Chase takes Kas a cup of coffee, “Sit down and take a short break, you’ve been going nonstop.”
Kas shakes his head, making another call to his contacts in China, cursing loudly when they still haven’t been able to locate Parker, “Where the hell did he disappear to? How could he have just vanished when he got off the damn plane?”
“Take a break, Kas,” Chase insists, placing the coffee in his hand.
Throwing the cup into the trash, Kas turns his attention back to looking for more areas where Raina could be.
Chase places his hand on his best friend’s shoulder, and Kas nearly crumbles.
“I can’t take a break, Chase. They have my wife! If I stop, the thoughts of what they might be doing to her—” his voice cracks. Heartbreaking tears well in his eyes, “I can’t handle those thoughts.” The hot tears threaten to spill, and he angrily swipes the back of his hand against his eyes, “I have to find her!”
Nodding curtly, Chase walks away, leaving Kas to do what he does best, finding the taken and bringing them home. His own pain is nearly unbearable; he can’t fathom his best friends right now. He prays they find Raina. The stark devastation in Kas’ eyes proves he will never survive it if they don’t.
Judge glances at Chase as he walks back to the files in front of them; his nightmare is written on his haggard face, “You’ve profiled this Parker, this Ghost. Tell me the truth, is there any chance he will let Raina go?”
Chase’s lack of response screams Judge’s despair and tears spill from his hazel eyes. Removing his glasses, he wipes away the tears, refusing to visit that possibility, refusing to even think it.
Staring at the screens in front of him, Kas’ hands are locked tightly against the top of his head. Focusing on finding Raina is the only thing keeping him from going completely mad with grief. The images of more than seventy searched areas marked through with thick, black ink taunts him. Pressing his fingers against his throbbing forehead, he closes his eyes, Think, dammit, think!
Every conversation with Parker, about Parker, flashes through his mind. The interrogations between Parker and Raina replay for the hundredth time in his memory. A thought sparks hope. Claudia. Spinning around, Kas grabs a file from in front of Chase, “You said Parker will have Raina close, taunting us with his superiority, right?”
“Most likely,” Chase confirms, looking over Kas’ shoulder.
“We’ve already searched every known location in this city that his ring has touched and all of the abandoned buildings in D.C. When El Diablo was killed, his house was put on the market. Did it ever sale?”
Chase helps him search for the address, quickly entering it into the system. Chase’s eyes dart back to Kas, “It hasn’t sold.”
“That’s where he’s holding her,” Kas calls out, yelling for his team to grab their gear.
Raina doesn’t know how much more pain she can endure as the burly trafficker hangs up the phone and turns back to her, a cruel smile on his lips as his eyes show a hint of respect. “I’m impressed you haven’t talked yet, most men I’ve dealt with have broken down way before this point.”
“Maybe you’re just losing your touch,” she spits out, trying to make her words sound stronger than she feels.
Blood pools in her mouth as he punches her again. Her head is violently thrust sideways from the blow, and she pulls on the little reserves she has left, making herself lift her chin and hold her head high. She spits a mouthful of blood onto the marble floor, desperately trying to push past the pain.
“No more games, sweetheart, you are going to cooperate now,” Max warns, his tone is full of threatening assurance.
“Oh, but, we’ve been playing together so nicely,” Raina retorts, sarcasm dripping from her voice as she looks up at him with the one eye that isn’t swollen shut. She catches his sideways glance to the security camera in the corner and rage burns through her blood, “He’s watching isn’t he?”
“I think you’re starting to get a little delirious, honey.”
“No, he’s watching!” Lifting her chin defiantly, Raina stares straight at the camera, “What’s the matter? You can’t handle this part, Parker? You have to have your flunkies do it for you? Why don’t you face me yourself?”
The shrill ring of Max’s cell infuriates her further. Before Max has time to talk, she lets out a bitter laugh as she stares into the camera. “I’ve spent so much energy hating you lately. The funny thing is, I realized that I don’t hate you,” Raina states honestly, “I feel sorry for you. I feel sorry for the type of man you are inside to do what you do. No matter what happens to me, you will go down. You think I’m the brains behind this? You’re wrong! They’re every bit as intelligent as I am. You will be hunted for the rest of your life, never knowing the meaning of peace ever again. Kas will never let this go. There will not be another day where you won’t be looking over your shoulder wondering if that is the moment you are going to die.”
“Get her to erase the file, then finish her!” Parker yells through the phone, loud enough for all of them to hear.
“Why don’t you finish me yourself? You coward!” Raina screams.
“Put the phone to her ear,” Evan commands Max, his voice back to eerily calm as he studies Raina. When he sees that she is listening, he lets out a slow breath, “It’s a pity seeing you in such pain. Erase the file, and I promise the pain will end.”
“Erase the file yourself,” she seethes, “you’re the genius.”
His laughter makes her want to come straight out of her skin, “Now, Raina, you know that I don’t have the time to detect and disable all the wonderful traps you have embedded in my file for me. I’m sure they are loads of fun, and I’m really tempted to play, but I’ll have to respectfully decline.”
“Not up for the challenge, Parker?”
“I’m up for anything you throw my way,” Evan teases, then lets out a long sigh before continuing, “imagine the amazing accomplishments we could’ve made together. It didn’t have to be this way, you know. I would have enjoyed having you as my own, I’m not always the monster you make me out to be, I can be quite kind. It’s a shame I won’t see you again, you are by far the best opponent I’ve ever met. I will give you the respect you deserve and let you die without an audience. I have a plane to catch anyway. Oh, and don’t worry about them having any indecent liberties with you, I saw the fear in your eyes and the way you flinched when Max touched your knee. They have strict instructions not to harm you in that way. Like I said, Raina, I’m not a monster.”
“No, you’re much worse!” Remembering Kas’ words about her father, Raina laughs with contempt at how the evil in Evan Parker far surpasses anything her father has ever done, “Monster’s aren’t real. You are!”
A soft chuckle is his only response for a few seconds, then, Raina is sure she’s mistaken when it’s regret that she hears laced in his next words, “Do yourself a favor, please do as your told to save yourself from any further suffering. I give you my word that the end will be quick and painless as soon as you do as asked.”
A single tear escapes, slowly trickling down her cheek as she whispers, “Kas will find you.”
“Maybe,” Evan responds. There’s a long pause before he continues, the regret undeniable this time, “But it will be too late to save you. Good-bye, Raina.”
The call ends, leaving Raina shivering uncontrollably. She can’t tell if it’s from anger or fear. Thoughts of Kas storm her brain. The sorrow of never seeing him again cripples her. She almost allows herself to drown in the despair before the images of her husband flashing through her mind give her strength. I will not die! I will not lose him!
Max twists his left fist tightly in her hair, roughly yanking her head backwards as he takes out his knife and touches the blade to her cheek, slowly sliding it down to her throat.
Repugnant fear spirals through her, and she forces herself to swallow her panic as she feels the cold steel of the blade against her skin. She holds her breath when he pres
ses the tip to her flesh, biting the side of her neck. Max yanks her hair again, and she forces back a gasp from the pain. Raina locks her gaze to his menacing stare, not giving him the satisfaction of cowering before him.
“Erase the Ghost!” he growls, the glint in his eyes shining from dangerous intentions if she refuses.
Raina’s gaze doesn’t waver, her fiery jade glare adamantly denying his demand.
His afflicting grip on her hair never relents as he calls her a vile name before slicing the knife angrily across the top of her left arm. The intensity of the pain burns through Raina, and a pained gasp escapes. She feels the blood running down her arm, and she wants to cry, scream, do anything to release even a little of the trepidation erupting inside of her.
Max raises the knife, and Raina feels lightheaded when she sees her blood dripping off the blade. Fear almost paralyzes her as he again forcefully demands her cooperation. She can’t stop her body from trembling, nearly crippled with dread from knowing what is going to happen next. Terror seizes her as she slowly shakes her head, closing her good eye, unable to witness the horror from the knife cutting into her again. The pain rips through her; her arm feels as if it’s in flames. Raina cries out from the pain, no longer able to hold back the scream.
Max releases Raina’s hair, and her head falls forward. The sight of her blood rolling down her arm makes her nauseous, and she has to fight not to vomit. His blazing eyes search her again, and she knows she can’t take much more. She has to make them believe that she will cooperate. Another vile name is spit upon her, and she sees him raising the knife again, “NO . . . wait . . . I’ll do what you want.”
The cruel, satisfied smile on his lips makes her skin crawl. Raina quickly tries to think of the best plan as he lays the knife down on the counter, “I need my hands.”
She can see the hesitance in his dark eyes when he shakes his head. “Tell me what to do, and I will do it.”
Raina lets out a weak laugh, “That would take too long, even if you could follow the instructions. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m bleeding over here, and I’m starting to feel a little woozy.”
He only pauses a few seconds before grabbing the knife and cutting the plastic zip-tie from her bleeding, raw wrists. Raina slowly rolls her shoulders, trying to shake the painful tingles in her arms from the length of time spent in her bound position. She uses every second she can procrastinate to come up with a plan. Her time is cut short when Max jerks her off of the chair, pushing her towards the laptop on the counter. Her fingers are shaking as she begins typing, her mind furiously racing as she hacks into the FBI database.
Raina knows she will have to convince them that she is going to erase all of the evidence on Prizrak, so she opens his file, making sure they see how it’s labeled with his enigmatic codename. Simultaneously accessing a different file, Raina leaves Prizrak’s unchanged. Continuing to rapidly type in codes, knowing they can’t follow what she is doing, she quickly decides what she is going to do next.
Blood runs down her fingers, smearing on the keys on the keyboard, and Raina hesitates before managing to steel her faltering nerves. She presses delete and can’t breathe as she sees them engrossed in watching the line slowly move across the screen as the file begins to disappear. While they are distracted, she grabs the edges of the laptop and sends it crashing straight into the face of the trafficker who has delivered her excruciating pain over the past several hours. She elbows the other trafficker, following with a fierce front snap kick.
Hastily, Raina grabs the keys off of the counter and races out the door. Feeling weakened and dizzy, she forces herself to push faster. Fumbling with the keys, she screams in frustration when they fall from her hands onto the ground. She quickly grabs them again and flings herself into the Sierra. Seeing them coming after her, she tries to tame her fear and cranks the ignition to life. Another panicked scream escapes her as the glass on the back windshield flies through the air from a gunshot. She scans the vehicle for a cell phone, no longer fighting back the tears from falling when she doesn’t see one.
Stepping on the gas and pushing the pedal down as far as it will go, Raina wipes away the tears, focusing on navigating the curves of the road while driving down the mountain. She is flung against the steering wheel as the Sierra is struck by the vehicle of the beady-eyed trafficker. Gritting her teeth, she refuses to succumb to her panic. Her arms hurt from the exertion of jerking the steering wheel to keep the truck on the road as she frantically careens down the mountain.
Blood continues to run down Raina’s arm, leaving a wet, sticky trail. She takes the torn fabric between her teeth and rips her shirt, tearing off a long strip. Awkwardly, she scrambles to wrap the strip around the wounds, biting her lip from the pain. She secures it as well as possible as she continues to speed dangerously down the steep slope.
Another shot rings out, puncturing the edge of her seat, and she swerves, nearly running off the road. Taking a deep breath, she concentrates on remembering Kas’ instructions, his words when he told her how he pushes past the debilitating stress to keep focused. The back of the truck is rammed again, jarring her. This time, Raina decides to fight back. She quickly steers right, then slams on the brakes before ramming the truck into the front of the other vehicle, forcing it sideways. Roughly turning the wheel, she pushes down on the gas again, straightening the battered truck. She is gaining distance as she tries very hard to keep her nerves from exploding inside of her.
Another loud shot rings out and the truck violently jerks from the explosion of the rear tire. Running off the side of the road, Raina fruitlessly tries to regain control. The airbag pummels into her, knocking the breath out of her lungs as she crashes into a ditch. Not having the luxury of sparing any time, she struggles against the airbag, and pain lances all the way through her as she scrambles across the passenger seat and tumbles out the door, landing hard against the ground.
Raina’s breathing is shallow as she writhes in pain. Commanding herself to move, she crawls up the embankment. When she hears them behind her, she sprints towards the woods, racing through the dense forest. The branches whip viciously against her body as she runs further into the shelter of the trees, not daring to look back.
Chapter Twenty-One
Kas grinds his foot against the gas pedal as he wills the jeep to go faster up the mountain. He jerks the wheel, pulling off the side of the road when he sees the abandoned vehicles. He and Chase jump out, and Kas’ heart stops when he sees blood smeared against the deflated airbag and passenger seat. Quickly scanning the area, he looks for a path to follow.
Austin pulls his Tahoe next to Kas, and the rest of the team exits the vehicle as a gunshot splits the air. Kas pulls his glock, flying towards the woods. His mind is focused solely on Raina, getting to her, saving her, as he ignores the painful bite of the branches slashing his skin. He pushes himself faster as another shot sears his heart.
It’s hard to navigate through the density of the trees, even with the naked branches of winter, but Kas finally sees two men running ahead of him. With sheer determination, he forces his body faster, closing in on the gap between them. He catches a glimpse of Raina as she darts northwest, back out of sight. He doesn’t have a clear shot of the running targets, and he nearly cries out in frustration as he concentrates on getting closer. The seconds torturously drag by as he rapidly works on closing the remaining distance.
Raina’s body is screaming against the harsh exertion, her arm is on fire as she dodges through the trees. A shocked cry escapes as she grasps at branches to keep herself from tumbling over the edge of a cliff into the raging river far below. Her panic threatens to overtake her as her foots slips over the side, and she desperately hangs onto the branch. Hearing the sounds of the men rushing towards her, she wildly searches for another way to go. Controlling her fear, she says a rushed, silent prayer, then lets go of the branch and grabs onto the edge of the cliff, easing down the rocky side. Thinking of her trip with Kas, when he took her rappe
lling, Raina tries to remember everything he taught her. The roaring sound of the water below is deafening as she treacherously continues the steep downward climb, her arm rebelling against the heavy strain.
Kas witnesses the larger man quickly stop, aiming his gun over the side of the cliff. Raising his glock, he fires a kill shot before the man’s weapon can be discharged. The man goes down as another shot resounds loudly ahead to Kas’ left. Another shot is fired closely behind him by one of Kas’ own men, towards the direction of the previous one. He hears Raina scream as he races to the edge of the cliff, watching in sickening horror as her falling body plummets towards the river below. Without hesitation, Kas jumps over the edge as Chase frantically grabs at him, trying in vain to stop him from the suicidal free fall.
Raina feels the full impact of the piercing pain engulf her as her body crashes into the river. The white crested water swallows her, then she feels nothing else. Kas braces himself for the impact as his body breaks through the water, the force stripping the breath from his lungs, sending his senses reeling from the intensity of the pain. The water swirls angrily around him as he continues his downward spiral. Struggling against the watery prison, he fiercely fights as it rages around him. He gasps for breath when his head finally breaks through.
Frantically searching for Raina, Kas continues his battle to keep his head above water. Fear prickles through him like the sharpest slivers of broken glass when he sees Raina floating face down. Desperation is his strongest fuel as he fights the current, swimming towards his wife. Reaching her, he wraps his arm around her limp body and rolls her over as he pulls her towards the river’s edge.
Unbearable fear grips him as he drags her motionless frame onto solid ground. He presses his ear against her mouth and nose. A raw, dark agony slashes his heart as he realizes that she isn’t breathing. He stares down at her battered, bleeding body as he feverishly begins chest compressions, praying for her to start breathing again. Time ruthlessly tortures him as he counts to thirty before checking her. Kas rebukes the panic that attacks him, refusing to let her go even though she is still breathlessly lying below him.
After the Rain Page 23