The Belial Library (The Belial Series) (38 page)

He stumbled forward before dropping to the ground.  "I can't.  I've been shot."

Laney's temper was about to boil over.  She crouched down until she was eye level with him.  "Warren, I'm about done playing with you.  You’re going to walk your fat ass back up those stairs without complaint or I'm going to leave you here.  Permanently."  She stared into his eyes, until he looked away. 

He gave a jerky nod.

"Now, move."  He got to his feet and stumbled towards the door.  Laney followed behind him, reconsidering her decision to let him live.

Jake raced back up the stairs to the kitchen.  Yoni and the twins sprinted after him.  Jake crossed to the wall of windows looking out over the canyon, pulling his machine gun into his shoulder.

Yoni stepped up next to him, assuming the same position.  “You’re right.  This is a lousy plan.”

They opened fire, shattering the glass on the left-hand side of the room, nearest the wall.  Jake ran over, grabbing a jacket from the back of one of the kitchen chairs as he passed. 

Wiping away the glass from the bottom of the frame, he lay the jacket down.  He leaned out, his M4 once again pulled into his shoulder.  He pulled the trigger. 

The windows in the next room shattered, sending glass flying.  Jake ducked back in, but not before slivers of glass sliced into his forearms and cheek.  A strong wind blew back in the room.

The twins had already replaced him at the window, their weapons looped across their shoulders.  Mike stepped out onto the ledge. A gust of wind blew and he flattened himself against the building. 

Blood seeped through his hand where Mike gripped the frame, still littered with broken glass.  The gust stopped.  He made his way along the ledge, stepping through the shattered window on the other side.  Jordan jumped up, nimbly walking along the ledge and jumping through the same window.

Yoni moved to the edge and peered out, but a strong gust forced him back.  He looked up at Jake standing next to him.  “I ever tell you how much I hate heights?”

Jake glanced down at him.  The canyon floor was a sheer drop down at least four hundred feet.  “You were a SEAL.  You can’t hate heights.”

Yoni gripped the frame, pulling himself up.  “I damn well can,” he grumbled.  “And right now, I really, really do.”

Stepping out onto the ledge, another strong gust pulled at Yoni and one of his feet slipped.  He let out a yell. 

Jake reached out, yanking him back to the ledge.  He stayed leaned across the ledge until Yoni was securely in the other window. 

Taking a deep breath, Jake quickly moved across the ledge himself, not looking down.  Wind tugged at him, trying to pull him off.  He knew exactly what Yoni meant about heights.

He dropped into the other room, looking around.  “Where are Mike and Jordan?”

Yoni shook his head.  “Don’t know.  They were gone when I got here.”

Gunfire sounded from up ahead.  His earpiece crackled back to life

“- in trouble.”

Jake pulled it to his ear, tapping the mic.  “Say again, Danny.  Who’s in trouble?”

“Laney.”

Laney moved up the stairs, heading back to the main floor.  Warren grumbled from in front of her.  Part of her wondered what the hell she was bringing him along for.  He was just going to slow her down.  But she couldn’t let him get away, not with all the damage he’d done. 

At the top of the stairs, she cracked the door.  The hallway was empty.  She shoved Warren forward.  He crashed onto his knees with a loud scream. 

Her pulse raced, she whirled in a full circle, but his cry hadn’t brought anyone.  She needed to get to Jen and Henry. 

With a look of disgust at Warren sniveling on the floor, she walked past him and opened the door across from her.  Perfect.

She grabbed Warren by the bicep, pulling him up.  “Come on, Warren.”

“What are you doing?”

She shoved him forward into the closet.

He grabbed onto the doorframe.  “You can’t leave me here!”

Her eyes narrowed.  She remembered him saying the exact same thing the night of the attack on Nana’s village.  She slammed her gun into the hand nearest her.  He howled with pain, pulling his broken fingers to his chest.

She slammed the door shut.  Grabbing a nearby chair, she wedged it under the handle. 

He kicked at the door, screaming for help.  There was a chance someone would find him.  But she was betting he hadn’t ingratiated himself too well with his grandfather’s staff.  So she doubted anyone would be rushing to help him out, even if they found him.

Turning back down the hall, she re-traced her steps towards the control room, her steps cautious.  She knew most of the guards were with Sebastian but she’d seen a couple of other ones.  She wasn’t sure where they were.  Hopefully, they were leaving.

Ahead on her right was a large doorway, glass walls on either side.  She glanced in.  A giant swimming pool with a glass roof.  She’d seen it on the map.  If Jen and Henry were still going in the same direction, they should be somewhere up ahead.

She glanced down the hall.  Anyone would see her cut across.  Her head jerked up as gunfire sounded from up ahead.  She was going to have to risk being seen. 

Taking a deep breath, she ran forward.  Bullets shattered the glass walls surrounding the pool. 

“Shit!” Laney dove for the ground, shards of glass raining down on her.  Army-crawling forward until she was behind a large potted plant, she glanced around.  A guard stood at the other side of the pool.  She pulled her head back as he pulled the trigger, raking the pot with bullets. 

Hands covering her head, Laney prayed the pot held. 

Gun blasts from her right tore through the air at the guard.  Jordan and Mike stood there, firing at the gunman.  She glanced back to where the gunman had stood.  He wasn’t standing any more.  He was lying face down in the pool, quickly turning the water red. 

Jordan ran over and pulled her up. 

Laney pointed down the hall.  “Jen.  She’s following Sebastian and Hugo.  They’re that way.”

Jordan and Mike took off at a run without another word.  Movement behind her made her pause.  She dropped to a knee, lining up the man charging down the hall.

Henry sprinted down the hall, Jen right behind him.  Part of him reveled in finally being able to throw off the restraints he'd placed on himself his whole life.  The other part was amazed that there was someone with him who shared the abilities.

Up ahead, he spied the stairs leading to the roof. 

Six guards stood at the bottom of the stairs.  They peppered the floor where Jen and Henry stood.  Leaping back, they were pushed back behind the corner. 

Henry nodded at Jen’s weapon.  “Anything left in there?”

She slid out the magazine.  “Two rounds.”

Henry looked back down the hall.  He knew he could take out the guards, but not without getting shot.  A lot.  And he wasn’t exactly sure how impenetrable he was.  Or Jen, either.

A noise at the end of the hall drew his attention.  Jen slammed the magazine back in, taking aim. 

Jordan and Mike peeked their heads out.  “Friendlies!”  Mike yelled.  “Don’t shoot.”

Jen smiled, her shoulders sagging with relief as her brothers came into view, jogging towards them.  Henry moved to the side so the brothers could hug their sister. 

“You okay?” Jordan asked Henry, his arm still around Jen. 

Henry nodded, noting Jordan and Mike’s eyes roaming his frame, looking for damages.  Confusion crossed their faces for a moment when they couldn’t find any.  Mike looked up at Henry, the question in his eyes. 

“I’ll explain later,” Henry said.  “But right now we need a little help with those guards at the end of the hall.”

Mike moved forward.  “How many?

“Six.”

Jordan moved next to Mike.  “No problem.”

With a nod, the brothers dove into the hallway, Mike going high, Jordan low.  Jen tensed beside Henry, but it was over in seconds.  Henry glanced down the hall.  The guards all lay on the ground, still.

Henry turned to Jen.  “Our turn.”

Jen turned to her brothers.  “Follow us.”

Henry sprinted down the hall, Jen right behind him.

"They must be heading for the helipad," Henry yelled to Jen.

She nodded, her eyes focused ahead.  Henry leaped up the stairs, throwing open the door to the roof.  The helicopter was just taking off.  He could see Hugo through the window.  With a good jump, he should be able to reach it.  He ran, about to leap, when Hugo dropped a grenade from the helicopter. 

"No!"  Jen yanked him from behind, shoving him behind an air conditioning unit.  The grenade exploded on the other side, but the unit kept the blast from them. 

Henry pushed himself up.  The roof, miraculously was scarred and burned, but held.  It must have been fortified against a rockslide.

He glanced up.  The helicopter was too far away now to reach.  He clenched his fists.  "Damn it!"

Jen grabbed his hand.  "Henry."

He looked over, hearing the concern in her voice. 

She gestured to the edge of the building.  "Look."

Explosives were strung around the edge of the building.  A small light blinked red.

Henry grabbed Jen, running for the stairs.  The twins were just bursting through the doorway, onto the roof.  Henry grabbed Jordan and turned him around. 

Jen did the same for Mike. "We need to get out.  The place is going to blow."

“Don’t you even think about shooting me,” Jake growled as he charged down the hall toward Laney.  She let her weapon fall to her side and stood with a smile.

Relief poured through Jake at the sight of her. He tried not to think how close he’d come to losing her.  Again.  He pulled Laney into his arms.  “You’re going to give me grey hairs.”

She wrapped her arms around his waist, laying her head on his chest.  “Don’t blame me for those.”  Giving him a squeeze, she pulled away.  “Jake, we have to help.”

“We will.  But are you okay?” 

“I’m fine.”

A yell caused Jake to glance over his shoulder.  Yoni was pushing some young guy along the hall. 

Yoni walked up to them, gesturing towards his prisoner with his weapon.  “Found this guy in a closet.”

Laney grimaced.  “That’s my intern Warren, the grandson of Sebastian Flourent.  We need to get him out of here.  Jen and Henry went after the others.  Jordan and Mike went after them.”

Yoni wrapped his meaty hand around Warren’s bicep.  “Why don’t I get rid of this for you?”

Warren tried to pull away.  “No, no.”

Laney rolled her eyes.  “Quit teasing him, Yoni.  The guy’s annoying enough without that.  He is, however, going to need some medical attention.  Again.”

“What happened to him?”

Laney shrugged.  “I shot him.”

Yoni grinned.  “Good for you.” 

Jake just raised an eyebrow.

“He was going to shoot me.”

Jake’s eyes narrowed.  The need to add some bruises to the man filled him.  He took a step towards Warren.

Laney reached out a hand and placed it on his forearm.  “I’m fine.  He didn’t even come close.”

Yoni looked between the two of them.  “Well, I’ll take myself and the waste of sperm here back to the chopper.  You two look like you have some making up to do.  Jake, weren’t you saying something in the chopper about killing Laney?”

Jake glowered at him.  “Yoni . . .”

“Well, time to go.”  Yoni winked at Laney before hustling Warren back down the hall.

Laney turned to Jake.  “Care to explain?”

He pulled her towards him.  “Not really.”

She smiled, leaning up.  “Okay.”

Their lips touched as Jordan’s voice burst from Jake’s earpiece.  “Jake.  The building’s rigged with explosives.  We need to go now!”

Laney jumped out of his arms like she’d been shot.  She paused for only a minute before sprinting away from him. 

He ran after her.  “Where are you going?  We have a chopper on the roof.”

She glanced over her shoulder at him, her eyes wide.  “Danny.”

Laney sprinted down the long hallway, her mind filled with nightmarish images. 
I never should have brought him.  What the hell was I thinking?

With each thought she dug deeper, willing her legs to move faster, wishing she had Henry and Jen’s speed.  In the kitchen, she vaulted over the bodies she and Jen had dropped without pause.  She heard Jake racing behind her.  He spoke into his headset, telling the group they were going for Danny and to take off without them.  She’d thought about having the helicopter go for him, but if they didn’t have a rope, it would take too long. 

Ahead she saw the door she’d entered through.  Without slowing, she barreled through it, into the bright sunlight.  “Danny!  Danny, run!”