Her Regret, His Resolve; Bouncing Back, Book 2

28

As soon as David left, Russell called Jaxon to check on him. They had become close, and the fifteen-year-old was like a little brother to him. Jaxon picked up on the first ring, his voice anxious and angry.

Grinning, Russell said, "Just checking in, kiddo. Is everything okay there?"

Jaxon laughed, "Yeah, we're good. How's Sky doing?"

"She's still asleep for now. I'm going to grab a quick shower. Get some sleep, Jax. I don’t want you losing sleep over this, okay? Your dad and I got it handled, and I’m here with Sky. I won’t leave her alone until David comes back safe, okay?" Russell said in a reassuring tone as he hung up.

Grabbing his bag, he went into the bathroom and started stripping out of his clothes. Looking in the mirror, he inspected the cuts left behind by Sky's nails. Shaking his head, he started the water. Getting the temperature just right, he stepped under the warm spray and closed his eyes.

Every fiber of his being screamed to watch the man's life drain from his body, to watch as the light faded from the man’s eyes. His soul cried out for vengeance, the desire nearly consuming him whole.

After he finished scrubbing his skin and hair clean, he slid the glass door aside and grabbed a towel off the rack. Clean and dressed in only a pair of loose-fitting checkered pajama pants, he made his way back to Skylar's room. He dried his hair as he went; a few stray droplets trickling over the ripped muscles of his chest and stomach.

Opening her door, he realized that she had woken up. She patted the bed next to her and waited until he sat down. "Um, I'm sorry about—"

"Don't," he murmured, cutting her off. He wanted to reach for her but didn't want to set her off again.

She sobbed, grabbing his hand. "I didn't know how to tell you. I was afraid you would think of me as broken."

"No, baby, no. I have no reason to hurt you like that," Russell argued gently. He reached out, carefully tucking a strand of cinnamon-brown hair behind her ear. "Is it safe to lie down with you? I know it's something we haven't done before, but I just want to hold you for the night."

She looked at him, taking in his half-naked state. "What about my father?"

"He went off on one of his disappearing acts, and Jaxon is sleeping at Lukas's place, so it's just the two of us. I've told you a thousand times, Sky. We take this at your pace."

Skylar stiffened as the bed dipped under his weight. The blanket settled around them, and she clenched her jaw to keep from crying out when he reached over to pull her into his arms. Fear that he would break his word strangled her voice as she started shivering violently.

"It's okay, Sky. I'm not going to hurt you," Russell murmured. "Do you want me to turn on your lamp?"

"Please," she whimpered. Sleeping with the light on was like a security blanket for her. It chased the shadows from the room and helped keep her sane. As light flooded the room in a pale golden glow, she breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing a little in his arms.

He spoke softly, soothing her gently. "I never wanted to let you go, Skylar."

"You didn't?"

Russell shook his head. "No. Absolutely not."

"Daddy thinks you’re too old for me," she whispered.

His hand caressed her arm, spreading goosebumps all over her flesh. Sighing, Russell said, "I'm willing to work it out, and your father is convinced I'm the best option. You have to come clean about what happened to you, though. No matter how painful it seems, talking hurts a lot less than keeping it all locked inside. After a while, keeping it bottled up turns you into something you don't want to be."

"Is that what happened to you?"

He nodded against her shoulder. "That's exactly what happened to me. I let everything that my parents and grandparents did to me eat at my sanity until I was so consumed with hate that I allowed myself to be manipulated."

"I don't want to be like that," she sobbed. "I don't want my friends to hate me. I've come so far since my mother dropped me off." Her whimpering burn his heart, his anger threatening to spill over as he struggled to shove a lid on it.

He paused, lacing their fingers together. "Skylar, I know that no matter how hard you fight the nightmares, they keep you up at night. They're always there, just below the surface, waiting to take control of your life."

She whimpered, "Before I talk about it, I need you to promise me something, Russell."

"That depends on the promise," he replied cautiously. He didn't want to put himself in a bad position, not so soon after getting on David's good side.

“I need you to swear you won’t blame me?" she pleaded.

He shook his head. "Anyone who blames you for what you went through needs their ass kicked into the next century."

She nodded, knowing that he wasn't feeding her lies and that he was actually trying to help her get her nightmares out in the open. Putting her trust in him, she started to talk. "I was eight when Mom brought him home. She met him at the bar, and he seemed nice at first."

She shivered, recalling when everything went downhill. "Then, one night while she was at work, he came into my room to talk to me. At first, he was talking about a camping trip we were supposed to go on. He wanted to take me canoeing and fishing."

"Yeah, because I can totally see you holding a pole and reeling in a fish," Russell interjected. He knew that she’d rather spend a day doing her nails over outdoorsy stuff.

She could tell he was frowning, unhappy with what he was hearing. Yet, he had begged her to talk about it.

Taking a breath, Sky continued, "After a few weeks, he started touching me. At first, I tried to fight it, but he just kept telling me he knew I wanted it. That all little girls wanted what he was doing to me. He would tell me that I was such a pretty girl and that I was going to make a lucky man very happy if I knew how to do what they wanted me to. He... he used to say that he couldn't wait for me to develop more so that he could..."

She hiccupped again, sobbing as she clutched the blanket tightly to her chest.

Kissing the side of her head, Russell said, "Take your time, baby. It's okay, I'm not going anywhere."

Skylar nodded, thankful that he was being patient with her. "He would tell me that no one would believe me if I said anything. He said that he would tell my mother that I didn't like him and that I was making it up so he would leave. I kept quiet, and the nightly visits kept happening. I was so scared that what he was saying was true, that I never spoke up."

Russell let out a breath. "Oh, baby. You must have been so terrified, Sky. How old were you?"

She covered her mouth with her hand, trying hard not to break down at the sweet, understanding tone he was using with her. "I'm still afraid he's going to come after me. That he's going to start hurting me all over again. When I was eleven, I finally told on him. He found out that I'd had my first period, and he waited until he thought my mother was busy. He pinned me to my bed and forced himself on me. He even covered my mouth to keep me from screaming. It hurt so much, Russ."

"Did you tell your mother?" He asked, his heart breaking for the woman in his arms.

Skylar scoffed, "After it happened, I ran to tell her, but he'd gotten to her first. She didn't even think about it, didn't even bother to hear me out. She just packed my stuff, and dropped me off here the same day. The last thing she told me was that she never wanted to see my face again, and that I always ruined everything for her."

Russell bit back a string of curses, choosing instead to hold her closer. That she could recall everything in damn near perfect detail made her story that much more believable. “Did you ever see any incriminating marks on him?”

She nodded, her breath hitched as he pressed his lips to the side of her head. “He had a mole or something on his upper left thigh. It was on the inside, though. I saw it when he… when he made me...”

"It's okay, honey,” Russell whispered calmly. He was seething, but he didn’t dare let it show. The slightest sign of aggression from him could set them back quite a ways, and he didn’t want that. “You don't have to explain everything."

Anger swept through him. It was so hot and tangible he could taste it. It was taking everything in him not to lose his cool. "Skylar, you were just a baby, a little girl who didn't know any better. He used his position to manipulate you, and that's not right. You were failed by the person who was supposed to protect you, too. None of that was your fault, none of it. Go to sleep, sweetheart. I'm right here. I’m going to protect you, I promise.”

As if his words brought her some much-needed comfort, she calmed before falling into a gentle slumber.

Unable to sleep, Russell slipped from the bed, heading to the bathroom with his phone. Turning on the fan, he called David to fill the other man in on what he’d learned.