Page 23 of Rattler's Revelation
Even though I was expecting it, hearing my uncle’s name creates a ball of nausea in my stomach. I fight against the rising panic to keep my expression calm. Outside, I’m a strong and stoic man. Inside, though, I’m a terrified child trapped in a nightmare of pain and humiliation.
“Rattler? What’s wrong?” Bianca asks. I blink my eyes open to see her beautiful orbs staring into mine. She has both her hands on my face as she speaks soothingly.
“You’ve gone a little green, man,” Randy says across from me. “What happened? What did I say?”
I gently remove Bianca’s hands before brushing my palm over her hair to make sure she knows I’m not pushing her away. Thinking of my uncle makes my skin crawl, and I can’t stand someone touching me with that bastard in my head.
“I’m sorry. Just bad memories,” I assure them. “So, is there anything else you can tell us about the compound?”
Bianca and Randy share a look before they turn similar looks back in my direction. The stubborn set of their expressions tells me they aren’t going to let me gloss over my reaction. Well, shit.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” I say stubbornly.
“You don’t trust us? After we both bared our worst secrets with you, you don’t trust us enough to do the same?”
I shake my head, but stop when I see the hurt on Bianca’s face. “It isn’t that I don’t trust you. Please, don’t think that. I can’t talk about this. I just can’t.”
“Have you talked to anyone?” Randy asks, quietly.
I shake my head. Bianca reaches over to wipe away a tear that I didn’t know had fallen. Well, shit. There goes my manly persona. I’m sitting at a picnic table sobbing like the child I once was. The pain and loneliness are overwhelming. I want to moveand get away from here. I want to get up and run away from the two people looking at me with concern. No one knows my secret. At least no one I care about. There is only one man who knows. He knows because he’s the cause of my greatest shame.
“Shit, I need a drink,” I murmur.
“You need to unburden yourself,” Randy says. “Let us share your burden, just like you shared ours.”
“I never told anyone that story,” Bianca says. “I was too ashamed, but I trusted you and Randy. You can trust us. Can’t you feel it? There’s a bond growing between the three of us. Trust that bond.”
I study Bianca’s beautiful face as I consider her words. Is there a bond? I was attracted to her the first time we met. Has it only been twenty-four hours? It wasn’t just attraction, though; there was a connection. I knew then I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from getting to know her better. I wanted a bond with her. Even when she seemed interested in Randy, I hadn’t felt jealous. Why is that? Why didn’t I feel jealous? I turn my attention to the man and consider the question, realizing I know the answer. I’d felt a similar connection with him. I hadn’t felt jealous because I didn’t see him as a rival, but more as a partner. Hadn’t he already put it into words when he told me to take care of ‘our girl’?
“This is hard for me,” I admit.
“We can see that,” Randy says. “It’s why we’re here. We’re here to support you. You can trust us.”
I close my eyes and take a deep breath before fighting the fear that is keeping my mouth shut. “The man you met, Wade Turner, he’s my uncle. He’s also the man who raped me when I was five and who continued to rape me until I was a teenager.”
Bianca gasps. Randy growls. Neither interrupts. I spare a glance at both, searching for disgust, or worse, pity. Biancagrasps my hand with hers even as Randy covers both of ours with his. Once again, we’re connected.
“I don’t think my father knew. At least I don’t remember him being around when Wade assaulted me. I got upset whenever I saw Wade. I would throw a fit whenever my dad said he had to leave me with Wade. When Wade realized I was close to telling my dad what was happening, Wade threatened to kill me if I didn’t keep my mouth shut. You know how it goes.”
Bianca and Randy nod. “The standard MO for an abuser,” Randy says.
“Yeah. I hated that man, but I was too scared to fight back. He’d tie me up so he could have easy access. He gagged me so I couldn’t scream. This went on for years until I finally broke down and told my dad. He called me a liar, but he never made me stay with Wade again. I think he believed me, but lacked the courage to face his brother. Dad never treated me the same after that. He pretty much ignored me from that day forward. It’s probably why he didn’t realize I was around when he offered to sell Viper to pay off his debts. As soon as I heard him threaten to give the bastard her location, I took off looking for her. I finally found her in Vegas. I don’t know why I thought I could rescue her when I couldn’t even rescue myself.”
“Don’t,” Randy snaps. “I don’t want to hear you blaming yourself for what that bastard did to you. You were a kid. From what I’ve heard from Rafe, you protected Viper. You came to Vegas, found your sister, and protected her. That makes you a hero.”
“It does,” Bianca adds. “I don’t know the story about you and Viper. I’d like to hear it sometime. You saved yourself, and look at you now. You’re an amazing man who has made something of his life. You have friends who care about you. Not just Randy and me, but your brothers at the club. The Old Ladies think you’re wonderful, and those kids? They adore you. It takes agreat man to earn the love of children. You are a great man. I’m proud to have you in my life.”
“Ditto,” Randy adds.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN: BIANCA
I stifle a yawn as I climb into the backseat of Randy’s car. I’m emotionally drained, rather than physically tired. If we didn’t have more apartments to check out, I’d curl up into a ball and take a nap. Knowing that my coworkers are suffering motivates me to fight back against the exhaustion. Randy slides behind the wheel as Rattler slams the passenger door shut. Both men are deep in thought as Randy points the car toward our next destination. My heart hurts for both men. Their trauma hit them both where it hurts the most.
Randy is a protector. Being involved in an attack that left a mother and father dead and their daughter an orphan is the worst thing that could have happened to him. Even though he managed to rescue the little girl from a fate worse than death, I have no doubt he has nightmares about not being able to stop the violent deaths of the child’s mother and father.
Then, there’s Rattler. He takes pride in being strong and protecting the innocent. Admitting that he was once so weak that he was a victim was probably the hardest admission he’s ever had to make. Knowing he trusted Randy and me enough to tell us makes me realize that Randy’s plan might work after all.
“Is this it?” Randy asks, pulling into the parking lot of a high-end condominium complex and parking in a guest spot.
