I don't own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.
Cheryl and Gabby, thank you for pre-reading, and April, thank you for editing. Any mistakes left are my own.
Small warning: There's some action and a little violence in this chapter. Nothing graphic.
Ch. 28
Bella stopped giggling, but the smile stayed on her face. "What?"
"Marry me, Bella. So what if we just got back together, we know each other better than anyone. Dating is to get to know the other person. I've loved you since I could remember, marry me before we leave," I implored.
Her silence seemed to take forever, but it was probably only seconds. She shifted closer, cupping my face in her hands. "I will marry you, but not today or tomorrow. And not like some item off a bucket list. When we can…will get married when all of this is behind us and it can be a celebration. I also want my dad to be here."
Her request was more than reasonable. "That's still yes." I grinned.
Her smile widened. "Yes, Teddy, I'll marry you. This spring or summer, when you come back to me safe and sound."
I kissed her left hand. "I guess I owe you a ring."
"I don't need a ring, but can I have my necklace back?" she asked.
"Absolutely. Don't move, I'll go get it." I jogged down the hall to retrieve it from the safe in my room.
While I was grabbing the necklace, my eyes caught a small box in the back corner. I opened the lid and looked at the ring. I'd always thought about giving this ring to Bella. It belonged to my great grandmother on my father's side. Tanya hadn't wanted it since it wasn't from this century or even her birthstone. It was, however, Bella's, which is why I thought it was perfect. It had a round sapphire nestled against a diamond both surrounded by smaller diamond chips in a white gold setting.
When I got back to the living room, Bella was no longer on the couch and was in the kitchen. I frowned and went over to her. She was watching a plate warm up in the microwave.
"I told you not to move," I told her.
"I was getting hungry; I didn't see the harm." She looked over her shoulder at me.
I sighed and relented as I draped her necklace around her neck. "This is yours."
"Thank you." She tilted her head up and kissed my cheek.
"I have one more thing." I held up the ring.
Her eyes landed on it. "Edward…"
"It's older than you'd probably like. I can get you a new one as soon as possible. But would you wear this for now?"
"No." She shook her head slowly, making my heart sink. "I don't want another ring. This one is perfect." She reached for it, but I kept it from her grasp.
I knelt in front of her, took her left hand, and slid the ring on her finger. "I love you, Isabella Marie Swan."
"I love you too, Anthony Edward Masen the Third," she responded sweetly.
I frowned, that name didn't sound right from her lips.
"What's wrong, shouldn't you be incredibly happy?" She tilted her head to the side.
I got to my feet and pulled her into a long kiss. She leaned into me and wrapped her arms around my neck. I kept my hands on her hips as I stepped back to talk to her.
"I am very happy. Hearing you say Anthony sounds weird though," I admitted.
Her nose wrinkled. "It doesn't feel natural." Then an impish grin spread on her face. "I'll just have to continue calling you Teddy."
Days
The next day, we were at my parents' house, I and the others were leaving for the mission the next morning. Thankfully, my father didn't argue about allowing Bella to stay at the house.
Watching Bella with a gun told me two things. One, I could see she knew what she was doing. The other was she wasn't comfortable at all. She took another shot and bit her lip. She had hit her target, but not where I told her.
"Bella…" I sighed.
"I know…I know. I need to shoot to kill," she stated in a monotone voice, raising the gun to aim again.
"The way Charlie talks about you, I thought you'd have no trouble shooting," Dad commented from the lane next to us.
"The only thing my dad taught me to shoot to kill was a rabid animal. Everything else was to shoot to disarm," Bella responded.
"Right, I keep forgetting Charlie likes to do things by the book." Dad smirked. "A lot of good that will do you if Costa comes after you."
Bella's jaw clenched and her hands tightened on the gun. Dad stared unwaveringly, ignoring my look, telling him to shut up.
"Just imagine the man who killed your mama and almost your dad. Staring you down, pleased as punch that they are dead. Now he wants you."
"Enough!" I tried to interrupt him.
"He's going to rape you before he kills you, but not before he makes Edward watch. That's if he doesn't kill him too," Dad taunted.
"What the fuck, Uncle Tony?" Emmett sounded disgusted.
The gun went off, and I turned my head back to the target. Bella hit the dummy square in the center of the head. I frowned and looked at her in concern. Her face was blank, and she set the gun down, stepping away.
"I bet that felt good." Dad snickered.
Bella whipped around fast and leveled him with a look I'd only seen once before. "Seriously? No, it didn't feel good. What is wrong with you? Killing someone should never feel good to any sane person."
Dad narrowed his eyes. "You don't sound very grateful for us taking care of the Costas for you."
Bella met his stare. "I'm grateful for the help, but who are you trying to fool? You'd be going after them with your own crazy vendetta whether I was involved or not."
"You think I'm crazy for wanting to take out scum who hurt women?" Dad was starting to get angry.
"I think you're crazy for going after a mafia family. You're not protecting your family, you're endangering them," she snapped.
"I've done nothing but protect them," he yelled, and his hand started to raise.
Bella caught Dad's wrist in midair before it could connect with her face. Emmett grabbed him and pinned his arms down while I jumped in front of Bella.
"Anthony!" my mother hollered, appalled.
Dad seemed to snap out of it. He glanced at my mother in the doorway of the gym, looking horrified, then back at Bella. Everyone seemed frozen in place, even Uncle Peter, for once, wasn't laughing.
"I don't know what just happened. Isabella, please forgive me," he whispered, sounding mortified.
"I…" Bella started but trailed off.
I looked over my shoulder at her.
She shook her head and met my eyes. "Sorry…I can't right now." She headed out of the room with Aunt Esme and my mother quickly joining her.
"Anthony, I don't know what came over me. Please let her know that," he said.
I stared at him incredulously, my fists balled at my side. "You almost hit her. After years of protecting women, you almost did the very thing you claim to be against. Bella's right; you need to stop. I'm glad this is my last mission."
"Your last mission? When were you going to inform me?" Dad demanded.
"We were going to tell you after we got back from Florida," Emmett told him.
"You, I'm not surprised about, since you already chickened out." Dad scowled at him.
"I didn't chicken outta anything. I want to be here to protect my wife and children. I know Jazz and Edward prefer for me to be here too," Emmett said defiantly.
"And you thought I would let something happen to my own daughter?" Uncle Peter frowned.
"You already let something happen to Rosie, and you were more than ready to send her back out. It was back then Emmett and I decided we were done," Jasper answered.
Uncle Peter stared back at him with his lips pressed into a thin line.
"Did Bella tell you to leave?" Dad asked.
"Bella asked but never demanded me to come with her. She is worried something will happen to me one day. When I lost her the first time, I had nothing worth living for, so I didn't care what happened to me. But I love her. I plan to marry her and have children with her. I don't want them in danger because of what we do," I explained to him.
"You think I put your mother in danger." His eyes narrowed, but he looked more perplexed than angry.
"I think you and Uncle Peter started off with good intentions and got lost along the way." I shrugged before going in search of Bella.
I finally found her in my old bedroom, speaking quietly with my mother and aunt. All three looked up when I approached. Mom gave me a soft smile before wheeling back her chair.
"We'll let you two talk," Mom said.
"One minute, Mom. Have you ever asked Dad to stop going on these missions?" I asked.
She gave me a guilty look. "Once, years ago, when he was shot. But he insisted on continuing."
"I think you should try again," Bella suggested.
"I believe you're right," Mom agreed.
Esme stood and gave me a small hug, then turned to Bella. "By the way, Bella, my grandmother's ring looks great on you." She winked.
"Thank you," Bella said shyly.
I took a seat beside her and wrapped my arm around her. She rested her head on my shoulder.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"Yeah. Are you happy now? I got that stupid thing right between the eyes," she deadpanned.
"No. My dad was wrong to provoke you." I frowned.
"I shouldn't have blown up at him, though. I knew he was provoking me. It worked too; I saw you…" Her lips wobbled and she shut her eyes.
"Bella, I'm coming back. Are you mad at me for still going?" I asked in concern.
"No. I get why. But it doesn't mean I'm not going out of my mind worrying and wishing there was another way."
I pulled her onto my lap and hugged her. "So do I. I think you got through to him. But I can't believe he almost hit you."
"He wasn't himself or not there. I saw it in his eyes. They were glazed over, and then he looked shocked and appalled with himself when Emmett grabbed him. He needs help, Edward. Like serious help," she stated.
"I know. I told him I was leaving." I played with a curl of her hair, while looking at a photo of our makeshift prom on my nightstand.
"How did he take it?" she asked.
"Better than I thought he would. I told him he should stop too. With any luck, Mom can get through to him. I just want this all over with. Hopefully, the next few days go by quickly without any more major complications. And then we can finally have that." I pointed to the photo. "A backyard wedding, where we can dance barefoot in the grass. Then we can have a honeymoon where you can wear a bikini."
She elbowed me playfully. "We should find a place to go fishing?" She sounded a bit more cheerful.
"What type of fishing?" I wiggled my eyebrows.
She snorted. "You've been around Shrek too long."
"Maybe," I agreed. "Because all I can think of now is that we're in my childhood bedroom. I can't tell you how many nights I thought about you in this bed." I kissed her neck.
"On Scooby-Doo sheets? I don't know whether to say kinky or jinkies." She giggled.
"On…" I looked at the bed more closely. "I swear I haven't used those sheets since I was eight." I turned back and movement caught my eye in the doorway.
"Edward?" She touched my cheek.
"I'll be right back. There are some things a cartoon dog shouldn't see." I placed her on the bed.
When I went out into the hall, my parents' door was just closing. I thought about going after him but changed my mind. We could talk on the plane tomorrow—tonight would be about Bella.
Days
I awoke to the lights flashing and the lamp, on the nightstand next to my bed, vibrating. It could only mean one thing—intruders. Bella was still sound asleep, curled into me.
"Shit…shit. Bella, wake up, love." I sat up in bed and threw my legs over the side.
"What's going on?" she mumbled sleepily, rubbing her eyes. "Wait, is the blinking system the same as your apartment?" she asked, suddenly alert.
"Yes, you need to get to the safe room. Take the elevator in my parents' room with my mom and the others." I yanked on my jeans and reached for my bulletproof vest.
"How did they get in? I thought Alice had this place locked tighter than Fort Knox?" Bella jumped out of bed. Thankfully, she had gotten dressed before we fell asleep.
"I don't know, but we don't have time to figure it out. We need to move." I grabbed her hand and headed for the door.
It burst open, and I quickly pointed my gun. Jasper entered with a gun of his own ready. He held it up when he saw me, and I lowered mine to the ground.
"We gotta move. There's six of them. They entered through the garage and are moving through the bottom floor," he said. He pulled out a second gun and held it out to Bella. "You might need this."
She nodded. "Is it loaded?"
"Yes, so be careful. It also has a stronger pull than the one you've been using," he told her.
"Let's go." I felt like we were wasting time.
"I'll take the backstairs; Bella, follow me to the bedroom. Edward, you take the main stairs, the others are already down there." Jasper nodded.
"What about Uncle Carlisle?" I hissed.
"He's still at the hospital as far as we know," he answered.
Bella kissed my cheek, then ran down the hall with Jasper on her heels. The power went out and shooting erupted as I made my way downstairs. It sounded like it was coming from the hallway around my Dad's office. However, just as I was about to head for it, I saw a dark figure head down the basement steps.
I made my way down the steps with my back to the wall, so no one could sneak up on me. When I got to the basement, I could make out the figure in the doorway to the garage with his back to me. I knew I had to get rid of him so we could escape if need be. I aimed and shot him in the back of the head. He went down with a thud.
"Good shot."
I snapped my head around to see another man on the far side of the room. He took a few steps into the center of the room and stopped. I knew from Alice's research and Bella's own description who he was—Garrett. We both held each other at gunpoint, my finger itched to pull the trigger, but I wanted answers first.
"Garrett, what are you doing here? I thought we'd meet you tomorrow," I said nonchalantly
He chuckled darkly. "I'm not surprised you know who I am. You seemed to have an incredibly talented tech person working for you. Took Paul quite a bit of time to track you down. It's a shame you killed him, perhaps I need to persuade your guy to join me. Let's be honest, you don't seem surprised to see me. I go from hearing from you several times a day to almost nothing."
"I've been busy with trying to find Bella on top of getting ready to help you," I lied to him.
"You know, I liked you, Masen. I figured you and I were a lot alike. You'd do anything for Bella like I would've for my Katrina. I thought we were on the same page. You disappointed me when you started to ghost me. I know Bella found her way to you," he stated.
"You're wrong, she's not here." I held my ground.
His gun went off, shooting me in the arm. Before I dropped my gun, I tried to shoot but missed. I fell to my knees and switched my gun to my other hand. Garrett held up his for a moment, then lowered his gun. Why hadn't he finished me off?
"Don't lie to me, I know she's here. I must admit, it took a while to get it out of Renée, but she could only take so much pain." He smirked.
"You killed Renée? I thought Afton killed her in a car accident?" I winced as the pain in my arm throbbed.
"My uncle was never after Bella. He found out soon after the ball that she wasn't a virgin and was no longer interested in selling her. Phil was desperate to pay him back, so when he figured it was his or Afton's life, he helped me."
"So it was you all along that sent men to Washington to kill us and Charlie?" I demanded.
"They weren't sent to kill you but to bring Bella back unharmed. The great thing about being second in command is no one ever questions your orders. They thought they were working for my uncle, but they were working for me. I needed Bella for leverage to make sure you'd follow through. I wasn't going to harm her," Garrett insisted.
Movement behind him caught my eye and my heart clenched in my chest. Bella gingerly stepped over the dead body. She then glanced at a poster in the room that hid the electrical panel.
Fuck!
Something was wrong with not only the lights but the whole system. That meant no one was in the safe room yet. I had to keep Garrett distracted so Bella could get to it.
Bella then noticed Garrett and me. Her eyes locked on my injured arm and she paled. She raised her gun to shoot Garrett.
"Not so fast, Bella. I can kill him before you can even pull the trigger." Garrett didn't even look in her direction.
"Costa!" my father yelled.
A series of gun shots rang out in the room.
A/N: Does it help if I say this is the last cliffy? I'm sure some of you knew this was coming at some point. At least we got some answers from Garrett.
The chapter started out on a high note. Don't blame Bella for wanting to wait until the danger was out of the way. The proposal may not have been perfect. One of my prereaders was a bit miffed that Edward got down on one knee in front of the microwave. LoL
I can already hear it about Anthony Jr(Tony). He was out of line in the shooting range. He even realized it himself.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me.