Chapter 9

~Veritas est Omnia~

I curled my legs under me and examined Tony closely. I ran the tip of my index finger along the edge of the bandage covering his wound, then traced the blackish-purple bruising above it. "What happened here?"

"Fucker kicked the shit out of me while I was lying there bleeding out. That's okay because he'll be in a lot more pain than I am—at least until he dies."

I flinched at the coldness in Tony's voice though I couldn't deny I'd like a shot at the bastard who did this. According to Emmett, Tony was supposed to die, and my father might have given the order. I fought back a sob, but Tony noticed. His face went from ice cold to sympathetic in a second.

He put his arm around me, pulling me close. "Hey, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that in front of you."

I sniffled, wiping at my eyes. "No, that's not it. I just—my father might be responsible? How do I reconcile that?"

Tony kissed the top of my head. "I don't know, princess. I've never been in a position like this before. I don't know of any relationship surviving the pull of their family."

Was he giving me up already? "But, Tony—"

He must have heard the panicked edge to my voice because he shushed me, pulling me in so tightly, he winced when I came in contact with his injured side. "Shh . . . I didn't mean we won't survive, just that it will be difficult. We have so much stacked against us, but I refuse to give in. Look at me." He pulled away and tilted my face until I could look into his uninjured eye. "I've been waiting for you my whole life. Maybe it sounds cliché, but it's true. You feel it too, don't you?"

My eyes filled with tears, and they spilled over. I didn't trust myself to speak, so I nodded. Tony cupped my cheek, guiding my face to his. He brought his mouth to mine, and I tasted the saltiness of my tears as they mingled between our joined lips. Tony groaned, pushing his tongue inside to stroke against mine. Tingles broke out across my skin, and I kissed him back with all the passion I felt for him. It was almost too much to contain inside me.

"It's us now," he whispered against my lips. "You and me. I'll destroy anyone who tries to come between us. You need to understand that—my father, your father, anyone."

A chill ran up my spine. Part of me reveled in his words, while another part was terrified.

I cuddled against him until he grew restless from the pain. I brought him a glass of water and some of the painkillers Dr. Cullen left. I offered to help him to the guest room so he could lie down. At first, he claimed he could do it on his own, but when he stood, he cried out in pain and nearly fell. I rushed over and pulled his arm around my shoulders.

"This isn't right. A man shouldn't need a woman to carry him."

I let out my first spontaneous laugh in a while. "Do you realize how sexist that sounds?"

"I didn't mean it in a . . . sexist way. I'm supposed to . . . protect you." He was out of breath, and we had to pause in the hall for a moment.

"I appreciate the sentiment, but I have a gun, and I'm pretty good with self-defense moves."

Tony grinned. "Of course you are," he said breathlessly.

"Hush until I get you settled."

We made our way to my room, and I led him over to the bed. It took a bit of doing, and we almost fell twice, but I finally had him propped up against the headboard with some pillows behind him. Even though he claimed he wasn't that tired, he was asleep in five minutes, head tilted to the side, snoring softly. I sat on the side of the bed and watched him for a while. He looked so young and innocent in his slumber. I tugged the covers over him and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

Once I was sure he would sleep for a while, I grabbed my phone and went to the living room to call Angela. I told her the whole story, and she was flabbergasted.

"Holy shit, girl! I can't believe all that happened right after I left! What do you need? What can I do?"

"Tony is staying at the penthouse to recover while his brother takes care of business. I want to stay here with him, but I need a cover. You know how Aro is."

"Yeah. Okay, so I'll have to stay there too. We're house-sitting for a friend. I'll make sure your dad isn't home, and I'll get you some clothes and shit. Text me a list of what you want."

"Thank you! You're a lifesaver. I don't have a shift at the hotel for a few days, so we should be good."

I checked on Tony, and he was still sleeping. I watched him until my stomach grumbled, and then I wandered into the kitchen to look for food. Jasper's refrigerator had beer and bottles of iced tea. Wow. The pantry wasn't much better. Then I remembered there was a restaurant downstairs. I called and ordered some food. I didn't want to leave Tony, but I couldn't have anyone come in here while it looked like a crime scene.

I touched up my face, put the glasses on, and pulled the auburn wig over my head, running a brush through it.

When it was time, I took the elevator to the first floor. I followed the long hallway to the front lobby and approached the counter of Breezy's. "Hi. Order for Kelly."

"What unit?"

For a moment, I was confused. I had no idea what unit Jasper was in. The only thing I knew was the elevator indicated Penthouse 26, so I went with that.

"Excellent. Here's your order."

"How much?"

"Orders are billed to the unit."

"Okay, thanks!"

On the way back, I noticed a concierge desk, pharmacy, clothing shop, juice bar, and gym. I turned the corner and hurried up the hall to the private elevator, letting out a relieved breath when the car started its ascent.

I put the bag of food on the breakfast bar and went to check on Tony. He was still sleeping like an angel, although a little pucker of worry creased his eyebrows.

Going back to the kitchen, I put his food in the fridge and sat at the coffee table in the living room to eat my chicken sandwich. The intercom buzzed, so I went over and pressed the button. "Yes?"

"Cleaners here for Mr. Hale. Is it okay to send them up?"

"Yes. Thank you!"

Thankfully, I still had my Kelly disguise on. The elevator dinged, and two burly men dragging large cases entered the foyer.

"Emmett sent us."

"I'm aware. Let me know if you need anything. I'll just be over there . . . eating." I pointed to the living room. The man nodded once, and then they stared at me until I scurried away. I ate my sandwich with my back to them. They didn't speak to each other, just went about their work. At one point, I heard the whirring of some kind of floor machine, and the acrid scent of bleach wafted through the air.

Angela texted to let me know she was on her way. I told her to wait until the cleaners left; there was no reason for them to see both of us.

"Miss, we're finished."

"Thank you so much!" I waved at the stone-faced men, who simply turned away, dragging their cases behind them.

The coast is clear! ~B

Thank God! This parking garage is kind of creepy. ~A

I ventured into the hall and foyer. The marble floors were shiny and clean. There was no hint of what had taken place here. I guess that's the idea behind cleaners; they got paid to clean up everyone's mess and be discreet about it.

The elevator dinged, and I rushed to wait by the doors. When they opened, I launched myself at Angela, hugging her tight. Tears streamed down my face, and I sobbed against her shoulder.

"Chica, what's wrong? Did something else happen?"

"N-n-no. I just . . . this is so crazy."

Angela patted me on the back. "Delayed reaction, honey. It's normal after a traumatic event. Let's get inside and see if tech geeks have liquor cabinets."

"There's a wet bar in the living room," I called out as I lugged some of the bags into the penthouse.

Angela pulled off her blond wig and went straight for the bar. She let out an exclamation of victory, holding a bottle of amber liquid high in the air.

A few minutes later, we held tumblers of whiskey. The sky was a masterpiece of pink, yellow, and blood-orange as we stood by the windows overlooking Seattle, watching the transition from afternoon into evening. The lights across the city twinkled, coming into greater focus as the night moved in.

"So beautiful," I whispered.

"A toast." Angela turned to me, holding her glass up. "To you and Tony, to our friendship, and to me finding true love too."

We clinked glasses and drank. I took a sip, but Angela finished hers off in one gulp. Her eyes were bright, and she looked sick to her stomach but excited, the same way she did when we taught her asshat cousin a lesson. We had put green dye in Nico's shampoo bottle, and he looked like a leprechaun until he could get the color stripped from his hair. I forget what he did to deserve such a prank, but he never did figure out it was us.

"Ang, what's going on?"

She sucked in a deep breath. "I'm not marrying Lou. I refuse to get stuck with a lying, cheating bastard. I want to be happy!"

"Did you tell Lou? Uncle Marcus?"

"Not yet." She laughed, spinning in a circle. "I feel so rebellious and free!"

Angela was brave. I knew it was cowardly to let her be the test case, but maybe if she was successful in her plight, it might pave the way for me. Not with a Masen though. My stomach sank. I had no idea how to do this, no idea how Tony and I could end up anything other than broken.

"Earth to Bella! You okay?"

I shook off my fear and pasted on a smile. "Yeah, great. I'm really happy for you."

"Don't plan the party just yet—I still have to face my parents." She rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Oh, and find my true love. No biggie."

We sat on the couch and drank whiskey until the sky was dark, and we both had a buzz. My muscles felt flexible, my bones soft. We started giggling over something, and a bout of silliness commenced. I couldn't even remember what it was about.

Angela got to her feet, swaying in place. "Whoa. Think I need to lie down."

"I should check on Tony. He's been sleeping for hours."

Angela stumbled down the hall, giggling every so often.

I felt pleasantly fuzzy. I found the bag with my belongings and brought it with me to my room. Tony was still sleeping peacefully. I tried my best to be quiet as I unpacked my bag, hanging my clothes in the walk-in closet and storing my toiletries in the large en suite.

I took a quick shower, scrubbing the old makeup off my face. Then I chose a comfortable V-neck and leggings, happy to get out of Jasper's baggy sweats. I twisted my damp hair into a bun and secured it with a scrunchie. After getting dressed, I perched on the edge of the bed and watched Tony sleep for a while. His left eye was still swollen shut, and the worst of the cuts and bruises were on that side of his face. The right half had a few lacerations but was otherwise unmarred. A sexy smattering of stubble peppered his jaw, and I imagined the rasp of it against the insides of my thighs.

"Oh, girl, you need to calm down," I whispered.

Even though it was early evening, I yawned. I realized between stress, adrenaline, whiskey, and the warm shower, I was crashing. Instead of fighting it, I slipped under the covers and snuggled up beside Tony, falling into a deep slumber.

~*oOo*~

My sleep was dreamless, probably a blessing based on what I'd just been through. As I surfaced, I felt the warmth of Tony's body against my back. He was talking quietly.

"Doesn't that seem too easy to you? It feels contrived . . . Yeah, but my radar is up on this one . . . Well, let's proceed with caution, keep it close to the vest . . . I don't know how long this will take to heal, but I need to get back in the game as soon as possible . . . Pretty perfect . . . I know . . . Later, bro."

Tony sighed and ghosted his fingers along the side of my neck. "I'll never give you up," he whispered. The emotional, softly spoken words filled me with warmth. He wanted me, not Aro Volturi's daughter, me.

Perhaps it was wrong, but I pretended to sleep a while longer in the hope he would reveal more of himself. He didn't speak, but his fingers stroked lovingly over my skin, light as a feather. I don't think he was trying to wake me, just had a need to touch me. Maybe he couldn't believe I was real, because I was having trouble reconciling his existence myself.

My fingers itched to touch him back, so I shifted a bit and stretched. The yawn was real enough. I turned to face him, my hand seeking his. "Hey."

He smiled down at me. "Hey."

Tony was still shirtless, the edge of the sheet hitting just below the bandage wrapped around his middle. There was a dark stain under the gauze, but the wound didn't seem to be actively bleeding. My attention was drawn to his tattoo, a red heart wrapped in barbed wire with the words Veritas est omnia across the top. I knew enough Latin to recognize that veritas meant truth. I traced the barb-pierced heart with my index finger and looked up at him.

I skimmed my finger over the words. "What does this mean?"

Tony watched me with an unreadable expression for so long I thought he wasn't going to answer, but then he spoke softly. "The truth is everything."

I swallowed hard. "What does this tattoo mean to you?"

Tony huffed, leaning back against the pillows, and pulled me closer, wrapping his arm around me. "It means I live in a world where my heart cannot be free, where the payment for truth is an agony that can shred my heart. Barbed wire is a curious thing—it keeps trespassers out but can also keep the innocent trapped within."

"Whoa." I was speechless, just gaping at him.

"Too dramatic, princess?" He smiled sadly.

"No! It's just that it really resonates with me and this crazy life I've been sucked into. Maybe I should get one too."

Tony laughed then, a full-bodied, head-thrown-back, genuine laugh. He leaned down and kissed the tip of my nose. "You never fail to amaze me, princess. I truly never know what's going to come out of your mouth."

Neither did I. That was part of the problem.

oOo

A/N: We'll be getting more insight into Edward's world as we go, and Chapter 11 is from EPOV! Looking forward to your thoughts and theories.

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