After the Rain (16 page)

“I can’t sleep,” she mumbles.

“Talk to me, Raina.”

“I’m fine, Judge, I’m just not tired.”

“Since when did you start lying to me?”

Turning away from Judge, she grabs a glass of water for herself, sipping slowly.

“Tell me what’s bothering you.”

Turning back around, her eyes are dark with guilt, “I had the recovered equipment the entire time. Maybe Scott would still be alive if it weren’t for me. I should’ve been able to decode it earlier, but I wasn’t smart enough to crack it.”

“Raina, sit down, now!” Judge yells.

Jerking her head towards him, her eyes widen from his harsh tone.

“Did you hear what I said?” he asks, stepping towards her, anger evident in his usually benevolent hazel eyes.

“Yes,” she whispers, slowly sitting down in the chair he jerks out for her.

“I better not ever hear you talking that way again, do you understand me?”

Fidgeting with her fingers, she nods softly.

“Look at me, Raina,” he asks, easing his tone slightly; he’s never raised his voice to her before, much less yell at her. The uncertainty in her eyes from his unexpected reaction knocks all the remaining anger out of him. He’s immensely relieved to see that there’s no fear in them, it would kill him if he scared her or makes her worry that more than just a raised voice will be directed at her. Placing his warm hand over hers, Judge gives it a small squeeze, “I don’t want to hear you undermining yourself. I know Kas well enough to know that he wouldn’t take too well to that, and you’re mistaken if you think that I will, young lady.”

“Please, don’t be angry with me,” Raina whispers, the uncertainty burning brighter, “I don’t think I can take that right now.”

Placing his hand gently against her cheek, he lowers her head to his shoulder, “And I can’t take you blaming yourself for things that are out of your control.”

Keeping her head on Judge’s shoulder, Raina relishes the warmth of his fatherly love, wishing he were her father instead of the man who despises her.

The next few moments are silent as Judge wraps his arm tightly around Raina’s shoulder while she leans against him.

“We both know that you know why I’m here. Kas is going to be able to do his job better if he knows you’re safe and taking care of yourself. Go to bed, I’ll wait up until he gets home.”

She starts to open her mouth in protest, but he gently pushes her from the chair, “Bed, now.”

It’s just past 3:30 a.m. when Kas finally returns home. Looking around the living room for Raina, he chuckles when he doesn’t see her, “I need to ask you over more often, Henry.”

“Wasn’t easy. We’ve got a headstrong girl,” Judge states, smiling.

“Yes we do.”

“Any progress?”

Rubbing his eyes, Kas plops onto the sofa and leans his head exhaustedly against the cushion. “Between agents in Virginia, Georgia, and us, we brought in twelve handlers. Unfortunately, most of the girls mentioned in the data Raina recovered have already been moved. We were only able to rescue thirty-two girls.”

“Don’t tell Raina about the others,” Judge warns, frowning at how hard she will take the news.

“I haven’t told her about any of it. I had Erik check the information recovered from the algorithm she ran on the systems the other night and send it to me, that’s why you’re here. I need Raina away from the agency why we process the information from the equipment recovered tonight. Erik’s using her work to recover it. What he found from the last computers Raina hacked, what he will find—I don’t want her exposed to something like that, Henry.” Kas’ eyes and voice lower, “She’s already been exposed to too much.”

“You will be a busy man the next couple of weeks won’t you?”

“Yes, and I need you to keep her just as busy while you’re here.”

“I have taken some time off after that last trial, and I’m not residing over another trial anytime soon. I can stay for as long as you need, but she already figured out that you’re keeping her at arm’s length.”

Shaking his head, a proud smile spreads across Kas’ lips, “She’s always been too smart for her own good. That would be great, she loves to see you and won’t make a scene if you’re around when I go in without her.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure about that, I’ve already yelled at her once.”

Kas’ weary gaze searches Henry, knowing the judge feels the same as he does about raising his voice to her, “What happened?”

“She’s blaming herself for not being able to retrieve the information earlier than she did.”

Raking his hand through his short, dark curls, a strong dose of sorrow and anger jabs Kas, “She punishes herself for things that aren’t her fault. I’ve worked so damn hard at helping her get over her past, and she’s worked through the fear, but I don’t know how to help stop her from being so hard on herself, how to make her understand that we wouldn’t have gotten this far without her. Raina had some help with her self-blame on this, though, one of the lead agents went off on her pretty hard.”

“Son, do I have to fuss at you, too? Don’t you realize that before she met you, she merely existed? I tried to get her to go out, to make more friends, when we would have our quarterly visits, but all she ever did was study, locking herself away in her cabin. The only time she spent with other people was in classes or study groups, until that Sutton boy anyway. Even then, there was no spark in her eyes, just sadness. When you stepped into the picture, Raina became alive, I’ve never seen her happier. The way she lights up just talking about you, that’s all I’ve ever wanted for her. You didn’t only save her life, you saved her heart and her spirit.”

Relief from Henry’s words eases Kas. Not knowing how to respond, he gives the judge an indebted nod, “I feel the same about her, Henry.”

“That’s obvious, son,” Judge laughs.

The two sit in silence a few minutes before Judge leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees, “This Ghost, he sounds like he’s a new breed, one I hope is wiped out very soon.”

Dark, stormy eyes meet worried hazel ones, “Me, too.”

Raina is asleep when Kas quietly slips into their room. The covers are wrapped vicariously around one leg. Her ivory skin glistens in the bright moonlight seeping through the small slits of the blinds. Auburn waves cascade over her shoulder, and her cheek is pressed against the soft pillow that her right arm is tucked underneath. Her left arm and leg are resting on top of another pillow, his pillow. It’s obvious, by the condition of the bed, that the little sleep she has gotten has been distressed.

Grabbing another pillow from the closet, Kas gently untangles Raina’s leg from the sheets and slips underneath the covers next to her. The soft warmth of her body welcomes him, and he slides closer. Giving her exposed cheek a kiss, he wraps his arm around her waist before falling into a much-needed slumber.

Chapter Twelve

The next several days are stressful for everyone. Kas’ body is pushed beyond limitations with him going on only a few hours of sleep at night, at most, and spending endless hours tracking handlers and planning raids, especially with being a man down on his team. Austin is working against doctor’s orders, which Kas has overlooked, knowing that’s the best way for him to deal with what’s happened, but Kas won’t allow him to participate in any physical aspects of the job until he is officially released in two days.

A few nights ago, a raid ended violently, leaving a few handlers dead and many agents bruised and sore, including Kas. His tussle with three of the traffickers left him busted up pretty badly, but he got them. He was extremely grateful for Judge’s presence when Raina saw his swollen lip and cut cheek.

The worry swimming in her beautiful eyes hurt worse than the trafficker’s punishing blows when they jumped him all at once. Her fevered embrace hurt like hell with his bruised ribs that he hadn’t yet told Raina about, but Kas didn’t dare let on like it did, needing her healing touch and innocence desperately. Judge helped down play his injuries until she fell asleep, then Kas had to deal with the judge’s concern.

Raina has tried to minimize Kas’ stress by not arguing with his request for her to enjoy her time with Judge, although she’s been too preoccupied to enjoy much of anything. Judge watches as Raina puts herself last and as Kas puts her first. The love shared between the two of them makes him miss his deceased wife tremendously. He’s kept Raina busy during the day, but she makes sure there’s a good meal ready for Kas whenever he manages to drag himself home. Her ability to multitask exhausts the judge; she’s played a wonderful hostess, dutiful wife, and impressive hacker by proxy, keeping up with Erik and helping to work on issues when he hits a wall. The frustration on her face when Erik won’t divulge information causes Judge to become creative in distracting her, leaving him very knowledgeable about every tourist spot in D.C.

It kills both men that it’s killing her worrying about the girls, the agents, and how Prizrak has slipped through the needed implications for a warrant to bring him in again so far. The times Raina has mentioned being officially trained to become an agent plagues Kas. He wants to keep her far enough away from the worst horrors of his job, knowing how your soul slowly dies while continually witnessing the sickening depravity.

Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and Dexter has ordered everyone working the Ghost’s case to take the day off. Kas collapses on the couch as soon as he walks in the door Wednesday night. Raina puts the plate of dinner she saved for him back inside the fridge, knowing he needs sleep more than the food right now.

“How do you use this thing?” Judge asks, holding up the turkey baster.

Laughing at his puzzled grimace, Raina takes it from him, “How ’bout you take the pies out of the oven, instead, Judge?”

“What time is Kas’ family coming over tomorrow?”

“Noon,” she responds, turning the music lower before grabbing the olive oil, lemon, and sea salt to prepare the rub for the turkey. Finishing the preparation for the large bird, Raina flips it upside down and seals it in the bag before placing it inside the fridge until early morning.

“Take that man of yours to bed so he can get a good night’s sleep, I’ll finish cleaning up.”

“I’ll do it after he’s asleep again.”

“You haven’t let me do much of anything to help you since I’ve arrived. I know how to wash dishes, that’s one chore Susie made sure I knew how to do,” he chuckles, fondly remembering all the evenings spent with his wife, standing side by side at the sink, laughing and sharing about their day as they cleaned the dinner plates. “Go on,” he tells her as he starts to shoosh her away with the dish towel.

Raina wraps her arms around him, “Thank you, Judge. I’m glad you’re here. Good night.”

“Night, honey.”

Raina kneels next to her husband who is sleeping hard. Whispering in his ear, she gently pulls his hands. Kas numbly rolls of the couch, mumbling a non-coherent greeting to Henry as Raina leads him to the bedroom, and he barely takes the time to undress before falling into bed. Raina curls up next to him, wrapping her arm around his tight torso. She brushes a kiss against his bare shoulder before drifting off next to him.

Cliff gives his son a warm hug as he walks through the door. “It’s going to be a hard winter,” he predicts, leaving his coat on a few minutes before shedding the heavy wool. “You look like hell warmed over, son,” Cliff’s words are laced with concern as he carefully scans Kas.

“Thanks, dad, Happy Thanksgiving to you, too,” Kas rebukes jokingly.

“Where’s my daughter-in-law?”

“Hey,” Raina greets Cliff, immediately snuggling into his welcoming embrace.

“Smells wonderful,” he compliments.

“Hope you’re hungry, she cooked enough to feed an army,” Judge teases, shaking Cliff’s hand, “Good to see you again.”

“It’s colder than great-aunt Melba’s heart out there, “Todd exclaims, bursting through the door into the warmth.

“Hush your mouth,” Lori scolds, stepping through the door behind her son, “it’s not nice to talk about the deceased that way.”

“Dead or not, it’s the truth,” Todd laughs.

Kas joins in the laughter, and Lori smacks them both on the back of their heads.

“Ohhh, I’m sorry, hun,” Lori rashly apologizes when she sees the wounds healing on Kas’ lip and cheek.”

“It’s nothing, I’m fine, Aunt Lori,” Kas assures her.

“Thought that was a dirty word?” Raina smirks, whispering in his ear before being pulled into Lori’s engulfing embrace.

The rest of Kas’ family arrives, and Pops pulls Raina into a tight hug, “When you coming back to Tennessee with that grandson of mine?”

“Soon,” she promises, hugging Mamaw Pierce next.

They are just sitting down to eat when there’s another knock at the door, and Kas isn’t surprised to see Lawson on his doorstep. “Come in out of the cold,” he tells him, opening the door further.

“I will only be a minute. I hate to drop in on you on Thanksgiving.”

Smiling kindly at the contrite agent, Kas shrugs his shoulders, “Stay for dinner, there’s plenty of food.”

“No thanks, I just wanted to speak with Raina for a minute, and then I’ll let you get back to your family.”

Sadness stabs Kas, knowing Lawson isn’t married, doesn’t have any children, and his parents are eight states away. Lawson’s family is his agents, and losing Scott has hurt him deeply, “Stay, you’re welcome here.”

“Am I?”

“Raina doesn’t blame you for what you said to her.” Placing his hand on Lawson’s shoulder, Kas gives him a friendly shove, “It’s Thanksgiving, I’ll forgive you for acting like an ass to my wife if you promise to never do it again.”

“Deal,” Lawson nods, a rare smile curving his lips.

Kas leaves Lawson in the foyer as he gets Raina. He stays in the dining room, giving him his privacy as he apologizes, realizing it’s not an easy task for the brusque agent. As far as he knows, it’s only the second time Lawson has ever apologized for anything, and both apologies have been to Raina.

Lawson’s hands are behind his back, the toe of his boot is nudging at an imaginary spot on the floor when Raina walks up to him. His gaze is sorrowful when he looks at her. “I’m sorry about the timing,” he begins, waving his hand towards the dining room, “but I needed to tell you that I was out of line the other day. I know how hard you have worked to find Prizrak, I was just angry, and, well, I was a huge jackass.”

When Raina wraps her arms around Lawson, it takes him a few seconds to get over the shock enough to hug her back.

“Come join us.”

“No, I have to be on my way, but thank you.”

“Please, Lawson, I would love for you to stay.”

“Um, alright,” he agrees, happy and relieved not to be alone for another holiday.

Kas already has a place set for him when they sit down. Cliff nods at Pops, who says the prayer before they eat. In less than half an hour, they have eaten a good portion of what took several hours to prepare. Raina is perfectly happy with that. The remainder of the afternoon is spent leisurely with everyone catching up and sharing news and old memories, including Lawson in all the conversations. Just like she always does, Raina feels a tug of sadness in her heart as the last of her in-laws leave.

Kas circles his arms around his wife, kissing the back of her neck and sending delicious shivers down her spine, “Thank you for an amazing Thanksgiving, darlin’, I’m sorry I haven’t been around to help.”

Raina’s lips cover his mouth, silencing anything he was going to say next. Pulling her soft, slender body flush to his, Kas’ jeans zipper becomes tighter with the needy bulge ready to play. Her tongue plunders greedily, and Kas gives her all the access she desires. Lost in the heat of the moment, they forget that they still have one houseguest. Judge’s amused ‘ahem’ causes Raina to jump back so fast she almost falls. Her scarlet flush is spread from her cheeks, all the way down her graceful neck. Kas turns so the judge doesn’t see the reaction Raina causes every time she touches him.

“Sorry, Judge,” Raina mumbles, well past embarrassment.

“Don’t be sorry, just make me ‘Uncle Judge’ sometime in the near future,” Henry winks, leaving them to return to their pre-copulatory frolicking, causing Raina to flush a rich red.

Amusement dances in Kas’ dark chocolate eyes when he turns back towards his mortified wife, “You heard the judge.” Taking her hand, he leads her towards the bedroom.

“We can’t do anything
now
,” she gasps, her beautiful eyes wide at the suggestion.

Taking her birth control pills out of the cabinet, Kas flips the pack over in his hand, studying them, “It’s been almost a year.”

Raina’s breath catches. Her heart thumps. Her entire body tingles.

Tossing the pills into the trash, the smoldering look in Kas’ eyes kindles the flame burning low in her belly.

“Are you sure?” she whispers breathlessly.

His purposeful stride reaches her in three steps, giving his answer. Taking her arms in his gentle grip, Kas’ searing gaze captivates her, “Raise your arms.”

Raina obeys, never removing her eyes from his as Kas slips her shirt over her head.

Trailing his fingers down the smooth, bare skin of her flat abdomen, he traces the soft, feminine curve of her waist, his provoking touch skimming across her navel before sliding lower, to the button of her jeans. Pausing, Kas slowly drinks in her beauty, losing his breath at the sight of her standing in front of him, her long, auburn waves falling across her shoulders and back, her jade eyes filled with the most awe-inducing love that he almost falls to his knees. Her ivory skin sparkles in the flickering light of the candle burning her favorite lavender scent from the bathroom vanity.

Unbuttoning her jeans, Kas slides the dark denim down her long legs before he takes a step back, and his lips curve into an appreciative smile as his eyes darken with carnal intentions and the purest reverence. The way she shyly chews on her bottom lip is his undoing, “Get over here, darlin’.”

The feel of his hands against her skin is the sweetest delectation. Lifting Raina into his arms, Kas carries her to bed, carefully laying her down and balancing over her. No words are needed to communicate the depth of his love. Lowering his mouth to hers, his fingers graze the back of her bare shoulders, and her body rises to meet his. They take their time making love until succumbing to a peaceful sleep, wrapped in each other’s arms.

The
clock
chimes
two times as Raina tiptoes into the kitchen. Waking up from thirst, now she can’t seem to go back to sleep with her thoughts spinning through her head about how they just made love without using the ninety-nine percent assurance to keep her from becoming pregnant, and that makes a huge, unbelievably happy grin spread across her lips.

Opening the fridge, Raina pulls out the chocolate pie and cuts a small piece.

“You better make that two,” Kas tells her, placing his hand reassuringly on her shoulder when she jumps.

“It’s not smart to scare a woman holding a knife,” she teasingly scolds, holding the knife up in the air.