VOLITION (Perception Trilogy, book 2) by Lee Strauss, Elle Strauss Page A

kids?” He tapped his ComRing and three
inch head and shoulder holographic images of Noah and me popped up.
    Dorothy gasped and closed her eyes.
    “We don’t permit technology on our property,” Finn said. “Now,
if you’d kindly turn that off.”
    “My apologies.” Grant flicked his ring off. “But have you seen
them?”
    Finn answered Grant’s question by shaking his head. I wasn’t
sure why, but Finn had decided to cover for us.
    “Noah Brody is wanted by the state of California and the
Federal Government for the kidnapping of Zoe Vanderveen. If you willingly
assist them, you can be charged as accomplices to this crime. This would mean
prison, Mr. Ranger.”
    Dorothy grabbed onto Finn’s arm.
    “So, I’ll ask you again.”
    Noah and I were in big trouble. I grabbed my bag and moved to
the far side of the barn, past all the moaning beasts to one of the windows
that faced the shed. I jimmied open the shutters—the sliding lock was stiff
from the cold and my flesh tore as I pressed it. It wouldn’t budge. I looked
around frantically for something to hammer it with. I spotted a tool used to
clean hooves and started banging.
    “You need help with that?”
    I yelped. “Taylor, you scared me to death.”
    “Well, if death is something you’re trying to avoid, let me
assist you.”
    I handed him the tool and he unlocked the hinge with seemingly
little effort. I tossed my bag out and worked to get my body out of the window.
My foot slipped, trying to find purchase.
    Taylor clasped his hands together. “I’ll boost.”
    He practically launched me out of the window and hopped after
me like a star athlete.
    “Come on,” he said.
    I draped my bag over my shoulder and raced after him, dodging
through the forest, trying to stay hidden by the trees.
    Taylor took us straight to the bunker.
    “Is Noah here?”
    “He’s coming.”
    Taylor moved the door mat and opened the hatch. I went first,
feeling a whoosh of cold air follow me down. I didn’t have a jacket and broke
out in goose bumps.
    He wrapped a blanket around my shoulders and then pulled me
into a bear hug.
    “Body heat is the best kind,” he said with a chuckle.
    My heart skipped. “Isn’t that against your religion?”
    “What? Body heat? Not last I checked.”
    He rubbed my arms, and I grew warmer. I found myself relaxing
into him.
    That was how Noah found us.
    “What the hell?” he said.
    I jumped back like I’d been caught cheating again, which I
hadn’t.
    “She doesn’t have a coat,” Taylor said. “I was just keeping her
warm.”
    Noah’s expression didn’t soften.
    “It was nothing,” I said.
    “Right,” he spit out.
    “Hey, now’s not a good time for a lover’s spat,” Taylor said.
“You got people looking to do you harm out there.”
     “They’re searching the house at the moment,” Noah said. “Next
it’ll be the outbuildings.”
    “Where were you?” I asked.
    “I parked the car down a service road, before they could find
it, then came back for you.”
    Taylor sat in the chair at the desk and turned on the laptop.
He tapped on the old-fashioned plastic keyboard like an expert.
    “You type pretty well for a guy not exposed to technology,”
Noah said, frowning.
    “Sometimes you have to be flexible,” Taylor said. A window
opened up showing mine and Noah’s faces side by side, my last name VANDERVEEN
in bold letters.
    I exhaled. “You know who I am?”
    Taylor spun his chair around to look at me. “I’ve always known
who you were.”
    “Wait a minute. You’re Finn’s whiz-kid?” Noah said.
    “Shh,” he warned.
    We heard muffled sounds of footsteps circling above us along
with the clanging of yard tools as they searched the shed. My heart raced and
burning fear flared in my chest. What would happen to me if they found us? All
they had to do was look under the door mat.
    Would Grandpa V have my memories erased again?
    I couldn’t think about what they’d do to Noah.
    The shuffling was followed by the