The Belial Children

by R. D. Brady

  Laney smiled as Max’s giggles rang out. How could anyone want to hurt that little boy? “I don’t know. I can’t see why they’d be after Max. I mean, he’s five.”

  “And Danny’s older than any of the other missing kids. But he makes more sense. I mean, he’s Henry’s son. He’s brilliant.”

  “But grabbing either of them would throw all of us in a panic.” Laney gave a mirthless laugh. “I mean, look at us. We’re all hunkered down here, guarding them, as if the two blast doors wouldn’t keep someone out.”

  “So you think someone tried to grab them just to throw us off our game?”

  Laney ran her hands through her hair. “I don’t know. I mean, does anyone even know we’re looking for these kids?”

  “Well, the person who was watching Northgram sure knows.”

  Laney nodded. “True, but we think that was in the works well before any of this started happening. Still, I guess someone might have picked up on our involvement. We haven’t exactly been covering our tracks.”

  Jen glanced over her shoulder at Max before looking back at Laney. “It can’t be Max. I mean, his most unusual trait is his imaginary friends.”

  Laney paused. She knew she didn’t have the right to reveal Max’s abilities yet. Not until she spoke with Kati. So she shrugged, trying to keep her voice nonchalant. “Don’t all kids have imaginary friends at his age?”

  Jen smiled. “I have no idea. The last time I was around kids Max’s age I was Max’s age.”

  Laney smiled. “So what about Danny?”

  Jen traced an imaginary shape on the table. “I’ve been thinking about that. Do you think maybe someone thought Danny was Henry’s biological son?”

  Laney glanced over at the teenager. He’d grown in the time she’d know him, but he was nowhere near Henry’s height. Henry’s hair was darker than Danny’s, his cheekbones more pronounced.

  “I don’t see how,” she said. “They don’t really look alike. Besides, Danny’s IQ made him well known even before Henry. Unless these guys did zero background, they’d have to know they aren’t related.”

  “So we don’t know who they were after. It could have been either of them.”

  Laney’s eyes traveled back to the boys. “Which means they’re both still in danger.”

  CHAPTER 36

  Venice, Italy

  The New Age music drifted toward Gerard as he stepped out of the house onto the patio. On the other side of the pool, candles burned within the white-draped pergola. A muscular shirtless man stood next to the massage table, working the kinks out of Elisabeta Roccorio’s back. White marble glinted back at Gerard from all surfaces, including the towering Aphrodite at the end of the pool, water pouring from the pitcher in her arms.

  Gerard walked around the pool. He kept his eyes down as he approached, noting that Elisabeta hadn’t worn anything for the massage. A flare of jealousy sparked through him, but he tamped it down.

  The masseur caught sight of him and whispered into Elisabeta’s ear, then helped her up and into a white robe. With a flick of her hand, she dismissed the masseur, who headed back toward the house with a quick nod to Gerard as he passed.

  Elisabeta took a seat in one of the lounge chairs next to the pool. Her dark hair contrasted with the white surroundings, as did her olive complexion. A fact he knew Elisabeta was well aware of.

  Her small dark eyes flicked toward Gerard. “I trust you have a good reason for interrupting me?”

  Gerard bowed his head. “Yes. We’ve discovered a problem.”

  She arched a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. “Problem?”

  “Some of our children are going missing.”

  She frowned. “Has another group of our brethren popped up?”

  “I don’t think so. The children. They are young. Very young.”

  “How young?”

  “All are under ten.”

  Elisabeta’s gaze cut to him, her voice low. “They are potentials?”

  Gerard nodded, noting the anger cross Elisabeta’s face.

  She sat back. “We cannot allow the potentials to be harmed. Not until we know which one is the key. Is there any trace of them?”

  “The children have disappeared. No bodies have been recovered. I believe a human group is responsible for their abduction.”

  “To what end?”

  “I do not know.”

  Elisabeta fell silent. Gerard stared across the water, knowing his silence was all she wanted from him at this moment. A few minutes passed before she spoke.

  “The children need to be found. They need to be protected.”

  “I can take a group—”

  “No. We can’t trust our brethren with this knowledge. They would want to know why.”

  “What about the Council? Can we use them?”

  Elisabeta shook her head. “No. I am not ready to reveal anything to them either. And they would dig until they learned why the children were important.”

  “We could always just kill whoever the Council sends.”

  Elisabeta smiled. “If only it were that easy. But no—the Council is paperwork and trails. Someone would know. Someone would investigate. And they need to stay in the dark until the last.”

  She was right, of course. The Council was like a dog with a bone when they caught the scent of something. “How then would you like me to proceed?”

  “We need the enemy of my enemy.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  Elisabeta smiled again and stood, letting her robe gape open. She walked to Gerard and ran her hand up his chest. “So handsome. But not very bright, are you?”

  As she walked past him toward the house, she called over her shoulder. “I need you to take a meeting.”

  CHAPTER 37

  Baltimore, Maryland

  Laney sat in Henry’s office, going through information on cults and religious groups in the United States. She’d needed to get out of the bomb shelter. She just couldn’t focus with everyone around.

  Not that they were interrupting her. But she kept getting up to make sure Max and Danny were all right. Finally she told herself it would be quicker if she just worked elsewhere. So she and Henry had traded places so she could get some work done.

  Of course, that thought had proven to be ridiculously optimistic. Laney shook her head for the umpteenth time as she stared at the information on the latest group she’d brought up: Heaven’s Gate. The two founders, Bonnie Nettles and Marshall Applewhite, believed they were the two witnesses spoken of in the Book of Revelations. They somehow mixed their belief in an upcoming apocalypse with a belief in resurrection through suicide.

  Oh, and then a spacecraft was going to take their essence to the next level of development. Applewhite convinced thirty-eight members of his group that he was right, and they all committed suicide on March 19, 2007.

  Laney couldn’t help but think of the similarities to other groups who argued that humanity was broken up into different time periods of development: the Mayans, theosophists, Christianity, even Cayce mentioned different root races dominating at different times. But was any of this related to the missing kids? Was she going off on wild tangents?

  “Hey, beautiful.”

  Laney looked up with a smile as Jake walked across the room. She got up and walked over to him. “I didn’t hear you.”

  “Ah, good. My ninja skills are still operating at peak efficiency.” He gave her a long kiss.

  Laney leaned into him. “I’ve missed you.”

  He leaned his chin on her head, holding her close, and spoke softly. “How about after all this winds down, we go take another little trip, just the two of us? Maybe the Greek isles this time?”

  Laney smiled as she imagined lounging on a white sandy beach with Jake, not a care in the world. She leaned back to look into his face. “That sounds perfect.”

  He leaned down and kissed her again.

  Laney sighed when he pulled away. “Things will wind down, won’t they?”

  “Go
d, I hope so.”

  Laney held Jake’s hand and led him over to the couch. He took a seat next to her, angling his body to face hers. “So, how many crazy religious groups are there?”

  When they spoke earlier, Laney had said she was going to research any religious groups that might attract someone like Kelly.

  She sighed. “Hundreds.”

  Jake’s eyes grew wide. “You’re kidding.”

  Laney shook her head. “I really wish I was. And that’s not even counting the more established religions that warn of the end of days.”

  “Any of them more likely than the others to attract military types?”

  Laney nodded. “Some. But we’re still numbering in the hundreds. And there’s still no guarantee those are the groups we’re looking for.”

  “So where are we?”

  Laney shook her head. “No closer than we were before.”

  “Well, I might have something. Kelly went over to Afghanistan with a few guys from his high school.”

  “They were friends?”

  Jake hedged. “Apparently, they used to be friends. But Kelly’s conversion seems to have put a strain on those friendships.”

  “Do they know anything?”

  “He came home with them but only stayed in town for a few weeks.”

  “They know where he went?”

  “Somewhere out west. That help any?”

  Laney groaned. “Oh, sure. That knocks about three hundred churches off the list, not including, of course, the internet sites.”

  Jake leaned over and took Laney’s hand, his eyebrows knitting together. “What’s going on, Laney? This isn’t you. You see a challenge and run for it. So what’s different this time?”

  Laney sighed. “I don’t know. I guess it’s the kids. I can’t get their pictures out of my head. And now all I can think about is how lucky we are that Max or Danny or both of them aren’t part of that group. And the end result of it all is, I can’t seem to focus.”

  “But Max and Danny aren’t part of that group. And we will find those kids. We’ll get them back.”

  Laney nodded, her mind going to places she didn’t like. In graduate school, she’d taken a class on child predators. At the time, she’d been able to look at the topic clinically. But now, with real children in danger, it was proving incredibly difficult to maintain that professional distance. And everything she learned about predators was playing in her mind on a nauseating reel.

  She closed her eyes, trying to banish the images. When she opened her eyes again to look at Jake, her voice was whisper quiet. “But even if those kids are alive, what shape are they going to be in when we get to them?”

  CHAPTER 38

  Sacramento, California

  Nathaniel walked down the hall. They would shift their base of operations in a few days. He took a deep breath, sensing the fulfillment that was less than a week away.

  The tune from a children’s show wafted down the hallway toward him. Steeling himself, he opened the door. Over a dozen children ranging in age from one to ten were scattered around the room. The oldest, a boy with black hair, caught sight of him first and turned his back. Nathaniel ignored the slight. The boy was an abomination. He didn’t matter.

  On the far side of the room, Zachariah was playing with the one-year-old twins. The little boys were laughing as Zachariah made a teddy bear dance for them.

  “Zachariah,” Nathaniel said sharply.

  The smile immediately dropped from Zachariah’s face. The twins caught sight of Nathaniel and clung to Zachariah, who whispered something to them.

  A girl of around eight came over to take care of the boys as Zachariah made his way to Nathaniel. He stopped directly in front of him. “Yes, Father?”

  “There have been complaints that the children are making too much noise at night. It is your responsibility to keep them quiet. If you cannot handle it, I will replace you with someone that can.”

  Fear flashed across Zachariah’s face and he opened his mouth to say something before thinking better of it. Shutting his mouth, he composed himself, then spoke. “I’m sorry, Father. Some of the children were scared. Are there any more coming?”

  Distracted by a five-year-old painting a rainbow, Nathaniel didn’t answer right away. The child looked downright angelic with her long blond hair, porcelain white skin, and bright blue eyes. As he gazed at her, Nathaniel found it almost impossible to believe that she was an agent of evil.

  “Just one,” he said, his eyes still on the child. Then he turned back to Zachariah. “Can you handle that?”

  Zachariah nodded. “Yes, of course. It’s just that, whenever a new one arrives it upsets them a little.” His words came out in a rush. “But it will be all right tonight. I’ll keep them quiet.”

  Nathaniel sensed doubt in the boy. His anger, always just below the surface when he saw his son, surged to the forefront, and his voice lashed out. “Are you questioning God’s plan?”

  Zachariah took a step back. “No, Father.”

  “We do not get to question God. If God acts, then His act is justified. If God instructs us to act, then the act is justified. Who are we to question God? To judge God? Who are you? Do you think to know more than God himself?”

  Zachariah shook his head quickly, taking a step back. “No, sir. Of course not, sir.”

  “There is no confusion. We may not understand God’s plan, but we do need to follow it. We are His followers. We submit entirely to Him.”

  Zachariah nodded. “Yes, sir.”

  Nathaniel glanced around the room again. “They are not children, Zachariah. Do not get attached to them. You know what they are.”

  “Yes, Father. They’re abominations. Just like me.”

  Nathaniel narrowed his eyes, trying to determine if Zachariah was being sarcastic. He shook his head. No. Zachariah knew what he was. He knew his place.

  Nathaniel nodded. “See that you remember that.”

  Then he left the room, shutting the door behind him. Even if Zachariah was getting attached to them, it wouldn’t matter. His fate was sealed, just as was theirs.

  CHAPTER 39

  Baltimore, Maryland

  Henry stood with his arms crossed, watching Danny and Max run across the field just behind Dom’s. The wind blew furiously, pushing and pulling the multicolored dragon kite across the sky.

  Danny looked over at him and smiled. Henry returned the smile. But as soon as Danny looked away, the smile dropped from Henry’s face. He resumed his inspection of the land surrounding them.

  Jen, Laney, Kati, Maddox, Patrick, and Jake were also scattered around the boys, making a circle of protection. More guards were positioned farther away, and Henry had even ordered two snipers in the trees. He wasn’t taking any chance with the boys’ safety.

  The adults were trying to act like they were having a good time, but their faces were strained, worried. The boys had been desperate to get out of the bunker and run around. It was a good idea, but even with all the precautions, Henry still worried. They were all still worried.

  Henry’s phone beeped, and he pulled it out of his pocket. The text was from Jen:

  Quit worrying. They’re fine.

  A second text came in:

  That means smile.

  He looked over at her and she raised an eyebrow.

  He smiled.

  The wind died down and the boys’ kite dropped. Maddox walked over to help them get it back in the air again. Henry’s phone rang.

  He shook his head with a smile when he answered. “I am smiling. See?”

  He looked over but Jen wasn’t on her phone.

  “Actually, I can’t see you right now, but I’m hoping we can change that.”

  There was something familiar about the voice, but Henry couldn’t place it. He glanced at the number. He was unfamiliar with that as well. “Who is this?”

  “You know me as Gerard Thompson.”

  Henry went still. Gerard Thompson had been an assistant to Sebastian Flourent
. Turning his back to the group, Henry anxiously scanned the trees. “What do you want?”

  “I heard about your little problem with the missing kids.”

  “And you’ve called to tell me where you’ve taken them?”

  Gerard laughed. “Ah, what a great sense of humor. No, I do not have them. And neither do any of my brothers.”

  “Why should I believe you?”

  “Because I’m telling the truth. I don’t have them. And you don’t think I do either. But I believe I may know where they are.”

  Henry stared over at Jen, who looked back at him with concern. He turned his back so that she couldn’t read his expression. “Okay. So tell me.”

  “I’m afraid I need to do that in person. Which means you’ll have to meet me.”

  “Why can’t you just send me your information?”

  “And have that super-genius of yours track me down? No, I don’t think so. Face to face or nothing.”

  Henry scoffed. “Well I guess I’ll have to choose nothing.”

  Gerard’s tone was serious. “Henry, I’m not joking. I know where those kids may be. And I will offer you that information.”

  “In exchange for what?”

  “The promise that you will see that no harm comes to the children.”

  “Why do you care?”

  “Let’s just say that in this situation we have similar goals.”

  “How did you even know they were missing, if you’re not responsible?” Henry asked.

  “Why, because you told us, of course. You, Ms. McPhearson, and Mr. Rogan.”

  “The Fallen across the street from Northgram. He was yours.”

  “I neither confirm nor deny that.”

  “Did you kill him?”

  Gerard paused. “Hypothetically speaking, I could see how someone would want to make sure that their own spy didn’t fall into enemy hands.”

  Henry shook his head in disgust. “And why me? Why am I the one who gets the pleasure of your call?”