Excerpt:
The
twenty-minute drive took about twelve. When I pulled in, an old silver Chrysler
LeBaron was parked outside the pole barn. I grabbed the Glock out of my
glovebox, then got out to check the inside of the car. Sassy Blaze lay in the
backseat, looking dazed. I opened the door to make sure she was alive. Her
pulse registered slow, and shaking her didn’t awaken her.
“You’ve got
bigger problems than Miss Witchy-Pants there.”
I cracked my
head on the door frame of the car and a stream of vanilla scent invaded my
olfactory. “Good Gods, Jenna. Give me a little warning.” I sneezed.
“Crazed
Gun-Slinger Darla is inside, waving a gun at Kendra’s head. She wants to know
where Bertellia and Estevez are.”
I ran to the
back-porch door and quietly let myself inside. Female voices.
Jenna stood at
the open doorway, leading into the great room. She waved me closer then placed
a finger to her mouth for quiet.
I peeked inside.
Darla. Her eyes crazed and hair wild, she reminded me of a psychopath.
“You’ll make
quite the vessel, or you’ll end up dead weight. We’ll see how good your ability
really is, Miss Kendra Spark. You’ve been a real sliver in my spine, and I will
never forgive you for the annoyance you’ve been to Bertellia and Estevez. I can
no longer reach them, so you’ll have to share what you’ve done to silence them.
What sort of prison have you confined them in?” Darla’s voice came across
shrill, heavy on the southern accent, I’d never heard her sound like that
before.
I stepped inside
the house. Kendra sat on the couch, staring toward the fireplace. Darla, eyes
wide, stood behind her, pointing a gun at Kendra’s head, and then they both
looked my way.
“Well, Mr.
Knight, you’re finally here. Miss Kendra remains pretty much speechless, so I’m
hoping you can answer my questions about where Bertellia and Estevez have
gone.” Darla waved her gun at me, her arm jerky and wild, then she pointed it
back at Kendra. Darla’s fingers squeezed Kendra’s shoulder. “Where are they?” A
grimace of malice crossed Darla’s face, something else from her I’d never
witnessed.
“What’s happened
to you, Darla?” I shook my head, holding my weapon down at my side, out of
view. “Did your aunt do something to influence this behavior? Why are you
talking with an accent? That’s not you at all.”
“I’m going to
shoot this woman if you don’t tell me what I want to know. For the last time,
where’s Bertellia and Estevez?” Her eyes narrowed to slits, and her lips
pinched into a snarl. Her grip tightened on the pistol held at Kendra’s temple.
Jenna screamed,
“Her tells say she’s gonna do it, Derek.”
The house phone
rang, startling Darla. Kendra dropped sideways onto the couch cushions. I took
that moment to aim and shoot. I hit Darla’s shoulder. Her gun flew to the floor
in front of the sofa, and she fell backward with a thud. I rushed the couch and
vaulted over the top, landing next to her. She lay on the floor with her
eyelids fluttering, the bullet entered on the right side just below her collar
bone. I gently rolled her to see the backside. The wound looked like a
through-and-through. I pressed my hands on both sides of her body to staunch
the blood flow.
Suddenly, a dark
shadow in the form of a blurry faceless mannequin emerged from Darla’s body and
ran toward the open porch doorway. Darla passed out in my arms, and the shadow
disappeared.
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1 comment:
Hello Roxanne - thank you for hosting an Oblivious, A Kendra Spark Novel highlight:) I apologize for the delay in commenting, seems I need to join google to make it a comment happen. I love visiting here and am ever so grateful you don't mind me hanging out:) Best always, my friend, Susan
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