“Raven please talk to me. You scared me half to death. Was it something I did?” Tears are flowing from her eyes as I’m speaking. Wrapping my arms around her, I pull her into me. With her head nestled underneath my chin, I take deep breaths of her scent. The scent of Raven. Intoxicating aromas of lavender. Thank God she’s okay. I hold her until she calms down and finally starts to speak.
“Nate…I had a flashback dream. A memory of the night I was raped. My attacker wore a ring with a Marine logo engraving. It was the last thing I saw before he knocked me unconscious then I woke up. You’re an ex-marine and I just don’t know who I can trust right now.” Holy shit…her rapist is a Marine? My blood is pumping through my veins harder and harder.
"My Uncle assures me I can trust you, but I just can't. I have this feeling that something is missing. Something that I need to know," Raven looks up at me with tears in her eyes. My heart is racing. The time has come. I need to tell her how I met her.
Chapter Eleven
Raven
Looking up at Nate, my heart is beating out of my chest. What is he going to tell me? If he isn’t the man who raped me three years ago, then who the hell is he and how is he connected to my assault?
"I'm going to need a smoke to get this out, can you come outside with me?" A cigarette sounds pretty damn amazing after the night I've had. Nate helps me up, carries me outside and puts me down on the chair. Propping my foot upon the chair next to me, Nate puts my ice pack back on my ankle. "You know you could have just opened the damn door, Raven," Nate says with a small laugh. Very funny Nathan Pierce, very funny.
We both light up a cigarette. “Raven, I’m not quite sure where to begin. When I first got out of the marines, I was having a tough time adjusting." Nate begins to tell me all about his PTSD and how he struggled with everyday life. He barely could talk to anyone. He starts telling me about the house he was renting a room from and how the owners were constantly fighting.
“I just couldn’t handle the screaming between them. On particularly bad nights, I’d walk to the bar around the corner from the house. The Old Salthouse Brewery.” The reality hits me…he was there. “The crowd started getting louder and I needed a minute to collect myself. I was having a smoke when I heard rustling in the woods.” Nate stops speaking, trying to steady his voice. He lights up his second cigarette, takes a deep inhale and continues.
“Raven, I assumed it was just some animals in the woods. Until I saw someone wearing a hoodie run out. I knew in my gut there was something wrong.” My whole body is trembling as he speaks.
“I ran as fast as I could through the woods. That’s when I found you. I checked your pulse and called 911.” Oh my god…Nate was the anonymous caller. He’s not my rapist. He’s the person who saved my life. Tears fill my eyes as my heart swells with relief.
"I stayed with you until the police and EMTs arrived. I even held your hand, like this," Nate grabs my hand and rubs his thumb across my fingers. Just like he did on that night at the café. At this moment, I realize I've more than just caught feelings for Nathan Pierce. I'm hopelessly and completely in love with him. This explains why I've been so drawn to him since the moment I met him. Normally, I would completely stay away from men. But with Nate, I simply couldn’t. My chest fills with heat as I let this new feeling sweep over me.
“Raven, please say something. Please don’t hate me. I know I was a coward and ran off when the police got there. I was barely functioning, there was no way I could get involved in a full-blown investigation. I'm so sorry, please don't hate me." Nate's pleads are breaking my heart. Careful not to hurt my ankle, I get up off my chair and sit down on his lap. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I kiss him, hard. He grabs me fiercely, holding on to me like I might drift away from him at any moment. I stop kissing him and look into those deep blue eyes that send fire straight to my heart.
“I could never hate you. You saved my life that night. I love you, Nate,” I say through my tears. He looks at me, relief flooding his face. “Raven baby, I love you too.”
Nate scoops me up and brings me upstairs to my bedroom. The early morning sun is starting to shine through the windows but we’re both completely exhausted. “Stay with me. I don’t want to sleep alone” I say hopefully. "I'm not going anywhere, baby. No way I would leave my girl alone right now." I love when he calls me his girl. Nate pulls me into him, and I nestle myself against his front. Jameson jumps up on the bed and lays down at our feet. At this moment, for the first time in my life, I feel almost complete. Almost.
Chapter Twelve
Nate
Jameson wakes me up, whining and pawing at the bedroom door. The poor boy probably needs to go out back. "Alright buddy, I'm getting up." Raven is still sound asleep. My girl needs her rest after the shit filled night she had. Quietly, I get out of bed and close the door behind me. For a dog with a couple of cracked ribs, Jameson shows literally no sign of being in pain. He runs down the steps at full speed. Jeez, how bad does he have to piss? Jameson is barking like crazy downstairs, is this normal behavior for him? Something doesn’t seem right. The smell of bacon and the sound of Jameson yelping puts me in a full sprint to the kitchen. Standing at the stove is my old friend, Lincoln Rex. Jameson is laying down next to him, bleeding from his side. “What the fuck is going on! Linc what the fuck did you do!” I yell loudly, running towards Jameson, who still seems to be breathing. Lincoln stops me in my tracks when he stands over Jameson, holding a bloody knife towards me.
"Linc…what the fuck is going on? Why are you here?" I'm trying to calm my voice, but it doesn’t seem to be working. Lincoln smiles at me. A smile that sends shivers straight down my spine. Lincoln is an ex-marine. He's been involved in this case since day one. I look at his hands. Raven’s dream taught me one thing about her attacker. Lincoln has a ring on his right hand…with an engraved Marine logo. Son of a bitch!
"You know, Nate, I let you play along this whole time. Trying to find Raven's attacker and all. I have to admit, you weren't too bad most of the time. How does it feel to know this whole time, you’ve been friends with her rapist?” My blood is boiling in my veins as Lincoln continues talking. If I grit my teeth any harder, they're all about to crumble in my mouth. "Linc…" I begin to try and calm him down.
“Shut up! It’s my turn to talk Nate. You’ve gotten too close to my sweetheart upstairs. I tried to warn her with my note. Disappointing really, cause now I’ll have to punish my sweetheart for disobeying me.”
"Linc if you fucking go near her, I swear to god I'll fucking…" I start to reply but Lincoln lets out a deep, loud laugh interrupting me.
"You think you fucking scare me, Nate? You and Abel should have done a better job of protecting my sweetheart. At least Abel set the house alarm before he left this morning. Little does he know, I've been watching through the shadows for quite some time. I know everyone's routine. I’ve seen Abel punch those same numbers into the alarm a hundred damn times. I guess I’ll be the one protecting her from now on.” I’ve had enough of this bullshit. The anger inside of me fuels my rage and I lunge for Lincoln, jumping over Jameson. He will not fucking touch her!
Lincoln’s strong, but I’m stronger. I manage to wrestle him to the ground, but I can’t get him to let go of the knife. Lincoln slices my hands and forearms as I keep trying to get a hold of the knife. Blood is everywhere. The sound of a scream catches us both by surprise. I look up and see Raven standing in the kitchen, obviously in shock at what she’s seeing.
“Raven run! Get the fuck out of here now!” I yell as loud as I can, hoping to get through her shocked state. The momentary lapse in focus results in Lincoln getting the upper hand. A searing pain slices through my side. I look down and see the knife sticking into me, Lincoln holding the handle. I look up at his face, he’s smiling at me. He shoves me off of him and I land next to Jameson, who’s breathing is getting slower by the minute.
“Raven! Run! Run now!” I catch Raven turning around and running towards the front door as fast
as she can. Lincoln chasing after her. I try scooting myself across the floor to the kitchen counter that has the house phone on it to call for help. Grabbing onto the edge of the counter, I try and pull myself up. The pain becomes too much to bear and I fall back to the floor. Pure blackness sweeps over me, my eyes close. My last thoughts are that of Raven. Only Raven.
Reviving Raven Page 5
