Mafia Princess

Chapter Seventy-Four

Twilight...not mine (sigh).

Chapter Seventy-Four

She was glaring at me. "Why are you trying to hide how you're feeling? Edward, I can see it in your eyes. You're freaking out."

"Okay, I'm freaking out," I grumbled, sitting down on a chair. "I hate that I'm this weak. I'm a fucking pussy who can't be touched and I fucking hate it." I pulled off my hat and ran my hands through my hair. Bella crouched in front of me, taking my hands in hers. I looked down at her, staring into her deep chocolate eyes. "I don't understand, Bella. Why can I touch you without any repercussions but...?"

"I won't hurt you," she said, brushing my hair away from my face. "I hate what your father did to you, Edward. If I could go back and make him pay for what he did, I would."

"I already did that," I said flatly, remembering vividly as I stabbed each time. My mind swirled and I was soon enveloped in a flashback...

"You worthless piece of shit. Can't you have dinner ready when I come home?" my father screamed at my mom.

"I would but we don't have anything to eat, Edward," she said, cowering in the kitchen. "You gambled away our food money."

"BITCH!" he bellowed, backhanding her with his fist. She hit her head on the edge of the counter before falling onto the linoleum floor. He grabbed her dirty dress, pummeling her with his fists. "Worthless cunt! All you do is drain me dry! You and that worthless brat you said I fathered. He's not mine, bitch." He tossed her the ground, straddling her waist. He pushed her head onto the floor, filling our tiny apartment with loud hollow thuds. "I hate you! I hate you! I hate your son! I hate you!"

When she groaned, falling unconscious, the monster turned to me. His green eyes were blazing in hatred and anger. I looked frantically at the door, needing to escape, but he blocked my way. He stood up and grabbed my shirt. "Your mom got off easy, fucktard," he hissed in my face. "You? Not so much. What haven't I broken? I've broken both wrists, your right leg, sprained your left ankle...I know! I can break every fucking rib!" His green eyes were maniacal as he wrapped his arms around me in a tight embrace.

"NO! STOP! Daddy, please!" I screamed.

"I'm not your daddy," he bellowed, throwing me across the room. Breathing was hard. He stalked over to me and he picked me up, squeezing me painfully. I whimpered in agony as I felt my bones give under his muscular grip. Something snapped inside and I sobbed. A knock at the door broke his attention. He dropped me, stomping over to the door. I could hear him talking to a friend of his and he left the apartment. I crawled to my mom. She was unconscious with her face bloodied. I couldn't do anything. I didn't know what to do. So, I curled up next to her and cried...

"Edward! Come back to me, angelo," Bella called. "Don't cry, baby."

"I'm sorry," I croaked out as I wiped my face. I looked at her and she was crying, too. With a shaky hand, I wiped her cheek. "Did I hurt you?"

"No, you were mumbling and I heard what you were saying," she whispered. "Your dad tried to break your ribs?"

"Not tried, did," I said. "He tried when I was eight, but my mom diverted his attention. That was when I was nine."

"Why didn't you leave?"

"No money. My mom didn't have any money. She tried to hoard cash, but my dad would find her stash and take it from her, going on a drinking binge which resulted in a wonderful session for the both of us. It was a vicious cycle, Bella." I closed my eyes, remembering my mom and missing her deeply. I opened my eyes and took Bella's face in my hands. "I promise you, Little One, that I will never raise my hand to you in anger. I promise."

"I know, angelo," she said as she threw herself into my arms. She hugged my neck, sobbing quietly. I held her tightly, burying my nose into her hair and allowing her sweet, spicy scent calm me. A few tears spilled out of my eyes as I held her against my body. "When we get back, would you be willing to talk to someone? I know you said that getting therapy wasn't a priority since you didn't have the money but it's obvious that you're struggling with this. My touch is not the cure-all for this problem, Edward. You've got the money now since I want to help you. Let me do this?"

I nodded, kissing her neck softly. "This had gone on long enough. Thank you, Little One, for helping me," I said, lacing my fingers with hers.

"Are you better now?"

"I am. Thank you for calming me down," I whispered, kissing the spot behind her ear. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

"I'm sorry that your dad hurt you so badly that you have these panic attacks," Bella muttered, cupping my cheek. "It hurts me to see someone that I l-l-l-, um care for to be in so much pain." Her face flamed and she dropped her gaze to my neck. She let out a shaky breath. "You still want to do this?"

"Yeah. If Jane is in Italy and trying to find you, I want to make sure that I know how to handle these weapons. Each gun has its own quirks and nuances." Bella caught my chin and stared at me. Her eyes were glittering, emotion swirling in them. She smiled at me softly and kissed me, pressing her mouth against mine. It was the most tender kiss we'd shared to date and I knew...

I knew that I loved Isabella del Cigno.

And that scared the shit out of me.

A/N: He came to realization. Do you think he's gonna tell her? Or is he going to keep that little tidbit of information to himself? No pictures for this. However, if you want to see previous pictures, you can find them under my Mafia Princess tab on my blog. You can see the NSFW pictures on my tumblr. Link for both of those pages on my profile. You can also find me on Facebook: Tufano79's Twilight Fanfiction Appreciation or on Twitter: tufano79. Leave me some!