Chapter Fifteen
Breaker
My phone buzzed with a text from Surge, jolting me out of my brooding thoughts. I glanced at the screen.
Footage from gas station six hours from here. Juniper spotted getting out of a car and going inside. Sending coordinates .
My heart leapt into my throat. Juniper was alive. I had to get to her before it was too late.
Did she look okay? I typed back furiously, already reaching for my cut and keys.
Couldn’t tell, but I think so. By the way, Dread said your ass isn’t getting on your bike .
I glowered at the screen, then jammed my phone into my pocket, not bothering to reply. Surge with his tech skills was a Goddamn godsend, but right now, all that mattered was getting to that gas station. To her. And what the fuck did Dread mean I couldn’t ride my bike? Fuck that shit.
I rushed out of the house and over to my bike. I’d just thrown my leg over the seat when one of the club trucks pulled up behind me, blocking me in. I cursed a blue streak and got off, approaching the driver side window. It rolled down and I glared at Freak.
“What the fuck?”
He smirked. “Dread’s orders. Get your ass in the truck. I’ll take you to the gas station where Surge spotted Juniper. Hornet, Cotton, Roulette, and Slider are going with us. I’m sure she’s long gone from that spot, but by the time we get there, hopefully Surge will have more intel.”
“Fine.” I walked around and climbed into the truck. “But just so we’re clear, I don’t agree that I need a damn truck to get there.”
“Sure, you don’t. Six or more hours on a bike wouldn’t tear open your stitches or anything.” Freak tossed me a bottle, and I reflexively caught it. “Here. Dread said it’s Oxy. He figured you’d need it after a while of riding.”
I shoved the bottle into my pocket and fastened my seat belt. As Freak backed out of my driveway and approached the gates, I heard my brothers’ bikes as they fell in behind us. Soon enough, we were on the road and heading toward the only lead we had on my woman.
Hang on, Juniper, I’m coming .
I would get to that girl if I had to ride through hellfire itself. And once she was safe, heads would fucking roll for laying a finger on what was mine. My hands clenched, jaw set with steely resolve.
Nobody took my woman. Nobody hurt my family. Not without paying the price in blood.
The miles blurred beneath the tires as Freak sped down the highway. I didn’t know what we’d find when we got there. Like Surge said, she’d left and wouldn’t be there. Would I find a clue as to where she went? Would anyone in the area remember seeing her?
I had to believe she was all right. That she was waiting for me. Needing me.
Just like I needed her. More than my next breath.
I’m almost there, darlin’. I’ll find you. I swear it .
Freak pulled into the gas station in a spray of gravel no more than five hours later. He’d broken every speed limit along the way, trying to get me here as fast as he could. The attendant barely had time to look up from his magazine before I was on him, slamming my hands down on the counter.
“The girl who was here earlier. Dark hair, gray eyes. Where did she go?” My words were clipped, my tone brooking no argument.
The attendant’s eyes widened, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed hard. “I-I don’t know, man. She just used the restroom and left. Didn’t say where she was headed. I didn’t pay attention to the car or anything.”
I leaned in closer, my gaze boring into his. “Think harder. Are you sure you didn’t see which direction she went? Whether she was with anyone?”
He shook his head rapidly, shrinking back from the intensity of my stare. “No, I swear. She looked pretty spooked, if you ask me. But you learn to keep to yourself in this job.”
I pushed off the counter with a growl of frustration, my eyes already scanning the area for any clue, any hint of where Juniper might have gone. I stalked toward the restroom, shouldering the door open with barely restrained force.
The small room was empty, the florescent light flickering overhead. I checked every nook and cranny. Nothing. No sign of her.
I was about to punch the wall in frustration when a small scrap of paper towel in the trash caught my eye. It looked like it had writing on it, but someone had crumpled it up and tossed it.
It was from Juniper! She’d asked whoever found it to contact my club, but no one had. Instead, whatever fucker had found it, just threw it away. If I ever found out who did it, I’d kill them. Slowly. But my woman had been resourceful. She’d done her best to get word to me, to let me know where she’d been.
“That’s my girl,” I murmured, a fierce pride welling up in my chest. She was a fighter, through and through. I never should have doubted her.
But the relief was short-lived, quickly replaced by a renewed sense of urgency. She was still out there, alone and vulnerable. I had to find her before her uncle did something awful or gave her to the man he’d mentioned before. I had a feeling if that happened, I’d never see her again, or if I did find her, she wouldn’t be breathing.
I tucked the note into my pocket, my hand lingering over it for a moment. A tangible reminder that she was waiting for me. That she needed me.
And I sure as hell wouldn’t let her down. Not again.
I strode out of the restroom, my mind already racing ahead to my next move. I didn’t know where she was headed. When I got back to the truck, I took a picture of the note and sent it to Surge letting him know what happened. He had to have something for us. A new piece of information. Something to guide us to where she might be.
Failure wasn’t an option. Not when it came to Juniper.
My phone buzzed, jolting me out of my thoughts. My heart pounded as I saw Surge’s name on the screen. I swiped to open the message, my breath catching in my throat as I read the words.
Abandoned car found two hours from your current location. Sending coordinates now .
The coordinates flashed on my phone, and I showed them to Freak. He nodded and the truck tires spun as he revved the engine and shot out of the parking lot. I quickly texted the information to the brothers following us, just in case we got separated along the way.
The road twisted and turned, the asphalt snaking through the dense forest. As the sun disappeared behind a canopy of trees, the air grew colder. The miles flew by, the road narrowing as we left civilization behind. The trees pressed in closer, their branches reaching out like grasping fingers. The shadows grew longer, darker, as if the very forest itself was conspiring against us.
And then I saw it.
A flash of color, barely visible through the undergrowth. “Stop!”
Freak hit the brakes, the truck skidding to a stop. Before he’d fully stopped, I’d opened the door and jumped out, grunting at the pain in my gut from the impact. I was off and running. I checked the coordinates and realized we’d found the car. But we weren’t near anything right now. How had they gotten anywhere else?
Another message came from Surge. They’re now in a blue sedan. Idiot probably doesn’t realize it has On-Star. I’m tracking it through them. Sending the next coordinates. Car has been still for the last thirty minutes. It’s either abandoned, or that’s your final destination .
I got back to the truck and shared the info Surge had given me, and we were back on the road. An exit appeared not even half a mile from where Murray had abandoned the last vehicle, which meant he’d taken a huge risk by walking this way with Juniper. It was the only spot I could see him stealing another vehicle. By the time we spotted the blue car, we’d been on the road for roughly ten hours.
“Pull farther up. If Surge was tracking this thing, the cops might be too. Since it’s stolen, I don’t want to risk the police getting in our way.”
Freak nodded and drove another half mile down the road before pulling off. He went into the grass and parked along the tree line. Our brothers stopped and rolled their bikes over, parking a little farther into the trees, so they wouldn’t be as noticeable from the road.
“Any idea what we do now?” Roulette asked.
“Track them,” Cotton said. “Let’s head back to that car, then go into the woods from there. I’m betting he had to partially drag Juniper along, which means we should be able to find traces of them.”
I nodded and followed Cotton’s lead. I had a feeling his military service was to thank for his tracking abilities. We walked for a while and then a cabin came into view. It had seen better days and looked entirely abandoned. But I noticed the door was slightly ajar.
I approached the cabin cautiously, my heart pounding in my chest. The weathered wood seemed to mock me, daring me to come closer. I could feel Juniper’s presence, so close yet still out of reach.
My hand twitched toward my gun, the weight of it suddenly heavy on my hip. I wanted nothing more than to storm in there, to tear the place apart until I found her. But I hesitated, my instincts warring with my desperation.
If I went in alone, I could be putting Juniper at even greater risk.
“We’re with you,” Cotton said.
Freak nodded. “What Cotton said. I’ll watch the front.”
“I’ll take the rear,” Roulette said.
That left Hornet and Slider going in with me. “All right. Let’s do this.”
We moved as one, our steps silent on the soft earth. I could feel their presence at my back, their determination fueling my own. We entered the cabin, guns drawn, but I knew immediately if she’d been here, she was gone now.
“What the fuck? I thought for sure she’d be here,” I said. “Where the hell could they have gone? Do you think they circled back and got into a different vehicle?”
Hornet shook his head. “From the splinters in the doorframe, looks like someone slammed their fist into it. You think Juniper would have found an opening and took off? Maybe he walked away long enough for her to escape.”
I could only hope that’s what happened. “Then what now?”
Cotton came in and tipped his head toward the woods. “Think your girl went this way. Found some blood smears on a few leaves, and broken branches like someone quickly ran through there.”
Jesus. So now she was alone in the woods at night, with a fucking psycho on her heels? We had to find her, and we had to do it fast. Otherwise, I’d never get to hold her again. Her uncle hadn’t killed her yet, which meant he had a plan for her. But if she pissed him off anymore, he’d kill her the first chance he had.
It only took us half an hour to find them. Robert had pinned Juniper against a tree as she struggled to break free. It looked like he’d hit her a few times. Her lip was bleeding, and she had bruising on her cheek. I also noticed what looked like fingermarks around her neck. This asshole was just begging for a painful death.
He hadn’t noticed us yet, and neither had Juniper. I surged forward, closing the distance between us in a heartbeat. My fist connected with Robert’s temple, his head snapping to the side as he released Juniper and staggered a few steps. I didn’t let up, didn’t give him time to regroup. I gave in to my pent-up fury and let my fists fly. From the corner of my eye, I saw Slider pull Juniper out of the way.
I rained blows down upon Robert, each one a testament to the pain and suffering he’d caused. He fought back, his movements fueled by desperation, but he was no match for my rage. It didn’t matter that he’d put two holes in me. Nothing was going to slow me down or keep me from saving Juniper. He aimed for the wound on my stomach, and I twisted out of the way. When I saw his fist flying toward my shoulder, I dropped it and sent an uppercut to his jaw.
“That little bitch isn’t worth it,” he said. “Just give her to me. You can get any woman you want with a face like yours.”
“The only one I want is my wife, you psycho! You can’t have her.”
He spat blood on the ground and came at me again. If he’d had a weapon, it looked like he’d lost it before we’d caught up to Juniper. Which gave me an advantage. I shot him in the knee, sending him crashing to the ground. He cursed and whined like a little bitch.
While he was down, I kicked him in the ribs, then shot his other knee, making sure he wouldn’t be able to stand.
“Just take her!” he screamed, trying to scoot away from me. “She’s not worth the trouble.”
“In case you haven’t caught on yet, you aren’t getting out of here alive.” I glanced at Slider. “Get her to the truck. I don’t want her to see this.”
Juniper tugged free from him. “No, Breaker. I’m staying.”
“Juni, this is a side of me I don’t want to show you. Please. Go with Slider.”
She stubbornly shook her head. Fine. She wanted to see that I could be a monster too? Then she’d get her chance. I shot Robert in both shoulders, elbows, and in his hands, rendering him helpless to defend himself.
“What was it Juni said? You raped a girl nearly to death, stabbed her repeatedly, and slit her throat? Was that how it went?”
He paled and glanced in her direction. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I never did any of that around her.”
I laughed, but it lacked humor and came out sounding cold as ice. “Yeah well, she saw you anyway. She was hiding in the damn closet. So, shall we get started? You’re lucky I’m not a rapist, so we’ll skip that part.”
Hornet handed me a large knife. “Here, brother. Make this asshole suffer.”
I dropped to my knees and slammed the knife into his gut. Once. Twice. By the fifth time, I could see that he wasn’t going to last much longer. Blood pooled on the ground, and he coughed and sputtered. Leaning down to hold his gaze, I gave him the cruelest smile I could manage.
“Time to meet the devil. Be sure to tell him I said hi.” With that, I sliced the bastard’s throat and watched him bleed out. Once the light completely faded from his eyes, I stood and went over to Juniper.
She sobbed and threw herself into my arms, nearly knocking me off my feet. I grunted and tried not to show how much it hurt. “I knew you’d find me.”
“Did my best,” I said. “But you have to thank Surge. He did all the work. Then Freak drove me here. Found your note. Someone threw it away without calling us.”
“Fuckers,” Hornet muttered. “Maybe Surge can figure out who. I think they need to be taught a lesson.”
I nodded. “Sounds good.”
“Can we go home?” she asked.
“Yeah. We can go home.” I swayed a moment, the adrenaline wearing off. Cotton stepped forward and slid his arm around my shoulders, giving me extra support.
“Are you okay?” Juniper asked, concern in her eyes. “I was so scared that he’d killed you, but I refused to let myself believe that you were dead. The only way I made it this far was to believe you’d come for me.”
“Had to get stitched up. I’ll be fine.”
Freak shook his head. “He has Oxy in his pocket for the pain. Now that he has you back, maybe the stubborn bastard will take one.”
We made our way back to the truck, and I got into the back with Juniper. She searched my pockets and found the pills, then convinced me to take one. I didn’t want to sleep, and I knew the damn things would knock me out for at least an hour or two. But I also didn’t want to see her worry over me.
“What about my uncle’s body?” she asked.
“I’ll let Surge know about it,” Freak said. “He’ll make sure it’s not found and set a paper trail to make anyone searching think the fucker skipped town. Maybe he’ll even make it look like he went over the border into Mexico.”
“Good. I don’t want any of you to get into trouble for this, no matter how grateful I am.”
“We’ve got you, Juni,” I murmured, and closed my eyes. As the pills started to work, I began to doze off, and Juniper cuddled into my side. Now that I had her back, everything would be fine.