Chapter Seven #2
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. ”
“No one said you acted childish. Far as I can tell, you’re a pre-teen hanging on to a childhood you never got to enjoy. Now you’re free.” I shrugged. “Laugh and play all you fu -- er -- flippin’ want.”
As we emerged outside, Kira really did let out a laugh. “I’m telling Caleb you said flippin’ instead of the F-bomb.”
I frowned down at her. “Little imp. You do and I’ll tell him you’re the one who put blue food coloring in his body wash the other day.”
Her eyes got wide and her mouth formed an “O” of surprise. “You wouldn’t!”
I smirked. “I might. You know. If you tell him I couldn’t make myself drop the F-bomb in front of you.”
She gave a disgruntled sigh and lay her head against my chest as we approached the rest of the group, including Penny and Zelda. “Fine. I won’t tell. This time.”
“I hear you. Next time, I’ll censor myself at my own peril.”
Some things were worth turning in my man card for. And I’d just found three of them.
* * *
Penny
I watched the door to the back exit, praying to see my daughter and Tiny when I saw Tiny reappearing with Kira in his arms. Riot wrapped his hand around my upper arm gently, holding me back while Violet did the same with Zelda, leaning down to whisper to her.
The police were still securing the area, though no one stopped Tiny as he came our way.
My heart hammered against my ribs as Tiny approached, Kira’s small frame nestled against his massive chest like she weighed nothing at all, Mr. Hoppers clutched tightly in her hand.
“Wait until he’s through the tape,” Violet murmured, her grip firm but gentle on my arm. “We need to stay a safe distance away. In fact, we should move farther back.”
Every second felt like an eternity. Tiny’s eyes found mine across the distance, and something in his gaze helped me breathe. He said something to Kira that made her smile.
When they finally cleared the police line, Tiny knelt and set Kira on her feet. I broke free from Violet’s hold and rushed forward, Zelda right beside me. We collapsed into a trembling group hug, my fingers tangling in Kira’s hair as I pulled both girls against me.
“I’m sorry, Mom,” Kira whispered against my neck. “I couldn’t leave Mr. Hoppers.”
“Don’t ever do that again,” I choked out, unable to keep the tremor from my voice. “Nothing -- no toy, nothing -- is worth your life, baby.”
“Tiny found him for me,” she said, holding up the ragged rabbit like it was made of gold. “He wasn’t even mad at me.”
I looked up at Tiny, who stood watching us with an expression I couldn’t quite read -- relief mixed with something deeper, something that made my chest tighten. “Thank you,” I mouthed over the girls’ heads.
He nodded, a small smile lifting the corner of his mouth. I wanted to say more, to throw my arms around him like I had yesterday, but Knight approached with a grim expression that made my blood run cold again.
“We found something,” Knight said quietly to Tiny, holding out a tablet.
“Front corner of the building. The facial recognition software notified me of the hit a minute after I got the bomb threat, so I didn’t pay attention to it until I knew we had everyone safe.
” He looked frustrated. Likely with himself.
“And thank God you did, Knight,” I interjected. “The time it took you to answer an alert might have made a difference in the outcome of this if this thing is real.”
“As it turns out, it wasn’t a bomb.” Knight scrubbed the back of his neck in agitation.
“I’m pretty sure he was gauging our response.
What we prioritize and which way we moved everyone.
Maybe even confirming how many people we had in this building.
” He shared a look with Tiny. “Putting Haven this close to the compound was the best thing we could have done for this place. The closer Haven is, the faster our guys can get here in an emergency.”
On impulse, I looked over at the expanse of warehouses about the length of a football field away from us.
Standing at the gate were several men from the compound.
I recognized all of them, and that’s when I realized they’d likely been doing small errands and showing up for short amounts of time every couple of days to get us all used to seeing them. So we’d know they were safe.
Christ, I felt like I’d fallen down a rabbit hole and into an alternate universe where men weren’t abusive assholes and actually protected people precious to them.
Riot and Violet exchanged quick looks. “We need to move the other residents immediately,” Violet said. “I’ll call our sister shelter in Memphis. They should be able to take Rita and her mother tonight. Andrea’s sister is supposed to meet her at the airport in a couple of hours, so she’ll be safe.”
Riot nodded. “Got it covered.”
I ducked my head, shame washing over me in a hot wave. “This is my fault. I brought this down on everyone.”
“No.” Tiny’s voice was firm, leaving no room for argument.
“This is on him. No one else. This is exactly why Ms. Thompson sent you to us. Most of the time, intimidation works great. Occasionally someone like Andy comes along and we have to get a bit more… firm than we’d like, but we’re not squeamish about it either. ”
Tiny moved closer, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Can I talk to you for a minute?” he asked quietly. “Just over here.”
I nodded, glancing at the girls. “Stay with Violet,” I told them. “I’ll be right back.”
Tiny guided me a few steps away, just far enough that we couldn’t be overheard.
He surprised me by dropping to one knee so our gazes were closer to eyelevel, his massive frame folding down to meet mine.
The gesture struck me as deeply intimate, a man of his size making himself smaller, more accessible.
“Listen,” he said, his voice low and urgent. “Haven isn’t safe anymore. Not until we get permanent eyes on this guy.”
I nodded, blinking back tears. “I know.”
“Come to the compound,” he said. “To Kiss of Death. We have space. There’s several three-bedroom apartments for you to choose from.
Violet and Hannah can let you pick one you like.
You’d be inside a locked compound in the middle of hard men who will defend you to the death.
You’ll be safer there than you could possibly be anywhere else.
” I stared at him, caught off guard by the directness of the offer.
“Honestly, it’s not just about safety,” he continued, his eyes never leaving mine.
“It’s about giving us time. Real time together.
To figure out what this is between us without looking over our shoulders every minute. ”
My heart pounded as relief washed over me at the possibility of true safety, but I hesitated, the old fears rising up. “The girls… surrounded by so many men they don’t know…”
“Mom?” Zelda’s voice came from behind me. I turned to find her standing a few feet away, her expression uncharacteristically vulnerable. She must have followed us, listening to our conversation.
“Zelda, honey, I told you to stay with Violet --”
“I don’t want to sleep here anymore, Mom.” Her voice was small but firm. “Neither does Kira. We want to be near Tiny.”
I stared at my daughter in disbelief. Zelda, my fierce protector, my suspicious, wary child who trusted no one, was asking to go with Tiny. The significance of it staggered me.
“You do?”
She nodded, her eyes flicking to Tiny before settling back on me. “He keeps his promises.” She stated it as if it were the simplest, most obvious truth in the world. She shrugged. “Also, Kira said Mr. Hoppers likes him, so…”
A surprised laugh escaped me, sounding almost like a sob. “Well, if Mr. Hoppers approves…”
I turned back to Tiny, who was watching Zelda with a mixture of surprise and something that looked suspiciously like pride. “You’re sure about this?” I asked him quietly. “About us?”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life,” he said simply.
I took a deep breath, feeling something shift inside me, my fear dissolving like mist. “OK,” I whispered. “We’ll come.”
His face broke into a smile that transformed his entire countenance, making him look younger, lighter. He rose to his feet and turned to Zelda. “Thank you for your trust,” he said with utter sincerity. “I won’t let you down.”
She lifted her chin, studying him closely. “You better not.” Tiny winked at her.
I reached for her hand, squeezing it gently. “Let’s go tell your sister.” As we walked back to where Kira waited with Violet, I felt the weight of the decision settling over me -- not as a burden, but as a foundation. Something solid to build upon.
For the first time in years, we were moving toward something instead of running away.
It terrified me and thrilled me in equal measure.
But one glance at Tiny walking beside us, his presence both protective and patient, told me we were making the right choice.
Whatever came next, we would face it together.