Page 59 of Training Rain
“Rain?” Joshua said her name as if she had the answer.
Well, maybe she did, or at least an idea. “Can we get to Troy?”
Joshua smiled. “We can get to anyone we want.”
Rain took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment. “We should get him out of the institution. If his father is as nuts as we think he is, he could be keeping Troy drugged to suppress his psi abilities or worse, using his psi for his own purposes.”
Kane’s voice was devoid of emotion, but his arms still crossed his chest and he watched her warily. “Then what do we do with him?”
“I can block his powers while he comes down off the drugs. If he’s really sick, we return him to the hospital, but if his father has used his influence to imprison a perfectly normal psychic we should help him. If he wants to help us defeat Breckenridge, then that would be great too.”
“You want to give him a choice?” Tessa asked.
“Yes. Everyone deserves to make their own choices. So far Troy’s have been taken out of his hands by the one person he should have been able to trust. We have to help him.”
“And if he’s a crazy, evil bastard?” Kane asked.
Her stomach tightened. She couldn’t help imagining the horrors of Troy Breckenridge’s life. Drugged and incarcerated for being what he was. It took all of her strength to keep tears from pushing forward. “I say we cross that bridge when and if we come to it. We can’t assume the worst about a boy no one has ever even spoken to.”
For the first time Jess stood up. “Rain and I need a good night’s sleep and we’ll be ready in the morning to go forward with the rescue. Have you had any word from Piper on Will?”
Joshua’s expression sank into unchecked sorrow. He and Will had been close friends and colleagues for many years. It had to be hard on him. “She went to New Orleans and found signs of a struggle. The attendant at the air strip said that a plane had come in, but only stayed for an hour before taking off again. They neglected to file a flight plan.”
Tessa put her hand on Joshua’s shoulder. “Lena didn’t see his death. Something that big would have shown up in the Stones of Adeline.”
“What is that?” Rain asked.
Kane ran his hands through his hair. “My wife is the keeper of sacred stones that tell her the future. Sometimes events are clouded, but if one of the people closest to us had died, she would know.”
It was a lot to process. She’d known that Lena Lakeland had been previously married to a tyrant, but she hadn’t known the details. Now it was starting to make sense. A man with little moral fiber and a wife who could see the future could get them very rich. The image of Jess’s sweet parents popped into her mind.
Joshua pulled a keycard out of his pocket and handed it across to Jess. “You two can use this suite. We’ll be back at first light to collect you. Get some rest.”
Kane and Tessa walked out of the room, but Joshua turned back. “Very good work, you two. And Rain, I’ll be counting on you to always keep the rest of us on the right track.”
A knot formed in her chest. Even if she sometimes struggled to see her worth within the Psi Alliance, Joshua Lakeland did not. He saw her strengths and acknowledged them. She was too choked up to speak but managed a short nod.
None of them appeared to question the fact that Jess and Rain were together. She wondered if Tessa had known about their connection before she sent Jess to Yellowstone, even if they didn’t sense it. The door to the suite banged shut as the agents exited.
Then it was just the two of them. His gaze locked with hers as he reached around the corner of the table and took her hand. She allowed him to lead her out of the conference room to the living room.
Something gnawed at her gut. “You left me to battle all alone in there. Why didn’t you say anything?”
He sat on the overstuffed couch and pulled her down into his lap. “You didn’t need any help,cher.”
“I couldn’t even tell if you agreed with me.” He distracted her by running his hand along her ribs, over her hip and down her thigh.
He stopped. “Would it have made a difference if I’d disagreed? Would it have changed your position?”
She pulled away, but he held her firm in his lap, wrapping his arms around her waist. “Of course not.”
“Then tell me what you’re upset about.”
Was she upset? Maybe she was just tired. Still… “I don’t even know where you stand.”
“Really?” With one hand still holding her tightly, he ran his fingers along her cheek and threaded them through her hair. “I’ll tell you then. I’ve never been more proud of anyone in my life.”
Her throat grew tight. “Why?”
