Hello, everyone!

Sorry for the long wait for this update. Real life kinda tends to get on my nerves sometimes but I think we can all agree on the fact that I always end up keeping my word and I update no matter what. Better late than never...

Anyway, here it is! Enjoy!

"Given the choice between finding Godzilla and David Chambers on her doorstep, she'd have opted for the reptile, and never mind it wasn't the one who had the law degree."
― Sandra Marton

BPOV

Monday at work was horrible.

Everyone seemed afraid that I was going to faint any moment and kept glancing at me with the corner of their eye. At first, I thought nothing of it as people struggled to keep their eyes away from me but I sill was the center of their attention. I could feel it on my skin, crawling like bugs that magically disappeared if I looked their way.

When I finally got out of the elevator, I couldn't walk fast enough to my office where I hoped I'd stay until the day was over.

Fate, however, wasn't by my side that Monday. Fate, or so it seemed to me, was really against me because, standing by my floor to ceiling window, was none other than Jacob Black. The same agent who left me all by myself in a small town, with no one to keep a eye out for me. Strange how he seemed to pop-out just after a conversation with Edward Masen Sr. in which I refused to give him what he wanted: the content of the safety deposit box. That safety deposit box was soon becoming the bane of my existence.

"Mr. Black!"

My voice seemed to snap him out of his thoughts. He turned around and genuinely smiled. I wished I was wearing something more sophisticated than a simple cream dress and black stilettos. This man's simple presence brought back memories and feelings I wanted to let go.

He took his time as he took me in with a smile on his lips. He seemed... happy to see me. Which was weird since I was so not happy to see him and I would have done anything to stay away from him and all the people who surrounded him, Aro Volturi included.

"Miss Swan."

I dropped my bag on the floor, next to my desk and took a step in his direction.

"What can I do for you?"

My tone must have clued him in on my mood because his smile was gone in a nanosecond. He looked warily at me, searching for reasons for my attitude, no doubt.

"I was just in the neighborhood and I thought we could talk a little. Last time I saw you, you were in Forks, mourning the loss of your parents."

"I'm still mourning them." I replied with a cold edge to my voice as my defenses went up in a matter of moments.

Jacob Black noticed.

"I'm sorry. I wish I could have done more."

I looked him over. Jacob Black was here on a mission and I had to figure out what he wanted before anyone from the office came and saw that he was here.

"Agent Black, as much as I'd like to sit and chat, I don't have time to do that. This is my workplace and that's exactly what I do: I work. So, unless you came here to inform me about any new leads on their deaths, talking about my dead parents doesn't fall in the professional category. I have work to do."

"I need you to give another statement."

My eyebrows rose into my hairline.

"A statement about what?"

"Your inheritance."

And there we go again!

"What does my inheritance have to do with the death of my parents? Apart from the obvious fact that the only reason why I inherited them was because they are dead?"

I really didn't get it.

"You may have sensible information in your possession."

Of course I do!

I did have sensible information, technically. But I decided to play the dumb card instead of asking him the same question I had asked Edward Masen Sr.

"What information are you talking about, exactly?"

"The one Edward Masen wanted yesterday."

My eyes narrowed and my stance stiffened in a second. I couldn't believe his guts and lack of brains. To come to my office and start making demands when he didn't even look after me and left me like live bait? Stupid.

"Well then, agent Black, I suggest you get a warrant for that sensible information because that's the only way you're going to get it."

"You already gave it to his son."

"Your point? I think we both know that unless you get a warrant, that information will never stand in court. If it won't stand in court, I'm not giving it away. It's really that simple."

My forced answer made Black pale a little. Maybe he was still under the impression that I trusted him and that I would do whatever he asked of my just because Aro had called him to pick me up. The truth was, none of them did anything for me. Not even Jacob Black. I owed no one any favors or gratitude and I wasn't going to start then.

"Miss Swan..."

I waited for him to finish his idea, his plea or whatever was going through his head but his trail of thought apparently stopped.

"Yes?" I prompted him when I could no longer stand to watch him as he struggled to find his words. Those words weren't doing anything for me anyway. I was past the point of thinking that Jacob Black could help me in this clusterfuck.

There was only one person who could help me and that was Edward Anthony Masen. Or maybe not even him. God knew what kind of shit was waiting to happen!

"I need you to trust me."

There was something behind his words. Jacob Black was leaving something out of his speech but I could still see something in his eyes as if he were beseeching me to trust him, to do as he said. His eyes held the promise that he could help. For a brief second, I considered the opportunity. I really considered taking him up on his offer. My mind was looking for ways to give him what he wanted until it all came to a screeching halt. Standing in front of me was the man who was supposed to keep my father and mother safe. He had failed. How could I ever be certain that he wouldn't fail at keeping me alive? It was that thought that made me sober up instantly.

I was surrounded by snakes and was quickly falling in love with a deadly man. I needed to keep my eyes open. Daydreaming about a fantasy wouldn't bring me any good.

"Trust is earned, agent Black. You haven't earned mine yet and with the way things are going, you may never earn it." I said with a detached, hollow voice. Just as I was about to speak again, Mike entered my office. "Now, if that's all, I'd like to start doing my job and stop wasting time." I said and gestured towards Mike.

Black nodded.

"Of course. Thank you for your time, Miss Swan."

Mike watched Black's back until he left my office and closed the door after him.

"What's up with this guy coming here every week?"

I was confused.

"Every week? What do you mean by that?"

"He's been here a few times in the past few weeks, always arguing with Masen. Kate usually ends up getting him out before Masen could do something stupid and get arrested or something."

That was news to me. I never saw Black lurking around here. Then again, I probably wasn't seeing many things that went on in the background, behind the thick curtain of secrecy and lies. The thought made my teeth grind.

I put on a fake smile and tried to take the conversation somewhere else. Luckily for me, Mike let it go and rushed head first into whatever case he needed documentation on.

Hours passed as we poured over laws and loopholes and whatever we could find so Mike could crawl his way out and get more time to regroup but I still couldn't shake his earlier words.

What had Edward talked about with Jacob Black? The only other time when I saw them together was at the funeral and it was this close to turning into something ugly. You didn't have to have a major in Psychology to know that those two had a bone to pick. A very big bone. So how come they'd been meeting here during these past few weeks? Did Black want to talk to me sooner but Edward managed to keep him away?

I had half of mind to march down to his office and start demanding some explanations. I had enough of being in the dark about so many things that were related to me. Sure, it didn't mean that I wanted to know everything because that would have surely meant a death sentence but give me a break! Jacob Black wasn't that dangerous.

Or was he?

One thing was clear: I needed answers and I needed them fast.

It didn't take much until I lost my patience and I couldn't focus on what Mike kept looking for. He was looking for a door that didn't exist and I was so past the point of trying to help this hopeless cause.

"Mike, I need a break. This whole searching is giving me a massive headache."

"Yeah... we could take a break. Sorry for keeping you for so long, you probably have lots of stuff to do, like important stuff and here I am, looking for a loophole ever since Friday..."

I felt bad for Mike. He seemed like the type of guy who didn't want to impose or cause trouble. Which is why I still didn't understand why he got involved with Jane the Bitch in the first place. The two couldn't be more opposite and, while it may be true that opposites attract, I was willing to bet that Jane was definitely not attracted to Mike.

There were many things I couldn't understand about the world in which I had ended up in. Carlisle's attitude in spite of Esme supporting me, Edward's father who just happened to drop by and offer me an out of this crap, Caius's intrigue that went unpunished... the list was really endless.

I was almost sure that Caius was the one who talked to Edward Masen Sr. there wasn't anyone else who fit the bill. He hated that I was in the firm and always managed to say something that was meant to bring me down. He didn't want me in the firm, that was for sure. My presence here, and in Edward's life meant that his daughter had no chance of ever getting back with Edward.

My head hurt from all the thinking.

"Why has agent Jacob Black been here?"

The words left my mouth before I had a chance to think them through and decide if it really was the best approach when it came down to Edward's relationship with Jacob Black. It really didn't make any sense and the thought that he kept those things away from me was making me doubt Edward and his approach.

His head snapped up from his files and I could see his calculating gaze as he thought over all the things I knew and could have found out in the meantime.

"How do you know about Jacob Black's presence here?"

his voice was calm and collected but, just like in Black's case, there was something in his eyes. It seemed eerily similar to jealousy. He's jealous of Black?

"It doesn't matter. I just do." I said with as much calm as I could even though I could feel my blood start to boil. "Why didn't you tell me that he was here, Edward?"

He took a minute to regroup and I took that minute to look at him. He looked so tired, so... exhausted. He was so handsome in this three piece dark charcoal suit with a dark green tie that made his eyes pop. I tried to focus on something else other than his eyes. They always drew me in and, more often than not, I usually ended too far away from my initial target. I could tell that my conversation with him wasn't doing him any favors but I tried not to think about that too much. I needed answers and it was about time I got some.

"I didn't want to bring him up. These last few weeks have been more than rough on you and, believe it or not, I really thought that if you'd see Black again, everything would just get much worse than it already was."

"So you thought that keeping things away from me was the safest choice." I said and crossed my arms in front of my chest, as if I wanted to keep him away from my head so I could think this through clearly.

"Bella..."

He really didn't get it. I could tell by the look in his eyes, by the way he kept looking away and running his hands through his hair. Edward Anthony Masen did things his way and his way was always the best. Well, things were about to change.

"Look... it's fine. It's not the end of the world but you're gonna have to change tactics if we want thins... thing between us to work. You have to trust me. You have to trust that my grief won't get the better of me."

Silence settled over us as we looked at one another. So many words were just waiting to be spilled from my lips but I had to keep most of them in. Some things were just too private while others were just... raw and painful. I had to constantly wheel myself to look away from the horror and just try to stay sane. It was becoming a full-time job.

I was attracted to Edward and he was attracted to me. It didn't stop me from thinking that maybe we weren't good for each other. I was the daughter of a dirty cop while he had his very own and very huge baggage when it came down to his father. I guess, in a twisted way, we were both screwed. I guess, in a twisted way, we were meant to fall apart. Strange enough, the thought didn't cut off the electric current that always ran through me whenever he was close.

"How do you feel about my father's visit?"

And there it was: the question I had been asking myself for the past day. How did I feel about his father's visit? Apart from the obvious fear that someone could just get into the house and get to me at any given time.

First of all, I was angry. Angry that I had been dragged into this whole affair. Angry that I had to deal with the consequences of my father's actions. Angry that Alice had also been dragged into this nightmare that never seemed to just... stop. Angry that I was so powerless. Angry that I felt like making an arrangement with Carlisle to save my hide.

Second, I was scared. Not because people were currently after me but because I would never get my own life. Scared because there were so many things going on that I had yet to wrap my head around many of them. Scared that I would end up looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life. And speaking of the rest of my life, it was scary not to know if someone was going to put a bullet through my skull tomorrow or the day after.

Third, I was sad. Sad that I would never get the life I had been dreaming about ever since I was a kid. Sad that I would never get to see my dreams come true. Sad that I had to give up on who I was. Sad that things were never going to be the same.

"I feel like no matter what I'm doing, I'm always gonna have someone wanting things from me. There's always gonna be someone who..."

I felt my control slipping through my fingers as fat tears rolled down my cheeks.

Edward jumped from his desk and engulfed my tiny frame into a huge hug. It was so comforting and so filled with unspoken words that it broke my heart all over again.

Truth was, Edward couldn't guarantee my safety. Neither could Carlisle.

Shit was serious.

I had thought about all the possible plans, all the possible outcomes and everything in between but if I was being honest with myself, my knowledge was limited. I didn't know much and I wasn't sure that the alternative was better.

"I'm sorry, Bella."

"Yeah..." I whispered with a raspy voice as I stepped away from his embrace to dry my cheeks. "I'm sorry too." I continued but was interrupted by a knock on the door. We both turned around just as Caius stepped into the office with a creepy grin. It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. And it wasn't in a good way.

"Isabella. Edward."

"Caius." We both replied, both sounding as if we wanted nothing more than just disappear.

"I'm glad I have both of you here in the office."

I glanced sideways at Edward and found him staring at Caius with unmasked disdain. I was willing to bet he, too, thought that Caius had given his father the info on where to find me and make me the deal of my life. It would have gotten me out of the way so that Jane could get Edward back and eliminate Esme's eyes in the firm. As though she needs me to inform her on anything that goes on. I thought as I looked Caius up and down. He knew about me and the fact that people were looking for me and that fact alone made him much more dangerous than I first thought.

Thread carefully, Isabella. My mind whispered as both Edward and I continued to look at him, waiting for the shoe to drop.

"Yes, Mr. Evanson?"

My voice seemed to bring Caius back from whatever he had been thinking. His smile disappeared and a more somber mood filled the office. I didn't know if I preferred the creepy or somber mood. With Caius, one could never tell what was going to happen in the next minute.

"I've decided that Isabella will help Jane with the Miller case. Starting from now on and until the end of the trial, Isabella is Jane's shadow. It'll do her good to see how things are in a courtroom."

I could see Edward tense in my peripheral vision so I answered almost immediately.

"Thank you for the great opportunity, Sir."

Both men were shocked by my reply. I could tell as much.

One recovered quickly and sent me a smile full of promises for things to come. The other one looked like he wanted to choke me.

Could you guess which one was which?

Sooo... what do you think of it? Our Bella seems to be getting into trouble all by herself. How will it be to shadows Edward's ex?

Next update should be... this Friday.

Thanks for reading!

~V