The Belial Stone (The Belial Series)

by Brady, R. D.

  She tugged it over her shirt, trying to keep pace with him. “Isn’t he just going to see us when we leave? We can’t put these kids in danger.”

  He looked down at her and smiled. She was struck by how handsome he was. Dark brown hair framed a strong face. Wrinkles at the corners of his brown eyes showed he spent lots of time outdoors, and his nose was slightly crooked, as if it had been broken a few times. Her heart began to beat a little faster. Damn. He was masculine with a capital M.

  Without breaking stride, he reached out and pulled down the fire alarm as they passed. “He’ll have to find us first.”

  The fire alarm wailed through the halls, small strobe lights flashed on the walls. Students poured into the hallway. The teenagers jostled each other, grinning, obviously enjoying the break in the routine.

  Teachers tried to keep order, reminding the students to stay with their class. But it was organized chaos. Laney and her new friend were swept along with the human tide towards the exit.

  The man clamped onto her hand, keeping her close. “Put up your hood,” he ordered as he pulled a ball cap out of his back pocket and put it on.

  Laney yanked the hood into place, peering around, expecting Paul the Terminator to arrive at any moment.

  She gaped at the number of students already in the parking lot. It was a mob. “Holy cow. How many students are in this place?”

  “Nine hundred and seventy-eight.”

  Laney’s eyes darted towards him. “Is that a guess?”

  He shook his head as he weaved them through the crowd. “I like knowing all variables when I go on a mission. This was one of three possible escape routes.”

  “Mission? I’m a mission?”

  He stopped and looked down at her. She noticed a dimple in his right cheek. “Yeah, Laney, you are.”

  She caught herself staring at him and took a step back. He reached out to grab her before she backed into another student and pulled her back into him. Her skin seemed to tingle where he’d touched her. “Who are you?”

  “My name’s Jake Rogan. I’m with the Chandler Group.”

  She knew the Chandler Group. Hell, everybody knew of the Chandler Group. Laney pulled her gaze from the crowd and stared at Jake. “The Chandler Group? What do you do for them? And why on earth are you here?”

  Established by Henry Chandler about fifteen years ago, the Chandler Group dabbled in everything: technological development, political affairs, archaeological expeditions. And then there was the Chandler Group Foundation, which helped fund everything from kids’ school trips to backyard start-ups to third-world loan programs.

  “My official title is Projects Security Director. I handle all the off-site security measures for all Chandler projects. But it’s not technically Chandler who’s involved in this. It’s me.”

  “You? How can I help you?”

  Jake was about to answer when his body went tense. He pulled Laney closer towards him.

  A shudder ran through her. “He’s here, isn’t he?”

  Jake threw his arm around her shoulder and started leading her slowly towards the parking lot. Pausing occasionally, he kept their movements unhurried. He stopped when they were hidden from the building by what looked like the basketball team. “Behind us. Three o’clock. He just walked out the doors.”

  She knew she shouldn’t look. She should keep her back to him and not draw any attention to herself. But she simply couldn’t help herself. She glanced through the kids and saw Paul step into the crowd of students. His face had a few scabs and he now wore grey slacks with a sleek black jacket. His eyes searched the crowd, paying special attention to anyone with a hood or hat. Everything about him screamed danger.

  Icy cold fear shot through her. She started to breathe heavily.

  “Laney, calm down. We’re okay.”

  She shook her head, looking around at the kids surrounding them, completely oblivious to the danger they were in. “He’s going to find us. I need to get out of here, Jake. I need to lead him away from these kids. I can’t put them in danger.

  Laney looked around, no longer seeing any sign of her attacker. But she still felt as if his eyes were boring into her. “Jake, you don’t know what he can do. He’s not-”

  Jake squeezed her hand. “I do know what he can do.”

  She stared at him in shock. “What? You can't-”

  He glanced down at her before continuing to scan the crowd. “I’ve met someone like him before.”

  “When was that?”

  A subtle grimace of pain crossed his face. If she hadn’t been watching him so closely, she would have missed it. “In Afghanistan, 2006. We got reports about a group that had grabbed some Red Cross workers.”

  He paused. “The group was affiliated with a warlord whose nickname was the Devil. Our Afghan translator told us people were terrified of him, but we didn’t need a translator to see that. He was said to have the strength of ten men and a heart as black as night. It was said he couldn’t be killed.”

  His eyes met hers. “We thought it was an exaggeration. When we went into the camp, we realized the Devil wasn’t a nickname. It was who he was.”

  “What happened?”

  “We found the hostages. We subdued their guards and were quietly getting them out. Then all hell broke loose. The Devil walked into the tent. He ordered us to stop. I swear, I nearly laughed. He was all of five feet tall and I'd be surprised if he weighed even a hundred pounds. He pulled out a machete. We ordered him to lower it. He smiled and then sprang at us.”

  He looked away. “He took out four of my men in less than a minute. We opened fire. I don’t know how many times we hit the man, but he seemed to keep popping back up. We couldn’t kill him. I personally shot him four times in the head. Each one was a kill shot. He’d go down, but then spring right back up.”

  Laney shivered. The description was too familiar. “How’d you get out?”

  “I called in air support. I can’t believe I had to call in air support for one small man. I dotted him. Two Sidewinder missiles blew him into pieces. That’s what it took to kill him.”

  Laney was quiet for a moment. She was pretty sure she wasn’t going to be able to rustle up any missiles, but at least it was a small ray of hope. “Well, that’s good to know.”

  “What?”

  “He can be killed.” She looked around at the kids milling about, clueless about the danger they were in. “But we can’t stay here. I can’t put these kids in danger.”

  “Laney, look at me.”

  She pulled her eyes from the crowd.

  “I won’t let anything happen to you or these kids. Just trust me a little longer.”

  She paused, staring up at him. His gaze was intense, honest, and she couldn’t help but believe him. She nodded. “Only a few minutes.”

  He leaned down. “I promise. I’ll keep you safe.”

  She felt a shiver at his words. “So is there more to this rescue?”

  He gestured down the road. “Yes. And here it comes now.”

  Laney looked over her shoulder and saw lights speeding towards them. Police cruisers wailed into the high school’s parking lot, followed by a fire truck. A YNN news van pulled in behind them, the camera operator leaping out of the van before it had fully stopped.

  “I’m pretty sure your new friend doesn’t want any media attention. Taking out some cops in isolation is one thing. Tearing through a police force and groups of students on TV is something altogether different. We’re going to give it a few minutes and then head to my car. We’ll drive out with all the students.”

  “You called them?”

  He nodded. “As soon as I saw him heading for the safe house I called in a bomb threat to the station. Figured we might need some cover.”

  CHAPTER 16

  Jake was as good as his word. When the students got fed up with waiting, a bunch of them headed for the parking lot. A few teachers tried to wave them back, but they were ignored.

  Laney and Jake blended int
o the crowd. They climbed into Jake’s car, a Toyota Camry.

  “A Camry?” Laney said as she buckled her seat belt. “I thought you’d be more of the SUV type.”

  He grinned. “It’s a rental. Now do me a favor, and keep your head down. He’s looking for a single female, not a couple. But let’s just play this safe.”

  She nodded and stared at her hands. “My hands are shaking.”

  “It’s the adrenaline. You’ve been through a lot.”

  “You don’t know the half of it,” she mumbled, thinking of Drew and the attack from the morning.

  She pulled her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. Why the hell was this happening? Who the hell was Paul and what did he want? And how had he found her?

  Jake pulled into traffic and started heading north, out of the city. He kept glancing in his rearview mirror. He stayed tense, not saying anything. Once on 81, though, he seemed to relax.

  “You want to tell me what you have to do with any of this?” Laney prompted.

  He sighed. “It’s a long story. We’ll be at the airport soon. I’ll explain everything on the plane.”

  Laney sat up straight and thought of her uncle. If someone was trying to get to her, the best way would be to go through him. “Well, thanks for the save and all, but I’m not getting on a plane with you.”

  She stared at him as she realized how stupid she was being. She’d been attacked this morning by Paul the un-killable, who’d then tracked her to a safe house. And now this complete stranger - granted this completely gorgeous stranger - had shown up and saved her. How had he known where she was?

  She pushed her back against the door and her hand reached for the handle. “How did you find me at the safe house?”

  “The chief of police told my boss.” He glanced over at her. “Laney, I’m not the bad guy here.”

  She wanted to believe him, but at the same time, logic told her she’d be a complete idiot to go along with him without checking his story out. Her phone rang and she fumbled for it in her pocket. It was Rocky. “Laney, are you okay?”

  “I’m fine, but Frank and Marcos-”

  Rocky’s voice was heavy with grief. “I know. Frank’s gone. Marcos is heading into surgery. Did Jake Rogan find you?”

  “How’d you know about him?

  “Chief of police gave me a call. Said we can trust him.”

  “Well, good, because I’m in the car with him right now.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jake grin. He mouthed, “Told you.” She rolled her eyes at him, but smiled.

  Rocky's voice was stressed. “I don’t know what’s going on right now, but you need to get in here and explain what happened at the safe house.

  “I know. I just need to get some answers first. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” She didn't wait for Rocky to argue, just disconnected the call.

  “Okay, pull over.”

  “Laney, we need to head out of town.”

  “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me exactly what is going on.”

  Jake glanced over at her. "I think the attack in your house this morning has something to do with my brother. He's gone missing. And I'll be happy to tell you all about it, but first we need to get out of Dodge."

  "I'm going to need a little more information than that."

  He gripped the steering wheel.

  Laney knew he was probably trying to figure out if he could toss her in the plane “You try and caveman me into that plane and I swear to God, I’ll make you a eunuch.”

  He barked out a laugh. “I don’t doubt you’ll try. Okay, five minutes, but then we’re out of here.” He put on his indicator and moved into the exit lane.

  She nodded, her fingers crossed behind her back. “Absolutely.”

  CHAPTER 17

  Jake pulled into the parking lot of a fast food joint just past the exit, off the highway. At the drive-thru, he got them both some coffee.

  He glanced over at Laney. She was still shaking, both hands curled around her coffee cup. For a woman who’d just survived two attacks in less than twelve hours, she was holding up amazingly well. Hell, she was holding up phenomenally well. Although her small size and pale skin gave the appearance of fragility, she was obviously a lot tougher than she looked.

  She gestured towards her coffee. “Thanks for this and the rescue." She expelled a long, shaky breath. “This is not my usual day. Is it yours?”

  “Will it freak you out if I say yes?”

  A small grin appeared on her face. “I think it might actually make me feel better.”

  Jake couldn’t help but contrast their lives. From the dossier Henry had rustled up, he knew she was highly educated with a warm, secure, predictable world. He’d gotten his GED when he was seventeen and barely knew what country he’d be in week to week. She eyed him over the rim of her cup. “Let me guess. SEALS?”

  He inclined his head. “Got it in one. I left them three years ago and started with Chandler.”

  “Must keep you busy.”

  He looked away, his tone lower as his thoughts returned to Tom. “Yeah, too busy.”

  Jake wrestled with the guilt eating away at him. Maybe if he’d stayed in touch with Tom or at least called him when he got out, none of this would be happening.

  “Jake?” Laney asked, pulling his eyes back to her. He was startled again by how incredibly green they were. They seemed almost unreal. “You want to tell me about your brother?”

  A memory of Tom flashed through his mind. They’d been walking down the street hand in hand to get an ice cream. Tom couldn't have been more than eight and he’d chattered the whole way, debating what flavor of ice cream to get. Because back then, ice cream was his most pressing concern.

  “Tom’s my foster brother. I went to live with him and his grandmother when I was fourteen. But I’ve known them since I was a little kid. Tom got mixed up in gangs after I joined the Navy and did time for a B&E that went bad. He got out four months ago. He was doing good - job, girlfriend, church group. But three days ago, he disappeared.”

  Jake could see the calculation in Laney's eyes. He could practically hear her doubts. And hell, it wasn't like he didn't have some. But he knew Tom hadn’t skipped. He had to believe in that.

  He ran his hands through his hair. “Look, I know. He’s a parolee. Going missing is not exactly unheard of. But Tom didn’t do that. He had support, a job, a relationship. He wouldn’t just toss that all aside.”

  “Okay. But even so, I’m not sure how I can help. Why would you need a criminologist?”

  Jake smiled. “Well, it’s not your criminology skills I’m looking for. We’ve found a connection between Tom’s disappearance and an archaeologist named Arthur Priddle.”

  Laney jolted at the name. “Priddle?”

  He nodded. “We also know his partner, Drew Masters, sent you a file you shortly before his death.”

  Laney paled at the mention of Drew’s name. He could practically see the sadness spread over her. They hadn’t been just colleagues. She cared about him.

  Oh, I am a jackass, he thought as he watched her try to hide her reaction from him. Her face had become a mask, but she couldn’t hide the subtle tremor in her hands. They’d been involved. The feeling of disappointment caught him by surprise.

  He reached over and took her hand in his. He wasn't sure who was more surprised by the action. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you two were a couple.”

  She shook her head, but didn’t pull her hand away. “Not like that. Drew was pretty much my brother. Much like Tom is yours. Sometimes families don’t need a blood link, do they?”

  He nodded, feeling her pain. Oh crap. She was a walking wound right now. He didn’t want to add to that.

  Of course, she’d be in trouble whether he was here or not. But he felt an incredible sense of protectiveness towards her. Where the hell had that come from? He’d just met the woman. He flashed on the Terminator they’d left back at the safe house. Of course, that guy mig
ht need an entire squad to take him down. He’d probably feel protective of anyone he was after.

  She pulled her hand from his and wrapped it around her cup again, her brow furrowed. “I’m not sure how Drew’s email can help you. I haven’t had a chance to finish reading it.”

  Jake raised an eyebrow. “Is it that long?”

  She gave him a small grin. “Only about fifty pages. I had just started it when my uninvited guest stopped by this morning. From what I did read, it can’t be related to your brother.”

  “Why? What’s it about?”

  Her eyes met his. “It’s an argument for the existence of a technologically advanced pre-historic civilization.”

  That wasn’t what he was expecting to hear. “What? Like Atlantis?”

  “Exactly like Atlantis. I’m not sure how that can help you with the search for Tom.”

  Jake shook his head, his hopes dimming. “I don’t know, either. But if it doesn’t, I don’t have any other leads to follow.” And that means Tom is lost for good.

  CHAPTER 18

  Havre, Montana

  Tom lay on the hard ground staring at the sky. Dawn had broken hours ago, but it wasn’t his shift yet. He wasn’t sure, but he thought they might be on twelve-hour shifts. Which meant he probably had a little time before he was yanked back into hell.

  “Hey man, you sleep any?”

  Tom looked over at Seeley, his dig partner. He and the muscled Latino had exchanged names during their shift when the guards weren’t looking.

  “Not really, man. It was fucking freezing. Besides, I just kept trying to figure out how the hell I ended up here.”

  Seeley nodded his formerly bald head. It was now covered in a light layer of black peach fuzz. “I know what you mean, man. I was doing the same thing. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t a saint by any stretch. I started banging at twelve, but I left that life behind. I got a kid, a girl. I don’t deserve this place.”

  “Yeah, I joined the G7s when I was fourteen,” Tom smiled ruefully. “You know why they chose the name G7?”