Pawn (The Pawn Duet #2) - T.M. Frazier Page 0,66

the back of it to his lips. “Because that was amazing, and because I’ve never been so fucking hard in my entire fucking life.”

16

Pike

“Where is she? Where’s Mindy?” Mickey excitedly asks Thorne as we burst through the front door of the pawn shop. It’s late, and Thorne looks exhausted but perks up when she sees us. Her shoulders lift as the weight of her worry disappears.

“Nice to see you, too,” Thorne replies.

“Hey, sis,” I greet.

“You know!” Mickey says, happily clapping her hands together.

“Wait, you knew?” I ask.

Mickey bites her bottom lip.

Thorne laughs. “Yeah, it took her a few days. Only several years less than it took you.”

“Jo Jo?” I ask.

She points to the office. “She noticed that I was waiting up for you so she crashed in your office. Last time I checked, she was asleep on your desk.”

“Thank you. For everything,” I tell her.

Mickey frowns. “I’m so happy to see you, Thorne, but seriously, where is Mindy?” She bounces on the balls of her feet, her eyes wild with excitement.

Thorne points up the stairs, and Mickey wastes no time bounding up two a time.

“You two can…uh...catch up. It’s been a late night, so I’ll just crash on the cot next to Jo Jo so you don’t have to worry about her.”

I put my arm around Thorne, and she yelps in surprise as I pull her into my chest for a long overdue hug.

“At least, you smell better this time.” She sniffs my shirt. “But why do you smell like a fire?”

“More like an explosion,” I correct.

She pulls away from me and opens her mouth before shutting it again. “You know, I am really tired so whatever weird tale that is, you’re going to have to save it for tomorrow.” She joins Jo Jo in the office, and I head up the stairs to find Mickey.

I’m loving how enthusiastic Mickey is right now. Most people in her position would just want a shower and a nap. I laugh to myself and watch her burst through my apartment door. She’s probably still high from all of the adrenaline. Explosions have a way of doing that to people.

“You kept her in the cage!” Mickey yells, running to the corner of the room. She drops to her knees. “How could you do that to her?”

“I kept the door open,” I reply. “Sorry, I didn’t realize you were so against it.”

A sinking feeling begins in the pit of my stomach. A spark of worry that pulls at the hairs at the back of my neck, plucking at them one by one.

Mickey’s shaking as she reaches inside of the cage. When she pulls back out, she sits cross-legged on the floor with her back to me. “It’s okay now. I’m here. We’re together again. I love you. I’m never leaving you again. I’m so happy that you’re alive.” She continues to whisper while rocking back and forth.

“Mic?” I ask, taking tentative steps over to her, wondering what I’m missing. What the cause could be for this reaction. I’m not heartless. I knew she’d be happy, but this seems a bit much given the situation.

Mickey looks over her shoulder. Her eyes are wide and wild, but not with excitement, but the same dull focus they had the night I found her wandering down the road.

I freeze. My chest seizes.

Shit.

“Thank you,” Mickey says, a tear spilling down her cheek. “For giving me Mindy back. For protecting her.”

The sinking feeling turns into all out dread.

I stagger backward, and when I hit the wall I drop to my ass.

Mickey is still smiling at me, but it doesn’t reach her eyes because as much as I don’t want to admit it, Mickey isn’t in there anymore. What’s left is a confused shadow of the girl who just took on the entire Fourth Reich without showing even a hint of fear.

And then shattered.

Mickey spins around on the ground, revealing the dark ball of fur on her lap. She lifts her arms, hugging the squirming puppy tighter, pressing her cheek against its head.

“My sister thanks you, too.”

My head is spinning, and my heart is racing. I head downstairs, leaving Mickey in my apartment with the puppy.

I run into Thorne. “Hey,” she says with a bright smile that quickly falls when she sees the expression on my face. “What the fuck is wrong? What happened?”

I say nothing because I have no clue what fucking words to use.

“Tell me, Pike! What the fuck happened? Where’s Mickey?” She looks around.

I stare at the broken case.