Crosshairs
Chapter Eighteen—Past & Present
Edward's memories of a tiny Isabella filtered through his mind; unfortunately, so were the details of his kidnapping.
"You respected the fact that I didn't like to be touched, but I let you curl up to my side in the backseat when you wanted to sleep."
"Did we say goodbye?" she wondered.
"It took two days once my parents met us in Philly for them to separate us. It was decided then that secrecy was too important for all of those involved. Though your mother couldn't remember the faces of the two captors calling the shots, our fathers feared they'd come after her and they did, years later."
"Edward?" Something akin to fear remained in her eyes. The man she killed had been involved in his kidnapping and that had to be clear in her mind.
"What it is, just say it."
"My mother's killer, the man I shot and killed years after your kidnapping, was a Rossi."
He exhaled sharply, grateful he already knew that information, but pieces of that time were becoming clearer. "I know, but not many people do. Aro had insisted he didn't approve it."
She appeared shocked by his confession, then angry. "Their family had just moved into the territory, trying to make a name for themselves. There was another man that night, Edward; I swear it. I shot him, too, but his body disappeared. They found me outside, wandering in the woods behind the house, in shock."
The elusive man who haunted Edward's dreams as a child, and sometimes lingered now.
"Tell me exactly what my father told you after you killed Rossi and claimed there'd been another man there."
She shook her head several times, rubbing her face. "Your father asked me to take a look at several photos, asking if I recognized any of them. I didn't, at least from the lineup photos. I did recognize someone in a framed photo. He didn't seem to believe me."
The final piece started to wedge into an old puzzle Edward had tried to forget and move on from, but never could. The hurt and anger in her voice alerted that she was on an edge, wanting vengeance, no doubt.
Bits and pieces started to fit together from his past. "You pointed to my uncle Caius, right?" Edward held her face in his hands.
He finally figured out why his father had been so determined to take over after his kidnapping.
She didn't look surprised that time, as if she'd always known who he was. "When I pointed him out to your father, I had no idea who he was, and I'd never seen pictures of him before or since, so I can't say for sure. But I thought there had to be a reason to protect him, so I figured he'd been family. But I did some digging, and the accident that sent your uncle into isolation was questionable."
"The accident" was something rarely spoken about among family, and now he understood why. His father should've told him, even if it made some sense now.
"There's been bad blood between The Rossi Family and The Cullen Family for decades, causing tension within my own family. My father had to tell you he didn't believe you. If rumors spread about my uncle's deception then it would've risked his plans to take over. Caius would've found out and outmaneuvered my father and uncles. There is also the fact that you were a child when you shot them. I'm guessing our fathers wanted to do whatever they could to keep your name out of it. You weren't even training for all of this at sixteen, were you?"
Isabella shook her head, settling it on his shoulder. "No, but I had always known there was something under my parents' mild-mannered exteriors. After my mother died and I found out the truth, I wanted to find others like those assholes, kill them, too. Dad didn't let me, of course, but I started to sneak around, and eventually, he found out I'd been taking Jujitsu classes and sneaking into a gun range. He'd been furious, and had me sent to a fucking convent, of all things. I snuck out of there and was on a bus ride home within an hour. He was there at the bus station when I arrived, as if he expected nothing less."
Edward had to laugh because he could see it. A younger Isabella, long hair, chin up, and glaring at her overprotective father.
"He asked how I managed to get the money for the bus ticket. I told him I pinched some rich asshole's wallet after he'd been awful to a waitress who'd been kind to me and gave me some food." She pointed at her eyes. "These babies, even at sixteen, made people melt."
Bella grinned then, elated that Edward looked so much better than he had when she had to pull over from the passenger seat. It had been damn close to a car wreck, again.
"God, you must've been such a spitfire at sixteen."
"I was also jailbait, so stop fantasizing about a younger me." She pulled at his shirt and kissed him hard, his hands tightening around her hips. "You're stuck with this me." She kissed him when Edward told her he loved her, and then she turned serious again."What happened to your uncle, Edward? There are rumors he's still alive, but had that horrible hunting accident. I've never been able to confirm his location."
The topic triggered Isabella's thirst for blood. He understood her need for it, feeling it simmer in his blood, too.
"You're the reason they keep having to move him, aren't you?"
"Who me?" She tried to play off as innocent, but something dark remained in her gaze. "Every time I thought I got a location, he was gone."
He sighed, deciding he would do what he could to help her get what she needed.
"At this point, I'm only guessing by what I was told about my dear, old uncle. The body didn't disappear the night your mother was killed. My father had it moved. Your bullet lodged in just the right place in his back to make my uncle a quadriplegic. There's a reason he's still alive."
She crossed her arms over her chest. "I find the fact that he is indeed alive after orchestrating your kidnapping quite disturbing."
"I have another uncle, my namesake, Anthony."
She nodded. "We have a file on him, often have him tailed, and keep track of his movements for your father. He's sort of a black sheep, isn't he? He remained legit and even changed his last name."
"Don't let that fool you. He was just as bad as Caius, and the rightful heir to take over if something should happen to Caius since he had no children, but only if Caius hadn't named his successor. Now, this is just speculation at this point, but it makes sense. My father wanted to prevent Anthony from taking over, so he struck a bargain with Caius after the shooting. If Caius named my father his successor, he would live. It would be something I would do if Jasper turned out to be a disaster as head of the family and went after my own children."
"That does make sense, damn family rules."
Edward nodded, agreeing that some of the rules were archaic, but they also protected their family. "My guess is after Caius secured my father's place as the head of the family, Anthony disappeared, but not before he threatened to get back at them. That I do remember."
"Your namesake sounds like an asshole. Any chance he was involved in your kidnapping, too?
"Yes, but he'd been through the worst of interrogation. And he refused to confirm his involvement or that he even knew Caius orchestrated it."
"Not the worst of interrogation." She hummed, absorbing every word and continued. "Why the secrecy, though? Why not let everyone know your uncle Caius worked with Rossi and had you kidnapped?"
"A multitude of reasons. That kind of disloyalty is seen as a weakness in our world. And if the rumors surrounding one of my father's uncles and a daughter of the late Carlo Rossi got out, then we'd have a lot more trouble. As it is, Aro had disowned the man you killed, so it wasn't a surprise he'd been killed in a home invasion. It's the cover story for your killing him, as you know. He had turned to a career criminal after Aro dismissed him. Which is why Aro had never gone after the young girl that killed him; he saw it as justified."
"Are you saying the man I killed was also a Cullen?"
Edward cradled her face. "Yes, but that must stay between us and my father. Other than, my uncle Marcus and Garrett, no one else knows our families had blood ties. Aro never acknowledged him as a legitimate child of his sister's, and anyone who tried, would be met with brutal force."
They stayed quiet for a while, lost in the past that intertwined more than once and ultimately led them to each other again.
"Okay, let's get on the road and give me all the information about everyone in your family and those within your inner circle." Isabella gave him one last, lingering kiss and climbed into her seat. "Your uncle Marcus is the oldest, so why didn't he take over after your grandfather stepped down?"
Edward grumbled as he adjusted his cock and willed it down. Talking about his family would eventually kill his lust, and he decided it was best he armed her with all the knowledge she needed to face his family.
"He didn't want to, only wanted to reap the benefits. Doesn't have the head for business." She pointed out that he owned most of their night and strip clubs. "I stand corrected. He can only focus on women, period. So, he passed it down to Caius and you know how that turned out."
She looked away for a moment and pulled the bead out of her sinister, black bracelet with a lethal, razor-sharp wire within it. "He's a dead man, Edward. It would be a fitting wedding present." She cocked an eyebrow, daring him to refuse her.
"Once my father confirms what we've figured out, then yes, I will do whatever it takes to give you your heart's desire."
She shook her head. "My heart's desire is you, Edward. After what he did to you and my mother, the rage inside me wants his fucking heart to beat for the last time in my hand."
He looked at her, taking her hand in his own. His lips pressed into the hot skin of her palm. "I find it difficult not to pull over to fuck you when you talk so sweet to me."
Isabella shivered and replied, "Pull over, Edward."
AN: Nothing like a bloody wedding present to set the mood. Thanks to MC for all her help, any mistakes are mine, I did some tinkering. Next chapter is Chicago and an unexpected surprise.
