And still, Penny plagues my thoughts. She’s been left alone for too long. Both her and the kid. The only reason I know they haven’t attempted escape is because the sound of a sniffling child continues to echo down the hall.
“When are you going to speak to the boy?” I ask Cole.
He stops scrubbing the crimson splotches on the floor and leans back on his haunches. “I’m not sure. I thought it might be better to wait until his father’s insides are cleaned off the tile.”
I grate my teeth at his sarcasm. “The longer you leave it, the harder it will be.”
“Then you go.” He jerks his chin at me. “Play the hero. Go beat your chest and attempt to win over Decker’s sister. See how far it gets you.”
I ignore the derision and scrub harder, the pungent scent of bleach searing my nostrils.
This isn’t about me ‘playing the hero.’
She’s been through hell, not only today, but for God knows how long. She’s fragile. Temperamental. Volatile.
From the way she rocked behind the kitchen counter, I’d say she’s one gentle gush of wind away from crumpling like a deck of cards.
It’s in our best interest to keep an eye on her.
“Go on, Captain America,” Cole drawls. “Save her from isolation.”
Fuck it.
Fuck him.
He’s been a major asshole since his father’s murder, and I get it, the situation didn’t end how he anticipated. He didn’t take out the head of his family. A woman did. A Fed.
He made the mistake of sleeping with the enemy who swept the victory out from underneath him. But that’s not my fault. I’d warned him about getting close to Anissa.
“Fine.” I throw my cloth to the floor. “I will.”
I stalk for the hall and follow the sound of a sniffing child all the way to my bedroom door. And there they are, huddled on the floor beneath the windowsill, Tobias snuggled in Penny’s tight embrace.
As soon as I breach the threshold she stiffens, her panicked gaze meeting mine.
“It’s okay.” I creep inside the room. “I just wanted to see how you two are holding up.”
The boy eyes me as if I’m his worst nightmare, his arms clutched around Penny’s middle, his legs curled close to hers.
“We’re dealing the best we can.” She runs a hand through Tobias’s hair, her mothering entirely natural.
“Can I get you anything? Food? Something to drink?”
Her gaze slowly treks me—from my face, all the way down to my hands. I do the same, taking in the blood splatter. Death stains every inch of me. My clothes. My skin. Some dried and cracking, other parts remaining liquified.
“I probably should’ve taken a quick look in the mirror before I came in.”
She winces in agreement. “What’s going on out there?”
I slowly inch to the bed and sit on the corner farthest from them, attempting a laidback demeanor. “We’re just finishing the clean-up.”
“What about the other woman? Is she still with you?”
“Anissa? No.” I tread lightly in the hope Penny won’t repeat information she never should’ve been privy to. “She’s outside, clearing her head.”
More accurately, I escorted her from the house because Cole couldn’t stand to look at her. I’m sure she’s down at the pier by now, impatiently waiting for a ticket out of here.
“I’d like to speak to her.”
“Maybe later. For now, it’s best if we all keep our distance It’s been a long morning.”
She falls quiet, her dark eyes filling with questions. “Can you at least tell me what happens next?”
“In terms of a detailed schedule, I have no idea.” I shrug. “But you’re not a prisoner, if that’s what you’re asking.”
She sucks in a breath and straightens. “Good. Because I’d like to leave as soon as possible.”
“Yeah, I get it. I’d be eager to get home, too. But it’s going to take time. We’re waiting on a jet—”
“No, I don’t mean going home to the States. I’m talking about Luther’s house. I need to get back there.”
“What?” I push to my feet and she scrambles to do the same, panicked caution flooding her features.
“We need to leave.” She drags Tobias to stand alongside her. “We have to get back to my sisters.”
She straightens to her full height like a mighty warrior climbing from the pits of hell. But her invisible armor is flimsy at best. The bravado she exudes is fake. I can see under the facade to the frightened woman beneath.
I shake my head and mentally curse the resulting thud of my brain. “That’s not an option.”
“So I am a prisoner?” she rasps.
I massage my temples, attempting to alleviate the quickly building stroke. “If we’re talking about being captive to your own stupidity, then yeah, I guess you’re a prisoner. Because there’s no way in hell you’re leaving here until it’s safe.”
Her nostrils flare as I witness the little trust I’d gained flitter away with every spite-filled blink of her eyes.
“Look.” I lower a hand from my temple, raising it, palm up, in peace. “It’s not rational for you to be anywhere but here.”
“It’s not safe for my family if I stay.” She starts for the door, Tobias tagging along at her side.
“Your family?” I stalk ahead and block their path. “I can assure you, they’re fine. In fact, your brother is on his way here as we speak.”
She stops, her eyes flaring, her gentle lips parted. Then the shock is hidden behind another firm squaring of her shoulders. “I don’t have a brother.”
Jesus Christ.
Not this shit again.
“Are you kidding me?”
“No, I’m not kidding you,” she grates. “The only family I have are the women living in Luther’s mansion, the ones who are fearing for my safety. The ones who are currently under more threat than I’ve ever been.”
“They’ll be okay. Cole will pull some strings and make sure they’re taken care of.”
“What strings?” Her question is flung like an accusation. “There are no strings when it comes to Luther’s operation. The police won’t help you. The locals won’t either. Dead or not, Luther is still entirely in control, which means they’re sitting ducks unless I can get to them.”
The kid lets out a big sniffle, the sound shooting into my skull like another motherfucking bullet. I’m dying here. Slowly succumbing to the mental torment.
“I said we’d handle it.” I return to massaging my temples. “You can trust me.”
“I can trust you?” She frowns with incredulity. “The man who claims I’m not a prisoner, yet refuses to let me leave?”
Maybe if my brain wasn’t currently being shoved through a grater I’d admire her tenacity, but this shit is getting old. For starters, Cole would never let her sail away from here with his half-brother. Not when she’s not the kid’s mother. She hasn’t been missing long enough to carry the same blood as the child.
“I’m going to call your brother.” I don’t want to spoil the reunion. As far as Decker is concerned, his sister is dead. But I’m clutching at straws here. I don’t know how else to get her to back down apart from pulling the cell from my jeans pocket. “You can speak to him for yourself. He can reassure you I’m trustworthy.”