Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. No copyright infringement intended. ©2025

Shout out to my pre-reader for getting this chapter back to me so quickly. XOXO

Thank you for all of the awesome reviews!

Chapter 16

Jasper

"Come on in," I said, stepping out of the way so she could come in. "How have you been?"

"I'm much better," she smiled, as she faced me. "Thank you for asking."

I had to admit, she did look better than I thought she would, especially given what she has been going through lately.

"Why don't we go to my office so we can talk freely." I gestured.

"Sounds great." She followed behind me.

I opened the door to my scenic office, which displayed my snowy backyard, full of evergreen trees. My pinewood desk and the muted gray tones gave it a cozy feeling—at least that's what my fiancé, Alice, said when she decorated it for me.

As I got comfortable in the chair behind my desk, she took off her coat and laid it across the chair before she sat down.

I waited for her to speak because she was the one who called me.

"First of all, Jasper, thank you for meeting with me on such short notice." I smiled and nodded. "I know you've been extremely busy between work and planning your wedding."

Busy wasn't even the word. Alice may be 4'11 but she's a whirlwind when it comes to planning our wedding, along with our wedding coordinator, and her moving from New York to Chicago.

"Of course," I waved a dismissive hand. "Anything for an old friend."

"You've always been there for me whenever I needed you. I want you to know how much I appreciate you, Jasper."

"Bella, you've had my back too many times to count, so no worries at all."

I met her in boot camp. Although our careers took us in two different directions, there were several times our paths did cross. She was into weapons and I was into counterintelligence. And that's all I can say about that.

I retired from the Navy four years ago and started my private investigation business. You wouldn't believe some of the clients I have retained simply because of the skill set that I acquired while in the military, but I can't discuss that either.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I wanted to see you personally, right?" She crossed one leg over the other and folded her hands in her lap.

This was one of her tell signs, it was important.

"I know you usually take on bigger clients with much more serious things, but I really do need your stealth investigative talents right now. As you already know, Aaron and I are in the middle of a divorce. My attorney, Sean, has his investigator on Aaron but I'm coming to you for something else."

"Okay," I leaned forward, intrigued. "What do you need?"

"Remember that picture I got on our wedding day?"

I hummed, nodding.

"Who sent it and how did they know to send it there?" She cocked her head to the side. "Whoever this person is, knows exactly what Aaron has been doing. They may have more pictures or information about him that no one else knows about. There is no way in hell Aaron knew that picture was going to be delivered to the reception, he would've stopped it." She shook her head.

"Yeah, I know. When you told me that didn't make sense to me either. Why would he want you to find out, especially on your wedding day? I think we can all agree he's an asshole but he's not dumb. Someone else sent that picture. But who? Does Aaron have enemies?"

"Does he have enemies?" She snorted a laugh. "The conversation would be shorter if you asked who liked him."

"That's true." I chuckled. "I'll get started on it right away. But let me ask you though, you don't feel confident that your attorney's detective will find what you're looking for?"

"To be honest, I'm not sure if he's going to even look into that. I didn't mention it to Sean or anyone else for that fact. It was something that came to mind late last night." Bella uncrossed her legs and scooted to the edge of her seat. "Plus, I need someone with tact. I don't know this other investigator, but I know you. I also know you will dig until you get all of the answers. You're a rare commodity, Whitlock." She smirked. I was one of the few Rear Admiral who was a Seal and led the NIS.

"Alright, Swan, you've piqued my interest," I chuckled. "First and foremost, I want to nail this motherfucker to the wall for what he did to you and secondly you've made some good points. This may take a little bit of time since our boy is so loved by many but trust and know that I will get the job done." I smirked.

"That's exactly why I came to you." A wide smile spread across her face.

A/N: What do you think about Jasper?

Who do you think sent Bella the picture?