Song: Does It Ever Cross Your Mind - The Paper Kites

Chapter Ten

Jasper

"Sto-p! P-please..." He chokes out after the third beating Emmett has given him today. Blood was spilling out from all sides of his face at this point and even I couldn't tell where it started or finished. Emmett steps away to grab a now pink rag that was on the chair and wiped his bloodied hands, deciding to give it a rest.

Taking a step away from the wall I was leaning against I walk over to the sorry excuse of a man and kneeled down to get a better look at him.

"You can make this real easy for yourself. You know that," I said simply. As if it was a fact. It actually was, all he needed to do was speak. I didn't take pleasure in torturing people, unlike my other associates who found causing other's pain a way to relieve their frustrations.

Some twisted guilty pleasure.

But business calls for these types of measures especially if it risks the lives of those around me.

"Ja...Jasper! Boss, you know I-I can't d-do that." He says weakly but with urgency, fearing another blow.

"Who are you protecting? Hm?" I grabbed the back of his hair and yanked his head back to look me directly in the eyes and I knew he could see just how careful he should be with his next answer.

"Were they worth betraying us? The family?"

"No! God no I would never! I was forced to give Darius up to the Volturi I swear on my children, Jasper! I would never betray you!" He started crying and I had to get away from the man we once considered family.

"I'm going to ask you one more time and if you're lying to me I'll personally put a bullet through your head." I said with my eyes closed, my hand slipping behind the back of my jacket and grabbing the 9mm pistol. When I turned around and looked the man in the eyes I could see his paralyzing fear radiating all over his body. "Why did you tell the Volturi we were searching for James Asher?"

"H-he's been working with the Volturi for many years now! Everyone knows about him and he's one of the most well known dealers in the city. I heard he backed out of a deal with them and he's been doing his own thing for some time now. Last week he went missing and the Volturi put a bounty on his head. Who ever finds him and turns him in will get a generous amount of money. I looked into it and one fo the Sons...they ran into me and Darius...I had to tell them what James meant to you after they killed Darius! That they weren't the only families interested in dealing with him. They would get my family too otherwise Jasper! You have to understand!"

"I understand. Perfectly well. Don't worry you'll see your family again but you better forget about the one you were born into, Alec, or next time the Sons of the Volturi will be the last of your worries." I said, turning around and nodding to Emmett before leaving. Sounds of sobbing and loud thuds resounded behind me as the heavy metal door slammed shut.

We were sold out to the Volturi.

Fuck. All because James fucking Asher had to go and backstab them. Now the Volturi must think we're the new business partners he's been working with.

I paced in the office uneasily as I contemplated getting into contact with the Italian family and resolving the situation we somehow got dragged into. Not only that but James Asher was nowhere to be found, as if he was sucked into some black hole the moment Bella told us about his relationship to her. The more time passed, the more I grew anxious that he would come back and find her if I let my guard down or let her go somewhere alone without me or Peter to protect her.

Which is why I've been insisting so much to drive her wherever she needed to go and if not that then I would have Emmett or Garrett escort her, without her knowing it. I didn't want to freak Bella out unless I knew for sure that she was in danger but given the life I know and the type of blood James runs with, I wouldn't put it past him to stay away for too long. One thing I've learned the hard way was to never second guess my instincts.

Over the past month, Bella has become an enormous part of mine and Peter's lives. She's slowly started settling into our apartment and stopped asking permission for every little thing which made me glad that she started trusting in us enough to confide in us about the difficult childhood she's had. The more I got to know the girl, the more I realized how intelligent she was. She's composed and thinks rationally before acting, with anything. The way she has taken over as a paternal figure to raise her brother with the absence of both parents, is astonishing. I wouldn't be surprised if she could do anything Bella put her mind to do.

This woman is just as strong as Rosalie and our mother, if not even more so. My siblings didn't have easy upbringings either but we were all thankfully taken away from our misfortunes at young ages. I was much younger than Bella was when she lost her father, when Carlisle took me in. Seeing how much Bella still suffers from her childhood, losing her father and dealing with James to protect her brother, truly makes me admire every single part of her.

When I woke up this morning, I could hear Bella and Peter in the kitchen, having breakfast followed by lighthearted conversations. I found myself smiling when I heard Bella's airy laugh reach my ears as I walked down the stairs. Entering the kitchen, they hadn't seen me yet and it gave me time to see the way Peter had Bella trapped between the counter and himself, she squirms against him as he places a kiss on her cheek and making her giggle.

Not wanting to interrupt their flirting, I reached for my mug across the marble counter and poured the freshly brewed coffee from the hourglass shaped coffeemaker. At the sound of the piping hot liquid pouring into the mug, Bella's eyes open, finding me with shocked brown orbs.

"Morning." I said before taking a sip of the coffee, sharing a smirk with both of them and earning an eye-roll from Peter for interrupting their fun.

"G-good morning." Bella says quickly, looking down to cause her hair to fall down the sides of her face to keep me from seeing the bright pink tint on her cheeks. She immediately steps away from Peter's reach then. My eyes stayed on her small frame as she walked over to the table and sat down to gather the empty plates.

"You sure took your time getting home last night. That's not like you at all, Jazz" Peter remarked, hoping to take some of the awkward tension Bella was feeling away which I gladly obliged.

"Got caught up with work. Why? Did you miss my absence?" I asked in all seriousness, knowing my brother would find it irritating.

"Oh yeah, you know I can't sleep without you in the house." He responded sarcastically before winking at Bella and bringing another smile from her as she walked by to wash the dishes.

"Well you're going to be having insomnia soon then because I'm going out of town." I said.

"W-where are you going?" Bella asked me with a look of concern in her big brown eyes. A part of me felt relieved to see she seemed bothered by the fact that I was leaving. Would she miss me?

"Our business partners want to meet to discuss some newly developed negotiations. I'll be going to New York for the weekend and then I'll be back."

"Oh, are you both going? Should I look for a place to stay then?"

"What? No, stay here."

"That's not necessary."

Peter and I exchange glances as we both jumped at Bella's question. When we heard an airy laugh coming from her we turned out attention back to her. Bella was smiling, not just the polite one she shared with us at the start of our unexpected "friendship" but a genuine, humbled smile that reached her eyes. I've come to know by now that those smiles were rare from Bella, when her pure and wavering happiness reached her warm eyes. It made something in my chest ignite, as if I had been out in the cold for a long time and finally reached my home. It was strange but...I didn't hate it. I didn't hate how I felt towards Bella at all, how open I was to admitting how I felt about her. Whatever it was that I felt for her, it was like no other feeling I've experienced for a woman.

"Okay, I was just asking. Calm down." She turned the dishwasher on before turning back around. There was another look in her eyes now though, hesitation perhaps.

"What is it, Bella?"

"Well...the thing is, I've been staying with you guys for a month now and I feel guilty just being under your roof without doing anything in return."

"You don't need to do anything in return, that's not why we asked you to stay in our home, Bella." Peter said, sitting next to me on a stool.

When Bella's eyes looked from Peter to me, I knew she needed more than reassurance. She needed our support.

"What did you have in mind?" I asked her.

"I'm working more at Eclipse and I've been earning more money lately without James around. I doubt I can even afford to pay even half of the rent for this place but maybe I can contribute something?"

Before Peter could object I answered her question, "How about this. We can take turns buying the groceries and if you really feel the need to contribute then you can clean, cook, whatever you want. Just don't worry yourself over that. Besides you're trying to help Paul with his tuition right? Focus on that for now until things settle down. We're in no rush to have you repay us."

"But...I should repay you. I've never relied on others for things like this, it's weird for me and I hate feeling useless."

Peter reaches his hand across the island and gives hers a reassuring tug, earning her tender, gentle eyes to meet his finally after keeping her head down this entire time. "Isabella, you're not useless. If it'll help you feel better, we can go today to get some groceries and if you need anything for your room too. We don't want you to feel uncomfortable being here but please rely on us when you need to."

I knew Bella was blushing now, her eyes conveying an emotion I saw whenever she felt vulnerable. The glisten in her dark mahogany irises were proof of that raw sadness she always carried but she smiled back at Peter, "Okay, I'll t-try."

While the two started discussing more light hearted topics, my eyes stayed trained on Peter. He smiled more lately, his laugh could be heard from my office at times and I knew he was with Bella in the living room watching a comedy. Sometimes the tv wasn't even on and I would find the two playing chess, with Bella showing him just how easily she could beat him at a game that he's played for years with our father. It seemed that whenever they were together, the air around their tragic pasts disappeared and were replaced by something much more...pure. Just like Bella.

That was a part of my brother that I admired, envied even. Peter always seemed to bring out the best in others with his humor, his welcoming attitude even when he had the most burdens weighing down on his shoulders. The complete opposite of me - no, I was the selfish one. The cruel boss that killed those that betrayed me without hesitation.

It made me wonder how someone like Peter could be in the mob. He was none of those things. It was in times like these where Peter allowed me to see his most vulnerable side, that I let myself imagine what his life, our lives - could have been different were we not dragged into our world of crime. I could picture Rosalie and Emmett already married, successful business owners still helping others in need. With more children running around than they could handle. My mother having the child she lost long before we came along and my father being the typical, laid back dad that we can only imagine is a normal trait in completely ordinary families. Peter would be studying law or medicine, something that could be useful to others, possibly with someone who shared his same level of warmth.

And me...well, when I think about how my life could have been different - I just blank. I don't know what I would do without the family business ruling my every decision. With the responsibility in keeping everyone I held dear to me safe dictating how I deal with our enemies, like the Volturi. The worst part is I think I would have ended up in the exact same position I'm in now, even if I had a normal life. The one thing I couldn't explain was why

"Hey," my thoughts are interrupted by Bella's voice. When I look up I see she's leaning close to my face, her head tilted to the side to get a good look at me, "you've been quiet for a while, what are you thinking about?" Peter had excused himself when his cellphone rang. Before he left, his demeanor hardened and I knew it was one of our men.

I focused only on Bella though. I'd be leaving for sometime and I wanted to spend time with her as much as I could, I knew I would miss her absence and I didn't know if I should be pissed or welcome the affect she had on me. I gave her a smile at the concern she felt for me. My hand reaches up and cups her cheek, the warmth of her skin sinking into the palm of my hand and causing me to feel a wave of ease. I loved how comfortable she's gotten with me after that night we spent together, when she cried and cried until she couldn't anymore and I held her in my arms even after they fell numb.

Oh, that's what it is.

It's her.

My thumb caresses her cheek and down to her plump lips, parting them slightly. Not being able to resist her and making sure she was okay with it when she moves her head forward, I place a slow, soft kiss on her lips for a brief minute until I head Peter walking down the hallway, on the phone with someone. Before looking back up at her I give her one last peck on her lips and admit, "Just...small things here and there."

A/N :

Thanks for reading! Wow it's been a crazy past couple of months hasn't it? I know I've been absent for a while and believe me I'm sorry about that! I never stopped writing though so I will be posting more, especially now that I have time during my social distancing.

What did we think about Jasper's side of things. Out of all the characters, I think Jasper is the hardest for me to decipher sometimes. He's not a man of many words but he's getting there haha. I had fun writing this chapter!

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Stay safe and healthy guys xox