by Bradley,CD
C D B R A D L E Y
S T A R K
Shadows
Print ISBN: 978-1539079071
E Book ISBN:
© 2016 C. D. Bradley. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Acknowledgments
I would like to take a moment to thank everyone that helped with an encouraged this project. There are too many to list completely but I want to mention a few people who have taken their time to help make this a success.
Brooke your dedication to this project and our friendship is beyond amazing. I am so thankful you are now my PA and look forward to many adventures.
My mother has been so much help. With five children, trying to get things done and write a book at the same time can be a little overwhelming. This truly would not be possible without her love, support, and babysitting.
Melissa, my ride or die bestie for keeping me sane. Love you wifey.
My in-laws for being incredible parents and grandparents and for living that lifetime love we all dream about.
Editors: Patti Correa, and Little Bit
Eric Battershell for the beautiful photography. Your work is truly inspiring.
Cassy Roop and Pink Ink designs for the incredible cover design.
BT Urruela thank you not only for being a great model, but more importantly for your service and inspiration.
This series is dedicated to the men and women of the armed forces and their families. If you would like to know how you can help please take time to check out the website http://www.vetsports.org and http://gallantfew.org/. A portion of all proceeds goes to these organizations.
Finally to my darling husband. I love you more today than yesterday but not half as much as I will tomorrow.
Chapter 1
Kira let the warm caress of the water wash over her and take the memories of Owen Stark with it. How could she have fallen so far? She had come to the military to pay her debt for school. She wanted to leave the pain of her past behind and start fresh. Everything had been set for success. The objective was clear honor her father and be the dedicated officer and physician she had trained to be. Yet just 12 months later she was guilty of fraternization, had stolen a car fleeing from a sex club and been arrested for a DUI.
All of this for what? A man. But just thinking the words Kira knew that Owen Stark was not just any man. He alone possessed every quality she both feared and craved. His brutal strength and quiet intensity were like that of no other man she had known. He carried with him the subtle confidence of a man who had nothing to prove. Kira had been immediately drawn to him when he literally ran into her the first time they met. He tried to help her. She smiled remembering how he treated her with kid gloves as if she might break if he wasn’t careful. It was that moment she had first looked into his eyes. The memory still took her breath away. His eyes were an exquisite sea, sparkling and clear that she longed to be lost in forever. Then he spoke to her and the sound reverberated through her entire existence.
Kira inhaled sharply. Remembering Owen in this way she knew every mistake she would do again for one more minute of his touch. The explosive heat of his skin on hers, Kira closed her eyes, would melt any resistance she tried to mount. Though they had been doomed from the beginning, Kira had for the first time thrown caution into the wind. She allowed his charm and incredible longing to pull her in. She fell not only for the magnificent man he was but for the lost little boy he had been. Her heart had broken with him as he recounted the pain and loss of his youth. It had struck a chord of her own loss and she felt connected to him through their scars. It began to seem as though the broken road that had brought them together was in preparation for them both to have a chance to finally be happy. Kira had let her guard down and began to trust for the first time.
She laughed out loud at how naive she had been. Her voiced bounced off the shower walls in ridiculing echoes and was lost in the spray of the water. “I am a fool.” Kira spat the words remembering meeting his slew of gorgeous ex-girlfriends; the practically live in bisexual tattoo artist, her Jessica Rabbit looking lover whom he had also been with on more than one occasion, the hordes of women at The Apex Club, and that bitch ex-fiancé Simone. Each of them more beautiful than the one before. His different lives baffled her. Billionaire son of a communications mogul with the perfect Silicone Valley fiancé. Bad boy Special Forces sergeant with a tattooed rockabilly girlfriend. Dominant swinger of the Apex Club, he was a member of a sex club for god sake! A Sex Club. Images of her visit to the sultry palace flashed through her mind. The shrieks and moans of the leather bound and bare women and men still appalled and excited her. She had come so close to being drawn in by the magic and the lust of the patrons especially Lysander, but then she had seen him. There Stark was plastered all over creation fucking all of those women. Kira wanted to throw up. He really was a man who had nothing to prove because he had already done fucking everything.
Kira shuddered and remembered vaguely leaving in an alcohol induced haze after stealing Paige’s car. Then the sobering jolt of being pulled over and arrested for DUI. Her perfect record was ruined forever. Her military career in jeopardy, as common as any criminal, she spent the night in jail.
She couldn’t believe that after all that she had actually flown half way across the country to be with him. But supporting him at the time of his father’s death had seemed more important than anything. In hindsight however that’s where the final nails were driven into their brief tortured relationship. Seeing his other life first hand, Kira had realized she would never fit in and would never be able to compete with Simone. And Owen believing Simone over her after snooping into her past and then judging her. After all she had been through, Kira felt fresh rage. She didn’t know what she had been thinking agreeing to meet him at the Garden of the Gods. How crazy or desperate was she? As pissed as she was at him for standing her up, at least he had the common sense to walk away. Now she had to do the same.
The swirling water carried her dreams of the two of them in a last hoorah around the drain and disappeared. Alone in her shower Kira could let out all her sadness, frustration, and anger and leave it. Walk away and not look back. This is absolutely for the best. I knew this would end in trouble from the very beginning. I would be an idiot to be surprised now. But she did feel like an idiot, a heartbroken idiot who for a shining moment had believed.
As she reached for her body wash the scent of honey jasmine hit her. Like a knife the memory of the first time he had bathed her in the sweet aroma tore into her. She grabbed the bottle abruptly and started to throw it away but stopped. A rustling noise from the living room startled her. She paused and listened. Kira suddenly wished Mags was there with her. She stuck her head out of the shower and listened. Nothing. The only sound was the water cascading down around her. She stood there head and arms o
ut into the cool air for what seemed like an eternity. This is silly. I am not five years old! I am not going to stand here and be afraid in my own shower. Kira turned back to the steaming water and squirted an indulgent amount of soap onto her loofah, determined to forget about Stark and the ghosts of her past. She tipped her head back and raised the sponge up to her forehead letting soapy bubbles cascade over her face and hair.
Bang! A searing pain struck in the back of her head. Pain so intense the world spun and went dark. Kira felt like Alice falling through the rabbit hole. She reached out but felt nothing. Her body was alive with a mixture of cold, blistering heat and intense pain. The pain began in the back of her head and radiated straight through her eyes. She struggled to see but no light could be found. Her arms and bare chest were freezing on the cold tile floor but her legs felt like they were on fire. Kira kicked and thrashed but could not escape the heat. Out of the darkness a bone chilling laugh crept closer like a rolling fog. That laugh! A feeling of intense nausea and dread swept over her. The sound that had haunted her dreams for years closed in…. closer and closer until it surrounded her and choked the very breath from her lungs. She struggled to get up to fight but found she could not move. She screamed but made no sound.
Bang! A second impact to her head. The pain was unbearable and Kira felt herself vomit. The burning acid and bile exploded out of her mouth and nose. She choked and sputtered on the vile liquid. She could feel the pressure of hands on her skin gripping, pulling her. Warm liquid ran slowly down her forehead and face. Images from college rushed back to her. Hands like violent vices crushing into her flesh holding her from any resistance. The tearing of skin and the smell of her own blood enraged Kira and she cried out. Not again not again. No Please! Someone help me please! But there was no one to help. No one would come. Kira’s breaths came quick and her heart raced like a motor pounding in her chest and ears. She struggled and clawed and tried to grasp at anything that could help her. Something to hold onto. Her hands slipped and slid on the wet tiles. Desperation gave way to panic. Sobs choked up in her throat as she fought to scream. Kira felt the pain and shame of her body being ripped and broken and feared that this time he would kill her. All the humiliation she suffered flooded back all at once. The torture, the rape, hiding it at first then seeking help and not being believed. Years of school psychologists telling her it was all in her mind. Watching her abuser go free and even be honored in his field while she was forced to suffer in silence. Knowing, just knowing that she wasn’t crazy. Now even Owen had joined them. The way he had looked at her that pitiful patronizing look she had seen so many times before. She could see Simone’s satisfied smile from the banister railing.
Kira kicked and this time made contact with her attacker. She heard him groan loudly and he hit her with the force of a bull finally crushing the matador. Her neck jerked and her head slammed into the tile. Hands clamped around her throat and shook her violently. All the time he said nothing. No sound save the wicked laughter and the single groan. Kira felt sweat drip onto her face. The putrid odor of her attacker as he worked up a sweat trying to dominate her. He’s going to kill me. The realization sent renewed panic through every fiber of her being. Kira fought harder arms and legs flailing, reaching for something, anything.
She could feel her arms and legs being restrained. But for a brief moment she could breathe. She gasped for fresh air. She struggled to move, to free herself of these bonds. She was being ripped a part. Then the burning started. It felt as if her underwear were being set on fire. The burning spread down her legs and up her abdomen. Her head began to spin and Kira found her voice. She screamed and yelled and thrashed with every ounce of life left in her body. Swift hands clasped around her throat and Kira fought harder. If she was going down it would be with a fight. Something else was overtaking her. The world began to spin. Her will began to slip. She could see Owen floating in the darkness. So close but so very far away. The look on his face when they sat at the top of the world in Aspen. The blue green of his magnificent eyes. She felt herself being drawn into them. Drifting further across the sea. The pain and burning encompassed every inch of her body but Kira was escaping.
Kira felt the hands around her throat tighten. She was once again aware of her surroundings as the life was squeezed out of her. Her breath came in little gasps. She tore with both hands fighting for air but they were bound. Her mind flashed to the helo dunker and being trapped under the water. The need for oxygen burned in her lungs. Kira felt her consciousness fading. With each failed attempt to breathe the hands closed tighter around her neck like a python until there was nothing left. Suddenly all was still. Like jumping into a pristine lake she was at once without pain, weightless in a great void. Then there was nothing.
Chapter 2
Kira’s eyes flew open. She sucked in air with the vigor of a baby taking the first breath of life. Panting she tried to focus and scan the room. Light hit her eyes like daggers and she immediately closed them again wincing. The pain in her head came flooding back and she struggled not to vomit.
“Kira! Thank God you’re awake.” Holt’s voice jolted her. “You are in the hospital. I’ll call the nurse. Don’t panic you are ok.” She could hear him pressing buttons and speaking entirely too loudly to the nurse over the intercom.
Holt? What’s he doing here? Was he? Did he? Kira couldn’t bear to think it. She didn’t know what to think. All she knew was that she had to get out of here. She struggled to sit up but the pain in her head felt like being wailed with a sledge hammer and she collapsed back into the pillow.
“Woah Kira, seriously. You have a concussion. It looked like you fell in your shower and hit your head. Please I have to insist that you lay down.” His voice took on the authority of a physician with his patient.
What the Hell? “How did I get here?” Her own voice sounded weak and far away. Her mouth was dry as the Sahara. Kira couldn’t quite wrap her head around what he was saying. The hospital? What did Holt have to do with all this?
“I found you and called an ambulance.” Holt began to explain.
“What were you doing at my apartment?” Kira choked out the words. Her throat was on fire. It felt like the worst case of strep throat she had ever encountered. She made another attempt to look around braving the lights. He was right she was in a private room. The uniform sage and cream walls and tile told her she was in the Evans Army Hospital on base. She had spent the last several months working in the ER here and making rounds on hospitalist service. As rumors fly around any hospital, Kira was sure she was now the talk of the day. Great just fucking great.
“You didn’t show up for work today and I came looking for you. This is probably not the time but as your friend this drinking has to stop. If you have a problem, you can tell me. We can get you help.” He leaned over to place his hand on her arm.
Kira jerked away and pain be damned sat bolt up in bed. “I was not drunk Liam. I had a glass of wine at the Garden of the Gods. That’s it.” Her own hoarse yelling echoed in her ears sending waves of pain through her head. She put her hands up reflexively to her temples.
“What were you doing at Garden of the Gods?” He raised an eyebrow and almost chuckled. “I mean that’s not exactly your kind of place.”
Kira resisted the urge to punch him in the face. “Not that it’s any of your business but I was meeting someone. I had one glass of wine while I waited. They never showed up so I left. I went home took a shower and…” Kira’s voice trailed off. She couldn’t finish. She felt like she was reliving the worst nightmare of her life.
“I was going to wait till Paige got here but, I found the empty wine bottles in your apartment. Kira, you were passed out naked on the bathroom floor covered in your own vomit and blood. You looked like you had been thrashing around for God knows how long. You could have died! If you did go to Garden of the Gods, I guess you were driving on your suspended license from your DUI just two months ago. Kira this has to stop. You have to admit that there is a p
roblem.” Holt’s voice rose an octave as he finished and his cheeks flushed in frustration.
“You saw me naked? I came in here naked?” Kira looked down to find she was only wearing a hospital gown. “Shit!”
“Smooth G.I. dork.” Paige’s unmistakable voice floated over as she and the nurse entered the room.
“Captain Riley. Please lay back down and let me check your vitals.” The nurse began and tried to ease Kira back into her bed while flashing her best smile at Holt. “Dr. Holt has been by your side since you came in. He’s so attentive.” Her voice trailed off in a dreamy tone.
Gag! “I swear to you I wasn’t intoxicated.” Kira struggled against the nurse desperately searching Holt and Paige’s face for a sign they believed her. “I am telling the truth. I had one glass of wine.” How is this even possible? What the hell happened? I am not going fucking crazy! Kira searched her brain for answers and tried desperately not to cry.
“Your blood alcohol level was 125 mg/dl when we got here around noon. If you were drinking last night, it had to be near toxic levels. Do you not understand that you could have died Kira!” Holt’s voice was grave. His hands trembled in frustration.
“I understand wanting to have a good time.” Paige started, “But sometimes it goes a little too far.” Her eyes rimmed with pity. “You know you could have talked to me. You don’t have to feel alone. The last few months have been a lot to deal with but please don’t ever feel like you have to...” Her voice broke and she stopped. Paige actually had tears in her eyes.
“Oh God you think I tried to kill myself!” Kira spat the words at them. “Seriously is that what you both think?” The world was spinning. Kira sat back on the bed. Numbness set in and tears crept down her cheeks. She let the nurse take her vitals in silence. She couldn’t help but notice the worried glances between Paige and Holt. They think I’m an alcoholic. A depressed, heartbroken alcoholic. I don’t know what fucking happened but I know I’m not crazy…I’m not crazy. But if I tell them what I remember they’re going to think I am. Kira felt hopeless. The pain from the night before still made itself evident over every joint in her body. She clearly remembered someone being there. She could smell him. The laughter still chilled her to the bone. Was that real?
