Saving Rain: The First Novel in The Rain Trilogy (4 page)

Kas had ached to take Raina in his arms and show her that the shame doesn’t belong to her, that she should never feel ashamed by what someone else did to her. He was so relieved when she told him that Chris had never physically harmed her before that previous night. He couldn’t handle the thought of her being subjected to repeated abuse. Now, the relief he had felt less than twenty-four hours ago has vanished.

He finally allows the tears to come as he looks at her battered body and remembers the doctor’s words of how she has spent years suffering from abuse . . . . abuse from the man that was supposed to protect and love her the most. Kas doesn’t know who Raina’s father is, or where he is for that matter, but he makes a vow to himself that he will find out and pay him a visit, making it crystal clear that he is to never come near her again.

CHAPTER THREE

Kas raises his head from his makeshift pillow on the arm of the hospital bed when he hears a small whimper. The soft light of the moon seeps through the blinds, and his sleepy gaze becomes wide awake as he sees Raina’s eyelids rapidly fluttering. Another whimper escapes her pursed lips as she thrashes her head to the side, the word “Stop” is barely audible as she groans and thrashes her head again.

Kas runs his hand over Raina’s hair, wanting to ease her nightmare, but the contact makes her jump, and she knocks his hand away, trying to protect herself even in her unconscious state. The beeping on the monitor shows the rapidly increasing speed of her heartbeat, and he whispers in her ear, “You’re safe, Rain, I’m here. I won’t let anyone hurt you anymore.” The beeping begins to recede, and he strokes her hair again while continuing to whisper that she’s safe now. In a few seconds, her eyelids stop fluttering, and her breathing becomes calmer. He continues to stroke her soft auburn hair, even after she has eased peacefully back into her deep, medicated oblivion.

Kas shakes his head as he thinks about how it feels like he has known her for years, not just four short weeks. Guilt spreads through him as he thinks of how he may have caused the argument that left Raina being slapped so hard it bruised her cheek and split her lip. She told him that she and Chris had argued, and she had ended their relationship, which had infuriated Chris to the point of violence.

When Kas questioned the reason of the argument, she had given a vague reason and quickly changed the subject. He had a sinking feeling that he had something to do with it by the way Chris had glared at him when he walked in on them working on a case, well, taking a break from working on a case, anyway. They had been up for twenty hours and were getting a little giddy when Kas had stuck his foot in his mouth.

“You’re
deceptively
intelligent,”
Kas stated with a hint of amused bewilderment.

Raina glanced upwards from her work, and her brows creased together as she tilted her head, narrowing her eyes.

“
Oh,
I
didn’t
 
.
 
.
 
.
I
didn’t
mean
that
the
way
it
sounded,”
Kas stammered as he glimpsed the hooded hurt in her eyes.

Raina’s disquietude diminished as she witnessed his cheeks flare from his obvious embarrassment.
“So,
you
didn’t
mean
to
say
that
I
appear
to
be
a
twit?”
she mockingly chastised, unable to suppress the mischievous jab.

“
No
 
.
 
.
 
.
of
course
not,”
he continued to flounder.

Raina arched her eyebrow, and the hint of a smile curved the edges of her lips as her expression elicited his meaning. Kas studied her, and for the millionth time that morning, he had wanted to lean in and claim those tempting, sprightly lips.

“You
just
seem
too
innocent
to
know
about
these
things,
” he stated, designedly pulling away from her before he was unable to curb his rapidly brewing desire to run his thumb slowly across her alluring bottom lip and graze it between his teeth, tasting every inch of it’s sweetness.

Raina’s gaze dropped as her face blanched momentarily before she was able to regain her neutral composure. “
I
studied
psychology
,” she offered quickly as an excuse of her familiarity of the depraving subject. It wasn’t a complete deception, her psychology professor did use human trafficking as a topic of discussion in one of her classes, and she never has been subjected to the kind of hell where her body is bought and sold by some sadist’s whim. Despite the other suffered offenses, she’s endured only one man’s uninvited intimate assault.

Kas had caught the brief change in Raina’s demeanor and again felt the alarming suspicion that something dark has impinged her life.
“I
don’t
know
how
these
girls
get
over
the
horror
of
what
they
have
been
put
through,”
he said dismally, shaking his head solemnly, studying her reaction.

“
The
only
way
they
can
get
through
something
as
horrific
as
that
is
with
God’s
help,
” Raina whispered soberly.

Kas’ eyes shot to Raina in wonderment. “Y
ou
believe
in
God
?” he asked, failing miserably at hiding his surprise.

“
Absolutely,
” she replied fervently, a little taken aback by his unadulterated shock.

“
That
surprises
me,
” he confessed.

“
Why
 
.
 
.
 
.
don’t
you?”
s
he replied, sounding a bit more defensive then intended.

Kas smiled and nodded his head affirmatively, “
Yes,
I
do.
It’s
just
that
most
of
the
people
I’ve
met
like
you
are
atheists.
”

“
Like
me
?” she asked indignantly, raising her brow and pouting slightly.

“
Apparently,
I
can’t
seem
to
get
the
taste
of
leather
out
of
my
mouth
today,
” he stated dryly, running his hand through his thick hair while forcefully dragging his gaze away from her tantalizingly puffed out bottom lip. “
I
mean
geniuses,
scientists,
astrologists,
people
who
try
to
find
absolute
truth
by
tangible
means.”

Her sinfully sexy pout disappeared, replaced by determination. “
God
is
the
absolute
truth,
and
it
has
always
baffled
me
how
some
of
the
most
intelligent
people
in
the
world
go
to
extremes
to
try
to
disprove
His
existence,
despite
all
the
evidence.
I
don’t
know
if
it’s
out
of
pride
or
fear,
but
they
can’t
seem
to
handle
what
they
can’t
manually
experiment,
so
they
come
up
with
alternatives
like
evolution
or
the
god
particular
to
try
to
ease
their
minds,
but
it’s
theories,
not
proof,
that
they
are
trying
to
rationalize.
They
have
never
been
able
to
prove
that
God
doesn’t
exist,
they
can’t.
They
call
things
that
they
can’t
explain
with
science,
anomalies,
refusing
the
truth
that
there
are
things
beyond
the
reach
of
our
weak
comprehension,
miracles
that
we
will
never
be
able
to
dissect
because
they
are
transcendental!
” she finished passionately before adding, “
and
I’m
not
a
genius
.”

Kas had never seen Raina let her defenses down enough to show much of any kind of emotion before. He loved that she had dropped her defenses long enough to share a little of her feelings and beliefs. The only emotion she has shared freely is kindness. He loves how she is so kind to everyone.

“
Okay,
so
maybe
you’re
not
such
a
twit,
” he joked, impressed and relieved at her beliefs and not yet ready to see her wall go back up.

Raina tried to look hurt but was reduced to giggles instead, which turned into a hearty, cathartic laughter so contagious that they were both laughing so hard, tears were streaming down their faces. Exhaustion, and the overwhelming need to release some of the tension from the depression case they had been working on relentlessly, had just started to ease when Chris walked into the room. Her beautiful giggles stopped when she saw the expression on his face.

Renewed anger fires through Kas’ veins at the memory, shaking off any residual fatigue. Raina hadn’t done anything to warrant the jealousy that was obviously radiating from Chris as she gathered her things, and they left. Kas is furious as he berates himself, knowing he should have sensed that Chris was dangerous, but he hadn’t even met him before that night, and the truth is that Kas was just as jealous. He desperately wanted to be the one leaving with Raina instead of Chris. As much as Kas feels for Raina, he had never, would never, do anything as underhanded as stealing someone’s girlfriend, and Raina had never done anything that was even remotely traitorous to Chris.

My
father
is
screaming
at
me
again,
telling
me
I’m
worthless.
Everything
seems
hazy,
and
the
sound
of
his
voice
sounds
a
little
strange
as
I
hear
him
yelling,
calling
me
pathetic.
He
unbuckles
his
belt
and
takes
it
off,
but
it
sounds
different,
distant,
and
a
little
surreal.
Then
I
feel
the
belt
against
my
back,
over
and
over
again
 
.
 
.
 
.
the
pain
is
unbelievable!
All
of
the
sudden
it
is
Chris
that
is
standing
in
front
of
me.
I-I
don’t
understand
 
.
 
.
 
.
where
did
my
father
go?
AHHH,
Why
is
everything
so
fuzzy?
Chris
is
screaming
at
me,
too,
accusing
me
of
sleeping
with
Kas.
My
head
feels
like
cotton
candy,
and
I
try
so
hard
to
focus,
but
I
can’t.
Chris
slaps
me,
and
I
hear
my
father
laugh.
What
is
going
on?