He laughed and let go of her wrist. When she got out of the car, he closed the door behind her and drove off.
Penny found herself in the middle of the sidewalk, shaking and almost crying. She wrapped her arms around her, feeling cold in the crisp morning air.
“Think, Penelope. Think,” she whispered to herself.
She needed clarity. There was no way she could come up with a viable plan without putting her thoughts in order first. Central Park wasn’t far away, so she decided to go there for a long walk. She had no intention of going back to the office, and the children had classes in the morning. She swore to herself that the next time she saw them, probably in the evening, she would have good news for them.
***
Penelope arrived at the Goldman Mansion later than she had intended. It was Friday evening, and Juniper and Thorn had finished their classes hours before. She could have come earlier, but the truth was that she hadn’t had the courage to face them. She knew they wouldn’t hold it against her that she didn’t have a plan yet, but she still felt like she was failing them. She had considered going to her father, who was a lawyer, and tell him everything, but then she realized she wasn’t ready to drag her parents into this. Would they believe her? Certainly. But were they ready to hear the truth about Richard and Marcia Goldman? No. No one would be. Not even a stranger on the street, let alone two respectful people who considered themselves family friends.
As Penny slipped into the house, she greeted the maid who had opened the door for her and told her that no, she didn’t want to see Marcia. Apparently, Richard’s wife was in the living room, entertaining some guests, while her husband was in his home office, taking care of God knew what business. Avoiding the living room, Penny went quickly up the stairs and knocked on the twins’ door. Thorn answered.
“Hey, baby. I’m sorry I’m late. I had some… work to finish.”
The boy smiled and invited her in. As Penny stood awkwardly by the closed door, he went back to the desk and resumed coloring in a book.
“Where’s your sister?”
“I don’t know. One of the servant girls, the blonde one… Hannah, I think… came about half an hour ago and told Nina that Mr. Goldman needed her. I wanted to go too, but she said no. He only wanted her.”
Cold chills ran up Penny’s spine. Her knees started shaking, and she had to grab the door frame to keep herself upright.
“What for?”
Thorn shrugged. “Something about meeting someone special.”
“Enzo Salvador?”
“I don’t know. Probably someone else, though, because we met Enzo yesterday and he wasn’t all that special.”
“No. No, no, no.”
Thorn looked at her confused.
“Are you okay, Penny?”
She shook her head, but then got a hold of herself and gave him a reassuring, albeit fake, smile.
“Don’t worry about me. Just… wait here, okay? Stay in your room, and don’t leave even if they beg. Better yet, lock the door. I’ll be back with Nina as soon as I can.”
The boy’s brown eyes were filled with worry now. Penny couldn’t know, but his shifter senses had kicked in, and he could feel her distress, the fear that was slowly crawling through her veins, making her heart beat faster. He put his colored pencil down and looked straight at her. Without another word, she was out of the room in a second, and Thorn went to lock the door behind her. It didn’t matter, anyway. Of course they had the key.
Penelope ran down the stairs and headed straight to Goldman’s office. She hoped to God that Juniper was still there and he hadn’t done anything horrific to her. It was the only place she could think of where the girl could have been taken. She heard Marcia laughing in the living room, but she had a feeling Juniper wasn’t with her. Just as she was reaching for the doorknob, a man of about fifty years of age burst out of the office, almost knocking her down. He was seething with anger. He didn’t even look at her as he mumbled under his breath: “Get out of my way, idiot.”
Normally, she would have stopped him and told him a thing or two, but she couldn’t care less. She recognized him as one of the bankers who had attended the cocktail party a week before, and she wondered what had made him so angry. Richard Goldman would have never offended one of his intimate friends and club members intentionally. She pushed the door open and stepped into the office. She was beyond knocking and asking for permission, as every second mattered.
Juniper was standing in a corner, looking down at her fidgeting fingers, and Goldman was sitting behind his desk, counting a stack of money. Across from him, lounging in a leather chair, was Enzo Salvador.
“You,” she spat through gritted teeth. “Wherever I go, you’re always there, always lurking in the shadows and stalking these kids. What kind of monster are you?!”
Enzo turned to her, brows furrowed. She couldn’t read him. Goldman, however, shot up and yelled at her.
“What is the meaning of this? Penny, you can’t just barge in and insult one of my business partners. Get out!”
“I’m taking her with me.”
She walked over to Juniper and grabbed her hand. The poor girl was shaking. When she looked up at Penny, she had tears swimming in her beautiful almond eyes.
