At the thought, I had a need to be near my girls.I glanced around and saw Zelda headed my way, a panicked look on her face.My heart stuttered and I actually clutched my hand to my chest from the panic building rapidly inside me.
“Mommy!I can’t find her!Mommy!”Zelda was full-on snot crying.I knew how she felt because I was seconds away from the same direction.
“Kira?”My voice cracked as I called her name, rising in pitch as panic clawed its way up my throat.“Kira!”
“She was right beside me!”Zelda’s voice cracked as she continued to cry.“She let go of my hand when we got outside and I thought she was right with me!”
“It’s OK,” I gasped out.Shock was rapidly replacing the panic as my mind shut down the possibility of losing my daughter.“Stay with Violet, OK?I’ll find her.”
Violet saw us and took one look at my face before hurrying to my side.“What’s wrong?”
“Kira’s missing,” I choked out.“Keep Zelda safe for me.”
“Do you think she went around the front of the building?”Violet pulled out her phone as she looked in the direction she’d indicated.“But why would she leave Zelda?The girls are always close together.”
Zelda gasped and her hands flew to her mouth, her eyes wide in horror.
“Zelda, honey?”I knelt in front of her, gently grasping her shoulders.“What’s wrong?”
“She didn’t have Mr.Hoppers.”
“Oh, God.She went back inside for Mr.Hoppers!”
“I’m calling Knight,” Violet said.But I turned and sprinted back toward the building.
I reached the police line but was stopped before I could get past.“Ma’am, you can’t go in there.”A police officer stepped into my path, his hand raised.“The building hasn’t been cleared yet.”
“My daughter is in there!”I tried to push past him, panic giving me strength I didn’t know I possessed.“She’s twelve years old, she’s alone --”
“I understand, ma’am, but I can’t let you enter.The bomb squad is working --”
“That’s my baby!”My voice broke as tears blurred my vision.“Please, you have to let me --”
A shadow fell over us as Tiny appeared beside me, his presence suddenly filling the space between us and the officer.“I’ll find her, Penny.Go back to Zelda and keep her calm, please.”
The officer hesitated, glancing up at Tiny’s imposing figure.“Sir, I can’t authorize --”
But Tiny moved past him without looking at him.“Ain’t asking permission.”
Before the officer could stop him, Tiny was through the doors, disappearing into the building that might or might not contain an explosive device.I watched him go, heart in my throat.I felt Zelda’s hand slip into mine as Violet put her arm around me and guided us back to the others.Rita and her mother were there along with three large men from the club.One of them sat cross-legged on the ground playing with Rita while the other two watched silently at a short distance.All the guys from the club we’d met were good about giving us space.
“He’ll find her, Mom,” Zelda whispered, and I wasn’t sure if she was reassuring me or herself.
* * *
Tiny
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.”
