“MeaningofLife”—Disturbed
One week before Christmas…
“Hey, Venom, how’s your grandmother doing?” Sonja asked as she rubbed her tits on my arm and leaned into my side.
“She’s good. Real good. Thanks for asking,” I murmured with a half-hearted smile. It didn’t pay to encourage the club whores unless you wanted them climbing in your lap. I hadn’t been in the mood for that since bringing Grams down to Ankeny.
I chalked it up to stress.
Voodoo and Blade had just finished a job that I had to personally oversee. The client had come to me directly to hire us, which was rare, but her ol’ man had been a Royal Bastard before he’d died in a freak electrical storm.
Their fourteen-year-old kid had been abducted and held with several others awaiting transport out of the country. Thankfully, the fucking feds, with our help, had discovered the location before the kids left, but they’d been traumatized as hell. I wished we had someone that could help with that shit.
Raptor and I had served in the army with JoJo, so his ol’ lady came to us for payback. She didn’t want those responsible getting away with what they’d done. Namely, the kid’s boyfriend. He was a twenty-fucking-year-old dickwad who had sold her out to the traffickers for five hundred bucks’ worth of coke. Fucking idiot.
“How about if I help you out with a little stress relief,” Sonja whispered in my ear. She trailed her nails down my chest and to my crotch. Her hand teased my dick, but when I felt it stirring, I clasped her wrist and brought her hand up. To soften the blow, I kissed her inner wrist.
“Not now, babe. Got some shit on my mind.”
“I hear you. Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find me.” With a coy smile, she sauntered off to lean over Chains where he was playing pool with Blade. When that happened, I noticed Jasmine’s back go ramrod straight where she sat at the end of the bar. Angel was next to her with his ol’ lady on his other side, and his eyes narrowed as he looked from his sister to Chains.
Shit was going to come to a head with them if I wasn’t careful. I’d keep an eye on them, but my head wasn’t in it at the moment.
“You want another one, Prez?” The prospect behind the bar was wiping down the polished surface as he asked me.
“Nah, I’m good.” I needed to drive home. The place just down the road from the farm, toward town, had gone up for sale, and it had a little guest house in the back. I’d bought it because I wanted Grams to have her own space, but to be close by in case she needed me.
She’d had her surgery and was recovering well. Angel had offered to help her heal quicker, but Grams had refused, stating if it was her time to go, it was her time to go. Mom had come up for the surgery and stayed the first couple of weeks before she had to head back to Florida. The doctors were pleased with Grams’s progress, and my worry had actually lifted. What I couldn’t figure out was why I was still tangled up and on edge.
“You taking off, Prez?” Angel asked me when I stood.
“Yeah,” I replied and grabbed my truck keys from the bar top. We’d had almost a month of nice weather before it had gone cold again and the snow returned. It had been mild so far, with only a day or two where it snowed heavy but mostly flurries here and there that didn’t really amount to much.
Forecast called for a white Christmas like we hadn’t seen in years though. Worse than the crazy-ass snow that had blown in over a month and a half ago. Snow that precipitated a night I hadn’t been able to get out of my mind.
Raptor stepped out of the hallway with Pooky looking well-fucked. “You leaving?” he shouted across the common area to where I’d grabbed the door handle.
“Yeah, I’ll see you all tomorrow.”
Everyone waved or called out their farewells, and I stepped into the cold night.
The drive was short, and once I’d parked my truck I walked over to my grandmother’s little bungalow. After knocking once, I opened the door and went inside. She was on the phone talking animatedly and smiling.
“Well, you take care of yourself. They say the weather is gonna get bad.”
She paused, listening.
“I know, but I still worry about you.”
I could still hear the muted voice talking on the other end, just not the words.
“Of course. You don’t have to keep thanking me. I was just cleared to drive yesterday, so it’s been sitting around collecting dust anyway. I’m glad I could help out. Once this weather gets its shit straight, I expect a visit.” She laughed, and I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge to give me something to do. Somehow, I knew exactly who she was on the phone with.
I’d sent Squirrel and a prospect up a couple of weeks ago to pick up my grandmother’s SUV. Now that she was recovered, I promised her we’d head up to get the rest of her stuff.
Tomorrow was my only day to go, but the weather was supposed to get bad. She was pissed because she’d wanted to go up to see Loralei, but I didn’t want to risk having her with me on the roads. In fact, I was seriously considering leaving tonight so I could come home earlier tomorrow and beat the weather.
Grams had agreed to stay behind if Raptor kept her company. Of course, Raptor being a dick and wanting to fuck with me, he jumped at the chance.