Healing Rain (29 page)

“But, you are never to be in there with him alone, do you understand me? I will not budge on that, Raina,” he warns.

She lays her head on his shoulder, “I promise.”

“Rain? You do know that I would never hurt you, right?” he asks, praying his rash reaction today didn’t cause any regression.

“I have no doubts about you ever hurting me,” she assures him, her jade eyes shining the truth of her words when she looks at him, causing him to visibly relax.

“Good, now go to sleep, it’s late.”

She lays back down but can’t stay still.

“What is it now, Rain?”

She peers at him from underneath her lashes, all shy and insecure, “Now I’m—I’m a little curious about the handcuffs.”

A wolfish smile spreads across his lips, and a wicked gleam brightens his eyes, “Well, then allow me to satisfy your curiosity, Mrs. Pierce.”

Raina is in the interrogation room with Parker again the next morning. Jake is close by her side as he lets her lead the way. She pulls a chair out across from Parker, smiling emotionlessly, matching his steady gaze as she asks him to confirm his given name.

“Yes, my name is Evan Parker. So, what? Do you know how many people have the same name as me?” Leaning his arms on the table casually, he folds his hands nonchalantly, “Isn’t ‘Prizrak’ a Russian word?” He smirks smugly, “I have no Russian blood in my veins, I’m one-hundred-percent American.” He sits back, all relaxed, making Raina’s blood boil. “You’re barking up the wrong tree, sweetheart.”

Raina resists the urge to punch the smug smile straight off of his face, refusing to let him know he is getting to her. “You are the only Evan Parker that has been in the same areas at the same time as numerous bids that took place.”

“I travel quite frequently with my business.” He leans towards the table again, “As you know, I’m in sales, it’s a very lucrative company I’ve established.” His eyes wickedly gleam the true meaning behind his words. “I’ve created several sophisticated security systems for computers, as well as made high-tech storage units, but I’m pretty sure you’re already aware of that.” He places his fingertips flush against his pursed lips and winks.

Raina wants to crawl onto the table, wrap her hands around his neck, squeezing the life out of the narcissistic jackass, but she keeps her cool, calmly adjusting her position in the chair adjacent from him, her gaze never wavering from his, which seems to amuse him immensely.

“You really are beautiful. I think you are in the wrong profession. I should introduce you to so many other
opportunities
.”

Kas has to make himself not bust out the two-way mirror and kill Parker for his veiled threat.

“Thank you for the invitation, but it will be really hard for you to keep up with all of your business transactions when you are rotting away in a concrete cell,” Raina replies, her voice mockingly sweet.

“I must have missed something. Can you put me at the...what did you call them? Oh, yes, bids. Is there any damning evidence you can show me?”

“The storage units that you sell? They are very nice climate-controlled units painted with a special taupe paint strengthening the endurance of the metal, right?” she asks, not waiting for an answer, “you are the only Evan Parker who sells those types of units with that particular brand of paint.”

Evan purses his lips, shrugging slightly, not showing any sign of stress.

“Five bodies have been recovered that have had the metal shavings with this special coating found on them. The exact same coating used on your storage units.”

He lets out a loud laugh, “Oh, honey, my lawyer is going to have a field day with you. What you have is circumstantial, at best. I may be the only person with my name to sell the units, but do you have any idea how many several thousand clients I have who buy and use the units?”

Raina keeps her gaze steady, even though she knows he’s going to walk, and that is killing her.

“Yeah, I didn’t think so,” he laughs, “I’ll be going now.” He looks at the mirror and winks, holding his hand up to his ear gesturing he wants to call his lawyer now.

“Before you go, I just want to let you know that you’re forgetting one thing,” she states, leaning on the table towards him, her voice no more than a tantalizing whisper.

He looks at her with his infuriatingly arrogant expression. “And what’s that, sweetheart?” he asks lazily, drawling out the last part with sarcasm.

She smiles sweetly at him and leans in even closer, so he can see every glint of the unmistakable assurance dancing in her eyes. “I am smarter than you,” she says slowly, enunciating every taunting word to him.

Her smile widens as she witnesses his façade slip a fraction of a second, the fleeting flicker of self-doubt darkening his face. She sits in the room with him until his lawyer arrives, neither one saying another word as they stare at each other. Raina refuses to be the one to break the visual stand-off.

Evan’s lawyer walks in the door with his things, handing him his cell phone and other personal items that were taken away when he was brought in, and he reluctantly looks away from her. He takes a few seconds with his phone before his gaze lands on her again, his earlier brief slip of confidence long gone, and his arrogant smile wider than ever. “I guess I’ll be going now. Maybe I’ll see you around, sweetheart.”

“Count on it,” she promises, her eyes following him out the door. It’s not until he’s rounded the corner that she drops back against her chair.

Jake shakes her shoulders, a proud grin all over his handsome face, “You did great!” He looks at Kas as he steps into the room, “I thought I was going to lose it when she leaned in and told his arrogant ass that she is smarter than him.”

Kas smiles at Raina, proclaiming his belief in her, “She is.”

“I better be,” she whispers, knowing what’s at stake. Her gaze shifts to Kas, not feeling so intelligent at the moment for allowing the Ghost to walk out the door, “I’m sorry, I don’t know how to interrogate.”

“You did just fine, darlin’,” Kas assures her. “We’ll get him Rain, you really rattled him at the end.” Kas feels both relief and immense worry about that fact.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Kas watches Raina carefully all morning, neither of them mentioning the fact that this is Chris’ release date, but both are very aware that he will be free in less than two hours. Kas has already met with his team and Erik, letting them know about the calls, the coded message, and the threat. Their reaction to the news caused him some needed relief, with each one assuring him that they will help look out for her, agreeing that she shouldn’t be alone for a while. Pete assured Kas that Chris already has the ankle monitor on and activated. Kas appreciates Pete’s efforts with trying to keep Chris under tabs, but he’s not taking any chances.

He throws their bag in the jeep before turning to look at Raina, “You ready, sweetheart?”

“My running away from this won’t do any good,” she tells him, being the first to finally mention the proverbial elephant in the room.

“You’re not running away from anything, Rain. I want to take my wife to visit my grandparents in Tennessee for a long weekend,” he tells her with his mouth-watering, cocky grin. Unwelcome thoughts pierce his brain, knowing that Chris will regrettably still be here when they get back
.

“How many horses do your grandparents have?” Raina asks, trying to forget about her haunting ex-boyfriend for a while.

“Twelve.” Kas squeezes her hand, “I can teach you to ride if you want.”

“I would love that,” she answers truthfully, excitement starting to replace a little of her dread.

The drive to Savannah, Tennessee is beautiful, and Kas’ distraction has worked. His tension eases as Raina smiles, looking out her window at the breathtaking scenery. His own smile brightens his face as he turns onto his grandparent’s long dirt road. He turns to Raina, his fingers gently stroking her cheek when he sees her excitement as they pull up to his grandparent’s large farm house.

He opens Raina’s door as his grandmother rushes out to greet them, his grandfather not too far behind. “Hey, Mamaw,” Kas hugs his grandmother warmly before hugging his grandfather, “Hey, Pops.”

Pops takes Raina in his arms, giving her a good squeeze as Mamaw Pierce takes both hers and Kas’ hands. “I hope ya’ll are hungry, I made fried chicken.”

Raina’s stomach growls at the mention of food, not being able to eat much all day. She sees the guest house where they will be staying and falls in love with the covered screened in porch. She smiles at Kas, happy to see the worry finally dissipating from his eyes. Pops hands them a sweet tea and tells them to sit down while Mamaw Pierce finishes dinner.

Raina walks to the sink, washing her hands, not wanting to sit and watch while she works. “What can I help with?”

Kas’ grandmother gives him an approving nod, “There’s not too many girls willing to pitch in anymore like your wife, Kas. You’ve got a good one.”

Raina blushes when she gives her a tight hug.

“I know, Mamaw. She’s a great one.”

Mamaw Pierce grins when she sees the look of love shared between her grandson and his wife. “Do you know how to make fried okra?”

Raina shakes her head.

“Well, c’mon, sugar, let me show you.”

Kas leaves his wife in good hands as he walks outside with Pops to make sure the horses have enough hay.

“Cliff told me about what happened with her ex-boyfriend and how he’s threatening her.” He grabs a fallen bridle and hangs it up on the hook, before placing his hand on Kas’ shoulder, “She’s welcome here anytime, son. She’s just as welcome as you are.”

Kas places his hand over his grandfather’s, “I know, Pops, thanks.”

“I want you to promise me something, Kas. I want you to keep your head level and not do something stupid. I know you have a good head on your shoulders, but I also know that you will do anything to protect your wife. I’m not saying don’t protect her, I’m just saying do it smart, son. Remember that she needs you with her, not sitting behind bars,” his grandfather tells him, giving him a knowing look.

Kas leans against the wall of the barn, staring out at the autumn, evening sky. “How do you do that, Pops? How do you always read my mind?”

“Where do you think you got your skills from?” he laughs, tapping him on the back of his head.

They hear his grandmother calling them in for dinner, and Kas breathes in the fresh, country air, dreaming about moving there with Raina someday. After dinner, they move into the living room, staying up late as Kas’ grandmother thoroughly embarrasses him by showing Raina pictures of him growing up. It’s him that blushes this time, when Raina coos over how cute he was as a baby.

“When are you two going to give us some great-grandchildren?”

Raina blushes, looking at Kas for assistance.

“We want to wait a couple of years before trying.”

“Just don’t wait too long, or I won’t be able to run around with them in the yard,” Pops chimes in.

Raina flips through more pictures, thoughts of having Kas’ children dancing around in her head. She’s overwhelmed with how happy the thought makes her. Looking up at him, she watches how he laughs with Pops at something on the television, seeing how his smile reaches all the way up to his kind eyes. She thinks of how good of a man he is, of how he can be bossy and over-protective, but how gentle he is with her, even at his angriest. She knows he will be a wonderful father, and she brings her hand to her mouth, her fingers slowly running across her lip as she thinks of having his baby, the thought of two years suddenly seeming so far away.

Laying her head on Kas’ shoulder in bed later that night, she trails her fingers slowly across his chest.

“What is it, Rain?” he whispers, knowing she’s contemplating something in her pretty head.

“I know we haven’t been married long, but when your grandparents were talking about children earlier, I got to thinking,” she pauses.

Kas tilts her chin to where she’s looking at him, “Thinking about what, darlin’?”

“Maybe two years is too long to wait. I’m thinking that I would like to start trying after a year, if that’s okay with you.”

Kas rolls on top of her, holding himself over her as he looks down, his eyes full of love, “I’m more than okay with that, Rain.” Lowering his mouth to hers, he teases and tastes her. “In fact, I think we should start practicing right now,” he whispers in her ear, his heart swelling at the sound of her beautiful giggles. He covers her mouth again, making love to her as the moonlight spills across the bed.

The
crow
of
the rooster awakens Kas, and he runs his hand down Raina’s bare back, kissing her on the shoulder as she stirs to life.

“Can I help you feed the animals?” she asks, snuggling her head under his chin, his morning stubble tickling her nose.

“Sure, but it can be pretty dirty work,” he warns.

“I’ll shower after, then.”

Kas bites the inside of his cheek as he watches Raina trying to move the large hogs out of the way so she can pour their slop in their trough. “You’re going to have to show them you’re the boss,” he calls to her, trying very hard not to laugh.

“And how exactly am I supposed to do that?” she asks, brushing an auburn curl behind her ear.

Climbing over the railing, Kas gently pushes against the hogs hindquarters to move them out of the way so Raina can give them their breakfast. He helps her back over the railing before climbing over himself. “Feeding the chickens is much easier,” he teases.

She slaps his arm, “Go easy on me, I’m a beginner.”

“You’re doing great,” he tells her, handing her the feed, grabbing a handful, showing her how to do it. He watches how she smiles at her triumph when the chickens scatter all around her feet, pecking at the feed.

“Ready to milk the cow?” he asks, falling into a fit of laughter at the shocked expression on her face.

“I’m not so sure I’m ready for that.”

“I’ll show you. You just have to be gentle, or she’ll swat you with her tail.”

“Sounds, well, it sounds kind of scary if you want to know the truth,” she laughs nervously.

“It doesn’t hurt,” he assures her, pulling her behind him, continuing to chuckle at her panicked hesitation.

He sets a stool down and grabs the bucket, showing her how to do it before asking if she’s ready to try, pulling her towards the stool when she shakes her head no. “She won’t bite,” he teases, switching places with her.

“What if I hurt her?” she asks, her beautiful eyes full of concern.

“She’ll let you know. Just start off really gentle.”

Raina tentatively starts doing just as Kas showed her, jumping when the cow lets out a loud moo. “I don’t think she likes me.”

“She can tell you’re nervous. Try again,” he encourages.

Raina tries again, and milk actually comes out, causing her to squeal excitedly. Kas watches with pride at how Raina finishes milking the cow and helps him clean out the horse’s stalls before heading to shower before breakfast.

“You’re not afraid of anything are you, darlin’?” he praises her as she rubs the conditioner in her hair.

“I don’t know, Old Bessie was making me pretty nervous.”

“You did good.” He turns her around, tucking a wet strand of auburn hair behind her ear as he looks at her. “You never cease to amaze me.”

She presses her lips to his, and he kisses her back feverishly before pushing her against the shower wall. He presses his body against hers, loving making love to her in the shower, her hot, wet body moving against his, her arms wrapped around his neck, her legs tightly around his waist, as she gives herself fully to him.

Pops places the gravy in front of them when they sit down for breakfast. “Looks like you worked up quite an appetite,” he tells Raina, handing her a biscuit.

Kas slips his hand on her knee when she almost chokes, leaning close to her ear. “He’s talking about taking care of the animals this morning,” he tells her, having to make himself not laugh at the horrified expression on her face when she thought Pops was referring to their other morning activities.

Pops brings out their tamest mare after lunch, showing Raina how to saddle her. Kas helps her on the horse before he mounts one of the stallions. “We’ll take an easy trail. I’ll stay right beside you,” he assures her as he takes both bridles in his hand. “I’ll lead you out into the field then hand her over to you. She’s very tame, you don’t have to worry about her running off.”

Raina is filled with excitement at learning to ride a horse. She has always wanted to go horseback riding and can’t think of a more perfect setting than riding next to Kas on a trail at the beautiful ranch. They go slowly through the trail in the woods, and Raina is in awe at the vibrant colors of the fall leaves, the hues so much deeper than the woods back home. Kas watches Raina as she takes in the beauty of the scenery around her, and he wishes they could stay there forever, the day after tomorrow coming way too quickly for his liking. He’s not ready to have to return home, back to reality, back to Sutton.

They dismount at the stream, letting the horses rest and drink before they head back to the house. Kas leans against the barn stall as Raina brushes the mare, rubbing her hand down the horse’s soft muzzle. He hands her a carrot, telling her to be sure to keep her fingers away from the horse’s teeth as the mare greedily takes it from her open palm.

The evening is warm, and they all go for a walk after dinner. Kas’ grandparents stroll hand in hand down the road while Kas wraps his arm around Raina’s shoulders, pulling her closer to him as he kisses the top of her head, “That’s going to be us someday, you know.”

“I’m counting on it, Pierce.” Raina slips her arm around his waist, resting her head on him as they walk down the peaceful country road.

Kas
takes
Raina
riding on a more challenging trail after lunch the next day, taking her up the mountain a little so he can show her the views over the valley. Seeing how content Kas is there, Raina wishes his life could be less complicated. She thinks of Prizrak and how he has been so hard to catch. They will be back to working long hours, trying to find something to prove his involvement in the sex trafficking and deaths very soon, but for now, she pushes that aside, allowing herself to enjoy the tranquility of the farm with Kas for the little time they have left there.