Mafia Princess

Chapter One-Hundred Seventy-Seven

Twilight...not mine (sigh).

Chapter 177

EPOV

My mom parked my Volvo next to Emmett's Hummer in the parking garage. My arm was starting the throb. The local they gave me was starting to wear off and I hadn't taken any of the pain pills they gave me. I shrugged it off, cradling my arm against my chest as it lay in the sling. We rode up the elevator to Bella's floor. Walking down the hallway, my mom knocked on Bella's door and Emmett opened it immediately. His eyes landed on my sling and my glassy eyes. "You really did have surgery."

"You thought I was lying?" I asked, walking through the door. Emmett dropped his gaze to his shoes. I rolled my eyes and looked around. Her condo was very sleek but homey. However, there was something off about it.

"Hi, Mrs. Cullen," Emmett said, giving her a shy grin.

"How are you doing, Emmett?" she asked.

"Busy. Worried. Overwhelmed," he replied, shooting me a look. "I carried her into her bedroom. She's been moaning and rocking on her bed. She won't make eye contact and is...something's really wrong, Edward." He led me down the hallway to an open, airy bedroom. Bella was curled up on her bed, clutching Sylvester and staring out into space with a look of pure terror in her eyes. "Irina is out of town for some conference. She was the one who suggested you. If you can't get her out of this, we're going to have to admit her to the hospital."

I didn't know what to do. In the hospital in Portland, I stormed in and took control, protecting her from the orderlies and the incompetent doctor. This was different. Something obviously spooked her and I didn't know what it was. How could I reach her? Plus, my drug-addled brain was not firing on all cylinders, either. "Little One," I whispered, crouching down to be on the same level as her. She whimpered, moving away from me. I held up my good hand. "I'm not going to hurt you, Bella. Listen to my voice. You're safe and..."

"No, I'm not," she hissed, her eyes widening further. "Aro is going to get me!"

I furrowed my brows. Aro was in jail, solitary confinement. He was so far removed from the outside world. The entire Volturi organization was in shambles. We caught everyone in the Pacific Northwest and there were only a handful remaining across the states. "Aro is in prison, Little One," I whispered. "He'll never see the light of day again."

"I saw one," she shrieked, her eyes snapping to mine. "One of them."

"Who, Bella? Let me help you," I said, calmly.

"One of the men from the warehouse," she cried. "He was out and laughing with someone. LAUGHING! He should be dead. Not laughing."

"Describe him, Bella. Did he come into the room with you?" I asked.

"Yes. He held me down whenever Riley..." she trailed off. "He's Riley's brother, Randall. Randall was the man I saw who was laughing." She lunged at me, gripping my t-shirt. "Arrest him, Edward. NOW!" I nodded and reached into my pocket. I sent a text to Jasper, Alice and Rose. It was sloppy but I asked them to investigate Randall Biers, Riley's brother. By now, my arm was in intense pain. The block that was administered to me was gone and I wanted to stick my entire hand into an icebox.

As if my mom knew, she came in with a bottle of water and three pills. Two were my pain pills and one was an anxiety pill for Bella. "Take your meds, Edward," she chided. I picked up the pain pills and swallowed them without water. Then I took Bella's sleeping pill, giving her a tight smile. "I'll be out in the kitchen, cooking for you two. I'm still not leaving you. You were unconscious for how many hours? Get some rest!" She kissed my head and took off my hat before leaving the bedroom, closing the door.

I turned back to Bella. "Little One, can you take some medicine for me?" I asked, holding out her pill.

"I hate the way they make me feel," she grumbled, staring at my shirt. "I feel like I'm floating and not all here."

That sounds really good about now.

She looked up at me and she squeaked when she noticed my sling. "What happened?"

"I broke my arm sparring with Jasper. I had surgery this morning to get pins put in it to ensure it healed properly," I replied, running my good hand through my hair. "Emmett called while I was in recovery. I came over as soon as I could."

She blinked a few times, tears splashing onto her pale cheeks. She lunged at me, wrapping her arms around my neck. I caught her with my good hand and we tumbled onto the ground. "I'm so sorry, Edward. I fucked up. Please, forgive me. I'm sorry, so sorry. I shouldn't have..."

"Shhhh," I soothed, grimacing slightly since she landed on my arm. "It's in the past. Let's move forward. Okay?" She nodded, trying to move closer. "But, Bella, you have to get off me. You're crushing my broken arm."

"Fuck," she squeaked, rolling off me and scrambling back onto the bed. I got up and shifted nervously. She moved, patting the mattress. "Stay, Edward. We have a lot to talk about."

I nodded, putting her pill onto the bedside table. Bella reached across and took it with the water. She lay down on the pillows, giving me an apologetic grin. I didn't say anything. I just leaned back. We stared at each other. It was awkward between us. "I'm sorry," she said groggily. "Can you ever forgive me?"

"It's going to take time, Bella," I answered honestly. "My feelings for you haven't changed. I was wrong in shutting you out after you asked for time, but how you left hurt more. But, I'm hurting, my brain is mush and all I want to do is sleep. Let's do that, okay?"

"Can I cuddle with you?" she asked in a tiny voice. "I've missed you, Edward. More than ever."

I nodded and she wriggled closer, putting her head on my chest. I wrapped my arm around her tiny body, shocked at how skinny she had gotten. However, for the first time since she told me that she needed to be on her own, I felt like I could breathe. "I missed you, too," I whispered in the darkness before my eyes drifted shut and sleep claimed me.

A/N: Up next will be their discussion and then I'm moving the story forward. Stagnation is NEVER fun. You know? And I do promise, lemons will be making a comeback. Scouts honor and all that jazz. Leave me some!

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