Chapter 9

Bella's POV

I'm not going to lie, I have never been one for shopping, but after today and one Alice Cullen I knew that there was no way on Earth I would ever feel anything but hatred for the damn experience. Alice Cullen was someone whom clearly rarely ever gets told 'no'. A fact I was actually told when Esme and Rosalie both told me to just give Alice whatever she wanted, well it didn't take long before I did just that.

The three of us had driven to Seattle and were in Blooming-dales of all places, a place I can't afford without robbing a bank first, Alice had told me that she would pay for my things and I had flat out refused. Alice looked nothing short of faint, you would think I had just told her I'd killed her puppy.

"But...but...Bella..." Alice began to stutter out, Rosalie just giggled.

"Congratulations Bella, I think you broke her," Rosalie said with a smile on her face.

I merely rolled my eyes and made it clear as we left the store some time later that if I were to get any clothes it would be out of my own pocket and from a store I could afford. Though as I was telling them this, I couldn't stop my mind from going to Emmett and Charlie. I had noticed some of the clothes that the two of them owned were in the windows of an Armani store we were walking past.

"Huh, Emmett and dad have those suits," I told Rosalie and Alice before walking over to the window.

"Er...Bella..." Rosalie tried to catch my attention, there was a nervous tone to her voice, not that I paid much attention.

Once I was close enough my eyes locked on the price tags and almost fell through the floor.

"$2000!" I gasped in horror.

How the hell did Emmett and dad afford those?

"Say, that store is selling the book you want," Rosalie tried once again to distract me but there was nothing for it now.

I turned and looked at my two friends sharply.

"Just how in the hell did my brother and father afford two suits at $2000 a piece? On a cop's salary no less." I demanded as I folded my arms over my chest.

"We bought them, as presents." Alice said hurriedly, but I could tell she was lying especially with both of them squirming.

"Bull shit!" I replied sternly.

Alice and Rosalie looked at each other with worry.

"Well, it seems that you are smart after well Miss Swan," a voice spoke from behind my friends.

Rosalie and Alice turned round and instantly went rigid at the sight of who the man was. I on the other hand was left confused and a little scared.

"How the hell do you know my name?" I demanded, hopefully I didn't sound afraid.

"I, I work for the crime family that will end your little Mafia organisation, if you can call it that." he said with a gleeful sneer.

WHAT!

Jasper's POV

Shit. Shit, shit, shit.

How the hell could this happen? As I drove us back home, my mind was running through every possible reaction that Isabella could have. All of them consisted of the same thing really, just in either a different order or something happening in between. But the end result was her slapping me and running as far and as fast as she can. I should have just been honest with her from the beginning, she already knew I had a gun. That was the perfect chance to just say 'hey, I'm the son of a Mafia boss, and I work for him. Oh by the way so does your father and brother, nothing to worry about.'

On second thought, I don't think that would have went down well with her. Through the review mirror, I saw Emmett's eyes filled with worry about how his sister was going to take this.

Though I had to admit, I'm glad I don't have to lie to her anymore. It was another reason why I hadn't asked her out.

Within thirty minutes I pulled up out front, the Chief's cruiser was here . This was going to be intense, I could tell from here, and I found myself wondering what the atmosphere was like inside. The three of us exchanged an uneasy look before heading inside.

Inside we found that Isabella was sitting in Carlisle's chair, I'm rather amazed that he hasn't requested her to vacate it. The only one allowed to sit in that chair was Esme, and even then she would sitting on his lap. Charlie was sitting on the couch closest to her, Rosalie, Alice, Esme and Carlisle were sitting on love seats. Carlisle looked to be on edge. Isabella's eyes found me almost instantly, and the anger and betrayal was clear for all to see.

Shit.

"Well. Now we're all here, sit your asses down and start talking," Carlisle said in what I knew to be forced calm.

Nobody said anything. We just took the nearest seats available to us, Edward sat next to Alice, Emmett next to Rosalie. I on the other hand sat on the couch with Charlie, this maybe the last time Isabella would let me be within arms length so I am going to take every last minute I can. Carlisle cleared his throat, hell I can hear his nerves in that alone.

"Perhaps we should start with what you think..." Carlisle began but was cut off.

"Don't talk to me like I'm an idiot. It's more insulting than the lying, besides Rosalie and Alice already confirmed everything," Isabella said in a hard voice.

Carlisle snapped his mouth shut before nodding. With a quick look to his daughters, Carlisle sighed as though surrendering himself to the inevitable.

"Very well. How did you find out?" Carlisle asked.

Isabella tilts her head to one side.

"Firstly, there are very few legal ways in which the Chief of Police can afford $4000 in Armani suits, especially when he has his pride. But, I think the real eye opening moment was when a member of a rival Mafia family approached us and told me, but please do try and deny it. I'm interested in seeing what bull shit you can come up," Isabella told us all sternly.

When she passed comment about the cost of Armani suits, Charlie and Emmett both cringed. Cringing however soon turned to tension a the mention of a rival member approaching them.

Dead fucking silence.

My ears were ringing, someone had approached my sisters and my girl.

Carlisle jumped to his feet, eyes blazing with cold fury. People are gonna die, I can tell you that much.

"Edward, you know what I need," he said, his voice had never sounded so cold.

Edward shot off to get in touch with people who owed us more than a few favours, I looked to Charlie and Emmett to find that they had now went completely pale.

"GARRET!" Carlisle yelled.

There was silence for a few minutes before the sound of footsteps filled the room to signal Garret's arrivel.

"Sir," Garret greeted, his relaxed demeanour soon changed at the cold murderous look on Carlisle's face. "what do you require?" Garret asked, his voice now oozing with that of a professional.

"Summon the family," Carlisle ordered.

Garret paled at Carlisle's words.

"All of them, Sir?" Garret asked.

"Every last one." Carlisle replied firmly.

Garret nodded and went to fulfil his task.

"OK, I need you three to tell what this bastard look liked," Charlie suddenly spoke up.

So the three of them described the man that had spoken to them, Bella was looked angry the whole time. I knew I should have been listening to the description of this ass-hole but my ears were bounding with blood. Whoever that bastard was, he was going to learn what the word suffer really meant.

When the bounding stopped I noticed that the girls had left and some of the family had arrived, we were just waiting for the three other bosses. Caius, Marcus and Aro, the three of them were brothers and Carlisle's cousins.

"What? What kind of insane bastard would go near those girls?" Demetri demanded.

"I think you answered your own question there Demetri," Felix replied.

Anger was flashing in everyone's eyes but Felix and Demetri looked to be the most pissed off, both of them had lost their mothers to violent thugs and took it as a personal strike against them if any of the women of the family were threatened in anyway.

A grumble of angry murmurs filled the living room, the need to get some air took hold of me and I quietly sneaked out of the house.

When I got outside though, I was taken by surprise. Isabella was sitting on the steps with her legs pulled up to her chest.

I didn't know what to do, should I leave? Should I sit next to her and try to explain? What was the right thing to do here? I honestly didn't know, something that strange for me because I always knew what to do. Except when it came to her it would seem.

Before I could consciously make a decision, I heard myself clearing my throat to announce my presence.

Isabella turned round and saw me, the anger still clear as day on her face.

Shit.

"What do you want? Come to give me the 'you know too much so you have to go' speech?" she demanded angrily.

Her words took me completely off guard.

"What? NO! I could never harm you, Isabella for fuck's sake! Where the hell did that shit even come from?" I demanded in return, my own anger making itself known.

"Isn't that what you do," she replied with a hideous sneer that had no place being on her beautiful face.

"NO!" I told her firmly as I closed the distance between us. "We have never harmed women or children and if anyone went off book their punishment would be without mercy." I snapped at her, I heard the disgust in my voice and internally recoiled at the sight of her eyes widening.

Just brilliant, fuck up more that wouldn't make her hate me more.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. She did not deserve the burning anger I felt towards the unknown bastard who approached her, nor the anger I felt towards Newton and his twisted little band of sluts.

Opening my eyes after a few minutes I looked at Isabella with what I hoped to be a more relaxed expression.

"Isabella, I wanted to apologise for not being honest with you from the very beginning. You didn't deserve to be lied to and that was exactly what we did but secrecy is everything in this business," I began to apologise but Isabella's eyes narrowed at me.

"Really, secrecy is everything in this business? Are you shitting me? You are all probably on some FBI wanted list, fuck the whole town probably knows and you have the nerve to tell me that secrecy is everything?" She replied.

I swallowed nervously, yeah, that was a shit excuse.

"You're right, there are no excuses for lying to you or for putting you in danger. All I can do is tell you that I am so, so sorry and I hope you'll be able to forgive me...some day." I told her, okay so maybe I was begging towards the end but what would you do if the girl you were nuts about was angry at you?

Isabella sighed heavily.

"You know, I should want nothing to do with you. Any of you for that matter and that list includes my own brother and father," Isabella told me.

Despite the seriousness of this conversation and the fact that she could still decide not to have anything to do with me. I couldn't help but feel a small bubble of hope at the word 'should'.

"But I can't undo what I've found out and I'm not about to turn my own father and brother over so...the only thing to do is to make a fresh start." Isabella finished.

OK, on the outside I knew that there was no expression on my face but inside I was screaming with joy.

"OK, fresh start." I agreed as I walked over to the steps and sat down next to her. "Hi, I'm Jasper Hale and I'm not a normal 18 year guy either. I work for my father who is one of four Mafia bosses for the Seattle crime family," I re-introduced myself.

Truthfully, it felt more than a little weird but much to my relief, Isabella held her hand out.

"Hi, I'm Isabella Swan but I prefer Bella and it turns out that I'm the daughter and sister of two members of your Mafia family," Isabella replied and as she said it I could tell that it felt weird to her saying the truth about Charlie and Emmett's lives out loud.

I took hold of her hand and kissed it before promptly putting my foot in my mouth.

"Will you go out with me?" I blurted out.

Isabella's eyes and my own widen in shock at my words.

"You fucking idiot!" I thought to myself.

A/N: Hope you're all enjoying the story. Again.