Mafia Princess

Chapter Seventeen

New Story...I'm attempting a drabble. Rather, my version of drabble...a 1000 words or less per chapter. (Dear God, I'm afraid.) But excited, too. It'll force me to be more forward with my plotlines and yeah. Anyhow, none of this mine. I'm not, nor ever will be, Stephenie Meyer. I just like to play with her characters.

Chapter Seventeen

A half hour later, I pulled up to Charlie's massive estate on Mercer Island. The home was gorgeous. It reminded me of Carlisle and Esme's home in Bellevue. Only on a grander scale. Charlie and Emmett were arguing in the back about what happened at the dock. I was shell-shocked at the amount of violence James' men had imparted on Charlie's team.

Just as parked the car in the garage, I heard Charlie talking to someone on the phone. He said something about a cleanup team. A few sniffles caught my attention. Charlie was crying and trying not to. Emmett saw this and he wrapped his arms around him. Sobs erupted from Charlie. I slid out of the car and sat down on the bumper of the Hummer. I noticed a tiny Audi in the garage and Porsche in the driveway.

Emmett and Charlie got out of the car. Charlie was woozy from the loss of blood. I helped him up the stairs. "Stay out here, Edward. I want you to protect my daughter. You saved me and protected me with your life. I want that for my baby girl. However, it will take some...convincing," he said, grimacing slightly. "Bella is quite spirited."

"I'll wait out here, Charlie," I said.

Charlie gently cupped my face with his good hand. "You're a good man, Edward Masen," he whispered. He turned and went inside. Once he was out of my sight, I fell onto the stairs of the garage. My heart was rapidly beating against my ribs. I was incredibly nervous and anxious after Charlie touched me. I couldn't really dwell on it, though. The garage door opened and a tiny girl with dark brown raced past me. Her Porsche roared to life and she whipped it out of the driveway.

A few moments later, Emmett came outside. "It's your cue, man. You ready to meet bambina?" Emmett asked.

"Should I be afraid?"

"Nah. Her bark is worse than her bite," Emmett snickered. He held his hand out to me. Tentatively, I took it and he helped me up. He immediately released my hand and began yammering. "You're getting a great deal, Edward. This house is massive and you're going to be staying in the southern wing of the house. It's a sweet set up. My cousin lives there and she's got the best of everything. She'll be more than accommodating."

"I don't want to be a nuisance," I said, frowning slightly.

"You won't, Edward. Uncle Charlie trusts you implicitly. You saved his life," Emmett said quietly. "Took out three of Aro's stunads easily."

"I'd do it again," I chuckled. And I would.

"Come on, this way," Emmett said as he guided me through the mud room to the kitchen. Standing next to Charlie was a woman with long brown hair that was pulled back into a messy ponytail. She looked at me and within one glance, I knew. Bella was my Little One.

She blinked at me, her eyes dilated and her chest heaving. "You," she breathed. "From the club?"

Shit. "Yes," I said, nodding my head.

"Daddy," she said sharply. "I can't. Not him. Anyone but him." She turned on her heel and ran out of the kitchen. My heart fell to my feet. But, it would have to stay there. Bella was now my responsibility and not the object of my affections. She was now a part of the job. It didn't matter that her gentle touch made me feel whole for the first time in my life. It didn't matter that she made my heart race.

She was a part of the organization that I was sent to take down.

Collateral damage.

Forget her, Cullen. She'd just break your heart, anyway.

A/N: Not what you expected, huh? Trust me when it will get better. Slow burn, as it were. Find me on Facebook: Tufano79's Twilight Fanfiction Appreciation or on twitter: tufano79. Leave me some! ;-)

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