Fyrebyrd is my pre-reader. SunFlower Fran is my beta!
Chapter 10
Bee
I'm smiling like a loon as Alice and I walk into the fabric warehouse. It's been months since I've been to New York, and being back in my element makes me so damn happy.
Yard goods are everywhere as we walk through aisle after aisle, the sound of sewing machines filling the air, making my fingers itch to again sew.
Maybe I'll do some sewing tonight. It always helps me figure things out and relax.
"Bee! Is that you? It's been forever!" Seanna, the tall Amazonian owner says, rushing toward me.
I've been shopping for fabric since I was twelve years old, and Seanna and her sister Zafrina have always been one of my go-to stops. You can't find quality like theirs for the prices they give me anywhere else in New York.
"Seanna! How are you? Where is Zafrina?" I hug her briefly then take a step back as she greets Alice with a hug.
"She's off to Europe; she met a man and claims to be madly in love! So I'm left running the business until she gets tired of this one! You know her," she says, waving her hands dismissively.
"Oh, what's this one like?" Alice asks.
"He is an Argentinian millionaire, and they fell in love within one hour!" Seanna says excitedly.
Over the years, Zafrina has always fallen madly in love with some extremely wealthy, handsome man, and it never lasts more than two months.
We laugh as we walk around the floor, and I grab several different fabrics, including a green one...the same color of Edward's eyes.
Ugh! I want to fucking leave it, but it keeps calling to me, and I'm pissed I'm acting like such a damn girl.
"Oh, that's a lovely color, Bee!" Seanna says, touching the bolt.
"It is, isn't it? Reminds me of someone's eyes," Alice says slyly.
"Alice," I growl out a warning, which she ignores.
The thing about Alice is she's not afraid of me; it's both an annoying and endearing quality of our friendship.
"What! Who has eyes this color green?" Seanna asks excitedly.
"Bee's new man!" Alice says, practically bouncing.
"Bee, tell me all about him!" Seanna jumps in, and I roll my eyes.
"There is nothing to fucking tell. Alice is exaggerating." I move along. "Now show me the silk you received from Milan," I say with fake excitement.
"I think there is something to tell, you're blushing! Alice, look at her face!" Her voice is high as she pushes Alice. "If a man can make Bee Swanatori blush then he is something! When can I meet him?" She raises a perfect eyebrow.
"You can't." I turn and continue walking around, picking up fabric.
The rest of the evening is spent shopping, with Seanna trying to get info out of me about Edward. I refuse to share anything, since there is nothing worth sharing, for God sake, he's ignoring me.
Ignoring me. I don't think I've ever been fucking ignored a day in my life.
Once Alice and I are done we make our way back to Brooklyn. I feel so damn happy. This is my element; shopping for fabric and clothes, spending time with Alice, it just feels good.
Once the cab stops in front of my house, I decide it's time I stop playing this game with Edward. If Heidi is telling the truth, I'll just kill the bitch and injure his balls, so he knows to never do it again. Why I'm taking this so fucking hard, I have no fucking clue.
"I'm going to find Jasper. You think it's too soon for a heavy make-out session?" Alice asks, smirking at me.
"You did just meet him this morning," I remind her, laughing as we walk inside.
We remove our coats and then pick up the bags to go to my room. When we enter the foyer, all voices stop and everyone in the living room looks up at us.
It seems like half the family is here at our house. My uncles and cousins sit with Dad, Jacob, Jasper, Felix, Amun, Edward, and Paul.
Paul.
He's sitting across from Edward, and I see when his eyes shift to me and then back to Edward, a sly grin on his face.
Dear God, the fucking idiot has a death wish. Edward looks up and quickly rises, his face set in stone. I'm stunned by his beauty, his jaw clenched, his eyes on fire, every muscle on his body seems tight, and I watch as his biceps flex with every stride across the large foyer.
"He does not look fucking happy," Alice whisper-yells to me.
Before I can respond, Edward is on me, taking me by the arm and pulling me away. I drop the bags I'm holding.
"We need to fucking talk," he says through clenched teeth.
"Let go of me," I demand as he practically starts pulling me up the stairs.
"I don't take orders from you, Princess." He picks me up and throws me over his shoulder, and I scream in outrage.
"Umm, Bee, I'll see you later." I hear Alice say.
I'm so fucking mad that he has the nerve to embarrass me like this in front of my father's men.
We enter my room, and I'm thrown down on the bed. I'm furious as I glare at him.
"How dare you!" I yell, standing to go toe to toe with him.
"How dare me?" He points to himself. "Naw, how fucking dare you!"
I stumble back as if he's slapped me. "What the hell are you talking about?" I yell, not knowing what is going on.
"Who the fuck is Paul? You fucking him? Is he the reason I'm getting all this fucking attitude from you, the reason I'm chasing you like I'm some sort of punk. The reason you won't believe me when I tell you I didn't fuck Heidi?" His eyes are pools of green as he stares intently at me.
God, he's glorious in his rage.
"Answer me!" he yells, causing me to jump out of my Edward induce stupor.
"Don't fucking yell at me!" I push his shoulder, but he doesn't budge.
"Are. You. Fucking. Him." His eyes are cold as he stares at me.
I'm frozen momentarily in fear, but I know he won't hurt me, and I know I wouldn't let him fucking hurt me.
"No. We had a thing last year, and I ended it. That's it," I say, staring him in the eye.
"Na-ah, that ain't it," he says, his accent thick. "That motherfucker had the balls to step up to me and tell me I'm a lucky man." He points to himself.
My blood fucking boils at the nerve of Paul. Obviously, he's trying to test Edward. That shit between us has been over, so for him to even bring it up after over a year is just plain stupid.
"I'll handle it," I say, my voice full of emotion.
"No, you won't fucking handle it! I handled it already, but I'm sure that's not the end of it. The next time he says something he's a dead fucking man. I promise you that, Princess." He stares at me, and I become livid.
"You're such a fucking hypocrite. You fuck Heidi the same day you give me a Christmas present, and you have the nerve to be upset over Paul." I push past him, needing space between us.
My eyes sweep around my room, pictures of Angie and me are everywhere, and my large bed seems to take up all of the room, reminding me we're alone.
He turns around to face me. "I told you I did not fuck her. Was I fucking her before I met you, yes, but once I met you, you're all I fucking thought about." He stalks towards me. "You're all I fucking want, but you're too scared to even put your guard down for a second!" he shouts.
"Scared? What the fuck do I have to be afraid of?" I ask my chest heaving up and down.
"This." He trails his thumb down my cheek and across my lips, leaving my skin burning from his touch.
Our eyes stay locked as he holds my chin with his thumb and forefinger. "Have you fucked any other of Charlie's men?" he asks, his voice low and deadly.
I pull away from him, enraged that he has the nerve to ask me that. "Fuck you," I whisper with no bite behind my words.
"I need to know how many men I'm going to have to kill, Isabella. So answer the damn question." His stare is hard and penetrating.
I step away, not able to handle his intensity. My body is on fire, his anger and rage so fucking sexy that all I want to do is tear our clothes off and have him fuck me. Not even the use of my full name can take away my need for him.
"There haven't been any other of my father's men," I state, folding my arms. "How many more Heidis should I expect?"
"Heidi doesn't mean shit to me." He shakes his head. "There is no one else, just you if you open your fucking eyes," he says, running his fingers through his hair.
"Don't pretend you want me for anything else other than to be the boss," I tell him, having enough of him pretending he's really interested in me.
"Is that what you think? I want to be the boss so bad that'll put up with your wicked pissa ass?" He laughs, pacing around the room.
"Why else would you want to marry someone you don't fucking know?" I ask.
He walks over to me, his hand wrapping around the nape of my neck. "From the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew I had to have you. I don't give a fuck about being the boss. I want you, Isabella Swanatori, but from here on out the ball's in your court. I'm done fighting with you, over you. When you're ready, come to me, baby." He bends down, his lips ghosting over mine
He pulls me to him, his lips pressing against mine soft but greedily. Unlike last time, I don't hesitate to reciprocate the kiss, knowing I need him, no, I want him more than anything.
My fingers grab at the silky strands of his hair, pulling him closer, as our tongues glide against each other.
All too soon, he's stepping back, a knowing smirk on his face.
"Goodnight, Bee," he says before pressing a chaste kiss to my lips and walking out of the room.
Killa
My gaze travels around the room, all eyes are on me, and most aren't friendly. Unlike, the meeting with the Irish family, the Swanatoris hold their meetings in an Italian restaurant in Little Italy. Everyone sits around drinking as Charlie stands in the front of the room.
Felix and Jasper sit on either side of me, Felix's eyes skimming the room like mine. I'm watching everyone, wondering who I'm going to have to kill. So far only Paul, but that's for a whole different reason.
It's not the fact that he actually fucked Bee; it's that he had the balls to say something to me. I can't allow that to pass. I only let him get away with it because I don't want to be unreasonable, but I know in my gut, I will murder him.
"It's my pleasure to officially announce the joining of our family with the Masen Family. The union between Edward and my daughter, Isabella will join our two families together. From this day forward, things are going to change, and we're going to merge into one Family all led by Edward 'Killa' Masen," Charlie says, waving his hand to me. "With Killa at the helm, The Masen-Swanatori family will be one of the deadliest, most powerful families on the East Coast."
At the mention of the Masen-Swanatori family, voices grow loud.
"Why should we join their fucking family! We've been the Swanatoris for over fifty fucking years!" a voice yells from the back.
My eyes look up to find an overweight fucker waving his hands angrily.
I commit his face to memory. He's a dead man.
"Vladimir, we're still the Swanatori Family, that won't ever change, but our families are joining with the Masens, and that's final."
I stand to join Charlie. The room is quiet, filled with murmurs as every eye follows my every move. I see Felix with his gun ready under the table. I know he instructed Jasper to be prepared as well.
That old motherfucker is always organized for something to go wrong, and I respect him for it.
My own guns are in my holster, and my fingers twitch to reach them. I trust Charlie completely, and know, he would never set me up. Although it's only been a few weeks, Charlie Swanatori is someone I trust with my life.
"Thanks, Chief," I say, nodding to him. "This is going to be a huge adjustment for all of us, but I'm going to do whatever it takes for the Masen-Swanatori Family. Both our families have been around for years working separately, but from this day forward we are one." My eyes roam the room.
"You can't possibly expect me to take orders from this fucking kid!" a man sitting next to Vladimir says.
He's dead.
"Kid?" I ask, looking him in the eye. "Why don't you come up here and let me show you how this kid handles disrespectful fucks." My voice is hard.
The man goes to stand, but his brother stops him with a hand on his shoulder. I see Felix's arm move slightly, and I know his finger is on the trigger.
At least there is one smart brother in their family, but still, they both will die.
"Stefan, you and your brother need to get with the program. As head of this family, I've made the decision to join our families together-"
"It's a stupid fucking decision! Why should we bow down to this Irish scum-"
The next words never leave his mouth as I fire from the front of the room hitting him dead center in the head. His brother stands to draw his gun, but two shots hit him simultaneously. Mine hits him in the heart, Felix gets him in the head.
The room is silent as the brothers fall on top of each other.
Dead.
"Anybody else want to fucking disrespect me?" I ask, my eyes scanning each face.
I stop to lock eyes with Paul, and he breaks eye contact quickly. Turning to Jasper, I nod my head in the direction of the two dead bodies. "Jasper, Jacob, get rid of them."
Charlie comes up next to me his arms around my shoulders. "Was that necessary?" he asks.
I turn to face him, my eyes hard. "Absolutely. Would they have lived if it were you?" I challenge.
"No," he says, his voice firm.
"Then we have nothing to discuss," I say, my voice final.
If I let blatant disrespect pass, then I'm just a fucking pussy and shouldn't be the boss.
The rest of the meeting is uneventful as Charlie talks about how we're going to run the business and when the transition will start taking place.
Becoming one family will happen immediately, but I won't officially be the boss until a year or two. Which is perfect for me. The longer I'm out, and in the mix, the more I'm likely to know these men.
The men in the Masen family all know and respect me because I've been in the trenches with them for years, and I'm not afraid to do the dirty work like cut a motherfucker's throat.
Now it's time the Italians learn exactly who Killa Masen is.
A/N: Sorry it's late! Thanks for the reviews! Love you! Mean it!