Page 9 of Breaker

He took a swallow of coffee and didn’t say anything. Not that I’d really given him anything to respond to. I had so many questions, but my thoughts were complete chaos. I ran my hands over the leggings I had on. They were soft, and nicer than anything I’d had in years. He’d been so thoughtful.

“Thank you for the clothes, and for saving my life,” I said.

“It was the right thing to do.” He took another swallow of coffee. “Anyone who walked past and left you there was an asshole. I just don’t know how I haven’t seen you in town before now.”

I snorted. “I doubt you hung out around alleys and dumpsters. It’s not like I was permitted in stores or restaurants. They don’t like homeless people.”

“You have a home now,” he said softly.

My gaze met his. “What?”

“This one. You can stay as long as you’d like.”

There had to be a catch. No one was ever this nice. And I’d learned the hard way, nothing was ever free. But no matter how skeptical I wanted to be, this man made it difficult.

“I know it’s a lot to think about,” he said. “And I get it if you don’t trust me. You have no justification to. We’re strangers. Knowing what I do about your uncle, you have plenty of reasons to fear men.”

I tensed. “What you know about him?”

He rubbed a finger over his eyebrow. “Um, yeah. Your uncle, Robert Murray, is due to get out on parole soon. We looked into his crimes, or at least the ones people know about. Men like him usually have done far worse things.”

I swallowed hard. He was right. My uncle might have gone to prison for child pornography, and a few other things, but if they’d been able to find the bodies, he’d have never been set free. I’d never told a soul what happened. If I had, my uncle would have made sure I died. As it was, he probably thought I’d been the one to turn him in. If he was really getting out of prison, then he’d come for me.

I knew my uncle well enough to be certain he’d find a way to reach me. The only reason I’d stayed out of his grasp when I ran away was thanks to constantly being on the move, and the fact he went to prison. If he’d remained free all this time, my luck would have run out sooner or later. There was so much I didn’t know about him, but people who hadn’t known what he was really like, had all thought highly of him. Even after he’d been in prison, there would probably still be people who thought he was falsely accused and would stay beside him.

“Am I really safe here?” I asked.

“There’s an entire club to keep your uncle away from you. Don’t you think those odds are better than being out on the streets alone?” He shrugged. “I’m not saying it’s completely impossible for him to reach you. Just a lot less likely.”

“Fine. I’ll accept your help, but I still want to know what it will cost.”

“Nothing.” He frowned into his coffee. “At least, I don’t think it will.”

“That sounds a bit ominous.”

“I don’t expect anything in return. But I’m not the boss around here. My club president may not like harboring someone who could bring trouble to the club.” He sighed. “Actually, I know he doesn’t. He’s worried your uncle could harm the kids who live here, and I understand his concerns.”

Right. I got it. Really. After seeing what my uncle was capable of, I wouldn’t want him near any children in the area either. I knew there were other men like my uncle out in the world. Probably far too many. Thinking people like them would never harm innocents probably wasn’t realistic.

“If you think anyone here will be hurt because I’m staying with you, then please tell me. I’d rather leave than put anyone in danger.” I’d die on the street before I let my monstrous uncle get his hands on any more innocent children.

“It won’t come to that.” He reached over and lightly placed his hand on mine before drawing it back. “You have my word. I’ll do whatever it takes to help you.”

I wasn’t sure why I believed him, but I did. There might come a time when I’d regret this decision. Until then, I’d try to put my faith in someone again. It had been a long time since I’d been able to do that. This man hadn’t tried to hurt me, hadn’t asked for anything weird, and seemed to be genuinely nice. A rare breed.

“What if I decide I want to leave?” I asked.

“No one will stop you. In fact, if you feel up for it, we can head over to the main gate. Then you’ll know how to get there, and I can introduce you to one of the men who stands guard.” He took another swallow of his coffee. “You’re not a prisoner here. I didn’t bring you to my house for nefarious purposes. We don’t exactly have a hotel here for guests, so it was this place, or leave you outside the compound.”

“I’ll accept that offer.” Maybe seeing my escape route, and him proving I could walk out any time I wanted, would make me feel even more at ease. There was still this voice in my mind saying no one did good things for free. And yet, I wanted to believe there were still decent people out there, and that Breaker could be one of them.

If things turned out bad, I’d just leave. Wouldn’t be the first time. At least I wouldn’t be running from my family.

* * *

Breaker

She was taking this much better than I’d expected. It wouldn’t have surprised me at all if she’d freaked out, screamed at me, cried, and begged to leave immediately. Instead, she was proving to be even stronger than I’d given her credit for, and I’d known she had to have a spine of steel. No one could survive on the streets as long as she had without courage, and a lot of luck.

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