The Broken Road (The Broken Series) (41 page)

The
snow crunched behind me.

I
abandoned the boots and took off running as fast as I could.

Footsteps
pounded behind me. Then someone tackled me from behind. He rolled at the last minute,
pulling me on top of him so he’d absorb the impact of the fall. A gloved hand immediately
covered my mouth. I kicked at his legs as I tried to break free.

“Kri,
it’s me.”

I
stilled when I heard his voice. I closed my eyes and prayed.
Please God, don’t
let it be a dream.

Kadyn
kept his right arm wrapped around my waist. He slowly removed his hand from my
mouth. “Don’t scream,” he whispered. Then he released me.

I
scrambled to my knees as I turned to face him. “
You found me. Oh my God! You
found me!
” I flung my arms around Kadyn and sobbed hysterically.

Kadyn
gently pulled away. His jaw clenched when he saw my face. “Kri, where’s
Justin?”

I
swallowed my tears as I tried to explain. “I think he’s still back at the house.
I handcuffed him to the bed.”

A
slow smile spread across Kadyn’s face. “Good girl.”

“Think
again,” Justin rebutted from the edge of the trees. He stepped from the tree
line and pointed his shotgun at Kadyn. “Get away from her,” he snarled.

“Not
a chance,” Kadyn bit back. He slowly stood and helped me to my feet. He stepped
in front of me, intentionally positioning his body between Justin and me.

Justin
cocked the gun. “She’s mine,” he gritted out.

I
could feel Kadyn stiffen as he scrutinized Justin.

I
buried my face in the back of his coat. Tears streamed down my face as I began to
pray.
Please, God, don’t let him kill us. Not here. Not on this God forsaken
road.

“Move!”
Justin screamed furiously. His voice echoed through the woods.

I
flinched, then slowly peered around Kadyn.

Justin
was beyond livid. He looked crazed. He was shaking with fury, and his gun was still
pointed at Kadyn.

Suddenly,
a man fell out of the tree and landed on Justin. The gun was knocked to the
ground. The man pinned Justin against him and kicked the gun out of the way.

 I
looked on in shock as Dan stepped out from behind another tree. He slammed his
fist into Justin’s face. Dark red blood sprayed across the snow.

Justin
collapsed and the stranger let him fall to the ground.

Dan
nudged Justin with his boot before pinning him to the ground with his foot. His
fists clenched, but he resisted the urge to hit Justin again. He reached down
and handcuffed Justin’s hands behind his back. Dan looked at Kadyn once he straightened
to his full height. A triumphant smile suddenly lit his face. “Navy beats Army
every time.”

I
fell to my knees. I shook violently as I stared at Justin’s lifeless body. Then
I burst into tears.

Kadyn
knelt down and scooped me into his arms. “I got you,” he said as he began
walking back toward the house.

Dan
and the stranger pulled Justin up by his arms and began dragging him toward the
house.

I
buried my head in Kadyn’s chest.

“Hey,
Kri, he’s okay. Everything is going to be okay,” Cenia said reassuringly. She slid
her gloves over my feet.

My
head popped up in surprise. I stared at Cenia, then glanced over Kadyn’s
shoulder. Roger and Matt were holding Justin’s legs as they helped Dan and the
other man carry him.

We
had just reached the clearing for the house when three trucks drove up behind
us on the snow packed road. The sheriff, two deputies, and two forest rangers
parked and climbed out of their trucks. The deputies took Justin to their
truck.

Phil,
Marie, and Mason met us at the door. Dan’s friends from Montana were there too.

Dan
swore at the sight of my face when we stepped inside the well-lit house. He pulled
me in for a hug when Kadyn finally allowed my feet to touch the floor. Dan kept
his arm wrapped around me while he introduced me to Marcus, the man who had
jumped out of the tree.

Dan
grudgingly released me so Cenia and Marie could give me a hug. He joined Marcus
and Kadyn, who were talking with the sheriff. Cenia and Marie walked me to the
master bedroom, so I could change out of my wet clothes.

Marie
tugged a large sweatshirt, sweat pants, and socks from the dresser drawers
while Cenia helped me out of the dress. “These are way too big, but at least
they’ll be warm,” Marie commented soothingly.

Cenia
gasped when she saw the bruise on my side. “How bad is the pain?” she asked as
her eyes met mine.

“Pretty
bad,” I admitted. Marie helped me into the sweat pants. I rolled down the
waistband while she rolled up the pant legs.

Cenia
slid the sweatshirt over my head. “You may have cracked a rib.”

“The
sheriff is going to want to take pictures of your injuries,” Marie warned as
she tugged thick wool socks over my feet. “I hope they make it quick, so we can
get you to the hospital. It looks like you have frostbite on your toes and the
balls of your feet.”

“Try
not to put pressure on your toes, Kri. I’ll track down a bowl so you can soak
your feet in some warm water,” Cenia instructed before disappearing from the
room.

Marie
helped me back into the living room.

Kadyn
joined me on the rug in front of the wood stove. He tucked a fleece blanket
around my shoulders before wrapping me in his arms.

“Thanks,”
I whispered shakily. I sank into Kadyn’s chest and relished the heat radiating
from his body.

Marie
joined Cenia in the kitchen. She began digging through the cupboards.

Cenia
brought me a large plastic storage container filled with warm water. She gently
tugged the wool socks off and slipped my feet into the water.

Tears
bit at my eyes. “That hurts,” I exclaimed in surprise. I had assumed the warm
water would feel good.

Tears
pooled in Cenia’s eyes. “I’m sorry, Kri, but it’s important we thaw your feet.”

“She’s
right,” Kadyn whispered as he kissed my cheek.

Marie
brought me a cup of tea, a glass of water, and some ibuprofen just as the
sheriff began questioning me.

Everyone
listened quietly while I described what Justin had done to me. One of the
deputies photographed my injuries. That same deputy offered to drive Kadyn’s
snowmobile down the mountain so Kadyn could ride in the sheriff’s truck with
me.

As
Kadyn carried me outside, I glanced over his shoulder to take one last look at
the house. It made me sad to know that something so ugly had happened in such a
beautiful place. When I turned back around, my eyes strayed to the deputies’
extended cab pickup. I could see Justin’s head resting against the back
passenger window of the vehicle. He was awake and watching me. Our eyes locked
as Kadyn carried me to the sheriff’s truck. I couldn’t pull my eyes away from
his bloodied face.

Kadyn
curled my head toward his chest. “It’s over. He can’t hurt you anymore.” He kept
me tucked against his chest as he climbed inside the truck.

The
truck rocked back and forth as we made our way down the long, dark road. Within
minutes, I was lulled to sleep with Justin’s bloodied face firmly imprinted in
my mind.

Despite
my pleading and a rather impressive display of tears, Kadyn insisted the
sheriff drive us directly to the emergency room. Cenia and Kadyn joined me in
the exam room, while the sheriff and the rest of our friends waited in the lobby.

The
nurse wrapped warm blankets around my feet before drawing blood and hooking me
up to an IV. She cleaned and then placed a butterfly bandage over the gash on
my cheek. The physician ordered an x-ray of my arm, shoulder, and ribs and
confirmed that one of the ribs was cracked. She wrote a prescription for
antibiotics and pain killers to treat the injuries.

The
physician decided to perform a pelvic exam when she learned about the attempted
rape. Kadyn left the room, but Cenia stayed and held my hand throughout the
exam. The doctor gathered evidence for a rape kit but assured me she saw no signs
of rape. She wrote additional prescriptions for sleeping pills and anti-anxiety
medicine and encouraged me to see a psychiatrist when I returned home. The
nurse slathered ointment on my feet and bandaged them shortly before they
discharged me.

We
were exhausted by the time we left the hospital, so we decided to spend the
rest of the night in a hotel. Kadyn and I shared a room. Every time I tried to
sleep, I ended up reliving some segment of the past four days. I woke several
times. I was terrified Justin would find a way to escape from the authorities
and kill us both.

Kadyn
and I filled my prescriptions before meeting everyone else at the airport the
next morning. I clung to Dan for a long time and thanked each of his friends in
turn. Then Kadyn and I boarded Senator Rockefeller’s plane with the rest of our
friends. I took the meds as soon as the plane leveled off. I fell into a deep,
dreamless sleep while tucked securely in Kadyn’s arms.

*
* * * * *

I
was still exhausted and a bit disoriented by the sleeping pill when we landed
at Dulles Airport. I stood numbly by as Kadyn paid for parking at the kiosk. I
froze when I heard a familiar voice behind me.

“Krissy?”

I
shook my head, assuming the voice I’d heard was a side effect of the medications
I had taken.

“Krissy?
Honey, it’s mom.”

Slowly,
I turned.

My
parents were standing behind me. They were holding perfectly still, like I
might shatter if they tried to touch me. Tears streamed down my mother’s face. My
father looked as if he were afraid to speak.

I
stared at them in disbelief. “Mom? Dad?”

They
closed the distance between us and folded me in their arms. We stood crying and
clinging to each other for a very long time, oblivious to the people and the
activities around us. My mom was the first to speak. “Thank God, you’re okay,”
she breathed as she stepped back to look at me.

My
dad fixed his gaze over my shoulder. “Kadyn, how could we possibly repay you
for saving our daughter’s life?”

“The
fact that she’s safe is payment enough, sir,” Kadyn replied. He reached for my
father’s hand. My dad pulled him in for a hug instead.

My
eyes flitted between my parents. “How did you get here? How did you even know?”
I was still trying to piece it all together.

“Senator
Rockefeller called. He offered to fly us to DC so we could be here when you got
home.” My mom’s voice broke. “We caught the first flight out.”

I
stared at my mother in complete shock. Kadyn had already told me that Senator
Rockefeller lent him the plane we flew back to DC. I couldn’t believe that he had
flown my parents to DC too. I looked more closely at my mom. She looked tired
and far older than her years. I hugged her again, suddenly overwhelmed with
tears.

*
* * * * *

I
convinced my parents to stay at my apartment, despite its small size. They were
reluctant to take my bedroom, but I insisted on sleeping on the couch. Senator
Rockefeller called shortly after we arrived home. I thanked him for everything he
had done and accepted his offer for some additional time off. I knew I was
going to need some time to process everything that had happened to me.

In
the days that followed, I learned more about the roles everyone had played in
rescuing me, including people I had never met before. I began compiling a list,
so I could thank each one personally.  

I
was fortunate enough to find a psychiatrist who specialized in domestic
violence and PTSD. She insisted on seeing me immediately. She changed up some
of my medications and warned me that my memories and fears wouldn’t disappear
overnight. I would be dealing with this for the rest of my life.

I
was sorely tempted to remain locked up inside my apartment, but Kadyn insisted
we show my parents around DC. Neither of them had visited DC before. They
wanted to meet and thank Senator Rockefeller, but he was in West Virginia for
some constituent meetings. I showed them around the office so they could see
where I worked. Then Patrick and I gave them a tour of the Capitol. Kadyn joined
us for the Capitol tour and showed us around the Pentagon the next day.

Ellen
arranged for a tour of the White House, so we visited the White House, the
National Mall, and the monuments the day after we toured the Pentagon. Although
we never saw the President or his family, the White House proved to be the
highlight of my parents’ trip.

My
parents stayed until the day after Thanksgiving. Kadyn flew to Illinois to
spend the holiday with his family, so my mom baked a small turkey just for the
three of us. I cried long and hard the day they left. I briefly considered
returning to Montana with them, but I was determined to see my fellowship
through to the end.