Page 34 of The Veteran

SAGE

I drifted in and out of sleep. I was restless, tossing and turning, unable to get comfortable, and that creeping sensation of dread followed me into my dreams.

I dreamed I was eighteen and back in my bedroom, listening to my parents fight. Except this time, I didn’t ignore them. I tiptoed down the hall and into the living room just in time to see Dad shove Mom, and Mom trip over a cord and fall. Her head smacked the tiled hearth and blood exploded everywhere—far too much blood to be realistic. I screamed and tore at my face, trying to get it off my skin and the taste out of my mouth.

Suddenly, other men were in the room. Faces I’d seen too much of in courtrooms and in the news. Baker, with his cruel blue eyes. Getty, who radiated menace despite his short stature. Parrish, as bitter as he’d been in prison. A brief flash of LaMond. Their faces seemed to close in on me, taunting me. I ran from the room, but it felt like my feet were moving through molasses. The harder I tried to run, the slower I went.

Then I was outside. Dad was behind me, yelling at me to save myself. I threw myself at the fence, but there were no broken pieces for me to use as footholds. A pair of hands grabbed me and hauled me to the ground, then circled around my throat and squeezed. I looked up and saw Dad staring back at me, his features twisted with hate. I tried to speak. To tell him I didn’t understand. But his face morphed. Grew darker and less distinct.

I blinked, my mind whirring helplessly as the world around me seemed to spin and refocus.

I was in a dark room.

A man knelt over me, his hands around my throat.

I couldn’t breathe.

I tried to haul in a lungful of air and my eyes prickled. I couldn’t breathe. And I wasn’t dreaming. This man was really here, kneeling above me, choking the life out of me. I couldn’t even yell for help.

I bucked, struggling to throw him off, and it bought me enough space to suck in a little air. Enough to keep fighting. I rammed up with my knee and threw my weight to the side. We tumbled off the edge of the bed and his back thumped the wall on the way down.

He smacked me across the face and I cried out, the taste of blood reminding me of that awful dream. He grabbed my shoulders and slammed me against the floor. The edges of my vision grew hazy but I lashed out. I wasn’t going to make this easy for him. At the very least, Kade should have heard us by now.

He grabbed for my throat again and I plunged two fingers into his face, feeling one hit something soft. He grunted, and then the bedroom door was torn open.

KADE

Terror and fury clawed at my insides as I tried to make sense of what I was seeing. Sage was on the floor, struggling against a man in a balaclava.

I rushed in and, with a few swift, economical movements, tore the assailant off her and threw him to the ground. I heard a shout, and then I was on him. I pounded a fist into his masked face. Then another. My mind seemed to fog out and I was operating on autopilot, pummeling the guy, unable to rid myself of the image of Sage fighting for her life. I’d never been more scared. But she was okay. Thank God.

My limbs kept moving of their own accord. Hitting with devastating force. He deserved it, this man who’d tried to hurt my wild child.

“Kade.”

A soft voice infiltrated my thoughts, breaking through the haze that had overwhelmed me.

“Kade, look at me.”

I wanted to, but animal instinct was driving me to make sure the intruder no longer posed a threat.

“Sweetheart, stop.”

I stopped. My hands fell to my sides, and as the fog retreated further, my knuckles began to throb.

“You’re okay.” A soothing hand rubbed my upper back. “Shh,” Sage murmured. “It’s okay. I’m safe, you’re safe, and he’s not going anywhere.”

“Get the light.” My tone was dull. Despair had started creeping over me. I’d saved Sage, but she’d seen the monster that lived inside of me. She’d seen what I was capable of, and she couldn’t possibly want anything to do with me now.

She flicked a switch and harsh white light illuminated the room, making the scene around me seem even more horrific. My hands were speckled with blood, and I could feel flecks of it on my face and chest. I’d come running straight from bed, so I was only wearing boxers. The man on the floor was a mess. I nudged him, and he groaned. Relief filled me. I couldn’t imagine how much emotional damage it would have caused if I’d beaten him to death in front of Sage.

“Fuck,” I muttered. “Call an ambulance.”

“I already have.” She held up a phone. “Just hold on and I’ll give them the address.”

I stared at the multicolored shadows forming around her throat and my stomach lurched sickeningly. “You… He… Fuck, baby. Come here.” I got shakily to my feet and pulled her closer so I could look at it. “I’m so sorry.” I felt like kicking the prone man for what he’d done to her. “I should have protected you.”

Her eyebrows knitted together. “You saved me. I knew if I could just hold him off for long enough, you’d come, and you did.”