A/N: Hey guys! I'm SO sorry for the delay in updating… I've been so busy with classes and exams and life. I hope you enjoy this chapter; it's super dramatic and all over the place, but I it was super fun to write. Enjoy!
CHAPTER 19:
Butterflies tormented my stomach lining as I scanned my badge. Walking up to our office, I came up with a plan. There was a stack of paperwork sitting on the kitchen table, but I knew we wouldn't start until later. We would probably get a new case today.
Before I entered the room, I peeked through the window and saw him leaning back in his chair.
"Morning," I had never experienced his voice so cold, devoid of emotion.
"Good morning."
"Here." That marked the end of our conversation for that day. Periodically, I would shoot him an email with what I had found and he would do the same. Regardless, I sat facing one wall while he faced another, and it tore me up inside.
Once the clock hit 5, I snapped up from my chair and left with a small wave.
"I'll see you tomorrow Edward," the words barely left my mouth as I was already halfway down the hall.
As soon as I got to Ali's place. I could feel her about to explode and bombard me with questions.
"I need to go lay down," and cry.
"Okay, I'll be cooking dinner for tonight."
"Thanks for letting me stay."
"You're my closest friend. I wouldn't want you anywhere else."
In her guest bedroom, I nodded off into the pillow as the tears dried on my face. 6 more days.
"Bella, you have to get up sometime babe."
"Yeah I know." I stretched into the comforter beneath me.
"Go shower and then we can eat."
Ali looked as if she was about to jump out of her seat because of the silence. Eventually, she nodded and took both of our plates to the sink. Once again, I was alone. I followed the lines of her floorboard as I paced back and forth like the night before.
Edward shot me a bland text at 5 in the morning that we didn't need to meet up at the office. We split the investigation down the middle: I would do half of the interviews he would do another. Every movement without him hurt a little bit more.
The last woman slammed a door in my face after giving vague answers. Well, that isn't very nice. Then again…I am investigating her for murder.
Once I got back to Ali's apartment. I wrote a quick email about everything I found—which was practically nothing. Then this longing to see him struck me, and I had to go back home.
"I think I should head back to the apartment."
"Okay, yeah. I'm leaving anyway. I got a new client today, yay."
"More money to spend?"
She gave me an exaggerated frown, "You know that's not what I do."
"Alice I know. You're really good at stocks. Go make them rich." I said with as much enthusiasm as possible. I honestly didn't understand her job in the least.
Walking out the door, my anxiety raised. It was similar to the gut feeling I had when Edward was shot. I hadn't talked to him in a while besides work. Would it be awkward to just show up? I'll just lie and say that I forgot something or I have a break in the case.
What started off as a nice stroll to the apartment quickly became a speed walking challenge. Usually walking stopped my anxiety, but the closer I got the more worried I was. Sprinting up the steps, my hands shook slightly. And I couldn't stop them. I had no reason to be nervous. This happens all the time. It's nothing. I tried breathing in and out slowly.
Opening the door, I don't know what I expected. Edward was curled up on the couch watching some HGTV show. I thought he only watched them because they were the only thing I could bear to pay attention to.
"Bella?" He turned back.
"Hey."
"Do you need something?"
"I think I left something here. I'm going to go look in my room." The lie was not specific at all, but I don't think he had any problem with me being here.
"Okay," his attention focused back on the television. There was something about being here that made my heart jump.
I headed to my room. Looking around I reminisced. I hadn't realized it, but I missed being here. Everything was in the same place, but a layer of dust covered it. Picking up a picture of Charlie and I, I smiled. My plants hung next to my picture frame. They were still alive. Edward must be watering them. Somehow that little act of kindness choked me up.
Grabbing a random shirt out of my closet, I took it off the hanger. Although I was living with Alice, most of my stuff was still here.
"Edward, thanks for watering the plants." I waited for his response. Silence.
"Thanks for watering the plants," I spoke up. Still, silent.
Leaving my room, I noticed that Edward was no longer on the couch. He was standing in front of the television with his back to the windows.
"Everything okay?" His posture shocked me. His hands raised as if he were being arrested.
Staring at me, his eyes widened trying to tell me the obvious. I had been too focused on him to see the man at the door holding a gun. He had a silencer; he was a hitman.
"Okay, let's be logical." I put my hand in my jacket pocket where I always carried my pocket knife. I very quickly noted that a knife wouldn't do much against a gun.
"You're not supposed to be here," the man said; his voice low. He wore a black t-shirt and jeans.
"Where am I supposed to be?" I asked calmly, making my way towards Edward. Clearly, the hitman wasn't after me. I had to get to Edward. Only ten feet stood between us.
"Not here," the man hissed. I made him anxious, I used that to my advantage.
"Okay, why are you here?" I took one large step toward Edward, hoping that the question would distract him even for a second.
"So you're not going to answer, how rude." Trying to keep calm, I took another step.
"Why kill him and not me?"
The hitman looked nervous; I wasn't part of the plan.
"He's my job, you're not supposed to be here." So, clearly, it was made certain that I wouldn't get hurt. I need to get in front of Edward. He won't shoot me. Or at least that was what I assumed.
I looked Edward dead in the eyes and bit my left lip and winked. Hopefully, he would remember the code. Running I jumped onto Edward. He stumbled briefly and then straightened up. My legs latched around his waist; my chest pressed up against his. I was literally a human shield, but it was worth it for him.
"I will shoot both of you."
"Oh, but I'm fairly certain, you're not allowed to kill me."
Edward started to whisper, "What the hell is your plan? You are not going to be a shield to save me. Get off."
"Remember when you had to learn knife throwing," I said as quickly and low as possible, "well, there's a knife in my pocket. Use it."
The hitman shot a warning shot; the bullet grazed the top of Edward's hair. That was the last straw. Edward dug into my pocket and flipped the blade out. Throwing it with uncanny precision, the hitman fell to the ground.
Breathing deeply, my mind was starting to dissolve. He couldn't kill me, he couldn't kill me. I'm not valuable to a lot of people, except…
"Bella, you can climb off now," my heart raced and I could feel the blood in my arms slow down. My eyes closed and I fainted.
"Bella! Bella!" I was only out a second, but I wanted to be out longer.
"Yeah," the words came out sluggishly.
"Are you okay?" His arms cradled me against his chest. I felt completely limp, wanting the unconsciousness to come back. We stayed still for a minute, his muscular arms holding all my weight. Trying to push the lightheadedness away, I regained some of my strength.
"I think so, you can let me down now."
Gently he placed me on the couch. My brain was practically in comatose. Jake couldn't, no Jake couldn't be a—a criminal. My breathing became faster.
"Bella, calm down. Everything's okay. We're fine." He rubbed my back, leaning my body on top of his.
Think Bella, think. Is there anything that Jake has said that's been sketchy? He works in business. He said he did 'odd jobs,' my god how did you not catch that. Or when he purposefully made it hard for you to leave the restaurant. HE HIRED A HITMAN?
"Bella, you look stressed, talk to me please. I know I haven't been the greatest friend recently, but I'm here for you." He rubbed the back of my hand with his thumb.
I gazed up and our eyes met, "You were right." My face was dead.
"About what?" He tilted his head.
"Jacob."
"I don't understand."
"I jumped on you, because he was hired to kill you, not me. I'm the leader's girlfriend, they can't kill me. That's why he said I wasn't supposed to be here. Jake knows I've been staying with Alice. You were right."
I expected him to say something like I told you so, or be overjoyed by my realization, but he sat still. Then, he put his arm around me and held me. My breathing leveled out.
"Bella, I'm here for you."
"How could I have been so blind? He was my boyfriend. How could I not see it?"
"You were blinded by love. It's happened to us all."
"Not all of us have had a crime lord as a boyfriend that has put out multiple hits on your best friend…I put you in danger. I'm so, so sorry." The weeks of pain that he went through tugged on my heart and my breathing picked up again. Playing with my hair, he let me settle down.
"I'm one hundred percent fine." Barely, he almost died last time.
"But if I didn't come, you would be dead."
"But you were here," he hugged me tighter.
"I—I wouldn't know what to do if you died."
"Well, let's make sure that never happens."
"I'm going to kill Jacob." I moved to get up.
"Bella, you know that's not the right thing to do." His arms pinned me against him until I relaxed.
"Do I?" I was considering hurting him, maybe not killing him, but something. He had tried to hurt Edward twice. "He hurt you. He's not getting away with that."
"Just breathe." His hands combed through my hair, which was really quite soothing. "We have time to fix this. I promise we'll get him eventually."
"I just—I should have seen it."
"It's not your fault."
"I need to talk to him."
"NO!" I could feel this heart rate increase.
"Why not?" Anger coursed through me and that anger needed a purpose. It had one now: put Jacob Black in prison for life.
"It's dangerous."
"No it's not," I rolled my eyes, "he wants you dead, but he won't let anyone touch me. I'm his precious girlfriend. He'll just think you outsmarted his hitman."
"Do you really think that? You think he's stupid enough to think I've escaped two hitmen without help?"
"We are all blinded by love," I mocked, "I think I can use that."
"You are not going anywhere without me."
"I think it's the other way around, I don't have a target on my back."
"Okay, so we stick together either way."
"I'll find a way to get to him. We'll record him, I'll wear a wire."
"If you didn't know before, do you really think that he's going to just say it out loud?"
"Okay, maybe not, but it's worth trying."
"For right now, I think you should relax. Too much stress isn't good for the body."
Having a thin sheet of sweat on my forehead from fainting, I complied with his request. He just let me lay on top of him. Desperately, I wanted to make sure he wasn't getting the wrong idea. Edward would always be my best friend but nothing more.
I fell asleep listening to the TV. "How long have I been out?"
"A while," he shrugged.
I moved to get up, and this time he allowed it.
"Edward, there's a dead man on the floor."
"Um, yeah. What did you think I was going to do with him? You were on top of me."
I blushed red, thank God we didn't have a middle schooler's maturity. "Don't you think we should call it in or something. What do we even do with a dead body?" I was so used to other people bringing the bodies to me.
"Emmett should be here any minute. I'm not totally useless."
"You're not useless at all. Do you know how to get this smell out?"
"Maybe on the way back we can find a candle or something." The smell was nauseating.
I stayed close to the bathroom in case the smell overcame me, or the events of the day in general. Edward was always nearby me, probably afraid I'd collapse again. He lay a hand on my shoulder as I took deep breaths again. Pity, I could see it in all his movements and I loathed it.
There was a harsh knock at the door, and, before Edward left me, the door swung open. Jumping up, I pulled the knife out of my back pocket and instinctively pushed Edward behind me.
"Bella calm down," he whispered but my heart beat covered it.
"Stay." My voice had almost a menacing quality but I was not going to lose him right after this morning.
"Where's Bells?" Emmett's voice boomed in the hallway. Tripping up on themselves, my feet led me into the kitchen where I realized my tight grasp on my knife.
"Wow there kid. Calm down." His head nodded to my knife.
"Sorry, it's been a long day." And suddenly I don't trust anyone. Thankfully, Edward clapped Emmet's back and then took a stance behind me. I could feel the heat radiating off his body.
He grabbed one of my hands. And although it felt intimate in a way, I needed it. Behind Em, a team of agents were ushered into the room. One of them crotched beside me to take a picture. I jumped from her movement and Edward noticed. He brought me to the other side of the room. There were too many people here, too much was happening, and my high heart beat was the only thing grounding me.
I thought Em was talking to me, but my mind was elsewhere. Within the last few minutes, Edward had left my side and I felt my skin crawling. For some reason, my eyes began to tear up so I left the main room to find him.
"Bella," he sat on his bed looking out the window. He looked like he needed some time alone.
"Sorry," I turned around, relieved that he was in one piece. Sauntering out of the room, I decided to slide down the wall to sit. Content that I could still hear through the wall to where Edward was, I brought my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them. I could feel the stares that I was getting.
Em passed by me to get to Edward. He put a smile on, and, even though it was forced, I appreciated the thought. The conversation was muffled through the wall, but if I tried hard enough I could get the gist of it. But, I didn't try.
A moment later Em walked back into the crime scene and began giving out tasks. The medical examiner zipped up the body bag and wheeled the stretcher out into the hallway.
"Hey," a soft voice appeared beside me.
"Hi." I turned to see Edward's face. He was crunched up against the wall in a similar position to me.
"Do you want to get out of here?"
"Don't we have to fill out a report?"
"Yes, but not right now." He stood up gracefully and held out a hand for me. Pulling me up, he eyed the rest of the agents and they all separated to let us through.
With our hands intertwined he led me into the concrete garage.
"Where are we going?"
"Wherever you want."
"Can we just drive for now?" He didn't respond, but I saw him nod in my peripheral vision. The street lights blurred and I suddenly felt dizzy. I brought my knees to my chest again and waited for him to protest that it wasn't safe.
Instead, no words were exchanged. The car slowed down in front of the Chinese restaurant and my breathing hitched.
He opened his door without saying anything. Fiddling violently with the ring on my finger, I watched him get out. Meanwhile, my leg bounced up and down in the car.
"I'm getting some food. Okay?" I threw myself out of the seat and had my hand securely around the knife in my pocket. Nothing would happen to him.
As much as I hated the restaurant now, I walked through its doors like it didn't faze me. Biting the inside of my check, I tried to keep contact with him.
"I have to go up to the register. Will you be okay here?" I nodded, but my grip became so tight on the knife that I knew my knuckles were turning white.
He was back quicker than I anticipated. The crowd made me nervous. Jacob would have already known that his man failed and that Edward was out and about somewhere. Would Jake send another one on the same day? I couldn't tell. I didn't know him at all.
"How are you doing?"
"I'm doing okay. How about you?" I hated that we were reduced to small talk.
"I'll feel better once we get out of here." There were people all around us. Discomfort sat in my body. I needed to move out of here. I counted the seconds that ticked on the clock hung on the wall. We weren't moving fast enough. The longer we were waiting the more jittery I got.
Knowing that I couldn't leave him, I just stood as still as possible while focusing on his breaths.
We got the food and the second I stepped outside, the tension evaporated. I could finally breathe.
He ushered us to one of the tables outside. I suddenly realized I didn't feel completely comfortable anywhere. There could be a sniper on any of the buildings nearby. It would happen so fast I wouldn't have time to react. The thought churned my stomach and my hunger vanished.
"I'm not really hungry."
"You should try to eat something. You haven't had anything all day." He was trying to be polite, if I ate anything it would come back up; I didn't want to hate Chinese food.
"I know. I'll just eat later."
"Okay," he said with a sullen voice. "Here," his coat was wrapped across my shoulders. Even though I wasn't cold, I accepted it with a smile. The scent alone was enough to calm me.
He ate half of his meal. I knew that I was rushing him, but I didn't know how to fix it. Putting the boxes in a paper bag, he packed up and headed to the car. An awkwardness filled the space between us.
In the car, I resumed my previous position and stared out the window.
"Bella. I'll drive you home after I grab some stuff."
"Aren't we already going there?" Looking at the street name, I thought we were going in the correct direction. The apartment was two blocks away.
"No, Alice's house is the other direction." I had never thought of her penthouse as home.
"Edward, I'm not going to go to Alice's house." I couldn't leave him. Not after what happened today. I don't care how screwed up our relationship was at the moment; he had to be safe.
"Where are you staying then?" His confusion disheartened me.
"The apartment. I'm never going to leave again." I watched as his face brightened for a moment before turning to stone again.
"Bella, I promise I'll be fine."
"I don't care. I'm going home." I was furious at this point. Did he not think that I still lived there? Did he not want me as a friend?
"If that's what you want then okay."
"Do you not want me?"
"No, no, Bella. Of course I'll be delighted that you're coming home." And I didn't believe him.
The car parked and we began to walk up the stairs. My whole body felt so numb that I barely noticed my feet hitting the ground.
"Eat please." Placing the food on the counter, he removed some of the boxes. "Bella, I know you probably don't feel like it, but I'm afraid you'll pass out if you don't."
I picked up a random box and stuck a fork into it. Without looking at what I was eating, I started to think about Jacob. My face reddened with fury. I had to continue dating him. I wanted to watch his expression as he told me just enough to put him away. I wanted to be the one to walk him to the police car.
"I have to call Jacob."
"What?!" Edward turned so quickly that his arms flailed and knocked a box of white rice off the table.
"Well if I want to kick his ass, I have to get the information from him. So I have to fake date him."
"You're crazy."
"Think about it. It would be much easier to record him telling me something than to watch his movements. He'd catch on and leave. We're going to get him."
"I think you should give yourself some time to consider." I already had my phone open with my finger on his speed dial.
"No," he slid across the table to grab the phone as my finger pressed the button. Ending up on the floor, he shut the phone.
"LET ME DO THIS."
"NO. Not until you think about it."
"Edward," it was an uncomfortable moment considering he was on top of me, "I have to get him."
He made no notion of moving, but I grabbed the phone that had slid across the room. He pulled me back to stop me; it was already open in my hand.
"Hey Jake."
"Bella?" Edward laid motionless; I could feel his breaths huffing out.
"Yeah it's me."
"What's going on?"
"I think I've figured everything out and honestly I've missed you."
"I've missed you too."
"I want to see you soon. Ali's been getting on my nerves."
"Of course babe. I've got to go but tell me when you're off from work."
"I promise I will. Love you Jake." Edward quit breathing and all of his muscles tightened.
Shutting the phone, I felt better. I had a plan.
"What the hell were you thinking?"
"I'm protecting you."
"I can do that all by myself."
"You almost died earlier."
He got up off the floor and turned into his room. "Make sure you eat something," he slammed the door shut.
I was too pent up about the situation to eat any more. Instead, I went into my room and slammed the door shut just like he did.
With the door shut, guilt plagued my head. All of this was completely my fault. Wandering over to the bed, I climbed in and hoped for sleep to take me under.
But, I couldn't get the image out of my head. Turning to the other side of the bed, my legs wrapped in the sheet and the man's face appeared once again. As much as I tried to get it out of my head, the hitman haunted my thoughts. Letting my body relax, my mind drifted to sunny beaches and trees.
I was peaceful for about an hour before the worries reappeared. My whole body took on the tension from earlier. If I wasn't there. He would be dead. I stopped myself before I pictured Edward lying on the ground in a pool of his own blood.
Turning one last time, I decided that this was pointless. My worry for Edward's safety would never stop, this horrible feeling would never end. My breathing became harsher with that realization. My stupid decision could have killed him.
Sobs racked over my chest. My lungs screamed for air. Earlier, I had attempted to be strong, using anger instead of sadness. But, late at night, it took too much effort to be angry with anyone but myself. Leaving my room, I sat on the arm of the couch staring at his white door.
I wanted to make sure he was okay. Although I had been up the majority of the night, the suspicion that something could have happened scared me. My fingers lightly grasped his doorknob. I really didn't want to intrude, but I needed someone right now. I needed verification that he was okay.
Bringing my hand up, I fully intended to knock, but my hand fell back at my side. This happened two more times before I slid down on the floor. You're really losing it aren't you. Get it together. My inner thoughts told me to go back to my room, but I couldn't. I wasn't as strong as I thought I was.
Salty tears streamed down my face as I remembered all of the conversations with Jacob. I really loved him, and—and he did this to me. All of the late nights, the classy dinners, and in-betweens rushed back. How did I do this to myself?
Pushing myself up off the ground, I struggled to straighten up. I wiped my tears off with my sleeves and gathered up enough courage to knock. Once my fist hit the door, I regretted it. He didn't need to take on my issues.
Hearing footsteps, I backed away in shame. The door creaked open. Observing me, his eyes slowly opened. He was shirtless with his usual pajama pants.
"I'm sorry," I whispered, my gaze shifting to the floor. Looking up, I was slightly relieved that he looked unscathed. What did you expect?
"Bella, what's wrong?"
"I…I—" What was I supposed to say? That I needed someone to comfort me, that I needed to make sure he was okay or did I need to apologize again? I put my head in my hands. My palms became wet with my tears. When I looked up, Edward was no longer at the door. I searched to find him, my heart rate jerked up.
I found a pair of arms around my waist. "Bella. It's okay. I was expecting this earlier." My sobs got harder, of course he knew that this would happen. "It's a very reasonable reaction."
I pivoted to face him. My head laid on his chest. Rubbing my back, he let me lean on him for a while.
"I'm scared." The words were barely a whisper.
"Of what?"
"Of you getting hurt again." It was the raw truth.
His breathing halted and he pulled me closer. "Bella, nothing is going to happen to me." I felt even worse that he was comforting me. This had to be hard on him. I wrapped my arms around his waist and wanted to never let go.
We stood there, still, while the tears fell from my eyes. Blackness surrounded us, the only light came from the skyscrapers nearby. I held onto him tightly. Thirty minutes passed and I ran out of tears to cry.
"Bella…I think it's time to go to bed. You seem pretty tired." He was carrying most of my weight. His arms released me and immediately I went into a panic.
"Please don't leave me." I had lost all of my dignity. He looked as if he was about to speak, but I quickly cut him off. "Can I sleep on your floor? If it makes you uncomfortable—"
"Of course you can, love. I'm here for you." He closed the gap between us. The warmth that radiated from his skin was enough to calm me.
"I'm going to go grab blankets." I shuffled into my room. Grabbing my comforter and pillow, the fabric dragged along the floor as I entered his room. The left side of his bedroom had enough space for me to sleep, so I set the blankets down there. As I moved to sit on the pile I had created, a hand grabbed my shoulder. Mindlessly, I turned around and got into defensive mode.
"It's just me." Edward's voice sounded alarmed. His hand reached for mine.
"Sorry." I really had put him through an enormous amount of crap.
"It's okay." The room fell silent for a moment before he continued, "Bella if you want I can sleep on the floor and you can sleep on the bed."
"No, I'm already intruding. The floor will be just fine." And with that last sentence, I lowered my body into the ground. The fatigue of crying and worrying wore me down and within moments I had fallen asleep.
The bright light streamed into the room. His hands raised slowly, with fear? My eyes darted across the room to find a burly man. The light reflected off his expensive watch. My gaze traveled down his arm to the gun he held steady pointing at Edward. The man's attention bounced between Edward and I.
The man never spoke, but he seemed confused. My appearance startled him. I briefly looked down. Wearing a t-shirt and jeans, there was nothing out of the ordinary. My eyes connected with Edward's and the realization hit. The hitman was out to kill him, not us. My heart pumped fiercely.
I signaled Edward that I would jump on him, but it was too late. I heard a small noise from the silencer. Like I was watching in slow motion, I saw the bullet dig itself into Edward's skin. The hitman was skilled, Edward would be dead in a matter of seconds, if he wasn't already. Panic flashed through me. "NO," I screamed.
"Bella! Bella! Wake up." Someone shook me, I jolted into an upright position. Edward kneeled and clasped his arms around me. I took a second to remember where I was and then I noticed a bead of sweat making its way down my face. I couldn't fathom why I felt sweaty.
"Edward? What happened?"
"You were screaming." I was screaming? The dream.
"I'm sorry." The nightmare had shaken me more than I thought it ever could.
"Don't apologize. You did nothing wrong."
"I had a nightmare." It seemed childish to admit. I hadn't had one in years.
"Do you want to talk about it?" I couldn't find his eyes in the dark, but I wanted to see them.
"It was earlier, but it had a different ending. You—you got shot. You died." My body started shaking. The tears, that I had assumed I had run out of, came back.
"Shush," he whispered, "I'm here. Everything's alright. Just lay down, okay?"
"Don't leave." My arms still had a tight grip on him.
"I won't." We both laid on the floor. Stroking my hair, he held onto me. I stared at the space under his bed. This was wrong, I was asking too much from him. But, I couldn't stop. I needed him right now more than ever.
"I'm scared to go back to sleep," I murmured.
"I'll be here, if anything happens." I put a small space between us. Big enough that I would be able to fall asleep, but small enough that if I needed him to hold me, he could. I sighed and curled up into a small ball.
A/N: Hey guys. Again, I'm so sorry for the delay in updating. I hope you enjoy all the action and the fluff. I really liked writing this. As always, please review :).
