Page 88 of Keeping Penny

“Put her on speaker,” he ordered, gently but firmly.

Penny clicked on the button to do just that and said, “Are you with someone, honey?”

“Yeah. Shawn and Bud. They’re on a pier fishing.”

“What pier? Where?” Penny asked, almost desperately.

“I don’t know.” Bowie sounded scared now.

“It’s okay,” Penny soothed, trying to calm down so her daughter would relax as well. “You’re safe now, that’s what’s important. Can you let me talk to the nice men who let you use their phone, so they can tell me where you are?”

“Uh-huh. But, Mommy, I need to tell you what Kylo-Pyro told me to say.”

“Okay, baby, I’m listening.” Just hearing Pyro’s name made Penny want to cry, but she controlled herself. She could fall apart later. Once she had Bowie in her arms and Pyro was home safe and sound.

“We were put in the trunk of a car. It was scary, and they hurt Kylo-Pyro. They hit his leg. He can’t walk so good. I helped him though. We were taken to a house. He told me to tell you it’s really big. Two whole stories. It’s yellow, with white porches on the lower level, and the upper one too. And it has a brown roof. It even had an elevator in it! The bad men took us to the basement and put handcuffs on Kylo-Pyro. It was smelly down there. I took a nap and when I woke up, Kylo-Pyro used the key in his boot to undo his handcuffs. Then I went out the window because he couldn’t fit. We were by the ocean, and I went to the water and walked and walked and walked until Bud and Shawn found me. Are you going to send Casper and his friends to get Kylo-Pyro? He’s hurt bad. He was crying! I’m scared, Mommy!”

Penny’s heart was in her throat. The tears she’d been determined to hold back fell anyway. By this point, she was surrounded by all her friends. Laryn had an arm around her shoulders, Mandy and Zita were crowded against them. Jen and Fred were in front of her, with Edge next to her. Everyone was staring at the phone in her hand with scary intensity.

“Bowie, this is Edge. I’m here, and I heard everything you said. You’re such a smart little girl. And we’re going to go get Pyro right now.”

“Okay. He told me that when I was scared to pretend like I wasn’t, and it would help. I think that’s what he’s doing. I think he’s scared too. Of the bad men coming to steal him. And he can’t walk good. He needs your help.”

Penny covered her mouth to hide the sob that escaped. Bowie was safe, but Pyro was hurt. And scared. It was more than she could handle.

“Mommy?”

Penny swallowed hard. “Yeah, baby?” she croaked out.

“Kylo-Pyro said he wants to marry you. And when he does, I can be Bowie Mullins and he would be my daddy.”

That was it. Penny’s legs wouldn’t hold her anymore. She crumpled to the floor once more, and Edge took the phone from her hand as she buried her face in her hands and sobbed.

“Pyro will be the best daddy ever,” Edge said, his voice sounding more gruff than normal. “Can you give the phone to one of the men you’re with now? I need to find out where you are so I can send Casper and the others to get you.”

“Will you come? And bring Mommy? I want Casper to go find Kylo-Pyro.”

“Yeah, sweetheart. I can do that.”

“Okay. I love you, Edge!”

“Hello?” a deep voice said through the speaker.

“Where are you?” Edge asked, skipping any pleasantries.

The man gave him the address of the pier where he and his friend had been fishing. “I heard what she said. I can’t believe…Holy shit,” the man said. “My friend Bud and I saw her below the pier. She walked here along the shore…I can’t…this is…”

“She’s a special girl,” Edge agreed, cutting the man off. “Please look after her until we can get there. We’ve been desperate to find her.”

“I will. I have a daughter too. She’s safe with us. I give you my word.”

“Thank you. We’ll be there as soon as we can.”

“We’ll be waiting. You’ll see my dark blue pickup truck. I’ve got some water in a cooler and some snacks for her if she’s hungry.”

“Sounds great. Do. Not. Leave,” Edge said forcefully.

“I won’t. I promise.”