Mafia Princess

Chapter Thirty-Two

Twilight...not mine (sigh).

Chapter Thirty-Two

"We'll play it by ear, Bella," I said. "Come on. Let's go and meet with Aro."

"God, I hate him," Bella hissed. "He's such a douchebag. Why is he even here? He's the one who called the hit."

"He's probably getting some sick perverse pleasure on seeing this. He also probably wants to see who is still alive in your father's organization that he still needs to take out. Your dad, Emmett, you...you're all targets. It's more important now that you have around the clock protection," I said quietly.

"Can I punch him?" Bella asked, crossing her arms across her chest.

"No, you can't punch him," I said, guiding Bella out of the adjacent funeral parlor. We walked back to where Charlie was sitting with Seth and Emmett. Jacob was back in the front with his sisters. He looked marginally better than before, but still had the appearance of being higher than a kite.

Bella sat down next to her father, taking his hand and leaning her head on his good shoulder. He kissed her forehead, murmuring against her skin. I stood just behind Bella, next to Emmett. "Is bambina okay?" he asked quietly.

"She is," I replied.

Emmett gave me a quick look and he smiled. "You like her."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I said curtly. Yes, you do like her, but you can't act on it.

"You lie," Emmett snickered. "Edward, my cousin is a handful but she's got a good heart."

"I can hear you," Bella snapped playfully, giving Emmett a teasing glare.

"Good. You're supposed to," Emmett chuckled, ruffling her hair. Bella growled, smacking his hands away.

"Hush, both of you. Aro's on his way," Charlie groused. We sobered up. Aro was a short man with big, bushy brown hair. His eyes were calculating and looked inherently evil. When he smiled, it was terrifying, honestly. He was smiling as he walked toward us. His wife was tall and statuesque. She looked bored and disinterested, but was dressed immaculately with huge diamonds adorning her fingers, ears and around her neck. Linked to Aro was a petite, brunette girl who looked to be as old as Bella. She looked sweet and innocent in her face but her outfit was anything but. She had more skin exposed than covered. Looking at Bella and this girl, there was no comparison.

Bella was gorgeous, perfection and sexy wrapped in one tiny, feisty package.

Aro's daughter was, for lack of a better term, a skank.

Hulking behind Aro and his family were two men that were physically imposing. One was shorter with long, shaggy brown hair and shifty black eyes. He was muscular and looked lethal. The other one was a full head and a half taller than the first guy. His lighter brown hair was cropped closed to his head and his hazel eyes were shrewd, sharp and like Aro's, evil.

"Charlie," Aro said in a high-pitched, nasally voice. "It's such a pleasure."

Charlie stood up and held out his hand. Aro grasped it, pulling Charlie into his arms. They hugged each other stiffly, kissing each other's cheeks. "You, as well," Charlie said formerly. "We're so glad that you could make it to the wake for Billy."

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world," Aro said, smiling slyly. He turned to his family. "You remember my wife, Sulpicia and daughter, Renata, don't you?"

"Of course," Charlie said, kissing both women. "Thank you for being here."

Sulpicia smiled. I think. She had so much plastic surgery done that I couldn't really tell what her expression was. Renata looked at me, licking her lips hungrily. She, not too subtly, tugged down her top to reveal more of her cleavage and pushed up her skirt, bringing it dangerously close to the apex of her thighs. Really, she is a skank.

"Is this little Isabella?" Aro asked as he gestured to Bella. She stood up and gave Aro a genuine grin. "My, you've grown. You look almost exactly like your mother. God rest dear Renee's soul. How are you?"

"I'm fine, Aro," she replied politely. "And you?"

"I'm excellent. My family is happy and healthy and I get to see my dear friend, Charlie,"Aro smirked. "Who are the rest of the people with you, Charlie?"

"Oh, yes. You remember Emmett McCarty? John's son," Charlie said deliberately. Emmett grinned and shook Aro's hand. "Seth Clearwater, he's our driver and works in security." Charlie looked at me and gave me a surreptitious grin. "Finally, Edward Masen. He's Bella's boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" Renata whined.

"Yes, boyfriend," Bella beamed. I snaked my arm around her waist and kissed her head. Way to throw us under the bus, Charlie, but what a way to go.

A/N: Pictures of Aro and his family are on my blog. Link is in my profile. Find me on Facebook: Tufano79's Twilight Fanfiction Appreciation or on Twitter: tufano79.

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