It’s the painful reminder of the remaining news that keeps me in place.
“Did you hear me?” Decker asks. “Do you understand? You’re going home. You’ll be able to see Mom and Dad. And God, they’re going to be so fucking happy.”
Shit. I should’ve warned him not to mention their parents.
“I don’t want to see them.” Her protest is growled. “You can’t make me.”
“It will be good for you. They can help.”
“Penny?” Tobias’s voice carries down the hall, his sleepy face coming into view from a bedroom up ahead. “Where is she?”
I hold a finger to my lips as he approaches, lazily blinking away sleep as the shirt I gave him hangs from his shoulders like an oversized bag.
“She’s in there,” I whisper. “Talking with her brother.”
“Can I see her?”
“In a minute.”
“No.” Penny raises her voice from behind the wooden door. “You’re not taking me away from him. Tobias stays with me.”
The little boy’s eyes widen. “They’re talking about me.” He lunges for the handle, determined to get inside. “Penny?”
For a second I consider grabbing him, using a hand around his mouth to smother his yell. It takes another split second to figure out how fucking stupid that would be. Not only because it would scare the shit out of the kid, but because there’s no way Penny didn’t already hear him.
“Tobias?”
The boy shoves open the door and rushes inside.
I don’t follow. As much as it kills me, I remain there against the wall, giving them the privacy Keira requested.
“What’s going on?” Tobias demands. “What’s happening?”
“Nothing.” I imagine Penny soothing him with a motherly cuddle. “My brother and I are just having a misunderstanding.”
“It’s not a misunderstanding, Penny. You’re going home. After all this time you get to return to the people who love you the most.”
“No,” she yells, the pitch razoring through my head. “You’re not taking me away from him. Tobias stays with me.”
Silence stretches, and this time I have no trouble picturing the standoff inside that room. I can clearly see her defiance. The strong stance. The warrior expression.
“Penny, please,” Decker begs. “Torian isn’t going to let his brother go anywhere without him.”
“Then he can return to the States with us. He can leave, too, because I won’t go anywhere without Toby.”
“Penny…”
“So help me God, Sebastian, if you separate us you’re as good as dead to me.”
Fuck.
I push from the wall and step into the open doorway. They all look at me. Three sets of eyes begging for my assistance.
“Talk to him,” Penny demands. “Tell him I’m not leaving Toby.”
I wish I could.
Right now, I’d give anything to make her panicked gaze soften. To relax the stiffness in a posture that must be almost crippled with exhaustion.
“It’s not your brother’s decision.” I start toward her. “That lies with Torian, and he’s not going to change his mind. Tobias needs to get to know his family. They will look after—”
“No.” She shakes her head and clutches the boy’s shoulders, dragging him to stand before her. “No.”
“Let him get to know them. Let him spend more time alone with Keira and Cole now so you can see how comfortable he is before the jet arrives.”
“No.” Her eyes widen, growing frantic. “I won’t leave without him.”
“Penny, no amount of protesting will change Cole’s mind. After what you pulled with the guard, you’ve stamped your own ticket home. It’s your choice whether you willingly walk onto the jet, or if we need to take alternate measures to get you on there safely.”
Her lips part on silent words and the pained betrayal she levels on me is fucking brutal. I’ve gone from being her rescuer to her tormentor in the space of a few heartbeats, and I’ve gotta admit, the punishment is more severe than the pound in my head.
I want to help her. I always have. But right now, I can’t stop agreeing with Torian. She needs to get out of here. If not for safety reasons, then for her mental health. “Leaving without him will be a good thing. You can focus on yourself to start healing.”
“Do not make decisions for me. You can’t do this. You promised,” she implores, clinging tighter to a boy who seems more frightened of her reaction than his future. “You said—”
“I promised to keep you safe. To protect you.”
She backs herself into the wall, frantically dragging Tobias with her. “You said you wouldn’t hurt me. This is you hurting me.”
“Penny,” I warn. “You’re scaring the kid. I’m sure you realize the last thing you want to do is drive a wedge between him and the people who will now be taking over his care.”
She swallows, her tongue frantically snaking out to swipe her lower lip. “I’m all he’s got.”
Somehow, deep down, I think she knows she’s got the statement backward. He’s all she’s got. He’s her hope. Her light. He’s probably the only thing she has left to fight for, which makes this even harder.
“Penny, it’s okay. I don’t mind staying.” Tobias peers up at her. “They were nice to me while you were gone. Keira told me lots of things about my family that I didn’t know. I even have a niece who lives in Portland where Baba came from. But she’s my age. Isn’t that weird?”
The poor fucking kid is trying to console her and I’m sure she sees it.
Her wince says it all.
“She’s also Luca’s niece,” he adds. “Luca and I share the same family.”
Penny glances at me, her wince transforming to confusion before settling into more betrayal. She’s judging me, disapproving of yet another connection to a crime-riddled syndicate. “You’re family?”
I wish I could ignore my spike in annoyance but that fucker increases the pressure in my skull. “My brother married Torian’s other sister, Layla.”
She narrows her eyes. “Congratulations. Their relationship must be lucrative for you.”
I don’t respond, not with more than a mimicked squint.
I can be her punching bag if that’s what she needs. Yeah, it fucking stings after everything I’ve done for her. But I get it. She’s hurting.
“Tobias, why don’t you let Penny have some space for a little while?” I reach out and beckon him forward. “She needs time to think.”
“Penny?” The boy looks between me and the woman holding him hostage, searching for guidance from opposing sides. “What should I do?”
She drags her gaze to him, the tip of her nose turning red.
“It’s okay.” I keep my arm outstretched. “She’s going to be right here. I just want you to get to know your family better before she leaves. It will be good for her to see you settle in.”
Tobias continues ping-ponging his attention between us, raising the tension in the room. When he takes his first step away Penny’s face falls, her arms wrapping around her middle as she squeezes her eyes shut.