Read The Belial Ring (The Belial Series 3) for Free Online

a year. That’s significant. And you’re all still alive. That’s remarkable. In the process, you’ve uncovered Atlantis artifacts that haven’t seen the light of day in ten thousand years, if not longer. Whatever’s coming, all our analysis suggests that you will be involved.”
    Laney felt her pit of fear—the fear that had been created in Ecuador, and had never entirely disappeared—get a little bit bigger. Whatever the Fallen had planned, she really hoped it left her and the ones she loved alone. They’d been through enough at the hands of the Fallen and those tracking down Atlantis artifacts to last a lifetime. Now it was someone else’s turn to fight.
    “Any idea why the Fallen seem to be swirling around us?” Jake asked.
    Clark stood up. “Actually, I do. But I am not at liberty to say. Not yet.”
    “ That’s it?” Laney asked. The man walked in, told them the Fallen were recruiting for some evil purpose, most likely some form of world domination, and now he was just leaving?
    Clark smiled. “For now. It was nice to meet all of you. And like I said, if you need us, call.” Clark walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.
    Silence settled over the room. Jake broke it. “What the hell was that all about?”
    “ I have no idea.” Henry’s eyes narrowed, still focused on the door where Clark had exited.
    “ Do we know if these guys are even legit?” Jake asked.
    Henry looked over at him and nodded. “They are. I was skeptical when Clark first explained who he was. But he gave me the numbers of a few highly placed individuals within the government and military, most of whom I know personally. The SIA is real.”
    Laney glanced down at the business card in her hand. “So, do we think the SIA are the good guys . . . or the bad guys?”
    Jake sat down next to her. “Jury’s still out. For now, we stay suspicious. I’ll tap some sources, see if anyone has any info on these guys. Henry, have you ever heard of them before?”
    Henry shook his head. “No. Never.”
    Laney pulled out her phone and typed the name into a search engine. “Well, unsurprisingly, they have no official website. The only sources that do mention them seem to be conspiracy websites.”
    Jake leaned over to glance at her screen. “What do they say?”
    Laney skimmed through the first few websites, her dread growing. “Nothing good. Apparently some consider the SIA to be the origin of the men in black myth. Others attribute multiple abductions and disappearances to them. And according to at least two sites, they aren’t just an American group. They’re multi-national.”
    Henry sighed. “Well, that’s just great.”
    “ How about your mom?” Jake asked. “Has she ever mentioned them?”
    Henry shook his head. “No. But she does tend to keep things close to the vest. I’ll ask her though.”
    Laney slumped down lower in her chair. “So, along with the knowledge that the Fallen are grouping together, which cannot bode well, we now have a shadowy government agency that seems interested in us. Fabulous.”
    Jake stood up, pulling Laney with him. “True. But the reality is that, as of this moment, nothing’s changed. I say we put Agent Clark and his group out of our minds for now. We have a family vacation to take.”
    Henry smiled. “Danny’s been practically bouncing off the walls all afternoon in anticipation.”
    Laney nodded, trying to smile. She knew Jake was right. Nothing had changed, but still. “Are we sure? Maybe we should cancel.”
    Jake shook his head. “No. Fact is, the only thing that’s changed is our knowledge of this agency. There’s no direct threat, no reason to put our lives on hold.”
    Henry nodded. “I agree. And besides, I think we’ve all earned a little fun.”
    Laney looked at both of them for a long moment and then blew out a breath, determined to make the best of it. “ All right. Let’s head to Hershey. A family vacation. What could go wrong?”
    Henry and Jake went