"In the name of higher consciousness, I let the best man I knew go."
—Pawn Shop Blues, Queen Lana Del Rey
"What the fuck?" The heat of my glare was even felt on my face. He moved away from the car, striding toward me. Oblivious to the fact I was thinking about kicking his ass the second I saw his frame. "What are you doing here, Pete?" I gritted my teeth. He pursed his lips in a self-satisfied smirk, reaching my hand to kiss my knuckles gently. The gesture was warm, friendly, but also teasing. I pulled my hand right away. Memory rambling, crashing my brain, our last encounter it was. I was a fool. Always would be. Patience was on the thin line. "Seth, if you don't answer me now, I swear I will—"
"Don't have time." That kid said dismissively. He walked past me, hopping on the backseat without a slightest glance. How dared he?
"Sorry, Alle, but he's right. We have to go." Riley soothed. Of course, he was right. Seth was always right. He followed Seth to the backseat, not before checking if I was okay. The caring never faded. God, I was to blame causing his pain, physically and emotionally. The bruises were still there, mocking me.
I huffed in annoyance when Pete opened the door for me. But I got in anyway. He fucking chuckled.
The drive was silence. Everyone was busy, thinking. Seth was planning something. The mastermind had mapped strategies. A to Z. It wasn't him if not prepared. Pete, on the other hand, did otherwise. I slapped his hand away as it crept up to my thigh. The fucker grinned mischievously with eyes still on the road. "I love your new hair, by the way." I scowled as soon as he said the word.
Ten minutes later, the car stopped at some private airport where a private plane parked beautifully above my eyes. Right, they couldn't be this quick if they flied commercial. Seth leaded us to the stairs of the plane. Pete was the last, right after me. He was watching my ass.
I settled on the seat in front of Seth, demanding explanation. Pete strode to the mini bar, pouring bourbon. His eyes were staring at me all the time as if I would disappear when he turned away. I was back to the business in my hands. That kid was biting his thumb nail. Anxiety was all over his face. I tapped my fingers against the window impatiently, waiting. He owed me something here.
"I found him, that's how." Pete broke the silence, coming to sit beside me. "I was going back to Italy and I had your stuffs in me. So I came to the kid for dropping off your things." He shrugged. "Then I heard you needed help."
"Not from you." I muttered, crossing arms.
"You're welcome." He sipped his drink.
"Truth. Tell me the truth. All of it." Seth said all of sudden in a deadpan tone. Pete choked out of laughter, shocked and amused. I ignored the fucker. Kid's eyes met mine. So intense I had to look away. His suspicious peaked in certain level. He wanted me to tell the whole story. No more lies. But I wasn't ready. Never would. My identity was a secret I would bury in my grave.
Until now.
Aro knew and sure as fuck intended to kill me.
The kid was restless on his seat. He waited me to drop the bomb right on his face. I sighed, giving in. "Isabella Swan. That's my real name." His eyes narrowed. Riley gasped in surprised. Guilt started bubbling up through my throat. I hated lying to them. They were the closest thing I had as family. "My parents set up the fake fuckery life for me because they need me to be hiding, safe." The lump in this throat grew bigger, but I continued. "Well, they're bad guys and hunted."
"Aro." Kid suddenly said. "They're hunted by Aro."
"No." I shook my head. "Not anymore. He has got them." From my peripheral, I could see Pete's grip on the glass tightened his knuckles were white. "Edward Masen… is with them."
"That motherfucker!" Pete seethed. Anger was clear on his face. I winced a bit. Their last meeting was far from friendly. We knew it would never be. Seth stared at me quietly, but those eyes twinkled with curiosity while Riley looked like he needed time to swallow 'em up. "I swear if anything happens to—"
"Dead. They may be dead by now." Seth didn't bat an eyelid. I diverted my gaze. It wasn't like I didn't know it. It was just… I had this hope, you know? The only light striking through the dark clouds? "So, I assume they have known about you, Al-Isabella? That's why you need me picking you up in the middle of Mexico?"
"Aro wants me dead." I said, still not meeting his eyes.
"Of course he does." His calm demeanor wasn't surprising a lil bit.
"I want my parents back."
"I'll help." Pete and Riley said in unison.
"They're dead." Kid didn't waver. But I hated his words more than anything.
"Look, kid, if you don't wanna fucking involve—"
"I'll do that if I'm Aro." He cut Pete. That short sentence stabbed the old wounds in my chest. Still, the way he spoke it out loud, I knew he just wanted me to consider the worst possibility. I exhaled deeply. Kid was right. I'd do that too if I were Aro.
"So, what do you suggest, Seth?" I gave in, put aside the not-think-straight me.
"It's okay if you wanna give it a try and attack Aro right at his holy hidden place. The decision is still yours." He said while intertwining his fingers. This meant serious business. "But you should realize we're out of number and so fucking unprepared."
"I can call some…associates." Pete offered, cocking his head slightly to one side as he found me shaking my head.
"If you involve your Cosa Nostra—"
"That's not the only associates I have, Isabelle." He rolled his eyes at me before looking at Seth. "And we were born prepared, kid. Our hands had held guns even before we started to crawl." Pete leaned back to his seat. "The only ones that come unprepared are the two of you." He pointed to kid and Riley. "That, if you really wanna join us at all."
Kid raised an eyebrow. "Of course we're in."
After what it was like we were on the air for forever, the plane finally landed. I knew it was somewhere in Europe. Pete said we needed neutral place after all. Because, well, some of the most wanted criminals in the history would gather under the fucking same roof. Yeah, he had made his calls and many agreed to join us. They were in as soon as Pete said it was for the sake of Renée and Charlie. I didn't know my parents had such friends.
Our new place was a huge mansion on the hill facing forward to the sea. It was the only building as long as eyes could see, reminded me of psycho's place. Where I met him for the first time. That fuck-up moment. I felt blue just remembering it. I shouldn't think about him but I did. Yet so afraid. Because deep down, I still doubted which side he chose. But I'd be damned if I didn't brace myself for what would come. Either with or without him, life had to go on. Even without us, the earth was still spinning the same.
Despite of everything we had been through. Together. Hell, the word even tasted foreign on my tongue.
My mind wandered. Sometimes I was thinking about what it felt like to be dead, to have the soul leaving this body. And some possible ways of how it happened. To me.
Damn, I even made a few list.
Although looking back at these days, I was almost sure that mine didn't match any list I wrote. Because I was supposed to die alone. In peace. No complications. But God had to hate me. He twisted the fate, giving me another path. Messing with my brain with the feelings involved. Taking over every decision.
I was born to deceive people. Showing no emotions and all. Numbed the pain. Reacted stupid when something got a little bit attached. Those shits would complicate everything I had planned, delivered me to huger destruction. I just wanted some normalcy for fucks sake. Like sane people and ordinary surroundings. No blood drama or guns scene. Plain and simple. The fuck-ups were kinda tiring.
I had not slept for three days. Listening, preparing. Plans. Strategies. Trying to find any flaws in every word that was uttered by the kid. I could tell he was pissed, but I wouldn't tolerate an imperfection stain. It might look like I just loved my parents too much and couldn't bear the sight of failure of saving their life. Which wasn't totally untrue. Still, not really. I was doing my best to distract myself. Filling my brain with the scenarios. Of alive or dead parents. Quietly, I was waiting. For him. To show up. It was silly, I know, but little part of me hoped it would become somewhat real. Him picking me up, us to open the new chapter, leaving this black-tainted world behind. To start living a fresh clean life and forgetting the plans that would fuck me up more. Fuck us up more.
We were damned.
It didn't hide the fact I missed him, though.
House was getting more crowded. I counted there were about ten other people. Well, it was better than the four of us, right? They knew my parents. Still, so surprised when Pete told them about me. Apparently, Renée and Charlie were smart of keeping secrets.
Benjamin, who was once working as a guard at Aro's hidden castle, described the place to us in every inch of details. He knew it like the back of his hand. I kind of envied him. How he could get away from Aro that easy while my parents had to be suffering of the damaged they created themselves. I thought the answer was Benjamin used his brain more, or probably got to suppress his insanity down to the 0 level. Unlike my parents. In order to be free, he faked his death. In result, there were no hit men trying to dog-tracking him. And now, he was willing to sacrifice his freedom to save my parents. I would never forget him.
On the fifth day, my body gave in. The exhaustion was growing up to my bone. I mostly spent time on the bed as the others had insisted. Sleeping, eating…puking. Which reminded me of what I was doing right now. It was the third times today and had been constantly happening since the day I left Mexico. People were too busy to notice, unaware to the fact I was sneaking to the bathroom every now and then. Well, until today.
When I heard the door shut with a click, I knew I was screwed. Fucking hell, I forgot to lock the door. And right now someone came into my bedroom as I was puking all over the sink. It was too late to turn the shower on and I couldn't puke and reach it at the same time. I flushed the toilet instead. Anything to disguise the sound of my vomiting. Just barely. Even with the closed bathroom door. When I was finished, I brushed my teeth and washed my face. Then yanking the door open to see who had the guts to step on my territory without permission.
The bitch turned to be Charlotte. Or Lottie as Pete called. Sort of his-ex, looking at how they stared at each other. And don't start with the sexual tension. She was gorgeous, independent. I didn't think she would join us if it weren't for Pete. Love sucked.
"What are you doing here?" I snapped, unintentionally. She put the tray filled with food on the table forcefully, almost tempted to throw it at me any second.
"Well, that's your dinner, princess. And yeah you're welcome. I wouldn't be here if Pete didn't ask me to." She glared. Nostrils flared. See? Pete was the reason. Suddenly I felt bad. She was nice after all. More important thing was…she gave her time and energy to me. To Renée and Charlie. I shouldn't treat her like shit just because she eavesdropped my puking.
"Sorry." I mumbled, ashamed of myself. "Thank you. For bringing me the food." My hand gestured to the tray sitting on the table. A minute passed with awkward silence. She was kinda surprised of the mood swing, though. At least I wasn't the only one.
"It's okay." She finally said, softened a little. "I know it's been…stressful week for you." She was careful choosing the words, afraid I'd get defensive again. I sighed deeply as soon as she asked. "Are you alright?"
"I'm good." It was a lie. She saw it too.
"So."
"Don't tell anyone." I spoke it out loud without thinking. "Please."
"Have you…taken the test?" She hesitated. I blinked.
"What test?"
"You know what I mean." She rolled her eyes. Right. I knew what she meant. But I was in the full fucking denial at this moment. When she knew I wouldn't answer, she continued. "Does the father know about—"
"No." I growled. So fucking eager to drop the conversation. "It's only between you and me."
"O-okay. One more question. It may sound crazy, but I just have to know. Is it…Pete's?"
"Fuck, no." I laughed humorlessly as the realization hit me. Relief was all over her face.
Then she took a hint and turned to leave, not before saying, "I'm downstairs if you need anything." Her words surprisingly calmed me.
Days passed in rapid blink. Seth kept reminding us about the main goal; searching for my parents. Yep, in less than a week that kid had gotten respect from everyone. I didn't know how he did that. It was coming naturally. People listened to him, even vowed to sticking to his plan.
Benjamin said the leaders—Aro, Caius, and Marcus—preferred taking people who had betrayed them as prisoners to killing them immediately. They wanted to make them pay. Suffered for painful death. The prison was large-scale and located underground. Consisted of never ending cells with a fucking long hallway in between and about hundreds crazy rotten prisoners inside. It was likely where my parents would be if they were still alive.
The kid divided us into four groups. Each group was for three people. We would spread to check every fucking cell in Aro's castle while kid and Riley would be outside— the two obviously didn't fit of any jobs on the field—messing up with their security system. Our agreement was…we were not gonna attack. If I quoted Seth 'I don't wanna involve in suicide mission'. We would just search for my parents and release them. How about if we didn't find them there? Another agreement—we'd assume they were dead.
People disagreed at first, talking about revenge. Blood for blood. But kid easily silenced them. "Use your brain often. Aro doesn't build his kingdom in one day. And we sure as hell can't destroy it in one night."
So, yeah. Tomorrow, we would go to Rome.
Hello again and thank you for your amazing reviews :)
I love you.
And Queen Lana, too.
High by the beach is my favorite song right now :)