Devil Incarnate Chapter Four

In perfect clarity, the monitor showed Garrett walking up to the derelict phone booth perched haphazardly on a downtown street. He wasn't in a friendly part of town; mostly, those present appeared to be surviving on the last dregs of their humanity. A man slouched on a front stoop wearing a coat several sizes too big and showcasing multiple holes. Another rail-thin man leaned against the side of a building, lost in the shadows looming from the overhanging roofline. Neither looked as though they’d remember their last hot meal if asked, and neither looked as though they would survive the year.

To anyone watching, Garrett was one and the same with those men—if it weren't for his hulking frame. He didn't appear to be a wealthy bodyguard for a mafia prince, and no one would know he was supported by eight undercover lieutenants. Nonchalantly, he passed the booth, not even glancing into the barren interior exhibited by the drunken angle of the door. His goal was to scope it out, to see if anything happened, or if they had spotted him.

Nothing blew up. Nobody came running out with weapons drawn. Heading all the way down the street, he circled the block before walking straight to the phone and picking up the receiver with a gloved hand.

Garrett appeared to listen for several minutes, then he hung up the phone and strode off down the sidewalk, an ordinary man going about his day. He gave no hint of the threat he’d heard or the magnitude of the destruction Zion was prepared to wreak.

Back at the house, Edward chewed on his thumbnail. “Did the audio pick that up?” 

Jasper shook his head. “No.”

“He’s taking the long way back to the van.” Emmett shifted in his seat to face Edward. “They’ve changed locations for safety.”

“I want him on the line as soon as he’s in the van.”

Jasper relayed the information to the lieutenants on surveillance duty.

Another five minutes passed before Garrett’s voice came over the speaker. “I’m inside.”

“Be careful getting back. Watch for tails.”

“Yes, boss.”

Nobody remarked on the fact Edward repeated the most obvious orders. They would be ingrained in all the men at that stage of the game, but Edward was nervous.

“It’ll be okay.”

Bella reached out to take his hand. Just then, the screen showing the phone booth went white, and everything seemed to rattle. The men yanked their earpieces off, overwhelmed by the noise assaulting their ears.

“Fuck me.” Edward neared the monitor, blinking to be certain he wasn't looking at a mirage.

The screen showed the remains of the street and the building which used to sit nearby. A crater-sized hole was all that was left.

“They waited for him to leave.” Jasper rubbed his ear. “That’s the good news.”

“Yeah, at least there’s that.” Edward paced, watching the feed from the van. Judging from the other men’s actions, they’d seen and heard the same. “But it means they know our every move. They have eyes on us, and I don’t like it.”

“Garrett?” Emmett asked.

“Still good here.”

Edward wanted them to be face to face before they spoke of whatever instructions they relayed to Garrett. Though he trusted the lines were secure, he didn't feel it was safe enough to discuss their plan openly over them. Suddenly, he wondered if they were hackable or not.

“We have a new signal scrambler in place, yes?”

Ben replied, “Yes, it was replaced within the last six months.”

“Is there a newer model?”

Ben clicked on his phone. “No, not that I can see.”

Edward nodded, somehow feeling it still wasn't good enough. If anyone wanted to listen in on their conversations, how hard would it actually be?

“When he gets back, we’re going to the basement to discuss things.”

“Why’s that?” Jasper asked.

“I don't have faith that no one is able to listen in, despite the blocker. The basement has steel walls.”

“Gotcha.”

Bella stood from her seat and wrapped her arms around him. He accepted her comfort, reminded again how much stronger she was than him.

“I love you,” she murmured.

“You too.”

If she didn't agree with what they were doing, she didn't question him in front of the others. It was one of her best qualities. Ben, Jake, and Quinn had joined the ranks of the Cullen men nearly twenty years ago, in the sense that they knew what the day-to-day business was, but Edward also consulted with them if anything came up. Eleazar and Afton came to Edward for advice all the time, and once in a while, another Family popped onto the radar looking to start trouble. Edward did his best to stay out of it, but it wasn't long before he couldn't deal with the secrets anymore. The people in his daily life knew who he was and what he’d done over the years. If they didn't forgive him for his sins, they accepted him enough to hide their feelings.

“Incoming,” Emmett announced.

They watched the video feed of the front gate, recently and rapidly repaired. The white van came through, the gates closed back, and they turned their attention to a different monitor which showed the garage. Men surrounded the gate and the garage door just in case, but there was no issue with Garrett’s return.

Impatiently, Edward moved to the kitchen and into the back hallway. Everyone followed, allowing him to unlock the secret door and make his way downstairs. Only once they were all securely inside the basement did he close the door and lock it back.

His movements were jerky as he walked the length of the room in front of the television. “What did they ask?”

Garrett cleared his throat. “Another six weeks for us to discover the location of this weapon they want.”

“That’s not long enough.”

“I know.”

“Did you speak to them?” Edward stopped walking to look over at Garrett.

“It was pre-recorded again.”

“And what is the name of this weapon?”

“Some kind of antimatter bomb.” Garrett shrugged. 

“What the fuck does that mean?”

Quinn spoke up. “Isn't that some futuristic shit?”

“That’s the crap they do at Cern in Switzerland,” Ben said, not looking up from his phone. He’d morphed from a personal assistant to their best researcher. Most likely, he was trying to find out what type of weapon they needed to obtain.

“Are they planning on destroying the United States?” Edward asked.

“There wasn't enough information for me to make an educated guess, but I can’t imagine what else they plan on doing with some sort of dirty bomb.”

Edward’s stare bored a hole in Garrett’s head. “Those are not the same things, but I get your meaning.”

“We’re in deep shit if we help,” Jake said.

“But we’re in deeper shit if we don't.” Bella circled the room. “And anyway, we were only going to pretend to help.”

“But that means actually finding this bomb for them.” Jasper glanced at Edward. “I don't know about you guys, but I’m not comfortable risking my child’s life.”

Afton finally spoke. “If they are serious about setting off this bomb, all our lives are in danger.”

“Great, so it’s a lose-lose situation,” Jake grumbled. “Just what I signed up for.”

“You know where the door is,” Bella snapped. “This isn’t ideal for any of us, and we’re all aware of that. We need to figure out how to get out of it, not act like we’re all fucking saints unfairly targeted.”

Emmett raised his hand. “If I may, we have plenty of hackers in our organization. Maybe that’s what they need and nothing more. If we get them on board to look for this thing, and we steal it, then we’ve done what they asked.”

“It doesn't seem as cut and dry as that.” Pinching the bridge of his nose, Edward turned in an arc. Dropping his hand, he gazed at everyone in the basement.

There was Emmett; he and Rose had four kids. Jasper had met Maria, fallen in love, and married her a few years after he became a widower. They had one child, a son. There was Ben; he and Angela had two kids. Possibly the most reluctant member of their team was Jake; his and Leah’s two girls were in high school. Quinn was even dating the oldest, Layla. Eleazar’s children were grown, but they were still in danger. Afton never had children, but he had what he considered grandchildren. And though Garrett and Kate didn't have kids, Edward couldn't fathom telling her he’d let Garrett die on his watch. Everyone had something to lose; everyone had someone with whom they couldn't bear to part. As he met Bella’s eyes, Edward thought of her and their three. No, he couldn't bear it if anything happened to them.

“We have to find this thing, yes. And it looks as though we have to steal it for them. What I fear is that we’ll also have to deploy it for them. Whoever they are, they know every move we make. They know who we are, what we look like; fuck, they probably know the names and ages of all our kids.”

Quinn said, “So we have to go through with their plan.” It was a statement, full stop. Something with which they’d have to come to terms.

“I don't like it.” Jasper shook his head. “But I understand it.”

Jake met and held Bella’s gaze before looking at Edward. “I promised a long time ago I would do whatever it took to protect Bella and Quinn, and then I extended that promise to include the girls. I won't go back on my word, despite my misgivings.”

“Then the first step is finding the damn thing,” Emmett said. “Then we figure out how to beat them at their own game.”

“We’re going to need help.” Everyone stared at Edward. “Looks like I’m going to Ireland.”

Over murmurs of good idea and the like, everyone dispersed. Edward and Bella were the last to leave, holding hands on the way up the stairs.

“We’ll figure this out,” she said. “I swear.”

“It doesn't seem to matter. We’re fucked either way.”

He walked off, leaving Bella standing in the kitchen. She chose to worry about dinner and helping Tyler to keep her mind off the stress of what they faced. It was noisy in the main part of the house when her guests came to eat, but she enjoyed the noise. She’d wanted a large family above all else, and she had it. 

After dinner, she realized she hadn't seen Edward in hours. With the chaos, she hadn't noticed sooner, but he never ate. After searching and asking a few guards, she discovered him standing on the balcony off their bedroom.

She stepped out the doors, wrapping her sweater more securely around her. Edward held a glass of whiskey, and a cigar rested on an ashtray, tendrils of smoke wafting into the damp night.

“Are you all right?” 

Without turning, he responded, "I know I'll truly have to pay for my sins, eventually. I’m terrified that one day, our grandchildren will find out what a monster I am and confront me. I'll be forced to watch the judgment in their eyes as I confess all that I've done. I can only pray they'll find it in their hearts to forgive me." Spinning to face her, he said, “Or maybe my penance is when I die and have to face God, and He'll ask me to justify my life. There's no chance He'll grant me entrance to heaven, and that's the worst fate I can imagine—not spending eternity with my angel.” Edward broke off to suck in a sobbing breath, resting his glass next to the ashtray. “But now, there’s this insidious doubt creeping inside my head, whispering that I'm not good enough for you on this earth. That I haven't paid the price for all the wrong I've done, and you'll be ripped from my arms soon. I can't think of a more righteous—and horrific—punishment."

Wiping the tears from her face, Bella moved forward to touch his arm, finding it cold through his dress shirt. "First off, your children weren't even phased when they found out. Do you know why? Because they've seen how much good you've put into the world all the years they've been alive. You've set an example of an ethically responsible entrepreneur and humanitarian. That's what they see when they look at you, not your upbringing and the life you were forced into as a young man. I believe our future grandchildren will feel the same." Rising on her toes, she framed his face in her hands. "As for me, I love every single part of you; the good and the bad. The husband, the father, the businessman. The criminal and the pure heart. If any part of you was different, it would change who you are, and I love you for who you are. I don’t need you to be perfect, I need you to be here with me every day, trying your best."

Edward crushed her in his arms. “I can't live without you. I simply can't.”

“You don't have to, ever. I’m here for you every step of the way. I know this shit is scary, but we’ll figure it out together the same way we always have.”

He kissed the top of her head. “I hate to leave, but I have to ask for help.”

“It’s a good idea. We need more manpower, and I’d love to see our Irish family.”

“Where the fuck will they sleep?”

She chuckled. “We’ll figure that out too.”

“I love you so much it hurts.”

She squeezed him a little harder. “I know the feeling.”