A/N… You guys want blood…and answers… I'll get out of your way.

~oOo~

Chapter 6

EDWARD

"On your knees, Laurent," I said through gritted teeth, fighting everything I had not to kick the asshole at my feet. "And keep those hands where I can see them."

Everything in me screamed that Jacob Black had used his knowledge of this place to get in, and knowing what he'd done to Bella made me almost shoot first and ask questions later. I wasn't sure how they'd gotten by the patrol car outside, but it was certainly the first question on the tip of my tongue.

I glanced up when footsteps echoed up the stairs. Two uniformed officers were led by Bella, who was still holding on to Sid. As calm and easy as Bella could be, she wasn't calm now. She was pissed and a little unnerved. Those deep, expressive eyes narrowed in on the groaning man at my feet.

However, she looked to me. "Why?"

I hadn't told her what her brother had done. I didn't know if it was to keep as much information about this case quiet, or if I simply wanted to protect her from it.

"Bells…" Jacob moaned, trying to sit up, and I couldn't stop my smirk when I saw that his lip was bleeding.

Face first into concrete block at top fucking speed will do that.

"Cuff them both, and then tell me how they got in with you assholes right outside," I commanded the young kid in front of me.

"No one came through that front door, except the pizza guy, Masen. I swear to fucking God," he squeaked, and I noted his last name was Yorkie. Like the tiny-ass terrier dog.

"Because Jacob knows another way," Bella said softly, glancing up at me.

"Show me." I tried to calm the hell down, but seeing the fear on her face when I'd come up the stairs had just done something to me. And I was trying my fucking best to reel that shit in.

She swallowed nervously, nodding a little, and she still hadn't put that cat down. Maybe he was helping her stay calm.

I followed her down the stairs and out the front doors of the building. She took a left, walking around the outside of Common Ground. The very back of the building faced a niche for the dumpster and recycle bins. At the far back of that niche, there was a metal door now hanging wide open. It wasn't as if she'd left it unsecured, because it obviously had been locked and closed up.

"It's not attached to Common Ground. It's at the back of the first floor. An emergency exit. I keep it locked because the front door is the safer route out," she explained nervously. "I'm… It's never been a prob… It's attached to an alarm."

Frowning at that piece of information, I nodded and pulled out my phone.

"Spears," Garrett answered.

"Get over to Common Ground. We've had a B and E."

"Ah, fuck. Is she okay?"

"Yes. But I've got Jacob Black and Laurent Brunelle in cuffs, so I need you here," I told him, guiding Bella back inside.

"No shit?" he asked before muttering something to Kate about me.

"Yeah."

"Okay, give me ten."

Charlie was standing at the front door when we walked back around the corner. His face read like a damn book. He was livid, but the first thing he did was check on his daughter.

"You okay?" he asked her, cupping her face and scratching the top of Sid's head.

"Yeah, they… I stopped before going in because Sid was out in the hall," she explained nervously. "When I saw who… I just… I ran for the guys in the patrol car."

"Smart girl," he praised her. He looked to me. "Why? What did they want?"

"We need to talk about that," I admitted softly, gripping my hair. "There are…circumstances that you should know. I wanted to tell you sooner, but it's been… I've tried…"

Alice appeared behind Charlie, and I sighed in defeat. They all needed to know what Jasper set into motion with Maria.

There was a commotion at the stairwell, and Jacob grinned like his ass wasn't going to fucking jail.

"Hey, Bells, you miss me?" he asked her, and before I could react, Alice piped up.

"If you mean she misses small-dick energy and lies, then sure."

Yorkie fought his smile and lost. Bella though, with Sid still in her arms, stepped forward and kicked Black in the balls. Like an NFL kicker aiming for the uprights, just bam!

Every single man in the entryway groaned, but not one bothered to stop her. Alice busted out laughing as Jacob fell to his knees. Bella, though, had brought her enemy down to her height and was instantly in his grill.

"What are you doing here, Jake?"

He didn't say a fucking word, though I could tell he was in pain. He just grinned, licking his split lip. When he did speak, it was all I could do not to shoot him right there.

"I was just gonna surprise you, Bells. That's all. You know… Give you a second chance. I've forgiven you," he rasped out through pain – and an octave or two higher than his normal range.

She went to kick him again, and Charlie intervened, grasping her shoulders and guiding her in through his front door.

"The answer to your next question is… Yes, press all the charges for breaking and entering. Add whatever else you wish onto that." He raised an eyebrow at me. "When you get them into the patrol car, come back here. You'll tell us what you know."

"Sir." I nodded once, following the uniformed officers out the front door.

Another set of officers pulled up at the same time Garrett came screeching to a stop. At this point, we separated Jake and Laurent into two different police cruisers.

Garrett walked to me, eyeing Jake. "Why's he walking like that? And who split his lip?"

"The lip is my doing. He may or may not have been launched into a brick wall. The walking… That's Bella's doing."

"Oh ho! Seriously?" he sang, his eyebrows raising up high. "God bless… She's fucking perfect for you. If you don't…"

"Enough," I stated harshly. "We've got to talk to the Swans and Alice Brandon about what Jasper's done. Because they are now in the middle of this shitstorm."

When the crime scene people showed up, I nodded to Jessica. "Around that corner of the building, you'll see where they broke in. You'll need all the prints. And then the second floor, you'll see the open door. It's ransacked, so please get what you can from there too."

"Dammit," Garrett groaned. "They actually got in?"

"Yeah. They'd have hurt her too, if she'd walked in. Luckily, they'd let the cat out, so he kind of warned her."

"Motherfuckers. You know, all fucking bullshit aside… She's just trying to live a normal life. She should kick her brother's ass for bringing this hell down on her."

"Mm, I'm sure she will when we tell her why her apartment has just been torn the fuck up," I muttered, smacking his shoulder lightly. "C'mon. Let's get this shit started."

Garrett and I walked back inside the building, and I tapped a knuckle on Charlie's door. He opened it wide, gesturing for us to come inside.

"Charlie, this is my partner, Detective Garrett Spears."

"Just Garrett is fine." Garrett offered his hand.

Alice and Bella were sitting at the table, and Bella's face was dark as she held on to Sid. Alice was picking at a piece of pizza. Charlie offered us the other chairs.

"Have a slice, boys," he said, pointing to the boxes in the center of the table. "And then you can tell me what the hell is going on."

Garrett took him up on his offer, grabbing a slice of pepperoni on a paper plate.

At this point, honesty was going to be the only thing I could give them. Jasper Whitlock had put these three people through hell already, and he'd set another wave of it in motion.

Sighing deeply, I said, "I interviewed Jasper on Monday." Three sets of eyes shot up, and I went on. "We originally went to ask him questions about Maria, but while we were there, the prints came back on the robbery."

I gestured to Alice, whose brow was wrinkled. "One of the sets of prints came back as Laurent Brunelle. He'd evaded us until now. When I questioned Jasper on why someone would kill Maria but would also break into his girlfriend's place, he…" I trailed off, shaking my head.

"Apparently, he and Maria were working together to screw James Hunt over," Garrett finished for me.

"Shit," Bella hissed, setting Sid down to the floor. "What did they do?"

"They stole two kilos of heroin from him," I replied, scratching Sid's head when he stood up from the floor, patting my leg.

"So they think I have it?" she asked incredulously. "Seriously?"

Garrett set his pizza down. "We think Hunt is searching everyone who knows Jasper."

"Jasper is in jail," Alice snapped, pointing to me. "You arrested him with drugs on him. He wouldn't know where anything was because he's not here."

"It was a fraction of what he and Maria had taken from James," I countered, raking a hand through my hair. "He said Maria would've moved the drugs, either selling them or putting them somewhere safe. James is simply starting at the obvious places. The problem we're facing is… We don't know where, and soon, James is going to stop searching and he's going to start asking questions – whether the person has the answers or not."

"Son of a bitch," Charlie sighed, rubbing his face wearily.

"Jasper thinks – and we're really going to have a shit time proving it – that James killed Maria himself. We're talking six figures worth of uncut heroin; that will set anyone off," Garrett explained as gently as he could.

"What was Jasper going to do with that much?" Bella snapped, her hands balling up into fists.

"Get away from James."

My statement fell into the room harshly, like a heavy stone in water. No one said anything for a minute.

"You mean…just get away," Bella muttered, glancing across the table to her father and then to Alice.

Bella Swan wasn't stupid by any means, and I regretted my assumptions from when we'd first met. However, I could see she was completely aware of the shit surrounding her now.

"He's lucky his ass is in jail right now," she stated, smirking at Garrett's soft chuckle.

"To be fair," I started, wrinkling my nose, "I don't think he was clearheaded enough to know what he was doing. I think Maria orchestrated the entire thing, and once Jasper was caught, she started to panic. She stashed the drugs – or the money if she sold them – and it's who knows where."

"But she's now put a target on everyone they knew," Charlie concluded.

"We think so," Garrett agreed. "So the problem we're facing is proving that James killed Maria and we've got to find Maria's stashed shit before he does. But that puts all three of you at risk."

"Jasper wanted me to tell you he's sorry," I told Bella, but she glared my way.

"Yeah, he's sorry now. He's sorry every fucking time consequences slap him in the face," she stated harshly, pushing away from the table. She reached down to scoop Sid up, starting for the door.

"You're not staying up there tonight, Isabella," Charlie told her firmly. "Not until I can replace those locks."

"Motherfucker," Bella snapped, setting Sid down on the sofa. "Well, how… What the… Can I at least get some shit out of there?"

Garrett flashed a grin, but I stood up, saying, "Yes. I'll walk you up there. They should be done dusting for prints by now."

She nodded, and I followed her out of Charlie's place and up the stairs. Jessica was stepping out into the hallway, pulling the door closed.

She turned my way, grimacing. "Masen, they left prints everywhere, but you must've stopped them before they could really take anything." She pointed toward the door. "They jimmied the door, cracking the doorjamb."

She nudged the door open, and the destruction was every-fucking-where. The couch and loveseat were flipped over, and the cushions were ripped open. Books were pulled off the shelves and dropped to the floor, scattering torn pages everywhere. Cabinet doors on the TV stand were open and riffled through, and the kitchen was the same.

Bella's gasp met our ears, and I was pissed off all over again when tears welled up in those eyes – those deep-brown eyes. She stepped slowly into the apartment, shaking her head. And before I could stop her, she walked toward the short hall to the bedroom door.

"Bella…"

She stopped short at the entry, and I stepped behind her. The damage seemed worse in there. The mattress and box spring were flipped off the bed and sliced open, the closet torn apart. They'd even taken Sid's cat climbing tower thing and broken it apart. Framed pictures and prints were torn off the walls and shattered by the bathroom door, and every single fucking drawer in the dresser was pulled out and dumped.

"Christ," I said through a deep sigh, rubbing my face and turning to Jessica. "You done? Can she come back in here?"

Jessica winced, but she nodded. "Yeah, but the door is…"

"Got it," I snapped because I couldn't help it.

Bella was too quiet as she stepped over things, gathering up whatever she needed. She snatched up a duffel bag, dropping articles of clothing inside. She worked around me as if I wasn't there. She went into the kitchen to grab some food for Sid.

"Fuckers even dumped the goddamn litter box," she muttered, lifting the pan and grabbing the container of litter. "I bet Jake fucking enjoyed every second of this shit."

I rubbed the back of my neck, suddenly exhausted. This case was proving to be a pain in the ass. While Maria was the murder victim, she'd caused more trouble than she was worth, it seemed. Innocent people like Bella and Charlie, who'd done nothing wrong, were getting wrapped up in her shit.

Garrett and I needed to stop Hunt before he went any further with his search for what Maria had stolen.

With that thought, I turned to her, asking, "Bella, what do you know about Bree Tanner?"

Her head spun my way so fast it was almost dizzying. "She was my roommate at one time…just for a few months. She and I worked at Inferno together. She was a dancer…stripper. James became obsessed with her, but she wanted nothing to do with him. She was reported missing. Just one day, she didn't come home. Her phone went straight to voicemail, she stopped showing up for work, and no one had seen her. Some thought she went home to Portland, leaving everything behind, but…"

"But you don't think so."

Bella shook her head. "No, I don't. I think something happened to her."

"Did she have a drug problem?"

She scoffed. "Weed. Like just enough to take the edge off a bad day. That's it. Nothing big. She was a good person. She was in school to be a nurse, but…" She shrugged, reaching for her duffel, and I picked it up for her. "She wouldn't have just moved home without telling me."

"Your brother seems to blame James."

"I blame James for a lot of shit." Bella walked to her door, and I followed. "I blame Jasper for the rest."

She slammed the door behind us, walking toward the stairs without looking back.

~oOo~

BELLA

You have a call from an inmate at King's County Correctional Facility. Press one to accept.

I hung up the call, tossing my phone onto the kitchen counter – the one place I'd finally seemed to make headway with the disaster in front of me. Sid hopped up on the counter, facing me eye to eye and leaning in to bump my chin with his head.

After staying on my dad's sofa over the weekend and Sid driving Alice's allergies through the damn roof, I figured I'd better get my shit together and start working on cleaning up. No one was going to do it for me, so after Dad had changed my locks, repaired the door jamb, and added a new metal door, I called to have all the ripped, torn, and sliced-up furniture taken to the dump.

Now all that was in my apartment was just my shit everywhere. I started with the bookshelves, throwing away ripped books or shattered photo frames. Underneath a pile of books was a snow globe from my mother that was cracked and leaking all over the floor. It made my eyes burn with tears I didn't want to shed, and that only served to make me pissed off all over again.

There was a tentative knock on my door, and I yanked it open, expecting Dad with his phone because Jasper would've turned around to call him if I didn't answer. And I wasn't fucking talking to my brother.

"I'm not fucking talking to him." I snatched open the door, stopping dead in my tracks when it was Edward instead. I didn't even say hello, just left the door open and walked back to the mess I was cleaning. "What now, Edward?"

He wasn't dressed for work. He was in jeans and a black button-down. He didn't answer right away.

"What? What questions do you have for me now?" I ranted, gesturing around with that broken snow globe still in my hand.

"No questions, Bella. I was… I was going to see if you wanted help." His voice was unsure.

"I'm fine," I ground out through gritted teeth, gazing down at the globe.

It had been a cheap thing from a gift shop at Pike's Place. It contained random Seattle bullshit – the Space Needle, Mount St. Helens, a sailboat, and orcas. I'd loved the orcas. It had been a girls' day, just Mom and me shopping in Seattle for the day when I was probably ten or so. We'd left Jasper and Dad home to wallow in their football euphoria. It had been a really fun day – Christmas shopping, hot chocolate, and haircuts.

It wasn't about the cheap souvenir, but the memory attached to it. And the tears ran unchecked down my face. Strong hands guided me to the dining table and eased me down into a chair when I suddenly couldn't catch my breath.

"You're not fine," Edward said firmly, but his voice was soft. "It's okay to need help. Jesus, Bella… You help everyone else."

A sniffly, bitter laugh escaped me. "And look what it gets me."

"This isn't because of you. This is because there are dark people with even darker intentions in the world, and they aim for the brightest lights." He sighed, taking the seat next to me. "You love your family, Bella, and you want to protect them. That's not a bad thing."

Something in his tone sounded harsh and wrecked, but he wouldn't meet my gaze.

"Sometimes, doing the right thing is hard. It doesn't give you anything back, but you know if you don't, then you're no better than they are."

There was a dark truth in that statement coming from him. And I swallowed thickly, trying to get my tears under control. I studied his face as he glared down at the tiny globe in my hand. Something bad had happened to him. I could feel it coming off him in waves. It probably explained his brusque attitude at times and possibly why he didn't speak of himself ever. And today wasn't the day to test that theory, because his walls were up sky high.

But he'd offered help, and I was emotionally overwhelmed. I felt violated in my own home, and he sat there like he could stop Lucifer himself from coming near me.

"I can't promise my disposition will stay this pleasant."

He grinned at my sarcasm, tilting his head my way. "I'm sure I can keep up."

"You're spending your day off cleaning up my mess?"

He shook his head. "No, Garrett has court today on an older case. We're working tonight."

"Inferno?"

He wrinkled his nose. "Yes. And you should know that we've reopened the Bree Tanner case."

Sniffling, I nodded. "Okay. I might still have a box of her things. Well, that's if I can fucking find it." I glanced around, feeling overwhelmed all over again.

"One thing at a time, Bella," he soothed me, glancing up when Sid popped up on the table. "Hello, Sid."

He reached out slowly and ran his hand gently over Sid's head and down his back. Once again, that faraway look shadowed his face as he gazed at my cat. Sid's purr was loud as he shamelessly fell onto his side for more scratches.

"Nice, Sid," I muttered, rolling my eyes as he gave me an unapologetic glare. Not that I could judge him. Those hands of Edward's looked like they could make anyone purr.

It was that thought that had me standing up from the table, setting the broken snow globe on the top. Edward reached over and picked it up, frowning at the crack up the side of it.

"My mom bought me that when I was like ten."

A dark, angry expression came across his face as he set it back down, but when he looked back to me, that darkness was gone.

He stood up, pointing around the room. "Put me to work, Bella."

Smiling, I nodded. "Okay, you're in charge of garbage. If it's broken, throw it away. There's a broom and dustpan just inside the kitchen."

By lunchtime, the living room, dining room, and kitchen were pretty much back together. I hadn't even attempted the bedroom yet. There was a big space in the middle of the living room with my couches gone, but the books were back on their shelves and the floors were free of debris. The snow globe wasn't the only casualty of the day. Two lamps, three books, and more photo frames than I could count had all ended up in the large rolling garbage bin. However, Edward had saved all the photos into a stack, handing them over when we finally called the main area done.

"Bedroom?" he asked, gazing over my shoulder when I went through the pictures before setting them down on the kitchen counter.

"Lunch. I owe you. C'mon, I'll buy downstairs," I told him, tugging his sleeve. "I'm not quite ready to tackle the bedroom just yet."

He smiled softly. "That seemed to be the worst part of it too."

"Yeah, I know." I led him out into the hall, locking the door behind us and heading down the stairs to Common Ground.

We took an open table by the brick wall, and I smiled when Carmen showed up.

She cupped my face, asking, "You okay, Isabella?" When I nodded, she smirked. "You two look worn out. What can I get you?"

Once we'd ordered – a salad for me and a burger for him – he gazed around the shop. "This wasn't always Common Ground."

"Are you from Seattle?" I asked.

There was a moment I didn't think he'd answer me.

"I might as well be," he answered softly. "I was born in Chicago, but we moved here when I was very young."

Honestly, that may have been the most he'd ever told me, aside from the fact that his mother had a Siamese cat named Sam.

"This used to be a little grocery store with a tiny deli. Carmen and Eleazar worked for that owner and bought it from them. It was called Sol Market then."

"That's it. And you changed the name?"

"Yeah, it was Dad's suggestion. He said it would have double meaning."

Edward smiled and nodded. "Right. Everyone has something in common. And ground for coffee."

Carmen showed up with our food and drinks, and we both thanked her.

"Yeah, that's about right. Carmen had wanted to change it all anyway, so we did." I took a sip of my soda. "Is your family still around?"

"No."

It was such an abrupt answer that it made me flinch. "Sorry."

Edward groaned, shaking his head. "Don't be. I… I just… My parents aren't around anymore. I do have some family, but I don't see them much."

There it was. The darkness that crossed his face right then would've probably scared me if I didn't truly see it as pain. Real, agonizing pain. And as much as we'd gotten along all day, that brick wall of his just shot right back up – thicker and taller than when he'd shown up at my door that morning.

Tilting my head at him, I pointed my fork his way, which just happened to have a cherry tomato on the end. "Well, if you're in the market… Carmen has considered adopting you. Just putting that out there."

Edward froze for a moment, but the smile that finally curled up his handsome face was like a bright sunrise. "I'm okay, but thank you."

"Don't thank me. We still have another room to clean." I grinned his way. "Bet you're regretting volunteering now."

Edward's laugh was soft, but he shook his head. "Nope. No regrets." He popped a fry into his mouth and shrugged as he chewed and swallowed. "Honestly, this will be the better part of my day."

"I'm sure. Inferno can be a fun night out, or it can be creepy. Are you going to talk to James?"

Edward nodded. "Yeah." He sneered a bit. "We've got three of his security in county lockup. It's time to talk to their employer."

I wasn't sure it would change anything to talk to James. Edward would really have to find irrefutable evidence to put that monster away. And for a moment, I wondered if shaking up that place wouldn't make things worse.

~oOo~

A/N… You guys have some of the best theories, so I'm sure this will just add to your curiosity – about the case, about Maria, and about Edward.

And yes, Inferno is next up.

Okay, I'll you next week for both stories. Until then… Mooches, Deb ;)