Saving Rain: The First Novel in The Rain Trilogy by Karen-Anne Stewart

toe.

    Traffic is light, and they arrive in fifteen minutes. The hustle and bustle hasn’t changed any in nine days, and they maneuver their way to Kas’ office. He immediately dives into the files piled high on his desk and has his head buried, sorting through the most important matters, when Dexter pops his head in the door.
    “Glad to have you back,” Dexter says while bringing Kas another file, “make this one your priority.”
    Kas takes the file and does a quick cursory glance, “Yes, sir.”
    “How is Raina coming along?” Dexter asks, his gruff voice changing to concern.
    “She’s healing well,” Kas starts, then nods towards Raina, who is piled up on a chair in the corner, translating transcripts.
    Dexter’s eyes light up when he sees Raina smile and wave. Kas can’t help but smile at the effect she has on people. She has this innate ability to bring out the best in even the roughest and toughest of them. A quick flash of anger shakes him at how her father and Chris can hurt someone so kind and innocent.
    “Hey there, young lady, you gave me quite a scare,” Dexter pulls her into a hug, and Raina tries not to wince when he gives her a tight squeeze. “Are you sure you should be here so soon?” he asks, his voice turning all paternal.
    “I’m fine,” she replies light heartedly.
    Kas represses a sigh at the sound of the word that is becoming frustratingly synonymous with her.
    “That file is what we have so far on the leaders of a human trafficking ring that we think is related to the group you took down a couple of weeks ago. The techs found something on their computers linking the two; they are still working on cracking the rest of the information stored on the hard drive.” Dexter sighs and shakes his head. “These people keep getting meaner and smarter, a combo I thoroughly despise.”
    He looks at Raina again, “Are you up to talking to one of the girls Derrick is bringing in? She speaks very little English, and we need to get as much information as we can, ASAP.”
    “Of course, what’s her native language?” Raina assures him, quickly repressing a surge of fear that prickles up her spine.
    “Spanish,” Dexter informs her before turning back to Kas. “Give Chase a call, these girls are going to need someone with his expertise with the hell they’ve been through,” he says while walking out of the door.
    After Kas hangs up with Chase, he reads the file on the ring leaders, and he runs his hands through his hair, dropping his elbows on the desk. It appears that Dexter is right, the file is slim, but what they have shows that they are sophisticated and well-funded. Something that Kas can’t quite put his finger on nags at him. The group seems to have been moving a small group of girls, but from what the file dictates, they discovered a top of the line security system and equipment. The amount of money found doesn’t add up to the number of girls they rescued, which causes Kas’ stomach to turn, knowing that either some of the girls have been sold already, or the traffickers are only minnows working for a bigger piranha.
    “What’s wrong?” Raina asks, sensing the tension radiating off of Kas. She knows the depravity of what has happened to these girls, and what is still happening to so many others, weighs heavily on all of them. She has been sickened by the transcripts she’s read and translated before, and now that she’s getting ready to talk with one of the girls in the flesh, anxiety makes her blood run cold. She’s terrified of what she is getting ready to witness firsthand. Guilt hits Raina hard and fast, making her push away the thoughts of that horrid night. She tries to focus, pulling on her inner strength to give her the courage to push past her fears from what Brian did to her, knowing that what these poor girls have gone through has been, sadly, so much worse.
    “Dexter’s right, they seem to have highly sophisticated technology, and due to all the firewalls,