Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
They were on their way home. With Kaya missing, they had no leads.
Another team would take him down if they figured out where he was.
They would spend some time looking for the bastard, but he’d gone to ground.
Maybe they’d find him in a year, or two, or maybe he would disappear and never surface again.
“You glad to be home?” Jump asked as he slid into the seat next to Foster.
He nodded. “Oh yeah.”
“So are you and Pen a thing?”
He let go a heavy sigh. “Not in the way you’re probably thinking. I want to have a relationship with her, but I’m not pressing her to do anything. She needs time to heal. I’m not in a rush.”
Jump nodded then leaned in. “You’re smart, not rushing. I hope it all works out for you two.”
“Thanks, buddy. That means a lot.”
Jump was a good guy, but he didn’t strike Foster as the type of guy who would ever settle down. Maybe settling down was overrated, but Foster was ready to have a relationship with Pen. He just hoped she eventually wanted it, too.
The long flight was exhausting. He woke up when they were about two hours out with a stiff back, so he got up to stretch out. Cy was up and moving around, trying to stretch out, too.
“Hey, man. How’s it going?” Cy asked.
“Good. I’m ready to be home.”
“Yeah, I’m ready to see Willa.”
Foster nodded. “I think she has been good for you.”
Cy chuckled as he leaned over and bumped Foster’s shoulder. “Damn straight. She has been amazing for me. I don’t think my life would be anywhere near as good if she wasn’t in it. She is amazing.”
“I’m happy for you.”
“Well, buddy, if you and Pen get together, I’ll be thrilled. She has some issues, I’m sure. We both know how we found her, but I think she would be good for you.”
He nodded. “Yeah, I think so, too.”
Pen woke early, feeling hopeful. It wasn’t a feeling she was used to, but it was getting more common the longer she was with Foster. Maybe she could have a good life with him.
After being awake for a few hours, she remembered she needed to eat. Maybe she should set up a schedule for eating. The thought of setting a schedule for something like eating made her feel weird. She didn’t want to focus so much on food, but she had to eat if she wanted to recover.
The eggs she made were good, and she was able to finish two eggs and eat a slice of toast. It was actually a lot considering how little she had been eating.
After cleaning up her breakfast dishes, she moved to the den and pushed the coffee table back so she could do some stretches.
Her phone buzzed and she checked the screen, seeing that Willa had texted. They were getting together to put together some ingredients for easy to prepare dinners. She was excited about their plans and texted back that she was ready when Willa wanted to come over.
When the knock sounded on her door ten minutes later, she hopped up, excited to see Willa. She punched in the code to turn off the alarm before answering the door.
The second the door was open, she realized her mistake. She hadn’t looked out the peephole. Because Willa had texted, she’d assumed it was Willa waiting for her. It was, but her friend wasn’t alone.
“Penelope, you look like shit. There is no way I’ll be able to get much money from you this time. I guess I’ll just have to take her, too.”
“No!” The word slipped out before she could rein her emotions in.
“You bitch.”
Her father’s hand flew, knocking her sideways. She stumbled backwards, reaching out as she tried to stop her fall.
Somehow, she was able to catch herself before she landed on her ass. Her father stepped into the house, pulling Willa along with him.
The door slammed behind them, leaving them cut off from the world.
She needed to think smart and let Foster know something was wrong so he could at least look for them.
Maybe he could save Willa. She didn’t want her friend to suffer.
Being taken captive last time had been almost impossible.
There was no way she would live through the torture again.
The plane landed and Foster was the first one off. He stowed his stuff, excited to get home.
“Hey, Foster, I’ll see you at home,” Cy called out.
Foster threw back his head, laughter spilling out. “You aren’t going to leave the bedroom for a few days. I won’t be seeing you.”
Cy chuckled and shook his head. “We have to leave the bedroom to get food.”
The drive home seemed to take forever because of a crash. He wanted to surprise Pen, then when he was at a stoplight, he had second thoughts. Maybe surprising her was the wrong way to lead into this. He decided to place a call and tell her he was almost home.
On the third ring, he started worrying. Maybe she was in the shower or doing something else that she couldn’t stop. When the phone rolled to voicemail, he left a message, telling her he was almost home.
When he turned down his street, his phone rang. He answered, surprised to hear Cy on the phone.
“Hey, Willa isn’t answering the phone.”
“Shit, neither is Pen.”
“I don’t like this.”
He hit the gas, racing the rest of the way home. Instead of pulling into the driveway, he parked on the street and jumped from his car. He raced up the path to his front door, calling out for Pen and Willa as he ran.
The neighbor next door opened her door, but neither Pen nor Willa came out. When he reached up to unlock the door, instead of staying in place, the door swung open.
No alarm, no noise. Something was off. He raced through the rooms, hollering for Pen. Nothing.
He heard something from the front door and turned to see his neighbor. She was an older woman whom he’d met once since she liked to keep to herself.
“I’ve got the police on the phone. I should have called them earlier, but Frank told me to mind my own business. Should have called.”
Foster’s head spun as he wondered what kind of hell Pen was living through. He only half heard what the woman was saying to the police. Something about a scream and then some guy backing into the drive and carrying out a couple of heavy bags.
Shit, who had Pen, and did they have Willa, too? Cy was there, panic shining in his eyes. They’d lost big. He should have done more to protect Pen, but he hadn’t expected anyone to target her here.