Brain Storm (A Taylor Morrison Novel Book 1)

by Cat Gilbert

  “Everything’s clear,” he assured us as he drove slowly forward through the bushes and onto a barely visible path. “Mac’s up ahead moving a barrier. We’ll be at the cabin in a couple of minutes.”

  We cleared the area that Mac had opened up and waited while he swept away the tire tracks and moved brush back over the opening. He hopped in the back and we drove the short distance to the cabin.

  The group of us, bedraggled, dirty and all in all, one sorry looking lot, made our way inside eager for what little security it offered. So far, Mama D hadn’t said much and I was more than a little worried about her. She didn’t even say anything about the mess of paper and books on the floor. Trinity brought her in and sat her on the sofa by the fire. Jonas went gone over and added some fresh wood and kindling, stirring the embers until it caught. I watched the flames as they grew, recalling the flames in Mama D’s kitchen as they ate the lighter fluid and flowed across the floor and felt a shudder run through me.

  Everything looked like it was happening in slow motion. I was sure it was the effects of shock, but couldn’t rouse enough energy to concern myself about it. Mac disappeared into one of the other rooms, which I assumed was a bedroom and returned with an arm load of towels.

  “There’s only one bathroom, sorry to say. There’s clothes for Taylor in the bedroom. Trinity, I am sure you can find something there for you and your grandmother.”

  Clothes for me in the bedroom? Turns out I had some adrenaline still left in my system after all. I strode in through the bedroom door, jerking open the first drawer I came to. It was full of socks, bras and underwear. Great. A perfect stranger buying me underwear. I had enough trouble buying it for myself. Oh wait. He wasn’t a perfect stranger. He’s known me for seven years. How could I forget? No wonder he got my bra size right. Tamping down my irritation, I opened another drawer to find it packed with jeans, another full of sweaters. Barely glancing at the crowd gathered by the door, I walked over to what I assumed to be the closet door and opened it to find an assortment of footwear, the racks hung with clean shirts and jackets. All in my size. All my favorite brands. Squatting down in the closet, I lifted a pair of shoes, the exact make of a pair I already owned. I didn’t know what to think. Frankly, it felt a little creepy. Okay, not a little creepy. A lot creepy.

  I threw the shoes back down and shut the door on the abundance of clothes hanging inside. Finally taking a moment to look around the room, I took in the bed, the soft comforter matching the curtains which hid the blacked out window. The reading light on the bedside table, and the book sitting next to it by my favorite author. The colors, the style, even the feel of room were what I would have chosen for my own bedroom. Shoot, it was my bedroom. These were my clothes, my shoes, my things. Mac had bought them for me. He had known or at least suspected that at some point I would have to run and he had been prepared for it.

  Maybe I was wrong. Maybe he was a pervert, but I just didn’t get that feeling from him. As much as I hated to admit it, I was beginning to think he was exactly what he said was. My Watcher. The thought took the wind right out of my sails. I was so tired, I didn’t know if it even mattered any more.

  “Where’s the pajamas?” I asked, searching out his eyes where he stood behind Trinity and Mama D, his arms still full of towels.

  Relief rippled across his face. “Top drawer on the end.” He pointed with his chin to one of the few drawers I hadn’t opened. “Robe is hanging on the back of the bathroom door. Sorry there’s only one. I wasn’t expecting this many.”

  “That’s okay.” Trinity was already heading to the closet, Mama D following her into the room. “I don’t need a robe.”

  “I wouldn’t be too hasty,” Mama D said as she opened the drawer Mac had indicated. “You haven’t seen what kind of pajamas he bought yet.”

  We all froze, staring at her. It was the first thing she’d said since we’d left her house. She started chuckling as she pulled out a very conservative top with matching bottoms.

  “Well, young man. You’re either very wise or very cautious,” she stated as she went through the rest of the drawer.

  “I prefer to think I’m a little of both.” He gave her a smile as he came into the room and deposited the towels onto the bed. “Taylor, we’ll leave you and the ladies to get cleaned up. This is your room and there’s another bedroom next door down, that Trinity and Mama D can share. Jonas and I will be in the main room if you need anything.”

  He closed the door softly behind him, leaving me alone, with Trinity and Mama D, who was holding one of the pajama tops up to her small frame.

  “I believe this one will fit me just fine,” she said, and grabbing up a towel from the bed, headed for the bathroom.

  “We need to talk,” Trinity announced as soon as Mama D had closed the door behind her.

  “I know. Trinity, I am so sorry about this. I can’t believe you and Mama D are involved in this mess.”

  “As opposed to what? Not being involved?” Trinity flopped down on the bed, actually angry at me. “What would have been better, Taylor? Us not knowing what was going on? You just disappearing and us not knowing what had happened or where you were?”

  “No Trinity. It wouldn’t have been better. It wasn’t even an option. I care about you and Mama D more than anyone on this earth and they know that. You wouldn’t have been safe whether you knew what was going on or not. I’m just sorry. Sorry for putting you in danger. Sorry about disrupting your lives. Sorry that’s there’s no other way”

  “There’s no going back, is there Taylor? Gram and me. There’s no going back.”

  “No. There’s no going back. For any of us.”

  SIXTEEN

  A HALF HOUR later Trinity tapped on the door letting me know the bathroom was free. I spied my favorite soap, lotions and shampoo lined up on the counter and decided to chance there being enough hot water for a quick shower. I didn’t bother to check for a hair dryer. As efficient as Mac appeared to be, I was sure it was there in one of the drawers, probably right next to my favorite brand of flat iron. I wasn’t disappointed.

  I came out of the bathroom to the smell of bacon and biscuits. It was southern comfort food, in its purest form and as the smell hit me, I realized I was famished. Turning the corner, I found Mama D heaping a platter with scrambled eggs while Trinity was pulling strips of bacon from the hot skillet.

  “Taylor, get the biscuits,” Mama D directed and I snatched up a mitt as they made space between them for me to open the oven door. We’d worked like this together in the kitchen more times than I could count. Within minutes the food was on the table, butter dripping from the hot steaming biscuits.

  Jonas and Mac came in through the back door, both toweling off, having apparently gone outside to wash up. I felt a little guilty about my hot shower, but not all that much. They didn’t appear any the worse for wear and if the look on their faces was any indication, they were as hungry as I was.

  “Oh man, does that smell good.” Jonas was already at the table, pulling up his chair, Mac right on his heels.

  Silence descended as plates were piled high and we dug into the feast before us. Eggs and bacon had never tasted so good and the biscuits were to die for. I limited myself to one biscuit but kept the last little bite of it to end on. Somewhat revived, I shoved my plate away and settled back into my chair, holding out my cup as Mac refilled my coffee. Setting the pot on the table, he settled onto the small bench he had used as a makeshift chair.

  “Before everyone heads off to bed, I need to get some information.” He pulled a pen and pad of paper out of nowhere and sat them on the table. I admit, I had to wonder what kind of information he was so intent on getting at 2 a.m. “If you could all tell me the name of your bank and any account information you can remember, that would help a lot.”

  Our bank information? I instinctively looked around for my purse before remembering I didn’t have one anymore. It had probably burned up in the fire and if it hadn’t, there was no way I could
go back and get it. My whole identity was in that purse. My driver’s license, my credit cards, my bank information, my keys, even my cell phone. It was gone. All gone. Just like my life. I couldn’t use any of that stuff anyway, I reminded myself, but that didn’t help relieve my feeling of loss. Some things were just too engrained.

  “Why do you need that?” Trinity asked, a hard edge to her voice and a reprimanding look toward me. She didn’t trust them. Having worked so well together when the pressure was on, now that Mama D was safe and we were clean and fed, Trinity had reverted back to her old habits. Jonas and Mac were going to have to fight for every inch of ground.

  Jonas shifted uneasily in his chair before answering. I didn’t blame him a bit.

  “Trinity, we can’t go back now. To our lives, to what we were,” he explained. “We’re being hunted.”

  “Who’s hunting us?” Mama D cut in fast and quick, surprising us all. I had forgotten that she had no idea what was going on here. All she knew was someone had broken into her house, whom she had efficiently disposed of, and we had whisked her away to some cabin in the woods. All in all, it was a good question.

  “Bad men,” Mac replied softly. “They’re after Taylor and they don’t care who they hurt or what they have to do to get her.” He looked over to Jonas, obviously needing an assist.

  “That’s right, Mama D,” Jonas picked up, “They want her real bad and they’ll use the people she cares about to try and find her.”

  “That man in my house tonight. He was going to take me so they could trap Taylor?” Jonas silently nodded his head yes.

  Okay, this was just awful. How do you tell a sweet little old lady, she killed a man because of you and that she had to leave the home she had made and loved. Wait a minute. She shot a man tonight. That raised a whole new set of questions.

  “Mama D, where did you get that gun?” I asked, the food finally having caught up with my brain.

  “That’s a good question, Taylor,” Trinity chimed in. “Where DID you get that gun?”

  “Trinity, I’ve always had that gun. It’s your grandfather’s gun. I put it away when you and Kevin were little, but I keep it in reach now. I’m an old woman, but I’m not foolish. I know about things.” Mama D gave her a reproving look. “And may I add, young lady, that you’re lucky I didn’t blow your head off, the way you came flying through that door in the middle of the night.”

  Trinity looked at me, her mouth hanging open in shock. I just shrugged my shoulders and attempted to hide a smile behind my hand. Mama D had a valid point. Trinity hadn’t exactly been coming in low and stealthy. She was lucky she hadn’t been killed by Mama D or anyone else that had happened to be in there with a gun.

  “I am curious to know one thing, Mama D,” Jonas said as he reached across the table for the coffee pot. He paused filling his cup as he looked up to give her what I call his ‘kind police glare’. He thinks it’s not intimidating, but he’s wrong. Mama D apparently thought the same thing as she got a hard look in her eye as he continued. “Just how did you manage to get the drop on the guy.”

  “Same way I got the drop on you,” she replied, obviously irritated with him. “I couldn’t sleep. Something was keeping me unsettled, so I got up and put on my things and thought I’d get a start on some church baking that needed doing. I had just started through the living room when I heard that squeaky board on the far side of the porch.” She stopped and looked over at Trinity for support, who nodded at her to continue.

  “Well, as I said, I keep the gun handy now, so I got it and waited to see what would happen next. He came in, real quiet like, through the front door. I was watching him, but he didn’t see me as I was back in the corner and he was heading toward the stairs. I saw the gun in his hand and it was throwing a little red light up on the wall.”

  At this Jonas and Mac gave each other a look. If they had any doubts about who this guy was, Mama D had just put them to rest.

  “I watch those television shows. I know that’s a special gun. I saw that light and I knew he was up to no good. That wasn’t Joe Bob sneaking around from down the street. So I shot him.”

  “Well, you did the right thing,” I said, reaching over to pat her arm and reassure her. No matter how calmly Mama D might seem, she was a solid church going woman and she had taken a life. I knew deep down inside, she had to be shaken. Heck, I was shaken and I hadn’t pulled the trigger. “It’s a good thing you kept the lights off,” I added, rising to clear the table.

  “Oh honey, I don’t need any light to find my own kitchen.” Her chuckle of laughter flowed over and through me like warmth from a fire. I was so relieved and thankful that she was there, and that she was safe. It could have turned out so differently. She must have picked up on my feelings, because the next thing I knew, her arms were around me.

  “Don’t you worry, Taylor. We’re a family and we’re together. That’s the important thing.” Tears welled into my eyes as she held me and I knew in that instant, that I would do whatever it took to keep this woman safe.

  “I love you,” I whispered to her as I hugged her back.

  “I know baby, I know.” She held me from her and placing her small hand against my cheek, searched my eyes. “They want you because you’re special, don’t they? Because you have the touch.”

  I heard Trinity gasp and my eyes flew to hers over the top of Mama D’s head. She shook her head no, she hadn’t told her. Mama D patted my arm gently as she turned away to begin gathering up the dishes before heading to the kitchen. As for me, you could have knocked me over with a feather. Did everyone know about this except me? Stunned, I sat back down in my chair, grabbing my coffee cup for support.

  “Um, I still need everyone’s banking information,” Mac reminded us bringing our thoughts back to the problem at hand.

  “And you still need to explain why.” Trinity sat back down, and motioned for Jonas to comply.

  “Okay, then,” Jonas started again. “As I was saying, we’re being hunted. This cabin is great for now, but we can’t stay here for long. We’ll have to stay on the move for a while and that takes money.” He paused as Mama D returned and took her seat at the table. “Mac and I talked about this earlier and we decided it was worth trying to move some money around before anyone could lock the accounts or put an alert on them.”

  “Oh you decided that, did you?” Trinity interrupted. “How nice of you to inquire as to what we might think of your plan.”

  We were never going to get to bed at this rate. My high intake of caffeine since we had gotten back to the cabin was ceasing to make a dent in my state of exhaustion. I rolled my eyes in frustration as I refilled my cup.

  “What makes you think there’s not already an alert on them? These guys seem pretty well informed,” I asked, trying to steer Trinity back onto topic and effectively cutting off Jonas’ reply to her snippy comment.

  Mac jumped right in, confirming my belief that, at least for the time being, we made a pretty good team.

  “I don’t know who the traitor is in the government, but he has to tread just as carefully as we do or he’ll tip his hand. There’s no reason for the police to seal the accounts right now. They’re still piecing it together and although they may know Jonas is involved, they have no idea about Trinity and Mama D. I have a contact here in the area that is pretty good with things like this. I think we have a good chance of moving funds before they know what we’re up to.”

  Within minutes he had outlined his and Jonas’ plan to attempt to move funds from our accounts into an untraceable offshore account he had already set up. Not knowing who the informant was, his access to funds and assistance from the government were both cut off. We were on our own, and it only made sense to try to pool our resources while we still stood a chance of doing so. Trinity however, wasn’t happy with the idea and had no problem voicing her concerns.

  “Pretty convenient, Mac, how you just happen to have an offshore account already set up,” she accused. “I suppose everything i
s in your name and you’re the only one with access.”

  She stated the last as a fact, not a question. I leaned over, trying to rub the sleep from my eyes. She had a point, I suppose, but under the circumstances, I didn’t see that we had any choice but to go along with it. Time was critical here and although I had never had an offshore account, I was sure that setting one up took time, a commodity that we simply didn’t have.

  “You’re worried about losing your money?” Jonas asked incredulously.

  “Yes, as a matter of fact I am.” She was back on her feet, in Jonas’ face. “And Taylor’s money and Gram’s money. Is that so hard to believe?”

  Jonas took a deep breath and starting to get to his feet ready to do battle.

  “Jonas, stop!” I said, stopping him mid-rise. “Trinity, in a couple of hours, I’m either going to be declared legally dead or they’ll be tracing any movement on my account. That goes for you and Jonas too. Just depends on which way these guys want to play. If I was them, I’d work to get us declared dead, that way the police aren’t looking for us, and they have a bigger playing field to spread out and find us without anyone looking over their shoulder, complicating things. Either way, your money’s gone. Anyway you look at it, we have nothing to lose.”

  I waited for the impact of what I said to sink in. She knew it. I know she knew it, but admitting it was something else entirely. She’d have to trust Jonas and Mac and that was a tough pill to swallow.

  When she finally nodded her reluctant acceptance, I got up and wrote down all the banking information I could remember on Mac’s pad and headed off to bed.

  SEVENTEEN

  I WOKE TO the smell of fresh coffee brewing. I had to search around to find the night stand, much less the lamp sitting on it. With the blacked out windows the darkness was absolute. I had barely noticed when I went to bed earlier, but I definitely had the feeling of being in a cave or buried alive now. Good grief, what a thought. Finally, my fumbling fingers managed to locate the switch and light flooded the room.