Mafia Princess

Chapter One-Hundred Thirty-Six

Twilight...not mine (sigh).

Chapter 136

When I woke up, my eyes felt dry, raw and welded shut. I groaned, feeling worse than before I passed out. Next to me, curled up in the chair was my father. He looked very uncomfortable but was sleeping heavily. His snores filled the room. In his hand was his gun, ready to go off if someone came in. Carino was curled up on my chest, purring quietly.

There was a quiet knock at the door. Carlisle's eyes burst open and he held up his gun. "Come in," he said warily.

"It's me," Doc said, slipping inside. "I come unarmed."

"Sorry," Carlisle grumbled. "The last time Edward was left alone, he was attacked by Emmett."

"Ah, I see my patient is awake. How are you feeling, Edward?" Doc asked, prodding Carino to get off my body. She was happy with being moved, scowling at him before curling up on the pillow next to me.

"Like crap," I said tiredly. "But, I can't sit around and do nothing. I've got to find..." My heart started stammering and sweat broke out on my forehead.

"I know," he soothed. "Breathe, Edward. You'll be worthless if you are a mess." He did a quick exam and said that I was to take it easy, not push myself too hard or sit in front of a computer for twelve hours. I nodded, acquiescing to requests. "I know you're gonna say no since you're so stubborn, but do you want anything stronger than ibuprofen for your headache?"

"No. I've got to stay clear-minded. If I take anything other than over the counter, I'm a drooling, incoherent mess. I'll listen to my body and take frequent breaks. I promise. Can I go back to work now?" I asked.

"I want you to try and sleep for at least another two hours, then you can," Doc explained. "You've been put through a great deal of physical trauma. First with your ribs and leg wound, then concussion yesterday with Bella and the attack from Emmett earlier today. Your body needs time to heal."

"He's right, Edward," Carlisle said. "Listen to him."

"Fine," I grumbled, curling up with my cat. My body didn't resist as I easily succumbed to slumber. When I woke up again, it was mid-morning and my stomach was begging for food. I hadn't really eaten anything yesterday. I only drank a shit-ton of coffee and munched on some peanuts nearby. Heaving my sore body out of bed, I took another shower. I threw on a pair of jeans and a button-down shirt from my closet before heading into the dining room. It looked much like the same from yesterday, save for some new faces. Jacob was back and he was working with Alice on names of the Volturi organization. Seth was chatting with Jasper, going over the buildings that were owned by Charlie and also by Aro. Emmett was sitting with Rose, combing over photographs from the highway system.

"Edward, come in the kitchen, sweetheart," Carmen admonished. "I've got all of your favorites." Emmett looked up at me, glaring at me until Rose elbowed in the ribs. He frowned as he gazed back at her. I turned on my heel, walking into the kitchen where Carmen outdid herself. "Eat what you can, Edward."

"What time did you get up to make this feast, Carmen?" I asked as I began making myself a plate.

"Around seven. With everyone here, we needed food to feed an army," she smiled. "How are you feeling?"

"I hurt, but I have to ignore it. I've got to find Bella," I whispered, pushing the food around on my dish. "I need to tell her the truth."

"She loves you so much. She'll listen, especially if you're one of the men going to save her," Carmen said. "You're the first person since Renee died that has made her smile and genuinely happy, Edward."

"But will she trust me again? Everything I ever told her was the truth, save for my name and job. Those are pretty big things to forgive," I said.

"It'll take time, but it'll happen," Carmen replied, pushing my plate closer to me. "Eat. From what I've heard, you haven't eaten since the day before yesterday. You need to keep your strength up so you can find Bella and let your body heal. Got it?"

"Yes ma'am," I smirked, saluting her with a piece of bacon. She squeezed my shoulder as she left the kitchen. My heart fluttered but the tell-tale signs of a panic attack didn't come forward. I ate what I could, which wasn't a lot since I was still feeling off from earlier. As I was putting my dishes away, Emmett came into the kitchen. I immediately went on alert.

"Relax, Edward. I'm not going to hurt you," Emmett said, holding up his hands defensively. I relaxed slightly, but ready to fight him if I had to. "First off, I want to apologize. I was pissed that you didn't tell us the truth about being undercover. It took Rose explaining it to me that if you had revealed yourself sooner, it would have been detrimental to the case. You investigating us brought a bigger problem to light with Aro and his goons."

"Aro is the bigger threat," I said quietly. "He's sloppy and dangerous. Plus his alliance with Cacciatore isn't good either. He tried to have your father killed. I'm sorry about lying but I had to. It was best if you were kept out of the loop."

"I know that now," he sighed. "I have to ask though...do you love bambina?"

"Yes," I replied, my voice catching in my throat. "I've always loved her. I always will. If we can't survive this, my feelings will never change but I will respect her wishes. But, I need her to know the truth. The whole truth...of my past, my present and my future."

"Carlisle said that this is your last case," Emmett said quietly.

"It is. I can't do this anymore," I murmured, looking at a picture of Bella and Charlie sitting on the counter. "I want...I need to get better, emotionally and physically. I also want to be the man that Bella deserves, if she wants me."

"What will you do?"

"Go back to school. Finish my law degree. Take the bar and start practicing," I shrugged. Emmett blinked a few times. "Surprised?"

"You can be a lawyer?" he squeaked.

"Two classes and the test," I smirked. "Let me tell you why I joined the FBI, Em..."

A/N: By the end of this batch of chapters, we will discover where Bella is...so, stay with me. Leave me some!

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