Training Rain (8 page)

Rain wished she had time to examine these new feelings, but
they were running again. Yas stayed at her heels and did none of the playful
running ahead he had enjoyed during the training exercise. The dog had good
instincts. He knew this was no game.

After two or three miles, Yas turned and growled. Rain
stopped and lifted her weapon, looking for trouble.

“What is it?” Jess asked. He had run farther, not
immediately realizing she and the dog had stopped.

“I’m not sure.”

Someone jumped her from the left side. She’d seen her
attacker only an instant before the weight of his body collapsed on her. Her
backpack thudded next to her. She heard Jess’ voice calling her name. She felt
the branches and leaves of the underbrush scratching her cheek as it slammed
into the ground.

Gunfire cracked the air. She didn’t know who was shooting.
She heard tree limbs breaking. The snow on the treetops crashed down around
her.

“If you move I’ll kill you.”

Staying perfectly still, she calculated how far away the
knife in her pack was to her hand and if she could get to it before the enemy
noticed.

Another man rushed through the leaves and snow. Yas growled
and a man screamed. The man holding her down let up, maybe to help his friend.
Rain took her chance, grabbed the hunting knife from the pocket on the side of
her pack and slashed up and back while twisting her body.

She felt the blade cut through fabric and down to flesh. The
hard metal of a gun barrel pressed against her forehead.

“Fucking bitch.” She’d turned far enough to see her
attacker’s face. He was in his mid-thirties. Brown hair poked out from under
his ski cap and his expression twisted with hatred and pain. Blood dripped from
a long gash in his arm and stood out against the white of his BDUs.

She dropped the knife. A big pile of snow fell near her left
leg. He twisted toward the danger. Rain grabbed the knife, swung her arm up and
sank the tip deep into his neck.

He turned back with wide eyes before falling on his side and
going still as death took him.

Pushing his leg off her, she scrambled away just as Jess
trotted over with Yas.

She looked at the spots of snow clumps all around them. “Are
you making the snow come down from the treetops?”

“You needed a distraction and I was not going to get to you
in time.”

Amazing.
“And the dead oak that fell at the perfect
moment?”

He shrugged. “Telekinesis can be quite handy at times. It’s
not just for party tricks, you know.”

He pulled her into a tight hug. “You did great.”

She looked down at the man who had tried to kill her. She
didn’t feel the sense of remorse she’d expected. A part of Rain wished it
hadn’t been necessary to take a life, but her sense of logic told her there had
been no options.

Jess handed her a towel out of his pack. “You’d better wipe
as much of that blood off you,
cher
.”

Until that moment she hadn’t realized the wetness on her
face was the other man’s blood. She wiped her cheek and used the snow in an
attempt to get most of the blood off her white jacket. It would never all come
out.

Twenty yards away another man lay dead with his throat
ripped out. She looked down at Yas. The dog’s big eyes stared sadly up at her
and the small amount of white fur around his mouth was stained a dark red. Rain
knelt down and cleaned him up as well, all the while petting him and telling
him what a good dog he was. Somehow she knew the dog had saved her life. She could
never have defeated two attackers.

The men must have abandoned their ATV and tracked them
through the thick woods on foot. Another lay dead with a bullet hole in the
center of his chest. Empty eyes stared back at her as she passed.

They reached the park road without any other signs of
pursuit. Maybe the enemy had given up or maybe they had killed them all. Either
way, she was glad to be out of the woods, though without the tree cover the
snow was deep.

Yas gave a low growl just before she heard the sound of an
engine coming up the road. They dove off the road and into a ditch before the
plow blade of the truck came into view. She felt and heard Jess release his
breath and relax.

“Park ranger.” He stood up and walked to the road waving.

Rain and Yas followed toward what she now saw was a white
truck with a green stripe down the sides. It clearly had a National Forestry
symbol on the door. The driver was alone, male and though he stopped as soon as
he saw them, he didn’t immediately get out of the truck.

Jess stopped about fifteen feet from the vehicle’s front
bumper and the two men watched each other for a long moment. It was the first
time Rain had ever wished she had the ability to read human thoughts or
emotions.

She came up next to Jess and waved to the ranger.

A moment later, he opened the car door and stepped out,
putting his brimmed hat on. Likely in his late forties, he was graying though
still appeared fit. He was nearly as tall as Jess and had a holstered handgun
strapped to his belt. His hand rested on the hilt. His blue eyes were creased
with a spider web of time and his thin lips were drawn in a line. He looked
briefly at the pillar of smoke drifting up above the trees. It still poured
from the cabin a few miles away. He wore no coat, maybe because he was in the
car. On his breast pocket a gold pin read “Ranger Roger Bailey”. “Morning. You
folks shouldn’t be up here this time of year.”

Rain waited only a beat to see what Jess would say. He just
watched the ranger.

Rain patted Yas’ head. “I know, sir. We lost my dog up here
a couple of months ago and this is the first chance we had to come back. I know
it was against the rules to come into the park when it’s closed, but I just had
to see if I could find him.”

The ranger looked at Yas as the dog licked Rain’s hand and
leaned against her leg. “Is that blood on you, ma’am?”

Jess clutched his arm and shoulder where Rain had stitched
him up. “I had a little mishap with a hunting knife, ranger. It took a few
stitches.”

The ranger seemed to be giving the excuse some thought. “You
two know anything about an explosion? I heard it all the way back at the
station.”

Jess finally spoke up. “We heard it too and thought it would
be a good time to get moving out of here. I left my car back at the lot. Any
chance you’d give us a ride, Ranger Bailey?”

She couldn’t tell if the ranger believed them or not. He
just nodded and they loaded into his truck. She and Yas got in the backseat
while Jess sat in the passenger seat up front.

“Where you folks from?” Bailey asked.

“Nevada, just outside of Las Vegas,” Rain said.

“Long way to come to find a dog.”

“Yes sir. He’s a good dog though.”

Jess smiled and used a thick Louisiana accent. “She wouldn’t
give me a moment’s peace in the past few months. Had to burn another vacation
to find that mutt. I’d much rather have gone somewhere warm.”

Ranger Bailey smiled for the first time. His fingers seemed
to loosen on the steering wheel. “We all do those kinds of things to keep our
women happy, son.”

“Yes sir. I suppose we do.”

They arrived at the parking lot and found the small SUV
completely plowed in.

She heard a barely audible “shit” from the passenger seat.

“Sorry about that. The plow driver probably thought your car
was abandoned since the fall.”

Jess shook his head. “Any chance you could drive us to a
nearby airport? Maybe we can get a charter back to Billings.”

With a nod, they were on the move again. Rain looked out the
back window half expecting to see the ATV behind them, but the road was clear.
An hour later they pulled into a small airfield, said goodbye to Ranger Bailey
and headed toward the hanger door.

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust from the brightness
of the outside with the sun reflecting off the snow to the dimly lit hangar.

“I’ve been waiting for the two of you,” a familiar voice
said.

How could that be? She blinked a few times to bring the
cavernous room into focus. In the center of the concrete floor a very expensive-looking,
though small, airplane was parked. In front of the stairs leading up to the
open doors stood Will Starkey with a big smile on his face.

Rain knew that Will was a sharpshooter, an assassin, but she
could never equate the easygoing bear of a man with a cold, calculating killer.

Jess stepped forward immediately and shook Will’s hand. Jess
was a pretty big guy, but he was dwarfed by the gentle giant who pulled the
smaller man into a hug. Jess laughed and patted Will’s back. “Good to see you.
How did you get here so fast?”

“Josh got a signal when the cabin detonator was triggered.
We figured you two were either dead or in trouble. It stood to reason if you
survived the explosion, you’d head for a way out of the area.” He shrugged and
patted the side of his plane. “Josh would have come himself, but he’s in D.C.
trying to deal with the Breckenridge situation.”

“Joshua Lakeland, most powerful psychic in the world,
reduced to a politician. Sounds a bit nuts to me,” Jess said.

Rain kept quiet as she took it all in and tried to hide her
surprise that they could have figured all of that out and sent transportation
in such a short time.

Will’s smile brightened. “He’ll do fine. We’d better get
going. I’m assuming you blew the cabin for a reason and whoever it was, they’ll
be looking for you.”

“I think we took care of them all, but it might be a good
idea to have a clean-up team go in to deal with the fallout when the rangers
find bodies strewn through the park.”

“I’ll radio Tessa and tell her the situation. Good to see
you again, Rain.”

“You too, Will. I’m a little surprised about how fast you
got here.” Between the explosion, running and fighting it was near midday.

“It’s not a long flight and Tessa had me in the air only
minutes after the alarm went off telling her you’d blown up the cabin.”

“I sure appreciate you coming.”

Will’s cheeks reddened just a touch and he looked down at
Yas. “I didn’t know you had a dog with you.”

Rain had a jolt of panic about flying with Yas. Would Will
be opposed to taking the dog?

Jess answered before she had the chance to defend Yas. “He
found us. Saved our lives today.”

Will crouched down and patted his knee. Yas’ tail
immediately went into wagging overdrive and he rushed forward to get a good pet
and scratch behind the ear. Yas licked Will’s face and the big man laughed.
“Looks as if you’re a regular part of the Alliance then, boy.”

It was an extremely nice airplane. Luxury seating for eight
in leather recliners. Will put on his headset and radioed about the situation
before he ran a final check in the cockpit. Rain and Yas settled into the
comfortable seats.

Will asked, “Where do you want to go? Tessa told me on the
radio just now, she doesn’t think going back to Nevada is a good idea. If
they’re after you, best not to lead them back to the home base. I think we need
to go somewhere we can make a stand. Maybe capture one of them and find out
what he knows.”

Jess slid into the seat next to Rain and wrapped his hand
around hers. “Let’s go to my turf then. We can act as the bait and lure them
in. Find out exactly what we’re dealing with. My first impression is that they
followed me here and hadn’t intended to kill Rain.”

Will brimmed with excitement. “New Orleans it is!”

There was no doubt in her mind that he was excited over
their destination. She’d never met anyone as enthusiastic as their pilot.

Jess chuckled and closed his eyes.

It wasn’t just the temperature difference as he stepped off
the plane in New Orleans, it was the entire sensual feel of the bayou rolling
over Jess. He was home. The air in southern Louisiana carried a certain scent
just as the music lilted in just the perfect way. It was unique in all things.

They’d stopped at his apartment in the French Quarter to
clean up and change clothes before heading out onto the street. Will said he
would do a sweep of the area, gave Jess a don’t-screw-this-up look and left.
Jess couldn’t help wondering if Will’s expression was about the assignment or
the woman.

He heard the water running in the tub. The idea of Rain’s
shapely body naked in his tub had him hard as a rock. In a very short time he’d
become accustomed to her psi energy floating over his. Not in an invasive way,
but it was there, caressing him and keeping him in a constant state of arousal.
After twenty minutes he couldn’t take it anymore.

Opening the bathroom door gave him a view of warm tan skin,
bubbles and the swell of her breasts.

He didn’t know if his presence would be welcomed, but her
sultry expression boded well. “Didn’t you already take a shower?”

“I’m still feeling a bit dirty,” he said.

“I’ll bet you are.” She swirled the water and bubbles with
her fingers, creating a small vortex and a view into the water beneath. He
could barely see anything, but his memory of her luscious flesh was more than
enough stimulation.

It had been good to get into clean clothes. That didn’t mean
he was any more comfortable now that his cock pressed against the fly of his
jeans, trying to get out. “The way I see it,
cher
, you have two choices.
Either you come out of that tub right now or I’m coming in after you.”

Her dark eyes continued their direct perusal and without
warning, she stood up. Water ran down her body in a rush of suds that stuck to
her in the most delicious places. He closed the gap between them, grabbing a
towel as he went.

Unable to look away, he also didn’t want to rush in and lose
the moment. He stopped at the edge of the free-standing tub, wrapped the towel
around her back. The white terrycloth was a stark contrast to her dark skin.
Wrapping his arms around her, he lifted her from the water and set her lightly
on the bath mat. The warm water seeped through his shirt as her tits pressed
against him. As soon as her feet hit the ground, he lowered his hands, cupped
her firm ass and pulled her in tight against his shaft. A low groan met with
her sigh as her breath tickled his ear.

Jess took a step back and she swayed in place but didn’t
make a move to get close to him again. Her mouth parted as the pink of her
tongue poked out, wetting her lips. He pushed wet strands of hair off her
cheek, dried her shoulders, arms and chest. Allowing the towel to drift lower,
he dried her ass while he lowered his head and suckled one perfect nipple.

Rain arched into him and made a high-pitched sound that
seemed to rumble up from deep inside. He gave the other breast the same
attention while he dried her hips. Her fingers dug into his hair, tugging just
enough to let him know she liked his attention, but not enough to cause pain.

With a popping sound, he released her and dropped to his
knees. Slowly he dried one thigh, leg and foot. Nudging her thighs apart, he
dried the other. As the towel pressed between her legs, she moaned and wobbled
on her feet. His cock jumped at the sound, while he steadied her with strong
hands around her thighs.

Her lids were half closed, but her gaze was riveted on him
as he knelt in front of her. He ran his fingers along the folds of her freshly
shaven pussy. Velvety soft and smooth, he leaned forward and pressed his lips
against hers. Her hips thrust forward and his slid his tongue between those
slick folds. A soft cry escaped her and she wavered on her feet once again.
This time the edge of the tub saved her from total collapse.

Rain sat on the side of the tub. One hand steadying her at
her side and the other threaded through his hair. Jess pushed her knees wide.
Her pussy glistened with moist desire. Leaning in, he lapped up her sweet
juices, circling her tight hole and suckling her clit until she cried out. Her
grip on his hair tightened and relaxed again and again. Her hips pumped forward
in rhythm. His body was a war with itself, one side wanting to give her
pleasure and the other dying to plunge deep into the slick channel.

With each pass of his tongue over the sensitive bundle of
nerves, a louder cry fell from her lips. Her hips pumped faster. He latched on
to the bud, sucking hard as he slid his thumb deep in her pussy.

Rain’s cries filled the small bathroom, reverberating off
the plaster as the walls of her sheath clutched at his digit. Resting his face
against her abdomen, he wrapped his arm around her while the waves of her
orgasm ebbed.

When he stood, she just watched him wide-eyed. Lifting her
into his arms, he exited the bathroom, crossed the hall and entered his
bedroom. Gently he placed her in the middle of his bed.

Yas had taken up a post on the rug at the end of the bed.
Jess pointed to the door and told the dog to go. Yas padded out into the living
room and Jess closed the door before stripping out of his clothes.

He reached for the box of condoms in the bed stand. He’d
only turned away for a moment when he felt her gentle fingers softly sliding
along his cock. The light touch sent a shockwave through him. His balls
tightened. Watching her slow perusal of his shaft was by far the most erotic
sight he’d ever witnessed. She caressed him as if it were sacred and his body
responded. His hips rocked forward and back.

When her lips touched the head of his cock, the box of
condoms dropped to the mattress. She moved to lie on her stomach across the
bed, gripped his hips with both hands and pulled his staff deep into her mouth.
Jess’ hands found their way into her damp hair, but he didn’t force her
cadence. Each suck and slide was accompanied by the swirl of her tongue along
his sensitive flesh. He didn’t pay any attention when her right hand released
his hip until she began to gently tickle his balls.

“Jesus, Rain, you have no idea how fucking good that feels.”

She sucked him deeper, opening her throat to him and letting
him out slowly. Over and over, she repeated her sweet torture until he pulled
away. Her smile told him she knew she was driving him insane. Grabbing a
condom, he quickly ripped open the pack and rolled it on. He closed his eyes
against the wave of sensation even that touch brought him.

She didn’t move from her position with that stunning tattoo
of black and red facing him and her round ass teasing him. Circling the bed, he
knelt between her knees, gripped her waist and pulled her to her hands and
knees before driving deep inside her wet pussy.

They both cried out and neither one moved for a long minute.
Rain rocked forward then back, taking him in again. Her body clutched at his
cock, fitting him perfectly. She was warm, wet perfection. Nothing could ever
or would ever feel as good as being buried deep inside this amazing woman.

Too slow. He couldn’t take it anymore. Grabbing her hips, he
slammed home repeatedly. She cried out. He groaned as his release approached.
His balls tightened and he knew it couldn’t last much longer. Reaching his hand
round, he found her clit slick and sensitive. Her body jerked in response,
slamming back against him. At the first convulse of her channel his orgasm
erupted. She milked every last bit of pleasure from him as her rapture overtook
her and her screams mingled with his grunts.

An hour later, Jess entwined Rain’s fingers in his and
breathed deeply, letting the hometown aromas intoxicate him. They made their
way down the busy streets. He relished the sight of latticework, iron railings
and the sounds of jazz music. If he could have all of that with Rain in his
arms, he could die a happy man. And from the way they had been pursued in
Yellowstone, it was likely he would be dead soon.

“You look happy,” Rain said.

He opened his eyes and looked at her watching him. “There’s
nothing like coming home.”

“Were you born in New Orleans?”

“My family lived in a small town in the Atchafalaya Basin.
It’s not far, but it’s as country as you can get. I grew up there, but many of
my relatives live in New Orleans. We spent a lot of time here over the years.”
They walked slowly down the street hand in hand. They might have been any
couple out for an evening stroll.

“What are we doing here?”

“At the moment, we’re the bait.”

“Great, just how I wanted to spend my first trip to New
Orleans.”

“We have tonight. By morning I expect this town will be
crawling with assholes who want to kill us.”

She stopped, tugged his hand and leaned seductively against
the lamppost on the corner of Bourbon Street and St. Peter Street. “Then
tomorrow we’ll be busy.”

Jess liked this new seductive Rain. He’d also liked the
unsure, questioning version and the capable agent. The truth was, he liked
every side of her. Taking a step forward, he trapped her firm body between him
and the post. “Tomorrow we’ll be very busy.”

“And tonight?” She ran her hands up his abdomen to his
chest. One of the nice things about the south was that he was only wearing a
cotton tee-shirt and everywhere she touched he burned with desire.

Her gun jabbed him from underneath a jean jacket she wore,
but he found the slight pain only added to his arousal.

“Tonight we can do whatever you want. Pat O’Brien’s is just
up the street, Jackson Square is a little farther or we can stay on Bourbon
Street and find plenty of things to entertain us. Bars, strip clubs. Would you
like a lap dance?”

He’d leaned in very close to her ear. Her breath had
quickened with every word, causing her breasts to rise and fall against him.

Her fingers slid through his hair and her lips pressed
against the side of his neck. “What would you suggest for a girl like me with
only a few hours to spend in the Big Easy?”

Her low melodic voice sent a shock of desire directly to his
cock. God, he could take her right here in the middle of the street. It took
every ounce of strength to pull himself away from her. He granted himself one
kiss and he meant it to be just a quick one. Rain had other ideas as her arms
wound around his waist and her tongue slipped inside his mouth.

With one hand he gripped the back of her neck and devoured
her. Her body fit his to perfection. She clutched the lamppost for some balance,
the kiss grew more impassioned and a soft moan vibrated from her mouth to his.
Only the knowledge that they were in the middle of a busy intersection with
dozens of people passing by kept Jess from taking the kiss further.

Breathing heavily, he broke the kiss and pressed his
forehead against hers. “You’re going to be the death of me, Rain Silver.”

Her chest rose and fell in sharp, deliberate gasps, and he
knew that she was equally affected by their connection.

“I think we should move on before we become any more of a
spectacle,” she said.

He agreed, but it took him a few more seconds to bring his
body under control and take a step away from her. All the while her dark gaze
remained focused on his.

Another breath. “How about some food?”

In the streetlight her eyes sparkled. “I thought you’d never
ask. A girl could starve to death traveling with you.”

“There’ll be no starving tonight. I know just the place to
get you fed up. Then I’ll show you my town.” They’d started walking down
Bourbon Street hand in hand.

“And after that?” There was that low silky voice again.

He stepped in front of her and used the fingers of his other
hand to tip her chin up. “After that… I consider that kiss a moment ago a
promise that I’m going to expect you to keep.”

There was a little hitch in her breath. He wouldn’t mind
hearing that sound for the rest of his life. It was something he’d never grow
tired of.

“I always keep my promises, Jess.”

If they didn’t need to be seen around town he would have
scooped her up and dragged her back to his apartment. He’d keep her safe and
satisfied for hours—forever. He shook himself back to reality. They had an
assignment. Her training wasn’t over, but he’d have to get used to the idea
that danger would follow them wherever they went.

Managing a slight grin, he squeezed her hand and they
continued walking past Toulouse Street and he turned into BeBe’s Kitchen. The
red neon sign blinked to passersby. As soon as they neared the door the scents
of his past assaulted him. The idea of a life he’d never had the chance to live
nearly overcame him.

“Are you okay?” Rain asked.

Jess took in the worn wooden floors and glass window to the
kitchen at the back. The bar took up the entire right side of the long narrow
restaurant. Dim lighting and low jazz music plus the buzz of closely spaced
tables with lively conversation made BeBe’s Kitchen a hopping stop for food and
drink in the French Quarter. “It’s been awhile since I’ve been here. I’ve a lot
of memories of this place.”

Her head cocked to one side. “Good memories?”

Before he had the chance to answer a booming voice filled
the silence. “Boy, as I live and breathe, I don’t believe what it is I’m seein’.
Jessé McMean walkin’ in my restaurant as if he’s not been gone for years. May
bees that my eyes is playin’ tricks on me.”

He almost expected to be thrown out on his ass. Bebe was a
tall thin man with gray hair and the same eyes as his mother—Jess’ eyes too.
The sight of his uncle filled his chest with joy and he couldn’t help smiling.
“Hey there, Uncle Bebe. It’s good to see you.”

Jess put his hand out to shake, but Bebe ignored the gesture
and grabbed him into a tight hug. “Boy, it’s good to see you. You look fine.
Did you go see your momma?”