Page 90 of Saving Her

“Penny?” Tobias’s voice carries down the hall, his sleepy face coming into view from a bedroom up ahead. “Where is she?”

I hold a finger to my lips as he approaches, lazily blinking away sleep as the shirt I gave him hangs from his shoulders like an oversized bag.

“She’s in there,” I whisper. “Talking with her brother.”

“Can I see her?”

“In a minute.”

“No.” Penny raises her voice from behind the wooden door. “You’re not taking me away from him. Tobias stays with me.”

The little boy’s eyes widen. “They’re talking about me.” He lunges for the handle, determined to get inside. “Penny?”

For a second I consider grabbing him, using a hand around his mouth to smother his yell. It takes another split second to figure out how fucking stupid that would be. Not only because it would scare the shit out of the kid, but because there’s no way Penny didn’t already hear him.

“Tobias?”

The boy shoves open the door and rushes inside.

I don’t follow. As much as it kills me, I remain there against the wall, giving them the privacy Keira requested.

“What’s going on?” Tobias demands. “What’s happening?”

“Nothing.” I imagine Penny soothing him with a motherly cuddle. “My brother and I are just having a misunderstanding.”

“It’s not a misunderstanding, Penny. You’re going home. After all this time you get to return to the people who love you the most.”

“No,” she yells, the pitch razoring through my head. “You’re not taking me away from him. Tobias stays with me.”

Silence stretches, and this time I have no trouble picturing the standoff inside that room. I can clearly see her defiance. The strong stance. The warrior expression.

“Penny, please,” Decker begs. “Torian isn’t going to let his brother go anywhere without him.”

“Then he can return to the States with us. He can leave, too, because I won’t go anywhere without Toby.”

“Penny…”

“So help me God, Sebastian, if you separate us you’re as good as dead to me.”

Fuck.

I push from the wall and step into the open doorway. They all look at me. Three sets of eyes begging for my assistance.

“Talk to him,” Penny demands. “Tell him I’m not leaving Toby.”

I wish I could.

Right now, I’d give anything to make her panicked gaze soften. To relax the stiffness in a posture that must be almost crippled with exhaustion.

“It’s not your brother’s decision.” I start toward her. “That lies with Torian, and he’s not going to change his mind. Tobias needs to get to know his family. They will look after—”

“No.” She shakes her head and clutches the boy’s shoulders, dragging him to stand before her. “No.”

“Let him get to know them. Let him spend more time alone with Keira and Cole now so you can see how comfortable he is before the jet arrives.”

“No.” Her eyes widen, growing frantic. “I won’t leave without him.”

“Penny, no amount of protesting will change Cole’s mind. After what you pulled with the guard, you’ve stamped your own ticket home. It’s your choice whether you willingly walk onto the jet, or if we need to take alternate measures to get you on there safely.”

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