BPOV.
I awoke alone in the twin bed of the motel room we'd secured last night, feeling around I noticed that the sheets were cold, so Edward had obviously been up and about for a long time already. I opened one eye and attempted to focus on the numerals on the clock that sat on the table beside the bed. The room was dark, but then that was down to us drawing the drapes as soon as we got in the room, no sense in leaving us open to be spotted while we slept. The clock was showing 7.15am, still relatively early, but I knew that we needed to get moving soon. We had four, well three now, days to get to Lacrosse, Wisconsin and we hadn't even left Montana yet, let alone crossed North Dakota or Minnesota.
I figured a shower and getting dressed was in order, so threw back the comforter on the bed and rolled into a sitting position. As I moved I caught my reflection in the mirror that hung on the wall beside the door. Christ! My hair was a wild haystack, my eyes were ringed with dark shadows and I had dirt smudges on my cheeks. What a mess. I groaned to myself, and moved from the bed, grabbing my bag as I stumbled to the bathroom. The hot water was perfect relief for my weary muscles, I scrubbed at my dirt marked skin and savoured in the smell of my shampoo as I washed my hair, having no idea how long it would be before I could do this again. The 9mm taunted me from its place on the counter next to the sink; I never thought I would be taking a shower - armed.
After drying off I quickly dressed in a pair of jeans and a thick hooded sweater, even on the run, I intend to be comfortable. I picked up the rest of my things and grabbed the gun off the counter before moving out into the main room. I'd moved barely a foot from the bathroom door when an arm snaked around my neck from behind, I was immediately struck with fear, 'how did they find us? Where's Edward?' I didn't even think about my next move until I realised I had pressed the 9mm into the side of my, would be attacker. The arm around my neck loosened immediately.
"Good girl," the voice said from behind me.
I let out the breath I'd been holding when I realised who it belonged to. I turned on him in an instant and flung myself into his arms kissing him with as much force as I could.
"You scared the shit out of me!" I growled, slapping his shoulder.
"Sorry baby, but I'm so proud of you right now," he responded.
"I almost shot you!"
"I know!" he responded with a wide smile.
"You're pleased that I almost shot you?"
"Well um no, but baby you protected yourself, that not only makes me feel better about running with you, but damn that was hot."
"You're nuts, you know that right?!" I said shrugging. "Where did you go?"
"I called in, I needed to tell the guys that we were safe, for now and that the plan had changed, I don't think we can chance Lacrosse. So I've done some scouting around, got us a jeep, what do you say to a little road trip?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The sound of the engine rumbled inside the jeep as we sped down the interstate, after I'd nearly shot Edward we both figured we'd spent more than enough time in Great Falls and that putting some distance between us and Montana was essential. Now that we had the jeep we were a little less conspicuous than when we were on the bikes, not to mention a darned sight more comfortable and we soon found ourselves driving eastwards on I-90 towards Billings. We hadn't dared to use major roads until now and it had meant that we hadn't made as much ground as we hoped, that was now changing as the scenery outside flashed by. The inside cab was silent but for the low voices coming from the radio, news of a major explosion and subsequent house fire near Kalispell dominated the headlines, it looks like we were dead... again.
"You know baby rolling your eyes and muttering to yourself is a sure fire sign of madness," Edward rumbled from the driver’s seat beside me.
I hadn't even realised I was doing it. I snorted and let out a low chuckle.
"Sorry, I was just thinking and I didn't know whether I should laugh or not," I responded with a grin.
"Care to share baby?"
"Oh it's nothing really, just wondering how many times a person can be proclaimed dead in a lifetime is all, it has me feeling all kinds of feline, with my luck I can't have many of those nine lives left."
"You realise how crazy that sounds sweetheart, it is a shame though, I was starting to love that house," Edward said with a smirk.
"Yeah," I responded wistfully.
We continued onwards in silence and before long Billings was upon us, we pulled into a truck stop to fill up the tank and find some food; there are only so many bags of chips I can take. Sliding into a booth at a small Mom & Pop diner we settled for bagels and cream cheese and the biggest coffees they could provide. Ever the seal Edward had us in the corner facing the door and adjacent to the back exit, ensuring no one would get the jump on us, we were sure we had no one on our tails, but until we were safe back in DC we weren't taking any chances. The coffee was heavenly and after the events of the last day or so the perfect pick me up, although I could murder a cold beer. Edward attacked his food like a starving man; I couldn't help but watch as he devoured the large cheese laden bagel before me.
"What?" he said looking at me from across the table, his mouth full of food and an impish look in his eyes.
"N-nothing," I stuttered.
He was about to respond when his eyes went wide, looking at someone behind us in the dinner, "Baby?" I asked quietly, placing a hand on his.
He snapped out of his brief stupor and leant across the table as if to kiss me, but pulled the hood of my sweater up instead, "Don't look, just stay calm and try to keep your bagel or your drink in front of your face as much as possible, we have some unwanted company, I don't think they've recognised us... yet," he said pulling his cap lower over his eyes.
I nodded slightly, practically imperceptibly to anyone else in the diner and lifted my coffee to my lips. Never taking my eyes off Edwards face as he continued to eat and watch our potential assailant.
"What are they doing?" I asked quietly.
"They're talking to the waitress, shit they have a photo, time for us to go baby," Edward said dropping some bills on the table and reaching for my hand.
We quietly walked from the diner and headed across the lot to the jeep; Edward pushed the remote on the keys for the doors to unlock, but made no effort to approach the vehicle.
"Edward?"
He shook his head at me and pulled me to stand alongside a large truck, "I need to check the jeep baby, I can't chance them having done something to it, I need you to keep look out, take the safety off your gun baby, no matter what don't approach the jeep until I give you the safe word. Okay? Promise me Bella, promise me," he said clutching at my arms tightly.
"I promise, be safe, I love you," I said kissing his nose lightly.
He nodded stiffly before moving slowly around the jeep, I don't think there was anywhere that he didn't scrutinise. I stood tensely beside the truck, the gun felt heavy between my fingers in the pocket of my hooded sweatshirt, my eyes darted everywhere, every sound a potential threat. So I wasn't particularly surprised to hear the voice that starred in my nightmares as he approached from my left.
"Hello princess, you wouldn't believe what I've been through to find you," he sneered into my ear.
Tremors wracked my body at the thought of the torture he'd put me through in that place. Edward was stretched under the jeep by now completely vulnerable. We should've just hopped on one of the many buses that passed through instead of messing around here, but that card had already been played and now we had to finish out the hand. I sucked in a deep breath and steeled myself for what I was about to do, I froze as the cold hard arm snaked around my shoulders from behind and his dirty fingers stroked my neck. Bile threatened to purge from my stomach, but I held firm until he moved closer, come on just a bit more, just a little closer asshole. I breathed out slowly as his chest finally touched my back.
"We're going to have so much fun Bella, there's so much we missed out on when you left," he said as his hand moved from my neck and tugged the hood down and forced my face around to look at him. His dirty blonde hair was still as greasy as it had been before. I held back a shudder as he snaked out his tongue and licked my cheek.
"Mmm delicious..." he said as I thrust the barrel of the 9mm into his ribs and fired. His eyes widened in shock as I moved out of his grasp the gun still pointed at him. I watched in shock as deep red bloomed across his shirt and he looked down at the wound before looking back at me and slumping to the ground in a heap.
I didn't notice Edward grabbing me from behind, nor did I notice him throw me into the jeep, or jump in beside me and speed us from the truck stop. I didn't hear the sirens as they sped in the opposite direction from us. I didn't notice any of those things because the colour had drained from my face, my eyes were the size of saucers and all that I saw was that I had shot him. Was he dead? God I hope so.
"Baby!"
"Bella!"
"Dammit Bella speak to me!"
"Huh?"
"Jesus Christ, you scared the shit out of me," Edward spoke lowly, a hand scrubbed through his messy hair.
I shook my head, my hands were shaking, I was thankful I no longer had the gun in them, when did he take it from me? I would die if I accidentally shot Edward.
"Talk to me Bella, I need to know you're okay," Edward said glancing at me worriedly from the driving seat as we sped down the interstate.
"I-I-I I shot him," I mumbled barely coherently.
"Yes you did baby, but you had to, he would've killed you or taken you if you hadn't," Edward responded softly.
"I-I-I've never done that before," I said my voice shaking as my emotions got the better of me.
Edward said nothing, he grabbed my hand in his and held onto it as he drove, he thumb rubbed soothing circles as I attempted to regain my composure. I eventually fell into a light sleep, the events of the morning taking their toll upon me and fatigue taking over from the adrenalin that had coursed through me.
When I finally woke the sun was going down, I must have slept for hours, guilt shot through me that Edward had done all the driving. He must have sensed me as he looked over just as I started to stretch a small smile graced his lips and his eyes twinkled in the darkening light.
"Hey baby, you must have needed the sleep, feel okay?" he asked, his eyes moving back to the road.
"Mmhm, but I feel guilty for you doing all of the driving, where are we anyhow?" I asked glancing out of the window.
"Wyoming, I'm going to continue on through to Colorado before we stop, the more space between us and Billings the better," he responded quietly.
"Okay, I really blew it huh?" I sighed.
"No baby, do I wish we could've dealt with him a little less conspicuously? sure, but baby you did what you had to, it's life and death, not a playground, sometimes we have to do things that we don't enjoy, sometimes we do them without notice, others... well we know how that goes, we just have to be more on guard now, I think we also need to change vehicles at the earliest opportunity," Edward stated.
"Okay," I sighed.
The scenery flashed passed us as we drove, until finally we saw the 'Welcome to Colorado' sign ahead, Edward grasped my hand in his as we left Wyoming and entered Colorado. Relief settled into my body as I slumped in my seat, the atmosphere in the jeep started to feel lighter, although we remained on alert for anymore trouble. Both of us aware that the Volturi were closing in on us, it would only be a matter of time now, we'd had a close call at the truck stop in Billings. I was worried that our luck was starting to run out. Of course I'd recognised the stench of James when he'd grabbed me, but what concerned me more was that it hadn't been him in the diner, yet we'd not seen hide nor hair of his accomplice since. I could feel it in my gut that she was biding her time, and until we could get rid of her we wouldn't have any peace.
Edward yawned from beside me, I had to mentally agree that I was just as tired, despite having slept much of the way from Billings, we decided to pull out of the traffic and find a small motel for the night, even a few hours in a bed would help us freshen up for the final leg. We pulled into the parking lot and drove around to the back to ensure we were hidden from the road, of course we could still be found, but didn't mean we had to make things easy.
Edward sprung from the jeep with more energy than I had and was immediately at my door helping me out, we grabbed our bag and headed in to secure a room for the night. The clerk an elderly man with shaggy grey hair and a large bald patch on the top of his head sat behind the dusty counter as we entered the small lobby. Edward asked for a room and paid him up front in cash.
"There's no cable, the air cons broke, sorry 'bout that, no food in the room and no funny business, I know what you young folk are like and I don't want no complaints from my other guests 'cause they been kept awake by you," he said handing over a brass key.
Edward cocked an eyebrow at him before grasping the key and then striding down the hall to our room, it reminded me of that hotel in the shining, although not quite as plush. All we needed now were the freaky twins on tricycles and I'd run screaming. Thankfully the room was clean, although smelt a little musty, I shrugged as Edward looked at me questioningly and walked to the bed, I shuddered as I looked at the flowery quilt, I could only imagine what nasties lay beneath it.
"Baby? You okay?" Edward said quietly from behind me, his arm snaking around my waist.
"Yeah, I was just imagining the sort of crap that had been in that bed, but I'm so tired right now I don't care, but I'm going to sleep on top, there's no way in hell I'm getting under that quilt," I rambled.
Edward burst into laughter, his whole body shook with mirth, "Jesus, baby you had me worried for a moment. I love you," he said through his laughter.
"I love you too," I said turning in his arms and kissing him softly.
"Tomorrow I'll see if I can change the jeep, then we'll head for Colorado Springs, I have a friend or two at the air force academy that can help us out," he said hugging me tightly to his chest.
"Don't get carried away mister, remember what the old guy said, 'No funny business'," I laughed as he pouted at me, his eyes twinkling with mischief.
"Mmhm, I can be quiet baby, the question is... can you?" he said cocking his eyebrow at me.
"Are you challenging me Master Chief?" I purred, my fingers dancing across his chest.
"Would you accept the challenge if I were?" he all but growled at me.
"Maybe? What's in it for me?"
"Oh I don't know eternal glory, bragging rights and the best sex of your life?" he responded smugly.
"Oh you rate yourself highly Master Chief, I think you need to be brought down a peg or two," I replied with a grin, dragging my nails across his nipples.
Edward sucked in a breath as I glanced up at him, the smugness suddenly gone from his face and a feral look now sparking in his eyes. Before I could make another move his lips crashed to mine and I suddenly found myself airborne, the bed jolted with the impact of our bodies as we landed gracelessly a tangle of limbs and staggered breaths.
I chuckled lowly, "I'm waiting for that old fart to come a knocking baby, that wasn't exactly quiet."
"We'll just have to claim ignorance baby," he replied nipping at the hollow of my neck.
"Mmhm," I murmured as I pulled his shirt over his head, swiftly followed by my own.
"Damn baby, so damn beautiful," he groaned as he tugged my pants off and tossed them behind him.
"Shut up and give me the best damn sex of my life already," I ground out through breathy pants.
"So feisty baby, just like a baby tiger, all growly and demanding," he chuckled.
"I'll give you baby tiger, baby," I growled flipping him and grinding down on his now prominent erection. "Is that baby tiger enough for you baby?"
His hands shot straight to my hips as he guided me across his throbbing member, electricity pulsed through me as the pleasure thrumbed at the connection and splintered and spidered its way throughout my body, my back arched at the contact and I gulped for air at the intensity of it. I couldn't take much more of his teasing and thrust down and impaled myself upon him, the feel of him sheathed inside of me knocked the air out of me and I silently screamed into the air. The atmosphere was dense in a heady fog of sweat and lust as I rocked and rolled my hips taunting and teasing his body to submit to me, sweat pooled and dripped down my back at the intensity of it all. The room was silent but for the sound of skin sliding against skin, limbs slapping against limbs and stuttered and staggered breaths spilling from us as we forced our bodies closer to oblivion.
Edward snaked a hand up my back and pushed me down to meet his lips, swallowing the moans that tried to force their way out of us, he devoured me hungrily, our tongues clashing in a fight of wills. It was wet, it was wild, it was silent, it was... the best damn sex of my life.
As oblivion approached Edward flipped us so that he hovered over me, his arms locked above my shoulders like an impenetrable cage, his lips claimed mine once more as he pounded into me with such ferocity that I swore that the bed would break through into the room next door. I locked my arms around his shoulders and wrapped my legs around his waist, the new angle forcing him to go deeper, the road to oblivion drew ever closer. I swore I heard the door, but it didn't matter, all that mattered was the feel of Edward inside me, my body throbbed with the force of it and my mind rejoiced in the connection, lights danced in front of my eyes as finally I was there. My muscles tightened, my breaths accelerated and then I was flying. Edward was close behind as I felt him stiffen in my arms and I felt him pulse inside me.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw movement; I turned my head slightly only to come face to face with the barrel of a gun and another face I hoped I'd never see.
"My, my, my, isn't this...cosy," she sneered, thrusting the gun against Edwards’ temple.
Any other time I'm sure I would be embarrassed and blush so red they could use me as a beacon at being caught in such an intimate position. Right now however I was no such thing, I was pissed and that bitch is going down. Edward remained rigid, his body a protective cage around me, his face an image of calm, except for his eyes, I almost cowered at the fury I could see in them, he looked... dangerous. I'd seen him in action before, but right now wrapped around me and inside of me on this bed, naked as a jaybird I could see a storm brewing in his eyes and I feared what would happen when it finally peeked.
"Nothing to say? pity," she continued in her whiny too high voice.
"Not much I can say is there bitch, except to ask you to stop looking at my mans ass," I growled at her.
She laughed, it was maniacal, not that I was surprised she didn't seem all there last time I encountered her. Edward remained still, his breaths even, only his eyes betrayed the rage.
"Hmm, speaking of men, you and I have some business, Bel-la, you see all we had to do was find you and kill you, but now the rules have changed, you killed MY MAN and the only right thing for me to do is kill yours, eye for an eye, mate for mate," she snarled at me thrusting the barrel of the gun further into Edwards temple.
"Okay, so you're here to kill us, do you plan on doing it soon or are you just going to talk us to death, because seriously bitch, I'm getting a little bored with the Bond villain act," I replied with a glare.
Edward snorted above me, I looked at him and he winked while stifling a laugh. The gun cocked in her hand and we stilled all movement.
"Not so cocky now are you," she snapped, her fingers tightening around the trigger.
The movement was swift, almost like a blur Edward snapped a hand up, grasped the gun and twisted it in her hand, she was so shocked that she didn't have time to react and suddenly the tables had turned in our favour and there stood Edward in all his naked glory, gun in hand and aimed directly at her head. His gaze never faltered from hers, every minute movement he countered with one of his own.
"Get dressed Bella, we're leaving," he said not taking his eyes from his target.
I scrambled from atop of the bed and grabbed our clothes that had been strewn about the room, dressing as quickly as possible. Once I was done I moved to his side, wondering what we would do next.
"Your biggest mistake was losing focus, you should've shot us when you had the chance, you made it personal, you'll never get it now," Edward said calmly as he pulled the trigger, barely a second later the red head bitch slumped to the floor.
Edward turned to me slightly kissed my forehead and quickly dressed, grabbing our bag, we left the room and headed back to the lobby, the old fart was sat at his desk, his eyes wide open, his face a deathly grey pallor, a garrot hung from his neck. We passed through swiftly and headed to the parking lot. As we neared the jeep Edward stopped, grasping my hand in his.
"I think we should find another vehicle, I can't chance the jeep, they've come too close to us too many times," he said quietly.
"Okay, what do you suggest?"
Just then a bus passed the lot and stopped about a block away, we both came to the same conclusion at the same time.
"We take the bus to Denver, and then get a vehicle when we get there," Edward stated.
Hand in hand, we ran the short distance to the bus and jumped on as the driver prepared to close the door.
"You folks almost missed me, hurry up, I've a schedule to keep," the older man stated, ushering us forwards.
"Two to Denver please," Edward stated digging in his pockets for money.
"There you go son, go grab yourselves a seat," the driver said swinging out into the traffic.
We made our way down the aisle towards the rear of the bus, no-one took much notice of us as we passed and we soon found ourselves stretched out in the back row near the emergency door. I settled down in the hard cushioned seat, my head rested against Edwards shoulder as he sat slumped yet fully alert to our surroundings. We didn't speak, we didn't need to the silence was comfortable; we needed to regroup after the last few hours. The bus rocked and the passengers murmured around us, for the first time since we'd left Kalispell I felt at peace.
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