A/N:
DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN THESE CHARACTERS, WE ALL KNOW THIS
EPOV
Two fucking hours of sleep. That's all I got throughout the night after spotting that goddamn car across the street from the parking lot. I didn't know who the fuck it was inside of it, whether it was one of Jared's guys or a fucking cop, but I'd seen that same fucking car one too many goddamn times over the past few days. Seeing that shit right outside the apartment building freaked me the fuck out...especially since it had been there before my motherfucking ass even got there.
I spent the rest of the night trying to come up with a plan C with Kyle in between peeking out the window, calling that fucking douche Jasper compulsively, and forcing myself to respond to a handful of pages and calls. The only solace that came along with the fucking dawn of a new day was knowing that if the shit hit the fan, we were at least half assed prepared for it.
Half assed because I couldn't find my fucking sister or that goddamn dickwad of a boyfriend she had.
I'd thought about it repeatedly throughout the night. I was prepared to make a run for it...if that dick would have just called me back. That goddamn ominous car was like a blazing warning sign telling me it was time to get the fuck out before it was too late. I just couldn't leave my damn sister behind without knowing she wasn't in danger. I had no way of knowing if it was just me in danger of going down in flames or if it was all fucking four of us...or any other goddamn combination this fucked up universe could come up with.
I was warring - for like the millionth time - with the idea of bailing out without the two fucktards when my fucking pager started vibrating against my hip. I swear to God the damn thing had ESP or some shit, designed to fucking go off and remind me constantly that I had to keep up this bullshit charade until it was either as safe as it would get to make a run for it, or until I had no other goddamn choice left.
And what better way to remind me of how fucked I was in this entire situation than to have Jared's number glaring up at me from the pager.
"Fuck," I hissed, dropping my face in my hands.
I couldn't ignore that fucking number, no matter how badly I wanted to. I'd already put myself in enough goddamn shit with them. If I didn't answer that page, we'd have to run...like right that fucking minute...and I still hadn't heard back from Douche-sper yet.
I was gonna kill that motherfucker myself when I got my hands on him.
"Bella...babe, wake up," I said as I shook her shoulder. She was sleeping at fucking noon because the only time she ever goddamn slept anymore was when I was in the apartment and she knew I was safe.
"What...What is it?" she shot up in a panic, her eyes darting around everywhere. Fuck I hated how much my bullshit was affecting her.
"Jared just paged me. I'm probably gonna have to make a trip in or some shit," I told her, tucking her hair behind her ear as her body began to sag, releasing its' tension. She'd been jumpy as fuck all night after I told them I have a tail...not that I could fucking blame her. I was fuckin' jumpy too.
"When is this gonna end?" she started to tear up as she looked over at me. "I can't take much more of this."
And that was all it took. I couldn't fuckin' do it anymore. Seeing her so terrified and run down from all of the stress sealed the fucking deal. One last run and I was fucking out.
I pulled her into my arms and held her tightly, "This is it, baby. If I restock today we can be out of here by the end of the fucking week."
"What about Jasper and Alice?" she sniffled.
I closed my eyes and fucking prayed that what I was about to say would end up being the goddamn truth, because I didn't know what the fuck I'd do if they weren't. "I'll find them...and as soon as I do, we're outta here."
"Why can't we just run now? Don't answer the page...we'll just take the money you have now and find Jasper and Alice and just go," she pleaded as her fingers clutched my shirt.
"Bella, we can't. If it's Jared's guys watching me, we won't have enough goddamn time to find them without them catching us. Do you understand?" I replied, trying to fucking soothe her as best I could with my touch.
"I know, I know," she sighed as she shifted away from me. "I just can't stand this shit anymore."
"Me either, baby...me either," I groaned as I snatched up my phone from the nightstand. This entire fucking situation was draining the life out of both of us, and there wasn't jack shit to be done about it just yet.
I flipped the phone open and dialed Jared's number before placing it to my hear and reaching out for Bella's hand.
"'Lo?" a familiar deep voice answered after all of two fucking rings.
"It's E...sup Jake?" I asked coolly.
"Hey man, listen, we're gonna be heading out for a few days in the next day or two. There's a shipment coming in so if you need to restock, now's the time to do it," Jacob responded and I smirked...this shit would work out fucking perfectly.
"Aiight, I'll be by in like a halfie," I replied, schooling my voice so I sounded completely fucking "what-the-fuck-ever" over the news when all I really wanted to do was fucking fist punch the air and shit.
Stupid motherfuckers were giving me a prime opportunity to get the fuck outta Dodge.
"Cool, see ya then," he answered before hanging up. I snapped the phone shut and turned around on the bed.
"Babe...this is it," I grinned at her as her brow furrowed. "They're gonna be leaving town to pick up a shipment coming in from Columbia...they'll be gone probably three days...four tops. I can sell the shit I get today within like two or three days and we'll still have at least an entire fucking day to get the fuck away from here..."
I trailed off as I jumped off the bed and grabbed my sneakers.
"Really? Are you serious?" she laughed maniacally. I turned and grinned so fucking wide it nearly split my goddamn face open.
"Yeah...I'm completely fucking serious. I just have to find Ali and Jasper and wait for those fuckers to leave...and we're fuckin' out of here in the quickness," I said as she launched herself at me.
I hugged her tightly to me and shifted her so she was straddling my lap...which felt fucking incredible by the way...and attacked her lips with my own. The weight of the world was slowly lifting from my shoulders as her tongue twirled and tangled with mine.
"I love you, baby. We're gonna start over somewhere new...somewhere better than this shithole," I sighed as we broke apart, closing my eyes as I pressed my forehead against hers. Fuck she brought me so much comfort just by being with me that it wasn't even fucking funny.
"I love you...so much," she whispered, placing these little tiny soft ass kisses on my face that I fucking adored.
"I have to go, baby cakes. I told them I'd be there in a half hour," I said as I stood us up and let her feet fall to the floor. I leaned in for one more kiss, because her lips were like the sweetest fucking sin ever created, before grabbing my hoodie off the chair.
"I'll be gone an hour and a half tops, okay? Start packing all your shit up so we can be ready to roll as soon as I know they're fuckin' gone," I told her as I moved toward the door. I paused right beside it and turned to smile at her, remembering how I'd fucked up just the day before. "Love you, Bella."
She smiled and bit her lip, "Love you, too."
As I ran down the steps toward my car, the hair started to stand on the back of my neck. My steps slowed toward the bottom of the stairs as my brow furrowed and I replayed Jacob's words over in my head. He'd said they were heading out in a day or two...every time they left for shipments in the past, they'd told me the day of...not days in fucking advance. Something was fucking up...but I didn't know what the fuck it was.
As I slid into my car, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed Kyle's cell real quick.
"Dude," I cut him off when he answered. "Are you on your way back to the apartment yet?"
"Yeah, I should be there in five," he responded instantly. "Why? What's up?"
"Something's fuckin' fishy...but I don't know what it is. I'm heading into Jared's now to restock my supply. Just be ready to bail out in a flash if we need, aiight? And make sure Bella actually packs her shit," I told him as I started to pull away from the apartment.
"You got it."
I was probably just being fucking overly paranoid or some shit, but I didn't want to take any chances. We'd formed a goddamn rock solid master bailout plan during the night and, if need be, we were executing that shit at a moment's notice.
As I drove, I kept a firm lookout for that damn dark tinted piece of shit car while I tried to figure out why Jacob would call so soon before they were actually planning on leaving. I didn't see it anywhere, nor did I spot any other suspicious vehicles or any that I knew belonged to members of Jared's clan. That shit didn't matter though, I took side streets and roundabout ways just to ensure my ass couldn't be followed easily. As I started to relax slightly, knowing no one was following my ass, the only fuckin' thing I could come up with as to why they were calling me in early was that they'd been calculating when I'd need to restock based on how quickly I'd been pushing the shit they gave me.
At least...that's why I was fucking hoping they were calling my ass in. I didn't want to think about the goddamn alternative...cause that shit was just...fuck that...I wasn't even gonna think it.
I'd only gotten ten minutes away from the apartment, and I was lost in my thoughts of trying to figure out where the fuck Ali and the fuckwad could be hiding when my cell phone started blaring some hideous fucking ringtone. I snatched it up and took a quick peek at the caller ID before snapping it open. I barely had the fucker to my ear before I was screaming.
"Where the fuck have you been?! I've been calling your fucking ass for like twelve fucking hours straight!" I roared at the damn douche himself. Finally the fucker learns how to dial a goddamn phone.
"E...man...I fucked up. We're in deep shit," he rambled out of breath.
"What the fuck are you talking about?" I muttered as my blood ran ice fucking cold and my heart started racing frantically.
"James..." he panted. Motherfucker sounded like he was running a marathon.
"What about him? He's a fucking crackhead...don't tell me you fucking sold him weak ass shit?!" I boomed, thinking the worst.
"No...he's not...fuck...he's not a druggie, man! He tried to kill me!" he wailed.
"What the fuck? Why would he try to kill you?" Motherfucker had done lost his goddamn mind from all the drugs he'd been snorting.
"He works for Jared! He's a motherfucking hitman! Last night this fucking chick with...tried buying some shit from me..." he yelled, his words broken as he fought to catch his breath.
He can't fucking work for Jared...motherfucker never leaves his goddamn apartment...
Faster than I could have thought fucking possible, my brain started running through every fuckin' member of Jared's crew that I'd ever met, seen, or fucking even heard of.
Jacob, Rizzo...Seth, Embry...Emily, Laurent, Jay, Alex...Jr., Chase...
Jay...Jay...MOTHERFUCKER!
Jay wasn't just Jay...it was a fucking nickname for James!
I swear to fucking God my car had moved all of twenty fucking feet further when the puzzle clicked in place and I slammed on my fucking breaks in the middle of the road. Two fucking years of bullshit I'd witnessed and heard about began swarming my fucking brain like a goddamn F-5 tornado as the entire world around me began moving in motherfucking slow motion.
Echoes of voices resounded in my mind on a fucking insanity inducing loop...
"I don't give a fuck! Get Vick to set him up and tell Jay not to leave a trace of his ass behind! "
...
"Hey...did you guys hear about Devon? Went off with this hot as fuck red-headed chick last night and they found his body by the train tracks this morning..."
...
"I told that motherfucker not to leave a trace of his ass! Tell Jay if he doesn't keep his goddamn bitch on a leash I'll fucking take care of her myself!"
...
"If he's dishin' out drugs for pussy, send Vick in to bust his ass. I don't make money off his motherfuckin' dick gettin' wet."
"Sup, E? Got that name I asked you for?"
"Yeah...took a day or two, but the source I got it from is solid. Aaron's the guy you're lookin' for..."
"That's my boy...knew I could count on you. Here's some extra cash for your work. Sam...get Vick and Jay to handle that motherfucker while they're at it."
"Howcome I never see these fuckers around here? Jay and Vick? They're like fucking phantoms or some shit."
"Trust me, kid...You don't want to see these two around here. Now keep your nose where it belongs and we won't have any issues, got it?"
"Yeah...got it. I'm out. I'll have that second name for you by the end of the week."
...
"Bro...word on the street is Jared's got some psycho ass chick in his ranks now..."
"Yeah right...I know every motherfucker in this business and the only chicks are family..."
"No...dude I'm serious. There's stories flying around left and right that she's like his fucking Angel of Death or some shit. Five motherfuckers have been spotted leaving with this nameless red-haired chick and then they fucking disappear. All's I'm sayin is if you see a bitch with flamin' hair...run your fuckin' ass off dude."
...
"Sup, Em? What's got the boss man in an uproar this time?"
"Oh man...apparently Jay and his little girlfriend, Victoria...I call her "Red" cause she's got this fiery ass red hair...craziest hyper-color shit you've ever seen...anyway, they made a mess of some shit last night and he had to send Sam and Jake in to clean it up..."
...
"What fucking color hair did she have?" I blurted out, cutting off his bullshit ramble. My fucking tires were still screeching from coming to a stop in the middle of the road.
"What? Who?" he panted.
"The fucking chick that tried to buy shit off of you asshole!" I roared.
"Red...like on goddamn fire red...what the fuck does it matter?" he shot back...and it all fucking clicked.
Jay was goddamn James, and this fucking Vick person that I'd never fucking met wasn't even a fucking dude. She was Victoria. They were a fucking team. A goddamn motherfucking hit crew.
...Jared's strange behavior...
...The fucking car...the goddamn motherfucking car outside the apartment...
...Jacob calling me days, motherfucking days, before they were heading out...
...they're not heading out at all...
...they just want me to come to them...
...I'm fucking walking straight into my motherfucking execution...
HOLY FUCKING SHIT!
"Jasper! Goddamnit, shut the fuck up and listen to me!" I yelled as I spun my car in the other direction. "Where are you?!"
"I'm headed back to Jess's...Ali...oh God...Ali," he panted.
"Get the fuck back there, now! I'm on my way. I'll be there in thirty minutes tops. Do not leave the fucking house...do you hear me?!" I yelled, slamming on the gas and tearing back down the road.
My fucking adrenaline was soaring as my tires tore across the pavement, my hands fumbling to dial Kyle's number.
This shit was fucked.
I was fucked.
We were all fucked.
The fucking thunderheads that had been rolling in and raining nothing but bullshit down on me had just opened wide the fuck up into a torrential downpour of "run for your goddamn motherfucking life".
"MOTHERFUCKER!" I roared, unable to hit the right fucking numbers on the stupid ass piece of shit phone.
My eyes raised to the road ahead of me just as a fucking light turned red right in front of me. I slammed on the gas and blew right through the fucker, narrowly missing getting rammed by two other fucking cars. The fucking bag sitting on the passenger seat was motherfucking mocking me, laughing at me for my stupidity in almost playing right into their fucking hands. Had that prick not called me when he did...
"Fuck this shit...I'm not going down like this. Today is not my motherfucking day to die," I growled.
I came to a screeching halt behind a shitty ass fast food joint and dug the cash out of the front pocket of the bag before grabbing it and hopping out of the car. I looked around quickly before tossing the fucker in the dumpster and hauling ass out of there. I didn't want that shit anywhere fucking near me anymore.
A hundred feet down the road I finally got my fingers to dial the right goddamn numbers and Kyle answered on the first ring.
"Plan C! Motherfucking Plan C! I'm five minutes away!" I yelled into the phone. I barely heard him say "Oh fuck" before I started dismantling the phone, my fingers fumbling as I tried to get the goddamn SIM card out of the fucker. I couldn't leave behind a single fucking way for anyone to track my ass or to tie me to the bullshit life of crime I'd been living for so long. Too fuckin' long.
As soon as I had it out, I threw that useless piece of shit phone right out the window.
Breathe...just breathe motherfucker. You keep going like this and you're gonna freak your girl the fuck out...just motherfucking breathe...everything's gonna be fucking fine...
I tore into the apartment parking lot three minutes later, having broken every goddamn speed limit I crossed by at least fucking double, and grabbed the cash off the seat before launching myself out of the car. As I ran up the steps, I unclipped the key to the storage unit off my keyring and shoved it in my pocket. We were gonna have to make a two minute tops stop there on the way, because I hadn't had time to get there yet to gather whatever the fuck I could before the shit hit the fan.
If it had just been clothes and straight up bullshit in there...I'd say fuck it and leave it behind. I could eventually buy new shit...but mine and Alice's fucking birth certificates and Social Security cards and shit were in there, and we wouldn't get far at all without that shit.
"Bella!" I yelled, bursting through the door. "Bella, let's go!"
"Where's the SIM card and pager?" Kyle asked, exiting his room with duffle bags hanging off his shoulders, Mandy right behind him with two more.
"Here...fucking burn that shit to ashes as soon as you're in the clear," I told him quickly, passing them to him as Bella came running out of the room with her bag on her shoulder.
I grabbed it from her and wrapped my arm behind her as we ran for the door.
"Edward...what's going on?" she asked, her voice and frame trembling horribly.
"Shh...everything's gonna be okay, baby. Just trust me," I said, trying to be as calm as possible as we made it to the steps.
She was so fucking scared she was practically tripping over her own goddamn two feet going down the stairs so I wrapped an arm around her waist, lifting her into my side as I ran down the fuckers.
"Get in the car, baby," I panted, pushing her toward the cars...and of course she headed for the Volvo. "Kyle's car! Get in Kyle's car!"
I tossed my keys to him at the same moment his came flying in my direction, "Get the fuck out of the city as fast as you can and don't look back."
"Don't worry about us...just take care of yourselves," he shot back just as I opened his car door and went to slide into the seat.
I paused with one leg in the car and looked over the roofs of our cars parked side by side, sparing one last glance at the best friend and brother I could have ever asked to find while living on the motherfucking streets.
"See ya on the flipside, bro," I smirked with a nod. There was no fucking way the word goodbye was crossing my lips today of all motherfucking days.
"I'll be waiting," he responded, waving my pager in the air before he slid into the seat.
Our eyes locked one last time between the windows and I kissed two fingers and held 'em up for Mandy before I pealed out of the spot.
"Edward! What the fuck is going on?!"
?POV - COPS
The Captain looked at his officers, Seattle's finest as far as he was concerned, sitting around the table before him, "Alright gentleman, today's operation is going to be handled differently from all of our past missions. We have reason to believe that one Jasper Alexander Whitlock and one Edward Anthony Cullen have been targeted by the leaders of what we think may be the largest drug cartel operation on the west coast..."
"Captain...correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Cullen the last name of..." one of the officers that hadn't been part of the investigation trailed off with his interruption as his brow furrowed in confusion. He was sure that there was only one family in the area with that last name, and he was almost positive that they were...
"Jenks, his surname and connections to any members of this community with the like are of no consequence, and frankly, none of your concern," the Captain cut him off with a severe tone, cutting his trail of thought off instantly.
Only one other person in the room knew the truth of this kid's identity and he aimed to keep it that way. His gaze shifted to his right hand man, the man who had been his partner for twenty long years and had joined his ranks as Lieutenant of the narcotics division when he'd taken over as Captain of their precinct, Alistair Caine. With a steady glance and a single nod, Alistair reassured him that he'd do everything in his power to bring these kids in safely.
"I need all of your heads in the game today. As I said before, these kids are in serious danger. I know you're all tired and ready for this war on drugs to be over. It's been a long few years for all of us, but I don't feel I have to remind you of exactly how many informants we've lost in this battle. Edward is our key to finally end this. We've received a tip from a very reliable source that he possesses all of the knowledge we need to take down the entire ring. It is imperitive that we get him in custody before he is harmed. This is not a drug raid, men. This is a rescue mission," the Captain continued with an air of authority.
"What if Cullen doesn't talk? We've been through this before, Captain," one of the other officers questioned, uncomfortable with the thought of putting this kid in even more danger by getting involved if he wouldn't provide the information they needed.
"He'll talk," Lieutenant Caine cut in, his gaze lingering on the Captain a moment too long before settling on the officer that had spoken. "Trust me...the kid'll talk."
"Our most recent intel suggests Jasper has been residing in the same location for the past few weeks consistently. Edward's whereabouts are currently unknown, any and all efforts to pinpoint him to one location have been unsuccessful. Our best option at this point in time is getting Jasper first and utilizing him to discover Edward's location. Before you leave here today, I want you to study these four photographs. These are the kids you are looking for today. Keep them fresh in your minds during your mission," the Captain spoke as he withdrew the photos from a folder and had the officers pass them between each other.
"The females in the photos are one Mary Alice Cullen, Edward's sister, and the other is known only as Bella. Her surname is currently unknown. Based on recent investigation efforts, we've come to the assumption that it's highly unlikely Edward and Bella will be on the premises along with Jasper and Mary Alice today, but keep their images in the forefront of your mind. We cannot afford to mistake them as inconsequential bystanders and miss the opportunity to apprehend them should it arise. Since Lieutenant Caine will be leading you men today, I'll hand the floor over to him to brief you with the details for this operation," the Captain finished.
"Okay, men, this is how it's gonna go today," Lieutenant Caine spoke commandingly, "As Captain Mancini said, we're going to be handling this quite a bit differently than we have in the past. Our goal today is make our approach as silent as possible. I want three men to cover the rear of the property and three in the front. Sergeant Easton, on my mark, you and I will enter the residence simultaneously. I'll cover the front, you take the rear entry access point. I want this place surrounded. I want the other four of you to keep your eyes and ears alert for anything suspicious. With our belief that these kids have been targeted, it is imperitive that we keep in mind how rapidly situations can become dangerous and even deadly. We've cut our time down to the wire, gentlemen. If we fail today, or if we're already too late, these kids will disappear just as countless numbers before them have."
"I want you all to take one last look at those photos," the Captain cut in. "These kids aren't our typical gang bangers or street runners. They've just made some incredibly poor choices in life and have landed themselves in a severely dangerous predicament. By protecting them we hope to obtain the information we need to rid our streets of the violence and drugs this ring of criminals have imposed upon our community."
"Are there any questions before we end this briefing?" Lieutenant Caine questioned when the officers had finished studying the photos and the room resounded with the sound of the officers all answering "No Sir," in unison.
"Very well. Suit up and be ready to head out in ten. We have no more time to waste," Lieutenant Caine nodded, dismissing his team.
He waited until the room was clear before turning back to the Captain, his friend and partner, "I'll keep you in the loop every step of the way."
"Thank you," he responded sincerely.
As he watched his friend leave the room to join his team in gearing up for their mission, he prayed silently that they wouldn't be too late. He'd purposely not made a move sooner in fear of putting them all in danger, but seeing how they'd managed to find themselves there anyhow...he wondered if his handling the situation differently from the very beginning would turn out to be the biggest mistake he could have ever made.