Here's the latest from our wiseguy. Getting started on the next chapter, so I'll see you in two weeks. Hope you enjoy! And remember, I have a FB group with info and updates on all my stories.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 8

A few hours after I passed out, I was woken up by my mother, and from the look on her face, I'd done something stupid.

"Edward Anthony Masen, you get out of that bed right now!"

"I'm up, what's the matter?"

"Isabella is downstairs crying her eyes out, going on about how she's sorry for all the problems her and the baby have caused. She promised to be out of our hair as soon as you're awake and she can pack. So what did your drunk ass say to her last night?"

"I didn't say anything. I mean, I was upset that she was sleeping downstairs and she said she couldn't get comfortable because of the baby, so she was sleeping in the recliner." I thought back to the conversation, and I knew exactly what she'd misunderstood. "I know what happened, I'll straighten it out."

I didn't bother changing out of yesterday's clothes, this needed to be handled. I ran down the stairs with my mother following behind. She went into the kitchen while I approached Isabella who was crying on the couch. I moved to sit next to her, pulling her into my side.

"Isabella, calm down, please. I'm sorry if I upset you last night, but you misunderstood me."

"No, Edward, I got it loud and clear, we're causing trouble." She tried to pull out of my grip, but I wrapped my other arm around her.

"Isabella, I was talking about the trouble the baby is causing you. The agita and not being able to sleep in the bed. How could you think anything that is a part of you would be a problem? I'm stressed because we aren't finding Jimmy, but none of that is your fault. Now, you have an appointment today, correct?"

"Yes, this afternoon," she said with a huff. The way she had her arms crossed told me I wasn't completely forgiven, even when I hadn't meant it how she'd taken it.

I heard my mother's footsteps enter the living room and I looked up at her. "Edward, your father's on the phone."

I kissed Isabella's forehead and then went into the kitchen to get the phone. As soon as I heard the noise in the background, I knew something had happened.

"Dad, what's wrong?"

"There was an accident last night. Brady was killed."

"What? How?"

"He was driving over the Gerritsen Inlet Bridge on the Belt Parkway and he hit the car in front of him. From what the police told his mother, the car he hit went down the embankment and Brady went to check on the driver. The driver shot him, but he was too injured to get out of the car before it caught fire. They both died on the scene. Neighbors called in the explosion."

I held my breath, waiting for him to continue. When he didn't, I asked, "Do they know who was driving the other car?"

"No. But Brady was one of yours, you should go pay respects to his mother."

"Absolutely. I'll have to swing by the office to get his home address. I'll stop by to see you first."

"Then I'll see you in a little bit."

I hung up the phone and went into the living room.

"Everything okay?" Isabella asked, a few errant tears stained her face.

"I'm not sure. I need to take care of a few things. Ma, could you take Isabella to the doctor?"

"Sure, Edward. Go see what is going on."

I ran upstairs and grabbed a quick shower, wanting to look presentable to meet Brady's mother. It took a little bit of doing, but I was soon on my way to the bar. My father was waiting in the office with Jasper and Emmett.

"Okay, what couldn't you say over the phone?"

"Brady was watching the apartment last night. Gina said she heard the car circle the block and when he came around the second time, Brady started to follow him. That was about thirty minutes before the explosion was called in. Also, from what Brady's mother said, the cops said it looked like a random act of violence because it was a rental car."

"So it was Jimmy?"

"We won't know until they trace the rental car back to him, but it looks like it."

"Let's hope they tie it up soon. I'm going to go to the construction company office and talk to the office manager about Brady."

"I'll see you at home later?" my father asked.

"Yes, sir. Emmett, come for a walk with me?"

Emmett followed me outside, and we stopped beside his car. "Is everything taken care of for his mother?"

"Yes. Rose checked it after we got the news. All of the crews who work for the construction company have life insurance. She'll have everything ready when his mother needs her help."

"Good. Do you want to come along?"

"No, I'm gonna let my crew know to stand down. This has to be him."

"Okay. I'll see you around."

I drove to the office for Macrino Construction and walked in. Rosalie Macrino, Emmett's wife, was on the phone when I entered. She was a bombshell who could have made it in Hollywood with no problems, but only an idiot would let that pretty face fool them. She didn't take any shit, and considering she ran the office for Emmett's uncle so he could oversee the whole company, she had a lot of people trying to drop shit on her doorstep.

I waited quietly as she listened to whoever was pissing her off, and then unleashed her fury on him.

"No, you listen to me. You already negotiated after the initial estimate and that was the final price you were quoted. If you don't like it, tough. But you're not going to call this office and talk to me like I'm a little girl who doesn't know her shit. If you want the job to start next week, you've got until this afternoon to come in and sign the agreement. Have a good day."

The receiver hit the cradle with a bang, and Rosalie looked up at me. "Edward, Emmett told me that you'd be coming by. I have the information for Brady's life insurance policy, and tell Mrs. Graham I'll send his last paycheck in her name as she was his next of kin."

I took the manila envelope she held out to me with a nod. "Thanks for getting this all together so quickly."

"As soon as Emmett called, I pulled everything. If Mrs. Graham needs help with any of the paperwork, I put a business card for the office in there. It can be a little intimidating, especially when you're grieving."

"I'll make sure she knows."

I left Rosalie to her work, as the phone was once again ringing, and saw the address written on the outside of the envelope. It was a five minute drive from Jasper's old house, so I knew the neighborhood well.

I took a minute to prepare myself before stepping out of the car. I walked up the path to the front door and knocked. I was met by a petite woman who looked so like the young man we lost. "Mrs. Graham? I'm Edward Masen. I was your son's supervisor."

"Mr. Masen, come in. I'm sorry, I don't have anything to offer you, but you know."

"That's quite all right, ma'am. I'm here to personally offer my condolences and deliver this."

I held out the envelope and Mrs. Graham took it. "What is this?"

"Brady had a life insurance policy through the construction company. That's the information on it. Also, Rosalie Macrino, the woman who runs the office, put her business card in there. If you have any questions, she said to call her personally and that Brady's final check will be mailed to you."

"I didn't know he had anything," she whispered.

"All of the employees do because of the work they do," I explained.

"Thank you for everything, Mr. Masen."

"You're welcome. And I'm so sorry for your loss, Brady was a good kid. We're sad to lose him."

"He was."

Mrs. Graham showed me to the door and I drove back to my parents'. There was nothing to do now, but wait for confirmation.

It was three days later, when the cover of the paper had a headline about the accident. The car was tied back to Jimmy, and he had a bag in the trunk that included his passport that survived the engine fire. We had our confirmation, and Isabella was finally breathing a sigh of relief.

"Moretti put his house up for sale," my father told me that evening at the bar.

"What?" I asked.

"He went to the same realtor who is selling Jasper and Maria's old place. Told him that he and his wife are moving to Italy and they want to be gone as soon as possible."

"Does Jasper know?"

"Jasper is the one who told me. The realtor contacted him about it."

"So they're giving up all the bullshit?"

"It appears so. We're keeping an eye on them, though."

I nodded, knowing things wouldn't truly calm down until all of our problems were gone. Aro entered the bar, a smile on his face. "There's my boy."

"Evening, sir. How is everything?"

"Good. I've got a job planned, but I wanted to discuss it with you first."

"Sure, did you want to come into the office with me?" It wasn't really a question; I knew the answer was going to be yes.

We got up and entered the office. "I think it is time we open the book. Jasper is starting to show that he's serious about his responsibilities, and he didn't stick his nose up Alice's skirt the minute she showed up here. And I know she's busting his balls."

"He was a big help organizing our associates during the situation with Jimmy. He kept them balanced between their construction work and their real work. And though losing Brady was a tragedy, it wasn't his mistake."

"No. And the arrangement you and Emmett came up with using his uncle's company to give your crews legitimate income was smart. With an income on paper for our men, it makes them harder to pinch unless they get caught red-handed. And Vito knows that he's got our gratitude and protection. That's the kind of thinking that makes a good boss." Aro reached into his pocket and took out his cigar case. He cut the end of the cigar and then put it in his mouth and lit it, taking a few puffs before blowing the smoke into the room.

"So what's the job?"

"It's similar to the run you and Jasper made to Chicago to handle Stefan. But don't you worry about that. I'm sending Emmett with him."

"You're sure?"

Aro looked at me and I swallowed hard. "Do you want to leave Isabella alone for a week or two? I could arrange this. But I want to see how they'll work together on a job. Your brother has been your second on that crew since he turned eighteen without being made. The soldiers on your crew knew it was just a matter of time until he was and then he'd take over."

"How many people are we opening the book for?"

"Twenty-three, including your brother. I want this organized so it can happen as soon as he returns. This ceremony will be your first official act as my underboss. Make me proud."

I nodded and Aro stood. I would need to speak to my father about this. The last time they'd opened the books was for me and the other soldiers and capos made with me, but I'd been too caught up in the moment to remember the details. I just remembered walking out of there with a ring on my pinky, a gift from Aro.

I walked out of the office and found my father sitting at a table, he looked at me and I shook my head, we could discuss this tomorrow. Tonight, I had something else to handle.

I drove to my parents' house and was upset to see that my mother was alone with Peter. "Where's Isabella?"

"Alice picked her up an hour ago to take her back to the apartment. You said everything was taken care of. Why, did something happen?"

"No, I just wanted to see her. I'll go over and speak to her."

"Here, I made sure all your laundry was done and packed your bag." My mom walked to the hall closet and got my bag handing it to me.

"Thanks, Ma. You're the best."

I went to the driveway and climbed into the car, then drove the short distance to the apartment. I could hear the laughter through the open window in the kitchen when I parked around back, so I locked up my car and unlocked the outside door.

Knocking, I was happy to hear the pause at the door before it opened. What I wasn't expecting was for Gina to answer it. "Edward, what a pleasant surprise."

She opened the door wide and I kissed her cheek as I passed. "It's always a pleasure seeing you, Gina."

"That's good to know, because you'll be seeing plenty of her once the cafe opens," Alice said from the dining table where they had a variety of baked goods.

"You're going to be partnering with them?" I asked Gina as I walked over and picked up a cannoli.

"Not partnering, just working the counter. It'll help Alice out, since Isabella has said she wants to stay in the kitchen. Alice can do some baking once Isabella's left for the morning and then we can manage the front between us. Isabella will do some prep in the evening to make things easier for her."

"Sounds like you ladies have it all worked out. Now, if I could borrow Isabella for a few minutes, I want to show her something in the kitchen."

"She's getting to see the finished kitchen before me?" Alice raised an eyebrow.

"I'm surprised you haven't been down there," I replied.

"I'm waiting for the crew to finish painting the cafe. It is so close to being done. I didn't want to spoil it."

"Fair enough. We won't be gone long."

I offered Isabella my hand and she took it, letting me lead her downstairs. If we weren't going right inside, I would have insisted on a coat, it was still too cool in the evenings to go without one. As it was, I unlocked the back door to the bakery and watched as her face lit up. She wandered around, touching every surface.

"This is truly a professional kitchen, everything we could ever need and it is so well laid out. Thank you for doing this for Alice. Having this cafe will mean so much to her. Though she's already thinking about how the baked goods may be the real money maker."

"If you two bake like what I've tasted, I have no doubt. It's been a while since we've had a bakery that truly does the Italian classics. And we're just far enough away from the other bakeries here to not compete too much."

"Is that why you chose it for her?"

"No, I wanted her to have the apartment above it so she wouldn't have to travel too far to work."

"Always thinking ahead," she said.

"I was, which is why we're down here. Do you see that empty area against the wall, away from the equipment and the door?"

"Yes."

"You can put a bassinet over there for the baby. That way he or she is with you when you're working. I know it will be difficult in the beginning to be away from the baby, so I wanted you to have a place for the baby here."

"You're so good to me, Edward." Isabella turned to me and took my hand.

"You'll always get the best of me. I was serious about taking you out. I'd like to take you to the Copacabana on Saturday."

"Edward, that's too much."

"No it isn't. You make me want to show you the world. We're never going to live a normal life, but I can promise you will always be protected."

"I've never doubted that with you. I've seen the way people look at you. You're an important man. But then you do things like making room for a bassinet and looking after my reputation on top of everything else."

"I happen to think you're worth it," I whispered.

Isabella surprised me by gripping my lapels and pressing up onto the balls of her feet to kiss me. On instinct, my arms wrapped around her and I pulled her closer. All of the fire and passion that had been building between us in the last six weeks exploded. I knew I should stop, take it slow, but in that moment I'd never wanted someone as much as I did her. We haven't even been on a date yet, and I already needed to make her mine. I wanted my ring on her finger before that baby was born, now I just needed to make it happen.