The Belial Stone (The Belial Series #1)(41)

“Huh,” Jake grunted, nodding his head.

“Huh, what?” Laney asked. “What is this place?”

Henry answered as he ducked his head to walk through the tunnel. “It’s a bomb shelter. Dr. Radcliffe’s lab is actually located forty-five feet under us.”

Patrick almost tripped over the threshold at Henry's words. Laney reached out an arm to steady him. “A bomb shelter?”

“Dom’s just security conscious, that’s all,” Danny said as he walked through the tunnel.

Patrick smiled at him. “Well, he should feel pretty safe here, then.”

Danny gave him a timid smile before continuing down the long path.

As she stepped into the tunnel, she remembered her uncle's Dorothy comment. And she had to admit, she felt a kinship with the poor girl. And Alice, too, for that matter. Both had been uprooted from their lives and dropped into a new, magical world. Of course, she thought with a smile as she watched the men around her, Dorothy was probably more appropriate, with Jake as the Lion, her uncle the Tinman, Henry the Scarecrow, and Danny as Toto.

The tunnel continued on a downward angle for another hundred yards. At the end, Laney stepped out into a room, almost identical to the one they had first entered.

She stared at the mammoth door across from them. “Another blast door?”

Henry nodded as he input numbers into the security panel next to the door. This time, he placed his right index finger on the glass panel. A green light lit up above the door. It clicked open. Jake stepped up to hold it open for the group.

The whole setting had a surreal quality to it. The long white halls, the eerie green lighting, the faint musty smell. She glanced at Henry, who was walking ahead. He had to almost double over to fit in the tunnels. Why was this place even here? She knew the Chandler Group was involved in complex international issues, but did that really require a bunker? As she continued down, she realized she was both literally and figuratively in over her head.

“You okay?”

She glanced back at Jake, his eyes concerned. A small butterfly flitted across her chest. She barely knew him, and yet for some insane reason she trusted him. And she didn’t trust easy. But something about Jake just put her at ease. She felt as if he would protect her. And for someone as self-reliant as she was, that was pretty unusual. Not to mention a little unsettling.

She smiled. “Just a little amazed at where the last twenty-four hours have taken me.”

He stepped next to her and squeezed her hand. “We’ll get through this, Laney.”

She heard the pledge in those words. Her heart beat a little faster. “Promise?”

He pulled her to a stop, turning her to look at him. “Promise.”

Time seemed to stop for a moment. And Laney had the insane urge to kiss him. His eyes were locked on hers and then shifted down to her lips. She leaned forward just a fraction.

“You two coming?” Patrick called from the end of the tunnel.

Laney jumped away from Jake like a teenager. Jake reached out to grab her before she hit her head on the rounded edge.

Slick, Laney. Real slick.

She could feel the blush beginning to spread across her cheeks. Damn her complexion, which hid nothing. “Be right there.”

After all the security precautions, Laney was expecting to find a mad scientist and a dark, dank lab. But when she stepped through the opening, she was surprised to find herself in a brightly-lit entryway that could be found in any home. There was even a hall closet for coats, an umbrella stand, and crisp white wainscoting halfway up the pale blue walls.

Henry led them into the room just past the entryway. Laney stopped short, stunned by the incredible sight. The room was massive, easily a hundred feet long, fifty across, and the ceilings were at least twenty-five feet high. It contained a living room area with a comfortable-looking leather sectional, and a large flat-screen TV. The kitchen was a mix of dark, sleek wood and stainless steel appliances. And the bedroom section looked right out of an IKEA catalogue.

And there were plants everywhere - hanging from the ceiling, in pots along the ground, and there was even a good size greenhouse in the back corner, lit by ultraviolet lights. Except for the absence of windows, it would have looked right at home in Manhattan.

Jake let out a low whistle. “Now this is a bomb shelter.”

Laney grinned. “I guess Dr. Radcliffe has done a lot with the place. I have to admit, I was picturing something more along the lines of Dr. Frankenstein’s lab.”

“Shall we?” Jake extended Laney his arm.

With a smile, she placed her hand around his arm. They joined the others, who had congregated around the large island in the kitchen.

Henry raised a coffee pot as the two walked over. Laney nodded. Danny and Patrick were already pulling sandwiches from the tray onto their plates.

“Help yourselves,” Danny said. “Dom and Maggie always like to have something for people to eat when they come visit.”

Laney settled herself into one of the high island chairs and had just pulled a turkey sandwich onto her plate when a female voice spoke.

“Good, good. You’re all eating.”

Henry walked over and hugged the striking woman who had stepped into the kitchen through a door Laney hadn’t noticed. Although her hair dark hair was streaked with white, there wasn’t a line on her face, making her age impossible to estimate. She had a strong, muscular build, was at least six feet tall, and intelligence shone out of her face like a beacon.