The Belial Children

by R. D. Brady

  Maddox nodded.

  The boy lowered the knife and looked back and forth between Maddox and Laney. His eyes were filled with so much pain that Laney sucked in a breath. He gestured to the children behind him. “They’re not abominations.”

  “No. They’re not,” Maddox agreed, inching forward.

  Zachariah dropped the knife to the ground, then turned, holding his arms out. The children flocked to him.

  Maddox quickly retrieved the knife from the ground and tucked it in his belt. Laney, though, kept her eyes locked on Zachariah. The sadness in his face was almost unbearable. She saw his lips move but she couldn’t hear what he was saying above the sounds of the children.

  Until, that is, he looked up at her. “They’re not abominations. But I am.”

  CHAPTER 80

  Laney helped usher the children back along the passageway. She had sent Maddox ahead, knowing he wanted to find Max. She wanted to as well, but Maddox would move more quickly.

  A number of the children were being carried by officers and agents. One agent stayed back with Nathaniel; he’d be leaving the cave last. They didn’t need his histrionics upsetting the kids any further.

  Laney walked next to Zachariah; she was worried about the boy. He seemed to have sunk into himself. He didn’t say a word, except to one of the twins he held in his arms.

  A Chandler operative jogged back toward them from the main cavern. Laney looked up. “Report?”

  The man smiled. “We’ve got them. We’ve got them all.”

  “They’re okay?”

  The man nodded with a smile.

  Laney felt her knees weaken and she closed her eyes for a moment. Thank you. “Where are they?”

  “They’re being led back to the main cavern now.”

  Laney smiled. “Then let’s go greet them.”

  She picked up the pace. Soon she was stepping out into the large cavern, and there was Maddox, a little boy wrapped in his arms. The boy caught sight of her at the same time that she saw him. His brown eyes grew large and he squirmed out of Maddox’s grip. “Laney!”

  Max sprinted across the space toward her.

  Laney ran toward him, then dropped to her knees, threw her arms wide, and pulled him close. “Max,” she whispered, tears clogging her throat and preventing her from saying anything more.

  Max hugged her just as tightly, and Laney was content to stay there for a few moments, letting relief wash over her.

  Finally Max pulled back. “I knew you’d come.”

  Laney smiled. “I will always come for you.”

  “I know. I told the other kids they didn’t have to worry. That you guys would get here in time.”

  “Are you okay?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. But some of the kids need some help.”

  Laney looked around for the first time and realized that some of the kids were lying on the ground, with adults tending to them. She stood up but didn’t let Max out of her arms as Jake walked over. “What’s wrong?”

  Jake put up his hands. “Nothing serious. A little dehydration, a few scrapes and bruises. One seems to be going into shock. We’ll patch up those who need it and get those who are okay out of here.”

  She nodded. “What about Nathaniel’s men?”

  “A few were killed. The rest gave up without much of a fight. I have some SIA agents babysitting them until we can get the kids out of here.”

  “Good.” Laney caught Maddox’s eye and waved him over. She handed Max to the big man, and Maddox looked delighted to have the boy in his arms again. “Maddox, can you arrange for the first group of kids to be taken out?”

  They’d already arranged for the kids to be taken out by boat, figuring it would be easier to lower the kids down than have them climb or be hauled up.

  “I’m on it,” Maddox said, Max tucked into his side. And Laney realized how right that sight was. Even though Maddox had only been in Max’s life for a short time, he’d become the father figure. Even now, Maddox looked happier than she had ever seen him.

  “What?” Maddox asked.

  Laney shrugged. “Nothing. Just thinking you two look good together.”

  Max leaned his head on Maddox’s shoulder. “And we’re going to be together for a long, long time.”

  “Is that right?” Laney asked.

  When Max looked at her, his face was serious. “Yes.”

  Maddox leaned his head into Max’s. “Absolutely.” He nodded at Laney. “I’ll get the first round moving.”

  CHAPTER 81

  Lou and Rolly paced along the top of the cliff, occasionally peering over—although after she’d done that twice, Lou decided it would be best for the contents of her stomach if she let Rolly do the checking from now on. They hadn’t heard anything since the gunfire ten minutes ago.

  “You think they’re okay?” Rolly asked again.

  Lou nodded with a confidence she didn’t feel. “From what I hear, that’s the dream team down there. They’ll get the kids.”

  He nodded. “I’m sure you’re right.” Then he paused. “Don’t you think they should have a name?”

  “A name?

  “Yeah, you know: a superhero name. Like winged avengers.”

  Lou smiled as she pictured Jen in a superhero costume. She’d hate it. “How about the Good Guys?”

  Rolly shook his head. “Nah, too on the nose. How about Heavenly Warriors?”

  The two of them spent the next few minutes debating names until Lou found herself holding her stomach and laughing. “Fluffy Knights? Can you see Jake walking around with that name?”

  “What? Fluffy like angel wings and Knights like, you know, the round table.”

  “Yeah, keep working on that.”

  They were silent for a bit, just looking around.

  “You know, it’s been a while since anyone contacted us,” Rolly said slowly.

  Lou nodded, doubts beginning to creep their way into her mind. “What if they’re in trouble and we’re just hanging around up here? We should go check.”

  A voice sounded over the radio. “Jen to cliff top.”

  Rolly struggled to get the radio off his belt. He fumbled it a few times, almost dropping it before he got it stabilized. Lou had to restrain herself from yanking it out of his hand.

  “Cliff top here,” Rolly said.

  “We’ve got the kids—all of them. We’re sending the first group out with Maddox. Hold tight until we send someone for you guys.”

  “Um, gotcha. Over and, uh, out.” Rolly replied before grinning at Lou. “The dream team racks up another win.”

  Lou grinned back, bursting with happiness. “Okay, maybe we didn’t help, but yes!” She put up her hand and Rolly high-fived her. Then they hugged and did a quick victory dance.

  As Rolly looked around, his smile dimmed. “Hey, did you see where Cleo went?”

  Lou shook her head. “No. Where the hell could she go?” There were a few rocks she could hide behind, but the giant cat would have to lay practically flat.

  Suddenly a tingle of electricity rolled over Lou, and her head whipped toward two figures who’d just appeared on the horizon. She grabbed Rolly. “Down!” Seconds later, gunfire raked the ground in front of them.

  The two teenagers rolled out of the way. Lou started to get to her feet, but two Fallen sprinted toward them and arrived before she could manage it.

  Lou looked up into a smirking face—a face she knew and wished she didn’t. “You.”

  Pascha Bukin had been the Fallen who’d recruited her and the rest of the teens for the hideous training camp. He’d escaped in the confusion when Jen and Henry had led the assault.

  He smiled. “Yes, me. And I found some new friends.”

  Lou glanced over at Rolly. His face was furious. Please don’t do anything stupid, she thought.

  Rolly’s voice was cold. “What the hell are you doing here? Are you here for us?”

  Pascha laughed. “Such an ego. We’re not here for you.”

  Lou’s
jaw dropped. “You’re here for the kids.”

  Pascha shrugged. “At least one of them, anyway. You two we have no use for.” He raised his gun.

  From behind him, Cleo let out a shriek and leapt at both men, raking their backs with her claws. They screamed in horror. Cleo landed on the second nephilim and swiped him across the neck.

  Lou took advantage of the distraction and threw herself forward, tackling Pascha at the waist. As she slammed him onto his back, she pictured the girl he had brutally killed the first night in the camp. She wanted to snap his neck.

  Rolly wrenched the weapon from Pascha’s hand and held it to his heart. “You want the honors, Lou?”

  “Get off me!” Pascha ordered, bucking to try and throw them off.

  Lou stared at Rolly and then at Pascha. Pascha had killed Rolly’s sister as well as hers—but they couldn’t both kill him. At the same time, she wasn’t sure she could bring herself to pull the trigger. “Rolly, are you sure—”

  Rolly pulled the trigger, not stopping until the magazine was empty.

  Lou jumped back, her eyes wide. She felt a little sick but shoved it away. She stared at Rolly, stunned. “You did it. You killed him.”

  Rolly got to his feet. “If we didn’t stop him he would have just killed someone else’s family. He killed Charlotte. He killed Alicia.”

  Lou knew he was right. If they didn’t stop him, he would have killed those kids without a thought. She glanced over at Cleo, who was licking her paws after her snack. One glance at the body of Pascha’s friend made it clear he wouldn’t be healing.

  Rolly leaned over and whispered in Lou’s ear, “Remind me to never make Cleo mad.”

  Lou nodded as Rolly pulled her up, but then went still as electric tingles ran over her. “What’s wrong?” Rolly asked.

  “Five. There are at least five more.”

  She ran to the edge of the cliff. Below, she could see the kids being lowered to the beach. Downriver, she could just make out a boat heading toward them.

  “That’s not our guys, is it?” Rolly asked.

  “No.”

  “Are you sure? I don’t feel anything.”

  “That’s because they’re Fallen, not nephilim. You can’t feel them—” Her eyes flew to Rolly’s as the realization hit her. “Which means Maddox won’t feel them either. He’ll think it’s the good guys.”

  She ran back to grab the radio from where it had fallen during the attack. Two bullet holes had removed any chance of it working. “Shit. We need to warn them.”

  “How?” Rolly asked. “With this wind, we can yell as loud as we want and they won’t hear us. And we can’t jump down three thousand feet.”

  Lou spotted the ropes Laney and the rest of the group had used to reach the cave. She glanced over at Cleo and then Rolly. “I think it’s time we tested just how strong we are.”

  CHAPTER 82

  Maddox held Max close in his arms as he headed toward the cave entrance. Four other members of their force followed behind him, and each one carried a child. The plan was to keep the kids strapped tightly against the adults, and then for the adults to rappel down the side of the cliff.

  Maddox hugged Max a little closer to him. He hadn’t let him go since he found him, except to let him hug Laney. Maddox’s heart still pounded at the thought of how close the boy had come to dying.

  Max draped an arm around the big man’s neck and snuggled into his shoulder. Maddox reached up and patted the boy’s back. This little boy had made him vulnerable.

  Maddox had survived all that time with Amar by locking down his emotions, not letting himself care. Even when he helped the teenagers escape from the camp, he’d viewed it as just a job. It was the only way for him to do what he needed to do.

  But Max had crawled under his defenses and right into his heart. And Maddox knew he would tear the world down if that’s what it would take to keep the boy safe.

  Max tilted his head back to face him. “Is Mommy okay?”

  Maddox nodded. “She’s going to be so happy to see you.”

  Max gave a big yawn. “Yeah.”

  Maddox smiled as he stepped out of the cave, then nodded to the man behind him. “Go ahead.”

  The man walked to edge of the cliff with a child no older than two strapped to his chest. Without hesitation, he latched into one of the ropes and started to rappel down. The other three quickly followed, leaving only Maddox and Max.

  Maddox whispered down to Max as he approached the ledge. “Close your eyes, Max, so you don’t get scared.”

  “I won’t get scared. I’m with you.”

  Maddox kissed him gently on the forehead. “That’s right. And I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  They made it to the bottom of the cliff without incident. The boat was only about twenty yards out. Maddox placed Max on the ground. “Okay, little man. We’re going to go for a boat ride.”

  Max grasped Maddox’s hand, then took a step back and stared behind Maddox. “I don’t want to go with him, Maddox.”

  “Don’t worry, Max. I’ll be with you.”

  “Well, hello, Maddox,” came a familiar voice.

  Maddox sprang to his feet just as Gerard walked up, flanked by three men. Maddox’s men drew their weapons.

  “You should warn them, Maddox. I’ve been told to try to not kill too many of you. But if you resist…” Gerard shrugged.

  Maddox put up a hand, signaling the men to hold while his mind raced for a way to keep the children from getting caught in any crossfire.

  Gerard’s eyes widened at something over Maddox’s shoulder, and Maddox had to keep himself from looking back to see why. Then with a low roar, Cleo slid past him and planted herself between Max and Gerard. Lou and Rolly stepped up next to Maddox.

  “Where the hell did you three come from?” Maddox whispered.

  “Um, the top of the cliff?” Rolly said.

  Gerard glared at the three newcomers. “Children fighting to protect children? How cute.”

  “Maddox?” Lou asked, not taking her eyes off Gerard.

  “The kids are your priority,” Maddox said. “You guys keep them safe. Cleo and I will deal with these guys. And our reinforcements are right there.”

  “Um, about that,” Rolly began. “The boat that’s heading toward us isn’t the good guys.”

  Maddox cursed, and he felt Max tremble behind him. Anger ripped through him. He wanted to tear these assholes limb from limb.

  “How about some of the Chandler operatives get the kids out of here?” Lou asked as the boat beached and four men dropped out. There was a tremor in her voice. “I think you might need the help.”

  “I think we all might need some help,” Rolly muttered.

  Maddox felt Max tremble in his arms, and he let the rage flow through him. Bastards. Not taking his eyes off Gerard, he swung Max down to the ground. An operative took Max’s hand and pulled him back to where the other men stood.

  “No! Maddox!” Max tried to grab for him.

  “Go with him, Max. I’ll be there in a minute.”

  Gerard laughed. “You always have been cocky. How about I help knock your ego down to size?”

  Maddox glared back, but his next words were for Rolly and Lou. “Whatever you do, protect those kids.”

  CHAPTER 83

  Laney reached down and gently picked the crying two-year-old girl up from the floor. “It’s okay, honey,” she cooed.

  Zachariah walked over, a bottle in his hand. “She usually quiets down when she’s had her milk.”

  Laney took the bottle with a nod. “Thanks.”

  Zachariah ran a hand over the little girl’s brown hair and then walked away. Laney watched him with narrowed eyes. What was going through his head? So far he’d been nothing but helpful; his focus had been entirely on taking care of the kids. But Laney knew there was a wellspring of emotion under the boy’s surface.

  She walked over to Jen, who glanced behind her, no doubt trying to see if Laney was heading for so
meone else.

  Jen placed her hands up in front of her. “Oh, no.”

  Laney ignored her refusal and handed the little girl over. “Oh, yes. You got her?”

  Jen held the girl awkwardly, looking completely out of her depth. “Um, yeah. Sure.”

  Laney tried not to laugh. “Just jiggle her a little bit if she starts to get antsy. And here’s her bottle.”

  “Jiggle her? What does that even mean?”

  This time Laney did laugh. She patted Jen on the shoulder. “You’re a smart woman. You’ll figure it out.”

  She turned away from Jen and let her eyes scan the cavern. All of the kids had someone attending them. The plan was to wait until Maddox came back before sending down the next wave. She glanced at her watch. The second boat should by arriving in another fifteen minutes.

  Jake came to stand next to her. “Well, I think this went better than we ever thought possible.”

  Laney nodded. She was still watching Zachariah, who was walking slowly toward the altar of bones. All of a sudden, he reared back and kicked the altar, then punched it. The hits rebounded through the cavern. Some of the kids cried out.

  “Shit.” Laney sprinted across the space, Jake at her side.

  “Stop!” Laney yelled.

  And Zachariah stopped in mid-kick.

  What the—? Oh, crap. She’d forgotten about the ring. She walked quickly over Zach. “Put your leg down and quietly, come with me.”

  Zach followed Laney into the cavern the men had been using to sleep. He stared at her, his eyes wide, shrinking back from her. “How did you do that?”

  Laney put up her hands. “Sorry about that. I sometimes forget I can do that. But I needed you to calm down. We don’t need the kids getting any more scared than they already are.”

  Zach’s shoulder slumped. “Oh, man. I didn’t—I mean, I wouldn’t—”

  Laney stepped forward. “I know. I know you wouldn’t do anything to hurt them.”

  “It’s just…” He stopped and looked past her.