Page 40 of Stronger Than Blood
I forced myself to focus on the work. Luckily, the garden wasn’t as overgrown as Joann had said. Just a few weeds here and there. Although I’m guessing Joann did a little hand weeding while she’d been harvesting. We were all taught to do that because, by then, we were almost to the point where the plants were too big to hoe around. From then on, I’d need to get on my hands and knees to weed it.
I almost jumped out of my skin when Rory slipped his arms around me. “Rory, damn, I didn’t notice the tiller had shut off.”
Rory chuckled, and the vibrations sent chills up my spine. I turned and let my hands slide up and down his sweat-drenched bare back. This was new, and I loved it. “You about done?” he asked.
“Mmm,” I said because any words at this point would come out as a squeak. I leaned up and took his mouth with mine. Oh God, he tasted so good, and how did someone still smell this good when they were covered in dirt and sweat?
He took the kiss deeper, and the rambling in my mind came to an abrupt halt. I pulled him closer, wanting all that skin up against me. Things would’ve progressed had we not heard someone clearing her throat.
I looked behind me and snickered when I saw Madam standing there, grinning. “So, I see I came at the worst possible time.”
“Best you did before things got any hotter,” Rory said, and he looked down at me and winked.
“You two about done?” she asked since it was clear we were no longer working.
I nodded. “Yeah, I just need to finish up this row.”
“Why don’t you do that while Rory and I walk around the house?”
All my happiness deflated at the thought. I’d been able to disregard the issue that brought her here until now. I nodded and turned to kiss Rory again before finishing the work.
If I was going to go with Madam and Rory to Memphis, I’d need to call the neighbor’s kid and see if he could come and till while I was away. I’d also need to get Joann to come out and make sure he didn’t till down all our hard work in the process. It was a critical time, and I didn’t want an overeager teenager to destroy the plants just as they were coming into full production.
I was just finishing when I heard Rory and Madam coming back. “He’s getting stronger then,” Madam said.
“Feels that way. Do you really think it’ll help to have Mick’s great-grandmother back home?” he asked.
I looked up and saw her nodding. “I think it’s the only thing that’ll help.”
I walked toward where they were standing and washed off the hoe before hanging it up. I’d need to do another sharpening before using it again, but I wanted to be part of the conversation.
The moment I came over to them, Madam asked, “Can we go inside, Mick? I would like to assess the situation with you present before we make any other decisions.”
I swallowed hard but nodded and headed toward the back of the house. I unlocked it and stepped inside. The back porch led directly into a hallway, where the bathroom was located. That was where Rory and I cleaned up as Madam walked further into the kitchen.
“Help yourself to something to drink,” I said as I threw water on my face and then scrubbed my arms.
She didn’t respond, so I used some old towels. After showing Rory where to toss his used towel, I went out to find Madam.
She was standing in the doorway between the kitchen and dining room, her body rigid. I knew instantly something was happening.
When I got close, I heard her chanting and looked over her shoulder to see blood-spattered walls. “We should get out of here!” I said, but Madam took my arm. She held me there as she continued to chant.
Rory came up behind us and gasped, and I realized he was seeing whatever was happening. The chanting stopped, and Madam put her hand in mine, leading me forward. “We rebuke you, spirit. You do not belong here. Move on!”
I heard laughter and froze, unable to move another inch. Madam didn’t try to force forward and stopped next to me. “We rebuke you, spirit. You do not belong here. Move on!”
I jumped when I felt an unseen hand grip my neck before it threw me across the room, where I hit the wall next to Granny Ida’s hutch. I heard the plates rattle as I struggled to get free. Before I could move the entity grabbed me by the neck again and began strangling me.
“Fight him, Mick. You are stronger than him. Don’t let him win this!” Madam said.
Barely enough air to breathe, much less talk, I forced out between my teeth, “Get off me!”
I pushed at the air in front of me, and although nothing could be seen there, the pressure around my neck eased some. “Get off me!” I yelled again, more forcefully, pushing and kicking with my foot.
I caught enough of my breath once the pressure eased, and instead of being afraid like I usually was, I felt my anger growing. “You fucking asshole,” I yelled. “Get out of my life! Get the fuck out of my house!”
The dishes in the hutch began to vibrate, the curtain flipped open and closed, and it just pissed me off that much more.
