Page 2 of Training Rain
Jess looked around the room. He only counted nine people.Strange.
“At the moment, our biggest problem is that someone wants us all dead.” Joshua gave a short laugh, but there was no humor there.
A few others in the room also chuckled.
“I suspect this shift in our position at the old agency is why many of you have decided to accept our invitation. I’m glad you’re here and our first imperative will be to defeat those groups trying to eliminate our kind of agent in favor of mercenaries and other more morally malleable parties.”
Wanda’s scratchy smoker’s voice cut in. “I came out of retirement for this, Josh. You and everyone in this room know I’d never have left Key West if this wasn’t in our country’s best interest.”
“Wanda’s right. If we just disappear, which I know each and every one of you is capable of doing, then the type of people who will be populating our old jobs will bring this country to its knees. We can’t allow the Troth Bantas of the psychic world to be manipulated by politicians and their agendas.”
“What about Breckenridge?” Piper asked in her low raspy voice. She had her long brown hair pulled back in a ponytail and her eyes were fixed on the man at the front of the room.
Jess had to bite his tongue to keep from spitting out a string of curses a mile long. Senator Bradly Breckenridge had started an anti-psi campaign in Washington D.C. that had taken hold. He’d brought several other politicians on board. Luckily the president was still fully in support of loyal Psi Agents. In fact Joshua had managed to get the stamp of approval from the Joint Chiefs of Staff before officially opening the Psi Alliance.
Even Jess had been impressed by that piece of political maneuvering.
Joshua didn’t miss a beat. “We are all going to have a part in finding out how far the senator has taken his scheme to rid the world of our kind. We need to prove that he was behind the incident with Banta. That would be a big step toward lessening his credibility. It wouldn’t look good for him after stating that the Psi Agency had no place in government to learn that he was using psychics to destroy or discredit agents. Not to mention that it would mean he had at least three agents killed in the Middle East.
“Each one of you has a particular skill that I believe we will need to accomplish our goals, and going forward those skills will make us a valuable asset for the United States. This time though, it will be on our terms.”
“Here, here,” Wanda said as she lifted her glass and sipped her wine.
“That’s really it. Tessa has assignments for each one of you. Try to remember that we are all working toward the same goal. If you have information or you believe you’ve uncovered something, no matter how small, bring the information to me. I will analyze all the data each of you bring in and share that data with our team. If you need something, Tessa or I will do our best to make sure you have whatever it is.”
The official meeting broke up a moment later and people drifted around the room. Tessa had promised them dinner and almost everyone stayed. Jess hoped that the informal setting would let information flow more freely.
“Jess.” Josh strode toward him with his hand outstretched for shaking.
The two men shook hands. “Hi, Josh. Things are looking good here. You said ten people. Is my math off?”
Tessa had joined them and Josh immediately directed the trio to a doorway at the far end of the room leading to an austere office. “That’s what we need to talk to you about.”
Jess’smuscles tightened slightly and his mind began to churn while he waited for information. He was ready to flee or fight. “What’s this about?”
“Rain Silver.”
Now he really was on alert. Rain had saved his life. She had saved his soul. What kind of trouble was she in and why? She was no agent. Jess had taken a lot of comfort in the idea that she was safely tucked away on a reservation in the Nevada desert. Safe.
He waited. Both Joshua and Tessa had the ability to read his mind and he was not making an effort to block them.
Tessa said, “I know you don’t like it, but she has a lot of talent that was being wasted. Plus, she was not happy.”
Jess had a hard time keeping his temper from erupting. “So the two of you decided to recruit a completely untrained woman who is just going to get herself killed?”
Joshua leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. “You underestimate her, Jess. She has skills and she’s one of the bravest people I’ve ever known. That southern macho attitude has no place within a psi organization. You wouldn’t say that about Tessa.”
“Tessa was a cop before she was recruited by the government. She has paramilitary training, can shoot and fight. Rain lives on a reservation. She’s been sheltered. There’s nothing wrong with a nice quiet life where you help your community and don’t get yourself killed.”
He had no idea why he was so vehemently against Rain joining the Psi Alliance, but he also knew it wasn’t his call.
Tessa walked over to the desk and opened a file. “You have a good point. She needs training. She has a lot of natural instincts and she is very capable, but there’s a lot she needs to learn.”
“That’s where you come in,” Joshua said.
Jess’s heart dropped. “Me?”
“We want you to be her instructor. Teach her how to be an agent and most importantly, how to stay alive.” The head of the Psi Alliance never moved away from the wall.
