Page 72 of Keeping Penny

But was she unharmed? Was Pyro? He couldn’t help but wonder why anyone would take Pyro as well as the girl. Yes, they had their share of people in the world who hated their guts, but it would be extremely difficult for any terrorist to find out the names of the pilots in the helicopters who ferried the Delta Force and Navy SEALs in and out of their areas. And if someone wanted to kidnap Bowie for nefarious reasons, it seemed unlikely they would’ve taken a grown man along too. It would be too risky. It would have been smarter to shoot Pyro or beat him up, leaving him in this parking lot.

But he wasn’t here. Neither was Bowie. And they were no closer to figuring out what had happened to them than they were when Penny had called to say they were late getting home.

It was time to call in reinforcements. Casper and his team had done everything they could at this point. Once they had more info, a location, then he and his friends could attempt to retrieve their teammate. No one fucked with a Night Stalker. It didn’t matter that they weren’t in their helicopters or on a mission in some country on the other side of the world. They’d find their teammate, and Bowie, and bring them home.

There was no other option.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Pain from his broken leg was making it hard to think. The way he and Bowie were being thrown from side to side in the trunk while the vehicle took fast turns and braked hard was making him nauseous. But he didn’t let go of Bowie. Didn’t loosen his hold for a fraction of a second. Nothing and no one would make him release her.

His knee was also throbbing, and he had no idea if it was his tibia or fibula that was broken, but he’d definitely heard a crack when that bat hit his leg the second time…or was it the third? He wasn’t sure at this point, but he was crystal clear on one thing.

The men who’d taken him and Bowie had talked about selling them. Which meant they had to keep them alive. And that meant time. Time for his team to find them. Because he knew without a doubt that Penny had called for help when he and Bowie didn’t return when they were supposed to.

The police might say she had to wait for hours to make sure they were truly missing, but his friends didn’t have the same constraints. He didn’t have his phone, so they couldn’t be tracked that way, but he had complete confidence in his fellow Night Stalkers and their resources. All he and Bowie had to do was stay alive and not get separated.

Though, that was clearly the plan. The assholes who’d taken them had been way too chatty. He knew someone else was calling the shots, and he’d only ordered Bowie’s kidnapping. But these guys were greedy, hence Pyro in this trunk with the terrified little girl.

It was weird to feel grateful that his kidnappers were greedy bastards. But if they weren’t, they would’ve left him in that parking lot with a busted-up leg—or worse—and he’d likely never see Bowie again.

The little girl’s sobs had tapered off, but she was still trembling in his arms.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but I promise that I’m going to do everything in my power not to leave you.”

Bowie nodded against his neck, where she’d buried her head.

“I’m going to need you to be strong. Can you do that for me?”

She didn’t respond.

“Bowie-Bear, you’re one of the bravest kids I know. Remember when we were back in Africa and you were on that roof? I had just landed with Casper, and we needed to get everyone onboard. But no one was moving. They were all too scared. But you know who did move? You. You came toward the sound of the helicopter without hesitation. It was you making the first move that helped everyone else to trust me. Every day, you amaze me with your bravery and strength. You and your mom are superwomen.”

He felt Bowie swallow against him. She didn’t lift her head but mumbled, “They hurt you. I heard them hitting you. And you fell.”

Shit, he hated this. Fucking despised it.

“They did,” he said, refusing to lie to her. “But I’ll be okay. You will be too. I just need you to be brave for a little while longer.”

“Where are they taking us?”

“I don’t know. But when we get there, you use your ears to get intel, and I’ll use my eyes. We can compare notes when we’re alone again.”

If they were alone. Pyro had no idea how this was going to go down. He prayed their kidnappers would have to stash them somewhere to arrange for their pickup by whoever was buying them. If they were offloading them immediately, it wouldn’t be good. Pyro was in no condition to fight, but he would anyway. Until his dying breath. If anyone put a hand on the precious girl in his arms, he’d go berserk.

“I can’t help,” Bowie said with a sniff.

“Why not?”

“I can’t see!” she whimpered.

“And?” Pyro demanded, not liking that this was the first time he’d heard her admit to her disability being a disadvantage. Usually she kept her chin up and demanded to do what everyone else was doing, even if it was in her own way.

“Look, Bowie-Bear, you being blind will make the people who stuffed us in this trunk underestimate you. And we’ve all got disabilities of one kind or another. Some are just easier to hide than others.”

“What’s yours?” she asked.

Because of course she did. His Bowie-Bear was smart as a whip.