Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Note: Again a massive thank you to my Beta, the lovely Jenna and pre-readers Crys and Missy. Lots of love 3. I could not have done it without you. Check out my FFN author's page for links to the good stuff :D
Story Title: Dance with the Devil: A Mafia Tale.
Summary: Meet Isabella Marie Swan, a twenty year old, struggling college student with a bright future but a dark and painful past.
Meet Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, a convicted Mafioso serving time for his crimes.
Now join Isabella and Edward as actions, circumstances and consequences set them on a collision course. At the end of it all, will the pure and untainted Isabella survive the callous and seductive touch of a man no better than the Devil?
It is a dark tell of seduction, passion and lust. Blood will be shed. Lives will be lost. But what do you expect when you Dance with the Devil?
Chapter Number: 2
Chapter Title: Diavolo.
Date Chapter Published: 19th June, 2013.
Chapter Rating: T.
Word Count: 2032.
Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, II, winced as his neck cracked painfully.
"Darn flat, rock-hard bed," he muttered as he shifted his body so that his back was pressed against the cold, concrete wall of his six by eight prison cell. Sighing in relief as some of the tension left his body, he brought his right leg up to his chest and draped his right hand casually over it while his left hand found purchase in his hair as he restlessly tugged at his messy copper-coloured locks.
He never in all his years, though they weren't many, could have imagined that he would spend his last four birthdays in prison yet that was exactly what he had done and because of that he had a lot of time to think.
Edward had been born into a life many fantasized about. It was a fast life with fast cars and even faster money. Because of who his father was, there wasn't anything that Edward could not do. But there was also a price to pay to have a life that had such a seductive appeal. This was not a life for the weak minded or for those whose moral compass was always pointed due north. This was a life that you slowly sold yourself to the devil, baptized yourself in the blood of the men you killed and where your only true companions were your glock and dagger.
Lucky for him, Edward had been groomed for this life and he reveled in it. At the age of eighteen, instead of having an over the top party like his mother longed for, Edward chose to be in the cold and darkened basement of one of his father's restaurants ready to join the ranks of the Chicago Mafia Syndicate.
He could remember every smell, every sight and every sound so vividly that he sank into the memory blissfully. He remembered being presented to his own father, Edward Anthony Masen Cullen the First by his godfather, Alistair De Vanico as someone who was worthy of joining their ranks. After his possible entry was supported by some other faceless high ranking members, Edward was invited by his father to step onto the slightly lifted platform where he stood and that was where Edward was baptized yet again by his father's consiligere. The words that his consiligere uttered to this day reverberated in Edward's mind: "You were baptized when you were a baby. Your mother and father saw to that. But now as you join us, this time, we are going to baptize you." Edward would be lying if he said that he did not feel every familiar bond he had shattered into nothingness as he gave himself completely over to his chosen life.
After Alistair pledged to be Edward's Godfather and guide Edward's new life, Edward's father split his son's trigger finger with the tip of a sharpened dagger and allowed a drop of blood to fall onto a picture of the Blessed Mother before he set the blood covered picture on fire. Edward remembered the fierce pride that radiated in his father's eyes that night as Edward stared unflinchingly at his father as he passed the burning picture back and forth between his hands.
After the picture was nothing more than ash, Edward dropped the burnt paper on to the stainless steel table top in front of him. It was only then did he have the opportunity to say that would forever bind him to a life of crime.
However, just because the words had been spoken did not mean that he was fully one of them. Edward still had one thing to do. He still had to make his bones and as the clock struck midnight, officially bringing to an end his eighteenth birthday, Edward succeeded after he ended the life of a suspected rat with one clean, untraceable shot to the head.
Yet here he was, twelve years later, tried and convicted, not for the many murders and countless other crimes, but for embezzlement, a charge that only stuck because of one man who went against the Omerta.
Edward must have briefly drifted off because the next thing he knew, he was being awakened by the pounding of the guard's baton on the cell doors.
"Wake up, Cullen," the guard stated, trying to look intimidating though he was failing miserably.
Edward slowly straightened and took his time to walk over to the bars and, with his signature lopsided smirk, he stuck his hands out the cell door so that the terrified guard could handcuff him.
"Step back from the door, Cullen," another guard ordered, his hand already on the gun attached to his waist.
"Relax, Simon. I'm not going to kill you," Edward drawled, his smirk never leaving his face.
"Is that what you said to Billy before you beat the hell out of him?" Franco spat back as the door slid open and he stepped in with the other guard to fasten the chains around Edward's ankles.
"Technically I didn't even touch him or I would have been in confinement. Plus, he had it coming," Edward said in a blasé manner which only angered the guard further.
Growling, the guards finished attaching the chains to Edward's wrist and ankles before they yanked him from his cell with such force that it caused him to stumble.
"Easy, gentlemen," Edward taunted, "We would not want to give my attorney evidence of mistreatment. Lord knows you all don't want such a big, bad Mafioso back on the street five months early."
Without saying another word to him, they led him into a private meeting room where they roughly removed the handcuffs and all but threw him into the room causing his visitor to laugh.
"Raising hell, Edward?" his brother, Emmett, taunted as he stood from his seat to greet him.
"Always," Edward smirked as he walked over to his younger brother and embraced him roughly. After kissing both of his cheeks, Edward looked at his brother with a critical eye.
"You good, Smalls?" Edward asked.
It was a question Emmett was asked whenever he ran into his older brothers because that was what he was. He was their little brother and no matter what crimes they committed, what laws they broke there was one thing that would never change or be compromised and that was their bonds as brothers.
"Always," Emmett responded and after the brothers had separated, Edward took a seat opposite him.
"So what did you do to earn such wonderful treatment from the men in dark grey?" Emmett inquired as he settled into his own seat.
"My cellmate was getting too close for comfort, so I asked Benny and the others to take care of it for me," Edward shrugged.
"I see," Emmett chuckled. "Is Benny still as bad as he was outside?"
"He's worse," Edward responded with a laugh. "Billy is in the hospital in a coma. Doctors don't think that he'll be waking up."
"Fuck!" Emmett exclaimed.
"Yeah. So what brings you here?" Edward asked, the picture of cool. "I know this is not a purely social visit."
"It is a social visit," Emmett scoffed, "I came to tell you that the family misses you and that everyone is perfect."
Edward laughed at Emmett's look of indignation. "I know you better than that, Em. What's troubling you?"
Sighing, Emmett ran his hands across his face. "Your wife is bothering me."
"How much?" Edward smirked as he leaned forward in his seat.
"Including or excluding the cabin she bought?" Emmett rebutted only to chuckle at Edward's dumbfounded expression.
"She bought a cabin? Where?" Edward groaned.
"Denali, Alaska. She hasn't even gone to see it yet. She saw some pictures of it and bought it," Emmett said.
"Mother!" Edward roared as he jumped to his feet. "How much did she spend on it?"
"Two point seven," Emmett murmured not wanting to anger Edward further.
"This shit was gone too far. Tell Jenks that I want to see him," Edward growled. "Just because the money is there does not mean that she can spend it like that. You would think that with all she was spending that she could spare me at least one conjugal visit," Edward snorted causing Emmett to laugh, "How are the businesses? Did you figure out who was taking the money from Euforia?" Edward asked as he rolled his shoulders in an attempt to relax.
"No, but I will find out who it is," Emmett growled. "It's fucking pissing me off. Who the fuck is brave enough to steal from us, from you? And it rubs me the wrong way knowing that I have not figured out who it is," Emmett spat as he cracked his knuckles.
"Well, all things take time," Edward said in an attempt to calm his brother down, though he fully understood where his brother was coming from.
"Well, I have Sam and his guys looking into it now, so we should get an answer soon," Emmett responded, still sounding quite heated. "Sure you don't want me to handle it?"
"No, I want to meet the bastardo who has the gall to steal from me. I will not have someone tainting one of the only pure things I have with their sticky fingers. I don't care if it's one million or one cent, I will not be tolerating it," Edward said in a chilling voice as he shook his head.
Just as the words left his mouth, Emmett's phone beeped, signaling that he had a text message.
"They let you in with your phone?" Edward's eyebrows rose in shock.
"Yup," Emmett nodded as he reached for his iPhone. "Garfield was at the door."
"I see," Edward replied, knowing that he and Carlisle had done the right thing to keep Tyrone, nicknamed Garfield, on the books.
Emmett, however, paid his brother no mind as he watched the clip the security at Euforia sent him in stunned disbelief. Edward was instantly uneasy as he saw how tense his brother had become.
"Emmett!" Edward called, trying to pull his brother out of his daze, "What is it?"
"Um?" Emmett said stupidly as he looked up from his phone.
"What is it?" Edward demanded thinking that something had happened to a member of his family.
"I would not have expected her," Emmett mumbled to himself before he passed the phone to his brother. "It was one of the waitresses. Her name is Isabella Swan. She is twenty years old and a college student."
Edward watched in disbelief as a tiny, dark haired brunette slipped what looked like a ten dollar bill into her pocket. Even though the quality of the video was very poor, he could make out how her hand trembled as she took the money. He watched as the young woman braced a gloriously curved hip against the counter as she took a few minutes to regain her composure before she started to tend to some more customers.
That was when the clip ended and Edward was surprised to find that his throat was tight. With a shaky breath, he handed the iPhone to his brother who was watching Edward closely.
Edward cleared his throat. Then, in a shaky voice, he said the words that caused Emmett's stomach to sink. "When Jenks comes to see me, make sure she is with him," Edward said as he made his way back to the door and banged on it for the guards to come get him.
"I know. She'll be here," Emmett said before bursting out in a gruff laughter. "She looks like an angel, sounds like an angel and even acts like an angel, but maybe Miss Swan has a dark side after all."
But try as he might, Edward could not agree with his brother. Isabella Swan did not look like an angel at all. To him, she looked like she was molded by the hands of all that was evil in the world and sent forth to drive him to madness because never before had he felt lust so deeply before. She was perfection in his eyes and he had to have her and have her he would.