After the Rain (4 page)

Kas sits on the edge of his desk, every file on every raid they have conducted that have ties to Prizrak are in his hands, “I have read these until I practically have them memorized. There is nothing in here that will lead us to where Parker is, only to where he’s been. We have to come up with new information that will lead us to his next move. I have a name, an alias, that’s the only new intel I have. We will work it from every angle possible, but we need more.”

The tension in the room is palpable. Raina inwardly screams when her phone indicates that the trace is still on its intercontinental joyride.

“What’s the name you have, boss?” Frank asks, walking across the room.

Kas’ jaw tightens as he witnesses the limp in Frank’s pace. He shakes his head, an un-amused smirk on his face, “Thomas Jefferson.”

The amusement doesn’t skip Austin, and he lets out a loud chuckle, “The ‘Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness’ Jefferson?”

Kas nods, running his fingers across his tensed brow.

“Other than the obvious that Thomas Jefferson was against slavery, he was also influenced by the Puritan’s. Whoever this man is, he’s making a statement by choosing that particular name.” Erik’s anger is evident as he continues his indignant tirade, “This person is parading around with this name, mocking everything Jefferson believed and fought so hard to eradicate.”

Raina chews on her bottom lip pensively, “Actually, Jefferson was a slave owner, but that isn’t a well-known fact.” She shakes her head, contemplating, “Everyone with Prizrak’s group is extremely intelligent, careful, they rarely make mistakes, and the ones who do, end up dead like El Diablo and Beacher. They do their homework, it doesn’t make sense to choose a name like that.”

“It does if the person is making an actual comparison to Jefferson,” Chase volunteers.

“What do you mean?” Raina questions.

“What if this person does know that little known fact, and that is exactly why he chose this particular alias?” Chase’s face brightens, obviously working on something brilliant with his wealth of psychological knowledge, “Think about it. All the tendencies of this client appear to be similar to Prizrak, extreme intelligence, narcissism, and the need to flaunt his perceived superiority. It would fit his profile to be a leader like Jefferson. Someone who is prominent and outwardly denounces human trafficking, another form of slavery, but secretly participates in it. We are looking for someone known, someone who probably publically opposes trafficking. We need to concentrate on the public figures in or near D.C.”

“Alright, looks like we have our research cut out for us. We’ll divide up the prominent clergy, lawyers, and political figures. It’s going to be a long night.” Kas’ demeanor has completely rebounded with having a tangible task to perform to narrow down the suspects.

Once the research is divided, Kas grabs Raina’s hand, “I’ll work from home. List everyone that has denounced trafficking over the last two years. Call me if you need me.” He catches Erik’s disturbed expression on the way out, “What is it?”

Shaking his head like a child who just saw someone kick his dog, Erik shrugs, “That just sucks! I always held Jefferson in high regard, being a founding father of the Declaration of Independence and everything. He’s a huge national hero. I could’ve went the rest of my life without knowing what I learned tonight.”

“Sorry to burst your iconic bubble,” Raina sympathizes, giving him a quick hug on the way out the door.

The sky is gray, and a moderate drizzle cools the Fall air as they leave the agency. Raina does as she promised and calls Sara. Kas glances at his wife, noting her reaction as she talks with her friend, clearly trying to steer the conversation away from Chris. Reaching over, he squeezes her hand, winking at her when her gaze falls on his. That’s all it takes to make her insides turn into a molten volcano, and the brewing desire burns bright jade.

Kas takes his time loving his wife when they get home, putting the investigation off for a little while. Looking down into Raina’s expectant eyes, he knows she needs him. There’s no way in hell he will not give her anything and everything she needs. The thought of her broken body flashes through his mind, and the back of his eyes and throat feel like acid as he represses the angry tears. Images of her locked in a dark attic, lying on the floor, cold, hurt, and hungry lance his heart. Too many men have harmed her and walked away from her when she needed them the most; he will die before joining their ranks again.

Raina is sound asleep as he gently pulls his arm from underneath her head. The corner of Kas’ lip tilts as he takes a moment to watch her sleep. She had told him that she would help him with the research, but he could barely hear her through her yawn. He knew it wouldn’t be longer than two minutes before she was out, so he nuzzled his chin against the top of her head, pulling her spent, beautiful body flush to his, relishing in how well she sleeps when he is holding her. Pride fills him at that fact, his ego swelling in the knowledge of how he makes her feel safe, sheltered.
I
must
be
doing
something
right,
he muses as his heart constricts when his wife softly sighs contentedly, peacefully dreaming.

Thinking of how Raina’s been hinting at not waiting a year to try to get pregnant hits him hard. He would love watching life from him growing inside of her, but he’s not sure he’s ready to share her just yet. Taking a few more minutes to enjoy watching her peacefully sleeping, he makes himself slip out of bed. They have plenty of time to talk about that later, right now, he wants to concentrate on her. Relief floods him at how she can now finally put her demons to rest.

The clock chimes three times and Kas rubs his eyes wearily, pouring another cup of coffee, blinking when his gaze returns to the bright screen in front of him.

“You are in so much trouble, Pierce.”

Kas grins at his wife who is standing in front of their bedroom door, scowling. “I thought what I gave you tonight would knock you out until dawn, at least,” he teases.

Raina subconsciously chews on her bottom lip as her eyes drink in the sight of her husband, so flippin’ sexy and downright irresistible he should be illegal. Her eyes trail down the sight of his broad, bare chest to his muscled torso, lowering to the cotton pajama bottoms that hang torturously low on his strong, masculine hips. Those tan bare feet get her every time, and she has to force herself to look away from the magnificent specimen in front of her before she attacks him on the kitchen table.
That
thought leaves delicious tingles trickling down her spine. “It’s nearly dawn. Go to bed, I’ll take over from here.”

“I’m almost done, just two more to go.”

Whatever she was going to tell him next is interrupted; the shrill ring of her cell distracts them both. Hope and dread clench her stomach as she pulls the phone from her purse. Kas is behind her as she reads where the trace finally led, “The e-mail came from an e-reader in Mason Jenkin’s home.”

“The handler Lawson’s team arrested?”

“The same handler who owns the iPad Scott gave Erik.”

“Parker must have gone there after the raid. The bastard’s covering his tracks,” Kas pauses, his jaw tightening, recalling the information Raina told him about on the e-mail, his threats becoming more brazen, “or, maybe, he’s studying us.”

Raina doesn’t like the feelings that theory evokes. “Maybe,” she whispers, “I need to see the handler’s home.”

“Lawson will bring you the device.”

“He sent it from there for a reason.”

“You think that I don’t already know that?”

“He may have left something there, something meant for me to see.”

“And that’s exactly why you aren’t going,” Kas tells her, his tone firm, definitive.

“Kas, I-”

“No, Raina!”

She looks at her husband, his jaw rigid, lips tight, and his tone adamant. She knows his reasoning. The horrified look in his eyes the day before humbles her. She won’t do anything to push him right now, not when he’s still reeling from his worry for her safety.

Kas’ expression softens, “I didn’t mean to bark at you like that.” Kissing her forehead, he breathes in the clean, sweet scent of her. “I’ll go with Lawson and take pictures of everything myself and show them to you and Chase.”

“Okay,” she relents. “Give me one of the names you are working on, and we’ll get this done so you can get at least a few hours of sleep.”

Chase sits next to Raina in one of the conference rooms carefully studying the photographs uploaded to the screen covering a large portion of the rear wall. The rooms are surprisingly orderly. The walls are a stark white, all the appliances are stainless steel, the counters are dark granite, and the floors are a dark stained wood. The look of the rooms feel sterile, cold, and empty.

“He lives alone and probably doesn’t have a steady girlfriend. He has no clear emotional ties to family or friends.” Chase’s expert eyes are fixated on the images, “I see signs of OCD.”

“Stop. Go back,” Raina states, sitting up straighter, “right there.”

Chase sees the chessboard sitting on the desk in the corner. The dark pawn is moved two spaces out in front of the queen.

“He’s made his first move,” Raina states dryly.

Chase studies the picture and ponders on how Parker has done his homework on Raina, down to finding out that Shakespeare is her favorite classical author. He is enjoying his game. “Now, he’s just waiting on ours.”

Chapter Three

The list contains fourteen names, twelve men and two women. Kas is all business, completely in his element when he has something tangible to work with.

“I need every video you can find with everyone on this list speaking in public,” Kas states, delegating the names between the team.

He spends the next few hours watching each person as they speak about anything other than trafficking, noting their movements, facial expressions, their every minute mannerism. Once he has a good grasp on each member, he then watches the videos of them speaking against human trafficking, noting how many relate its growing ties to organized crime.

Raina lightly kicks on his door, her hands full of mouthwatering reinforcements. She can see the exhaustion in her husband’s eyes, and her heart swells when they brighten and his lips curve into a smile when he sees her, “I brought you your favorite Chinese food, extra crab rangoons with all the dipping sauces.”

“You are a life saver.”

She unloads the food as Kas stretches his tired muscles that are cramped from sitting too long. “How’s it going?”

“I’ve discarded five suspects.”

“That’s great,” she encourages, locking the door before sitting down on his lap.

“You’re making me lose my focus, darlin’,” Kas whispers gruffly, trailing his finger down her collarbone.

“That’s exactly my intent.”

“You do know how to torture me don’t you?”

She laughs, “I always deliver in the end.”

“Yes . . . yes you do.”

“Speaking of delivering, this tastes better hot.”

“So do you,” he winks.

After
the
food
is gone, Raina sits in the corner chair quietly working on translations as Kas finishes watching the videos. Peeking over the laptop, she silently watches her husband through her lashes. She is still amazed at his incredible amount of self-discipline and how he can maintain his focus for hours on end while continuing to perform his job under immense stress.

When Kas tenses and takes a moment to jot down some notes, Raina pulls the earphones out and walks his way, “What did you find?”

“More like who did I find?”

The flash of undiluted anger in his eyes startles her, “Who is it, Kas?”

“Wakely was definitely hiding something in his speech last month.”

“Senator Wakely?” she asks, her shock obvious.

“The one and only. Look how he rubs his nose every time he’s asked about his feelings of the new bill being proposed against trafficking. And, right here,” Kas states, pointing to the screen, “watch him slide behind the podium when the reporter asks him directly if he supports the bill. This doesn’t mean that he’s guilty of anything, it just makes him suspicious at this point.”

The movements seemed trivial to Raina, something she would never have picked up on her own, “What do you think he’s hiding?”

“I don’t know yet, darlin’, but we’re going to find out.” He glances at Raina stifling a yawn at the late hour, “C’mon, I can watch the rest at home.”

It’s almost 8:00 a.m. when Raina awakens Kas. She has let him sleep for as long as possible, knowing he didn’t go to bed until well after she did. They cook a quick breakfast of eggs and toast together before heading to the agency. The crisp morning air sends a shiver up her spine, and Kas pulls her closer to him as they rush inside.

Austin’s already up to his usual antics, mercilessly ribbing Jake about his relationship getting serious with Maya and harping on Russo needing to get his butt in the game. Raina smiles as Russo turns to look at Agent Garren when she pours herself some coffee across the room. He’s been admiring the agent on Grant’s team for weeks now but still hasn’t made his move. Raina loves how the men on Kas’ team are tough and intimidating on the outside but big softies on the inside. Stealing a glance at Austin, she suppresses a laugh at him giving Jake a hard time about Maya when it’s obvious Mandy has made quite an impression on him, snagging the notorious player for longer than anyone has.

Frank walks up with a file on Senator Wakely and on the other suspect that didn’t pass Kas’ human lie detection, Secretary of State Harlem Craig, “We’ve got men on them like you asked, boss.”

“Thanks, Frank.” Kas takes the files, kissing Raina on the cheek before heading to his office, “See you at lunch, darlin’.”

The musical choice of the day proves Erik is his usual upbeat-self again.
Some
Nights
blares in the background, and Raina doesn’t put in her earphones like she normally does. “Whatcha got for me today?”

Erik takes a sip of his coffee, shaking his head, “Nada, it’s been a slow morning so far.”

Raina takes advantage of the free time and pulls up the files on Prizrak.

Erik glances cautiously at his best friend, wondering how she’s holding up after what happened with Chris. She hasn’t mentioned anything but offering personal information freely is not her forte. He leaves it alone for now, relieved with the realization that Kas will stay on top of how she’s coping.

Kas smiles as he looks at the screen, picking out the perfect places to hike that he read about on blueridgehiker.com. Excited to tell his wife about his plans to take her on a mini-vacation to the Blue Ridge Mountains, he is about to bust waiting for her to get off the phone.

“What do you say about a trip to the Parkway in North Carolina?” he asks once Raina hangs up with Seth.

The light sparkles in her eyes, “When?”

“This Friday, we’re off until next Wednesday.”

She wraps her arms around his neck, “Sounds perfect!” Sliding onto his lap, she gives him a quick kiss. “Then, next Friday, Seth is coming home from Boston for the weekend. He wants all of us to go out.”

“As long as it’s not dancing.”

“But we had so much fun the last time,” Raina reminds him, rocking her hips back and forth, absolutely loving the feel of him hardening underneath her.

His chocolate eyes are burning with desire and mischief, “From what I recall, you still owe me a topless dance on the table.”

Her lips curve, and she runs her tongue across them wickedly, “How ’bout I take it a bit further and dance on the table without anything on?”

The rock hard feel of him gives her answer enough, and she giggles.

“I love it when you laugh. Ah, hell, I love everything about you, woman.”

“You’re getting ready to love me even more,” she whispers, her breath heating the sensitive spot just behind his ear. Her grin is wicked as she turns on the sultry music, slowly stripping off her clothing. Holding her arms in the air, she tilts her head, her eyes bright, beckoning, as she rocks from side to side. Biting her lip, her hips sway seductively, inducing vigorous reactions on her husband’s gratified body.

The drive to Asheville, North Carolina is full of gorgeous scenery, but it is also very long. The evening has turned dark when they pull in front of the quaint bed and breakfast. “It’s beautiful here,” Raina exclaims, sliding out of the jeep and stretching.

They grab their luggage from the back, and Kas stifles a yawn.

“Looks like you’re ready for bed.”

His eyes immediately darken with carnal intentions, causing Raina to laugh, “That’s not what I meant.”

The inside is just as charming as the outside, and Raina walks through the Victorian sitting room admiring the antique furniture as Kas checks them in.

“Welcome to the Land of the Sky, Mr. Pierce, I hope ya’ll enjoy your stay here.”

“Thank you,” Kas smiles in return, handing over his credit card.

“We may be small, but there’s lots to do here. There are some brochures on the table over there. You’re here just in time to get the most out of the famous ghost tours around the haunts of Asheville. I can get you a reservation if you like.”

Kas bites back a grunt, “No!” Evening his voice, he continues, “No thanks, we have enough ghosts of our own.” He ignores the inquisitiveness in the man’s hazel eyes. “Thank you,” he quickly states again. Grabbing their bag, he’s grateful his wife doesn’t over pack when he sees that he will be carrying the luggage up two flights of stairs.

Opening the door, Raina immediately falls in love with the country blue and gray décor. Kas places the bag next to the dresser before stretching his arms high above his head to ease his stiffness from the long ride. Raina stands on her tiptoes, kissing the back of his neck. “Sit,” she commands.

He gratefully obliges. Crawling onto the huge bed behind him, she rests on her knees as she massages his tense shoulders. “That feels good,” he lazily approves.

Her hands slide down his broad shoulders to his muscular chest, and heat simmers low below her navel. Her mouth teases his neck, and she squeezes her thighs together, “I have something that will make you feel even better.”

His chuckle is low, more of a growl than a laugh. Without warning, he grabs her wrists, twists to the side, and hauls her on top of him, “Why don’t you show me what you have in mind, darlin’?”

Not
waking
up
to a blaring alarm is a small slice of heaven Raina could easily get used to. The feel of Kas’ leg draped over her hip, his arm thrown vicariously over her waist, and her tush tucked against the impressive part of him that delivers her a shameful amount of pleasure, is something that she hopes she will never get used to. Enjoying the moment, she lies motionless until Kas finally stirs,
that
part of him awakening. A smile graces her lips at the thought of her giving him the same feelings he generously bestows on her.

“Feel like a hike?”

Raina nods, her auburn waves tickling his nose and tangling in his morning stubble.

He pops her playfully on her bare behind, “Get your butt in the shower then.”

She does as asked but not before shoving her behind hard against him, giggling at his protruding response.

“You’re such a tease,” he calls after her, his own smile brightening his face as he enjoys the view of her walking away from him.

Tossing her long, wavy hair over her shoulder, she winks at him wickedly, “Who’s teasing?”

His laughter warms her all the way to her toes, which are currently digging into the plush carpeting. “You need to reserve that energy, darlin’, this hike is a hefty one.”