Boone and I will fit through that.”
“I could squeeze in there and then see if I can’t open the door from the inside.” She scanned the grass for something to break the window and spotted a rock that was slighter bigger than the size of a baseball. “This should work.” Bending, she retrieved the stone just as an odd wrenching noise sounded from above. She jerked her head up. Max was holding the window—frame and all.
He glanced at the rock in her hand. “Sorry, did you want to use that?”
“Uh…no, your technique works fine with me.”
Max placed the window down and easily boosted her through the opening in the wall. Thankfully the jump to the floor wasn’t bad. She rushed to the front of the building and spotted the switch that operated the large garage-like door. She pushed the button and stepped back while the door rolled open. It was fairly noisy. Hopefully there was no security guard posted on the grounds or anything.
Max and Boone stepped inside. “We better not turn on any lights,” Max said, apparently sharing her thought about the guard. They began systematically investigating every inch of the interior. She came to an enormous walnut wardrobe that must have been converted into a storage container of sorts. Tossing aside some old hoses and a rickety ladder, she spied a glint of silver near the back. Her pulse performing a mambo, she dug through the remaining items and tugged the object from its resting place.
Blood pounding in her ears, she stroked the handle of the trident, a sense of awe washing over her. “Guys, I think I’ve hit the jackpot.”
There was a rustling from Max and Boone. She turned in their direction and noticed several shadows darkening the doorway. Enough moonlight illuminated the opening to reveal Reva Bellemuir’s icy smile.
“No, my dearest. I believe I’m the one who’s hit the jackpot.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Willa clutched the trident, her heart galloping as seven thuggish-looking characters banded around Reva. Okay, six thugs and a guy in a butler’s uniform. A freaky collection of henchmen, if ever there was one. Still, her fear was no match for the rage welling in her chest. “Where is Aurele, you bitch?”
“I killed her.”
Pain and fury exploded within her. Her vision a red haze, she barreled toward the duchess. She heard Max and Boone yelling, the pounding of their feet, but the only thing consuming her at the moment was putting an end to Reva Bellemuir’s life. Holding the trident like a battering ram, she charged at the siren. At the last second, Reva swung away and Willa tumbled through the doorway. The trident went sailing, sinking into the grass with a reverberating wooong.
“Willa!” Max’s worried shout rang out, and she rolled onto her back just as Reva pounced on her. From the corner of her eye, she saw Max and Boone rushing to her aid. Before they even cleared the doorway, they were tackled by the thugs. Claws sank into her shoulder, bringing her focus back to the duchess. With a growl, she punched the woman in the nose. Reva’s head snapped back, blood trickling from her nostrils. Taking advantage of Reva’s momentary shock, Willa decked her again, this time nailing her in the chin. She struggled to roll away from the duchess, but the nails biting into her shoulder dug in deeper, pinning Willa in place. Fingers twisted in her hair, cruelly enough to make her tear ducts sting. Her eyes sizzling with hate, Reva wrenched Willa’s head to the side, smashing her left cheek into the turf.
“You have no idea how much delight I got out of killing your precious Aurele. I only wish you could have witnessed it firsthand.”
Bitter tears leaked from Willa’s eyes, soaking the grass. Aurele. If it was the last thing she ever did, she would annihilate Reva for ripping one more loved one from Willa’s life.
Reva’s sickeningly sweet breath beat against Willa’s cheek. “It’s a pity she didn’t get to hear the final notes of my lovely sonnet. It was so ear-splittingly good.”
The duchess’s tinkling laugh filled Willa with greasy nausea. Until she absorbed what the woman had just said. “Y-you killed her with your horrible screeching?”
“How rude of you to describe it so.”
She ignored Reva’s outrage, her mind spinning. Max had said sharks were immune to the siren call…
Did that mean Aurele was still alive? Had she utilized the old possum trick and only played at being dead?
“There are those who would say my song is nearly