Page 12 of Controlled Chaos

Chapter 7

Porter

He woke,packed, showered, and left his room, intent on waking Clara up, only to find the spare bedroom door standing open and Clara and her suitcase gone.

The sound of unfamiliar female voices speaking in a low thrum grew louder as he headed down the hall and toward the kitchen and the smell of coffee.

Two women stood in the kitchen with Clara. Two women he’d never seen before.

“Looks like we have more company,” he said.

“You’re finally awake,” Clara said, sounding chipper like she’d already had an entire pot of coffee and not the decaf kind he kept in his cabinets. “Porter Anderson, these are my cousins, Cassie and Nina Bennett.”

“You gave them my address?” Porter asked, his tone cool with disapproval.

“Oh, she didn’t have to do that. Cassie found you for me,” Nina said.

He could see the resemblance between all three women. They had an air about them, one that told him that none of them would think twice about invading his privacy or interfering in his life. He didn’t have to be a mind reader to know it.

“You two must be gifted,” Porter said, moving to the coffee pot and pouring a cup. He took a swig, and his eyes widened. He’d been right. Clara must have brought her own coffee with her, too, just like the sheets, the wine, and the dinner.

“We are,” Cassie said. “I find people and things, and Nina sometimes gets premonitions.”

Porter took another sip, watching them over the rim of the cup, debating whether to ask the dreaded question. “Let me guess; you had one about us?”

Nina was hugging a book to her chest and was watching Porter with the weighted stare of a prosecutor at trial.

“Tell them,” Cassie prodded. “He has a right to know since Clara is going to be with him.”

“I don’t trust him,” Nina said. “Sorry.”

Porter held in his grin. That was the worst apology in the history of sorrys, but he understood her hesitation.

“That’s a typical response,” Porter said, turning and drinking his un-doctored coffee. “When I’m around people with gifts, they normally feel vulnerable around me. It’s a part of my DNA I can’t turn off.”

Cassie nudged Nina’s arm. “It’s fine. Now show him.”

Nina sighed and opened her book. She slipped a piece of paper out and handed it to Clara instead of Porter.

Clara stared down at the paper, unmoving. Her fingers clutched the sheet tight, wrinkling it in her hold.

You need to be careful,” Cassie whispered.

Porter glanced over Clara’s shoulder at the drawing. It was a picture of a girl staring out into a field with what looked to be freshly dug graves that had been covered up.

“You must have gotten your wires crossed. That’s not going to happen where we’re going,” Porter said, gesturing to the paper before taking another sip of his coffee.

“Why is that?” Clara asked, finally tearing her gaze away.

“Because I’m not standing next to her, and believe me, I have no intention on letting her leave my side. And not only that, but there is no field that big where we’re going. It’s full of trees and greenery.”

“I can assure you that my wires are working just fine,” Nina said, snapping her book closed.

“You can’t take this lightly,” Cassie said, pointing to the picture in Clara’s hand. “Nina’s premonitions always come true.”

“Thanks,” Clara said, folding the paper and sliding it into her pocket. “If I see this type of area, then I’ll run the other way.”

“Promise?” Cassie asked.

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