Page 37 of Breaker

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.”

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