Page 76 of Keeping Penny

“I know, Bowie-Bear. And I’m so proud of you. You’re amazing. Thank you for helping me walk. Without you there, I don’t know that I could’ve made it.” He wasn’t blowing smoke up her ass either. There was no way the little girl could’ve kept him upright if he fell, but she gave him just enough support that he’d been able to limp his way into the house.

Pyro still felt nauseous and would kill for some morphine right about now, but he had bigger problems. The clock was ticking, and if he didn’t find a way to get out of this basement, he and Bowie would be shipped off in the morning to meet a grisly fate.

Thoughts of Penny tried to slip into his mind, but Pyro ruthlessly pushed them down deep. He couldn’t think about what she was going through or how worried she was. He had to stay focused on the here and now. On getting Bowie out of this basement.

He’d come to the realization when the elevator door opened that he wasn’t going to be able to save them. Not in his condition. He was going to have to rely on Bowie. But as much as she impressed him on a daily basis with how well she navigated the world without sight, this was a completely different thing.

Still…they had no choice. Bowie was going to have to save the day. Or at least attempt to. Pyro couldn’t wait for someone to find them. They didn’t have time.

Escape could wait though. For night to fall. For the men upstairs to let down their guard and go to sleep, secure in the knowledge that their captives were stuck in the basement. Pyro didn’t know if they owned this house or were simply renting it. In the end, it didn’t matter. All that mattered was getting the hell out before their buddies showed up in the morning.

But first…he could use a snuggle.

“Climb up here,” he told Bowie. “In my lap.”

Without hesitation, she did as he asked, climbing onto his lap and putting her arms around his neck. Pyro hated that he couldn’t hug her back, but he closed his eyes, loving the warmth and weight of her little body against his own.

“Love you, Bowie-Bear. We’re going to be okay. When we get out of here, we’re going to eat ice cream for a week straight. And all the chicken nuggets we want. Hear me?”

She nodded, but she didn’t lift her head or respond. She was probably exhausted. Lord knew Pyro was. He wasn’t tempted in the least to sleep, but they had time for Bowie to take a nap. She was going to need her rest.

Pyro spent the next few hours counting Bowie’s breaths as she slept. Coming up with a plan. Ways to bolster the little girl’s confidence enough to give her the strength to do what needed to be done.

Because no doubt about it, what he was going to ask of her would be monumentally scary. But if it saved her life, he wouldn’t regret it. He just hoped her mother would forgive him someday for the position he was going to put her daughter in later that night.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Penny felt sick. She’d never been this scared in all her life. Not when John was violent and she knew he was going to turn on her. Not after he died, and she had to figure out what to do next. Not when Colvin sent people to her hut to collect money she didn’t have. Not even when she realized she had literally nothing for her or Bowie to eat when that asshole left her without a dime.

But not knowing where the two people she loved most were at that moment? If they were okay? It was bone-deep terrifying.

Chaos had arrived back at the apartment, and Penny had felt almost as if she were floating and watching and listening to what was happening from above everyone else. Her ears felt clogged, like his news was coming from the other end of a long tunnel.

He’d told them all about Fred finding Pyro’s scent and following it to a parking lot. Then about finding his phone and Bowie’s backpack…and how there’d been no other signs of either her daughter, or the man who’d changed her life for the better.

Chaos also told them they hadn’t found blood or any other evidence of violence. But Penny didn’t even want to think about that. The only thing that made her feel even the smallest twinge of hope was that Pyro was with Bowie. Of course, there was no proof of that, but she refused to believe anything else. If they were separated, Bowie would be helpless. She was only six. And blind. While Penny was constantly amazed at the things her daughter could do, being kidnapped and taken somewhere unfamiliar would be daunting enough for someone with sight. And who wasn’t a child.

“He said if I didn’t pay him, he’d take her,” Penny whispered, when Chaos finished explaining what he and the other Night Stalkers had found. “That he’d get what he was owed by selling her.”

She heard the other women gasp, but she kept her gaze locked on Chaos. She saw a myriad of emotions flit across his face. Surprise, shock, anger.

“Not happening,” he bit out. “Pyro will keep her safe until we can find them.”

“How are we going to do that?” Penny asked. “I called the police while you guys were gone, and they said they’d send someone out to take a report but they haven’t arrived yet. Even though Bowie is a kid, and blind, they don’t seem too concerned since she’s with Pyro.”

“Casper’s calling Tex.”

The other women nodded, as if the matter was settled. But for Penny, it wasn’t. She couldn’t simply sit around and wait for information. Every minute that went by was one more that her baby was possibly being harmed. Or that Pyro was suffering.

“I want to talk to him,” she blurted.

Chaos looked confused. “Talk to who?”

“Tex. Do you have his number? I want to know what he’s doing to find Bowie and Pyro, and what I can do to help.”

“What we can do is wait for Tex to do his thing and get back to us.”

Penny was already shaking her head. “No. This is my daughter. You have no idea how it feels to have a part of you ripped away like this. I realize that if she and Pyro are together, it’s a best-case scenario. But she’s blind, Chaos. As proud as I am of her independence, the fact remains that she can’t see! And as much as we want to believe it, there’s no guarantee Pyro’s still with her. I can’t just sit around twiddling my thumbs and waiting. I need to do something. And what I want to do right now is talk to this Tex person and hear what he’s doing to find my child!”