Dylan reaches into the opening, carefully pulling out a heavy, blue velvet pouch. The hum of the building's generator activating startles both of us. "Who else is here?" I ask him.
He looks surprised, "No one."
"Where's your gun?" Nervously, I glance around the room.
"He doesn't have one." An oily stranger's voice answers me. Behind us, I hear the sound of a real gun cocking. Turning around, I see a handsome middle aged man, standing at the exhibit room's doorway. He's pointing the barrel of a gun at us. This must be Katherine's husband, Jason Stanford, the infamous Head of the Order of The Dragon. Shocked, I can't move. Confronted with the Cult Master, I feel as if I'm in some sort of crazy, surreal dream.
As Jason Stanford trains his firearm on us, fear engulfs me. He has the cold, antiseptic eyes of a psychopath. One who has every intention of using that weapon on us. Panicked, I inhale sharply as two black masked acolytes enter the room to stand beside him. My head tingles when a voice whispers in my mind. Don't be afraid. Fear is your worst enemy.
How can I buy us time before these satanic maniacs torture and kill us? I immediately start asking questions without knowing what I'm saying. "Who are you? What do you want?" It takes all my will power to keep the fear out of my voice, and stop my body from trembling. Stanford ignores my questions. He motions for the masked figures to bring him the pouch. The shorter figure grabs it out of Dylan's hand, and passes it to him. He unties the drawstring then turns the dusty pouch upside down. A glittery red ruby pendant lands in his open palm. He smiles triumphantly.
"He's probably going to execute us, then make it look like a murder-suicide."
But I'm wrong about his intentions. "Where's the book, bitch?" He says this almost as an afterthought. I'm negotiating with a cold blooded shark.
"What book?" I'm not going to easily hand the grimoire over to him. It's the only leverage we have.
The taller of the masked figures answers, "The book your mother, Sarah, and I wrote. It's mine now." The low sultry female voice is familiar, but I can't place it until the black clad figure pulls off the black hood, exposing her face.
"Madame Regina!" Dylan gasps.
"It's Danielle." She says. The woman we all knew as Madame Regina, smiles evilly at Dylan and I. I notice she no longer has her thick European accent.
My mother's entry in her diary all makes sense now. This is Harlan's evil cohort, and lover. My mother's former college roommate, Danielle. The black witch who experimented on her.
"Now, you little whore. Tell us where that book is, before I start slicing pieces off your plump body." While she's talking, Danielle's eyes have become inhumanly black, pierced with a metallic silver.
I should be terrified, but I'm too angry to be afraid. "Why do you want my mother's book?"
"Why do you think?" I feel her psychic feelers probe the air. Insidious tentacles trying to attach themselves to my aura, but I have the feeling her power is being blocked by my anger. If I was afraid of her, she'd use my fear to control me.
Glancing down at the feet of the other masked figure, I recognize the brown loafers sticking out from under the robes. "Dr. Roy?"
Reluctantly, the other acolyte pulls of me his hood.
My head tingles again with a sudden realization. "You were in the car the night of the accident!" I point at him. "You're the one who made Jerry go off the road and nearly killed him!"
For the first time, Dr. Roy looks unsure of himself. Confusion clouds his aura. Unlike Jason and Danielle, there's no real power in him. They're using him and he seems to be beginning to suspect it. "Yes, I was in the car that night. Unfortunately, I caused your friend's accident." He looks over at his masters. "I was supposed to create a diversion then get the book." He shakes his head perplexed. "Everything went according to plan, but when I searched your car that night, the book was gone." He looks at me with a pleading, tortured look. "Listen, Elizabeth, they have my wife." He continues begging us to understand why he's doing this. "Yes, I was curious. I dabbled in the black arts and I got in too deep." His voice is full of anguished regret. "They blackmailed me, then they killed Carmine D'Angelo. That's when I realized they'll kill anyone who's in their way."
"Shut up!" Danielle snarls.
I sense an opening and a possible weakness. "I know what happened the night of the seance." I raise my voice looking at Danielle, "My mother placed a protection spell on her grimoire. That's why you couldn't possess it yourself! Until the curse was removed. You may have drugged her, but she still outsmarted you. She wasn't as stupid as you thought."
Stanford grows bored by the arguing and points the gun at Dylan's head. "Bring me the book within two hours, or I'll burn his eyes out."
"No, Lizzy don't do it! He's going to kill us anyway!" Dylan shouts to me, then turns around and tries to wrestle the gun from Stanford. He isn't fast enough. The Satanic monster steps forward, striking my boyfriend in the face, knocking him to the ground, unconscious.
"Don't hurt him!" I scream.
Stanford stares at me with his cold fish eyes. "Be back here in two hours. If you don't have the book, if you tell anyone we're here, then you'll never see your precious boyfriend again."