Chapter 21

CPOV

Rose sat across the table from me, and I watched her move her food around the plate, but she didn't eat any of it. She had been acting like this since her sister left, and I always thought those two relied on each other too much. Especially when Isabella was starting to be reckless and irresponsible.

"Have you talked to Isabella lately?" I asked Rose, hoping that she would snap out of this.

She shook her head. "No, she won't answer my calls. I talked to her after she left, but she made it clear that she didn't want to talk to me."

"Why is she upset with you? You did nothing wrong. She waltzed in here after spending the night with some boy, doing god knows what, and wearing those clothes—"

"Dad, honestly, we don't need to go over it again. I think you were out of line for calling her what you did. I know she broke your rules, but she was right. She has always had more restrictions than me. I always thought you did it to protect her, but I have to wonder if you just don't trust her because she is too 'reckless.''

I wasn't used to Rosalie speaking up and standing up to me. I did give her more freedom than Bella but that was because she was more responsible. At the end of the day, I felt I could trust Rose more than I could trust Bella. "Children are meant to do what their parents say, not ask why."

She huffed and stood, slamming her napkin on the table. "But she's not a child anymore, Daddy! She is a grown woman, just like I am. I know you want to hold onto both of us, but with Bella, you suffocated her, so she ran." She left without another word, and I knew eventually I would have to go talk to her, but I was going to give her a few minutes to calm down.

I continued to eat my dinner, and when Rosalie still hadn't returned, I stacked my used silverware on my plate. I stacked my and Rosalie's plates together, placing them on the end of the table for the housekeeper to grab them as she always did at the end of dinner. Making my way up to her room, I cast a sad glance up the stairs where Bella's empty bedroom was. I sighed and knocked when I got to Rose's door.

She opened the door a crack, and then upon seeing the look on my face, she opened it wide and then went back to sit on her bed. "What's going on, Rosalie? You never act like this: storming out of a room and acting so emotional."

She got up and started pacing. I tried to watch her—back and forth—until I got dizzy from the movement. I was waiting for her to get control of herself so that she could conduct this conversation in a calm and civilized manner, as I always taught her and Isabella to do. The day that Isabella left, that wasn't the daughter I raised. I didn't instill in her a need to fly off the handle and yell at me. That was disrespectful and not the way a young woman was to handle her anger. She also refused to answer my calls. It was not my responsibility to chase my child; she should come when called. I gave her the space she felt she needed, but there would come a point when my patience would be gone.

"Bella is my sister. We have been close for most of our lives. I have tried to let loose around her but also teach her to take on more responsibility. She has never acted like this, or shut me out for this long. It has to be that fucking guy's fault that she is seeing." She almost murmured the words, chewing her fingernail. She wasn't looking at me, so I wondered if I was even meant to hear that. I sat on her bed.

"Rose! Fingers out of your mouth, and ladies don't swear."

Rose jumped and stopped chewing on her fingernail and mumbled, "Sorry, Daddy. I was just trying to say that she started acting differently when she started hanging out with that guy."

"Your sister has a boyfriend?" This had to be new because surely Jasper would have told me that she had one.

"No, not really. You know Bella. She doesn't have boyfriends. She met a guy one night, and they started talking. He's from Brooklyn and Italian too. He's actually Emmett's brother."

I was starting to get a pit in my stomach. I felt like Rose had told me her boyfriend's last name was Cullen. I knew a few Cullens, but there was one that I didn't want around my daughter. The worst kind of scum. "What was Emmett's brother's name?" I asked, trying to keep my tone even and interested, but not too eager.

"Edward. Edward Cullen," she said, still not looking at me, off in her own world, worried about her sister. She should be.

Edward Cullen, fucking Volturi scum, was spending time with my daughter. I wasn't a stupid man, and I had no illusions that Bella was still a virgin, which meant that this man could be defiling my precious principessa. "A Fanabola!" I yelled, launching myself off her bed and storming into my study, pulling my cell phone out. My first call was to Jasper, wondering how the hell he could let this happen.

He answered on the first ring,, and I told him to meet me at my house, now. Then I called Afton, my security and surveillance guy, along with Santiago, one of my best capos. Rose stormed into my study, looking confused.

"Daddy, what's going on?"

"Edward Cullen is one of the Volturis' most deadly and dedicated capos. He is their hitman of sorts, along with a lot of other things. If he finds out who your sister is, she is dead. If anyone in this family or his family finds out they are together, then they are both dead," I explained to her, trying to keep my panic from rising. In all my years of doing this, Bella had never been in this much danger.

Rose raised her hands up and shook her head. "Daddy. I can guarantee that they don't know who each other is. Well at least last I heard, but she won't answer my calls." She pulled out her phone and started to call her sister.

I took the phone from her and ended the call. She looked at me in surprise. "No, Rose. You can't help your sister anymore. I have to take care of this now. It is the only way to keep your sister from being taken out." I handed her the phone back when she nodded in agreement. She took it from me and fell into the office chair, shoulders slumped in defeat. I heard Jasper, Santiago, and Afton's voices carrying up the stairs from the foyer downstairs. All three of them crowded into my office, and Rose left the room, heading to her room. She probably thought she had betrayed her sister's trust, but she may very well have saved her life.

"First off, Jasper. Can you tell me why you felt it was inconsequential to mention to me that my daughter was seeing Edward Cullen?"

Santiago and Afton both bristled at the name and looked at Jasper like he was stunad. Jasper shook his head. "Am I supposed to know who that is?"

I pinched the bridge of my nose. Of course he wouldn't know his full name. He didn't even know what he looked like. It was Afton and Santiago's jobs to know what every capo and member of the organization up to the Boss looked like. Names, aliases, every scrap of information that was available. They weren't as careful as I was. I was still only known as Cigno to most of the Volturi, and I made sure there weren't many pictures of me available. I still was unsure how that fucking agent had tracked me down and had a suspicion of who I was. "Since you are still a soldati, let me rephrase that for you. Why is she seeing EC?"

He sat up straight, his posture rigid and angry. "Wait, EC is Edward? I didn't know this, and I knew that she was hanging out with a guy named Edward, but again I didn't know EC's real name." Now he was sufficiently worried, and I was satisfied that he didn't know the gamble my daughter had been taking with her life, or purposely kept info from me.

"I need every damn bit of information on him we can get," I directed toward Afton and Santiago. I looked at Jasper. "Did you ever see where this guy lived?"

He shook his head. "No. She and I usually hang out at my house or meet somewhere in the city. I have no idea what part of Brooklyn he is even from."

"Bay Ridge," Afton piped up, typing on his laptop that he had pulled out. "I followed her to this part of the city last week before she lost me, boss. She knows when she is being followed."

I felt a flare of pride at those words. While Bella was the impulsive one, she was resourceful and knew how to survive this life. I was calmed by these thoughts because she would see danger coming before it showed up on her doorstep. I had to believe in those words and hold them close while we searched for my daughter. Jasper left the house to go get us all coffee. We were going to be here awhile.

BPOV

"Oh my god, Edward! Yes." I moaned. I reached in between my legs and grabbed a fistful of his hair, tugging on the strands. After I told him about Liam, it turned into a fuck-a-thon. He had made me come so many times that his poor dick was down for the count, but he still wanted to see me come one more time. With the skills he had and my over sensitive body, it wasn't going to take long.

I was grinding my hips into his face when my phone rang. I ignored it obviously, but after a minute, Edward's free hand that wasn't currently inside me, shot out and hit the silence button. It started ringing again, and he did the same thing. "I swear, if it rings again, I am answering it and telling them in explicit detail what I'm doing to you."

I laughed, which turned into a moan when he started flicking my clit with his tongue. I started panting hard, and I could feel my climax start to build. The phone started ringing again, and I clamped my legs around his head so that he couldn't stop. I thrust my hips to aid in my orgasm and then screamed out my release.

The phone stopped ringing, and I released my hold on Edward's head, catching my breath and letting my body calm down. The phone rang again, and I groaned, while Edward started chuckling. I picked up and saw it was Jasper. He wasn't one to usually call over and over, so I immediately felt dread settle in my gut.

"Hello?" I answered, irritated. I heard a sniffle and a sob on the other line. I sat up in bed, immediately on alert. This wasn't Jasper. That was my sister. She wasn't a big crier, so something was seriously wrong. "Rose? What's wrong?"

Edward sat up and started rubbing my back. He knew something was wrong just by my tone and body language. I prayed for the panic to lessen and for Rose to start talking.

"I'm so sorry, Bella. Dad was talking to me about you, and I told him you had a boyfriend. I didn't think it'd be a big deal." I could hear the guilt and agony that she had let the information slip in her tone.

I reigned in my temper. I knew that her intentions were good, but this was not information I wanted my father to have. "Okay. What exactly happened, Ro?"

"He knows who Edward Cullen is. He's part of the Volturi. You're not safe with him." She whispered the last part. I know that she thought she was being helpful, but this was information that I already knew about Edward.

"Wait! If Dad knows, then how the hell didn't Jasper know?" This was something that I had been questioning since I found out who Edward was. In all reality, Jasper should have known, but he was just a soldier and a lower man on the totem.

"He said he's never actually seen him, and everyone refers to him as EC," she explained as if it was such a simple thing. In reality, it was more complicated.

"EC?" I asked, looking at Edward with arched eyebrows. He smirked and rolled his eyes. There was definitely a story there. "I appreciate you telling me this, Ro, but it doesn't change things between us. I haven't heard an actual apology from you, and the fact I have to tell you that is astounding."

"Bella, I am so sorry." Her tone reached desperation. Rose and I had never fought this long before. "You and I are very different, and I am really starting to understand how much, and how often, you were having to pretend for Dad. I told Dad he was out of line for what he said and that he was wrong for treating us so differently. I know you need more time, but I am sorry."

I nodded and we talked for a few minutes before Edward started distracting me and I had to get off the phone with Rose. I climbed back into Edward's lap, gripping his hair in my fists. "So, EC, huh?"

"Yeah." He chuckled. "Sounds like easy, 'cause I make shit look effortless."

I pressed my lips to his, moaning because I just couldn't get enough of his taste and smell. "You're so fucking smooth and charming. I never really stood a chance, did I?"

"No, and I wanted you too fucking much. I always get my mark. You were one from the moment you kicked me out of your ride."

I smiled at him and rested my forehead against his. "Well, there's this guy I know. Everyone calls him EC, but I only know him as Edward. He's sexy, smart, kind, genuine...but you want to know the best part?" I said softly. He nodded, his attention completely on me. "He's mine." I pulled his lips to mine for a chaste quick kiss.

Edward groaned. "I am. And you're fucking mine, tell me."

"I'm yours, Edward. Show me how much you own me, body and soul."

He got that mischievous grin and pushed me down to the mattress on my back, and I squealed in laughter as he buried his face in my neck. Hard times were going to lie ahead for us, but right now, nothing could touch us in our bubble.