The minute slowly fades away. Saying a quick prayer for the safety of the numerous agents getting ready to put the massive op into action, Kas gives the signal to Derrick and Lawson. He looks at his direct team, proud to be serving with men like Frank, Austin, Jake, and Russo. The men are more than agents, they are friends, family, and Kas says another prayer. The second hand clicks one last time, marking the end of the Ghosts reign of terror.
Kas gives the signal, and all hell breaks loose. Lives are lost, saved, and forever changed as doors are knocked down, windows are busted, and walls are blown apart. The night air lights up from the glow of the fire from the heavy artillery. Screams are meshed with gunshots and flash bangs creating an eerie melody as the war wages between the honorable and the depraved. The stars shine brightly in the sky, blanketing and uniting the battle raging on domestic and foreign soil.
Taking the stairs three at a time, Kas chases one of Parker’s men. Sliding across the floor, he barely misses the gunfire aimed his way. Immediately returning fire, he watches the light slip out of the young eyes, and he curses under his breath, losing a little more of himself every time he takes a life. Jumping to his feet, he carefully rounds the corner, focusing on keeping his breathing calm as he mentally counts two missing men. The blast downstairs lets him know that one has been found, just one more to go.
Surveying his surroundings, Kas takes a deep breath, clearing his mind, before slowly making his way down the long hallway. The noise downstairs makes it hard to hear anything else, but a soft click behind him makes him spin.
A
false
wall,
of
course,
why
the
hell
wouldn’t
there
be
one
of
those?
Kas grits his teeth, wanting to take down Parker’s man and get out of his horror house as he dodges an experienced blow. He raises his gun, but it’s knocked out of his hand as he’s knocked against the wall.
Kas blocks the next advance and follows up with a crushing blow. It doesn’t take long for him to realize his opponent is very well trained. The powerful kick to his chest sends him flying backwards, crashing into a side table. Grunting, he shakes off the pain, retaliating with an uppercut, backfist, then a punishing roundhouse. The dark-haired man hits the ground, but doesn’t stay down, he comes up swinging.
Kas blocks the onslaught, then attacks unrelentingly, his fists never stopping until the man stays down. Kas’ chest aches from the damaging blow and his labored breathing as he cuffs his passed out opponent. Roughly lifting the man onto his shoulder, he carries the last of Parker’s men to the van waiting to take them to their new, much more confined home.
A couple of hours later, the team is in the van recuperating from their wounds in the field, bandaging the deeper scrapes and getting back into their heavy gear. The statistics of the rescued women and children were staggering when they had started pouring in earlier. Kas’ knees go weak, and he sinks into his seat, as he watches the numbers steadily increase as they drive to their final stop for the night. The amount of handlers detained is astounding, most have been taken alive, eight chose not to be. A profound relief washes over Kas when he learns that all of the remaining girls bought with Raina’s money have been found. Sorrow quickly penetrates his relief at the news that another agent lost his life tonight.
Fifteen minutes later, the vehicle rolls to a stop. Waiting in the van at the corner, Kas glances one last time at the blueprints of the large house, “Russo take the side exit. Austin, take the back. Jake, cover the front. Frank, you come inside with me.”
Kas nods at the young, well-dressed housekeeper at the door. Her lips are as fake as her smile when she greets them, not even trying to hide her agitation at the late visit. Holding up his badge, he steps inside without an invitation.
“I will let Mr. Craig know you are here,” the lady states, her agitation morphing into curiosity.
“That won’t be necessary,” Kas informs her, “we’ll let him know ourselves.”
Secretary of State Craig is on the phone when Kas bursts through his office door.
“What the hell do you think you are doing?” Craig blurts out, spinning around at the intrusion. Vibrant, tangible fear spills through the anger when he realizes it’s Raina’s husband that is standing less than three feet away from him.
Kas takes the phone out of the stricken man’s hands, placing it on the receiver. His cursory glance over the room indicates Craig was moments from disappearing. Picking up the fake passport and tossing it inside one of the briefcases full of money, he nods at Frank to photograph them and bag everything, extremely grateful they got there before he slipped out of the country. “It is my honor to personally place you under arrest,
sir,
” Kas tells the man fourth in line to succeed the Presidency, “Your governmental duties have been officially relinquished.”
The fear on Harlem Craig’s face when Kas hands him the signed notification makes Frank chuckle under his breath. Kas makes no move to place the cuffs on the pathetic degenerate in front of him. Frank backs towards the door, wishing he could help deliver the well-deserved, overdue wrath Kas is getting ready to unleash.
“Boss, I’m going to step outside for five minutes, you know, enjoy some of the cool night air that Craig won’t be enjoying again anytime in the next twenty years or so.” Frank lets out a chuckle, his voice taunting, “You’ve got a nice office here, Craig. It’s very sturdy, almost soundproof.” The petrified look in the former government official’s eyes satisfies Frank as he slips through the door, calling over his shoulder, “I might even take a stroll around the block. It really is a nice night.”
Craig takes a step back, bumping into his desk as Kas curls his hand into a tight fist.
“You ordered death for my wife,” Kas growls, the fire in his eyes blazing wildly with hell-bent retribution. Taking a menacing step towards him, Craig cowers further. “Raina nearly died because of you!”
“She’s alive?” Craig whispers, shock, rage, hope, and fear colliding in his eyes at that unexpected news.
“My wife is a fighter. Yes, she’s alive,” Kas’ voice turns dark, deadly, as he warns, “but that’s more than I will promise for your fate.” He feels the deepest atonement at the stark terror radiating off Craig. The reprobate’s fear is so pronounced, Kas can almost taste it, and he savors every last second. A smile curves his lips as he sees Craig’s body begin to tremble. When his fist crashes against Craig’s jaw, he enjoys the fact that, even though he’s not going to kill the man, for a few blissful minutes, Craig’s going to wish he was dead, he might even beg for death by the time he’s done with him.
Frank returns a little over five minutes later, opening the door to the sight of Kas sitting on the edge of the desk while Craig is slumped in a mass on the floor. The dark resolve in his leader’s eyes both soothes and scars him, knowing they crossed a line they’ve never crossed before tonight, and it isn’t being taken lightly by either man.
“You know he’ll get a low security facility that will seem more like a retreat than a prison, boss,” Frank tells Kas, trying to ease both their minds.
Slowly standing, Kas cuffs the barely conscious man, hauling him to his feet as he groans in pain. Ambivalence rips through him, “I know, Frank. I know.”
Kas leads the man who is partially to blame for the hell Raina endured to the van, wanting to rid the earth of men like him, men like Parker. The poisonous thoughts inside his head seize him on the ride to the agency until he sees the woman whose redeeming touch heals him, her innocence restoring every drop of his lost faith by just one glimpse into her welcoming eyes.
Raina’s gaze never leaves her husband’s, never even glances at Craig, as they exit the elevator. Her sweet, absolving smile reaches straight to Kas’ soul. Letting go of Craig’s arm, letting go of the damage and reign of terror that has ruled their lives, he grabs Raina, pulling her into his arms and burying his head into her auburn halo, getting lost in her salvation.
Parker’s
head
is
on top of his arms, leaning on the unforgiving metal table when Austin enters the room first with a very satisfied, very smug grin on his face. Parker raises his head, looking beyond annoyed. Austin steps to the side, thoroughly enjoying witnessing the profound shock on Parker’s blanched face. “What’s wrong, it looks like you’ve seen a gh—,” Austin begins, then shakes his head, laughing at the irony, “nah, too easy and totally overdone.”
The sweet satisfaction of seeing the smug look on Parker’s face shatter into a million devastated pieces, knowing that they finally have him, spreads deliciously through every pore in Raina’s body. She takes a moment to relish in their victory before she calmly walks to the table, her haunting jade eyes never leaving his, “Is this damning enough for you?”
Evan remains silent, his seemingly impenetrable façade stripped to mere fragments. He looks utterly broken, and Raina finds no joy in that, just profuse relief that he can’t hurt anyone else ever again. She holds out her hand, watching how his deflated gaze lowers to her closed palm. Opening her hand, she reveals a King. Slowly placing the black chess piece on the table in front of him, her gaze meets his. “Checkmate,” she states slowly, quietly, and the words are his final undoing. He closes his eyes, leans his head back, then lets out a deafening, defeated scream.
Raina walks away as Parker unleashes his fury, wildly thrashing against the restraints the guards put on him as vile words and empty threats reverberate throughout the small room. Austin follows Raina down the hall, throwing his arm around her.
“The whole checkmate thing, too overdone?” Raina questions, her eyes twinkling when she looks up at Austin.
He throws his head back, laughing, “A little, but it was still epic as hell!”
They turn the corner, and Raina’s confusion is evident as to why everyone is standing there. Austin steps away from her, beaming as Kas lifts her into his arms, planting a heated kiss right on her lips, in front of the entire human trafficking unit, including Dexter. Her face flushes with embarrassment, but quickly turns into raw desire, and she couldn’t care less who is watching as she kisses him back passionately. The room booms with hoots and deafening applause. Kas pulls away, laughing, slowly sliding her down his body. Pulling an envelope out of his back pocket, he hands it to Raina, “You did good, darlin’, really good.”
Raina’s perplexed gaze searches her husband, but all he gives her is a huge, sexy grin. Opening the envelope, her mouth falls open as she takes out the two tickets to Nice, France, and she throws her arms around his neck, “I can’t believe you did this.”
“You deserve it, sweetheart. You did an amazing job bringing down the most wanted trafficker in the modern world.”
Turning around, Raina scans the crowd of the heroes who wake up each morning, kiss their loved ones good-bye before heading into war on domestic ground, never knowing if they will live or die that day. Their sacrifices have consequences that go mostly unnoticed, both the good and the bad. Raina nods her head proudly at them and smiles, “We all did.”
Epilogue
Raina leans back against the red leather, oversized chair, waiting. Her face is neutral, giving nothing away as she gets curious glances from the men coming and going. She continues to wait, but she refuses to allow her patience to be tested. She needs this,
wants
this passionately.
An impeccably dressed woman enters the extravagant room. “We’re ready for you now.”
Raina follows the beautiful raven-haired woman through the hallway adorned with dark walls and paintings in angry hues. A smile curves Raina’s bright red lips. Yes, she’s been waiting on this for a very long time. Her eyebrow arches as they round the corner, and her gaze shifts to the man sitting in the corner. His dark hair is dusted with the perfect amount of distinguished gray. His long, muscular body is adorned in the richest of threads. He’s undeniably breathtaking.
Repressing a surge of excitement, Raina gives a coy smile to the man.
It’s
been
too
long!
Her attention diverts back to the woman blatantly scrutinizing her. Raina raises her chin slightly, meeting the woman’s stare dead-on, and she lets out a little chuckle at the ambivalence in the woman’s eyes.
“Do I make you feel uncomfortable?” Raina asks with amused assertiveness.
The woman returns her chuckle, but it’s not quite as aloof as she tries to make it sound, “Nothing makes me uncomfortable.”
Liar
.
“Let’s get down to business, then,” Raina begins, sweeping her blood red fingertips against her long, auburn hair, brushing it off her shoulder. She feels empowered, nearly invincible, in her tight, black leather pants and formfitting simple white tee covered with a skin hugging black, cropped stripped vest. Her three and a half inch hot pink stilettos give her a commanding height for a woman.
Who
said
it’s
a
man’s
world?
“I appreciate your coming. I’m very impressed by what I’ve seen, no one can argue you’re enticing, but your eyes . . . there’s too much innocence in them.”
“Innocence can be deceiving,” Raina replies truthfully.
The man stands, taking a step towards Raina. His voice is a smooth, masculine intoxication as he dismisses her, “Thank you for coming.”
Raina smiles sweetly at the man, the arch of her eyebrow heightening. Licking her lips and taking a long, slow breath, she turns towards the woman. With a quick wink, she picks up the crop on the side of the desk and lashes it hard against the outside of the man’s thigh. All sweetness is gone, “No one gave you permission to talk! Sit back down, and keep your mouth shut!”
“Freaking
A,
Raina!”
Kas yells out, grabbing his gun, ready to race inside as he impatiently waits for the next sound.
Austin’s barely contained laughter is stifled by the severe glance of his superior. Jake smirks at Austin, shaking his head at how the boy never learns to keep his mouth shut when Kas is worried about the consequences of his wife’s audacity.
Frank lets out a relieved breath when they hear the man’s impressed laughter. Kas holds his earpiece tighter, listening intently. He closes his eyes and smiles when the man tells Raina to be there at 7:00 p.m., sharp. They watch her exit the building, slip into the shiny, black Porche Russo had thoroughly enjoyed picking out and delivering this morning and drive away.
When evening rolls around, Raina finishes getting ready. The outfit choice isn’t nearly as enjoyable as her earlier attire. Slipping into the red leather pleated miniskirt and dark gray leather cropped bodice that generously shows her midriff and the top mounds of her breasts, she pulls at the edges, hoping the tugging will magically make it cover more of her. The only part of this get-up that she likes is the laced, leather knee-high heeled boots.
The invincibility she felt from this morning is rapidly waning, “Do I have to wear this?”
Kas runs his tongue across his lips that have suddenly become very dry. The carnal look in his eyes and protruding bulge in his jeans shows Raina that she does.
“Give me your jacket, at least,” she pouts, holding out her hand.
Walking to the chair in the corner, he grabs a full-length coat, “Did you honestly think I would let you walk out of my office looking like that, darlin’?”
Smiling gratefully, she’s ecstatic about his over-protectiveness this time, extremely relieved the whole office won’t see her. She wishes she could avoid the team, knowing she’ll never live this down. “Thank you,” she states, taking the offered covering and wrapping it tightly around her.
“I wish we had a little more time. I can’t get the image of you leaning over my desk in that tiny skirt out of my head,” Kas breathes into her ear, his hand trailing down her exposed ribs, quickly skimming over the pitiful excuse of a covering, and down her thigh.
Raina slaps her excited husband’s arm but can’t keep from smiling; the same thought has passed through her own mind more than once while she was dressing.
The coat stays securely clutched in Raina’s hand until they arrive and she reluctantly eases her grip. “Turn around,” she commands, twirling her fingers at Frank, Austin, Jake, and Russo.
They do as asked.
“Jake’s going to see you up close and personal in twenty minutes, Rain,” Austin quips, “you better get over that shyness, girl.”
“Yeah, but you won’t, and, thankfully, Jake knows how to keep his mouth shut,” she teases.
“You’d think Mandy would’ve had him trained by now,” Russo cracks.
“I don’t want to hear you talking about being trained. You’ll see how married life is when you tie the knot next week,” Austin shoots back, smiling when he thinks of his wife of seven months now.
“Ready, darlin’?” Kas asks, opening the back of the van door.
“As much as I’ll ever be,” she replies, stepping into the alley.
“You know the word. Just say it, and we’ll be there in less than sixty seconds,” Kas reminds her.
“Stop worrying,” she softly admonishes, “I’ve done this before you know.”
“Yeah, but not for awhile. I mean it, Raina, if things start to get out of hand, you let us know,” he commands sternly, the love in his eyes softening the tone of his words.
“Yes, sir,” she winks.
Raina turns, lengthening her spine as she walks down the alley and turns the corner, her heels clicking purposefully as she walks the short distance to the back door of the infamous establishment.
“Well, well, I guess innocence can be deceiving,” the raven-haired Madam Blycia smiles approvingly. “They are going to eat you up, honey, especially with all the fun toys you’ll be showing them.”
Raina smiles, hiding her distaste, “Show me my room.”
“Certainly, right this way.”
Raina follows Madam Blycia up an elegant stairwell to the third room on the right. The house is almost one-hundred years old but is remarkably sound. She pushes the thought of how they must have splurged for extra insulation to muffle the sounds out of her head as she steps into the room. The walls match the dark gray of the hallway she was escorted through this morning but, instead of pictures, there are ‘toys’ hanging on the wall. There’s a vast variety of what Madame Blycia refers to as pleasure devices. Raina’s description is drastically different.
“Start out gentle, then build by their reaction. They’ll let you know what they like,” Madam Blycia smiles knowingly, then leaves her to better acquaint herself with the torture playthings.
Raina cringes as she looks at the walls. Some of the pieces she’s never even seen before and prays she never will again. The only devices that she is personally familiar with are the row of long, leather straps and the canes, if a cane is anything like a hazel branch. She stays far away from that wall. A knock on her door pulls her thoughts back to the present, causing her heart to jump straight into her throat, still thumping like a jackrabbit.
Raina knows they set it up for Jake to be her client, but her fear of something going wrong and some other man being outside the door terrifies her. When the second knock raps against the door, she forces her lead feet to move, and seeing Jake step through the door when she answers it is sweet relief. Firmly closing the door behind her, she leans against it.
“Well, this is awkward,” Jake lets out a low whistle as he slowly spins, taking in the full magnitude of the room’s purpose.
“You’re not the one having to wear the outfit,” she informs him.
“Don’t think I’d fit into, um,
that
,” he retorts, waving his hand in the air and pointing at the small pieces of leather as he tears his eyes away from her.
“I barely do.” Raina tugs at the outfit again before glancing at the clock, ready to get down to the real reason they are there and the only reason she’s wearing less than some strippers. “When do they arrive?” she asks anxiously.
“We should be ready to go in about fifteen minutes. That will give our guests time to get here and start their meeting,” Jake tells her, staring at the line of canes. Curiosity gets the best of him, and he takes one off the wall, swinging it threw the air, “Man, I bet that hurts like hell.”
Turning towards Raina, he drops the cane on the floor. “Damn, Rain, I’m sorry,” he blurts out, severely chastising himself for his stupidity. Looking down at the offensive implement on the floor, his glance shifts back to her with a heavy weight crushing his chest, “I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.”
“I’m fine, Jake, really. That was a lifetime ago,” she states softly, truthfully, squeezing the hand he slipped over hers.
Smiling, Jake pulls her towards him, happy at how her past is only history now. They are all relieved by the knowledge that her father will never harm her again, or even see her again, with the strict restraining order that Judge put into place that will bar Waterford from practicing law if he violates it. He wraps his arms around her, stepping back when he feels that her skin feels cold to the touch in the drafty room, “Here, take my over shirt.”
Raina happily slips on the long sleeve button-up, making sure to button every single button on there. Jake returns the cane and changes the subject to happier topics as they wait. When Kas gives the cue, Jake nods at Raina, “You’re on.”
Taking his gun from his boot, he slips it into the back of his jeans as they exit the door, heading down the hall. The insulation isn’t as thick as Raina originally thought, and she jumps when she hears a painful reminder through the wall. Jake places a comforting hand on her arm, and she continues forward.
“Ready?” he whispers.
She nods, pausing when she realizes that she still has his shirt on. Deciding it doesn’t matter, she leaves it, the charade will be over as soon as the main guest lays eyes on her anyway. Jake removes his gun and keeps his hand on the knob of the door until he sees the rest of the team quietly breech the stairs. Kas nods to go in as he steps on the other side of Raina, slipping a gun into her hand. His eyes meet hers, and he gives her a wink, his smile assuring her that it’s finally almost over.
Jake turns the knob and throws the door open, allowing Raina to step inside.
“What the hell are you doing?” Madame Blycia yells when Raina steps into the line of sight of the group of men.
Ignoring the woman, her eyes scan the room until she finds the one she’s been waiting on. Her jaw twitches, and her eyes blaze jade as she raises the gun, pointing it directly at Drevor’s head.
This
is
for
Carrie
and
my
son!
Madame Blycia goes for the gun, and Raina takes care of her with an elbow to her nose, her eyes never leaving Drevor’s as the woman hits the floor.
Drevor stands, his venomous glare darting to Bylcia’s husband, “You set me up?”
The shock on the man’s face gives his innocence away. Raina muses in disgust at how this is probably the only thing he’s ever been innocent of in his life.
“He didn’t set you up, we did,” Kas informs him, stepping beside Raina. “We found out your buddy here used to have ties to Prizrack’s ring through a friend of a friend, you know how that goes. We traced that tie, and it led to his wife, Madame Blycia, a former dominatrix. Care to take a guess at what she was before that?”
Drevor doesn’t move.
“I didn’t think so, because you already know,” Kas’ voice drips with contempt. “She lured in girls for you in exchange for you funding her house of pain where you hold your meetings and send your handlers for some free entertainment. That’s how she met her husband over there, he’s your best handler, a really smooth talker. We’ll see how well that does for him in federal prison. I don’t think any of you will fare well, they don’t handle child abusers too nicely there.”
Kas calls over his shoulder to his team, “Get them out of here.”
Tears fill Raina’s eyes as the men are being led away in handcuffs, “We finally got him.”
Kas gently brushes a tear away with his thumb as he pulls her tightly to him, kissing her forehead, “Yeah, baby, we got him.” Closing his eyes, he knows that there are thousands more out there just like Drevor, but he makes himself forget that, just for a little while, “Ready to get you out of that outfit?”