Capitolo Undici

Every man needs that one woman that calms the beast in him.

Edward and I ended up going to a fairly casual restaurant for dinner. I was glad for it because I hadn't actually dressed up to go to an upscale place. Once we were seated and had given the waitress our orders, Edward reached across the table and took my hand.

"So, you were bored today?" he asked, smirking.

I chuckled. "Yes, the house is already immaculate, and all Rose did today was talk on the phone and watch soap operas," I said, scrunching up my nose.

For some reason, this got his attention. "Phone? Who was she talking to?"

I had no idea if Edward knew about Emmett and his sister, but I knew if I lied, he would find out and be upset about it. So, instead, I made him answer his own question. "Who do you think?"

"Fuck," he murmured. "Those two are playing a dangerous game being so obvious. My dad gets her phone bill. There should be no reason for her to be calling him."

"So, your dad is allowed to have his toys, but no one else is supposed to do the same? That's hypocrisy at its finest. She doesn't want to marry Royce, and honestly, based on the creep vibe I was getting from him, I don't blame her."

"I know, Bella, but you have seen firsthand how much of a tyrant my dad can be."

I scoffed and shook my head. See, now that just pissed me off. "I get it, okay, but the whole 'well, that's just who he is' excuse is bullshit. How can you expect things to change if no one challenges him? Every single historical change has started with people getting fed up and taking a stand. Don't you think it's time someone did?"

"It's not that easy. You have no idea…" He looked defeated. He wasn't happy with the way things were I think.

I know that he was still under the impression that I had no clue what was really going on here. That I had no idea what world I had fallen into. I hated that I had to play the part of oblivious fiancée, but I refused to throw Rose under the bus like that. "Then give me an idea, Edward. Come on, I know something is going on here. I'm not stupid. Have you ever stopped to wonder why I rarely ask you what you mean when you start speaking Italian? Why I don't ask you what you actually do for a living? Why I didn't question what you, your cousin, uncle, dad, and best friend were meeting about for hours the other night, in private."

He stared at me in silence. I didn't know if he was surprised, angry, or indifferent. He never gave anything away, and I was sure that this would be a constant frustration throughout our marriage. The waitress brought our food over, and Edward didn't say anything until she left. "I'm dying to know the answer to those questions, but this isn't the place to discuss this." When I opened my mouth to protest, he held his hand up to stop me. "I'm not blowing you off. We will talk about this. Just not now."

I nodded my head, and he let out a sigh of relief. Edward started eating, and I took a bite of my food. "I'm not going to fight you on everything, Edward, but if you expect me to just sit there and look pretty, then you are marrying the wrong girl."

He put his fork down and took a drink of his water. He shook his head. "No, I expect a little fight. In fact, it's pretty attractive that you stand up for yourself, and my sister. So, do you have any ideas of things you could do so that you aren't bored during the day?"

"Well, I could spend some time planning our wedding, but I got the feeling that I'm not allowed."

"Bella, just say something. I'll tell my mom to back off a little bit, okay. Rose let her take over because she doesn't want to marry Royce."

"Okay, thank you. Other than that, I don't know. Maybe I need to find a hobby. I could help Alice at her store, or maybe I could get cooking lessons from Nonnie. Learn to crochet."

"I think that all sounds great." He smiled.

We continued to eat and converse about safe topics. At one point, I was telling him about a soap that Rose was watching today and his eyes kept flitting to the door over my shoulder. I made a move to turn around, and he grabbed my arms, shaking his head. He dropped enough money on the table for our bill and a nice tip. The waitress came to see if we needed anything else, and he asked her for an alternate exit other than the front. When she saw how much money he'd left on the table, she pocketed it and nodded toward a door that would take us out the back. With a brief thanks shot over his shoulder, he grabbed my hand and hurriedly pulled me toward it.

"What's going on?"

"Not right now, ragazza. Let's get out of here first."

We continued to be stealthy as we made our way to Edward's car in the parking lot. When we were safely in his car, he peeled out of the parking spot. We'd only been driving a few minutes when I spoke up. "Okay, you need to pull over. We need to talk." Something happened back at the restaurant and I wanted to know what.

He shook his head, the stubborn set of his jaw telling me his answer before he spoke it. "I'll continue to drive. You start answering the things you brought up at the restaurant. Then I will talk."

I rolled my eyes and threw up my hands in frustration. "Fine. When I was younger, my parents would speak Italian when they didn't want me to know what they were saying. So, I saved up my allowance and got Rosetta Stone so I could learn it. They were unaware until I started answering questions they were asking each other. Then I took a year in college. I have a pretty decent comprehension of both written and spoken Italian so I can follow what people are saying way better than I can speak it myself."

Edward chuckled and grabbed my hand, brushing his thumb over the skin. "That's kinda funny."

"Glad I can amuse you," I said, smiling in spite of the fact he was poking fun at me. "So, the reason I have never asked you what you do is because I googled you." He looked at me with eyebrows raised in question. "My mom gave me a name and a state. So, I had to figure out how to get a chance to meet your dad. When I searched for Edward Cullen, New York, your name came up first. So I found out a lot about your businesses." I gave him a knowing look because I wanted him to say he was mafia. I didn't want to be the one to call him out.

"Okay, so what about the last part? Why didn't you question our meeting?"

"Does it matter? I know it wouldn't get me anywhere. You're not very forthcoming with info. I know there is something you're not telling me."

"Okay, but why does it have to be something nefarious?"

"Edward, you are going to be my husband, and I'm going to be your wife. If there is something that you are unwilling to disclose, then doesn't that mean that it's bad, or do you really not trust me?" I was really curious to hear this answer because I hoped he trusted me. I had been honest with him since he placed his ring on my finger, and even before then.

"Fuck," he murmured, pulling the car over and turning it off, then raked his hands through his hair. "You've given me no reason not to trust you, Bella. We're still getting to know one another, so I just don't know how you're going to react. It's not like telling you I gamble or have some weird sex fetish."

The most surprising thing about Edward was the way he spoke when he was being straightforward. I wouldn't think that those are easy things to admit, but he was saying it like they were such effortless confessions. I decided that maybe I should give him some sort of safety net. Like if he knew what I was "suspecting," he wouldn't be so worried. I blew out a loud breath. "So, my mom was serious. When she said she didn't want to be Ted's goomah. I looked it up, and it's the mistress of a mafioso. The mafia."

Edward's head snapped up, and he locked eyes with me. He was searching, waiting for me to freak out. I had some time to come to terms with what Rose had told me. I just wanted to get it all out there and move on. If I didn't see any of the shady shit that I knew was probably going on, then I was fine. He nodded, visibly swallowing.

"Just tell me that I'm safe with you, Edward. Promise me that any shit you bring into our lives because of your work, you will keep me safe. I came here to stop living in fear."

He grabbed me by the back of my neck and pulled my forehead to his. After I unbuckled my seatbelt, I moved to straddle his lap, and because he was so damn tall, there was enough room for me to do so. "I would never let anyone or anything hurt you, tesoro. I want you to know that you're safe with me. That's one reason we are moving—because with my dad under the same roof as you, I can't promise that."

"Okay. Then the other shit doesn't matter. But you do need to tell me why we left the restaurant in a hurry."

"In this life, we sometimes have to fight for territory. There is a rival family, the Volturi. One of their members came into the restaurant. I don't want you to get more wrapped up into this shit than necessary, so I got you out of there. Aro, the leader of the Volturi, and I are on fairly good terms and are able to be amicable, but my father is dicking them around over some business dealings, so the rest of the family isn't so courteous."

He huffed and smiled, pulling my lips to his. I kissed him back, one of my hands sliding into his hair and gripping it, the other one staying on his cheek, keeping this contact with him. Both of his hands slid down my arms, wrapping around my waist and pushing on the small of my back, causing my hips to grind against his groin. I moaned into his mouth, my tongue meeting his in a battle for dominance. I forgot that we were in a car and focused only on the feeling of Edward's body against mine and my hips grinding against his. Edward broke away from the kiss first. "Bella, as much as I would love to continue this right here and now, we do have some houses we need to see."

I smiled at him and chuckled. "I get carried away when it comes to you, it seems."

Edward chuckled too and smiled smugly. I crawled out of his lap and got back in the passenger seat, buckling myself back in. Edward adjusted himself, making me bite my lip to keep from grinning, and once settled, he started the car again, heading toward the first of the houses that Irina had found for us. By the time we looked at three houses, each one not being quite right for us, I was starting to feel a little disheartened. They were all huge and pretentious, not something I could find myself feeling at home in or even raising a family in.

I shared my thoughts with Edward after we had climbed back into his car, and he pulled up his email again, scrolling through the properties that Irina had sent him. He stopped and started smiling as he read. He assured me during the short ride that he had a good feeling this would be the one. It was fairly close to his parents' house, which was a necessity due to his businesses, both the family and the legitimate ones. When we pulled into the driveway and got out of the car, I immediately fell in love. The entire house was white clapboard style. There was a large backyard, a fenced-in swimming pool, and a huge kitchen. The basement was completely finished and had wood beam ceilings and black chrome accents. In total, there were six bedrooms and seven bathrooms, which was definitely larger than what I'd originally discussed with Irina, but unlike the other places we had seen, the size of this house didn't make it come off as trying too hard. Edward refused to tell me how much the house was, and I knew that meant the price tag had more than a few zeroes. All he would say was he considered it an investment since it would be the house we would live in until we passed it on to our children. He sent Irina an email, letting her know that we were considering putting in an offer. She replied right away that she was available all day the next day to go over any questions.

When we arrived back home, Edward told me he had to discuss some things with his father. He didn't go into specifics, and I honestly didn't care about the details, so I kissed him on the cheek and then went to search for Rose. She was in her room, sitting cross-legged on her bed, and I plopped down beside her, recounting our house hunting. As I told her about the last house that we had seen, she pulled me into a hug and told me that she was excited for us, though I did catch sight of a tear in her eye. When she asked if I had any pictures, I realized I hadn't thought to take any on my phone, so I pulled the house up on Zillow. We flipped through the images and began to talk about colors and decor. The more we spoke, the more I realized that she and I shared similar tastes. It actually took me by surprise. Even though she was raised in this lavish life and had all these silver spoon ideals fed to her, when you stripped her down to her basics, Rose was a simple girl. She would prefer a taco over a gourmet meal. She wore jeans every chance she had.

When Rose took her sweater off as we got more comfortable hanging out in her room, I noticed red welts on her upper arms. Like someone had grabbed her, hard. I wanted to bring it up, but I knew she would just brush it off. She pulled her sleeves down further to cover them when she saw me staring and then smiled at me, like it wasn't a big deal. I drew in a shaky inhale and continued what we had been talking about.

The more I reflected on it, I was very concerned that someone was hurting her. It would either be Royce, Emmett, or her dad. I didn't think that Emmett could ever do something like that to her, but honestly, I didn't know him that well. The vibe I got from Royce was creepy, so he was the most likely candidate, but her dad was also a vile human being. I mulled over mentioning something to Edward, but what if he knew and had chosen to do nothing. Just like with Ted, Edward was just removing me from the house instead of telling Ted unequivocally to leave me alone. I wanted to grab Rose and wrap her in a protective bubble until we left, taking her with us. Standing by and continuing to let her be beaten and abused wasn't something I had within my capabilities.

When we started laughing so hard we were crying, Rose went to the bathroom to clean her face. Her mascara was running, plus it was almost bedtime. When she came back into the room, I noticed she had a shiner. The skin around her eye was tinged yellow and slightly purple, letting me know that her black eye was fading and almost gone, but there was no mistaking that it had been there not too long ago. She moved her hair to cover it, ducking her head slightly as she avoided my eyes. She mentioned she was feeling tired, so I gave her a kiss on the cheek and told her goodnight. She pulled me into a hug, and I squeezed her tight, not wanting to let go. When she stepped back from me, I left the room, shutting the door behind me. Voices echoed down the hall, and I saw Edward standing there, talking to his dad. Making my way over to them, I stepped up beside him and threaded my fingers with his. He turned to look at me and smiled before he pulled me into his side, brushing his lips against my temple. I rested my head on his shoulder with a smile and whispered into his ear that I needed to talk to him in private.

"Goodnight, Dad. Thanks for your advice and help. We will go visit Irina tomorrow and get this deal with the house off the ground."

Ted nodded, looked at me with an almost neutral expression, and went to the stairs, going up to the master bedroom. Hand-in-hand, we walked down the hall and headed toward Edward's room.

Once we were inside, Edward spoke. "So, what's up, Bella. What did you need to talk to me about?" I waited until we were in his room and the door was shut before I said anything. I made him sit down on the bed while I stood and paced. "You're starting to make me nervous. What's going on?"

"I'm very concerned about Rose, Edward."

"Okay, why?" he asked, leaning forward, his forearms on his thighs, giving me his undivided attention.

"So, the night that you and I announced our engagement, I went with Rose to go hang out. We went to Taco Bell and were talking. I noticed that there were faint circles near her neck, almost like fingerprint bruises. She brushed it off and said that she had no idea how she got them." I threw my hands up in exasperation. "So, I let it go because it's plausible she was being honest." I turned to look at Edward, and he seemed a little confused. I threaded my hair in my hands. "Then tonight in her room, she had red marks on her arms like someone had grabbed her hard. She knew that I saw them, and she just covered them with her sleeves and acted like nothing had happened. And she has a black eye that is healing; when she took her makeup off, I saw it."

Edward stood up and stopped my pacing, grabbing my shoulders. "Wait a minute. Are you telling me you think someone is fucking abusing my sister?"

I shrugged my shoulders, and Edward let go of me. "I don't know. She has marks on her that she shouldn't have. Do you think Emmett or Royce would do that to her?"

"Emmett wouldn't touch her like that—ever. He's not that type of guy, and he knows I would kick his ass." He raked his hands through his hair. "Royce, though … That fucker!" He roared and punched the wall next to him. "I'll fucking kill him." He flung his door open and went into the hall toward Rose's room.

I heard him pound on her door, and I ran into the hallway to stop him. Rose opened her door just as I reached him. When she and Edward locked eyes, it was like they were having a silent conversation. I saw his eyes take in her face and her arms. When he pulled her into his embrace, it was like the dam burst. She started sobbing, her knees buckling as the weight of her distress took hold of her. He reached out his arms, catching her and holding her up, because all the fight had left her. The sight was so heartbreaking that I almost sobbed along with Rose.

The look on Edward's face was murderous. I had never really seen him like this. He had been mad when Ted had grabbed me, but the fact that he was there and stopped it before it got worse soothed his ire. Right now, he was scary, not at all like the Edward I knew. The cold, detached look in his eyes made me shiver, and I knew that I was witnessing the Edward that his enemies saw. "Who did this to you, piccolina?"

Rose shook her head. "No, Edward. You can't say anything to him or threaten him."

"Is it Royce?" I asked. "If it is, we need to tell Ted so that he will end this engagement," I said, trying to convince them both that this was the best course of action.

Rose laughed, an almost hysterical sound bursting from her lips, because it wasn't out of humor or joy that she was laughing. The look on her face was an almost surprised mask of horror. She shook her head. "Are you joking, B? He knows."

"Excuse me, what the fuck?" Edward asked. He was looking at me, but his head snapped to look at Rose at this revelation.

"Ted, our loving father, knows that Royce is beating me. He saw Royce slap me outside of church a while back and did nothing. Said that sometimes women need to be put in their place, clapped him on the back, and left like it was no big fucking deal. Why do you think that I refuse to talk to him?"

Edward nodded, that emotionless mask sliding back in place. He transferred his sister into my arms and then walked back down the hall and into his room.

"Bella, you have to stop him. When he gets like this, no one can usually reach him. Maybe you can," Rose pleaded with me, her body trembling as she gripped my forearms.

"Honestly, Ro, I have never seen him like this, and I'm a little terrified of this Edward. I'm not eager to get in his way." I glanced between her and the open doorway of Edward's room. I heard the opening and closing of drawers coupled with murmurs that grew in pitch, and I wondered what he was doing in there.

"He would never hurt you. He's just in revenge mode. Edward has protected me more fiercely than anyone else, and he will kill Royce if he gets his hands on him."

Sure enough, Edward walked out of his room, holding two handguns. He checked each one and then tucked them into the holster he now had around his shoulders. He put a suit jacket over it, blocking them from view. "Demetri will be here in ten minutes with Emmett. He will stay here with you two, and then Em and I will go have a talk with Royce about the proper way to treat a lady."

Rose looked at me with an expression that clearly meant 'I told you so.' I put my hand on Edward's chest as he went to go past us. To my utter surprise, he stopped and looked down at my hand. He appeared surprised that I was touching him. "Edward, stop, think."

"I am thinking, ragazza. No one fucking puts hands on my sister and gets away with it."

"I get that, Edward. Believe me, I want to shoot the motherfucker in the head too, but this is something that can be resolved in the morning. Please don't leave us here in the middle of the night. You need to have a strategy and think about this when you are calm and collected. Going off half-cocked will just cause you to make mistakes, and I'd rather not be made a widow before I even get a chance to marry you."

Some of the anger in his eyes melted away, and he deflated a little bit. I came to stand in front of him, instead of on the side of him. I raised on my tiptoes, while lowering his head as much as he would let me. When his forehead was against mine and our eyes were locked, he closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. He blew out a breath, and when his green eyes slid open again, they were back to the warm ones I was used to. I let out a sigh of relief, and from the corner of my eye, I saw Rose watching in fascination. She gasped when she saw that I had gotten Edward to stop.

Without looking away from me, he spoke to Rose. "Will you go give Emmett the keys to the guesthouse and tell him and Dem to stay the night and we'll talk in the morning."

Rose agreed and she slid down the stairs quietly. I watched Rose go, and before I could turn back to Edward, he grabbed me by the back of the neck, kissing me deeper than he ever had. He pushed me up against the wall. It was a little rough, but I loved it. His hand gripped the side of my neck, and I hitched my leg around him again, trying to get as close to him as I could. He grabbed my other leg and hiked it up around his waist, lifting me so he could carry me into his room. This was certainly a much better way to end the night. I hadn't been lying—tonight's problems could be solved tomorrow.

Translation:

Tesoro- literal translation is treasure. Used as a term of endearment.

Piccolina- little one

A/N: I kinda love this Edward and Bella. So, the secret about what Royce is doing is out and Edward is pissed. Ted is fucking slime. Leave me a review and let me know what you think. Until later lovelies!