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“And now you’ve been beating yourself up all afternoon for not stopping her from leaving or dragging her back here.”
Toni gave him a sad smile and nodded. Their gazes connected, but she immediately looked away again, and Zach finally figured it out. The real issue. What she’d been stressing about all day. God, he loved her and her heart that had an endless amount of love to share.
“Come on,” he said as he nudged her out of the booth.
Toni stood and cast him a confused look. “What?”
“Let’s go see if we can find her and convince her to come back with us. Someone might as well make use of our guest room.”
Toni’s mouth fell open and her eyes final lit up. “Zach,” she said, “are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“But-but it could be a for a while. I mean, if she doesn’t have anyone else…”
Did she even realize how her eyes pleaded with him for what she was afraid to voice? If the girl had no one, Toni would want to offer her a permanent or at least long-term spot in their home. “I know.”
“Zach, you need to think about this. We—we aren’t even sure if and when we want our own children, let alone taking in a teenager who probably has a shit-ton of baggage. This might be really difficult. I want you to really think—”
“Babe,” he said, shutting her up with a quick, hard kiss. “I’ve already thought. I’m sure about this.” And he was. Yes, they’d discussed kids, and both decided to table it for a few years, but something about this just sat right with him. Knowing they could be saving a teen from the same fate Toni had suffered felt damn good. Plus, clearly Toni had already formed some sort of affection for the girl. Maybe she saw herself in the teen. He and his ol’ lady were fucking blessed with amazing friends and chosen family along with two successful businesses. If they could share it with a kid who needed it, all the better.
“Thank you, Zach,” Toni said, her voice catching. “I love you.” She threw herself in his arms and squeezed the fuck outta him.
“Right back at ya, baby.” As he peered down at her smiling face, he couldn’t help the surge of love. “Let’s go find your girl and make sure she has a warm bed and good fucking food for Christmas.”
After making sure Louie was ready to rock and roll if necessary, Zach drove them to where she’d last seen Lindsey. Toni worried her lower lip and squeezed his hand with a death grip the entire ride.
“It’s so cold tonight,” she said as they pulled over to the side of the road fifty feet from the underpass. “She must be freezing.”
Up ahead, two fifty-five-gallon drums blazed away with roaring fires. A few makeshift shelters constructed from boxes, plastic crates, and blankets lined the edges of the underpass while the majority of the occupants, mostly men, huddled around the fires. The thought of a thirteen-year-old girl living here turned his stomach.
“Ready?”
“I’m ready to find her. Let’s go.” Toni opened her door and started to step out.
“Wait,” Zach said as he caught her wrist. “Most of these people are cold, hungry, and many are strung out. We have no idea who or what we’re walking into, so I want a hand on me at all times. You grab my belt if I need both hands, okay? I need to know you’re okay if I can’t be watching you.”
Wide-eyed, Toni nodded. When her gaze drifted to the men and women milling around, her shoulders slumped. He hated to add to her fears, but taking her there was risk enough, he wouldn’t compound it by going in unprepared. People became unpredictable and dangerous when cold, hungry, penniless, and possibly jonesing for a hit.
“If shit gets real nasty, you come right back here, lock yourself in, and call Copper.” He wasn’t taking any chances with her safety. Grabbing Louie, he exited the car then came around to take Toni’s hand.
Together, they strolled through the surprising number of individuals dwelling under the overpass. Over and over, they called Lindsey’s name and asked the few people who’d give them the time of day if they’d seen her. Toni rewarded anyone who’d help them with a few dollars, but most people refused to even glance in their direction.
“Oh, God, that’s awful,” Toni said as she brought her forearm up under her nose.
“Stay close.” The stench of weed mixed with marijuana and piss, making him want out of there in the worst way.
Toni’s gaze fixed on a trio of men standing near a concrete pillar. One had a belt secured around his upper arm while he injected a needle into his vein. Another swiped at his arms as though brushing away invisible bugs. The third snatched the needle as soon as the first had finished and refilled it with liquid on a spoon.
