A/N:

I wanted to write an E/B story in a mob setting, so here it is. I am also adding mafia terms (written below) that I'll be using for this story.

Borgata: Family. The basic structural unit of the Mafia society. The Borgata has an established hierarchy, a body of members or soldiers, and many associates.

Button: a Mafia soldier

Capo: a minor leader within a Mafia family, chief of a crew. Also referred to as a captain, skipper or lieutenant.

Hit: An assigned murder.

On the pad: Designation for a law enforcement officer who is paid by the underworld to ignore certain criminal activity.

Outfit: Chicago slang name for the local Mafia family.

Underboss: Second in command of a borgata. The underboss is often selected because he represents a powerful minority wing in the family.

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Thank you Joesmomma for the revisions. You amaze me! ;)

CHAPTER ONE

BPOV

"Oh daddy, you are such a prude," I said as I twirled around to show off my dress, and by the disapproving looks he was giving said it was either too sexy or too short for his little girl.

"Don't think for one second I will allow you to go out wearing that," he pointed to the dress that was clinging to my body as he was now scowling.

I moved to walk towards him so I could give him a hug around the waist. "I know you will," I said as I hugged him. "You always give me what I want... and you know why daddy?" I looked at him, and pouted my lips in exaggeration; the only way I know would make him give-in to anything I wanted.

"Why?" he asked as he looked at me, a smile now curving his lips. Yes! He took the bait.

"Because I am the baby in this family, and not to mention your only daughter," I said emphatically, "and you love me!"

I pushed away from him, giving him the 'puppy eyes'. Finally when he couldn't take it any longer, he huffed.

"Alright, alright," he scratched his head, "but only if you take Paul and Quil".

"No!" I protested. "They always ruin my fun!" I stomped my feet to show my irritation at his suggestion.

"Take it or leave it baby girl," he said, the seriousness in his voice telling me I will eventually end up bringing the two morons along. I wanted to throw a tantrum, which was a very common occurrence around my father and brother to show the hold I have on them; however, the look he was giving me said that this was one conversation I wouldn't win.

I stomped my feet yet again to show my exasperation.

"Fine!" I said curtly as I spun around and walked out of his study, not bothering to kiss him goodbye. I was followed by his soft chuckle as I sulked. Hmph!

I went to my room to gather my purse and the keys of my car, a white Mercedes roadster, and went outside to the garage. I was still hoping that maybe he changed his mind, and I could go to Jessica's party alone. As I slid inside my car, a black SUV drove up beside me, a window slid down, and the face of a native-American came into view; Paul. I guess not.

"We'll be right behind you Isabella," he said as the window rolled back up when I reluctantly nodded.

'These morons will scare all of my friends again,' I cursed to myself as I gunned the engine and sped off.

As I opened my eyes to dispel the memories, I was confused as to why that particular event flashed through my brain at that moment. Was it maybe because he was gone, and had chosen those events to remind me of how spoiled and selfish I was?

Three years ago, I didn't know my life wasn't as simple as it appeared to be…well, not simple enough to just to be around my social circle. I wanted to be just a normal teenage girl attending all the crazy parties, drinking all the booze available and getting smashed, sharing a joint or two, and enjoying the unlimited cash available. Since then, a lot of things have happened; some good, but mostly bad.

I should have known and recognized that the presence of so many males in our lives were because they served as our personal guards, and not because my father had an obsessive need to hire buffed, scary-looking, and weapon-carrying men to be at our beck and call. Also, his constant need to check on me wasn't because he was a father with an overactive imagination, but a father who needed to know my whereabouts in case something bad happened; or my brother's over protectiveness stemmed from his fear that I would be the next target of our rival syndicate, and not because he had the urge to scare all my friends away. In addition, the mysterious visitors of all sorts at very inappropriate hours of the night were not the typical business partners that made social calls, but dangerous people of the underworld.

God, I was so naïve and stupid. Silly, irresponsible, and spoiled Isabella was unaware and uninformed that my family was running the drug cartel in Seattle up until two and half years ago when Emmett nearly died, leaving my dad with no choice but to introduce me to the business.

Now I knew all about it, and it surely changed my fucking perception of things. I was not the stupid girl anymore who ran around and had tantrums to get her way; instead, was now well-versed in the mob world trained to handle guns, perfected the art of disguise and impersonation, and was now a skilled swordsman.

My father and Emmett had not yet allowed us to use whatever knowledge we gained, and said they never would, but encouraged us to hone our skills to enable us to take care of ourselves when shit happened.

So here I was holding a simple white rose, wearing my black dress and dark sunglasses, standing and looking on as the coffin was being lowered down. I no longer shed tears over him since I had already done that a few nights ago; therefore, felt I had exceeded the quota for showing my vulnerability. My brother, Emmett, was holding my right hand with his left while he cradled his wife, Rosalie, with his right.

The priest who officiated the whole ceremony came over and whispered words of comfort thinking it would console us. Eventually, he left us alone after making sure he had done his obligations to the Swan family.

Emmett, Rosalie, and I were the last three to move from where we were standing. Most of the men had already paid their last respects to Charlie, and were now a couple of yards away, busy guarding the area while some of the others were already inside the awaiting cars, deferring departure upon our arrival.

I finally threw the rose in the coffin six feet below and started to walk towards the limousine. A few minutes later I heard footsteps behind me, a confirmation that Em and Rose were close.

We stepped inside the limo and sped away, not making conversation as each of us were lost in our own thoughts. The car stopped at an electronic gate that automatically opened, and then slowly made its way towards the pathway where, amidst the high walls around stood a large mansion.

After stepping out of the car, we made our way to my father's study for the talk that could no longer be postponed. Emmett lit a cigar and sat in the big lounge chair while Rosalie opened the vodka bottle and poured a glass for herself, offering one to me as well, which I declined.

"Shit Bella, I don't know what to say to you," Emmett was the first to voice out his thoughts. He was blowing smoke upwards, but his eyes were still on me. "They will be arriving tonight as planned."

"What's there to say? Shit happens to everybody, Em," I said with nonchalance that I was not feeling. "I made that choice before he died," my voice shook a bit. "At least now, I know he'd be happy that I will be making a contribution, even if it is with that Cullen."

Emmett was gritting his teeth in annoyance as a muscle twitched against the planes of his jaw. "Fuck, we could do away with them Bells. I can add a couple of buttons to Paul's team. Besides, two senators and a couple of officers are now on the pad. "

"Shit Em, that won't be enough, and you know that! The fucking Volturi have their eyes focused here in Washington," I replied. "And I had already said yes to Charlie, so that's that!"

Rosalie, having been quiet the whole time decided to speak up. "Babe, the Cullen outfit is the only one who are capable of giving us the protection we need, you know that."

He looked at her and frowned. "Fucking Cullens! And fucking Charlie for agreeing to their demands!" he shouted as he looked up at the ceiling. "It's fucking insulting, the trust he had in me!"

"Goddammit Em, we know there is no other choice here! It's not about you!" I shouted, scowling at him the best I could. "Besides, you can just kill him when it doesn't work out," I said as an afterthought. "Or I could do that myself."

"Are you really fucking sure about this Bella? I could cancel our meeting tonight if you even have a doubt in your mind," he quickly said. I nodded to assure him that I would not be changing my mind, even if I wanted to, which I didn't.

"Emmett, don't worry too much about me," I said in exasperation. "I can take care of myself. You made sure of that, remember?"

He looked at my face to see if I was lying, which I wasn't, and was satisfied to see I was telling the truth, so he nodded his head in agreement.

"We still have the matter of Charlie's death to deal with," I reminded him. Charlie's death was ruled a suicide; although, the crime scene from our people's point of view say otherwise. A snitch just recently confirmed that the hit on Charlie was from the Volturi; so the game begins. This was a vendetta I was willing to trade my life for just to be included.

Rosalie and I stepped out of the study, as Peter and Paul, the Capos, came inside to receive Emmett's instructions. Now that Charlie was gone, he would be the new boss here in Seattle and had a lot to do such as re-arranging the men, checking to test their loyalties, and show he was more than capable to handle and run the Seattle chapter smoothly. God knew there were a lot of fuckers out there just waiting for a chance to ice Emmett, and a chance to infiltrate the Swan crime syndicate, destroying everything my father had built. Of course that would never happen, not if I could help it.

oooooooOOOOooooooo

The red one-shouldered Gucci dress was clinging to my body like a second skin and showing off my curves as the black Jimmy Choo peep-toed pumps I paired it with made my legs look longer. I surveyed my reflection in the large mirror in the walk-in closet as I clipped on the diamond earrings Charlie got me for my 20th birthday two years ago, and checked to see if it looked good with the dress. Satisfied with my whole ensemble, I turned and went into my room.

Rosalie, who was standing beside my bed, wearing a white spaghetti-strapped dress that fell just above her knees, and a pair of Blahnik's beige stiletto, was looking stunning as usual.

"You look gorgeous Bella," she said as she air kissed my cheeks then proceeded to turn me around.

I rolled my eyes, knowing full well I had the looks and the body most women would die for, and then arched a brow at her in challenge.

"You bitch, don't you wanna compliment me, too?" she asked in annoyance.

I gave her my best smile then stuck my tongue out before turning around to walk out of the room. I was walking along the long hallway when I felt her arm link between mine. We giggled as we descended down the long spiral staircase.

Rosalie and I met three years ago in New York while I was still attending NYU. She saved me from the over-flirtatious frat boy who had been pestering me during one afternoon in the coffee shop; and since then, we had been inseparable. She was the best friend I could ask for. I was the one who introduced her to my brother, Emmett, who upon seeing her went ape-shit with lust. Rosalie is a really sweet girl once you get past the bitch façade that she had built around herself; not to mention very loyal. The coolest thing was that she didn't mind being a part of the Swan family knowing the kind of business we were involved in. They married last year in Hawaii with over 200 guests in attendance. Emmett spent over two million for the wedding but she still insisted it was a simple ceremony.

We walked to the den where Emmett was talking to a blonde lanky man. Having their backs turned, they hadn't noticed us, so we made our way to them as Rosalie then tapped Emmett's shoulders to let him know of our presence.

They turned and Emmett started to introduce us to him. He was Jasper Whitlock, Cullen's underboss. He didn't look more than thirty, so I assumed that he was about the same age as Emmett, around twenty-seven to twenty-eight years old. He had this calm aura about him that radiated an air of authority, yet innocence, giving him an advantage in a situation. He smiled and took our hands to give us each a kiss on each of our hands.

"It is so nice to finally meet you," he informed me with a smile on his face. "You are even more breathtaking up close Isabella." He had a spark in his eyes that seemed to know a secret I didn't.

I smiled at him while pondering on what he just said. What did that fucking mean? I thought they didn't know about me until last May.

I was cut short by a giggling sound behind Jasper. He turned around to reveal a beautiful woman, short pixie-like in height with dark hair and pale skin, who could easily be mistaken as a model if it wasn't for her height. She was wearing a simple, but expensive black mini-dress.

"Hello," she said with a gleaming smile as she extended her hand to Rosalie and me. "I'm Alice, Jasper's wife."

"Well, hello to you, too," I said with as much enthusiasm as I could muster. I was becoming increasingly agitated as the minutes went by, knowing that I would be meeting Edward soon, the Edward Cullen.

The Cullen Family was the biggest mafia drug ring in Chicago as they also extended their hold on New York and Boston. They were the only one who could rival the Volturi in Italy and were the main reason behind the decision that had been made. Edward Cullen was no other than the notorious kingpin of the Chicago mafia, and was said to be a widely adept leader who was feared and respected in the underground organization because he had made his Chicago Borgata impenetrable. He was rarely seen around anymore, but was said to be younger than Emmett, and devilishly handsome. This would be the first time we would see him.

We were making small conversations as we waited for Edward to make an appearance. In the shadows, I could see Sam, Peter and Quil standing at their posts, surveying the area and assessing the situation as well as the guests, ready to pounce and retaliate if anyone decided to start shit.

I heard a door open, followed by footsteps. I was still giggling at a joke Rose told me when Jasper greeted the new arrival. "There you are Edward, you're late."

I turned then, raised my eyes to the guests, and gasped. Holy fucking Christ! What is he doing here? My heart doubled over as I felt my feet weaken, but was quickly supported by Rosalie's hands on my arms when I came to the realization that this was 'the Edward'. No, no, no!

He was walking, no, more like swaggering towards us, his minions behind him. When he reached Emmett, he gave him a man hug and offered his condolences. He hadn't acknowledged my presence yet, so I stepped back and moved a little to Rosalie's side, desperately wishing that he would not remember me.

"I would like to offer my apologies to the family for not attending your father's funeral," he said as his voice still had the same velvety smoothness I remembered. "I had matters to attend to earlier in Boston. I had to fly directly from there just to be able to be here tonight."

Emmett just nodded at him as a sign of his acceptance; his glass of whiskey still in hand. He then gulped it and placed the glass down the table nearest him and said, "Let's get this shit on the road Cullen, before I fucking change her mind."

The look he gave him was one of anger, one that I was sure most people would cower from, but Emmett responded with just as much anger. The guards on both sides sensed the tension building, stiffened and quickly came to attention as their hands automatically went to their weapons; their stance ready for assault from the opposite camp.

Emmett and Edward were still having a stare down when Alice approached him and whispered something. He then nodded and turned. He searched the room and finally rested his eyes on me. His face was expressionless, except for the twitch in a muscle on his jaw that conveyed he was anything but calm. He tore his gaze away just as quickly and returned it to my brother. I was clutching Rose's hand so hard, I was sure there would be imprints on her skin; although, she didn't seem to mind at all.

"Swan, why don't you show us how great of a host you are," he said in a less menacing tone. He clapped my brother softly on his back as he successfully decreased the hostility my brother had directed towards him.

Emmett led us to the dining area. Rosalie, whose hand I was clutching so hard earlier, was now supporting me as she ushered both of us to dinner. However, knowing too well the shock that registered on my face earlier had everything to do with Edward, a full account of my reaction would be warranted.

As we sat down at the very big dining table, we were immediately served our food by the staff that also poured wine into each of the glass on the table. I sat opposite Edward while silently observing him as he made small talk with everyone around him. He was even more handsome than I remembered. The black suit he was wearing made his pale skin glow, and his once boyish face was all man now; however, his presence now was much more intimidating than before.

Occasionally he would shift his gaze onto me, and a look I didn't quite understand would register on his face, but he also didn't show any indication he knew who I was. Well shit, if I didn't hate him, I would certainly be insulted by his indifference.

I was already tipsy as I was drinking far more wine than usual, and with the increased irritation I now felt for him, it was only a matter of time before I gave in and made a crude comment directly at him.

"Fucking hell Cullen, we won't poison you!" I snapped at him. His gaze shifted from Alice to me. "You've been allowing him," as I pointed to his fucking button that was taking the first bite and first drink for him, "to do that shit for you."

Now everyone was looking at me with frowns evident on their faces. Of course it was a practice some followed, but knowing of his blatant distrust in my family just sent me over the edge. Goddammit!

"If we wished you dead, I would have made sure I did it myself, you asshole!" I added to him spitefully as I stood up and pushed the chair back loudly. I grabbed my glass of wine and confidently strode out the dining hall, leaving Emmett and most of them gaping after me.

I should have known this association with the Cullen's would end in disaster. I was sure of it. However, what more could I do since I gave my word to Charlie, who is currently rotting in his expensive coffin, in the cemetery plot that we left him in earlier today, bringing with him my promise to help with the family business as best I could.

As I stood on the patio outside the den, sipping the remainder of my wine when he suddenly appeared beside me. He stood there waiting for me to say something, anything; his gaze lingering on my skin sent tingles as if he literally touched it with his hand.

"Why are you here, Cullen?" I asked curtly without turning as I intently gazed out at the black empty space in front of me.

"I came here for you," he said arrogantly. I tried to contain the spurt of excitement I felt from those words as I reminded myself he had his own reasons for this merger, and it definitely wouldn't be me.

He stepped in front of me and tilted my chin upwards so I was looking into his piercing green eyes, the same ones which had me undone years ago, forcing me to acknowledge him. His touch sent tingles all over my body, and goose bumps were now evident on my skin. I knew he felt it too, but I was unsure whether he recognized me, much less recognized this as the same feeling he so insisted he had felt when we were in New York.

I tried to avert from his unwavering stare and concentrated on his ear.

"Look at me," he said in a demanding voice, and I did. I was again mesmerized by the smoldering look he was giving me. I opened my mouth to say something, but closed it again when nothing came out.

"I've waited so long, babygirl," he stated huskily and I gasped. He used the endearment; the name he called me during that time in New York. I almost cried in relief as he remembered me, but somehow I managed to control myself and be calm about it.

"You're so full of shit, Cullen," I hissed as I pulled away from him and his touch. I walked a couple of steps away from him to get a hold of myself because if I planned to be on top of things, I needed to keep everything professional.

"Goddammit Isabella, you don't know anything, so shut up!" he snapped back. He began running his hand through his hair in agitation.

"Fuck you, Cullen! You don't have the right to order me around," I replied and took a couple of steps back when he started to stalk towards me looking severely pissed off. Suddenly I realized I was caught between the coffee table and the little bit of space left for him to reach me, as I was unable to make another move. When he crossed the remaining space, he grabbed my face between his hands and crushed his mouth to mine. My lips opened in shock, which he took advantage of by pushing his tongue inside my mouth. I tried to pull away, but with the tight grip he had on my face, I only managed to move my mouth over to his jaw.

"What do you think you're doing Cullen?" I hissed while trying to catch my breath.

"Taking what's mine," he said hoarsely. He finally released my face, and was now lightly touching my cheeks with his fingers. "I wanted to sample the feast being offered."

I felt the rush of blood to my cheeks and tried to mask it by snapping at him, "I don't belong to anyone, least of all you!"

"Well, not yet," he said arrogantly. "But in four weeks you definitely will be, don't doubt that."

He pulled me to him again and claimed my mouth in a hard kiss. Fuck!

Tell me if you want to read an EPOV for next chapter.