The Belial Stone (The Belial Series #1)(85)

“Out of here? Why would you want to get out of here? You’ll miss the show.”

Gideon stepped further into the cabin, letting the door swing shut behind him. His voice rang out in the darkness, adding an air of menace to the chilling words.

“You amaze me, Robert. Your self-involvement and lack of awareness are truly unmatched. And coming from me, that’s really saying something. You’re so concerned with your political ambitions that you’ve never asked why I would help you. Did you think I was just being altruistic? You have the connections that I needed. You were merely a useful tool in my toolbox.”

“What are you talking about? This is my plan.”

Gideon laughed. “Your plan? My God, man, are you really that much of a fool?”

The truth of his na?veté was like a smack to the face. Kensington was floored by it. He had never wondered, either silently or out loud, why Gideon was interested in the stones. He’d been so focused on his own dreams of power that he hadn’t considered Gideon’s agenda. He’d just assumed Gideon saw and supported his own ambitions. Now, he could see that rather than Gideon being a tool to be used for his own goals, he was the one being used. Gideon was right. He was a fool.

Fear laced Kensington’s words as he stared at the stone in Gideon’s hand. “I don’t understand. What are you going to do with it?”

Gideon flashed his light on Priddle’s face. He smiled. “You know what’s about to happen, don’t you, Arthur? I'm guessing you've suspected for a while. Why don’t you tell the Senator here.”

Kensington turned to Priddle. The man didn’t speak. He simply stared at Gideon, his jaw open, his head shaking from side to side. “It’s not possible.”

“Come now, Professor. I can see you finally understand. Here, let me help. I’ll start the explanation for you. The Belial Stones are known by another name. They are also called angel stones.”

Priddle began haltingly. “The Belial stones are also called angel stones because . . . Because they were supposed to have been brought to earth by the fallen angels. The stones were alleged to contain the power of heaven. With a chant in Enochian, the language of the angels, the angels were supposed to be able to release all of the force of the stone.”

“Very good, Professor. I give that answer an A-minus. The minus, of course, for the use of the word ‘alleged’. There is nothing ‘alleged’ about the power of the stones.”

“But this is ridiculous,” Kensington sputtered. “There’s no such thing as fallen angels.”

Gideon gestured with the gun for the two of them to proceed him out the door. “Well, I guess we’ll just see about that, won’t we? Let’s take this outside. Shall we?”

“Why? What are you going to do?” Kensington asked.

Gideon smiled. “Why, unleash the stone’s power, of course. You’re a fan of power, Robert. Now, you have the opportunity to see what real power actually is.”





CHAPTER 83



Laney and Tom moved through the enclosure, evacuating the men who’d been pinned down in the trenches when the attack began.

Carefully, she approached another trench, Tom beside her. Her nerves were taut, her finger on the trigger of the Beretta she'd confiscated off a guard.

A guard sprinted up the ramp with a yell.

She opened fire, catching him at the waist. He screamed and toppled off the ramp, landing back in the trench below.

She peered over the edge. His neck sat at an unnatural angle, his eyes stared up, seeing nothing. Her pulse spiked and she fought the urge to be sick. How many had she killed now?

Tom stepped next to her, his hand briefly resting on her shoulder. “It’s okay. It had to be done.”

She looked over at him and nodded. He was right. She might not want to do this, but it was necessary. Her eyes searched the trench, falling on the five men hunched against the far wall. Two of them didn't look like they could walk under their own power.

She glanced back at the guard sprawled unmoving below her. He was part of this. He wasn’t the one who deserved her sympathy.

Tom gestured towards the men. “I’ll go."

She nodded, taking point at the top of the ramp, as Tom headed down it. A movement out of the corner of her eye drew her attention. She trained her gun to her right.

A noise directly behind her caused her to whirl around. A guard was charging, his gun aimed straight at her. She raised her weapon, but knew she would be too late.

Two bursts of automatic fire barked and the guard’s chest bloomed red. He crashed to the ground, a look of surprise frozen on his face.

Jake and Yoni appeared thirty feet behind him, scanning the area as they moved. They moved quickly, but she could tell they were missing nothing, moving in tandem.

She drank in the sight of Jake. He had some scrapes on his arms and neck, but otherwise he looked fine. Hell, he looked gorgeous and dangerous. Relief and need coursed through her. She felt an almost overwhelming urge pulling her towards him. She forced herself to look away from him and her eyes lit on Yoni. She smiled. They were both okay.

She dropped her gun to her side as they approached, barely registering the men who were scurrying out of the trench behind her. Jake stopped when he was a foot away and looked her into her eyes.

“You okay?” he asked gruffly.