Page 152 of The Penalty

“I checked there.”

“His location says he’s there. I have him on alert now, so I know when he leaves.” Teddy still doesn’t look up.

“Will you pull it up again?”

“Fine!” Teddy exits out of the app and opens another. “See, right in his room.”

“Come look. He’s not there unless he found a way to hide in the walls.”

“Don’t put those thoughts in my head. I’ll never sleep again.”

I roll my eyes, and we both go to Tobi’s room.

Teddy digs around in his obviously empty bedding like he’ll find Tobi there somehow. “He’s really not here. That’s weird.”

“Isn’t it?” I walk over to his desk and find Tobi’s phone sitting there. “Teddy.”

“Yeah?”

“Would he just leave his phone?”

“He’s pretty forgetful. We can go ask Mom where he went.” Teddy gestures for me to follow him.

“Wait, what were you looking at?” I ask.

“Reddit. I was trying to work out how this guy is sucking his own dick.”

“That’s fake.”

“What?!” he yells.

“What?” I ask, not sure why he’s freaking out.

“You told me the porn on Reddit wasn’t all photoshopped like I thought it was so I’ve been trying to figure this out for three hours.”

I cover my mouth with a hand, trying not to laugh.

“Why are you laughing?!”

“Sorry, Teddy Bear. I should have saidmostof the porn on Reddit isn’t photoshopped.”

He throws his hands up in the air. “I’ve wasted half a day on this trying to figure it out to show you.”

I feel a little bad, but I also cannot stop laughing. I give Tobi’s phone another glance and we go to find their mom to ask if she knows where Tobi is.

EPILOGUE

TEDDY

We’re finally staying in the new condo together. Alone. We don’t have any furniture, so we’ve got an air mattress on the floor and boxes stacked up to use as tables.

“Do not sit on the boxes!” Rhys yells through the echo-y space while I’m mid-squat.

“But the floor is cold!”

“Get a hoodie or something, but I swear if you crush a box and break shit, I’m taking it out of your ass.”

“Are you trying to get me to do it or not do it, because that doesn’t sound bad?” My thighs are burning, so I stand up and lean against the wall until he makes a decision.

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