A/N: Big thanks to my ladies, Paige, Sherry, Cristina & Tiffany x x

Chapter 34

EPOV

After our talk, Isabella and I showered and dressed, then headed downstairs for breakfast. Everyone else was already gathered in the dining room eating by the time we arrived. As soon as Isabella saw Marcus her face fell. He had two black eyes and a bruised nose to match. She immediately began to walk towards him, but I grabbed her hand and pulled her to my side. She couldn't make a fuss over him. She would not only embarrass him, but she'd also undermine my punishment. She glanced at me unsure what I was doing. I gently shook my head and looked at Marcus, hoping she would get the message. She nodded to show she understood and followed me to our seats. She didn't look pleased, but at least she wasn't fighting me.

She was quiet during breakfast and didn't eat much, but I didn't push her to eat, not with everything she had been through lately. She needed a few days to get herself together. I understood that. God, it was surprising with everything she had been through that she wasn't a complete mess by now. It only proved how strong she really was. She was a fighter. A true mafia wife in the making.

"I have to go out for a few hours," I said, once we were both finished. Isabella merely nodded. I caught her chin and tilted her head so she was looking at me. I had to see her eyes. I had to get a glimpse of them so I could figure out what was going on in that pretty little head of hers. "I'll be as quick as I can be. I promise. Marcus is going to come with me this morning, so Emmett will stay with you. Do not go outside without him."

"I won't."

"She'll be fine, Edward," my mother said, reaching over the table and grabbing Isabella's hand. "I'll be with her. I thought Isabella might like it if we buried Princess in the backyard this morning and say goodbye," she said, turning her attention to Isabella. "A few of Edward and Rosalie's pets have been buried there over the years. You don't have to, of course, it is only a suggestion."

"No, I'd like that," Isabella said, smiling a little.

I was glad that my mother was making an effort to put Isabella at ease and make her feel more comfortable. I was sure my mother was sorry for the trouble she had caused, but she was only putting her loyalty to my father first. Just like I would expect Isabella to do the same with me, should the need ever arise.

I leaned in and kissed Isabella's head before getting up from the table, and motioning for Marcus to follow me. Jasper had already texted me to say that he would meet me at the warehouse. He hadn't stayed here last night like the rest of us. "I want to get Isabella, another dog," I stated as we headed out the front door.

"So soon?" Marcus questioned.

I shrugged. There would never be a good time to get another dog. "I want an older one, maybe one that is a year or two years old, certainly one that would be able to protect her." Had Princess been older, James wouldn't have stood a chance. Isabella might not like having a guard with her all the time, but I didn't think she would object to having a dog around. She may not like the idea of another dog. I would have to assure her that I wasn't trying to replace Princess, well, not really. "Just go and find me a goddamn guard dog."

"I thought you wanted me to come with you?" Marcus asked confused.

"You're the one that said he knows his shit when it comes to dogs. Well, I want you to go and find me a fucking dog, one that can protect Isabella, since you seem incapable of doing just that."

Marcus never said another word as he turned and headed to his car. I got in mine, tossing my cell on the empty seat beside me, before pulling out a pair of shades from my pocket and putting them on. I could already feel my blood beginning to boil now that I was away from Isabella. For some reason she was starting to have this soothing, calming effect on me, well, when she wasn't going out of her way to piss me off.

~TTTB~

The neighborhood around the warehouse was abandoned, which was one of the reasons I had chosen to keep James here. No one would hear his screams. Another was there was an old cement factory nearby, which came in handy whenever we needed to make a body disappear, which happened to be quite often. There was always some little fucker who stepped out of line and needed to be put in his place.

"What took you so long?" Jasper asked, pushing himself off the hood of his car, as he flicked the remains of his cigarette to the ground.

I shrugged. "I was as long as I needed to be." Jasper may have been my cousin, but I wasn't explaining myself to him. The only person I answered to was my father and that would change soon enough. "Who's with him?" I asked, motioning for Jasper to pass me a cigarette. I didn't smoke often, usually only when I was drinking, but I felt like I could benefit from its effects before I went inside.

"Alec," Jasper answered, handing me a smoke and his lighter. "He's been with him since he was brought here yesterday. I thought the less people who knew he was here the better."

I nodded, agreeing with his decision. I lit the cigarette and took a few quick drags before leaning against his car and closing my eyes. I smoked the entire cigarette, but I didn't feel any calmer by the time it was finished; which was too bad for James. "Let's get this over with," I said, pushing myself off of his car and heading inside.

James was sitting in the middle of the old packing hall, tied to a chair, and gagged. Alec was sitting across from him with his gun resting on his lap. He looked worn out. "Takeoff," I ordered Alec, motioning my head towards the door. I highly doubted he would be of any use to me anyway, not with the state he was in and it wasn't like we really needed him.

Once Alec was gone, I dragged his chair closer to James before sitting on it. I cracked my neck side to side, trying to alleviate the stiffness as I eyed James. He didn't look worried or concerned. The bastard probably thought he was going to get out of here, that his friend Garrett was gonna come to his rescue, but that was never gonna happen. He would see that soon enough.

I sat there in silence as I watched Jasper setup. James was aware that there was someone else in the room with us, but he couldn't see who. He had tried to turn his head several times to see who was there, but where Jasper was standing was out of his line of sight. I think he was beginning to worry.

"So," I began, when Jasper was finally ready. "This is how it's going to work. I'm gonna ask you questions and you are gonna answer them. For every one you get wrong, my friend here," I said, motioning towards Jasper, who stepped forward into James' sight, "is going to inflict pain upon you. Now, I'm not gonna lie to you and make false promises. You won't be leaving this warehouse, but the choice is yours, whether you want to have a slow and painful death or a quick one."

James never responded. He just stared at me.

"Now, let's begin, I want to know what made you think it was acceptable for you to touch my fucking wife!?" I shouted. James mumbled something that sounded like 'go fuck yourself' through his gag. I motioned for Jasper to make his move. He lifted the sledgehammer he held in his hands up into the air and slammed it down on James' right knee. I heard the bone crunch from where I sat, followed by James' screams of agony.

"Shit," I said, turning to Jasper when James had finally settled down. "We forgot to take his gag off. No wonder he couldn't answer. Let's try that one again."

Jasper removed James' gag. "What made you think it was acceptable for you to touch my wife?" I questioned again.

"Go fuck yourself," James replied, before spitting at me.

I motioned Jasper to take out his other knee. "You're either a masochist or you're not very clever," I said, as he screamed in pain. "Either way, it's only going to get worse from here on out." I got out of my chair, grabbing his face. "I want fucking answers." I put my foot on his crushed knee and applied pressure. "Why are the Russians helping Garrett? Did he set Charlie up?"

James gritted his teeth and tried his best to laugh, but he was in too much pain to put on a show. "You can kill me if you like," he hissed, "but I ain't telling you nothing, you Italian scum. The Russians are coming for you and they are going to kill everything you hold dear, including your little printsessa whore."

James may have refused to talk after endless hours of interrogation, but with one word he had told me more than enough. Printsessa was how the Russians said princess. I had a feeling that he and Garrett were more intertwined with the Russians than any of us knew.

I had always thought James was a freelancer, taking work wherever he could get it, but now I was starting to wonder. Had he been with the Russians all this time?

I wiped my hands and tossed the bloody rag on top of James' dead body, leaving Jasper to deal with the cleanup. I was a mess and would need to shower before I let Isabella see me. When I headed outside, I spotted Marcus sitting in his car, waiting on me. "I found a dog," he said, getting out of the car.

I motioned for him to show me the dog. It certainly wasn't what I had been expecting. I watched in horror as he brought a black fluffball out of the backseat of his car. "What the fuck is that supposed to be?" I snarled. Couldn't he do one thing right?

"This is Bruno," he said, oblivious to my anger.

"I asked you to get a fucking guard dog, not a fucking teddy bear!" I roared.

The dog growled, stepping towards me. Marcus pulled on its chain, holding it back. "It's a Chow. Trust me they make excellent guard dogs."

"Yeah, well it fucking better," I muttered, heading towards my car. I would get showered and changed, and then I would show it to my wife. I hoped she liked it cause I certainly didn't.