The Belial Library (The Belial Series)

by R. D. Brady

  Laney slipped down the stairs, catching herself on the banister as bullets blasted through the door behind her. She leaped down the last few steps.

  Jen sprinted back down the hall to her. “What happened?”

  “Reinforcements.”

  “Henry’s down the hall to the right. There are two guards outside his door.”

  “What about Hugo?”

  “Haven’t seen him.”

  Ejecting the spent magazine, Laney inserted a fresh one. “Let’s go.”

  They ran down the hall. Laney peered around the corner. “I’ll go low and take the one on the right. You go high and take the one on the left. Count of three?”

  Jen nodded.

  Laney spoke quietly. “One, two, three.”

  She stepped around the corner, dropping to her knee. She pulled the trigger three times, all three shots hitting the guard in the chest. Jen’s shots were just as accurate, although one went through the side of the guard's head.

  Yells and the sound of pounding feet sounded behind them.

  “They’re through the door,” Laney yelled as she sprinted down the hall towards Henry’s door.

  She skidded to a halt. The smell of burnt flesh permeated the air. The metal contraption Henry was attached to was a giant burner. No wonder Henry hadn’t been able to escape. He was being perpetually burned.

  He was strapped to the burner, his shirt gone. Old cuts and lashes crisscrossed his chest. His head hung down, and he didn’t move as they rushed in the doorway.

  Laney’s breath caught. Don’t be dead. She ran across the room and pulled the plug. The contraption still emitted heat. God damn them.

  Grabbing a stool, she dragged it over in front of Henry, and climbed up on it. “Henry! Henry!” She slapped his face.

  His eyelids opened drowsily.

  “Stay with me, Henry.”

  She reached for the shackles holding his hands in place. They were metal. She looked around. There was nothing to open them with. And he didn’t look like he had the strength to break them. “Damn it. Hold on, Henry.”

  She ran back to the doorway.

  Jen was sending off round after round at the approaching guards. She reloaded.

  Laney dropped next to her, aiming down the hall. “Jen, see if you can free Henry. I’ll hold these guys off.”

  Without a word, Jen sprinted back across the room.

  A guard poked his head out from down the hall. Laney let off a shot. He ducked back before she could get him. Then a guard came flying around the corner, zigging and zagging across the hall.

  “Silly boy,” Laney whispered. “Zig,” she said as he sprinted to the right. He changed direction. “And then zag.” She let loose a barrage of shots, raking him from head to foot. He collapsed in a heap.

  Behind her, she heard a shot and then the clank of metal. Laney didn’t turn to look. The rest of the guards had decided to try the same kamikaze run.

  Laney set off round after round. Ejecting the spent magazine, she slammed a new one in place. She didn’t think, just reacted. A few seconds later, the remaining guards lay in heaps across the hallway.

  Leaning back against the wall, she breathed deep. She was getting better at this, and she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad one.

  A grunt sounded behind her. Jen was helping Henry down.

  Laney ran to help.

  Throwing an arm around Henry’s waist, she pulled his arm around her shoulder, staggering under his weight. “Henry? You with us?”

  He gave a little groan. “Yeah. I’m here.”

  They led him over to a chair and tried to gently lower him into it. He grimaced as his back touched the back of the chair.

  "Sorry," Laney said, pulling him forward. A scuffle of a shoe drew her attention back to the doorway.

  "I got it." Jen strode across the room.

  Laney held onto Henry, not sure if he could sit up on his own. He was hunched over, so Laney had a view of the burns on his back. She stared in disbelief as they began to knit together in front of her. "Henry? How are you feeling?"

  He leaned up, the light coming back into his eyes. "Better."

  She nodded. "Good. Can you stand? Because I think we need to get moving."

  "Yeah." He pushed off the chair, a little unsteady.

  Laney helped him, but already she could see he was stronger. If they had a little more time, he'd probably be fully healed. But the room they were in was sandwiched in between two staircases. They needed to find a better spot to hole up or escape. Here, they were sitting ducks.

  Laney crossed the room with Henry, trying not to wince at the sight of the bruises and cuts that marred his chest. But they already looked better than when she'd seen them through Danny's monitor. Speaking of which . . .

  She looked around the room and spied the camera up to their right. She looked at it and gave a thumbs-up. "He's good, Danny."

  Henry grabbed onto her shoulder. "Danny? Danny's here?"

  "He's only controlling the cameras. He's not in the building."

  Some of the fear dropped from Henry's face. "Thank God. I thought you meant he was nearby."

  "’Course not," she lied, not able to meet his eyes. Now wasn’t the time for full disclosure.

  She dropped next to Jen. "Thoughts?"

  Jen took a shot at someone out in the hall. "They all seem to be coming in from the left. So I think we should go right."

  Laney snorted. "Excellent plan, as usual. Let's do that. Can you hold them off while I help Henry to the end of the hall?"

  Jen’s gaze lingered for a moment on Henry and his injuries. Laney saw the questions in that gaze, but also something else she didn't have time to think about right now. Jen’s eyes returned to Laney. "Count of three?"

  Laney nodded. She turned to hand Henry a weapon and stopped. He wouldn't be able to use any of them. His fingers were too large. "Sorry. I don't have a weapon for you. They're too small."

  He grimaced. "Story of my life."

  "Okay, you two. Time to go," Jen said.

  Laney flattened herself next to the door, Henry beside her.

  Jen counted down. At three, Laney burst from the doorway, her Beretta extended in front of her. She heard Henry behind her. A bullet whizzed past her shoulder and she heard the retort of Jen's weapon as she responded. She rounded the corner, followed by Henry.

  The stairs were in front of them with a door at the top. And right now, it was quiet.

  "Clear!" Laney yelled, aiming back down the hall to clear the way for Jen. A blur of motion, a whip of air, and Jen was beside her.

  Laney grinned. "I think you're getting faster."

  CHAPTER 89

  "How long?" Jake demanded as they sped through the air in the borrowed EC-135.

  The interior of the chopper was a mixture of handcrafted leather seats, plenty of storage space, and significant legroom. Designed by Eurocopter and Hermès, the helicopter was the ultimate in luxury, designed for the wealthiest of buyers. The four men in it right now, though, couldn't care less about the luxurious surrounding as they sped towards Red Canyon.

  Mike glanced over from his position as pilot. Back at the warehouse, the twins had had a short argument over who was the better pilot. Mike won.

  "Another few minutes." Mike gestured with his chin. "After that ridge, we should be able to see the house."

  The sleek helicopter glided through the air. Jake had ordered half of his team to secure the warehouse and the other half to head for the house in the canyon. But there'd been only one helicopter. And it only seated four. It would take the rest of the team at least twenty minutes or so to reach the canyon.

  Damn it, Laney. He’d told her to stay at the hotel. But did she listen? Of course not. Why would she do anything that didn't involve her placing herself in mortal danger?

  "What's happening on site?" he barked at Yoni, who was sitting in the back with Jordan. Danny had patched through a link so they now had eyes inside the compound. Whatever Danny was
watching, they could watch, too.

  "They just got to Henry. And not too soon. Hugo was one his way to him. Another couple of minutes . . ." Yoni's voice dropped off.

  Jake gave a curt nod. Okay. Maybe the two of them going in hadn't been such a bad idea. But his chest constricted at the thought of Laney being near Hugo again.

  Yoni continued. "But they seem to be trapped in the basement. And there are more reinforcements coming down towards them. We should probably hurry."

  Jake gripped the side of his chair, urging the bird to go faster. "What about Danny? Is he still safe?"

  Yoni relayed the question into his phone. A few seconds later, he looked up. "Yup. Still in the same crevice. Laney made him promise to stay there or she would break his computer."

  A small smile crept onto Jake's face. Well, at least she did that right.

  "Oh," Yoni said.

  Jake looked over his shoulder. "'Oh'? What does 'Oh' mean?"

  "Um, well, it seems that Laney and Jen wanted to make sure that Danny could protect himself in their absence."

  Jake stared at him. They couldn't have. They wouldn't have. "Please tell me they didn't give him a gun."

  Yoni grinned. "Well, just one."

  Jake groaned, dropping his head to his hands. He was going to kill all three of them when this was over. Assuming they didn't go and get themselves killed first.

  "There it is," Mike yelled.

  Jake looked up. The massive house was built into the side of the canyon and the brick was the same color as the canyon walls. Walls of windows added to the effect by reflecting the canyon walls. If you weren't looking for it, you'd probably never see it.

  And they were storming towards it in bright daylight, without a clue what kind of security they were going against. Absolutely everything about this plan was suicidal.

  Shoving those thoughts from his mind, he scanned the landscape. "Anybody see a place to land?" There was a helipad on the southeast corner of the roof, but it was already occupied with another chopper.

  Jordan leaned forward from the back. "Southwest corner. The roof’s flat there. We can take her down there."

  Mike nodded. The helicopter shifted into a descent. A gust of wind blew hard against them.

  Mike wrestled with the controls. “A little windy here.”

  The house was getting bigger. This thing was really was massive. Glass windows lined the wing they were racing towards. Anyone looking out would see them. But there was simply no other way to approach the place. At least not quickly.

  Jake glared down at the building. He couldn't make out any people. Where was the security? How much security did they have? God damn it. He hated going into a place blind.

  "To our left," Mike yelled.

  Jake looked across him. He could just make out Danny hidden in a crevice, a hundred yards from the building. He would be invisible from the ground, but clearly visible from the air. "Yoni, tell him to stay put and contact the other team. When they get here, Danny’s their priority."

  Yoni nodded.

  "That must have been where they went in," Jordan yelled, pointing to a door in the side of the building.

  Jake nodded, a cold fear crawling over him.

  "Hold on," Mike yelled as he cut back the power and increased the angle of descent. They hovered above the roof, fifteen feet, ten, and then the skids touched down with just a small bounce.

  "Keep a lookout," Jake yelled as he leapt from the helicopter. Yoni and Jordan followed him as Mike shut the helo down. Wind pushed and pulled at them. They sprinted across the roof, heading for the side where Laney and Jen had entered.

  Jake peered over the edge of the roof. There was a door two stories below them.

  "Jake?"

  Jake tapped his throat piece. "Danny? How’d you get in my ear?"

  “Yoni gave me the channel. I'll guide you in. You're going in that door below you."

  “Okay. Give us a second to get ready.”

  Yoni attached a rope to an air duct and flung it over the side. Jake stepped over and quickly lowered himself down. He took up a defensive position as Yoni and Jordan followed him down. Mike flew down the rope and landed next to him a few seconds later.

  Yoni grunted. "Not bad for a feeb."

  "Everybody ready?" Jake asked. The three men nodded back at him.

  He tapped his mic again. "Okay, Danny. Show us the way."

  CHAPTER 90

  Laney waited at the bottom of the stairs with Henry as Jen sprinted up them.

  Jen paused at the top, inching the door open. Glancing back at them, she waved them up.

  Laney turned to Henry. "Henry?"

  "I'm good, Laney." And she realized he was. The bruises and cuts had all but disappeared. He was standing straight and his eyes were fully awake.

  She nodded, even though she was shaken. Hopefully she’d get used to his abilities. "Let's go."

  They jogged up the stairs, pausing next to Jen.

  "They're coming," Henry said looking back down the stairs.

  Jen pushed open the door and they spilled out into a den. They quickly made their way across the room to a hallway.

  Laney recognized it. It was the one the old man had walked through. His office was at the end of it.

  Laney grabbed Jen's arm. Jen looked down at her and nodded. "I know."

  Gunfire erupted behind them. Henry pushed both women to the floor, covering them with his body. He grunted, his body shuddering. Laney realized he'd been hit. She and Jen rolled out from under him and returned fire, forcing the three guards back into the stairwell.

  Ahead of them, the old man stepped into the hall, Hugo with him. Hugo opened fire and Laney dove down the hall, back into the den, Jen and Henry with her. Jen returned fire with Hugo while Laney fired at the guard hidden on the basement steps.

  Laney saw Henry stiffen as his gaze locked with Hugo. Henry got to his knees, a new wound in his shoulder. The bleeding, though, had already stopped.

  The old man and Hugo disappeared around the corner. Henry stood. He nodded over at the giant entertainment center across the room. “Jen. Help me.”

  The two of them ran across the room while Laney kept the guards pinned in the stairwell. She stopped shooting only long enough to allow Henry and Jen to shove the giant entertainment center in front of the door to the basement.

  Henry looked at Laney. She nodded, knowing she wouldn't be able to stop him and that she’d want the same in his situation. "Be careful."

  He nodded and took off down the hall, a blur of motion.

  Laney grabbed Jen’s arm. "Go with Henry."

  "What?" Jen asked.

  "Stay with Henry. I'll be right behind you."

  Laney knew Jen wanted to argue. She pushed her in the direction Henry had disappeared. "Go."

  Jen disappeared after Henry. Laney sprinted down the hall after the two of them, feeling ridiculously slow.

  CHAPTER 91

  "Jake. He's-"

  Jake's earpiece was full of static. "Yoni, can you make out anything from Danny?"

  Yoni shook his head. "No. All I've got is static."

  Jake ripped the earpiece from his ear. "The canyon must be interfering. Keep your eyes peeled."

  Gunfire erupted from somewhere ahead of them. Jake sprinted forward. They spilled into the kitchen, their weapons trained for any movement. Five men were down. One had dragged himself to a sitting position. Blood spilled from his mouth down his chest.

  "Guess our girls have been through," Yoni said, his eyes hard.

  Jake just nodded, his stomach a knot.

  "They went down there." Mike nodded towards a door across from them. They headed across the room. Three men burst out from the door. Jake opened fire, along with Mike and Jordan. The three men didn’t even have a chance to get off a shot.

  Yoni moved forward, kicking the men’s weapons out of the way. Jake peeked down the stairs. All the was quiet. He nodded at Mike who went down the stairs first. Jake covered him as the other two fol
lowed.

  At the bottom of the stairs, they turned left and then took the first right. They came across eight more bodies. Halfway down the hall was the room where Henry had obviously been held. The scent of burnt skin lingered. A table just inside the door contained an array of sharp instruments, most of them with blood still on them.

  "Bastards," Jordan muttered.

  Jake moved them forward to the other stairwell. They walked up the stairs and tried to open the door. It was blocked.

  "What the hell?"

  More gunfire could be heard on the other side.

  "Damn it." Jake yelled, sprinting back the way they’d come.

  Yoni was right on his heels. "You got a plan?"

  Jake didn't pause. "Yeah."

  "Is it a good one?"

  "No."

  CHAPTER 92

  Laney ran after Henry and Jen. They were quickly disappearing. She reached the end of another hallway and glanced to her left and right. Nothing. Not even a sound. “Come on guys, you could’ve at least left me a bread crumb.”

  Flipping a mental coin, she turned to her left. Gun extended in front of her, she silently made her way forward, glancing into each doorway as she passed. The place was empty.

  In the third room, monitors filled the wall opposite the door. A control panel half the size of the room in front of it.

  Where the hell was everybody? She cautiously moved forward glancing at the screens. A couple of cars were zooming down a road away from the building. Bodies littered the hallways and kitchen. In the top right monitor, she saw a group of at least ten guards.

  She found the controls and after a minute of figuring out how they worked, zoomed in. Hugo stood out in the center of the group along with Sebastian. The phalanx of guards surrounded them. She scanned the rest of the screens. There were a few guards patrolling on their own.

  On the top right, Henry and Jen sprinted towards a door. She couldn’t tell how far behind Sebastian and Hugo they were. A note in the bottom right of the screen marked their location as E12.

  Laney looked at the schematic of the building on the right side of the console. She’d chosen wrong. They were at the other end of the building.