Well, you all seemed to like chapter 8! Lol…
I'm having issues with my internet, so while I have a connection, I'm putting this up for you all. I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 9
Of course Bella had heard of his family, she suspected that everyone knew of the Cullioni's, they were probably the biggest and most feared families in Chicago. They were also the proverbial thorn in her father's side. She didn't know a lot about Edward's family, only the few snippets she could remember overhearing in the heated discussions spat out between her father and brothers when they didn't know she was there, but they didn't add up to the man she was getting to know. Sure he was dangerous, very dangerous, she had no illusions of that but not once did his presence scare her; at least up until the point where Edward had said his name.
Throughout everything she'd been through, Bella had found it somewhat easy to keep her spine straight and her tongue sharp, to not 'lose it' in her pitch black prison, but now she wasn't so sure if she could keep it up. She wished she hadn't asked for the answers he gave her because now knowing who had her only made her situation all that more unwinnable in her eyes. A small voice was telling her to give up, but she knew she wouldn't. If she was going to die, she'd do it on her own terms and she wanted to see Edward's face.
Edward didn't know why she felt the need to see him and he was pretty sure it was probably the worst thing he could do at this point but he was past the point of caring, nor could he think of one reason why he should deny her the very thing he wanted so damn much. There'd been times over the last week where he'd had flashes of them laughing or kissing…or more. They were nice flashes. "I'd have to go outside first; the light switch is out there. You'll need to close your eyes as you've been in the dark for a while." Bella nodded her head in understanding and let go of his arm as she felt him move away from her. "I'll be back soon."
Once he left the room, Edward walked over to the still unconscious prostitute and sighed heavily. "Got myself in a right old mess now, haven't I Lauren…" he mumbled down to her. Even though he'd always known who she was, Isabella Swan had never been on his radar because of who her father was but she was firmly on his radar now… very much so. With her strength and spirit, her brains and self-confidence, she was exactly the sort of woman that turned him on, both in mind and body. "Shit…"
After putting his night goggles on the small desk that held the monitors, he walked over to the light switch outside Bella's holding room. Unconsciously, he ran a hand through his hair in an attempt to calm his nerves. Surprised, he realised that he was nervous… It was a feeling Edward wasn't used to and he wasn't sure it was something that he particularly liked. "Close your eyes." He called out before flicking on the light switch.
Seeing her again with his own two eyes pleased him immensely. Isabella Swan was a stunningly beautiful young woman, dirt and all… He was also normally a smart man, one not prone to sticking his head in the sand when 'sticky' situations came up, so he quickly admitted to himself that in the short time he'd been around Bella, he'd grown quite attached to her, more attached than he ever thought he'd be to any woman.
His mother would be ecstatic in any other circumstance. He scoffed at the irony.
When Bella heard the door open and Edwards footsteps come towards her, she waited a few seconds before she tried to open her eyes. As he'd said, the light hurt and it took a while of squinting and blinking for her eyes to adjust. When they did, she only just managed to hide her shock. The Edward Cullioni that stood before her was not what she was expecting. She wasn't sure exactly what she pictured… maybe some ugly, big nosed, hairy Italian thug, but that was most certainly not what he was. He was drop-dead gorgeous yet all male, probably the best looking man she'd ever seen even with all that scruff on his face. She had no doubt that his deep green eyes could most likely render any woman speechless… including herself if her current muteness was any indication; his hair could have done with a brush though…
He was also younger than what she expected, maybe early to mid-thirties, which was young to be the head of a family in their world. Being Don of a family took a strong hand, respect and a hell of a lot of fear and that normally took years to build. He stood at least six foot tall probably bigger and even under his hoody she could tell that he was a wall of rock solid muscle. The small lines on his face didn't age him though; it only made him more attractive to her… in a rough sort of way.
To Edward's credit, he didn't comment on the appreciative looks he was getting from the beautiful Miss Swan; he rather liked them and didn't want to say anything that would stop her hungry appraisal.
"You're not what I expected." Bella said at last.
"What did you expect?" Edward asked with a smile; he couldn't wait to hear what she had to say.
"The polar opposite of… you." Bella said as her cheeks flushed, her hands waving in his direction.
"So… old, short, fat, hairy… ugly…" Edward's smile morphed quickly into a smirk.
A very unladylike snort escaped Bella before she could hold it in. "Humble too, you forgot that one." Edward chuckled as he sat down against the wall to Bella's right. When he patted the ground for her to sit, she suddenly became serious. "Am I going to be included in your… retribution against my family?"
Edward's smile faded instantly. "That's a hard question to answer, Isabella."
"Not really, you said the handover was tomorrow so I'm gathering that you have a plan… Will I walk away or not?"
Edward drew his legs up and wrapped his arms around them. He took a deep breath while trying to put his thoughts together. "Well… you see Isabella…"
"Bella, I hate being called by my full name."
"Bella… You see, I'm in a bit of a bind. On one hand, I've come to know you and I like you a lot; you're also innocent in all of this, you just happened to be born into the wrong family." Bella snorted out a humourless laugh. "What?"
"You don't how many times I've thought that very thing. Don't get me wrong, there are people in my family that I love very much, one in particular that I'd even die for but there are others... well, let's just say that I think the world would be a better place without them in it…" She said shrugging her shoulders. The best day of her life was the day she moved out of the family home.
Edward was going to ask her to continue but decided to see if maybe the woman herself could tell him what to do so he continued to speak without addressing what she'd just said. "On the other hand by leaving you alive, I run the risk of having you come after me and mine one day for your own retribution. So as much as I don't want to see you hurt…"
Bella understood what he was saying; she didn't know how she was going to be able to convince him that she wouldn't come after him. "Do you know exactly who it was in my family who took your sister?"
Her question confused him; it was an odd thing to ask after what he'd just told her. "As far as I can tell, it's just your father… why?"
"My brother Jasper is many things, I won't even waste my breath trying to defend him but if he's in on this, it would be under orders. Edward, I'm under no illusions of what he's capable of but I know with everything in me that he would never lay a hand on a woman, never."
Edward was quiet for a while. "You want me to spare him?"
"After my mother died, my father… changed. Jasper was the only one in my family who even noticed how much pain I was in. I don't know if it was a twin thing or if he's just wired like me but…" A tear escaped her eye when she thought of her beloved brother. Bella and Jasper looked nothing alike but their bond was unbreakable.
"What about James?" Edward asked.
Bella looked down and pulled at her dirty shirt. "He's most definitely not wired like me; he's our grandfather revisited and then some. There have been times over the years that I think his cruelty and ruthlessness has scared even my father. I wouldn't be surprised if my father had someone tailing James just to make sure he sees him coming before he gets a knife in his back." Steadily, Bella looked steadily into Edward's eyes. "The world would be a better place without him in it, that's for sure."
Edward didn't blink as he studied her face. It didn't take him long to realise she meant everything she said. He thought about what he'd learnt so far and what she'd asked of him and then abruptly stood up. "I'll be right back."
Outside of the room, Edward went through the draws of the small desk and found the untraceable phone he had on him. He watched the monitor as Bella wiped away the tears that she'd finally let fall in his absence. With his mind made up and a quick glance at the bench where Lauren still laid, he walked back into the holding cell.
"Put it on speaker and call Jasper. Find out if he had anything to do with taking my sister."
Bella reached out for the phone in shock. She couldn't believe he was giving her a chance to save not only herself but her twin… she was right, he wasn't all that bad. She thought for a second of what number to reach him on and quickly dialled.
"Who is this?" Jasper asked when he picked up.
"It's me…" Bella said, her voice restricted with emotion. "Jasper…"
"Bells… are you okay? Did you escape?" Jasper's heart leapt when he heard his sister's voice.
Bella didn't know how long she had so she got straight to it. "I'm okay, I've been well looked after, Edward's been really nice to me but no, I'm still here. Jasper…" Jasper couldn't understand what she was saying and tried to interrupt but Bella raised her voice to get him to shut up… "Jasper, just wait for a minute, please…"
"What's going on Bella?"
"Did you do what Edward said you did? Did you take his sister?"
Both Bella and Edward could hear the huff of frustration come through the line. "No… I didn't know until I found her a couple of days after she'd arrived. As soon as I saw her I tried to…"
Something was definitely off, Edward could hear it in his voice; there was too much emotion. "Tried to what Jasper?" Bella asked softly.
"I begged him to let her go. I tried to make it seem like…"
"Jazz, what are you trying to say?"
"I don't know how he found out; we thought we'd been so careful but obviously not." Bella's eyes found Edward's and they could both see that they knew what Jasper was trying to say.
"Are you involved with my sister?" Edward asked in a controlled voice. He wasn't sure how he felt about this turn of events.
"No… I'm not involved… I'm in love with your sister as she is with me. I had nothing to do with her abduction so let my sister go you bastard, she has nothing to do with this!"
When he heard Jasper's declaration, Edward's eyes closed tight. He couldn't believe what an absolute fuck up this situation was becoming. Not only was he aware of his own ill-timed feelings for the woman in front of him but now his captive's brother was apparently in love with his sister!
"See Jasper, this is where I say, 'you first'… This whole situation would never have come about if your family hadn't taken my sister, now would it?"
"They're not my family, blood does not make family." Jasper growled. "My father knew what Alice meant to me, he knew yet he still took her to teach me a lesson. If he considered me family, he would never have done that. I owe him nothing." Edward's brow raised in surprise of the venom he heard in Jasper's voice. It seemed as if the youngest Swan son was just as unhappy with his family as his twin and Edward were. "I'm only still here until I find a way to get her out, then we're gone."
"Over my dead body, you're gone; you'll take my sister nowhere. If your father is as smart as he thinks he is, then he won't fuck with me again and all of this will be over with tomorrow night."
"I told you before Edward," Bella said in a defeated voice. "…it's not my father's intelligence that's the issue here, it's his stubbornness and now we know why he took your sister… He's not going to let this go without a fight."
And the plot thickens… hehehe
As always, let me know what you think!
