Hi Ladies,

Sorry this update took so long to write. I have had some personal issues that prevented me from updating. Thanks for reading. I will see you next week.

Chapter 30

Edward-

My cock leapt under the grip of my wife's hand. Something about Bella claiming me as her husband publicly had my blood pumping hard. Having her wiggling against me as she attempted to break the hold I had locked around her waist wasn't helping my predicament in the slightest. Grunting as a wave of lust slammed through me, I tightened my grip, drawing her closer until her back rested against my chest. I breathed in the sweet scent of her perfume, my eyes rolling as I fought the lure tempting me to forget our objective.

Nuzzling the side of her head, I let my lips graze the shell of her ear. "Princess, you'll have to stop squirming or we won't make it out of this library." She went still, her form trembling when I allowed myself a simple taste of her skin, gliding my tongue along the shell of her ear. Her fingers flexed involuntarily against my cock, spurring the fire building in my balls and spreading throughout my body. "As much as I would love to see where this will go, we have to get my mother out of here."

Bella passed a threatening glance at the Italian princess. With a huff of indignation, she tossed her head back, resting it against my shoulder. Her green eyes sparked with an answering blaze colliding with mine, the tension from her form melting away until she rested bonelessly in my arms. Her lips parted and little puffs of air escaped her throat, the escalation of her heartbeat thumping wildly against my arm, and her lashes fluttered on a wave of arousal.

It took all of my willpower to refrain from kissing the fuck out of her right then and there. Her breathing turned erratic, the swells of her breast pressing into my forearm with each inhale. I glanced down at the twin mounds exposed by the low-cut bodice of her gown. The creamy skin pulsing frantically beckoned me to sample the smooth skin there. I salivated, my nose flaring, and with the last bit of self-control I possessed, I relinquished my hold on her. I kept my hand on Bella's waist to steady her. "Come on, princess, let's get mom out of here and go home."

Ginerva was still holding her nose, blood trickling down to her lower lip gasping for air. "If I ever see you around my husband again, you will find out exactly where you are. Chicago isn't like your castle, princess. I will kick your ass all over this city."

With her warning in place, Bella straightened and held her head up high. I held my hand out to her and her slim fingers curled around mine without hesitation. Keeping her close to my side, I guided her out of the library and back to the dining room. As we made our way back to the finely decorated table, I didn't bother to resume my seat, my gaze dancing over my family. Emmett and Rose sat stiffly neither touching their plates, appearing in a silent conversation with themselves. My mother looked confused, her fork hanging in her hand, yet she was no longer sampling the dish before her. Carlisle and Mateo didn't seem to be worried about the meal, however, eating as if they were unaware of tension clinging to the room.

When I stopped before the table, I tucked Bella close to my side as two pairs of eyes lifted from their dinner to settle on the woman at my side. "Mr. Ricco, you might want to go tend to your daughter. She had a brush with the Westside's temper." Pulling my gaze from the Italian shooting daggers at me, I gestured for Mom to rise. "Come on, Mom. I don't feel comfortable leaving you here."

When my mother paused with a look of confusion on her face, Bella pulled her hand from mine and helped her from her seat. "Come with us, Mrs. Cullen. It isn't safe for you here."

Esme's eyebrows drew together, trying to make sense of what was happening. "Edward, what …?"

Esme wobbled on shaky legs as she attempted to rise. Emmett and Rose followed suit, my brother coming to her aid, letting her lean on his sturdy shoulder. Carlisle immediately jumped to his feet with contempt twisting his features, his angry voice carrying throughout the quiet dining room. "What the hell is the meaning of this, Edward?"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I fumed, my body jumping in his direction as I spoke. Every cell within me cried for me to lunge across this table and choke the fuck out of the man that had been my father all my life. I found no pleasure in witnessing my father's fall. He'd taught me how to ride a bike. He'd spent countless Christmases around our tree. He'd proudly come to all of my t-ball games and even my baseball games during college. The man I was staring at might resemble my father, but over the last several months he'd destroyed all the good memories with his shitty decisions. "After months of deception, do you honestly believe I will leave my mother here a second longer?"

Anger getting the better of me, I rounded the table in purposeful strides backing Carlisle up until he was pressed against the wall. "I no longer answer to you. You've proven that your credibility is shit and let's not get started on loyalty. I think you've been deceiving all of us for months. How long have you been trying to sell out the Deviants to the Italians, huh? How long have you been conspiring against your own family to further your own agenda?"

Carlisle shoved hard against my chest knocking me back a step. Blinding rage took control of me and with a move he never saw coming, I grabbed the gun I'd tucked into my waistband. I leveled the barrel at his face pointing it directly between his eyes. I growled, spit flying from my lips as I spoke, "How long have you been poisoning Mom? What have you been using?"

A tick near his left eye was the only indication that I'd hit my mark. "You don't know what the fuck your prattling about. You've always been a disappointment and I have no idea why I thought you might actually step up and become the man you were supposed to be."

I cocked the pistol, my blood boiling and if it wasn't for our shared DNA I would've already pulled the damn trigger. "If I find out you've done anything to harm my mother intentionally, I won't hesitate to put you in the river. Hell, I will hang you from the bridge as a warning to the whole fucking world…"

"Edward," Emmett called, catching my attention. "I would love to beat the motherfucker to a bloody pulp, but we have other pressing matters at the moment. Let's get Mom to a doctor and we'll decide what to do with this piece of shit."

Carlisle fidgetted nervously, his narrowed eyes flicking from the barrel of the pistol to connect with mine. He practically seethed as he faced off with me. "Get the fuck out of my house. You will no longer have access to the Deviants." His voice raised so his words carried to everyone listening. "Anyone caught affiliating with you will be marked as a trader and shot on sight."

"You only have the power I allow you to have, Carlisle. You married me. You married into the legacy my father built and I say who has the authority to do what." My mother's weak retort tickled my ears and a wave of pride filled me. "As of this moment, YOU are no longer the head of the Deviants and anyone caught associating with YOU will be whipped clean from this earth. Do YOU understand?"

Carlisle's face paled several shades lighter than his peachy skin. "You can't do that, you stupid bitch. No one …"

Emmett shoved past me and Carlisle wasn't afforded another word as my brother grabbed two handfuls of his expensive suit and slammed him into the wall. Fear was evident in Carlisle's eyes and I didn't blame him, Emmett had over sixty pounds of pure muscle over my father, and he wouldn't stand a chance against his eldest son. His nose grazed Carlisle's as he seethed, "What the fuck did you just call my mother? I will level you where you fucking stand."

Emmett's rage apparently matched mine because he pulled his fist back and slammed it into Carlisle's mouth, leaving my father to spurt blood from between his teeth. Only a glimmer of satisfaction filled me at the sight, yet it was enough to make me tuck my gun away. Grabbing Emmett's finely clad bicep, I yanked hard, pulling him several inches away. My narrowed gaze never wavered from Carlisle, however. "Get your shit, and get the fuck out of this house. I will be hiring new guards until I can determine their loyalty to the actual blood of the Deviants."

The last thing I wanted to do was leave that bastard, my father, standing and able to run free. If I wanted to know the full extent of his betrayal, however, it was in my best interest to let the motherfucker think he was still in semi-control of the situation. I didn't know how deep this went, but if he was willing to bring in the Italians something was at play that we hadn't uncovered. With a sound of disgust, I pushed Emmett back, avoiding his questioning gaze as we crossed the dining room where the women were waiting.

My arm slipped around Bella's waist as I directed her toward the threshold of the dining room. I glanced at the two guards standing on either side of the dining room doors. With a tipped chin, I gestured for them to follow. They seemed hesitant, their gazes bouncing to my father, and then, with stiff shoulders, they turned toward the doors and followed us into the awaiting night.

The sound of crickets chirping was the only sound that greeted us as the gravel crunched beneath our feet. I caressed Bella's side as we created a huddle near my car. I pointed at Emmett, first, saying, "I want you to take Mom and get Dr. Ready to examine her. I'm assuming Carlisle's been poisoning her slowly to keep it from looking suspicious." I glanced down at my wife. "If it hadn't been for Bella I wouldn't have thought of it myself. I want to know exactly what he finds. Tell him he is no longer to contact or have any further dealings with Carlisle. If he attempts to make any contact with him for any reason he better tell us the information immediately, or there will be consequences."

"What about these two?" Emmett nodded toward the guards standing a few inches away. "Are we just going to trust they won't betray us for Carlisle?"

Randy's chest puffed up to twice its size as his loyalty was brought into question. "I am loyal to the Deviants, Mr. Cullen. I would never do anything …"

"But you've been hired by Carlisle and have worked for him for the last year. Isn't coming to our side a breach of loyalty?" I asked, searching his cool gray eyes for any sign of deception. When his gaze remained calm, I lifted an eyebrow, stepping closer to the guard. "Shouldn't you be loyal to your boss, Randy?"

"You are the boss," he stated, his chin lifting with determination. "I will do whatever you want me to do."

When he finished speaking, I glanced at Tim. He nodded adamantly, saying, "You are the boss. We will do whatever you say, Mr. Cullen."

I could use their position to my advantage. I rocked on my heels as I considered them long and hard. They were privy to Carlisle's every move and knew things I didn't know. A plan started to form, and my lashes dropped as I considered my good fortune, assuming I could trust them. There was only one way to find out. "You will leave with us and in two days you will go back to Carlisle. You will pretend to be his spies but you will actually be ours."

"He'll never believe we weren't compromised, sir," Randy stated, running long fingers through his pale hair. "He will assume there was some conspiracy against him."

I took a deep breath and released it with tension threatening to choke me. What Randy said was very possible, giving me pause.

"I could always hit him," Emmett started, stepping forward. "We can make it look like we had a brawl right here and they can go back inside like they have chosen Carlisle. They can get ahold of Davis to pass along any information." Emmett's pupils narrowed as he considered Tim and Randy. "You know, Davis? He's loyal to the bone crusader. If he hasn't heard from you in two days, they will be fishing your bodies out of Lake Michigan."

I had to admit Emmett's plan was solid. I opened the door to my car, tapping Bella's hip. "Get in, princess, I don't want you thrown around in the scuffle."

Emmett took Mom and Rose to his car and prepared his driver. "When I jump in this car I want you to drive like the devil is on your ass, got me?"

I repeated the message to my own driver before securing Bella in the backseat. I pushed a tendril of her burgundy hair from her temple and kissed her forehead. Pulling back, I shucked my jacket and handed it to her. "Hold tight, baby, I will be following you in a minute."

Once I had Bella firmly in place, I snapped the door shut and turned back to Tim and Randy. "This needs to look real." As I spoke, I got up in Randy's face and shoved him back several steps.

Randy only hesitated a second before plowing into me with a broad shoulder to the gut. The air was effectively knocked from my lungs, but instead of crumbling, I dived into him. We both fell to the gravel, rolling and fighting for the upper hand. I vaguely became aware of Emmett's own fight a few feet away, hearing the crack of knuckles followed by grunts of pain. Randy hovered above me, his fist plowing hard into my jaw, my teeth rattling with the impact.

An animal took over me. Adrenaline and real anger raced through my veins. When his fist slammed into my jaw all bets were off. I grabbed him around his neck, my fingers digging into his windpipe, effectively cutting off his air. When he grabbed frantically at my hand, I used the leverage to plow my fist into his jaw. My knuckles split with the force, my blood mixing with his, yet I maintained my hold until his face turned purple. His nails dug into the flesh of my hand, scraping my skin off in several spots. I snarled, pressing my nose into his, "This is just a taste of what you will get if you betray me."

I let go of his neck with an added shove. Climbing to my feet, I watched him crawl across the ground. On impulse, I landed another kick to his gut before stomping toward Emmett. I pulled him from Tim with a few hard tugs. "We're done. Let's get the fuck out of here."

Once my brother disappeared inside his car, I ran toward mine and hopped in the backseat nearly colliding with Bella. Breathing hard, I lifted my weight off her, spying the blade in her hand. With a bloody grin, I studied my wife. "Whatcha doin', princess? Gonna stab someone?"

Bella's hand shook as she released the knife, the blade falling forgotten to the floor, as she reached up to cup my cheeks. Gingerly, she examined the bruising flesh, exhaling with a shudder. "If he would've hit you again, I would've."

Sincerity shone from her gaze, her nostrils flaring like she was overcome with emotion. I reached for her, my hands encircling her waist to pull her into my lap. I hissed, the broken skin on my knuckles stinging as I cupped her cheek. She said she would have stabbed Randy to protect me and I had little doubt of that fact. "Baby, it was a staged fight. I was supposed to get fucked up a bit."

She nestled against my chest, pillowing her head on my shoulder, and her gaze never wavered from mine. "I don't give a shit. I don't want to see you hurt by accident or on purpose." She took a deep breath and let out a contented sigh as she wiggled deeper into my embrace. She used the tip of her finger to trace my bottom lip, pausing at my split lip. "So, what happens now?"

"Now," I started, bending down to peck her lips, "I take my wife home and we finish our discussion about my pet name."

Her green eyes sparkled, and a flirty grin claimed her lips. Her next question was barely a whisper. "And then what?"

I kissed her again. I probed her closed lips with the tip of my tongue, sweeping inside when she gasped. Relishing her sweet taste, I nipped her bottom lip, nuzzling her as I pulled away. "Then, I will make you my wife in every sense of the word, princess."

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