The time between updates seems to drag on forever, yet the weeks in RL tend to fly right by. I'm trying to keep a balance between both. Oh! And apparently Bella needs to get kidnapped for more of you guys to review, haha.
This chapter is shared between Emmett and Edward. It's set up much like my Bella & Edward's Infinite Playlist one-shot, but not as chaotic. If it's bothersome, I apologize, but it seemed to be the only way I could write this effectively. I tend to see this story as a movie in my head. I obviously can't edit between storylines as effectively in writing.
Chapter Song: Thief's Theme (Instrumental) by Nas
I don't own Twilight, but I am going to make SMeyer even richer by buying the New Moon soundtrack ;)
"The Shoot-Out"
Emmett McCarty
I prayed silently as we rode in the truck. The nerves I'd felt during my first mission with the S.W.A.T. team was nothing compared to the way my stomach twisted and turned at the moment. It was easy to push away the nerves during other missions, because as an officer you became desensitized to the severity of these situations.
When you didn't know anyone directly involved either, pushing the nerves away was cake. Tonight, my best friend was counting on me to make sure the only woman he'd ever loved made it out alive. We'd been briefed beforehand that the chances were slim if the reports from our anonymous source were true.
Bella was locked away in a freezing, dark warehouse under only-God-knows-what-conditions.
The Bomb Squad had been prepping on our way down and even they stared at their commander with wide eyes. Whatever was required of them tonight would not be easy.
By now, it had been revealed that the Chief's daughter was the woman missing. The whispers and raised eyebrows added to the mounting pressure on our shoulders. Everyone knew if it was anyone other than his mysterious little girl then the whole department probably wouldn't be out today. As it were, it was still Bella and the situation was pretty fucking serious.
Edward infiltrated my focus often. I thought of the anger in his eyes when I stole his keys (my face was still slightly swollen). The anger was nothing compared to the dead eyes and despondency that burned holes into my skull. The expression on his face, while he gave up, would probably stay in my memory for as long as I lived.
A jerk nearly knocked me out of my seat as the truck came to an abrupt stop. I grunted and my men shared sour looks at Officer Tyler's poor maneuvering. We stepped off one-by-one in a quick and fashionable order as we were so accustomed to doing. Sirens sounded and gruff voices were heard yelling at one another. The warehouse was a little more than half a high school football field away.
I glanced behind the truck to make sure everyone was off when I noticed the news vans pulling up several feet behind us at the newly establish police lines. Cameras were turned on while various men and women fixed their hair, pulled out notepads, and prepped to go on-air live.
"Sergeant!" I heard Captain Oliveros yell.
I turned around and jogged in his direction. The Captain of the Bomb Squad was looking at a map on the hood of a squad car. My team waited off to the side, waiting to be dispatched. I heard a helicopter far off and glanced towards the harbor. A spotlight blinded us all temporarily before it continued on.
"Bomb Squad will enter the warehouse through the southeast corridor. The location of the woman is unknown. We must go with the option that best ensures the officers' safety. S.W.A.T. members will be sent to check for foot soldiers and bogies in high-risk areas. We're too closed in here."
"Are the helicopters sweeping?"
"Yes. We've got Harbor Patrol halting all activity at the moment right now too. It doesn't matter if it's a ferry or a dinner cruise. Everyone is at a stand-still on the water."
"And the woman is the only one in the building?"
"There's no word on the whereabouts of Mr. Fiori, but if you're implying the chances of other hostages then no. At this point we're unaware of other hostages."
A car stopped behind me and the blaring sound of its siren mercifully stopped as well. Charlie jogged out. The look on Charlie's face was one of composure, but I could tell he was trying hard not to lose it.
"I'm sorry about your daughter, sir."
I didn't join in the conversation.
"Thank you, officer. Are logistics set? Time is running out," Charlie replied with hurriedness to his tone.
"Yes, sir, it's your command."
"Send the teams now."
I went over to my group and divided them into groups as quickly as I could, making sure there was enough men to each group to effectively take out some of Fiori's men if necessary. I stayed behind at the request of Captain Oliveros. The Captain of the Bomb Squad lead his team into the warehouse as we all watched on anxiously.
There was a lone receiver for their walkie-talkies which we huddled closely to in an effort to hear it clearly over the noise of men, sirens, and helicopters. Charlie's face was a little pale and ashen. I noticed the way he swallowed repeatedly. I imagined Edward looked the same way right now.
Edward Masen
"We bring you breaking news from the Keller Docks downtown. A small army of police has gathered outside of the warehouse owned by suspected mobster Daniel Fiori. It's unclear at the moment what has police surrounding the warehouse, but whatever it is officers are everywhere. We've got reports of Harbor Patrol shutting down all water traffic; helicopters are patrolling the scene; and apparently the department has asked government officials to temporarily suspend air traffic over the area. At this point, we cannot announce any cancellations of flights, but there have been delays so airlines can reconfigure their routes. Reporters have tried to speak to Fiori and his associates but no one has been able to get in contact. Fiori is on house arrest, but some have begun to wonder if he's been brought in for questioning or if he's missing."
I avoided the TV purposefully. I couldn't look at it and know what I was up against. The facts were enough to send me into trembling fits. Several times already I'd had to shake off officers that were concerned for me. No one understood my mood. While I heard them whisper about Bella, none of them knew how central she was to my present disposition.
I couldn't stop myself from thinking about what was happening to Bella right now. It was sadistic and painful, but I could not sit in this jail cell and selfishly avoid the devastating reality of this situation. Guilt and worry crushed me down to the floor, pressing my bones and flesh until the pain became numbness. I imagined my brain was on autopilot. It was the only explanation for why I was still sitting here.
"Ah, shit, we've got another call to tend to. A woman has just been found in a storage cell," I heard one the of officers whine to his counterpart, "She's supposed to be pretty messed up."
My head snapped upward abruptly. The movement must have registered within the peripheral vision of the officers, because they suddenly stared at me with wide, terrified eyes. I knew my expression was most likely manic.
That simple report could be my saving grace, despite my instincts telling me it sounded too good to be true.
One of the officers looked away slowly, though not entirely capable of keeping his eyes off me, before tapping his partner's shoulders and walking away. The other man followed, staring at me until they disappeared from my field of vision.
"Fuck, I'm checking this shit on my Blackberry…CNN and MSNBC are covering this shit."
"Where the hell is the mayor?"
"He and Hirsch are getting confirmation on some stuff first. They're going to do an emergency press conference soon, I think."
Emmett McCarty
"Sir, we've got four alleys to the west clear," Badger announced over walkie.
"Keep patrolling," I ordered.
"Yes, sir."
"Trigger, what's your status?"
"No bogies on this end, sir. Anderson and Dixon are checking out a suspicious sound from an upstairs window."
"Jackson, what've you got?"
"Some suspicious shells. Armstrong is checking them out."
"What've you got, Sergeant?" Captain Oliveros asked.
"Jackson has reported suspicious shells and Anderson and Dixon are checking out a suspicious sound from a window."
"Tell them to keep an eye on that window and to patrol that surrounding area. The Bomb Squad hasn't run into any of Fiori's men. They're hiding out if this is a set-up."
"Yes, sir," I replied and then relayed the message to Fernandez.
I hated having to be stuck with all the commanders and not doing field work, but I was responsible in Edward's wake. My duties in the field would be cut even shorter if I got this promotion to Lieutenant, I reminded myself. Edward still got to work, but it was mostly behind a desk. I'd only be accepting the promotion because I knew the money would come in handy when I wanted to finally take the next step with Rosalie. It still screwed my mind that Edward was going to do it so soon.
"Sir," Jackson shouted loudly.
I picked up my walkie and responded.
"We've got two suspected foot soldiers. Anderson, Dixon, and Nathan just apprehended them. They were armed."
"Take them to a squad car. I'm sending over a detective now to question them. Report your position. I'm sending officers over there. Keep looking."
Captain Oliveros sent several officers to Jackson's position and grabbed a random detective when he saw Jackson and company approaching.
The two foot soldiers were young. They looked to be college-aged young men. If I wasn't very concerned with what was going on with Bella at the moment, and the safety of my men, I probably would have winced at how roughly they were being handled.
Once they were shoved into the squad cars, I walked closer to the receiver where Charlie stood catatonically, watching the hunk of metal intently. His eyes didn't shift as I suddenly was drawn into his line of sight. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Harper on the phone, waving his arms frantically towards the helicopters above him.
I'd never seen anything like this in my years at the department.
Edward Masen
"This is Jessica Stanley reporting from the Keller Docks at Seattle Harbor. In the last few minutes, we've received word that the Mayor and Deputy Commissioner will be reporting from the mayor's mansion in just a moment. As you can see above me, more helicopters have been called in and they seem to be concentrated around one building at the moment. Spotlights are out and searching for what we can only guess are members of the supposed Fiori organization. Mr. Fiori is unavailable now and police cannot tell us anything about what's going on here."
I was pretty sure I had torn out every last strand of hair from my scalp.
"Aside from the footage we showed earlier of The Bomb Squad entering the building, not much has happened here. It begs the question: what is going on and why are there so many officers here tonight?"
"Have you seen anybody on your end of the street, Jessica? Does anyone in the area seem to have an idea of what's going on?" a male voice questioned.
"Good question, Mike. We spoke to several workers who turned up in the last hour or so to inspect what the fuss is all about, but no one seems to know why. Oh! I've just gotten word the Mayor is about to speak. Ladies and gentlemen, we bring you firsthand coverage from the mayor's mansion."
A heard a shifting of papers and several camera shutters go off, I assumed they were showing Hirsch and Mayor Davenport. I couldn't look up. All my mind could process was Bella was in trouble and I was sitting here.
"Good evening, at 8:07 this evening the Seattle Police Department received an anonymous tip that an unknown woman was hostage in Daniel Fiori's warehouse at the Keller Docks. We received word that the warehouse was laced with explosives and the woman was in danger. Daniel Fiori, who was contacted for questioning and is on house arrest, is missing at the current moment. The police department had no choice but to follow-up on the tip and is currently searching the warehouse for the woman and to find a missing criminal at-large. Thank you."
"Deputy!" I heard several people shout out.
Teri's voice came over the TV, breaking me down, and reminding me of reality.
"There will only be time for a few questions," she announced.
"Deputy, do police have any idea who the missing woman is? It seems like a lot for a random woman."
"Sir, we follow-up on every case and tip. No person is more important than the other. We do have one woman in particular we suspect may be the hostage."
"What can you tell us of Laurent Marceau's arrest?"
"I'm afraid you'll have to contact the local F.B.I. The case is in their hands now."
"How can a man who is on house arrest vanish?"
"We're currently investigating how this severe mistake happened. Until then, I cannot give you a conclusive answer."
"Sorry, that's all the time we have for now," Teri said without sincerity.
A vicious and abrupt idea hit me. I started to think of all the ways I would go about killing Fiori and his men. I was certain I would start with Jay.
Emmett McCarty
"Deactivate those bombs over there," I heard the commander of the Bomb Squad direct.
Charlie choked on what I assumed was a whimper and we all looked at him helplessly. It was hard to look into those brown eyes he shared with Bella and not be overcome with such powerful emotion. Bella looked nothing like her old man, but there was this light in their eyes that they both had. Charlie's light was extinguished.
The secret I helped harbor about her relationship with Edward was hard to swallow down when he looked on at the receiver with absolute terror. I debated opening my mouth and telling him. Each time my lips parted to blow Edward and Bella's cover though, they closed right back up. It wasn't my secret to tell.
"There's still no sign of the woman," the commander's direct subordinate told us over walkie.
Nothing had happened quite yet, but I just had this sinking feeling about tonight. It might have had to do with the fact Bella was missing, or it could've just been that the stakes were that much higher. I stepped away from the receiver to check in with my team again.
"Reed, what can you give me?"
"Team Canon is checking out that upstairs window again. O'Connor thinks he saw something on the roof. The lighting's not too great. It's hard to tell."
"Do you need back-up?"
"Negative, sir. We'll call in if necessary."
"Keep me posted."
"Copy that."
I saw Detective Harper still talking to those two boys. It was clear they were scared, but they didn't seem to be willing to give up any information about Fiori or his men. The two boys had pretty simple level firearms, but that didn't mean more experienced Fiori associates weren't hiding out with more powerful weapons. After all, Cassavetes had only recently been drawn into this mess.
Tenorio was already in prison and Vega was going to be sentenced in probably a matter of weeks.
"It's probably best the Mayor stays at his estate. Are there officers on site? Good."
Commander Burgess was probably to talking to Hirsch. I figured he had already done a press conference with the mayor. We had all noticed a little uproar at one point with all the news vans and reporters on site.
It irked me something fierce that they were all hanging around here. It was dangerous for all of us and we were pretty far away from the scene. If Fiori and his men started ambushing us, civilians would only create bigger problems we weren't equipped to deal with at the moment.
"GET DOWN! HANDS BEHIND YOUR HEAD NOW!" I heard a police officer shout over the receiver.
I returned to the machine and noticed Charlie's hands twitching towards it.
"GET ON THE GROUND NOW! CUFF THOSE MEN OVER THERE!"
There were quite a few groans heard and I imagined that some of the men the Bomb Squad had just encountered were probably fighting against them. Several shots fired off and I wasn't sure if it was the team or if Fiori's men were resisting that much.
Captain Oliveros shared a nervous look with me. The scuffle continued on for several minutes. The nearly twelve of us that were gathered around the receiver listened on anxiously, waiting for an officer to fill us in on what was happening.
"We've apprehended seven foot soldiers. One team member was grazed in the ear with a bullet. Request back-up."
Everyone looked at Charlie, and for the first time in about an hour, he looked up at us. Tears pooled in the lower lids of his eyes.
"Call in the F.B.I. We need more man power. Captain Oliveros, Sergeant McCarty pull back your S.W.A.T. unit and send out officers. Those men need help," Charlie said in a broken voice.
It must have been hard for him. There had been a few moments of progress in the last hour-and-a-half, but nothing pointed to his daughter's whereabouts or well-being.
Immediately, I called in my unit and organized a less than satisfactory team of officers. They weren't going to be as good as my team at patrolling the perimeter, but I did the best I could with them in the less than ten minutes I had. The F.B.I. showed up quicker than we all imagined and I noticed Edward's friends Stefan and Garrett among them.
Detective Harper yanked them from their federal posse immediately and sicced them on the two boys in the squad car.
My men and I took off at a running start, paying attention closely to coordinates, so we could meet up with The Bomb Squad in the right position.
Nathan kicked down a back door and we filed in orderly. It was pitch black, so we grabbed our goggles and turned on our flashlights. I raised my weapon and cased the area carefully. You could never have too many eyes look over one spot in this job. O'Connor quickly noted the amount of explosives that were present as we jogged quietly down a random hallway to meet with the commander.
An officer met us around the corner and led us to the holding room. My flashlight blinded several of Fiori's men temporarily as I scanned the scene. A select few were bloodied and bruised from what I guessed was a result of their resistance earlier.
"There are tons of explosives through that hallway," I told the commander.
He nodded.
"We need you to watch these men so we can try to disengage the bombs as quickly as possible and check for boobie-traps. Sometimes these psychos lace the floor with chemicals. If the right amount of friction is placed, the bomb detonates."
"We'll keep watch and I'll send some men to look for the woman," I added.
Teams were assigned as I volunteered myself to be a part of the team that searched for Bella. I was glad that Rosalie was home and completely unaware of what I was doing at this moment. She would kill me and die to support me at the same time.
"Steady guys," I whispered over my radio.
We had to walk very carefully, so no one could be surprised by an explosive or person. I held my rifle steady, waiting for someone to jump out from the blackness. We had turned off our flashlights at this point, while relying on our goggles. Anderson took point, while Trigger, Donnelly, Badger, Ellis, Griffin, Nathan and myself followed next to him and watched out on the sides and back.
A gunshot fired and I raised my weapon, straining my vision to see where it came from. Anderson collapsed to the floor, moaning in pain as Ellis and Nathan dropped down with him to inspect his wounds. The rest of us moved forward, following the sound of where the shot originated and looking for the person responsible.
I could hear Ellis and Nathan behind us, aiding Anderson and probably looking for a way to take him back to our hub. The rest of us had to continue forward, three men short. Trigger took point this time with Griffin flanking him. I didn't need to actually see his face to know he was probably pissed off and dying to shoot whoever had injured our man with a bullet between the eyes.
Edward Masen
"…special coverage at the Keller Docks."
I started to think about the psychology and criminology classes I'd taken during college. I started to analyze my mental processes and wondered if I was slowly going insane. It felt like I was. The cell seemed a lot smaller than it had when I'd first gotten here. The TV volume felt deafeningly loud and I would swear the officers were turning it up louder as the minutes passed by. I tried to stop the shaking of my hands, but it was useless.
"This is breaking news ladies and gentleman. Federal agents have just arrived on scene and it looks as though S.W.A.T. units are prepping to enter the building. We haven't received word that the explosives have been disengaged and frankly it's more likely that the building is still highly reactive. There is no word on the whereabouts or identity of the missing woman still. A reporter from Channel Two was able to get closer and has reported that two young men are currently in custody and are being questioned by federal agents. The men have not been identified and it's hard to say what their purpose is.
"Oh! We've got some movement from S.W.A.T. unit. They're running towards the building. There are at least 30 of these officers at the moment. Pedestrians on the street are reporting that federal agents are leaving to inspect the building that Seattle Police Department helicopters are still hovering over with spotlights. The building has been blocked off for several hundred feet and no one has been able to get a conclusive answer on what they're looking for."
"Jessica, can you see the Chief of Police from where you're standing? Does he look anxious?"
"No, unfortunately we've been pushed back too far to get a real look at who's on scene. Police officers just keep stating that the building is highly reactive. We've actually been pushed back further since we started the broadcast, but no one will say why. One man we spoke to on the street thinks that police are worried about being ambushed."
"The idea doesn't seem farfetched," the news anchor in the studio, Mike, said.
"Police have assured us that the surrounding area is safe."
Emmett McCarty
Trigger rounded the corner first. I bent down to graze the floor quickly with my hand and check to see no explosive material was on the ground. I could tell by how far deep we were going in the warehouse that The Bomb Squad hadn't gotten this far yet. We all stayed extremely quiet, looking for any sound that might lead to the person who'd shot Anderson.
We were in the heart of the warehouse now, where production lines used to exist. We stayed in a tight line, avoiding boxes or things of that nature. I had a feeling we were probably in the most heavily explosive laden area, which meant the chance of finding Bella was exponentially greater.
I whispered over my microphone, splitting everyone into teams. Trigger and Donnelly broke off into a team, while Griffin and Badger became another. I was the Sergeant so I decided to fly solo.
I wanted to call out Bella's name, but I was worried about giving away my position too soon. Small glimpses of light broke through in sporadic places as the helicopters hovered above.
I decided that I was getting nowhere by walking between the explosives, so I made a careful move to walk alongside the ones to my right. I climbed over slowly and thoughtfully, reminding myself that panicking would destroy me. I needed to be collected. It was harder to maneuver for someone my size, but I tried to avoid this thought. Once I finally made it over unharmed, I let out a silent sigh of relief.
I crouched lower to the ground and used my flashlight to scan along the wall and columns. I heard faint gunshots far away, but I couldn't focus on them. I could tell by the lowness that they were far away enough that I could still concentrate on Bella.
"Bella," I whispered.
Immediately, a low moaning sound that was more feminine than masculine alerted me to my right. I walked further along the warehouse floor, getting closer to the walls. The sound of water dripping caught my attention.
"Bella," I whispered again.
The sound continued and started to get louder as I assumedly got closer. The gunshots started firing again and this time they were more frequent. I looked back towards the direction I'd come from and wondered if I should go and help. Remembering I still needed to find Bella, I decided to avoid that thought.
I passed my flashlight over the area the sound seemed to be coming from and found nothing but a column. I strained my eyes, trying to see the floor, because I knew there was no way she could have the strength to stand up if that sound was coming from her body. I got closer to the column when the sound was made again. I tensed as all the pieces fell together. It was a trap.
"Bella," I said louder.
The man behind the column turned to face me, but I lunged and knocked his head into the metal column. He fell and moaned for real this time. I flashed my light in his face.
It was Danny Fiori.
I cuffed him quickly, as he was still knocked out, and started to hurriedly search this area for Bella. If he was ballsy enough to be in this area, luring me in, then it meant she had to be somewhere around here. Silence be damned, I started to yell out her name frantically. I almost threw a crate out of the way before I realized it was a potential explosive.
"Bella, fucking answer me!" I yelled angrily.
I heard yelling, more gunshots, and distant banging of things.
I got onto the ground, feeling around blindly for a body. I was terrified that I would find her dead.
I threw my equipment pack off my body. Crawling was easier when I wasn't so tied down. The second flashlight located on my pack fell to the ground, casting the floor and adjoining wall in white light. A mop of something dark caught my eyes. In the corner, behind a large wooden box and machine was where I ended up finding Bella.
Her eyes were swollen shut. Her body was limp and unnaturally pale. I didn't get a response from her, even as a swept her into my arms and started to grab my things to get the hell out of the warehouse.
"Found the girl! Request back-up! Danny Fiori is knocked out somewhere on the main floor. We need to get out of here!"
I was running while Bella's body shook violently with my hurried pace. I couldn't be concerned about that right now. She was going to die in vain effort if we didn't get out of here quickly. The gunshots still continued on, so I decided to avoid that route and look for another way out of the building. I called into to my team to retreat several times, but no one was responding.
There were gun shells littering the floor and I had to work very hard not to slip on them. Griffin finally called into to say they were leaving immediately. The building shook and concrete from the ceiling sprinkled onto my head as I guessed a distant bomb went off. The separate route I'd taken with Bella caught me back up to The Bomb Squad and my team. Anderson was thrown over a large member of The Bomb Squad's shoulder.
More distant bombs started to go off.
As we broke through a warehouse loading door and finally immersed ourselves into the night, gunshots started to fire again. The only difference was that this time they were outside and flying past our heads and body parts. A member of The Bomb Squad's team collapsed as the rest of us ran forward. It was only then that I noticed police guns in the mix and the screams and yells of people around the scene.
The warehouse wasn't too far behind, but I figured we were at a safe distance. The helicopters had pulled back as complete chaos took over. Behind me, several bombs started to explode in succession, making the ground rumble behind my feet. I stumbled for a moment, making me catch a bullet above the elbow.
"Arrhhh!" I groaned painfully while I proceeded to keep moving forward. I could feel the heat of the bombs climb up my neck.
The most incredible part of the scene was how unaware Bella was as I carried her onward. Trigger immediately opened the door of a random squad car and I deposited her unresponsive body in the backseat. I kneeled below the car, trying to inspect my wound, and hoping to take cover. This shootout didn't seem to be anywhere near over.
Edward Masen
"Not much has happened still, but officers are still on high alert. We've been moved back another twenty feet and spectators are crowding the streets now."
"What's the overall mood of civilians and officers over there, Jessica?"
"Civilians, not unlike me, are simply confused and curious. Danny Fiori is still at-large and this scene seems to get increasingly larger, despite the amount of inactivity. However, the officers seem to be a little more tense, which is a phenomenon that's only become more obvious in the last 20 minutes or so."
I could feel the blood rushing to my head as I placed it between my knees. I had already thrown up twice. Each time had been preceded by a terrible image of Bella and what she'd been through today—what she was potentially still going through.
A stronger man would have spent his time preparing himself for the worst, but I was not strong today. My life hung in the balance as time continued forward and no signs of Bella came about.
"We've got a man here," the reporter, Jessica, began to say but she was interrupted by the sound of gunshots.
My head snapped upward, nearly giving me whiplash. I took practically one step before I was pinned against the metal bars of the jail cell, looking at the TV. The other officers in the precinct looked on with fright as a I finally moved. They all seemed wary of my current mental state and rightfully so.
"OH!!"
A piercing scream carried over the newsfeed. The news program tuned back to the station and Mike couldn't even hide the shock on his face.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we apologize for the inconvenience. Our connection seems to have been cut momentarily," he explained, but the sounds of screams and terrified yells carried on behind him.
"NO!" I yelled as they went to programming.
I yanked the metal bars fitfully. An older officer stood up and stared at me with panic. I continued to yell and shout incoherently.
Bella was out there somewhere and my lifeline to her, which I had taken for granted earlier, was gone.
I could feel tears streaming down my face rapidly, but the moisture had no affect on the anger that coursed through me. One particularly sharp yank and pain shot up through my shoulder. I continued on anyway, ignoring the fact I knew I had just dislocated it.
The older officer ran towards me with keys to unlock the cell as I groaned and shouted. Two other officers helped him out. They tried to cuff me, but found it difficult to do so when they saw how much pain I was in. One held me down as the other checked out my injury. The other officers had switched to CNN and I could hear the gunshots continue.
"This is live coverage from the complete mayhem occurring near Seattle Harbor right now. A one hundred man shootout is taking place while suspected mobster Danny Fiori's warehouse is engulfed in flames."
I moaned in pain and frustration. A white light suddenly blinded me. I swallowed the bile that threatened to come up, before I blinked lazily and passed out.
Emmett McCarty
Trigger had taken off and left me with Bella, while I secured my position with her. It seemed like all of Fiori's men were out on a death mission as they ambushed the entire department along with federal agents. If they didn't die tonight, they would surely be sentenced severely when they stood trial.
It was only when Bella was in the squad car that I realized she was in a dress cut for a hooker. I searched around for something to cover her with, but found nothing. I didn't have enough time to defend her and myself, while trying to take off my shirt or jacket at the same time. It left me too exposed. Tonight I really did need my vest.
I did my best to ignore the intense pain in my elbow. It made it difficult to aim my gun at times, but I pushed through the pain and fired anyway.
Bella was still unconscious in the backseat.
Panic flowed through me intermittingly as I reminded myself I really hadn't checked her vitals. Not willing to check to see that a corpse was in that squad car, I avoided the fact. I wasn't willing to face Edward and tell him Bella was dead.
I looked over the trunk of the car and noticed Trigger running off towards the alleys. I squinted, trying to see what he was doing. A bullet flew across the car and I ducked back down. The helicopters started to return. Men were hanging off the sides as they aimed their guns downward and started to fire as well. It had simply been too dangerous ten minutes ago. The last thing we needed was a shot down helicopter on top of the chaos.
The shooting started to quiet down as the officers in helicopters rapidly fired their weapons. It felt like forever before the shots stopped altogether and the only sounds were of people yelling, ambulance and fire truck sirens, flying helicopters, and boats.
I opened the squad car door, checking on Bella. Her eyes were still swollen shut and she was still freezing. I placed my ear on her chest, hoping to hear her heart beat even if it was weak. I was rewarded with the sound a faint beat from inside her chest. Deciding it was safe to leave my position, I rushed Bella towards the ambulance site. All the officers stared at her with wide eyes while I carried her towards the paramedics.
I looked for Charlie, but only found Captain Oliveros.
"Sir," my voice was thick, "where is the Chief?"
I noticed Harper look at the Captain and me nervously.
"Emmett, he's….he's been shot. They're loading him up right now."
A paramedic strong armed me before loading Bella on a stretcher. I tried to go with the paramedic, but the fussy woman did not allow me. I was about to argue when Harper pushed me back and shook his head. I ran a hand over my face as she was driven off to the hospital. I felt tears prick at my eyes. The emotions of tonight finally hit me all at once, making me extremely overwhelmed.
"I…I need to see Edward. I'm dropping the charges," I said to Captain Oliveros.
He nodded. Harper placed a hand on my shoulder, noticing my wound. He opened his mouth. I shook my head, begging him not to say anything. Seeing Edward was more important at this moment. Carefully avoiding blood stains on his seats, I deposited myself into Harper's car.
"Where's Fiori?" I wondered.
Harper sighed.
"He's dead. It looks like he barely made it out of the warehouse before the explosives started to go off. An officer found him with two gunshot wounds. It appears he was simply shot in the melee of this evening. No one knows where the shots came from. To be honest, it seems like no one cares either."
We got to the precinct quickly. Suddenly I was feeling unsure and did not want to see Edward. Detective Harper had to nudge me forward before I could even step inside the building. There was a crowd around one jail cell and it concerned me that it was probably Edward's. He was being forced to drink water. His skin was abnormally pale and ashen. He looked like the ghost of himself.
"Edward," I said quietly.
His eyes were dim, but they were able to focus on me. The other officers stepped back, allowing Edward and I a moment, while Harper lead them away from the cell. He was sitting on a bench and his arm was limp. It didn't look right to me and I wondered what happened.
"Emmett?" he asked with delusion.
"Yeah, man, it's me."
"Where's Bella?" Edward asked as reality started to set back in for him.
He blinked several times.
"She…she's in the hospital, Edward. She's pretty messed up," I confessed.
"She's alive," he whispered and I could tell he was on the verge on crying.
"Yeah," I affirmed.
"Oh my God," he cried.
I've been getting this question a lot lately...there will probably be about four chapters after this and then an epilogue. So we're clearly winding down here.
I'm sorry if this chapter was terribly cheesy and poorly written. I did the best I could with my vague knowledge about the ins and outs of being a police officer and dealing with these sorts of situations. There's a poll on my profile that I would appreciate everyone's participation in. It'll take less than a minute, I promise.
Reviews are so much better than anything that happened this chapter. The button even turns green now when you click it. Go ahead...try it out!!