DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc., are the intellectual property of the respective author. The original characters and plot are the property of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.
-Chapter Eighteen-
The fun time was officially over.
Scrabbling off the car, Edward tossed me my shorts as he pulled up his jeans. My heart was racing out of my chest, and I couldn't breathe, and it wasn't out of excitement or arousal, but fear. I was flipping out because we were going to get caught. We'd stayed too long.
"Here, Bella," Edward said, handing over some cheesecloth. "Wipe down everything in the car, okay?" Even though he was wearing a shirt, I stood in a moment in a daze, distracted by his hard body. Then, finally, he kissed me and brought me back to the present. "Hurry, baby. We don't have much time."
I dove into the car and cleaned everything: the steering wheel, the gear shift, the seats, and the touch display, simply everything. Nothing got missed, and when I thought I had it all, I wiped it down again and again for extra measure.
Pulling myself upright, I barely missed another bang to the head by the Lambo door. Edward was standing beside me, his eyes wide and off in the distance. It was quiet, besides our heavy breathing. It was dark and almost serene. No overhead helicopter or police cruisers was heading our way, but that didn't mean they wouldn't be.
"You good?" he asked, holding his hand out to me.
"Yeah," I said, pulling my shirt over my head.
"Good," he said, gripping my hand tightly. "Now, we're going to run to the housing district, okay? Can you run?"
I nodded. "Yeah, just lead the way."
The desert was dark and isolated, giving me a sense of false security. My feet pounded the ground, and I tried to keep up with Edward. He was fast and seemed miles ahead of me, but his firm grasp on my hand told me otherwise. The pain in my chest from the exertion was killing me. It throbbed, and I gasped for air, trying to get some needed oxygen into my blood.
The housing district was less than a hundred yards away, and I felt like I would die. The muscles in my legs started to cramp, but when I saw headlights in the distance behind us, I got another wave of adrenaline and ran the rest of the way with a fury.
I could hear the rapid thundering of my heart: thump, thump, thump, thump.
We came up to a brick wall, and Edward stopped. He interlocked his fingers and held his hands out to give me a boost. Then, stepping up on his palms, he lifted me with a quick jerk, and my hands grabbed the top of the wall. I floundered there for a moment, exhausted from all the running, but then Edward placed his hands on my ass and pushed me the rest of the way.
I straddled the wall on my stomach, and I rolled over. I gripped the edge of the wall, the hard plaster stabbing my fingers, and let my feet dangle. Finally, I fell to the ground and landed hard on my feet. I cursed, bending down to rub the pain out of my shins.
That shit hurt.
Less than a second later, Edward threw his duffel bag over the fence, and then finally, he jumped over, landing lithely on his feet beside me. Sure, he makes it look easy.
Now that we were both over the wall and safety out of the car's view, I followed rule number two on Edward's list, be aware of your surroundings. We were standing in the housing district community park. It had a large grass field with a playground and an artificial lake in the middle of it.
It seemed like a perfect place to raise some kids.
Edward reached behind him and pulled out his gun. He was wiping it off with the bottom of his shirt.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"We can't be caught with this," he said, walking up to the lake and tossing it. The gun hit the water with a splash, immediately sinking into the shallow abyss. He strode back up to me, frowning. "I fucking loved that gun."
If he was that distraught over his everyday piece of shit, 9mm Glock, I wondered how he would've taken it if it had been his Custom Colt at the bottom of the lake.
He took my hand, intertwined his fingers in mine, and tugged me forward. "Let's go."
This district we were in was a gated community, which was a stupid concept unless you put barbed wire and an electrical fence around it because it didn't keep people out. It just gave the people who lived here the belief that they were safe. No one was safe from anything. Bad shit happens to good people, and there's no rhyme or reason.
"Shit, we need to get out of here," Edward said, taking out his phone and dialing a number as we walked through the quiet streets.
He let go of my hand and pressed the phone to his ear. I watched him curiously as he wiped off the metal jimmy and erased all traces of our fingerprints. Then, he threw it to his side, over a fence, and into someone's backyard.
"Hey!" Edward said into the phone. "Look, man, we're in deep fucking shit."
It was Emmett on the other line, and I knew this because he was louder than anyone I'd ever known.
"You didn't ditch the car when I fucking told you to, did you?"
"No," Edward said shamefully, wiping down the police scanner and throwing it into someone else's backyard.
The dogs started barking, and he yanked on my arm, speeding up my pace.
"So, what did you do, Edward, huh? Fuck her on the hood?"
"No," Edward lied, glancing down at me seeing if I was listening.
I kept my head forward.
"Bullshit you fucking liar! You fucking fucked her and now you're both fucked."
My eyes were cross-eyed with all those fucks in that one sentence.
Edward sighed exasperatedly. "It doesn't matter, Em, alright? They can't prove shit. We cleaned the car. They won't be able to lift any prints."
"What about her hair, dip shit? You know that they do that CSI shit all the time. Did you fucking vacuum out the car?"
"Don't be stupid," he scoffed, rolling his eyes. He was wiping off the last piece of evidence, tying us to the car, and throwing it over another fence.
"No, you've got stupid covered. If you get pinched tonight, call fucking Jasper to come bail you out. I've got plans with Rose. You know, fucking a girl that won't land me five to ten."
"What? But we need you to come pick us up, man. We're stranded and you've got my fucking car!" Edward argued, already losing his patience.
"I told you I'm busy. Call Jasper."
"Whatever, fucker," Edward snapped and hung up his phone. He looked down at me, shrugging. "He's an asshole. We don't need him."
"How are we going to get home?" I asked.
A helicopter flew over our heads, and I could hear sirens. Edward clenched his jaw, his eyes searching around us, looking for a possible escape route. We were standing in the middle of the street and a clubhouse to our immediate right. He ran up to the double glass doors, leaving me for a moment, and checked to see if they were left unlocked.
They were, and he waved me over.
All the lights were off, but the air conditioner worked wonders on my heated skin. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail. The cold air overhead chilled the sweat on my neck.
"I need to go to the bathroom and get rid of this condom," Edward said, bending his knees and looking me in the eyes, placing his hands on my face. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," I said, grasping a hold of his forearms. "I'm just trying not to freak out."
"We'll be fine. The cops can't prove anything if they don't have any evidence, right?" Edward said, kissing my lips softly and all too briefly. "We're not going to jail for this. Do you trust me?"
"I trust you."
He smiled, kissing once more, and then jogging to the bathroom. It was quiet there. I stood awkwardly, switching from foot to foot and chewing on my nails nervously. There was a pool table in one of the side rooms. It brought up memories of the pool hall several weeks prior. So much had changed since that day. What seemed like a decision for survival, I realized that it was about more than just breathing or having food in my stomach.
It was so much more than that.
Edward was my universe, and as dependent and unhealthy as that sounded, I knew without a doubt that I was the center of his. We were two halves of the same nut making each other whole.
Strolling out of the bathroom, Edward was on the phone again, assumingly talking to Jasper.
"Yeah, thanks, man. I'll see you in twenty." He chuckled. "Yeah, you're some fucking clairvoyant, all right. Yeah, I know. Bye." He hung up the phone and looked at me. "You ready?"
"As ever as I am going to be, I guess."
He smiled sadly, taking my hand and leading me towards the exit of the clubhouse. "Jasper is going to pick us up at the gas station up the road. We just gotta make it there without getting picked up by the cops."
"Oh, okay," I said, rolling my eyes. "Sounds easy enough."
Even though Edward and I were in deep shit, running from the cops on foot, I felt safer and more secure with him by my side. No matter what, I knew he wouldn't let anything happen to me.
He stopped short of the door and looked out the window, checking if the coast was clear. Finally, after a moment of nothing, he decided it was safe enough for us to make our escape.
It didn't take us long to get out of the housing district and back up on the main road. The gas station wasn't too far and was a short five-minute walk. It seemed like we were going to make it out of this predicament.
That was until a police cruiser crept around the corner and drove towards us, causing my heart to drop to my stomach. My body tensed with anxiety, and the air left my lungs, leaving me breathing through my nose at a high and rapid speed. I was close to hyperventilating.
"Fuck me," Edward said, gripping my hand tightly. "Act casual."
"I am trying to act casual," I said, my voice shaking.
The cop car slows down as it passes us, shining his flashlight out the side window. We both look over at the cop, knowing ignoring his obtrusive light would only raise suspicion. Instead, he flipped on his blinking red and blue lights and pulled up to the curb.
"Fucking perfect," Edward growled, stopping mid-step. He looked down at me before we turned and faced the cop. "Listen, Bella, we just look suspicious, they can't prove anything, alright?"
"Okay," I said, surprisingly steady.
We turned around as the cop approached us. He was a tall man, thick in stature, and he reminded me of Emmett. You could tell that the years of being a cop had taken a toll on him. His forehead was wrinkled, probably from the constant worry and stress, and his eyes were tired and worn down. The cop hid his clear blue eyes behind puffy bags and dark circles.
"Evening, folks," he greeted us, his hand resting on the butt of his gun as he stepped onto the sidewalk. "What you guys doing out here so late?"
"We're coming from a party," Edward said.
The cop pulled out his flashlight and shined it into Edward's eyes. "Have you been drinking?"
He never flinched. "No, sir."
"How about you?" the cop asked, shining the light in my eyes.
I squinted, putting my hand up to block some of the brightness. "No, sir."
Still highly suspicious, he put his flashlight away. "Raise your arms to your sides." Edward and I did as instructed, and the cop patted us down. "Do you have any weapons or drugs on you?"
"No, sir," we both answered.
He stood back from us, his body more relaxed, knowing we were unarmed. "Do you know anything about a stolen Lamborghini? It was abandoned not too far from here."
Edward acted surprised. "Someone stole a Lamborghini? No shit? Is that even possible to do?"
Damn, he was good. Hell, even I almost believed he was innocent.
"Apparently so," the cop replied, looking over at me, his eyes narrowed. "How old are you?"
"Eighteen," I squeaked, giving myself away,
"Alright, I'm going to need to see some ID's," he said, holding his hand out.
Edward reached into his wallet and pulled out his license. The cop took it, reading the name on it.
"Edward Cullen," the cop mused over his name, clicking his tongue. "Why does that sound familiar?"
Edward shrugged. "It's a common name?"
"I would watch your tone," the cop snapped, his eyes darting over at me. "Where's your ID, miss?"
"I left it at home," I said—which wasn't true. Renee and Phil had it, and they were not my home.
"What's your name?" he asked, taking out a paper and pad.
"Isabella Swan," I said.
I could see Edward smiling at me from the corner of my eye.
"Alright, I'm going to go check you out in the system. Do either of you have any outstanding warrants that I should know about?"
"No, sir," Edward and I said simultaneously.
The cop walked away and sat in his car, running our names. Edward stepped towards me and placed his hands on my hips, pulling me close.
"Isabella Swan?"
I groaned, rolling my eyes. "Yeah, I know, it sounds like a TV dinner. My parent's hated me."
"It's a beautiful name," he bent down and whispered into my ear, "per la mia bella ragazza."
'For my beautiful girl.'
His Italian was fluent, and it flowed seamlessly. I smiled at him, finding him even sexier than before—if that was possible.
"You're just full of surprises, aren't you, Mr. Cullen?"
"You have no idea," he said, his lips slowly lowering to mine.
"Well," the cop interrupted us, and we both split apart. "You've checked out fine," he said to Edward, handing him back his license. His eyes turned to me. "You on the other hand, were reported as a runaway."
My eyes were wide, and I glanced over at Edward. "What?"
"Your parent's reported you as a runway three months ago. So I'm gonna have to take you in."
Edward stood frozen, beyond shocked. His eyes searched mine, wanting me to answer why this was happening. I didn't even know Phil and Renee bothered enough to call the police.
"Put your hands behind your back," the cop instructed, slapping the metal cuffs around my wrists.
I winced from the pain as the hard metal dug into my skin. It only tightened and strangled me every time I moved.
"Dude," Edward seeing my pain, jolted back to life and stepped forward, approaching the cop, "are the cuffs necessary?"
"She's in violation of the law," he said, grabbing me by the arm and tilting his head to the side, looking at Edward suspiciously. "What is your relationship with her?"
Edward didn't hesitate. "She's my girlfriend."
The cop scoffed. "You do realize that she's underage, right? That it's a serious offence to be having sexual relations with a minor. You understand that, sir?"
"He didn't know, officer," I chimed in. "I told him that I was eighteen."
"Hmm, well, now he knows, and I'm sure you'll stay away from her, won't you?" he asked, glaring at Edward.
"Only for two weeks, officer. She has a birthday coming up," Edward said through his gritted teeth.
The cop took an aggressive step toward Edward, sneering at him. "I suggest you get home now, Mr. Cullen before I make up an excuse to haul your ass in. Or do you want to go down to the station and be questioned for this Lamborghini business, huh? Your long rap sheet is more than enough cause to consider you a suspect."
"Do it," Edward said, testing the cop. "You can't prove shit."
"No," I nearly shouted. But, instead, I looked at Edward, nodding my head towards the gas station. "Don't be stupid. Go. I'll be fine. Please."
"She's a smart girl. I suggest you listen to her," the cop said, tugging my arm.
Edward clenched his fist and didn't want to leave me there, but I didn't want the cop to arrest him. I was just a runway; they would have to call my parents and release me. It was a few hours in a holding cell for me. Who knows what he would have to endure?
I pleaded to him with my eyes.
Let it go.
The cop dragged me to the cruiser, my feet caught underneath me, and I tripped the entire way. He opened the door and placed me in the backseat. I watched Edward from the window as he stared at me.
He wanted to do something but couldn't, but all he could do was mouth words to me. I didn't understand him. So he said over and over until finally, it clicked with me.
I'll come get you.
As the cop drove away, calling the station and telling them to contact my parents, I dreaded that moment when I would have to face them again. Turning around in my seat, I stared at Edward in the distance, watching his still figure get smaller and smaller and smaller until I couldn't see him anymore.