Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 60848 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 304(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60848 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 304(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
“She didn’t have Mr. Hoppers.”
“Oh, God. She went back inside for Mr. Hoppers!”
“I’m calling Knight,” Violet said. But I turned and sprinted back toward the building.
I reached the police line but was stopped before I could get past. “Ma’am, you can’t go in there.” A police officer stepped into my path, his hand raised. “The building hasn’t been cleared yet.”
“My daughter is in there!” I tried to push past him, panic giving me strength I didn’t know I possessed. “She’s twelve years old, she’s alone --”
“I understand, ma’am, but I can’t let you enter. The bomb squad is working --”
“That’s my baby!” My voice broke as tears blurred my vision. “Please, you have to let me --”
A shadow fell over us as Tiny appeared beside me, his presence suddenly filling the space between us and the officer. “I’ll find her, Penny. Go back to Zelda and keep her calm, please.”
The officer hesitated, glancing up at Tiny’s imposing figure. “Sir, I can’t authorize --”
But Tiny moved past him without looking at him. “Ain’t asking permission.”
Before the officer could stop him, Tiny was through the doors, disappearing into the building that might or might not contain an explosive device. I watched him go, heart in my throat. I felt Zelda’s hand slip into mine as Violet put her arm around me and guided us back to the others. Rita and her mother were there along with three large men from the club. One of them sat cross-legged on the ground playing with Rita while the other two watched silently at a short distance. All the guys from the club we’d met were good about giving us space.
“He’ll find her, Mom,” Zelda whispered, and I wasn’t sure if she was reassuring me or herself.
* * *
Tiny
I moved through the common room, keeping my breathing even despite the urgency pounding in my chest. Knight had found something. They couldn’t be sure what it was until the bomb squad got here, but it was concerning enough I didn’t want Kira to be in here a moment longer than strictly necessary.
I called her name softly as I searched the common room. I found Mr. Hoppers where he’d fallen between two chairs when I kicked him with my forward stride. I’d bet my life this was what the child had been looking for.
I picked him up, then headed to the lift. When I reached their floor, I went straight to Penny’s apartment. I rang the bell so she could see me through the security screen. “Kira? It’s Tiny. You in there?”
The bomb squad hadn’t cleared the building yet. The raw terror on Penny’s face resonated with me. Because I kind of felt the same way when I saw her arguing with the police outside the tape.
“Kira? I need you to come out now, honey.”
She opened the door, tears streaming down her face. She was sweating and trembling. “I can’t find Mr. Hoppers, Tiny.”
“I found him for you, honey.” I handed her the rabbit and the poor thing burst into tears. The girls were both a heartbreaking mix of adult and child. Probably because their childhood hadn’t been easy.
I didn’t wait for her to calm down, scooping her up and holding her close as I left the apartment and headed back to the lift.
“Your mom and sister are pretty worried.” I did my best to reassure Kira, and I must be doing something right because she’d stopped shivering and wasn’t nearly as tense. “They’re waiting outside where it’s safe and that’s where we’re going too.”
Her lips trembled. “I -- I had to get Mr. Hoppers,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “I couldn’t leave him.”
“I know, honey.” And I did. I remembered Julie and her stuffed horse, how it had been her one constant companion through the worst times. “He’s your friend.”
“I’m scared, Tiny.” Her voice sounded small against the noise of the lift as we descended.
“Hey.” I looked down into her upturned face. “I’m here with you, Kira. I will do everything I can to keep you safe.” I held her gaze, willing her to believe me. “That’s a promise. And I don’t break promises.”
Something shifted in her expression then, a flicker of trust breaking through the fear. She nodded up at me. “OK.”
The lift stopped and I shoved open the gate. “Let’s go find your mom and Zelda?”
She nodded, still clutching Mr. Hoppers with one arm while she bunched her other fist in my shirt. “You know what?” Kira’s small voice broke the silence as we neared the back exit.
“What’s that?”
“Mr. Hoppers says you’re his favorite giant.”
I felt a smile break across my face, wide and unexpected. “Well, that’s an honor. Tell him he’s my favorite rabbit.”
She giggled softly against my neck, the sound washing through me like a healing balm. As I pushed open the door to step outside, I knew I’d walk through fire to hear that sound again. To keep this child, her sister, and their mother safe. “Thanks, Tiny. For coming for me but also for not making fun of me. I know I act childish sometimes, but it’s how I keep from being terrified all the time.”