Chapter Ten—Another Chase
The arrangements were made the following day after the successful dinner with Isabella's father. Edward didn't have an ounce of nerves, which was strange considering he was taking the woman he'd come to know and care for to meet his family. His parents would know the relationship was serious and that he would soon ask for Isabella's hand in marriage.
Well, after he told her the truth about who he was and how their lives would change once she agreed to be his wife. His family often told him that his confidence would one day be his downfall, but he knew Isabella would agree to marry him. It was in her kiss, her touch, and the everyday things she did to make him happy. Things and gestures most people took for granted. They wanted the same things relationship wise.
There was also the chance she would hang him by the balls if she didn't like the fact he'd been lying to her for two months. He could handle it…he hoped.
It was the day they were leaving for Idaho—where they'd pick up a car and drive to Chicago; another precautionary measure his father insisted he'd take. It would have them arriving quite late into the city, but they already had a brunch planned for the following morning, which most of the family would attend.
Jasper had declined the invitation to return home for a couple days.
Edward knew they had to get up to start their day, but between the warmth of the bed and Isabella's naked body beside his, it seemed an impossible task.
Isabella tried to move away shortly after the alarm on her cell phone went off, but Edward tugged her closer to his body. "Edward." She sighed, smiling. "We need coffee and muffins."
It would be so easy to convince her of a short delay; all he needed to do was seduce her with a few sexy words and his tongue. His lips swept along the back of her shoulders, scraping his teeth over her skin.
"Edward." The breathless quality of her voice was not helping matters, his cock up and ready to go. She whined a little more, reminding him of the time.
"Fine. We need to head to the airport in an hour anyway." He smacked her ass as she shifted off the bed. He loved watching her get dressed; she always made it hot somehow. The smirk she gave him over her shoulder, as she left the room, promised an interesting flight.
Once Isabella was out of sight, it was easier for Edward to get ready, dressing in a pair of dark slacks and matching dress shirt. He was debating a tie when he heard Isabella scream downstairs.
He ran to the window, slipping his gun from under the mattress on the way. His blood ran cold as two men dragged Isabella toward a black sedan. She bit one of them, screamed, and kicked, almost freeing herself, but a third man joined the others.
Edward ran down the stairs, ignoring her distraught employees, his shoulder hitting the door hard. The car's brakes squealed as it sped away. "Fuck!" He couldn't shoot at it with Isabella inside.
Suddenly, Riley drove up in Isabella's GTX. The other guards were in an SUV passing them and already gaining on the sedan. Edward dove in as the door opened, demanding Riley drive.
Riley was quick to report. "We got word Alec's cousins were in the city and not to sightsee."
Edward pulled out a secure cell phone, calling his father. "Someone took Isabella."
"Fuck. We just got word that Aro has people there. Does this mean war, Son?"
Edward's father was asking if Isabella was the one.
"Yes."
"Shoot to kill, bring her home, then we'll decide what to do next."
"We're bringing every fucking piece of Rossi shit down." Edward hung up, keeping an eye on the sedan. "Give me your phone, Riley. I need to talk to one of the others."
Riley tossed Edward his phone, swerving to avoid a truck that almost sideswiped them.
Edward issued orders when someone answered. "Get along the side of it. If she's down, shoot the motherfuckers. They can't get to the damn freeway." If they did, they'd lose the vehicle.
The crew's SUV caught up to the sedan; Isabella's GTX eating up the road between it and the two speeding vehicles. Edward's men shot out a side window of the sedan, but bullets flew toward them, forcing them to swerve away.
Edward realized where they were. "The fuckers didn't even plan for this!" He'd spent hours memorizing maps of the area, because knowing escape routes was a necessity. The road led to a new development in the first phase of construction and a dead end.
The chase continued well past houses until it was nothing but empty plots and skeletal frames of new homes. His crew tried again, but their SUV fishtailed, spinning out of control, the gas tank exploding.
Edward hardened his heart to get the job done; his only fucking priority was Isabella. "Fuck!" They passed the burning wreckage, no sign of any of the three men surviving, lost in a fireball. "Get us closer, Riley!"
Brakes protested behind them; the extra security team finally caught up, in a bigger SUV than the first.
"Fucking finally," Riley said, gesturing for them to go to the right.
Gravel spit up at Edward's face, as he tried to shoot a tire. Bullets pinged off the side of the car, making him dive inside again. "Goddammit, get me closer to that car!" He couldn't get a visual of anyone inside. "How did they know I'm here?"
Heads were going to roll for that shit.
Edward also realized he was a damn idiot. He'd been so focused on compatibility, on a woman who wouldn't be after his money, and loyalty, but he needed her love, too. He was just figuring that out, and now, he could lose her.
The other crew tried to force the car toward the GTX, but the move sent the SUV into an embankment, flipping on its side.
"Fuck!" Edward ducked several wild shots from inside the sedan. "Get me beside them again."
Riley pointed at a road construction sign. The dead end on all the maps no longer was one; it was open, no concrete blocks anymore. It was still only dirt and gravel, but the sedan could hit the freeway in minutes.
"We've got to stop them now!"
The sedan suddenly veered to the right, then jerked wildly to the left, and back again.
"What the fuck is going on?" Fear and pure rage threatened Edward's heart to explode in his chest. "Isabella!" The sedan hit the steep embankment at top speed, sending it spinning into the air. "Nooooo!"
The car rolled a few times, landing on its tires, finally skidding to a stop.
Edward jumped out of the GTX, calling for Isabella, despite Riley's protest. A man stumbled out of the wreckage, blood pouring from his neck, his hand clutched tightly against the wound. Edward shot him without a second thought.
Isabella climbed out, her hand covered in blood, more coming from a cut on her head. Her eyes locked with his, aiming a gun at him. "Who are you?" She held onto her side, breathing hard. "You're in my crosshairs, Edward, answer me." There was a startling difference in her voice, in the disturbing calm of her expression.
Edward stood stock-still, a mere six feet away. If she shot the gun accidentally, she'd probably hit him or Riley. Possibly, even kill one of them.
Riley caught up to Edward, held up his gun, aiming it at her.
Edward lowered his weapon, holding up his free hand. "Baby, I need to check your head."
"Don't baby me!" She put her finger on the trigger. "Who are you?"
"Edward," Riley hissed, the click of him removing his safety sounded like a warning to Edward.
"Don't you dare." Edward kept his eyes on Isabella. "I'll tell you everything, but I need to check your wounds."
"They were using me to get to you!" Her eyes narrowed. "Tell me who the fuck you are or I'll shoot."
"Do you even know how to use one of those?" Edward asked.
She pulled the trigger, the bullet barely missing his shoulder. "Does that answer your question? Now answer mine."
"Drop your gun, or I'll shoot." Riley had to protect Edward at all costs.
"Lower your fucking gun." Edward looked at Riley, realizing how serious he was. Riley was under his father's orders now, not his.
"Fuck this." Isabella kept her gun aimed at them, pulling out her phone. "Password, alpha, niner, tango, bird."
"Voice identification confirmed."
She held up her phone toward Edward and Riley. "Run face recognition program."
"Oh fuck." Riley shifted, but Edward held up his hand.
"Riley Biers, aliases Elijah Greene, Xavier Viridian. Arrested for armed robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, drug trafficking."
"I am under strict orders by your father to protect your identity, Edward." Riley's voice, though loud, was calm and clear.
Edward maintained eye contact with Isabella. "Let her find out, Riley. I love her. You shoot her, I'll end you."
Isabella's eyes bounced between them, then her phone spat out the truth. "Edward Anthony Carlisle Cullen."
She exhaled sharply, her shoulders minutely lowering. "Why didn't you fucking say so? It would've saved me a lot of trouble. Jesus."
Riley nearly choked on his tongue, surprised by her words. "You know who he is?"
She didn't bother answering Riley, keeping her eyes on Edward.
"Who are you?" Edward had a feeling he was about to learn a whole other side of the woman he loved.
"I am Phoenix." Isabella curtsied, a smile on her lips, somehow keeping her gun on them.
"Phoenix?" Riley didn't understand the look between Edward and his bitch, but he was about to shoot and ask questions later.
Edward's mind pieced things together. "She's one of our best contractors."
"Contractor?" Riley's hand shook. "Do you mean hitman?"
Isabella kept her aim on Edward. "Did you mean it?"
Edward didn't hesitate—she'd heard him confess his feelings for her. "Yes, I meant it."
Something came over her facial features, a coldness he never would've expected she was capable of. "Only those I work directly with know what Phoenix looks like."
Edward got the message. Keeping his eyes on her, he shot Riley in the head in the next second. Riley's body dropped before Edward could put his hand down.
Isabella's eyes rolled back in her head, gun falling from her fingertips. "I love you, too."
Edward lunged for her, capturing her before she hit the dirt. There was blood everywhere, but he wasn't sure who it belonged to, fear made his heart race and sweat break out. He headed for the GTX, cursing when he saw the other security team catching up on foot. They would follow his orders, but he wasn't sure he could trust any of them.
Someone informed the Rossi Family of his whereabouts.
"Riley?" David asked, leader of the second team, looking at the scene around them.
Edward gestured toward the body several yards away. "Dead."
The crew didn't need to know he had killed Riley. Judging by the look on David's face, he didn't give a fuck. It would mean he'd be head of security for the remainder of their stay, which wouldn't be for much longer.
"Clean up here, then head to my house. We need to clean up there too, before we head out."
"Sure thing, boss."
"Jesus Christ." One of the others looked inside the sedan. "Someone decapitated the driver."
Edward looked at Isabella, her eyes fluttering open. A thin piece of razor-sharp wire was in her bloody palm, and he recognized a charm like the one on the black bracelet she favored. It was the same piece of jewelry. She winked, blowing him a kiss.
"Torch the scene." That was his last order before closing the passenger door with Isabella safe inside.
David nodded, already on top of it, one the others siphoning a work truck nearby.
Edward had them on the road in seconds, watching as Isabella pulled out a piece of metal from her side.
Applying pressure on the wound, she looked at him. "Am I still meeting your family?" Her eyes closed.
"Don't close your eyes, Isabella." Blood dripped down her temple. "Put some pressure on your head, baby."
"I've had worse."
He believed her. "Unbelievable, I'm fucking the Phoenix."
Her next words were slurred. "I've got it worse. I'm fucking a Cullen."
Edward snorted. "Our families might not like this."
Isabella laughed, smiling at him. "Why? We're a match made in heaven."
They were. "Do you realize what taking you to meet my family means?"
"You can tell your father, but no one else. My anonymity keeps me alive." There was a story that went with that statement, and considering who she was, he believed her.
Edward had to make a call, but not before, he had some answers. "I have no problem with that, but that's not what I meant."
"It means you want to marry me." Her eyes teared up, warmth in them again. "You'd already made up your mind when you first asked me to come home with you."
"Yes, I did." He looked at her then; she was so fucking beautiful. "Stay with me, Isabella."
She nodded sleepily. "Take me home."
AN: Now we're up to the end of the one shot. Lots to come, some drama, a lot of action, and more secrets will be revealed to our couple. How are they going to handle the truth? Thanks to MC for your help with the chapter, thanks to everyone recommending this fic everywhere, I appreciate it.
