Mafia Princess

Chapter One-Hundred Eighty-Four

Twilight...not mine (sigh).

Chapter 184

EPOV

The next morning dawned very early. The safe house was an hour outside of Seattle. We needed to be at the court house prior to nine, which meant we had to be on the road by no later than half past seven. Bella was up at five, but then again, I don't think she really slept. Hell, I didn't sleep much either. I was too worried about her. I'd gone to court before. I'd given testimony. Not her. She was going into this whole situation blind. Well, not completely blind. Working with Phil, we'd prepared her for every single scenario, but it's still daunting.

We arrived at the courthouse, going into a small conference room outside of the courtroom. Bella was staying in there while I gave my statement. I was dressed in a navy blue suit, white shirt and a burgundy tie. My hair was neatly combed and I looked like a damn stockbroker. Bella was scowling at my hair as we drove to the courthouse, wanting to muss it up.

Phil breezed in with Brianne, his assistant. "We're getting ready to go," he said, running his hands through his graying hair. "Edward, you're up first. Do you have any questions?"

"Who's representing Aro?" I asked.

Phil snorted, giving me a wide grin. "A public defender. All of his assets are frozen and he couldn't afford a defense attorney. The attorney they assigned to him is just out of law school and is a nervous wreck."

"Is that good?" Bella questioned, twisting her promise ring.

"It's very good," Phil beamed. "A court officer will come get you, Edward. With my questions for you and the cross examination, you'll probably be on the stand for the better part of the morning. Bella, we're aiming on having you on the stand after lunch recess." He looked at his watch. "It's show time. We'll come get you in ten minutes, Edward." Phil turned on his heel, Brianne following him close behind.

I sat down, taking Bella's hand in mine. She gave me a tight smile. "You okay, Bella?" I asked.

"I'll be better once this is done and I know that Aro will never see the light of day again," she quipped darkly.

"Edward, I'm going into the court room," Carlisle said. "Bella, Alice and Rose will be by in a little while to keep you company while Edward's on the stand."

"Thank you," Bella smiled. My adoptive father left us, as did Jasper, giving us some privacy. "Is it normal for questioning to take all morning?"

"Usually it's longer. However, with a novice attorney, they won't know what to do and things will be handled differently," I shrugged. I cupped her face with my hand. "You'll be okay?"

"Like I said, I'll be happier once this is behind me," she breathed. Looking up at me, her eyes were swirling with nerves, anxiety and fear. There was a knock at the door. The court officer called for me. Bella threaded her fingers into my hair, successfully mussing it up. "Much better," she giggled before crashing her lips against mine. I moaned, pulling her into my lap. Our tongues battled for dominance. Bella won and pulled back. "Kick some ass, prottetore."

"I intend to, amore," I smirked, kissing her nose. She got up and sat down, taking out her laptop from her bag. I slipped out of the room, giving Jasper, Alice and Rose a smirk before following the court officer to the assigned court room. We waited outside of the room until there was a crackle from the officer's radio. With a curt nod, we walked into the court room and I was led to the stand.

"Please raise your right hand and place your left hand on the bible," the bailiff said brusquely. I did so and I was sworn in.

"Please state your name for the jury," Phil said, standing up in front of me.

"My name is Special Agent Edward Cullen of the Federal Bureau of Investigations," I replied.

"How did you know the defendant, Special Agent Cullen?" Phil asked.

"I was placed undercover in the del Cigno Syndicate and became familiar with Aro Volturi during my time with the del Cigno family," I replied.

"When did you know that Aro Volturi was a bigger threat that Charles del Cigno?"

"I was working with Charlie and Aro tried to carry out an assassination attempt on Charlie's life, using James Cacciatore as an intermediary. Additionally, Aro tried to kill Charlie's daughter, Isabella del Cigno on numerous occasions, one being a car bomb in Seattle and another was an abduction that ended in Portland," I growled. "During our investigation, Aro was amassing a horde of military grade weaponry, bombs and vehicles. James Cacciatore was the means of getting the illegal stash of weapons and artillery; Aro was the money bankrolling it."

"How much did Aro and James acquire?"

"We raided a warehouse, roughly 100,000 square feet, filled with the illegal weapons, ammunition, artillery and the makings of a dirty bomb. Aro, along with his brothers, were planning on wiping out Chicago, New York and Washington D.C."

"How did you know this?" Phil asked.

"Still acting like the bodyguard of Charlie del Cigno, I slipped into the warehouse, finding a computer with information regarding his plans. I downloaded the information onto my flash drive, along with pictures and videos of the abduction of Isabella del Cigno," I forced out. Seeing Bella on that table invaded my mind. Her nearly naked form, chained to that metal table broke my heart. "We had received a warrant from US Attorney en route to the warehouse, able to seize anything that was illegal and/or questionable."

"What happened in the raid?" Phil asked, his eyes soft and concerned. With a sigh, I explained in explicit detail what happened during the raid, from the moment we walked into the warehouse until I carried my girl out of the nightmarish hellhole of a back room. I spoke for nearly two and half hour straight. "No further questions." Phil turned to the anxious defense attorney. "Your witness."

The defense attorney stood up, shaking slightly. "Just one question, Agent Cullen," she said. "Were you involved with Isabella del Cigno?"

"Objection! Relevance?" Phil barked.

"Sustained," the judge said blandly. "Move on, please."

"No further questions," she sighed, slumping into her seat.

I was excused from the stand and I was shocked. It seemed almost anticlimactic. That was it?

A/N: We'll hear from Bella next chapter. I'd appreciate some lovin! ;-)

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