Chapter 23

~Welcome to the Family~

Bella looked up at me with such trust and adoration. I didn't fucking deserve it. I wasn't watching closely enough, didn't arrive soon enough. If not for Aro's safe room, Bella would be ashes. The thought sent a fierce pang slicing through me. She clung to me, and I held her as tight as I dared, thankful to be holding her in my arms.

Angela and Aro walked into the room together. Bella pulled away and gasped, flicking her eyes my way. She realized there was no longer a way to hide me from Aro. "Dad, we need to talk."

Aro stood at the foot of her bed. "You think?" His tone was frosty.

Angela's eyes were wide, and she hurried to Bella's side, grasping her hand. When she saw the bruises on my face, her mouth dropped open, but she remained silent. I winked at her, hoping to telegraph the message that all was well.

"Dad, don't freak out, okay?" Bella started out, glancing at me. Her fingers tightened against my forearm. "I know you're going to be disappointed in me. I tried to be a good daughter and do what's expected of me, but I failed."

Aro nodded. "Are you sorry, Isabella Marie?"

"No. Yes." She swallowed convulsively, leaning forward. "Dad, I'm not sorry about my choices, but I am sorry I'm a disappointment to you."

Aro's expression was thunderous. "Never say anything of the kind again!"

"Dad, please—"

"Don't interrupt me! You are not a disappointment. You never could be, my beautiful daughter. I must be the disappointment if you felt you couldn't talk to me." He softened his tone, looking aggrieved. "Am I that unapproachable?"

Bella seemed confused. "Wait—you're not mad?"

"Oh, I'm pissed as fuck. You kept some very important information from me. Please understand that I need to know exactly what's happening in my organization. Lack of knowledge comes across as weakness, which invites others to attack and pick apart the carcass."

"Agreed." I felt the need to chime in. Weakness was a death sentence.

Bella glanced up at the sound of my voice and sucked in a breath, reaching up to touch my cheek. "What happened to your face?"

I took her hand and brought it to my lips for a kiss. "Nothing to fret about."

She was silent for a moment before shooting Aro an accusing look. "This was you, wasn't it? Did you beat him?"

"Yes, but I didn't know the truth at the time."

I smirked, placing a kiss on her temple. "Worth it."

Angela stood silent, wide-eyed. Surely this was potentially good news for her and Santo. Perhaps she hadn't realized that yet.

"And you!" Aro turned a stern look in Angela's direction. "You didn't consider the ramifications of my being unaware of what's happening under my nose? You grew up in this life!"

"I-I'm sorry, Uncle Aro." She hung her head, contrite.

"Wait a minute. What the hell happened?" Bella sat up straight, glancing between me and Aro. She'd noticed my bandaged hand. "Did you break his fingers?"

"Save your outrage, princess. I burned my hand trying to save you from the fire. It's a good thing I wasn't able to get in because you were already in the tunnels."

"How do you know . . ."

Aro clapped his hands sharply. "Okay, here's what we're going to do. Isabella, you and Edward catch up. I'm going to have Marcus join us in the study shortly. We need to put our heads together and come up with a plan. Everyone thinks you're dead, and I'm not inclined to correct that assumption." His face softened, and he reached out to pat her leg. "I do love you, and I want you to be happy."

Tears pooled in Bella's eyes. "I love you too, Dad."

I raised a hand. "Aro, where's Jasper Hale?'

"He's fine. It was a bluff." Aro smirked and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Thank God.

Angela threw her hands up. "What the fuck is going on? Feels like I fell down the rabbit hole."

Bella nodded. "Same."

And so I held my princess in my arms, Angela perched on the end of the bed, and I told them the crazy story about the fire, the trap Aro set at Saint Mary's, and my moments in captivity.

"Wait—my dad gave you permission to marry me?" Bella's eyes went wide.

"He did." I smiled, hugging her tighter. "I don't know what that means since you're supposed to be dead . . . but you're all mine."

Bella squealed. "Oh, my god! Ang, that means you and Santo can be together!"

Angela didn't seem as excited. "I don't know. There's still Lou and his family to contend with. And if you're supposed to be dead, he'll have to play the grieving fiancé."

Bella reached out, grabbing Angela's hand. "It will all work out somehow. You are not marrying that cheating piece of shit."

Angela smiled, squeezing Bella's hand. "You're like a sister to me. I don't know what I'd do without you." Her dark eyes shone with tears. "I'll see you in a few. I'm going to look for my dad."

Once we were alone in the room, I breathed a sigh of relief. Sitting up, I turned so I could face Bella and ran my hands over her gently. "Are you okay, princess? Really okay?"

"Hey," she said softly, grabbing my hands. "Tony, I'm fine. My throat is irritated, but that's it."

Her soft brown eyes gazed back at me with adoration. Guilt weighed on my heart. I felt responsible for her safety, and I wasn't watching closely enough. I was complacent and believed Aro had a handle on his shit. "You could have died. You would have if not for the safe room."

She looked down, a strange expression playing across her delicate features. "Somebody wanted me dead. They blocked the door. There was a cell phone in the desk drawer that rang. When I answered, I could hear someone breathing on the other end, and then they hung up. Right after that, they sent a text that said 'Enjoy your time in the afterlife.' Whoever was on the other end knew I was trapped and wanted me to know it."

White-hot rage spread through me. I didn't want to frighten Bella, so I forced it back. "I'm going to kill whoever is responsible." I cupped her face between my hands, looking into her eyes. "Do you believe me?"

Bella nodded, her eyes bright. "Y-yes. I believe you."

No objection. That's my girl. I didn't want to have to fight with her about it. Dropping my gaze to her soft lips, I moved closer, kissing her long and slow. I cupped the back of her head with my uninjured hand and ghosted the fingers of the other back and forth over her clavicle. Bella reached for me, digging her nails into my sides. She kissed me back passionately and tried to move in closer.

I felt the wetness of her tears a moment before she pulled back and let out a sob. "I-I almost died tonight. Somebody wants me dead, Tony."

I leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "I vow to take out anyone who tries to hurt you."

Bella sobbed, pressing a hand against her mouth. "I n-need to tell you something. It changes everything. Oh my god." She stopped crying and gazed up at me with true fear in her eyes.

"What is it, princess?"

"I'm . . . I'm . . ." She gulped in air, swallowing anxiously. "You're going to be a father. I'm pregnant."

That was the last thing I expected to hear, and I stared back, speechless. So many emotions whirled inside me at once, creating a cyclone of feelings. Excitement and happiness bloomed inside, followed by a chaser of outrage and horror. Whoever almost killed Bella also endangered my child. My child. My heir. A child with the woman I loved.

I leaped from the bed and put my fist through the wall. Pain and intense burning reverberated through my hand and up my arm. Of course my dominant hand was the one I burned at the hotel and the one I led with. I nearly passed out from overwhelming agony, the edges of my vision growing fuzzy. "Fuck!"

Bella gasped, covering her mouth.

"I'll be okay," I muttered roughly.

"Are you upset with me? You don't want our baby?" She let out a plaintive wail.

"What?!" I forgot about my hand and fell to my knees beside the bed. "How could you think such a thing? I couldn't be happier!" I brought one of her hands to my lips and kissed it reverently. "The love of my life is carrying our child."

"Th-then why did you punch the wall?"

My expression darkened, marring the joy I felt. "Whoever set that fucking fire almost killed our child too. For that, I wish they could die twice."

"Me too," Bella whispered.

oOo

We walked hand in hand into Aro's study. Angela and Marcus sat in chairs next to each other. I guided Bella to a loveseat, placing a protective arm around her shoulders. Marcus looked me over with a critical eye, but he didn't seem surprised; Aro must have filled him in.

Aro leaned against the fireplace with a pensive expression. "I want to keep this conversation small and private. I suddenly find myself wondering who can be trusted."

Marcus tilted his head. "And you're sure about this?" He gestured toward Bella and me.

I clenched my jaw, ready to defend our position, but Aro beat me to it.

"Absolutely. I interrogated him myself." Aro shot Marcus a look. "Are you questioning my decisions?"

"Calm the fuck down. Just making sure."

Angela nudged her father's arm. "I can vouch for Tony."

"Who the fuck is Tony?" Aro and Marcus asked at the same time.

"That's me." I lifted a hand. "I prefer it over using my father's name, but I'll answer to Edward too."

Marcus glared at Angela. "What the fuck do you have to do with this?"

She swallowed hard. "I ran interference . . . so they could be together."

He looked up at the ceiling and let out a string of curses in Italian. Whatever he said made Angela's face burn. "What else have you done, Angie? I have a feeling there's more."

"Um . . . I'm not m-marrying Lou."

"Oh, you think so, huh?"

She glanced up, eyes blazing. "He's a lying, cheating bastard! I refuse to let that walking STD touch me. And I'm . . . in love with someone else."

Marcus laughed, low and dangerous. "This just keeps getting better and better." He caught Aro's eye. "Did you know about this?"

Aro shook his head. "No, but you have my attention, Angela."

Angela looked to Bella for an answer. "Should I?"

Bella nodded. "Yeah, honey. We all need to be on the same page."

Angela stared at her clenched hands. "Well, I'm in love with . . . um . . . Santo."

Marcus barked a laugh. "Santo. Bella's fiancé."

"Ex-fiancé, Uncle Marcus." Bella corrected him softly.

"Because you are going to marry a Masen?" His dark eyes returned to Aro. "Have you lost your fucking mind?"

"There's more." I tightened my hand on Bella's and looked to her for permission. She nodded. "Bella is carrying my child. Whoever set that fire is going to die by my hand along with anyone who ever tries to harm her in the future. I will gladly lay down my life for Bella and our baby."

Angela was the only one of the three who didn't look surprised. I guess Bella really does share everything with her.

"Gesù Cristo!" Marcus slapped his forehead and let loose another string of curses.

Aro, on the other hand, smiled widely. "I'm going to be a grandfather? Do you realize what this could mean for our families?"

I rose from the loveseat. "No! Unless circumstances change significantly, our relationship and this baby need to be kept secret."

Aro stared me down. "Do I look like a moron to you? Bella will remain 'dead' until the situation has been dealt with. I won't let anyone take another shot at her—or my grandchild!"

I backed off, raising my hands. "Sorry, Aro. I'm just . . . they were almost taken from me. I didn't even know about the baby until a few minutes ago."

"Forget it. Emotions are running high for all of us. Will you be able to keep this from your family?"

"Yes, with the exception of my brother and sister—they know about our relationship but are behind us one hundred percent." I paused, wondering if I should keep the info about Tanya Denali to myself. In the end, I decided we needed to have everything on the table. "There's something else. Tanya Denali knows about us, and she's trying to blackmail me into marrying her. She threatened to tell the heads of all the families."

This time, Aro rambled in Italian for quite some time, going back and forth with Marcus. A vein throbbed in his forehead, and his face was red. Angela seemed to lose track of the heated conversation and gave up, shrugging her shoulders. Eventually, the two of them looked at each other for a long moment, and Marcus nodded.

Aro let out a bone-weary sigh, clenching his fists and staring into the fire, eyes unfocused. "I've suspected for quite some time that there is disloyalty in my ranks. Someone is helping my enemies, perhaps with the promise of a higher position in another family. Whoever set that fire knew too much about our operation—and yet not enough. They were able to isolate Isabella, lock her in a soundproof room, and disable the sprinkler system." He raised his head and met the gazes of each of us in turn. "What they didn't know about was the safe room. Therefore, the rat among us is not at the highest level of our organization but isn't a soldier either. This betrayal is unacceptable, and I will find the fucker who did this and deal with them harshly."

"Harshly" meant death, and I could see in Bella's eyes that she knew this.

Bella lifted her chin, steel in her expression. "Whoever did this almost killed my baby. I want them to pay dearly. It's not enough to snuff out their pathetic lives—they must feel the pain and agony of betrayal and have what they love most taken from them."

There was a short, surprised silence around the room. Bella was new to this life, and rumor had it she'd fought hard against her mafia roots. Sometimes it took threatening someone you loved more than yourself to understand what family meant and that it must be protected at all costs.

I linked my fingers with hers and turned, locking gazes with her. "Let me do this for you." She started to protest, and I placed a finger against her lips. "No matter what has been done to you, taking a life is a burden that never goes away. I don't want you to live with that, to be haunted by it. Getting hands dirty is our job." I nodded toward Marcus and Aro.

Aro nodded. "That's right, my beautiful daughter. I never thought I would say this, but listen to Edward." His lips tilted in a sardonic smile. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Welcome to the family, Masen."

Aro came to stand before me with his hand out. I stood, and we shook hands. Then he pulled me in for a hug, patting me on the back. I expected him to lean in and deliver some kind of threat about his daughter, but he didn't. What he did do was take a switchblade from his pocket. He slashed his palm and then mine, allowing our blood to mingle when I accepted his offered hand—a blood oath that could only be broken by death.

"It's an honor, Aro."

I glanced at Marcus, who was watching closely. He rose and looked into my eyes for a long moment; then he took out his own knife and welcomed me too.

We talked long into the night, making plans and discussing strategy. A funeral would be held for Bella. Aro would put the word out on the street that he suspected the Masen family of ordering the hit. For all I knew, my father was involved, and if he was, that meant he was running a multi-layered organization, the extent of which Emmett and I were not privy to. I already knew my father was keeping his past and certain deviant parts of his business dealings from me—what else was he hiding?

After a significant amount of tussling, Aro agreed Bella should stay at Jasper's. The penthouse was high security, had a hidden room, and it was somewhere I could come and go without suspicion. The downside was that Aro couldn't visit, but we all agreed it would be healthier than keeping Bella below-ground in the tunnels, especially in her condition.

Angela would play the part of the grieving best friend and cousin. Nobody would find it suspicious when bodyguards flanked her wherever she went.

Traps would be set, bait laid out. We would lure our enemies into a false sense of complacency, let them believe everything was going their way. Then when they least expected it, we would strike.

~oOo~

Sorry for the delays in posting. I've got a lot going on right now.

An alliance is forming. I feel sorry for anyone who tried or tries to hurt Bella! They won't receive any mercy from Tony. Love all the theories you guys come up with! Keep 'em coming!

**I receive many queries asking if this story will be HEA. Prepare to be twisted into a pretzel, but this will definitely be HEA.

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

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