Devil Incarnate Chapter Fourteen

A wrenching sound left Bella’s mouth at the sight of her son covered in blood. “Edward, we have to do something!”

He glanced in the rearview mirror, eyes widening at what he saw. “Oh, my fucking hell.”

“Bishop to anybody who’s listening! It’s law enforcement pursuing us!”

“Where's Kiernan?” Bella shouted, heaving herself between the seats. 

“I swear to God, O’Byrne, I’ll kill you the next time I lay eyes on you.” Edward changed gears and gunned it, not even sure where he was headed. Anywhere people weren't shooting at them. “Sanction that, motherfucker.”

When he looked in the mirror again, Bella had peeled off her vest and ripped a strip from her shirt. Using one hand to press it to the wound spilling Quinn’s blood, she attempted to unzip his vest with the other. “Through and through. Side of the neck.”

“Carotid?”

When she didn't answer, he wanted to weep. They were living through the very scenario he’d hoped would never come to pass. 

Red and blue lights swirled over their features, and more bullets pinged the bumper. Rage filled him, bubbling until he didn't know what to do with it. His only outlet was to drive, so he used the reflexes and intuition it seemed he’d been born with, maneuvering around parked cars and not giving a shit if he scraped a few along the way. He clipped a fire hydrant when he bumped over a curb to avoid hitting a jogger; the person scrambled away at the last second.

“Knight to King. Safehouse on 22nd is open and waiting for us.”

“If we can get there in one piece,” Edward responded.

“Bishop and Knight are not clear,” Jake said. “Multiple cars in pursuit.”

“Why the fuck are they coming for us?” Bella shouted. 

“Fuck if I know.”

The side window shattered into a thousand pieces, covering Bella and Quinn in its shards. Bella sobbed, leaning over Quinn as the car rounded a sharp corner.

“Are you good?” Edward called back to her.

There was no response.

"Fuck!" Beating the steering wheel with the heel of his hand, Edward hollered the word twice more. "Quinn and Bella are both shot," he said into his earpiece.

"I have Emmett on the phone," Jake’s voice crackled over the line. "He sent out all the lieutenants in the area. We should see results soon."

So much for Kiernan having a direct line to Holden in case shit went south. Edward had to pull from Eleazar's resources to save their asses. It should never have happened the way it did. The men he'd stationed nearby never checked in, and they sure as hell didn't come to help. 

Three black vehicles came down the street, heading directly toward him. Scanning the available intersections, he realized he'd be forced to take an alley despite having no idea where it would lead. Out of time, he jerked the wheel and felt the car shudder as it scratched the brick walls on either side. When another car came for him in the opposite direction, he had no choice but to ram them head on. He never once let up on the gas pedal, spinning the tires as he forced the other car back. Burning rubber filled his nostrils, the tires chirping as they tried to gain traction. Barely clearing the alley, the other car bashed into multiple light poles and parked cars until Edward could get by.

Finally free of pursuants, Edward raced in the direction of the safe house on 22nd Street. A few more bullets rained down on the back fender, but they came from far away. Checking his mirrors, Edward spotted several vehicles intercepting the unmarked cars. 

"About fucking time."

He cringed when something to his left exploded. Two cars crashed into each other, sending a fireball high into the sky. What looked suspiciously like a rocket flew by in front of him, setting off another blast down the street.

"Pawn here," came the voice over the earpiece. "Sorry, I got held up. The path to the safe house is clear."

"Knight and Bishop copy. Headed there now."

Edward growled. "Well, that's just great. Looks like fuck bucket woke up from nappy time after we already got shit handled. King and his passengers are heading to the safe house too, and we need immediate medical assistance."

"Copy. Pawn out."

Edward's jaw ached with the amount of tension radiating through it. Emotions were about to choke him, but he dug down deep for his years' worth of training. Everything but the road around him blurred until he came across the last turn. Never had he been happier to see that safe house in his fucking life. 

No sooner than he'd pulled into the garage did Kiernan pull up behind him in a navy sedan. Fueled by his fury, Edward pushed out of the car and charged the redhead standing in the driveway. 

"You motherfucking, cocksucking piece of maggot-infested dog shit!"

They collided, but Edward soon learned the scrawny shithead could hold his own. Kiernan blocked every move Edward made until he screamed at him in frustration. 

"You swore you were on our side, and then you disappeared the second it got rough!"

"I was surrounded by Zaytsev's men!"

"That’s bullshit of biblical proportions!" Edward roared. "My wife and son are bleeding out in the back seat, and you're the only person around!"

"First, let's get them in the house, then you can yell at me some more."

Edward strode to the car, nearly ripping the door from the frame as he threw it open. He picked Bella up and carried her to the house, laying her on the sofa. When he straightened to go back for Quinn, he found Kiernan bringing him in with a bag slung over his shoulder. Carefully, he set him on the dining table and dropped the bag on a chair. Rummaging inside it, he handed several items to Edward. 

"Find the bullet wound. If there's anything in it, pull it out. Clean it, coat it with clotting spray, then cover it."

"This is not my first time dealing with a bullet wound." Torn between his wife and his son, Edward paused for a second and watched Kiernan tend to Quinn. 

Bella moaned, drawing his attention. He hurried over, ripping the buttons off her shirt and finding a bleeding hole in her abdomen. She was also covered in bruising deep enough to have tears coursing down his face. He probed the bullet wound until he could extract the spent round, then poured peroxide on it. 

Bella shrieked, curling in on herself and rolling to face the back of the couch. He rolled her back over as gently as he could.

"Oh God. It hurts."

"I know, baby. I'm sorry." After dabbing the blood, he sprayed the area and winced as she screamed again. 

Her eyes rolled back in her head, and she pushed his hands away. "Stop, stop, please!"

"Hey, hey. It's okay." Moving swiftly, he situated the gauze pad and taped it down.

Through heavy panting, she asked, "Quinn?"

"Kiernan is fixing him up."

Her eyes slid closed. 

"Bella. Look at me."

They popped open. "So tired."

"Look at me," he said more sternly.

"Trying."

"I'll find pain meds and check on Quinn."

"ʼK."

She closed her eyes again, and he hurried to Quinn’s side. "How is he?"

"The bleeding stopped. Bullet missed the artery by a fraction of an inch."

Edward opened his mouth, but Jake and Jasper came through the garage door before he could speak. 

"What the fuck happened back there?" Jasper demanded. 

Instead of answering, Edward glared a hole in the back of Kiernan’s head. "Jake, look in the medicine cabinet for anything resembling pain killer."

Jake walked out of the room, and Edward went back to Bella. Kneeling by her side, he tapped her cheek. "Bella."

She groaned. "Hurts. Everywhere."

"I know, baby. Hold my hand."

Her grip was weak, but she did as he said. 

Jake returned with a bottle and a glass of water. Edward helped Bella sit up, and she cried out again, trying to push him away.

"Isabella." He gripped the back of her head and offered her the glass. "Eyes on me, angel." 

Whiskey eyes filled with pain met his. He shoved the pills Jake handed him into her mouth and tilted the glass again. Once she was settled back against the couch, he kissed her forehead. Rubbing his thumb over the back of her knuckles, he looked over his shoulder at Quinn. 

"He'll be fine." Jasper was looking down at him. 

“You know this, or you want to reassure me?”

Kiernan said, “The bleeding has stopped. It was a clean through and through. He should wake soon.”

“Mind telling me what the goddamn hell you were doing while my family was fighting for their lives?”

Stretching, Kiernan stood to his full height and looked Edward directly in the eyes. “I was at the back of the building when those guys showed up. I moved around to the side to offer assistance, but someone came up behind me and incapacitated me. When I came around, I was in your warehouse with a bunch of your lieutenants. The place was on fire, and most of them were burning alive.”

“My God,” Jasper muttered.

“I got out, but I couldn't save anyone. I called Holden immediately, and he sent people to the warehouse to figure out what happened. He also called in a few favors to send that neat little package that blew some things up in the street.”

“Emmett had to call in reinforcements. Did any of them get picked up by the police?”

Kiernan sat back down at the table, checking on Quinn’s bandage. “Despite the red and blue lights, I don't think that was law enforcement, local or federal. I think it was a setup from the beginning.”

“I knew they had something up their sleeve, but I thought putting my men in the nearest warehouse would safeguard us.” Edward shook his head. “Why don't they just kill us already? This game is sick.”

“They’re tearing you apart from the inside out, Cullen.”

Kiernan was right. Whatever vendetta Ivan Zaytsev had against the Cullens, he was determined to take them down from within. Bella moaned again, and Edward squeezed her hand gently. 

“Are you certain Quinn doesn't need the hospital? We have a private wing for this sort of thing.”

“Not only am I sure, I have a doctor on the way. Holden sent his regards, but he doesn't think he’ll make it out here today. He’s cleaning up.”

“How did they know we had men at the warehouse?” Jake asked. “We didn't tell anyone.”

“That decision was made at the last minute and only discussed with those in on the operation,” Edward said with a pointed stare at Kiernan.

“Look, I don't care what you think of me, but I wouldn't set a building on fire with myself in it.”

Assuming his story checked out. “How many men were there?”

“It looked like about ten, maybe twelve. It was hard to see through the smoke.”

He hadn't noticed it before, but Kiernan did smell an awful lot like he’d been to a barbecue. Shuddering, Edward thought about all those men dying at one time. He would have to discuss compensation for their families with Eleazar. 

“Dad?”

Edward shot up from the couch, crossing the room in two strides and stroking his hand over Quinn’s temple. “Yeah, buddy.”

“What the hell happened?” Quinn’s eyes, normally so green like his own, were cloudy.

“They shot you.”

“First time for everything.”

Edward smiled grimly. “Hilarious. We have some Advil, but that’s it.”

Kiernan raised his hand. “The doctor should be here soon with something stronger.”

“It’s a weird feeling, Dad, but it doesn't hurt that much.”

“It will.” Speaking from experience, he knew the numbness and adrenaline would wear off.

“How’s Mom?”

“Sleeping. She took quite a few blows, apparently.”

Jasper sat on the couch next to Bella’s sleeping form. “What do we do now?” 

“I think we’ve been compromised, only I don't know in what way.” Kiernan rubbed his hands over his eyes. “We should stay here for now; I don't know how long. I’ll get in touch with Holden again.”

“Nothing about this feels right.” Jake shook his head. “Nothing at all.”