Brain Storm, Cat Gilbert [read books for money TXT] 📗
- Author: Cat Gilbert
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Book online «Brain Storm, Cat Gilbert [read books for money TXT] 📗». Author Cat Gilbert
“Wait until you see the clothes we got him. No one will recognize him.” They both burst into gales of laughter, and I heard Jonas snort as he turned to look out the window.
I shook my head in disbelief. If these two had been like this all afternoon, it was no wonder Jonas needed some man time in the front. At least they were having fun instead of being scared to death, and Jonas looked like he’d survived being the target of their fun, but I was sure there was a limit as to how much abuse he could take.
I caught Mac’s eye in the rear view and made some eating motions. He caught on and giving me a nod, turned onto Highway 7 in search of food. He hadn’t gone two blocks before he shot left across the traffic and up the small service road into a lot where he pulled in to park. Looking up, I spotted the Whole Hog Cafe about the same time Jonas opened his door, flooding the van with the heavenly aroma of southern barbecue. By the time he had slid the back door open and was helping Mama D out, my tastebuds were on full alert and my stomach was rumbling. I fought my way out of the bags and caught sight of Jonas herding Trinity and Mama D through the front doors of the cafe. I paused for a second before stepping out of the van to watch as the door closed behind them.
Jonas might have complained about the shopping, but it had been a good thing. The feeling of unease that had gripped me since the confrontation earlier lessened considerably. Jonas may have agreed to stick around, but I knew that he couldn’t be a follower, waiting to see what happened next. No matter how valuable his experience and opinion were to me, Jonas needed to have a job, needed to know his role. Apparently, he’d found his place, and it was taking care of Trinity and Mama D.
“It’s a good thing.” Mac’s voice came at my shoulder, echoing my thoughts. I turned to see him watching the door, as I had been just seconds earlier.
“Just so you know, Mac, in case you didn’t already,” I said as I hopped out of the van, “that still freaks me out. Tell me again, how you can’t read my mind.”
He slammed the van door shut. “I can’t read your mind. I felt you relax some and I’m not blind. I saw what you saw, and I can put two and two together. Especially when I feel the same way. I haven’t known Jonas long, but I don’t think he’s the sort to stick around if he feels useless. He needs to serve and protect, and he’s found some victims who need him. It’s a good thing.”
I flinched at the word ‘victims’, but really, that’s what they were when I thought about it. I just didn’t like thinking about it. He was right about one thing, though. It was a good thing because I was pretty sure that sooner or later, we were going to have to separate in order to keep them safe. Knowing Jonas had chosen his role and would be there to protect them, made that knowledge a little easier to accept.
The evening had turned out to be long, but uneventful. I had been a little worried about just walking into a public restaurant, given the fact that our faces had been flashed on the news, but Hot Springs was a long way from Little Rock, not in miles, but in community. Either the customers hadn’t watched the news or were too busy eating to care, but we managed to put away more than our fair share of pulled pork, brisket, cole slaw and beans without attracting any undue attention.
We picked up everything else on our list at Wal-Mart and headed back on the long drive to the cabin. It was after 9:00 by the time we pulled in and after nodding off several times on the way back, I was ready for a hot shower and bed. After we unloaded the van and sorted out the bags, I made my excuses and gathered up my things, heading for the bathroom. The hot shower did wonderful things to the tight muscles in my neck and back. By the time I slipped under the covers, my bones felt like jelly. I was asleep before my head even hit the pillow.
THE SOUND OF Trinity’s scream had me bolting up and on my feet so fast, it made me dizzy. My gun was in my hand and at the ready, as I eased the bedroom door open and slipped into the empty hallway and listened. Whatever was happening was coming from the kitchen, and I was heading toward her when I sensed someone suddenly behind me. I spun, gun leveled and ready, as the bathroom door flew open to reveal Jonas, dripping wet, and half dressed, but well armed. I gave him a nod as he slipped in behind me and we made our way quickly down the hallway and through the living room. I paused at the doorway to the kitchen and looked to Jonas for the plan. He motioned for me to go low and gave the count. We rounded the corner in a blur of motion, our guns leveled and ready.
Trinity stopped mid-scream, frozen in place. Mama D was at the stove, cooking and didn’t even look up. Suddenly the back door flew open, and I shifted to cover the opening only to pull up as Mac wheeled around the doorjamb, coming in low, gun first.
I did a quick scan and saw there were only the five of us standing there. Whatever Trinity had been screaming about, it wasn’t because she was being attacked. The fright we had given her when Jonas and I had charged around the corner with our guns was forgotten as she laid eyes on Mac.
“I don’t believe you did this,” she said, hissing through her teeth, as she advanced on him, waving what looked like a charge card above her head. I straightened up, lowering my gun, confused and not a little put out. My knees were pretty shaky, and my stomach felt like I’d been punched.
“What’s the problem, Trinity?” Mac was backing away as she bore down on him. Mama D had stopped cooking and was watching now along with Jonas and me.
“CANDY JONES?” She spit out the words like they were poison. “You expect me to go through the rest of my life with a name like Candy?”
“It’s not Candy. It’s Candice.” Somehow he kept his tone calm as he held up his hands to ward her off. “Look, it’s not forever, Trinity. You can pick another name if you want, but later, when we have more time. For now, you’re Candice. It’s important that you accept that. We all need to watch ourselves in public. The last thing we need is to confirm someone’s suspicions by calling each other by our real names.”
“Oh, like we even know your real name,” she snapped out, defiant and ready for a fight.
“Enough!” I went from being scared to angry in record time. The back door slammed shut, breaking three of the blackened panes of glass, causing Mac to look over at me in warning and Trinity to look at me in fear. I saw it, and I didn’t care. This whole debacle was about her new identity? She had scared Jonas and me out of our wits because she didn’t like her name?
Jonas shoved past me and grabbed Trinity by the arm. He threw what was left of the back door open and dragged her out of the cabin, slamming the door closed behind him. We watched in silence as the last pane of glass fell out and burst upon the floor.
“Well, how about that,” Mama D muttered before turning back to the stove like nothing had happened. Mac stood quietly across the room, waiting for me to pull myself together. I walked over to the table and sat my gun down in disgust. Hooking a foot around a chair rung, I pulled it under me and sat down. Mac bent to collect the larger pieces of glass from the floor while Mama D hummed a little gospel at the stove.
I propped my elbows on the table and rubbed my face, running my hands over my head in frustration. I felt like tearing my hair out but settled for just balling my fists into it instead.
I loved Trinity. God knows how much I loved her. Her passion and zest for life was one of the things that I loved the most about her. Maybe it was because of losing my parents so early in life, or maybe I was just born that way, but I’d always kept my emotions bottled up inside. I made a good investigator because I could stay detached, and focused, keeping my emotions at bay. Or at least, that was how it used to work.
Trinity, on the other hand, let her emotions flow out like a river. Her passion swayed juries, her obvious compassion touching hearts. Now the very thing that made her so special, so unique, was the very thing that had me on edge. The excitement and passion that Trinity had brought into my life were things that I couldn’t afford to have there now. Every time I lost control, it had something to do with the people I cared about. Last night I had been afraid we would have to separate to protect the people I loved from the people who were after me, but that wasn’t turning out to be the main reason, I thought, as my eyes wandered to the light streaming in through the broken window panes on the door. We needed to separate, so I could have time to get a handle on this thing. Learn to control
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