After the Rain

by Karen-Anne Stewart

  “Rain, it’s okay. I knew he was in here. Do you honestly think that I don’t know who’s near you at all times right now?”

  “I didn’t—I just-” Raina stumbles over her words, the unbearable pain she felt from the day her world fell apart hits her hard, and tears pour down her cheeks. “I’m sorry,” she whispers, although she’s not sure what she’s sorry for.

  “Hey, baby, shhh, don’t cry,” Kas states quickly, rushing to her. “I trust you, Rain. You didn’t do anything for you to need to apologize. Please, don’t cry.” Kissing her tears away, he pulls her close to him. Grief stabs him with the knowledge that after everything she has just been through, it’s still him that can hurt her the most. That power she gives him is a sacred blessing and a hellish curse.

  “I trust you, Rain, please believe me,” he begs. Gently wiping away her tears with his thumbs, he presses his forehead to hers, unable to bare seeing her pain any longer, “I need to hear that you believe me.”

  Raina’s grip tightens, pulling Kas closer as she pushes herself into him. Nodding her head, she sinks into his strength and warmth, “I believe you.”

  No further words are exchanged for a long time. Kas just holds her until she falls back to sleep. Kissing her forehead, which is thankfully back to its normal temperature, he quietly slips off the bed and back to work for the next two hours.

  The hour has been set, when that minute turns, they will go in. They will all go in. Laptops are ready while they wait for the last of the lead agents from around the world to join them. Once everyone is accounted for on the live feed, Kas goes over every detail, giving orders, answering questions, solving issues, until the details are sufficiently ingrained in everyone’s mind. “These men will not hesitate to kill you. Take no chances, shoot to kill if you have to, just get the girls out safely, and take every living handler into custody,” Kas emphasizes, finishing the intercontinental conference.

  The call to Dexter is the last call Kas makes before they are ready to infiltrate their assigned subgroups and rain down hell on every trafficker affiliated with the Ghost, “Derrick’s bringing Parker in now. He’s already thoroughly searched him after he was taken into custody at the private airport strip just outside of Boston. Derrick will inform the agents watching him to make sure that no devices are to be near him at any time. Parker will be regretting the bombing very soon. His denial of being able to contact a lawyer for his act of terrorism will not go over well, so keep an eye on the agents, Dex. I don’t want any of them in the room alone with Parker. The information recovered shows that, although Parker may not have been the one to commit the acts of murder, he’s quite capable of it. Torturing seems to be more his style. There are reasons his men don’t give him up, those files alone should get him several consecutive sentences. The bombing will give him life. His trafficking acts against women and children should be considered terrorism as well,” Kas angrily states.

  “The law’s not perfect, Pierce. The world sure as hell isn’t,” Dexter states softly. His voice returns to its booming authoritative tone, “You tell your teams to stay smart and keep their eyes open. Parker’s men will not go down without a fight.”

  “Already covered, sir.”

  “Pierce.”

  “Yeah, Dex.”

  “Take down every last one of those bastards!”

  “Yes, sir,” Kas states, a dry smile curves his tightly pressed lips as he closes the phone.

  “Get ready,” he commands, addressing the agents ready to deliver a long overdue wrath, “We leave in fifteen.”

  “I’m not going, Kas,” the determination is evident in Raina’s voice as she crosses her arms defiantly across her chest and raises her chin.

  Kas stares at his beautiful, impossibly stubborn wife, and love fills his every pore. He wants to take her in his arms, strip her down, and make love to her all over again, forgetting everything that is happening for awhile, but he can’t. He has to get her somewhere he knows she will be safe once he leaves. He opens his mouth to start to argue but wisely closes it, knowing that arguing will get him nowhere. Pulling her close to him, he kisses her forehead, “Darlin’, I’m sorry,” he whispers, then abruptly hauls her up and over his shoulder, heading directly to his dad’s borrowed vehicle.

  “Put me down, Kas!”

  Kas ignores her loud protests and continues to carry her towards his father.

  “I said, put me down, now!” Raina shrieks and starts to twist and turn in his grasp.

  “Settle down, Raina,” he warns, grabbing her legs tighter as she struggles against him.

  She does just the opposite, squirming relentlessly as he holds her firmly in place, never letting her go, even as they reach Cliff. He tightens his grip around her legs even more with his left arm as he opens the door, plunking her down on the seat, directly on her currently high-strung butt.

  “We did it your way, now we’re doing it mine,” Kas’ words are full of love, but also full of finality, a combination that Raina hates and loves; the ambivalence of it all makes her head spin. Never had she been turned on by authority, not until she met Kas. She chalks it up to her knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that his authority will never be backed by pain. She opens her mouth to protest, but his severe warning glare makes her quickly shut it. A hot sensation shoots through her lower belly, and she squirms again, but this time from need. Half of her is furious by his manhandling, especially in front of all the agents, but the other half wants to rip his clothes off right there. More than half of her wants to do the latter if she’s really honest with herself.

  “You can hate me all you want right now, darlin’, but I need you far away from here when we go in. We’ve got Parker, but if any of his men find out that you’re still alive before we get to them, their reach is too dangerous.” Kas stops, dropping his head while his fingers press angrily against the frame above the open door. Slowly, he raises his head, the earlier dominance replaced by such an intense fear it causes Raina to place her hands on his cheeks as he whispers, “I have to know you’re safe.”

  Any anger she felt evaporates. Pressing her forehead to his, she caresses the sides of his face with her fingers, and she can feel how tightly his jaw is set beneath her palms. “Okay, I’ll leave,” Raina relents.

  His look tells her that she had no choice in the matter, but it made her feel better to voice her consent anyway. “Kas?”

  “Yeah, sweetheart?”

  “I know I say this every time, and I mean it every time, but please, please stay safe.”

  Kas gives her his cocky grin, and all his fear is gone, wiped away with her leaving with his dad, “Always, baby.”

  Raina doesn’t have to wait for him to take her in his arms. He lifts her to him, holding her tightly against his chest as he buries his face in her hair, kissing her neck, “I love you so much, darlin’!”

  “I love you, too.” She presses her lips together, refusing to cry. She will be strong for him, at least until he can’t see her anymore.

  Kas nods at his dad, a heavy, unspoken conversation passes between the two before he closes the door. Raina’s eyes never leave his as she presses the tips of her fingers against the window, holding back the tears, refusing to let them fall, as Cliff drives away. She prays for his safety, for all of their safety. Cliff places his hand reassuringly on Raina’s knee, and she turns to him, giving him as much of a reassuring smile that she can manage, knowing the peril they are entering into. They know that Parker has been taken, but his men don’t, and when the agents invade his home, all hell will break loose. Parker’s men are just as trained and skilled, but unlike Kas’ men, they won’t think twice about taking a life. They will be out for blood, for self-preservation. She, more than most, knows just how fiercely a person’s primal instinct kicks in, fueling the will to fight, to survive.

  Kas walks back to his team, giving Chase a pointed look, “Are you going to make some wisecrack about my overbearing ass again?”

  Chase purses his lips and sha
kes his head, “Nope, I happen to totally agree with your ass right now. If you hadn’t of done that, I would have.” Chase’s gaze falls. “Kas, I’m—” he stops, for once at a complete loss of words.

  Kas grabs his shoulder and gives him a hard nudge, “Parker did this, Chase. Now, let’s go take the bastard down.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The minute slowly fades away. Saying a quick prayer for the safety of the numerous agents getting ready to put the massive op into action, Kas gives the signal to Derrick and Lawson. He looks at his direct team, proud to be serving with men like Frank, Austin, Jake, and Russo. The men are more than agents, they are friends, family, and Kas says another prayer. The second hand clicks one last time, marking the end of the Ghosts reign of terror.

  Kas gives the signal, and all hell breaks loose. Lives are lost, saved, and forever changed as doors are knocked down, windows are busted, and walls are blown apart. The night air lights up from the glow of the fire from the heavy artillery. Screams are meshed with gunshots and flash bangs creating an eerie melody as the war wages between the honorable and the depraved. The stars shine brightly in the sky, blanketing and uniting the battle raging on domestic and foreign soil.

  Taking the stairs three at a time, Kas chases one of Parker’s men. Sliding across the floor, he barely misses the gunfire aimed his way. Immediately returning fire, he watches the light slip out of the young eyes, and he curses under his breath, losing a little more of himself every time he takes a life. Jumping to his feet, he carefully rounds the corner, focusing on keeping his breathing calm as he mentally counts two missing men. The blast downstairs lets him know that one has been found, just one more to go.

  Surveying his surroundings, Kas takes a deep breath, clearing his mind, before slowly making his way down the long hallway. The noise downstairs makes it hard to hear anything else, but a soft click behind him makes him spin. A false wall, of course, why the hell wouldn’t there be one of those? Kas grits his teeth, wanting to take down Parker’s man and get out of his horror house as he dodges an experienced blow. He raises his gun, but it’s knocked out of his hand as he’s knocked against the wall.

  Kas blocks the next advance and follows up with a crushing blow. It doesn’t take long for him to realize his opponent is very well trained. The powerful kick to his chest sends him flying backwards, crashing into a side table. Grunting, he shakes off the pain, retaliating with an uppercut, backfist, then a punishing roundhouse. The dark-haired man hits the ground, but doesn’t stay down, he comes up swinging.

  Kas blocks the onslaught, then attacks unrelentingly, his fists never stopping until the man stays down. Kas’ chest aches from the damaging blow and his labored breathing as he cuffs his passed out opponent. Roughly lifting the man onto his shoulder, he carries the last of Parker’s men to the van waiting to take them to their new, much more confined home.

  A couple of hours later, the team is in the van recuperating from their wounds in the field, bandaging the deeper scrapes and getting back into their heavy gear. The statistics of the rescued women and children were staggering when they had started pouring in earlier. Kas’ knees go weak, and he sinks into his seat, as he watches the numbers steadily increase as they drive to their final stop for the night. The amount of handlers detained is astounding, most have been taken alive, eight chose not to be. A profound relief washes over Kas when he learns that all of the remaining girls bought with Raina’s money have been found. Sorrow quickly penetrates his relief at the news that another agent lost his life tonight.

  Fifteen minutes later, the vehicle rolls to a stop. Waiting in the van at the corner, Kas glances one last time at the blueprints of the large house, “Russo take the side exit. Austin, take the back. Jake, cover the front. Frank, you come inside with me.”

  Kas nods at the young, well-dressed housekeeper at the door. Her lips are as fake as her smile when she greets them, not even trying to hide her agitation at the late visit. Holding up his badge, he steps inside without an invitation.

  “I will let Mr. Craig know you are here,” the lady states, her agitation morphing into curiosity.

  “That won’t be necessary,” Kas informs her, “we’ll let him know ourselves.”

  Secretary of State Craig is on the phone when Kas bursts through his office door.

  “What the hell do you think you are doing?” Craig blurts out, spinning around at the intrusion. Vibrant, tangible fear spills through the anger when he realizes it’s Raina’s husband that is standing less than three feet away from him.

  Kas takes the phone out of the stricken man’s hands, placing it on the receiver. His cursory glance over the room indicates Craig was moments from disappearing. Picking up the fake passport and tossing it inside one of the briefcases full of money, he nods at Frank to photograph them and bag everything, extremely grateful they got there before he slipped out of the country. “It is my honor to personally place you under arrest, sir,” Kas tells the man fourth in line to succeed the Presidency, “Your governmental duties have been officially relinquished.”

  The fear on Harlem Craig’s face when Kas hands him the signed notification makes Frank chuckle under his breath. Kas makes no move to place the cuffs on the pathetic degenerate in front of him. Frank backs towards the door, wishing he could help deliver the well-deserved, overdue wrath Kas is getting ready to unleash.

  “Boss, I’m going to step outside for five minutes, you know, enjoy some of the cool night air that Craig won’t be enjoying again anytime in the next twenty years or so.” Frank lets out a chuckle, his voice taunting, “You’ve got a nice office here, Craig. It’s very sturdy, almost soundproof.” The petrified look in the former government official’s eyes satisfies Frank as he slips through the door, calling over his shoulder, “I might even take a stroll around the block. It really is a nice night.”

  Craig takes a step back, bumping into his desk as Kas curls his hand into a tight fist.

  “You ordered death for my wife,” Kas growls, the fire in his eyes blazing wildly with hell-bent retribution. Taking a menacing step towards him, Craig cowers further. “Raina nearly died because of you!”

  “She’s alive?” Craig whispers, shock, rage, hope, and fear colliding in his eyes at that unexpected news.

  “My wife is a fighter. Yes, she’s alive,” Kas’ voice turns dark, deadly, as he warns, “but that’s more than I will promise for your fate.” He feels the deepest atonement at the stark terror radiating off Craig. The reprobate’s fear is so pronounced, Kas can almost taste it, and he savors every last second. A smile curves his lips as he sees Craig’s body begin to tremble. When his fist crashes against Craig’s jaw, he enjoys the fact that, even though he’s not going to kill the man, for a few blissful minutes, Craig’s going to wish he was dead, he might even beg for death by the time he’s done with him.

  Frank returns a little over five minutes later, opening the door to the sight of Kas sitting on the edge of the desk while Craig is slumped in a mass on the floor. The dark resolve in his leader’s eyes both soothes and scars him, knowing they crossed a line they’ve never crossed before tonight, and it isn’t being taken lightly by either man.

  “You know he’ll get a low security facility that will seem more like a retreat than a prison, boss,” Frank tells Kas, trying to ease both their minds.

  Slowly standing, Kas cuffs the barely conscious man, hauling him to his feet as he groans in pain. Ambivalence rips through him, “I know, Frank. I know.”

  Kas leads the man who is partially to blame for the hell Raina endured to the van, wanting to rid the earth of men like him, men like Parker. The poisonous thoughts inside his head seize him on the ride to the agency until he sees the woman whose redeeming touch heals him, her innocence restoring every drop of his lost faith by just one glimpse into her welcoming eyes.

  Raina’s gaze never leaves her husband’s, never even glances at Craig, as they exit the elevator. Her sweet, absolving smile reaches straight to Kas’ soul. Lett
ing go of Craig’s arm, letting go of the damage and reign of terror that has ruled their lives, he grabs Raina, pulling her into his arms and burying his head into her auburn halo, getting lost in her salvation.

  Parker’s head is on top of his arms, leaning on the unforgiving metal table when Austin enters the room first with a very satisfied, very smug grin on his face. Parker raises his head, looking beyond annoyed. Austin steps to the side, thoroughly enjoying witnessing the profound shock on Parker’s blanched face. “What’s wrong, it looks like you’ve seen a gh—,” Austin begins, then shakes his head, laughing at the irony, “nah, too easy and totally overdone.”

  The sweet satisfaction of seeing the smug look on Parker’s face shatter into a million devastated pieces, knowing that they finally have him, spreads deliciously through every pore in Raina’s body. She takes a moment to relish in their victory before she calmly walks to the table, her haunting jade eyes never leaving his, “Is this damning enough for you?”

  Evan remains silent, his seemingly impenetrable façade stripped to mere fragments. He looks utterly broken, and Raina finds no joy in that, just profuse relief that he can’t hurt anyone else ever again. She holds out her hand, watching how his deflated gaze lowers to her closed palm. Opening her hand, she reveals a King. Slowly placing the black chess piece on the table in front of him, her gaze meets his. “Checkmate,” she states slowly, quietly, and the words are his final undoing. He closes his eyes, leans his head back, then lets out a deafening, defeated scream.

  Raina walks away as Parker unleashes his fury, wildly thrashing against the restraints the guards put on him as vile words and empty threats reverberate throughout the small room. Austin follows Raina down the hall, throwing his arm around her.