A/N: The first 4 chapters of this story were my contribution to last year's Babies at the Border compilation. There's another compilation this year, so I hope you will look up their fb page for more info on how you can help.
The first 4 chapters were pre-read by purpleC305 and beta'd by NewTwilightFan. Thank you, Chrissie and Maggie, for helping me shape up the mess that this story was! As usual I tinkered later, so that's on me. Standard disclaimers apply about not owning twilight and so forth.
This is a little different from my usual, so let's see how it goes.
Chapter 1.
Edward sighed in helpless frustration.
"Alice, I've told you this before and I'm saying it again. Just leave the guy. Dump his sorry ass and get on with your life. You remember your life, right? Your dreams?"
"You just don't understand," his sister sniffled, emerging from behind the pillow she was currently sobbing into, to look at him dolefully. "I love him. I can't just leave him, it'll hurt too much."
"Because you're so happy right now?" he asked, exasperated.
She glared, then dissolved into tears again. "It hurts now, but that would kill me."
"Ali, no. Just think about it for a second. All those years you put in at school, interning, working, and you finally got your chance with costuming here in LA. Do you remember how happy you were? How proud? Why don't you go back to work? I'm not even going to argue about Jasper here. I don't care about him. I do care about you, and I want to see you happy again. I want to see you living for yourself."
"I can't," she wailed, wiping away tears that refused to stop. "I don't even care about any of it without him. And I was so happy... we're going to Australia in three weeks! Two months out there, it's just what we need to get over this… bad patch we've been having. And he promised me he'd come back from the shoot and take me out for dinner tonight, just the two of us, just like old times. But he... he..."
"He's an asshole, and is probably out right now having fun with some girl, while you sit and cry at home. I know I promised last time that I'd let you handle things your own way, but I am your brother, and this is where I have to step in. Don't worry, I'm not going to beat him up or anything physical. I just think he and I need to sit down and talk."
...
Tracking down the asshole married to his sister was not the easiest task. However, Edward was determined, and doggedly followed his trail from club to club, until he finally found him in the middle of a group of revelers at a private beach party.
Edward looked on in distaste as his brother-in-law grabbed a scantily clad young thing by the waist and lay her down on a table, licking and sucking his way through a series of body shots, while the idiots around him—drunk or high, probably—cheered him on.
He gritted his teeth when he saw Jasper's hand creep up the girl's skirt while he continued to maul her neck. He quickly snapped a few shots of the two with his phone, just in case he needed to use them later—either as evidence for Alice, or leverage against Jasper—all the while wondering how best to get to Jasper and knock some sense into him without getting himself arrested.
His dilemma was solved unexpectedly. The girl Jasper had been making out with reached up and whispered something in his ear, before walking towards the restrooms. Edward did not miss the way Jasper followed her every move as she walked away, a certain glint in his eye that made Edward take notice.
Over the last couple of years, since his sister had shocked the family by her sudden marriage to Jasper just weeks after she first met him, Edward had had ample opportunity to observe the typical mating rituals the other man indulged in with his one-night stands. The man just didn't give a fuck about anything or anyone.
What he saw in his demeanor right now, however, was different. The way his eyes sought her out, and the smile when she turned to look back at him... This girl seemed to mean more to him. There was familiarity here, a warmth that he used to show Alice at one point.
Standing at the fringes of a party in a place he disliked, among people he despised—Edward wondered if he could find a way to prevent the situation from blowing up in Alice's face. He hated the man, but he didn't need much imagination to know what it would do to his sister if Jasper left her. No, against his better judgment, he had to try to give his sister what she wanted…another chance with this asshole. If nothing else, maybe he could wrangle the two or three months she was so sure could fix them.
His mind sped over his options. If he could get hold of this girl and figure out whether his hunch about Jasper's interest in her was correct… maybe he could lure her away, convince her to stay with him for the next few months, dangle her as bait to keep Jasper on the straight and narrow. It wasn't any kind of solution to Alice's troubles, but if this was what she wanted, he'd be damned if he didn't at least try to give it to her.
A plan quickly formed in his mind, but it hinged on so many variables... and the most important one was just stepping out of the restroom.
A quick glance showed that Jasper was busy laughing at something one of his friends was saying. Edward didn't waste a moment in walking right up to the girl, stumbling a little and grabbing her round the waist to steady himself.
"I'm so sorry," he apologized, laughing. "I must've tripped on something. Are you ok?"
The girl looked a little shaken, but quickly composed herself. "I'm fine, no harm done."
It was not easy to guess her exact age with all the makeup she had on, but he supposed she must be in her mid-twenties. She was not very tall, but was pretty enough, with big brown eyes and pouty lips set in a heart-shaped face. She was thin... too thin in his opinion, but he knew this was the standard of beauty demanded in the circles Jasper moved.
Edward liked his women to be a lot more substantial, with a real personality if possible. He found brains attractive, as much as a body he could really hold onto. Airheaded, airbrushed waifs had never done it for him, and never would.
"Are you sure?" he pressed, turning on the charm. The way her eyes widened and lips parted slightly told him she was not immune to his looks. "You look a little shaken up. Come on, let me at least buy you a drink. I'm Anthony, by the way. Anthony Masen."
His hands were still around her bare, slender waist, and he deliberately dragged his thumbs over her smooth skin as he let her go. She shivered involuntarily and swayed a little closer, pushing out her chest a little.
"I'm Izzy Dwyer. And there's no need for that. I should probably get back to my friends; they'll be looking for me." Her voice was not as strong or sure as it might have been, and she was running a finger suggestively along the edge of her low-cut top.
"Who're you with? I don't think I've seen you at one of these parties before." It was true, if only because Edward hated the LA party scene with a vengeance and only visited when he absolutely had to. He steered her towards a couple of empty hammocks over to the side, keeping his expression as non-threatening as possible. To his relief, she followed easily.
"I'm with Jasper Whitlock," she said, but her gaze was caught up in Edward's green eyes.
"Oh? Are you one of his team, then? A budding young photographer, and so beautiful," he said smoothly, with a half-smile that he knew would draw her in.
"Um... no, I'm a model. We're out celebrating my first major magazine shoot, as a matter of fact." She flicked a glance in Jasper's direction, and the smug happiness on her face nearly made Edward lose his cool. He regrouped quickly, though.
"So, are you friends with his wife as well?" he asked casually.
Her shocked gaze swung round to his, her mouth opening and shutting as she struggled to find something to say.
"Wife? What... Jasper's wife?"
"Oh, I'm sorry," he said, acting embarrassed. "You didn't know. I'm sorry, I just... you look like a nice girl, and well, Jasper has a bit of a reputation, so I... Look, just forget I asked, ok?"
"No, tell me, please! I... I mean are you sure? You might be mistaking him for someone else. We've been together nearly three weeks now, and... are you sure?" she nearly begged, and for a moment, he almost felt bad for her.
Then her words registered, and he nearly laughed out in exultation. He had been right. Jasper, the man who never kept any of his girls around more than a couple of nights, had been with this girl for three whole weeks. She was special to him, and that was enough to silence Edward's conscience.
"Izzy," he said, looking unsure and a little regretful. "Maybe it's something you should talk to Jasper about. It's not really my place..."
She reached out and grabbed his arm. Her long, glossy fake nails gleamed dully against the cream of his shirt sleeve. "Anthony, please. Just tell me. I need to know what I'm asking him about. Please."
Edward heaved a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. He noticed how her eyes followed the action with a slightly dazed expression.
"Jasper married a rich young designer about two years ago. It was quite a whirlwind romance. He started sleeping around pretty soon after, though. Or maybe he just never stopped. Who knows," Edward shook his head, not even trying to mask his disgust. "It's a kind of sick pattern with him. He picks up a new girl every so often, takes her out, sleeps with her, and dumps her. Then he goes back to his wife Alice and begs forgiveness, behaving like the perfect reformed husband... until the next week, when the cycle begins again."
"Are... are you sure? I mean, how do you know so much? How do I know you aren't just saying this to get me away from him? What do you really want?" she asked, her voice rising and growing more strained with each word.
He gripped her arms firmly and waited till her eyes snapped back to his. "I know this," he ground out grimly, "because he did this to someone I know… someone I care about. I've watched him do this to so many girls, and each one of them is left high and dry, because Jasper fucking Whitlock is incapable of following through on his promises."
"But…What... no! It can't be true, he said... he told me he was... that he was falling for me. We're going away for a holiday in a few weeks, just the two of us. You're lying, right? You've got to be lying!"
He huffed out a laugh at her naiveté. "Look, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but Jasper is flying to Australia in a couple of weeks, for the next two months. He is taking his wife with him, because she insisted that they need time together. So sweetheart, I don't know what line he's been feeding you, but I can guarantee it's a load of crap."
He waited for a minute, but she seemed to have been shocked dumb. He raised her chin with a finger and looked at her seriously. Her breath quickened and she licked her lips. She may have had her hopes pinned on Jasper, but she was definitely not immune to Edward either. He wanted to shove her away in disgust but instead gently smoothed his thumb over her cheek.
"What did he promise you, Izzy? A nice apartment? A high-flying lifestyle? Vacations in exotic places? Getting you in at the best parties?"
She nodded haltingly. "I've been in LA over a year and a half, and this was my first major break. I... there are bills, and I thought he really liked me. He said he wanted to take care of me. I thought my luck had changed." She looked away with a bitter laugh. "Apparently not."
Edward felt no compunction moving in for the kill.
"Izzy, I feel really bad about the whole thing. I mean, I've seen what this guy has done to my… to other girls, and now you... I don't even know how a sweet girl like you got caught up in his lies, but… Listen, I have an idea. You need money and the right contacts, and I can get you that. There's no pressure, ok, but I really think I can help you out here."
She sniffed and wiped away the moisture that had been pooling in her eyes. They were probably her best feature, Edward mused dispassionately.
"If you want to really make something of your life, call me. Here's my card. I'm not trying to push you on this, but I'm also not going to stand around waiting for you to let Jasper ruin your life."
With that, he turned and walked off, leaving her clutching his card and looking conflicted. Edward grimaced. He had no doubt that she would call. He had seen enough women like her—women who cared for nothing but their own comfort, trading in their youth and beauty for material gain. To his mind, they were nothing more than parasites, and he saw nothing attractive about their lures. Too thin, too fake, too mercenary, too caught up in an unreal world.
He drove straight back to the hotel.
He had scarcely entered his room, when his phone rang. He allowed himself one short laugh before he took the call. Of course it was her. She had taken the bait, and much as he despised her for it, he would happily reel her in.