The Officer's Promise (Brothers in Blue Book 1) (8 page)

“You good?” he asked.

Reaching out, I gave his leg a gentle squeeze. “More than good.”

His hand covered mine, fingers curling to lift it to his mouth where he planted a soft kiss on top. My heart sighed at the subtle gesture.

With one arm draped over the back of my chair, Ryker placed my hand back on his thigh and began perusing the menu, so I did the same.

“Whoa, no wonder it smells so good in here,” I said, looking over my choices. Fried chicken, catfish, steak. “How’d you find this place?”

“I volunteered here throughout high school. I think we all did,” Reese said, looking to Ryker and he smiled with a nod. She continued. “It’s a private organization that helps those affected by abuse. They mostly cater to women but their door is open to anyone seeking help. They provide everything from legal support to medical care to housing. They also offer job placement and counseling.”

Before I could ask any questions, a woman approached our table. Dressed in a pair of black dress pants and a fitted white collared blouse, accented with a string of pearls around her neck.

“Reese? How ya been, darlin’?”

Reese stood from the table, embracing the tiny woman. She couldn’t be any taller than five feet without those four-inch heels she was wearing, but this woman had a presence and she was absolutely beautiful.

“It’s so good to see you again, Hank. I’ve missed you. How are things?”

Hank?

This woman certainly did not look like a Hank. She looked sophisticated. Smart. Her blonde hair was twisted elegantly at the back of her head, while little tendrils of gold framed her porcelain face. The wrinkles at the corners of her eyes had me wondering how old she was.

“Honey, if I were any better I wouldn’t know what to do with myself.”

Ryker stood, embracing her next.

“Lawd, it’s been too long. How’ve you been, sweet boy?”

“I’m good.”

“I see,” she said in a sultry voice.

A small whimper of jealousy hung in my throat, but something told me she wasn’t interested in Ryker like that. That she was more like a mother figure to him than anything.

“And this gem must be MaryAnn.” Extending her hand, she gave me a warm smile. “Pleasure to meet ya, darlin’.” Her southern drawl was thick and smooth. I could listen to this woman talk all day long. “Reese tells me you need a job.”

A smile tipped my lips, my chest expanding with gratitude, knowing Reese had already spoken to her about it. “Yes, ma’am. But, um, I have a broken foot, so I’m not sure what use I’ll be until I get this cast off.”

She waved her manicured hand back and forth. “That ain’t nothin’. I have girls come in a hell of a lot more banged up than that.”

Apparently, Reese had filled her in on everything.

“I have the perfect spot for you. Can you start on Monday?”

“Of course.” I was on the verge of tears, pure joy seeping into my chest. I couldn’t believe how easy this was. “That would be…amazing. Thank you so much,” I said to them both.

Reese smiled.

“Anytime, darlin’. Do you need anything else? A place to stay?” Hank asked.

“I got that part covered,” Ryker all but growled.

“I’m sure you do,” Hank replied, then her hazel eyes met mine. “But, honey, if that changes, you let me know.”

I nodded, chewing on my bottom lip. Was this really happening? This seemed like a new chapter in my life, one that had yet to be written, one I had no idea could even exist until this very moment. The realization slammed into me, hard and fast, my emotions completely taking over.

Ryker handed me his napkin and Hank’s voice broke through my sobs. “This journey is your own. No one else’s. I know what it’s like to live with fear. The fear of the unknown. The fear of failing. The fear of leaving for good. But once you decide, once you make that choice, each choice after becomes easier and easier. Are you ready to start your new life, MaryAnn?”

I turned her words over in my mind carefully. This was my journey. My life to take back. I’d wasted too many years being worthless. He stole all of those years from me along with everything else.

It was time to take it all back. I lifted my chin, wiping away my tears once and for all.

“Yes, I’m ready.”

T
he last week has been a blur but in a good way. I’ve been feeling more and more like myself as the days go on. I still have a long ways to go but I feel like the damaged part of my soul is slowly being restored. And I have mostly Ryker to thank for that. He’s made me smile more in the last week than I have in the last six years. It feels good to smile again. To laugh again. To be myself and not be afraid of the consequences.

Things have been unusually quiet in regards to Trent. Something I didn’t expect. Maybe he’s so angry with me, for standing up to him and following through with the charges, that now he hates me as much as I hate him. Either way, I’m thankful for his silence. It pairs well with the solace I’ve found at the Bird House.

I could thank Reese a million times over and it would never be enough.

In my short time here, I’d already learned so much.

While some restaurants cut corners to save time, they took every corner with tender loving care. Everything done here was done by hand.

In addition to this location, there were several others spread through multiple states. There was also a catering business, a bed and breakfast, and stables that offered riding lessons near Upstate that all required full staff. The brilliance behind the concept was no one stayed in one position longer than three months. There were exceptions when it came to management and the volunteers, but the goal was for each employee to grow from one position to the next. Relearning life and social skills that deteriorated or were oftentimes extinguished when someone was in an abusive relationship.

The counseling sessions here were extremely helpful as well. It was comforting to be around women who had been through what I’d been through. Who were now, like me, trying to find their new place in the world. Their stories were parallel to mine.

Some were far worse.

But it was Hank’s that I was most curious about. Reese had told me she opened the first Bird House up twenty years ago, after her husband, a wealthy oil tycoon, died mysteriously back in Texas. She’d found him in bed unconscious and by the time the ambulance arrived, he was dead.

Reese said the police interrogated Hank and conducted an extensive investigation but never found any evidence of foul play, and the circumstances surrounding his death still remains unknown. A year later, she packed up what she didn’t get rid of in the estate sale and moved to New York, taking her husband’s millions with her.

I’d become intrigued by her.

Mostly her strength.

The way she carried herself, confident and sure. How she took time to speak to everyone. And if there was one thing I’d learned in my short time here, when Hank spoke, people listened.

I’d just finished chopping another bell pepper when she walked into the kitchen. She was making her rounds, checking on everyone. Hank didn’t sit still for long, always moving around, encouraging you each step along the way.

“How’s your day been, darlin’? Sick of choppin’ yet?”

Chuckling, I reached for another pepper. “Not yet.”

“You’ll get there. In a couple of weeks you’ll be begging me to move ya.”

“Where will I go next?”

“Server or hostess?”

I thought about that for a moment then answered. “Server.”

“Good choice. More money and you have a lovely smile, dear. The customers will appreciate it.”

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure, you can ask me anything,” she said.

“How long did you stay?”

She was quiet for a moment, as if contemplating her next words carefully. “Twenty years.”

I could not imagine staying with Trent that long. Six years seemed like a lifetime, twenty years must have felt like an eternity.

“He was charming. Sweet. Like they all are in the beginning. He was also very wealthy. His reputation was impeccable, so very few people knew the kind of man he really was. I don’t think anyone knew him like me.” She moved closer, unbuttoning the sleeves of her blouse and rolling them up. Extending her hands, she revealed her wrists, each one harboring thin white scars that overlapped one another, some deeper than others, making my stomach roll with nausea.

No wonder she wore long-sleeved shirts every day.

“He tied me to the dining room chair with zip ties. He’d leave me there for hours. Sometimes for days.”

“Oh my God.”

“I was his prisoner, not his wife. I was terrified. Every move and decision I made, every breath I took, was because he allowed it. But there comes a time, for everyone, when enough is enough. When your heart, your mind, and your body just can’t take it anymore. I knew no one would believe me. Hell, my own mother wouldn’t even listen when I told her what was happening, only said I needed to stop doing whatever it was that drove him to it.”

I could feel her desperation. Her misery clutched my heart as if it were my own.

Because I’d lived it, too.

“What did you do?” I whispered.

She began buttoning her sleeves. “I did what I had to do.”

Deep down, I knew what that meant.

“It’s the scars you can’t see that take the longest to heal. But sometimes, the very thing that broke you is the only thing that can heal you. Finding a way to love myself again was the hardest part of it all. That didn’t happen until I started the Bird House. Until I found other women like me. Like you.”

Tears slid hot down my cheeks. Hank slipped the cutting knife from my trembling hand and pulled me in for a hug. “Don’t be afraid to fly again, little bird. Your wings may have been broken but they will heal.
You
will heal.”

“I hope so,” I sobbed.

Pulling back, her hands moved to my shoulders and she found my eyes. “I know so.”

Hank leaned over and grabbed a paper towel, offering it to me. “Thank you,” I sniffled. “Can I ask you one more question?”

“Of course.”

“The other day, you mentioned finding housing if I needed it.”

She nodded.

“I think I need it.”

“Done.” Her small hands cupped my cheeks. “Anything else?”

I shook my head, feeling a sense of relief wash over me. “You’re an angel.”

“Nah, I’m just a bird with a song to sing. It may be hard to hear, but with every woman who walks through my door, I get louder.”

I knew right then that no matter what I had been through and all that I had yet to face, the Bird House would always be my safe haven.

I
could already see a difference in her. I’d like to think I had a hand in it too, but I could tell working and making her own money was very important to her. She held her head a little higher each day when I picked her up and that smile continued to get brighter and brighter.

We’d settled into an easy routine over the last few weeks. When she wasn’t working, we hung out, watched movies, and listened to old records. I couldn’t remember when I’d laughed so much.

I smiled, remembering last night.

Her warm body pressed against mine, I tried to be a gentleman. Tried not to think about how perfectly her back fit to my front or how sweet she smelled, but she was everywhere.

She shook with laughter when Ham repeated my favorite line of all time.

“Gosh, I haven’t had s’mores in for—ev—er,” she said, lamely trying to impersonate Squints.

“S’more what?” I growled in her ear, giving her a little tickle in her ribs.

She squirmed, rubbing her ass against me.

Shit, tickling is not a good idea.

With a howl of laughter, I caught an elbow in the stomach. The sound vibrated through my chest, traveling straight to my dick.

Fuck, she was killing me.

One laugh and smile at a time, she was effectively dismantling my self-control.

“This is the best movie ever. Nothing beats the Great Bambino,” I said, trying not to think about all the naughty things I wanted to do to her right now.

If she wiggled that ass against me one more time…