Chapter 8

A big thank-you to AngelycDevil for her awesome betaing of this chapter. She is a star! *

Disclaimer: I own jack shit!

Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil.

-C.S Lewis

BPOV:

There are some things that people never expect to see in their lives like pigs flying or green skies or zombies. Seeing my perfectly innocent, couldn't-harm-a-fly roommate pull a gun out of nowhere, assemble and load it like a trained assassin was one of mine. But that was abruptly erased off my list a few hours ago…

I was on the verge of passing out when I heard someone knocking on our door. I was crying so hysterically I couldn't even answer Alice's queries when she was asking about what happened. All I could choke out was "guns" over and over. Something must have clicked in Alice's mind because she went over to our window desk started taking apart the desk lamp. At first all I could think to myself was that Alice was off her rocker but then to my surprise, I saw her removing things from inside the neck of the lamp. Then, she elbowed the dead center of the desk and a secret compartment dropped out from underneath the desk. I saw her fiddle around with a few things but within two minutes she was marching towards the door with a hand gun.

Everything became too much at that moment and I really thought that I was about to pass out. I saw Alice rip open the door and start screaming at the person behind it, not a smart move in my opinion. I was focusing on hearing my own breaths…in and out…in and out. I was starting to feel my rapid heartbeat slow a little when Alice walked in happily with one of the gunmen from earlier. My heart started to race again as all kinds of messed up thoughts started to run through my head. Was Alice in cahoots with these people? Was this where they admit Alice was staking me out all this time and kill me? Or kidnap me?

Every fiber in my being was screaming at me to run away but as they were standing in front of the door that was not exactly a good idea, so I did the next best thing: run into my room. I slammed the door close behind me and crumbled onto my bed. I heard my door open again and I looked to see a gun-wielding Alice walking towards me. My brain mouth filter must have shut down with all the stress because without even thinking I screamed, "Get that fucking gun out of my room!"

She ran out of the room and I heard her return a minute later. I assumed without the gun but to be honest, I wasn't sure because I was lying on my bed, stomach first and looking the other way. I refused to look at Alice like a stubborn child who didn't get their way.

I figured that Alice must not be out for my blood because if she was, she would have shot me as soon as she entered the room. However, she still lied to me and it hurt that she couldn't be honest with me. I felt my bed dip down slightly, so I knew she was sitting behind me.

"Bella...I haven't exactly been honest with you about who I am." Alice began.

"No kidding," I snapped.

"Bella, you have to understand that I did it for your own protection and safety..." She pleaded. She waited a minute to see if I would respond to what she said. When I didn't she continued "Bella, my family is not like most others. Have you heard of the Cullen family?"

I nodded.

"Well, the guy standing in our living room is Edward Cullen and his father works with my father."

"But you said you father was into construction! You lied to me." I replied stupidly. My voice muffled because of my pillow, I was still refusing to look at her.

"Well that technically is still correct, just not construction of buildings, like you assumed. My father is into the construction of high performance weaponry, which he supplies to the Cullens—" I gasped and rolled over to look into her eyes hoping that this was when she would scream "Just Kidding!" or I would wake up from this nightmare. Instead all I was met with was the truth in Alice's eyes.

She continued as if nothing had happened. "The Cullen's are not what the media makes them out to be. Those articles that you read about them randomly shooting people on the street because they looked at them funny or they took their car parking spot…that is all a load of bullshit. They are good people at heart and would never harm a civilian. The only people who get involved with the Cullen's are those who choose to do so and no one is blackmailed or forced into it like the papers say. As well as working with Mr. Cullen, my dad's also his best friend and since I grew up with the Cullen family, I can honestly say that I have never met a nicer family.

"My mother always said that being involved with the mob would come back to bite us on the ass sooner or later and boy, was that the truth. My father was approached by the Chinese mob about ten years ago and was asked to swap sides and become their supplier. Being Carlisle's—that's Edward's dad—best friend, my dad refused. To try and persuade him or more accurately blackmail him, the Chinese tried to get me."

"But you would have been so young…" I said quietly. I looked up to see Alice with silent tears rolling down her face. I moved so that I was lying down with my head in her lap and my arms around her waist hugging her. She started to play with my hair as she told the rest of her story.

"I was only eleven at the time. By putting out a hit on me, those selfish bastards ripped apart my family. The Chinese were too powerful for me to just get protection and still live at home; I would have been dead within a week. So the only opinion my dad was left with was to relocate me. At eleven, I was sent across the country into the south where I lived with a lovely family, the Carters. I remember, at first, I was so mad at my dad for sending me away on my own from everything I have ever known. They have a saying in the south though that all the Carter sons used to say while working on their farm: 'Born, bread and corn fed for this.' It meant that they were born into that lifestyle and raised to continue that lifestyle. It was then that I decided that they embraced their way of life that so would I. I began to love my time on the ranch but that only lasted for about three years until The Chinese figured out where I was. Three hours later I was ready to go to Paris.

"Living there was probably the hardest because I knew no French but I came to love it there too. It was there that I decided to embrace my mafia background and started to learn to protect myself, I knew it was the only way I would ever be able to come back home. I stayed with the Boucher family there, who I knew were close friends of father's. The Bouchers were never able to have kids so they were absolutely delighted to have me. Mrs. Boucher would spoil me and taught me all about fashion and clothes while I conned Mr. Boucher to teach me everything he knew about guns and weapons. I was home schooled there and we would laugh because I would go from having me math test to a gun assembly test. We were definitely not your average family. I stayed there for two years and in that time, I learned to assemble and load any gun in under thirty seconds flat, disassemble any gun, throw knifes accurately up to twenty meters and deactivate bombs. Once again, though, my location was somehow leaked and I was shipped off again, only this time it was to Japan. I hated leaving the Bouchers. They had no children of their own and they revolved their lives around me so much, I knew me leaving would leave a void in their lives.

"In Japan, I stayed with more of my father's friends, the Takahashis. They were a big family; there was eight kids not including me. I made good friends with the oldest girl, Tess. She was only a year older than me and she was a black belt in karate and taekwondo. She quickly became my mentor as well as my best friend. She taught me everything she knew and trained me into the skilled fighter that I am now. She helped me convince my dad to let me come home as well. She videoed me fighting multiple attackers as well as putting together a gun and accurately shooting three targets, all bull's eyes. That was only three years ago now and I have been back in the country since then. My dad insisted that I not meddle in the mafia world, everything needed to be kept quite because he didn't want to start an unneeded war. No one but my mum, dad and Carlisle even knew I'm home…until Edward showed up at our front door," she added jokingly, no doubt trying to hide the pain in her voice.

Alice looked at me with a sad smile. I honestly think she was waiting for me to say something in regards to what she just told me, but I was too in shock to actually form words. I felt horrible that she had been deprived of a normal childhood and filled with fear for too long. All because of the family she was born into; it wasn't fair. Alice must have thought to my silence to mean that I needed more explanation so she started talking again.

"Edward really is a good egg, you know. He may be a mobster's son and have his flaws like everyone but he has a heart of gold. No one would ever treat you like a princess the way that man would. Something else you should understand about the Cullens. They only traffic drugs, launder money, import expensive cars illegally and participate in illegal car racing. But something they will never do is harm a woman or an innocent. They are good people that you just need to experience for yourself to understand just how special they truly are. By getting involved with Edward, you will be putting a target on yourself much like how I have one looming over my head permanently. But know that any of the Cullens would give their lives before they let any one touch one piece of hair on that pretty little head of yours." She grinned at me and despite the information she'd just spouted out, I felt my fear slowly slip away.

"Alice, you are one special little girl." I reached up and hugged her properly. "You truly are my best friend and I love you." I continued. I wanted her to know that even though she just admitted to me that she has ties to the mafia, that will not affect the bond and friendship that we have.

"I love you too sweetheart. Now let's go get you formally introduced to the very special man that is waiting outside." Alice winked as she took me outside and lead me to the God-like man in my living room. I could hear Alice talking to him as we entered the room but being the coward that I am, I glued my eyes to the floor.

When I heard him talk, goose spread bumps through me and my heart raced: he had the voice of an angel. He made a beautiful speech and handed me a piece of paper with his phone number and my iPod.

I took them off him and gripped the shit out of them. I looked up at him and tried my best not to get blinded by his beauty; he is truly breath-taking and very intimidating. After an awkward silence, he said good bye and left but watching him walk to the door, I realized that I didn't even thank the man who had saved me today. I called after him.

"Thank you for saving me today, Edward." My quiet voice lingered in the room. Slowly, he walked across the room until I was right in front of me. I was feeling very out of my element so once again my eyes made best friends with the floor. I felt my heart stutter when his right hand slowly came up to cup my cheek. He lifted my head and placed a lingering kiss on my forehead, my heart melted. He looked into my eyes and said, "Anytime, beautiful. And even if you say no to the dinner and never want to see me again, please know that if you are ever in any trouble, I will always be here for you. Never hesitate to call me." Then he left without looking back and I heard Alice burst out of her room and let out a huge breath.

"Holy shit! I swear Bella if you let that boy get away you are the stupidest girl I have ever met." I definitely agreed with her and after half an hour of thinking, I text my response to Edward's request: yes.

A/N:

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All My Love

xoxoxox