Caught in the Flames

Chapter Thirty

Okay, so I'm starting something new. I'm one of those writers that I have to have a ton on my plate or I get bored. I doplan on finishing all of my WIPs, but I wanted to try something different. Anyhow, this will be a drabble-ish fic. My chapters will be a thousand words or less, unless the chapters lend themselves to something longer (i.e., a lemon...). We're also going to be switching back and forth, every five chapters between our two favorite characters, Edward and Bella...

As always, none of this is mine. I'm just the perv who want to make our beloved Twilight characters swear, drink, and go at it like horny rabbits. This story will be a combination of love, suspense, some violence and steamy, sweaty sex.

On with it!

Chapter Thirty

EPOV

It had been roughly a month since that night at Clear Waters. Bella didn't call any of us. Okay, let me rephrase. She called Alice, only to discuss the changes to her new, updated website. The rest of us didn't hear from her. I was pissed, to say the least. I knew she was hurt and was trying to make heads or tails of it all, but I wanted to be the one who helped her.

With what psychiatric degree, genius? You wear that under your bunker gear?

Even if she did get help, Jasper couldn't tell us since it would violate HIPAA laws.

Every night, though. I dreamt of Bella. I dreamt of her smiling and happy, holding my hand and sharing greasy, fast food with me. I dreamt of me actually kissing her while we watched that concert. I dreamt about making love to her. But, it wasn't going to happen. Not anytime soon.

Or ever!

I was working, checking some of the equipment on the rig. Jacob was with me, taking inventory. Seth and Mike were playing cards at the table in the garage while Ben was trying to be slick and making out with his girlfriend, Angela. The alarms went off and my squad and the fire truck were called into action. It was late, just after nine. We'd just had some nasty storms and were waiting for the phone calls about down tree limbs or power lines. The dispatcher barked out the address. It sounded familiar.

We drove the ten blocks to a familiar street. We were going on a call at Bella's home. Crap! I hope she's okay! We stopped in front of her house. She was standing on the sidewalk, dressed in workout gear. Emmett approached her, as did I.

"What's wrong, Bella?" Emmett asked, his voice oddly cold.

"I came home from a run and there was a fire in my garage," she said, looking upset and admonished.

I elbowed my friend. "Is there anything in there that's flammable?" I asked.

"My car," she said, biting her lip.

"Let's go," I said. "Stay out front, okay?"

"Yeah," she nodded, watching as we walked between the two brownstones, carrying hoses and our gear. Shattering the windows, we doused the detached garage. We had to get it out before it reached the gas tank of Bella's SUV. It took most of the night to strike the fire. We did manage to tow out Bella's now completely totaled vehicle, but kept the garage structure intact. As dawn was about to break, Emmett and I were searching for the cause of the fire. It obviously wasn't the car.

"Ed, look at this," Emmett said, calling me over to a corner. "Does this look like accelerant trails?"

"Yeah," I said. "It must been really hot to burn the concrete like this."

"Damn, I was hoping that this was just a random garbage fire, but it's a lot more than that. Someone purposefully lit Bella's garage on fire," Emmett growled. "Not that I'd blame them. She is kind of a bitch."

I slammed him against the wall. "Watch it, McCarty," I snarled.

"What? You can't deny it. She loses it, tells us her deep dark story, loses it again and then shuts us all out. That's a bitch move," Emmett snapped.

"I don't think you understand how deep her wounds go, Emmett. What happened to that guy who was watching over her after that situation at Clear Waters?"

"You're pissed at her, too," Emmett said, shrugging my hand off.

"Be that as it may, I would never call her a bitch. Now, I'm going to tell her what happened. You best keep your fucking attitude in line if you come and talk to her again. Regardless of how you feel, she's the fucking victim in this arson. She just lost her car," I fumed. I smacked Emmett upside the head and stomped towards the front of her property. She was sitting on the Squad truck, talking with Jacob. He had given her his jacket since it had gotten cold and she was wearing some lightweight running clothes. "Go help McCarty," I told Jacob.

"Got it, boss," Jacob said, walking the same I came.

"So, what's the news?" she asked, staring at the crack in the sidewalk.

"Well, we managed to save the garage, but everything inside of it is ashes, including your car," I frowned, sitting next to her. "We also discovered that this was deliberately set."

"How?" she asked, looking over at me and then dropping her gaze back to her feet.

"It looks like there was an accelerant poured on the floor of your garage. It was still visible even after being covered with water. The accelerant was burned into the concrete," I explained. "Could this be...?"

"I don't know. Possibly," she said, tugging Jacob's coat tighter around her body. "James never had any fascination with fire as far as I know. My mom? She could burn things really well, but that wasn't intentional. More like stupidity." She picked at thereflective material on the sleeve of the jacket. "You must hate me."

"Hate's a strong word. Confused is more like it," I sighed, running my hand through my sweaty hair. "Look, I don't want to get into this now..."

"Understandable," she chuckled humorlessly. "I would like to talk...meet for coffee or something?"

"You have my number," I said quietly. "I'm going to check on the guys. The main house was not affected by the fire, just the garage. We've called the police regarding the possible arson. They'll be here soon. Insurance should be able to cover the cost to repair..."

"I know, Edward," she said, covering my blabbering mouth. "Jacob told me everything." I looked at her and her eyes were not as haunted. Exhausted, yes, but no longer empty. "Thank you for coming out."

"It's my job," I smirked.

"CULLEN! We've got an apartment fire on Diversey! Four alarm! We need to go!" shouted Seth. I noticed that the guys had mostly cleaned up. I was lost in that Bella bubble. "Come on, Boss!"

"Call me," I said.

"I will," she smiled, handing me Jacob's coat. I clambered onto the truck, watching as a police officer approached her. Emmett caught my eye, nodding in apology before he climbed onto his truck. With a blare of the horn, we pulled away and drove to Diversey.

"Boss, your phone is vibrating..." Ben said, handing it to me.

Whispers Coffee and Tea at six tonight?~ B

I'll be there ~ E

A/N: What do you think happened to Bella in that month? And who do you think set fire to her garage? Leave me some...oh, and we're switching to Bella's POV next chapter.

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