Chapter 27
Jaron squared off against Gregir on the center mats, flexing his fingers at his side. The long sticks they used to train lay broken on the floor between them.
“What is your problem, Jaron?” Gregir’s shout drew the attention of the others and Torkel who’d been using the room to get in a workout session.
“Jaron!” Torkel snapped. “My office now!”
Without offering an apology to Gregir, Jaron walked away, his lips pressed tight together. He went down the hall and up a level, frustration brewing like a toxic mix
When he reached the designated door, Jaron slammed into the office and threw himself into the nearest chair. Torkel stormed in behind him.
“Do something to get yourself together, Jaron or I will have Arak cover the team and put you on forced leave.”
It wasn’t an empty threat. Torkel’s irritation with him was obvious.
“I will work on it.” Jaron breathed out harshly and braced his elbows on the table. Not sure how that would happen. His temper raged no matter what he did.
“Have you talked to her?” Torkel took the seat across from him.
There was no need to guess who she was. “No. Sasha’s vanished.”
Again. Except this time, he couldn’t hold out hope she’d call him. Her words rang with pain and honesty that day. She was done with him. Jaron’s throat locked.
“Have you asked Bane to help?”
Jaron dropped his head to study the plain surface of the table. “Bane looked, Vee looked, Kyele searched until sickness forced him to come back.”
No one had any sign of Sasha. Jaron had gone so far as to hack the Retriever Association records, but Sasha hadn’t claimed a bounty in the time since he’d seen her last. Her finances which Jaron had yet to break were a mystery to him. If her words were to be believed, she didn’t need the credits from future bounties.
“It has been three years. Maybe you need to let her go.”
Jaron’s head snapped up and he glared at Torkel. “We didn’t get anything out of Arlo.”
The Marenian hadn’t revealed Lothar’s secrets or whereabouts, making his arrest a complete waste in Jaron’s mind. The Jutak commander had refused to let them keep him longer than a few days and sent another team to escort Arlo for sentencing. Currently he was three years in on a twenty-five year stint at a prison colony.
They were no closer to stopping Lothar. He’d lost Sasha for nothing. Torkel’s comm buzzed and he excused himself. “Do not leave yet, Jaron.”
There was nowhere he wanted or needed to be. Jaron sighed and pushed back in the chair, his legs spread beneath the table. He drummed his fingers on the surface in an uneven beat, trying to block out the overwhelming wave of grief that sought to drown him whenever he remembered the betrayal on Sasha’s face.
It wasn’t easy. Lately he’d been spiraling. He didn’t sleep well most nights. His patience was shot and he took every opportunity possible to spark a confrontation with those in the Unit. It had to end. At some point, Jaron had to regain control. He just wasn’t sure how.
Torkel came back in, brown eyes shadowed. “You have a visitor, Jaron. I have her waiting in the lobby.
Her? Torkel offered him a smile now. There was only one her Jaron wanted to see. He jumped to his feet, knocking his chair back and blasted past Torkel. He bypassed the lift and banged open the door to the stairs. He took them two at a time, heart pounding out a driving rhythm.
It didn’t matter how or why. He wouldn’t ask questions. When Jaron saw Sasha, he was going to grab her and not let go.
He hurdled through the lobby and came to an abrupt halt. The woman standing there turned, her look one of welcome and love. Disappointment hit like a punch to the gut. He wiped his hands on his pants then jammed his fingers through his hair. “Maman, what are you doing here?”
Trelia hugged him and Jaron automatically wrapped his arms around her to return the embrace. His chest ached, but he tried to hide his crushing disappointment.
His maman leaned back, her hands cupping his elbows. “I would speak with my son.”
Since she rarely visited him at the Jutak facility, Jaron knew she wanted to speak privately. If she had called him home, his sisters would have intruded or eavesdropped. They were not known for their discretion. “Come. I will take you to my rooms.”
She dug her heels in and despite her slight weight, Jaron stopped immediately. “You never spoke of her to me or your papan.”
Jaron stiffened. “What do you mean?”
His maman reached up to stroke his jaw. Jaron leaned down to ease the stretch on her arms. “Your heart has been broken for far too long and you have not once come to your papan and I for help.”
Sasha. Why had he thought his maman would not know of Sasha? He’d never so much as mentioned her to his family. His maman and his sisters possessed precog abilities. It was a dangerous gift and not to be taken lightly. His maman never shared her visions and only acted on them if her loved ones were in danger. If she knew of Sasha, it meant she’d seen something.
“Did you see me with Sasha?” He held his breath as he awaited her answer. Jaron never asked his maman for details about his future for fear she would see his Chosen and when. At the time, he’d been scared. Petrified to know. Now he felt foolish.
Trelia tapped his cheek and stared into his eyes. “I have seen many beautiful images of my Jaronoto and his Chosen.”
Jaron stumbled, sweat breaking out on his temple. His pulse jumped then settled. She said Chosen not Sasha. “Maman, do not tell me.”
He wasn’t ready to hear that Sasha wasn’t a part of his future. His Chosen would obviously be a female he loved but right now, Jaron couldn’t think of anyone owning his heart besides Sasha.
His maman tipped her head to the side. “Your papan said to let you find your way. As the one who held you when you drew your first breath, wiped your tears and cheered your accomplishments, I find this hard to do. Three years is a long time to watch your only son suffer.”
Thunder pounded in his ears. His chest seized. She was going to tell him. He could see the truth in her eyes and she was going to destroy him because she loved him. “Maman, do not.”
“You love her, your kitten, so much you don’t wish to have hope in your heart to know the name and face of the female who would be your Chosen one day?”
If he had any doubt about the veracity of her sight concerning him and Sasha, her use of the name he called Sasha would have dispelled it. “I love Sasha more than the air I breathe. My heart is hers whether she wants it or not. If you see me with another in my future, it will mean Sasha is far beyond my reach. The only way I can imagine her out of my reach is through death. Please do not tell me my Sasha dies, Maman. I could not bear it.”
“If I didn’t already love you, I would after hearing that.”
Jaron felt every bit of color drain from his face at the sassy voice. He looked beyond his maman to the front entrance across the lobby. Standing inside the glass doors, arms folded over her chest was a vision he couldn’t have imagined.
“Sasha?!”
She walked toward him with a cocky smile, his every dream come true. The last few steps she ran and threw herself against his chest, arms going about his neck. “I love you, Jaron. I shouldn’t have stayed away.
“I shouldn’t have tricked you.”
They were talking over one another and it didn’t matter. Sasha clasped his face in her palms. “Please don’t ever lie to me. I couldn’t take it if you betrayed me again, for any reason.”
“Never again.” Jaron lifted her in his hold, Sasha’s grip about him unrelenting. “I will have the team medic implant a tracker in you and never let you go.”
Her smile widened. “Hmm, doesn’t sound like something I’d want.”
“I could change your mind. Give me a chance to try.” She laughed and no sound was sweeter. “How did you get here?”
“Your maman has a way about her.” Sasha’s look was full of secrets he knew he’d never get.
Over his shoulder his maman smiled and wiped at the tears in her eyes. Jaron arched his brows and almost collapsed with relief when she nodded and mouthed, “Your Chosen.”