Hello All! Here is the next chapter, hope y'all enjoy.

-The Devil's Cupid-

James stood before me as though a single day has not past. He slouched against the counter, propping himself up with his elbow as he reached out to take my coffee out of my hand like old times. He used to state that I always ordered better things than he did, but now I know he just liked having the power to take things from me.

Our stare down was broken when the barista called out that James' beverage was ready, and when she took in the tall blonde on my side of the counter, she perked up and adjusted her stance to enhance her body's curves. James barely turned his body toward her as he stuck his hand out expectantly. Not acknowledging the girl behind the counter, his eyes quickly found their way back to me. The red headed barista gave a pout and returned to her station, her eyes flicking back to James a few times before giving up entirely.

At one point, being the only one able to capture James' attention would have made me feel on top of the world. He was the definition of a bad boy with his dangerous care free attitude, sly looks and smirks that made you want to melt in a puddle at his feet, and everywhere he went, so did longing eyes and broken hearts. He looks the same as he did back when I first met him, dark washed jeans, a dark grey V-neck that showed off the muscles under his clothes and layered on top was the black leather jacket that he rarely was seen without.

We met at a mutual friend's keg party our freshmen year at college where my roommate at the time, Alice, kept trying to entice me to smoke a joint with her. James overheard and upon questioning, found out that my teenage years were tame and quickly became intrigued with my innocence. After declaring that he was going to do his best to corrupt me, James took a hit of Alice's rolled drug and he pressed his lips to mine, prying my own open with his tongue then blowing the thick smoke into my mouth. The coughing fit afterwards should have been enough to scare him off, but instead it amused him and he kept me by his side the rest of the night. That was the first and only time that James allowed me to smoke, claiming that it didn't look right on me to be doing such things. I was the one pure thing in his world and he was hell bent on keeping me that way.

"You have bags under your eyes, other than that, the year apart did some good for you." His ice blue eyes lazily looked me up and down approvingly. I crossed my arms in front of my chest to shield myself from his penetrating gaze.

He lifted his hand to brush a strand of my hair behind my ear, lingering gently on my skin causing my heart to skip a beat. My body instinctually began to lean into his touch when my mind jerked back to reality, remembering the last time he touched me. Just as the phantom bruises from that night graced my skin, I recoiled away from him. James chuckled to himself, most likely relishing in my discomfort.

"What are you doing?" I cringed at how my voice broke at the end of the question, enhancing his amusement.

"Well, that is quiet a question. What am I doing in life? What am I doing here in this coffee shop, or what am I doing to you? However, by the blush on your cheeks, I can wager that we both know the effect I have on you still." He rarely ever smiled a genuine smile, it was always a smirk at someone else's expense that graced his lips. I used to find them dashing, but now all I feel is disgust and overwhelming dread.

Once again he inched closer and I could feel myself bristle and my muscles tense. His chest brushed against mine as he now stood toe to toe with me.

"What are you doing back? I thought you were relocated to California to run some fancy new station?" James was a firefighter and due to his tenacity to out due everyone, was quickly promoted and was offered a chief position where forest fires were popular.

"There are more important things in life." He made a face after taking a swig of his beverage before throwing it in the trash. "You've been on my mind lately." There was no sweetness in the declaration, just his normal bluntness.

"I'm leaving." I went to push past him, but he gripped my arm and pulled me against him.

"What? Bella, please tell me that you're not childish enough to still be upset over the Mike thing."

"You threw me through the sliding back door because you couldn't handle that Mike had a crush on me!" Mike Newton was a newbie cop that worked in the same precinct as Emmett, and after getting an interview for my column from the baby faced blonde, he persistently asked me out, much to James' dismay. As Mike's annoying presence increased, so did James' temper until he accused me of being a worthless whore and proceeded to shove me hard enough to go through the glass door of our patio.

"I have already apologized for that, let's not be redundant and let bygones be bygones." He attempted to dismiss what he did, but unlike him, I didn't walk away unharmed. Twelve stitches, three hair line fractures and one broken bone later, and my mind was made up. There was no forgiveness for his most recent tantrum, he didn't even bother to check on me in the hospital, and James took off to California shortly after.

"Well, since you never saw me afterwards, here's me saying it in person. Apology not accepted!" I shoved against him with all the strength I could muster. Once my arm was free, I stole back my coffee and quickly made my way to the front door. I was so frazzled by my encounter with my ex that I ran straight into something, or rather, someone, spilling the remainder of my hot coffee all over the unfortunate person who let out a yelp.

"I am so sorry! I am such a klutz sometimes, here let me help." My hands furiously began wiping at the growing brown stained shirt, not really doing anyone a favor.

"Its fine really, at least the coffee was lukewarm." A voice as thick as honey chuckled in my ear, causing my hands to waiver. I looked up into the most stunning pair of forest green eyes. All progress was halted on my end as I took in the attractive stranger before me. Dark auburn hair brushed against the thick rimmed glasses that traced his eyes. He was beautiful in a quiet, subtle way. And he was still talking, and I didn't catch any of it.

"Again, I'm so sorry! Do you want me to pay for your ruined shirt?" I apologized profusely, trying to play off my awkwardness have having just been staring at him, only to have the handsome man before me wave me off.

"Accidents happen. I'm Edward by the way." He reached out his hand and as my fingers grazed his, a shock of electricity ran through my entire body, causing me to quickly let his hand fall.

"Bella." I could feel more than a pair of green eyes on me and when I turned around I found James glaring at the exchange between myself and Edward. He just saw me essentially grope a stranger while trying to clean their shirt of spilt coffee, I could only imagine what thoughts were going through his head and that alone terrified me.

"Bella…very fitting." Edward's eyes held me with such intensity, and although there was a growing heat in my stomach, it was becoming too much, especially with James so near. I shifted feet and he shook his head as I came out of his daze.

"I guess coffee is on me this time, but maybe you can make it up to me and let me buy you one next time?" I blinked a few times before shaking my head no.

"Uhm...no?" My eyes kept going back to James to gauge his reaction and Edward picked up on it, turning to see who I was looking at.

"Boyfriend?" His tone was light enough, but there was something else to the question.

"More like ex. Um, I'm so sorry but I'm late coming back from my lunch break." My lie of an excuse was easily detected as he looked down at his watch.

"Early lunch break." I stepped around him quickly, back to the door. I looked around the café before making my exit, I sighed in relief when I couldn't locate James.

"Busy schedule today, if I didn't take one now then I most likely wouldn't get the opportunity later. Again sorry about the shirt, nice meeting you!" My words were rushed.

"Oh okay, well I'll see you soon enough. Have a good one, Bella." I froze with my hand on the door handle.

Edward's eyes grew wide and he held his hands up. "No, I'm not a stalker! I've just seen you in here often! Gah! That still seems a bit creepy." The tips of his ears reddened and he began stammering on about not wanting to scare me off. It was all comical yet charming.

"I'm just going to stop talking before I make myself out to be completely insane. You were headed to work, off you go then!" He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and looked everywhere but at me.

"It's my turn to say its fine. Really though, you don't sound crazy." I gave him a final goodbye before finally escaping out the door, only to run ricochet off of Emmett's hulking figure as soon as I was clear from the entrance of the establishment and a good few strides away down the sidewalk.

"And where the hell have you been? You left me for the wolves!" I screeched, my hand flew out and made a loud smack as it connected to his bare bicep. He didn't know that I was going to be ambushed by James or that I was literally run into a handsome stranger, but it felt better to put the blame on him rather than accept that the universe was out to get me.

"Chill, small fry. It's a hole in the wall coffee shop, what could possibly happen?" The glare I shot him was enough to cause him to gulp and bite his tongue. He brought his phone into my range of eye sight and apologized for the calls taking forever.

"Sorry that call took a while, there's been another missing person's report with the same physical description as the victims and the mayor is breathing down or necks to catch this creep."

"Already? But it's been less than a week since the last body was found. Why do you think he's moving the time line up so much, do you think he's panicking?"

"We're nowhere near enough to catching him to cause him to panic, unfortunately I think he's almost done." The puzzlement on my face was enough to make him continue. "I believe that he has perfected his killing ritual and is ready to go after his main victim and once he's done with her, we'll most likely never catch our guy."

A ball formed in the pit of my stomach at the idea of having The Devil's Cupid free in society. If Emmett is right, our most wanted all but mastered how to get away with murder. If he gets away now, what's to stop him from forming a new fixation later down the road and going on another spree?

Thank you to those that are following and reviewing! Everything starts falling into place the next chapter and on!

See y'all next time. Have fun and safe travels!

-Jack'sJill