Cade could see Kres was sad, but also angry about something. He just hoped he wasn’t to do with him. “You can talk to me Red. About anything you want. I’m here to listen.”
Kresley turned in her chair to face Cade, who sat quietly beside her. Her long pale legs peeked out from under the huge tshirt she wore of his. Cade could see the freckles scattered over her thighs and calves. He put a hand on each knee and gave a light squeeze, as if to encourage her to begin talking.
Taking a deep breath, Kresley began to speak. “Gertie is not the same person she was three years ago. The woman you’ve met and talked with is half the person she used to be. Gertie was a lot like Birdie, outgoing, funny and sarcastic as hell. Then a night out in Atlanta with some old college friends of hers broke her. It broke my little sister. And in some ways broke me. Broke us all. That sick bastard thought he could hurt my sister. Every day I wish for his death.”
Cade stayed quiet, saying nothing and just squeezing Kresley’s hands, which he now held between his own. Inside he was boiling with rage, but he kept it in check for Kresley’s sake. He nodded his head when Kresley’s eyes silently asked if she should continue.
“Gertie was out at a club in Atlanta with other girlfriends of hers. She went to the bathroom with one of them, and they thought the others would stay at the table to watch purses and drinks. But the others obviously didn’t and they found them dancing away from their table. Because of that stupid mistake, Gertie finished her drink and found herself drugged about 20 minutes later, leaning over a trash can outside and vomiting. She doesn’t remember anything after that. We can only piece things together from the bouncer who was standing nearby and some other people waiting to go in. Apparently, a well-dressed man was standing nearby to Gertie and stated to the bouncer that she was his girlfriend and she had too much to drink. Everyone watched him walk off with a drugged-up Gertie, wobbling beside him. That was the last time anyone there saw her for the rest of the night. The girls she had gone to the club with hadn’t bothered to follow her outside. Selfish cows. They figured she was okay and that the bouncer would see to her. They stayed inside, dancing and flirting their asses off while my little sister was outside, puking her guts out and being made vulnerable for some asshat to come along and take advantage.” Kresley abruptly stood and began to pace the kitchen, back and forth, looking at everything and nothing at the same time. Her eyes were unfocused and cloudy with emotional pain.
“This asshole then took her to Centennial Park, to what we guess he thought was a secluded spot, and then he dared to rough up my sister. Gertie had bruises on almost all of her body, especially her breasts, butt and thighs. Even her neck had fingerprint marks where he held her down roughly. Gertie has no memory of fighting him, but it was apparent from the way she was found that she had tried to put up a fight until she became unconscious. The only thing that saved her from being raped fully was a couple strolling nearby and their voices or laughter must have spooked the guy from finishing things. He took off and they happened upon Gertie a minute or so later. I can’t get the description they gave of how they found her out of my mind, even three years later. Her dress half torn off her body, her underwear ripped. Her shoes no where to be found. Vomit covered the front of her and she was in the fetal position, moaning and crying, begging for him to stop, even though she was so out of it that they couldn’t ever get her to respond to anything. That bastard broke my little sister. Thank God he didn’t get to finish what he started, but he did enough damage to last her a life time. She doesn’t trust men, Cade. She doesn’t let them touch her, hold her, even hardly talk to her much. She hasn’t been on a date since the incident and she wouldn’t even think about going to counseling of any kind or even a group for rape victims so she could hear other people’s stories. And the really shitty thing is that Atlanta PD hasn’t caught the guy. They have no clue who he is. They didn’t find any DNA on Gertie. No skin or anything under her nails, no semen, no saliva, nothing. The bouncer and other witnesses described him as an average looking guy, no outstanding features or birth marks. Dark hair, average height and weight. And no video of inside or outside the club. They had a maintenance company working on their system that week, so nothing recorded. So, my little sister lives her life every day, knowing that this douche is still out there and could be hurting other women. And now thanks to me and last night, she gets to relive every single emotion of being drugged three years ago, over again.” Kresley finished with a large inhale of breath. She slowly let it out and finally stopped pacing to look at Cade.
He sat there quietly, breathing heavily for what seemed like minutes. He kept a constant gaze on Kresley, letting her know he had heard her and wasn’t ignoring her. Gathering his thoughts together, Cade patted his thighs and held his hand out to Kresley, asking her silently to come to him. Kresley walked over and slid her legs over his, sitting sideways and resting her head and upper body along his chest. Cade pulled her more tightly to him, cradling her in his arms before beginning to speak.
“First of
