“I’ll go downstairs. Maybe the fridge is full.”
I catch her arm before she gets far. “No. Stay up where with me. Don’t wander by yourself.” We don’t know for sure Bossman and Beardman were the only people in the house. Getting showered was risky enough, I’m not willing to push my luck and let her scope out the downstairs unprotected.
“Then let me help,” she insists. She’s lost a lot of weight. Her sweater drowns her.
I sweep her hair behind her ear. “Okay. Go through the rest of the stuff in here and see if you can find any purses or wallets. And if anything fits, take it.” I look down at her bare feet. Scratched and calloused from her time in the cellar. “And don’t forget shoes.”
She wiggles her toes with a laugh. “I guess those would help, huh?”
Her chuckle envelopes me in warmth.
“Yeah.” I press a kiss to her forehead. “I’ll get what we need from the other room. I should have a jacket. It’s black with a gray liner. See if you can find it. It will have my wallet in the inside pocket…unless they removed all that stuff.” Rapists, murderers, torturers—why wouldn’t thieves be on the list? “When I’m done, I’ll come get you. Don’t leave this room, okay?” She’s seen enough of those fuckers to last her three lifetimes, no need to extend it.
“Sure. I don’t want to look”— a shudder goes through her—“at them.”
“You don’t have to, ever again.” I squeeze her shoulders.
Dolly rifles through the discarded clothing while I make my way back to the playroom.
Standing outside the door, the stench of death already leaks into the hallway. The sight inside is overwhelming. I have to gulp in a sizable breath to keep my mind from spinning. They are dead. Finally, and forever, they’ll leave Dolly alone.
The simple computer set up is quick to dissemble. There’s a closet in the room I hadn’t noticed before. Inside, I find a three-drawer file cabinet. External hard drives and flash drives. Too many to carry in my hands.
“Ken?” Dolly’s at the door
I grit my teeth. “I told you to stay in the other room,” I bark before I can bite back the words. Her eyes widen a fraction, and her chin tucks into her chest.
With a sigh, I get up from where I’m crouched in the closet. “I’m sorry.” And I am. She’s safe with me. I can’t take out my frustrations on her. “No, don’t look at them.” I grab her chin and direct her gaze to me. “Why did you come in here? Did you need something?”
“I need a bag to put the clothes and shoes inside.”
“Let’s go downstairs. Maybe we can find a garbage bag or something.” I slide my hand down her arm and lace our fingers together, giving hers a gentle squeeze. “And some food.”
That has her smiling. Hell, if we find something edible down there, I’ll be happy as fuck. My stomach stopped begging for sustenance a while ago, but the possibility has brought back shadow pangs in my belly.
Leaving the mess in the room behind, we make our way down the hall. I keep Dolly behind me as we descend the carpeted stairs. The house is still. No creaks or shuffling. Once down in the front hall, the scent of pizza lures us to the kitchen. A large pizza box sits on the counter with half a six pack beside it.
“Looks like they were pregaming.” I release her hand and flip open the box. Pepperoni. There’s still plenty of slices left, and they’re warm. “Have a piece.”
She takes a large slice. Dipping her head back, she slides the corner inside her mouth, biting off a large chunk. She hums while she chews, and for a moment, I’m lost in the sound of it.
“Aren’t you going to eat?” she asks before taking a second bite.
I grab a slice and inhale it, not slowing down to even taste the cheese and spice of the pepperoni. My stomach twists at the invasion.
“Not too fast.” I touch Dolly’s arm. She’s almost done with her second slice. Grease from the cheese slides down her chin. “You don’t want to get sick.”
She nods while taking a smaller bite.
If we had time, I’d help her polish off the pizza. But we have to get supplies and get out of here. I have little doubt Bossman and Beardman worked alone in their venture. Whoever else is in their circle might have seen the livestream and could be closing in on us.
The kitchen is void of anything useful, so I search throughout the first floor. Each room empty. They didn’t stay here.
“Ken, I found something.” Dolly finds me in the hallway, two black duffel bags in her grip. “They were in the little room by the garage door. There are jackets too.”
“Did you go in the garage?”
“No.” She pushes her hands out toward me with her bounty.
“Go back upstairs and fill one bag with the clothes you found, okay?”
“Where are you going?” A light tremble shakes her words.
“I’m just going to check the garage and their coats. They could have cash, and I’m hoping there’s a car we can use.” I cradle her face between my hands. “I’m not leaving without you. Together, remember?”
The need to believe me dances in her eyes, but she’s unsure. Now that we’re free, I could walk away at any moment. Telling her I won’t doesn’t cement it for her, so I’ll have to keep showing her. That’s okay. I don’t mind. Dolly is worth the effort.
“Okay. I’ll get the stuff from upstairs.” She drags in a big breath and pulls away from my grasp. “Here I go.” I wait until she’s up the stairs before I rush to the garage.
Three coats hang on the back of the garage door. Rifling through the pockets produces a cell phone, wallet, and a set of keys. Please be car keys.
My heart soars when I open the garage door and find a black Ford truck sitting in the middle of the empty space. I fumble through the keys until I get hold of the fob. The truck fires right up. A knot unravels in my chest. I can breathe easier. We’ll be able to get away from here quickly. We can go anywhere we want.
Turning off the ignition, I climb out of the truck and head back into the house to find Dolly.
“Dolly! Are you done?” I yell up the stairs as I climb them. The house has nothing to offer but memories already scarred into us. It’s time to get away from here.
“All set.” Dolly steps out of the playroom with both duffel bags in her hands. There’s blood on her chin. Her shoes are covered with it as well.
“What did you do?” I lick my thumb and wipe off the small splatter on her cheek. She doesn’t wince at my touch, allowing me to clean her. She’s no child, but she smiles up at me like a little girl who’s been caught stealing cookies.
“I just said goodbye.” She lifts a shoulder.
“Is that right?” My lips tug into a smile. “It looks like you stomped around in there.” I point to her shoes.
She frowns. “I made a mess.”
“Are there new shoes in the bag?” I ask.
“Yes. Only one pair, though.”
“That’s fine. Leave these behind and put the new ones on so we don’t get blood all over the truck.”
Light shines in her eyes. “You found a truck?”