Chapter 19 #2
The voices above her stopped as Bowie struggled to get to her feet once more. Her palms felt wet now, and she had a feeling she’d cut them.
“What the fuck?” one of the men above her exclaimed.
Bowie wanted to tell him that was a bad word, and he shouldn’t use it, but her throat had closed up. Now that she’d finally found someone, she was terrified that he’d hurt her like the bad man had hurt Kylo-Pyro.
“Are you okay?” a second man called out.
Bowie didn’t answer, she was shaking too hard, her palms hurting, her belly growling, and her heart beating so fast it almost ached.
“Shit, Bud, she’s hurt.”
“I don’t see anyone with her.”
“Come on.”
They were coming. Bowie didn’t know whether she should run back the way she came or let them approach her. Kylo-Pyro said she needed to find someone with a phone. If she ran, they’d probably catch her anyway.
“Not scared,” she whispered, as she waited for the men to reach her.
She wasn’t sure what she’d run into, but since the men were somewhere above her when she’d stopped, she thought maybe it was a pier.
When they were at the beach, Mommy had described what a pier was.
A big man-made structure—sometimes wooden, sometimes concrete—that was built to stick out over the water.
Sometimes there were stores on it, or just benches for people to sit.
And she’d said that sometimes people liked to fish off the end of it.
“Little girl? Are you okay?”
Bowie shook her head.
“Where are your parents?”
“My daddy’s in trouble,” she said, turning to face the sound of the man’s voice. “Do you have a phone?”
“I don’t like this, Bud. What if it’s a trap?”
“What kind of trap, Shawn? It’s not as if the cops are gonna use a little kid in some kind of underground sting to try to catch kidnappers. What’s your name, kid?”
“Bowie Burns. But when Kylo-Pyro marries my mommy, it’ll be Bowie Mullins.”
“What the hell is she talking about?” the other man, Shawn, muttered.
“Please help! I need a phone.”
“It’s almost five-thirty in the morning, Bowie Burns. You shouldn’t be out here,” said the one called Bud.
Bowie couldn’t believe it was that late. Or early. She didn’t know what time she’d left Kylo-Pyro, but she’d obviously been walking a long time. And if it was almost morning, that meant the bad men would be coming to take Kylo-Pyro away.
Bowie took a step in the direction she thought the men were, and almost went down again, twisting her ankle on a rock. She held out a hand. “Please, I need to call my mommy!”
“Are you…shit, are you blind?” Shawn asked, sounding shocked and kind of scared.
Bowie nodded, bracing herself for him to make fun of her or say something rude. She was used to it.
“Where’d you come from?” Bud asked, his voice softer now. Gentler. Bowie liked it much better than when he’d been almost yelling.
“Down there,” she said, gesturing back the way she’d walked.
“Holy fuck.”
“That’s a bad word,” Bowie said softly.
“I’ve got a phone. But I left it up with our gear on the pier,” Shawn said.
“Gear on the pier,” Bowie said with a tiny smile. She liked when words rhymed.
She heard one of the men coming closer, and her smile died. She took a step backward, being sure to stay on the sand this time.
“I’m not going to hurt you, little one. I have a daughter. Her name is Carrie. She’s all grown up now, but I swear you’re okay. I’ve got a phone, and you can call your mommy.”
Bowie wanted to believe him, but she was still scared.
“I swear on Carrie’s life that you’re good, little Bowie. I don’t know what happened or how you got lost, but I’d be a shit human being if I hurt you after you were brave enough to come looking for help for your daddy. Can I hold your hand? Help you through the rocks up to the pier?”
She had a choice. She could trust this man, and possibly get hurt. But maybe he really did have a phone, and she could call Mommy, who’d tell the police to go get Kylo-Pyro. Or she could run away and try to find someone else. But if she did that, the bad men might get to the house.
“I’m not scared,” she whispered, before holding out her hand in the direction of the man’s voice.
She heard him step toward her, and she held her breath. A split-second later, his warm hand closed around her own. Bowie couldn’t help but relax a little.
“Come on, Bowie. Let’s go call your mom.”
They made their way through the rocks, and Bowie was glad for the guide. She liked doing things on her own, but since she had no idea where she was, having Shawn’s hand to hold on to made it easier not to fall.
The rocks ended and the sound of their footsteps made her think they must be on the pier. It sounded kind of hollow, as if they were walking on wood instead of concrete.
“Seriously, there’s no one else out here. And it’s still dark! How the hell did she get down there?” Bud asked.
Since she didn’t think he was really asking her, Bowie didn’t answer. Shawn stopped and dropped her hand. She heard the rustle of fabric, and when Shawn spoke again, it sounded as if he was crouched right in front of her instead of standing.
“Do you know your mommy’s number?”
Bowie nodded and told it to him.
“Here you go, honey.” Shawn picked up her hand and put his phone in it.
Relief almost made Bowie cry again. He hadn’t lied. He really did have a phone and he’d done as he said he would.
Bringing the phone up to her ear, she held her breath as she waited for Mommy to answer. She had no idea where she was, but she knew without a doubt that her mom would find her and come get her. And she’d get Kylo-Pyro some help too. All Bowie had to do was wait a little longer.
* * *
Penny hadn’t slept. Not even for a minute.
How could she sleep when the two people she loved most were missing?
There hadn’t been any clues. The police, who’d arrived late last night and taken a report and put out an Amber Alert for Bowie, didn’t seem to have any idea where they might even begin to look.
She was in her room, not wanting to disturb the others who were all camped out in various places in the apartment.
Edge had taken Chaos’s place when Jen and Fred had returned, and the rest of the Night Stalkers were still out there, searching, hoping to see something, anything, that might lead them to not only their friend, but Bowie as well.
Their determination not to give up made Penny cry all over again. But she hadn’t heard from them in hours, and any hope she had that they might be able to find them was waning.
Laryn, Mandy, Zita, Jen, Fred, and Edge had hovered over her all night, until Penny had finally lied and said she was going to try to get some sleep. She ordered Laryn to use Bowie’s bed, because having a pregnant woman sleeping on the floor or the couch didn’t sit well with her.
Everyone else crashed where they could. Even Jen and Fred stayed, despite her apartment being just down the hall.
No one wanted to leave. They were all there supporting Penny, and having so many friends was comforting.
She’d never had the kind of support she had right now, and if Bowie hadn’t been missing, she would’ve felt all warm and gooey inside.
Since leaving everyone in the living room, Penny had alternated pacing her bedroom and lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling, imagining the worst.
When her phone rang, she snatched it up and saw it was Tex calling. She’d programmed his number into her phone, and her heart began to beat faster in the hopes he was calling with good news.
“Please tell me you found them,” she said as she answered.
“Not yet. But I do have intel,” he said.
Penny swallowed hard in disappointment, but any information was better than nothing.
“My guy had a chat with Colvin. He’s definitely behind this.
As suspected, he used some of the cash he brought with him from the UK to basically pay off a guy, who knows a guy, who knows a guy.
It’s convoluted and not important right now, but because there were so many people in play and he paid in cash, I couldn’t follow a digital trail of the contacts.
“Bottom line is that Colvin’s reputation as an oil man is a front.
He makes peanuts in that job compared to what he makes pedaling human flesh.
His threat to take your daughter and sell her was one of the most honest things he ever said to you.
There was no huge debt from your husband.
There was a debt, but it was a couple grand, not the exorbitant amount he claimed. ”
Penny closed her eyes. John hadn’t been a good man. Was a terrible husband and father. But it made her feel a little better that he hadn’t spent tens of thousands of dollars at strip clubs and on prostitutes.
“With a little pressure, Colvin gave up the names of his contacts, and both myself and the FBI are tracking them down now. This goes beyond you, Penny. It’s international. There are a lot of other people who supposedly owed him money who’ve gone missing.”
Penny felt bad for not caring about anyone other than Pyro and Bowie at the moment. “Okay, but…where is my daughter? And Pyro? Are they…did they…” She swallowed, unable to put into words what she wanted to ask. It was too horrible.
“We don’t think there’s been enough time,” Tex said gently. “We’re close, Penny. Stay strong just a little longer.”
“I don’t think I can,” she whispered.
“Yes, you can,” Tex said firmly. “You’re cut from the same cloth as my wife. She’s a pillar of strength. My rock. You’re the same for Pyro and that little girl of yours. We’re so close,” he repeated. “We have the names of the men who were tasked with the retrieval, and the FBI is hunting them now.”
“And Colvin?” Penny asked, needing to know the man would no longer be a threat to her or anyone she loved.
“Taken care of.”
“I need more, Tex,” she told him hotly.