After his tremendous fuck up earlier at McCarty's Market, Edward drove around Los Angeles trying to think of a way to get inside information to wrap up the case. He was still pissed off that he let Jacob get to him. Seeing Bella was almost worth the ass kicking he received. Punching the steering wheel, Edward swore under his breath as he merged onto the freeway. There must be something he could do to draw attention to himself.
After an hour of driving around, Edward parked his truck at the Marsh Street Nature Park and stared out over the river that wound its way through the park. Reaching over, he picked up the stack of files he had on Emmett McCarty and flipped it open. Sitting in his truck with the AC running, Edward skimmed through the information and smiled when he came across that Emmett was a street racer.
Edward smiled and realized this was his ticket in. Now, he had to find out where and when Emmett would race next. Closing the file, he tossed it back in the passenger seat and put the truck in drive. Finding his way back to the freeway, Edward merged into the heavy traffic and slowly made his way back toward the precinct.
Nearly an hour later he parked the truck and realized it was low on gas and turned off the engine. Exiting the truck, he bound up the steps and inside the cold ass building. He passed several cops who waved. Edward headed over toward his desk and sat down, seeing Jasper working on something.
"You busy?"
"Kind of," Edward replied, turning his laptop on.
"What the fuck happened to your face, man?" Jasper asked, rising from his seat and coming to sit on the edge of Edward's desk.
Edward rubbed his jaw and winced from the pain. "Yeah, that. I got into a fight with Jacob Black."
"You kick his ass?"
"Tried too. Emmett McCarty stepped in and put a stop to it." Edward sighed, typed in a few words and hit the enter button.
"The fuck he do that for?"
Edward shrugged. "Not a fucking clue. He's banned me from ever stepping onto his property again." His eyes skimmed the information, and he reached over to the top drawer of his desk and pulled out a notepad and pen. "I ran into the hot chick that I was dancing with at Midnight Sun."
"Oh yeah," Jasper asked, his eyes lighting up. "What's her story?"
"She's Emmett McCarty's little sister…"
"No fucking way…"
"Way. She's one hell of a flirt and smart as fuck too."
"So what are you planning on doing now?" Jasper asked, leaning over to look at the laptop screen.
"I am." Edward paused and looked at the screen before turning back to the notepad, "going to find out where Emmett McCarty will race next."
Jasper nodded at his friend and realized that whatever Edward was up to was about to become dangerous. He knew that Edward could handle himself in any situation, but racing cars was something that Edward lost his mind over.
"You want me to ride with you?" Jasper asked. "Or come along….." he winced seeing the baleful look Edward flashed him. "Oh fuck off, you know how you fucking get…"
"Yeah, I know how I get, but not this time," Edward snapped before taking a deep breath. "Listen, stay close, and I'll call if I need help."
Jasper nodded and clapped Edward on the shoulder before removing his sore ass off the desk and wandered back over to his own desk to keep working. Ten minutes later, Edward powered down the laptop and ripped the sheet of paper out of the notebook and walked off.
Climbing into his truck a few minutes later, he realized he had several hours before the race would probably start. Taking the freeway back toward his house, he pulled up after an hour of sitting in the hot fucking California heat and turned the truck off. Sweat was pouring down his back, even with the AC on.
His Eclipse was parked in the garage and looked lonely now that he wasn't driving it constantly. Edward could smell the funk of body odor and knew he needed a bath, but it wouldn't hurt to make sure the Eclipse was finely tuned for tonight. Cramming the piece of paper in his pocket, Edward walked around the large truck and opened the door to the Eclipse and sat down. Turning the engine over, he smiled and ran his hand over the steering wheel.
He could imagine what it would feel like to race this car, albeit illegally, but he was undercover. Backing out of the opened garage, he punched the button on the controller to close the garage and peeled out of the driveway. Edward turned left and headed toward the nearest auto-parts store.
Leaving several long, yet educating hours later, Edward pulled out of the parts store and headed back toward his house. Pulling into the driveway, he chuckled and shifted the car into Neutral and goosed it. He smiled, hearing the beautiful sound of his finely tuned engine. Parking the car, Edward reached over toward the passenger seat and pulled out a bag. Tapping the NOS container with affection, he pulled the keys from the ignition and exited the car.
Through the garage, Edward slipped the house key into the garage door and pushed it open a second later. Dropping the bag on the counter, he pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it in a full hamper of laundry. Flipping the bathroom light on, he walked over and turned the shower on.
Ten minutes later, he wiped the condensation off the bathroom mirror and looked around at the hair products sitting on his counter and went au natural. Opening the bathroom door, his skin prickled as he headed toward the closet in his room. Finding a white shirt and a pair of faded jeans, he slipped them on and shoved his feet in his Nike's.
Grabbing his keys and wallet a minute later, Edward was out of the house and into the muggy summer air. Sliding into his car a few minutes later, he peeled out of the driveway and onto the road. Reciting the last known address of the previous street race, Edward headed that direction.
Coming to a red light, Edward leaned back in his seat when his phone chimed. Flipping it open, he read the address. The race was off S Alameda Street, but that was as close as they could get without being spotted. Edward didn't know exactly where it was but he knew it was somewhere close to downtown LA. Merging onto the 110 Harbor Fwy, he fought the late afternoon traffic. He could have driven through the city but decided against traffic light stops.
Zipping in and out of the congested traffic, Edward gradually progressed his way toward the Santa Monica Fwy and groaned seeing the long line of traffic in front of him. He could see the heat waves coming from the hood of every car and wished for a split second he didn't live in LA. He raised his wrist to check the time he realized that he would be late.
The sky was nearly black when he finally merged off the Santa Monica Fwy and turned left onto S Alameda St. The streetlights illuminated the road ahead of him. Slowing his car to a stop, Edward stopped for a moment at a stop sign and sighed. Was he ever going to find this place?
Turning down a narrow back road, he turned down the radio to listen. In the distance was the booming sound of engines and music. His lips curved into a slow smile as he realized he had found the place. Revving his car loudly, Edward drove toward the entrance. He followed a black car and saw a long strip of road and a large crowd of people and cars.
Behind him were several more cars joining in on the race. Searching the cars as he passed, he wondered if Emmett McCarty would be there?
Driving through the large crowd of people, Edward eyed an opened spot and put his car in reverse and backed in. Getting out of the car, Edward looked around, lost, and searched for Emmett.
In minutes, a guy with black hair and a strong built who eyed his car accosted him.
"You lost?" he asked, stepping closer to the car.
"Nah man."
"Name is Sam Uley," he reached over to shake Edward's hand.
"Edward Masen…" Edward smiled as Sam nodded.
They spoke for another minute before a gangly tall man approached them. He had an intimidating look about him that sent the cop in Edward on edge. Edward watched as he approached, the man rubbing his chin as he looked at the car.
"Nice wheels, man."
"Yeah, thanks," Edward mumbled, shaking his head.
"You gonna race tonight?" the unnamed man asked.
"Yeah, just waiting on McCarty," Edward said, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"Well, get in fuckin' line…" the guy said as he turned toward Sam, "Yo man, how you hanging Sam?"
"Not bad... not bad."
"You racing too?"
"Nah, fuck that," Sam said, rolling his eyes. "My car is across the way."
"Hey man," Edward interrupted. They both turned to look at him. Edward nodded toward the unnamed visitor. "You got a name?"
"Yeaaaa…," the man drawled, dragging out the A. "Paul…"
Suddenly, the roar of engines and a cheer sprang from the crowd and Edward perked up to see what was going on. Paul rubbed his hands together and smiled wickedly… "Fuck yeah, he's here."
McCarty was here. *Finally*, Edward thought as he shuffled his feet in anticipation. As the crowd moved from their cars, Edward jerked as if shocked and followed them. Emmett pulled up in a red Mazda RX-7 and Edward knew that from looking at it, it was modified and fast.
The Mazda came to a rolling stop as did the ones behind it. Edward watched from behind a group of people as Emmett stepped out of the car and surveyed the crowd before walking over toward Sam and giving him a low-five. Two girls flanked him quickly, and Emmett turned his eye toward them.
Edward saw as several of Emmett's crew exit their cars and watched in amusement as a hot blonde chick, in a pair of tight jeans and a mesh top, stopped in front of Emmett. She was his woman.
She sniffed the air as if smelling something foul, "I smell skanks... Ladies why don't you fucking move along now? Bye-bye." She glared at the girls and shooed them away.
"Rosie, we were just talking…" Emmett said, holding his hands up.
"Right…" she muttered and walked off.
Edward snorted in amusement and moved closer to listen on better. He watched as Paul wandered over and gave his greetings.
"So what are we doing tonight?" Paul asked, rubbing his hands together. A shove by a random stranger startled Edward, but he was far too engrossed to react.
"One race-2G buy-in. Winner takes all…" Emmett said.
Edward fingered his back pocket and reached for his wallet. Before he could start counting, he looked up and saw her. Bella. What the fuck was she doing here? At a street race of all places? He didn't see her come in, but by fucking hell did she look good. Cursing, he realized he didn't have two grand sitting on him. The hell was his fucking problem showing up without fucking cash.
He resisted the urge to stomp his foot at his own idiocy. He needed in that fucking race! Pushing his way back toward his car, he jerked the passenger door opened and nearly ripped the glove-compartment apart to find the papers for his car. Finding them a minute later, he slammed the door closed and made his way back toward Emmett and others who were getting ready to head to their cars.
"Wait!" he called, coming to stand beside Sam. "I don't have the cash on me, but I have the pink slips in my car."
The surrounding crowd erupted into laughter. Frowning, Edward smothered the embarrassment that was creeping up on him. Emmett turned and glared at Edward, who didn't shrink from the hateful glare.
"That's cute," Emmett smirked and shook his head. "This buster here thinks he can walk up to us, throw some paper down and thinks he can join in?"
The crowd laughed harder and Edward started to get pissed off. He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by the one person he never thought would stand up for him.
"Let him," Bella spoke up, coming around to stand beside her brother. She shot Edward a look before turning back to look up at Emmett. "Let him race. See if he's any good. He loses... you get a free car."
"You can't be serious, B?"
"I am, Em!" Bella snapped at him.
"This asshole needs to fucking leave," Jacob sneered, coming to stand beside Bella.
"And you need to fuck off, Jake!" Bella snapped at him angrily. Edward smirked. She must not have forgiven the prick for jumping his ass earlier. Jacob placed his hands in front of him in surrender and backed off.
"Well?" Edward snipped, growing irritated.
Emmett turned and glared at him for a second, but Edward could tell he was contemplating Bella's words. If he lost, Edward would walk home tonight. If he won, he would have several thousand dollars in his pocket.
"Fine... you can race," Emmett conceded finally. "Let's go, everyone!"
In seconds, the mass of people was scurrying back to their cars and turning them on. The roaring sounds of engines filled the small alleyway and Edward didn't have time to smirk before hurrying back to his own car. He would follow the cars to the street where they would race.
Fifteen minutes later, Edward slowed his car down as the cars in front of him began to park and turn their engines off. Driving slowly beside the three other cars that would race that night, he felt a rush of excitement seeing all the people leaning up against their cars and cheering.
Edward kept his eyes on the road but could see Jacob peering into his car like he wanted to rip him out of it. His eye caught the hot blonde chick, named Rosie and Bella, who looked eagerly for the race to start. Gripping the wheel tightly, he knew he had to win. Win the money and win the respect from the other racers and get on Emmett's good side.
Edward realized how much of a novice he was at street racing when he skidded across the starting line. Realizing his fumble, he backed up and casually glanced at the other racers who shook their head in disappointment.
Reaching into the backseat, or what was left of it, he twisted the nozzles on two large NOS cans. The hissing noise filled the quiet car, and he quickly flipped the switches on to get the car ready. It was a waiting game for the signal to let the drivers know it was time to race and the cops would be busy.
Edward scoffed. Cops busy in LA, who the fuck knew?
Within minutes, Sam gave the signal and the roar of the engines nearly drove out the shouts and screams of bystanders. Sam raised his arms in the air and signaled for them to begin. Edward could barely hear Sam scream "GO!"
Nearly losing control of the car at the incredible speed he took off on, Edward found himself in fourth place. He followed the cars and frowned, seeing Emmett in the lead. Damn, he's fast Edward thought as he struggled to keep up. Down the long street, he raced before flipping on one of his NOS tanks. It threw him back into his seat as he passed Paul and into the third position—only trailing a few feet behind second.
He was going so fast that it was tearing up his car. When metal fell out, he suddenly passed Emmett, who glared at him. In seconds, Emmett had hit his NOS and sped past him. Shocked at the speed, Emmett was going Edward lost control of the car. He stopped on a dime and realized he was alive. Even though he had lost the race.
Driving down the road, he slowly made his way back toward the racers and the bystanders who had already forgotten about him. Coming to a stop, he got out of his car and closed the door, smiling.
He didn't win, but he was alive. One of Emmett's crew popped the hood of his car and smoke filtered out much to the amusement of everyone in the crowd. Emmett, Edward noticed, just shook his head in disbelief. Edward couldn't stop smiling.
"What the fuck are you smiling at?"
"Dude! I almost had you!" Edward cried joyfully as the crowd cheered.
"Fuck that! You never had me nor your car." Emmett replied as the crowd booed at the comeback. Edward tried to reign in his anger as Emmett strolled around his car and pointed out every fucking mistake he made during the race. Edward realized he had fucked up and lost. Lost his fucking car and now he would have to rely on the cops to help him with a new car.
Edward couldn't stomach to look at Bella, who was smiling at the scene. He didn't want to see her amusement that he lost.
… "Winning is winning…" he broke from his brooding to hear Emmett's final words before all pandemonium broke loose.
In seconds, over a speaker, they heard someone scream "COPS! COPS! COPS! LET'S GO!" Everyone began to scramble away in a hurry. Street racing was illegal and anyone caught would be cuffed and stuck in a cell for the night.
Sliding into his car a second later, he didn't see Bella leave but watched as Emmett raced away from the scene as fast as he could. In a matter of seconds, the LAPD swarmed the place and was ready to catch all cars that were there.
Edward had lost track of Emmett, much to his disappointment and drove around hoping to find him. When he did, Emmett was being chased by a cop. Screaming at him to get in, Emmett paused for a second before climbing in. Speeding away, the cop trailed him with his sirens blaring. Crossing through the back alleys of Los Angeles, Edward knew it would be stupid to drive on the main roads and to let the police catch even more.
He would have a lot of explaining to do if he was caught with Emmett McCarty in the car and that fragile trust would be lost before it solidified. Taking a major highway, Edward zoomed past two cops and drove off, losing them quickly.
Emmett turned to see the cops disappear and turned to glance at Edward, who was still concentrating. "You are the last person I expected…"
"Yea, well I thought if I got into your good graces, you'd let me keep my car."
Emmett chuckled and shook his head. "You are in my good graces, but your car is still mine."
Then something unexpected happened. Emmett began interrogating him. He asked him about his life and his driving skills. Emmett commented that he seemed as if Edward had raced before. What really stunned him was when Emmett brought up his two-year stint in juvie for boosting cars. Emmett said he had someone named Eric run a profile on him. This disturbed Edward. If he could find out about his juvie record in Forks, then he might find out that Edward was a cop.
Then Edward turned the tables on Emmett. "Yeah, what about you?"
"Two years in and I will die before I go back," Emmett responded quietly.
The drive back was quiet with no one following them until Emmett cursed and Edward saw a group of drivers on the back of crotch-rockets.
"The fuck is going on?"
"Just…."
"Follow us!" one rider said, tapping on the car with a gun in his free hand. Edward had no choice but to follow them. He grimaced as he realized the plot was thickening. Driving into the entrance of a red Asian building, Edward stopped the car in front of a statue garden, he stopped in front of a statue and turned off the car.
Getting out, alongside Emmett, the riders began removing their helmets. Edward wished he had a gun on him.
The leader, he presumed, began talking to them. Though Edward was certain that he was talking to Emmett.
"You know, McCarty. I thought we had a deal. You stay away, I stay away and everyone is happy."
"Listen, we got lost, James."
"Who's we?"
Emmett pointed toward Edward. "Edward meet James Baker. The one in the snakeskin pants is his cousin, Laurent Martin."
They began discussing the car in front of them. James wondered who it belonged too and when neither Edward nor Emmett claimed it, he called it a nobody car. Edward watched as James strolled around the car, critiquing it.
Within seconds, the riders were leaving at James's command. Edward tried to keep himself out of the conversation but caught that Emmett and James were talking about some race in the desert and how James would win. The engines revved loudly, and they took off leaving Emmett and Edward in the dust.
They started to get into the car when James and Laurent came back with their guns out and started shooting at the car. Emmett and Edward jumped aside as the car caught flame and James and Laurent sped away.
"NOS!" Emmett shouted and turned to run away before the car exploded.
Pissed off, Edward realized his car was gone. Edward learned during their twenty-mile hike back to Echo Park that a deal with Emmett and James had gone sour. Plus, he learned that things weren't good when Emmett was caught sleeping with James's sister. Two miles into their walk, they finally spotted a taxi. Within an hour, they had made it back to Echo Park to Emmett's house that he shared with his sister, Bella.
Edward sighed and started to walk away to find another taxi or a bus stop when Emmett called his name from the top step of the porch. He turned around in confusion and wondered what Emmett wanted now.
"You wanna come in for a beer?"
"Yea sounds great," Edward said, realizing that even if he didn't win tonight—he had found himself in Emmett McCarty's good graces and that was good enough for him.
Tonight had been one hell of a night. First, he raced, lost, and was chased by cops. Then he found out Emmett's past dealings and now the man wanted him to come inside for a beer?
Edward realized he needed to find another car…. and fast!