to lure you out here this morning. Of course, at the time I expected you to be driving yourself to work as you normally did. When you got a ride into work last night, I feared the plan would have to be put off for another day, but then your friend showed up. Providence again lent a hand," he said, with a pleased sigh. "While he was in your office with you, I called Dwayne, and he told me how to fix it so the car wouldn't start, then headed out here to wait for our arrival… and here we are."
"Here we are," Greg agreed dryly, drawing Father Joseph's attention.
"Of course, when we conceived the plan, we were only counting on it being Lissianna we had to deal with," the priest pointed out. "So I'm afraid I only brought one stake."
"Such a shame," Greg said pleasantly. "Oh well, I guess we'll just have to put this off to another time, huh?"
"That won't be necessary," Father Joseph assured him quietly, then added, "I do have some wood in the back of the van. I'm sure it won't take long to fashion another stake… Or we could do the two of you one at a time. Lissianna first, I think," he decided. "We can stake and behead her, then use the same stake on you."
"Ladies first, huh?" Lissianna didn't bother to dampen her sarcasm.
"I'll make it as quick and painless as I can," Father Joseph assured her solemnly, then he hesitated, and said, "It would be easiest if you didn't fight this and simply allowed me to get it done with."
I'll bet it would, she thought grimly.
"And then you'll finally find peace," he added, trying to tempt her. On a grimace he added, "It would be much simpler than having to shoot you half a dozen times, then staking you while you are weak."
"Father, I'm hardly going to stand around and let you stake me," Lissianna said patiently.
"I was afraid you would make us do this the hard way," Father Joseph said on a sigh. "Never fear. We were prepared for that. Dwayne, it's time.
"He rigged this up today," Father Joseph informed them proudly as the younger man retrieved a remote control from his pocket. "He's quite clever."
Lissianna stiffened, alert for any eventuality. Dwayne pushed a button on the remote control and a snapping sound then drew her gaze upward to see the ceiling peeling away overhead. She stared in amazement as it began sliding down the slanted roof toward the walls.
Not the ceiling she realized, a black tarp that had been hung to cover the ceiling and walls and rigged to be released when Dwayne hit a button on the remote control. The heavy cloth was slipping away to reveal that the dark room they'd stood in was actually a sunroom and that while they'd been talking, the sun had risen outside. Bright sunshine poured in at them from every direction except the wall Father Joseph and Dwayne stood in front of.
"Nothing's happening to them," Dwayne said nervously, as the cloth snaked to the ground outside the windows and pooled there.
Father Joseph tsked with irritation, then scowled and began to dig around in his pocket as his cell phone began to ring. He peered at the display window, frowned, then barked, "Watch them" to Dwayne, and moved closer to the door. He turned his back as he answered his phone.
Dwayne licked his lips nervously and pointed his gun at them. Lissianna noted that the tip of the gun was shaking and hoped he didn't accidentally shoot one of them in his nervousness.
"Okay, Lissianna, now's the time," Greg murmured.
She glanced at him with confusion. "Now's the time for what?"
"You know." He made a face and nodded meaningfully toward Dwayne. "Do your thing. Put the whammy on them. I'd try, but you haven't taught me that stuff yet."
"Oh," she sighed. "Don't you think I've tried?"
"What?" he frowned.
"It isn't working," Lissianna told him. "They know what we are."
"So? Your mother was able to control me after I knew what you were."
"No. That was Aunt Martine. She's older and more powerful than Mother, and even she had to be right in your head to do it. Usually we can control behavior with a suggestion; but with these two being aware of what we are, they're wary, and it makes them resistant. I'd have to be right inside their thoughts to control them, and I can't possibly control two of them at once."
"Then—"
"Greg," she said quietly.