Chapter 6 "You win, we talk."
The day dragged on for Edward, who was sweating in the immense California desert heat. Bella arrived an hour ago, and he had yet to greet her. Sitting on the hood of his car, he ran his hands over his face remembering what James Baker said.
None of them knew it was Edward who ratted James out, not Emmett. He was going to let Emmett take the fall for this to keep his cover. Shuffling his feet, he jumped feeling the sting of a slap on the back of his upper shoulders.
"You ready for your race?" Emmett asked, coming to stand beside him. In his hand were two cold beer. Handing Edward one, the tired cop took it and took a long pull.
"Yea, when is it?" he asked, lowering the bottle from his lips.
"In an hour. I don't know who your competition will be, but," Emmett paused turning to look at Edward. "You win this, we will talk."
"Talk about what?" Edward probed.
Emmett smiled at him and took a swig of his beer, "Win the race, Edward."
Emmett tapped him on the back again and walked off. Edward sighed and titled his head back, letting the sun heat his face up. McCarty would not divulge his secrets that easily. Especially to someone he barely knew.
Around him was the buzzing of engines and the small roar of talking people. Two scantily clad women passed him, eyeing him as they did, but he wasn't interested. His heart, unbeknownst to him, belonged to Bella. When he finally cracked this case, and the suspect was Emmett, it was going to shatter whatever relationship he built with Bella.
Or he could do the opposite.
He could let Emmett go if he was caught in the act. Could he let him go? Give the man a second chance at life. He would lose his job as a cop if he did. He would be on the run from the police until he cleared his name.
Finishing the beer, he pushed himself off his car and wandered around the crowded desert. No-one stopped to speak to him but it was fine with him. Finding a trash can, he chucked the beer in it and fished his phone out of his pocket.
Scrolling through the contacts, he stopped seeing Jasper's name. How long had it been since they spent time together outside of work? Pushing the phone icon, it surprised him to hear it ringing. After a few rings, the call connected.
"Sup Edward."
"Hey, Jas. How are you?"
"I'm fine... he drawled, realizing this wasn't a social call. "What's wrong, Edward? The case not going anywhere?"
"Oh no, it's going. I am close. Closer than I was the night they nearly caught us."
"Is it the woman, Bella?"
Edward chuckled to himself. Here he needed a support call from his best friend. He paused his pacing and looked out at the horizon. The roar of two engines speeding up caught his attention.
"Man, where are you?"
Edward looked around, hoping nobody was listening in. "It's called Race Wars."
"Ah, I've heard of it. Illegal drag racing in the desert."
Edward was shocked, "How in the fuck you know this?"
Jasper chuckled, "I know many things, Edward."
"Asshole," Edward muttered.
"But you still love me." Jasper snarked.
"When this is over, we need to do something."
"Like what?"
"Fuck if I know. Just something. Shoot pool, play ball, watch a fucking game."
"Yea, we do. Listen, are you racing?"
"Kind of have too.."
The line went quiet. Edward pulled the phone away from his ear to look at the screen. Nope, he was still connected. Putting the phone back to his ear, he heard Jasper speak.
"You have to race, don't you? You have to find out if McCarty is the hijacker?"
"Yea, unfortunately." Edward could hear Jasper sigh on the other end of the line.
"Just be fucking careful, you feel me?"
Lowering his head, Edward closed his eyes, "Yea, I feel ya."
Out of the corner of his eye, Edward saw Emmett approaching. He said nothing, but he didn't need too, it was time for Edward's race.
"Listen Jas, I gotta go..."
"Yea, me too. I'm taking Alice out tonight. I'll call you soon, okay?"
"Yea, soon..."
Before he could chicken out and confess his soul, Edward closed the phone and shoved it in his pocket. He could feel Emmett's eyes on him and the unasked questions of who was he talking too and if he was ready. Edward really didn't want to deal with it.
"You ready for this?" Emmett asked his voice filled with caution.
Giving him a fake smile, Edward turned to him and nodded, "Yea, I am."
Neither of them said a word as they pushed their way toward the roped-off area where two drivers would race. Edward stopped seeing his car already sitting there, waiting on him. Telling him, it was time to finally prove his worth. That he could drive, that he could win.
Winning led to solving this case.
The failure resulted in the loss of his job and possibly his life.
The cheering of the crowd behind him surged him forward. Walking to the driver's side door, he placed his hand on the handle before opening it up. The interior of the car was like the first car he raced. Taking a seat in the soft leather seat, he sat back and reached for the seatbelt. He barely heard it click as he reached for the key.
Turning the car on, the rumble of the engine soothed his nerves a bit. He could do this. Tapping his foot impatiently, he stole a glance at the other driver. The bright yellow car with black racing stripes nearly blinded him in the later afternoon sun, but it was the driver that concerned him.
The car was nothing if the driver wasn't good.
The kid behind the wheel looked to be about eighteen. Edward could see the cocky attitude pour off him in waves. The little shit thought he was going to win with his daddy's money. Edward's lips curved into a smile as he imagined winning this race just to his this punk cry.
Revving the engine, he waited for the gunshot to begin the race. Seconds after he took his third breath, the bang of the handgun shook him from his thoughts and he slammed his foot on the accelerator. He could hear the squealing of the tires as the smell of burning rubber entered his nostrils.
Tuning it out, Edward shifted gears flawlessly as if he had been racing for years instead of days. It was only a quarter-mile strip, he could do this. Keeping his eyes on the finish line ahead, Edward glanced to his left as the yellow and black striped car passed him.
Grimacing, his face hardened at the thought of losing. Pushing two buttons on his steering wheel, Edward heard the hiss of the NOS pumped into the engine. The intense acceleration of the car pushed him back into his seat. His eyes widened at the blur of the world passing him by in the late sun.
Soaring across the finish line, Edward whooped with joy. He won. He finally fucking won. Turning the car around, he drove slowly toward the starting line. The crowd of people parted as he came to a slow stop. Putting the car in park, he turned the engine off and sat back in his seat. He watched the small crowd cheer for him.
He found Emmett and Rose standing in the crowd. A small nod of Emmett's head confirmed that he would join them on the next raid. He let out a harsh breath. He could feel the adrenaline running through his veins at the opportunity before him.
Getting out of the car, he pocketed his keys and gave an encouraging smile to those still left cheering him. As the door closed, he pushed through the disappearing crowd to be barreled over by a flash of dark hair.
Wrapping his arms around a very ecstatic Bella, he leaned his head back to receive the kiss she gave him. Hands wandered as Edward grabbed Bella's delectable ass and gave it a tight squeeze. Her hands were fisted in his shirt, holding him still for her lip assault.
"You know, you hurt my sister, I'll have to kill you," a voice drawled, breaking the lover's kiss.
Edward lifted his head to see a smirking Emmett. Rose was hooked to his arm, her eyes wide with joy. There was something about Rose that Edward couldn't put his finger on. While they had never been friends, they were semi-friendly, as long as it was one to two-word sentences.
Quietly, Edward thought she was a pretentious bitch. To her face, he would smile and nod his head whenever he was in her company. No use hating on Emmett's old lady, it would ruin whatever he built.
"I don't plan on hurting her," Edward lied through his teeth. He wasn't planning on it until she found out he was a cop, then the pain would set in. He would be lucky if she let him live after that.
"Good. Now we need to talk," Emmett said, eyeing Edward who was still wrapped around his sister.
"Come on, Em! You guys can talk later," Bella whined, turning around to face her brother.
Edward watched as Emmett caved to his sister. If there was one thing he learned about Emmett was that he was a family man who loved his crew, his woman and spoiled his sister. He let out a breath of air, dropping his head. He was still in the game, but it wouldn't be right now.
"Now... where were we?" Bella asked seductively, pulling him close for a searing kiss.
Later that night, the party was in full swing. The music was loud, and the alcohol flowed freely. Edward knocked on the door of the trailer and yelled for Emmett. When the door opened revealing Bella, he cursed and looked around.
"Where's your brother?"
"What do you mean?"
"Where. Is. Your. Brother?" Edward demanded slowly.
"I don't know what you mean..." she replied coyly.
"Fuck! You know, don't you! What the fuck Bella? I want to know why your brother is driving off in the middle of the night. It's the trucks, isn't it?" he demanded, his anger finally getting to him.
"Trucks? What trucks?" she snapped, pushing past him and stalking off.
He swore to himself quietly and chased after her. Grabbing her by the crook of her arm, he turned her around to face him.
"What?" she demanded.
"Listen to me," he demanded, getting close to her. "Bella, I am a cop."
"Jesus Edward, what is this?"
"The second I walked into the deli, I have been undercover. I am sorry Bella, but I have to know what your brother is doing. Is he the one hijacking the semi-trucks?"
She stared at him in disgust. Turning away from him, she stormed off. "You fucking bastard. Leave me the fuck alone!"
Edward raced after her again and turned her around, the tears in her eyes made him feel like a bastard. "Everything I have ever felt or said to you is real. All of it. Right now it's not about you and me and now it's serious. If you want nothing to happen to your family. You need to get into the car and help me. Please ... please help me." he begged.
He couldn't stand seeing her cry. It gutted him, but he needed her help if he was going to save her family from going to jail or being murdered by the armed truck drivers. Every second that she thought things over was another second lost to catch up to the team. Edward wanted to scream out loud. He wanted to tug all the strands of hair from his head.
Finally, Bella nodded and Edward heaved a sigh of relief. Taking her hand, she snatched it away. Clearly, she didn't trust him any longer. The knife twisted further into his heart. Sliding into the driver's seat of his car, he turned the car on and waited for her to get in. Once in, they sped off quickly in the darkening sky to chase after her brother.
Neither of them spoke while Edward raced down the main highway back toward Los Angeles. They were miles into the desert, it would be almost impossible to catch up to them now. Edward had to keep faith. His job was on the line. His life was on the line and it was hanging by a bare thread now.
Glancing over at Bella, whose beauty was marred by the worry that was etched on her beautiful face. She was staring out the window, her head resting on the glass. Her eyes were far away as if she wished she wasn't in the car with Edward. He wanted to reach out and take her hand but he knew she wouldn't have it.
Sighing, he turned his attention back to the task ahead. The hot Californian sun rose and make its presence known. Edward frowned seeing the sunlight. He wasn't aware it was late when they left. They should almost be back to civilization soon.
Up ahead, along the long barren road of desert, Edward could make out a contingent of cars. A large truck was in front of them. It took Edward a second to realize they finally caught up with Emmett and his crew. He bet everything Jake and Rose was in on the heist.
Pressing on the accelerator, Edward subconsciously checked to make sure he was strapped in. His gun was located in the glove box in front of Bella, who finally saw what Edward was seeing. He couldn't turn his head to see what she was going through, he had to make it to the driver before someone died.
Speeding up, he pushed the car to the limit. Watching with tired eyes, he saw the truck swerve as people began jumping out of the cars and hopping onto the semi. One body, that looked like Jake, was on the passenger door when his head snapped back and he ducked.
Edward had a sinking feeling the driver was armed. He could make out the glass spraying everywhere, landing on Jake. The truck swerved again as another body shimmied over to the driver's side. He watched in fascination as the door swung open, throwing the body flat against the truck. Over the roar of the engine, Edward swore he heard a gunshot.
He was finally behind a black unmarked car that he assumed Rose was driving. How they would get away with this using one car, he didn't know. Suddenly, another shot rang over the roar of the heist as they watched in horror as Jake was thrown from the truck and into the desert sand, hitting a cactus. He watched the other body crawl over the truck and jump onto the black car, holding on for dear life.
Bella's scream distracted him and he slammed on the brakes to see the semi-truck slam into the black car Rose was driving, pushing them off the road. The driver sped away as the black car rolled twice before landing on the hood.
The car came to a sudden stop. Edward looked at Bella, who had tears streaming down her lovely face, and turned the car off. Ripping his seatbelt from his body, he frantically pushed the door open before sprinting toward the rolled car.
Racing past the rolled car, Edward skidded to a halt seeing Jake laying on the ground, blood pouring out of a gunshot wound. Frantically thinking how he could help save his life, he turned to see Bella helping Emmett up. Edward winced seeing the fury on Emmett's face. Turning back to Jake, who was moaning in pain, Edward reached for his phone.
Bella and Emmett rushed over to help Edward, who was tying a tourniquet around Jake's arm to slow the blood flow. Edward instructed Emmett to keep the arm raised. Flipping it open, he quickly dialed emergency to medivac. He didn't want to blow his cover, but he knew that if they didn't get Jake to a hospital in ten minutes; he was dead.
"Yea, this is Officer Edward Cullen, I'm off duty M.A.P.D. I need a life flight to roll out right away." he gasped trying to talk and seeing the fury on Emmett's face as he rose up to glare at him. "My twenty is Highway 86, mile marker 147."
Edward swapped the phone to his other ear as he described Jake to the dispatch. As he did, he glanced over at Emmett, who was finally rising to his feet. Emmett turned to look at Bella, who was begging him not to do anything stupid while Edward was trying to save Jake's life.
Edward dropped the phone when they realized Jake was going into shock. Everyone rushed to help Jake, but they were slowly losing him. Within six minutes, they heard the blades of a medivac helicopter.
Turning to Emmett and Bella, he realized they didn't need to be here. Edward would take the fall for this. "You both need to leave now! I can handle this. I will call you when we get to the hospital."
"No! We're not leaving you!" Bella shouted over the roaring sound of the helicopter.
"Yes, you are damn it! You can't get caught here," he fished out his keys, tossing them to Emmett. "Take my car and go!"
Emmett caught the keys with his right hand, the fury written all over his face. For the first time in a long time, Edward felt fear. Emmett could reach out and snap his fucking neck in a heartbeat, but Edward knew he wouldn't do that in front of his sister. He loved his sister far too much to do something cruel.
"How are you going to get back?" she asked, coming to her feet. Bella knew he was right, even if she was pissed at him.
"I'll find a ride," Edward promised her as the helicopter landed. Giving him a frantic nod, she and Emmett ran for the car and in seconds, sped away with Rose sitting in Bella's lap.
Sitting in the dirt, Edward moved out of the way as the medics swarmed him. Pushing him to the side, Edward watched helplessly as the medics worked on Jake to keep him alive long enough to make it to a nearby hospital. Five minutes later, Jake was strapped to a gurney and pushed toward the helicopter. Edward wearily watched as the helicopter lifted off, carrying Jake.
He didn't ask what hospital they were taking him too, but he figured Jake could call Emmett when he was out of surgery. Closing his eyes, he felt bone tired. The bright sunlight burned his eyes under the closed lids. Sweat stuck to his clothes. Sighing, he knew his job was toast. He was going to be fucking fired the second he walked into the prescient.
If Emmett didn't kill him first.
Looking around for his phone, he found it buried under a rock. He must have thrown it when they were trying to keep Jake from going into shock. Flipping it open, he was happy to see the screen wasn't cracked or damaged. Finding the number he was looking for, he pressed the Send button.
"Sup Ed." Jasper's voice rang clear.
"I fucked up Jas," Edward sighed heavily.
"The fuck you mean, you fucked up?"
"That's what I mean, I fucked up."
"Where are you?"
"On Highway 86. Mile marker 147." Edward replied, not really wanting to hear his best friend bitch.
"You're in the fucking desert!"
"Yep. Can you come and get me?"
"Yea, yea. I can be there in two hours or so. Can you last two hours?"
"I hope so."
"You're not hurt, are you?" Edward smiled hearing the concern in Jasper's voice.
"No, I am not hurt. Tired, hungry and thirsty, but not hurt."
"Thank God for that. I'll be there shortly."
Edward hung up the phone and rose to his feet. Looking around the sandy desert, he realized he didn't want to be here any longer. Walking toward the highway, he saw the black car rolled over onto the hood. He wasn't sure how he was going to explain that when Jasper pulled up.
Two long hours later, Jasper's silver Chevy Silverado slowed to look at the rolled car before coming to a stop in front of Edward. Reaching for the handle, Edward jerked it open and climbed in. The AC was on high as he sat down. Once buckled, Jasper did a U-turn and drove back toward the city.
"Here's a drink for you," Jasper said, handing him an oversized water bottle.
"Thanks, man," Edward said appreciatively, twisting the cap off and guzzling the water quickly.
"So you gonna tell me how you fucked up?"
Edward sighed and lowered the water bottle. "I blew my cover. I caught the ones who were doing the hijacking."
Jasper said nothing, waiting on his friend to continue with his story.
"But I fucked up when one of the guys was injured. I couldn't let him die, Jas. I called in medivac to take him to a hospital. I told Bella and Emmett to run like hell. I would call them when I could."
"You're a dead man, you know that?" Jasper said, taking his eyes off the road for a second to look at his friend.
"Don't I fucking know it," Edward muttered, looking out the window. "I know I've lost my fucking job for this too."
"Not yet, you haven't. You still have to bring McCarty in." Jasper reminded him.
Edward sighed and closed his eyes. He didn't want to tell Jasper that he couldn't do it. He couldn't betray Emmett like that. In his time undercover, he had grown close to the McCarty's. So much that he couldn't turn them over to the cops. It wouldn't be right if he did.
Resting his head on the window, much like Bella had earlier, Edward watched as the world pass him by. Jasper merged on the I-10W for the next hundred plus miles. The desert terrain was slow to turn back into city life. Eventually, the skyline of Los Angeles came into focus.
Hunger gnawed at him as they continued to pass by restaurants. He couldn't remember the last time he ate. He even wondered if there was food in his cabinets. Closing his eyes against the blaring midday sun, he wished for a bed.
Nothing was said until Jasper pulled into the concert driveway of his home. The small two-bedroom house was cheap enough but secure that he didn't feel threatened by the neighborhood.
Jasper parked the truck, wondering what was going through his oldest friend's mind. It was his duty to catch the criminal and turn him over to the police, but when he was asked about it, Edward clammed up.
Had McCarty gotten under his skin so much that Edward could not bring himself to turn him over? It unnerved the blonde-haired cop that his friend was having second thoughts about his duty. His duty was to uphold the law and to apprehend criminals, not take their side. He and Edward were similar in many ways, but this one thing he was sure he wouldn't change.
Jasper said nothing as Edward turned, giving him a small smile before climbing out of the truck. He said nothing when the door shut quietly as Edward began the short hike toward the garage that led into the house. Shaking his head, he felt his phone buzz. Sliding his body back, he shoved his hand in his front pocket and pulled out his phone. It was Alice. It was time to head home.