Brain Storm - Cat Gilbert (top 10 inspirational books .txt) 📗
- Author: Cat Gilbert
- Performer: -
Book online «Brain Storm - Cat Gilbert (top 10 inspirational books .txt) 📗». Author Cat Gilbert
I walked outside with them and helped Trinity get Mama D and Jonas into the RV. We said our goodbyes and I watched until their tail lights disappeared into the distance, sad to see them go, but grateful that they were safe and out of the line of fire. At least for now.
I swung by the shed and grabbed the gas can I’d found while looking for the rope. It was a two-gallon can and was over half full. Not much, but I didn’t need much to get the job done. I headed back to the house and dropped the can off in the kitchen and grabbed the guns off the counter, placing them outside, before heading upstairs to take one last look through the house. I wanted to make sure we’d removed all evidence of Jonas, Trinity and Mama D having been there and make sure the scene was set for what was coming next. I stopped by my room to pick up my cell phone, checking to make sure it was charged and that I had service before slipping it into my pocket. Then I headed back downstairs to finish up.
I checked the small study off the living room where Brown had been staying. There was nothing of his there. He hadn’t had anything but the clothes on his back when we’d picked him up, and I’d made him throw those out the van window. I stripped the sheets and blankets off the sofa where he’d been sleeping and dragged them through the living room to pile them on top of the blanket already covering his body. I looked around one last time and decided I’d delayed enough. Trinity had had plenty of time to be well away from the area. All I was doing now was putting off the inevitable.
The smell of the gasoline was almost overpowering as I poured it over the pile of blankets, trying not to think about what I was doing. I dropped the empty can into the pile and pulled out the matches.
I stood for a moment, taking one last look, the book of matches in my hand. Never in my life did I ever think I’d be doing something like this. God forgive me, I prayed, as I lit the match and tossed it onto the soaked blankets. The flame caught immediately with a loud whoof and within seconds, the blanket was engulfed.
I went back outside, retrieved the guns, and stood back to watch until I was sure the flames had taken hold of the house. It happened faster than I’d thought it would. Within minutes, the entire first floor was in flames, and smoke was barreling up into the sky.
Satisfied, I broke into a slow run and headed back to Mac. By the time I got there, I was winded from expending too much energy at too high an altitude, so I didn’t have to pretend to be out of breath when I pulled out my cell and dialed the Agency begging for help. I hung up and laid down at the edge of the cliff, calling down to Mac that help was on the way. Then we went to work setting the scene.
I shined the light down as Mac struggled to shove the blankets and supplies off the edge of the ledge. I waited until he was done before tossing the guns over the side, and watched as they disappeared into the blackness below. I had no idea if they would be visible when the sun came up, but if things went as planned, we would be long gone before that happened. Once I was sure he was set, I tossed the flashlight onto the ground and laid down on the rocks and the dirt to watch the house burn, as we waited.
By the time Hughes arrived with the troops the house was fully engulfed, the surrounding area awash with light from the flames. I watched as Hughes got out of the lead car and started directing his men to fan out and start the search. It had taken them nearly thirty minutes to arrive. I was shaking badly from the cold and knew Mac had to be in far worse shape. I closed my eyes and prayed that they would find us quickly.
IN THE END, it took longer than I’d planned. I was sure the flashlight I’d left on and lying nearby would be a pretty good indication of our location, but the batteries started going, and the light was pretty dim by the time Hughes got there. I was about to the point of getting up and staggering over to them when one of the men finally saw me lying there and sounded the alarm. Within minutes, there were people swarming all over. Medics had been brought from the Agency as well as an unmarked ambulance, which I was hustled into while they brought Mac up the mountainside. All in all, it was quite impressive.
I sat huddled in a thermal heat blanket while they checked my vitals, managing to keep an eye on Hughes despite the interference of the medic. We’d seen Hughes with a couple of guys, the night we watched them at the Agency, but there were substantially more people here tonight. I doubted everyone was in on it and looking out over the group that was working so hard to help us, I figured that worst case, maybe half of them were in league with Brown. Problem was I didn’t have the faintest idea who.
So far, everyone had pretty much left me alone, with the exception of the medic who was fast becoming annoying. I was playing the role of shell-shocked victim, which wasn’t much of a stretch, but I made sure to keep a vacant, confused look on my face, discouraging anyone from pelting me with questions. I preferred to wait and see what they came up with than volunteer information to them.
The house fire had pretty much burned itself out and so far, no fire trucks or police had shown up, making me wonder if they just didn’t know about it, or if they had been warned off. The implications of that possibility sent a shiver through me that had the medic swarming all over me again, rechecking my vitals for the umpteenth time.
The absence of flames had sent the area back into a moonlit darkness. They had pulled some cars around and were using the headlights to illuminate the area. Movement from the house caught my eye, and I watched as a hulking figure dislodged itself from the smoking remains and slowly made its way over to the group gathered by the cars. It was the fire suit that gave him the slow plodding gait and large mass. I cringed as he reached up to pull off the helmet that had allowed him to go inside the house despite the heat that was still radiating from the burned mass. I hadn’t counted on a fire suit, hoping I’d have a few more hours before they were able to get in and find Brown’s body. I knew that was not to be the case as he stared over at the ambulance for a few minutes and then headed off in Hughes direction. It didn’t take long before they started walking toward me.
“Who’s body is in the house?” Hughes demanded. I ignored him, choosing to watch the rescue scene instead. They had finally brought Mac up, and now the other two medics were finally able to get to him. The group was clustered around him, and I couldn’t really see anything, but at least, they had him off that ledge, and he was getting some help.
Hughes snapped his fingers in front of my eyes. Not once, but twice. How rude. I slowly turned to look at him working hard to keep the irritation from showing on my face. The man with the fire suit stepped up next to him. He was big even without the additional bulk from the suit. With it, he managed to block out most of the rescue scene I had been watching.
“What?” I mumbled, sounding completely confused.
“There’s a body in the house.” Hughes spoke slowly and enunciated every word like he was talking to an imbecile. “Who is it?”
If they didn’t know who it was, I had no intention of telling them. They could figure it out on their own. I hesitated just a moment and then burst into tears, muffling my sobs in the blanket.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea to question her right now, Sir.” My medic, who had retreated to the background when Hughes arrived, was now pushing him aside to check my pulse rate again. “They’re bringing in Sean right now, and we need to get her ready to roll.”
He was helping me to my feet and onto a seat that was tucked into the back of the ambulance before turning away to help load Mac onto the gurney secured against the opposite wall.
Safely away from Hughes, I lifted my head to watch. Mac was deathly pale, and I couldn’t see if he was breathing or not. They had left him strapped in the rescue basket and were loading both him and the basket onto the gurney. Not a good sign.
The other medic climbed in, and the doors swung shut behind him. Mac’s lips were blue, and I prayed that I hadn’t had him throw the blankets off too early. It had taken longer than I’d expected for Hughes to get there. The medics were ripping open drawers, pulling out needles and tubing at record speed. I pressed back, trying my best to stay out of the way as they worked on him. By the time we started moving, they had started an IV and had him hooked up to monitors. I let myself breathe again as the faint, slow beat of his heart filled the air. He was alive. For now,
Comments (0)