Rogue Wave (The Water Keepers, Book 2) (38 page)

Jax shook his head as he stood from the ground and brushed off his pants. “I had no idea. I’m only out here on holiday. I was just trying to have some fun.”

Rayne’s brow creased. “A few days of rec time after a mission I can understand, but since when do they let agents hop over to Earth for a nice long vacation?”

Jax smirked. “They don’t. But I’m Jax Bennett, remember? I
own
that town. And it doesn’t hurt that my father’s on the Ambassadors Council. I can pretty much get away with whatever I want.”

“Right,” Rayne said, rolling his eyes.

“Oh, by the way,” Jax added, turning to Sadie. “I’m really sorry about your diary. I promise to get it back to you as soon as this thing with Ash blows over.”

Sadie’s veins seemed to pop out of her skin. “My diary?” she fumed. “
You’re
the one who took it?”

Jax took a step back as if he was actually scared of what she might do. “Sorry. You fell asleep and I got bored. I thought I’d do some light reading, you know?”

“Seriously? Some light reading? Derrick!” Sadie complained. “I mean…” She sighed in frustration. “What’s your name again?”

He tried to give her an assuring smile. “Jax, remember? My name is Jax.”

“Fine, Jax. Do you even realize what kind of trouble you could have saved us if only you had left that alone?”

He started to shrug. “I’d give it to you now, but I didn’t think to bring it. I mean, what’s the big deal? It’s just a twelve-year-old girl rattling on about which boy is the cutest in her math class. I don’t—”

Rayne’s patience was running thin. He stepped forward and took Jax by the collar. “Listen,” he whispered in a strong tone. “That book is not just a diary. It’s a twin document. It’s meant to be a way for Sadie to contact me in an emergency. Whatever you do, don’t let that book fall into the wrong hands.”

Jax pushed Rayne off and stepped back. “Okay, I get it. Sorry, man, I’ll get it back to you as soon as I can.”

Rayne took in a breath and reminded himself to keep his cool. Sadie was depending on him. “So can you help us find Ash, or what?” he asked.

Jax flashed a confident smile. “I know exactly where he is. I just talked to him this morning.”

Rayne eyes turned hopeful. “So, he’s still here in town?”

“Yep, he’s staying at a hotel just down the street.”

“Perfect,” Rayne said resolutely. “Let’s go.” He turned to Sadie and offered her his hand. She took a few steps toward him then stumbled over her feet, causing Rayne to reach out to steady her. “Maybe we should find you a place to sit,” he said.

She shrugged it off. “No, I’m fine. Really. I just tripped.”

“Is she okay?” Jax asked. “Why does she need the Healing Water, anyway?”

Rayne removed the thick bracelet from Sadie’s wrist to examine it as he said, “Her Watermark is on the verge of bleeding her dry.”

“No way,” Jax said to Sadie cheerfully. “You’re from Ambrosia?”

She shook her head. “Um, no, I’m not, I—”

“Listen, we don’t have time to explain,” Rayne said impatiently. “Come on. We can talk while we move.”

He grabbed Sadie’s hand and led them back through the center of the amusement park. He could feel her feet dragging, struggling to keep up behind him.

Rayne stopped underneath one of the elevated cars on the Ferris wheel.

“Let me carry you,” he said to her.

She shook her head in denial. “No, I can do it.”

Rayne wanted to believe her, but he wasn’t willing to take the risk to find out. The more she conserved her energy, the better chance she had to survive.

He shot his head back and forth around the park, searching for a solution. There was a wheelchair sitting unattended just outside the exit of the Ferris wheel ride. Without saying a word, he jogged over to the exit gate and wheeled away the chair, bringing it back in front of Sadie.

“Get in,” he said.

“But that’s not ours. There’s somebody up on that ride who’s going to need this when they get off.”

“So the park attendant will find them another one,” Rayne insisted. “This is just a rental. Now get in before I throw you over my shoulder kicking and screaming.”

“Okay, okay, I’m going,” she finally said.

With Sadie safe in her chair, Rayne and Jax were free to weave through the crowd at a quickened pace.

“Do you have access to more water,” Rayne asked as they whipped around the corner of the ring toss booth.

“Sorry, I’m all out,” Jax said. “I was planning to use that stolen flask to extend my vacation.”

“Well, do you have anyone nearby you could call?”

Jax shook his head as they continued to run. “No, the rest of my team is doing recon work in Berlin.”

“Fine, we’ll just have to rely on the Threshold then,” Rayne said. “How close is your car? Mine is still with the valet at our hotel.”

“It’s just up here in this parking lot,” Jax said, as they reached the front end of the pier.

Rayne slowed down, bringing the wheelchair to a stop. “Good. I’ll head over to pick up my car to go find Ash. I want you to take Sadie straight to the Threshold. I’m sure you can figure out a way to convince the guards to let her through.”

Sadie burst out of her chair. “No,” she cried. “I’m going with you to find my mom.”

“Sadie, I understand your concern, but we don’t have any Healing Water. We need to get you to the Threshold as soon as possible; it’s the only way we can keep you alive.”

“But I haven’t even passed out yet,” she argued. “There’s still time. I can make it. Please, I have to find her. I need to see with my own eyes that she’s okay.”

Rayne’s resolve weakened as he watched the tears begin to pool around her charcoal colored eyes. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing her. She meant more to him than both their worlds combined. But if he denied her this request, and Sadie’s mother didn’t make it through this ordeal, he knew he would never be able to forgive himself. And maybe Sadie wouldn’t either.

“Okay, you’re coming with me,” Rayne finally said. “Jax, I still need you to go through the Threshold. Use your connections to get some Healing Water if you can. Then I need you to go straight to the Ambassador’s office to request backup.”

“Of course,” Jax agreed willingly. “But even
I
can’t just stroll up to his office unannounced. It doesn’t work that way.”

“Make it happen,” Rayne said sternly. “The information you have is crucial to the Ambassador. I sent him an encrypted message last night, but that was before I knew what we were really dealing with. He won’t send immediate help unless he understands the severity of the situation. Believe me when I say, if anything happens to Sadie or her mother, the Ambassador will be extremely unhappy.”

“Understood,” Jax said. “I’ll do whatever it takes.”

30. HAMLIN LINGERS IN REGRET

The computer screen blurred around Hamlin’s blank stare as he pondered the decrypted message from Rayne for perhaps the hundredth time. It only confirmed what he already suspected, that Ash Hastings was headed down a path of destruction, following in his father’s footsteps to a catastrophic place.

He couldn’t help but wonder if he himself could have prevented this tragic outcome. If he could go back in time and reverse the choices he had made, would it make a difference? Would he be able to save the lives of those he cherished? Reduce their suffering? All he’d wanted to do was give them happiness. But if there was one thing he had learned over the years, it was that happiness could never be forced upon anyone; it had to come from within.

Hamlin rose from the desk and crossed his office to one of the built-in bookshelves along the far wall. On the center shelf sat an old black and white photograph, which most likely would have been covered in dust if it weren’t for the impeccable, dedicated cleaning staff who kept the Court of Ambassadors more pristine than a museum. This photo was always one of his favorites. As it had always been in their youth, it was just the three of them together in the photograph, Hamlin, his best friend Voss, and the beautiful, vibrant Syreen. Even with the color missing from the photograph, Syreen’s charm and grace glowed off the page like a beam of starlight.

They were inseparable back in those days, like the three musketeers. In their classes at the Academy they had learned about people on Earth who were suffering from economic hardship at the time, trying to climb out of a depression, but it was nothing more than a sad story to them. Banya was thriving, as well as everyone who lived there. Together, the three of them were on top of the world.

It wasn’t until the year 1935 that things began to turn for the worse in their friendship. Syreen had seemed to blossom overnight, going from just one of the boys to transforming into a beautiful woman right before their eyes. She was smart and ambitious and beautiful beyond words. Her big violet eyes could rival any movie star, surpass them even. And she always managed to get her way, while at the same time convincing you that you wanted nothing more than to give it to her.

Hamlin adored her. He couldn’t keep his eyes off her. But he began to learn quickly that he wasn’t the only one. Voss was in love with her too.

At first they both secretly fought for her attention, brought her flowers when the other wasn’t around, took her dancing as soon as the other was gone on a mission, not even realizing that the other man was doing the same thing. But as soon as Hamlin found out what was happening, that he and Voss both had feelings for Syreen, he knew he had a tough decision to make. He cared about his friend. He wanted Voss to be happy. When he realized the tension was growing between them and tearing them apart, Hamlin thought he knew what he had to do. He had to give her up. He had to let Voss win.

The picture frame shook in Hamlin’s hand as he thought back over their lives. It was so obvious now that he had made the wrong choice.

How could he do that to her? Even when Syreen came to him in the middle of the night with fresh tears streaming down her face, confessing that Hamlin was the one she wanted, begging him to change his mind, he lied to her like a fool. He told her he didn’t love her. And she did exactly what he knew she would; she fell back into Voss’s arms for comfort.

Hamlin did all this to preserve his friendship with Voss, but in the end, it seemed to be the very thing that tore them all apart. Watching the two of them, Voss and Syreen, build a life together was more than Hamlin could endure. He had to distance himself, immerse himself in his work as a Keeper so he wouldn’t have to watch her with another man, even if it was his oldest friend.

He had to watch Syreen marry him, watch her bear another man’s child, watch their stolen kisses when they didn’t realize Hamlin was watching. But she
did
realize it, didn’t she. Somehow he always knew that she saw right through him to the truth. She never believed Hamlin didn’t love her, and how could she when it was so impossible for him to hide it. He just never gave her the choice.

Hamlin sighed as he left the photo behind him on the shelf. He sulked back to his large leather chair and let his elbows fall helplessly down onto the commanding Ambassadors desk built from the trunk of a great Banyan tree. At the moment, even the strength of a hundred trees could not lift his heavy heart. He couldn’t control his thoughts from dwelling on the day from his past that perhaps led to his worst choice of all.

When he lifted his tired face from his hands, Syreen’s big eyes looked back at him, almost if she were really there. He could picture the moment so vividly from his past, the day she came to this very office, pleading for him to send her on a mission with her son, Ash, his first mission, the mission that would ultimately send Syreen to her grave.

How was it possible that her rare, purple eyes looked even more beautiful when they were glistening with tears?

She came bounding into his office in a frenzy, not bothering to knock. “How could you do this to me?” she demanded. “Both of you?”

A scowl cut through Syreen’s perfect, peaches and cream complexion. Hamlin knew exactly why she was there. The Council had denied her request. Only a year and a half prior, she had returned to the Academy to regain her field certification after spending twenty years at home as a mother to Ash. Hamlin paused at his desk as he took in her presence. Even for someone living in Banya she hardly looked old enough to have a grown son, especially when she had spent time outside the Threshold as an agent. Despite the scowl on her face, she still was as radiant as the day they met.

“I’m sorry,” Hamlin said. “The vote was unanimous. The Council was in agreement that you’re not ready to go back in the field.”

“You mean they all agreed to do what Voss told them to do,” she accused. “But I’m telling you, he’s wrong. I
am
ready. He can’t keep me caged up in our top floor apartment like some trophy. I have needs too, you know. And skills that are being wasted on boring garden parties and lizzy fruit tartlets.”

After sixty-five years of heartache, Hamlin had finally come to terms with his unfulfilled relationship with Syreen, but he still hated to see her so unhappy. It was only six years earlier that he had met Leena. Leena had taught him not only how to love others, but more importantly how to love himself. Even though his relationship with Leena was doomed from the beginning, he would forever be a changed man because of her. Of course, even though Leena had loved him and helped him in a way he could never repay, and his love for her would never die, Syreen would always hold a special place in his heart, and he wished more than anything now that he could take back the hurt he had caused her over the years.

“Come here, sit down,” he urged, gesturing to a small sofa across from his desk. He stood and met Syreen at the center of the office, holding his hand out to invite her to his side. He patted her hand as they sat near each other on the couch.

“If Voss swayed the Council’s vote in any way,” Hamlin assured her. “I’m certain it was only because of his deep concern and love for you.”

“But I’m a Scout at heart, you know that. I need to be out among the action. He’s holding me back for selfish reasons, just like he always does.”