Brain Storm (A Taylor Morrison Novel Book 1) (53 page)

I’d finally found the food. The door of the elevator opened into a room filled with glass fronted refrigerator units, a huge ice maker and six heavily armed men, the sight of which, froze me in my tracks, my hand still on the door.

“Stand down.” The quiet order came from the back and I waited until the barrels dropped before I stepped out into the room.
 

Lars pushed his way through the men, obviously the man in charge.
 

“Yours?” I asked, getting a nod of affirmation in response. He made a quick motion and the men silently disappeared to the bowels of the plane. With them gone, I finally had a clear look at the rest of the hold and the other person who was standing there. Relief surged through me. God love them, whoever they were. They’d brought Jenny with them.

“We don’t have much time,” Lars warned in a whisper, holding the elevator door open so it couldn’t go up. “Get what you need fast and keep it quiet.”

“Connors is dying,” I told her, praying she’d know what to do.

“I know. Give him this. It’s an injection that should bring him around. It will go through his clothes. Just jam it up tight and hit the button.”
 

She handed me the narrow cylinder and I slid it into my pocket out of sight.
 

“Once he’s awake, get him to eat as many of these as possible.” She crammed two baskets of muffins into my hands. I recognized them as the ones from the Lodge that Connors had been munching on earlier and nodded that I understood.

“Taylor, I can give you something for the pain, but it’ll make you groggy. What you need most is rest. And stitches.”
 

“So I’ve heard.” The look on her face nearly made me smile as I shook my head no. I needed my wits about me. I turned back to Lars, needing to know what was going on. “Bryan?”

“He’s fine,” he snorted. “They needed to make contact and Sean figured you’d recognize Bryan and not kill him.”

“Sean?” I looked over at Jenny, who was smiling and nodding at me.

“He’s good. He’s with Candice and Bryan. He said to tell you they have your back.”
 

I felt my throat close up and swallowed hard against the emotion that threatened. They were safe and alive. And watching my back. I nodded at her and headed for the elevator. I had a million questions, but they could all wait until later. Right now, I knew all I needed to know.
 

“Lars, I’ll take these. Grab that case of water and follow me up.” I bobbed my head at the cooler and he had the door open, pulling the water out in seconds.
 

 
“Jenny.” I stopped, not knowing what to say to her. Thanks hardly seemed adequate for what she’d done, but she understood.

“Taylor,” She quipped back at me, a ghost of a smile on her face. “We have an appointment the second this is over.”
 

I nodded, knowing I didn’t really have a choice and got in the elevator.
 

“No more blows to the head, Taylor. Understood?” I turned around to find Jenny holding the door to the elevator. Lars was standing behind her with the case of water, looking at anything but me. He’d told her what had happened. That I’d let Vivian hit me.

“Understood,” I agreed, keeping my eyes pinned on Lars.
 

Satisfied, Jenny stepped back and closed the door. I hit the button with my elbow and rode up to the galley.

“Where were you?” I had barely managed to get the elevator door open when Keith came storming around the corner of the galley.
 

“The coolers are down in the hold.” I said, kicking the door closed. “Lars is behind me, with some water. Muffin?” I held out the basket, offering him one, knowing he was too angry to take it.

“Get in your seat. We’re leaving.”
 

I secured the muffins in one of the galley cabinets and grabbing a blanket out of the galley, made my way to the back of the cabin. Keith was still forward, giving me time to slip Connors the shot while checking his seat belt and tucking the blanket in around him.
 

I was seated and buckled in, the plane already rolling out of the hangar, by the time Keith came back in. He gave me a look and sat down at the other end of the cabin, swinging his seat around to face me before buckling in, trying to intimidate me. If he thought I was going to sit there quietly and take it, he was sadly mistaken.

 
“Where’s Vivian, Keith? I don’t see her.”

“Not your concern.”
 

“Okay,” I paused, looking out the window at the line of planes waiting for clearance to take-off, “so where are we going?”

Keith ignored the question, opting to stare out the window instead. Lars came in from up front and took a seat opposite Keith, facing forward.

“Well, if you’re not going to tell me where we’re going, at least tell me how long the flight will be.”
 

“That’s enough, Taylor.” He closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath. I looked back out the window as we rumbled along, passing the long line-up of planes.
 

“You don’t really expect to get away with this, do you, Keith?” I asked softly. “You’re guilty of what? Kidnapping? Murder? I don’t know. The Agency is a government facility, after all. I’m sure treason fits in there somewhere.” His eyes narrowed in anger as the word ‘treason’ left my lips. If looks could kill, I’d have been reduced to a smoldering pile of ashes. I’d hit a nerve and decided to grind my heel on it. “What
do
they do to traitors these days, Keith?”

“Shut up. Taylor. I won’t tell you again.”
 

“Why? What are you going to do to me if I don’t? Hit me? I don’t think your boss would like that very much, do you?” I taunted, reminding him of the trouble Vivian was in, if she was even still around.
 

I watched his hand roll up into a fist, saw the rage in his eyes, as he struggled for control and thought for an instant, that I’d pushed him too far.

“You ought to thank your lucky stars for that Taylor. It’s the only reason you’re still alive.” He looked me in the eyes as he said it and I knew it was the truth. He’d kill me without a second thought if he could. Whoever he worked for, owned him, body and soul. I knew in that second he was lost. There was no saving him because there was nothing left to save.
 

“It’s not going to work, Keith,” I told him, my voice ringing with conviction. “You’re going to spend the rest of your life in prison.”
 

“I’m not going to prison, Taylor,” He said, a smug smile on his lips, hatred in his eyes. “You have no idea who you’re dealing with. ”
 

He reached down and released his seat, swinging it around to face the front of the plane, effectively cutting me off. He was confident he was safe. That whoever he was working for had the power to protect him. I could only hope he was wrong.
 

 
The plane took a sharp left and paused, the engines powering up for take-off, leaving the line-up of corporate jets and rich globe trotters cooling their heels behind us. I could imagine their frustration, sitting there in line, as we passed them by. As we took off and settled into our flight path, the sun broke on the horizon, confirming my suspicions. I breathed out a sigh of relief, knowing my own frustration was nearing an end, the wait nearly over. We were heading east. Now it was just a matter of time.

I OPENED MY eyes to find Connors watching me, munching away on a muffin. His eyes bright and sparkling again

“Good morning,” he managed between mouthfuls. “There’s coffee.”

It took me a second to realize I was looking up at him. Someone had reclined my seat, making it into a bed and covered me up with a blanket. The fact that they managed it without me waking up was too scary to even contemplate.

“Lars,” Connors volunteered quietly when I lifted the edge of the blanket in question. He looked around before continuing. “Direct orders.”

“She’s not in charge,” I mumbled, struggling to sit up and failing miserably. My muscles had stiffened up during the few hours I had been asleep and I was feeling every ache and pain. I reached over to find the buttons and move the seat up into a sitting position, ignoring Connors’ sympathetic gaze.

“No, but she is usually right,” Connors whispered between bites. He might have had a point, but I was no mood to admit it.
 

“Bathroom?” I asked, finally managing to get to my feet. He pointed to the rear of the plane and I staggered down the aisle. The bathroom was every bit as opulent as the one at the Agency, if not more so. I eyed the water jets in the shower, craving the feel of hot water pounding out the aches in my muscles. It took every ounce of my willpower to turn my back on it, confident that if I got in, it would take a pry-bar to get me back out. Later
,
I promised myself, when this is over. As long as you want. Just not now. Later.
 

I took care of business, avoiding looking in the mirror. I knew how much my face hurt. I didn’t need a visual to make me feel worse. Hunting around, I found a toothbrush and some toothpaste along with a travel size deodorant and made use of them. I might look like I’d crawled out of the sewer, but there was no reason I had to smell like it. I took a few minutes to stretch and try to work out some of the kinks. There was plenty of room and at least I had some modicum of privacy. When I came out, I felt a lot more human. I was still stiff, but moving was easier. I looked up to find Lars was waiting at my seat with a cup of hot coffee and a muffin.
 

“Get in your seat and buckle up. We’re about to land.”
 

I sat down and he handed me the coffee, turning his hand over to reveal two tablets hidden in his palm. I left them laying there, reaching instead for the muffin.

“Fine.” He stuffed them into his pocket, clearly angry. “If you want any more muffins, you’ll have to wrestle the Doc for them. He’s a bottomless pit.”
 

I looked over to find Connors strapped into his seat, the half empty basket of muffins sitting in his lap and had to smile. He was looking better with each bite he took. As far as I was concerned he could have all the muffins he wanted.

By the time we started our descent, I had finished my coffee and downed two muffins. Connors graciously had tossed me one of his stash as soon as I had polished off the first one and I was feeling far better than I had any right to expect. We came out of cloud cover to find the city stretched out beneath us, the dome of the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument easily recognizable from the air. We were landing in D.C.
 

“Reagan National,” I heard Connors mumble from across the aisle. “He’s down there, Taylor. I can feel it.”
 

I heard the landing gear lock into place and my heart sped up in anticipation. Connors was right. He was down there and to borrow Keith’s words, he had no idea what he was dealing with. I smiled as the wheels touched down, ready to end it.

“Stay in your seat,” Keith ordered, moving quickly through the cabin as the plane came to a stop. I hadn’t seen him since I’d woken up. He’d taken time to get cleaned up, sporting a fresh shave and clean clothes as he strode past. “I mean it, Taylor. Get out of that seat and I promise you, you’ll be sorry.”

He motioned to Lars to stay at the front of the cabin and set to work opening the door. We’d taxied past the terminal buildings and the corporate jets lined up along the edge of the field before finally pulling into a large hangar. I glanced out my window and just caught sight of a limo heading inside, trailed closely by two black Suburbans. A shiver of unease ran through me as they moved out of sight, the giant hangar doors rolling to a close behind them. Keith stood in the open doorway just inside the plane, the smile on his lips at odds with the knots in my stomach. I hesitated, my brain telling me to get a grip while my guts screamed at me to run. ‘
Follow your instincts’
I heard Mac order as clearly as if he was standing beside me, and suddenly I couldn’t move fast enough.

“Something’s wrong!” I called out the warning, fumbling to release my seatbelt. “Move!”

I was out of my seat and headed toward the rear door when the first burst of gunfire erupted, catching Keith full in the chest and slamming him up against the wall. The sound of feet pounding up the metal stairs had me sprinting down the aisle in a race for the open door.

“No!” Lars shouted as I jumped over Keith’s body and rounded the turn to the door, just as the lead man cleared the top step.
 

I shoved out in panic, mentally hurling him backwards down the stairs into the men behind him. They were back on their feet in an instant, scrambling for the opening.

“Help me!” I called out, and Lars was there beside me, struggling to close the door.

“What part of
no
don’t you understand?” he spat out, as he sealed the latch, locking us inside the plane. “You could have been killed.”

“They need me alive,” I answered back, even though I knew he was right. I’d gotten lucky. The second of hesitation from the man on the stairs was the only reason I wasn’t on the floor next to Keith. He’d had an easy shot, his semi-automatic centered on the door, determined to take the plane. He’d dropped the barrel when I’d stepped into view and charged the doorway. Fast, but not fast enough.