Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

Unlock Your Heart

By Momma2Fan

Chapter 04:

Bella was having a busy day. She had reopened her studio the day after the Mike debacle, and had been swamped ever since. She had no time at all to develop her film, so she had to resort to using her digital camera. Although she was able to get clear, crisp images with this technique, she preferred to use old fashioned film. She loved the solitude she found in her darkroom while making the faces of the people she photographed come to life.

She had just finished up with her last customers of the morning and sent them on their way, when the bell above her door chimed.

“We’re closed.”

“Oh, I think you’ll open for me, won’t you, Dear?”

Bella turned and faced her former fiancé’s mother. Karen Newton tried very hard to be intimidating, but failed miserably. She thought herself a great beauty, but fell short of the mark. Her auburn hair had streaks of grey running through it, and her face held wrinkles around her eyes and her mouth.

Bella stood and regarded the woman in front of her before speaking. “What can I do for you, Karen?”

“You can stop this ridiculous behavior and get your ass home to my son.”

Bella laughed. “Really? You think I am gonna go back to your lying, cheating, bastard of a son? Get the hell out of my shop before I forcibly remove you.”

“Threats, Isabella? Do you really want to threaten me, little girl?”

“Oh, I wasn’t threatening you. It was a promise; get out of my shop or I’m gonna drag you out.” Bella curled her lip in distaste.

Karen sneered back, and for a moment it was a showdown between the women. Karen broke the silence first. “You listen to me and you listen good. You are going to move back into the apartment with my son. You are going to return all of his belongings, and we are going to act like this nonsense never took place.”

Bella smiled. “No, actually we aren’t. I am not going to go back to your lying bastard of a son, and you are going to leave and never come back here again.”

Just as she finished speaking, her bell chimed again, and in walked Edward with Emmett and Garrett. Karen must not have heard them. Either that or she chose to ignore them.

“You listen here, you little bitch; I don’t care who your daddy is! You will not disrespect my son like this.” Bella must have made a face, because Karen kept going. “That’s right. I know all about your little crime family, but I know how to make people disappear, too.”

Bella shook her head discretely, silently telling the men to stay put. She eyed Karen carefully while she slowly slipped her hand behind her back and pulled her Ruger LCP Pistol out, aiming it directly at the unsuspecting woman. “I have asked you to leave repeatedly. Now I am telling you. Get the fuck out of my store or I am going to shoot you for trespassing!”

Garrett stepped forward, his hand on his own firearm. “I think you should go, Mrs. Newton. Keep in mind when you do, your son is lucky to be alive.”

“You are all a bunch of no-good thugs. Perhaps my son cheating on you was a good thing. You strike me as a frigid bitch. It’s no wonder he needed someone to warm his bed.”

Edward stepped forward then. “Too bad the body he chose was that of my fiancé. Now, I believe you were told to leave. Go now, and Bella won’t be forced to use her gun. If you refuse, then I am gonna close my eyes and let her shoot you. Your choice.”

Bella watched as Karen huffed and turned to leave. Before she opened the door, she turned and made one more threat. “This isn’t over; you will regret that you left Michael. That is a promise you can take to the bank.” She then turned and left.

“How long had she been here, Bells?” Garrett asked his sister.

Bella put her gun away and turned to her brother. “Maybe ten minutes. I’m just glad Demetri and Gianna had already left. I wouldn’t have put it past him to shoot her first and ask questions later.”

Edward made to walk to her, but stopped in his tracks, afraid it would reveal his feelings. That was something he wasn’t prepared to do yet. “What did she want?”

Bella turned back around to her computer desk and sat down, forcing the guys to follow her around. “She informed me I needed to stop acting like a bitch and go back to her philandering son. She said she knew all about this family, but she knew how to make people disappear, too.” She looked up and met Edward’s eyes. “Apparently, she doesn’t think very highly of me or my family, so why she would want me to marry her son is beyond me.”

Edward’s lips tightened into a thin line and his eyes darkened with fury. He had apparently been too lenient on Mike and Jessica for their not-so-discrete indiscretion. Karen Newton’s appearance made that obvious, and it was time to teach them a lesson.

“Edward, whatever you’re planning, please be careful,” Bella grinned, taking in the expression on his face.

Edward grinned back at her. “I always am.” He jerked his head at the other two and they walked out to the waiting SUV. “I’ll see you later tonight, okay? I really need to speak with you about something important.”

Bella felt her heart lurch, wondering if he wanted to talk to her about Alice’s suspicions. “Okay, I’ll be there.”

**UYH**

Edward climbed into the passenger seat of the black car and settled in. “Let’s go see Liam. I need a bomb.”

Emmett put the car in drive and took off. “What are you planning, Bro?”

Edward shrugged his shoulders. “I just want to scare them a bit. Maybe cause some damage to their little store.”

Emmett and Garrett chuckled and settled in for the ride to see Liam. While they drove, Edward stared out the window and thought about the missed dinner from the night before. He hadn’t been able to make it home to have the chat with Bella he wanted to.

After shooting Charles, he had gone to his club and got some paperwork and business matters accomplished. Then Charlie had come to see him. Although he was retired, he still kept his ear to the ground and had info about someone running narcotics through their territory.

“Who?” Edward had asked.

Charlie had shrugged his shoulders. “All I know is they go by L and J. Could be Laurent and James, but I’m not sure. I thought about setting up a buy, but you’re the head of the family now, and I didn’t want to overstep.”

Edward had cleared his throat, trying to hide his surprise. “Charlie, our families aren’t blended officially, so you can do what you want.”

“Edward, I know you’re in love with my daughter, and that she’s letting you run her side of things, so it is yours.” Charlie had looked down at his hands awkwardly. “I heard about Michael and that she’s staying at the house. Have you told her yet?”

Edward had shaken his head, “I was supposed to have dinner with her this evening, but I got a little busy. I was gonna tell her tonight, but…”

“Just tell her, Boy. You already have mine and Garrett’s blessing. Just do it,” Charlie had said before leaving Edward alone with his thoughts.

“We’re here,” Emmett said as he pulled the car to a stop and Edward from his thoughts.

Edward opened the door, and the other two men followed him inside. He didn’t have to say a word as soon as the man out front saw him, Edward was ushered back to Liam’s office.

“Edward, man, what can I do for you?” Liam stood and shook his hand.

“I need a little something, Li. It needs to be untraceable, but not deadly. I just want to spark a little fear into the hearts and minds of some people.”

Liam sat down and pulled out some paper. “Give me the specs and I’ll take care of it.”

Edward grinned evilly, before spouting out the address for the Newton’s sporting goods store. He told Liam once it was done, his fee would be in the usual place. Then he turned to go. He had a dinner to attend, and he wasn’t gonna miss it this time.