Page 76 of High Velocity

With a quick sideways glance, I catch Jonas closing in on Ma, who is getting up out of her crouch. I watch him band his arms around her from behind, covering her mouth with a hand as he pulls her back. Then he begins retracing his steps, holding her close to him.

Time slows down to a crawl, and I fight with everything in me not to go charging the trailer I’m, once again, closely watching for movement. If Stephanie is in there, I won’t be helping her by announcing our approach, and possibly turn her into a human shield. Unless it’s Tracy in that trailer, and that scream belonged to her.

There’s really no way to tell, which is why we need some more clarity I hope my mother will be able to provide.

“Fall back,” Jonas mumbles as he passes, pulling Ma to shelter.

With one last look at the trailer home, I lower my rifle and join them, ducking behind the ramshackle motorhome. Ma does not look happy, and neither does Jonas, who is trying to stare her down. You’d think by now he’d know that’s a battle you can’t win with her.

“What the hell were you thinking?” Jonas growls, cracking first as expected. “Sneaking around the woods by yourself, fueled by more balls than brains.”

I’m not sure that’s the way to approach Ma, but it’s too late to intervene, she’s already building up steam.

“Watch your mouth or you’ll find out what I can do with your balls,” she spits. “And for the record, I wasn’t by myself, I was with Stephanie?—”

“Who is a goddamn FBI agent,” he interrupts. “For fuck’s sake, Alex.”

“She’s the mother of my future grandbabies, you moron, and she was in trouble.”

Jesus, this is not helpful, so when Jonas opens his mouth to respond, I hold up my hands to cut them off. The comment about grandbabies I tuck away for later consideration.

“Enough,” I hiss, focusing my attention on my mother. “In as few words as possible, what the fuck happened?”

Ma nods sharply and takes a deep breath, while Jonas audibly grinds his teeth together.

“Stephanie was looking for a phone and told me to wait in the car, which I did. Then she disappeared behind the house and messaged me she found a trail she was checking out. The only reason I left the car then was so I could keep an eye on her.”

“Christ,” Jonas groans, dropping his head in his hands.

“From a distance,” Ma hisses, before she turns back to me. “Anyway, I didn’t have any cell reception or I would’ve called. Especially after that guy showed up when I was checking around the trailer.”

“What guy?” I interrupt.

“I don’t know, I heard something, turned around and some guy was checking out Stephanie’s car. I’ve never seen him. He had the door open and poked his head inside. I couldn’t really see what he was doing, but when the first shot rang out, he backed out of the car with a gun in his hand, so I ducked down and hid under the trailer.”

“He shot the gun?” Jonas prompts.

“No, the shots were a distance away.”

“So more than one?” I try to clarify.

“A single shot first, I hid, and the guy came up the drive, moved right by the trailer and around the back. That’s when there were two more shots, in quick succession, and he started running in the direction of the sound. Three in total, I think. Or maybe four.”

“And you thought it was a good idea to follow?” Jonas snaps.

“Stephanie is out there, people were shooting, and now this strange guy waving a gun is heading in her direction. Hell yes, I thought it was a good idea to stack the odds in her favor.”

I motion for them to keep it down; the volume of this hushed conversation is starting to creep up.

Suddenly, I hear a woman’s voice yell, “Please, no!” followed by the sharp crack of a gunshot.

An ice-cold fist closes around my heart.

Surely the universe couldn’t be this cruel.

Stephanie

Earlier

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