Chapter Seven

Jasper

It was as if she knew I'd been thinking about her because a few hours later my phone rang and when I answered it I heard Alice's voice,

"Jazz?"

I didn't answer, what did I have to say?

"I know you're there and I really need to speak to you."

"Why Alice? So you can stab me in the back again? I'm not that stupid."

"This is different, I didn't see it coming and I blame...well that's not important right now, Look I need your help, we all do"

"Really? You need someone killing maybe? I understand the Cullens think I'm mighty good at that kind of thing and of course they're far too delicate to get their own hands dirty."

"Please Jasper I apologise, I was wrong, I'm a terrible person, please forgive me. Will that cover it? Soothe your wounded pride? Only I don't have time for more."

"Neither do I Alice so why don't you go play your malicious little pranks on someone else and leave me alone."

"Jasper Whitlock shut up and listen. Victoria is sniffing around and..."

"Well that's a shock, what did you expect? She'd just say oh well my mate's dead never mind and take up sewing?"

"Jasper she's looking for revenge"

"Well the Cullens can cope with that I'm sure"

"Not us, it's Bella she's looking to kill."

"Bella? Well I guess that makes sense. Why don't you find yourself another tame goon to do the dirty work, maybe Garrett's stupid enough."

"Please stop the self pity party Jazz and listen. The family haven't seen Bella since the night of the party, we left just as I told you we would. I went to see her in Forks a week ago, I wanted to make sure she was still alive because I saw her throw herself off a cliff but the wolf saved her. Anyway she's very bitter and now she's left the safety of Forks and the Quileute guardian pack and moved back with her mother. How long do you think it will be before Victoria finds her there?"

"Not my problem Alice, send Edward."

"She wont have anything to do with Edward since he left."

"And you think she will with me? Why exactly?"

"Because Bella loves you"

That statement hung between us for a few seconds as I felt my anger rising,

"What? Yeah right, that's it, I'm gone"

I turned my phone off livid with myself for allowing Alice to get under my skin. If Victoria was looking for Bella then let the Cullens keep her safe. Personally I didn't think they stood much chance against the vastly more experienced and cunning Victoria but that wasn't my problem. Yet again the Cullens had a problem and they thought I would be their fall guy. Well once bitten twice shy as they say. As for using some lie about Bella being in love with me that had to be the sickest joke Alice ever tried on me. My phone rang again and with a curse I crushed it in my fist, Alice had sunk to rock bottom now if she had to resort to such lies to get help. Throwing the phone into the undergrowth I started my bike up again and rode on southwards.

I had been moving slowly southwards for a while now, not sure if I wanted to visit the Whitlocks or not. While I enjoyed their friendship and knew I would get a warm enough welcome from Peter I wasn't sure I could cope with Peters "I told you so" when he found out I'd been a patsy for Alice. He hated the Cullens and Alice especially so I couldn't expect any sympathy from him. Did I want sympathy? Or did I want a good hard kick up the ass Peter Whitlock style? I didn't really know and maybe that's why I was taking so long to reach Boulder, maybe I expected to have made my mind up by the time I arrived.

So Victoria was still out for venom, or blood in this case. Well I'd thought she looked a determined and violent woman when I saw her at the baseball game and James being her mate made it a certainty she would want pay back. Killing a mate was a crime in our world although doing so in self defence was a mitigating circumstance and I was sure that was why she hadn't taken her grievance to the Volturi. Also they had probably broken all the Volturi laws themselves over and over. As for Bella, well at least she'd come to her senses and blown the Cullens out, especially Edward but she was no match for Victoria so her days were numbered, Victoria might even kill her family first, to make her suffer. I remembered Chief Swan, he'd been a good enough guy but as Alice hadn't mentioned his demise perhaps Victoria had left him be, whether she would do the same to Bella's mother and step father was an entirely different matter...but not my concern.

Yet every time I told myself that she crept back into my thoughts shortly after. Bella Swan was nothing to me, she was Edward's girlfriend, a nuisance and a potential danger to us all nothing more...But she'd been brave and resourceful against James...much good it did her...she accepted us without freaking...just showed what an idiot she really was...she hadn't looked at me frightened when I tried to save her at her birthday party...just showed she had no sense of self preservation. It went on and on in my head driving me crazy until I parked up and went to hunt, trying to clear my head. I ran and ran, much further than I needed to before stopping to search for prey but I still couldn't rid myself of the conflict inside my head. Even the fight with a hungry bear and its blood didn't stop the confusion and I sat down with my head in my hands, what the hell was going on with me?

It was a long walk back to my bike but it gave me time to understand I had to make a firm decision regarding Bella Swan. Did I shut her off, leave her to her fate and ride away? Go to Peter's and shoot the breeze, hunt and ride and try to forget all about her and the Cullens? Or did I ride to Jacksonville and take a look at the situation? Would I be stepping into another of Alice's traps? If so did I care? Hell yes, that bitch had played me for the very last time. But Bella had never played me, she'd sneaked out under my nose in Phoenix but that was my fault not hers, the fact she was with Edward was his fault not hers, he'd dazzled her with his vampire charm and then attempted to take over her life.

By the time I reached my bike I'd made up my mind although I wasn't entirely happy with the decision. I would ride to Jacksonville and take a couple of days to check out the situation, if I saw Victoria I would stay on a while until the Cullens or their friends turned up to watch out for her. If they didn't...well I hadn't got that far in my deliberations. Getting back on I turned and headed eastwards towards Florida, towards a girl who probably hoped she would never see my face again. Well she might get her wish and she might not, we'd have to see about that, I wouldn't let Alice know I was going although she'd probably see my decision any way, but if I saw one of them or anyone I recognised as a Cullen friend then I was out of there pronto.