Page 49 of Venom's Sting

We decide there are too many men still outside to risk leaving the conventional way. We take a vote on all leaving though the skylight, which will take some maneuvering.

Amy points out, “My mom is not strong enough to hoist herself up.”

“I agree, that means one of us will have to carry her,” I tell them.

Dan automatically steps forward. “I’ll do it. I’m used to taking care of her.”

Carol shoots him a grateful smile. “Thanks again, Dan. You’re a godsend.”

We head back to the room with the skylight and take turns getting the women up through the window and off the roof ASAP. We send Carol and Dan through first, then Rage and my mother. When it’s time for me to help Amy out, all hell breaks loose. The door to the master bedroom flies open and Rufus, Big Joe, and Hal come storming into the room.

Rufus screams, “Grab them. Don’t let them get away.”

I don’t have to yell for Rage and Dan to keep going without us. Rage will make sure that at least two women manage to make a clean getaway. I wrap my arm around Amy, pull her close, and take a running leap towards the skylight, grabbing it with one hand, I’ve almost heaved us up and through it, when someone grabs my leg and gives it a good jerk. It’s Big Joe, looking for a little payback for the beatdown I gave him.

I keep a hold of the frame and use my free foot to kick him in the face. By the grace of God, we manage to clear the skylight and land on the roof. Grabbing Amy’s hand I lead her to the tree and help her get her footing.

When we reach the ground, I hear my mom and Rage calling from the distance. I think we’re free of our pursuers, whensuddenly armed men surround us about a hundred yards from the house. I shove Amy behind a thick oak tree and try and block her with my body. Fucking hell, we were so close to making a clean getaway. With no other option, I draw my weapons and tell Amy, “No matter what happens, stay behind me.”

Unfortunately, none of these men are bothered that I’m fully armed because they all have weapons too. I’m out manned and out gunned but I’m gonna do everything I can to protect the woman I love. I’m wearing body armor, but I’m not a fucking fool. I know it doesn’t make me invincible, but as long as these fuckers aim at my chest and not my head, I’ve got a chance.

I start shooting, starting with the ones who have their weapons raised and working my way down to the ones who are still dicking around. I think I’m doing okay on my own until I realize that Rage and my mom are taking pot shots at them from behind a rusty oil drum about fifteen feet away. The problem is, there are just too many of them and too few of us.

When we’re about to be overwhelmed, Siege, Rigs, and the rest of my club brothers come charging into the mix. I’ve never been so relieved to see my brothers as I am tonight. It takes only a few minutes for the shooting to stop. When the dust settles, I see several dead bodies and several more that are in distress. Rage gets to work on the ones that are still living, and I realize that no matter who is injured, the medic in him kicks into action. My mom has gone to check on Carol and Dan who are both standing looking shell-shocked.

Meanwhile, Amy clings to me for dear life. I don’t blame her. My tough little woman has never been exposed to the kind of violence taking place tonight. I hold her close and let her bury her face in my chest.

Chapter 18

Amy

Oh my God, I’m hyperventilating, and I can’t stop. Men were shooting at us. I can’t believe we almost got killed. I’d be dead right now if it weren’t for Ven and his club brothers. Ven is rubbing my back while Rage talks me through how to stop hyperventilating and I try and calm myself down.

Just when I’ve steadied my breathing, someone starts screaming for Rage.

It’s Siege. “Rage, get your ass over here. The old man caught a bullet from one of his own.”

My head goes up and I rush along behind Rage. I literally hate my grandfather, but I didn’t want to see him hurt. The old man is a liability, but it’s clear that he’s got memory problems and doesn’t know what he’s doing. When I get close enough to see what’s going on, I realize he’s much more than just hurt. Rage falls to his knees on the porch beside my grandfather, just as someone tosses a medical bag down beside him. He’s cursing a blue streak under his breath, and it takes me a moment to realize why.

My grandfather is propped up on one elbow, too stubborn to collapse like a normal person, with a rapidly increasing pool of blood around him. He’s also white as a sheet and struggling to breathe. He angry and trying to curse us all out, even though he can only get out a few words at a time, “Damn you all… Get off my pro… property.”

Rage presses him back down. “You’re gonna have to lie down and let me stop the bleeding.”

Rufus shoves his hands away, or at least tries to. Rigs gets involved by stooping down and grabbing one hand. “Look, Rufus, you’re bleeding out. Let our medic help you.”

My grandfather looks over to one of the men who captured me and Venom’s mom, “Brock Sanderson, this is your f…fault,” before collapsing back. His hands drop to his sides, still and lifeless. He suddenly looks shockingly old and frail.

My hands fly to my mouth when Rage rips open his shirt. There’s a gaping hole in the lower part of his chest, and I can see the white of his ribs. I can’t watch, so to my eternal shame, I turn away. When I do, I bump into Ven’s big chest, and his arms come up around me.

I concentrate on pulling myself together because this kind of response is just not me. I’m normally the strong one, the one who keeps my shit together in a crisis. Then again, I’ve never witnessed a shootout, much less been involved in one. And seeing the one man I detest most in life laid low with a bullet to the chest has left me feeling conflicted. I should care that he’s hurt, but part of me doesn’t. I know that makes me a bad person but knowing what he did to my mom cancels out any feelings of compassion I might have had.

When I’ve just about pulled myself together again, a horrible gurgling sound reaches my ears. It’s a horrific, wet, rattling noise. I hear Rage cursing under his breath, “Fucking sucking chest wound is not cooperating.”

I turn around, steeling myself for the terrible image of Rufus’ last moments on earth. It’s the death rattle that gives it away for me.

The rattling noise stops. When I raise my head, Rage is still trying to seal the wound on my grandfather’s chest with what looks like a Ziploc bag and tape, but Rigs reaches out and grasps his wrist. “Enough. He’s gone. There was no way for you to save him, brother. He lost too much blood and even if you had stabilized him the nearest hospital is too far.”

Rage slowly pulls his hands away and lowers his head. A long silence spins out as everyone is shocked that my grandfather is actually gone. Rufus was the one driving this situation whether intentionally or not. He was a stubborn old man who didn’t fit into the modern world. He was raised to think that women belong in the kitchen and children should be seen and not heard. For whatever reason, he couldn’t or wouldn’t move with the changing times, and that inability to learn and adapt drove my mom away and led to his death here today.

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