Page 41 of Song of Lorelei
“That’s still taking it way too far. Letting your skin and tail deteriorate as you had was taking it too far.”
Their friends agreed, faces engraved with worry.
“I know.” Lesson learned. No amount of guilt or grief or self-loathing justified jeopardizing her health, but there wasn’t time to linger on this. “What Phil and the board are doing doesn’t make sense. It’s in their best interests, fucked as they are, to keep Nireed alive and well. The mermaid study is what’s attracting most of the funding streams, and she’s the only one the institution has.”
“I think they’re afraid of how ‘human-presenting’ she is.” Lila swiped angry tears from her cheeks, leaning into Will as he wrapped an arm around her waist. “They’re getting unnerved that they can’t just look at her and see an animal. She understands what we’re saying and can talk back. Very sassy about it, too, might I add. Savvy viewers can probably pick up on some of that by watching the Mermaid CAM, but now Phil and the board are talking about getting rid of the restrictions I placed on the public’s access to the mermaid lab. They’re talking about doing daily, public-access tours. It’s gonna be a circus.”
Lorelei’s blood ran cold. “But that doesn’t make any damn sense either. Are you saying they’re trying to kill her by neglect? Why would they do that if they’re planning on showing her off for tours?”
The marine biologist hugged herself. “I think they’re afraid of what she can and might say about her treatment; they’re actively trying to live capture more mermaids. They haven’t been successful, even with using potted meat as bait. My best guess is the mermaids are too smart, and we keep them too well fed. But the virophage…I’m afraid that delivering it is going to be a trap. I think they want to replace Nireed with a mermaid that hasn’t learned our language.”
Well, shit. Lorelei pinched the bridge of her nose. None of this was adding up. “But why would they think kidnapping other sirens would solve their problems? They have personhood, language, and culture. I mean I guess we don’t really know how many sirens speak human languages, but the sign language Undine’s school uses is very similar to ASL. I don’t know how the research center plans on hiding that.”
“True...” Lila drawled out, then shook her head. “I don’t know what the hell they’re thinking, but it doesn’t really matter. It doesn’t change that I want to stop them.”
Lorelei took a long pull from her beer. “I think it’s time to start planning Operation Jailbreak.”
“And Operation Steal All the Virophages,” Branson chimed in. “Do you know where those are stored?”
“The refrigeration unit is in the lab.”
A grin broke out across Will’s face, a mischievous glint entering his eyes. Rubbing his hands together, he said, a little too giddily, “I’ve always wanted to plan a heist.”
Lila arched her brow at her husband. “You’re only saying that because Ocean’s Eleven was on TV last night.”
He shrugged.
Lila rolled her eyes, but a smile crept up her lips. Some of the night’s earlier cheer returned to the group. But Lorelei was thinking, planning.
The sooner they got Nireed out the better, but they had to be smart about it. Her own song would play a pivotal role in getting them past security and curtail anyone else who might stop them. No discussion was needed for her to know that much. But she didn’t know the limits of her song, and a building full of people was a lot. With stakes like this, she couldn’t afford to mess up. They needed a distraction. “I think the time to do it is on the museum’s Grand Opening Day. Everyone’s going to be busy and distracted by that. It would be relatively easy for us to sneak away, invent a family emergency.”
“I’m fairly certain either one of my parents would fake a fall for the cause,” Lila offered. “You know. The good ‘ol life alert trick.”
Covering his mouth with a hand, Will mumbled, “Not sure if I’m supposed to laugh at that or not.”
Concern deepened the creases beside Killian’s eyes, not a shred of humor to be found. “You sure, Lorelei? That’s a big day for you. You’ve worked so hard for this, and you deserve to enjoy it.”
Lila nodded. “We can do it another day. Figure something else out.”
“I’m sure. How can I design a museum meant to educate the public on merfolk, but stand by as one suffers in captivity one building over? None of it will mean anything to me as long as Nireed isn’t free. She did her part. Now we keep our promise. Besides, the next big event on the calendar is the Winter Gala, and that’s way too far off.”
Folding his hands on top of the table, Killian leaned forward. “Okay. Let’s get planning.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
KILLIAN
Stars peeking out from the clear, twilight sky, Killian steered Dawn Chaser into siren territory. Alone. He hadn’t asked his crew to come along this time, and nor was he here to fish. No one could know why he was here, apart from his co-conspirators.
Long-time family friend and Haven Cove Daily reporter Jackie Gaten had been helpful. Maybe instrumental after getting her Nireed’s health records and documentation of HCMRC’s corruption. For weeks, Lila had snuck around compiling the file, contending with a pest of a colleague. “Fucking Dr. Jerry Nedry,” Lila had cursed, hovered over her shoulder anytime she came anywhere near Nireed, muttering how she should’ve been fired, but thankfully, he watched less closely when she sat at her lab computer. And not at all when she was in her office.
It required patience, but Lila found openings. And the reverse camera and zoom features on her phone had become her best friend—great for stealth photographing Nireed’s declining physical health.
That asshole colleague couldn’t watch her every second of every day.
Shutting off the engines, Killian darted down onto the decks below. He heaved an offering of canned pork over the side, and a climbable net, and waited for the sirens to come.
The rope of the net pulled taut when they reached the boat—that’s the only way he knew they’d arrived. Their ascent was silent, but it left Dawn Chaser’s latest paint job intact.