Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 31942 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 160(@200wpm)___ 128(@250wpm)___ 106(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31942 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 160(@200wpm)___ 128(@250wpm)___ 106(@300wpm)
“You’re lucky to have me, you dumb bitch. There are hundreds of girls I could get with, but I picked you.” The vein in his forehead is throbbing and his face is red.
The hair on the back of my neck stands up and without even thinking about the message it sends, I take a half-step backwards.
“I didn’t pick you,” I whisper. I never picked Kyle. I never wanted his attention. Like millions of other women, all I did was reject his unwanted advances.
“You don’t get to change your mind now.” There’s a glint of something metallic in his hand then Kyle is on the barn floor. Brody is on top of him and subdues him with a chokehold. My stalker continues to flail but then he stills and slumps to the ground. The whole thing probably took less than six seconds but the moment it’s over, my wobbly knees finally give way.
Brody yells my name and grabs me before I can hit the floor. “You OK?”
I manage a nod even though I’m pretty sure I might throw up. “Just need a minute.”
He scoops me into his arms and steps around Kyle’s prone body. For a moment, I worry that maybe he’s dead but then Brody says, “Watch him until the sheriff gets here.”
Outside the barn, he sets me on a bench and helps me put my head between my knees. He sits next to me and rubs my back in soothing circles as I try to draw in enough oxygen.
“Do you think it’s over?” I ask when I finally feel like I can talk again. For all my feelings of empowerment earlier, the adrenaline is leaving and now I just want to curl up into a ball and cry. “So much for being a strong woman bravely confronting her accuser.”
“Hey, you did really good.” He wraps an arm around my shoulders and tugs me close. “I’m proud of you. It’s not easy to confront the things that terrify us. But you did it and now he’s going to jail where he belongs.”
I don’t know how much time passes before Sheriff Luke shows up. He’s older than me, probably close to Brody’s age. He gives me a compassionate look as Brody explains what happened today. “I’d like to take your statement when you’re ready.”
It takes hours at the police station and even though he keeps circling back to a few key questions, Luke is different than the cops I tried to get help from. I sense that he believes me.
“I know this is frustrating,” he says. “But the more details I can get, the longer I might be able to help you put him away for.”
I nod and take another sip of the hot chocolate that Brody found for me. He hasn’t left my side once during this interview. He sits right next to me, letting me absorb his strength and his heat.
When we’ve finally covered everything and Brody has given the sheriff a flash drive filled with evidence, we leave.
I’m quiet on the drive back to the ranch. I’ve felt so many things since this day started that now I’m just numb. I think he senses it too. Because once we’re at his home, Brody helps me through a hot shower and puts me to bed. I didn’t even realize how tired and exhausted I am until he tucked me in. Between the adrenaline of the day and not sleeping last night, my eyelids are heavy.
“Don’t leave,” I whisper, clutching at his hand. I’m afraid if I go to sleep alone that I’ll see Kyle again in my nightmares.
He crawls into the bed, and I snuggle deep into his side. The last thing I remember before I drift to sleep is thinking how safe and warm I feel with his strong arms around me.
Hours later, the sound of a phone ringing wakes me from my sleep. It takes me a minute to realize it’s Brody’s phone. He’s beside me in the bed but he’s not even stirring. He must be just as exhausted as I am.
I wander around the house, eventually finding his device on the bathroom counter. The memory of our showers together makes me smile. That’s when I see the name on the phone. Reaper is my brother’s nickname in his unit.
I debate then decide to answer the phone.
“What the fuck happened? You can’t just get a fuckin’ message to me that my sister is in danger and not fuckin’ tell me what’s going down. You’re a piece of shit and if anything happened to—”
“Elliott, calm down. I’m fine.” The woman staring back at me from the mirror is not fine. Her eyes are puffy from not sleeping for weeks and her hair is in desperate need of a good cut and color.
“Charlie? Why the fuck are you answering Brody’s phone? You put that son of a bitch on this call.” I forgot just how much my brother likes to lace everything with swear words. Some people blame the Army, but he was like this long before then.