My other hand lay on top of hers. “I was teasing, but I love holding your hand.”
That hand slowly pulled away from mine. “Umm, I can’t. I’m not—”
“Do you have a boyfriend, June?”
She looked down. “No… I… would you like more sweet tea?”
“If I promise not to touch your hand, will you stay and talk to me?”
June looked around. She had no other customers at her tables and, therefore, no decent excuse to leave me. “Umm, I guess so.”
“Great! What kind of movies do you like?”
A bashful smile crossed her face. “Any at a theater.”
“You like movie theaters?”
June nodded like a child with a dream of going to the movies.
I felt as if I was the only soul in the world who could hear her silent plea for help. So, with two shaky feet, I leapt into a relationship with June. Maybe it was out of hope that if I did right by June, some guy would do the same and bring Lilah from the depths of her tragedy.
After our weekend together, Viola and I talked almost daily, and she was really worried about Lilah. I had gone home and tried to mend our relationship, and Lilah promised she understood why I’d run, but she seemed hurt and distracted. I prayed Kenny hadn’t died on purpose because when I saw him in heaven someday, I didn’t want to have to kill him myself if he had. I was pretty sure God would frown on that, and I hoped God would at least let me shake the shit out of Kenny for a bit.
Sitting with me in the dark restaurant, June sounded as if she was trying to build up the courage to speak to me. “You’re in here all the time. May I ask what your name is?”
I became very conscious of my words. I was purposely trying to rebuild her from the start. I never cussed at her. June was just too tender for the real me. “Absolutely. Thanks for asking. My name is Tucker.”
There was such an unworldly sense to June. “Nice to meet you, Tucker.”
The storm brewed outside as a storm of my own brewed inside, at that very table, while we talked. I learned June was eighteen and as gentle as a little, harmless bunny—a caged bunny, which had something to do with the asshole I’d seen the first day I met her.
Two more weeks went by.
“June?”
“Yes?” June answered with a building confidence she only had with me.
“Can I take you to a movie?” I set my soup spoon down, hoping for a yes.
She froze as if trapped between a want and a need, reeling with astonishment.
“Are you allowed to date?” I asked to keep conversation going, hoping she wouldn’t shut down.
“I—uh, no, not really.”
“That sucks. I was going to share my popcorn and Reese’s with you.”
Her eyes went huge. “Movie buttered popcorn?” Her little peach tongue licked her ruby lips as though tasting the common theater food.
Did the world forget about this child in a woman’s body? “Yeah, uh, buttered,” I cautiously answered. “June, how long has it been since you’ve been to the movies?”
June’s faced paled. “Since my daddy died… I was six.”
My stomach plummeted. Fuck! Tuck, run! But I couldn’t stop my damn lips from making sounds. “Can you lie? Say you have to work so I can take you?” Stupid motherfucker!
June’s body hadn’t moved since she mentioned her deceased father. Slowly, she nodded, and that damn whisper of hers tugged at my heart. “Yes.”
June didn’t have a cell phone. It was becoming clear that she didn’t have much of anything. The night of our first date, her stepdad booted her to the curb in front of the restaurant, again. It took all I had not to get out of my parked car and beat his worthless ass. June rushed inside, and I watched her nervously pace in the lobby by the hostess’s stand.
As I opened my car door, I told myself, Hope you know what you’re doing, Tucker Ward. Damn counselor without a license.
June saw me open the door to the restaurant, started rushing to me, and stopped herself. I’m already becoming someone she’s trusting. At that moment, I knew I couldn’t turn back; it was too late. I couldn’t cause more damage to those sweet green eyes that desperately needed a friend. I smiled, hiding my fear for her. “You ready?”
Just then, a man in a tie approached me. “Hi. My name is Todd. I’m the manager here.”
He held out his hand to shake, but his eyes were not as friendly. They were studying me, majorly. I shook his hand and felt as if I needed this man’s approval to take June out to a movie. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who had spotted the girl in need of help. I figured if the man knew some info on me, he would be more relaxed and wouldn’t believe I was kidnapping the innocent. “Hi, it’s nice to meet you, Todd. I’m Tucker Ward. I go to school here… my father is… he taught me to work hard and keep my hands to myself.”
It wasn’t a lie. I didn’t say that I hadn’t learned that last lesson well.
After I was stamped and approved, June and I left for the movies. Maybe I should’ve been annoyed with Todd, but in all honesty, I was relieved someone else had June’s best interests at heart.
At the refreshment counter, June was truly a child in a candy store. Unable to decide which snack she couldn’t live without was torturous to watch. My wallet was fat and all hers. Over her head, I told the cashier we would have the works as I pointed to half the shit behind the glass. “And don’t forget the popcorn, with butter.”
An audible gasp escaped my date.
Walking to our movie, I watched June with her arms full of treats. I also watched as her eyes welled when she looked at me. She must’ve known I could see her fighting tears because she softly said, “I’m… weird, right?”
Her being aware that she was a bit odd made me angry toward whoever had told her being different was a bad thing. I pulled her to a theater entrance where the doors were closed and there was no traffic, stuck her in the corner, and shielded her with my body, which towered over hers. I wanted her to have privacy for her first breakdown with me. That was all done just in the nick of time—her shoulders began to shake. “Why are you so kind to me? He says… he says I’m not—”
I balanced my Coke and our popcorn in one arm so I could have a free hand to touch her face. “Listen to me. Just because that asshole says some bull—uh, crap—doesn’t make it true. I’m with you tonight because I don’t want to be anywhere else. I see a very smart girl who is more than worthy of some candy and a movie. I want to be your friend, June. I like you.”
Tears rolled down her face as her bottom lips trembled. “But why?”
“I’m hoping, in time… you can answer that question for yourself. Once you see what I see.”
She sniffled. “M-My heart says I can trust you.”
God, please let her be right.
Her shift wouldn’t have been over by the time our movie ended, so we sat at a little table in the corner at her work and talked some more. I offered to buy her dinner, but she refused since she was full of what she called “movie delights.”
When June knew her ride would be arriving soon, she pulled folded dollar bills out of her purse. My brows creased. “What are ya doing?”
She was counting bills. “He will expect money, so throughout the week, I took a little from each shift to cover my lie.”
My stomach almost forced popcorn through my nose. I hadn’t thought of him taking her money or her need to cover our date. I reached for my wallet, but she looked spooked once again—not worthy. “No. It was my lie. I will cover it.”
“June—damn—I—”
She smiled. June actually smiled. “It was worth it, Tucker.”
I had my first glimpse of the fight that she had hidden away. It was beautiful. I let June win the battle and financially cover our lie for that night, but every date from that point on was on my shoulders. I insisted. June finally agreed. Popcorn was on the line.
“I went out with a girl tonight,” I said into my cell as I lay in my bed. V had a boy
friend, of course, but I somehow still felt compelled to tell her what was happening in my world.
“Thank you…for telling me. I know I have no right to ask, but I still appreciate your honesty.”
I smirked even though she couldn’t see it. “By chance, has Bryce dumped you?”
“No,” she said with a touch of wonder. Maybe she was thinking about what it would be like if Bryce said good-bye so I could say hello. “You like this girl, Tuck?”
“I think she needs me.”
“Sounds like we are officially in the same boat.”
Todd, June’s manager, was our cover. He had my cell number in case her stepdad made an unannounced appearance, which, fortunately, he never did. I didn’t think June had the guts to think for herself, but I soon found her to be a young woman who wanted to learn, and she had all the heart to do so. It had been eight weeks since I’d left home, and school was set to start in four.
Having long conversations about anything and everything was June’s favorite thing to do. She was insatiable, a dry sponge longing for water. One night, I got so caught up in her growth, her smile, and her eyes that I let my male needs come forward. Sitting alone in my apartment with June, I leaned in to kiss her. June was very receptive as her mouth opened for me. I didn’t realize how eager I was until I found myself climbing on top of her on my couch. June didn’t deserve for me to move so quickly, but when I stopped myself, she asked me not to.
That was where being a guy could cause problems. The sensible side of me knew June was delicate and needed time for every talk or move I made. The simpleminded, horny side of me was leading her to my bedroom, ready to rock no matter what the cost. My conscience, which struggled, lost to the dick begging to get out of my pants. When June pulled my shirt over my head, it was on. I knew V was having sex with Bryce, so I allowed myself my own release.
I came to a skidding halt when June handed me a pillow from my bed, telling me to cover her face. Huh? I was out of breath, resting over her on my elbows. “What? What for?”
“That’s how he likes it. I thought you would also.”
June had said “likes,” not “liked,” which told me whomever she was speaking of was still doing this. I wasn’t sure if my heart pounding in my ears was from being so close to sex or fear of what June might say next. Retreating to counselor mode, I cautiously and slowly asked, “June, are you speaking of your stepdad?”
The whisper I had not heard in weeks was back. “Yes.”
Jesus fucking Christ, help me. A rush of emotions instantly overtook me. Defend her! Pray for her! Oh my God! I’m so over my head with what kind of abuse June has experienced.
This was not just a shitty, word-throwing stepdad. There was real criminal activity taking place, and only he, God, and June knew for how long. Lying naked on top of her suddenly made me feel like a dirty creep, trying to cash in on the weak. I pushed off her in a guilty hurry, thinking I should have known better. I should’ve been like my dad and recognized all the signs of abuse that were everywhere for the world to see, clear as a neon sign shining in the night on a deserted road.
Sitting up, June pulled the pillow and covered her body, saying—with a sadness that almost killed me—“You think I’m ugly, too.”
The clothes I’d been collecting from the floor fell from my hands as I fell to my knees. Naked, kneeling in front of a kind soul who I now knew was part of a statistic, I felt ill. I grabbed June’s hands as her arms clung to the pillow. “June, hear me, and hear me good. Remember when I said I wanted to be your friend? That I liked you?”
She shyly nodded.
“I did not and will not ever lie to you. The only difference is now I like you even more. You are beautiful, inside and out. I’m just very angry at your stepdad right now. He has hurt you… in more ways than I realized. Do you know that, baby? Do you know that what he is doing to you is wrong?”
Silence. There was dead silence as I waited for her reply.
“I used to,” June said in an eerie monotone.
My heart, aching for what she’d experienced, now broke.
“Until I learned… it’s my fault.”
My throat tightened to the point it almost closed completely.
“My mama said… I made him do it. I didn’t know what I did. I still don’t.” Her voice could barely be heard.
I pushed the pillow from between us, needing to feel her and know she was safe in my arms. I held her and painfully croaked out, “How long, June? How long have you—” I couldn’t finish. I could not finish asking this young woman how long her stepdad had been raping her.
Calmly, June reached to my face and wiped tears. Her eyes were dry. Then, that fucking haunting whisper answered me. “Since the beginning.”
June was seven when her mother started seeing her stepfather, a year after her dad passed away. Since she was eighteen at this point, that meant June had been sexually abused for eleven solid years. I yelled out as I pulled her even closer to me, knowing that whatever help I thought I’d been giving June, I was wrong. So wrong.
June was numb. She had to be. After every date, I’d been sending her home… to a rapist.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Of course, after learning that she’d been violated from the only person June could trust—me—she then wanted to run. June had found a way to coexist in the madness she called home. Telling her we needed to go to the police meant rocking a boat she wanted to keep afloat. If I hadn’t spent so much time talking to her and working with her before her truth came out, I never would have convinced her that I was right.
Accusing a man of such extreme charges was going to be no small undertaking. After June finally fell asleep in my bed, I called my dad for help. He growled, “Sick fucking bastard… you can’t let that poor girl go back home, Tuck.”
My cell was shaking in my trembling hands. “She has nowhere to go, Dad. I—I don’t know what to do.”
“Keep her with you until we can locate some family. This is gonna turn into a hell storm. I’ll come to you first thing in the morning and go with you two to the police station.”
Just then, my cell beeped. I looked at my phone. “I think that hell storm just began. It’s her work calling.”
June’s boss said the asshole had come in, raising hell and looking for her, claiming he was filing a missing-persons report. Silently, I called his bluff by not returning the girl to that fucker who’d been brutally and repeatedly raping her. I knew he didn’t really want police anywhere near her. Sure enough, as soon as Todd picked up the phone to call the police, June’s father hauled ass.
June kept waking through the night, expecting her stepdad to come crashing through my door to force her to return home. I comforted her in my arms. “Shhh. He doesn’t even know about me, so he wouldn’t know where to look. You’re safe. You’re safe.”
By morning, June felt it was best to go home—not to the police station. I was utterly floored that she would even consider returning to her hell on earth. It was as if she didn’t know how not to be abused because it was all she knew. When she started making excuses for her stepfather’s actions, I knew I was witnessing some sort of Stockholm syndrome. That was mind-boggling shit to a guy who came from a good, nurturing home and had never dealt with abuse—of any kind.
I was beyond desperate, trying to reason with her, when came a knock on my door. Looking out my peephole, I was relieved to see my dad and shocked as shit to see Viola. I opened the door, feeling all kinds of fucked up. My dad nervously pointed to V. “I hope I did right. Thought you could use some extra support.”
V said, “Lilah knows nothing about what’s happening here. She’s in innocent, teenage land with Jaz, having some junk-food movie marathon.”
June’s desperate whispers had haunted me. V’s sturdy voice was grounding me. I nodded to my dad with much approval as I pulled V into a tight embrace. Weight began to fall off my shoulders because new shoulders had arrived to help bear the pressure. That floral, magical scent
filled my senses—
“Tucker?” June sounded scared and insecure from behind me.
My body stiffened as I realized I had to introduce Viola to another girl in my life. I whispered in V’s ear, “I’m sorry,” and then released her from our hug.
Viola nervously nodded, inhaled, and forced a smile. “Hi, June. My name is Viola. I—I’m a friend of Tucker’s and wanted to be here to help you—support you with anything you may need.”
June eyed my large father but replied, in that pitiful whisper, “I want to go home.”
I stared at Viola in amazement as she sat on the couch with a crying June, talking with utmost patience. V had told me before that she wanted to be a counselor, and I’d laughed in her face and said she’d make someone jump. She’d told me to fuck off.
But her harsh ways—which I found sexy as hell—were not to be seen that morning. She was as gentle as a cloud to June. Eventually, the four of us were heading to the nearest police station.
When June’s stepdad was arrested, her mother blamed June. Luckily, June’s parents were broke and didn’t have the means to bail out the child molester. He was forced to stay in jail until the hearing.
The police were able to find an aunt of June’s, who was horrified when she learned what her niece had been through. She promised to keep June’s mom from contacting the girl and took June to her own home. With June’s aunt being so understanding, I couldn’t help but wonder what went wrong with her sister, June’s mother.
The aunt happened to live in a town close to my hometown, which made it easier to stay in June’s life. I cared for her deeply and wasn’t willing to let her go, not until June was ready. I would see her through to the end, during the hardest times of her life.
June’s aunt enrolled her in counseling to help her cope with a lifetime of horrific abuse. There were lots of tears and doubts, and June clung to me like a lifeline, but in rare moments, she was actually hopeful she could overcome her past.
Steal Me (Haunted Roads Book 1) Page 25