Saving Rain

by Karen-Anne Stewart

  Erik takes the gun, familiarizing himself with it before putting it down next to him, “Don’t worry, I’m not going to let anything happen to her.”

  Kas gives him an appreciative nod before heading out the door, telling Erik to secure the locks from the inside.

  Frank takes a sip of his coffee and keeps up the idle chitchat with Austin as he nonchalantly glances at Kas when he enters the hotel across the street. “He’s on the inside,” he states calmly, taking another sip of his coffee.

  Twenty minutes pass, and Frank starts to get nervous, “No sign of the target.”

  “They’re playing it safe,” he hears Derrick’s voice in his ear. “Finish up, pay, and get out of there. Pay attention to the people around you, if they’re as smart as we’ve been told, I’d bet my dad’s 50 Chevy that they’ve got men scouting like we do, making sure all’s on the up and up. Go your separate ways, we don’t want to draw any attention. I’ll send Jake in a few.”

  Frank laughs like he’s having a morning out with a friend. Laying his money down, he heads south while Austin waits a minute, scanning the newspaper before he pays and heads north, hailing a cab.

  Not two minutes later, Derrick sends Jake into the bistro next door. Derrick watches the team blend in like every normal person who is enjoying a beautiful Saturday morning and takes a sip of his own coffee from five stories up in a building on the corner.

  Fifteen more minutes go by, and he starts to get nervous himself and is about to pull Kas out, when he sees Victor stepping out of a black Escalade. He watches as Victor opens the door for a well-dressed, dark-haired man in a suit that looks like it costs more than Derrick’s salary for six months.

  “And who might you be?” Derrick whispers to himself as he studies the man who is obviously in charge of the four man entourage behind him. Derrick wonders if he’s the Ghost, he hopes he is, wanting desperately to put a face to the enigma and take the ruthless predator down.

  Moments later, he hears Kas’ voice as he is being introduced as Tony to the mystery man Victor calls Artyom. Derrick’s pulse quickens at the mention of the Russian name, giving him hope that this very well might be the Ghost.

  “I apologize for your wait, come, I want to get to know you better,” he hears the thick Russian accent of Artyom.

  Kas follows Victor’s boss outside and hides his hesitation when Victor opens the door of the Escalade for him to climb inside. Smiling calmly, Kas slides in, hoping Derrick has the team ready to follow.

  Derrick lets a colorful expletive fly when the door closes, and Kas is driven away. “Luis, you and Mack follow behind a short ways before turning off and letting Scotty and Russo tail them. Keep switching off and stay out of sight,” he barks, cursing the trafficker’s intelligence and careful planning.

  Several minutes later, Kas glances out the window as they come to a stop at a dock. He guesses the dock houses yachts for the very wealthy by the looks of the size and make of the large boats.

  “Do you like the ocean, Mr. Deturro?” Artyom asks in his thick accent.

  “Everything but the sharks,” Kas quips, giving them his easy confident smile, which elicits a hearty laugh from the boss.

  “Come, take a ride.”

  Kas knows he will quickly become out of range for back-up and the ability for his team to hear what is going on, but he decides to take the chance, realizing that he will risk blowing everything if he doesn’t. With his mind made up, he climbs aboard the exorbitant yacht that has been spared no expense. He wonders how many girls Artyom has sold to afford such a luxury. Quickly pushing the thought out of his head, he knows that he has to keep his cool, play his role to a T, so he doesn’t expose himself or get killed and thrown overboard into the Atlantic.

  Kas spends the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon having to push aside his morals, his basic sense of humanity, and mingle with the lost and depraved. His stomach churns as he laughs and masquerades as one of them.

  His nauseating charade pays off as Artyom pulls him aside as they dock. “How many girls do you have ready?”

  “I can get you as many at seventy by tomorrow evening,” he rolls the number off his tongue like they were discussing something as benign as the score of a professional basketball game. Kas has to swallow his disgust when he sees how much this pleases the boss.

  “Ah, good, good,” Artyom praises as he slaps him heartily on the shoulder. “I will have Victor call you in the morning, and we will take you to the storage area where you can have your girls delivered.” Artyom laughs, the sharp sound ringing through the air repulsively. “You might want to buy yourself one of these after Monday evening, Mr. Deturro,” motioning to his outrageous yacht as he pierces the air again with his sharp laughter.

  Kas smiles salaciously, inwardly fighting the desire to push the boss into the ocean and let the sharks have a field day, “I’ll be expecting your call.”

  Raina practically lunges on her cell phone the second she hears the shrill ring. “Hello,” she answers, her heart in her throat.

  “We’ve made contact with him again, he should be there shortly.”

  Raina closes her phone, sinking to the bed as sweet relief washes over her. The past few hours have been a nightmare after Derrick had called Erik and informed him to contact him immediately if Kas returns to the hotel.

  Erik puts his arm around her slumped shoulders, letting her stress-fatigued body lean on him, “See, I told you everything would be alright.”

  Raina gives Erik a grateful squeeze, so thankful that he was there to help keep her sanity the past few hours when no one knew if Kas was alive or dead.

  Kas inserts the card key and opens the door, desperately wanting to take a shower and wash off the sinful grime of his prior company. His head is still ringing from the severe lecture Dexter had called and delivered during the entire drive back to the hotel. Dexter had promised his butt on a platter in very ingenious, descriptive ways if he ever pulled a stunt like that again. Despite Dexter’s threats, Kas knows that he is relieved that he had gone and sealed the deal to see where the girls are being held tomorrow, especially since he has made it out in one piece.

  Raina lunges into his arms the minute he walks through the door. Wrapping his arms around her, Kas breathes in her sweet scent, needing her touch, her innocence, after what he has lost of himself today. His momentary stint with blissful serenity is dismally shattered when she pushes him backwards, unleashing her anxiety and worried-filled wrath on him.

  “Don’t you ever pull a stunt like that again,” Raina screams at him, “you promised me you would have agents watching your back the entire time.”

  “Things didn’t go exactly as planned, sweetheart.”

  “Don’t ‘sweetheart’ me, Pierce, I have been worried sick about you,” she continues her scolding, her fists pressed firmly against her hips as she glares at him.

  He bites back his laughter at the angry scowl on her face, so contrasted to her usual benevolence.

  Seeing the amusement on his face, Raina pouts angrily, “Don’t you dare laugh at me, Kas.”

  He shoots Erik a pleading look for assistance, but Erik throws his hands up and plops back down on the bed, “Don’t look at me, you’re on your own, I’ve had to deal with her worrying over you all afternoon.”

  “I’m sorry I caused you to worry, darlin’, but as you can see, I’m perfectly intact.”

  Raina tries to maintain her anger, but she is too relieved that he’s back and safe to be angry anymore, and she sinks back into his arms. “Please, don’t ever do anything like that again, okay?”

  Pulling her into him tighter, Kas runs his hand down her hair, “I will do my best not to.” He eases away from her and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “They’re going to show me where the girls are being held tomorrow. We are close to wrapping this up, Rain,” he assures her.

  Not wanting to bear witness to the mushiness he’s sure will follow, Erik hands the weapon to Kas. “Glad you made it back al
ive,” he tells him, the sincerity evident in his eyes.

  Kas gives him a quick nod. “Thanks for everything today,” he responds, knowing Erik understands his meaning.

  Raina gives Erik a hug and tells him bye as he slips out the door, telling Kas as he leaves that he’s only walking down a couple of flight of stairs before taking the elevator the rest of the way down this time.

  As the door closes, Kas gives Raina a kiss on her forehead, “I’m going to take a quick shower.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Raina sinks onto the bed, her mind spinning from seeing Kas back, safe and sound, after worrying so profoundly today. When she hears the water from the shower turn off, all of her earlier emotions crash into her all at once, and she is lambasted with need, a need to hold him, a need to touch him, a need to prove to herself that he truly is okay. As the bathroom door opens, and he steps out in nothing but jeans, drying his hair with the towel in his hand, she throws herself into him.

  Raina wraps her hands around the back of Kas’ neck, tangling her fingers in his wet hair, pulling his mouth on top of hers. Their kiss is virile, the savage, raw need spewing into their veins. Dropping the towel, Kas heaves Raina into his arms. She wraps her legs around his waist, deepening their kiss, trying to get as close to him as humanly possible without crawling inside of his skin. His fingers dig into the soft, firm flesh of her bottom, pulling her sex tightly against his as he returns her kiss with fiery passion.

  Wrapping his hand around the back of her head, Kas pushes Raina against the wall, his lips devouring, possessing hers. She groans hungrily and tilts her head, giving him full access to her slender neck. He runs his tongue over the delicate lobe of her ear before tasting the side of her neck, moving his intoxicating mouth lower, sliding his tongue over the hollow below her collarbone.

  When he hears her ragged breaths, her moans filled with complete rhapsody, his pride and manhood swell to bulging magnificence. He wraps her legs tighter around his waist, shifting her to where his full endowment is pressed and throbbing against the most intimate part of her. She gasps as the sheer length and firmness of him unravels her senses at intense momentum. Raina pushes herself closer to him, feeling him become impossibly harder against her. Kas holds on to her with one arm, her back pressed firmly against the wall and her legs wound tightly around his waist.

  Grabbing the collar of her shirt with his other hand, he yanks it down, exposing the top of her creamy, perky breasts. He presses his mouth to her hot flesh, his tongue mercilessly tasting and teasing the top of the mound protruding towards him.

  “Please,” Raina begs and pushes her chest higher, closer to his pleasurably torturing mouth.

  Kas grabs the bottom of her shirt and pushes it up, exposing her lavender laced bra. Rubbing his thumb over her lace-covered nipple, immense satisfaction pumps through his blood as she quivers and offers herself even more to his conquering desire. Kas carries Raina to the bed and lays her down. She bucks on the sheets, her body rising to meet his touch. Pulling her shirt over her head, he throws it to the side. He lowers his mouth, continuing to taste the swell of her breasts pushed over the top of her bra.

  Kas’ fingers slide lower, finding the button of her jeans and deftly releases the top of them. He tugs at her pants, desperately needing to rid her of them so that he can be closer to her skin. Raina raises her bottom, allowing him to wiggle them off of her. He takes a second to look at her, laid out on the top of the bed all for him, in only her lavender lace bra and matching panties. “You’re so beautiful,” he tells her, his voice deep and husky with desire.

  Raina’s cheeks flush with his sincere compliment, and she gazes up at him shyly and innocently through her lashes. The picture of her in front of him, so beautiful and delicate and so full of hunger for him, causes such a powerful throbbing, Kas almost groans from the painful need. He wants her, needs her, with such intensity he’s frightened he will hurt her if takes her now.

  The innocence and longing in her eyes holds just the slightest hint of uncertainty, and he knows she’s not fully ready for this. Her words, when she had told him she wants to wait, haunt him, and he steps back, raking his hands roughly through his hair. “We can’t do this, baby,” he growls breathlessly.

  Raina shifts self-consciously on the bed, the uncertainty in her eyes growing and turning into something deeper.

  Kas can read her eyes like the words were coming straight out of her mouth, and he squelches her fears immediately. “Raina, I want you more than I’ve wanted anything, or anyone, in my entire life. It’s taking everything in me to not strip you of the rest of your clothing and make you mine countless times tonight. I want you, I need you as much as I need to breathe,” he confesses. The utter truthfulness in his voice eases her worries that he had changed his mind and doesn’t want her. “We’ve had a very trying day, and our emotions are running wild. I promised myself I wouldn’t get lost in the heat of the moment and do something you might regret in the morning.”

  Raina’s cheeks start to slowly color, and Kas sits on the bed, pulling her onto his lap as he demands, “Don’t do that!” He pulls her chin up, forcing her to look at him, “I told you that you never have to feel ashamed or be embarrassed with me.”

  Raina sinks into him, her sanity slowly returning from its hedonistic vacation. “Thank you for being the strong one,” she whispers, the scarlet blush deepening. “I just—when Erik had told me that Derrick said they lost contact with you—I was just so scared, and when I saw you a minute ago, I—,” she tries to explain the raging feelings but can’t find the right words.

  Kas kisses her forehead, “I’m here, baby.” He wishes he could erase the look in her eyes, change how she is so hard on herself. “You would have stopped, Raina, you wouldn’t have let it go much further,” he assures her, knowing she is bitterly berating herself right now. He holds her for a moment longer before sliding her off of his lap to change for bed. He can’t stand seeing the somber look in her eyes, and he chastises himself for letting it go as far as it did tonight.

  They slip into bed wordlessly, and Raina turns away from him, lost in her ambivalent thoughts. Turning to her, Kas runs his hand down her back, kissing her shoulder before pulling her closer to him. He wraps his arm around her and closes his eyes, knowing sleep won’t come easily tonight.

  The shrill ringing of the phone pulls Kas from his fitful slumber. He answers while checking the clock, scowling when he sees it’s only 6:30 a.m. He affirms the meeting time before closing the phone and continues to grumble to himself about the early hour.

  Raina props her sleepy head on his shoulder, “Was that them?”

  He kisses the top of her head, “Yeah, I’ve got to get ready.”

  She takes a quick shower after Kas gets out and sits on the bed listening to the team plan their next move over the speaker on Kas’ phone. She tries to control the fear building inside of her, wanting to be strong for Kas, and for the team, as they plan how and when they will go in. They can’t wait for the bid like last time. They know it will never get that far once the girls he promised are not delivered. They will have to go in today. Frank had placed a tracking device on the Escalade at the dock while they were on the yacht yesterday, a feat that was very tricky to do since one of the bodyguards never moved more than ten feet away from the vehicle. Part of Michael’s team is already scouting Artyom’s home, preparing to go in when they get the call.

  The decision is made to go in for the girls as soon as they are at the location, and they have a chance to assess the perimeters. Kas feels uneasy, not yet knowing the layout to plan the best advance. Raina’s heart takes a plummeting free fall when she learns Kas will be unarmed, but she remains quiet as the team continues to plan after Kas shoots her a warning glare when she opens her mouth to protest. She bites her tongue until the call is over, then she peppers him with questions, not caring if he gets angry with her or not.

  “Why won’t you be armed?” she questions him, her voice laced with pani
c.

  “I can’t have a weapon on me when I go in, I’ll be searched.”

  “But what happens if they hurt you before the team can get to you?”

  “I’ll know when they’re coming. I’ll stay clear until they get me a weapon. Please, don’t worry, Rain, we’ve done this before.”

  She shoots him an exasperated look, letting him know that he’s certifiably insane if he thinks she won’t be worrying.

  Giving her one of his drop-dead gorgeous smiles, Kas winks, pulling her into his arms reassuringly, “You and Erik won’t be too far away. He has to monitor the feed today, we can’t risk any problems with the transmission.” His carefree smile turns serious as he sternly warns her again, “You are to stay with Erik in the van, Raina.”

  “You turn very bossy right before a raid, you know that?”

  “You don’t like my manly, dictator side?” he teases her, back to his usual playful attitude.

  Raina steps back, pondering his question. “You get so authoritative and . . . sexy. I didn’t know the two could co-exist before I met you, and that irritates the crap out of me.”

  Kas laughs at the obvious confusion over her feelings regarding his occasionally overbearing attitude. “And, you are so stubborn and independent, pushing every button I have and some I didn’t even know about until you came along, and that really irritates the crap out of me, but I absolutely love that about you,” he finishes, playfully smacking her on her curvy bottom.

  Kas is thoroughly searched like he knew he would be after he pulled into the deserted spot at the beach. His watch is removed and investigated. Victor gives it back to him, not discovering the clever transmitter design inside that can be activated and deactivated by a twist of the dial, courtesy of the geek sheiks. As he climbs into the Escalade, he discreetly activates the feed, giving ears to the rest of the team. The drive is longer than Kas had expected, taking them down the New Jersey Turnpike. The vehicle finally stops at an old factory.