Devil Incarnate Chapter Thirteen

Edward skipped breakfast. Everything about their daily rituals had gone to shit, but he couldn't eat with the mixture of feelings churning through his stomach, anyway. Bella had always been stubborn, it was true, and he would typically ignore his knee-jerk reactions and let her do what she wanted without complaint. But what she proposed was so dangerous, he simply couldn't allow it. He'd backed down when she insisted Garrett had to be the person who went to the phone booth, and he'd done it because he saw how important it was to her. There was more fear than common sense behind her insistence, but he'd agreed for the sake of her sanity. 

She wasn't willing to give him the same benefit on this point. He thought he understood her desire to fix it, to be the one who did the job she was best qualified for, but he didn't understand why she couldn't back down and let someone else do it when nobody agreed with her. Every move they'd made in their personal and professional life had come after a consensus on who did what. Nobody went off on their own for a reason. Plans were made down to the tiniest detail for a reason. If even he, as the head of the Family, didn't make a move without everyone's full agreement, what the fuck made her think she could go off half-cocked?

They'd come down to the basement safe room again, and as soon as Garrett closed the door, Edward began. 

"Zion’s last instructions were to bring the antimatter bomb to a warehouse a few streets away from the docks."

Emmett stood near the kitchenette, pouring coffee. "Who's going?"

Refusing to look at his wife, Edward responded, "We should come to an agreement on who it will be. Garrett ran the first errand, and Ben, Emmett, Rose, and Seamus came on the second one."

"I'll go, obviously," Kiernan said. "You'll need a direct channel to Holden, after all. Besides me, there should be a small handful with the bomb, not including those you've already assigned to follow the tracker."

"Are we volunteering or drawing straws, then?" Seamus asked. 

Edward caught Bella sitting forward out of the corner of his eye. "Volunteering, unless nobody steps up. It's not a dangerous mission, per se, though they'll probably blow something up for the fun of it after the drop. I suggest Jasper, Bella, and myself to start."

"I'm fine with that," Jasper said. "Maria, Angela, and Leah are staying with the younger kids, and they'll have plenty of guards with them."

Quinn raised his hand, and Edward frowned. "Yes?"

"I was raising my hand to volunteer, not to ask a question."

"We're not in school," Kiernan snickered. "No need to ask the teacher for permission."

Bella shot him a glare. "Shut the fuck up."

"Anybody else want to come?" Edward asked through gritted teeth. 

Jake rose from his seat on the sofa. “I will. Since Ben is doing other things, I'll handle navigation."

"Then it's me, Bella, Jasper, Jake, Quinn, and Kiernan? Anyone have a problem with this?" When nobody spoke up, he continued, "I'm glad we came to a consensus. We leave in two hours."

It seemed everyone found something to do fairly quickly. Edward needed an outlet, so he went upstairs to change and headed for the pool. Laps were monotonous, but they still gave him too much time to think. By the time he lost count of how many circuits he'd made, he wasn't any closer to a decision on who would handle the theft. However, it was time to get out and get ready to leave. 

According to the latest communication, all they were expected to do was drop the bomb in an empty warehouse. It wasn't that far from those the Cullens owned, which the Denali Family used for a good portion of their operations. For added security, Edward had stationed men there as well as on the street. 

Sometimes, Edward wished he’d stayed in the mafia as more than a title. He used to enjoy having men fall at his feet and beg for their lives. There was a certain power, an adrenaline rush, to knowing it was up to him and him alone whether a man lived or died. He'd envisioned his children following in his footsteps, once he pictured having children at all. They would be a united Family, something he never enjoyed with his father. They would grow to an immense operation; they would be unstoppable. 

And yet, there was something special about the life he led. Renee called it using his powers for good instead of evil. Watching coffee farmers in Costa Rica see their hard work lift them out of poverty because of their contracts with him was a meaningful existence. 

Still, it could be said Quinn didn't have the same gravitas as his father. He was softer, more responsible than Edward had been at his age. He'd never watched the light leave a man's eyes by his own hands. That was more important to Edward than any fantasy he used to have of running the streets. The fear was that their mission would change it all. Undeniably, Quinn would see some terrible things. He would witness death, and loss, and possibly murder someone. The fact a certain intelligence agency would sanction it wouldn't keep the nightmares at bay.

For Quinn or for Edward. 

His son shadowed him as he climbed a ladder to the catwalk. They had found nothing of significance so far, nothing to indicate Zion wanted to trick them. Jasper and Jake had scoped it out and now waited in the SUV in case anyone tried to sneak up on them while Bella guarded the bomb in the center of the main part of the warehouse. He should have left it at that, dropping it and leaving as soon as the tracker was clearly online. But he knew there was something they were missing; some reason Zion sent them to an empty building. 

His gut never steered him wrong in business. Motioning to Quinn, Edward disengaged the miniscule explosive device he discovered in the rafters. Dropping it into the black cloth bag in his son's hands, he made hand signals to indicate they could climb back down. 

"Knight to King and Queen."

Cursing internally at Jasper’s warning voice in his ear, Edward replied, "Go ahead, Knight."

"We have heat signatures at my four and six."

"How many and how fast are they moving?" Bella asked. 

Edward saw her move from her spot, heading to the back door. 

"At least three, possibly more. Coming to the back door now. Bishop and Knight will enter through the roof vent."

Edward motioned to Quinn again, and they moved across the scaffolding. "Copy. Where has the pawn gotten off to?"

"Why did I have to have the code name of Pawn?" Kiernan grumbled in his earpiece. "Quinn should've been Pawn instead of Rook."

"Queen to Pawn."

"Yes, my Queen?"

"Shut the fuck up and make yourself useful."

Edward smothered his laugh as he watched Bella climb the stairs to the second floor. 

"Copy that. Pawn out."

"What now?" Quinn asked. 

"I don't think we have time to run. We'll have to fight our way out." Checking the clip and the safety first, Edward handed Quinn a handgun. 

"You know I've been practicing with my sisters."

"I know Caitriona is a better shot than you." Keeping his head down, Edward hurried across the catwalk in the direction Bella had gone. 

Quinn followed. "Still, I can do this."

"Never doubted you," Edward replied. 

A flurry of commotion cut off their conversation. The doors burst open, gunfire ringing out in the vast empty space. It echoed around them, making it difficult to tell where they were aiming. Bella had already squatted in her hiding place, holding her gun ready. She peered around a concrete post, then her head disappeared from his sight again. 

"King to Queen."

"This is Queen."

"You're pinned in. Don't move. Knight, Bishop, Pawn, please advise."

"Knight and Bishop are on the roof," Jake responded. 

"I’m setting up my rifle as we speak," Jasper added. 

"Pawn?" Edward asked. "King to Pawn."

There was no response. He saw Bella move again, just enough to aim her weapon. 

"Queen to King. Is Rook still with you?"

"Affirmative."

An involuntary gasp escaped him as Bella tucked and rolled into the middle of the walkway. The sound of bullets pinging off the metal handrails sent his heart into his throat. 

"Get him out of here," she said so quietly he had to strain to hear. 

Fuck. Rapidly assessing the situation, he realized she'd drawn their fire because he and Quinn were closer to the door. He edged in that direction, pulling on Quinn’s sleeve so he'd follow. But there was no telling what would greet them on the other side. 

He tried to hail Kiernan again. "King to Pawn." Fucking asshole. With no response, Edward had to decide for himself. "Knight, who's outside the back door?"

"Three men." There was a thump. "Two men." There were two more thumps. "Zero men. Your exit is clear, but there are more coming."

Bella knew her time was limited. Once the goon squad had targeted her, she had to defend herself, bringing them all to her location in order to allow her son and her husband to escape. Acidic bile rose in the back of her throat at the high chance she wouldn't get to say goodbye.

"Bishop to Queen; there's a roof hatch. Knight will take down as many as possible."

Breathing out silently, she sent a prayer of thanks to her team. Or maybe it should have been an apology. 

Pulling out her small backup gun, she raised both firearms and shot at the first shadow to move. Spurred on by her actions, more men appeared, wearing all black and carrying weapons she didn't recognize. All she really needed to know was that they were big, and they severely outgunned her. 

Her only cover was the concrete post, so she moved back behind it. Chunks fell around her as the deafening sound of heavy rounds hit the beam. Finally, she heard the heavy thud of men going down. The remaining gunmen shifted their focus to Jasper, shooting the glass until it shattered and his weapon fell through. With the help of Jacob, he barely managed to back out in time to avoid falling through the gap himself. 

Screwed again, Bella counted footsteps as people rushed around. Tuning out the chatter in her ear asking if Jasper was okay and where the fuck Kiernan was, Bella focused on how many were left alive. It sounded like two, so she took a chance. 

As fast as she could, she whipped around the corner and fired every bullet she had left. A grunt followed by a groan told her she at least hit one. The remaining footsteps clearly sounded like one set, so she held back. Without a doubt, they would come to kill her, and she would be waiting. 

Breathing shallow, Bella counted to ten in her head. His scent assaulted her senses first; sweat and cheap cologne. Then, she saw his shadow against the far wall. Sobs threatened to choke her as she realized how goddamn huge he was. The man was bigger than Emmett, no question about it. He came toward her with his long gun held out in front, but his mistake was to look past where she hid.

He paused beside her, and she swung high, bashing her Ruger into his skull above his ear. Barely phased, he turned in her direction, shock evident on his face when she kicked him in the balls and grabbed his gun. Unfortunately for her, he grabbed back, fisting her hair and lifting her to her toes. Crying out, she did her best to wrench the rifle from his hands. Just as she threw it over the rail, he punched her in the stomach. 

Doubled over and retching, she was almost grateful when he dropped her. He couldn't shoot her, but he could damn sure kick her ass. She scrambled away, wiping the back of her hand over her mouth. 

"That all you got, big boy?"

She managed to stand, putting her hands defensively in front of her face. He mirrored her stance, an ugly grin aimed her way. She ducked his kick, sending one of her own and clipping his temple with her boot. 

He didn't stumble. He didn't curse. 

He laughed. 

With an enraged scream, Bella charged him, ramming his gut with her head and shoulder. He moved back a few paces, yanking her hair again. Pain blossomed from the crown of her head and raced down her neck. She used her fists on him, punching, slapping, and gouging his eyes. Finally, he let her go with a grunt that sounded an awful lot like a Russian curse word. Spying a set of stairs, Bella worked him back in that direction, punching and kicking until he held his hands up to ward her off. Little did he know that was her entire strategy; annoy him into backing up until he fell. 

When he lost his balance, he toppled head over heels . . . but he took Bella with him. The crunch of bones was impossible to mistake, only she couldn't tell whose bones they were. The intensity of adrenaline in her system warded off the worst of the pain, but every jolt would surely do damage. The man’s bulk caught a good portion of her tumbling until she came to a rest on the landing. 

The Russian colossus stared unblinkingly at the ceiling, a ghoulish purple bruise blooming over his jaw. It wouldn't take a coroner to tell her the hideous angle of his neck was the cause of his death. 

“Queen to King,” she squeaked.

“Fuck me, Bella, are you out?”

“No. Which exit should I use?”

She only needed a second to catch her breath, that was all. Sitting on the step, she bent over and sucked in oxygen, noting how badly she was hurt. Everything throbbed, so it was hard to tell the extent of the damage. 

“Back door. I’ve acquired a car.”

“Copy that.”

Heaving herself up, she limped to the back door, waiting for Edward’s signal. The sound of a car horn followed by his curt now in her ear had her wrenching open the heavy steel door. There he was, with Quinn in the front seat. Tears streamed down her face, but there was no stopping them. Quinn opened the door and ushered her in, climbing into the back instead.

“You look like you got your ass kicked, Mom.”

“That’s because I did.”

Quinn had barely closed the door behind him when a shot rang out, rapidly followed by more. Edward pressed the accelerator, squealing the tires as he brought the car around for a full circle. The back window shattered, and Bella screamed reflexively. When Quinn moaned, she pushed herself up enough to look back at him.

“Oh, my God!”

Quinn