Mistaken Identity: Chapter Nine
Edward slid into the driver's seat content in what he had just accomplished. It shocked him how much harder it was to approach a man like Harry Clearwater than it had been for him to stand up to his mother. In his life all Edward craved was respect from me the likes of Harry, all of those citizens of Forks who actually were men of honor and integrity so much the antithesis of the men he had grown up around. It was difficult for him to place his father in the same caliber as the heads of the other families. He wanted to believe the image that his father had done his best to preserve but now it had shattered and Edward had his mother to thank for that. Jane was everything that his father hadn't been. There was no way for her to separate herself between business and the family that she held so dear. They were melded into one entity. Whereas Aro wore many masks Jane only possessed one and it certainly wasn't the one of loving mother.
Edward had wanted to tell Harry everything that he had done, what actually was in the envelope he was holding in case of his demise however he held back for many reasons. The most important of them all was it was much safer that Harry Clearwater hadn't a clue of the intricate happenings in his family's business. The less he knew the better it would be for him and his own family. Another reason was that for some bizarre twist of things Edward did honestly believe in the code of honor that he had been taught growing up, that problems were taken care of within the ranks of the family. He reasoned that in his own way he had done just that. The hand that he played against his mother was legal within all realms of their code. Edward had to laugh at the thoughts of the word legal and the Volante Family being used in the same sentence. Jane just never expected her son to be smart enough to use it against her in a way that she couldn't come out on top.
Edward shifted into drive and pulled out of the parking lot. He half expected to feel sad about leaving the place where his only roots were but that wasn't coming. It was as if the further he went away from the center of his life the less tight the noose around his neck felt for once he was able to able to breath freely again. The shroud of darkness that had long been encircling him was becoming light again and the deep dark tunnel that he once traveled through had opened up into an expansive highway of endless possibility.
Edward glanced at his watch. He would have just enough time to get to the airport for his flight. The state of Texas called to him. The many possibilities that lay ahead were astounding. He was looking forward to jumping in with both feet where his uncle Carlisle's business was concerned. Over the years he had kept track of his uncle's dealings as if somewhere in his heart he knew that this day would ultimately come. Edward knew his uncle's restaurant "The Two-Step" was ripe for expansion. He envisioned the bar and grille as so much more. Lately Carlisle had been dabbling in the local band scene and Edward couldn't wait to get his hands on some of that talent. In one of his many attempts to get out from under his mother's thumb Edward had worked booking local talent in Forks. His boss at the time told him that he was a natural and offered him a full-fledged contract but as quick as the offer had been put on the table it was rescinded. Jane swore up and down that she had had nothing to do with it but every time that he had gotten close to a career outside of the family business something always seemed to go awry. Edward cursed his mother for all the missed opportunities in his life, for all those things she had successfully squashed for him.
The roar of the jet engines overhead signaled that he was drawing close to the airport. His anticipation was growing with each mile that brought him closer to his new life. For the first time Edward was about to have the clean slate he had always wanted, to be whoever or whatever he chose.
"Yes?" the woman behind the counter asked.
"My name is Edward Volante. Marie at Forks Travel phoned in my reservation to Galveston."
"Certainly Mr. Volante," the woman tried to hide the quiver in her voice. The man standing in front of her carried an ominous name even though he had a soft face. She wasn't about to take any chances on her impression being wrong. She scanned the computer terminal there was no Edward Volante listed on any flight. She bit her lip as she checked again.
"Is there a problem?" he inquired seeing the uneasiness in the woman's posture.
"Ah," she wavered.
"Well, is there or isn't there a problem? I have my itinerary right here if that would help." Edward was having flashbacks of all the ways his mother had stopped him before. It wouldn't be a surprise in the least if she was again attempting to foil his plans.
"Yes, may I see that please?"
Edward handed over the information that Marie had emailed to him the day before. The paper she held in front of her indicated his flight to Texas was the one boarding at gate 596A right now. Again she looked towards her terminal screen and input the information the she now knew and still she came up empty.
"I'm sorry Mr. Volante it appears as though your reservation was never made."
"You have got to be kidding, right?"
"I wish I were. I put in the flight information you gave me and your name is nowhere on the passenger list."
"What the hell am I supposed to do now?" Edward bellowed, "I am expected in Texas tonight." Edward ran his hand through his bronze locks trying to come up with a solution to this dilemma. He had no intention of heading home to his mother. Hell, he'd sleep in the airport if need be.
"Would you like me to contract your travel agency and see if I can come up with what the issue is?"
"That won't be necessary," he countered wanting to have the pleasure of reaming the person responsible for this confusion himself. If he even got a whiff of his mother's involvement all bets were off. He would take the information he had on her and the other families to the Fed's right now.
"It's really no trouble. We do it all the time for many of our passengers," she pushed trying to surmise if he was angry with her or not.
"Thank you but I will take care of this myself. I know that it is in no way your fault," Edward returned well aware from the expression on her face that she was awaiting his wrath.
"Well, please do let me know if I can be of any assistance."
Edward waved his hand in the air as he turned to go. As well-meaning as she was right now he had other things to contend with like what the hell happened to his reservation. His Uncle Carlisle and Aunt Esme would be waiting at the airport for his arrival and it would be in vain because at this rather he would be lucky if he got to Texas by tomorrow. "Marie please," Edward spoke into his cell phone.
"This is Marie, how can I help you?"
"You can help me by telling me just what the hell happened to my reservation!" Edward growled.
There was no need for her to ask the person's name on the other end of the receiver. It was quite obvious who the man was. "Mr. Volante," she cleared her throat, "I tried to contact you earlier but I was informed that you had left. There was a problem with your flight arrangements. For some reason you were bumped from your original flight."
"WHAT?!" he bellowed.
"There was a last minute booking that was top priority and I was forced to make other arrangements for you. I did book you a flight but you will have a layover in Kansas before you fly on to Texas. You should reach your party about three hours later than anticipated. I left you a message on your voice mail. I just assumed that you had gotten the information."
Edward glanced down at the screen on his phone. He had completely missed the flashing indicator for his voice mail, "I must apologize. I was just taken by surprise that there was no flight information for me at the ticket counter."
"Given the lateness of the changes I made there wouldn't be. I gave you the flight numbers you would need to give at the counter when I left you that message."
"Would you mind giving them to me again?" Edward asked awkwardly upset by his actions and anger.
"Sure, hold on a second while I pull up the information again."
"Now what happened to my original flight again?" he asked now that he was thinking clearer. He wanted to be sure that his mother had nothing to do with this little problem.
"I really don't know. I received a message back from the airline that you had been bumped from the flight. So I scrambled to make other arrangements for you."
"Do you know who or why I was bumped?" he asked curiously waiting to hear the reason.
"The information came from The State Department. It was pretty vague really."
"Why me I wonder?" Edward questioned more to himself than to the woman on the other end of the phone.
"That I don't know. I'm sure that there were more passengers than just you. You just happened to be the only one from this agency on that flight. Here we go."
Edward listened as she read to him the itinerary regarding his new flight plan. Given the reason that she had told him for the mix up, Edward was relatively certain that Jane hadn't been behind this attempt at thwarting his plans. The State Department and Jane Volante were not a likely combination, not even to keep Edward under her thumb.
The reason for his being bumped from his original flight bounced around in his brain. He had been told it had something to do with the state department but Edward had to wonder where all the security had been. The airport didn't look any different than it had any other time he had been there, yet something left a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. Edward fought the urge to call Jane just to gloat that he had gotten away not matter what manipulations she had tried hadn't worked, however he didn't. He couldn't take the chance that she would be able to trace him in any way. The promise he made to Carlisle that he wasn't going to put his new way of life in danger rang in his ears. He intended on keeping his word.
Edward heard the voice boom over the loud speaker announcing the last call for his flight to Texas. "Uncle Carlisle," he said into his cell, "I should be arriving at the airport in less than an hour."
"I'll be there," his uncle returned.
"Are you sure about this? I mean Aunt Esme didn't seem too thrilled with my call," Edward said giving his uncle the opportunity to back out. He had every right to protect the life that he had built for him and his wife.
"Everything is fine Edward. We will be fine," he returned.
"Thank you so much. I can never repay you for the chance you are giving me."
"It's nothing. I only want what's best for my brother's only living son."
"I have to get going. See you soon."
"Soon Edward," Carlisle returned the phone to its cradle and met his wife's disapproving stare, "What?"
"I don't like this Carlisle, not one bit."
"What was I supposed to do Esme turn my back on him?"
"Yes!" she said as if that was the only correct answer.
"I couldn't do that. Edward is family."
"Family?!" she parroted in disbelief, "That 'family' had done nothing but cost you, Carlisle! It cost me my only child and you expect me to welcome Edward into my home?"
"Edward was just a boy when Emmett was killed. He had no involvement in the business then. My lord Esme he was less than seven years old," Carlisle returned exasperated.
"You always said that Edward was his father's son. So what makes you believe him when he tells you that he doesn't want that life?"
"I believe him."
"Why? How?"
"I can't explain it to you Esme. I know it here," Carlisle rested his hands over his heart. "I heard it in his voice. He sounded the way I did when I went to Aro. He had the same defeat in his voice that I had. My brother gave me absolution. He gave us a way out and a clean slate I have to give that to his son. Can you understand that?"
"I wish I could Carlisle. I wish that I could."
"I believed him when he told me that Jane would not be a problem,"
"Is this the same Jane," Esme broke in, "the same woman who was so power hungry that she didn't even wait for her husband's body to get cold in the grave before she claimed what she thought was rightfully hers?" Esme found her voice raising, "Carlisle, please tell me that you aren't counting Jane Volante out of the picture. She hates to lose and I don't imagine that she will be taking Edward's leaving lightly!"
"Esme, you don't understand how 'la familia' works. Jane had to step forward to claim what had been Aro's for her children's sake, if nothing more," Carlisle knew he was giving Jane far too much credit.
"For her children's sake?" Esme echoed in disbelief, "If that had been me and I had just buried my husband because of 'la familia'," she said sarcastically, "I would have taken my children and I would have run and never looked back, but oh yes, that's right I don't have any children thanks to 'la familia'!"
"Esme," Carlisle went to his wife but she turned her back to him. The tears for the loss of her only son were something that she let be seen.
"I'm scared Carlisle. I couldn't bear to lose you. I don't want to be pulled back into a life where every time you walk out the door I am afraid I will never see you again," she cried in agony.
"Edward isn't a threat. He isn't going to bring Jane swooping down on us. Trust me please," he begged.
"I want to but every time I close my eyes I see Emmett's funeral all over again. I see all those men in black suits paying their respects when I know damn well that one of them was responsible for killing my baby!" she shouted unable to hold the tears back any longer.
"Ssshhh," he rubbed her hair. "That's why I got out. I could have taken my revenge, Esme. I could have killed the men responsible for gunning Emmett down, but that wasn't going to bring him back to us. I saw no reason to go forward. I couldn't do it anymore. I know that you can't or don't want to believe me but Edward is in the same place I was then. Avenging Alec's death won't bring him back and I have a sneaking suspicion that Edward had no intention of ending up like his father and brother."
"What if you are wrong?" What if Edward is more like Jane than you imagined?"
"Then I will send him packing. I meant what I said to him I don't intend on my old life running rough shot over the life we have made for ourselves here. I would never do that to you again, Esme, never!"
Esme wanted with all her heart to believe her husband. She didn't want to see Edward as a threat to her existence but she had a feeling that she just wasn't able to shake.
