The Belial Stone (The Belial Series #1)(28)

Jake looked into the man's clear blue eyes. He read the determination and love there. “I’ll do whatever it takes to protect her,” he replied, surprised at how strong his own desire to do just that was.

Patrick nodded. “Laney tells me you’re looking for your brother.”

Jake nodded. “Yes. Tom went missing about two days ago. I think a file Laney received from Drew Masters might help me find him.”

The priest’s face tightened at the mention of Drew, although he was better at hiding his emotions than his niece. Drew mattered to Patrick as well. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

Patrick cleared his throat. “Drew was a good man, a good friend. We thought of him as family. Laney introduced him to me about ten years ago. She’s convinced he didn't take his own life. I must admit, he never struck me as the suicidal type, though despair can overwhelm a person. But the alternative, that someone took his life, is no less comforting.”

Jake knew that despair. After his mother’s death, it had gripped him. Tom and Mrs. Jeffries had kept him from giving in. “I have to admit, the timing of his death is suspicious. There’s a lot swirling around Dr. Priddle, who himself has disappeared. I think we need to keep all possibilities on the table until we can absolutely rule them out.”

Patrick nodded and then his eyes shifted to a spot behind Jake. Jake glanced over his shoulder at Laney, who was tucking some sheets of paper into the big pocket at the front of her sweatshirt as she entered the room. “Just got a text from Rocky. She and Mike are a minute away. Time to go.” She started to pull open the front door.

Jake bounded from his seat. “Laney, wait. Let me check–”

His words were cut off as the door swung open, knocking Laney back.

Paul stepped into the room. “There you are, Dr. McPhearson. We never had a chance to finish our conversation. How does now work for you?”





CHAPTER 22



Laney stared at Paul, unable to believe her eyes. His face was completely healed and he moved without any evidence of his earlier injuries. Every sci-fi movie possibility ran through her mind: cyborg, super-soldier, alien. What was this guy?

Paul looked around the room, zeroing in on the two men. “And this must be your uncle. Family. That’s good. In fact, I brought some family myself.”

Laney glanced behind him and saw an attractive blond man with piercing blue eyes, a few inches taller than Paul. Her heart, which had been racing, now started to gallop at a full sprint. They’d barely been able to get away from Paul. If this guy had the same abilities, they were dead.

“Laney, move,” Jake yelled.

She threw herself away from the door as Jake opened fire. Disbelief coursed through her as both men leaped out of the way, their speed inhumanly fast. Paul dove towards Jake, while his companion leaped at her. She stumbled back. He reached out and snatched the front of her sweatshirt.

Twisting away from him, she gave herself just enough distance to unleash a vicious sidekick to his midsection. He grunted. She shifted and aimed the next kick at his head. It snapped back with a teeth-clenching jolt. His grip loosened.

Her uncle latched onto her arm and yanked her behind him. He unleashed a series of brutal punches that backed the man into the wall.

She ran into the kitchen, whirling around when she heard her uncle yell. The man raised her uncle into the air with one hand and threw him across the room.

He turned and smiled as he stalked towards her.

Snatching the kettle from the stove, she pulled off the lid. He grabbed onto her shoulder, spinning her around. She flung the boiling water into his face. Screaming, he clutched at his eyes. Collapsing, his face had already begun to blister.

Laney sprinted for her uncle, hesitating as she saw Jake locked in combat with Paul.

Jake caught sight of her. “Get out of here!”

Her uncle had just gained his feet when she grabbed onto his arm. “Come on. We need to move.”

Before she could reach the door, an arm wrapped around her waist and yanked her back. She shoved her uncle forward as she flew. She crashed into Paul’s companion’s chest with a grunt. It felt like she’d hit steel.

She glanced up at him. The sight of his face made her stomach turn: blisters covered it, some of which were already beginning to ooze. But, incredibly, some seemed to have begun healing.

He glared down at her, his grip on her arms painful. His fingers snaked around her neck and he began to squeeze. “Good-bye, Professor.”

She reached up and yanked his pinky back to its wrist. With satisfaction, she felt the snap as it broke. He howled in pain.

“Laney, get down!” Rocky yelled.

She dove for the ground as Rocky and Mike opened fire from outside the doorway. The man flew back across the kitchen, flipping over the kitchen table for protection.

“Help Jake,” Laney screamed as she crawled towards the door.

She glanced up just in time to see Jake kick Paul off of him. Mike's bullets chased Paul into the hallway. She couldn't tell if he’d been hit. She prayed he had, while part of her wondered if it would make any difference.

Laney and Jake reached the doorway at the same time. Mike shifted out of the way to let them pass, while Rocky kept her weapon trained on the room.

Jake grabbed Laney and Patrick by the arm. “Time to go.”

“We’re right behind you,” Rocky said.