Chapter 19


A/N: The response to the last chapter was amazing. Thank you so much for your support and love, we appreciate it. Thank you to our Beta and prereaders. Off we go!


Our discovery of each other's true identities was a result of a disaster—a Volturi warehouse was blown up, causing several people to lose their lives. All the casualties were on the Volutri side; I was almost sure of it. I wanted to call Jasper and see what was going on, but even asking would mean I knew more than I should have. Edward had to leave to go help take care of the aftermath of this clusterfuck. As was becoming the norm, I was left alone to contemplate all the shit that had gone down in the last few hours.

The fact that we were still even talking to each other could be seen as a miracle. My dad was the Don of the Cigno family, and my boyfriend was a capo in the Volturi family. Two rival families—this was like some Romeo and Juliet shit. Two families, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona where we lay our scene. Honestly, it was all a little much.

One thing was for sure: no one could find out that we were staying together, if that was what we decided to do. I know that I wanted to be with him. I was well-aware of what the risks were and what the consequences would be if anyone figured it out. We would both be branded traitors, and the mob didn't take kindly to disloyalty. The fact that I was willing to die for this man brought a wave of emotions and feelings I didn't think I wanted to completely analyze at this moment.

I had no one that I could tell about this, so this was something I was going to have to reflect on by myself. It wasn't lost on me that even if I had someone that I was talking to, I still wouldn't be able to tell them.

My feelings for Edward had shifted, but not lessened at all. While it was true that I hated being from a mafia family, it was because of the way my dad acted. The restrictions he put on me and how he tried to control my life, even though I was an adult, were what I was so against. Edward never treated me like that. Well, except when it came to Jasper. Men and their jealousy. I rolled my eyes, shaking my head.

Bear let out a soft boof and trotted over to me. He laid his head in my lap. He looked up at me with his large eyes and I melted. I smiled, scratching his head. "Hey, buddy. Sorry if we freaked you out there for a moment. Everything should be okay now." I honestly didn't know if I was trying to convince him or myself.

I took Bear for a walk, then I decided that I would try to fix some of the aftermath of our fight. There were bullet holes and broken glass, as well as spots of blood. Edward and I woke up with super fun bruises on our bodies. Most of his were on the face.

After spackling the bullet holes, which was harder than it seemed because I had to pull the bullets out of the wall, I went and got a washcloth. I soaked it with hot water and soap. Then I set to the task of wiping up all the blood. Luckily there wasn't a lot to clean up. I looked at my watch and saw that it was time to start dinner. I had decided to make lasagna because Edward had all the stuff for it. I pulled out everything that I would need and then just focused on cooking. I didn't make dinner at my dad's house, but that was because we had a chef. Edward didn't ask me to be responsible for dinner, but I wanted to do it. I enjoyed it. I could control everything when I was cooking, so it made me feel better.

When Edward came home, I was upstairs. I had to change because I just stayed in my ratty clothes after cleaning up. I had just pulled my shirt on when I felt warm arms wrap around me. He buried his head in my neck, kissing the skin there.

I turned in his arms and pressed my lips to his, moaning. Our lips broke apart and he just held me in his arms, his hands running up and down my back. It was not like Edward and I weren't affectionate with each other, but this felt like something more. I soaked in the moment, but the timer on the oven downstairs went off. We went down together, and Edward said that it smelled really good.

"I made lasagna and garlic bread," I said, excited.

He smiled and gave me a chaste kiss. We sat down to eat, and we were quiet while we ate. After fifteen straight minutes, I couldn't take it anymore.

"So, are we going to talk about it?" I tentatively asked.

"What's with all the fucking talking?" he said simply. He seemed unconcerned about the shit that went down here. "Well, you know how it is coming from an Italian household. It's not kumbaya all the time and talking about your feelings."

"Edward, we almost killed each other. We had our guns drawn on each other. We found out we come from rival families. I mean, do you still want to be with me?" I blew out a large breath, realizing that I was worried what he might say.

"How is that even a fucking question? Of course, I still want to be with you. Do you want to be with me?" I could see that he was starting to get defensive, the irritation clear in his tone and on his face.

"Of course I do, but you know if anyone finds out—"

He held up his hand to cut me off. "I think I'm a little better versed than you on what they'll do, Bella. Are you saying that because it might be hard, you don't want to do this anymore?"

I sighed, already regretting this conversation. "We don't need to argue about this. Can you understand why I might be a little unsure about what our future might be?"

"Bella, in my line of work, I don't know if I'm gonna get a bullet between my eyes tomorrow. Can we just enjoy us right now? Please," he pleaded, peering down the table at me. He pushed his chair back from the table and gestured for me to come over to him.

I got out of my seat and straddled Edward in his.

He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and cupped my cheek. "I don't know where all this worry is coming from, but I'm here, and like I told you, I don't plan on going anywhere. You got me?"

I sighed in relief and nodded. He pulled my lips to his, and I locked my arms around his neck.

"No one can know," I said softly when he pulled away, resting my forehead against his.

"Agreed." He gave me a quick chaste kiss. "Now get off my lap so I can eat my lasagna."

I chuckled and went to sit back in my seat. "So, it's good?"

He nodded as he chewed another bite. After he swallowed, he looked at me, smiling. "Yeah, I've liked everything you cooked. Don't tell my ma. I don't need to be beaten with a spoon."

I laughed and nodded. "While it would be funny, I feel like I should be the only one who can beat you."

Edward gave me an intense stare but stayed silent. I knew right now he was fighting his urge to pounce on me just because he was hungry. I finished my plate and then went to take the dish into the kitchen. Cleaning up the mess from making dinner, I was making all types of noise. I put all the dishes in the sink then wet a washcloth to clean the counters. Then I unloaded the dishwasher and rinsed off all the dishes in the sink. Then I loaded them to be washed. I bent down to pour the soap into the reservoir. Before I could stand up, I felt a warm body press against my ass. Edward gripped my hips with one hand and grabbed a handful of my hair with his other hand, pulling me to stand so that my back was to his chest.

"Do you have any idea what you do to me? How badly I want to bury myself inside you and never come up for air. I would die a happy man," he ground out, his lips right next to my ear. He moaned and licked a trail up my neck.

I whimpered and sagged in his arms. "Probably as bad as I want you to do exactly that," I said, my voice breathy. The hand on my hip moved to dip below the waistband of my leggings and inside my panties. His talented fingers slid through the wetness coating me and circled my clit. "Fuck, Edward." I moaned.

"Not yet, but I plan on it." He pulled his hand out and spun me to face me. He grabbed me to sling me over his shoulder. I squealed and laughed as he tore up the stairs to make good on his promise.

The next few days were spent with Edward and me holing ourselves up in his brownstone when he didn't have work to deal with. It was hard for me to stay wrapped in him when I realized that no one had been trying to reach me. Rose had given up trying to contact me because I never answered her calls. My dad hadn't tried calling me since the first few days after I left his house. Even though I knew that Edward didn't like him, I wasn't willing to end my friendship with Jasper, and I figured that he would have been trying to contact me, but my phone had stayed silent. Edward was helping Felix deal with the death of his boyfriend.

Apparently he had been killed in the warehouse explosion. I knew that I wasn't directly responsible for the people who lost their lives, but I did feel bad that it was my family's fault. Things like this happening were exactly why I hated the shady deals and backhanded justice the people in this organization sought. I hated that at a young age, I had learned that death and tragedy were just going to be part of my life. Then I had lost my mom, and all respect for my dad disappeared. I had still been the dutiful daughter, but his shitty ability to protect his wife, and later me, made me realize that I needed to trust and rely on myself only.

That had been when I had asked Jasper to teach me everything he knew. It was hard to keep my dad from finding out. That was one reason why we went to a bagel place so far away. My dad had people all over Brooklyn, but Prospect Heights was an area he had less people in and not very frequently. Not all of his men knew me, but they knew Jasper, so going anywhere with him was a risk. That had been going on for months, so apparently it worked and we had gotten away with it.

I tried to call Jasper, and I was about to hang up when he finally answered. "Hey, Jazz. How have you been lately?"

"Now isn't a really good time to talk, topina. I'm with your dad. Some bad shit is going down," he said, his voice hushed.

"What…?" I trailed off. I knew that my family was involved in the explosion, but Jasper was a soldati. He wouldn't have been part of that.

He sighed, and I heard a door opening on the other end of the line. "He got pulled in by the Feds, and I've had some fucker who has been following me. You gotta stay away from me until the heat dies down. I know you hate her, but I was wondering if you can do me a favor?"

"What do I need to tell Alice?" I asked. That was the only person I didn't like that he would need to keep safe.

"The same thing I just told you. She and I have been talking lately, trying to fix our relationship." He was talking a little louder now.

"J, are you sure that you and she can?" I asked. Our last conversation hadn't gone super well. I know that he was jealous of Edward, but going back to Alice wasn't the best move. They had been together for awhile though, so maybe.

"Please, topina. Just—will you call her?" he pleaded with me.

I sighed. "Yeah I will call her. Please let me know when it's safe to talk, okay?"

"I will. Stay safe, topina."

"You too. Later, J."

He hung up, and I dialed Alice. I may not like the bitch, but I didn't want her to die or anything. I had her number because she and Jazz had been dating and I never had gotten around to deleting it.

"Hello," she answered cheerfully.

"Hey, Alice. It's Bella."

"Oh." The cheerful tone was gone, and she sounded scared. "What's up?"

"I just talked to Jazz and he asked me to call you. He said there's a lot of heat on him right now and some bad shit is going down. So, he wants us both to stay away from him until it's safer. He will call you when it is," I reassured her.

"Oh my god. Is he okay?" she asked in a rush.

"Yeah, he's with my dad so he is safe." My dad may be shitty helping the women in his life, but he wouldn't let his little soldiers get hurt.

She sighed and it sounded like relief. "Okay. Thank you for letting me know, Bella." She paused before speaking again. "Look, I know we don't like each other, but I'm sorry that I told Jazz to choose between us. I know he had a crush on you when you were younger, and I know that he wanted to be in a relationship with you. Even though you turned him down, I guess I'm just worried that you will change your mind."

"I'm gonna stop you right there, Alice. He and I are best friends. I have known him my entire life. I don't love him like that, and I never will. For reasons unknown to me, he loves you and that won't change. I won't be changing my mind—I have someone else that I'm in a relationship with. Just stop being insecure."

"Thank you, Bella. And thank you for the advice. I kinda wish I could be more like you. Confident and badass." She giggled. It was a sound I never heard from her, and surprisingly it made me smile.

"Years of practice and trauma, Alice. You don't want to be like me. Stay safe," I told her.

We exchanged farewells, and when I hung up, I was surprised that I didn't hate her as much as before. We may never be the best of friends, but I understood her a little better, and I could tell she really loved Jazz. I was totally zoned out thinking about them that I was broken out of my musings when I felt Edward wrap his arms around me and hug me tight. I smiled and threaded my fingers with his. I was so far gone for him. I couldn't imagine ever losing these feelings for him, and while it terrified me, it also made me feel free.


A/N: So Bella and Edward are growing closer with a huge threat hanging over their head. Leave your thoughts!