Page 41 of Venom's Sting
I pull my car right up to the front door and get out. I walk around the back of my car on shaking legs and open my trunk. My trembling hand reaches for the small caliber handgun that I’ve had stashed away in one place or another since I came of age. It’s been ages since I last touched it. I fumble around to find the clip, slam it into the grip of the gun and stuff it into the waistband of my jeans. Standing there, staring into my trunk, I feel heavier, even though the gun is small. It’s the burden of carrying a lethal weapon, a little voice in the back of my head whispers.
As I approach the house, I see an axe lying abandoned on a chopping block. Reaching out, I wrap my hand around the handle. In for a penny, in for a pound, I tell myself, as I pull off the plastic safety cap and stalk up to the front door. I’ve gota lot to do and little time to get it done. I give the door handle a twist and find that it’s open, I guess when you’re out in the middle of nowhere stuff like home security doesn’t matter, either that or my grandfather is just so arrogant that he wouldn’t even consider anyone would try and break in.
Stepping through the front door, I call out my mother’s name. “Carol Grayson, if you’re here, yell out.”
When I don’t hear anything, I rush into the living room and begin searching behind furniture, in closets, and anywhere else that makes sense. Moving to the dining room and kitchen, I yell, “Mom, it’s Amy. I’m here to rescue you. If you can’t scream, make some noise, so I can find you.”
The house is still eerily quiet. I don’t let that stop me. I keep moving and searching upstairs, the attic and even the basement. By the time I’m convinced she’s not there my lungs are burning from repeatedly shouting her name.
When I don’t find any trace of her at the farmhouse, I stagger back out to my car, toss the axe into the passenger seat and drive out to the mill.
In the quiet of the car, I realize my phone is beeping. Wiping the sweat from my brow with one arm, I wonder if I should see who’s calling. I already know it’s probably Ven. He’s likely figured out I didn’t go to his mother’s place and is trying to find me. I can’t let anything get in the way of my one opportunity to find my mother, not even the man the love.
I’m all ready to ignore it and continue with my mission, but then I realize it could be that Ven has intel for me on finding my mom. Maybe she was in one of the vehicles I saw? That thought motivates me to pull out my phone and check the messages.
There are no messages, but my phone is littered with missed calls from Ven and even one from his mother. I remember that hardened tone of her voice when she gave him advice on this situation. My instincts tell me to call her first.
I try and keep my voice as light and breezy as possible, “Hey Meli, It’s Amy. I saw that you called. What’s up?”
“You were supposed to come to me,” There is something about her voice. Not angry, but flat and deadly serious, nothing like the bright bubbly tone she used when we first met.
“Yeah, sorry. There’s been a change of plans.”
“Non,” she states firmly. “Stop driving. Do it now.”
A chill creeps up my spine. “Um, how do you know I’m driving?”
“Because I can see you,ma petite.”
I break hard and it’s a good thing I do, because a dark colored SUV pulls right in front of me, cutting me off.
The window slides down and Meli shouts, “Get in. We go together.”
I open my door and tell her in no uncertain terms, “You can’t be here, Meli. It’s too dangerous.”
Her eyes are strange, cold, defiant but her tone is light, “This is not my—how do you say? First rodeo. Get into my car.”
Turning around, I grab the axe from the passenger seat and stomp over to her vehicle. I jerk the door open and ask, “You sure you want to go on this wild ride? Things might get ugly, but I’m not leaving without my mom.”
Finally there’s a hint of a smile on her face. “Of course not. Why do you think I came? You are like me, you will not let a man tell you what to do.”
I jump in and rest the head of the axe on the floor between my legs. The minute the door closes, she hits the gas, leaving me scrambling to get my safety belt snapped into place.
I ask, “How did you find me?”
“Serp put a tracker on your phone, he knows when you run away to save your mother on your own. It took me a while to get here, but I came for you.”
“Do you even know where you’re going?”
“My son sent me the coordinates.”
Shock roils through my gut. “I’m surprised Ven approved you coming to help me out when he didn’t want me anywhere near this farm.”
“My Serp is a smart man. I teach him everything I know, make him strong and resilient.”
Glancing at the speedometer, I see she’s tearing down this dirt road doing almost sixty miles an hour. She must have the shock absorbers straight from hell because what should be a bumpy ride is anything but. Something strange is going on here, something I can’t quite put my finger on.
“What… what did you teach him exactly?” I ask her, more shocked than anything.