Devil Incarnate Chapter Eight

Unknown POV

Shifting the scope, the man in the SUV observed the small group of people creeping closer to the back door of the nuclear physics lab. It took them mere minutes to bypass the security and open the door. Exiting the vehicle, he followed on foot while keeping the door in sight. His only job was to make contact, but he had a feeling things would go sideways quickly. 

Which was why he was prepared for any and all eventualities.

Since they’d been so kind as to open the door for him, he followed them into the lab. The hallway was dark, but a faint red light glowed from the ceiling. Black-clad figures moved quickly and silently in the direction of the room he knew housed the anti-matter bomb. They didn’t speak, blended into the shadows perfectly, and moved with a stealth that impressed him. Too bad he would have to intervene.

Suddenly, one of the larger figures turned with a firearm aimed directly at him. “Stop right there!”

Realizing his mistake a few seconds too late, he grinned wryly and put his hands up by his head. “Mr. Cullen, I need to speak with you.”

“Not fooking likely,” someone else replied. Judging by the accent, it was an Irish Cullen cousin.

Outnumbered and a little embarrassed at being caught, he stood his ground while they circled him. Heading back toward the door, they exited one by one, each of them aiming a weapon at his face. When the last one was out, the person he assumed was Cullen himself hesitated in the doorway, then slammed the steel barrier behind him.

“Can’t believe I thought they didn't know I was here,” he muttered to himself.

Having no choice, he opened the door, his own weapon raised in case someone felt the need to get squirrely. They’d moved on, likely back to their vehicle or to their hidey hole. Running to his SUV, he slid behind the steering wheel and gunned it, pulling up the heat signature map on his laptop with one hand as he drove.

“Found you,” he sing-songed.

It didn't take long to catch up to them. Of course, he hadn't identified himself back at the lab, but he also knew it wouldn't have mattered. The Cullens wouldn't trust anyone sneaking up on them, and he knew it. 

He narrowed the distance between them quickly, revving his engine and coming close to their back bumper. He pressed the horn, grinning as they sped up. He hadn't expected to have so much fun coercing them to cooperate.

Another vehicle swerved out on the empty street behind him, and he realized his second mistake immediately. They had split up while he was busy patting himself on the back for finding them. It didn't matter, though.

They might not realize it yet, but they had nowhere to go.

EPOV

Adrenaline pumping, Edward recalled all the times he’d been involved in car chases in his lifetime. He didn't know who was interested in them, or who could have caught up to them. It didn't really matter; he’d make sure they were dead either way. 

“Left, left, left!” Ben shouted.

Edward jerked the wheel, sending the vehicle careening over lawns and small shrubs. There wasn't anything there but a narrow alley, and yet he trusted Ben intrinsically. In his hand, Ben held a small GPS system with an aerial view of their location lit up in shades of green.

“Dead end; go right.”

Instinct took over as he maneuvered through the damp, dark streets. It was almost exhilarating.

“Who the fuck was that?”

Without looking over at his wife, Edward replied, “We don’t really know much about Zion, such as where they’re from or anything. That guy just had a nondescript American accent.”

Grabbing the handle above her door, Bella braced herself as the car tried to retain traction taking a turn through a puddle. 

Someone’s cell phone began to ring. Emmett pulled his from his tactical vest pocket, holding it up and squinting. “Who the fuck is that?”

“Answer it,” Edward ordered.

Immediately, Emmett answered the call and placed it on speakerphone. “What do you want?” he barked into the phone.

“For you to pull over so we can talk like civilized adults.”

“Over your dead body,” Edward answered.

“Now, now, Mr. Cullen. There’s no need to be so crude.”

They all heard a whistling sound as something flew overhead. At the last minute, Edward braked hard, and the street in front of them lit up with an explosion. His occupants were all thrown forward, but it was much preferred over the alternate outcome.

“Who the fuck are you?” Emmett shouted.

“Your ally. Or your enemy. Your choice.”

Bella met Edward’s gaze, the interior of the SUV illuminating in the flames coming from in front of them. He nodded, and she nodded in return.

Edward took the phone from Emmett and ended the call, throwing the device on the floor. “Ben, where is our secondary vehicle located?”

“Directly behind the enemy.”

“Instruct them to treat him as such.”

Putting the vehicle in reverse, Edward listened to Ben relay the instructions. Soon, they caught up to the other two vehicles, watching as the interloper attempted to outrun Seamus. A devilish smirk appeared on Edward’s face as Seamus rammed the side of the blacked-out SUV. In under a minute, Edward had joined him to flank the idiot. Metal screamed as they narrowed the distance between them, scraping and bumping their way down the four-lane road. When the guy in the middle sped up, they did the same, making a harmonious effort to run him into the upcoming median. Sparks flew as Seamus bottomed out over a speed bump and scraped the undercarriage, but no one slowed down. 

The cell phone rang from the floor, but was ignored. Bella’s lit up, and she raised her eyebrow at Edward. 

“Go ahead.”

The voice immediately came shouting over the speakerphone. “Don’t you fucking idiots realize I’m not alone? My air support could blow up both your SUVs in half a second. Stand the fuck down!”

Ben held his finger over his phone’s screen, ready to inform Seamus and the others of Edward’s decision. 

The three vehicles were nearly locked onto each other, making a horrendous racket as they careened down the street. The other man could possibly slam on his brakes and avoid the worst collision of his life with the light pole and two-foot concrete berm five hundred feet ahead of them. As much as Edward wanted to doubt his claims, they’d seen the rocket come from what seemed to be nowhere to blow up before their eyes. With a curt nod, Edward tapped the brakes and steered away from the vehicle caught between him and his cousin. Ben typed furiously, and seconds later, Seamus came to a jarring stop. Smoke poured out from under his tires, and Edward and the others exited with their weapons drawn to approach the man they’d spoken to on the phone. He’d stopped with a mere few inches between him and the light pole to spare, his hood billowing smoke. 

He was out and aiming a handgun at Edward in seconds. Calmly, Edward remained frozen in place, his own—bigger—gun raised and his body turned to the side.

“Who the fuck are you?”

“The asshole sent to help you.”

“You have a funny way of helping.”

“Clearly, I should have sent the cavalry to your house to scare your wife and children instead.”

“His wife isn’t easily scared,” Bella said, moving up to Edward’s side with her weapon raised. 

“We need to move off the main road before we attract unwanted attention.”

Seamus laughed from Edward’s left. “I love attention.”

“Not the kind you’ll find once the rest of my guys arrive.”

“Who are you with?” Edward demanded.

“I’m just asking for a sit down off the street. I’ll have a crew clean up this mess and fix the damage done to our vehicles.”

“Once you tell us who you are, then maybe we’ll consider letting you anywhere near our SUVs.” Emmett cracked his neck. “Unless you’re looking for a brawl.”

“My name is Holden, and I want to help you obtain the anti-matter bomb.”

A dozen thoughts flew through Edward’s mind. Did they have a traitor in their midst? How had anyone else found out about Zion’s demands? Was this the person from the nuclear physics lab they’d communicated with online, and now he was out here playing games with them? 

He’d sensed they were being followed the second they left their hotel room that afternoon. They’d taken several detours and backtracked a number of times. Though he hadn't seen anyone, he’d felt them. The hair on the back of his neck wouldn't settle the entire time they made their way to CalTech. On foot, it was easier to split up and hide if the need arose, and he’d been tempted to do just that. He wanted to go inside alone, but he knew they’d been spotted by someone, and the best way to lure them out was to pretend all was normal. Once they’d gone inside, thanks to Ben hacking the security system, they’d moved down the hall with the expectation of apprehending the person following them.

“Why would we let you help us with anything?” Rose asked.

“I have more resources than you.”

“And what makes you think we want anything to do with this bomb you mentioned?” Ben asked.

Sighing, the man rolled his shoulders without dropping his gun. “You really want to do this here in public?”

It was true that people had begun to gather on their lawns. Even in the middle of the predawn light, Edward spotted a few people with phones in their hands. He couldn't afford to have law enforcement find them on the scene.

“You, walk.” Edward gestured with his gun.

The man moved, backing toward the sidewalk. “I have a secure location nearby. We can walk, or I can arrange for a car.”

“Since I don't trust you one iota, how ‘bout you keep walking.”

At Edward’s suggestion, Holden moved off down the sidewalk. Actually turning his back on the Cullens, he moved with the effortlessness of a man who had nothing to fear and no reason to hide. Edward wasn't sure what to make of that.

“Is this guy for real?” Bella whispered.

“Who the hell knows.”

“I assure you, I’m real.”

Bella frowned. Edward was positive her voice had been too low for anyone else to hear. They walked for about ten minutes before they came to a stop in front of a building so derelict Edward would swear it was a condemned drug house.

“I’ll go first.” Holden walked up to the door, rapping on it in a patterned series of knocks. Someone on the inside opened the door, and Holden gestured for the Cullen clan to go inside.

Edward’s gut rarely steered him wrong. Realizing it could be a trap and also realizing they needed all the help they could get, he waffled between his choices.

The decision was taken out of his hands.

Dozens of men surrounded them, decked out in more tactical gear than Edward knew existed. They all held a weapon in his and his family’s direction, and wore more strapped to their backs. Defeated, Edward knew they needed to listen to what Holden had to say. He could only hope the man was sincere in his offer of helping them defeat Zion.

He felt Bella slip her hand into his as they entered the shack. From the inside, it mostly resembled a state of the art lab. Computers sat everywhere, the walls were reinforced steel, and one entire corner was dwarfed by a massive weapons cabinet with a metal grid door. 

“As I mentioned, I need to speak with you.”

Holden waited patiently by a chair at the head of a long table. Without much recourse, Edward sat. Bella took the seat beside him, and Emmett, Rose, Ben, and Seamus spread out. 

“I know everything.” With that statement, Holden sat.

Edward remained silent.

“I also know you won’t volunteer any information, for which I can’t blame you.”

There was a slight pressure on his palm as Bella squeezed his hand. “What do you want?”

Edward suppressed the reflexive flinch. She knew not to speak, but clearly Bella had a feeling about this man. Never would Edward dream of telling her what she could and couldn't do in this type of situation—at least not in front of others.

“I want to help you, as I said before.”

“It wasn't very smart to ambush us without back up when you had so many other choices,” Bella pointed out.

“No.” Holden sat back, grinning. “I can see that now.” 

“You underestimated us.”

“A mistake I won’t make again.”

“We had several opportunities to kill you, but we didn't.”

“Same goes.”

Edward watched the stalemate in fascination. His wife had gotten the dumbass to talk, but they still didn't know why he’d offered to help. What could he possibly gain from helping them steal a world-ending superweapon?

Nobody spoke for a long few minutes. Finally, one of the soldiers in the room plopped a file down in front of Holden. The man glanced at it, then up with a nod. Finally, he speared Edward with his dark gaze.

“Here is what I have to offer you. We work together to take the bomb, deliver it to Zion as a ruse, and then stop them from blowing up the world. In exchange, you and each member of your organization are granted full immunity in the eyes of all American law enforcement agencies.”

“I’m not an American citizen, you fooking arsehole.”

Holden barely acknowledged Seamus. “The crimes you are about to commit will be here on American soil. I’ll see what I can do to erase your past indiscretions in Ireland, Seamus Cullen. It’s better than three hots and a cot.”

“And what alleged crimes do you expect us to have committed or to commit in the future?” Bella asked.

“Look, this is called a cooperative effort. We don't want a terrorist organization to destroy human life in some misguided attempt to take over the world. At the same time, my agency’s involvement has to be kept under wraps. Are you in or not?”

“For the last time,” Edward spat through gritted teeth. “Who the fuck are you?”

“Operative James Holden with the Central Intelligence Agency.”