The Rhythm of Rain Read Online Free Page A

in his arms. Rain was a strong woman. She met most things head-on. Only she would know when she was ready to meet this tragedy.
    "I guess I should," she said, sounding resigned. "It looks like my past got tired of waiting for me, so it caught up."
    Telor kissed her forehead. They both got out of the truck and he walked her to her front door. She rose lightly to her toes and kissed his cheek, thanking him for the ride home. The door closed almost soundlessly behind her.
    Telor decided to check out the perimeter. He walked around to the back of the house and waited until he saw her bedroom light flick on. He stood there watching her silhouette behind her breezy curtain. Telor smiled when her arms lifted and her shirt came off. Her breasts were beautiful.
    From his vantage point he could see her exposed flesh each time the curtain blew back. She slipped into a tiny red spaghetti strap camisole with matching lace panties. Rain waved at the window as though she knew he watched and her light clicked off. Whistling, Telor strode the few steps to his own backdoor and bounded inside. No one was there to greet him—he lived alone. His parents were deceased. He didn't have time for a pet, not even a goldfish.
    Telor poured himself a double shot of bourbon and downed it in one gulp. It was the last thing he remembered. An explosive pain shot through the back of his head and Telor hit the floor, unconscious.
    ~ * ~
    Rain was choking. Her lungs were burning. When she opened her eyes, her room was full of smoke. She fell out of bed onto her floor and screamed for Grams and Papa. When she crawled to her door, she put her hand against it. The door was scorching hot. Rain knew if she opened that door it would be disastrous. Her bedroom window was open. The fresh air would fuel the fire and she could be incinerated in a back draft. Rain would have to go out the window and come back into the house from another entryway to get to her grandparents.
    With steely resolve she clambered out the window onto the overhang. She looked down into the darkness, held her breath, and jumped down from the one-and-a-half-story house. She rolled when she hit the ground. With the breath knocked out of her, Rain crawled to her feet. She screamed when someone grabbed her from behind. Instinctively Rain knew it wasn't Telor. Whoever had her had grabbed her hair in a painful grip.
    Rain spun and punched at the same time. Her fist collided with solid flesh. Goddamn, that hurt, she thought and winced as she shook out her hand. A foul expletive was ground out and Rain was backhanded. She hit the ground and scrambled to her knees. She screamed for Telor. Where was he? Her whole house was ablaze. Her grandparents were nowhere to be seen.
    Rain scooted between her assailant's legs and jumped up. Barefoot, she struggled toward the house, intent on saving her grandparents. Her assailant grabbed her again. She jerked herself from his grasp. The man was huge, not tall, but buff and beefy, built like a brick shithouse or an army tank. He was very dark-skinned and bald. Beady eyes were fastened onto her in an intimidating way. He clenched his fists into hammers. With menace he came at her.
    "We got things to discuss, little girl," he ground out.
    "Not bloody likely."
    Rain was furious. Athletic dancer legs spun high and smashed the man in the face in a roundhouse kick that sent him spiraling backward. He thumped, ass first, to the ground with a loud expulsion of air. Rain was running with a small limp. The bastard had a rock for a jaw. She hadn't gone more than a few feet, the front door now in sight. She was so close—but was tossed over a broad shoulder by a new assailant.
    "Put me down, they're burning," she screamed.
    "You can't save them." It was Jaron's voice.
    Jaron was running with her while she pounded her fists against his back. Jaron spun sideways, obviously in search of anyone in pursuit, and Rain caught a glimpse of a black car. She was being kidnapped. The other