“Too bad. I can’t help you lying down.” Billy folded the wet handkerchief into a triangle and moved around behind the other man. He lifted the cloth over the man’s head. “I’m gonna put this over your eyes.”
“It stings.”
“I don’t care. Soon as we get out of here, I’ll take you to the doc,” Billy grumbled.
“Not so fast,” Grace said. “You have some questions to answer.”
Davy sobbed but didn’t move.
“You planning to get the sheriff?” Billy asked.
“Depends on your answers.” Grace growled.
“We can’t tell you nothin’,” he said, whining resentment.
“You’ll tell me who sent you. Then I’ll think about the sheriff.”
“No, please. The boss’ll kill us if we tell. Then he’ll come for you.” Billy’s voice shook and terror filled his eyes. Luc frowned. Knowing for certain who “the boss” was would be good. Hopefully Grace could get them to tell her.
“That’s a shame. See that door over there?” She tilted her head toward the open keeping room.
“Yes ma’am,”
“Help your friend up then both of you go inside.”
Dogs at her side, she waited while the men obeyed. “C’mon.” Billy grabbed his partner’s arm and led him away, navigating around the piles of dirt and rubble that littered the floor.
“Now close the door,” she commanded.
“M…my friend needs a doctor,”
“He’ll get one when you’re in custody. Now close that door.”
“There ain’t no window. It’s dark in here.”
“You afraid of the dark?” Something akin to amusement wrapped Grace’s words.
Luc smiled.
“N…uh… yes, ma’am.”
“Too bad.” She centered the rifle on Billy’s head. “Back up as far as you can go.”
When they were about ten feet from the door, Grace kicked it shut with her foot, leaned against it, turned the key sitting in the lock, and pocketed the key.
“Mercury, Mars, guard!”
The dogs settled in front of the door.
Luc was bent nearly double with laughter. His Grace was more than a match for the two trespassers. She’d be gone several hours getting DeLille, but Luc believed she’d encounter no trouble at four in the morning. His best course was to wait and keep watch over the captives.
He had no regrets about his actions, so he shouldn’t feel bad about what happened to Davy. The man had gotten no more than he deserved for trespassing and attempted thievery. His pain and ruined vision were his own stupid fault.Weren’t they?
Luc sighed. Sometime in the past ninety-eight years he’d grown a conscience. Later, he’d have to expend some energy to contact Mambo Ayezan. He’d ask her to help Davy. Had the ritual Mambo Ayezan performed at the front gates played a part in alerting him?
Good thing the mambo had given the dogs to Grace. They’d more than proven their worth tonight. Even the cat had helped. After DeLille had come and gone with his prisoners, Grace went back to her room and crawled into her bed.
Luc didn’t blame her for wanting some more sleep. Her awakening to an invasion was rude and no doubt as disturbing to Grace as waking to find her house afire.
