Bring Him Home Chapter 30

Sunday Lunch was proving to be a lot more trouble than I had originally expected, the guest list was growing by the day. As I shopped for groceries Saturday afternoon I was trying to decide on my final menu for nine people. Emmett and Rosalie were coming, as well as Jasper and Alice, Edward and Carlisle and Esme and Judy. My dining room table would just about cope if I used the kitchen island as a serving ledge. I finally decided on a turkey because it was big enough to serve all of us and once I'd made that decision I decided to just go ahead and do a thanksgiving type dinner. To cater for Edwards sweet tooth, I had already made a cheesecake and an English trifle, so I really just needed the fresh vegetables and plenty for people to drink.

A soon as everything that I could prepare early was sitting resting, I gave the apartment the once over and changed the sheets on the spare beds in case anyone wanted to stay. I sat down about 9.00pm and finally gave some thought to what Jasper had said at our last meeting. We were still waiting so see if there would be another video, but we had some more information about the PI. I decided to google him and surprisingly he had a website, a quick read informed me that he had offices in Seattle and New York, which at a push could explain some of the travelling backwards and forwards. He must have clients In New York that needed info on things in Chicago, he couldn't just be investigating us. I tried to find a photo of Mr Volturi but there was nothing to see, just a load of blurb about what he would investigate and along with the usual divorce cases and looking into people's back grounds and CV's he boasted of a 95 % success rate of finding missing persons as well as offering a service for looking into wrong full arrests and convictions.

I wondered if Carlisle had ever employed anyone to look for Edward and reminded myself to ask him if he had ever come across this Mr Volturi.

I was up early Sunday morning and I finished off the veg prep and put the turkey in to slow roast and made some fresh bread. I set the table and even had the red wine on the table before 9.00am. I was so worked up that I decided a run was in order to relieve some of the stress. When I run from home, the park is just too far away so I usually just run round the neighbourhood and today was no different as I took my normal route. As always I stopped at my halfway mark, a little deli that had a handful of tables outside and I ordered my usual latte and bagel with cream cheese. The weather for once was cooperating and as I sat waiting for my order I closed my eyes and let the autumn sunshine hit my face. I could feel the vitamin D racing through my veins, it made me feel lighter and happy. A shadow fell across my face and I opened my eyes expecting to see the waitress but I was a little startled as I realised a man had approached the table. He looked at me and gestured to the spare chair at my table saying," May I join you?".

Now there was no way that I looked alluring and stunning in that moment, I was sweaty and bright red as I stopped for my breakfast, so I was stunned to be asked

"I'm just about to eat, but I'm happy to share the table if you need somewhere to sit" I answered trying to make it obvious I was just giving him table space.

"That's ok Miss Swan, I actually need a few minutes of your time?"

That stopped me I my tracks, this man knew my name.

"You have me at a disadvantage I'm afraid I don't know who you are" I tried to keep the snark out of my voice.

"I apologise, I'm Caius Volturi" he said as he held his hand out for me to shake.

"You're the PI that's harassing my business and my employees" I was too shocked to be anything other than direct.

"I understand that it must seem like that, but I'm beginning to think that I have been misinformed by my client and am trying now to find out just what is the truth, and if this is their warped idea of revenge "he explained as he sat down at the table.

"So someone is trying to ruin my business then, has someone hired you investigate me?" I was seriously pissed off at this point and he was very close to getting a similar outburst to the one Edward got a while back.

"Please Miss Swan, I can't really say anything to you at the moment, as you must understand client confidentiality forbids it, but I will say I'm very impressed with whomever you have looking for me. They managed to get around every piece of security software I have and have gone through my files like I had given them free range" he explained.

I smiled thinking of Jasper and whatever he and his secret friends had been up to, I knew he had managed to get into the files but I wondered if Jasper knew he'd left a trail.

"So Mr Volturi what happens now, are you going to ruin my business or can we find a way to stop that before it happens? Are you going to post anymore videos?"

"At this moment Miss Swan I have two more videos that luckily are stored on a completely different system to my office computer, so your investigator didn't find them. I can assure for now I will not post them until I am happy the information in them is 100% correct, you have my word. I cannot guarantee that at the moment" he drew a breath and waited as the waitress brought my order and asked him if he wanted anything. He declined saying he wasn't staying. As soon as she went back into the deli he continued,

" As for your business Miss Swan, it was never about that, it was against you and your staff personally. I was actually struggling to find something against you, I was lucky to be in the right place and the right time to get hold of the phone recording of you in the street that day. Once I had that I could start targeting you all as I‘d been hired to do."

"So who are you targeting in the other two videos can I at least warn them they may be posted?"

"They are both a continuation of the last video, more information and details from the trial and investigation" he spoke as though it was of no consequence he was bearing Esme's worst nightmares to the world.

I looked across at him and for the first time he seemed uncomfortable, his body language was all off and I knew he'd just revealed something he hadn't been ready to.

"This isn't really about me and my staff at all is it? This is about Esme, your client has hired you to find something out about Esme. Are you hoping I fire her or something, or do you want to just ruin her?"

He stood up and I knew I hit a nerve, I'd got as close to the truth as he was going to admit and I had made him uncomfortable.

"I'll leave you to your breakfast Miss Swan, no doubt I'll be in touch sooner or later" and with that he walked away quickly before I could even get another question out.

I needed to talk to Jasper and quickly, this couldn't wait so I abandoned my hot coffee and after wrapping the bagel in a napkin I ran back home.

I didn't even bother showering before I made the call I needed him to do some digging, protecting Esme had just become our number one priority.

By the time everyone started to arrive for lunch I was back in control, I'd showered, finished cooking, everything was being kept warm and I was sort of relaxed. Jasper and Alice arrived first and it gave us a good half hour for me to go over again what had happened this morning and give Jasper as much information as I could.

"I can't believe he was so blatant in approaching you Bella, but I'm taking that as a good sign, he obviously wants you to know why he is doing what he's doing, even if he is being paid for it and it sounds like he maybe having second thoughts about his client but we can't afford to be complacent. I will see if we can find the other computer it's probably at his home, once I know that for sure it won't take me long to have a look around it."

Rosalie was the next person to arrive, I'd called her and asked her to come by early and if she was with Emmett to find an excuse so he wasn't with her. As soon as she was up to speed I asked their advice on the question that had been bothering me all morning,

"So what do we tell Esme?"

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To AJG and Edlovesme have a great break relax and enjoy it x