The Letter
Part Seven
Bella dropped beside her attacker, pressing a knee to his back as footsteps pounded up the stairs. She called out that the suspect was down and that a loaded weapon was on the floor. The tie to her robe was within reach, and she quickly grabbed it to tie his hands behind his back.
"Where the fuck did you come from?" The man sounded out of breath and a little angry.
"From your nightmare, asshole," she panted, still running on fear and adrenaline. "Mind telling me why you decided to break into my house? Are you related to the suspect for a series of armed robberies in the area?"
"I wanted to check out the décor." He huffed when she applied some pressure on his back. "Fuck me, I picked the wrong woman."
"You have no idea." She finished tying him up, then asked him to sit on his ass. "I'm going to ask again. Why me?"
A couple of people burst into the room—Detective Jackson, an old familiar face. They moved with practiced ease, handcuffing the man and removing the gun from his reach.
"You okay, Bells?" Tyler Jackson cocked a smirk and laughed. "You weren't kidding about learning from the best." He took another look around the scene and shook his head. "You made him believe you were in the cabinet, but you were really waiting for him in the shower."
She shrugged and winked. "He hasn't talked much, but he's not the suspect from the robbery. Maybe he knows him?" On her feet, she shook Tyler's hand and said she had to go.
"Your parents' house has been cleared as well as the house, you mentioned to add to our watch."
"I need to go let Will and a friend know that I'm okay." She smiled and gently bumped his fist before breaking out in a run.
Tyler called after her, "Let her go, she's checking on her brother."
Bella ran toward Edward's rental home; he had to have heard the gunshot. The last time an engine backfired, Will dropped to the ground, into a fetal position, and started to cry. She hoped it hadn't sent him into a panic attack.
She was also worried about Edward. The death of his sister and niece had to have been fresh in his mind after hearing the gunshot, too.
A few more familiar faces greeted her at the door of Edward's house. "Where are they?"
"Living room, ma'am." The officer gestured toward the right with a sad smile. "Your brother looks okay, but your friend refused to let him go until you got here."
"Good." She walked into the living room, and her heart both shattered and stitched together at the scene before her. Will and Edward sat opposite each other, their foreheads pressed together, their hands clasped, whispering something she couldn't pick up. Their eyes were closed and faces pale, and she caught the quake in Edward's hold. "Hi, guys."
In an instant, their heads turned to her, eyes wide with surprise before they sprung from the couch and surrounded her.
"Are you okay?"
"I heard the gun."
"Did they hurt you?"
"I didn't know what to do."
They babbled, each of them checking Bella for a moment, and then pulling her back into their arms. Edward held Will, their foreheads resting on each other's, their breathing slowing until they matched in rhythm.
"Where are they?" Bella's father roared from the front door, being wheeled in by Detective Jackson.
Bella gave Edward and Will one last firm hug, facing her father after wiping a wayward tear from her cheek. "We're fine, Daddy."
"It's not him, baby girl. It wasn't the man that robbed the store."
Will whimpered softly, his arms winding around Edward's neck. "He's still out there then!"
Charlie asked for Will, and the boy climbed down from Edward's hold and ran to his father, crying some more. "I don't want to stay at home. I don't want to stay there anymore."
Bella looked worried but gestured for Edward to join her and stepped farther away. "The man who was in my house looked a lot like the robbery suspect."
"A relative then." Edward hummed, unsure if what he was about to suggest would be a good idea. "Will won't be comfortable in your home or his own."
Bella shook her head. "Not while he's out there."
Detective Jackson walked over. "We have his identity. Alec Chambers. He has a record, but he'd been clean for a while. Scared straight after a short prison stint, but his little brother, James, has one a mile long, but never anything like armed robbery."
Edward's brow furrowed as he replied, "Desperate for some cash for something."
Detective Jackson pulled out his phone. "Looks like drugs and/or gambling. Some of the circle James ran with have the similar issues, but he'd been clean for years. Until now, it looks like. I'm waiting for his photo." His phone chimed. "Got it." He returned his full attention to Charlie and Will. "I have a photo I'd like you two to look at it."
Charlie appeared reluctant, especially when Will hid his face against his shoulder. "Let me see. Close your eyes, son."
Bella watched as Charlie had to bite his lip from saying a word, choosing instead to simply nod at the image on the detective's phone.
"All right." The detective put his phone away. "We'll have a talk with Bella's attacker…" Another whimper from Will made him wince and offer a silent apology to his former partner. "It might be a good idea to stay in one place, all of you. This guy isn't the one you need to worry about. It's the other guy." He stated that he needed them to make statements the following morning.
"Hey, this house is big enough for all of us," Will said, sniffling a bit. He looked from his father, to Bella, then to Edward. He played up the big brown eyes and dimple to its fullest effect.
It was what Edward wanted to suggest. Will would only make it easier. "I hope to have family visit soon, but the more the merrier." He winked at Will and glanced at Bella.
She looked conflicted. "I don't know. I'd hate for us to be a burden."
Charlie snorted. Will rolled his eyes.
Edward took her hand in his own and gave her a look that matched Will's. He was rusty at it, having not used it in over a decade. His mother and older sisters were not immune to it.
"Gah! Stop giving me those eyes." Bella fanned herself, leaning closer to whisper, "Guess we'll be able to give that new mattress a test run sooner than expected."
Edward swallowed the lump in his throat, hard. "We don't have to…not until we're both ready."
She smirked. "You're so cute when you're trying not to be aroused around my dad and brother."
Edward huffed, wanting to be annoyed, but he wasn't. Instead, he laughed heartily and welcomed the others to join him, and they did. Charlie and Will didn't know why, but seeing Bella look so damn happy always made their day.
Will thought for the first happy ending for his sister, it wasn't so bad.
AN: Thanks to kyla713 for her help with the chapter. Did I say I was on a roll? lol Trying to work on Crosshairs and Perpetual Existence the rest of the week. And yes, The Whispering Woods will still update on Thursday. Thanks for reading. For anyone willing to buy me a coffee so I can write more often at a local cafe, I'll be posting links to Venmo, and Ko-fi on my Twitter profile and can be found on my Facebook page in the About section, or you can send or Starbucks e-gift to my email ericastwilight at gmail dot com. THANK YOU!
