myself. It was Edward that I feared for. If he had to go back to jail, I don't know what I would be able to do. He gave my life meaning and if he was gone than so was everything that I had waited for.
The water from the shower seemed to drip some of the stress away, but not enough of it. I was still desperately nervous.
But then, a light bulb shined so bright in my head that I was sure it lit up the bathroom. I grabbed a white towel and threw it over my body. I rushed to open the door and run out to the room where Edward was. "I have an idea!" I exclaimed, causing Edward to turn from whatever he was doing.
He stared at me and laughed a short moment. "What are you so excited about?" he asked.
I smiled widely and walked to stand in front of him, the towel still wrapped around me while my hair remained wet. "I have an idea on how to find James." Edward didn't say anything so I continued. "Jacob's computer at the prison can find just about anyone. Fake name or not. If there are two David Johnson's somewhere out there, then the computer will know it."
Edward nodded his head. "Uh-huh, and how do you plan on getting to his computer?" he asked, sounding slightly sarcastic.
I sighed knowing what his response to my next statement would be. "I can go back to Jacob as if I never knew that he wanted me dead. I can say that I got away from you and then I could get to his computer and look up James. When-"
"Absolutely not!" Edward interrupted, his tone no longer playful. "I will not let you go back to him."
I stared up at him in disbelief. "Why not?" I asked. "I could get James' address and then when we find him, you'll be free."
He shook his head and then gripped my bare shoulders, "Are you forgetting that he wanted you dead? Do you even remember why you're here with me right now?" he asked seriously.
"Of course, I remember," I said. "It's just that I want to do anything I can to help you."
I reached my hand up to cup his cheek. Instinctively, he leaned into my touch and then kissed my palm. "I know you do, Bella. It's just that it's too dangerous, and I would never be able to forgive myself if something happend to you."
"Nothing will," I tried to assure him.
Edward shook his head. "You don't know that," he said. "Jacob is dangerous, and I refuse to send you anywhere near him just so I don't have to be in jail." He paused a moment. "We'll find James, but not that way."
I sighed once. "Edward, I-"
His voice cut me off again. "Bella, please. Let's not discuss this any further."
I searched his eyes and found that he was serious about not letting me go. It was clear to me that he wouldn't budge with his decision. Losing me appeared to be even worse than not finding James for Edward. He would rather go back to prison than have me go to Jacob and get James' real address.
All I wanted was for him to trust me and let me help him, but, of course, he had to put my safety above his future. I admired him for that, but I knew what Jacob's computer could do. He had always found criminals and other people so easily with it.
My head fell in defeat while a loud sigh escaped my mouth. He lifted my chin to look into my eyes. Edward let a crooked smile spread across his face before he pressed his lips to mine. They were soft and gentle, barely touching mine. I enveloped my arms around Edward's neck and clasped my hands in his hair.
He dropped his hands from my face and wrapped them around my waist, pulling my body closer to his. I felt his tongue nudge against my lips, requesting entrance to my mouth. Immediately, I parted my lips and let our tongues meet in a firey battle full of passion and need.
Edward let his right hand tangle in my damp hair as he kissed me. The kiss had started innocent but soon turned heated and intense. I let my body mold into his frame, feeling the need to be as close as I could get to him.
A low growl came from the back of his throat when I began to run my hands down his clothed chest. For a short moment, our lips lost contact so that I could pull his shirt over his head. My hands threw the item to the carpeted floor and went back to pressing my lips against his.
I kissed my way down his chin, his neck, his chest, and his abs. There wasn't a single part of him that my lips weren't desperately aching to touch. Edward was perfect in every sense, and I knew that his perfection would continue to amaze me.
When my lips reached his belly button, I began to trail open-mouthed kisses back up until I met his mouth again. He smiled against them before he unknotted my towel, letting it drop to the ground. He ran his hands up and down my bare back slowly, taking in my naked form.
My mouth parted while a low moan escaped my mouth when I felt Edward suction his lips to my pulse. He seemed to know all of my sensitive spots that would make me crumble.
Becoming slightly anxious, I let my hands fall to the zipper of his jeans. With out difficulty, I unzipped them and pulled them to the floor, his boxers sliding down with them.
He smiled once before we both fell onto the bed. Edward kissed his way down my frame all the way to the bottom of my stomach. Slowly, he made his way back up, trying to pay attention to every peice of my skin; my throat, my breasts, my stomach. I felt the involuntary moans escape my lips when his feather-like fingers caressed my breasts with expertise and perfection.
His lips found mine once again before he settled himself more comfortably over my body. I let my legs wrap around his waist which caused him to gasp when our cores touched. I ran my hands once up his back before I felt him press inside of my body.
Instinctively, I raised my hips at his intrusion while cries of pleasure came from both of our mouths. Edward remained still for a moment before he began to rock against me. The feeling was just as amazing as the last time I was with him.
His long, slow strokes began to pick up as our act continued on. Edward brought his lips to mine and then groaned loudly when I met his every thrust. I couldn't help but think how good it sounded to have him sighing my name.
My heart beat picked up dramatically as our moves became harder and more frantic. A sensation surged straight through my body.
When our climaxes hit, Edward collapsed on top of me, his breathing heavy and hot against my shoulder. My own panting filled the room along with his.
Edward rolled himself off my body and rested on the space next to me. With out speaking a word, I cuddled closer to him and rested my head on his bare chest while enveloping my arms around his toned frame. I felt his arms snake around my waist as he pulled me closer to him and kissed my forehead.
I couldn't remember a time in my life when I had ever been as happy as I was right now with Edward.
A/N: You all really didn't think that James would be found so easily, did you? Haha.
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