Chapter 21

I’m suddenly standing next to Anne. “I will go get her. She wants me to. I feel her.”

“Are you calm enough to act accordingly, Tom? Griz can handle this on her own.”

“Anne, I know things now. I am rock steady. So calm it’s scary. I will go get her. Griz has other tasks to accomplish.”

“Go, I will keep Pam out of trouble.” Anne says, making a shooing motion.

In no time I’m speeding into the night. After a short distance, a figure on an antique motorcycle pulls up next to me. The visor raises up. Griz nods at me. With a determined look I nod back. The visor goes down. One of the fastest production motorcycles ever takes off like a shot and is soon out of sight.

“Can that girl ever fly!” I think to myself. She’ll be there way ahead of me.

I know I have to get mom. I also have a feeling that evil will receive its due tonight. If I was in Griz’ way tonight, with the game face she had on, I’d be pissing myself!

I know very little about what a Paladin can do but from what Griz has told me, she was trained as an elite war fighter along with the faie arts in spell casting and cloaking.

I ran through some scenarios about picking up mom, from straightforward getting her and her things and driving calmly away to car chases and evasion, all the way to having to fight asshole so mom can get away.

I snap out of my planning just as I hit the edge of my old home town. I know neither I nor mom will ever return here. I’m three blocks from the house.

“Thanks Marti! So you’re sure you don’t need any help with that guy?!” Griz offers as she takes the keys to the big rig.

“No Griz, we got it covered. Our friends will make sure that S.O.B. will be disappeared by morning. You’ve helped the cause a bunch by your request.” Marti says. She and Candy are both glad how this has come around. This piece of shits wife is in the hospital again after falling down the stairs again! A broken arm? Maybe! But how the hell did the fucking stairs tear her sphincter and rupture her colon?!!

Inga is still in lotus on the living room floor. Still naked, surrounded by the glow of the ring.

She feels his presence. The heat and light from the ring is fading. She opens her eyes for the first time in hours.

“Tom!” She squeals.

“Hi mom! It’s time to go. Let me help you up.” Tom says, as he extend his hand.

“Don’t you fucking touch my property you little shit ... I’m gonna fucking kill you!!” Orvil spits out as he rushes Tom. He’s charging forward in a rage then, in a flash literally he is hurtling sideways!

Tom hears Griz in his head(?) “Get Inga into your car and drive!”

“C’mon mom, it is time to leave. Let’s get your things.”

“I will go as I am. I will have NOTHING of his. All I need is at a safe drop.” She raises her hands for help up. “Shall we?!”

Tom helps her off the floor and they start out of the house. Inga stops him. Orvil Brown is on the floor groaning. Inga walks to him and in one violent motion kicks him right between the legs.

Orvil howls!!!!!

“You are a sick diseased animal. You deserve to be put down!!!” she screams at the writhing figure on the floor. Then she spits right in his face.

She turns back around to Tom. “Ok, now we can go.”

Inga calmly goes to the car and waits for Tom to get the door. Once they’re both in, Tom calmly starts the car and they drive away.

As they’re driving, Inga is imploring Tom to drive faster. Tom’s answer, “We can’t speed. Everything is alright. We don’t need any attention drawn by speeding and crazy driving. Close your eyes and sleep. We’ve got this.”

“We’ve? Who is we?!”

“Not the time now mom. Just trust and go to sleep.”

Tom keeps his fingers crossed that he’s not lying to his mom.

They make it out of town and are just coming up on the next hamlet. There are high beams gaining on them fast. Tom was trying to keep calm.

Then ... bump! And the horn! The sound of a revving engine. Mom wakes up.

“Tom! What’s happening!”

“Asshole is back.” He says emphatically.

Tom spots the intersection ahead. Just before reaching it he has an urging to speed up.

Griz is in his head again. “Faster! I need a gap!” So Tom speeds up. There’s now distance between them. He looks for a place to make a quick turn after the intersection.

There’s one!

Through the intersection! Then the turn!

Just before he turns, there is a deafening crashing sound then fire and heat. As he turns to look, he sees something flash by. He knows.

A big rig has plowed through the intersection at speed and demolished the car that Orvil Brown is driving. The fuel tank that the rig is hauling bursts and engulfs the whole site in flame.

Griz comes into his head again.

“Drive my love! Drive and don’t stop until you reach the Lily!” Then she’s gone from his head.

The news reporter at the scene of the fatal accident in the small hamlet described the scene in this way:

“At about 2:25am this morning a car travelling southeast on the county highway was struck be a semitrailer hauling fuel. The coroner believes the car driver was killed instantly but the driver of the rig was killed in the ensuing fire. They also believe that there was just a lone occupant in each vehicle. The car driver is yet to be identified but the semi driver has been identified but the name is being withheld. We have learned though that the semi driver was being investigated for domestic violence. Other sources have hinted at drugs and prostitution as well. We will update the situation as it unfolds...”