Chapter 8

Walking into their Hands

Edward gleefully stepped out of the police cruiser. He was blissfully happy in the fact that he was about to return to work. And, not only that, but he was getting involved in his favorite type of work. He was going to work against the organized crime that had flooded New York since the 1930's. He was working against the mob.

The intriguing subject matter of organized crime had always influenced Edward's side that is more intelligent. He always wondered how Al Capone could get away with it all so sneakily, and only get in jail for tax fraud. He always shook his head with a slight smile knowing that he had bribed the judge and jury. Edward smiled in his mind at the fact that the system was so corrupt.

'But that's why I'm here,' he reminded himself, 'So the system can breathe freely.'

"Here already? I thought you'd at least take an hour to get here, like in the old days." Mustang slurred from the side of his car. Riza got out of the car calmly and shut the door.

"Of course I'd be here on time. It's my first day after all." Edward slid in with a snide grin. However, strongly, Mustang just shrugged it off. 'Well, he's happy about something.' Edward thought.

The body was lying halfway over the side of the bridge. "Guess the guys were trying to dump the guy into the river, but the cops showed up before they could carry out their plan." Roy commented. Edward noticed dried blood stuck on the ground as the clean up team came in. The body was mutilated beyond recognition. Edward cringed, knowing he would have to look at the pictures later. Edward glanced around at the crowd that had gathered. He half accepted to be looking for two people dressed in black suits and dark sunglasses. He did not see anyone like that, or anyone suspicious for that matter. Just the regular scene watchers, they were so annoying.

"I'm just wondering why they didn't try to dump it off the shoreline or a less conspicuous bridge. Were they aiming for publicity?" Edward raised his eyebrows and glanced at Mustang to see what he thought, but Roy was deep in thought.



"Maybe, but why would they be aiming for publicity? It seems risky." Mustang commented.

"I don't know." Edward looked at the gray sky, covered with pollution. "But I'm going to find out."

"Well, that's all we have to do here." Edward huffed as he exited out of the Police Headquarters in Brooklyn. They had already been to the one in Manhattan to see the report made by the police there. All they knew about the body dumpers were that they were big, one being black and the other being white.

"So we have now narrowed our search to either a big black guy or a big white guy." Edward said with disgust in his voice. "That leaves us about half of New York's population." The investigation was going nowhere, and Edward was frustrated.

"Well, we'll eat and continue it later Edward. Right now there's nothing else we can do." Edward sighed as he headed towards the car Mustang was driving. Well, it wasn't really a car; it was more of a beast in car form. It was a dark blue, 2007 Mustang. Roy had bought it before he and Riza were married. He had surprised his wife on their wedding day with it by handing her the keys as they walked out of the church. Riza had been eager enough to drive, she had always liked to be in control, but she rarely showed it. That was one of the reasons Roy loved her so much.

Mustang had chosen the car because of its sleek seats and smooth design. It was an honor just to ride in such a piece of beauty, much more to drive it. However, Edward looked extremely unhappy. Mustang started the car with a questionable look towards the gloomy man and drove out into the busy traffic. After traveling for a while in stop and go traffic, Mustang finally pulled off into a subway.

"Come on, get out." Mustang barked as he reached over and grabbed the keys out of the ignition. Edward got out of the car, but Mustang could tell that he was not really paying attention. Edward's mind was elsewhere, still in the police headquarters, going over the evidence in his mind.

The pair walked up to the counter and something caught Edward's eye. This version of Subway still had the old maps on the walls, and this one depicted the Brooklyn Bridge and 

the surrounding area. That is when Edward saw it; the harbor. A classic place for all sorts of crime. It was all the way across the island but Edward suddenly remembered the last mob incident he was involved in. The gangsters were making a deal over by the harbors with some hit men. The hit men were going to take out a witness. Edward had quickly shut down the deal and had put quite a few other men in jail for the incident. That's when the lightbulb went off in his mind, and clarity formulated his plan.

Edward sprinted up to the counter. "I would like a seafood sub with wheat bread, American cheese, lettuce, olives, pickles, tomatoes, and mayonnaise and that brownish sauce right there." Edward quickly ordered, poking his finger into the glass as he named off the ingredients. The woman looked surprised for a moment before she found her composer.

"Would you like that toasted?" She asked sweetly. Edward snapped.

"OF COARSE NOT! CAN'T YOU SEE I'M IN A HURRY??" He shouted at her with a panicky tone to his voice. As soon as he paid for his sandwich, he started for the door.

"Wait, Edward! Where are you going?" Mustang yelled after the retreating figure.

Edward quickly turned around with a sneaky smile on his face. "To finally chase my lead." With that, he promptly started stuffing his mouth with his sandwhich as he headed out the door.

Edward quickly jotted down the notes that the person from the police station was telling him. Of course, this was no ordinary person. Edward was not talking to a police officer, he was talking to a convict that had been involved with another gang Edward had busted a couple of years back. Edward decided to use an interrogation room to question his inside on crime. The room was dark grey and cold, with only a steel table and chair. There was a guard in the corner, in case the convict decided to act up.

"So, what else do you think this could be?" Edward looked up at the tall, skinny white man. The man leaned forward, rubbing his hands nervously.



"Well, right now, the big guy out there is a guy named Scar." He muttered with a murderous tone. Edward looked up at the poor excuse for a man. This man had murdered over thirty people and he was in jail for life. There was no way he was getting out; Edward himself had made sure of it.

Edward looked up from his notepad. "Scar?"

The skinny convict stretched his arms above his head. "Yeah, I suppose it's some code name. All I know is that he's in charge of a big escort ring right now."

Edward looked down at his paper. "Okay, is there a way I can contact this 'Scar'?"

The scrawny murderer looked at Edward with a surprised look and let out a laugh. "Yeah, I'm sure he'll grant an officer of the law an audience." He scoffed, "good luck with that."

"Yeah, you're right. However, I need to interrogate this person on his own turf; he is more likely to discuss 'business' that way." Edward looked the convict straight in the eyes. "Right, Barry?"

Barry looked down at Edward with a sly smile. "I guess he would be more willing to talk in his way." He snidely looked Edward up and down. "But I don't know if he'll grant a shrimp like you an audience anyhow."

Edward clenched his hand tightly. Barry the chopper had just called him a shrimp. "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU'RE CALLING A BEAN SO SMALL THAT THE FARMER OVERLOOKED HIM!?" Edward screamed as he stood up and cocked back his fist. The security guard rushed towards him and started holding him back before he could do Barry any harm. Funny, he had not been expecting to hold back a fellow officer today.

"Calm down Mr. Elric!" The guard said with a grunt of surprise in his voice. Edward was strong, and somewhat heavy. It was difficult to hold him down, especially when he was being so feisty.

As soon as Edward was showing signs of calming down, the officer let him sit down again. Edward remained with an angry expression as he continued pumping Barry for information. The interrogation lasted late into the afternoon, until Edward had decided it was time for him to head to the docks.



"But first I'll need a disguise." Edward smiled to himself as he called a certain mechanic's cell phone number. He just hoped she did not hunt him down after this.

Winry looked up as "I'm just a girl" by No Doubt floated through the room. It was her cell phone ringing. "Who could that be?" She pondered aloud as she dried her hands. She had been doing the dishes for Riza and Roy, and she did not want her cell phone to get wet. She reached for the small pink device, which was vibrating violently.

Winry quickly glanced at the ID before opening the small device. "Edward?" She questioned with a clear note of surprise, "What does he want?" She flipped open the cell phone and brought it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hi Winry!" A happy Edward replied.

"Edward? What are you doing?" Winry replied into the phone with a note of accusation in her voice. Edward never called her unless he needed a favor. Moreover, his deliriously happy tone, it was probably a big favor. Or, so she guessed. Sooner than she thought, her thoughts were answered.

"Calling you. Look, I need a favor." Winry groaned mentally. There he went again, always asking for favors. Typical Edward, when was he going to pay her back for the previous favors? Getting him lunch, fixing various objects around his house (including a backed up toilet), and often bringing him and his disabled self to the doctors.

"Oh, and would this involve fixing my wonderful auto mail that you somehow managed to break Edward?" Winry replied with a touch of darkness and doom in her voice. If he had managed to break it again, she would not hesitate to bring down her wrench of doom upon his head.

On the other side of the line, Edward cringed. It was a natural reaction when one was faced with the dangers of Winry's wrench. "No, nothing like that. I was wondering if you knew where to get some cheap hair dye."

Winry gave a surprised expression. "Hair dye? What do you need that for?" 'You'll ruin your beautiful hair you have now!' She mentally yelled.



"I need a disguise. I would also appreciate it if you came with me, I need a… a…" Edward cut off.





"A what Edward?" Winry prodded.

"A hooker." Silence emitted from both ends.

Then, suddenly, "WHAT ARE YOU IMPLYING EDWARD!?" Winry's angry voice yelled. Edward put the phone at arm's length to prevent a loss of hearing.

"No, I'm not implying anything! I just need someone who LOOKS like a hooker, to make me seem like a pimp-"

"And WHY am I your FIRST choice Edward!?" Winry snapped angrily through the phone wave. "And why would you want to look like a pimp?"

"I need to get some inside information on a crime ring. It's better if I blend in with the community." 'More like he wants to see how the other half feels.' Winry thought to herself. "So, Winry, what do you say?"

Winry had many things that she wanted to say. However, for some reason, something else came out.

"I'd rather we wore wigs."

"I really can't believe you're going to do this brother." Alphonse sighed as he pulled up to the docks. Edward and Winry were in the back, set to go in their 'costumes.'

Edward was wearing a white pinstriped suit with a hat to match. He now had black short hair (a wig because Winry would not let him ruin his own hair) and dark brown eyes (contacts that Hughes hooked him up with.) Winry was wearing something different. She had a wig of very big dark brown, curly hair, and she wore a shirt that was low cut and bright red. She could barely breathe. She was also wearing a very tiny black miniskirt and high-heeled black shoes. Her eyes and lips made her look like she was a clown.



"It's the only way Alphonse." Alphonse rolled his eyes.





"Then why are you bringing Winry with?" Alphonse whined. He had a hard enough time having his brother be put in deliberate danger, but you had to drag Winry into your sceme? It was an insane plan, and Alphonse was upset that he had been forced to be a part of it.

"Because I need to look my part. Do you have any better ideas?" Edward looked at Alphonse pointedly.

Al opened his mouth as if about to speak, but the words froze his tongue. He was about to suggest that Roy and Riza do this, but then he had a mental picture of Riza in Winry's getup. He shuddered, that was something that Roy and her would both be opposed too. Besides, Roy didn't fit the character as well as Edward did. It was a sad fact, but a true one. Mustang was just too uptight for this kind of mission.

"Just get out already." Alphonse pointed to the car door. Edward opened the car door with a smirk and got out. Winry got out too, but she had entirely different thoughts on her mind.

Like how good Edward looked in that suit. 'Focus! Focus!' She yelled at herself. Edward just looked so good; Winry could not take her eyes off him. He was just beautiful. Not that she had not noticed before, it was just more apparent now.

Edward walked up to a thug smoking cigarettes. Speaking with a husky tone, he growled at the thug.

"Where can I find Scar? I've got some business I need to settle with him." Winry came up behind Edward and she looped her arm through his. Edward casually wrapped his arm around her waist, his hand dangerously close to her butt.

"He's in a meeting right now." The thug with a cigarette replied. He looked Winry up and down appreciatively. "New business I presume?"

"Yeah, I heard what Scar was running down here, and I thought I'd swing in some of that dough in a deal." Edward said with a smirk, as if he knew all along what he was playing at. Winry prayed in her head that he did.



"With a one girl escort service, Scar won't give you much of an audience." A tall, muscular black man with dreadlocks walked up beside the thug. "Scar's only interested in a larger ring."

Edward smiled, like a cat playing with a mouse. "I have a very large number of… willing bodies at my disposal. But, if Scar doesn't want to speak to me directly…" Edward trailed off suggestivly as he made his way to turn around, his arm still wrapped warmly around Winry's waist.

"Are they as pretty as she is?" The black man said to Edward's back. Edward turned around with an assuring grin. The grin was wicked, and it made Winry shiver to the core.

"Of course. I have very high standards."

"Is she talented?" The black man looked Winry up and down, and gave a very appreciative smirk.

'Please god, why did you drag me into this?' Winry prayed. 'Please don't let anything happen to me or Edward. And PLEASE don't let Edward do anything too stupid.' Edward squeezed tighter. He could feel her tensing up and she needed to relax. He started rubbing her hipbone, helping her calm down. She knew what Edward was trying to tell her. She would be fine; she just had to stay loose.

After asserting Winry was calmed down, Edward replied. "Very, I've never met anyone as 'talented' as she is." Edward smiled down at Winry, and she looked away in embarrassment. Light spots of pink adorned her cheeks.

"Well, I'll go see if Scar will grant you an audience, Mr…" The black man looked quizzically at Edward.

"Mr. Freeman." Edward tightened his hold around Winry again. The black man walked off. The thug went with him.

"Just stay here, we'll be back." The thug growled. Edward shrugged to this comment. He decided to use this opening to calm down Winry. He sat her down on a crate lying nearby. A single lightpole shed a yellow glow, trying to compete with the dark, inky night.



"Winry, I'm sorry. Are you okay?" Edward looked straight into Winry's eyes, but Winry felt like he was looking into her very soul. She felt mezmerized by his golden eyes blinking back at her.

"I'm fine. I am just so nervous. I'm just so nervous about all of this, and I can't seem to calm down." Her hands were shaking slightly, and she realized that she was cold. "Edward?"

"Yeah?" Edward smiled kindly into her eyes. Then he sighed and looked down at the dirt-covered asphalt. "I cannot bring you home right now. I'm sorry, but we have to get to the bottom of this." Edward held Winry's hands and looked at their hands in a sad way. He hated having to put her through this, but he did not have very many female friends. One reason for this is that he often tried to pulll them in on his schemes.

"I'm cold, Edward." He looked up again and smiled warmly. His smile made Winry's toes tingle in the red, strappy heels Riza had borrowed her. Winry was still wondering why Riza had them.

"Here, wear my jacket." He handed her his jacket and she snuggled into it. The warmth of Edward surrounded her and it smelled so good, just like Edward. She felt safe inside her cocoon of warmth and smell. She closed her eyes to take it all in.

"Ah-hem." Someone coughed behind Edward. Edward turned as he stood up. The black man with the dreadlocks was standing not too far away. "Scar is ready to see you now."

"Great." Edward smiled with that sly smirk on his face again. Winry grabbed the coat tighter around her shoulders as Edward's arm resumed its earlier position. It was time to get serious about her role.

They were lead to a doorway with a video camera overlooking the area. The black man pressed the buzzer. "I'm here with Mr. Freeman." The door buzzed and the black man pushed it open with a slight grunt of effort.

"Sorry, but we're trying to keep the cops off the trail, so we use tight security." The man said over his shoulder. Edward smirked iwardly to himself. A lesser cop would have cracked by now, that much was sure. Edward was a blender though, he blended into the 

surroundings he needed too. His cameleaon-like qualities helped him fit in with these misfits is a strange, but helpful, way.

"Yeah, I understand. Not very good for business if you're all held up in jail, right?" Edward chuckled. Edward could see as the black guy nodded.

"Yeah, the thing is though, is that we're actually protecting these girls. The rings in Nevada are no good, so we spring them outta there and bring them here. Here, it is more… how do you say? It is more… selective. The people who find this place are usually big corporate owners who help the girls get out of debt and onto a better life." The black man raised his head higher, as if what they were doing was a charitable deed rather than the monstrosity that it really was.

"So, you're justifying this?" Winry's strong voice peppered out from Edward's side. Edward looked alarmingly at Winry. She had just opened her mouth, voiced her opinions, and possibly blew their cover. Winry's fist clenched at her side. The black man stopped and turned to face her, an angry look reaching the shallow depth of his eyes.

All Winry saw was the black man's angry eyes as he slapped her. Hard. "Don't talk back to me you little whore." He glared angrily at Edward who had taken a step forward, in case the man decided to strike Winry again. "Keep your women under control, or you're in for a world of hurt."

"Sorry, may I have a moment with my… woman?" Edward looked at the guy with a look that said 'back off, or I'll kill you.' The black man walked away, not taking his eyes off Edward and the injured Winry at his side. When Edward knew he was out of earshot he whispered into Winry's ear. "Are you okay?" He touched her cheek. A slight bruise was forming under the white glove of his hand.

Winry nodded, but tears were forming in her eyes. She had messed up, and her face was burning with shame. Her cheek stung and her tears were burning in her eyes. "We can't have you crying Winry; your make-up will be messed up." Edward grabbed Winry's hand and squeezed. He smiled, and spoke. "We're almost done, but you have to be quiet, okay?" Edward searched Winry's eyes for a promise that she would be all right, but all he could see was pain.



He squeezed her hand with his again. "I'm sorry. When we are done with this, I will do whatever you want me to do. I will clean your house, I will walk your dog, and I will let you speed in my car. Anything. I will always be in your debt Winry, but right now, I need you." Edward pleaded with his eyes. "We're in too deep to back out now." Winry nodded and Edward turned to the black guy.

"I will not have you slapping my girls. Understand?" Edward glared at the much taller man. The man scoffed.

"Scar doesn't like outspoken women. He says their too feisty." Sneering he looked at Winry. "Besides, who is she to question us?"

Edward clenched his fist. Then he let go of his tension that had settled in his arms and reverted back into his character. "Well, I like them feisty. Makes them more worth it in the long run, woudn't you agree? Besides, what good does it do to break a young girl's spirit?" Edward questioned with raised eyebrows.

The black guy rolled his eyes and motioned for the pair to keep following him. Winry promised herself that she would not lose control anymore. She had to keep her cool, for Edward and his mission. In addition, she would not mind speeding in his car.

The black guy opened a door and motioned the two inside. It was an expensive looking office with plush couches and chairs and a dark wood desk in the corner. Two green lamps on the desk offered illumination in addition to some hanging ceiling lamps. The room had the feel of a billiards room, with smoke curling around in the dim light.

"Take a seat. Scar will be with you in a moment." The black guy exited the room through another door and Edward and Winry sat down.

"Almost done, you're halfway there." Edward whispered in her ear. Winry shrugged off Edward's jacket and handed it to him.

"It's warm in here. I'm alright now." Edward draped his arm around Winry and pulled her close. He smelled her clean hair and smiled.

"That's good, I'm glad." Then the door across the room opened and a dark, powerful looking man stepped out. Winry took in a deep breath. Something about this man's was just not 

right. This man was not just a pimp. The lack of depth and clarity in his eyes told them what he would not say aloud. He was a murderer.

Edward could feel it too. He was used to this, and it immediately put him on guard. If it came to a fight, Edward had four guns in his jacket. The black man had clearly seen them, and Edward was sure he had gone back and grabbed his own weaponry. 'I just hope it doesn't come to that.' Edward thought.

"Mr. Freeman I presume?" The large man extended his hand to Edward. Edward stood and returned the handshake strongly. He did not want this man taking him lightly. The man did not smile though. Edward noticed a large x-shaped scar on the man's forehead. 'So that's why he's called Scar. Not very original, must be a nick-name.'

"Yeah, I came here to talk some business with you." The man did not even smile. This put Edward on guard even more.

"I have already presumed that. My associate already informed me of your intentions. He also mentioned that it would be highly profitable for me." The man sat down in the couch across from Edward and lit up a cigar that he pulled from his pocket. He then offered one to Edward. Edward took it and did the same.

Winry sat next to Edward. The man (his name was Scar?) had not even spared her a glance. His eyes were only on Edward. Same with Edward, his eyes were focused on Scar. As the two began to talk, Scar pulled out some scotch. He offered it to Edward, but he declined. However, he did offer to make a drink for Scar. Scar declined his offer.

Winry noticed that Scar never smiled. It was odd, and it made her feel strange. It was as if the man had totally closed off all of his emotions, and that he would never share his thoughts with the world. She thought it made him even more unapproachable and even more frightening.

As time wore on, Edward finally got the conversation around the Brooklyn bridge incident. By this time, Scar had finally agreed to let Edward make him a scotch. Winry snuck a look at Edward as he stood up. She saw him slip something into the drink, but, even with her skilled eyes, she was not sure if he did or not.

Scar threw back the drink with one gulp. "So, you were discussing something in the news?"



"Yes. It seems like two thugs were trying to dump a body off the Brooklyn Bridge." Edward leaned back into his seat.

"Incompetent fools. They will never learn. I killed them. I will not have anyone blowing my cover." Scar clenched his glass, and Winry thought he was going to break it.

"Yeah. It reminds me of another news story. A girl was pushed out of her apartment. The killers were found to be linked to organized crime. They weren't yours, were they?"

"Yes, unfortunatly. Those fools, I had told them just to bring the stupid girl back to me. But they had to push her out of a window." Scar paused and looked down at his glass. "Maria Ross owed me money for springing her out of Las Vegas. I just wanted to know where my 20K was. But my thugs decided they were going to have fun with Maria and her roommate before they left." Scar sighed. "Now I have to kill her roommate. It's beginning to be quite a headache."

Edward tensed up. He had brought Winry straight to her doom. He glanced at his watch. "Oh, I'm sorry but I'm late for another engagement." Edward stood up, pulling Winry with him. Winry could not feel her legs. She had just discovered she had a hit out on her.

Scar stood too. "I understand. I'll have my associate show you out." The black man re-entered the room and led Edward and Winry to the buzzer door.

"Good night, Mr. Freeman. Will we be seeing you again?"

"Yes. I'll make a point to return." Whether or not Edward was going to return as a cop or pimp was still a coin toss however. The door shut and Edward walked over to where Alphonse was with his car.

Alphonse was sitting in his car sleeping when he heard a tapping on the window. He jumped and saw Edward and Winry outside the car. He unlocked the doors, and they slid in the back. As Al started the ignition, he looked at the clock. 4:35; they had been in there for five hours.

"Bring us back to the Mustang's." Edward said from the back seat. Alphonse pulled out of the harbor and started pulling on the main road. In the back seat, Winry was shaking 

violently against Edward. Edward wrapped his arms around her to help her stay warm and to the violent shaking.

"Well, he was an interesting fellow. Do you think this will be a profitable business deal?" The black man with dreadlocks turned to scar who was filling out paperwork on his desk.

"Yes. I believe that this will be profitable indeed. That girl though, she looked familiar. So did Mr. Freeman. I think I'm going to do a background check on them." Scar growled from his desk. He was tired, and the scotch had really gone to his head. He stood up to make his way to his home on the upper level. He continued to ponder the couple's familiarity long after they had left.

Well, I am feeling very good about this chapter. I had two other people check it over besides myself, and I think they did an excellent job. The chapter is longer and better written.

This makes me want to go back and edit the other chapters, but I am afraid I might blend them together too much, so no touché for now. When I am all finished with this story, I will go back and fix it.

By the way, I think I need a different title to make this story more readable. If you have any good ideas, or other ways to make the story sound more compelling at first glance, PM or stick it in the review.

By the way, thanks so much to my three wonderful betas. EdElricFan1001 did not return their copy back to me in the period I had hoped, but I will still give them credit. The two people who checked over the chapter (and did a fabulous job with it may I add) was Rivergoddess16 and xTiggie. Thank you both so much!

See you at chapter 9, as the drama continues to unfold…

-TheIntelligentAlchemist