A/N: I sure hope that you all can see this, cause now it feels like just throwing it into the ether and hoping it sticks. Here is another chapter and thank you so much to everyone who reviews! We are up to 400 reviews. I am blown away. Thanks to the usual suspects: Pre-readers- LaMoMo, Maplestyle, BitterHarpy, and AGoodWitch. Alice's white rabbit and her red pen and magical beta skills. I love you all so hard! A couple of people have said they are confused as to how Katiya is only 8 years old and talks the way she does. Well, she is just a really smart kid. Both of my children have vocabularies way above their grade level. Yes, she did come to this country speaking mostly Russian, but it has mentioned several times that her parents had been planning to come to America for awhile and it's easier to learn a second language at a younger age. Hope this explains it. Love you all and onto the chapter.

When Edward came in claiming that Katiya was a mafia princess, I was confused and a little worried about him. He had been up for an extended amount of time and the crazy look in his eyes concerned me. I tried to shake off the sleepy haze and calm him down.

"Okay, you need to take me through this step by step because I am not understanding any of this right now."

Edward took me through all the information that Emmett gave him. I was a little surprised that her given name was Irina. I scrunched my nose; I liked Katiya better. The rest wasn't really surprising. I didn't think those parents got that little girl the legal way. Then he told me the bedtime story that she had shared with him. When he stopped talking, I waited. "And?"

"That's it. That's the end of the story," he explained.

I had to agree with him—it was a weird way to end a bedtime story. There was no conflict, nothing to overcome. "That's a weird story."

"Right. All I can think is either her parents were bad storytellers, or the story is truer than they let on. And her being some type of 'mafia royalty' makes sense as to why they want her back alive."

"It also explains why her parents were killed," I said

"But then why did Emmett say that the prisoner talked about the real parents like they were dead or something," he asked.

"Well, in the story, the 'queen' died under mysterious circumstances. Maybe the 'king' had her killed. It could have been what clued people in that he wasn't as good as he pretended to be," I reminded him.

"I need to call Emmett," he mumbled.

"Wait, Edward. I mean, I get that it is kind of a weird story, but really, couldn't it just be a story they told her to warn her of strangers. This is all kind of a stretch."

I saw him hesitate and he sighed heavily. "Do you think I'm overreacting?"

"I think we need to take advantage of Katiya napping and get some sleep, both of us, and when we wake up and aren't all so frazzled, then we can make a decision about what to do," I said, pulling him to sit on the bed with me—he'd been pacing the entire time.

He conceded, lying down and pulling me to lay with him. I giggled and wrapped myself around him, drifting into blissful sleep.

~oOo~

I was woken up by a light knocking on the door of the room. Edward was up out of the bed and opening it before I had time to react. He'd lost his shirt sometime during our nap, so I just watched his muscles move and roll.

"Sorry, Edward, but I woke up and no one was downstairs."

"It's okay, pretty girl. We were just taking a nap while you were, so it's time to wake up anyway. We'll be done in a couple minutes, okay?"

She nodded. Edward grabbed his T-shirt from the floor and tugged it on while I got out of bed. "I never should have fallen asleep in my clothes. Is it okay if I take a shower and join you downstairs?" I asked.

"Yeah. I'm gonna start on a late lunch/early dinner. I'm sure we're all hungry."

I nodded. He kissed my forehead and left the room. I tried not to think while I scrubbed and washed. Edward and I had some decisions to make, and I think that regardless of my reservations, he needed to call Emmett and at least tell him his suspicions. I still didn't understand what exactly his suspicions meant. I would have to ask him what exactly a mafia princess was, but either way, it didn't sound good, and even worse, Katiya had no idea what or who she really was.

I made my way back downstairs after I finished my shower and got dressed. Katiya was sitting at the breakfast bar, watching Edward flip something in the pan. She clapped when he caught it perfectly. I giggled; he was such a showoff.

"Bella, look. Edward is making grilled cheese, and he just flipped it. Isn't that so cool?"

"That is, pretty girl!" I sat down next to her at the breakfast bar. Edward slid the finished grilled cheese on a plate and handed it to Katiya. She started eating, and I used her distraction to observe Edward. He looked less stressed out than before, but I know it wouldn't be much better until we talked to Emmett. As much as I behaved like we may be overreacting, this was truly kind of a big deal. Even though this news was a big breakthrough, I had no idea what we were going to do with it. It wasn't like we were gonna turn her over to her evil father. I couldn't exactly adopt her when we didn't know how legal it was for her to still be in the country. It was a complete mess, and I had no idea if even Edward was thinking of all the possibilities. Edward slid a plate with my grilled cheese over to me. I smiled at him in thanks. We all ate in silence. Katiya rinsed her plate off and said she was going to go do a puzzle. Edward reminded her where the suitcase with all the games and puzzles was. She headed off to go find it.

I started to load the few dishes in the dishwasher and clean up after I finished my sandwich. "You gonna call Emmett?"

"I kinda think I have to because I have no idea where to go from here. We can't reunite her with her dad even if we knew who he is, which we don't. Her entrance papers were forged, but Emmett didn't seem concerned about her still being in the country."

"Well, now would probably be the best time to call while Katiya is otherwise involved."

Edward nodded his head and pulled out his phone to call Emmett. I continued to clean the kitchen and kind of zoned out while the two talked. I already knew everything they were talking about. When I finished with my task, I leaned on the breakfast bar, grabbed Edward's free hand, and linked our fingers together. I played with his long fingers with my other hand. He smiled at me sweetly, and it made me involuntarily return his smile. When he hung up his phone, I looked up at him expectantly.

"He's going to give the information to his Russian contact and have him run it down. Not much we can do but wait again."

I nodded because I was expecting that. Trying to get all the information together to tell the whole story had to be an arduous task. "So, what do we do now?"

Edward smirked that cocky smirk and grabbed my hand, pulling me toward the living room and calling Katiya. "So, I think a tour is long overdue. Let's go—lots to see."

Apparently, Edward wasn't kidding. There was a library, a music room with a full-size baby grand piano, a "gym" that was just a room with a weight set and treadmill, along with a hot tub, swimming pool, and trampoline outside. The house also was set up with satellite TV. This was posher than what we were used to, and I was already dreading when we would eventually have to leave. Hopefully, it happened before we got Esme's nice house shot up.

I went snooping around in the kitchen and found some popcorn kernels in the cupboard along with an air popper. I made a huge bowl of popcorn and told Edward to find a movie. I heard him and Katiya talking in the living room when I headed in there with my treat. We all snuggled together on the couch. Katiya sat in between Edward and me, and I let her hold the bowl so that we all could reach. After the first movie was over, I made more popcorn but got an idea to make caramel corn after I found all the ingredients. I made a quick chewy caramel sauce and poured it over the popped kernels and headed back into the living room. Katiya's eyes got wide when she saw what I had. I second-guessed giving an eight-year-old a sugar rush so late at night, but it wasn't like it mattered.

We made it half an hour through the second movie when Katiya started dozing off. We let her stay where she was and continued through the movie. Edward carried her upstairs and got her tucked in after the movie ended. I headed back into the kitchen to clean up the mess I had made earlier with the caramel corn, then joined Edward in the living room when I was done. He had some music playing quietly. I sat down next to him, and he pulled me to straddle his lap.

"We need to figure out what we're going to do."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we have the basics of food here, but we're gonna need to get more. I feel so bad for Katiya; she is stuck inside all day, every day. She's a little kid; she should be able to play."

"Well, maybe we can let her play outside tomorrow and maybe do some swimming or play on the trampoline. The backyard is completely fenced in, so it should be safe."

"I hate to say this, and it sounds so bad, but do you think that maybe we should dye her hair, just so she isn't so noticeable to anyone who might see her."

"It's an idea, but I think we should give her the choice to do it or not. I'll have to make the grocery run. Your picture and hers are already out there. We can't order delivery groceries because we can't use credit cards. I'll go into town tomorrow and get us provisions."

I giggled at his word usage. I leaned my forehead against his. He leaned forward and kissed me softly on the lips. He cupped my cheek and stroked it. "We will get through this, Bella. I know it will probably get harder before it gets easier, but we will get through it."

I placed my hand over his that was on my face. I nodded. "I'm just glad that my family is okay. You're sure Emmett checked on them."

"Yes, Riley called Emmett and told him they're doing really well. I'm sure Rose is giving him hell."

"She wouldn't be Rose if she wasn't," I said, laughing. Though I'm sure Rose was probably being a pain in the ass, I really missed her, and I felt a stab of guilt thinking of my dad and what he must be thinking. Even though I hated that my family had gotten involved, I wouldn't make a different choice.

Katiya needed me, and I think that in some way I needed her. Even though I knew she had a dad out there somewhere, the thought of him coming to take Katiya from me and Edward made the mama bear in me want to tear him to pieces. He wasn't a good guy, and anything he suddenly wanted his daughter for wasn't good or loving. What made me wonder was what took him so long. If he really was in the mob and part of the upper echelon of people, I refused to believe it took him this long to find them. The parents Katiya just lost had her for at least 5 years. I guess that trying to obsess over the motives of a madman could drive you insane because I knew I'd never figure it out.

I leaned forward and kissed Edward again, and this time, it wasn't soft. It was hard and passionate. I was still afraid that he would hurt me, but what happened with James was when we were both still so young, and the man I was kissing was exactly that—a man. He had been honest with me from day one, and he never tried to sugarcoat shit, thinking I couldn't take it. He treated me as an equal even though I had no idea what the fuck I was doing half of the time. I didn't need to be afraid that he would hurt me because I knew he was doing his damnedest to keep me safe: mentally, physically, and emotionally. He told me that point blank.

I felt Edward grab my ass and pull me closer to him, and he thrust his hips to show me just how excited I was making him. I ground my hips down in response, moaning into his mouth. He broke away from the kiss and pushed me to stand. I whimpered in protest, but I knew he wanted to take this into the bedroom. He grabbed my hips and moved to pick me up, but we heard little feet on the stairs. We turned to see a frightened little girl. Edward moved me in front of him, and I had to stifle a laugh—it was easy with the look on Katiya's face.

"What's the matter, khoroshen'kaya devochka?" I asked, gesturing for her to come to me with my arms. She climbed onto the couch and put her arms around my neck. I wrapped my arms around her and picked her up. She was small for an eight-year-old.

"Someone was in my room," she cried, sounding terrified.

Edward was unholstering his gun and up the stairs before she could finish.

"Are you sure?"

"I heard someone shuffling around; it woke me up. I sat up in bed, and they looked at me and ran out of the room."

I ran toward the stairs and called out to Edward. I heard his footsteps hurry to the balcony, and his head popped out over the railing. "She said someone was in her room, and they saw her sitting up in bed and ran out of the room."

"Get up here and go sit in her room. Lock the door and wait for me to come back and tell you it's me. I'm gonna have to search the entire house." I hustled and ran up the stairs, and Edward looked around the room again. "The minute I walk out this door, lock it." He gave me a quick kiss, and then shut the door.

I turned the lock and sat down with Katiya.

"Bella, this is scary. Why are the bad guys still coming after us? Didn't we get rid of the bad guys?"

"Yeah, we got rid of the people who killed your parents, but they have friends who are trying to finish what they started."

"How many friends do they have?"

"I don't know, Katiya. Come here," I said, opening my arms so I could give her a hug. She crawled into my lap, threw her arms around my neck, and I squeezed her close to me. We sat that way for a little bit. I realized that she'd fallen asleep, so I shifted us a little so she was still hugging me but I could also get up when Edward came back.

I sat just thinking and was broken out of my thoughts when there was a loud pounding followed by Edward's voice at the door. I got up quickly and unlocked the door. Edward walked in. Katiya was sitting up rubbing her eyes.

"I didn't find anyone. I searched the whole house."

"Edward, I swear someone was in here."

"I believe you, pretty girl. I'm just saying they aren't here anymore. They must have slipped out of a back door or something."

"It's amazing with everything here, but no security system."

"It's Utah, Bella. There was never any reason. I'm gonna go lock up and make sure everything, including windows, are locked."

"Can I sleep in your room with you tonight?"

Edward and I looked at each other. I nodded my head, and he looked resigned. "Yeah, pretty girl. Grab your pillow though because I don't share my pillows."

Katiya and I laughed while he just smirked. He headed off downstairs, and we gathered her pillows and the stuffed animal we gave her from Alice the first night we stayed at Edward's. I noticed her frown at a stuffed animal I had only seen a couple times. We went to the bedroom I shared with Edward, and I got her settled in the bed, and then went to the attached bathroom to get ready for bed. I slid into bed next to her when I was done—she was already passed out. Edward always slept on the side closest to the door, and I still wanted to be next to Edward, so I was stuck in the middle. Edward came into the room and did his thing in the bathroom, and then settled in the bed.

"Everything is all locked up," he explained. "We'll talk to Katiya in the morning, and then I'll head to the store."

"Are we gonna have to leave?"

"I don't know, Bella. We don't know who was in the house, and not only that, we have no idea how they found us so far from Oregon. I didn't tell Emmett where we were, and the phone was bought in Nevada."

"The car?"

He shook his head. "I checked. I even used a bug detector."

"Do you think any of us might have one without knowing it? Like on our clothes or something?"

"Fuck, I didn't think of that. We'll have to check tomorrow."

"Are you sure we should wait? What if whoever was here runs back to wherever HQ is?"

Edward looked at me like he was mulling over what I was saying. "Bells, I would need to go get the detector out of the car and come in here and check everything."

"We've run on less sleep, Edward. Give it to me; I'll do it."

He sighed. "It's not the sleep I'm super worried about right now," he said, looking pointedly at a sleeping Katiya.

"We need to tell her something. She's starting to wonder why we're still running. We can't tell her about her dad, but I feel so guilty for keeping her in the dark."

Edward got out of bed and slipped on his slippers. I could hear him clomping down the stairs. I got out of bed, slipping on a T-shirt over my tank top. I headed downstairs to help Edward. He was out at the car, searching in the trunk.

"Do you have more than one?"

"Yeah," he answered distractedly. He handed me a device, grabbed another identical one, and then shut the trunk. "Do you know how to use one of these?"

I shook my head and paid close attention as he went over how to use it and what to look for. I told him that I would do Katiya's room while he looked through our stuff. I headed off to her room. I went through all her clothes, the bag it was in, as well as some of the bedding we brought with us. I saw a few stuffed animals sitting on the nightstand next to the bed. I was so surprised when the device started beeping, but I still noticed Edward coming in the room. We locked eyes, and I choked out a strangled breath. "It's been Katiya the whole time."

A/N: Welp! Another cliffie! How do we feel now? Some of you have guessed it just like her mafia ties. Hopefully, I get the chance to surprise those who had! Let me know what you think, and we will see each other in two weeks! Thanks, dear readers.