Devil Incarnate Chapter Seven

Craving some semblance of normalcy, Bella went to work the next day. Edward nearly begged her to stay home, too afraid of the dangers of Zion targeting her while out from under his protection. In the end, she’d won the argument.

“The girls already know something is wrong. I have to pretend life goes on, even though it might not. I have to give them that.”

The pained look on his face remained with her throughout the day. She’d intended to drop in and make sure Bree, Maggie, and Charlotte had everything under control, but the scent of new books drew her in. Spotting Char unpacking them in the stockroom, Bella stopped to help.

“Is everything okay at your house, Mrs. Cullen?”

Despite having asked them repeatedly to call her by her first name, her employees referred to her more formally most of the time. “It’s chaotic with the extended family visiting, but other than that, everything is fine.”

They’d used the excuse of their houseguests as the reason they couldn't be at the store every day, but Bella felt the lie as a ten-ton weight sitting on her tongue. 

“It must be incredible to have such a large family.”

Bella heard the wistfulness in Char’s voice and thought back to the time it was she who wished for more than what—and who—she had at home. She’d been so lonely she’d done some reckless things. But look at what I gained in the process. And though it was almost never easy, it was certainly worth it.

“Do you ever go out, Charlotte?”

Char stopped moving, letting the flaps of the box drop against the sides. “What, like, to bars and stuff?”

“Not necessarily. But if you’re always here or at home, nothing exciting can happen in your life.”

The younger woman scoffed, pushing her frizzy brown hair behind her ear. “Yeah, easy for you to say. You have a hot husband and kids.”

Bella placed her hand on her employee’s shoulder. “Sweetie, I was where you are. I had one friend who’d gone off to college, and I was alone in a small town with just my overprotective, selfish parents.”

“I don't even have one friend.”

Bella’s heart ached for the young woman. “I know how you feel, I promise. I caught Edward’s eye one day and made a leap of faith. It was a series of crazy events, really, and I’d thought there was no way he’d look twice at me.”

Char blinked. “You didn't think he found you pretty?”

The very idea brought Bella back to their first time. She always felt plain-Jane, but he’d told her she was pretty even though he’d caught her in the middle of cleaning the house in sweatpants. “I was a mouse; too quiet, too willing to do whatever I was told. I couldn't even speak to strangers.”

Once more, she and Charlotte worked together to unload books from the box. “But then how did you end up together?”

“Edward pursued me at first, and I gave in, eventually. I wanted whatever he could offer me, however brief. I knew he had to return to Seattle—he was visiting my town for a death in the family—and we went our separate ways for a few months. It wasn't until much later when we ran into each other again and rekindled what we’d had.”

She left out the part about being stupid enough to get knocked up because she didn't think of birth control, the wedding meant only to keep her and the baby safe, and the year she and Edward spent bickering and avoiding their feelings for each other. Though she was more than happy to explain how she came to be Edward’s wife and the mother of his children, she didn't need to reveal every detail to get her point across to Charlotte. 

“I guess what I’m saying is sometimes you have to be brave enough to get out and find what you love. I wasn’t comfortable in my skin at your age either. I thought I loved working in the library and going back to a simple life at night, but I was desperately bored, and didn't see it until Edward showed me what life could really be like.”

“It’s so romantic.”

Bella chuckled. “Maybe now it seems that way, but we had our share of troubles.”

“Well, yeah, everyone knows what you two used to do.”

Pausing with her hands midair over the box, Bella said, “What did we used to do?”

Charlotte swallowed, averting her gaze. “You were in the mafia together. You were Seattle’s unstoppable power couple.”

“Trust me, it’s not as glamorous as it sounds.”

Charlotte merely hummed, resuming her job. Bella had made a point of avoiding the media when she and Edward earned the label to which Char referred. It made for a splashy headline, but it wasn't who she was inside. Running a woman-owned and staffed small business was her true dream, and Edward had helped her create that dream. Or rather, his money and unwavering support had helped her. She’d finished school with the general business management degree she wanted and then furthered her education while working on opening the business. The bookstore afforded her the opportunity to be home when her children were little, or to bring them to work with her. One of her greatest joys was to find and showcase local vendors, spotlighting female authors and products. No one wanted to see their dreams fail because they didn't have enough capital or exposure, so she did what she could to help.

"I want to find my happily ever after, you know? Only I don't know where to look."

Once again, Char's words brought Bella up short. Hadn't she and Edward enjoyed their marriage, their happily ever after? And yet, she wasn't nearly ready for it to come to an end. Scratching the surface even deeper, her children were the age where they would begin looking for their future happiness. As far as she knew, Quinn and Layla hadn’t discussed marriage. But what if her best friends' eldest was in it for the long haul with her son? Jake and Leah had been thrilled with the match, and so were Bella and Edward. Layla was smart and practical, similar to Quinn, but also knew how to have fun. Quinn was born serious and responsible, and was often the most mature person in the room. Occasionally, he needed his girlfriend’s levity to remind him of his age.

Was Zion’s doomsday mission destined to destroy everyone's chance at a long and fulfilling life? Would they all die no matter how hard they tried to make it otherwise? 

The very thought caused Bella’s knees to weaken. Finding the nearest chair, she sank into it, covering her mouth with her hand.

“Are you okay, Mrs. Cullen?”

Char’s concerned voice sounded close in Bella’s ear, but the room spun too much for her to focus on it.

“I’m calling Mr. Cullen.”

Bella wanted to tell her not to, but she couldn't form the words. Her mouth opened but nothing came out. Feeling lightheaded and vulnerable, her breath whooshed out of her chest.

“Char.”

The name came out more like a coughing wheeze than a true word. Undeterred, Char resumed her dialing, checking the emergency phone numbers list as she pressed the buttons on the phone in the back room. Bella couldn't make out what Char said, but she was lucid enough to understand the level of sheer dread her husband would feel when he saw the store’s name flash on his screen. He’d told her not to go, to stay home and stay safe. Why hadn't she listened?

But it wasn't an assault from the terrorist organization sending her into a tailspin, it was a panic attack at the thought of her children and everyone else’s dying in the upcoming catastrophe. Willing deep breaths in and out of her lungs, she tried to slow the spinning in her head so she could calm her employee.

“Char.” Hearing her voice louder, clearer, bolstered her effort. “Charlotte.”

The young woman turned from the phone, her expression proving how much Bella had scared her.

“I’m okay,” she croaked. 

“Mr. Cullen said he’ll be here in two minutes.”

Bella sighed. He must have been down the block at his own factory, since he couldn't have made it from the house that fast. Great.

By the time she heard his frantic voice coming toward her, she’d managed to still the shaking in her hands. He rushed into the stockroom, hauling her up out of the chair and smashing her body against his.

“Bella, god dammit, what happened?”

“It’s nothing. I panicked for a minute, that’s all. I didn't mean to scare everyone.”

“Well, you did.” He held her away from him to study her. “Your face is pale as death.”

“I recovered right about the time she called you. I guess I haven't had long enough to come back around.”

“Charlotte did the right thing,” he assured both of them.

“Now you’re worried over nothing.”

“It’s never nothing.”

His reassurances calmed her. Just his presence was enough to slow her thundering heart and bring clarity back to her mind. Bella’s breathing had returned to normal, and she felt the heat of humiliation fill her cheeks when she spotted Bree hovering in the doorway. She’d attracted an audience.

“I’m sorry to scare the two of you.”

Charlotte wrung her hands, a blush of her own covering her face. “I wasn't sure who to call. I know Mr. Cullen is only to be disturbed in extreme emergencies—”

“Charlotte, you did the right thing,” Edward reiterated. 

"I feel so foolish,” Bella whispered.

Using his thumbs, Edward wiped under her eyes. Only then did she realize tears flowed freely down her face.

“Totally understandable all around,” he murmured.

The solidity of his arms beckoned to her, and she buried her face in the side of his neck. His scent soothed her, bringing back a lifetime's worth of old memories.

“I think I need to go home.”

“I couldn't agree more.” She felt him shift before he spoke more loudly. “Charlotte, do you and Bree have the store handled?”

“Of course, Mr. Cullen.”

On the ride home, Bella could only focus on Edward. Anything but the feel of his hand clasping hers would send her into another downward spiral. They were doomed to a fate none of them could have foreseen, and which none of them deserved. They had to come up with something, and they had to do it quickly.

When they entered the house through the garage, they found Garrett pacing the hallway.

“What is it?” Edward demanded.

“We had another message.”

“In what form?”

“A letter.” Garrett held up the offending missive, thrusting it in Edward’s direction. “They've moved up the timetable.”

“Of course they have.” Bella blinked back more tears, turning into Edward’s chest.

"We have until the end of the month to prove we've found the bomb, and another week after that to steal it for them."

The flimsy piece of paper was no match for the rage flowing through Edward's arm and down to his fist. Bella heard the crunch as he balled it up, throwing it across the room in his frustration. 

"I guess it's a good thing everyone is ready to meet and go over their ideas," Garrett muttered. 

The majority of them gathered again. It was becoming a routine no one enjoyed, but it had to be done. The safe room in the basement had never felt as insignificant as it did with so many people crowding into it. 

"Our timetable has shortened," Edward began. "We need a plan right this minute."

Dara was the one to speak up. "Ben and I have been on the usual back channel sites, and we think we found something. We'll need a few more days for our ruse to work, but it looks to be a solid lead."

"Where does it appear they're keeping this weapon?" Bella asked. 

"I believe they're in Southern California, near Cal Tech," Ben responded. "They know how to ping their signal around the world, but every time it lands in Pasadena, there's a minuscule blip."

"Doesn't mean they have the damn thing nearby," Seamus grumbled. 

Dara flipped off her brother-in-law. "No, but it's an educated guess for now. They'll want to keep it close." 

"And I assume they won’t be willing to hand it over politely?" Edward asked. 

"Yeah, that's a no." Ben scrubbed his hand over his face. "I thought we could simply play it as a buyer interested in handing over a massive stack of cash, but they're scientists, and extremely suspicious and closed-mouthed."

"So what ruse were you referring to, Dara?"

Sighing, she said, "I wanted to pretend to be an arms dealer. That didn't work. We created a different dummy account and tried to act like a military go-between."

"That's not working either," Ben interjected. 

"So the best you can do is hope to guess where it's at?" Bella wanted to know. 

"Pretty much. If we're right about the pause in their signal, I might be able to track them down to an approximate square mile. Then the bomb itself puts out a signal, like a hydrogen marker."

Ben's explanation made Bella’s head throb. "So we go to Pasadena and prowl the streets with something that detects this signature?"

"Yes, that seems to be the best bet."

"Then I guess we're going on a road trip."

Char

Dara