If the Boughs Break, Blood Will Flow

Chapter Twenty ~ Blood Will Flow

Chapter Twenty

Blood Will Flow

Edward had been on pins and needles waiting for Jasper to notify him that Royce had received a call from Irina. The fucker thought he had gotten away with killing his fellow family members and kidnapping Bella. Yet when Edward started digging into Royce, the fake walls that he had built started to crumble down. Jasper had found the virus that he had added to the security system to turn the lights off on the floor, making it easier for him to slip into the apartment. Emmett had paid off the fire investigator to receive the report of the cause for the fire at Alice's boutique and change it to an accident. As suspected, it had been a bomb that caused the explosion and fire. It was now being ruled as a gas leak. Edward was paying Alice for the shop replacement out of the family funds. He didn't need some noisy insurance company sniffing around.

Jasper and Emmett had also been working on the connection between the ambush at the docks and Ortiz family. The vast amount of weapons that had been left on the scene had been sanitized of all serial numbers and fingerprints. However, they would continue to look. From the conversation that Esme had overheard, they knew they were involved. However, they needed evidence to prove it. Edward was going to take out the head of the family and, to do so, must have proof of their wrongdoings. He didn't need to get in a pissing match with other families.

Even with all the new information, Edward still did not know where Bella was; even though he knew from Carmen's comments she was alive. Thank God. Yet time was running out as her pregnancy drew near the time for their sons to be born. He was so upset that he was missing this precious time with her. Fuck, he had missed all the firsts of the pregnancy because of his stupidity of not leaving his number. Now because of who he was, he was once again missing out.

"Edward," Jasper rushed out as he and Emmett came into the office. "We have them."

"Royce?" Edward asked.

"Yes and Eleazar," Emmett grinned, his eyes full of excitement.

"How?"

"The asshole thought he was smart by removing all the serial numbers and fingerprints, yet he shipped the weaponry in a container. He forgot to remove the container number from the side," Emmett explained. "We have him."

For the first time since Bella was taken, Edward smiled. "Fucking great. Now when is that fucking snake Royce meeting up with Irina?"

"In an hour, at the Waldorf," Jasper answered.

"Alright. Get the extraction team together and collect the assholes, both of them. Take them to the warehouse," Edward commanded. "Separate them and put Royce on the table. He will tell me where Bella is and I will make him suffer for his deception."

"What are you thinking about doing to him?" Jasper wondered.

Edward placed his hands on his desk, leaned forward, and with eyes ablaze growled, "I am going to take back my family's crest."

Jasper gasped and turned to Emmett to see that his expression was the same as his. Everyone in the family had a tattoo of the Cullen family crest on them. Esme even had a small one, even though she didn't have to. Jasper and Emmett had heard of taking the family crest back, yet they had never witnessed it being done. Only five people in the organization throughout the generations had done anything to warrant removing the family crest from their bodies.

"Skipper, what tools do you need to accomplish this?" Jasper asked.

"Flaying knives as sharp as you can make them. I want him to suffer as much as Bella is suffering," Edward disclosed. He would remove all Royce's fucking skin after he told him where Bella was being held.