Brain Storm (A Taylor Morrison Novel Book 1)

by Cat Gilbert

  I turned back to Hughes, finding he’d moved closer while my attention was on Lars. Caught between them, I felt like a trapped animal.

  “Oh, Taylor, you’re up!” Jenny ducked around Lars, the smile on her lips not quite masking the concern in her eyes. She reached out, taking my arm, and guided me around Hughes and past my room, in the direction of the elevators. “Dr. Connors thought you might like to go into town and pick up a few things, if you’re feeling up to it.”

  “I was on my way to find Sean, actually. I wanted to see how he’s doing.”

  “I’m afraid you can’t visit him yet. Here,” she said, shoving a piece of paper at me, quickly changing the subject. “I made a list of things you’ll need while you’re with us.”

  We got to the elevators and stopped, Jenny’s grip still firm on my arm. I could feel Hughes and Lars coming up from behind and felt myself tense. The doors opened and Jenny all but threw me inside. She just smiled and punched the button to send the elevator up, barely giving Lars and Hughes time to crowd in.

  “Dr. Connors said to tell you not to worry. You’ll be perfectly safe. Lars will be with you the whole time, and Mr. Hughes will have people deployed in town in case there’s a problem.”

  The elevator stopped and we stepped outside to find a car already parked and waiting. Jenny stepped up and opened the passenger door, hustling me inside, as Lars went around the car and slid into the drivers seat.

  “What about money?” I asked, stalling for time.

  “It’s taken care of. Dr. Connors called ahead and the store is expecting you,” she assured me, as I buckled the seat belt. “I’ll see you when you get back.”

  The door slammed shut and I flinched as the door locks snapped down. I looked over at Lars, who stared back at me in silence as he put the car in gear and I prayed she was right.

  THE STORE WAS bright and cheerful. Estes Park was first and foremost a tourist town, its main street littered with shops offering everything from cuckoo clocks to salt water taffy and beyond. The shop Lars had driven to was well off the beaten track and catered to the people who lived and worked there.

  The two sales clerks were busy with other customers, so I roamed around getting a feel for the place. On my best day, shopping was a chore and one I wasn’t keen on. With Lars following close on my heels, it was nearly impossible. He hadn’t said a word the entire way into town, and I had the definite impression he wasn’t enjoying this anymore than I was.

  “You don’t have to follow me around,” I said, feeling crowded. “You’re a big guy. I’ll bet you could just go stand over there and see the whole store.”

  He just looked at me and stayed planted where he was. I tried to stare him down, but it was pointless. I grabbed up a couple pair of jeans and shoved them at him, irritated.

  “Here. If you’re going to trail me, you might as well be useful.”

  By the time one of the clerks hurried over to us, I had his arms piled with clothes.

  “I’m so sorry about the wait. You must be from the Lodge. We’ve been expecting you. Oh dear,” she said, eyeing the tags on the pile of clothes Lars was holding, “these aren’t even your size. Let me take these.”

  She grabbed the armful of clothes, and handed them off to the other clerk who had joined us while Lars gave me a stony look. The clerk turned back in time to catch it and threw me a wary glance.

  “Don’t mind him,” I explained, pointing to the wire running from his ear and disappearing under his jacket. “He’s listening to some game and would rather be anywhere than here. I have a list here. I’d appreciate any help.”

  The sight of the sizable list distracted her immediately from Lars. A woman with a mission, she motioned the other clerk over and they set off together, in search of their prey.

  “Listen up, Lars,” I hissed when they were out of hearing range. “You need to go over there and wait for me.” I pointed to a spot by the front door and gave him a pointed look, which he completely ignored. I leaned in closer, up near his ear where his radio was. “Hughes, tell him to back off. There’s no one hiding in the racks in here waiting to jump out and get me.”

  Lars eyes narrowed at me, but he moved. It wasn’t where I had pointed, but it was something and he actually stayed there when I moved away to follow the clerks. Armed with the list, they moved through the store at a rapid pace, collecting pieces as they went. I tagged along, an unnecessary participant until I gave up and went to wait by the dressing room entrance. Lars strolled over, and propped himself against a nearby pillar, giving himself a clearer view of the area.

  I didn’t have long to wait. Moving faster without me there to slow them down, the women appeared, arms loaded down with clothes, in record time.

  “Stay,” I mouthed at Lars and headed back to the dressing rooms. I promised the clerks I’d ring the bell if I needed anything and closed the door in relief. Alone at last.

  Or not, I recanted, as I looked down in time to see Candice’s head pop out from the gap under the wall of the adjoining dressing room.

  “What are you doing here?” I whispered, dragging her the rest of the way into the small cubicle. “Are you crazy?”

  “I missed you too!” she hissed back, struggling to gain her feet.

  She grabbed me, pulling me into a tight hug. She smelled like home and Mama D, and I found myself hugging her back, despite my fear and anger at the risk she was taking by being here.

  “Why are you here?” I asked quietly, sure Lars would hear us. “How did you know I would be here?”

  “Lars told me to come.” She nodded at my look of astonishment. “He’s working with Mac.”

  “Wait a second.” I stole a look at the door, certain that it would be ripped open at any second and Lars would be standing on the other side. “How do you know that?”

  “He caught me on the mountain. Scared me to death.” She turned and started sorting rapidly through the clothes. “He’s talked to Mac and Mac told him where to find us.”

  “I haven’t even talked to Mac. How did he manage it?”

  “I don’t know but he has. Mac called him when he started getting suspicious. Wanted him to check things out at the Agency. That’s what Lars is doing there. He’s helping Mac.”

  She was pulling out clothes as she talked and putting some of them into a separate pile. I just stood there watching her, trying to make sense of what she was telling me.

  “Why are you here, then? Why did he tell you to come?”

  “He can’t talk to you. Hughes is watching him all the time. He said to tell you he’s here, he has your back. He also wants to know about someone named Connors?” I nodded at her that I knew what she meant. “Who’s he?”

  “The Director at the Agency. You’ve seen him. Short guy. Red hair.”

  “The leprechaun?” she asked, pausing with a leather jacket in her hand. “He’s the Director?”

  I nodded at her. I hadn’t thought of Connors in terms of a leprechaun, but I supposed the description was as good as any.

  “I never would have guessed that.” She went back to sorting through the clothes.

  “You haven’t met him. Connors is clear. He knows about Hughes and he’s on board. I’m pretty sure a woman named Jenny is okay too.”

  “He mentioned her. Said she was the one that got him in to see Mac.”

  “Everything okay in there?” The voice came floating through the door. “Anyone need anything?”

  “I’m fine.” I told the clerk, my heart going a mile a minute. “Just making my way through everything.”

  “Me too,” Candice called out.

  “Okay,ladies. Just ring if you need something.”

  We waited for a moment to be sure we were alone. Then she motioned for me to try on the leather jacket.

  “Okay, everything in this pile should fit. The jacket’s big, so get a small in that. You need shoes, makeup and stuff for your hair. Otherwise, you’re set.” I shrugged out of the jacket and put it back on the hanger.
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  “Bryan should have never agreed to this.” She pushed the remaining piles of clothes onto the corner of the bench and collapsed onto the emptied space. “If I had known what you two were up to, I’d have stopped it.”

  She sounded exhausted and discouraged and I realized that the decision to go to the Agency had caused a problem between them. We had made it without consulting her, because she was right. She would have been against it and there hadn’t been time to try and convince her otherwise. It had been faster and simpler just to do it and deal with the consequences later. Only I wasn’t dealing with them where Candice was concerned. Bryan was.

  “Don’t blame Bryan for this. It was my decision. He was just following orders.”

  It took a moment, but she finally seemed to accept the way things were the way they had to be.

  “Well, at least you’re not alone in there.” She stood up, knowing it was time to go. “Lars gave me a phone. That’s how he let us know you’d be here. You think we can trust him?”

  She obviously already did, or she wouldn’t be here, but I knew she needed to hear it from me. Needed the reassurance that she’d done the right thing.

  Could we trust him? He’d caught her and let her go. He’d told them how to find me and was sitting out there now, knowing she was in here and doing nothing about it. It would have been the perfect opportunity to hand us over to Hughes, but he hadn’t done it.

  “Yes, we can trust him. You did the right thing,” I assured her, even though I wasn’t sure myself. “We’ve got friends inside now and that will make all the difference.”

  She sat down on the floor and pushed herself through the gap.

  “Be careful,” she whispered, as her head disappeared from view. Within minutes, I heard her throw open her dressing room door and call out to the sales lady as she left the area.

  It had all happened so fast, it was almost as if I’d imagined the whole thing. Here I’d thought they were safe and no one knew they were around and now I find out Lars has been out there, snooping around, scaring her and that Mac had told him where to find them. Worst of all, I hadn’t been able to talk to Mac at all. I had to get my information third hand.

  Frustrated, I kicked off the hospital slippers and stripped off the oversize sweats eyeing the pile of clothes Candice had picked out. I was sure there was underwear in there somewhere and sure enough, Candice hadn’t let me down. Minutes later I was back in my hospital slippers, but now I was clad in jeans and sporting a very comfortable knit pullover. I checked the price tag on it and my mouth fell open. Candice had excellent taste. Gathering up the stack of clothes she’d had set aside, I carried them out of the dressing room, just as the clerk was on her way back to check on me again.

  “I’ll take these. I like the leather jacket, but I need a smaller size.” She took the clothes from me and dropped them at the register before heading over to hunt for the jacket.

  “I need to go find some shoes,” I said over my shoulder to Lars, who had come to stand next to me. “Then I need a pharmacy and we’re done.”

  He didn’t answer. Just walked past me to the register where the clerk had begun ringing up my purchases. I joined him, handing her the tags for the clothes I was wearing and stood quietly next to him.

  I had never even heard him speak and yet I was supposed to trust him, not just with my life, but with everyone else’s as well. He took the bags and we made our way out to the car to drop them off before heading down the street to the shoe store.

  By the time we had finished shopping, it was dark and chilly, the wind that had kicked up while we were inside making it seem colder than it actually was. I had forgotten how the temperature dropped along with sun in the mountains and was definitely regretting having left my new leather coat in the car. I looked down at my feet, now toasty warm in my new trekking shoes and thick socks, grateful that at least I wasn’t tromping around through the cold with nothing but slippers on.

  Lars started the car, leaving me inside while he stowed the bags in the trunk. I sat there for awhile fiddling with the heat settings before I realized that it had suddenly gotten quiet. I looked around to find the trunk closed and Lars nowhere in sight. The thought barely had time to register when a tap on my window had me twisting back around, ready to face Hughes, only to find Lars standing there, both of his hands full.

  Coffee. He’d gone for coffee. I rolled the window down and relieved him of both cups, grateful for the heat that radiated into my icy fingers. I settled the cups into the holders and raised the window up fast, before whatever warmth the heater had managed to emit, escaped to the wind outside. A cold blast of air sailed into the car as Lars quickly got in and latched his seat belt. He picked up the cups and handed me one of them before shifting the car into gear and pulling out of the lot.

  I wrapped my hands around the hot cup and took a tentative sip. Expecting the acrid taste of strong black coffee, I wasn’t prepared for what I was actually tasting. It took a second deeper sip before I realized what I was drinking. A white chocolate mocha and a touch of cinnamon. My favorite coffee. Mac had made them for me. Something special. Something only Mac would know.

  We pulled to a stop and I looked over at Lars, his face bathed in red from the traffic light. He turned to me and nodded before turning his attention back to the cars around us. Mac had told him. Was telling me to trust him. Wherever Mac was, whatever condition he was in, he was on the job and he’d secured reinforcements.

  In less than a day, everything had changed. Where once I’d been alone in the enemy camp, I now had allies. Where there had been doubt and fear of failure, was the conviction we would succeed. The knowledge that if I failed, there were others who would make sure Hughes paid for what he had done. The people he had sacrificed, the lives he had ruined.

  I settled back in the seat and closed my eyes, inhaling the deep scents of the coffee, chocolate and cinnamon and reveled in the moment.

  FORTY

  THE AGENCY WAS ablaze in light when we returned, the grounds busy with security guards.

  “What’s happened?” I asked Jenny, who had run to meet the car.

  “Dr. Connors is missing!” She was nearly in tears and clung to my arm. “No one’s seen him since he left you this morning. They’re combing the grounds now.”

  I barely had time to think before Lars grabbed my other arm, wrenching me free only to drag me through the door and into the waiting elevator.

  “Hey!” I managed to gain my feet and jerk free of his grip just as the doors closed, trapping me inside. “Don’t you dare push that button. I’m getting out.”

  I shoved him aside, intending to open the doors only to be jerked to the back of the car and held there while he sent the elevator streaking down to the lower floors.

  “Hughes has ordered you be secured in your quarters.” It was the first time I’d heard him talk and it froze me in my tracks. Low and gravelly, his voice came out more like a growl from some animal than anything human, so faint I questioned whether I had heard it at all. The look on his face told me I had and before I could stop myself, my eyes flew to his neck and the turtleneck that covered whatever damage had done this to him.

  Before I could say anything, the elevator came to a stop, Lars dragging me out as soon as the doors opened wide enough for us to squeeze through. His long strides ate up the distance to my room so fast, I had to run to keep up, nearly slamming into the guard that was waiting there for us.

  “Hughes wants you topside,” he informed Lars. “I’m to stand guard here.”

  Lars nodded, pushing me into the room. The other guard slammed the door shut and I stood there in shock as I heard the key turn in the lock. They’d taken Connors and I was locked in my room. Didn’t get better than that. I tore off my jacket and threw it across the room in frustration. I’d been so relieved that Hughes hadn’t tried to take me while I was in town, I hadn’t even stopped to think about why he hadn’t. I hadn’t counted on this, it wasn’t part of the plan. I hadn’t just
underestimated Hughes. I’d never even seen this one coming and now Connors was paying for it.

  I paced off most of my anger and flopped down in one of the chairs to wait for Hughes. I’d been locked up for nearly thirty minutes and unless I was totally off the mark, he’d be coming for me soon.

  Hughes didn’t disappoint me. Within ten minutes, I heard the key in the lock and stood up in an attempt to be ready for whatever came through the door. The last time Hughes had tried to take me, he’d sent men armed with guns and tasers to do the job and I’d lost control. Something I couldn’t afford to do this time. I had to go with him. I had to find out who he was working for and who else was involved. It was a risky plan, but the only one I could think of that would give me the answers I needed.

  I just hadn’t anticipated it being this difficult to go with him. I tried to still my growing sense of panic as the door began to swing open. Hughes came rushing through the door and I felt the power snap through me with each beat of my pounding heart. Fight or flight. The response was instinctive when faced with an enemy, and the battle to contain it was raging inside me.

  Hughes reached to grab my arm and I jerked back avoiding him. If he touched me now, I would lose it, no doubt about it. I would end up killing him before I found Connors, found out the information I needed. We would be on the run forever, constantly looking over our shoulders, waiting for the next attack. It was a sobering thought, and one I wasn’t prepared to live with.

  He started forward again, reaching out, but as his hand closed around my arm it was if the universe suddenly shifted on its axis as a moment of total clarity engulfed me. I was afraid I would lose control and kill Hughes too soon. Somewhere, deep down, I knew I could actually kill him if it came to that. I was the one with the power here. Not him. I wouldn’t allow panic to force my hand. Hughes was going down, but I would be the one to pick the time and place.