"You try to push me out but I find my way back in."Lana
When I woke up, his side was cold and empty. This situation seemed foreign I couldn't tell why. It was almost odd. Something wasn't right. I stared up at the ceiling, thinking, anticipating. But a mask had to be put on.
I slid out of the bed, leaving it unmade. He was in the bathroom, all skin and hard muscle, a towel hung low around his hips. Those greens glued to the mirror, a razor in hand, shaving. I tiptoed around him, but I knew he heard me coming.
"Let me help." I offered, appeared from behind.
Our eyes met through the mirror. His were sharp and surprisingly cold while mine were deep and fake innocent. "You and blade are not a fun mix." He replied. His gaze somehow made me feel uneasy. I grinned, still. He was unfazed. There was something running through his mind and it wasn't a good one. The vibe was off.
"You loved it so much back then." I said, acting like I didn't notice his abrupt changes. My hand lingered on his shoulder and he eyed it like he wanted to shrug it off. Someone obviously wasn't a fan of the touch. I would be laughing if the situation was different.
"Did I?"
He shivered as I drew my hand lightly down his back.
"Too bad." He frowned but didn't say anything. Edward being quiet was never a good thing. I stepped away, decided I was gonna leave him alone. For now. "I'm going back to bed." I faked a yawn and he didn't even pretend he cared.
Him, being hot and cold wasn't something new. But this time, something was kinda different. My mind raced to the worst scenario. I only had one temporary conclusion. The man took some steps back. After that night when I agreed to give him what he wanted, he didn't immediately go for it. He was quiet. He didn't do what I expected him to do. He didn't touch. Nothing. I was like sleeping with corpse. Like, literally. This shit bothered me to no end. Because one, when I thought I was ready, he was back being distant. Two, it ruined my plan.
On the third night, I had enough. I was eager to get this over with. He had to trust me. And I sure as hell would make him.
He was sleeping soundly on his back. Shirtless as usual. I watched him. His chest was moving, up and down, up and down, filling those lungs with air. For a second, I imagined pressing stacks of pillow over his face. Wondering how it felt like to really kill him. Satisfied? Relieved? Regret? My hand itched, but I shook off the thoughts before it was getting out of hand.
I scooted closer, laying on my side. I lifted my hand to touch his jaw but the man beat me to it. This happened in seconds. He was abruptly awake and alerted. His hand caught my wrist and I was the one who startled by his movement. Those frantic eyes scanning for the possible danger. Strong instinct, it was almost robotic. When he realized it was only me, he retreated his arm for grabbing a gun in the drawer. This man never failed to amaze me, but I wouldn't admit it to his face.
"Impressive." I commented, bored.
His deadly grip tightened before he let go of my hand completely. I refrained myself to rub it and ease the pain.
"What are you doing? I almost blow your fucking head." He was unpleased, not in the mood for my game.
"I just…" Well, this was stupid. But fuck it.
I didn't think because I knew I wouldn't really do it if I used my brain. I kissed him. I fucking kissed Edward Masen. It had been forever. I almost forgot how. His eyes widened because it was the last thing on his mind. Our lips were soft, but the kiss was hard. He held my hips, but I didn't know for what. He was torn between stopping and wanting this. I closed our gap, pulling him to me by the back of his neck. He kissed me back, after he recovered from the shock. Hunger and longing took over. Lust glazed his eyes, unleashing the burning desire. His touch was everywhere as if he promised me he would feel every inch of my skin. I was overwhelmed. The feeling caught me off guard.
Our kiss slowed and his lips moved down to a crook of my neck, ragged breaths against my ear. Mine was probably no better. None of us was speaking for a while. His thumb made a circular motion over my hips. A smile formed against my carotid, pressing and feeling the pulses.
"Remember when you first got here?" he questioned suddenly. I got a feeling whatever conversation we were heading now, it was bad. When I didn't say anything, he went on. "I remember it so clearly. How you loathed me."
"How couldn't I?" I replied calmly. You dragged me all the way here without my consent. Those piercing greens were on me now. Eye to eye. They were created to intimidate and manipulate. I acted indifferent.
"Well, the feeling seems to die down pretty quickly." I didn't flinch at his tone. Sounded so smooth, but sharp enough in my ears. He was the only one who could do that.
"Yeah, what else can I do? I don't want to die here." It was thick of sarcasm. I distanced myself inches away from him, just enough to breathe. I might be composed as fuck on the outside. But inside was another story. The tables were turned so fast, I didn't have a time to think.
"If it makes you sleep better at night, well, I won't kill you." He said nonchalantly. I didn't believe him because he was lying. I huffed, impatient. Was it always a joke to him? Damn it, I really needed my cigarette. "Talk to me." He said after two minutes in silence.
"What?"
"What are you thinking?" he trapped my chin between his fingers, forcing me to lift my gaze up to his eyes again.
I said the first thing that was crossing on my mind. "Renee."
He arched his eyebrow. "I promise I won't hurt her."
"I don't trust you."
A smirk across his lips. "You want me to call her right now?" he only teased me, I knew. He would never do that. But it didn't stop me from being hopeful. How was she? Was she okay?
"Forget it." I pushed him away until he was on his back. But his hand grabbed my wrist before I could get up from the bed. He chuckled.
"Where do you think you're going?" those emeralds were filled by amusement. He liked it when he realized I was helpless.
"Away from you." It was a spontaneous response.
The way his smile was getting wider irked me. "Well, how about a night drive?"
I dressed myself in layers, warm burgundy coat and boots. Winter in this city was the worst and I didn't want to freeze to death. Especially when this crazy guy asked you out in the middle of the night. I scowled remembering his question earlier. As if I had a choice.
Edward was dressed in black from head to toe. He drove a Rover and I raised my eyebrow at the option. It was unusual. He hated it because it was slow. The drive was silent except for the faded music on the background. I didn't like this.
"Where are we going?" I knew he wouldn't answer, but I asked anyway.
"You'll know."
The drive was long. I dozed off every now and then. Probably about two hours. The car slowed down and I realized we were parking in the middle of nowhere. I stared out the window, taking my surroundings, squinting my eyes to find anything in the dark. Nothing but tall trees. This place really crept me out.
"Where are─" I spun around and the words died on my tongue. I froze. Goosebumps all over my skin. Blood drained from my face. Fuck, I didn't see it coming. A gun pointed between my eyes. And the owner was simply grinning from ear to ear. Edward Masen was real fucking crazy.
"It's a nice place to die, isn't it?" he tilted his head, watching my expression. My fear. He fucking enjoyed it. Because he knew I knew I would never be found if he killed me and disposed my body here. And even though I was found, no trace would lead it to him. The thought made me shiver, but I refused to die here. I wouldn't. I tried to snap myself out of it, switching into survival mode. "No, no, baby, I won't do it if I were you." He shook his head as if I had disappointed him, stopping my move to reach the door behind me. Too risky.
"What is it?" my voice was hoarse, but I held my chin high.
"I just don't want you anymore." He said without missing a beat. His jab didn't hurt. But he still got the reaction he wanted. I snapped.
"And I don't exist to fucking please you." I spat venom because I couldn't help it.
He pressed the tip of his gun against my frontal, reminding me again who owned who. His jaw hardened. "Watch your words." It was a warning. But right now I didn't care. He was tossing me away like a fucking garbage. I had never felt this low.
I was about to open my mouth when all of a sudden he pulled the trigger. I held my breath because I was going to die anyway. Time stopped. The air was thick. I needed five seconds to realize there was no bullet nested in my head. The magazine was empty. What. The. Fuck. My heartbeats accelerated, palms were sweaty. I was still high of adrenaline.
He lowered his gun and slipped it back beneath his coat. No smile this time. He was cold and composed. Now I was sure this man was psychopath.
"If you wish to be in the family, then you must earn it." He stated. The flames in those greens were ready to burn me down. Yet my brain was slow to process everything. "And being a Visconti doesn't give you the privilege. I don't want an accessory, Bella. And you're expected to be more than that."
It wasn't easy to spot the old abandoned house among the trees and dark. This shit was literally sitting in unknown location. Two other SUV were parked here. And I realized there was probably something wicked going on inside.
His men greeted his Boss with respect. Fear, even. Before I walked in, I noticed there were the other three standing by around the house, armed and ready.
There was no single light inside. His men led us downstairs to the basement and well, it was where the life was. Well, where the hell was.
Every men in the room straightened their spine as we entered. The atmosphere was heavy. Their faces told me that it was rare to see their Boss getting down and dirty here. Edward surely had his people do this specific job for him.
We strode to another room that looked like a warzone. I braced myself, but it smelt really disgusting. Like piss, blood, gasoline, it messed with my nose. I winced as I made to take everything in front of me. This was an interrogation room. A man was tied down on the chair, bruised and bloody. He was being tortured. Fuck, I had never seen this kind of shit before. The madness behind the scene. My parents never let me see the ugliness of our crime world. I felt nausea on the pit of my stomach.
"He's talking?" Edward asked, arms crossed over his chest.
"No and it's been three days." I shocked to hear a familiar voice.
She turned around, confirming my suspicion, revealing that pretty face. Hell, if I didn't see it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe it was Lottie. Damn it, back then, she didn't even know how to use a gun. Now, what? How long had she been working for Edward? I could see Pete doing this dirty work, but Lottie? Fuck. I guessed this psychotic man really meant what he said. Everybody in the family worked their way up to the top. These motherfuckers earned it. And I wouldn't have any other way.
Lottie was as shocked as me when she saw me here.
"Bella?" her eyes were back to Edward as if waiting for explanation.
"She'll be working with you from now." He announced. I didn't question his one-sided decision. Everything went by his rules because now I was officially working for him.
"What? Oh, I can't believe it!" she clapped her hands in excitement. I didn't return her smile. This sounded like a nightmare to me. "We will definitely be the best partners." She winked at me. I refrained myself to roll my eyes.
"You're wasting my time, Lottie." Edward nodded his head to the tortured man on the chair that was groaning in pain, diverting the attention back to her assignment.
"This is useless. He has no information." She said it with confidence. Like a fact. A conclusion that was made by experience because she wasn't new in this field of work.
"You sure about that?" he looked at her sharply. Edward was a perfectionist. He didn't tolerate a mistake. I knew Lottie knew about that too.
"Yeah. Don't you see my artwork?" she scoffed, gesturing to the poor man. It was an insult that he doubted her.
I really looked at him now and tried hard not to cringe. The man was half naked, tied down to the chair. He had stopped groaning, possibly because of exhaustion. I scanned his face which was a total mess. He supported swollen eyes, a broken nose, split lips, bruised cheeks and jaw. His body was even worse. There were cuts and bruises everywhere. His arm was bent in an awkward position. The bone was definitely broken. And I knew it didn't stop there. He had many open wounds I was convinced he had infection by now. The man coughed blood, hissing in pain.
Lottie didn't play around, did she? What a merciless bitch. I wondered if she even batted an eye when doing this evil work?
A pause before I heard him say. "Well, what are you waiting for?"
A sinister smile appeared and she was looking at me. I knew it before she even said it. She wanted me to be the one who got rid of him. This was a test and I didn't have a choice but to pass. She pulled out her gun from the waist of her jeans and handed it to me. I didn't take it. Instead, I walked over the tortured man, standing right behind him. Lottie was confused. Edward was waiting but didn't question. With one swift movement, I stabbed him in the neck with the blade that I had the entire time. My blade. Blood spurted over. Crimson red on my face, on the floor and just anywhere. It hit the artery. His body went limp in seconds. I had done my job. The man was dead.
I diverted my gaze back to those emeralds.
Edward never looked so proud.
I suck at updating! I'm so sorry!