Rediscovering Peace (Military Love Book 1)

by Rogers, Steffy

  “With all due respect, Jake, I think we are better off without him. I don’t need someone who thinks he can run this show. We are a team and we need to work together as one.”

  “Okay, I will put him on Marcus’ team. By the way, you’re doing a great job and I am glad to see that you are happy again. You deserve it.”

  “Thanks, boss. For both,” I said and walked out of his office and even though I was happy about having Dylan off my team, I still couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen.

  It was well after 6:00 p.m., and I was still in the office working on some changes Mr. Logan had requested. Braden had texted me earlier to let me know that he also had to work late. He was currently training his guys for the upcoming deployments and often had to work longer. Usually, I would’ve been worried about those long hours but I trusted Braden and knew that he would never betray me like Oliver had done.

  Suddenly the door to my office opened and Dylan came in. I hadn’t realized he was still here, everyone had left hours ago. What was it with him? Why could he not leave me alone?

  “So, I hear you feel threatened by me. Or why did you make Jake take me off your team?” He hovered over my desk way too close for comfort. I wasn’t going to lie, he was intimidating. He stood at about five feet ten inches and I knew from coworkers that he boxed in his free time. His jet black hair was combed back and was held back with way too much gel. To me he looked like a snake. His almost black eyes narrowed on me.

  Goose bumps were running up and down my body. What did he want from me?

  “No, I don’t feel threatened by you, Dylan. I just don’t need a smart ass on my team.”

  “Smart ass, huh? You know what, girls like you amuse me. You think you are so in control of everything, when in reality all you need is a good rough fuck to be set straight again.” He came closer to me and I stood up from my chair looking for ways to escape from him. I didn’t think he would hurt me, at least I hoped, but I wanted to get away from him. He was freaking me out.

  “There’s no way for you to get out of here if I don’t want you to. No need to scream either, no one will hear you.” That’s when my phone started buzzing and we both looked down to see it was Braden. I tried to grab it but Dylan was faster than I and threw the phone against the wall.

  “Dylan, what the hell do you want from me?”

  “I want you to realize that you aren’t as high and mighty as you think. I can show you how easy it is for me to break you.”

  Okay, I was really getting scared now. I just wished I had a way to get out of here, far away from him. If only I could pick up the phone to call security.

  “I see the wheels turning in your head, sweetheart. I promise I will make it pleasurable for you and that you’ll enjoy it.”

  My whole body was shaking. Why was he doing this?

  “What do you want from me, Dylan? I have a boyfriend. Please, just leave me alone. I promise I won’t tell anybody about this conversation.”

  “Really now? I know you won’t, I’ll make sure of that. You know what happens to girls that think they are better than everybody else? They get punished. You’re about to find out just how much I hate when someone crosses me. And your boyfriend? He won’t want you anymore after I am done here.” I didn’t even think before reacting, I was moving trying to get to the door of my office. But Dylan grabbed me and slammed me against the wall.

  “I told you, you’re not going anywhere,” he whispered while holding my arms to the side his body pressed against mine. I didn’t know what came over me but I spit in his face. I was so scared and disgusted and all I could think about was Braden. What if Dylan was right and he wouldn’t want me after this anymore? Fuck. There had to be a way to get away from him.

  “You little whore,” Dylan cursed and slapped me across the face hard. Fuck. I had no chance of getting away, I was trapped. He pushed my skirt up and I cursed myself for wearing one this morning. I tried to wiggle away from him. I didn’t want him to touch me.

  “Please, Dylan, please don’t do this.”

  “Shut up, you dirty slut. You’re about to get fucked and you’re going to like it.” He punched me in the face again and I fell to the floor. He hovered over me and started touching me everywhere. I felt so helpless. Finally he got off of me and stood up. I got on my knees to try to escape but as soon as he realized what I was doing, he started kicking me over and over again. I could feel my ribs cracking. The pain was almost unbearable. I felt myself drifting away but I needed to stay awake. I needed to at least try to fight Dylan – I couldn’t let him break me. Braden would never look at me again if another man touched me. I looked up at Dylan begging him to let me go. But he had no mercy. He was kneeling over me and I felt his fist crush down on my face before the blackness swallowed me and my body gave up.

  “Baby, please wake up. I promise everything is going to be alright. Nobody will ever hurt you again.” Was that Braden? How? I had to be dreaming and I didn’t want to wake up and find the monster standing in front of me.

  “Skye, please come back to us. We are here for you.” My mother. Maybe this wasn’t a dream and they were really here. I carefully opened my eyes and was blinded by the bright light. Where was I?

  “She’s awake. Go get the doctor. She’s awake,” Braden said to someone. I looked around and noticed that I was in a hospital.

  “Where’s Dylan? How did I get here?” I asked.

  “Psht, baby. Let the doctor check you out first and then we will explain everything to you.”

  An older gentleman came in the room and I assumed he was my doctor.

  “Well, look who is back. How are you feeling, Miss Donovan?”

  “Sore. My head hurts and it hurts when I breathe.” Braden was flinching next to me.

  “That is understandable. You have taken some serious blows to your head and ribs. You suffered a mild concussion and a few of your ribs are broken. We didn’t find any internal bleeding and you should be out of here in a few days. You will have to take it easy of course, but you should heal just fine from your injuries. I will send the nurse in with something for the pain. I suggest that you rest up. Also, you may want to consider talking to a counselor about what happened. I can give you a few contacts.”

  “Thank you, doctor,” I said and he walked out the room.

  “Baby, I am so glad that you will be alright. I don’t even want to imagine what could’ve happened. Seeing you unconscious... God, I thought I lost you.” His eyes were shining with unshed tears. I couldn’t even imagine the pain when he found me. I know I would be hysterical.

  “What happened after I blacked out? The last thing I remember is Dylan punching me in the face and everything went dark. I tried to fight him. I tried to stay awake. Please tell me what happened.” I was sobbing, all the built-up emotions flowing out of me.

  “I had tried to call you but you didn’t answer your phone. I figured you were still at work so I drove to your office to surprise you. I saw that the lights were still on and tried to call you again. But this time it went straight to voicemail. You never ignore my calls. I had a bad feeling that you were in trouble and I immediately thought back to our conversation about your new coworker. I knew you guys had night security, which obviously Dylan wasn’t aware of. I called Jake to find out the number but he said he would call them himself. Within five minutes, they got there and let me in the office. That’s when I found you. You were unconscious and that asshole...” He broke off.

  “What, Braden? I need to know. Did he?”

  “No, thankfully he didn’t get that far. He was working on getting your clothes off you when I got there. I was able to restrain him until the police got there. He’s in jail, baby. He can’t hurt you anymore.”

  I was shocked. If it wouldn’t have been for Braden and security, who knows what Dylan would’ve done to me. My mom came over to me from where she was standing and hugged me. “It is okay, babygirl. He will pay for what he did.”

  “
I will make sure of that – if it’s the last thing I do.”

  “Daddy?”

  “Yes, princess, I am here.” He sat in the chair next to my bed and held my hand. His eyes were red and swollen. I had never seen my daddy cry before.

  “Thank you, son, for finding her. Again. I don’t even want to think about what that bastard could have done. He’s lucky he’s in jail or I would kill him. Princess, try to get some sleep. I am sure the doctors called the police to let them know you are awake. They will have to get a statement from you and I want to make sure you are well rested.”

  At his words a nurse in her mid-forties walked in and adjusted something on the IV I was hooked up to.

  “The doctor said you were in pain. I have increased your dose of pain medication, but this will probably make you sleepy. I suggest that your family goes home for a while and lets you rest.”

  “We are not going anywhere,” Braden protested.

  I looked at the name tag and said, “It’s fine, Angela. They can stay here. I am sure they won’t disturb my sleep.”

  She gave us a disapproving look but left without saying a word. After a while, the meds kicked in and I fell asleep. I woke after what felt like several hours and heard my dad and Braden whispering to each other. I pretended that I was still asleep.

  “Pete, I know I have asked for your daughters hand in marriage before, but I want to make sure I still have your blessing.”

  “Son, you had my blessing from the moment Skye met you. I saw the way you looked at each other and I knew then that you guys belonged together. It’s a damn shame she walked out on you all those years ago. She could’ve spared herself so much heartache. But sometimes that’s just how life works. Sometimes we have to be apart from the one we love in order to find ourselves.

  “Everything that she has been through has made her the strong, independent woman she is today. I admire her strength every day. Just promise me if she tries to push you away that you will fight for her. She needs you now more than ever. My princess was almost raped. She needs all the support she can get.” Pete finished.

  “I will always fight for her. Life without Skye doesn’t make sense anymore. When I saw her lying there unconscious I thought I had lost her forever. My world stopped spinning for a minute. I have lost her before and I was miserable. If I lost her again I’d have nothing to live for anymore. I would never forgive myself if something happened to her. I will spend the rest of my life protecting her. No one will ever hurt her again. You have no idea how badly I wanted to kill the fucker who did this. But I had to focus on her, make sure she would be alright.

  “I have already arranged a meeting with a therapist that specializes with women who go through experiences like this. Even though he wasn’t able to sexually abuse her, she will still suffer from the trauma. I have heard great things about the doctor and I am certain that she can help Skye overcome this. She’s strong. I know she will make it through this and I know it won’t be easy. But I am ready for the challenge. I always will be.”

  “You’re a great guy and I can’t wait for you to be an official part of this family.”

  Listening to them talk made me realize just how lucky I was. I had a great support system and even though I knew the road ahead wasn’t easy, I wanted to fight. I wouldn’t let Dylan ruin my life. I had worked too hard to get here. I finally opened my eyes to let them know I was awake. Mom wasn’t here and I assumed she went home to get food or something.

  “How are you feeling, princess?”

  “I will be okay, Daddy. I am sore, but I will heal. I need to make an appointment with a therapist. I am not going to let this dictate my life.”

  “I already made you an appointment, baby. Once you get out of here Dr. Ferguson will see you. Or she can come here to meet you, whatever you want.”

  “Thank you, Braden.”

  “Anything for you my, love,” he said and kissed my forehead.

  We heard a soft knock on the door and two officers walked in.

  “Hello, Ms. Donovan. I am Officer Marks and this is my partner Officer Lindsay. I understand that you just woke up not too long ago but we have to take your statement. Do you think you feel up to it?”

  “Yes. The sooner I can get this over with the better.”

  I gave my statement and explained in detail what had happened. Braden’s fists were balled up the entire time I was talking to the police officers. He hadn’t known everything that had happened and from the look on his face, I knew he regretted not beating the shit out of Dylan. I loved that he was so protective of me, but the bastard would get what he deserved.

  “Ms. Donovan, you are very lucky. We ran Mr. Harper’s fingerprints and he matched our database. His real name is Stephen Harris and we have been looking for him for a while. He is accused of raping multiple women. He was able to fake his identity and references and get a job in your company. He will be going away for a long time.”

  I was shocked. How could this have happened?

  “If that is all, I would like you to leave, officers. My daughter is very exhausted and needs some rest.”

  “Of course. We will be in touch. If you think of anything else here is my card. You can call me anytime,” Office Marks said and handed me his business card.

  A few days later, I was finally released from the hospital. My parents had insisted that we stay with them so my mom could help me when Braden, Caige and Faith were at work. I knew there was no need to argue with her. I still had a hard time moving with my broken ribs and I was more than glad to accept her help. The day before my new therapist had come to see me at the hospital. She had explained to me that it was okay to rely on other people to help me. She understood that I was very independent but in order to heal and get back to where I was I had to let people in. Whenever times got rough, my first instinct was to shut people out, but I had promised Braden that I was done pushing him away and I fully intended on keeping my promise.

  Dr. Ferguson and I sat for a while and talked about what had happened. I was still shaken at the possibility of what could’ve happened but Dr. Ferguson assured me that we will work through it. She warned me that I might have nightmares and advised me to keep a dream journal. That way we could analyze the dreams. She made it all sound so easy and I felt comfortable around her. I trusted her and was able to open up to her without a problem. I was thankful that Braden had arranged this.

  We finally made it to my parents’ house and I settled in the guest room. The pain killers constantly made me feel drowsy and I couldn’t wait for the day when I didn’t need them anymore. Braden lay next to me and carefully wrapped his arms around me so he wouldn’t hurt me. I desperately wanted to feel him inside me but no matter how much I begged he wouldn’t give in. He said he wouldn’t touch me until I was fully healed from my injuries, he didn’t want to make them any worse. I was frustrated but he was right. I was still pretty banged up.

  “You know, once you’re healed and I am finally out of the army, I am going to take you away. You and I for a whole week. Away from all this.”

  “That sounds amazing. Any idea where you are taking me”

  “That’s a surprise, sweetheart.” He grinned at me. I snuggled closer to him and finally let sleep take over.

  The next day I sat in the kitchen with my mom while Dad was out running errands and Braden was at work.

  “Skye, I have something to give you.”

  “What is it, Mama?”

  “It’s a letter. It came about two weeks ago. I wasn’t sure if I wanted you to have it, but I think that’s your decision to make. It’s from Oliver.”

  Oliver? How?

  “Mom, I want to see it.”

  She left the kitchen and returned with a brown envelope. It had Oliver’s handwriting on it. I slowly opened it, I didn’t know what to expect. I unfolded the papers and started reading.

  I didn’t know what to say. He said he had added me to his will. When? And most importantly, why? I didn’t want the money. I looke
d in the envelope and found a business card with a note on the back for who I am to contact once I received the letter. It was a military lawyer. I handed my mom the letter and let her read it. Tears were building in her eyes.

  “You know, I didn’t like the guy a whole lot especially after he cheated on you, but I do believe that he loved you. What are you going to do?”

  “I am going to call the lawyer tomorrow and donate all the money. I don’t want it. I never wanted it. I would much rather Oliver was alive than having the damn money.”

  “I completely understand, sweetie. I feel the same way. He didn’t deserve to go like this. I will help you find a worthy cause and then you can decide where to donate it to.”

  No matter what had happened in the last couple days, Oliver was right. I was a strong woman. And I would find a way to overcome everything and find my happiness again. With Braden. There was nothing that would stop me.

  Chapter 13

  Skye

  “Baby, wake up. It’s just a dream, he can’t hurt you anymore.” I woke up to Braden’s voice. I was covered in sweat and crying my eyes out. He scooped me up in his arms and carried me to the bathroom to run me a bath.

  “It’s okay, sweetheart. I am here. He can’t hurt you, it’s a dream.” He tried to calm me down as we both climbed in the tub. I leaned against his hard stomach and instantly let the comfort of his arms around me take over. This had become our routine since I had the same nightmare almost every night – Dylan/Stephen attacking me in the office but instead of Braden saving me, my attacker is able to rape me. That was the moment I usually woke up. I had talked to Dr. Ferguson about the dreams, and she told me they were part of the post-traumatic stress disorder I was suffering from. PTSD was not foreign to me, over the years with the military I have met a lot of soldiers who suffered from it. But never in my life had I imagined that I would fall victim to it one day. I wanted the dreams to stop so badly. Braden was doing the best to comfort and soothe me, but I saw the strain I was putting on him. He was already dealing with his own demons now he had to deal with mine as well.