The Belial Stone (The Belial Series #1)(32)

She fingered the cashmere with a smile. Someone had good taste. She wasn’t sure who had placed them in her room, but she was thankful. Her old clothes were only fit for the garbage pail at this point.

After drying her hair, she sprayed on some perfume she’d found in the bathroom. Lavender. Feeling more like herself, she headed for the stairs.

The soothing neutral tones and white trim of the bedroom continued throughout the small cottage. She rounded the stairs into a living room with overstuffed white furniture that invited her to sit down and relax. With difficulty, she ignored the invitation, following the smell of coffee to the kitchen.

Her uncle sat at a round wooden table in the little nook, just off the open kitchen. He’d changed as well, wearing a charcoal grey sweater and dark jeans. He didn’t look up as she approached, his attention completely focused on the papers in front of him. Eggs lay untouched to his side.

“Uncle Patrick?”

With a start, he looked up, his face pale and tired. “Hey, honey. Sorry. I didn’t hear you.”

She gestured at the papers in front of him. “I can tell. Is that Drew’s paper?”

“Yes. It fell out of your sweatshirt on the plane last night and I picked it up.”

Grabbing a mug from the kitchen counter, she filled it with coffee. Warmth flowed through her with the first sip and she closed her eyes, embracing it. Oh, yes, she needed that.

She sat down across from him. “Did you sleep at all?”

He gave her a wan smile. “Not much, I’m afraid. After yesterday’s excitement and this,” he gestured at the papers, “my head was swimming.”

“Well, I didn’t have that problem. I don’t remember much after we got to the plane.”

“I’m not surprised. After all you went through, you practically shut down. You needed the rest.”

She nodded. Yesterday’s events seemed unreal, like a movie. “I still can’t believe everything that happened. It just doesn't seem possible.”

“Violence can have that effect.”

She reached over and squeezed his hand. “I’m sorry you’ve been dragged into all of this.”

He covered her hand with his. “You’re in it, I’m in it. You know that.”

She felt a catch in her throat. He had always been there for her. Every school play, soccer game, martial arts tournament. He’d been there for every single one. And she knew he’d be there whenever she needed him. Tragedy might have made them a family, but it had made them a damn strong one.

“Thank you.”

He squeezed her hand. “I called Rocky earlier this morning. She’s fine, some stitches, some blood. Mike got out of surgery all right as well. It was touch and go, but he pulled through.”

“Good.”

“She said they were rushing Paul’s autopsy. She told the M.E. about Paul’s skills. Dr. Nichols had some theories, but she didn’t want to say anything until she’d run some tests. Hopefully they’ll be back sometime today.”

He handed her a cell phone. “Jake gave that to me last night for you. I gave Rocky the number. She’ll call you when she has something.”

Nodding, she pocketed the cell phone and then looked past her uncle into the garden. “I still can’t wrap my head around what I saw. How could those guys get shot, stabbed, hit by a car, and keep going? What are they?” She glanced back at him. “My money’s on a secret military cyborg program.”

Patrick let out a chuckle. “I think you’ve been watching too many movies.”

“Really? Have you got any better ideas?”

Patrick was silent.

Laney looked at him closely. “You do, don’t you?”

He put up his hands. “I don’t know if it’s an idea or just a crazy thought. I think I’ll wait for some more information.”

“Uncle Patrick…”

He held up Drew’s paper. “I can, however, offer my opinion on Drew’s paper.”

“You’re just trying to distract me,” she grumbled.

“Yes, I am,” he agreed with a smile. “It’s actually impressive work. He talks about Gobekli Tepe, which, of course, is fascinating in its own right. But it’s his claims about what the sister site may hold that are the most intriguing and terrifying.”

“A sister site? Are you kidding? Where?” She pictured the ancient Turkish site: all those tall obelisks arranged in circles dating from before the dawn of civilization. Gobekli Tepe was an incredible find. But a second? That was beyond incredible.

“He doesn't say, but he makes a good argument for its existence.”

“That’s amazing. Drew is going to have a blast…“A pit formed in her stomach. “I mean, he would have had a blast excavating it.”

“That was my first thought, too. It’s what Drew dreamed of when he became an archaeologist. It’s what all archaeologists dream of. But I’m afraid this sister site may have more than a strong archaeological impact. If Drew was right, it could uncover a weapon I fear mankind may not be ready for.

“A weapon? I don’t understand. What do you mean?”

Patrick’s face was somber, his eyes deadly serious. “Drew writes of Atlantis. He argues that we’ve seen glimpses of it, but acknowledges that very little evidence has been found. He even speaks of their final devastation that all but wiped them from the face of the earth.”