The Belial Children

by R. D. Brady

  Ever since the new kids arrived, the three of them—Danny, Lou, and Rolly—had hung out in the same spot. Well, the five of them, if you included Moxy and Cleo. When they could, they would let Cleo out to run around.

  Now Danny pushed open the door and stepped out. Lou waved and Danny gave her a half-hearted wave back. Moxy ran across the field to the cage, running up and down the length of the cage as Cleo did the same from inside.

  Rolly jumped out of the way so as not to get knocked down by Moxy. He shook his head. “I still don’t get their friendship.”

  Lou smiled. “They just accept each other—the basis of any good friendship. Right, Danny?”

  Danny stopped next to the bench. “Uh, yeah. And I think maybe they just understand each other. Maybe kind of like Laney understands them.”

  Rolly plopped onto the bench next to Lou. “Friendship—the unifying force of the universe.”

  Lou rolled her eyes at Rolly’s dramatic proclamation, but all Danny could manage was a weak smile.

  “All right, Danny,” Rolly said. “What’s up? You’ve got a look on your face like you’ve been called to the principal’s office.”

  Danny fingered the file behind his back. How did you say something like this? “Um, I… uh… I found some information on your sister.”

  “Really?” Rolly paused. And then looked away from him. “Where is she?”

  Lou met Danny’s gaze, and Danny saw the realization dawn in her eyes. She put a hand out and touched Rolly’s sleeve. “Rolly.”

  Rolly let out a breath. When he spoke, his voice was quiet. “She’s dead, isn’t she?”

  Danny nodded. “Yeah. About two weeks after she disappeared.”

  Rolly took a shuddering breath and stared off into the distance. Finally, he turned back to Danny. “How?”

  Danny swallowed. “She was at one of the camps. She stopped a Fallen who was going to kill another kid at the camp. She got in between them.”

  A little smile crossed Rolly’s face. “She was always doing that. She stepped between me and my dad I don’t know how many times.” He put a trembling hand to his mouth.

  Lou reached out to him. “Rolly, what can—”

  Rolly shook his head. “Nothing.” He started to walk away, stopping to rest his hand on Danny’s shoulder. “Thank you for finding out.”

  Danny nodded at him.

  Rolly took a few steps away from him before turning around. “Who was it? Who was it that killed her?”

  Danny paused. “It was Pascha.”

  Shock crossed Rolly’s face before his jaw tightened. Pascha had been the Fallen who had recruited both Lou and Rolly—and who had almost killed them.

  Lou stood. “Rolly—”

  He put up a trembling hand. “I just need a little time. Okay?”

  He didn’t wait for a response, just turned and walked across the field before he disappeared around the side of the building.

  Lou came to stand next to Danny.

  “Is he going to be all right?” Danny asked, not taking his eyes from where Rolly had disappeared.

  Lou wrapped her arm around Danny and leaned her head on his shoulder. “Eventually.”

  CHAPTER 23

  Atlanta, Georgia

  Laney stepped out of the house and into the hot Atlanta sunshine. After they’d wrapped things up in Chicago, Laney and Jake had flown down to here to see the Watson family. Tomorrow they would head to see the Seeleys—a full twenty-four hours of seeing heartbreak up close and personal.

  Now, as they left the Watsons’ house, even the heat couldn’t touch the ball of cold that had lodged in Laney’s chest. She glanced back at the house. That poor family. The pain they were going through was palpable.

  They were a nice family. The mom and dad had been high school sweethearts. Sophia had been their youngest, their surprise child. Their other kids were already grown and out of the house. And now they were alone.

  Laney twirled the ring around her finger. Mr. and Mrs. Watson had had no clue about any special abilities their daughter might have, and Laney had gotten no inkling of any abilities from them, either. They described Sophia as smart, fun, happy—the same way all caring parents described their children.

  Jake took her arm as they headed down the porch steps. “You okay?”

  Laney shook her head. “That family is devastated. And I feel helpless.”

  The Watsons had readily agreed to meet with them this morning, obviously desperate for any help in finding their daughter. But Laney and Jake hadn’t been able to offer them anything. And the Watsons hadn’t been able to shed any more light on their daughter’s disappearance.

  “I don’t know how a family gets through that,” Laney said, trying to imagine how she or Kati would cope if someone took Max.

  She couldn’t imagine it—and she didn’t want to imagine it.

  A picture of Victoria flashed through Laney’s mind. Had she been as devastated when she gave away Laney? Laney shook her head. No. Victoria had known where her daughter was.

  She glanced back at the house. It was the not knowing that was eating these families up.

  Jake leaned down to her. “I think we have an audience.”

  Laney glanced across the driveway. A little boy in a cowboy hat peered at them from the fence that separated the two yards. He had watched them when they had arrived as well.

  Laney nodded to Jake. “Why don’t you go check in with Henry? I’ll be just a minute.”

  “Okay.” Jake kissed her on the cheek before heading to the car. He leaned against it and pulled out his phone.

  Laney turned toward the boy, trying to figure out how to speak with him without terrifying the poor kid.

  “Are you a cop?”

  Laney glanced down, surprised that the kid was now only a few feet away. He sure moved quietly. And he didn’t just have the cowboy hat; he had the complete sheriff ensemble, including shield, gun holster, and boots. The kid was a little younger than Sophia, maybe five or six.

  Laney shook her head. “Not exactly. But I am trying to find Sophia.”

  “She was my friend.”

  Laney wasn’t sure what to say to that. “You miss her, huh?”

  He nodded, his eyes focused on the ground. “She played basketball with me.”

  Laney didn’t know what to say. How do you comfort a little kid when something so horrible has happened? Do you say everything will be all right? Because that wasn’t the truth. Do you say it will get better? Because in Laney’s experience, the pain of loss never got better, you just got used to it.

  “Did you see anyone watching her?” Laney asked.

  The boy shrugged and kicked at some loose gravel on the sidewalk. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

  Laney felt the tingle of possibility take root. She tried to keep the urgency out of her voice. “Who did you see?”

  “Couple of guys. They hung around for a few days.”

  “Hung around?”

  The boy nodded and pointed down the street. “They had different cars, but always the same guys.”

  Laney’s pulse began to beat faster. “You’re sure?”

  He nodded. “Yup.”

  Laney looked over at Jake, who must have read the surprise on her face. He started over. Sophia hadn’t been a chance kidnapping. They’d been watching her.

  Laney turned back to the boy. “Do you remember what they looked like?”

  “I don’t know. They were white, like you. And big like him,” he said, pointing at Jake.

  Jake came and stood next to Laney, catching the end of the boy’s comment. “Did they have red hair like her or brown hair like me?” he asked.

  The boy shrugged again. “I don’t know. They had on baseball caps. Really dirty ones.”

  “Is there anything about the guys you do remember?”

  The boy nodded. “One had some ink like my friend Darrell’s uncle.”

  “Ink like a tattoo?”

  The boy nodded.

  “What was
it of?” Laney asked.

  “It had angel wings. It means he’s a park ranger.”

  Laney pictured a feathered wing. A park ranger? Why would he think that meant—

  Next to her Jake went still, his eyes intent. “Were there words above the wings?”

  “Yeah.”

  Jake knelt down, keeping his voice even. “Was your friend Darrell’s uncle an airborne ranger?”

  “I don’t know. He died in Iraq.”

  “Did you tell the cops this?” Laney asked.

  The boy shook his head. “They never asked.”

  Laney looked over at Jake, and he nodded. They had something. It might be small, but it was something.

  Jake reached into his pocket and pulled out a twenty. “Thanks, kid.”

  The boy looked at the money and smiled. He started to run off, but then turned back. “You’ll help find Sophia, won’t you?”

  Laney swallowed. “We’ll do our best.”

  The boy’s shoulders drooped. “Adults always say that. It usually means no.”

  Laney watched him disappear into the house next door.

  “So it’s possible the guys who grabbed Sophia are former military,” Jake said.

  “So we have a lead.”

  Jake’s smile was grim. “A small one. But maybe we can make it a little bigger.”

  CHAPTER 24

  Baltimore, Maryland

  Early the next morning, Henry wound his way down Sharecroppers Lane. Before a meeting, he liked to take a little time to focus on the topic under discussion. Usually a walk helped him fine-tune his points.

  But today it wasn’t working. Today all he could see was Danny’s face. Last night, Danny had only responded to him in monosyllabic grunts. This morning was no better. When did this get so hard? It felt like his and Danny’s conversations were loaded with landmines. And he seemed to be setting one of them off every time he opened his mouth.

  “Henry?”

  He looked up as Kati stepped onto the sidewalk. Then he glanced back at the path that led to the bomb shelter. “Visiting Dom?”

  Kati nodded, looking a little pale. “Yes.”

  “Are you all right?”

  Kati smiled—it looked a little forced, Henry thought. “Yes, fine. Just, um, a little headache. How about you?”

  “Just trying to clear my head. Are you heading back to your cottage?”

  She nodded.

  “Mind if I walk with you?”

  “I’d like the company,” she said, taking his arm. “I thought you’d be at the bookstore.”

  Henry shook his head. “I have a meeting in a little bit.”

  They walked along in silence for a few minutes before Kati spoke. “So, where’s Jen?”

  “What makes you think I’d know?”

  Kati laughed. “I don’t know who you two think you’re fooling—besides each other.”

  “She’s at the school, helping the kids get settled.”

  “She’s good with them. And Danny. He really seems to like her.”

  “Better than he likes me,” Henry mumbled.

  Kati stopped. “What does that mean?”

  Henry shook his head. “Nothing. It’s just been a long day.”

  Kati laughed. “Henry, it’s not even noon.”

  He groaned. “I know.”

  She pulled him toward her porch swing. Henry thought about resisting—the meeting time was getting close—but to be honest, he really wanted to talk to another parent. He took a seat, and Kati turned toward him, waiting.

  Henry sighed. “I don’t know what I’m doing. Every time I speak to Danny lately, I seem to be saying the wrong thing. And he hates the security I’ve placed around him. But until I know it’s safe, I just can’t remove it. He acts like I’m ruining his life.”

  “He’s a teenager.”

  Henry leaned his head back. “I know, I know. I guess I hoped that with his intelligence, we could skip this stage.”

  “Not happening?”

  Henry let out a rueful laugh. “No. And I can’t help but wonder if I did the right thing bringing him into my life. Would he have been better off somewhere else? I thought I was making it easier for him, but lately… I don’t know. I think I’ve made it harder for him.”

  Kati was quiet for a moment. “Danny’s road was always going to be rough. He’s different. There was never a chance for him to go to a regular school and just hang with friends on the weekend. The way his brain works, he’s caught between two worlds: the world of kids his age and the world of geniuses.”

  Henry sighed. “I know. I just wish I could make it easier for him.”

  “You have. You took him out of a home where he was abused and unwanted and gave him your love and protection. You gave him a safe place. More than that, you gave him a family.”

  “But I wish I could be a better friend to him.”

  Kati shook her head. “That’s not your job. Your job is to say no—to be the bad guy. Because what you’re doing is for his benefit down the road. So no, you don’t get to be his friend. Your job is to be his parent.”

  Henry looked down at her. “How’d you get so good at this?”

  Kati smiled. “Nobody is good at parenting. We all just muddle through, doing the best we can.”

  Henry stood up. “All right then.” He glanced at his watch. “If we hurry, we can probably catch them for lunch.”

  “What about your meeting?”

  “I’m going to cancel it. Some things are more important.”

  CHAPTER 25

  Danny wandered down the book aisle, his eyes scanning the sci-fi titles. Nothing was catching his interest. He tried to ignore the Chandler security agent at the end of the aisle, who was pretending to leaf through a copy of Men’s Health.

  Turning down the next aisle, Danny picked up the library edition of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He had hoped they’d have it. He knew he could order it online, but there was something about finding books at the bookstore that was, well, just fun.

  Except today. Today, the bookstore wasn’t fun.

  He kept replaying his conversations with Henry in his head. Every time he’d seen Henry since their fight at the school, he’d wanted to apologize. But instead, he just kept on being a jerk to him. It was like someone else had taken over his body.

  He sighed. Henry was the one person in his life he could always count on. And now, he felt like there was this giant wall between them. A wall he himself had created.

  Danny put the book back on the shelf, promising himself he’d grab it on the way out. He headed back to the kids’ section to see if Max had found anything.

  A few rows away from the kids’ section he could hear Max talking excitedly. “But Maddox, there’s no way Black Widow could win in a fight against Captain America. He’s—he’s Captain America.”

  “I don’t know, kid. She’s a pretty good fighter. I think if she really wanted to, she could take him.”

  “Well, who would win in a race, the Flash or Superman?”

  “Can Superman fly?”

  “No. He has to run.”

  “Then I think the Flash. He’s had more practice.”

  “Yeah. I think so too.”

  Danny smiled as he rounded the corner. Maddox who was sitting on a purple cube, obviously not meant for someone his size, and Max was sitting cross-legged on the floor, a serious expression on his face.

  Max’s face lit up when he saw Danny. “Danny! I found a book on dinosaurs.” Max turned the book around for Danny to see. It was upside down.

  Danny felt his mood lift. “That looks awesome.”

  Maddox struggled to his feet with a grimace. “Hey. Find anything?”

  Danny shrugged. “Not really. Any chance we could go get something to eat and then come back?”

  “Yeah.” Max scrambled to his feet. He ran over to Maddox and took his hand, looking up at him. “Can we get milkshakes? Please?”

  Maddox shook his head. “Yes. But only if I can get one too.”
/>
  Max smiled. “Of course, silly.”

  Max skipped ahead of Maddox and grabbed Danny’s hand, half pulling him out of the kids’ section.

  Danny smiled in spite of the chaos in his mind. It was hard to stay in a bad mood around Max’s energy.

  They made their way to the front door. Danny pretended not to notice Maddox subtly signal to the other two security members that they were heading out.

  Outside the store, they headed left. There was a diner only a few blocks away. Max chattered on, oblivious to Danny’s mood and their entourage. Danny saw one member of security twenty feet ahead and knew the other one was about ten feet behind them.

  He tried to swallow his anger and be logical, but failed. How much more of a freak could he be? It was already bad enough that he had nothing in common with kids his age, but now he had his own security force. Henry might as well hang a giant sign on him in neon colors: Come one, come all, and stare at the freak.

  Max reached up and took his hand. “It’s okay, Danny.”

  Danny looked down at him. “What okay?”

  “The guards. They’re here to protect us. It’s a good thing.”

  “How did you—”

  The screech of brakes cut off his reply. Danny jerked his head up, feeling his eyes go wide.

  A white panel van leaped up onto the curb. Maddox immediately grabbed Danny and Max, shoving them out of harm’s way. Danny slammed into the sidewalk, scraping his palms and knees, and Max crashed to the ground next to him. But the van plowed right into Maddox, pinning him into the brick wall next to them.

  Danny scrambled to his feet, pulling Max to his. All the while he kept his eyes on the van. The side door flew open and two men jumped out, firing at Maddox, who was still pinned to the wall.

  “Maddox!” Max screamed.

  Danny clamped a hand over Max’s mouth and pulled him away. The two Chandler guards were racing toward them, but the two shooters from the van dropped to their knees and aimed for the guards, forcing them to take shelter behind parked cars.