1,571Thank you for reading xxx
Chapter Twenty Nine: Russian Roulette
Bella
xXx
"So what do you think Daisy?"
I turn to Edward confused, "What?"
He arches a brow, his lips lifting in a lazy smirk. "Dinner…do you want to get dinner?"
I frown, glancing around the park. There's children playing, excited laughter ringing out, the trees a molten orange. "Where are we?"
Edward sniggers, "Daisy, did you hit your head?"
"I…" I feel a pain in my chest and wince, pressing my hand against the ache.
"What's wrong?" Edward moves closer, brushing my hair out of my face, vivid green eyes meeting mine.
"My chest…" I open my mouth and then close it, alarm going through me. "Edward! Michele he…what happened? How did we get here?"
Edward tilts my chin up, his lips ghosting over mine. "Shh."
I respond to his kiss for a second before wrenching backwards. "Edward, where's Emmett, my dad…"
Edward starts laughing and my skin goes cold when his face morphs into Michele's. "They're dead, just like you're about to be."
I scream as he lunges towards me, my body lurching violently as awareness suddenly filters through, eyes springing open to a half-lit dining room. It's in disarray, the table broken in pieces on the floor, paint moulding on the ceiling. From somewhere nearby I can hear a tap dripping. The sound makes me thirsty and I try to swallow against the dryness in my throat.
I shift and immediately whimper at the stinging ache coming from my chest. I try to move my head to look but something stops me and when I glance down at myself I see I'm bound to a chair, my torso shrieking in agony as I shift against the restraints.
"Bella, baby?"
My heart jumps in my throat at the sound of my dad's voice and I whip my head towards him, finding Emmett slumped in the chair beside him, his face covered in blood.
"Daddy," I sob.
"Bella, are you okay? I'm so sorry," he murmurs. He looks a little beaten up but nothing like Emmett and I. I stare at the too-still body of my cousin, my stomach sinking.
My voice trembles. "Is Emmett alive?"
Charlie nods, his expression dark. "He's alive."
I slump in relief. "He took his eye," I manage to say, my mind replaying Emmett's piercing screams.
"I know…he sent us the video…"
My eyes close, another sob leaving me. "Daddy, I don't…I don't think we're gonna survive this…"
"Of course we will…"
I look at him. "You don't actually believe that do you?"
My dad's expression is fierce. "The fuck I don't. You and Emmett and getting out, no question. That son of a bitch won't get away with this."
I'm silent for a moment before I gasp. "Dad…mom…she didn't-"
"I know…he killed her."
"I thought it was my fault," I whimper, "I know…I know you blamed me."
"Bella…no!" He shakes his head firmly, his hand reaching out to me. He growls in frustration when he can't reach. "No, I blamed myself…I thought…I knew she was unhappy and I thought maybe if I'd tried harder she wouldn't have…It was all my fault. And I couldn't be in that house. I couldn't walk up those stairs, every second I spent in there I felt like she was dying all over again…I'm sorry."
My vision blurs with tears. "I thought you just didn't care."
"Isn't this touching…" Michele's voice suddenly sounds behind.
"Fuck you!" My dad roars, struggling against his bindings.
Emmett starts at the noise and I look at him worried as he groans in agony.
"Em," I whimper, crying at the look of pain on his face. His eyelid is so swollen it's taking up half his face, dried blood around the area. The agony he must be in…
"I'm okay, Cygnet," he murmurs.
"So…" Michele announces, coming into view. "Now you're all awake…we can begin!"
"Begin what, you fucking cunt," Emmett growls. I glance sideways and see my dad's wrists twisting in the ropes. The only way to get out would be to dislocate both wrists…it would be agony. He can't.
"Language, Emmett. What would your parents say…"
Emmett just smirks at him. "Your brother died like a little bitch and so will you." Michele's smile falls, his face reddening.
"Careful," he warns. "Or I'll take Bella's eye…won't be so beautiful then, will she."
"What do you want?" I demand.
Michele laughs. "Children are so impatient, don't you find, Charlie? It's a hard lesson to learn, Bella, patience…maybe it's fitting that it'll be your last one."
"Fuck you," I hiss.
"I'd like to torture Emmett first, I think that'll be fun for you two to watch…then…Emmett can have a rest, and we'll do…Bella…in fact…" Soranno purses his lips, stepping over to us and running a hand down my cheek. "Maybe I could have some real fun with Bella, just there, across from you two. See if she's as sweet as she looks…"
Both Emmett and my dad start roaring obscenities at Michele and my stomach lurches as he drags Emmett's chair across from us.
"Now…as Emmett's ultimate punishment, I have been itching to do the blood eagle, have you heard of it?" He looks at us gleefully. "Oh it looks just…agonizing. But…it's tricky…I think he'd die too quickly. So…we'll save it for later."
"They're gonna find you," Charlie hisses. "Every single man from every family is out looking for you right now. How long do you think you'll have to get away with this madness? Let us go, and your wife and child won't have to pay for your mistakes."
Michele freezes and turns to look at him, his head tilted curiously. "My wife and child…yes well, as soon as I had Bella, I didn't need them anymore…so…"
"You killed them?" I gasp.
Michele snorts. "No, you fool. But they're very far away, and have nothing to do with me anymore. The families can try and find them but…they won't have much luck. This business means nothing to me, it was simply a means of getting my revenge. Now I have you here…once I'm done with you, whatever happens to me is…unimportant. As long as I avenge my family."
"Your family killed ours first!" I yell. "Don't you understand that you fucking psycho!"
"You stormed in and stole our territory, what did you expect?" Michele hisses. "Of course they retaliated."
"There was no need for that much bloodshed," Emmett says bitterly. "We shouldn't have left you alive."
"Ironically enough it was Renee's idea, wasn't it Charlie?" Michele laughs. "She thought it was wrong to kill an entire family…funny…if she hadn't been so fucking moral…none of this would have happened. And for all the morality she was just as much of a sinner as the rest of us, seeing as she was fucking that Phil guy."
I look at my dad worriedly but his expression doesn't change.
"You knew?" I burst out.
He sighs. "I…suspected. But when she died I thought I must have been wrong…I guess I wasn't."
"What a pitiful reaction," Michele sighs. "I was hoping for some anguish, but oh well."
He takes out a knife and peers at Emmett's swollen eyelid. "Shame…you can't see what I did now, it's all…puffy. I would do the other one too, but then you won't get to watch Bella…instead, let's play a game. You make a sound, and I'll repeat what I do to you on Bella. But if you stay quiet…I stay on you. Deal?"
Emmett's one eye lands on me and his jaw tightens. "Deal."
I whimper as Michele removes Emmett's shirt.
"Let's start her-" He pauses when a loud bang sounds from outside the door.
I sit up eagerly against the rope.
Edward.
Michele takes out his phone and looks, flipping his thumb across the screen. He laughs.
"Well…your boyfriend is certainly…efficient, Bella. But…he's here all alone. And as soon as he walks into this room, I have you as a bargaining chip for his surrender. So…his efforts are…futile. Shall we invite him in?"
My face falls and I shake it firmly. "Please, don't hurt him."
Michele lifts the phone to his mouth. "Edward. Yes, I can see you in the hall there. Put down the gun, or I'll kill Bella. Good…now why don't you come and join us in here, the door is open, and my guard is obviously…dead. So he can't stop you."
I wriggle in panic. I thought Edward would have come with some of my dad's men, not by himself, he'll be killed!
The door to the apartment opens and I almost fall out my chair in my haste to turn, wanting to see Edward desperately. Tears fill my eyes when I see his face, his green eyes immediately meeting mine.
"Daisy," he mouths.
"I'm so sorry," I cry. "Please, Michele, don't hurt him, kill me instead."
Michele hums, walking over to me, "Why don't you go to him Bella, one last hug, before I dispatch your man for good…"
He unties my hands and I lurch up from the chair, running to Edward. He catches me and buries his head in my hair, holding me so tightly my feet lift off the floor.
"Fuck Daisy, I love you," he murmurs against my cheek. I cry hysterically into his neck, cupping his face in my hands and kissing him roughly. He kisses me back, clutching my body.
I press my face into the crook of his neck, breathing him in.
"Alec's coming," he whispers in my ear. "Get ready."
I'm pulled off him and I shriek in protest, my cries falling silent when Michele puts a gun to Edward's head.
"Say bye, Bella," he says softly. "Any last words, Edward Masen?"
"Yeah, you should probably check your cameras, I think there's a bit of a delay."
The door flies open and Edward grabs Michele, wrestling with him for the gun. I turn to my dad and find him half out of the chair, his wrists torn and hands hanging limply, as Ricko grabs him by the chest and starts dragging him out the room, one of the guys grabs me and I gasp as a shot rings out, my eyes widening as I see blood blooming on Edwards stomach.
"NO!" I scream.
Edward staggers backwards, holding his hand up as Michele points the gun at him again and my heart falls into my chest as I see Alec shoving Edward out the way, the shot landing right between his eyes.
A horrified scream leaves my lips as I watch Alec crumple and Ricko grabs Michele, pinning him to the ground.
"Edward!" I call, wrestling against the guy holding me, he lets me go and I rush to Edward's side, staring at the blood rushing from his torso with wide eyes. "Oh my god, we have to get you help."
"I'm fine, baby," Edward says hoarsely, bending down to check on Alec. His expression is grim as he looks up at me. "He's dead."
A sob bursts from my lips. "We have to get out of here, police are gonna start swarming and this is family business," Ricko says solemnly.
Edward gestures to Alec and one of the guys gently picks him up, the sight of his limp body making my chest hurt. Fatigue rushes through me, all the horror and pain and sadness welling up until I feel like I can't breathe.
We make it outside and I stare up at the moon. It's full, it must be the middle of the night. Halfway down the street, Charlie and Emmett are standing with some of the other guys, helping place Alec in a car to take to Cinna. I wrap my arm around Edward helping him stand.
"We need to take you to hospital," I stress.
"No," Edward says hoarsely. "Not a good idea, my parole officer will kill me and I like her too much to die by her hand. Your dad's doctor can fix me up."
I place a hand on my chest, turning to look at Michele with disgust.
"I hope they take both your eyes," I snarl at him.
He just smiles at me. "Don't you understand Bella, I never cared what happened to me…" His hand reaches into his pocket and pulls out a little ring. Realization kicks in, my heart seizing in my chest.
"Edward, Ricko!" I scream, reaching for them. "Run!"
My feet fly across the pavement, dragging Edward with me but after a few paces he stops, groaning.
"Ricko take her," Edward hisses. "Now!"
I screech in protest as Ricko hauls me into his arms and starts running with me. "Get back!" He yells to the others.
"Edward," I scream, turning back to look at him. Michele has his eyes closed, his expression serene and Edward looks up at me, his green eyes meeting mine, a heartbroken expression on his face.
"I'm sorry," he mouths, and the bomb detonates, sending Ricko and I flying into the pavement.