Brain Storm (A Taylor Morrison Novel Book 1) (45 page)

Shell-shocked, I think they call it. I honestly couldn’t think and I certainly couldn’t talk. My brain refused to accept what Connors was telling me. Surely that couldn’t be right. This couldn’t have started with my parents and been going on for decades.
They’ve
had eyes on you since birth.
His words swept, unbidden through my brain, time after time, and I was helpless to stop them.
 

Suddenly a jolt went up my arm and I gasped, looking down to see Connors holding my hand. He’d shocked me. How he’d done it, I had no idea, but it had gotten my attention. I glanced up and saw him nod in warning towards the security camera in the corner. That’s right. Hughes was watching. I needed to hold it together.

“When your Aunt died,” Connors continued on as if nothing had happened, “they instructed me to assign you a Watcher. We have found that trauma is often the spark that ignites a person’s ability. A chemical change in the body perhaps, due to stress. Or maybe the brain is distracted enough to allow the ability to gain a foothold. Why, is something we’re still looking into, but the point is, it was felt that it would be better to keep a closer eye on you after that, so Sean was sent in.”

“Okay,” I mumbled, trying to remember what we’d been talking about when Connors had dropped his bombshell. “What’s next? What happens after you find these people?”

“We invite them to the Agency. Offer them testing, the opportunity to participate in experiments and yes, research, but it’s all on a volunteer basis. No one is forced to do anything they don’t want to. Truth is, most of them are as intent on finding out what’s happening as we are. They want answers too and we try to provide those, along with confirmation that they aren’t losing their minds and imagining things. They are instead, something special and unique and we treat them that way. They stay here until they feel comfortable and then they leave us.”

“And you just let them go? It is a government facility. I would think they would be somewhat concerned about the Clients being out there just walking around.”

“Yes, well. They do require we keep tabs on them.” He stopped to refill my coffee mug, which I’d already drained. “You do know that all that caffeine isn’t good for you?”

“Well, I’m just not as peppy as you are.” I said, a look of innocence plastered on my face. “I need it.”

“ Ah. Touché, my dear. But you might want to pace yourself a bit.”
 

“You were saying... about security?” I decided to ignore his warning and concentrated on adding just the right amount of cream instead.

“Yes. We managed to convince the government that the sight of armed soldiers roaming the grounds would be offsetting. Hughes was their answer. Private security, but ex-military, so they understand the chain of command. I’m the Director, but the Agency is funded by the government and I answer to them. They keep close tabs on what we do here, but we don’t have much interference in our operations. Probably because we don’t have much success. At least not the type of success they’re looking for.”

The waitress arrived with our food, giving me time to get my bearings. The fact that Connors kept referring to the government as
them,
wasn’t lost on me. Whether it was intentional and he was trying to tell me he wasn’t part of it or he subconsciously didn’t agree with what was going on, I had no way of knowing, but he was definitely disassociating himself from what was happening at the Agency.
 

Connors cleared a space on the table in front of him as the waitress deposited his plate. He had ordered a muffin. It was big and that was about all I could say for it. It looked suspiciously tasteless and dry. I sincerely hoped mine was better than that and it was. The waitress sat a huge platter of scrambled eggs, bacon and hash browns down in front of me. I had ordered my toast buttered and uncut. It was homemade, full of nuts and seeds and smelled like heaven on earth. I grabbed up a piece and started piling my food onto it. “Go on.” I prodded Connors, when he just sat there watching me. “What is it they’re looking for?”

“Proof,” he said, shaking his head. “Something tangible that they can use to justify the millions of dollars they’ve poured into the Agency. It’s what they want and we haven’t been able to give it to them. It’s very difficult to substantiate these abilities in a scientific manner..”

“Don’t you mean impossible?” I finished loading my toast and grabbed the other piece to top it off. “There have been others that have tried and failed. You’re not the first.”

“No. I think it’s entirely possible. It just hasn’t happened yet.”

“Why do you think that is?” I asked, looking around for something to wrap my sandwich in. Connors caught on and reached over to the next table, snagging a large napkin and handing it to me.

“That is the question, now, isn’t it? The obvious answer is that they don’t really exist, but we both know that’s not the case, don’t we?” I finished wrapping my sandwich up and topped up my coffee.
 

“Yes we do,” I agreed. “ So why can’t you prove it?” I stood up and he joined me, grabbing an extra napkin, his muffin and his coffee. I snatched a piece of egg from the plate that had escaped and popped it into my mouth before grabbing my cup and heading outside.

“I think, Taylor, that its because it is more than science. It can’t be replicated and authenticated in a lab because there’s no reason to do it other than to prove it can be done and that’s not a good enough reason. There has to be emotion involved. There has to be need.” He got to the door, pushed it open with his foot and held it, waiting for me to pass.

“If that’s true, your work here is kind of precarious, isn’t it?” I headed toward a bench and then changed my mind, deciding that Hughes had probably bugged it simply because it was the only place to sit down. I zeroed in on a nice grassy area instead. “They can pull the funding out from under you anytime they want.”

“Yes, they can and I seem to spend most of my time giving them reasons not to do just that. The fact is, they know it exists. They can’t deny it, just because we haven’t been able to prove it in a lab and they aren’t ready to give up yet. They have too much riding on it. To tell you the truth, it’s frustrating and if that was what it was all about, I’d have thrown in the towel long ago, but it isn’t. Testing and experiments are only a small part of what we do here. People have to know how to handle it and we can help them with that. Granted, it’s mainly lectures and ‘what if’ scenarios, but at the very least, they know they’re not crazy and they know they’re not alone. That’s why I’m here, Taylor. To help those people. To help
you
.”

Connors wanted to help me. Help me how? Help me get a handle on this thing, or help me find out who was after me? Maybe it was both. The thought cheered me up a bit. I hoped I was right and he wasn’t involved in this, because I was really starting to like the little guy. We settled down on the grass and I hunted for a flat spot to set my coffee before starting in on my sandwich. It was just as good as I’d anticipated.
 

“Now?” he asked and I nodded that it was safe to talk. “You think Hughes has listening devices in the lodge?”
 

“I think Hughes does whatever makes his job easier and uses his position to cover it up. If he has access to the equipment and I’m willing to bet he has, then yes, I think he’s done it and not just to the lodge. Probably medical and anywhere else he thinks it might be beneficial.”

Connors looked down at his clothes in dismay.

“I think you’re safe, Dr. Connors. Even if Hughes did bug you, the energy you put out would take care of it, but I wouldn’t count on anyplace else being safe.”

He picked up his muffin and broke it in half, exposing its insides. It was full of berries and nuts and some oozing dark purple substance that looked delicious.
 

“What is that?” I asked, munching away on my own sandwich.

“It’s a high energy muffin. They make them especially for me. There’s probably three times the amount of calories inside as what you’re eating there.”
 

I looked down at what was left of my sandwich which wasn’t much. Full of butter and fat, nuts and seeds this was one high calorie meal and not something I would do on a regular basis, but right now I needed it. I had a feeling those special muffins were something Connors needed on a regular basis.

“How many of those in a day?” I asked.

“It would stagger even your mind,” he said, managing a smile.
 

We finished eating and got up to walk. I didn’t feel real comfortable staying in one place for long. Not with Jenny’s warning that Hughes would be looking for me. We strolled out toward the perimeter, making our way through the gardens.
 

“How much of your story was true?” Connors asked as we made our way around to the back side of the lodge.

“Most of it.”
 

“You think Hughes was right about the men who attacked you being thieves or do you think Brown doubled crossed him?”
 

“Neither.” I paused, thinking about just how much I wanted to tell him. I trusted him or I wouldn’t have risked my life, telling him as much I as I had, but I just wasn’t prepared to risk the others. If nothing else, I had to protect Candice, Bryan and Mama D. I owed them that much.

“Brown decided to take matters into his own hands. He attacked Sean and came after me.” I didn’t state the obvious and Connors didn’t need me to fill in the blanks. He was smarter than that.
 

“Hughes has no idea you’re onto him, then.” I shook my head no, and pretended to stop and look at around at the grounds. “You think he’s the one calling the shots?”

“That’s what I’m here to find out. I do know that he’s not working alone. He has others here that are involved, so you need to be careful. Hughes is dangerous.”

He nodded at my warning and we started back toward the lodge. I’d gotten a good look at the security Hughes had in place during our walk. I didn’t discover anything new that we hadn’t already known about from when we’d cased the place before. I’d had the advantage of both Bryan and Mac then and even from a distance we hadn’t missed much. I looked up at the mountain where we had been before, and felt secure that Bryan or Candice were up there now, watching my every move.
 

“There’s one thing I don’t understand, Taylor.” Connors had interrupted my thoughts and I turned to him, waiting for him to explain. “It’s Brown. The man was a teacher, an educator. He wore tweed jackets. I can’t see him besting a fly, much less a trained military man like Sean.”

I looked him in the eye, confident he was kidding, but he wasn’t. Connors didn’t understand. He might be the Director of an agency that investigated paranormal abilities, but he had no idea what he was dealing with here. For a split second, I was jealous. I used to be like that too. I knew there were bad people. Really bad people. But I’d thought there were limits. At least in my realm of existence. Now I knew better. I hated to be the one to burst his bubble, but he needed to know. For his own protection and mine.
 

“Dr. Connors, Caleb Brown wasn’t what you thought he was. He wasn’t the only one here keeping secrets. He had abilities, powers that no one knew about. Apparently not even you. You saw what he wanted you to see and nothing more. Not everyone uses the power they have for good. Brown was bad, but Hughes is worse. He’s an animal and you need to realize that. There’s nothing he won’t do.” I paused, regretting what I was about to do, knowing it needed to be done. “Tell me about Abby.”

He stopped so fast, I ran into him. It was like running into an electric fence.
 

“What do you know about Abby?”

“That she could find things. Lost things. I know that she’s missing.” Connors looked at me, fear etched on his face, waiting to hear the rest and I forced myself to finish. “And I know, she’s not coming home again.”

His face crumpled in grief, his eyes suddenly awash with tears.
 

“It’s my fault. They were trying to find me and used her to do it,” I told him, trying to ease both his pain and mine. “I’m sorry. You can’t even begin to imagine how sorry I am.”

I walked on back towards the lodge, stopping to admire the gardens along the way, giving him some space to deal with it. It wasn’t long before before he joined me, having pulled it back together.

“Tell me what you need me to do.” His voice was strong and determined and I knew he finally understood what we were facing.

“I need to know that Sean is safe. That Hughes can’t get to him.”

“Done. What else?”

“Be careful and keep your eyes open. You know what’s normal around here and I don’t. Let me know if something doesn’t jibe.”

He nodded that he understood. We’d reached the main entrance to the lodge and he stepped up, opening the door for me. His hand fell gently on my back, guiding me through the door. The spike of energy pulsed through me at his touch and I was relieved to find that it no longer startled me.

Whatever relief I felt was short lived though, as we came through the doors to discover Hughes entering the lobby from the dining area, heading toward the stairs. I stopped short, blocking Connors from his view.
 

“Ah, Ms. Morrison, there you are,” Hughes said, as he changed direction and headed toward us. “I thought I’d find you and Dr. Connors in the dining room.”