Stone Cold Vengeance (A Kate Brokenshire Zombie Slayer Adventure Book 2)

by Garth Ono

  "With needs," she whispered, biting her lip. "But not on the first date."

  After all, she went out with Johnny five times that summer before she slept with him. And that was their last date. It seemed weird to have sex with such an old friend. Kate was pretty sure he was happier being friends, too. Though he did come over for a late night hookup once since.

  She filled her good purse with everything she'd need. Makeup bag. Brush. Glock 42, which fit nicely in her purse since it was just under six inches long. Kate liked the Glock, but she didn't think the .380 caliber hit hard enough for a work gun. She didn't think the 9mm hit hard enough either, but a .44 Magnum she'd tested felt too big and bulky for her hand. Of course, jacketed hollow points help. That was all she fired.

  "But Randy said I should test the…," she paused. "Why am I thinking about guns? He's going to be here any second."

  Their dinner plans were squashed when she got a late call. Randy agreed to pick her up at 9 PM for dancing only. That was better, because she couldn't eat much in those jeans. In fact, they were so tight it was uncomfortable to sit. Kate planned do to a lot of dancing.

  The sound of a vehicle coming up the driveway drifted up, barely heard over the hum of the AC units. Her heart started hammering. Kate struggled to breathe.

  "Facing a dozen rotters doesn't scare me this much," she whispered.

  She wasn't that excited and afraid before a date since the last one with Johnny, when she knew how it would end. Actually, she was more nervous this time. Randy was there to pick her up, and she still wasn't sure if she'd kiss him goodnight or not. Kate knew herself well enough that if she didn't decide how far to go before the date, it would go far beyond what she wanted.

  Mongrel taught her that quite profoundly during a trip down to Memphis to visit Haley.

  Randy didn't waste any time coming up to the apartment door. Kate was standing next to it when he knocked. She took a deep, steadying breath, and opened it.

  He took her breath away. Randy wore a red western shirt, tight jeans, and cowboy boots. He topped it off with a black cowboy hat. For a second she thought she'd made a mistake, and should've worn the cowboy boots. But his eyes lingered on her feet, and she knew she chose well.

  He was wearing a pistol on his belt, with his badge displayed next to his big belt buckle. She found it a little annoying, but knew Sheriff Coleman demanded his deputies be armed at all times day and night. She wondered if he showered with a weapon.

  "Hi, Deputy Dawg," she drawled sultrily in her best southern accent. "Looking mighty fine tonight."

  She gave him a quick kiss, and then realized her mistake too late. Oops. Oh well. I guess I will be kissing him good-night.

  "You always look beautiful, but wow," he said. "Love the big hair."

  The drive over to Wild Willie's went by too quickly. She really liked sitting right next to him in his big, fancy Dodge pickup. The country dance club was rocking, and the parking lot full. They had to park way out in back, at the far edge of the lot. It was quite dark.

  "Stop looking for zombies," Randy said.

  "Night shadows are full of dangerous wild things," she said ominously. "I know. I hunt them."

  "Not tonight. Turn off your phone and relax," he said. "We're here for a boot-scootin' good time, Kate."

  Her ringer was on mute, and in her purse. She couldn't refuse to take a call, but if she didn't know anyone was calling… Still, it would be hard to not check her phone.

  "Anything you say, Randy," she purred.

  Kate checked her purse so she wouldn't have to worry about it. Since she'd been robbed, she didn't have a wallet or money to lose. But someone might take her pistol and she couldn't afford to lose another one. Besides, the coat check was next to the ladies room.

  As if the live band was listening in on their conversation out in the parking lot, they started playing 'Boot Scootin' Boogie' when they entered. They performed a dead-on version of the Brooks & Dunn classic, too. Kate and Randy rushed to the dance floor to join in.

  They must've danced every song for an hour before leaving the dance floor for a back booth. Randy ordered two lemonades, since she was too young to drink in Illinois. Kate insisted he could still have a beer.

  "No thanks. I'm driving," he said. "Can you imagine how much trouble I'd be in if I got a DUI?"

  "Aww, I'd drive you home in that sweet pickup," she said.

  "My place is too far away from yours," he said. "You'd have to spend the night."

  He turned red, even as she felt her face heating up. It got real hot in there. Kate averted her eyes, concentrating on breathing. She was sure he spoke without thinking, but wow. So she was so grateful when the ice cold lemonades arrived.

  "Oh my, this is tart," she said. "Makes me pucker…" She stopped, looked up, and then softly, "…Up."

  He was staring at her lips. Her heart raced and her throat tightened. She felt foolish and giddy, and then he licked his lips. She licked hers, and knew it was going to happen.

  Kate lifted her chin, offering her lips. His hand went into her hair, cupping the back of her head, and their lips melted together. She couldn't stop the groan. It was a million times better than she expected. Then he opened her mouth with his, and their tongues went at each other.

  She lost track of time. When Kate came up for air, her lips felt chapped and her chin a little raw from his whispers. Her hand was stroking his inner thigh, and she never realized it. His free hand was holding her side, right next to her boob. Randy's wrist was pressed into the side of her breast.

  It got hard to breathe. He claimed her lips again, and she lost herself for another undetermined time. The butterflies in her belly melted away to a sexy ache.

  I can't believe I'm going to do this.

  "Take me home," Kate said breathlessly.

  "I don't want the date to end."

  She caught his eyes. Their gaze sizzled.

  "It's not going to. Take me home."

  Randy didn't have to be told again. His eyes went wide, and he was on his feet in a flash. She smiled and shook her head. Guys sure were eager for sex. Every last one of them. At that moment, so was she.

  Kate took him by the hand and led Randy through the thick crowd. It was nice to be with a guy at the club. Not a single hand darted out to touch her inappropriately. Of course, Randy being a cop with a pistol and badge probably didn't hurt.

  She almost forgot her purse. When a friend pulled Randy aside, it gave her a chance to reapply lip gloss. She wanted to look her best when they got to her place. Then they were out the door arm-in-arm. Kate noticed some suspicious shadowy movement all around, but pushed it out of her mind.

  They walked slowly, kissing and whispering. She'd never been so totally into a guy before. It was heady. That's what Kate wanted all of the time. He led her to the driver's door, the locks clicked open, and she slid in first. Randy pressed up next to her and claimed her lips instead of starting the truck.

  His hands began to roam, going places few men had gone before. Her hand stroked his inner thigh, moving closer and closer.

  And then both doors opened.

  "What?" she cried.

  Big, strong hands seized her right arm and jerked her out of the door. She saw a flash of fierce face in the moonlight and recognized Max. That's when she realized her left hand clutched her purse strap.

  "No!" she screamed and smashed the purse into his grinning face.

  The pistol in the purse gave it extra wallop. Max's hand loosened and she was able to pull free. Kate turned and ran even as her right hand went inside the purse. She rounded the front of the pickup as the pistol came out, finger on trigger. She spotted her Defender a dozen feet away, both doors open and engine running, but Randy was struggling with two smugglers.

  "Let him go!" she screamed, and pulled the trigger three times.

  The smuggler with his back to her went down. Randy broke free and pulled his pistol. Max started shooting at her.

  "Follow me," she shouted
and ran around to her truck's driver's seat. Randy jumped in beside her. "Buckle up!"

  Kate put it in reverse as three smugglers charged out of the darkness with guns blazing.

  Chapter 19

  Club-goers came out behind her, so Kate hit the brakes. Skidding to a stop, she put it in first and hit the gas. Randy leaned out the window and started shooting. The smugglers scattered.

  "You didn't leave the keys in your truck, did you?" Kate asked as they drove out of the parking lot, across open ground, and through a ditch to regain the highway. "I love my Defender!"

  "I still have my keys," he said, hanging on for dear life as they bounced around going through the ditch. "Do you know how to drive?"

  "Haha, not funny."

  They didn't get very far before a red Camaro came racing up behind them. Kate scowled into the rearview mirror. I knew they weren't reporters.

  "We didn't shake them," she said. "Red Camaro behind us."

  One of the smugglers leaned out of the passenger window and started shooting. Kate swerved, decelerated, and then accelerated. She did anything to disrupt them, including slamming on the brakes. Randy fired back at them.

  "You realize shooting from a car is against the law," Randy said. "What have you done to me?"

  "Made you a man," she said. "We're almost to Tennyson. What should I do?"

  "Drive faster."

  "I can't outrun a Camaro," she said. A pair of bullets went through the back window, before poking holes in the windshield. The Camaro was gaining amazingly fast again. She hit the gas. "Shoot at them!"

  Spotting an old dirt road north of town, Kate hit the brakes and skidded to a stop. The Camaro swerved to avoid them, and then hit the brakes to fishtail before her. She spun the wheel, put it in first, and stomped on the gas. Kate raced into that darker stretch of dirt road. Trees crowded and stretched over the road, turning it into a black tunnel.

  "I sure could use an M16 right about now," Randy said.

  "I could use a beer."

  "You drink?"

  "Of course not," she said. "I'm way too young, but I could still use one."

  She continued like that for a few minutes. The road was too narrow for the smugglers to come up beside them. They were stuck behind her. They also weren't shooting anymore.

  "Did they run out of ammo?"

  "Don't know, but I bet they're low," he said. "No one carries that much. I have one round left."

  "You didn't bring any extra magazines?"

  "I was on a date!"

  Kate told him to check in back. Maybe her weapons were still there. Randy found Lupara and the machete, but her pistol was missing. She tried to remember how many times she fired. Her Glock 42 had a six round magazine. She also didn't bring any spare magazines.

  "I'm going to try something. Get ready with the shotgun."

  There was an old abandoned farm up ahead. The trees had overgrown much of it, so there was only a narrow dirt path from the road to the tumbledown farmhouse. Kids used the farmhouse to party on weekends.

  She slowed and turned into the narrow gap between two big oaks. There was no other way in or out. Kate hit the brakes a dozen feet in. The Camaro pulled in behind them. She watched the rearview, and when both doors flew open on the Camaro, she put it in reverse and plowed into the other car.

  "Yes!" Randy cried.

  Kate pushed the Camaro back out into the road, and then into a tree across the street. She wasn't sure if the smugglers jumped back into the car, or scattered. Didn't matter, she wasn't hanging around. Kate put into gear and tore out of there the way they'd come.

  "Where did you learn to drive? Watching thriller movies?"

  "Tennyson High," she said. "Coach Garrett was my instructor. He predicted I'd never get my license. Got it on the first try."

  "God, I never realized you were so crazy."

  "Sorry."

  "Really?"

  She shook her, and winked at him. "Not sorry."

  Lights in her rearview alerted her. Kate was already going as fast as the truck would go down that bumpy dirt road. As they approached the highway, a State Police car roared by heading toward Wild Willie's, lights and siren on. Kate turned right, toward Tennyson.

  "Why did you turn this way?" Randy cried. "Turn around and head for the police."

  Too late. The Camaro was on the road behind them, and shooting again.

  "I've never done this car chase thing before," she said. "Call the sheriff. Call the sheriff."

  More bullets ripped through her windows. Kate grimaced. She got her beloved Defender back, but those bastards were ripping it to pieces. She turned down the alley behind the northern line of downtown stores. There was a crossroad in the middle of Tennyson's historic downtown that she turned left onto, and then a right onto Main Street. That turned into Old Mill Road.

  "Great. You know this ends at the river," Randy said.

  "Shut up and call the sheriff."

  The sheriff called Kate. Randy dug her phone out of the purse and answered. While he explained what happened at the Wild Willie's, and told the sheriff that they were being chased, Kate tried to remember everything she knew about Old Mill Road, side roads, and such. She needed something she could use to escape those murderous bastards.

  "They're on their way. We're going to trap them down here," Randy said. "Good job turning down Old Mill Road."

  She shook her head. Was he trying to be funny? Problem was they were coming to the end of the road. Kate could see Johnny's house lit up. His family was home, so she didn't want to have a firefight down there. Besides, they didn't have enough ammo to really even start a fight.

  Red, white, and blue lights flashed far behind the Camaro. The cavalry was coming, but she couldn't imagine they'd get to them in time. Kate wasn't ready to die, and she damned sure wasn't going to let anyone kill Randy.

  "Hang onto your bloomers," she said, smirking.

  Her heart thundered as she rethought her idea. There were so many ways it could go wrong. Timing was everything. And if they didn't react the way she wanted…

  "What are you going to do?"

  "Watch me."

  Kate hit the brakes, spun the wheel, and fishtailed around to a stop on the highway, and then she took off straight at the Camaro. It moved to the middle of the road, straddling the line. So did she.

  "Let's play chicken!"

  "Son of a bitch!" Randy screamed as the vehicles closed at full speed.

  At the last second, Kate veered right. The Camaro also veered to its right. The ends of their bumpers smashed together, but a head-on collision was avoided. She went off the road, bounced around dangerously, but managed to bull the truck back up on the pavement.

  The Camaro crashed into a tree.

  Kate drove about two hundred yards up the road before pulling over to wait for the police. Two sheriff cars and a State Police car raced by them.

  Kate looked at Randy. Their eyes locked. "You're screwed, boy. There's no way you can ever top this date for excitement."

  Chapter 20

  "What is the matter with you two?" Sheriff Coleman asked.

  "In our defense – " Kate started.

  "Shut up," he said. "If a gunfight in the parking lot of Wild Willie's isn't bad enough, you two geniuses decide to take your show on the road and shoot up half the county."

  Kate stood with Randy in front of the sheriff's desk. Deputy Rumpstead stood behind them. The county's crime scene team was still on the scene, spread out from Wild Willie's to the end of Old Mill Road. Mostly they were looking for shell casings and bullet holes.

  The smugglers abandoned their wrecked car and vanished into the woods. The State Police were conducting a manhunt at that moment. She didn't have much confidence they'd catch the bad guys. Too many hours had passed. They could've paddled a boat across the Mississippi in that time.

  "What were you thinking?" he demanded. "You're both running around shooting the place up like it's the wild, wild west. I have a dead body in the trunk
of a car, and at least four homicidal smugglers running loose. The State Police, Governor, and Mayor are all asking questions I don't have answers for."

  "Well…" Randy said, and glanced at Kate.

  "We didn't want to die," Kate said. "Other than that, I didn't think of much else, Sheriff."

  That sent him off again. There were innocent civilians everywhere. It was too dark to see beyond the bad guys, so the danger of hitting an innocent bystander too great. He said Randy, at least, should know better. Randy insisted they only shot in directions safe for civilians, it was the men who attacked them that were firing toward the club.

  "By driving out of the parking lot like that, we pulled their attention and fire away from any bystanders," Randy said. Kate was impressed with his quick thinking. The sheriff, not so much. "We did our best to protect innocent lives."

  He looked them up and down. "What's going on? Are you two on some kind of date or something?"

  "We were," Randy said. "Until someone tried to kill us."

  He regarded them curiously a long moment. Long enough to make Kate fidget under his scrutiny. So she changed the subject.

  "Speaking of, how long before I get my weapons back?"

  Every weapon, including Randy's pistol, was taken by the crime scene crew. Something about ballistics testing. Kate had one more pistol at home, and they left her the machete. The most painful loss was Lupara. The sawed off double-barrel was central to her fighting technique when confronting multiple rotters.

  "That's not my call," Sheriff Coleman said. "Might be a while."

  She shook her head and started thinking about replacements. Between all of the heads she'd taken so far, and the recent vampire bounty, Kate had enough to purchase a few new weapons. A backup sawed off shotgun was in her future, probably a pump action. Maybe she should take a look at Randy's suggested alternatives to the Browning 9mm, too, but carrying a .44 Mag or .357 Mag seemed extreme. Fortunately, Taylor's Hardware had a nice selection of firearms, both for hunting and self-defense. So far, Kate's bought all of her new weapons from them.