Page 17 of Benedict’s Rejuvenation (Dark Patriots #5)

“I see a lot. You’re strong, kind, mentally fortified, intelligent, fun, and family-oriented.

You have tremendous loyalty and compassion.

I could go on. Those are some of the things on the inside.

I won’t lie and say your outside doesn’t attract me, too.

Your skin looks like it was kissed just enough by the sun to be golden.

Combining that with your dark, thick brown hair, which feels like silk, and your light gray eyes surrounded by your sooty lashes makes your eyes draw me in.

And your sculpted cheekbones, cute nose, and sinfully plump lips give a man the dirtiest ideas.

“Then your body has to be mentioned. You’re the right height, in my opinion.

I don’t break my back kissing you, yet I still feel masculine when you have to tilt your head back to look me in the eyes.

Your body curves in all the right ways. Though you have muscles, they’re feminine.

I don’t find women who can bench press me and have muscles bigger than mine appealing.

No offense to the men who do. Your whole outer and inner package is perfect, like you were made just for me. ”

Her face lit up with pleasure as I described her.

Her smile dimmed a tad when I was done. “But I have scars, Ben. And while you might think you know what they look like, you don’t.

That travesty of a nightie I had on the night you rescued me blurred them somewhat.

But you haven’t seen them in the bright light of day.

I hate them. You said they showed that I’m strong, gorgeous, and resilient.

And I should wear whatever I like, even a bikini with pride.

I don’t know if I can do that. What if you see them and then find out they turn you off?

” Her question, tacked on to the end, was said softer than the rest of her words.

I felt the worry coming off her. I thought over what she asked before I answered. “I have scars, too. What if you’re disgusted by them? We can say they won’t, but that’s just words. I have a suggestion, if you’re willing to do it. If not, tell me. There’s no pressure intended.”

“It does worry me in my case. I can’t see myself caring about yours. Okay, what is your suggestion?”

“We strip and let the other inspect our bodies. I know that might be asking too much, but it’s the only way to have definitive proof. And if we do it before we progress this further, you won’t have to worry the whole time about what if I hate them and vice versa.”

I wasn’t expecting her to say yes. Maybe later, after she was much more comfortable with me, she might. However, it was the only solution that I saw.

“So, we just strip everything off, let everything show, and do a head-to-toe inspection, while the other person watches our faces.” She broke it down.

“Exactly. I’m open to other suggestions, if you have any.

I know they’re just words and are easily said.

I’d hate for you to be concerned about something so minor.

I think of scars as badges of courage. Perhaps it would help if you could tell me where the majority are and which ones bother you the most. If you want to talk about how you got them, I’ll listen. ”

“I think describing is a place to start. You go first. Do you have any that you hate?” she asked.

“Hate? No, but there are two that are rather large and ugly. One is on my left thigh. It’s from a knife wound.

I was stabbed, and then the knife was twisted to maximize the damage.

It had a serrated edge on one side of the blade.

It was the same kind of knife I gave you from my belt that night, a KA-BAR.

The other is on my ribs and is from a wooden club that was wrapped in barbed wire.

It was used to beat me with, and it tore up the skin and muscles.

It looks like I’ve been chewed by teeth and then run over a cheese grater. ”

“How in the world did you get those?” Kensy asked anxiously.

“It was when I was in the Rangers. We did a lot of recon and sneaking behind enemy lines. On one of our missions in Afghanistan, I got separated from my unit and was caught by two Taliban soldiers. They were trying to get me to tell them where my unit was so they could call it in to their friends and ambush them.”

She gasped. “How did you get away? Did your unit rescue you?”

“No, my guys had no idea where the Taliban had taken me. They’re good at evacuating the area after grabbing someone.

I was in a cave in the hills. Some countries’ cave and tunnel systems, especially in Afghanistan, are incredible and extensive.

The Taliban and other groups are dug in like you wouldn’t believe.

It makes fighting them almost impossible at times.

“Anyway, I knew rescue was unlikely, and they were already working on me for the information. They used the club with the barbed wire on my side more than once. That was after they’d taken turns beating me.

While they were busy working me over, I worked loose the rope, tying my hands together.

Whichever one tied them wasn’t diligent in ensuring the rope was inescapable.

When I got loose, I turned the tables and became their interrogator.

They weren’t as resilient in keeping their mouths shut, and I got valuable intel on where a small group of Taliban soldiers was.

I hiked back toward our base. Finally, someone on patrol saw me and took me back to base.

I informed the higher-ups, and they sent out a welcome party.

They killed several that day who would’ve murdered us on another day. ”

When I finished, Kensy remained quiet. I had to ask, “Does the fact that I can torture and kill people no matter what sicken you? Is it a deal breaker for us?”

“Oh, no, please, don’t think that! I was thinking of what it must be like to have to do what you do, even if it is for justice.

Yes, I did it to some degree with Vadzim, but I wouldn’t be able to do it consistently.

To save myself, loved ones, or an innocent person in the moment, I believe I could.

Keeley is tougher about these things, which is why I’m working to become more like her. ”

“Kensy, you don’t need to change. You’re plenty strong.”

She shook her head. “No, I’m not. If I were, Detective Chase and Nikita wouldn’t have been able to take me. I tried to fight, but was surprised and overpowered in no time. I was knocked out with some kind of drug they injected me with, and when I woke up, I was in that awful cabin.”

She hadn’t talked much about what happened from the time she was kidnapped until we brought her home.

I wanted to know more. I wished to know from the moment we met, but I needed to know now, with her agreeing to try to have a relationship.

With that information, I hoped to avoid pitfalls and triggers for her.

Cautiously, I asked, “Will you tell me how it happened? And know that going up against two men, and with them the size they were, it isn’t shameful to lose. Chase was a cop with training. And I bet Nikita had it, too, due to his job.”

“It’s sweet of you to say, and maybe you’re right, but I still wonder if it had been my sister, would they have succeeded?

Anyway, yes, I’ll tell you what happened.

I was working at Hope’s Dignity. Even though I was suspicious that Mona was doing something illegal, and I had noted a correlation between the women who were in the program and either graduated or left it, and those I discovered had disappeared, I wasn’t ready to accuse her of anything that heinous.

I thought there was no way the conclusion I jumped to was correct.

I was trying to find more evidence to clear up the picture.

“It was late at night. I often worked there or at home after I was done with my regular workday.

That night, I stupidly chose to work at Hope like I had done many times before.

No one else was there, or so I thought, other than the residents, and they were in their dormitories.

The offices were separated by a reasonable distance to give them privacy.

“I heard a sound and called out, but no one answered. I got up to see if one of the residents was wandering over there or needed something. It had happened in the past, even though they weren’t supposed to be in my building unless it was normal operating hours and staffed.

Being me, I got up to investigate. I thought I was safe, given that access to the grounds was gated and a keycard was required to enter the building.

Employees and residents had them, but no one else, or so I thought. ”

Kensy paused to take a deep breath before continuing.

“Once in the dark hallway, I headed for the front lobby. I was going slowly. I didn’t call out again.

I carried a billy club that I had in my purse.

It was one of those retractable ones. Yes, I had a gun, but at that time, I thought it was a resident. The club was a reflex to grab.

“I was almost to the front when a shadow moved, and I knew it was moving toward me. I called out to stop, but it didn’t, so I struck with my club.

There was a loud, masculine grunt, then a curse.

I knew then it wasn’t a resident. We had no men staying there.

I swung again and kicked out. I made double contact.

I was so busy fighting him, I had no idea there was a second person until the first one yelled, ‘Get her.’

“It was Chase I was fighting. Next thing I knew, I was put in a bear hug from behind, and my arms were useless. I kept kicking, but it did no good. While Nikita restrained me, Chase injected me. I got dizzy almost immediately. When I woke up, I was in the cabin.”

When she stopped this time, I had to say something. “You fought. And you kept fighting, Kensy. You’re not weak or a coward. Those scars, they’re a warning to others of how strong you are.”