After the Rain

by Karen-Anne Stewart

  Tilting her head back, he pinches her nose as he tries to breathe life back into her. He begins the chest compressions again, willing her to breathe, nearly going mad when she remains lifeless.

  “Raina, breathe! Please, God, let her breathe!” Kas cries out, and tears spill from his eyes as he continues pumping his hands against her chest. He breathes into her two more times. “Breathe, baby,” he begs as he presses the heel of his hand against her breastbone. “Don’t you dare die on me, Raina!” he screams at her, commanding her cold, lifeless body to respond as the only movement from her is from the feverish pumping of his own hands. Kas covers her mouth with his, again breathing his own breath into her. Nothing. He is ready and willing to give his life in exchange for hers, to breathe his last breath into her, as he pumps his hands against her chest again, “Raina, dammit! BREATHE!”

  A faint cough escapes Raina’s split, blue lips before garbled sounds indicate she is choking. Kas quickly turns her on her side as the water sputters from her mouth. She is dazed and still coughing as Kas pulls her into his arms, burying her head against his chest as he presses his head to the top of hers, weeping from relief. “You’re safe now, baby, you’re safe,” he assures her as he kneels on his knees, rocking her in his arms, thanking God for giving him more time with her.

  Kas continues to rock Raina as she weakly wraps her arms around him, saying silent prayers of gratitude of her own. He feels her body trembling beneath him and, for the first time, he feels the bitter cold of winter start to seep into his own wet skin. Taking his shirt off, he rips hers open as he presses her body against his, trying to get her warm. He grabs his cell phone, thankful it’s waterproof as he starts to dial Chase’s number.

  “No,” Raina limply grabs at the phone.

  “Baby, you’re hurt and freezing, we have to get you out of here. We have to get you to the hospital.”

  “I need to be dead,” Raina whispers.

  Kas shakes his head, confused, thinking she is still dazed as he starts dialing again.

  “They need to think I’m dead,” she begins again, her words forced and weak, “I know how to get Prizrak.”

  Kas stares down at her, taking in her battered face, the various bruises and her eye swollen shut from the brutal beating. He takes the crude bandage off her arm and swallows back fear and rage as he sees the deep gashes, “We have to get you to a hospital, sweetheart.”

  Raina shakes her head, “Call an ambulance, but have them bring a body bag. Evan has to believe that I died. He’s been watching from the cameras, he’ll check them. But first, call a team to find Carrie.”

  “Carrie?” Kas asks, confused again while dialing Chase.

  Raina gives him the details about Carrie, her voice weakening with every word, “I think I heard a train in the live feed. She’s somewhere near railroad tracks.”

  “I’ll have Chase send a team to look for Carrie,” Kas assures Raina, squeezing her hand. When Chase answers, Kas quickly tells him to not say anything, to control his emotions. He tells him that Raina is alive but in a bad condition. Informing him of the plan, he asks Chase to make sure the ambulance arrives quickly with a doctor ready. Relaying the information about Carrie, he keeps his gaze fixated on his wife, shaking her when her eyes close, “I’ve gotta go. Tell them to hurry!”

  Raina’s body is violently trembling. Quickly stripping her of her soaked jeans, Kas lays on top of her, his body shielding hers from the biting wind, “Hang on, sweetheart, please just hang on.”

  “Kas, don’t let me go, okay?” Raina asks, her voice dangerously soft.

  “Never, darlin’, I will never let you go,” Kas promises. “Keep talking to me, Rain, can you do that?”

  Kas keeps Raina talking until the medics arrive on four-wheelers. He helps them wrap her in the blankets, continuing to rub his hands quickly over her body to warm her. Carefully picking her up, he carries her to the back of one of the all-terrain vehicles. Her body is limp in his arms, terrifyingly fragile, and he cradles her tightly in his lap. When one of the medics wraps a blanket around his shoulders, he takes it off, wrapping it around Raina instead.

  Raina’s eyes are closed when Kas looks down. Gently shaking her, he softly demands, “Wake up, Rain. Stay with me, baby.”

  Slowly, she looks at him. The smile that curves her lips brings more tears to his eyes.

  “Please, don’t. You’ll make me cry, and it’s too freaking cold to cry right now,” she says, letting out a limp chuckle.

  Laughing, Kas wipes his eyes on his shoulder, “I love you, Raina Pierce!”

  “I love you, too,” she replies, her words barely above a whisper.

  Trying to minimize the jarring from the rough ride as much as possible, he shelters her in his arms, cradling her head with his hand until they are almost at the top of the mountain. They stop, and Kas almost loses it when one of the medics pulls out a body bag.

  “We’ve gone too far not to catch him now. Kas, please,” Raina begs, knowing the look in his eyes too well.

  Kas rakes his hands through his hair before dragging his hand roughly down his face, “The doctor is in the back of the ambulance. You keep your eyes open in there until we get you to him, Rain. Promise me!”

  “I promise.”

  “I still owe you a dinner date for your amazing job with the equipment, stay awake, and I’ll take you anywhere you want to go, Rain. Just stay awake!”

  A small smile tilts her lips, “Anywhere?”

  “Anywhere.”

  “I want you to take me to La Roustide, in Nice.”

  “France?” Kas laughs, tears pricking his eyes again as he watches his wife smiling, trying to ease him after what she’s been through. Loving his wife tremendously at the moment, he would take her around the world if she wants, “Alright, France it is then, baby. Just stay awake in there.”

  The anguish of putting his wife in a body bag is indescribable. Kas leaves the zipper open a fraction at the top, not able to bring himself to seal it all the way. They securely attach her to the stretcher and carry her the short distance to the crest of the mountain to the waiting ambulance in front of El Diablo’s abandoned mansion.

  Kas watches the horror resonate through his father’s eyes when he sees the body bag. He wants to tell him Raina’s alive but can’t risk giving anything away on the camera. Chase grabs Cliff’s arm, embracing him. Grateful for Chase’s discrete disclosure, Kas is relieved until he spots Brent running towards them before stopping abruptly, nearly doubling over from witnessing what he thinks is his worst nightmare turned into heart-wrenching reality.

  Chase is walking towards Brent when he suddenly stands, rushing straight at Kas. “She’s dead because of you!” he yells, taking an enraged swing at Kas’ head.

  Kas ducks, dodging the blow, and, with one swift move, he grabs Brent by his throat, slamming him against the side of the ambulance. Mercilessly jerking him around, out of the line of the cameras, he holds his forearm roughly against Brent’s chin. “Raina’s alive,” he reassures him, understanding his pain, furious at the understanding they share.

  The immense relief Kas witnesses sends a jolt of conflicting emotions through him. Releasing Brent, he steps away and climbs into the back of the ambulance, forgetting the illicit agent, just needing and wanting to be with his wife right now. He immediately unzips the body bag as soon as the doors are closed, relieved that Raina held true to her promise, but just barely.

  “The doctor’s here, Rain, stay with me,” Kas encourages, taking her cold hand in his.

  Dr. Reed introduces himself and does a quick, cursory exam. “She’s showing signs of hypothermia, her blood pressure is low. She also appears to have a concussion. We need to get a CT scan when we get to the hospital.”

  “No!” Raina protests, “he’ll be able to access the records. The only paper trail needs to be of the data entered into the morgue, nowhere else.”

  “You’re getting a thorough examination, Raina,” Kas tells her forcefully, not will
ing to take any more chances with her.

  “Is there any other location where I can be examined?” Raina asks, her words slightly slurring.

  Dr. Reed informs them there’s a private practice not far from the hospital where he has access to utilize the equipment.

  “How far away?” Kas inquires, making sure there’s no delay in getting his wife needed medical attention.

  “Less than five minutes.”

  Raina pleads with Kas, “Please, just agree to this one last thing, and I swear I’ll do whatever you say.”

  Giving her hand a tender squeeze, Kas laughs, “We both know that’s impossible for you, darlin’.” Gritting his teeth, he relents, looking at the doctor, “Everything you need is at this facility?”

  “It functions the same as the hospital, just on a smaller scale.”

  “No records can show my name.”

  The doctor hastily agrees, wanting to put Raina at ease, needing her calm and still while he continues examining her. He notices how Kas’ body is shivering, and he grabs blankets, tossing them to Kas, “Get out of your wet clothing and wrap these around you. I need to check you for hypothermia as well.”

  Kas follows the doctor’s advice, keeping his eyes on Raina and squeezing her hand when her eyes start to close. He calls Erik, telling him to meet them at the hospital outside the morgue and to bring extra clothes.

  Staying awake is proving nearly impossible, and Kas keeps Raina talking, asking her to tell him the full plan, terrified that she’ll never open her eyes again if she drifts asleep.

  Erik is waiting on them when they arrive. Careful to avoid any cameras, they quickly get Raina inside his vehicle, laying her down on Kas’ lap in the backseat. Desperate to relieve the pained expression on Erik’s face when he takes in her injuries, she gives him a sheepish grin, trying not to grimace from the pain the small act causes, “I’m going to take advantage of your sympathy right now and make a confession.”

  Erik places his hand over hers, lacing her slender fingers through his. “You’re finally going to admit that I’m really the ultimate alpha geek and you learned everything from me? Don’t sweat it, everyone already knows that,” he winks.

  Raina tries to return his grin, but it hurts too much, “I accessed the FBI database. That’s why they took me, so I would erase the files on Prizrak.”

  “It’s okay, Rain. No one will hold that against you. They forced you to do it,” Erik almost chokes on his words as he inspects the proof of their cruel tactics of coercion covering her beautiful face. He has to look away when he sees the deep contusions on her wrists, showing how fiercely she struggled to free herself.

  “It wasn’t Prizrak’s file that I erased,” Raina states, holding her breath at Erik’s questioning gaze.

  “What did you delete then?”

  Happy that Kas is there to save her, Raina quietly mumbles, “Your file.”

  “My file?” Erik questions, confused, “but the only file that’s mine there is my—Oh no! Please, tell me you didn’t, Rain!”

  Shrugging apologetically, Raina grimaces, “I’m sorry.”

  “You better be glad that I love you, girl,” Erik laughs, before shaking his head at her, “only you can get away with wiping away several years spent masterfully putting together the most impressive musical collection in history.”

  Kas’ hearty laughter is the sweetest sound to Raina. “You just gave me another reason of why I’m helplessly in love with you, darlin’!”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Four hours later, Raina is in a drugged induced slumber. Kas checks on her again, softly brushing a stray auburn lock behind her ear.

  “She’s going to be pissed when she wakes up,” Austin states, chuckling. “I don’t know which one of you she’ll go after first,” he muses, looking between Kas and Chase, “the one who distracted her, or the one who stuck her with the needle.”

  “She needed to sleep,” Kas states unapologetically, haven agreed to the Demerol both Chase and Dr. Reed recommended. Returning to the large open kitchen and living area, now their makeshift office at Wade’s house, he throws himself into the mission of taking down the man responsible for putting Raina through hell.

  Studying all the information in front of him, Kas knows that if they are going to pull off an op of this magnitude, they are going to have to be as covert and thorough as possible. When one of the men who served under his dad volunteered his home, they immediately set-up camp. The next several hours are spent taking shifts working relentlessly at planning their next move. The only men who haven’t slept are Kas, Chase, Cliff, Erik, and Brent.

  The way Brent keeps glancing towards Raina’s room doesn’t go unnoticed by Kas. Another two hours pass, and Kas stretches, leaning his head back and slowly rolling his neck. Being up for over thirty hours is starting to show its negative effects. Glancing at his watch, he leaves his work, deciding to check on the progress with Raina’s trap that Erik is instituting before checking on his wife.

  The white bandages on her arm and wrists shine eerily in the blue light from the clock in the dark room. The soft rain falling down outside provides a false sense of serenity. One look at his wife’s face shatters any semblance of peace for her guilt ridden husband. Kas takes a moment just looking at her, overwhelmed with gratitude that she’s alive. The thought of losing her induces the worst incensing fear that threatens to completely destroy him.

  Quickly pushing the dark thought out of his mind, Kas places his hand over Raina’s, his thumb gently caressing the soft skin just below her small, injured wrist. Her touch feels a little too warm again, and he pulls her covers down as his gaze shifts to a noise at the door.

  Brent steps inside the room, briefly meeting Kas’ gaze before focusing on the woman who visits him every night in his dreams, leaving him heartbroken all over again each morning, haunted by what he will never have. Rage fills him when he witnesses her bruises for the first time. His pain is sharp when he inspects her dark purple, swollen eye, cheek, and jaw on the left side of her face. Both lips are split, and a large, angry bruise covers her right cheek. The bandages on her arm and wrists are further proof of the terrible pain she endured.

  Kas watches Brent with ardent ambivalence but remains silent, not an easy task under the circumstances. Allowing Brent to touch Raina tests his failing restraint, but he stays seated. The pain in Brent’s eyes connects them, despite the fact that any form of their bonding is the last thing either of the men want.

  Brent carefully unwraps the bandage on her arm, closing his eyes and turning his head at the long, deep cuts that have several stitches attaching the skin back together. Wrapping the bandage back around her arm, he wants to scream, weep, and savagely beat the hell out of the man who hurt her. Instead, his wrath turns on Kas, “You were there when she was taken! You are supposed to protect her!”

  Looking at his wife, Kas’ voice is painfully raw, “Do you honestly think that I don’t already know that? I would give anything to change what happened.”

  “If she never met you, none of this would’ve happened,” Brent spits out angrily.

  Kas doesn’t argue.

  Michael rushes into the room with Cliff and Chase directly behind him.

  Chase sees the self-vacillation radiating off his best friend, and his own anger soars at the gross injustice. He despises how Kas is blaming himself for what has happened when the guilt doesn’t belong to him. He takes a menacing step towards Brent, but Kas holds out his hand, pushing Chase back.

  “Raina deserves someone who can protect her better than this,” Brent accuses, waving his hand angrily at her motionless body.

  “You’re not innocent from causing Raina pain,” Kas growls, the image of Raina broken and completely despondent on the floor tears through him.

  “At least I didn’t almost get her killed,” Brent seethes, taking a step towards Kas, his hands curled into tight fists, his intentions clear.

  Kas grits his teeth, his own fists itching to pound the m
an who caused him to hurt Raina, nearly destroying the both of them, “I appreciate you helping to find my wife, but it would be wise for you to remember that I don’t need any further invitation to kick your ass!”

  Cliff steps in between the two men before all hell breaks loose. “Raina wouldn’t want this,” he admonishes, giving Kas a fierce glare. “Don’t you think she’s been through enough? She shouldn’t have to deal with the two of you causing her any more pain.”

  “Brent, leave the room, now!” Michael commands.

  Brent doesn’t move.

  Kas takes a step closer.

  Erik storms in, “If you two are finished acting like total dumb asses, I thought you might like to know that I just finished Raina’s obituary.”

  Their shared pained expressions meet his agitated smirk, “Yeah, I thought that would get your attention.” Erik glances at his friend, who is totally out, oblivious to the men ready to rip each other apart over her. “Her idea is brilliant and, if I do say so myself, I wrote a helluva piece about her. But, if you two would rather beat the hell out of each other instead of catching the man behind Raina having the hell beat out of her, be my guest.”

  Cliff gives Kas a pointed look, “Let it go, son.”

  “Show me,” Kas states, giving Brent one last warning glare before following Erik out of the room, nodding at Chase, letting him know that he doesn’t want Brent alone with Raina.

  Michael jerks his head at Brent, demanding him to get out of the room immediately. Once they are in the hall, he grabs his arm, shoving him against the wall. “I know you’re in love with Raina, but you’re wrong about Kas. He’s a good man, Brent, you just don’t want to see it. Do you have any idea what he did to save her?” Michael asks, his anger subsiding from the despair on his agent and friend’s face. “He jumped off the side of that friggin’ mountain to get to her. I know you’re hurting, but he’s hurting more than you could possibly imagine right now, so back the hell off him.”