MILITARY ROMANCE: The War Within Himself (Alpha Bad Boy Marine Army Seal) (Contemporary Military Suspense & Thriller Romance)

by Claire Branson

  “I…I didn’t get your name.” he called after her. She was unable to answer as she came up beside her mother and grabbed her jacket. Instead she bit her lip and smiled at her mother.

  “Shall we go?” she suggested to her mother. She chanced a glance over her shoulder and saw that he was still looking after her. Her cheeks flushed as she turned away from him. Her mother folded her magazine and placed it in her bag as she pulled everything together.

  “Are you alright?” she asked as he pulled her bags onto her wrist, “You are looking awfully rosy cheeked.” That only made her blush more as she realised that her mother had noticed.

  Chapter Three

  They returned home and Anne headed straight for her room. She looked at her watch knowing that Michael would soon be home and she would have to lock herself away again. It was torture to be fearful in her own house yet there was nothing for it. No cure to help her sleep, no comforting words from her mother. It was not how she had lived her childhood. Her father had been a kind mind always buying her small presents whenever he went away on his tours, always smiling and taking her out whenever he was home.

  Michael was the total opposite of her father making it even more unbearable that her mother was with him. Her father had died five years earlier during at tour in Afghanistan. She had lingered in the past ever since.

  “Anne! Get your arse down here now!” she heard Michael’s voice come up the stairs and a lump formed in her throat. She thought of locking her door and ignoring him but she knew he would only break it down and come at her anyway. Her heart pounded as she headed out of the room and down the stairs.

  “I hear you met a young gentleman this afternoon.” Michael stood by the fireplace, his hand on the mantle. He kicked at the ash in the grate with the toe of his boot. How does he know that? She thought as she entered the room and found her mother reading a book on the sofa across from her husband. She glanced up looking almost guilty before she looked back down at the page in front of her.

  “I only bumped into him as I was coming out of the rest room.” Anne tried to justify herself though she knew he wouldn’t listen. She knew what was coming.

  “You should be more careful and watch where you are going.” Michael’s voice was calm. It was always that way before he flew into a rage, the calm before the storm. Anne already felt tears stinging the corners of her eyes and her hands tightened into fists. She wanted to turn and run but she knew the beating would only be worse.

  “I was watching where I was going,” she protested before her mind had a chance to register what she was saying, “He came out of nowhere.” She instantly regretted it. His face twisted with anger and he turned on her.

  “I will not have this town gossiping about your flirtations with a man based on your stupidity.” He hissed at her. Anne stared back at him knowing that if she took her gaze away from his he would only get worse.

  “It was a simple mistake!” she insisted though she knew he would not listen. He stepped forward and grabbed hold of her by the shoulders.

  “Don’t back chat me!” he glared at her as his fingers bit into her shoulders. She gritted her teeth against the pain, determined not to give him the satisfaction. She stared him in the face and waited for the first hit to come. When it came it was as hard as every other she had ever felt from him. His fist came up into her stomach and there was nothing she could do but curl in on herself. She clutched her stomach as tears began to stream down her face. She heard her mother gasp but when he turned to look at his wife she had her nose in her book as though she hadn’t even noticed what he was doing.

  “Mum.” Anne whispered through the lump of pain in her throat. She longed for her mother to stand up, to stand against him and say that she would no longer watch him beat on her yet she didn’t. She simply remained where she was, flicking through the pages of her book as though she was the fastest reader in the world.

  “You are a sinful girl.” Michael growled at her as he wrapped his fingers in her hair and forced her head up to make her look at him. With that he slapped her across the face, “You must be punished for your wrong doings.” Anne began to weep then. Her stomach ached and her cheek burned with pain as she looked up at him.

  “I didn’t do anything wrong.” Instantly she knew it was the wrong thing to say. His face turned in rage again and he smacked her again. Finally he let go of her hair and she fell backward.

  “Get out of my sight you stupid girl!” he ordered as he pointed at the doorway with a finger that shook with utter rage. Anne clutched her cheek with trembling hands as she crawled from the room.

  Once out of his sight she ran for the kitchen. She saw her mother’s car keys perched on the edge of the table and grabbed them up. When she ran for the door she could hear him behind her as though he had come for round two. Anne ran as fast as she could through the door and toward the car. As soon as she was inside she set the engine going and pulled the car out of the driveway. She narrowly missed hitting Michael as he tried to stop her but she wished she really had hit him.

  “Anne!” he yelled after her but she was already off down the road, “Come back!”

  Her vision was blurred by tears as she drove. She had no idea where she was going but she knew that she could not stop. If she stopped her might find her then there would be another beating. She just couldn’t take another hit. Her ribs hurt and her face was sore. When she glanced in the rear view mirror she saw that her cheek was already beginning to bruise. It brought out the blackness under her eyes and only made her cry more.

  The lamp post seemed to come out of nowhere. She screamed as she realized there was no stopping. No matter how hard she pushed on the breaks she could not stop the car from hitting it.

  In a startling instant she realized that she had not fastened her seat belt. As the car hit the lamp post her body jerked forward and her nose hit the steering wheel. She clung tightly and felt her wrist snap with the impact. Her neck burned with pain and she cried out.

  The car’s alarm began to beep loudly as it came to a halt. Blood dripped down Anne’s face from a cut on her forehead as she rested with her face on the steering wheel. She was breathing heavily, her lungs burning. She coughed as she attempted to stay conscious, her mind growing fuzzy.

  “Miss! Miss! Can you hear me?” an oddly familiar voice hit her ears as the car door beside her was pulled open, “Can you hear me?”

  Anne tried to move but every tiny twitch hurt. “Stay still,” the voice continued as though a twitch of her finger had told him that she could hear him, “Don’t move. I’m going to get you out of here.” Anne did as she was told. She wasn’t going anywhere. She doubted that she could have stood even if she had tried. Her legs were shaking violently and she realized she was crying, her sobs coming in short gasps.

  “Please try and calm down.” The male voice continued to talk to her as she felt hands slip beneath her. Suddenly she was free of the car and her back was against the cold concrete of the street. The man held her head as though he thought she might have broken her neck, “An ambulance is on its way.” He told her. When she looked up at him her heart fluttered with recognition. His brown hair was tousled as it had been in the café. His blue eyes were swimming with concern. In that moment Anne felt safe. She was not faced with her cruel step father but a man who seemed to care about her whether he knew her or not. It was a feeling she had not felt for the last five years. The lump in her throat loosened and she allowed herself to fall into unconsciousness knowing that she would be safe in his arms.

  Chapter Four

  She woke in the hospital. He was at her side looking as though he had been there all night. His head was laid against the edge of the bed, his hands by hers as though he had been holding on to her before he had fallen asleep. Anne cleared her throat and his head rose as though he had been startled awake. He blinked sleep from his eyes and his expression turned to one of shock as he saw that she too was awake.

  “You’re…you’re awake.” He gasped
as though he couldn’t believe it, “The doctors said you might be out for days.”

  “I feel awful.” She groaned as she felt the pain in her head. Her stomach ached along with her neck and her spine felt sore. When she moved her hand pain pulsed through her wrist and she had to grit her teeth to stop herself from screaming out loud.

  “You shouldn’t try to get up until the doctor comes around,” the man told her, “You’ve broken your wrist and you’ve got a few cracked ribs as well as some cuts and bruises and a bang to the head.”

  “But I’m alive right?” Anne asked trying to smile. Her cheek burned as she did so and she remembered the way that Michael had hit her.

  The man nodded with a bright smile as he replied, “You are very much alive.”

  “I feel drugged.” She pressed her hand against her head as she felt her mind swimming. The man laughed again as though he found her hilarious.

  “The doctors pumped you full with enough pain killers to knock out a horse.” He told her. There was a loud knock on the hospital room door then. Anne turned all too quickly and her neck screamed in protest.

  Her heart pounded as she saw them enter. She body began to shake and she wanted to scream. Her mother entered first carrying a bouquet of her favour white roses. Michael came behind her with an impassive expression.

  “Get out!” Anne yelled at him as soon as his foot touched the threshold, “I don’t want you here! Get out both of you!” she couldn’t bare to see her mother either. There was no way she could forgive her again for sitting back and allowing him to beat on her.

  “I’m afraid I don’t know who you are but I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” Anne’s saviour pushed himself up from his seat and gestured to the door.

  “I am not going anywhere,” Ivy insisted as she placed the flowers in the vase beside the bed, “I am her mother and she needs me.”

  “I need you like a hole in the head.” Anne protested, “Get out now!” Michael stepped up beside his wife and took hold of her shoulder.

  “You will not speak to your mother like that,” he glared down at her, “Apologise right this instant.” Anne was no longer scared. Not with her coffee shop man beside her.

  “I don’t want either of you here,” she repeated, “Get out!”

  The man gestured toward the door again and finally Michael and Ivy turned to leave.

  “We’ll wait outside until you feel like you want to see us.” Ivy told her over her shoulder. Anne gritted her teeth to stop herself from yelling again. A doctor poked his head around the door as they left the room.

  “Is everything alright?” he asked as he straightened his white coat and stepped inside. Anne was still shaking and she couldn’t bring herself to speak as she watched the door to make sure they would not come back in.

  “I think she could do with some more pain killers.” The coffee shop man explained to the doctor as he took her file from the end of the bed and looked over her information.

  “Well Miss Fennel,” the doctor told her, “It looks like you got off lightly for not wearing a seat belt.” Anne turned to look at the man beside her and he blushed with guilt though he didn’t look away from her like her mother had in their living room.

  “She’s a tough girl by the looks of it.” he told the doctor, never once taking his eyes off Anne.

  “Yes well this tough girl is going to need plenty of rest to recover from her injuries.” The doctor explained as he took hold of Anne’s uninjured wrist and began to check her pulse. She felt uncomfortable with his fingers pressing against the small bones in her wrist.

  “She will get plenty of rest.” The man promised. Anne looked at him with a raised eyebrow as the doctor continued his examination checking her eyes for any sign of concussion.

  “Well it looks like your stable enough to leave,” The doctor told her, “Will you be needing a ride home.”

  “I…I can’t go…” she stammered but was unable to finish her sentence.

  “I’ll be taking her home.” The stranger with great hair told him. The doctor seemed satisfied and with that signed her discharge papers.

  “I had my sister bring you some clothes in.” the man told her as the doctor left. He lifted up a bag from beside his feet and placed it on the bed, “I’ll go and wait outside while you get dressed.”

  “What’s your name?” Anne asked as he headed for the door.

  “Drake Howard.” He replied and then slipped from the room. Anne watched him go and only pushed herself up from the bed once he had closed the door. She felt naked even in her hospital gown. She could feel the breeze on her buttocks as she realised there was a long slit down the back. She struggled to untie the ribbon at the back of her neck and her spine squealed in protest as she moved.

  When she looked in the bag she was relieved to see a pair of cotton trousers and a long sleeved top that would hide all the cuts and bruises. She dressed as quickly as possible knowing that her mother and step father were only outside. She wondered how they had known to get a hold of them but then she remembered the type of town she lived in. Everybody knew everybody and it was likely that the doctor knew her step father, in fact they were probably the best of friends. It sickened her to think on it.

  When she plucked up the courage to open the door and step out into the corridor her mother jumped up from her seat that leaned against the wall. She wrapped her arms around Anne and squeezed all too hard. Anne squealed in pain and her mother jumped backward with her arms up in a sign of surrender.

  “I’m sorry.” Ivy bit her lip as she realised that she had hurt her. Anne did not reply. Instead she turned to Drake and asked,

  “Will you please get me out of here.” Drake nodded and turned his back on her mother. He placed his arm gently around her shoulders and began to walk her down the corridor.

  “Anne! Please stop! We need to talk about this.” She heard her mother call after her but she could not look back. She knew that if she did she would begin crying and screaming all over again. She didn’t want to make a scene in front of everyone on the ward. She knew it would only make Michael angry and though she felt safe with Drake she could not subject him to such a scene.

  They were silent in the elevator and Drake only spoke once he had helped her up into his truck and was sat in the driver’s seat beside her.

  “So what’s the deal with your parents?” he asked as he pushed his keys into the ignition and pulled the truck out of the car park. Anne was almost confused by the question. She had never been asked anything like it before. She’d never spoken to anyone about Michael. She had never been around anyone without his presence making it harder for her to have a relationship with anyone that wasn’t him or her mum.

  “That monster is not my father.” She found herself growling harshly. Drake glanced at her before he turned his eyes back onto the road.

  “I’m sorry,” he sighed, “I didn’t mean to upset you. Has he done something to you?” Anne knew that it was finally time to tell someone. She could finally get everything off her chest that she had kept bottled up for so many years.

  Chapter Five

  “Michael Boardman has been beating me since the day he married my mother three and a half years ago.” She told him. The words were like a confession. Something released inside her and she found herself spilling everything to him, “I tried to leave when I turned eighteen but he found me and hauled me back and I’ve never dared to try again.”

  “What about your mother?” Drake asked, keeping his eyes on the road, “Does he hit her?” Anne shook her head and sighed.

  “She keeps her mouth shut and acts like she doesn’t see any of it. She knows how to keep him happy even at the cost to herself and to me.” Anne remembered how her mother had bent to his will and never questioned him whether she had doubts or not.

  “Why didn’t you contact the police?” he asked. Anne began to laugh then. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. How could someone not know Michael’s influence?

&nb
sp; “Are you new to town?” she asked turning in her seat to look at him. when he nodded she knew exactly why he was so clueless.

  “My step father is one of the highest ranking navy seals in this town and nobody speaks against him,” she explained, “He is well respected and has never had a bad word said against him.”

  “But if he has been beating you how could anyone respect him?” Drake both looked and sounded confused. Anne sighed as she realised this was going to be one long conversation if she had to explain everything to him.

  “He keeps me and my mum close. We are never allowed to be alone with anyone unless he is there. He stops us from talking about anything he deems sinful or that might harm him in some way.” Her heart pounded as she thought of the first time he had done it and she had snapped at him. When they had gone home from the social event he had hit her for the first time and she had learned that he was never going to be kind to her again.

  Drake reached over and placed his hand on her knee. She flinched away from his hand but he did not jerk away. Instead he moved slowly to place his hand softly on her knee and gave her a little squeeze.

  “You don’t need to worry this anymore,” he told her, “I’ll make sure he never touches you ever again.” Anne was shocked by his words. Nobody had ever been so kind to her. Nobody had ever had the chance to get so close to her. She found herself wondering what Michael would say if he saw her touching his knee. Then she caught herself and pushed the thought away with a mental shake of her head.

  “Where are we going?” Anne asked in an attempt to change the subject. Drake took his hand from her knee and placed it back on the gear stick.

  “I’m taking you back to my place,” he told her, “You’ll be safe there. If you give me your address I’ll go round later and collect some of your things.” Anne was instantly scared. She couldn’t imagine what Michael would do if he turned up on his doorstep. She wondered whether he might come out with as many bruises as she had.