Someone said Alice is used to being the princess and now Bella is Edward's queen and she hates it!
Edward was right when he said the two women would keep him on his toes. Between his never-ending desire for Bella and the way Rose wasn't afraid to talk back to him, he felt like he was losing sleep. His household was full and loud, which he was unused to, but he enjoyed it.
The dining room got a remodel, thanks to Rose practicing what she learned. She mostly did classes online as Bella did, with the occasional practical work thrown into the mix. She was enjoying herself immensely, and she loved Quinn as much as if he were her nephew. Edward hadn't heard so much laughter in a long time since Bella and Rose couldn't be in the same room without one of them exploding with it. Often, they'd catch the giggles, and he'd have to leave the room to maintain his sanity.
But the times Bella helped him in the office were something entirely different. She dressed professionally, her demeanor becoming sedate and quietly intelligent. It was her suggestion to meet with the head of the Young Family to explain what happened between the two of them in Forks, reasoning that if they understood their intention, then maybe they'd back off.
Posh Bella was new to him; she and Rose had worked on filling her wardrobe with attire that meshed with her new job title. Mrs. Cullen looked the part of a wealthy CEO's wife and right hand. Her skirts rose a few inches above her knee when she sat down, and he had a hard time not touching her. There was a constant battle inside him to leave her alone when he wanted to rip the buttons off her blouses and hike her skirts up to plow into her. The heels she'd taken to wearing weren't helping in the slightest, putting her at the perfect height for kissing and making her legs look a mile long.
Six weeks after she began working with him, Bella sat beside Edward in the back of the Mercedes as they headed toward the Young compound. Jasper drove, and Phil sat in the front passenger seat. Following them was Emmett in an SUV, Pete, Mike, and Eric riding with him. Lee and Garrett remained at the house with Rose and Quinn. Edward hated having to take so many extra precautions, but he also knew it was necessary.
The car came to a stop in front of an elaborate wrought-iron gate, and Jasper rolled the window down half an inch. "Mr. and Mrs. Cullen," he said to the security man at the guard shack.
The gentleman glanced at his clipboard and back at Jasper. "Proceed through the gate and up to the front steps."
"Into the lion's den," Phil muttered.
"Meeting at their house shows we trust them," Bella commented.
Edward snorted. "Even though we don't."
"They don't have to know that." Bella shifted in her seat to look out the window.
A steady mist fell from heavy graphite clouds, but it didn't overshadow the magnificent house looming in front of them. It comprised several stories worth of light stone, turrets bookending the façade, and a slate roof.
"Impressive," Jasper said, pulling around the circular drive to the man in the uniform waiting by the base of the portico.
"I think the word you're looking for is ugly."
Bella laughed at Edward's comment. "Not every home can be dark and gloomy like ours."
The man in full livery opened the back passenger door and offered his hand to assist Bella. She accepted it, grateful that he held an umbrella in the other hand. Edward emerged behind her, standing next to Phil. Jasper joined them at the same time as the SUV pulled to a stop and the other men climbed out.
"Six guards doesn't exactly show trust," Emmett said in an undertone as he joined them.
"You and Jasper aren't guards in my organization," Edward responded. "So technically, there are three guards for four people."
"Let's hope they feel the same."
A beefy security guard stepped out from the shadows at the top of the wide stone steps, running a handheld metal detector in front and back of each of them. The men were subjected to a pat-down, but they allowed Bella entrance without it.
As the man escorted them into the house, Bella refrained from gaping. The interior was extravagantly decorated, making Edward's house look thrown together with glue and string by comparison.
"Ah, Mr. Cullen." A middle-aged man came forward, hand extended to shake. "Mrs. Cullen."
He shook their hands in turn, ushering them to sit on the couch in the spacious living room dominated by a fireplace taking up one wall.
"Laurent, it's nice to see you again." Edward sat beside Bella on a sparsely stuffed couch in lemon yellow. "I'm happy to have the chance to introduce my wife."
"Yes, it's nice to have a visit among allies."
Edward appraised Laurent's posture; he sat rigidly on the edge of the cushion, belying his pleasant words. Though tall, he appeared small in stature, his closely cropped black hair only a few shades darker than his skin.
"And where is the lovely Heidi?" Edward asked politely.
"I believe she'll be along in a minute." Laurent focused on Bella. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Isabella."
"It's just Bella, please."
"Of course." Flicking his gaze among the other men, he inclined his head toward the fireplace. "Don't hover, gentleman. We're all friends here."
"Emmett and Jasper are my associates," Edward said. "They'd prefer to be included in our conversation."
At Edward's words, the two men sat in separate chairs arranged near the couch. The other three fanned out in front of the fireplace, standing with their hands clasped in front of them.
"Marvelous." Laurent refocused on Edward. "I can see why you fell for such a beautiful woman, Edward, but what am I to do with my Gianna?"
Edward shifted, angling his knees toward Bella. "I'm certain there are men lined up around the block in the hopes you'll grant them the honor of meeting your daughter."
"But they lack a certain lifestyle; the position I promised her."
Edward nearly sighed. "Laurent, you and I both know we never had a solid agreement. You and Carlisle had a few words over drinks and tossed the idea out there to solidify our alliance."
"And yet, I left the table believing we had an arrangement. I promised my princess she would be the wife of a mafioso."
Bella put her hand on Edward's leg and squeezed it. "I've heard that Raoul Santiago is looking for a bride."
Laurent scoffed. "A consigliere is not the same."
"No, but it is an important rank," she pointed out. "Alternatively, I think the brother of the Denali boss is ready to marry. However, I believe he is older than you."
Laurent spoke to Edward. "Did you marry her or hire her? Wives are appealing creatures, Edward, but they do not speak for us men."
Trying to rein in the bristling anger he felt rising, he said lowly, "We Irish don't use the term consigliere, but that's what she is to me. A valued advisor."
"Advisor? Ha! You have years yet to learn, my friend, but I caution you against such a thing."
"I'll take your advice under consideration." It was the best he could say in the face of such rudeness aimed at his wife. "Bella and I became involved during a difficult time for me. We have a son now, my heir, and I value Bella's contribution to my household. I apologize for any oversight you feel I've committed, but Carlisle does not speak for the Cullen Family any longer."
Looking him up and down, Laurent sneered. "Yes, you are clearly your own man."
Emmett spoke up. "Rest assured, Mr. Young, we are equally committed to the alliance between our Families as it has always been. We have a gift for you, as a token of our gratitude for the continued peace."
"Do you?" Laurent had an odd look on his face, as though he thought it was a trap.
"Yes." Jasper took an envelope from his inner jacket pocket and handed it across the coffee table.
Edward picked up his wife's hand. "Please accept it as a gesture of goodwill going forward. And if there is anything I can do for Gianna, please let me know."
After opening the envelope, Laurent raised his eyebrows.
"It's one of my most profitable companies, now in your name. It practically runs itself, so you shouldn't have any trouble with it."
"Very generous, Edward." Laurent rose. "Shall we go into the dining room for lunch?"
The rest of their time was tediously boring. Heidi made her appearance, a woman desperately hanging on to the beauty of her youth with enough plastic fillers in her face to prevent her from showing any expression other than shock. Finding it unnerving to look at her, Edward focused his conversation on Laurent. The other man seemed intent on flaunting his wealth as several servants tended to them during the three-course meal.
Pleased that they'd made amends, Edward rested his hand on Bella's lower back as they said their goodbyes before making their way to the car. As a matter of routine, Mike and Pete checked the undercarriage of each vehicle for anything they didn't arrive with attached to the bottom. Finding nothing, they signaled Edward to stop making small talk and get in.
"That wasn't bad," Bella commented as soon as the door closed behind them.
Edward slung an arm across the back of the seat. "It was boring."
"Good God, Bella, please stay away from plastic surgery," Jasper said as he started the car.
"Seriously, I don't know how she ate with those lips." Bella tried not to giggle at the image of Heidi trying to dribble soup into her mouth around overly filled lips.
They cleared the gates and Edward felt the change under the tires from one road to the next. "She can't possibly think she looks good."
"Or youthful," Bella added. "Don't worry, I don't have any plans to do that to myself. My mother aged pretty well."
Edward massaged the back of Bella's neck. "For your first Family meeting, I think it went well."
"I think so too." She scrunched her nose. "Laurent is condescending."
"You'll find that's the case pretty often in the mafia."
"I think—" Phil cut off, craning his neck to look in all three mirrors. "Whitlock, we have company."
Jasper made the same mirror checks as Phil and then changed lanes. "Yes, we do."
"Fuck. Bella, get down on the floor." Without waiting for her to comply, Edward pushed at Bella until she was curled on the floor in between the front and back seats.
"Edward, we'll be fine." Jasper checked his mirror and made another lane change. "We can withstand more than they can carry in that puny car."
"They're not alone," Phil said, picking up his phone and dialing. "Mike, we've got a bogey at seven o'clock and another at nine. Evasive maneuvers."
He hung up and shifted, reaching beneath his seat to pull out the gun he'd stashed there.
"No way this is a coincidence," Edward commented.
"They're sending a message." Jasper jerked the wheel and the car careened down an off ramp.
Edward had to brace a hand on the ceiling to keep upright. "How you doin' down there, Bella?"
"Terrified."
"Here." He reached down and helped her up, positioning her so her head was in his lap and her legs were along the seat. "The car is bulletproof, baby, up to a point. We'll make some sharp turns and try to shake them, and Emmett will do his best to slow them down and let us get home safely."
"What about Emmett?" Her voice was small and scared, and this was exactly the scenario Edward had worried about.
"The SUV can withstand more than the car can, and he's trained much the way Jasper is."
"The plan is evasion and speed." Jasper turned a corner so sharply that everything inside shifted to the left, including the occupants.
Edward ran his hand over Bella's hair. "It'll be okay."
She didn't respond, but he felt her tears soak through the knee of his pants.
A hail of bullets pinged off the rear fender, and Jasper gunned it to squeeze through an intersection full of cars going in the other direction. Horns honked and tires squealed, but Jasper didn't stop.
"Mike says they've requested backup," Phil announced, looking down at his phone.
Struggling to sit up, Bella shouted, "They can't leave Rose and Quinn alone!"
Edward stroked his hand over the back of her head. "Not them, sweetie. We have other men who can assist."
"The lieutenants are dropping everything to converge at the intersection of Hopewell and Fifth. We just need to make it to that point." Phil's statement was punctuated by more gunfire, and Bella sucked in a breath.
"Bella, we're okay. They're setting up a blockade at the last intersection on the street that leads to our house."
There was no response except for another round of bullets. He did his best to comfort her with a hand on her back, but he felt the rapid rise and fall as she came close to hyperventilating.
"Deep breaths. We've been through this before."
"That's supposed to make me feel better?" Her voice held an edge of hysteria, and she wrapped her arms around his legs, burying her face in his lap.
"Emmett has our six," Phil said. "Second car coming up at three o'clock."
"Everybody brace yourselves," Jasper warned.
The car jolted to a stop, sending everyone forward and back in sharp recoil. The other car sailed past in front of them, and Jasper flipped them off as they went. He gunned it, speeding in the wrong direction down the one-way street from where they'd come.
Phil checked the mirrors. "Think we lost them."
"I'm not throwing a party just yet." Jasper focused on the road ahead, checking the mirrors and the people on the sidewalks. "Rendezvous point in one hundred yards."
"See, Bella, we're almost out of the woods."
Moving around until she could see him, Bella wiped her face and stared up at Edward. "This is insane."
"I know." With the pad of his thumb, he caught a tear she'd missed. "I'm sorry."
"So they're not really okay with you and me, and the payback is to try to kill us?"
"Apparently."
"That means they're not our allies anymore."
Edward chuckled darkly. "No, and I'll put a stop to the title transfer of the company I gave him, too."
"I see five cars ahead, boss."
Edward met Jasper's gaze in the rearview mirror. "Make sure we recognize the lieutenants with a bonus."
"Yes, sir."
Edward watched as they drove past a handful of vehicles, then turned around to see them out the back window. Emmett followed and then the other men closed in around the cars with their weapons drawn.
Phil spoke into his phone. "Cleared the blockade. Straight to the house, but keep an eye out."
The first thing Edward did when they pulled into the garage was pick Bella up and carry her all the way to their room. He'd already asked Jasper and Phil to make sure everyone was unharmed and to ensure that Emmett kept Rose in the dark—at least for a few minutes.
Once in their room, he set Bella on the bed. She looked as if she was in a daze, which he expected. He stripped her jacket from her shoulders and then slowly unbuttoned her shirt.
"Edward, I can do it."
The fact that her voice was as feeble as the effort she made to force his hands out of the way proved she needed help. "I know you can."
Once he'd removed her blouse, he pulled off her shoes and stood her up. Being careful so she didn't lose her balance, he unfastened her skirt and slid it down. When she was naked, he towed her to the bathroom and turned on the shower.
"I don't n-need a shower."
"Your teeth are chattering."
She shook her head, but he understood better than her. Stripping quickly, he helped her over the lip of the shower and led her under the nearly scalding water. Hissing when the spray first hit him, Edward turned them so her back was to the showerhead.
"Tell me what you're thinking."
Bella fixated on the center of his chest.
"Bella." He tipped her chin up. "Whatever it is, I won't judge you."
"I want to get a license to carry a gun."
His brows shot up. "Done."
"I want to learn how to use it."
"Done." Wrapping his arms around her, he smoothed hot water over her hair.
"Just like that?"
"Just like that." Reaching for the knob, he adjusted the temperature to something less than boiling.
"I hated it, Edward. I hated feeling useless and scared. Powerless to defend myself."
"I know. I threw up the first time it happened to me."
"You did?"
He nodded.
"I don't feel like I'll throw up. It's more like I'll shatter into a million pieces at any second."
His hold on her tightened. "I won't let you break."
What Edward couldn't figure out was how he'd convinced an angel to join him in hell. Worlds apart, they were complete opposites until he crashed into her life. She'd made him a believer with one touch, and he'd gladly go to hell and back if it meant keeping what they'd found. He didn't know if he was crazy or weak for allowing her to remain, but he knew he could never let her go.
How are we feeling about their near-death experience?