Chapter Six
Breaker
I sat across from Juniper in the living room, my posture relaxed yet attentive as I studied her. The air hung heavy with tension, a palpable weight that settled between us. I knew I needed to broach the subject of her past gently, but the words felt like lead on my tongue.
“I know this isn’t easy for you, but we have to talk about what happened with your uncle.”
She flinched at the mention of him, her slender fingers fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. Those captivating gray eyes darted away from mine, focusing intently on the wood floor beneath our feet. I could practically feel the waves of unease radiating off her, the way her shoulders hunched inward as if trying to make herself smaller.
Shit, I hated seeing her like this -- so scared and vulnerable, like a wounded animal caught in a trap. It made my blood boil thinking about the hell that bastard must’ve put her through. I wanted to reach out and take her hand, to reassure her that she was safe now, but I held back. Didn’t want to spook her more than she already was.
As it was, we hadn’t had a chance to discuss our marriage. I hadn’t known how to tell her I wanted to be a real couple. The tension in her body that night had made it clear that was not what she wanted. So I’d told her to head to bed, and I’d slept elsewhere just like I’d been doing up to that point and ever since. If I could get rid of her uncle once and for all, perhaps she’d heal enough we could consider having an actual relationship.
“Hey,” I said softly, ducking my head to catch her gaze. “I know it’s hard, but I’m here for you, all right? You can trust me.”
Juniper’s eyes flicked up to meet mine briefly, uncertainty passing over her features. She worried her bottom lip between her teeth, the action so innocently alluring it made my cock twitch, then I felt like an asshole for getting turned on right now.
“I-I don’t know where to start,” she admitted. “It’s just… it’s so m-much. And I don’t want to relive it.”
“Take your time,” I encouraged, leaning forward slightly to show her she had my full attention. “We’ve got all night, and I’m not going anywhere. If you need to take breaks, that’s fine. But we really need as much information as you can give us, Juni.”
Her eyes widened slightly at the nickname that slipped out. But she didn’t seem to hate it, so I’d keep using it.
Inside, I was a fucking mess. Seeing her like this, so broken and afraid, it tore me up in ways I couldn’t even begin to describe. I wanted to fix it, to make all her pain disappear, but I knew it wasn’t that simple. The only thing I could do was be here for her, to listen and support her as she faced the demons of her past. What the hell had her uncle done to make her live on the streets and be this damn scared all these years later? More to the point, had she met friends of his who had scared her? Men like Robert Murray tended to stick together. He likely knew quite a few people like himself, and it wouldn’t be surprising to discover he’d interacted with more than one over the years. Had she been worried one of them might find her?
As the seconds ticked by in silence, I couldn’t help but wonder what horrors she might be reliving in her mind right now. That sick twisted fuck got off too lightly. The thought of him ever putting his hands on her made my stomach churn. I swore to myself I’d do whatever it took to keep her safe, to make sure she never had to face that kind of torture again. Even if it meant getting my own hands dirty. Wouldn’t be the first time. Probably wouldn’t be the last.
Juniper’s voice wavered as she finally began to speak, each word seeming to cost her a great effort. “I… I didn’t know what was happening at first. I heard noises coming from his room, and I thought maybe he was hurt or something.”
She paused, her breath hitching in her throat. There was a faraway look in her eyes. It was almost like she’d been transported to that time.
“But then I heard a girl crying, begging him to stop…”
My jaw clenched as I listened, a simmering rage building in my gut. Prison wasn’t good enough. That asshole should have been castrated, then executed. I kept my voice low and steady so I wouldn’t scare her. “You don’t have to go into detail if you don’t want to, sweetheart. Just tell me what you’re comfortable with.”
She nodded, her eyes flicking up to meet mine briefly before darting away again. I could tell this was costing her, and I hated myself for putting her through this. But I needed to know how much worse her uncle was than what we’d already discovered.
“I was so scared. I didn’t know what to do. I just… I just hid in my room and tried to block it out.” A single tear rolled down her cheek, and it took every ounce of my self-control not to reach out and brush it away.
“You did what you had to do to survive,” I reassured her. “Nobody can blame you for that.”
Juniper’s shoulders shook as she drew in a shuddering breath. “But I should have done something. I should have tried to help her, or… or called the police. But I was too scared. I was a coward.”
The self-loathing in her voice cut me like a knife. I leaned forward, ducking my head to catch her gaze again. “Listen to me, Juni. You were just a kid. You were in an impossible situation, and you did the best you could. That takes strength, not cowardice.”
She stared at me for a long moment, her gray eyes searching mine as if looking for any hint of deception. When she found none, fresh tears spilled down her cheeks. “I’m just so tired of being afraid all the time. I don’t want to live like this anymore.”
“You don’t have to,” I promised. “I meant what I said earlier. I’m going to do everything in my power to keep you safe. You’re not alone anymore. You have me and the club. We take care of our own.”
“You really mean that, don’t you?”
“I’ve never been more serious about anything in my life.”
I watched as Juniper drew in a shaky breath, her shoulders hunched as if the weight of her memories threatened to crush her. “I don’t know what happened to that girl. I was too scared to find out. But it wasn’t much longer that I nearly got caught in his room. I’d been searching for a keepsake of my mother’s. He’d taken it from me months before, and I wanted it back. He was supposed to be gone for hours, but while I was searching, I heard him coming down the hall. I hid in the closet.”
Another tear rolled down her cheek, and I knew whatever I heard next was going to be ugly. I sat patiently waiting for her to continue.
“I-I was still hiding in the closet when he brought a girl into his room. She looked around my age, maybe a little older. At first, I thought maybe she was just another one of his… his girlfriends. Just looked young for her age. But then he started yelling at her, calling her names. He hit her so hard she fell to the floor.” Juniper’s breath hitched, her eyes unfocused as she relived the horror. “That’s when he started ripping her clothes off. She tried to fight him, but he was too strong.”
Bile rose in my throat as I listened, my hands clenching into fists at my sides. The thought of the sick bastard putting his hands on Juniper, on any woman, much less a girl, made my blood boil with a rage so intense it scared me.
“He… he raped her. Right there on the bed. I could hear her screaming, begging him to stop. But he just laughed.” A shudder rippled through Juniper’s slight frame. “When he was done, he started beating her again. Once she quieted down and didn’t have any fight left in her, he raped her again and again. The look on his face… I could tell it was fun for him.”
She took another breath, seeming to gather her thoughts. “I thought it was over, and hoped he’d let her go. But then he pulled out a knife.”
The color drained from her face, and for a moment, I thought she might pass out. Instinctively, I reached out to steady her, but she flinched away from my touch, lost in the nightmare playing out behind her eyes.
“There was so much blood. It was everywhere. On the bed, the walls, the floor. It flew off the knife like he was trying to paint the room with her blood. And he just kept stabbing her, over and over, like he couldn’t stop.” A choked sob tore from her throat. “When it was over, he wrapped her body in a sheet and carried her out. I stayed in that closet for at least an hour, too terrified to move. When I came out, I saw a video camera aimed at the bed. He’d recorded everything.”
The silence that followed was deafening, broken only by Juniper’s ragged breathing. I struggled to rein in my own emotions, the fury and disgust churning in my gut like a toxic brew. What kind of monster could do something like that to another human being? No, I didn’t even have to ask. I’d met men like him before. More than once. As Luciana and Violeta had told her, they’d endured something just as awful. They’d been lucky to survive, unlike the poor girl her uncle abused and murdered.
“I’m so sorry,” I managed, my voice hoarse. “No one should have to witness something like that, especially not a child. And his victim… I can tell she suffered greatly.”
She looked up at me then, her eyes haunted and filled with a pain so raw it stole my breath. “I should have done something. I should have called the police or told someone, but I was too scared. Not only of my uncle, but also that no one would believe me. So I kept quiet. For weeks, I lived in constant fear, jumping at every noise, wondering if he’d come for me next.”
My hands clenched into fists, the urge to track down her uncle and make him pay for what he’d done nearly overwhelming. But I couldn’t give in to that darkness, not when Juniper needed me to be her rock. I forced myself to take a deep breath, uncurling my fingers one by one.
“It’s not your fault. You were just a kid.” I hesitated, then reached out to take her hand, relieved when she didn’t pull away this time. Her skin was cold and clammy, and I gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. “I promise you, the club and I will do everything in our power to keep your uncle away from you.”
She nodded, but the haunted look in her eyes remained. “There’s more. A few weeks later, I saw him do it again. Kill someone else, I mean.”
Ice slid down my spine, and I had to fight to keep my expression neutral. “Did you report it this time? The police didn’t have anything in their files about a murder.”
Juniper shook her head, a single tear slipping down her cheek. “No, but… I should have tipped off the police. Anonymously, I mean. Should have, but I didn’t.”
My brows shot up in surprise. “You didn’t?”
She shifted uncomfortably, her eyes darting away from mine. “I know someone turned him in, but I didn’t do it.”
Between her posture, the way her gaze jerked away, and her overall body language, it looked like she was lying and had indeed been the one to rat him out. But I could be wrong. Only Juniper knew the truth. Regardless, something told me her uncle believed she’d been the one to turn him in. I had a feeling he’d be showing up soon, demanding we hand her over. As a man convicted for child pornography, I had no doubt prison had been hell for him. He’d most likely been the bitch of quite a few men. Now he would be free and out for revenge with Juniper in his crosshairs.
I squeezed her hand, my tone gentle but probing as I asked, “Do you know anything about the girl in the video? The one you saw him kill the first time? Anything that could help identify her?”
Juniper shook her head, her expression crumpling with regret and helplessness. “No, I’m sorry. I never heard a name, and I didn’t recognize her. But I think I would remember her face if I saw it again. I couldn’t forget it, even if I tried. At night, it still haunts me, as if she’s accusing me of not saving her.”
My heart clenched at the pain in her voice, the weight of the trauma she’d been carrying all these years. Anger surged through me, hot and fierce, at the thought of what her uncle had done. How many had suffered at his hands? Since the police hadn’t arrested him for murder, and his sentencing hadn’t stated anything about a murder charge, I had to wonder if they’d never found that video. If it occurred weeks before she ran, he had time to upload it or sell it somewhere. So what happened to it?
I wanted to make him pay, to ensure he never laid a finger on another innocent soul again. But first, we needed answers.
“I might know someone who can help. You met him earlier. Surge. He can use his computer skills for many different things. If anyone can find that video, it will be him. I’ll also ask him to gather up any photos he can find of your uncle’s potential victims. Just their faces. Maybe you can tell us if you ever saw them.”
“You think he could do that?” she asked.
I nodded, my jaw tightening with determination. “I’m sure of it. And once we know who she is, we can give her family some peace. Let them know what happened to her, so they can lay her to rest, even if it’s only symbolically. Maybe one day they’ll have a body to bury as well.”
The club had a code, a set of rules we lived by, and men like Robert Murray had no place in this world. We’d destroyed more than one person like him, those who liked to prey on the weak. Another wouldn’t make us lose any sleep. Hell, I’d gladly slaughter all of them. And I knew every other man in my club felt the same way.
Juniper hesitated. I could see the conflicting emotions playing out across her face -- the desire to do right by the girl in the video warring with the fear of confronting her past.
“You’re right. The girl’s family deserves to know what happened to her. They must be worried sick, wondering where she is, if she’s okay.”
I reached out, taking her small hand in mine. “You don’t have to face this alone. My brothers and I will make sure your uncle pays for what he’s done, one way or another. And if Surge finds video evidence…”
She shook her head. “No. Those families have been through so much. I don’t want them knowing there’s video of what happened to their daughters. That’s just too cruel.”
I sighed. “Then we’ll do it without turning over any video evidence.”
She looked up at me, her gray eyes searching mine. “If we turn him in, it’ll be my word against his. He’s got money, connections. He hid all that stuff before. What if they don’t believe me?”
“Then we’ll find another way. It just might not paint me in a favorable light.” I paused. “The club, we’ve dealt with men like your uncle before. We have our ways of making sure justice is served.”
Her brows furrowed, a hint of apprehension creeping into her expression. “What do you mean?”
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “Sometimes, when the law fails, we take matters into our own hands. It’s not pretty, but it gets the job done. We’ve put more than a few abusers and predators in the ground over the years.”
Juniper’s eyes widened, but to my surprise, there was no fear in them. Only a grim understanding, a resignation to the harsh realities of the world we lived in. Then again, she’d witnessed her uncle murder two kids and had lived on the streets for years. It wasn’t like she was some sheltered woman who’d never had to fight to survive.
“I don’t want anyone else to get hurt because of me,” she said softly, her fingers tightening around mine. “I can’t let him keep doing this, Breaker. I can’t live with myself knowing he’s out there, hurting other girls. I don’t care if he’s out on parole. He won’t stop. He likes it too much.”
“He won’t get away with it,” I vowed.
As the weight of my words settled over us, I felt the tension in the room begin to dissipate, replaced by a fragile sense of hope. Juniper’s shoulders relaxed, the rigid set of her spine easing as she leaned back against the couch cushions. Her grip on my hand remained firm, a tether holding her steady in the midst of the emotional storm.
I studied her face, taking in the way the shadows played across her delicate features. Even now, with her eyes red-rimmed and her cheeks stained with tears, she was breathtaking.
“Thank you,” she whispered, her voice barely audible over the hum of the ceiling fan. “For believing me. For being here.”
I squeezed her hand, offering a reassuring smile. “You don’t have to thank me. I’m right where I want to be.”
She returned my smile, a tentative curve of her lips that sent my heart racing. In that moment, I knew I’d do anything to keep that smile on her face, to chase away the darkness that had haunted her for so long.
Reluctantly, I released her hand and stood, my legs protesting the sudden movement after sitting for so long. “I’ll talk to Surge in the morning. We’ll figure out our next steps, see if he can work his magic and find out who that girl was.”
Juniper nodded, her eyes shining with gratitude. “I don’t know how I can ever repay you for this. You’ve done so much for me already.”
I shook my head, chuckling softly. “You don’t owe me a thing, sweetheart. Just keep being you, keep fighting. That’s all the payment I need.”
With a final smile, I turned and headed for the porch, my mind already spinning with plans and possibilities. God help Robert Murray when we finally caught up to him. Because one way or another, he was going to pay for every last one of his sins. I’d make damn sure of that.