Fiche Trí (23)
A/N: So, here we are again on a Friday. I know with the cliffy I left you at; you don't care what I have to say. Thank you to everyone who recs and reads and reviews. Thanks always to my pre-readers and beta. I am currently writing the epilogue, so this story will be 27 chapters in total. Getting towards the end, but we're not there yet. Strap in tight because here we go.
Of course Edward didn't answer; he had to be stealthy with what he was doing. The problem was Caius had seen me standing there, and there was no way for me to flee without him noticing, but that didn't mean I wasn't going to try like hell. I threw my bag at his head when he got close enough and ran past him as fast as I could. I was almost to my car when a huge guy stepped in my path. He was almost as big as Emmett, and I realized that I was screwed. I pressed the call button on my watch again, ready to press that thing until Edward picked up.
I heard Edward's smooth voice, and I immediately yelled one word before someone stopped me. "Caius!" The big guy grabbed me by the throat—what the fuck was with assholes doing that? It was hot when Edward did that, but there was a time when it wasn't and I wanted to punch this guy in the throat. So, I did, and I also kicked him in the knee. The asshole wasn't expecting me to fight back, so he let me go and I ran the rest of the way to my car and got in. Starting it, I peeled out of that parking lot so quickly that I could almost smell the burning rubber. I called Edward back with my phone, because I had lost my earbud in the scuffle. Edward's panicked voice immediately answered, and I told him everything that had happened.
I heard a loud crash and Emmett's calm voice sounded over the line. I re-explained everything to Emmett, but I could hear Edward in the background and Jasper trying to calm him down. When I described the big guy who grabbed me, I heard Emmett murmur, "I think Felix was with Caius."
"Fuck this stealth shit; I'm gonna kill that motherfucker!" Edward's voice was menacing, and I had never heard his voice sound like that. It made fear seize me, and I knew in that moment, he meant it. Playing it safe and being strategic was no longer an option; the Italians had crossed one too many lines, and nothing was ever going to be the same again.
*IDDM*
Once we had all returned to Edward's parents' house, I immediately noticed three new men that I had never seen before. Rose and Alice were already home when I got there and they stood with me as I rushed into Edward's arms. His soothing words, kisses, and the feeling of his arms around me calmed me immediately. I had no idea what Caius's intentions were, had he been able to snatch me, but I knew it couldn't be anything good. "Who are these guys, Edward?" I asked, realizing the three new guys were constantly on alert. Even though we were inside, they looked ready for a fight. They were nice and cordial, speaking to the girls but not fully engaging. They almost looked like guards.
Edward gave me a weary look, and I knew that I wasn't going to like what he was going to say. He spoke up so everyone could hear. "The three men joining us are Liam, Garrett, and Alistair. Rose, Garrett is going to be your personal bodyguard. Bella, Liam will be your shadow. Alistair will be watching over my mom and Alice."
"Bodyguard? Why do I need a bodyguard?" Rose asked, shocked. "They attacked Bella, not me."
"They came for you once. You, my mom, Alice, and Bella are all targets. You said it yourself, Rose," he explained calmly.
I was so thrown. This was going to complicate shit, a lot, especially since I had a clinic that I had to run. All the women present, who would have bodyguards, worked at that same place. How the hell was this going to work? Even though I wanted to fight Edward on this, I knew I couldn't. What had happened tonight was scary, and it was only because of my quick thinking that I got out of it without it going any further. Next time, I might not be so lucky.
"How is this going to go when we are all at work? We can't have three stoic guys standing in the corner without freaking out our patients," I asked, trying to keep my voice level.
"Liam and Garrett will drive you to work and they will stay out of sight, but they will be watching. Then at the end of the night, they will bring you back home. Alistair will stay with my mom."
"You actually agreed to this?" Rose asked Emmett.
"Garrett was my idea. Rosie, you know it's not safe, and I can't always be around to protect you." Emmett calmly rubbed her back. I found it funny that this huge guy always had to talk my sister down, but I guess he had practice with Edward. Rose crossed her arms and sat on the couch with a huff.
I knew that was her way of agreeing while still letting her displeasure be known. I rolled my eyes; stubborn to the bitter end was Rose's motto, and I knew she would deal with it because she knew it was important, but she wouldn't like it and would complain the whole way. I was silent for too long, and Edward grabbed my hands, causing me to look at him.
His eyes were pleading with me to understand and to cooperate. He was asking for permission. I knew that had it just been Rose, Alice, and his mom that he was doing this to, he wouldn't think twice and wouldn't care how much they complained or hated him for it, but I was involved and I was the only person he would ever ask permission from. I nodded, not trusting my voice at the moment. I had to agree with him because of what happened, and that this wasn't the first time that Caius had tried to get to us.
He kissed me softly on the forehead. Liam, Garrett, and Alistair came over to me and Edward. As they talked to Edward, I found they all had different accents. Liam had a thick Irish accent, Garrett a Southern one, and Alistair a British one. I was starting to wonder where these guys came from; they were friendly but had a military vibe. I felt safe with them within minutes. Edward and they treated each other with mutual respect, and mostly Alistair, the older of the three, joked around with Edward as if they knew each other personally. Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me. I was starting to accept things without much question since Edward and I had started dating, if that was what we had to label it as.
Afterward, Edward and I finally retired to his room. He, Emmett, Demetri, and Jasper were no longer looking for evidence to prove there was a traitor in the Italian family. After Caius came after me twice now, he didn't care if the traitor slit all their throats while they slept; it was personal, even more than before. Edward wouldn't stop until either he or Caius was dead.
"Do you want to go back to your house, or do you think we should stay here a little longer?" I asked.
"How long do you think until my dad can be discharged?" he asked, as he paced.
"It's hard to say, Edward. He was in a coma for a week, meaning that he will need to slowly be reintroduced to food and everything. Luckily, a week isn't that long in the scope of things, and he seemed stable when I left. If he continues to improve and there is no lasting brain damage, I would say maybe a week. Again, it could be longer or shorter than that; this is just my best guess. You remember I was a trauma surgeon, so I wasn't around for the recovery part," I tried to explain.
He stopped pacing and then looked at me with a weary sigh. "Well, I know that my mom will be with Dad as much as she can, and then when he gets out, she will need help. It's up to you. Do you want to stay here until we can go home for good, or do you want to go home until we are needed here?" His eyes were searching my face. He was really relying on my feedback.
I tried to think about the most logical course of action. I got up off the bed and slowly wound my arms around his waist. "I think it probably is better to be here, right? No need to spread out with all that will be going on soon."
He nodded and smiled at me. "I love it when you are logical and level-headed." He pulled me flush against him and leaned down until he could whisper in my ear. "The fact that I want to lock you in my room and ravage you for hours is kinda hindered with a full house, so it's probably better we stay here."
I threaded my fists in his hair and tugged on the ends. "You can't say shit like that to me, Edward. That's not fair."
He chuckled and kissed me softly. It wasn't dominating or frenzied as usual, but it was still full of passion and desire. "I love you, Bella. I was so panicked when I heard you scream over the phone like that. I never want to have to hear that again."
"I was scared too, but I just thought of never seeing any of you ever again and forced my thoughts to slow down and do what I needed to so I could get out of there."
Edward and I talked for a little longer, and soon my eyes were starting to feel heavy again, as my adrenaline-fueled second wind had waned. Edward adorably helped me change into my pajamas and then joined me in bed soon after. I lay on his chest and he ran his fingers through my hair, stroking it, and I quickly slid under the blankness of sleep.
*IDDM*
Rose, Alice, and I quickly got used to the new routine with our shadows over the next week. Liam and Garrett were funny and friendly on the drives to the clinic, but when we arrived at work, they faded into the background and we barely saw them until closing time, just as Edward had promised. Luckily, this kept the complaining from Rose at a minimum.
Carlisle improved by leaps every day and was able to go home only five days after he woke up. He was able to walk, talk, eat, and think just fine. There didn't seem to be any lasting brain damage, but he was still ordered to take it easy due to the burns, cuts, and bruises he had sustained from the explosion. Edward, Emmett, Eleazar, and he did spend a lot of time locked in his office until I had to break up the meetings several times since Esme usually was really good at tattling on him.
It was when I broke up the second meeting of the day that Carlisle asked me to stay behind after telling the other three men to leave us. I shut the door at his request and sat down in front of the desk as I had done several times before. Though so many things had changed in a short time, the respect and familial love I felt for Carlisle hadn't diminished at all. He seemed a little more human to me, not as invincible as I once thought him to be, but that was because he had come so close to dying right in front of me.
"It seems my family and I owe you a debt of gratitude, Bella. The things that I have heard from both of my children about what happened while I was on your table and in the coma... some of them pissed me off—mostly Edward and what he did. I'm very impressed with your sister and her grit, by the way. The rest of the stuff seemed like standard business. "
"She's very protective of me; well, we are of each other, you know that."
Carlisle smiled and nodded. "I do. Regardless, I'm glad that everything was fixed and that you were there taking care of me. I have been told how often you were there. I have weird dreamlike memories of you talking to me, but I can't recall what was said or if they were real," he said. His gaze seemed far off for a moment before his eyes focused on me again. "I know that I told you weeks ago that there was a line that couldn't be crossed, but I see you as one of my own, Bella. You fit in seamlessly with this family, and if anything were to ever happen with you and Edward, ending things between you two, I want you to know that you will always be welcomed in this family. I don't see that ever happening because Edward is so gone for you, but I wanted to let you know that regardless."
I always tried to keep my emotions in check when talking with Carlisle, but I was so unprepared for what he was saying to me. It touched a part of my heart that I still hadn't let heal completely from the loss of my parents, so I think I surprised him when tears started to fall down my cheek, my lip trembling. Carlisle wasn't as swift as he used to be, but he still was quick to come over to me, pulling my arm to stand, and he wrapped me in his arms. His hug was warm and comforting, much like his son's, and I couldn't help but melt into the embrace. It was so reminiscent of when my dad would hug me, and I cried for the loss of my dad and the fact that Carlisle was slowly taking over that role. I surprised him by kissing him on the cheek in the way a child would with a parent, and I smiled at him through my tears.
"Thank you, Carlisle. Obviously, I adore your son, but I also love you and Esme too. I feel like you are family as well."
Carlisle gave me a grin that took over his entire face, crinkling his eyes at the corners. He squeezed my shoulder and gestured for me to go ahead of him. I opened the door and he followed me through it, and we chatted conversationally on the way back upstairs. He started to get a little winded part of the way up, and I let him lean on me and helped him up the rest of the stairs. I led him into the living room, and Esme rushed up to us and helped him the rest of the way to the couch. "He's fine. He just got a little winded coming up the stairs."
"From now on, you and the guys will have to hold your meetings in the living room or somewhere on this floor. I don't need you passing out on me," Esme chided.
"Yes, Es. Whatever you suggest, dear." He smiled and kissed her softly.
Esme rolled her eyes and smiled. "Okay, charmer. I mean it." Rose chose that time to walk into the living room. "If you don't, I'll sic Rose on you."
Rose looked at Esme and Carlisle with a raised eyebrow. "Who do I need to make cry?" she asked, the playfulness evident in her voice.
"Carlisle, if he doesn't take Bella and me seriously and take it easy."
"You should listen to Bella; she's really smart and she cares about you," she said sincerely. Rose was pretty fond of Carlisle and Esme too, but she would side with Esme and me over Carlisle anyday.
Carlisle, knowing he was outnumbered, raised his hands in surrender. "I will, I promise." He smiled and chuckled.
Rose tugged my sleeve and gestured with her head. We went into the kitchen and sat at the table. She looked at me in concern. I knew she could tell I had cried recently. "You okay?"
"Yeah, they were happy tears, and it has been a couple of emotional weeks."
"Yeah, Edward wanted me to let you know that he left with Jasper, Dem, and Emmett. They wouldn't tell me where they are going, but I overheard them mention someone named Benjamin."
"The enforcer?" In all the talks that Edward and I had, I had gleaned a lot of mob information from him, because even though I didn't want to know all the particulars, he did rely on me to help him organize his thoughts and make a logical decision since he took over for his dad. Benjamin was essentially a hitman for them. There were some members of the family who had to occasionally take care of someone, but the higher-level people—Jazz, Dem, Em, Edward, and Carlisle—hadn't gotten their hands "dirty" for years, except for the unexpected defense kill. While I had felt some relief at that, it reminded me that people were still being snuffed out, just by someone else, but I had made peace with that. There were bad people out there, and everything I had learned and seen of this family, they wouldn't kill an innocent.
Rose nodded. "They mentioned Felix too. Do you know who that is?"
I remembered Emmett mentioning the name Felix when I was talking to him after I had made my escape from that parking lot. "I think that was the guy that was with Caius that night in the parking lot."
"Oh, that makes sense. Emmett told me that they found out he may have been the traitor inside the Italian family, but Edward doesn't care. He wants to put him and Caius in the ground. You were right, Bellsy; that man will do anything to protect those he cares about. I thought maybe you had been exaggerating, but with everything I have seen from him and why he was ready to leave you, I believe you."
"What did you tell him, Rose? We never talked about it, and you and I have had other shit on our minds."
Rose gave me a small smile, and we sat down to talk about what had gone on in the conversation between her and Edward. It wasn't really that important in the long run, but we needed and wanted the distraction. Rose neared the end of her story when Alice joined us at the table with a bottle of wine and three glasses.
"Well, ladies. What shall we toast to tonight?" Alice asked with her usual cheerful sarcasm.
"How about the orgasms we are all going to have tonight after our guys get back from what they are doing?" Rose announced.
Alice and I laughed but we couldn't protest because it was a fact. I know that Edward and I had sex often when he returned from "taking care of business." It seems Alice and Rose were in the same boat.
"Hear, hear." Alice cheered.
"To orgasms," I added, and we all clinked our glasses. If someone had told me months ago that I would be sitting drinking wine with my sister and my new best friend while waiting for my boyfriend, the mob boss, I would have told you that you needed medication, but this was my reality and I would never trade these two women for all the money in the world.
A/N: Awww, see how nice I was there and didn't end it on a cliffy again. So how do we feel? I love that these two have had so much growth with each other. So, what do you guys think is next? Let me know. Leave me some leave and review. Thank you all so much and see you next week.