Flood Rising (The Water Keepers, Book 4)

by Christie Anderson

  I gasped and broke my mind away from the vision. My body went limp as I took in labored breaths.

  I felt Rayne’s hands suddenly on mine. “Sadie, are you okay?”

  I opened my eyes weakly, trying to push out a few more words. “Chapman’s supposed to pick up... some surveillance equipment there... Voss wants him to spy on our team.” That’s all I could manage to get out. My head fell back against the couch.

  “She needs to rest,” Rayne insisted. Rayne lifted me swiftly, wrapping my arm around his shoulder as he led me upstairs. My legs wobbled, but somehow I managed to make it up to my room and allowed my body to crash down onto the bed.

  ***

  I wasn’t sure how much time had passed when I woke up again. I opened my eyes to see Rayne sitting in the chair next to me, while Orion’s agent—the one assigned to babysit me—was standing in the corner looking bored.

  “What happened?” I asked Rayne. “Are they going to go to the address from my vision?”

  Rayne smiled and took my hand. “They already did. The address was a storage facility. And you were right about Chapman. When they found him there, he was loading up on surveillance equipment, just like you said.”

  I couldn’t help but beam. It felt good to know that I had contributed to the team’s success.

  “So, what happens next?” I asked.

  “Well, a few of our guys are taking Chapman into custody for questioning as we speak. So who knows what kind of information they might be able to get out of him. And Orion is downstairs waiting to talk to you as soon as you wake up. Apparently, you now have him convinced that you can locate Voss.”

  I frowned a little. I was glad that he believed me, but I wished the team could work to track down Voss without Orion always there controlling everything. As we spoke, Orion’s man left his perch in the corner, quickly exiting the room. He was probably following instructions to alert Orion as soon as I was awake.

  Rayne’s brow creased, as if he could sense my concern. “I keep explaining to Orion that he needs to take it easy on you,” Rayne said.

  I appreciated that Rayne was always so concerned about my well-being, but my biggest concern was figuring out how to capture Voss.

  “It’s fine,” I said. “I don’t care if I pass out again. I’m ready to do whatever it takes.”

  Rayne sighed, nodding quietly, and then stood from his chair. “I’ll go check in with Orion and see what he wants to do next.”

  After only a few minutes alone a light tap came at the door. When I got up to open it, Jax was waiting in the opening.

  “Hey,” he said cheerfully. “I heard you were awake so I came to see how you’re doing.”

  I smiled. “I feel fine. Using my abilities always wears me out, but once I get some sleep, I usually wake up feeling pretty normal.”

  Jax grinned. “I would hardly call you normal...”

  I peered at him playfully. “Oh really? And what’s that supposed to mean?”

  He lifted his brow. “You realize you’re like, my hero, right?”

  I laughed under my breath. “Your hero?”

  Jax nudged my side. “Yes, my little lizzy fruit, you are my hero, whether you like it or not.”

  I laughed again. “No pressure or anything...”

  Jax’s mouth lifted at the corner “No pressure,” he said. “Just keep being you.” He plopped down on the edge of the bed. “Oh, and just a warning, my father’s on his way up here to talk to you.”

  I sat down next to Jax. “Yeah, I kind of figured he would be.”

  He looked at me more seriously. “Don’t let him push you around, though, okay? When my father gets an idea in his head, he becomes so focused he can’t see anything else. If he’s pushing you too hard, just tell him to back off. I’ll do it for you if you want me to.”

  I placed a hand on Jax’s arm. “Thanks, but I think I can handle it.”

  “Okay,” he said, standing up from the bed, “but the offer’s there if you need it.”

  As I gave Jax a gracious nod, Orion appeared in the doorway, followed by Ash and the agent I had grown to think of as my babysitter.

  “Glad to see you’re awake,” Orion said. “I’m happy to report that thanks to your assistance, Agent Chapman was detained and taken in for questioning. Anything he might have been planning with Voss has been thwarted for the moment.”

  “That’s great,” I replied.

  “I believe we now have the advantage,” Orion went on. “It’s doubtful Voss knows that we’ve taken Chapman in, and he certainly can’t know that you’re able to see his location through visions.” Orion paused a second, studying my face, as if somehow this could help him understand my abilities.

  Orion continued. “Despite this advantage we need to act quickly. Voss is a cunning man, and it won’t be long before he figures out that Chapman is missing. Unfortunately, with the way your visions appear to function, allowing only up-to-the-second insight, this doesn’t give us the opportunity to plan ahead. We need to be ready to act on a moment’s notice. My first instinct was to have you locate him right now, but after speaking with Rayne, he has convinced me that it makes more sense to wait until Voss has settled in somewhere for the night. In the meantime, you are instructed to get some rest. We’ll need your abilities at full capacity come night fall.”

  After I agreed, Orion directed my babysitter to stay and watch me before leaving to go downstairs. I sighed and let my head fall back onto the bed. What was I going to do in the meantime? It would be several hours before it was time to start the search for Voss again.

  Luckily, Rayne came back a few minutes later carrying a deck of cards. If I had it my way, I would be off hanging out with Heather instead of sitting around in my room for hours, but playing cards would be better than nothing.

  Rayne seemed like his normal, pleasant self as we played, but deep down I could sense something was still off balance, like a thin invisible line was drawn between us. It was obvious that remnants of our fight still lingered below the surface, yet neither of us wanted to talk about it.

  After a while, Jax and Honeycutt showed up with some food, and they both stayed in my room to keep Rayne and me company. Ash was the only one not to join us from the group. I was guessing he understood my discomfort when he was around. Despite the necessity to work together as part of the team, he knew I hadn’t forgiven him for hurting me and my family.

  Surprisingly, playing cards helped the time pass quickly. Jax and Honeycutt were extremely entertaining. Even Rayne loosened up enough to enjoy some time with his buddies.

  Finally, it got late enough that Orion returned to have us start back on the search for Voss. Orion and the rest of his men gathered around the bed as I propped myself up on a few pillows to concentrate.

  Voss was lounging on a plush couch with an elegant tray of food sitting on the coffee table in front of him.

  “I see him,” I told the team. “He’s watching TV and eating room service. It looks like he’s probably at another hotel. I’ll look deeper and see if I can tell which one.”

  I pushed my mind outward from Voss’s room, informing the team of his room number and that Voss had several men with him standing guard, and then I proceeded to search out to the front of the hotel until I found a sign with the name on it.

  “They’re at the Ritz-Carlton, Marina Del Ray,” I explained.

  I tried to hold back a smile as I opened my eyes. It felt like the more I practiced my locating abilities the less effort I had to exert in order to use them. I still felt strained, but it didn’t seem as bad as some of the times before.

  “We leave in twenty minutes,” Orion announced.

  He instructed me to rest until it was time to leave, while the remainder of the team went downstairs to prepare.

  Fifteen minutes later Jax showed up in my room. “Have you seen my father?” he asked.

  I lifted myself off the pillow to sit up. “No,” I said, shaking my head. “I’ve been up here alone this whole tim
e. Isn’t he downstairs?”

  Jax looked confused. “No, he left with his men ten minutes ago to gather up some gear at the house next door, but I just went over there to see what was taking so long and nobody was there.”

  I scooted off the bed to stand. “Wait, so did they leave without us?”

  “Not just us,” Jax replied. “Rayne, Honeycutt, and Ash are still here too.”

  “That doesn’t make sense,” I said. “Why would they leave half the team behind?” I crossed the room and headed downstairs, with Jax following behind me.

  Just as we made it downstairs Ash was walking in the front door. “I checked several of the nearby houses,” he explained. “They’re all empty.” He slammed the door shut then hit it with the side of his fist. “Orion went without us.”

  “I don’t understand why they would do that,” I said. “Don’t we have a better chance catching Voss with a bigger team?”

  “It doesn’t make sense at all,” Jax added. “My father is obviously up to something.”

  “Maybe I can see him and his team in my mind,” I said, crossing the room. I sat on the couch. “Just give me a second to look.”

  I had only connected in my mind with Orion once before, and it happened without me even knowing what was happening, but as I closed my eyes to focus I was able to feel his essence quite strongly.

  Within only moments I could see that Orion and his men were already at Voss’s hotel room. Half of them stormed in through the balcony doors while the other half forced their way through the main doorway. Chaos erupted in my vision all at once. Gunshots exploded and fists started to fly. Voss had just as many men as Orion, turning the hotel room into nothing short of a battlefield.

  My mind shifted back and forth around the room, trying to make sense of what was happening. Suddenly a terrible realization set in. I couldn’t find Voss anywhere in the confusion.

  “Orion’s men are already there at the hotel,” I explained. “But Voss had a bunch of guards there ready for an attack. They’re all fighting each other as we speak.”

  Ash stormed toward me. “What about my father?” he urged. “Is he part of the fight?”

  I shook my head. “I couldn’t even see him there.”

  “Just forget about Orion and his men,” Ash said angrily. “Focus on my father. He’s probably already making his escape.”

  “Okay, okay,” I said frantically. “Just hold on a second.”

  I closed my eyes quickly and concentrated on Voss. “It looks like he’s outside. He’s running,” I said quickly. “Wait, now he’s jumping in his car and peeling out of the parking garage.”

  “How could Orion do this to me?” Ash fumed. “That idiot let him get away.”

  We all watched as Ash shoved a lamp to the floor.

  Then, Ash tore across the room and grabbed my shoulders. “You can see him, though,” he said desperately. “You can see where he goes and we can follow him there. We still have the upper hand.”

  I glanced worriedly at the rest of the guys in the room. “I’m willing to do it,” I began. “If you guys think it’s worth a try. I’ll do what I can to lead you to him.”

  Honeycutt stepped forward. “If all of Voss’s men are busy fighting with Orion, then Voss is alone. And he still has no idea that Sadie can see him. We may not get another chance to catch him in such a vulnerable state.”

  “Then we should do it,” I said boldly. “While we have the chance.”

  Rayne was by my side in less than a second. “You don’t have to do this. We can wait and regroup when we have reinforcements.”

  I looked at him warmly but firmly. “We have to take advantage of the situation while we can. It’s going to be okay.”

  “Then the two of us will just help them from here,” Rayne insisted. “You can search for Voss right here on the couch and we’ll direct the team where to go over comms.”

  I felt the deep ache of worry coming from Rayne’s being, and it made me ache as well. I hated feeling like I was causing him pain, but I knew what I had to do.

  I squeezed Rayne’s hand. “I need you to believe in me and what I can do. I have to come with the team in case someone gets injured, so I can be there to heal them. Just remember... Voss can’t hurt me. No one can. If for some reason I get injured, my body will heal.” I stared deep into his eyes. “You don’t need to worry. I can do this. I have to do this.”

  Rayne’s eyes closed in defeat and he drew in a deep breath. Then, he opened his eyes and nodded. “Okay,” he said. “If you feel this is what you need to do.”

  I squeezed his hand one more time. “It’s going to be okay,” I assured him, and then we all grabbed our gear and headed out to the car.

  This time we took one of the larger SUV’s so we could all ride together. Each of the guys looked menacing and courageous, decked out in tactical gear. Ash was in the driver’s seat, while Honeycutt sat next to him in the front. I sat in the middle in the back row with Jax and Rayne on either side of me.

  Ash called back to me from the front. “I’ll head out to the general direction of the hotel. Sadie, keep a watch on my father and tell us if you can see where he’s headed.”

  I agreed as Ash drove us out of the neighborhood.

  My mind focused once again on Voss. He was still driving swiftly in his car. At this point no one seemed to be following him. Aside from speeding, Voss appeared to be obeying traffic laws. He stopped at red lights, making it easier to search for street names and signs.

  Each time I was able to get another clue to his route, I would call out the information to Honeycutt who would locate where Voss was headed on his GPS.

  Following Voss’s movements so constantly started to put strain on my body. I laid my head back against the seat for support. I could feel both Rayne and Jax’s eyes on me the entire way. Rayne held my hand tightly, as if somehow his energy could strengthen my own.

  After ten or fifteen minutes of this, Honeycutt announced that we were within five miles of Voss’s location. We were getting close.

  I watched Voss intently. All the surrounding buildings looked like a bunch of warehouses. When he finally slowed down, a large metal door inched open and Voss’s car rolled inside. I quickly pushed out my vision to the nearby street corner and told Honeycutt the name of the street where Voss had turned in to park.

  “We should act quickly,” Ash said, “before my father can put any security in place.”

  I tried to give one last description of the building, but my hands started to shake. The drain on my body had finally caught up with me. I pushed again. The team at least needed to make sure they knew they were going into the right place.

  I found a number above the garage door where Voss had entered and then my body collapsed down into the seat.

  I wanted more than anything to go inside with the team. What if one of them got hurt? But I just couldn’t do it. My legs were like jelly. My mind was all foggy.

  “I have to stay here and regain my strength,” I said to Rayne.

  He nodded. “I’ll stay with you.”

  “No,” I insisted. “The team needs you in there. They need all the help they can get right now. You have to go help them.”

  Rayne hesitated but finally agreed. “Just stay here in the car,” he urged.

  “I will,” I said with a small laugh. “I can hardly move my legs as it is.”

  It was obvious Rayne didn’t think that was funny. He glanced down and then back at me. “We’ll be back soon,” he promised.

  I watched as the team moved stealthily away from the car through the dark, until I couldn’t hold my eyes open any longer. There was no use fighting it. My body was too weak. I laid my body down across the back seat and let my lids close.

  26. ASH GETS HIS CHANCE

  Adrenalin coursed through Ash’s veins as the team carefully approached Voss’s hideout. Ash had waited for this moment for so long. He had wasted his whole life trying to earn his father’s approval—but not anymore.

>   His father didn’t even deserve the title father. He had never truly cared for Ash, never loved him as a father should. He never gave him sound advice or took him upon his knee with cheer; all he had ever done was belittle Ash. He tore Ash down until there wasn’t an ounce of dignity left in him.

  Now, Ash relished in the chance to turn around and shove it all back in his father’s face, to rid himself of the black hole his father had wrenched through his heart.

  Ash led the team forward, swiftly and quietly, through the door that led to his father’s hiding place, confident this attack would be a success. They had the element of surprise, and his father was outnumbered.

  Upstairs, the warehouse-style building resembled a large loft apartment. Ash spoke to his team with silent hand gestures as they spread out and crept through the dark rooms and hallway, moving toward a light at the back of the building. They ducked in and out of the surrounding rooms, assuring they were clear before continuing forward toward the light.

  Ash stopped silently just before the lit opening and signaled for his team to follow in behind him.

  They charged forward into the open space with rifles aimed.

  Voss stood behind a large kitchen island. His eyes jerked up at the sight of them.

  Without hesitation, Voss grabbed a briefcase sitting on the counter, flipped a lever on the case with his thumb and chucked the case across the room toward them.

  “Move!” Ash yelled to his team. He dove forward behind a sturdy table as the briefcase skidded and spun across the floor toward his team.

  The case exploded. The blast shook the room.

  Ash caught sight just in time to see Rayne, Jax, and Honeycutt fly back from the force, each of them pounding against a wall and thudding to the ground. None of them got up. They were at least knocked out cold, if not worse.

  “I told you if you pursued me that your pathetic little group of friends would get hurt,” his father chastised from across the kitchen.

  As soon as Ash heard the words, he aimed his gun in anger and sent several shots in his father’s direction.