Maddie forced a smile and then shoved at Jessie’s shoulder. “Go brush your teeth and get back here.”
Jessie sprang up and dodged out the door. Maddie sure loved her sister. Would she be able to sleep without Braden holding her? If only him cuddling her close could be a permanent solution. Could she turn to Jesus on her own? She’d prayed and Jessie had come—that had to be a gift from heaven.
Her sister returned and they stayed up late chatting. Maddie revealed quite a bit about her interactions with Braden. She’d thought a few weeks ago that Jessie might be jealous if Maddie ever got to be with Braden, but her sister was too pure and loved her too much to dwell on any jealousies. She also seemed … distracted. Maddie tried to draw her out, but it didn’t work and her sister always turned the conversation back to her and Braden. Jessie was hiding secrets just like Maddie was. It was sad neither of them could reveal what was really going on inside.
Jessie crashed first. Maddie knew they both needed to rest. They’d need to help with the protection detail tomorrow. She wanted to slip out of bed, kneel, and say a prayer.
Resolutely, she closed her eyes. Jessie would pray for her if needed. Would it be enough? Would her sister understand how powerfully she needed to pray? Like Braden had.
She kept her eyes closed, and she wasn’t even sure she was truly asleep when a darkness rolled into her mind like tendrils of fog. Immediately, she was on the battlefield. She wore a white dress, bloodstained from the many lives she’d taken. The dead and dying were all around her, but though she moaned “no,” she kept slashing at more soldiers with no mercy.
“Please, no,” she begged in her mind, and tried to form the words. Even though she was asleep, she somehow knew help was close if she could just call loud enough to ask for it. “Please … Jessie … Help … Me …”
She kept slashing with her sword in her dream. The carnage, blood, and darkness threatened to choke her. Nothing was helping. Even as she called, she couldn’t get herself to wake up and she couldn’t get Jessie to help her and pray for her.
Turn to Him. Trust him.
Braden’s voice fought through the darkness and his voice was light itself. Was she really worthy of the Savior’s help? Would He give it?
It was crazy how her thoughts ran clear, but she still couldn’t wake up and escape the awful dream.
“Please … help … no!” She killed another soldier with her sword. Another man was running at her, gun raised, but Maddie knew she could take him out before he shot. She could take them all out, and they would deserve it. And it would stain her dress, and it would never end. Peace was waiting for her somewhere, and no matter how hard she fought and how many she killed, finding it on her own was impossible.
Sobbing, Maddie ripped her dress off and threw it. She looked down and saw she was in a simple white slip that was clean, pure, and radiant. She sank to her knees and suddenly she found herself begging, “Please, Father above, please help me.”
She gasped awake. The field of bloody bodies and her stained dress were gone. She was kneeling next to her bed and could hear Jessie’s soft exhalations as her sister slept peacefully. What had happened? How had she gotten to her knees?
Tears wet her face. She stayed on her knees and she started praying quietly, thanking Him over and over for bringing her out of the dream, begging His forgiveness for killing, for hiding her true self from those who loved her, for turning away from Him. She thanked Him over and over again and begged to know where to go, how to proceed from here. Did He really accept her? Would her family really accept her? What about Braden?
A warm peace settled over her. Exhausted but more settled than she’d been in four years, she slid back under the covers.
Jessie stirred. “Maddie? You okay?”
“I am,” she said. “I really am.” She hugged her sister. “I love you.”
“Love you too,” Jessie murmured sleepily.
Maddie rolled over and fell almost instantly into a dreamless sleep.
ChapterFourteen
Braden got through a long afternoon and evening of interrogations with the Naval Force Protection and Chicago PD about the bombing and everything that had happened to him. He kept many of the details vague and told everyone the woman with him was Emmaline Staker, not sure if he was supposed to hide Maddie’s identity, but he did it anyway. He couldn’t stop thinking about her, missing her, wondering if she’d ever contact him or if he should formulate a solid plan to head to Colorado.
He was informed that Admiral Seamons had been admitted into the Naval hospital where the bullet in his shoulder had been removed and he was resting but being guarded even though he was on base. Braden was relieved and planned to talk to him tomorrow.
He wasn’t even sure where he would sleep tonight. He felt a little lost, a lot homeless, and completely aching for Maddie. He said a silent prayer and for some reason headed toward the helipad.
Across the sidewalk from the security center, he saw one of his favorite buddies from Recruit Training Command, Zander Povey. He and Zander had also done their first deployment together before Zander was able to achieve his lifelong dream of becoming a SEAL. Zander was utilized often and well-respected with special ops units throughout the world. He had survived not only BUD/s training to become a SEAL, but he was also an EOD, or Explosive Ordinance Disposal officer.
“Povey,” Braden called to him, jogging across the grass.
“Moyle!” Zander met him halfway, grabbed him in a manly hug, and pulled back to look at him. “Still as handsome as ever, I see.” He looked him over and arched an eyebrow. “And a Lieutenant? I should’ve guessed you’d charm everybody or kiss some butts to move up to a higher pay grade.”
Braden laughed. It felt good to see his old friend. Zander was a great man. To the core. Braden had saved his life on the streets of Baghdad and Zander was one of the few who knew and respected how accurate and powerful Braden’s power to see people was.
Zander nodded to the men with him. “I’ll catch up in a minute.”
“Chopper isn’t going to wait,” one of them told him.