Chapter 8

~Blood and Secrets~

Bangs, thumps, and hushed voices drew me out of a deep sleep. I fought to stay in my dream where I walked on a sandy beach with Tony. We held hands as we strolled along the surf, stopping every so often to kiss. It seemed so real, I even felt the warmth of the sun on my skin and the softness of his lips on mine.

Tony smiled at me, but his words were lost as he faded away. I flopped over in bed, burrowing deeper under the covers and tried desperately to return to the beach.

A crash, followed by a scream of pain yanked me from what was left of the peaceful scene. I sat up suddenly, experiencing a wave of dizziness. For a moment, I was disoriented and wondered where I was. The unfamiliar room was dark, the sky outside just beginning to morph from cobalt to a pale blue.

The penthouse. I remembered Jasper saying goodnight, and Angela was staying in the next room.

"Jesus Christ, man!"

An agonized "Fuuuuuck!" rang out.

A pause.

The only sound I heard was my heart pounding in my ears.

"God damn it! He's out! Lift him up. Help me get him over here."

I gave no thought to the fact I was wearing only a long T-shirt over my underwear. I forgot about my disguise, leaving the glasses and wig on the nightstand as I hurried from the room.

The tile was cold beneath my bare feet as I raced up the hall. The penthouse door was open, giving me a view of the foyer and the large puddle of blood on the floor outside the elevator. There were congealing drips and smaller puddles leading into the suite.

I reached the end of the hall, following the murmured voices coming from the living room. My foot shot out from under me, and I let out a shriek, hitting the floor hard and sliding a few feet. I was horrified to realize what I'd slipped on—smears of blood streaked along the tile in my wake.

Jasper hurried over and reached for me, helping me to my feet. "You okay?"

"I'll live." I rubbed at my hip. "Where's Tony? Is this—is it his blood?"

Jasper nodded grimly. "Yeah."

That was all I needed to hear. I rushed into the room, and there he was—my Tony—lying on a sofa chaise. His skin was pale, and his black shirt was wet. I realized what the wetness was when some of it spilled over onto the sheet of white plastic wedged underneath him. So much blood!

The "No!" that came out of me was more of an exhalation as I sank to the floor beside the chaise and grabbed his hand. Tony looked so pale and still. Cuts and bruises covered his handsome face, one eye blackened and swollen shut. Tears spilled down my cheeks and fear cut through me. What if he doesn't make it?

Tony's brother was on the phone by the windows, pacing back and forth. His hand rubbed at the back of his neck. "Yeah . . . yeah. Listen to me carefully—I want that fucker dead. D-E-A-D! Any other outcome, and I'll do some fucking damage." After a short pause, he yelled, "Make it happen!"

Emmett Masen turned, and I saw savagery in his face. His expression gentled considerably when he looked at his brother. His dark gaze landed on me holding Tony's hand. "Who the fuck are you?"

I stared up at him wordlessly.

He walked over and crouched beside me, softening his voice. "Why are you crying and holding my brother's hand?"

I shook my head, unsure what to say. "Will he make it?" I whispered.

"If death comes knocking, I'll fight the creepy fuck off myself. Edward won't be dying today."

The elevator dinged.

"Doctor Cullen is here!" Jasper called out.

Where the hell was Angela with all this commotion going on? I wanted to ask Jasper, but I was afraid of saying anything in front of Emmett.

Tony groaned, shifting slightly. He turned his head, and the gaze of his open eye landed on me. "Princess," he sighed, squeezing my hand.

"'Princess?'" Emmett echoed, eyebrows raised.

A tall, blonde man with a regal bearing hurried into the room. He had a large, black doctor's bag with him. Jasper laid gentle hands on my shoulders, urging me to move so the doctor could work on Tony. Reluctantly, I let go of his hand and allowed Jasper to lead me away.

I leveled him with my most stubborn look. "I'm not leaving this room."

Jasper held his hands up. "Didn't expect you would."

"Where's Angela?" I mouthed.

"Early morning departure. I assured her I'd make sure you got home safe."

I didn't bother asking about taking Tony to the hospital because I knew it would never happen. I just prayed this doctor was a miracle worker.

"What happened?" the doctor asked.

Emmett slammed a fist into his palm. "Fucking ambush. He was beaten and stabbed. They left him for dead. Thank fuck I had a feeling something wasn't right." He looked up at the ceiling, trying to hold tears at bay. "This is my fucking fault. I led him right into the lion's den!"

The doctor cut Tony's shirt up the middle, pulling the material away from the wound. A fresh glut of blood oozed onto the plastic. "Christ. Who did this?"

"That don't matter, Doc. Better you don't ask any more questions." The pure hatred in Emmett's eyes frightened me.

"This is going to hurt, Edward. I'm sorry."

Tony screamed, thrashing on the plastic. He let loose a colorful string of expletives. "This hurts worse than being shot!"

"You've been shot?" The words were out before I could stop them.

Tony glared at Jasper. "Get her out of here, man!"

I dodged Jasper, hovering closer to Tony. "I'm not leaving you!"

Tony groaned in response to something Dr. Cullen did. He tried to smile at me, but I could see how much pain he was in. "You need to clean yourself up and dress . . . appropriately, princess. I don't like seeing blood on you, even if it's not yours. I promise . . . not to go anywhere." He started to laugh but it turned into a breathless coughing fit.

Jasper put his arm around me. "Come on. Let's get you cleaned up."

I allowed him to lead me from the room. I glanced back at Tony one last time. Emmett Masen stood over the prone form of his brother, arms crossed, staring at me with great interest.

Jasper led me back to the guest room, promising to return with clothes. I stood in the middle of the room, afraid to touch anything. He returned with a T-shirt and sweatpants.

"Emmett Masen is one scary fucker," I whispered.

Jasper grinned. "He can be. Let's just say, you want him on your team."

"I was afraid you were going to say that." I swallowed around the lump forming in my throat. It was too late to pretend I didn't know Tony, and I could no longer use my disguise to fool Emmett. What could I do but pray?

I was the daughter of his enemy.

~*oOo*~

After taking a quick shower, I pulled on the clothes Jasper gave me. I had to roll the waistband of the sweats a few times but was thankful the legs had cuffs at the bottom. The T-shirt came almost to my knees, so I tied it in a knot on one side. I realized the only shoes I had were my stilettos, so I opted to go barefoot.

This time, I padded up the hall carefully, avoiding Tony's blood. Being barefoot also gave me an advantage: I could hear them before they knew I was coming.

"Em, think about this—if we take him out, we won't know who hired him. Maybe we can use him."

"Edward, I've been at this longer than you. I already fucking know who hired him because he squealed like a pig. He was thinking just like you—that I would bend over so he could fuck me again. The only reason he got away is because I had to choose between revenge and the death of my brother. I'm going to use him to send a message to that stupid fuck." Emmett's voice was frigid.

"Who hired him?"

"Volturi."

My heart bottomed out, pounding in my chest. Was my father responsible for this?

"Are you sure he was telling the truth?"

"Pretty fucking sure."

Tony was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Fuck."

"Yeah, complicated by the fact that you're shtupping his daughter," Emmett replied tersely.

"Don't, Em. She's not part of this."

"The fuck she ain't. Hey, 'princess'! You can come out now. I see your fucking shadow on the wall." Emmett's tone was both mocking and commanding.

There was no way out of it, so I slid around the wall and entered the living room with my head held high. Tony and Emmett were sitting side by side on the couch. There was a tube of blood going from Emmett's arm into Tony's.

I ignored Tony for the moment and met Emmett's stormy blue gaze directly. "You have something to say? Go on."

"You are Volturi's spawn, yeah?"

"Biologically speaking."

"You were worried about my brother. Do you know who the fuck he is?" Emmett watched me closely; I didn't dare take my eyes off him.

"I do."

"What is he to you?"

Anger welled up inside me, and I crossed my arms. "None of your fucking business."

"But it is."

"No, it isn't. That's between us."

Emmett laughed humorlessly, shaking his head. "Edward comes with baggage." He jabbed a finger my way. "You come with baggage. Our world isn't isolated. So sorry to burst your bubble. What the two of you do could have long-reaching consequences and—"

"Enough!" Tony bellowed.

Startled, I looked over at him. He sat there pale and bruised, shirtless, gauze bandaging wrapped around his torso. He was beautiful—despite the cuts, bruises, and black eye—and fierce as he glared at his brother.

"Em, she is off-fucking-limits. Whatever is between me and her is off limits." Tony's voice was pure ice, and his good eye bored into Emmett like a laser.

Emmett held a hand up. "Whoa! This goes beyond an illicit fling, doesn't it?"

Tony looked at me, his expression mirroring Emmett's question.

"Yes, it does," I answered. I ventured closer to them. After all, Emmett was tethered to Tony; what could he do to me? "And that's all you need to fucking know, Emmett Masen."

Emmett's eyebrows rose, and then he let out a loud guffaw. "Well, now I see why he calls you 'princess.' Okay, 'princess'—"

Feeling bold, I took another step forward and interrupted him. "Only Tony calls me that. You can call me Bella."

Emmett nudged his shoulder against Tony's. "She sure told me. I like her. Ballsy." He looked back at me, holding a hand out. "Nice to make your acquaintance, Bella."

I took his offered hand. "Same here."

"Gotta say, Edward—not too many chicks could pull off looking fierce barefoot, wearing clothes three times their size, but this one . . ." Emmett looked at me with admiration.

Tony's lips tilted in a half-smile. "Come here, princess." He patted the cushion next to him.

I sat down, leaving a few inches between us, careful not to bump his wound. Now that I was up close, I looked him over carefully. His left eye was swollen shut, lacerations and discoloration marring the rest of his handsome face. Above the bandaged wound was a large purple-black bruise as if someone had punched or kicked him repeatedly. This was the first time he was shirtless in front of me, and my gaze roamed his muscular arms and sculpted chest, noting a gold chain with a filigree cross and a tattoo over his heart.

I wanted to get a better look at the tattoo, but he told me to come closer, and he put his arm around me. He pulled me snugly against his side and let out a sigh, placing a kiss on the top of my head. Carefully, I rested my cheek against the front of his shoulder and placed my hand over his heart.

"I'm so glad you're here," he whispered, running his fingers through my hair.

"Me too. Tell me if I hurt you."

"I can deal with a little pain if it means I can hold you."

Emmett huffed. "I'd give you lovebirds some privacy, but I'm kind of attached to my brother." He lifted the arm with the tube.

"Jesus, Em. Dr. Cullen! When can I get unhooked from this baboon?" Tony called out.

Emmett laughed. "Is that any way to thank your savior?"

"I'll give you a savior," Tony muttered.

Dr. Cullen came into the room with Jasper, the two of them having a hushed conversation.

The doctor noticed me curled up beside Tony. "Oh, hello. I'm Carlisle Cullen."

Before I could respond, Tony gazed up at Dr. Cullen frostily. "Nobody was here but me, Emmett, and Jasper. Are we clear?"

"Crystal."

"That goes for my father as well." Tony had still not broken his steely glare.

Dr. Cullen hesitated, looking uncomfortable.

"Eventually, you'll be working for me, Doc, and I have a long fucking memory."

"Understood." Dr. Cullen didn't look at me again as he went about talking to Tony and Emmett. "You understand I'm estimating how much blood to transfuse. You'll need a CBC drawn to make sure you received enough. I'm happy to come by to collect the specimen."

"As long as you remember who was here today."

"You, Emmett, and Jasper."

"Good man."

Thirty minutes later, Dr. Cullen removed the needles and packed up his supplies. He spent a few minutes giving Tony care instructions and warned him what to look out for over the next twenty-four hours.

Emmett chugged some orange juice, then ordered a burger from the cafe downstairs. He sat at the coffee table and ate like a starved man, talking with his mouth open and licking his fingers. Despite this, I found Emmett kind of charming, and his loyalty to his brother was ferocious.

Emmett fist-bumped Tony and kissed my hand. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Bella. Leave it to my brother to fall for the forbidden, but your secret is safe with me."

"Thank you, Emmett. It was nice to meet you too."

Jasper came up the hall with a suitcase and laptop bag. "I have to leave for a last-minute business trip, but you guys are welcome to stay as long as you want. I should be back in a few days."

Emmett tilted his head. "You know, it's not a bad idea for you to hole up here for a while, man. Heal up and give me time to take care of business."

Tony nodded. "Yeah. Sounds like a plan."

"Jazzman, I'll coordinate with Tony and send cleaners to take care of the blood on your floor. When you get back, you'll never know your place looked like a scene from Psycho."

"Awesome!" Jasper grinned, then turned to me and Tony. "You guys take care."

Jasper and Emmett got on the elevator together.

And then Tony and I were alone.

oOo

A/N: Iceberg ahead! Looking forward to your thoughts and theories. Princess can hold her own.

I post teasers and links to updates on my blog and on Facebook in the No Rules Twilight Fan Fiction and It All Started With Twilight groups.

Thanks and gratefulness as always to my awesome betas, SassySue (chayasara) and Wendy wmr1601. These ladies make my stuff much more presentable!

Follow me: Twitter atSaritaDreaming, Facebook SarahAislingAuthor, blog saritadreamingdotwordressdotcom.