The Belial Ring (The Belial Series 3) Read Online Free PDF Page A

easy smile spread across the man’s face. “Matt, please.”
    Laney crossed the room and shook his hand. “Agent Clark. Exactly which branch of law enforcement are you with?”
    Clark turned to shake Jake ’s hand while answering. “The SIA.”
    Jake loomed over the shorter agent. “The SIA? I’m not familiar with it.”
    “ It stands for Special Investigative Agency,” Henry said.
    “ We’re a rather quiet offshoot of the Department of Defense,” Clark offered.
    “ I see.” Laney took a seat. Department of Defense? She darted a quick glance at Henry, who’d also taken his seat, but his face was unreadable.
    She glanced at Jake, who was now leaning against the wall next to Henry ’s desk. He caught her eyes, giving a small shake of his head. He hadn’t heard of it either.
    “ So, what can we do for you, Agent?” Jake’s tone suggested that helping the agent was not exactly his top priority.
    Clark looked between Laney and Jake, seemingly unconcerned with the rather lukewarm greeting he was receiving. “The government is aware of the situations in both Montana and Ecuador.”
    Laney shrugged, trying to keep her voice casual. “Lots of people are aware of the situations in Ecuador and Montana. It was pretty big news for a while.”
    Clark smiled. “Yes. Well, we’re aware of the story behind the public story.”
    Both incidents had been in the public sphere. The finding of an ancient society’s relics had made quite a stir. The media hounds had been all over both stories for weeks. But the truth behind the incidents, particularly the involvement of fallen angels, had not been made public.
    “ I’m not sure we know what you’re referring to,” Jake said, sounding bored.
    Clark smiled again. “Look, I’m a ‘lay all my cards’ on the table kind of guy. And from what I’ve read on you three, you are as well.”
    Laney nodded, noticing Henry and Jake do ing the same from the corner of her eye.
    “ Good,” Clark said. “So. The SIA is aware that a fallen angel attempted to destroy the world in Montana and that you three stopped him. We also know that two fallen angels stole a book from the Shuar collection while it was housed in Las Vegas.” Clark paused to glance at Henry. “And Henry, we know about your abilities as well.”
    You could have heard a pin drop. Laney scrambled for something to say, but her mind was an absolute blank. How do they know? What is the government planning? She forced herself not to look at Henry, not to reveal the fear she felt at someone else knowing what he could do.
    Clark held up his hands. “We have no intention of making any of this information public. In fact, the larger United States government is not aware of any of the facts I’ve just shared with you. That information is strictly in-house.”
    “ How’s that possible?” Jake asked, not having moved from his slouch against the wall, but Laney could read anger in the set of his jaw. Jake didn’t like anyone coming in and dropping surprises on him. And she was pretty sure he was taking the information drop on Henry as a threat.
    “ We’re an old agency that is given quite a bit of latitude,” Clark replied.
    “ Why are you coming to us?” Henry asked.
    Clark paused, then made eye contact with each of them. “Each of you has been intimately involved in these recoveries. You, in particular, Dr. McPhearson. The SIA decided that it was time for you to be aware of our existence.”
    “ I’m still not exactly sure who ‘you’ are. What is your agency’s agenda—” She corrected herself. “What are your objectives?”
    Clark crossed his legs at the ankles, giv ing the appearance of being unconcerned. Laney was pretty sure the body language was intentional.
    “ We monitor the Fallen. When they’re dangerous, we try to remove them. We’re not always successful. But most of the time, we are. So if you’re ever in need of help, you should call us.” Clark leaned forward, placing three business