Free The Belial Library (The Belial Series) by R.D. Brady

paled.  "I need my computer."  He turned and sprinted into the house.
    "Damn it." Jake tried to grab him. 
    Henry grabbed his arm.  "Jake, it's Danny.  Kid gloves, okay?"
    Jake nodded before heading into the house.  He ran through the dining room and sprinted up the three stories to Henry's office, which took up a full third of the top floor of Chandler headquarters. 
    As Jake strode into the room, Henry right behind him, his eyes searched for Danny.  Looking past the wall of windows that overlooked the back lawn and the three walls of built-in bookcases, his eyes settled on the conference table on the opposite side of the room.  Danny sat at his usual spot, his fingers moving feverishly over his tablet, his eyes laser-trained on the monitor.
    "Dan-" He started.
    "Give him a minute," Henry interrupted from behind him.
    Jake checked himself, knowing Henry was right.  In a few minutes, Danny could gather more information than a room full of analysts could manage in an hour. 
    He crossed the room to Danny, literally counting the seconds.  At three minutes, his patience boiled over.  He needed to know what was going on.  "Danny, how do you know Laney's in trouble?"
    Danny glanced up at Jake, then quickly ducked his head back down.  “When Laney went to Ecuador, I set up a program that notifies me about any trouble near her.”  He peeked up, looking like a dog with his tail tucked between his legs.  In fact, Moxy sat next to him, with just that look.
    Jake forced a smile.  “You’re not in trouble, Danny.  I’m glad you set it up.  Just tell us what you know.”
    Moxy leaned into him and Danny seemed to gain strength from her presence.   “It just came over the wire that there was an attack on a village in the mountains outside Cuenca.  It’s the village Laney and Jen have been visiting.”
    Henry took a seat in the chair next to Danny.  His tone was gentle.  “But that doesn’t mean they were there, Danny.  They could still be in the town.”
    Danny shook his head, tears cresting in his eyes.  “No.  I checked.  She was there.”  He began to cry and Henry pulled him into a hug. 
    “It’s okay,” Henry said, but his eyes were worried.
    Jake forced himself to ratchet down his impatience.  “How do you know she was there, Danny?"
    Danny pushed away from Henry.  He took a shuddering breath before speaking.  “I put a tracker on her laptop before she left.”
    Shock must have crossed Jake's face, because Danny’s words began to trip over themselves.  “I know I shouldn’t have.  I just wanted to make sure she was okay.  That’s all.”
    Jake shook his head with a smile.  “I mean it, Danny.  You’re not in trouble.  In fact, I think it was pretty damn smart.  I wish I’d thought of it.  But even if there was trouble, it might not be that bad.”
    Danny put his tablet down on the table.  “No.  It’s bad.  I, um, I hacked into a satellite to get some pictures.”
    “You re-routed a satellite?”
    Danny gave him a surprised look.  “Didn't have to.  It was already passing over.”
    Right, because re-routing would have been crazy.  Thank God he's on our side.
    “Here.  It’s a live stream.”  Danny turned the screen around for Jake and Henry to see. 
    Jake felt like the floor had dropped from underneath him.  The village had been burned to the ground.  The debris still smoldered and bodies littered the landscape.  If Laney had been there . . .
    Jake stood up.  “Henry, I need to –“
    Henry's voice was grim.  “Whatever, you need, you have.”
     

    CHAPTER 16
     
    Outside Cuenca, Ecuador
     
    Laney kept her voice low to not wake Elena.  “I don’t understand why this all happening now.” 
    “The Shuar's connection to the treasure has been known for decades.  So, what changed?" Jen asked.
    Nana sighed, not speaking right away.  When she did, her voice was filled with weariness.  “It’s the oil companies.  One of the blocs of land that