Conard County--K-9 Detectives by Rachel Lee

Author:Rachel Lee
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2022-11-23T17:05:31+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Kell’s chest tightened until he could barely breathe. He’d known there’d been something else, but he’d never imagined anything like this. Anything so repulsive and unforgivable. He had the strongest urge to find all those who’d treated her this way and wrap his hands around their throats.

His neck muscles tightened to hard steel. His teeth clenched until his jaw hurt.

Realizing his fists had tightened, he forced them to relax. He couldn’t do a thing about those men, not now. All he could do was struggle to find a way to help Jenna. But how in the hell did you help someone get over that kind of treatment?

The rape was horrendous all by itself, but to be stonewalled by men who just didn’t want the complaints to be sent up the chain of command? Men who should have been helping her? Threatened by the men who had already nearly destroyed her?

The urge to kill grew powerfully, but he pushed it away. Jenna didn’t need that from him. Not now. But what did she need?

“None of that should have happened,” he said presently, trying to keep his voice calm but hearing the rage in it anyway. “None of it.”

“It did, though,” she whispered. “It did. I’m disgusting. I’m ashamed, I’m guilty, and I’m furious beyond words.”

“You’re none of those things,” he said forcibly. “Nothing about you is disgusting. You shouldn’t feel ashamed or guilty for things you weren’t responsible for.”

“But I feel it. And that makes it me.”

He couldn’t find a way to disagree with that. If she felt it, then it was real. Period. Worse, the longer these feelings persisted, the harder it would be for her to get rid of them.

After a minute or so, she spoke again, her voice ragged. “I wasn’t a good soldier.”

Oh my God. “What in the hell makes you feel that way?”

“They got rid of me.”

He ached so bad right then that he felt as if his heart would break into pieces. “So you feel like a failure, as well?”

“Yes.”

He wanted to rend the heavens. He jumped up, filled with fury, and began to pace the porch, heedless of disturbing the dogs.

As his wrath began to ebb to manageable proportions, he found voice to say, “I owe Bradley a debt.”

“I’m sure you do,” she whispered.

“Not for the rest of it. For bringing us together. I’m very glad that I met you, Jenna Blair. And nothing will ever change that. Nothing.”

“Once you start thinking about...”

“Screw that,” he said sharply. “Just screw that. What I want is the names and ranks of everyone who betrayed you. Everyone. Then they can deal with me. I’ll go all the way to the Secretary of Defense if I have to.”

Her eyes popped open. “No. No! I don’t want to go through all of that again.”

“You’re going through it every damn day. I want some hides nailed to the wall.”

“Too late. Too late.” She paused. “I’m sorry I told you.”

He dropped to his knees in front of her, taking care not to touch her in any way, not even the merest bit.

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