Reclaiming Peace: A Peace Series Novella Page 5

  Dexie gaped at her friend as the warmth of victory spread through her. It had worked and now the world knew what kind of pig Brent truly was. Tears of relief filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks.

  “What’s wrong?” Dray asked in confusion.

  “It worked? Oh god, I can’t…” She breathed emotionally.

  “Worked?”

  “Yes. I knew Brent was going to try to rape me. He wants a child with me to seal his hold on Peace. I couldn’t let him have that… I couldn’t let him have me. I knew if I ever returned to Peace then I had to have protection. As soon as I found out Mom was dying, I left here to get what I needed. I was in South Africa when she died and I couldn’t get here any faster.” Dexie cried.

  “South Africa? What does that have to do with anything?”

  “When I was there, years ago, I was working with a group of medical volunteers. Practically every day little girls were being treated for rape and other horrible things. It broke my heart. I was talking to one of the doctors and I asked if there was anything that could be done to stop it. She told me about this device that had been designed for a woman to wear that, while it wouldn’t protect a victim from penetration but it would protect from disease transfer and pregnancy while stopping the rapist long enough for the victim to get away. She said that it would remain embedded on the rapist until surgically removed and it was supposed to be excruciatingly painful. I asked why these things weren’t everywhere and the doctor said that the device was being contested because the victims would have to wear it at all times on the off chance of getting raped which would make it no better than a chastity belt.

  “I knew if I ever came back to Peace, this would be the thing that could save me from Brent and prove him to be the pig he is. But it’s not readily available on the market, and may never be, so I had to find out how to get some. It took a lot of donations and time to get to a reliable source but I finally found one. Every year, since then, I’ve donated a considerable amount of the bullshit money BJ’s card gave me to the group that produces and delivers the device to the girls. When I needed to come back to Peace, it took time and more money to get them but I did it. No part of me wants Brent to be able to procreate… especially not with me.” Dexie explained. Dray gaped at her, shock and confusion still lining his face.

  “So it worked? Brent got caught?” She finally asked, needing the absolute clarification for her own peace of mind.

  “Oh yeah. When I got your call and heard Brent in the background threatening to kill you, I raised the alarm. It felt like forever to get to the cabin, but when I did, Brent was screaming like a girl, rolling around on the floor, holding his junk. He got pissed at me when I went to you and made sure you were taken care of first. I figured he could suffer until the other deputies got there.” Dray smirked slyly. Dexie grinned as her tears began to ease. Dray lifted his hand and gently wiped the moisture from her bruised cheek. “It was pretty obvious what he’d tried to do so I wasn’t very concerned about him. I guess that makes me a terrible person and not a very good law officer.”

  “I think it makes you a million times the man that Brent or BJ ever thought they were,” Dexie whispered. “Did you find my phone?”

  “I did. It was still on the floor where you dropped it.” Dray answered, reaching into his shirt pocket and retrieving her cell phone.

  “Great. Keep it.” Dexie nodded, tension that she’d carried for ten long years finally beginning to leave her. Dray scowled in confusion.

  “Don’t you need it?” he asked, holding it out to her. Dexie took it and fiddled with it for a few moments. She pressed an icon on the screen and watched Dray’s face darken with fury as a recording of Brent’s assault began playing. She stopped the playback and handed him the phone back.

  “No. The burden of proof is always on the victim. I promised myself that if I ever got the chance, I’d make sure Brent was bared to the world for the bastard he is. I needed to have that goal or I’d have given up on life a long time ago. I lost everything because of him and there was no way I wanted to let him take more. There is my proof. I have a couple more of those devices, if necessary, just in case. I’m glad Brent got everything he deserved.” Dexie sighed. With the stress of ridding herself of Brent ebbing, the aches and pains that riddled her body seemed to be diminishing. But the bone-deep exhaustion that remained seemed magnified.

  “Is this what you couldn’t tell me about last night because it was too volatile?” Dray asked softly as he stared at the now black screen of her phone.

  “Yes,” she admitted morosely. “I’m sorry I didn’t trust you with everything but I was afraid if I let anyone know what my plans were I’d fail, or worse yet, someone would warn Brent. Maybe now I’ll be able to sleep without nightmares.”

  “I’m sorry you had to deal with everything alone, Dex,” Dray murmured desolately. Dexie fought the exhaustion that seemed bent on pulling her into the velvety depths of sleep and reached for Dray’s hand. She wanted solid proof that she wasn’t dreaming, that Brent was really gone. Dray’s hand was warm in hers and more comforting that he could ever know. With slow, cautious movements, she turned to her right side and gazed sleepily at him, pulling his arm to her chest like a favorite teddy bear.

  “I hope I’m not alone anymore. I want to go home.” She whispered as she lost her battle with sleep.

  A soft light lit the hospital room when Dexie woke, her body aching but her heart so much lighter than it had been in years. A soft smile blossomed on her face as she turned her head to see Dray sitting in the chair reading a magazine.

  “You’re still here,” she sighed, blinking sleepily. “Sorry I fell asleep.”

  “Of course I’m still here. Someone needs to watch out for you.” He teased softly. “And I’m glad you slept. You’ve been through too much and you need it.”

  “I should call Ivan,” Dexie commented as she remembered that Ivan would want to know what had happened.

  “Why Ivan?”

  “Because he’s my friend, my landlord, and my lawyer.”

  “All good reasons to call him. But you might want to wait until morning. It’s almost ten.”

  “Oh god… I lost a whole day,” Dexie mourned. Brent had taken another day from her and she resented that he’d had that power over her.

  “But you gained the rest of your life,” Dray reminded gently.

  “I hope so. I want to go home.”

  “You can probably do that tomorrow. If you give me your address, I can bring your stuff down from Peace.”

  “Down where?” Dexie frowned in confusion.

  “Here. To Billings.” Dray replied, his tone indicating he was stating the obvious.

  “Billings isn’t my home,” Dexie admitted in an emotional whisper.

  “Then where…?”

  “I want to go home to Peace.”

  Dray inhaled sharply and closed his eyes as Dexie watched him, her brow furrowing in her confusion to his reaction.

  “Dex, I need to tell you something,” he finally opening his eyes and whispering in a hopeful yet wary voice.

  “What?”

  “Remember when you told me I needed to reallocate my priorities if my life wasn’t what I wanted?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Would you help me do that?”

  “How?”

  “You asked if there was anyone special for me and I said…” Dray started but faded nervously. Dexie frowned, concern for her friend flaring.

  “I remember,” she prompted, afraid his words might be the worst blow her heart had ever known.

  “I said I loved someone who didn’t feel the same way.”

  “Yeah,” Dexie breathed as he became more agitated and wary.

  “I still love her…”

  “But?”

  “If she comes back to Peace and I tell her how I feel…” Dray continued cautiously. “What if she doesn’t feel the same way?”

  “Dray, she’d be daft if she didn’t. You need to tell
her or she’ll never know and you’ll never have the answer to your question.” Dexie replied, her heart slowly breaking with his words. Dray leaned closer to her and put his elbow on the bed, propping his head on his fist so he was eye to eye with her.

  “What if I said I’ve loved you since you cried yourself to sleep in my arms the night your dad died?” he whispered. The hope and fear she saw in his grey eyes clutched at her heart before his words began to register in her mind.

  “Dray…” Dexie breathed as her emotions overwhelmed her. There had been one dream she’d never dared to allow herself. One single, solitary dream that she’d pushed into the deepest, darkest, most secret part of her heart. She gazed into grey eyes full of more hope and promise than she’d ever thought possible and tears filled her own blue eyes. “Did you know I refused every single prom invitation I got, hoping you’d ask me?”

  “I thought only Brent ever asked you,” Dray responded, frowning in confusion but not moving away.

  “No. I was asked about six times including Brent.”

  “Why did you do that?”

  “Because I wanted to go to prom with the boy I’d loved since forever. I knew the summer before our senior year when you and I spent hours together planning our futures. I would have stayed home from prom if you hadn’t finally asked me.”

  “Dexie,” Dray murmured, lifting his other hand to gently caress her cheek. “I was afraid to ask you… I didn’t want to slip up and admit how I felt when I didn’t think you felt the same way.”

  “I did. I’ve always loved you, Dray.”

  “I hate that we’ve lost so much time together. I would have left Peace with you, you know.”

  “I do now. But ten years ago, I was young and terrified and sure you only wanted friendship.”

  “And I didn’t have the courage to tell you. But I almost lost you a second time today and I couldn’t let that happen without letting you know how I feel. I love you, Dexie.”

  At this, Dexie broke down and her tears began falling. The single dream that had seemed so utterly unattainable now shone like a bright, welcoming beacon, calling her home.

  “I love you, too, Dray,” she gasped, wincing as her ribs protested.

  “Will you help me reallocate my priorities? I need the woman I love to know she’s my highest priority.” Dray smiled gently, his teasing tone making her giggle.

  “Not sure how I can do that, but sure,” she snickered. Dray sobered, his grey eyes, once again, wary.

  “I requested an extended leave of absence this afternoon when the sheriff came by to collect your phone.” Dray admitted.

  “Why?”

  “Because I almost lost you again today. I want to spend some time with you without being tied to a job that dominates the majority of my time. I’m going to ask Charlee to become a full-time caretaker for Dad, too.”

  “Dray, I think you’ve already done an amazing job of reallocating your priorities,” Dexie chuckled.

  “It’s a leap for me, but I’m trying not to freak out about it.”

  “I know. You always were the most solid, down-to-earth, and reliable of the two of us. But, together, I think we’ll get you through this.”

  “You’re beautiful,” Dray smiled.

  “Oh, I’m sure… all swollen and bruised,” Dexie snorted.

  “Well, Brent’s handiwork aside, you have always been the most beautiful girl in all of Peace. And I’d kiss you if I didn’t think I’d hurt you.”

  “At this point, knowing Brent is finally locked up and I’m free of him and his bullshit is the best painkiller I’ve ever known,” Dexie smirked.

  “I’m sure, but I still don’t want to hurt you.”

  “Maybe tomorrow… except I’m sure I’ll look worse then.”

  “Wow, you weren’t kidding. Hotel room without maid service… you don’t even need a maid. Did you ever stay here?” Dray gaped as he looked around the small four room apartment. Dexie sighed as she looked around her apartment. It was stark, sparsely furnished, and a miserable reminder of her exile.

  “I stayed here a lot more when Rosie was alive. After she died, it was for shorter periods of time and mostly between trips to places that made forgetting easier.” Dexie admitted. “Ivan let me keep it because I was quiet and paid the rent on time.”

  “I’m sure. Damn, Dex, this is just painful.” Dray grimaced.

  “At least I’ll get my deposit back,” she snickered bitterly.

  “Like you need it.”

  “Probably not, but if you and I are going to be renegades, we’ll need a stash.”

  “Renegades. Interesting perspective.”

  Dexie smiled gingerly, her face still swollen and sore. Her twenty-four hours in the hospital for ‘observation’ hadn’t been long enough to make her look less like a punching bag. But Dray’s presence throughout the night had bolstered her sense of peace. Now they were at her apartment to collect her meager possessions before returning to Peace.

  “Is Ivan going to be angry with you for the lack of notice?” Dray asked as Dexie moved closer to him, the loneliness that permeated the apartment chilling her.

  “No. I’ve been month to month for nine years. And when I talked to him, he was fine with it. He said he was glad I’d found the way back to my home.” Dexie’s smile softened. “He’s so like Rosie sometimes.”

  “Shall we get this done?” Dray asked.

  “Sure.”

  Less than three hours later, the apartment looked even more barren and cold. What little Dexie had was packed and loaded in the back of Dray’s battered old truck. They’d agreed that a second trip to Billings to exchange her rental car for her truck would be necessary when she felt better. And Dexie had decided the few pieces of furniture she’d bought out of necessity would stay for the next tenant after a brief conversation with Ivan. By the time the two of them were finished, Dexie was exhausted and ready to just stop moving. Her body ached horribly and her ribs were on fire.

  “We need to get you some food and rest,” Dray commented as he helped Dexie into his truck.

  “I can’t argue that,” Dexie sighed. Dray smiled as he gently caressed her cheek with his thumb before closing her door and walking around to the driver’s side.

  “I know it isn’t even a ninety minute drive back to Peace, but you should nap on the way,” Dray suggested as he started the truck. Dexie moved to the center of the truck, her leg pressed up against his, and put the seatbelt on as she smiled shyly at him. She craved his warmth and his touch, tangible reminders that Brent was the exception, rather than the rule, when it came to men. Dray put the truck in drive then lifted his arm over her head to wrap around her shoulders. Feeling like she’d finally found a port in the storm, she sighed and laid her head on his strong shoulder.

  The slowing of the truck roused Dexie from her slumber. Blinking groggily, she sat up straight and looked around. Dray’s arm was still around her shoulders, resting on the back of the bench seat. She shivered and pressed herself into his side.

  “Are you okay?” Dray asked quietly as he turned off of Main Street onto McBride Lane.

  “Yeah, just sleepy. Sorry I…”

  “Nope. Don’t even start. I told you to rest. You just got out of the hospital.”

  “Thanks for staying with me, by the way,” Dexie murmured as her mind leapt to a different thought without warning.

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Dray?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Does it seem weird between us now?”

  “Weird as in we’ve led completely opposite lives from each other for the last ten years or weird as in we’ve stepped beyond the notion of friendship but haven’t even kissed?”

  “Both.”

  “A little. Your ordeal with Brent hasn’t helped either. That’s why I took leave… so that we could get back to a place where weird isn’t between us anymore.”

  “Yeah. That’s what I want. No more weird. I just want peace.” Dexie sighed.

&n
bsp; “Peace the town or peace the sensation?” Dray teased.

  “I never wanted the town. I just wanted to be with the people I love and have the sensation of peace, however fleeting it may be.”

  Dray smiled as he came to a stop in front of the house he’d grown up in. Dexie stared at the white farmhouse with its brick red trim and sighed again. It wouldn’t be the same without Millie Palmer puttering around in the kitchen, creating amazing baked goods. As she gazed at the building, memories of a broken lamp drifted hazily into her mind.

  “What’s wrong?” Dray asked.

  “Aside from the fact that I won’t get to see your mom? I think I broke your lamp at the cabin. I’ll pay for whatever damages there are.”

  “We’ll worry about that later. It’s still a crime scene as far as I know. And as for Mom, yeah, that’s still tough for me too.”

  “I’m sorry,” Dexie murmured sadly. Dray’s arm tightened around her shoulders and brought her closer. Dexie closed her eyes as he pressed a kiss to her temple.

  “Let’s go on in. You still need food.”

  “And a bathroom.”

  Dray chuckled as he opened the door and left the truck then helped Dexie out.

  Dexie stepped into the Palmer house and, once again, felt as though she’d gone back in time. Nothing had changed in the house in the last ten years… except Millie Palmer was no longer there. Everything from the worn, dingy carpet to the mismatched furniture, and the faded curtains was utterly the same as when Dexie had been a child. Stacks of books and magazines littered the tables and plants older than her still hung from the ceiling in faded macramé. Even the smell of pipe tobacco mingled with the memory of freshly baked cookies permeated the air. How the hell one single place could be lived in and yet never seem to change flummoxed Dexie. Even her apartment, sparse as it had been, had shown signs of movement and change.

  A shudder ran through Dexie as she fought the strange sensation of time stopping once more. Dray placed his warm hand in the small of her back and gently led her to the right, into the great room where Drake Palmer sat with his pipe clamped in his teeth. The ten years she’d been gone had not been kind to Drake. His once vital body had withered, with leathery, tissue-thin skin and atrophied muscles. Where a thinning pate of salt and pepper hair had once been combed neatly, a shiny, bald head with the barest of white fringe could be seen. Drake looked up from the Reader’s Digest he was reading when he heard them approach. Dexie felt a thrill of relief when the man’s green eyes met hers, showing the same intelligence, warmth, and compassion he’d had when she’d been a regular visitor.