“He’s been put on unpaid leave since last week when the report was first filed.”
I angled my head. “Really?”
Josh nodded.
I knew he had something to do with that. It was almost impossible to get that kind of swift reaction against police officers. It was another thing I opted not to question that morning. I’d noted the time he’d come in the night before along with his bruised knuckles and bruising on his ribs that morning. He’d been fighting and I knew in my heart it wasn’t a random fight either. I’d ask about it later, but right then I was just glad that he was with me, assuring me that I could take this next step.
“Thank you for being here for me.”
He pulled me into his arms so tightly all of the air was forced from my lungs. In my ear he whispered, “There’s nowhere on this Earth I’d rather be. I love you more than I ever thought I could love again. I’m so proud of you.” He held onto me until the lawyer re-entered the room, informing us that it was time.
Pulling back, I blinked away tears. “I love you more,” I whispered back.
I followed Josh, my hand in his, as he led us out the door and toward the conference room where the interview was to take place.
I sat and looked around, swallowing the nervousness I felt. Joshua stood behind the news anchor, despite the protests from her camera crew. With one glare he’d assured them he wasn’t going anywhere and they’d have to find a way to work around him. His position gave me the security I needed, as I could see him directly over the news anchor’s head.
“Ms. Reyes, thank you for agreeing to this interview,” Tracy, the news anchor, began in her professional tone.
Inhaling, I lifted my eyes to Joshua, who nodded at me.
“Please, call me Kayla. And thank you for being here. This has been a long time coming,” I replied.
“Let’s start at the beginning.”
Over the next hour I recounted the sexual assaults I endured at the hands of Michael Stephens and the months of harassment and stalking from his fellow officers after my attempts to file charges.
“To my understanding, the prosecutor has already proceeded to move forward with filing charges.”
I nodded, having heard the same thing just that morning.
“You know, most sexual assault victims do not have their names and faces made public. Can you tell me why you chose to make such a public statement?”
I lifted my gaze to meet those emerald greens of Joshua’s. I could see the anger in his eyes as he’d listened to me explain my assault all over again, but there was a softness there, as well. It was meant just for me. It was a reassurance that I wasn’t alone and whatever came of this, I wouldn’t endure by myself as I had when it first happened. I didn’t need to cower and change my appearance or style of dress or my address because Joshua wouldn’t let anything or anyone touch me again. That gave me the security to answer her question.
“Because this needs to stop. Sexual assault is the second most reported act of police brutality and it’s rarely discussed out in the open. I am not the only victim of Michael Stephens. I am one of at least five that we know about. I’m sure in the coming months we will learn of more. He’s one officer but there are others out there just like him. And they overshadow the good officers that go out day after day to stop the very crimes officers like Stephens are committing. Most rape victims do not come forward because of cases like mine. When we do tell, we are treated worse than the perpetrator. It’s that much worse when it’s an officer whose job it is to serve and protect. This needs to end.”
Finishing my speech, I sat up straighter in my chair and pushed out a breath, feeling lighter by having just shared my story.
“Thank you, Kayla. There is power in speaking out.”
I nodded. “There certainly is.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Joshua
I got out of my car and stared at the ranch-style, one story home. I’d promised Kay I would do the proposal therightway, by seeking her father’s permission. Though, either way, Kayla Reyes was going to become Kayla Townsend. I was doing this for her.
I stepped back from my car and made my way to the front door of Kayla’s parents’ home. I’d been to their home a few times with Kayla in the last three months. It’d been that long since we’d returned from Portland. In that time, a lot had happened. Stephens was arrested. His shithead friends had resigned and subsequently were charged with the serious crime of tampering with a police investigation. The charges could land them six months to a year in jail. It wasn’t much time but it was something. However, my reign on their payback wouldn’t end.
As a result of Kay’s interview six more women had come forward to report their stories of assault by Michael Stephens. He was being charged with every single one. The kicker was the dumb fuck had video evidence in his home of all of the assaults. That knowledge had nearly sent me over the edge. Thinking of how many times he’d watched how he assaulted those women. My woman. I knew after that, he couldn’t go on living on this earth. I’d given Kay what she wanted. She’d had an opportunity to face him in a courtroom and he was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison. She’d gotten the satisfaction she needed of seeing him sentenced. But I wasn’t going to let Stephens live much longer on this planet. Not after those videos.
But I wasn’t on Kay’s parents’ doorstep to think about Stephens. With the ghosts of our past out of the way, it was time that Kay and I started focusing on our future. This was the first step.
“Joshua.” Mr. Reyes pulled the door open before I even got a chance to knock.
Our eyes clashed. His mouth fell flat as he looked around, as if searching for someone.
