“The whole checkmate thing, too overdone?” Raina questions, her eyes twinkling when she looks up at Austin.
He throws his head back, laughing, “A little, but it was still epic as hell!”
They turn the corner, and Raina’s confusion is evident as to why everyone is standing there. Austin steps away from her, beaming as Kas lifts her into his arms, planting a heated kiss right on her lips, in front of the entire human trafficking unit, including Dexter. Her face flushes with embarrassment, but quickly turns into raw desire, and she couldn’t care less who is watching as she kisses him back passionately. The room booms with hoots and deafening applause. Kas pulls away, laughing, slowly sliding her down his body. Pulling an envelope out of his back pocket, he hands it to Raina, “You did good, darlin’, really good.”
Raina’s perplexed gaze searches her husband, but all he gives her is a huge, sexy grin. Opening the envelope, her mouth falls open as she takes out the two tickets to Nice, France, and she throws her arms around his neck, “I can’t believe you did this.”
“You deserve it, sweetheart. You did an amazing job bringing down the most wanted trafficker in the modern world.”
Turning around, Raina scans the crowd of the heroes who wake up each morning, kiss their loved ones good-bye before heading into war on domestic ground, never knowing if they will live or die that day. Their sacrifices have consequences that go mostly unnoticed, both the good and the bad. Raina nods her head proudly at them and smiles, “We all did.”
Epilogue
Raina leans back against the red leather, oversized chair, waiting. Her face is neutral, giving nothing away as she gets curious glances from the men coming and going. She continues to wait, but she refuses to allow her patience to be tested. She needs this, wants this passionately.
An impeccably dressed woman enters the extravagant room. “We’re ready for you now.”
Raina follows the beautiful raven-haired woman through the hallway adorned with dark walls and paintings in angry hues. A smile curves Raina’s bright red lips. Yes, she’s been waiting on this for a very long time. Her eyebrow arches as they round the corner, and her gaze shifts to the man sitting in the corner. His dark hair is dusted with the perfect amount of distinguished gray. His long, muscular body is adorned in the richest of threads. He’s undeniably breathtaking.
Repressing a surge of excitement, Raina gives a coy smile to the man. It’s been too long! Her attention diverts back to the woman blatantly scrutinizing her. Raina raises her chin slightly, meeting the woman’s stare dead-on, and she lets out a little chuckle at the ambivalence in the woman’s eyes.
“Do I make you feel uncomfortable?” Raina asks with amused assertiveness.
The woman returns her chuckle, but it’s not quite as aloof as she tries to make it sound, “Nothing makes me uncomfortable.”
Liar.
“Let’s get down to business, then,” Raina begins, sweeping her blood red fingertips against her long, auburn hair, brushing it off her shoulder. She feels empowered, nearly invincible, in her tight, black leather pants and formfitting simple white tee covered with a skin hugging black, cropped stripped vest. Her three and a half inch hot pink stilettos give her a commanding height for a woman. Who said it’s a man’s world?
“I appreciate your coming. I’m very impressed by what I’ve seen, no one can argue you’re enticing, but your eyes . . . there’s too much innocence in them.”
“Innocence can be deceiving,” Raina replies truthfully.
The man stands, taking a step towards Raina. His voice is a smooth, masculine intoxication as he dismisses her, “Thank you for coming.”
Raina smiles sweetly at the man, the arch of her eyebrow heightening. Licking her lips and taking a long, slow breath, she turns towards the woman. With a quick wink, she picks up the crop on the side of the desk and lashes it hard against the outside of the man’s thigh. All sweetness is gone, “No one gave you permission to talk! Sit back down, and keep your mouth shut!”
“Freaking A, Raina!” Kas yells out, grabbing his gun, ready to race inside as he impatiently waits for the next sound.
Austin’s barely contained laughter is stifled by the severe glance of his superior. Jake smirks at Austin, shaking his head at how the boy never learns to keep his mouth shut when Kas is worried about the consequences of his wife’s audacity.
Frank lets out a relieved breath when they hear the man’s impressed laughter. Kas holds his earpiece tighter, listening intently. He closes his eyes and smiles when the man tells Raina to be there at 7:00 p.m., sharp. They watch her exit the building, slip into the shiny, black Porche Russo had thoroughly enjoyed picking out and delivering this morning and drive away.
When evening rolls around, Raina finishes getting ready. The outfit choice isn’t nearly as enjoyable as her earlier attire. Slipping into the red leather pleated miniskirt and dark gray leather cropped bodice that generously shows her midriff and the top mounds of her breasts, she pulls at the edges, hoping the tugging will magically make it cover more of her. The only part of this get-up that she likes is the laced, leather knee-high heeled boots.
The invincibility she felt from this morning is rapidly waning, “Do I have to wear this?”
Kas runs his tongue across his lips that have suddenly become very dry. The carnal look in his eyes and protruding bulge in his jeans shows Raina that she does.
“Give me your jacket, at least,” she pouts, holding out her hand.
Walking to the chair in the corner, he grabs a full-length coat, “Did you honestly think I would let you walk out of my office looking like that, darlin’?”
Smiling gratefully, she’s ecstatic about his over-protectiveness this time, extremely relieved the whole office won’t see her. She wishes she could avoid the team, knowing she’ll never live this down. “Thank you,” she states, taking the offered covering and wrapping it tightly around her.
“I wish we had a little more time. I can’t get the image of you leaning over my desk in that tiny skirt out of my head,” Kas breathes into her ear, his hand trailing down her exposed ribs, quickly skimming over the pitiful excuse of a covering, and down her thigh.
Raina slaps her excited husband’s arm but can’t keep from smiling; the same thought has passed through her own mind more than once while she was dressing.
The coat stays securely clutched in Raina’s hand until they arrive and she reluctantly eases her grip. “Turn around,” she commands, twirling her fingers at Frank, Austin, Jake, and Russo.
They do as asked.
“Jake’s going to see you up close and personal in twenty minutes, Rain,” Austin quips, “you better get over that shyness, girl.”
“Yeah, but you won’t, and, thankfully, Jake knows how to keep his mouth shut,” she teases.
“You’d think Mandy would’ve had him trained by now,” Russo cracks.
“I don’t want to hear you talking about being trained. You’ll see how married life is when you tie the knot next week,” Austin shoots back, smiling when he thinks of his wife of seven months now.
“Ready, darlin’?” Kas asks, opening the back of the van door.
“As much as I’ll ever be,” she replies, stepping into the alley.
“You know the word. Just say it, and we’ll be there in less than sixty seconds,” Kas reminds her.
“Stop worrying,” she softly admonishes, “I’ve done this before you know.”
“Yeah, but not for awhile. I mean it, Raina, if things start to get out of hand, you let us know,” he commands sternly, the love in his eyes softening the tone of his words.
“Yes, sir,” she winks.
Raina turns, lengthening her spine as she walks down the alley and turns the corner, her heels clicking purposefully as she walks the short distance to the back door of the infamous establishment.
“Well, well, I guess innocence can be deceiving,” the raven-haired Madam Blycia smiles approvingly. “They are going to eat you up, honey, especi
ally with all the fun toys you’ll be showing them.”
Raina smiles, hiding her distaste, “Show me my room.”
“Certainly, right this way.”
Raina follows Madam Blycia up an elegant stairwell to the third room on the right. The house is almost one-hundred years old but is remarkably sound. She pushes the thought of how they must have splurged for extra insulation to muffle the sounds out of her head as she steps into the room. The walls match the dark gray of the hallway she was escorted through this morning but, instead of pictures, there are ‘toys’ hanging on the wall. There’s a vast variety of what Madame Blycia refers to as pleasure devices. Raina’s description is drastically different.
“Start out gentle, then build by their reaction. They’ll let you know what they like,” Madam Blycia smiles knowingly, then leaves her to better acquaint herself with the torture playthings.
Raina cringes as she looks at the walls. Some of the pieces she’s never even seen before and prays she never will again. The only devices that she is personally familiar with are the row of long, leather straps and the canes, if a cane is anything like a hazel branch. She stays far away from that wall. A knock on her door pulls her thoughts back to the present, causing her heart to jump straight into her throat, still thumping like a jackrabbit.
Raina knows they set it up for Jake to be her client, but her fear of something going wrong and some other man being outside the door terrifies her. When the second knock raps against the door, she forces her lead feet to move, and seeing Jake step through the door when she answers it is sweet relief. Firmly closing the door behind her, she leans against it.
“Well, this is awkward,” Jake lets out a low whistle as he slowly spins, taking in the full magnitude of the room’s purpose.
“You’re not the one having to wear the outfit,” she informs him.
“Don’t think I’d fit into, um, that,” he retorts, waving his hand in the air and pointing at the small pieces of leather as he tears his eyes away from her.
“I barely do.” Raina tugs at the outfit again before glancing at the clock, ready to get down to the real reason they are there and the only reason she’s wearing less than some strippers. “When do they arrive?” she asks anxiously.
“We should be ready to go in about fifteen minutes. That will give our guests time to get here and start their meeting,” Jake tells her, staring at the line of canes. Curiosity gets the best of him, and he takes one off the wall, swinging it threw the air, “Man, I bet that hurts like hell.”
Turning towards Raina, he drops the cane on the floor. “Damn, Rain, I’m sorry,” he blurts out, severely chastising himself for his stupidity. Looking down at the offensive implement on the floor, his glance shifts back to her with a heavy weight crushing his chest, “I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.”
“I’m fine, Jake, really. That was a lifetime ago,” she states softly, truthfully, squeezing the hand he slipped over hers.
Smiling, Jake pulls her towards him, happy at how her past is only history now. They are all relieved by the knowledge that her father will never harm her again, or even see her again, with the strict restraining order that Judge put into place that will bar Waterford from practicing law if he violates it. He wraps his arms around her, stepping back when he feels that her skin feels cold to the touch in the drafty room, “Here, take my over shirt.”
Raina happily slips on the long sleeve button-up, making sure to button every single button on there. Jake returns the cane and changes the subject to happier topics as they wait. When Kas gives the cue, Jake nods at Raina, “You’re on.”
Taking his gun from his boot, he slips it into the back of his jeans as they exit the door, heading down the hall. The insulation isn’t as thick as Raina originally thought, and she jumps when she hears a painful reminder through the wall. Jake places a comforting hand on her arm, and she continues forward.
“Ready?” he whispers.
She nods, pausing when she realizes that she still has his shirt on. Deciding it doesn’t matter, she leaves it, the charade will be over as soon as the main guest lays eyes on her anyway. Jake removes his gun and keeps his hand on the knob of the door until he sees the rest of the team quietly breech the stairs. Kas nods to go in as he steps on the other side of Raina, slipping a gun into her hand. His eyes meet hers, and he gives her a wink, his smile assuring her that it’s finally almost over.
Jake turns the knob and throws the door open, allowing Raina to step inside.
“What the hell are you doing?” Madame Blycia yells when Raina steps into the line of sight of the group of men.
Ignoring the woman, her eyes scan the room until she finds the one she’s been waiting on. Her jaw twitches, and her eyes blaze jade as she raises the gun, pointing it directly at Drevor’s head. This is for Carrie and my son!
Madame Blycia goes for the gun, and Raina takes care of her with an elbow to her nose, her eyes never leaving Drevor’s as the woman hits the floor.
Drevor stands, his venomous glare darting to Bylcia’s husband, “You set me up?”
The shock on the man’s face gives his innocence away. Raina muses in disgust at how this is probably the only thing he’s ever been innocent of in his life.
“He didn’t set you up, we did,” Kas informs him, stepping beside Raina. “We found out your buddy here used to have ties to Prizrack’s ring through a friend of a friend, you know how that goes. We traced that tie, and it led to his wife, Madame Blycia, a former dominatrix. Care to take a guess at what she was before that?”
Drevor doesn’t move.
“I didn’t think so, because you already know,” Kas’ voice drips with contempt. “She lured in girls for you in exchange for you funding her house of pain where you hold your meetings and send your handlers for some free entertainment. That’s how she met her husband over there, he’s your best handler, a really smooth talker. We’ll see how well that does for him in federal prison. I don’t think any of you will fare well, they don’t handle child abusers too nicely there.”
Kas calls over his shoulder to his team, “Get them out of here.”
Tears fill Raina’s eyes as the men are being led away in handcuffs, “We finally got him.”
Kas gently brushes a tear away with his thumb as he pulls her tightly to him, kissing her forehead, “Yeah, baby, we got him.” Closing his eyes, he knows that there are thousands more out there just like Drevor, but he makes himself forget that, just for a little while, “Ready to get you out of that outfit?”
“Yes, please!”
Half an hour later, Raina emerges from Kas’ office in her faded jeans and favorite t-shirt. Dexter is congratulating the team for catching the only one that got away in the famous take down of the largest human trafficking ring in modern history as she approaches. Chase is talking on his cell to Sara, affectionately playing with the ring on his left finger. Dexter pulls Kas aside, and Raina’s concerned gaze follows the pair as they carry on a conversation too far away for her to hear. Chase finishes his call, catching the direction of her gaze, and he distracts her by asking how the op went. The team jumps in to give him all the details.
Staring straight ahead, Raina absently fidgets with a rubber band as the events of the night are re-told. Erik steps next to Raina, bumping his shoulder against hers. “Still haven’t learned to read lips yet?” he teases.
“Nope,” she responds, trying to tame her frustration. She glances towards her husband again before turning her attention back to the conversation she can hear, “Can someone please tell me how men who make their living by beating women and children into submission get their kicks by paying for someone to dominate them?”
Chase opens his mouth, the gleam he always gets when some phenomenal psychological explanation pops into his head is shining brightly.
Raina holds up her hand, “On second thought, sorry I asked, I really don’t want to know.”
Their laughter is fading when Kas returns to them, holding out his
hand. Raina slips her fingers through his, her loving smile reaching her eyes, “We’ll see you guys at Dexter’s retirement party tomorrow evening.”
“I’ve got a sick mix ready to play at the after party,” Erik grins.
Kas sighs and throws his head back. “Don’t make me have Raina wipe the system again,” he jokes.
“I’ve got a backup, and I’m never telling any of you where it’s stored,” Erick laughs, giving Raina a wicked grin.
“I bet Susanna knows. I’ll just ask her,” she taunts, bursting into laughter at the expression on Erik’s face.
“Better find another hiding place,” Kas warns, grinning as he wraps his arm around Raina’s shoulders before they wave to the group and walk away.
Chase follows them out the door, “See you guys at the house.”
The only light burning when they pull into their drive is from the living room. Kas opens the door for Raina, and she hurries inside, “Hey, Sara.” Raina takes a second to rub her protruding belly, “Thanks for baby-sitting.”
Sara flashes an excited grin, “I enjoyed it, besides, it’s great practice.”
“How are you feeling?” Kas asks as Raina slips down the hall.
“Like I’m almost eight months pregnant,” she laughs, her eyes shining brightly.
Chase chuckles as he walks up behind Kas, “It’s been the longest eight months of my life.”
Kas’ eyes fill with pride and love when Raina walks into the room with fifteen-month-old Brogan fast asleep in one arm and eight-month-old Bethany snuggled against her shoulder, soundly asleep in the other. “You’re going to wake them up, darlin’,” he tells her, the smile on his face showing that he doesn’t care one bit if she does.
“I know, but I’ve been gone all evening, and I miss them,” she coo’s, planting soft kisses against each one’s sweet head.
Kas wraps his arm around all of them, kissing Brogan’s and Bethany’s cheeks before kissing his wife.
“That’s our cue to leave,” Chase jokes, helping his very pregnant wife off the couch.
After the Rain Page 27