Page 49 of Training Rain
“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.”
Jess locked the house. “We’ll meet you at the airstrip in Opelousas tonight. Call when you’re airborne.”
“Will do.” Will gave Rain a knowing smile and drove down the dirt road away from them.
Jess strode to the car.
“There must be a closer airfield. What’s in Opelousas?” Rain asked.
“My parents.”
“I am not going to meet your parents.”
She kept him blocked, but she could see the disappointment and even a bit of anger in his eyes. He shrugged. “I made a promise and I intend to keep it. You can wait in the car if you want, though I seriously doubt Amalee will stand for that.”
If she was honest with herself, she was curious about the people who had raised Jessé McMean. He was such an odd combination of gentleness and deception. Of course she didn’t tell him that. In fact, she didn’t say a word as she opened the back door for Yas, closed the door and got in the front.
He drove fast. She said nothing. They got on Route 49 and it was a straight shot north to the Louisiana town where his parents had lived for the last ten years. She knew this because, although she was silent, Jess had barely stopped talking since they pulled onto the highway.
“I grew up on the bayou until the Agency came to collect me. My father is a salesman and a good one. He’s sold everything from cars to vacuum cleaners, even bibles for a while. Still, they were just making ends meet. When I started with the Agency and it was obvious I wouldn’t be coming back to live, they moved to a nice little community not too far from what they were used to.”
He paused for a long time. “My father’s Irish.”
She wanted to keep quiet, but the statement was so ridiculous. She couldn’t keep the sarcasm from dripping out. “I figured with a name like McMean.”
“No. I mean he’s really Irish. Well, you’ll see in a little while.”
“Are you nervous because I’m meeting them or because you haven’t been home in a long time?”Why did you ask him that? You don’t care.But she did. That was the problem.
She’d kept him blocked for most of the trip but then it occurred to her that she was handicapping him. What if they were attacked? They would have no warning from his psi senses. She lifted her block, but kept her mind shielded.
He smiled. “Both, I guess.”
“Just because I’m not blocking you doesn’t mean you have leave to go poking around in my head. Don’t you dare manipulate me.” She was a shrew. She hated the tone, but she was hurt and angry and she couldn’t help it.
“I promise you I will never manipulate you again. I will only use my psi abilities to protect you. You have my word.”
“Fine.” She didn’t want to believe him.Damn him.
He reached across the console and took her hand. Her head said,don’t let him touch you, but her heart loved the feel of his calloused fingers rubbing hers. “I’m sorry,cher. If I hadn’t known you’d be making a mistake going back to the reservation, I would never have done it. I didn’t want you to live your life regretting a bad decision.”
She disengaged her hand from his. “It wasn’t your call.”
He nodded and they spent the remaining half hour in silence. The suburban neighborhood was an array of simple but nice homes with neat lawns and gardens. They pulled in the driveway and stepped out of the car. Early February in southern Louisiana was a long way from the cold of Yellowstone National Park. The comfortable mid-fifty-degree temperatures only required a light sweater.
Rain tried to picture Jess growing up there. Of course he hadn’t. He was too wild for this kind of order. The swamps suited him much better. A couple alighted from the house, both wearing grins. They rushed down the driveway toward Jess.
“Jessé,” his mother cried and pulled him down to hug him around the neck while his father patted his back and waited his turn.
