The Belial Stone (The Belial Series #1)(75)

“It’s my fault,” Yoni said, his head in his hands. “They must have traced the house rentals and then just checked them one by one until they found us. I should have found another way.”

Henry placed his hand on Yoni’s shoulder. “It’s not your fault, Yoni. They knew we were coming. They just needed to figure out where we were. We’ve been too predictable.”

Henry’s phone rang and he looked at the display. “Excuse me. It’s Danny.” He walked towards the house.

Patrick raked his hand though his hair, wincing as he touched his injury. “Are we sure they even took Laney? Maybe she’s just hiding somewhere.”

“We’ve done a search, Patrick,” Jake said, gently but firmly. “She’s not hiding.”

His attention was diverted to Henry when he heard his tone change. He watched Henry’s face tense. Henry spoke with Danny for a few more minutes and from the expression on his face, Jake could tell he was trying to comfort the young man. This wasn’t going to be good news.

When Henry re-joined the group, Jake spoke before Henry had a chance. “They have Laney.”

Henry nodded and looked at Patrick. “Yes. They just contacted the switchboard at Chandler HQ. Danny got the message. They said Laney won’t come to any harm as long as no word about the operation leaks and no move is made on the compound. If we don’t follow their instructions, Laney will be killed.”

“Oh my God,” Patrick gasped, falling back against the Suburban.

Jake turned to Patrick. “We’ll figure out a way to get her back, Patrick. I promise.”

Patrick looked at him for a long minute and nodded his head before walking quietly into the house.

When Jake was sure Patrick was out of earshot, he spoke quietly to Henry. “That’s not all they said, is it?”

“No,” Henry replied, his expression fierce. “But Patrick doesn’t need to hear the rest of the message. The caller explained how they were going to kill her, in slow and painful detail, if we didn’t follow their instructions to the letter.”





CHAPTER 65



Havre, MT



After the fight with Laney, the Senator had screamed bloody murder. Gideon had hustled her out of the room and back into the food pantry.

She’d expected some sort of payback, but instead, he seemed almost happy. He’d even given her a big grin before locking her in. She’d stayed there for what felt like hours, but she was sure it was much less.

Finally, Gideon opened the door and put her in an SUV, after a quick trip to the bathroom. Gideon climbed behind the driver’s wheel.

“Where are we going?” she asked from the backseat.

“To the place you’ve been searching for.”

Forty minutes later, she was staring at what seemed like endless flat, barren land. She’d even started to doze off, when a structure came into view on the horizon. Although she wanted to remain resolute in her anger, she couldn’t help feel a thrill at seeing an ancient site, possibly ten thousand years old.

At first, Laney could only make out the outline of a giant wall that seemed to be the length of two football fields. As they neared, she saw in living color the structure from the pictures Jake had taken. Was that only this morning?

The thought of him gave the fears she'd been blocking a road in. Were her uncle and Yoni all right? Had Jake and Henry gotten there in time? She pictured her uncle shot, his blood seeping into the ground where she'd left him.

She took a deep breath and stared out the window, not wanting Gideon to see her emotions. Her uncle was fine. Yoni was fine. Jake, Henry. They were all fine. She would hold onto that. She had to hold onto that.

“We’re here.” Gideon sang out.

They pulled to a stop at the yawning gate of the enclosure. Gideon exited the car. He jogged around to her side, opened her door, and yanked her out. “I hope your trip wasn’t too bad. You seemed a little emotional. Worried about your friends?”

She ignored him, yanking her arm out of his grasp. Her attention was drawn to the left as she sensed movement.

Glancing over, she saw the cage Jake had photographed. His picture hadn’t done it justice. It hadn’t captured the palpable despair that it emitted, or the stench that radiated from it. The fear, despair, terror, and anger of the men on the site slipped below her defenses, flooring her.

By the entrance, a guard kicked an emaciated man as he passed with an empty wheelbarrow. The man stumbled, dropping heavily onto a knee, nearly overturning the wheelbarrow. Another two guards escorted a group of twelve men into the enclosure. At the back of a ragtag group of impossibly thin men, two men held a third up, quietly urging him to walk.

She went cold. These people are monsters. She glanced over at the other SUV as it rolled to a stop. And here comes their self-appointed king.

The Senator’s driver rushed around to open the door for him. After their skirmish, the Senator had refused to ride in the same car with her. When they’d started this little journey, that had given her a sense of victory. But, staring around her now, she felt nothing but defeat.

A wind kicked up and she caught an odor from the opposite side of the entrance. She knew that smell. Something was dead. Unable to ignore it, she glanced over and saw a decomposing hand in view above the rim of the ditch.

She started to breathe heavily and spots began to appear around the edge of her vision. This was too much. She was filled with pain for the men who had been killed here, and the desolation of the men who still lived through it.