The Belial Stone(74)

Gideon met Kensington’s eyes and held them until the Senator looked away. Gideon felt a flush of satisfaction at the twinge of fear he'd seen in the Senator's face.

“We need to find them,” the Senator mumbled.

Gideon gave an exaggerated sigh. “I said there was no record of where they were. I didn’t say I don’t know where they are.”

“What? Why didn’t you notify me?”

“They’re not on the grid Senator, but they are here. They’re in Montana.”

“How on earth do you know that?”

“McPhearson and Rogan met with Dr. Priddle’s department yesterday. Dr. Priddle undeniably left some clue as to where he was going. So they headed here. And after the attack on the compound, neither Henry Chandler nor Patrick Delaney would leave the people they care about on their own. I’m betting they’re in Montana as well.”

He nodded his head, feeling more confident. Of course they wouldn’t give up. They’d stay here until they accomplished their mission. He smiled. Or died trying.

Out loud, Gideon said, “I’ll begin a search for them. And while we don’t know exactly where they are right now, we know where they’re going.”

A thoughtful look crossed the Senator's face. “The dig site.”

Gideon nodded, biting back a sarcastic remark. “I’ve already contacted Gregory to tell him to increase the guards and to be on the lookout for anything unusual.”

“Fine. Let’s find them and end this.”

Gideon shook his head and let out an irritated sigh. “Have you learned nothing, Senator? It’s too late for that now. They undeniably have plans in motion for that eventuality. Henry Chandler is not a dumb man. He would have made arrangements if something were to happen to them.”

“Wait. You know Chandler?”

Gideon ignored the question and continued. “We need to take a different tack. We need leverage. We need something that will prevent them from saying anything about the project, even if they could.”

“And how do you propose we accomplish that?” Kensington asked, his tone petulant.

Gideon smiled. It was time to take control back. "Oh, that’s easy.”





CHAPTER 59



Laney looked at the preparations going on around her in amazement. Stacks of ammunition and weapons lined the kitchen table and counter. Everybody was focused on their part in the upcoming fight. Jake had just left to speak with the men outside and make sure everyone knew their role.

Her eyes settled on Henry, who was currently checking the magazine of an M4. She could not for the life of her figure the man out.

To say he was enigmatic was an incredible understatement. His intellectual and business prowess was as impressive as his EQ. She’d expected that, though, from media reports.

But she’d also expected Henry to be a dominating personality, maybe even aggressive or arrogant. Yet, while Henry might be in charge of a room, he was never domineering about it. He respected his employees and trusted them to do what needed to be done. He led them when they needed it and rolled up his sleeves when work needed to be done.

And taking Danny in revealed a heart as compassionate as his size. And now, this compassionate man was calmly loading ammunition into an array of weaponry as cool as any Special Forces soldier.

There was something else about Henry that kept gnawing at her. She had a feeling that much of what they were uncovering was not a surprise to him. When they were discussing Gobekli Tepe and the technology of ancient civilizations, Henry hadn’t asked a single question. It almost seemed as if he was waiting for everyone else to simply catch up to him. But if he knew so much about the topic, why hadn’t he just told them? Why keep it a secret?

She shook her head and headed to the kitchen for another cup of coffee. She needed to focus on the task at hand. There was enough intrigue with the nature of Gideon to keep her mind occupied. She grabbed the coffee pot and then changed her mind. Grabbing a handgun, she tucked it into the holster Jake had given her. She headed for the door.

“Laney?” Her uncle called, his expression concerned.

She forced a smile to her face. “Just need to stretch my legs. Be back in ten.” He nodded, but she could tell he was worried. But she needed a little space. She headed out the back door and up the hill.

Since everything had started, she had barely had time to think, only to react. Now felt like the calm before the storm and she couldn’t keep the thoughts from running through her mind. If everything they’d pieced together was true, the implications were staggering.

While she believed in angels in theory, it was another thing altogether to be confronted by them in reality. After all, you weren’t raised by a Catholic priest without a healthy dose of both the academic and religious arguments for the existence of angels. The big three monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, all believed in angels and their roles as God’s messengers and soldiers. But despite this belief, the role of angels in religion was not clear cut.