Devotion 21
"Hey, you do me that way? Where's my dog, man? I want a dog." This was Undie talking. Apparently, he knew all about Bella stopping here after work. Edward had replaced Undie, and he wasn't taking it lying down.
Bella stood. "We're out of here, dude. You want something get a menu."
Edward stood as well, threw money on the table and started to follow Bella out. Undie was chattering, but Edward was sizing up where everyone stood.
"I can do whatever I want," Bella said to Undie now.
Undie and the two others crowded the door. Edward caught up with Bella and pushed her past the first two. Undie blocked the way.
"Slow down," Undie said.
"Get out of the way, Riley," Bella said.
"Excuse us," Edward said.
"Move," Bella said, pushing against Riley.
"You with him now? All night…" Riley said.
"Get out of my way," Bella said closer to Riley's face.
Edward moved Bella enough he could squeeze in front of her. He forced Riley to take a step back.
"Get your hands off me, man," Riley yelled.
The cookie came out of the back. "No trouble now," he was saying from behind the counter.
"No trouble," Edward said, allowing Bella to squeeze through the small space he'd made pushing Riley back. She got out the door, and Edward followed. And Riley followed. And the two he was with.
Undie was still mouthy. He said her name five, six times. Bella turned and yelled, "I'm going home. If you're bent out of shape, that's on you. This kind of stuff doesn't work on me. Now back off."
"All night you been playin' me?" Riley said.
"No," Bella said. "I was doing my job, asshole."
Bella got in the car. Edward got in his side more slowly. Before she pulled out, Riley punched the hood. Bella slammed on the brakes and Edward said sternly, "Go!"
She shot Edward a look and put it in park and got out the door charging to inspect the front of her car. "You hit my car? Don't come around me again. I see you at the club I'll have them throw you out."
"Why you do me like this?" Riley said getting close to her. His two buddies stayed put near the door of the restaurant. They seemed amused.
"We were having fun. That's all. It was never going anywhere," she said loudly. "What are you going to do? Force yourself on me? That's assault. This right here? It's an incident. I get a PO on you forget visiting your buddies at my building."
Edward had his hand on the door ready to exit.
"Oh yeah? Like with Jasper and that bitch Alice?" Riley said.
Edward expected Bella to explode, but she got right up in Riley's face. "You think that guy inside hasn't called the cops? Stay right here dude, and it will go down just like I said."
Riley shook his hands up and down like he was scared. Edward moved a little, watching those hands.
One of his buddies said, "C'mon, man. No cops. The bitch ain't worth it."
Riley spat. "You so right," he said, eyes still on Bella.
Bella turned away and got back in the car. She threw it in reverse and pealed out like she had at Vibe.
They were far down the road when she asked Edward, "You got nothing to say?"
She drove too fast, and her car ran like its knees were knocking.
"Well," she said looking at him, less patient, "at least tell me how I did. That's why you showed up, isn't it?"
She looked away, and Edward studied her.
"You wanted to see how it was. If I could handle myself." She smirked at him. Proud.
She was right. He'd stayed at Vibe to see how it was. To assess how it was for her.
But that's not the only reason he had come.
"You're reckless," he said.
"Oh?" she laughed. She drove faster.
But he'd meant to say it about himself—the reckless part.
He looked in the side view mirror.
He was having trouble staying away from her. And apparently, so was Undie.
"Up ahead, you get by the warehouses, pull in a side street," Edward said.
Bella looked at him like he was on fire, then she checked the mirror. "I can handle this," she said firmly.
"You've had your turn," he said.
"What are you going to do? Go all Wild West! There are three of them!"
"Turn up here," Edward said. "Go down the street. Down to the tracks. Turn right."
"That's not a street!"
"Do it," Edward said looking over his shoulder. Undie hadn't turned yet.
Bella turned and went along the tracks.
"Cross them," Edward said.
"What? I'm nursing these tires, dude."
"Now!" Edward said. She crossed them. There were more tracks.
"Keep going!" he said.
"I don't…shit!" Bella did as he said and Edward grit his teeth to keep them in his head.
"Pull down there," he said pointing to an abandoned shack built next to the tracks. They got down there, and he told her to stop. "Kill your lights."
Bella did as he said.
"Turn it off. Turn it off!" he said.
"All right. Damn." She turned it off. "Oh my God. Where are we?"
"Sit tight," he said and exited the car quickly. He closed the door on her voice asking where he was going. He went to the water and pissed, and ran his hands through his hair. Three tracks over a train ran through, rumbling the ground.
"What the hell are we doing?" Bella yelled near his shoulder.
He didn't answer right away. They stood in the dark and watched the dark water move in front of them, and the train rumble from behind.
"You going to kill me?" she said finally. "I mean…Riley was nothing next to this."
Edward took in the air, damp and dirty, but better here than nights in his apartment when he awoke choking.
"I've a…I've been two things. Worn two uniforms." He looked quickly at her. "They're not so different."
"Okay," she said as the train pulled its tail into the darkness.
He studied her a moment. "If I go back…talk to you about it…I bring them here. Understand?"
Bella shook her head. "Go on."
"I'm just…this now. And I'm here. I don't know…future. I don't live for it. I don't have a goal I can explain to you. I don't have one. Just this. I'm alive. I know that. I breathe. I…shit." He laughed a little, and she moved closer. Put her hand on his arm.
"I…I thought maybe I'd try bartending. You know? But…I got bored." Now she laughed. "I…don't like…stick with things. I sometimes," she moved her chin in a bit of a circle, "tell a story…wrong. I don't know. But I can shake my ass! What can I say? I've got like…ABC. The whole fucking alphabet."
Edward touched her chin, and she was looking up at him. His hand moved down her neck, over her shoulder.
He moved his arm around her, and she stepped close, and he held her against him. Slowly, her arms came around him, and they stood like that.