Rain: Healing Rain Part 6

"Get some sleep tonight," he calls after her, and her face blushes when she hears his implicating laughter.

Kas' office door is shut, so she knocks, slipping inside when he tells her to come in. He looks stressed, tense, and she again wonders if she has done something wrong. "Can I help you with some of these files?" she asks, pointing to the numerous manila folders spread out on his desk.

"Just doing some paperwork. Are you ready?"

Raina bites her bottom lip, and Kas sees her worried expression, "What's wrong?" He hopes she hasn't heard about the investigation yet, he wanted to be the one to tell her, making sure to minimize it as much as possible.

"Are you angry with me?"

Kas pulls her into his arms, "No, baby, I'm not mad at you."

"You've been so...distant today."

Kas sighs, releasing her and walking across the room, staring out the window at the bright city lights against the dark night sky. He turns back around, the insecurity in her eyes eating at him. "Sweetheart, I'm not upset with you. This has nothing to do with you," he lies, feeling like an a.s.s. "Some accusations were made, and I'm doing office work until they are cleared up."

Raina grabs his hand, "Accusations against you?"

Kas makes sure to keep his tone light, rea.s.suring, "Yes, but they're false. It's not a major issue, they'll be cleared up soon."

"I know they're false," she proclaims, warming Kas' heart at her trust in him, stating his innocence even before she knows what he's been accused of. "How long does an investigation take? Who accused you, and what did he or she, or whoever, claim you did?"

Kas tilts her chin with his finger, smiling at her obvious indignation of someone accusing him of some wrong doing. "Someone said I took a bribe. It's being looked into, they'll get to the bottom of it soon, Rain. Please don't worry."

Raina wraps her arms around him, leaning into his chest. Kas kisses the top of her head, pulling her tighter into his embrace, the feel of her against him soothing him and provoking him at the same time. "It's been a really long day, let's go home and get some rest." He hears her stomach growl as she slips out of his arms, and he gives her a stern look, "Please tell me you didn't skip dinner."

She bites her lip again, and he sighs, "You have got to take better care of yourself, Raina. We'll stop and grab something on the way home."

Raina mindlessly chews a bite of her grilled chicken sandwich as she glances at Kas, seeing the evidence of his tension as he drives them home. Her thoughts stray to her father and his threat. She takes a sip of her drink before turning towards Kas, "You don't think my father has anything to do with the allegations do you?"

Kas hears the guilt in her voice, and he shakes his head, keeping his tone neutral, "No, darlin'."

Raina sits back, not convinced. Her appet.i.te is gone as she thinks of her father's words the last time she saw him. He has no way of knowing that Kas knows he hurt her again, not unless he was told. Raina studies her husband, worry and suspicion starting to creep up her spine. She thinks back to a few days ago and how he had come home so late after her not being able to reach him all day. Pursing her lips, she turns her head to look out the window so Kas can't play mind doctor on her again, reading her emotions. She certainly doesn't want to accuse him of doing something until she knows he did it, especially due to the current allegations against him. She keeps her mouth shut, deciding she will find out tomorrow if he really did go to work that day before saying anything.

"Rain, you barely touched your food."

She takes another bite of her sandwich as she tries not to think of what he may have done.

Raina waits on Frank next to the elevators, feeling ambivalent about asking one of Kas' men about his whereabouts a few days ago. Frank steps out of the elevator, his slight limp tugging at Raina's heart. The tan, dark haired agent takes a sip of his coffee as he smiles and winks at her, "Good morning, Rain."

Raina returns his smile, "Hey, Frank." She pauses, wondering if she is doing the right thing. "I have a strange question to ask you. Last Friday, did Kas swing by here?"

Frank gives her a quizzical look, "I didn't see Kas on Friday." The look on Raina's face concerns him, "Everything okay, Rain?"

Raina curtly nods, her lips pressed tightly together as she spins around, heading directly to Kas' office. She doesn't bother to knock this time as she bursts through the door. Kas stands up, taken aback by Raina's unusual behavior. "Where were you on Friday?"

Kas lets out a slow breath, wishing she hadn't figured this out so quickly. "Raina, sit down."

"I don't want to sit, Kas, I want you to tell me where you really were!" she demands, anger apparent in her voice.

Kas crosses his office and closes his door before turning back to her. "Fine, Raina," he begins, "I went to see your father."

Raina does sit now, sinking into the chair as she processes this information. Kas watches her carefully, trying to read the myriad of emotions feuding in her eyes. He fully expects her to go off on him instead of doing what she does. Raina drops her head in her hands, her shoulders slumping dejectedly. "I'm so sorry," she whispers, the anger in her voice completely gone.

Kas kneels in front of her, "Why are you apologizing to me?"

"This is all my fault."

Kas grabs her arms, forcing her to look at him, "This is not your fault, Raina."

"No? You wouldn't be under investigation if it weren't for me."

His grip tightens, being sure to not hurt her, but enough to get her attention, "Listen to me. This is not your fault. If your father did this, then it's his fault, Raina, not yours! I don't want to hear you blaming yourself again!"

"He's so powerful and connected, Kas. I know what he is capable of, he can make sure this doesn't go away." Raina looks up at him, the feuding emotions returning, darkening her jade eyes. "Is my father okay?" she asks tentatively, not sure she wants to know the answer.

"Your father is fine," he a.s.sures her, amazed by her concern for him after all the h.e.l.l he has put her through, "but I made it clear that he is to stay away from you. If he stays away, never hurting you again, then all of this is worth it." Kas sees the discordance in her eyes. "We don't know for sure that it's him, darlin', I'll find out. Regardless of who it is, the allegations aren't true, and that will come out, so please don't worry."

"I'll try...I love you."

"I love you, too."

Kas is becoming increasingly frustrated as the agents with Internal Affairs take their sweet time with the investigation, d.o.g.g.i.ng him with questions, hara.s.sing him, having him pull past cases, demanding proof of every little detail in every case, keeping him tied to his desk for over a week now. His team is currently under Derrick's supervision, and Austin has just gone undercover, alone, for the first time. Kas knows his team, they are well trained, he's not worried about that, and he knows Derrick is a good agent, he won't steer them wrong, but not being able to help is killing him. His team is keeping him well informed, and he can see they are having just as much difficulty with him being left behind as he is.

Raina stops by his office at lunch time. They are getting ready to grab a bite when Kas' phone rings. "Pierce."

"Hey, boss, Austin's experiencing technical difficulties, can we borrow your girl for a while? Erik can bring her, Jake just got off the phone with him."

"Hold on." Kas looks at Raina, "Franks says that Austin has some technical issues, they need you to go with Erik to the hotel." Raina nods as he puts the phone back to his ear, "She's on her way."

Raina closes the door, giving her husband a long kiss, leaving him hungry for so much more than just lunch as she slips out the door, meeting Erik at the elevator.

Erik parks his vintage corvette into the side lot at the ritzy hotel. They take the elevator to the ninth floor, walking up the stairs the next three floors. Raina scans the hallway before they knock on room 1202.

"Welcome to my penthouse suite, would you like a chocolate truffle?" Austin jokes as he pops one in his mouth, "seriously, I could get used to this."

Raina grabs a truffle, savoring the decadent dark and white chocolate treat as Erik goes straight for the lunch Austin was enjoying.

"What's the issue?" Erik asks between bites.

Austin swats his hand, grabbing his plate back, "The transmitter's over there. Derrick said the feed is garbled. I'm meeting with one of the traffickers again tonight and need it working by then."

Raina picks up the watch, carefully removing the back so they can see what might be causing the problem. Erik grabs one more fry from Austin's plate before joining her. They have just located the issue when there's a knock on the door. Austin glances at Erik and Raina, putting his finger to his lips and motioning for them to hide in the bathroom. Once the bathroom door is shut, Austin answers the door, biting back an expletive and plastering a fake smile on his face when he sees the trafficker he met with earlier this morning. "Mike, come on in."

Erik quietly opens the shower curtain, ushering Raina inside as he steps in behind her. They listen to the m.u.f.fled voices in the other room, wishing the uninvited guest will hurry up and go. Erik shifts positions, the shower being very small for the large size of the bathroom. His elbow accidentally hits the k.n.o.b, and water sprays Raina. They both freeze, knowing that had to be heard in the other room. Erik curses under his breath, before quickly stating, "Strip, Raina."

Raina shoots him an exasperated look before twirling her finger, silently ordering Erik to turn around, ignoring the smirk that has spread across his face. She does as she was told, knowing what Erik's thinking and realizing how rapidly this can turn deadly. She quickly wraps herself in a towel and whispers for Erik to turn off the water, stepping out of the shower just as the bathroom door swings open. She sees Austin withdraw his gun, ready to take the trafficker down if necessary, but Raina gives a slight shake of her head before turning her attention back the trafficker, noticing how his anger has turned to something more carnal as his eyes roam over her wet, towel-covered body. Her grip tightens on the short piece of cotton, "I didn't know we had company."

Austin slips the gun in the back of his jeans, quickly pulling his shirt over it before stepping into the bathroom, wrapping his arm around Raina. "This is my girlfriend, Samantha," he explains to Mike, not liking his l.u.s.tful expression. He steps between Mike and Raina, turning towards her, "Why don't you finish getting ready while Mike and I talk, babe?" Austin leads the l.u.s.t filled trafficker out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

"Why don't you bring Samantha with you tonight? John's wife will be there, that will give her someone to talk with while we discuss business."

Austin reluctantly agrees, knowing Pierce is going to kill him for this. He closes the door behind Mike, securing the lock before heading back to the bathroom, breaking the news to Raina that she is now undercover with him and is expected at dinner.

"I don't have anything to wear," she exclaims through gritted teeth, shooting Erik a pointed look as he fails miserably at hiding his amus.e.m.e.nt.

CHAPTER TWELVE.

Much to Austin's relief, Kas didn't completely explode when he called him, breaking the news to him that his wife is now his girlfriend. He skirted around the whole stripping and being in only a towel part, deciding he will let Raina break that piece of information to him. He figures he can always point out that it's really Erik's fault if Kas threatens bodily harm. He a.s.sured his boss that he will take care of Raina and told him that Erik is going to tweak his PC so he will hear everything said at the meet tonight from his desk. Everyone knows that Kas will shirk the rules when it involves Raina if they didn't work out a way to get him ears on the meet. This way they are keeping him out of the field work, technically at least.

Raina finishes getting ready, slipping into the designer dress Derrick had delivered for her. She styles her long, auburn hair in a cla.s.sic French twist, before running her finger across the necklace Kas bought her in Italy, hating how he is struggling with having to sit out on everything. She stares at her reflection, determined to make this right.

Austin helps Raina with her coat as they get ready to leave, "You look beautiful."

"Thank you."

"This meet will be very different than when you were undercover with Kas. John, the trafficker we are meeting tonight, is bringing his wife. From what I understand, she's not the submissive type and is involved in the business."

Raina's eyes widen in horrified shock, "You mean she knows what they do, and she condones it?"

"It's all about the money, honey," Austin quips. He sees the disgust in Raina's eyes. "You're going to have to play nice with her tonight," he warns.

"I will, I just can't believe a woman can be so callous with the monstrosities committed against her own gender."

Austin wraps his arm around her, having difficulty understanding that himself.

The restaurant is exquisitely decorated with a red and gold ceiling and an oversized crystal chandelier hanging prominently in the middle of the dining area. Raina slides into the plush chair, trying to tame her nerves as Austin takes the seat beside her, sitting across from John and his wife, Julia. Raina tries not to stare at the attractive woman across the table from her, trying to figure out how the seemingly friendly person can be such a horrible traitor to womankind.

The rest of the evening is spent with Raina having to act like she is actually enjoying herself as Austin, Mike, and John discuss the upcoming bid, and Julia chats with her about everything from current affairs to her time spent traveling abroad. Raina is beyond ready for the evening to end by the time it actually does. She is fuming when she plops on the couch in the hotel room, ripping the high heel shoes off, tossing them on the floor.

"You handled yourself very well tonight, Rain," Austin compliments her, sincerely impressed, "you're getting really good at undercover ops, maybe you should give Erik some pointers."

Raina laughs, feeling good to release some of the tension from tonight.

"You take the bed, I'll sleep on the couch."

Raina looks at Austin blankly, "I have to stay the night?"

"We can't risk another impromptu visit and you not be here."

Raina sinks against the couch, needing to be in Kas' arms right now. "I don't mind the couch, I'm shorter anyways," she states resignedly.

"If Kas finds out you slept on the couch while I took the bed, he'll kill me, besides, I wasn't raised that way."

Raina stands, "Okay, thank you. I wasn't prepared to stay, you wouldn't happen to have an extra toothbrush would you?"

Austin points to a small suitcase in the corner as he throws another blanket on the bed for her, "Erik dropped it off while we were at dinner. Everything you need should be in there."

Raina calls Kas, cringing at what he might say to her when she breaks the news that she isn't coming home tonight.

"Hey, baby, you did great."

Raina wants nothing more than to be tangled up in Kas, parts of him engulfed in parts of her, when she hears his voice, "Thanks. I have to . . . um . . . stay the night with Austin."

Kas laughs at the obvious worried hesitance in her voice. "I know. Don't worry, darlin', despite his reputation, he can be a perfect gentleman, and he knows that I will rip him in half if he gets out of line," he teases.

"I miss you."

"I miss you, too, but this is wrapping up tomorrow, and you will be back in our bed, with me, tomorrow night."

"She wants to take me shopping?" Raina's tone rings with obvious distaste.

"It's for the bid tonight," Austin cringes as the words leave his mouth, knowing how well this is not going to go over.

Raina jumps off the bed, exploding, "She wants me to help her pick out the clothes to dress up the girls they plan on selling to the highest bidder? h.e.l.l, no!" She begins to pace, trying to calm down.

Austin manages to mostly suppress his amused smile at her reaction, never personally experiencing Raina's temper flaring or hearing a curse word leave her lips. "You can keep tabs on her while we take down the traffickers. You will be tailed the entire time by Russo and Mack."

Raina stands next to the large window, starring out at the picturesque view as she tries to put her fuming feelings aside so she can get the job done. "Fine," she turns around to face Austin, "I'll do it."

Raina is using every last bit of her reserve of self-control to smile and chat with Julia as she picks out clothes for the girls being held prisoner like caged animals until they are made into s.e.x slaves, or would be, if it weren't for the team getting ready to step in. She wants to wrap the slinky, shiny dress Julia is currently admiring around her slender, dehumanizing neck.

They take a break for lunch, Raina's head is pounding, and her stomach is churning while Julia continues to excitedly chatter on like they are shopping for an everyday, normal event. Raina forces herself to eat at least some of her lunch to appear normal, or at least a degree of the normalcy for the apathetic sociopath smiling and enjoying her ridiculously overpriced salad in front of her.

They make it through lunch without Raina spewing the contents, or dousing them on Julia. Raina's cell rings as they are stashing the wretched purchases in the car. Relief fills her as Austin tells her they have secured the girls. She spots Russo and Mack advance towards them as she hangs up the phone.

Julia closes the trunk and smiles at Raina, "Are you ready, Samantha?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm ready," she retorts, thoroughly enjoying the blanched expression wash over Julia's face as Russo flashes his badge and Mack grabs his cuffs.

Julia proves that she, indeed, isn't the submissive type by elbowing Russo in the nose. Mack grabs at her as she struggles, being kneed in the process. Raina can tell that Mack and Russo have issues striking a woman, even when the woman has no problem pummeling them, so, she does it for them, punching Julia straight in her high-priced nose. Julia cries out, and Mack restrains her with the handcuffs as Russo nods his appreciation. Mack walks the restrained, bleeding Julia to the waiting vehicle as she spits out colorful obscenities the entire way.

"How's your hand there, slugger?" Russo asks, taking Raina's hand to examine it.

"It's fine. How's your nose?"

"Better than my pride," he laughs.

Kas wraps Raina in his arms as soon as she is in his office, behind closed doors. "I'm so proud of you, darlin'." He kisses the top of her head before releasing her, sitting on the edge of his desk, "So, you slugged her, huh?"

"She had it coming," Raina mumbles, flexing her sore hand.

Kas laughs, "Russo said you popped her good, remind me not to ever p.i.s.s you off."