"Please, Edward." Bella moaned, her legs gripping his hips tightly.

He smiled, his eyes roaming over her upper body, taking in the curves and contours. His lips ghosted over her collarbone and his tongue quickly followed, tasting her creamy flesh.

"Edward." She whispered again, but he ignored it, instead turning his attention to her throat. Licking, biting and sucking his way over her neck he took care to reach every inch as she moaned and writhed beneath him.

"Say you'll marry me." He whispered into her ear, his teeth nipping at the lobe. "Say you'll marry me and I'll stop teasing you."

"Fine," Bella gasped, lifting her hips from the bed. "Fine, I-."

"Edward!"

A sharp blow to his shoulder had Edward jerking awake, his eyes darting around the small expanse of his car, trying to orient himself.

"What the fuck?" He glanced across the console towards his brother. "Emmett, what was that for?"

"Dude, I don't know what the hell you were dreaming about, but it was making me uncomfortable."

Edward rolled his eyes and rotated his shoulder to try and alleviate the sting.

"What are you talking about?"

"You were all squirming around in your seat and moaning, it was fucking weird."

He sighed and glanced out the window. It was too dark to see past the tree line which meant no one had come to the docks while he was out.

"So, what were you dreaming about?"

"Nothing." Edward pulled his phone out, turning it back on to see if Bella had called.

Not that he expected her to.

"We're you dreaming about the cop?"

He let out a frustrated sigh.

"Can you switch cars? Jesus Christ. I'd rather sit with dad than you right now." Edward snapped.

Emmett held up his hands in defense. "Whoa, asshole. It's not my fault you decided to get involved with a chick who has bigger balls than yourself. Besides, you know dad and Jasper like to play chess with each other during this shit."

Edward glanced back towards the waterfront, trying to see the boat they had under surveillance. It was pointless, the dock wasn't lit and there were too many clouds in the sky for the moon to be of any help. He could faintly make out the shadow of the boat rocking gently with the waves of the marina.

"What is it about this girl anyway? Rose said she's a bitch."

Edward clenched his jaw, his fists immediately tightening at his brother's words.

"What?" He growled through his teeth.

"Yeah, she said when Bella came over she wouldn't talk to them, just stayed by herself and it doesn't sit right with Rosie that she's a cop."

"Who gives a fuck what she does? At least she has a damn job instead of sitting on her pretentious ass all day spending my money." Edward ground his teeth, trying to stay in control of his anger.

"I'd rather have a pretentious bitch that sits at home rather than a bull who is always in my shit."

"That's the difference between you and me. I'm not content with an easy whore who spreads her legs for my wallet."

Even though he had expected it, the pain that soared through Edward's jaw still took him by surprise. Emmett had landed a good hit; that was for certain. He could taste the metallic flavor flooding his mouth. Edward opened his door, bending over to spit out the mouthful of blood, and ran his tongue over the cut in his cheek.

"That was a cheap shot and you know it." He worked his jaw, slamming the door closed.

"That's what you get." Emmett watched out the window, refusing to look at his brother.

"Don't be a pussy, you know it's true. If she was everything you wanted you wouldn't be fucking Tiffany down at Eden every Friday night."

"Tiffany owes me money."

"Yeah right," Edward laughed. "It must be one hell of a debt as it's been going on for over a year."

Emmett sighed, choosing not to reply.

O…O

"Edward, keep your ass down." Carlisle whispered harshly, pushing a branch out of the way.

"That's Jasper!" Edward whispered back, slapping the back of his brother's head.

Jasper ducked, rubbing where Edward had hit before going back to readying his rifle.

"It is them, right? You've had visual confirmation?" Carlisle asked for the third time.

Edward rolled his eyes, irritated with his father's over-cautious approach.

"Yes, dad, for the hundredth time, it's the Russians." He sighed.

"Everyone knows the plan?"

All three men nodded, looking from their father back to the boat where several beams of light were coming.

"All right," Carlisle stood and touched Jasper's shoulder. "Jasper, steady hand, steady shot." And with that he was gone, walking towards the water's edge. Edward and Emmett each tapped Jasper on the shoulder before following him. They flanked Carlisle's left and right, trying to cover as much area as possible; their eyes searched the darkness for any sign of movement.

Edward pulled his gun from the shoulder holster, opting to hold it in front of him as they ascended on the boat. Inside they could hear the three men speaking in Russian, too fast for any of them to pick up what they were saying. The boat they were now occupying belonged to the Cullens, which they used for several trips up to the Canadian border, but lately they've noticed it was light on goods. They would dock the boat with four hundred pounds of cocaine only to have it reach the border sixty to seventy pounds lighter.

Tonight they planned to confirm their suspicions about the Russians.

The three advanced on the boat, stepping lightly over the old wood of the docks. Edward was the first to step up onto the smooth fiberglass, his shoes soundless as he walked across the bow. From his vantage point he could see through the front glass down into the hull. Six men were gathered in a circle, speaking loudly and waving their hands. They each carried a large semiautomatic rifle and were constantly glancing around as two young boys unloaded their drugs. The glow was coming from the flashlights that three of them held.

Edward stepped back towards Emmett and his father, nodding and pointing towards the boat in confirmation. They each pulled their weapons and Carlisle waved towards Jasper who was still covered by the foliage. Edward led the other two back onto the boat, their guns at the ready. He glimpsed back through the window at the same time that one of the Russian men lifted his head to look outside. Their eyes met and suddenly he started yelling, lifting his gun and firing towards the front of the boat.

The Cullen men dropped to the craft, fielding the large spray of bullets that rained down. Edward covered his head, crawling back towards the dock. They could hear the others joining in, round after round of ammunition hurling towards them. Edward reached back and gripped the edge of his father's suit, yanking him from the hull onto the dock. They were blocked by the front of the boat, but knew that the minute the Russians closed in on them it would do little to protect them.

"Dammit, what happened?" Carlisle barked, checking his weapon.

"One of them saw me." Edward replied.

They could hear their footsteps, running across the boat towards them. Edward lifted quickly, his gun drawn as he sent a bullet flying through the chest of the closest man. He hit the ground quickly, his body falling with a loud thud. The two men that had come with him immediately started firing again and Edward dropped back by his brother.

"Stay down." He spoke to both men before lifting just enough to see the Russians. Edward could hear the splintering of wood and the shattering of glass, their heavy footsteps cautiously approaching the dock. He knew he had just a few seconds before they would be close enough to kill the three of them. He quickly shot at the one on the left, sending the bullet through the man's shoulder. As he turned his gun to hit the second one, the man fired first.

"Fuck!" Edward dropped onto his back against the dock. He could feel the blinding pain through his whole body as adrenaline pumped through his veins. The edges of his vision were blurry, dark spots floating through the middle as he tried to aim his gun. The man lifted his rifle again and pointed it towards Edward.

The man's head suddenly snapped backwards, the blood flying from the back and his weapon fell to the ground along with his body. Edward panted, lifting his head the best he could as he cursed Jasper for taking so damn long. He could faintly hear his father's shouting and the remaining gun fire being shot off. He closed his eyes tightly then opened them slowly, trying to clear his vision.

"Edward!" Someone yelled, but they sounded so far away.

O…O

Six Days Later

Bella paced the length of her living room, her cell phone clenched tightly in one hand, the index finger of her other planted firmly between her teeth. She couldn't think, couldn't concentrate or focus on anything except where the hell Edward was. He had told her he would only be gone for three days, but now they were closing in on the sixth. She had called his phone four times in the past hour only to have it go straight to voicemail. Bella glanced at her phone again, her finger hovering over Esme's number.

She was unsure as to whether or not she should risk calling Edward's mother. Even though Edward had replaced her phone with one that he deemed untraceable and completely impossible to hack, but she still had her doubts. Bella had witnessed technology improve by leaps and bounds in just a few years.

Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, she firmly pressed against Esme's name to make the call. It was now or never, she assumed. Bella listened to the rings of the phone with bated breath. Each passing tone caused her heart to race.

Why was no one answering their goddamn phone?

"Hello?"

Bella paused.

"Esme?"

"No, this is Alice, who is this?"

"Is Esme available?"

"No, she's gone out of town. May I ask who is calling?"

"Why did she go out of town without her phone?"

There was a silence.

"Is this Isabella?"

Bella's throat tightened.

"Hello?" Alice's irritated voice came over the line.

Bella quickly disconnected the call, shoving her phone back into her pocket. She bit at her lip in fear trying not to pull her phone from her jeans.

"Come on Bella, get yourself together. There's nothing wrong with him. He doesn't owe you an explanation as to why he's late." She sighed and glanced out the window before changing into a pair of sweats to run off her anxiety.

"You don't even love him." She muttered, slamming her front door behind her.

Eight Days Later

Bella stood on the stoop staring at the door, not sure if she wanted to go through with her plan. She took a deep breath and raised her hand, knocking sharply on the wood three times. Thankfully she didn't have to wait long – a few seconds – before the door swung open and Winston stood before her.

"Detective." He gave a curt nod.

"Butler," Bella waved. "Can I come in?"

"No." Winston shook his head.

She looked up at him, her eyes wide in shock.

"Is he here?" Bella didn't wait for a reply, choosing instead to slide between him and the door.

"Detective, he is not home."

"You're lying to me." She made her way to the stairs but a sharp pull on her elbow stopped Bella in her tracks.

"I am not lying, ma'am. Mr. Masen has not been home in nine days."

A feeling a dread crept into her stomach, threatening the air inside of her.

"H-has he called?"

"No," Winston watched as her eyes filled with fear and softened. "This happens sometimes, he gets caught up."

"How often?"

"Maybe once or twice in all the years I've worked for him."

Bella bit at the edge of her lip, worrying the skin between her teeth.

"I'm sure he's fine," He released her arm and straightened his suit jacket before closing the door. "Would you like something to drink?"

"No," She shook her head. Bella hesitated, her fingers twitching against her thighs. "Would it be okay if I stayed here tonight? Just in case he comes back?"

Winston took a breath, his eyes moving between her and the stairs.

"Just for tonight," He nodded and clasped his hands behind his back. "But do not expect breakfast to be served to you, Madam."

"Well, I'd be too afraid to eat it, Lurch."

Eleven Days Later

"Swan!"

Bella's head jerked towards their newest captain, her jaw clenching. Felix Massari had taken over the unit just days prior, stepping effortlessly into Jacob's role.

"Yes, Sir?"

"What the hell? I've been calling your name for five minutes."

"I'm sorry, I was just working on something." She glanced towards her computer that had gone to sleep during her day dreaming. Bella discreetly moved her mouse to wake the machine up just as he rounded her desk.

"You find anything new on the Black cases?"

"No, Sir. We've gone as far as we can. The trail's cold."

"How is that even possible?"

"I'm not sure, we've ran down every single lead that we had," She shrugged. "There's nothing. It's like Billy just disappeared and this guy that supposedly shot the captain… well I don't know what happened to him."

Felix nodded his head, staring past Bella.

"We have a lot of other cases that need attention, but the Brass is riding my ass about this. Just push it to the side, but keep it close enough that if they ask questions you have answers."

Bella nodded and waited until her captain had disappeared back into his office before turning back to her computer.

Mayor Edward Masen expected to appear at Jones Prep for the opening of their new Fine Arts building on Friday, March 21, 2014.

Bella wondered if he would show to the event in three days. She quickly closed the information and picked up a file, pretending to work on a case.

Fourteen Days Later

There were so many people. Some sitting, some standing, others trying to move around and find somewhere to sit. In the front there was a row of reporters, each with a camera pointed on them and the stage behind them. The massive building was modern; all black with sleek lines and corners. Silver lettering decorated the front with a red ribbon roping off the doors. A podium was erected on the stage, awaiting their special guest. She paced back and forth behind the crowd, trying to disappear in the flow of students. Bella knew it was a lost cause, there was no way she would be able to hide in a flood of white and navy uniforms while wearing her bright red shirt.

She couldn't keep her hands still, constantly wiping them over the rough material of her jeans. Bella's eyes moved from the stage to the street, wondering why she was even there. If Edward had wanted to contact her he would have. He obviously didn't mean the things he said before leaving. Or she had pissed him off so much during their last phone call that he had become indifferent towards her. Her stomach sank at the last thought, hoping that wasn't the reason.

A commotion caused Bella to focus back towards the stage where a large number of people were now staring. Behind the podium stood a tall woman in a black pantsuit. She smoothed over her jacket and smiled at the crowd.

"I want to thank each and every one of you for attending our grand opening ceremony today. I have the immense pleasure of introducing the mayor of our fine city," She paused and smiled, pressing her hands together. "Mr. Edward Masen."

Applause erupted before Bella causing her to jump slightly. Her eyes darted back towards the stage where the woman had stepped to the left of the podium and smiled as Edward approached her. He wore a dark suit with a blue shirt and matching tie, his perfect smile in place and a pair of sunglasses hiding his eyes from her. Bella stared intently at him, willing Edward to just look her way. He stood behind the podium and thanked everyone, making mindless chatter about our youth and how they deserved the best that we could offer. Bella momentarily caught herself thinking he should give this speech in the less affluent neighborhood of West 77th street and see how well it went over, but she quickly shut her mind off. There would be plenty of time for snarky comments later.

He had droned on for what felt like hours and Bella occupied her time by searching the crowd for no one in particular. At this point, anything would be better than his over polished, too perfect, written-by-someone-else speech. At the sound of a second round of applause she slowly glanced back towards the front. Edward was in the process of cutting the pretty red ribbon and smiling for the cameras.

For now she would let him enjoy his moment. She would allow Edward to bask in the glory of all the photographers and teenage girls that wanted a picture with him. Bella knew soon enough she would be ripping into him for the hell he had put her through over the last two weeks.

O…O

An hour after all the cameras had shut down and the last bumbling, blushing girl had snapped a photo for her Instagram, Edward was finally making his way to the idling car. His chest was on fire and every breath caused little pinpoints of pain to slam through his collarbone. He wanted to get away from here and see Bella. Edward also longed for his bed. For almost two weeks he had been subjected to a crappy, stiff hotel bed with scratchy sheets.

The driver stood by and quickly opened the door when Edward neared, allowing him to slide into the backseat. Preoccupied by his phone, and the countless messages that were waiting for him upon his arrival, he failed to notice that he was not alone in his car. Bella stared at Edward's profile, watching as he pulled his sunglasses from his face and rubbed his eyes. His fingers digging almost painfully into his sockets. There were dark circles beneath his eyes and he seemed completely exhausted.

Bella cleared her throat to grab his attention.

Edward reacted, like always, before checking for safety. He had yanked his gun from his holster and had it pressed below Bella's chin before he even realized who she was. She glared at him, her hands gripping at his wrist. Edward's finger hovered over the trigger as he stared at her, unable to believe that she was this close to him after what felt like an eternity.

"Bella," He breathed her name.

"Put it away." She pulled at his hand, but he refused to move. Instead he just looked at her, his eyes searching her face as if he had forgotten how she looked before he left.

He sighed and leaned back before disengaging his gun. He slid it back into the holster concealed at his side. Bella noticed the way he grimaced when shifting in the seat.

"What happened? Where the hell have you been? Why didn't you call me?" Bella's voice escalated with each question.

"Bella I-"

"No," She cut him off. "Don't worry about it! I don't care." Bella looked out the window at the passing scenery. She noticed they were traveling towards his house. "No, actually, you owe me an explanation god dammit."

Edward propped himself against the door, watching as she stumbled over her argument, her hands gripping into fists at her sides. Bella had her arms crossed like a petulant child and Edward was certain that if they were standing she would have stomped her foot by now. He found himself smiling at her.

He couldn't help it.

He couldn't stop it.

And he wasn't completely sure if he wanted to.

Watching her was comical and it lit a fire inside of him. She had been worried about him – if the 27 missed calls were any indication. Bella's eyes snapped to his as she finished her tirade about how he needed to call her, but then changing her mind and stating she wasn't owed an explanation.

"Are you smiling?"

Edward's face fell.

"Was I?" He decided to act oblivious.

"You think this is a joke, Edward?"

"No, of course not." He shook his head.

"Yes you do," Bella threw her hands up and sighed. "You have got to be kidding me. Tell me what happened. Explain why your mother left suddenly without her phone and why I couldn't get you or your father to take my calls."

The car slowly came to a stop and Edward glanced out the window at his home. He looked back towards Bella and tilted his head towards the house.

"Come on, I'll explain everything when we get inside."

O…O

Bella stood at the end of his bed watching as Edward slowly shed his jacket. He straightened and pulled his arms behind him, cursing under his breath as the holster slid from his shoulders.

"Why are you in so much pain? Did you get into a fight?" She asked while biting at her nail.

"Something like that."

"Do you need some help?"

"No, I've got it."

She stood by, carefully observing him as he struggled to remove his shirt.

"Why no vest?"

"Hmm?" Edward glanced up towards her.

"You always wear three-piece suits, but not today. What gives?"

"I just didn't feel like it."

"Okay…" Bella tossed her hands up. "This conversation is getting me absolutely nowhere, so when you're ready to talk to me I'll be at my apartment." She turned to leave, but Edward's voice stopped her.

"I was shot."

She felt her heart sink.

"What?"

"Yeah, I got shot. It was a stupid mistake."

"W-what happened?"

Edward sighed and raked a hand through his hair before launching into the story of how he stepped onto the bow and ended up in a gun fight.

"Where?"

"Right under my collar bone, the exit wound is close to my shoulder blade."

"Let me see." Bella reached her hands out towards his shirt, but he gripped her wrists.

"I'm fine, Bella."

"Edward," She sighed. "Let me see."

He knew she wouldn't back down, if anything she would rip the shirt from his body. Edward decided to give in, reaching up to unbutton his shirt. Bella watched as the pain on his face grew while his hands moved higher. She quickly stepped between his legs and gently unbuttoned the remaining ones. She took a breath, ignoring the way his eyes were fixed on her face, and lightly pushed his dress shirt back.

A large piece of gauze was pressed against his chest, multiple lines of tape decorating the inflamed skin and disappearing over his shoulder. Bella reached up, gently fingering the edge of the bandage before leaning forward to look at his back. A second patch of white was taped on the opposite side, but this one was stained bright red.

"Edward, you're bleeding."

"Yeah, I felt the stitches bust open in the middle of my speech when I waved my hand like an idiot."

"Let me replace it, do you have a first aid kit?"

"Of course I do," He chuckled. "It's in the bathroom beneath the sink."

Bella disappeared through the door of his en suite and Edward finally released the breath he was holding, cursing quietly at the pain radiating from his chest. He clenched his jaw and straightened when he heard her walking across the floor towards his bedroom.

"I found it," Bella held up the large plastic box. "I think anyway."

"Yeah, that's it. It's where I got the needle and thread the night my mom stitched you up."

She nodded and placed it next to him, opening the lid.

"Turn around." She said quietly, pushing gently on his arm. With his back to her she could finally allow the fear to creep in and create worry lines between her eyes. The amount of blood soaking through the material worried her, but she refused to let him see that. The tape was completely saturated and already falling off in some areas. Bella removed the gauze and tape, finally seeing the wound itself.

Her stomach rolled.

It was larger than she expected, but with the busted stitches there was no way she'd be able to tell what kind of bullet had caused the injury. Whoever had stitched him up didn't do a very good job and it was bleeding profusely. She pressed a clean towel to it, apologizing when Edward hissed at the contact.

"It's okay, I just wasn't expecting it."

"I'm going to have to douse this thing in antiseptic in order to keep it from getting infected, Edward. You need a hospital."

"No, I don't. Just use the stuff in the green bottle on it. It'll be fine."

"Edward I think you should g-."

"Should what, Bella? Go to the hospital? How exactly am I supposed to explain a gunshot wound? I'm the fucking Mayor. They will call in every police officer from here to Evansville to investigate it."

Bella bit her tongue because she knew he was right, but there was no way she would admit that to him. Instead she picked up the bottle and emptied most of the contents onto his back, watching as it mixed with his blood and ran down his skin.

"Son of a bitch! Mother fucking mother Jesus Christ!" Edward breathed through his teeth.

"And you said I had a bad mouth." She quipped. "If you keep breathing like that you're going to hyperventilate and pass out."

"You have no idea how badly that shit burns. Not to mention you poured it directly onto an open fucking wound!"

"What was I supposed to do?" Bella used the towel to pat it dry before pouring more onto him.

"God damn, Isabella!" Edward shot from the bed, arching his back as he groaned. "You're supposed to dab it on! Not pour the whole mother fucking bottle into my body!"

"I think you're being a little dramatic. You never said dab it on, you just said 'use the green bottle,'" Bella deepened her voice to try and imitate him. "What is this stuff anyway?" She looked down at the plain bottle.

"It's an iodine solution." He growled while pacing the room.

"Okay, sit back down you baby so I can finish cleaning it. You're going to bleed all over the floor and that's the last thing I need Winston blaming me for."

"You're still being mean to him?" Edward asked, slowly sitting back on the bed.

"It's not me, it's him." Bella cleaned the iodine from his back and grabbed the gauze again.

"Aren't you going to stitch it back up?"

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Stitch the injury, it can't just be open like that."

"Uh, yeah it can. You're not wanting to go to the hospital and I'm not about to sew you up like a rag doll."

"Come on, Bella, it's not that hard. You took Home Ec, right?"

Edward grinned back at her, watching as she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah, sure I did." She replied with a roll of her eyes.

"Really, it's not that hard," He picked up a needle and ripped open a plastic package that contained a spool. "You just use this," Edward threaded the needle. "And keep the stitches close together. Then I'll be good as new."

"No… no, definitely not. I'm not doing this." It was all she could do to keep the bile from rising in her throat at the idea of piercing his flesh.

"It's either stitch it or you're going to have to pack the gauze into the hole."

Her stomach flipped again and she must have paled.

"Yeah, I didn't think you'd like that one, so here," Edward held up the curved needle. "Just take a deep breath, you can do it."

Bella's hand shook as she reached for it, carefully holding it between two fingers. He shifted on the bed to face away from her and she tried her hardest to steady her hands. Taking a deep breath she placed one hand on his shoulder and brought the needle up with her opposite one.

"I don't think I can do this," Her voice shook. "Can I get the butler?"

"Winston is in his room if you'd like to go get him. I'd do it myself if I could see it."

"I'm not going to get him, then I'd have to admit that I couldn't do it."

"I'm not going to bleed all over my house, Bella."

"Fine. Just… just shut up and let me concentrate."

He nodded his head slowly. Bella squeezed her eyes shut, but quickly realized she wouldn't be able to stitch him without seeing what she was doing. She tried to channel Esme, recalling the way she had moved the needle with ease. Her heart was racing as she pressed the tip of it against him, but nothing happened.

"It won't go."

"You have to press harder, baby." Edward was trying to remain calm, but his back was burning and she was taking too long.

"Fuck." Bella whimpered. Pressing forward with more force it quickly slipped through and she gagged as she watched the stainless steel flow easily through his flesh.

"You all right? Please don't vomit on me or my bed."

"I'm fine. Shut up."

With each passing stitch it became easier to stomach, but it certainly wasn't something she would want to do again anytime soon. It was over faster than she imagined and the stitches were probably worse than whoever put them in before, but at least it was over.

"Okay, now can I put the gauze back on?"

"Yes." Edward reveled in the way her cool hands felt against his overheated skin.

"I'm pretty sure you're going to get an infection."

"I doubt it." He sighed and stood up, picking up all of the supplies.

"I don't," She muttered, wiping her hands down with alcohol. "I should get going, it's late."

"You can stay here with me if you like."

Bella shook her head.

"No, I need to get back to my apartment that I never see."

"Right," Edward nodded slowly, watching as she walked towards his door.

"I'll call you tomorrow, maybe I can stop by."

"Sounds good." He smiled at her and kissed the top of her head.

Bella stood by the door fidgeting as she tried to think of something to say.

"Uh… well good night."

"Good night, Isabella. I hope you sleep well."

The words he wanted to say died in his throat. The ones he longed to say to her again, but Edward refused to watch the apprehension settle into her body with those words. So instead he kept them inside, choosing to repeat them over and over again in his head until the day she would be able to say them back.

I love you.