When we’d finally made it back to my house, everything seemed surreal. There weren’t any zombies wandering in the neighborhood or even the yard, just a shiny black GMC Sierra parked in our driveway.
“Were you expecting company?” asked Bryce, getting out.
I shook my head and ran up the steps. As I put my hand on the doorknob, it burst open and I gasped in surprise.
“Daddy!” I screamed, jumping into his arms.
“Oh, thank God,” he replied, holding me tightly.
“Where’ve you been?” I cried.
He put me down and grimaced. “It’s a long story. Let’s just say the traffic was bad coming home.”
I smiled and wiped the tears from my face.
“Did you…did you find anything out about your mom or sister?” he asked sadly.
We went inside and I told him everything I knew while he sat in silence. When I was finished he didn’t say a word, he just stood up and went downstairs.
“He needs some time,” said Kristie softly.
I nodded. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to my room to be alone for a while.”
Bryce squeezed my hand as I stood up. “Let me know if you need me, Wild.”
On my way to my bedroom I stopped in the kitchen for some water. Eva was sitting alone at the counter, staring at her clasped hands. She looked up. “Oh, it’s you. Tell me, what…what do we do now?” she asked, her face a mess of tears and make-up.
I was about to respond when my dad stepped into the kitchen. He was dressed in military camouflage and carrying two very impressive rifles that I’d never seen before. The determined look in his eyes gave me the chills.
“What next?” he asked, setting the guns down. “We go find them, all of them.”
“But is it safe?” I breathed.
He looked at me. “Cassie, we’re a family and I won’t be apart from any of you, ever again. We’re going to Atlanta as soon as possible.”
“Really?” I asked.
“Oh yes,” he said, a half-crazed look in his eyes. He lifted one of the guns back up and smiled humorlessly. “Let the games begin…”
***
End of Book One
Book Two – Running Wild Available Now!
Venom
(A Night Roamers Short – Slade and Chelsey’s Story)
By
Kristen Middleton
Copyright©2013 Kristen Middleton
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead is coincidental and not intended by the author.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without express written permission of the author.
Prologue
The music in the club was beginning to give her a headache, but Melody ignored it. She was about to go to an after-party with the band members of Venom, who’d just finished their last encore at Club Nightshade. She was also pretty confident that if she played her cards right, she’d be in the lead vocalist’s arms before dawn.
Slade.
Just thinking about him made her tingle all over. Damn, the guy was hawt and had a voice that made her want to jump his bones. With those hypnotic green eyes, and that sexy infamous half-smile of his, she knew she wasn’t the only girl lusting after him in the club. But, she’d definitely mastered the skill of flirting and had eventually gotten Slade’s attention. She’d done the pouty lip thing and made sure he’d gotten an eyeful of cleavage, dancing as close to the stage as possible, twerking with her girlfriends until every guy in the club had been drooling. It had obviously worked because she’d gotten a note from one of the waitresses with an invite to some party being hosted by the owner of the club, compliments of the band. Thankfully she’d gotten the fake I.D. the week before or there was no way she’d have been able to step inside of the club, let alone party with the band afterwards.
Leaning forward, she applied another layer of dark cherry gloss to her lips, and then fluffed out her long blond hair. She stood back and smiled, recalling how Slade’s eyes had been transfixed on those same lips. Obviously, he liked the rich crimson color.
“You ready to go, Melody?” asked her best friend Taylor, who was frantically texting someone on her phone. “It’s getting late and I told Ricky I’d stop by after we left the club.” She looked up and giggled. “Booty call, baby.”
“What about us?” asked Veronica, looking pissed. “I thought we’d agreed that I was staying at your place tonight, Taylor?”