Ash didn’t look amused. “I know I am,” he said. “The sooner we crush my father’s ugly head the better.”
The room went quiet. Furtive glances passed back and forth.
I finally stepped forward and broke the silence. “Hey, um, do you guys mind if Rayne and I have a minute alone?”
Honeycutt spoke first, raising his eyebrows suggestively and patting Rayne on the back. “Yeah sure, buddy. We’ll give you two some privacy...”
Jax gave me a meaningful look, and then pulled Honeycutt with him out of the room. Before Ash followed, he came up beside me and whispered, “I’m two doors down on your right. Let me know if you figure anything out about you know who.”
I nodded in agreement and watched Ash leave.
When the door was shut, Rayne pulled me into his arms. “Finally, a moment alone,” he said with a chuckle.
I grinned and gave him a kiss. “Just don’t get any funny ideas,” I teased. “You know that we have work to do.”
He pulled me into him closer. “My girlfriend... all work and no play...”
I laughed. “Maybe, but I’m pretty sure I learned it from you.”
He gazed into my eyes, and then kissed me again, lingering on my lips until my head started to spin.
“I’m at your service,” he said when he finally pulled away. “Just tell me what you want me to do.”
I looked at him with dreamy eyes. “No fair... now I can’t remember.”
His smile was sweetly intense, as if to say, I love you and I want you as mine, always and forever.
I reached my hand behind his neck, my fingers grasping at his hair. “Work can wait a few minutes more,” I whispered coyly. Then I drew him closer, letting the moment take me away.
Rayne made everything better. Sometimes I felt the weight of the world on my shoulders, and I had a sick feeling it was only going to get worse. But Rayne... made my burdens lighter. He made the effort worthwhile.
I felt a shift in his essence. Thoughts of worry filled his mind. I couldn’t tell if it was me he was worried about or something else. I slowly pulled away to examine his face.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
His eyes shifted to the side. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
But I knew he wasn’t fine. I could feel it.
“Is there something you want to talk about?” I asked.
Then, it was like the worry disappeared, like he just erased it from his thoughts. I wasn’t sure what to think. It felt like Rayne was hiding something. A wave of insecurity poured over me. I folded my arms against my chest. He said I could always talk to him, but it didn’t feel like he was willing to talk to me.
He looked at me with a quiet smile and gave me a peck on the lips. “I’m fine,” he said. “How are you feeling? Did you want to rest a bit?”
“I’m not really tired,” I said.
Rayne took my hand. “Well, if you’re not tired, we could always pick up where we left off.” He stepped closer, gazing at me with sultry eyes.
I swallowed and took a step back, suddenly not in the mood. “I think we should just work on finding Voss,” I said.
Rayne glanced at his feet and ran one hand through his hair. “Um, yeah. If that’s what you want.”
He led me to the bed. “You should at least lie down. You know how worn out you get when you use your abilities.”
That was a completely true statement, but it still was frustrating to hear him say it.
“I’ll be fine,” I insisted. I took my place on the bed and propped myself up against some pillows.
Rayne moved a chair from the corner of the room and pulled it up next to me. “Should I get you some water or something?” he asked.
I shook my head. “No, I don’t need anything. Let’s just get started.”
I took a deep breath and watched him for a moment, still with the feeling that he was keeping something from me. If I really wanted to, I could probably go into Rayne’s mind right now and search for answers. I had done it before on Agent Pike, the guy I had healed from a stab wound at the testing center. If I concentrated hard enough I could probably get a better idea of what was bothering Rayne.
But, I just couldn’t do it. As much as it frustrated me, I couldn’t betray his trust like that. I mean, it wasn’t like I always told Rayne what I was thinking about him.
It was better just to focus on finding Voss. That was the real reason we were all here.
I gave Rayne a nod. “Okay, I’m ready,” I said. “I’ll let you know what I can see.” And then I closed my eyes to concentrate.
My energy focused on Voss.
Just like the last time, his darkness was easy to find. I couldn’t believe how strong my connection was to him. It was almost scary how quickly he appeared in my mind.
He was in a car, a sleek car with black leather interior.
“Do you see anything?” Rayne asked.
“Yes,” I replied. “I see him. He’s driving.”
I pushed harder to get a look at his surroundings, moving my view outside the car to search for a street sign or a landmark of some kind, but everything passed by in a blur.
“I think he’s on the freeway,” I said to Rayne. “He’s going really fast. I can’t get a good look at anything.”
I couldn’t focus on anything except the cars Voss passed on either side. All of them had California license plates. It was something, but not much. We pretty much already assumed he would be in California. The whole reason we started our search in the Los Angeles area was because Ash said it was where all of Voss’s contacts were located, and it was the location of the recent Healing Water thefts as well.
A rush of palm trees and walls and buildings flew by, making me dizzy. If only I could just concentrate harder, maybe something worthwhile would come into view.
I stopped and took a few breaths, allowing my mind to rest.
“I still can’t see anything,” I said in frustration. “But he has to get off the freeway eventually. I’m just going to rest a second then I’ll try again in a few minutes.”
I closed my eyes, trying to let my mind go blank. I really wanted to find Voss, but I also had a plan formulating in my brain to sneak out and visit Heather as soon as it was dark. I just needed to get away. I needed to talk to my best friend.
I tried to concentrate on Voss several times after that, but no matter what I did nothing changed. An hour later, he was still zooming along on the freeway. Why couldn’t there at least be some good old California traffic jams or something? Anything to slow him down so I could get a better look.
Rayne rubbed my arm. “Maybe we should just take a break to get some food. You can try again later.”
For some reason, I wanted to say no, that I would keep going until I decided I was ready to stop. But the truth was, the locating process was exhausting, and I wasn’t sure I could handle the blurry vision any longer. Plus, I knew if I pushed myself too hard or too fast I would most likely pass out, and I wanted to have at least a little energy left to make my secret escape to visit Heather.
“Yeah, okay,” I finally agreed. “I guess I could eat.
20. ESCAPE
After enjoying some Chinese take-out and watching several rounds of the guys challenging each other to see who could take apart their guns and put them back together the fastest, I excused myself from the room to head upstairs.
Of course I made it sound like I was tired and ready for bed, but as soon as I was alone I pulled out my phone to text Heather. I figured I should at least find out if she was free to come meet me before I took the risk in sneaking out.
A sudden tap on the door caused me to jump and shove my phone in my pocket just as I hit send.
Rayne’s face appeared through the doorway. “Hey,” he said. “Are you planning to look for Voss again?”
I glanced to the side. “Um, yeah.”
He closed the door quietly behind him. “I figured that’s why you snuck off to be alone. Mind if I watch? Maybe I could help you
figure out where he is.”
I forced a smile. “Sure,” I said. “I would love your help. Um... I just need to use the bathroom real quick.”
I hurried across the room. “I’ll just be a second,” I told him, and then I shut the bathroom door.
When I pulled out my phone I saw that there was already a text response from Heather.
“Are you seriously here??!!!!” the text said. “Where are you? I have to come see you!”
“I can’t meet right this second,” I wrote back. “I’m kind of in the middle of something. But hopefully I can get away some time tonight. I’ll let you know.”
“I’m so excited!” Heather wrote. “Let me know as soon as you can.”
“I will,” I replied. “Talk to you soon!”
I made sure my phone was on silent and hid it back in my pocket.
“Okay, sorry,” I said as I came back into the bedroom.
Rayne was waiting patiently in the chair next to the bed. “No worries,” he said.
Even though I was excited to try to see Heather, I knew that finding Voss was a top priority. I took my place on the bed, trying to get myself focused again.
Rayne reached over and squeezed my hand. “Take your time,” he said. “There’s no rush.”
I nodded and took in a few deep breaths. Then, I closed my eyes and concentrated on Voss.
“He’s sitting in a room,” I said when I got my first glimpse. “I think he’s watching the news. Hold on, I’ll see if I can figure out where he’s at.”
I pushed the vision in my mind outward, moving past the room to the hall. “I think it’s some kind of hotel or apartment,” I explained. “Maybe I can find a name on the building, or a street sign.”
I forced my mind further. Each time I branched out, the effort to hold the vision grew more difficult to hold. I couldn’t quit, though. I had to find Voss. We had to take him down.
The vision became more strained, but I continued to push forward, moving my concentration around through an elegant lobby area lined with glass displays, showcasing jewelry and expensive shoes and Louis Vuitton handbags.
Finally, a silver and gold plaque caught my eye on the wall. The breath caught in my throat. Could it really be that easy? Right there on the plaque was the name Beverly Wilshire, Beverly Hills, A Four Seasons Hotel.
I let the vision disappear as my eyes burst open. “I know where he is,” I exclaimed. “I know where he’s staying.”
I gasped in delight, hardly able to believe it. “He’s at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel... in Beverly Hills... That can’t be more than a thirty minute drive from here.”
I sat up excitedly and scooted off the bed. “We have to do something.”
Rayne stood from his chair. “Are you sure that’s where he is?”
“I’m positive,” I said. I hurried past Rayne out the door, intent on finding Ash.
When I reached the end of the hall I found Ash already coming up the stairs.
“Hey, I need to talk to you,” I whispered. “Come up to my room.”
When Rayne, Ash, and I were all gathered in my room, I wasted no time in explaining what I had learned.
“I know where Voss is,” I said to Ash. “He’s at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel.”
Ash didn’t even question the information. “My father loves that hotel,” Ash said in agreement. “Do you know what room he’s staying in?”
I couldn’t believe I had forgotten such an important detail.
“Um, not yet,” I said. “But I should be able to find out pretty easily.”
“Okay, perfect,” Ash replied. “How soon can we head out?”
I glanced at Rayne in hesitation.
“Maybe we should wait until tomorrow,” Rayne said to Ash. “We should go in there with a well-thought-out plan.”
Ash grew tense. I could feel it from his essence. He wanted nothing more than to barge in on his father like a raging bull and tear him to pieces.
“Ash, listen,” I said, “Orion will want an explanation as to where we got this information, and if you remember, I was sort of hoping to avoid giving that to him.”
“Right,” Rayne added. “You should go to your meet tomorrow as planned. Then we can tell Orion that we got the intel from your contact instead of from Sadie.”
Ash peered back at us, not looking convinced.
“I doubt your father will move locations overnight,” Rayne went on. “This way we can go in more prepared. Plus, we’re not just here to find your father, but to make sure he isn’t planning anything detrimental to Banya. Your contact might have the information we need.”
Ash let out an impatient sigh. I looked back at him with pleading eyes.
“Yeah, okay,” Ash finally relented. “I won’t say anything until tomorrow.”
Once Ash left the room I immediately closed my eyes and focused on Voss. I didn’t even bother to lie down. Just as I suspected, he was still lounging in his room—room 1208.
“Okay, I have the room number,” I said to Rayne.
“Already?” he asked in surprise.
I grinned. “Yep. That part was easy.”
Rayne chuckled. “You know you’re amazing, right?” He kissed me and then gave me a warm smile. “I’ll see you in the morning, okay? You should really get some rest.”
I quickly looked away. “Um, yeah. I will.”
I hated keeping things from Rayne, but if I told him I was planning to go see Heather, I knew he would try to stop me.
I gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Have a good night.”
After Rayne left, I didn’t waste any time. I pulled out my phone and sent a text to Heather, telling her I was leaving now but it would take at least an hour to drive from Santa Monica down to Newport Beach.
“Actually, you’re super close,” Heather wrote back. “I’m at my new condo near UCLA! It’s only like, fifteen minutes from Santa Monica.”
I couldn’t believe how perfect it had worked out. I thought I was going to spend half the night just driving back and forth to see her, but Heather was only a short drive away.
I moved quietly to the balcony doors and shut them gently behind me. My nerves started to shake. I had never once needed to sneak out before, and sneaking away from a top-secret mission seemed much more intense than anything I would have ever done back in Newport Beach.
I swallowed and stepped up to the bars at the edge of the balcony. Now that I was actually thinking about jumping off, it looked much higher than I remembered.
I took a deep breath. I was training to be an agent now. That meant I needed to toughen up, to laugh at the possibility of pain. If Violette could climb out the window of our top-floor apartment without a second thought then I could certainly handle a second-story balcony.
I reminded myself that even if I broke my leg I would heal almost instantly, so there was nothing to be afraid of, and then I climbed over the railing and dropped myself to the ground.
My ankle snapped to the side as I hit the pavement. I winced and threw my hand over my mouth to muffle the sound. It would heal in a few seconds. I could handle the pain.
I sat there on the back patio, rubbing my ankle until I could feel the pain lift away. It probably only took thirty seconds for the discomfort to fade, but it felt like forever as my eyes jumped from side to side, searching for any signs of getting caught. If Orion knew what I was up to, he’d probably ship me back to Banya without a second thought.
When I was ready to stand, I brushed myself off quickly and tip-toed to the gate at the side of the yard. I didn’t want to risk trying to get the keys to one of the team’s cars, so I figured I would walk down to the edge of the neighborhood and call for a taxi to come get me.
I only made it half-way down the street when I stopped with a gasp. Right in front of me a figure stepped out from behind a tree, blocking my path. My heart almost jumped out of my throat.
Relief poured through me when I realized it was Rayne.
“Rayne,” I said with a gu
lp. “What are you doing?”
He folded his arms and peered back at me. “What are you doing?”
My throat went dry. “Uh... I...” was all I could manage to get out.
“You’re going to see Heather, aren’t you,” he accused.
I swallowed. “Maybe...” I looked away and sighed. “How did you know?”
“I know you, Sadie. I could see it in your eyes all night.”
I stared back at him and shook my head, not sure how to respond.
“What were you thinking?” Rayne questioned. “If Orion catches you—”
“I know,” I said, cutting him off. “He could kick me off the mission and send me back to Banya.”
Rayne shook his head. “How were you even planning to get back in your room?”
I threw up my hands. “I don’t know. I would find something to climb or something. I mean, I’m training to be an agent, right? I need to start learning how to do these kind of things.”
“A good agent has a plan,” Rayne said. “And they have a back-up plan for when the first one fails.”
“Well, I’ll figure something out,” I replied in frustration.
Rayne’s essence was tense, but he acted as calm as always. “You should have told me what you were doing. I would have helped you.”
I folded my arms. “You mean you would have tried to talk me out of it.”
“Probably,” he said plainly, “but you can be pretty stubborn. At least if I come with you, you have a chance of making it back in one piece.”
I scoffed. “I’m not a child, Rayne. I don’t need a babysitter. Now if you’ll excuse me, Heather is waiting.” I pushed passed him, ready to get on my way.
“I’m coming with you,” Rayne said to my back. I could feel him following behind. A second later, his hand was on my arm. He pulled me around to face him. “Don’t you trust me?” he said.
I pulled my arm away. “This has nothing to do with trust.”
Rayne’s voice shook. “Jax told me what happened.”
My brow pinched. “What are you talking about?”
“You know what I’m talking about,” Rayne accused.
A flash of darkness stabbed through my mind, remembering the man who I blatantly let die.
Flood Rising (The Water Keepers, Book 4) Page 17