Title: This Thing Is Ours: A Mafia Romance.

Chapter Five: Finally Safe and Secure.

Rating: M (for adult themes and future lemons).

Category: Romance, Family, Crime.

Pairing: Edward/Bella.

Summary: Two months after her birth, her mother left. At sixteen years old, the woman she considered to be her mother, laughed at her and threw her away like she meant nothing. Just days later, she faced the darkest point in her life by herself. Now at the age of twenty-two, after having been broken mentally, physically and emotionally, Isabella finds everything she had been searching for after having met Edward Masen. Problem is no one told her that her white knight was the underboss of the Chicago Mob.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Warning: Tissues may be required.

THANK YOU ALL FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ MYSTORY AND FOR REVIEWING. THANK YOU FOR RECOMMENDING MY STORY. I hope I live up to your expectations

Edward felt unsettled.

For the past two days, he had become Isabella's shadow - a shadow she knew nothing about – and as time passed, he grew more and more attached to the young girl. He could not for the life of him figure out why he had been so harsh to her. His words and actions were deplorable and unforgiveable. While he had hoped he would be able to completely forget about this incident and move on, he instead found himself wanting to go apologize to her. Of course, he was also man enough to admit that the threatening messages his mother left him had little to do with his want to apologize

He groaned out loud and dropped his head against the head rest. It was already late and while he wanted nothing more than to sink down in his bed and just sleep the tension away, he just could not stop thinking about Isabella.

Grumbling to himself, he called up an associate and found out where Isabella was. He knew it was a bit much, but he had heard on the rumour mill that some of his competition caught wind that his mother was seen visiting the young woman and, while he believed that Isabella was in no immediate danger, he felt it was better to be safe than sorry.

He knew that when he met her, he did wrong. He should have never spoken to her like that and he did not need the tongue-lashing he got from his parents to know that. He felt guilty from the moment those words left his mouth and he knew that he would do whatever it took to redeem himself in her eyes.

It was now one in the morning and his body was stiff from having sat in his black 2013 Escalade Ext for the entire day at the very back of the parking lot at the diner where Isabella worked. He hated this place with a passion and trusted no one but himself to protect her.

He groaned and decided to step out of his vehicle to smoke a cigarette when a high pitched scream erupted from the diner.

Edward wasted no time in jumping out of his car and sprinting to the diner, pulling out his gun and calling Jasper simultaneously in case he needed back up. Reaching the back of the diner, he kicked in the service door and began frantically searching for Isabella.

"Isabella!" He called as he came up empty.

Several tense seconds passed before she responded, her breath heavy and her voice broken.

"Edward! Please! Stockroom!"

Like a man possessed, he charged into the tiny room and wrapped his arm tightly around the neck of the man who was trying to force himself onto Isabella. With ease, he lifted the man off her and quickly knocked him unconscious with one precise movement. Seconds later, Jasper came charging into the room with his own gun drawn.

"Boss!" He shouted as he entered.

"Take him," Edward demanded, all but throwing the man in his direction. "Tell Riley to handle him."

Jasper, though lanky, lifted the man over his shoulder and left, allowing Edward to turn his attention to Isabella.

The sight he was met with made him drop to his knees. She was curled into a tiny ball, with her arms wrapped tightly around her legs. From where he stood, he could see she was shaking like a leaf. Tears were streaming down her face and the fear that shone from those beautiful, brown eyes made his heart break.

Slowly, he crawled to her on his knees.

"Isabella," he called in a surprisingly shaky voice. "Isabella, it's me. It's Edward. Come out of there, mio carissimo uno."

"Edward?" she replied, the fear still present in her eyes.

"Yes, Isabella. It's Edward. Come to me. I'll keep you safe," he pleaded.

"But you don't like me." Isabella shook her head. "You don't like me."

"No, mio carissimo uno. That is not true. I do like you," he murmured as he reached out a hand to gently wipe the tears from her cheek. "I tell you the God honest truth. I do like you, and I am so sorry for what I said to you two days ago. Now I am begging you to let me protect you."

And like that, the dam broke and Isabella launched herself into his arms.

The very next morning, Edward Masen Senior and his wife Elizabeth sat in stunned silence as they watched the surveillance video of their son carrying Isabella Swan through their house and into his room as if she was the most precious thing in his world.

For the first time in a long time, Isabella woke up feeling well rested and it took her a while to realize that she was not in her apartment. She flew up and rolled out of the bed, falling to the floor with a thump. Quickly, she scrambled around looking for an exit, but stopped dead when she saw a picture of Edward and his mother Elizabeth proudly displayed on the wall. Within seconds, the events of the previous night came rushing back with a vengeance.

She felt her body shake as she remembered how Jason's rough hands felt against her skin. Her hands seemed to move on their own and she scrubbed at the spot where he had breathed against her. She was fighting the urge to plunge herself into a pot of boiling water just to get the sensation of his touch off her.

Just as she felt herself slipping into her depression, a pair of well used hands grasped her by her shoulders and lifted her into a welcoming embrace. She was startled at first, but there was something familiar about these arms that forced her body to relax. She felt small and secure in this hold and she found herself burying her face into the neck of her protector.

"Hush, Isabella. You are safe now." The deep baritone of Edward Masen Senior echoed throughout the room. "You are safe."

She clung to his shirt as she breathed in his scent, a mixture of expensive cologne, bourbon and gun powder. Soon the comforting maternal touch of Elizabeth Masen joined her husband's and they sat there on the carpeted floor until Isabella fell back asleep.

After he ensured that Isabella was safe in his parents' arms, Edward retreated to his room where he spent the next thirty minutes scrubbing the remains of Jason Smith off of his body.