Training Rain (11 page)

“Yup.” He continued to stare at her with that same
expression.

“Thanks. What are you doing?”

“Trying to decide what to do about you.”

She sat up, pulling the blanket with her. She didn’t recall
having a blanket over her when she’d fallen asleep. At some point Jess must
have moved her under the covers, effectively tucking her in. “Must something be
done about me?”

“You are a problem.”

“Am I?” Her heartbeat tripled. He was going to send her back
to the reservation. She blocked her mind from any prying while she tried not to
show the devastating disappointment his rejection had on her.

“I’ve never been in love so I could be wrong, but I don’t
think so.”

“Wait. What?” She suddenly felt as though they were having
two different conversations and she had come in on the middle of both.

“I’m trying to tell you that I love you.”

“But…”

He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. The kiss was
soft, sweet and far too quick. “No buts. I love you.”

“You said you had to figure out what to do about me. That
sounds like a big but.”

“My life is not conducive to a romantic relationship.” His
tone didn’t waver. He still sounded as if they were talking about love.

“I thought we had the same kind of life.” Why couldn’t she
stay unaffected?
Don’t beg him.

“I will always be worried that you’re going to get killed.
How can I do my job if I’m afraid all the time?” He got out of the bed and
crossed to the window. It was dark out and only the bedside lamp lit the room.

Rain stayed in the bed but leaned against the hard wooden
headboard. “I think you just have to get over it, Jessé.”

He turned at the harsh sound in her voice. “Don’t get mad,
cher
.
I just told you that I love you.”

She hadn’t really meant to get angry, but he was being as
ass. “No, you are using loving me as an excuse to get rid of me. If you really
love me, you’ll man up and learn to deal with the fact that we are in a
dangerous profession. People are trying to kill us right now, if we survive,
it’s likely there will be others in line behind them ready to try to kill us.
Together or apart, we’re in danger. I don’t want you dead. I sure as hell don’t
want to watch you die. But I’d rather be with you for whatever time we have
than live without you.”

He faced her, arms folded across his broad chest. “Did you
just tell me to man up?”

She wondered if there was a back door she could make a run
for. Had she told him that? She shrugged.

He laughed and shook his head before returning to stand over
her. “I am not trying to get rid of you.”

“That’s how it sounded to me.” She wouldn’t back down. If
she did, she would always be the one to give in. “Either this is an equal
partnership or this can’t happen. I want to be with you, Jess. I’m willing to
take the risk, but I won’t be told to stay in the background. You told me I had
what it takes to be an agent.”

He hung his head. “You do.”

“Well then.” She didn’t know when it happened, but at some
point she stopped thinking she should go back to the reservation. She knew she
could never be happy restricted to a simple life.

Jess sank onto the bed and put his head in his hands. “I
thought I understood you, but you always surprise me.”

Rain moved behind him and kissed his back and leaned her
cheek on his shoulder.

He didn’t turn around. He relaxed by a fraction. “There’s
something I should tell you.”

“What is it?” She slipped her arms around his waist and his
hands clasped hers. He smelled of rain and desire. Her body responded
immediately.

“When we were in the cabin—”

“Open up.” Will’s voice was accompanied by his pounding on
the front door.

Yas was up and growling before the words were out of Will’s
mouth. He took off through the apartment toward the door.

Jess grabbed his gun from the side table and stood up. He
kissed the top of her head and she breathed in his warm scent. “You’d better
get dressed,
cher
.”

Whatever he was going to tell her would have to wait. She
dressed quickly and joined the men in the living room. Will’s smiling face was
in direct contrast to his news. “New Orleans is swarming with mercenaries. The
good news is the rain stopped.”

“Do we know who hired them?” Jess asked.

Will shook his head. He carried a case he placed on the
sofa, opened and removed his rifle. He attached a sight to the top and lifted
the butt against his shoulder. He pointed the barrel toward the window.

There was no television in the living room and only the
couch and one chair for furniture. It was obvious that Jess didn’t spend much
time in his New Orleans apartment.

Yas padded over to Rain and leaned against her leg. She
scratched his head. “It’s okay, boy.”

Jess started pulling blinds while Will continued to stare
through his scope.

“Maybe we should ask that guy who hired him,” Will said.

Jess and Rain both rushed to the window and peered out
between the wall and the blind. “Is it anyone we know?”

“I don’t know him. Here have a look.”

Jess took the rifle and leaned in as if he might shoot. It
was probably five hundred yards across the street to where the mercenary stood
watching the apartment building. “I never saw him before.”

Rain saw movement at the opposite block. Another man turned
the corner. It was four o’clock in the morning. Not too many people on the
street. Her instincts told her that was no partier on their way home from a
long night. “I’ve got another at two o’clock.”

Both men turned. The second operative slipped into the
shadow of the building.

“I think we should assume the building is surrounded.”
Will’s voice was still completely casual. He didn’t seem at all concerned or
worried about the prospect that they were about to be ambushed in an apartment
with only one way out.

“Get your things. We’re going to the roof.”

Rain picked up her bag, checked her extra clips and closed
her mind against any psi powers.

Jess went into the bedroom and came out carrying a duffle.
“We need to get on the roof and see what we’re dealing with.”

She didn’t even know what question to ask first so she just
kept her mouth shut and silently commanded Yas to follow. Yas licked her
fingers and never left her side as they climbed three flights of stairs to the
roof.

All told, there were six operatives surrounding the
building. “How many do you think you can take out with your rifle before they
know what hit them?”

Will settled in to a spot in the northwest corner of the
flat rooftop. “Three.”

There was no doubt in the sharpshooter’s voice. Rain wished
she felt half as confident. She held a Beretta 92 compact in her hand, her bag
was weighed down by the several extra magazines and ammo. Looking over the wall,
she saw two men waiting for an opportunity to kill her.

As if he’d read her mind, Jess knelt down in front of her.
“I know you’re not ready for this, but you’re going to have to shoot one of
them.”

She just stared at him. Could she do it?

“Listen to me. You and I are going to go down to the street.
See the guy on the southwest corner? You are going to have to take him out.
I’ll get the one at the other end of the street.”

“And the other?”

“He’s going to run and we’re going to chase him, catch him
and find out who sent him and why.”

“Okay.” Her voice trembled on just the one word.

“If you don’t shoot him, he will kill you or me. You
understand?”

“Yes.”

He grabbed her hand and they headed back inside.

Will called in a low voice, “Three minutes.”

Jess checked his watch and they ran down the steps with Yas
at their heels.

At the rear door to the square building they waited. “As
soon as we hear Will take his shots, we go.”

Thirty seconds ticked by and time stopped. Pop. Pop…pop.

Jess ran out the door and she followed, heading in the opposite
direction. The man she was after saw her a moment before she got within range.
He lifted his automatic weapon and she knew this was it. Rain Silver’s last
seconds on the earth.

The growl from Yas preceded the dog rushing forward toward
her mark. His attention was drawn toward the animal. He shifted his aim. He was
going to shoot Yas.

Rain saw his anger-twisted face in the bubble of her sight.
She pulled the trigger and he dropped in a heap on the sidewalk. Yas stopped,
sniffed the mercenary and growled once before turning back to her with his tail
wagging.

One thing was certain, he was the best dog she’d ever had.
Maybe she would feel regret for her actions later. No time. She took off toward
the sound of another gunshot, praying that Jess had done as well. Another
mercenary lay on the sidewalk dead and Jess was chasing the last, who had run
as predicted. She followed, but Yas overtook Jess and leaped on top of their
prey. The dog got him on the ground and took hold of his throat.

Jess was only a second behind. “Good work, Yas. Now leave
him.”

Yas growled but didn’t release the man’s throat.

Rain slowed to a jog and told the dog to release, which he
did before trotting over to her with his tongue hanging out happily. “Good
boy.”

Jess dragged the would-be assassin to his feet just as Will
arrived in the car. Yas happily jumped in the back. Rain got in the front, and
Jess pushed their captive into the back before getting in after him.

Will’s grin never seemed to dim. “I called for backup to
clean up the mess and talk to the authorities.”

“Head for Ten. We’ll go to Pierre Part. It’s quiet and we
can dispose of this one in the swamp.”

Will said, “My bag is by your feet, Rain. You can help our
guest nap.”

She pulled the small satchel onto her lap and tossed her bag
on the floor. She found a plastic case, opened it. Inside were two hypodermic
needles. She removed one and pulled the cap off the end. “Leg okay?”

“Yeah.”

She didn’t think about what she was doing. Getting up on her
knees, she turned around in the seat and stabbed their prisoner in the thigh
while depressing the plunger.

“Fucking bitch.” He lashed out, reaching for her, but Jess’
fist connected with his jaw, sending him back against the seat before even Yas
could react.

The dog growled after the fact.

The prisoner’s words slurred. “Why don’t you just ask me
what you want to know?”

Jess said, “Because you’re trained to keep secrets. What’s
your name?”

“Donnn…elly…” The word trailed off as Donnelly lost
consciousness.

“Now what?” Rain asked.

“Now dig a bit deeper in Will’s bag and I’ll bet you find
some restraints that I can use to bind Mr. Donnelly’s hands.”

Rain’s mind reeled with the events of the morning, starting
with Jess declaring his love and ending with her killing someone. The vision of
that man with a hole in his face collapsing on the ground would stay with her
for the rest of her life. Still, she wasn’t sorry she’d done it. He would most
definitely have killed both Yas and her if she hadn’t pulled the trigger.

Jess finished securing Donnelly. “You were amazing,
cher
.
Great work, and you.” He petted the dog’s head. “I’ve seen trained dogs that
couldn’t have done better. We are definitely keeping this dog.”

Even after all the insanity she’d just experienced, the idea
that he was calling them “we” and implying that Yas was their pet created a
warm bubble in her chest that spread throughout her body. “What’s in Pierre
Part?”

“I have a small place near there, on the Atchafalaya Basin.
We can find out what he knows, contact Lakeland and then we’ll know how to
proceed.”

“Do you think we’ll be safe there?”

The sun was rising and she could see an apology in his eyes.
“Not for long. My place is off the beaten path, but they will find us
eventually if we stay too long.”

“I see.” She tried to smile, but she didn’t think she quite
managed it.

He hadn’t been to Louisiana in several years. His parents
lived less than a hundred miles from where they were. He hoped he could keep
the promise he’d made to his uncle and go see them. The notion of bringing Rain
to meet his folks appealed to him. In fact, it was such a normal thing he
didn’t know how his mother would react. He’d never brought a woman home to meet
them.

Will drove down the long, private road and pulled to a stop
in front of his place. Whitewashed with black trim, it was small but not
neglected. He paid a caretaker to come in and keep the place up and it looked
as if his money was well spent. The grass was mowed and the shrubs trimmed. At
least on the outside the house looked neat.

Donnelly was still out. Will went around the car, let Yas
out and tossed their prisoner over his shoulder. Jess went ahead and used the
key he kept in a planter to open the door.

The inside was also neat with only a thin layer of dust.

Rain looked around, running her hands along the dining table
and peering in the small kitchen.

Will dropped Donnelly on the couch. “He’ll wake up soon and
you can do your thing, Jess.”

Jess winced and looked at Rain, but she didn’t seem to have
heard the comment.

Then she turned, her gaze locked with his. “What thing?”

Will said, “What thing? Jess is the best mind bender in the
business.”

“Mind bending?”

Jess said, “It’s a way of getting information from people.”

“Talk about understatements,” Will said.

“Will…”

Will laughed and went to the door. “I’ll check on Yas and
make sure we’re alone.”

She watched him with those piercing dark eyes. “This is your
house too? How many houses do you own?”

Had she dropped the other subject? Relief washed over him.
He should have told her sooner, but maybe it would be okay. “A few. None of
which I ever spend any time in.”

“No TV. There was no TV in New Orleans either.”

“I never watch. I get enough current events on the job. On
the rare occasion I get to relax, I don’t want to know what’s happening in the
world. It’s never good news.” Why was she asking so many questions? Will was
outside, the prisoner was unconscious, they had time and he just wanted to
touch her. Well, maybe that’s not all he wanted.

She skirted the outside of the room. It was really only a
living room and kitchen but in one big room. Down a hall to the left of the
front door were three bedrooms and a bathroom.

“What are you going to do with him?”

“Why are you all the way on the other side of the room?”

“Because I don’t trust myself to get too close to you.”

His heart pounded. “I’m not sure what that means. Are you
backing away from me, Rain?”

“No. I’m out of my mind. I should regret all the things I’ve
done in the past two days. I killed. I should be remorseful.”

“And?”

“And all I can think about is how I want to be in your arms.
I don’t feel bad that I took a life.”

“He would have killed you.” He moved toward her, around the
couch and cornered her in the kitchen.

“I know. He would have killed us all if he’d had the
opportunity. Maybe you were right.”

“About what?”

“You said I’d be a good agent.”

“I didn’t mean that killing would come easy to you. I don’t
think you’re unmoved by what you had to do. I just don’t think you’ve had time
to think about it yet. When you do, you’ll have regret. You’ll wonder if you
could have done something else.”

“Do you wonder that?”

He’d effectively trapped her against the refrigerator. She
pressed her palms against his chest but didn’t push him away. He breathed in
the warm, sweet scent that was uniquely Rain. “Every time.”

“How do you live with it?”

“I compartmentalize it and try to remember that I’m the good
guy and they are not.”

“Does that work?”

He kissed her cheek. “Most of the time.”

Donnelly groaned from the couch.

“How will you get information from him?”

“Fucking bitch drugged me.”

“Time to go to work. Would you go get Will? And it might be
better if you stayed outside until this is over.” He wished she would do as he
asked, but knew she wouldn’t.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought you’d say.”

Will walked inside without having to be called. The guy had
the most amazing instincts for a non-psychic. Yas padded in behind him and sat
down facing their captive. The dog growled.

“Get that mutt the fuck away from me.”

Will went around to the back of the couch, grabbed Donnelly
by the shoulders and sat him up. Jess grabbed a wooden kitchen chair and sat
down in front of the man. He focused his mind on the man in front of him. He
nudged him mentally. When he spoke, his New Orleans accent flowed thickly. “You
need to tell us who hired you.”

“Bradly Breckenridge.”

“The senator?” Rain asked.

Donnelly didn’t say a word. His face twisted as if he was in
pain. Jess didn’t care about this assassin’s discomfort. He was only
uncomfortable because he was fighting the process.

Jess continued. “Why does the senator want us dead?”

“He plans to make a run for the presidency. He’s going to
use his stand against you freaks as his platform. First he’s got to reduce your
numbers and then make you out to be a danger to society.”

“How’s he going to do that?”

“I don’t know.”

“How’s he going to make the Psi Alliance look bad?” Jess’
voice thickened with his accent and his eyes narrowed.

“Every one of us that’s killed by one of you, he’ll plant
information…”

“What kind of information?”

“That we’re war heroes serving our country and we were cut
down in the line of duty or without provocation.”

“How many men does he have?”

“I don’t know.” It must have been the truth.

“Does he have command of the US forces?”

“I don’t know, but if he did I doubt he’d hesitate to use
them.”

“Why are we the senator’s target?” This question came from
Rain.

Jess nudged Donnelly’s mind for an answer.

“He has a kid who is psychic.”

It wasn’t an answer. Jess pushed harder.

Donnelly’s eyes closed under the strain, but he couldn’t
help answering. “He hates the idea of his kid being different. Keeps him locked
in a mental institution under sedation.”

Jess nodded to Will who stabbed the guy with another needle
in the neck this time. Donnelly only got half a scream out before his eyes
rolled up in his head and he fell over almost immediately.

“Did you kill him?”

Will grinned. “No. He’s just unconscious. We’ll leave him
here and have someone bring him back to Nevada for more questioning.”

Jess knew what he would be facing as soon as he turned
toward Rain. Everything they had learned about Senator Breckenridge would help
them and the other agents to stay alive, but she would not want to talk about
that. He should have told her sooner. He should have confessed his mistake. No.
It wasn’t a mistake. He’d done what was necessary. Shit.

Rain’s gaze remained fixed on him and he didn’t turn away.

Will cleared his throat. “Um, I’m just going to take Yas out
for another walk and give you two a few minutes.”

The screen door slammed closed behind him.

She didn’t say a word and the silence was worse than the
yelling he deserved.

“Just let me explain.”

“Did you use whatever you just used on him, on me?”

His heart sank. “
Cher
.”

Her eyes widened and the color drained out of her face. “Oh
my god, you did.”

She turned away, stumbled slightly and reached out to grab
the wall between the living room and the kitchen.

Jess rushed over and reached for her.

She turned unexpectedly. Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t you dare
touch me.”

He wanted to reassure her. He tried to establish the link
they had shared the night before, but she blocked him. In fact she was blocking
all of his psi abilities. “Rain, I wanted to tell you. I tried to tell you this
morning.”

She backed away toward the door never taking her eyes or her
concentration from him. “Tell me what, that you manipulated me, forced my
compliance, used mind bending to get what you wanted?”

“You’re overreacting.” He knew the minute he said it that it
was the wrong thing to say.

Her eyes grew even wider. “I’m overreacting? I thought we
had something special. I thought you cared for me. Now I don’t even know if my
feelings are my own or you just wanted to get me into bed.”

His own temper started to rise. “I did nothing to alter your
feelings for me.”

“What did you do then? How much of what happened last night
was your doing?” She leaned against the wall not far from the exit. Ready to
make a quick escape if need be.

He sat down at the kitchen table and ran his hands through
his hair. He didn’t like that she’d cut off the use of his abilities. He was
flying blind. Normally he’d be able to sense her emotional state and subdue her
more irrational thoughts. “Let me be really clear. I did nothing last night.
That was all you. If you have feelings for me, they are your own. I swear it. I
told you how I feel.”

“Then what were you going to tell me this morning?” She
crossed her arms over her chest.

“In Yellowstone, when you wanted to leave, I coerced you to
stay.”

Her eyes narrowed on him. “What else?”

He didn’t need to be psychic to see that the trust he had
established with her was gone, or at least hanging by a thread. His chest ached
with the knowledge that he had caused the rift. The only thing he could do was
tell her the truth. He was sick, knowing it wouldn’t be enough.

“I eased your panic when you freaked out in the field that
day and convinced you that you could do this. But it was not a lie. You can do
this. Look at how fantastic you were this morning. Plus, I only stopped
impulses, not what you really want, just knee-jerk reaction.”

She pushed off the wall. “How can I trust you?”

He got up and crossed to her, taking hold of her shoulders.
“Everything I did was in your best interest.”

“You took away my free will.”

“No. I don’t have that kind of power.”

“I can never trust you.” Her voice cracked.

“Rain, I love you. Don’t do this.” His chest ached as she
pulled away, turning her back to him.

“I’ll finish the mission. Then we’ll go our separate ways.”

His throat was constricted painfully. “I wish you would
reconsider.”

She stepped out the door and he knew he’d lost the one woman
who’d ever really meant anything to him. The problem was, if he had it to do
over again, he couldn’t think of what he would do differently. His heart ached
at her rejection, but he’d have lost her much earlier if he hadn’t bent her
decision to leave Yellowstone. He couldn’t win. He had to find a way.

Rain squinted in the bright Louisiana sun until her eyes
adjusted. Yas trotted over and licked her fingers. Will sat on top of the post-and-rail
fence with his rifle across his knees. He didn’t turn as she approached.

“It’s not easy to have both lives.” His words sounded sage,
but he still wore the happy expression that was his signature.

She looked up at his square jaw and the angular lines of his
face. “Can I ask you something, Will?”

“Sure.”

“How can you be so happy when you do what you do?”

“You mean when my job is to kill people?”

She cringed at the openness of his words and climbed up to
sit on the fence next to him. “Yes. Doesn’t it bother you?”

His lips turned down for a moment. “I’m not killing Joe the
baker or Jane the schoolteacher, Rain. The people I’m assigned to kill are not
good people. I have refused jobs I thought were morally wrong. I see it as
protecting my friends and my country.”

“You can kill a man a mile off. You must have some conscience
about that.”

“With the right conditions longer than that.”

She couldn’t help being impressed. “How much longer?”

He shrugged. “Mile and a half, maybe with the right wind,
temperature, elevation. It all factors in.”

“You really don’t care about the people you kill?”

“I care, Rain. I separate me from the kill. If I didn’t it
would leave me a very unhappy man. I have a skill. A very small percentage of
people on the planet can do what I do or what you do for that matter. If I
ignore the gifts that were given to me by a higher force, then I deny my
purpose for being here. Just like if you stay on the reservation, you would be
spitting in the face of your god. You have skills because you are needed to use
them. I can shoot the way I do because the world has a need for that skill. I
try my best to use my gift for good.”

“You have an interesting view.” She wanted to scoff at him,
but everything he said hit home.

“Our lives are our own. If you’re miserable, it’s because
you chose that path. I choose to be happy. You should give Jess a break. He
might not have done everything the way you would have, but his intentions were
good.”

“I’m not sure if I believe that.” Her stomach knotted.

Will jumped down as the sound of a car approaching broke the
silence. He shrugged. “You can walk away, believe him or dig for the truth.
Your choice. Try to remember they’ve been using their psi abilities all the
time for years. It’s sometimes hard for them to know when to just deal with
things the way the rest of us do.”

“You sound as if you’re speaking from experience.”

Will just smiled and turned toward the two black SUVs
pulling down the drive. The Psi Alliance agents who stepped out were familiar
to her. They had both been present in Las Vegas.

With very little conversation, Parker Phillips and Brady
Cummings collected Donnelly and drove off in one of the vehicles. Will got in
the other. “I’ll go retrieve my plane so we can fly back to Nevada. We can debrief
Josh and Tessa on everything we’ve learned and plan our next step.”