A/N
Disclaimer:
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. I do not own anything Twilight or related that is all Stephanie Meyer. I do however own the plot to End of Innocence.
No copyright infringement intended.
WARNING: This Mobward is going to have tendencies of possessiveness, controlling, domineering, and at times of being a chauvinistic asshole. If you can't handle these traits or are offended by them please DO NOT read.
I know I have done A LOT of promising, and I cannot begin to tell you how very sorry I am. As some of you know, I am an epileptic, July and into August, have been extremely unkind to me. I write when I can.
To my very amazing, talented, and overall amazing beta, Tiffany L. Cullen, who has stuck through this with me. I couldn't love you more. She not only is an amazing beta, but person as well. Please leave her some kind words, if it were not for the beta services, some of us would have some very shitty work. JS You are an amazing woman Tiffany!
See you down below!
End of Innocence
Chapter 5
~~*BPOV*~~
Once Edward left for his meeting, I was able to finish my shower leisurely. I washed and conditioned my hair twice, as well as shaved all the essential areas. I hated hair. I had learned that about myself once I came back from Afghanistan. Since then, anything that has hair below my neck, excluding my arms, is shaved everyday. Nice and smooth.
After getting out of the shower, I lotioned, spritzed and applied my deodrant then dressed. Another habit I had picked up since being back from the dessert. One doesn't realize the gift of a shower until it's taken away.
I figured since I was already in the bedroom, I would pack our clothes that had either been left out or returned from laundry service. I grabbed our toiletries from the bathroom and made sure I hadn't forgotten anything.
I felt as though I had really accomplished quite a bit, until I looked at the clock on the nightstand and saw that it had only been two hours since Edward had left. My stomach decided at that moment to give a loud grumble letting me know I hadn't had anything to eat since yesterday. I grabbed the phone and menu, calling Alec and James to see if they had eaten as well. If not I was going to invite them down to eat with me. Just as I was going to pick up the phone, there was a knock on the door. One of them must have known I was going to call.
I answered with a smile on my face. "How did you know...," I started to ask, until I saw that it wasn't Alec nor James.
The man staring back at me had cold, black, dead eyes. I shivered, feeling the hair stand up on the back of my neck as he continued to stare at me.
"Yes, can I help you?" I asked, when it struck me as odd he was up here to begin with. Alec and James were the only ones beside Edward and Emmett with access to this suite. If I would have known he gave the access out...I wouldn't have a problem with who comes and who doesn't, I just wish I was told in advance.
"I am looking for Carlisle Cullen," he spoke in a thick Arabic accent. My mouth went dry, my chest tightened, and I became dizzy from the brief flashback. I squeezed my eyes closed to stop the panic attack that tried to take hold. I gripped the door handle tighter to keep my knees from buckling out from under me as he stepped forward. My natural instict was to take a fighting stance, which I did, putting my foreign visitor and his associate, which I hadn't seen until now, on high alert. He stepped back and the man that had stayed in the shadows stepped forward, pushing his jacket back so that it showed he was carrying a weapon. I put my hand behind my back to retrieve my own, until the foreign visitor held up his hand.
"I am not here to cause uh...problem, Miss Swan. I only wanted to talk to Mr. Cullen concerning missing shipment. I was told he know where shipment can be located," he explained calmly. I honestly had no idea what he was talking about, but if Carlisle had something to do with a missing shipment, then either Carlisle or Edward was not walking away, possibly even myself. I had missed the fact that he had called me by my name.
Shadow man said something as he replied, "ليس هو ههنا." (He is not here.)
He may not be here, but Alec and James were. Now, if only they would show up.
Shadow man sighed, nodding his head, before exiting our suite. I noticed the visiting stranger tensed in surprise.
"Please, give my regards to Mr. Masen. Also, tell Carlisle he better get that shipment back by tonight, then fall off the radar indefinitely. If not, I'll be back to settle up." They were walking away when shadow man turned, swiftly pulling his Bionnet Beretta, hitting me twice. Once in my arm and once in my chest.
"This is his first and only warning," The stranger warned, before turning and walking into the stairwell.
I felt a burning sensation in my arm, which was bearable. I had been shot a few times before, and knew what to expect. But my chest was starting to feel heavy and my breathing was becoming more difficult. I walked calmly over to the couch and grabbed my cell. I called Edward first, but he must have had his phone off from still being in his meeting. So, I dialed down to Alec and James' room.
"Hey, Izzy Bell, I was getting ready to head...," James started, when I had to cut him off. My chest was on fire and the heaviness was getting worse, threatening to drag me under.
"I've been shot, chest," I managed to wheeze out, before I started to see black spots. I looked down to see that my shirt was soaking quickly in my blood.
"What!?" I heard James scream, as he shouted something at Alec.
"I've been...," I started again, slurring as I cut James off.
"No, no no no, I heard you the first time, sweetheart. I'm on my way up. Do you know who did this? What they looked like?" I couldn't say anything, I closed my eyes for a minute and tried to take a deep breath, but it felt like I was back in the desert. Dry and hot.
Flashback
My lungs burned from the lack of water after my two day stint without. John had us walking, it seemed, for the last thirty-six hours. My feet hurt from the heavy combat boots that I had been wearing and my back felt as though it were going to break in half.
"How much further until we set up camp for the night?" I had asked John, hoping it was anytime.
Dusk had settled in and around us, leaving us walking targets for the Taliban.
"Suck it up Swan! We still have twenty miles to go," he barked. I didn't complain and I didn't quit. I wasn't a quitter.
My lungs burned as I tried taking another deep breath. My throat felt as though it was as dry as the desert I had been walking.
"Christ...fuck...call Masen," I heard off in the far distance. I tried reaching for that voice, tried turning toward it, but I couldn't find it. Where was it? Who was it?
"Isabella, hang in there. You hang in there sweetheart; you hear me," the voice demanded, but I didn't have the strength.
"That's right Swan, quit! I always knew you would! You're not cut out to be one of the best!" John screamed in my face, as I cried my way through the last five miles.
The terrain turned into steep rocky hills. Every now and again, we would pass a cave with a harsh stench coming from it. John gave graphic details of what was inside, so that I was not tempted to run inside, curl up, and die.
"Imagine what it's like to have to run for your life and live inside a cave. A place that you thought was a safe haven only to come to realize that the Taliban were hunting you. Who would inevitably find you, rape you and kill you in the most brutal of ways. They don't just shoot you and get it over with Swan. They rape you over and over, in every single orifice imaginable. Once they're done with you, they skin you alive, cut out your organs and dismember you. Then they walk away; leave everything laying about. That's the smell you're smelling. So, if you want to quit, quit. I could care less, it just means I get to go home sooner," he shrugged his shoulders and continued on.
When I came back to, there were people rushing all around me. I heard something beeping close by and someone say that someone's blood pressure was dropping.
That can't be good.
My chest felt heavy. When I tried to take a breath I couldn't. I started to panic when someone went to cover my face. My instincts told me to fight.
"It's okay, it's just oxygen. It's going to help you breath."He spoke in a gentle and compassionate tone, with caring eyes. Nothing I was used to being around the past couple of months.
I relaxed, listening to the hustle and bustle of everything going on around me. I felt as though I were on the outside looking in, and then I was.
"She's coding."
I stood, watching as doctor's and nurses worked to save my life. I didn't have anymore fight left in me. I was tired of fighting Edward at every twist and turn we came to. I knew that if I survived this, I would have to marry him and go through even more brutal and demeaning treatment. Did I want that?
"Start CPR." Someone called from the bedside, as they watched the machines.
"Take a walk with me," I heard from behind me. I watched as the doctors and nurses desperately tried to save my life while I fought them to just let me go.
"Dad?" I asked, startled at his sudden appearance. "But I thought you were...," I stopped looking over my shoulder at myself.
"Mmm, oh I am," he answered, walking away not waiting for me to follow.
"I see you understand now," he commented, nodding toward where I was laying prone out on the emergency room bed with wires and tubes everywhere.
"Are you here to take me with you?" I asked confused.
"That's not up to me," My father continued to walk expecting me to follow, it had been that way most of my life.
I followed as he walked on. All of the sudden we were back in Marsala, Italy, our hometown. He came to a stop on a hillside staring at a young boy and young girl. They were sitting underneath a tree with a field surrounding them with poppy flowers.
"Up until you were nine or ten years old, Edward made sure you never got hurt. I thought he was acting like an over-protective big brother, until I saw you two under that tree one day. You had fallen and scraped your knee. Edward picked you up, sat you down and brushed you knee off so gently. Then he bent and kissed it. I saw the look in both of your eyes. He wouldn't admit it, but I saw it...I saw the love he had for you. I can't say I regret the way I raised you Isabella, because it made you into a strong, independent woman. Did I make mistakes? Sure, I made plenty of them, but raising children does not come with a manual. It's a learning process, and since I only had you, then...," my father laughed shaking his head.
He walked on as the scenery changed again and we were standing in an elaborate dining room.
"Where are we?"I whispered, looking around at the art lining the walls, the shiny marble floors, and my reflection staring back at me in a gleaming, polished cherry table. I looked so young and...beautiful.
I spun at the sound of glass shattering and a woman screaming out in pain. Again and again, she screamed out. I looked up at my father to see his grimace and flinch every time this poor woman would screech in pain. I took off running toward the voice only to come to an abrupt halt when I saw that it was Esme when she was a younger woman. It had been Carlisle slapping and kicking her, screaming in her face.
"Leave her alone!" I screamed, only to realize he couldn't hear me.
I looked up at my father, panicked. "Why can't he hear me? Make him stop!" My father looked at me sadly and back at the scene in front of us.
"You're pathetic! You're worthless! That bastard you carry will not have my name!" Carlisle screamed, before taking up hitting and kicking her once again. Esme protected her stomach as much as she could.
"It's not mine. Do you hear me! That bastard it not mine!" He roared, bringing his foot back and kicking her so hard in the head, Esme blacked out. I gasped, covering my mouth, feeling the bile rise. Charlie downed his head, turned and walked off.
"Why? Why did you show me that?" I was getting angry at my father for showing me these things but offering up no explanation.
"She was pregnant...with Edward." It was more of a statement than a question. There was no doubt that Carlisle was Edward's father, but why did Carlisle refuse to admit it? Why did he assume someone else was? Or did he?
As it changed again, it went to an older, two story house. There was nothing fancy or upscale about this home, but it felt familiar, cozy. We walked into the living room to find my mother sitting in a rocking chair, lazily rocking, staring off into nothing. She looked to be around seven months pregnant, but extremely underweight.
"Nene, would you like some tea?" My father offered walking up beside her. She never even acknowledged his presence as he bent down and laid his hand upon her stomach. When I looked up at my father, he had a sad, but soft smile on his face from remembering times past. I assume she was pregnant with me.
"I wish you could be just as happy as I am about this Renee." My father sighed, standing and left the tea where it was while he walked aware in defeat.
The scenery changed back one last time to the hillside. Charlie and I sat in the middle of the poppy field as he picked a poppy and twirled it between his fingers, staring out over the expanse of the orange colored meadow. We sat in silence for a while, just enjoying listening to the crickets chirping, bee's buzzing, and the katydids singing their mating songs.
"A child will learn what they live. If they learn love, they will give love. If they learn greed, they will grow up selfish. If that child has seen and lived nothing but hate, he will be hurtful and abusive. As an adult, only you can stop that cycle of abuse. You have to want to change what your future looks like and holds. Do not let anyone dictate what that may be." I felt as though there was a hidden message in there somewhere. Maybe, I was just to happy to be sitting by my father one more time, or maybe I chose not to know and ignore the inevitable. Either way Charlie continued on, "Edward only knows how to protect you. He may go about it the wrong way, but that's his way, it's up to you to teach him how to love, dolcezza. One day Isabella, you will know what eternal happiness and love feels like," he smiled a bright, blinding smile as he got up and started to fade into a radiant glowing light.
The last thing I remember, is Charlie standing over my bed telling me he loved me and "Go, let him love you like you have never been loved, mia figlia."
~~*EPOV*~~
"Isabella is an old soul, easily broken, Edward. You have to tell her, nipota. It will make you feel better, and take the stress off of you from hiding your feelings," Nonna whispered."I will get a hold of my old contacts and new ones for that matter. We will get the best guards for her and you, but you must promise me you will explain everything, and I do mean everything, Edward. For now, I will allow you to do this." Aro whispered, pointing to where I hadn't left the room since Isabella had been brought up from surgery. "When I find someone the famiglia trusts, I will send them to you for the final approval. Until then, James, Emmett, and Alec will take shifts outside of this room. They have been given strict instructions not to let anyone that is not on that list, in or out of this room. Do we have an agreement, nipota?" I couldn't very well say no. My grandfather had been the first to show up after the shooting. He took control of security measures as well as the detectives when they showed up wanting to speak to me. They would have done anything to nail me to the wall for this. It wasn't happening this time that was for damn sure.
When I walked up to James to see who was taking his shift, he wouldn't even look at me. By what I had been told, he was feeling the guilt pull him further down into complete oblivion for what had happened to Isabella. As he sat, stewing in anger and regret, he vowed silently to never be kept at arms length again.
~~******EoI********~~
Isabella spent sixteen days in the hospital, four of which were in ICU in a coma. She had lost so much blood it caused her body to shut down in order to heal. Afterward, when she became alert, her memory of what had occurred was minimal to say the least. Over the next few weeks she would have flashes of what had happened, but she would also tell bizarre stories of seeing and speaking to Charlie. Nothing was ever brought up about the friction that we had shared when I first picked her up. I was hoping that was one memory she would never get back.
I was wrong.
One evening, after Isabella was discharged from the hospital, we were lounging on the sofa in our bedroom. Isabella's head was laying in my lap as I lazily ran my fingers through her long, chestnut brown hair. She turned toward my stomach and stared up at me for the longest time. I laid my financial report on her stomach so she knew she had my undivided attention.
"What are you thinking so hard about, beautiful?" I smiled, running my thumb down the bridge of her nose to her bottom lip.
"Remember when I told you I saw Charlie, and all the things he had said to me?" I was hoping she would drop all of this nonsense talk about seeing her father. It only baffled me. I nodded not wanting to hear what was coming next.
"Ever since then, I've been having these...dreams of Carlisle, Esme and you. Some are so...horrible, but I can't stop thinking, wondering if they're somewhat... real. The way the dreams portray him, the way Esme is in them...," Isabella shook her head, in what I assumed was to block the memories from coming back.
"What are they about...the dreams?" I carefully maneuvered Isabella to where she was sitting, straddling my lap, so I could look her in the eye as she told me. I gently caressed her arm to try and settle the trembling that was traveling throughout her body.
"He's screaming and hitting her. All she does is cower away, curls into herself. Sometimes the dreams are muted, and sometimes I can actually hear what he says to her." As she retold the story, it was so fucking close to what had actually happened to my mother as a young woman in her twenties.
I was so lost in thought that I hadn't heard when she finished.
"Edward, did you hear me?" she asked turning my head toward her.
"No tesoro, I'm sorry, I was lost in thought. What did you say?" I couldn't tell her how close she was to the actual truth. It wasn't my story to tell.
"I asked if you think there is any validity to the dreams?" She looked hopeful, but I just couldn't tell her, there was still too much at stake.
"Maybe it's some residual effects from your coma."
"I hadn't thought of that." She laid back down in my lap as I resumed running my fingers through her thick head of curls.
I thought back to what my grandfather had said to me in the hospital. I didn't want to be dishonest with her, but that was a story for my mother to tell.
"You know we have a week before we are supposed marry. We need to plan our wedding." I was deflecting. I didn't want to talk about her talking to Charlie while she was in a coma. To admit it, meant that it actually happened, and I wasn't ready for that. I came to damn close to losing her, for reasons I may never know, reasons none of us may never know.
"I'm not any good at of this stuff. Why can't your mom do it?"
"Why can't you and mom do it together? After all it is our wedding."I leaned forward kissing her lips, which she gladly let me. Just knowing I almost screwed this up...lost her forever is unthinkable.
Just as I deepened the kiss, my cell phone started ringing. I silenced it, not wanting to ruin the moment we were sharing. I ran my tongue along her bottom lip asking for entrance. She moaned at the intrusion, sucking generously on my tongue. She snaked her hands up my chest and around to the back of my hair, where she intertwined her fingers in the short fine hairs, giving a slight tug. I pulled her tighter to my body, not wanting to let go anytime soon.
This was as close to intimate as Isabella and I had shared since before she was shot. Since being back together, we had not had sex or even engaged in any type of intimacy. We had only been at each others throats or shared a forced, frenzied kiss. That's in thanks to me.
I became hard as hell as she became more frantic with our kiss. She started rocking back and forth on my erection that was bent at an odd angle inside my trousers. Her breathing was becoming labored just as both phones started ringing once again. Isabella huffed, pulling back and looking at the offending objects laying on the nightstand.
"Maybe we should answer that, it's probably important," Isabella panted, trying her best to sound convincing and failing.
"It's more than likely Carlisle. He can wait." I pulled her back in for another passionate kiss, at the same time, I pushed her down on my throbbing erection trying to get some relief, listening for that deep moan.
I let my hands wonder to the bottom of her t-shirt, running up and under. I grabbed a handful of her silky, smooth breasts and groaned. She was pushing it. Just as I was going to rip her shirt in half, someone started frantically knocking on the door.
I looked up at Isabella, who had started to tremble and shaking her head from side to side. She had a deer in the headlight look staring aimlessly at the door. She was becoming frantic, until I gathered her in my arms, holding her tightly to my body. We knew that she had answered the door and thought it to be Alec or James the day of the shooting that much we had gathered. But what was still a mystery was who it was, and what they wanted, considering all of the security cameras had been stalled.
Whoever it was, knew exactly what they were doing.
"Enter," I barked, whispering to Isabella that everything was fine.
"Boss, I swear we tried calling. Russo was clipped walking out of Circoni's half an hour ago. Chicago is in an uproar and blaming someone out of state," James rushed, keeping his back to me.
Why was he keeping his back to us?
I looked down and noticed Isabella's shirt was indeed off. When the hell did that happen? I picked up the white dress shirt I had been wearing and slipped it on Isabella. She had been staring off since James walked in.
"Izzy?" I started, when James' words had finally sunk in.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Garrett watching us with a critical eye. Isabella was still staring off, but was shaking more.
"Sir, the problem," James reminded me again, when Isabella made a groaning sound practically folding into herself. I held her to me, rocking her, assuring her I was still there.
"Have Carlisle check on it and settle...," I was saying when Isabella's eyes snapped to mine looking wild and full of fury. She leaped from my lap and began pacing, mumbling incoherently.
I looked over at James and Garrett who mimicked my exact thoughts. 'She remembered something.' I walked over, blocking Isabella from pacing any further. I gently grabbed her by the shoulders, guiding her to sit in the chair by the sofa.
I had to find out what she remembered.
"Tesoro, did you remember something?" I gently coaxed. I didn't want to press too much, too fast. I was afraid if I did she would repress back into the shell she had been in over the past few weeks since it happened.
She nodded her head, and mumbled something unintelligible.
"What baby? What was it? Did you say Arabic?" I asked, looking puzzled at James and Garrett.
Isabella stiffened and I knew I had hit the proverbial nail on the head. I decided to press a little more.
"Izzy, sweetheart, was the person that did this to you...," I started to ask, until Garrett beat me to is.
"Israeli." He stated more than questioned. I looked over at Garrett and he had gone white, completely lost all the color in his face.
"Izzy, it's alright sweetheart, you're safe. I'm not going to let anything happen to you," I promised, looking over at James and Garrett, nodding toward the hallway.
"How about I run you a nice hot bath, hmm?" I picked her, cradling her to me, and carried her to the bathroom.
Since the shooting, I swore to myself and Isabella things would change. Yes, I had been a dick to her before. But, I had done it out of love and protection.
Now, seeing that no matter if she hated me or loved me, it wasn't just about me, it was about the game itself. Who I was. Who she was, it didn't matter. They would come for us no matter what, we just had to stay one step ahead.
As soon as I started the bath water, I reached over, grabbing her Amore bath salts and sprinkled them in her bath water. I always loved the way she smelled. As the steaming, hot water filled, I helped her undress. There was nothing sexual about this. I wanted to help ease her mind, ease some of the tension that I knew she had to be feeling.
As I pulled my shirt from around her shoulders, she slumped forward. I could tell all of the stress and anxiety were catching up. She looked defeated.
I ran my hands up her thighs, coming to a stop at the waist band of her shorts. I thumbed them before pulling them down. She was left standing in her bra and panties. I stood and walked around her, unclasping her bra and pulling her panties off. I helped her climb in the steaming water when she began to speak.
"There were two of them, both Israeli. The one who I assume to be in charge, asked to speak to Carlisle. When I told him that he was not here, the one who stayed in the shadow, came forward. He had a large scar from the corner of his mouth, straight up through his eye, all the way to his scalp. The leader told me he wasn't here to cause trouble, he just wanted his shipment back. He never said which shipment though, Edward. Before they left, the one in charge told me to give you his regards and to tell Carlisle that he better get his shipment back by that night, and to disappear indefinitely. By that time I was in a full panic attack." Isabella had dead eyes. Talking like a robot.
She took a deep break and squeezed her eyes shut tightly before she finished. "He told me that if he didn't get his shipment back, he would be back to settle up. Right before they walked into the stairwell, the man that had been in the shadows, pulled out a Beretta and shot me. The leader told me that was his first and only warning, and they were gone."
I was trying to keep my temper in check. Knowing this all materialized because of Carlisle, had me seeing fucking blood.
"Thank you sweetheart. I'm going to go speak to James and Garrett about Russo, and then I'm going to join you, would that be okay?" I asked, bending and kissing her forehead as she sat wrapped around herself.
"I would like that," she whispered.
"I'll make it quick." I walked out into the hallway where I was met by not only James and Garrett but also Emmett and Alec.
"I take it you already know?" I looked at Emmett and Alec who looked uncomfortable to say the least.
"Israelis?" Emmett asked, really not needing the confirmation but asking anyway.
"Yes, Isabella just told me everything that went down." I was met by four pairs of surprised eyes. I had been surprised myself when she had started talking, but kept quiet to let her get it out. Maybe now she can get some closure on this ordeal. The others we would work on.
"Have any of you seen or heard from Carlisle?" It was a stupid question, especially if he had become aware of what had happened. How had he not? New York City may have over eight million people, but Carlisle was not a jamook (idiot). I looked over at Emmett, who held a silent conversation with me for a few moments.
"You have to call this, bro," Emmett thought loud and clearly.
"I never thought it would come to this," I sighed, running my hands through my unruly hair.
"No, but you did take an oath, famiglia before anything," Emmett reminded, before shoveling half of a sandwich into his mouth and slurping on a coke.
Emmett was loyal to a fault. At times, he thought the sun set and rose in Carlisle for the simple reason, Carlisle had taken him in, raised him and given him a job. His own father had kicked him out at the young age of thirteen.
"Well, the fact that they were looking for Carlisle and shot Isabella as a warning, tells me that he's in bed with the Israelis. Now, he's disappeared? I would say something smells awfully damn fishy, Emmett," I hissed, watching him recoil back, when I said they had shot Isabella as a warning.
"I want all the women on lock down. No shopping, working, visiting, nothing. They are to have twenty-four hour guards. If they won't hesitate to shoot a principessa,they will not hesitate to shoot a civilian. I have to go check on Isabella. Emmett, have Jasper check in later with a status report on Russo. Have him find out who's taking over. Alec, I want four guards sent here. We still have work to do. Garrett, we need to find out exactly what shipment Carlisle stole from the Israelis. James, speak to my grandfather about what I need to do about this marriage ceremony. I know it's well past the deadline, but all things considering," I finished and started to head back inside the room, but stopped.
These guys were like brothers to me, I didn't want to see any of them hurt or worse, dead. The Israelis were not an organization to mess with. That is why we had never become allies. At one point and time, I can remember Charlie telling me that the Israeli's Boss was considered the most dangerous Mafiosi in the world.
Dov Scheinberg is a sixty-eight year old, balding, Jewish man, who got his start in petty theft and fraud. He moved to Israel from the Ukraine where he invested in a wide range of legal businesses while continuing to operate a worldwide network of prostitution, weapon, and drug smuggling. He wasn't satisfied with the rate of which he rose. He joined forces and soon started taken on contract killings.
"Guys, be careful out there. If this is in fact part of Scheinberg, he's deadly. He doesn't ask questions. He will shoot first, then ask questions." I reminded them as I turned walking back into mine and Isabella's room.
I walked with a purpose to the bathroom stripping as I went. I had only been out in the hallway ten minutes at most. I was hoping she hadn't given up on me.
As I entered the bathroom, there she laid. Her hair was over the edge of the tub, laying in ringlets from the humidity. She had a fine coating of sweat covering her face as she lounged in the bathtub. She looked like an angel.
I finished stripping myself of the clothes I had on, bent and whispered for her to scoot forward so that I could slide in behind her. I made myself comfortable, pulling her into me and wrapping my arms around her.
"Hmm, I love the way you smell." I buried my face into her hair, inhaling deeply. I noticed the goosebumps that rose on her arms and wondered if she was getting cold.
"If you're getting cold, we can get out?" I motioned for the plug, but she stopped me.
"I'm fine."
We sat in a comfortable silence for awhile enjoying being wrapped up in one another. Isabella decided to break the silence, which I hadn't been expecting.
"Will you tell me why you left Italy?" Isabella whispered, staring off out the window. I knew this moment would come. It was make it or break it time. If I denied her, she had every right to deny me. I was not about to do that. It was time for me to man up and tell her the truth...all of it.
"I will, but I think that is a conversation better had in bed. How about we get out and dry off. You're starting to turn into a prune anyway," I chuckled, standing, bringing her with me.
I stepped out, wrapping a towel from the warmer around my waist. I helped Isabella out and started to dry her off. I grabbed an extra towel for her hair. All I knew to do is wrap the loose ends up it it. She giggled, telling me she could do it herself. I excused myself to the bedroom, long enough to grab a pair of boxers and turn the bed down. Isabella had gone through another long and stressful day. I hadn't expected her to want to hear about the past, but if this is what she wanted, I would be more than happy to oblige.
She walked out, still wrapped in a towel and headed for her suitcase. She donned a pair of small yellow panties with a pink bow in front.
Simple and innocent.
She had her back turned to me, as she began to tease and taunt me with her flesh. When she dropped her towel letting it fall to the floor, she peaked over her shoulder and winked. She winked! I am strong, but dammit, that's pushing even my self-control.
"Could you hand me that bottle of lotion over there on the bedside table?" I handed it to her and made myself comfortable. I leaned up against against the headboard and watched as she applied the lotion to her body.
Christ! It was better than any damn porn I had ever watched in my entire life, and she was partially dressed.
With each leg she stretched it showed how flexible and strong she was. Her arms were firm, as the lotion glided on smoothly, glistening over the well defined muscles. Through the mirror, I watched as she applied the lotion to her upper torso with precise, purposeful movement. Her hands came down, encircling each breast. My breath caught, and mouth went dry as I followed her languid movements. She gripped both breasts, running her palms over the erected nipples up to her neck.
I groaned at the sight. Whether Isabella heard or not she didn't react. She turned fully toward me giving me a show I will not soon forget. Taking more of the creamy, fragrance solution in her hand, she warmed it first, before applying it to her stomach. I watched, licking my parched lips, as she slowly and methodically moved south toward her inner thighs. I gulped, reaching down for my hard, throbbing cock without even realizing it and began to stroke it. Running my thumb over the small slit.
"Good to know watching me lotion up my body turns you on," Isabella commented, in a sultry, seductive voice I had never heard come from her. She sauntered up to the end of the bed, like a mountain lion stalking her prey. She prowled her way up the bed toward me. I watched her every move and inch by perilous inch, she crawled up my body taking her time exploring the muscular definition of my legs. Kneading and soothing the muscles. As she moved up my thighs, she brushed my pulsating erection with her teeth, nipping. I hissed at not only the sensation but seeing her lying in that position between my legs. Isabella looked up at me from under her lashes and I damn near lost my load. I threw my head back, groaning loudly, covering my eyes with my arm.
Isabella giggled pushing herself up the rest of my body, laying on top of me. I was as hard as a rock, and she was as soft and silky as a rose petal. This was so dangerous for us. So many things were still left unsaid. Damaging words on my part had been said, which I was hoping could be repaired. I knew when I had decided to keep her at arms length it could turn out badly, but what I wasn't planning on was practically losing her at the hands of the Israeli Mafia.
She sat up, straddling my lap, looking proud of herself. I ran both hands down her sides not being able to resist the smooth contours of her body.
"You asked me if I would tell you why I left Italy all those years ago. Right now, I want nothing more than to make love to you and show you how much I do love you, Isabella. But, and I can't believe I'm going to say this, especially with you sitting here looking so...fuckable. I think we need to talk. I have a lot I need to say and get out before I would feel comfortable sharing any intimacy between us. Christ, I cannot believe I said that!" I ran my hands through my hair and over my face. Seriously not believing what I was hearing come out of my own mouth.
Isabella grabbed onto my wrists, pulling them away from my face, and smiled at me gently.
"Thank you, but I never intended for us to have sex, Edward. I'm sorry I teased you. I agree we do need to talk and that's why I asked the question I did in the bathtub. I'll go get a shirt and be right back, m'kay?" Isabella looked honestly apologetic as she scooted off the bed.
She returned moments later and I would have preferred her topless instead of what she had put on. I groaned at the site of her as she hopped in bed beside me. She looked alarmed at first as I had thrown my head back and groaned.
"What? I put a shirt on." She looked down at herself just to make sure she was presentable.
"You look so fucking...fuckable in my shirt," I growled, lunging for her. She squealed, giggling as I grabbed her, settling her down beside me to help keep me grounded, while I told her some of my deepest, darkest moments since we last saw one another ten years ago.
"Look at me, please," I muttered, turning her so that she could look me in the eye and see that I was being sincere in what I was about to say to her. "You have to know that when I left you that night, ten years ago, I fell apart. When you hear the why's, how's and where's, I'm hoping you understand. Just know that I never stopped loving you, Izzy. I never gave up hope of finding you and making everything right again. All the hateful and malicious words I have ever said to you, I can never take back, but I can try and make it up to you. I'll beg for the rest of my existence if need be."
I took a deep breath and began the tale of ten years prior.
"You already know that I didn't leave Italy right away. Believe it or not, I left Italy to keep you safe. I wasn't given a choice. Carlisle...Carlisle is a sick and twisted bastard," I hissed out, getting angry over the night he confronted me about Isabella and I in the warehouse.
Isabella spun around looking at me and I knew the question before she even asked.
"I didn't realize Carlisle had started my grooming process while we still lived in Marsala, but when I look back now, I can still see every heist, pick-up, delivery, and person I was ordered do a hit on like it was a fucking picture show running on repeat over and over in my head," I confessed. Isabella sat speechless as I continued.
"For weeks, I would be up before four a.m., waiting in the kitchen for Garrett and Alec to show. I never knew what I was going to have to do that day, until we left. I still think those two felt sorry for me and gave me the easy way out on some of the jobs." I remembered how they would send me out as the look out or to fetch them a soda just to come back to see blood spatter on one or both of their shirts or shoes.
"On one particular job, Carlisle had requested I go personally. Alec and I had come back early from a delivery of AK-47's. Everything had gone smoothly. All of the AK's where accounted for so we came in early. Carlisle had given Alec permission to knock off early. Before Alec left, he side eyed me, motioning for me to follow him out to his car using the excuse that I needed to get the bills for the shipment. I followed him out, and Alec hinted around that Carlisle was up to something. He told me I needed to watch my back and if I needed any help to call. He promised that he and Garrett would be there. Of course, they all respected me more than they did Carlisle. They knew I was next in line to be Godfather. Anyway, when I got back inside, Carlisle told me I needed to prove myself; I needed to prove I was boss material. I thought to myself, what the hell have I been doing, ya know? That night, he took me to a small club in Corleone. I didn't know anyone, and no one knew me. We sat in a darkened corner watching everyone drink, dance, snort lines; you name it, they were doing it, including Carlisle. He had tried to get me to, but I wanted to keep my wits. I had kept what Alec said in the back of my mind the entire time. After a few hours, a man walks in with this tall blonde on his arm. She was beautiful, I won't lie. She had to have been in her mid 20's. Carlisle watched as they took a seat at a booth across from us. I could see the rage, the fire in his eyes. Carlisle downed a few more drinks, snorted a few more lines, before he decided it was time to go." I took a deep breath, because I knew the hardest part was coming up.
I pulled Isabella tighter into me so that I wouldn't lose my grounding. I clenched my jaws tight, squeezed my eyes shut, then opened them. Isabella was staring at me, rubbing my hands where I had been clutching them closed tightly. I released them, interlacing our fingers together. I took a few more deep breathes before finishing. I knew what I was confessing to Isabella was a secret no one else knew. It's one of my darkest, scariest nightmares at times wakes me in a cold sweat.
"Carlisle backed the car into an ally across from the club and shut the lights off. We sat their for a couple of hours. I assumed the guy who had come into the club owed him money. So, I kept my mouth shut and tried to prepare myself. If it had only went down that way," I whispered, shaking my head.
I could feel my body starting to reject the dinner I had just consumed. Every time, I would have the memories surface, the cold chills wracked my body followed by the trembling. It was as though I were sitting inside an igloo without clothes. I had to force myself to swallow the bitter tasting bile that had risen in my throat in order to keep from throwing up, as I counted to twenty slowly in my head.
"Edward, can you hear me?" I heard the shakiness in Isabella's voice, at the same time I felt her fingers scraping lightly against my scalp.
I cleared my throat apologizing. "Um, yeah...sorry," I was prepared to finish, but Isabella interrupted me.
"You don't have to be sorry, Edward, I know what it's like. Don't feel as if you have to go on." This was something she needed to know. I knew Carlisle. I knew that if I didn't tell her than he would, and that's not something I wanted nor needed to help me get back in her good graces.
"No Izzy, this is something I need to tell you. I have to tell you because if I don't... Carlisle will. He'll add things to it that didn't actually happen. I've seen him do it. I have seen him break up happy homes, solid marriages with his lying and deceiving ways," I confessed. I leaned forward wrapping my arms around my knees, trying to relax so as to not tense again, as I finished my first of many nightmares.
"Alright, if it's that important to you then finish telling me," she told me gently, running her fingers back and forth through my hair and down my back massaging the muscles.
"When the couple came out of the club, they were hammered. The man was holding the woman up, staggering down the sidewalk laughing and singing. They didn't have a damn clue what was about to happen. When Carlisle turned to me, it was as though I were staring the devil in the eyes. His eyes were coal black and callous, as though he could see through to my very soul. His pupils were massively dilated from all the lines he had consumed. He was no doubt intoxicated from the whiskey he had consumed inside the club and continued with when we left, but what terrified me was the heinous sneer he gave. He told me, "You see those two? That is Siderno's underboss, Royce King. He's been seen parading that bitch under my nose for six months now. It's time he's taught some respect. Since he doesn't know the difference between a Don and a motherfucking underboss, it's up to you to show him. I'll deal with his whore." Carlisle licked his lips with a sinister smile as he leered back at the couple. "I haven't had good, tight, Sicilian pussy since Esme," He mumbled, doing two more lines as he watched them closely.
"That was the first night, I witnessed Carlisle rape and beat a woman to death. I wished I could say it was the last, but..." I confessed sadly, feeling drained and overwhelmed from my entire confession.
Isabella sat and listened through my entire revelation wide eyed. Only once did she try to interrupt, but that was when I was feeling sick and overwhelmed by what had happened.
I sat there for a few minutes knowing I had to get this out. Though I could feel the mounting pressure of a panic attack, I pushed it off to the side and continued.
"I had managed to stay away from Carlisle for the next few weeks. Nothing was mentioned about that night. Alec and Garrett both knew something had happened, but they didn't ask and I didn't offer up any details. One afternoon, Garrett and I came in from receiving a large shipment of coke. I remember thinking just that morning how much I missed how simple things had been before I was thrown into a life I never wanted. How I missed my best friend, the one and only person who knew how to keep my life normal." I smiled over at Isabella, bumping her shoulder. At that point we hadn't seen one another in over three months.
"I can still see my mom sitting at the dining room table crying. I thought something had to have happened to either you or Nonno. So naturally, I started getting upset. I asked my mother what had happened thinking either you or he had been involved in an accident. I tried to console her, until Carlisle walked up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders, squeezing. I think that's when I knew he had either done something to her or Nonno. I saw her entire body stiffen. I was ready for a fight. I was seriously going to take my own father out. Alec and Garrett came and stood on either side of me and that's when Carlisle told me." I felt it start to get harder to breathe and I knew I was starting to go into a panic attack. I began trying to take deep breaths, and I focused on the silhouette of Isabella out of my peripheral vision.
"We leave for New York in the morning. I have been asked to take over as boss for one of the Five Families. Make sure you are packed and ready to go by four." Carlisle demanded, turning to leave.
"I'm not leaving Isabella," I growled, taking a step forward, until Alec put a hand on my shoulder stopping me.
"This is not up for negotiation, Edward. You will go and you will not speak of Isabella Swan again. Ever. Is that clear?"
"You cannot tell me what to do. I'm eighteen. I'm an adult, if I want to stay in Italy I will stay!" I screamed, shaking Alec off.
Carlisle laughed, motioning Alec and Garrett with his head. They drug me up to his office sans my mother and made me sit until Carlisle appeared out of nowhere. He flipped a switch on the TV and what I saw nearly made me vomit. It wasn't what I was watching, it was the fact that he had desecrated something that was so precious and personal between us.
"You see, Edward, I don't think Charles Swan would appreciate the fact you took his only daughter's virginity. Especially at the age of sixteen. I think the ball is in my court, don't you son?" I felt defeated knowing he had won.
"Yes, sir," I mumbled, knowing I couldn't do anything. I got up and slowly made my way to my room. I destroyed everything I could get my hands on that night.
The next day, we were at the airstrip and on our way to New York by four a.m.
"So, Carlisle blackmailed you with a tape of us having sex? Do you know who taped us?" she sneered in disgust.
"I have yet to figure that out. I have asked Alec and Garrett, but they both said they were gone on runs that night."
"So, what happened when you first came to New York? When you first picked me up, you were so... hateful. It was as though you were being forced to take on a responsibility you didn't want. The things you said...," If there is one thing Isabella is, it is a very perceptive woman. She doesn't miss anything, except she had it wrong this time. I didn't hate her and I most definitely wanted her. I didn't see her as a responsibility. I was still madly and deeply in love with her. I just didn't want her in the world in which I was involved. Yes, her father had involved her in his, but not as deeply as what she would be if she married me. Being in a made marriage, everyone knew it was for business purposes only. Therefore, putting a literal mark on her head, just to have leverage over me. I didn't want to do that to Isabella, but at this point I was tired of fighting it.
"Once we got to New York things had gotten so much worse, but you have to understand there are things I cannot divulge to you. It's my oath, if others were to find out...," I shook my head just knowing what the repercussions would be.
"I understand it's your oath, and you have to know that I would never tell anyone anything that is ever said between us."
I had to tell her...I had to tell her before I lost her forever. I had been pushing her away for many reasons; anger, hurt and resentment. But, most of all, I was horrified. Horrified of what the outcome was going to be. I knew she had to have hated me by now. No, she loathed me. She was just holding it in. But what she failed to see, I've only done what I thought was for her own good and I told her as much.
"Did you ever stop to think...to ask me what I thought would be best for me, instead of assuming and just doing it?" Isabella whispered, looking up at me with unshed tears.
I felt like I had let her down. I had been assuming she couldn't think for herself, when in all actuality, she was prepared for any outcome.
"I'm sorry."
"Are you?" I hugged her to me trying to convey my feeling through my emotions. I sat holding her for sometime. The night had turned out being emotional for both of us, but it was far from over. I still hadn't told her some of the worst parts. I didn't know if I could.
We took a break, ordering room service.
I had so much going on in my head. Not only was I facing a meeting in the morning, which I had no idea what it was about, but Isabella was still grilling me about everything from the past. I was feeling disoriented and jumbled.
We ordered a light dinner of Duck Consomme with a bottle of chilled 1941 Cabernbet Sauvignon. We held light conversation about what we each wanted with the wedding, and who we wanted to attend. I was surprised when Isabella suggested we have a destination wedding. It's custom that an Italian-American Godfather have a large, local, Catholic wedding in order to welcome his new bride into the folds of the famiglia. Isabella voiced her concerns that since Carlisle has enemies that have already tried to clip her, then she would rather have our wedding outside the United States, which I agreed. I asked if she had any preferences and she didn't, which worked in my favor.
It looked as though we would be getting married in Bora Bora.
With marriage talk came the inevitable talk about how many partners we each had been with. This was one part of my past I was not proud of nor did I want her to know, but if I didn't tell her mine I more than likely wouldn't be able to find out hers. Did I want to know hers? Probably not. I'm a possessive dick. I would probably explode knowing someone else touched what was mine.
"Edward, how many woman have you been with?"
I stiffened at her side afraid she would bolt as soon as she learned the answer. I knew we had to get this out in the open, but to actually verbalize it, was harder than I thought it was going to be. I knew that if I hesitated it would cause her to doubt me.
"That many huh?" I could hear the sadness just in that one question alone.
"I couldn't tell you one name or face to any of them that's how fucked up I was. I just know the stories I have been told."
She turned facing me quicker than I could stop her. I could see the disappointment written all over her face.
"Why? Why would you do something like that?" Her voice held disgust, but her eyes told another story. She was enraged.
I could have lied my way out of it, but I chose to answer her honestly.
"Once I got to New York, I lost myself. The images, nightmares...it all became to much. I went to a bar one night after being here for eight months. We had just received a shipment which was going to bring in millions so we decided to celebrate. All I had done since being here was work, go home, sleep, and repeat. So, the guys dragged me out to a bar. I started drinking that night, nothing else. Once I became Godfather, it was expected of me to go out and socialize. The things I did, saw...I wanted it gone. I needed something to numb the pain. I started out smoking weed and drinking a little heavier. When that didn't seem to make the images go away, I turned to coke. It numbed everything, it kept the nightmares away. It kept the smell and feeling of a non-existent you away," I finished, pushing a few strands of hair behind her ear, bending and kissing her chastely. "I didn't want to forget you, but remembering you was toopainful." I whispered.
Her tears said it all. She, too had had a difficult time coping. Whether she had turned to the same coping mechanism as me I didn't know, but at least I had been honest.
"Your turn, how many uh...cough..men..cough...have there been since I left?" I coughed and sputtered trying to get the words out.
She looked down and my stomach sank. I pulled away, sitting up. I was preparing myself. I didn't want to lash out at her, but the panicky, enraged, crushed feelings I started having was washing over me in a tidal wave.
"Relax Edward, only one. You," she answered. I saw it in her gentle, fern, green eyes when she answered. There had only ever been me. I was right, she was mine.
Mine!
After that little revelation, we called it a night. I had my meeting I had to attend in the morning, and to be honest, I wanted to lay down and hold Isabella for the rest of the night and that's exactly what I did. She turned away from me where we were spooning. I pulled her tight up against my body so that we both would feel the security of the others closeness. It wasn't long after that we both drifted off into a peaceful sleep.
Me, dreaming of deep green eyes walking toward me on a beach with the people we love most.
A/N
Chapter 5...Complete
Hmm, can Edward turn his ways around? Is he even worthy of Isabella's love?
Find out next time on Chapter 6 of End of Innocence.
~~**Pappy**~~