Page 106 of Stains of Desire

Tinker holds his face, surveying the destruction, and mutters, "Thank God I have earthquake insurance."

"Let's get clothes on and clean up," Zoe suggests.

Tinker sighs and leaves the room.

"Dirk, help me find my backpack. Penelope's clothes are in it. Go stand by Zoe, where it's not as messy," I tell her.

Dirk and I search through more rubble and finally find my bag. I pull out a pair of pants and a shirt and hand them to her.

Dirk and Zoe leave and shut the door.

She puts on the clothes.

I embrace her again. "You scared the crap out of me, green eyes." I dip down and kiss her with everything I have.

She strokes my head. Tears fill her eyes. "If something happened to me, you would still find Millie, right?"

"Don't talk like that."

"Axel, I need to know. All I thought when I was under there was I needed to get out for Millie."

"No matter what happens, I will find your daughter. You have my word."

She releases a big breath. "Thank you."

I kiss her again. "I need you to be honest with me."

She squints. "I am honest with you."

I trace her jawline. "Are you okay? If you're in pain anywhere, please tell me."

She opens her mouth to speak but closes it.

My gut flips. "You're hurt?"

She swallows. "My right side is sore. I was sleeping on my side, and the debris hit some of my bruises. When I turned to get out, rubble fell on my torso."

"Let me see."

She turns, and I lift her clothes. The right side of her body is red and swelling. Her stomach isn't as bad, but when I touch it, she winces.

"Sit on the bed."

She obeys, and I rub Arnica on her. I get a glass of water from the bathroom and hand her some painkillers. "Take these. When we get downstairs, I'll make you an ice pack."

"I'll be okay."

"Don't argue with me. You're swollen and in pain."

She nods. "All right."

We go downstairs to assess the damage. The entire house is a mess. The most damage is in the kitchen. Broken objects cover the floor, and sunlight peeks through the wall where it split.

Andre and Naomi's passports came the night before, and they left for the airport before we got downstairs.

I make Penelope ice her body. When she's done, she helps the rest of us clean up whatever we can.

Midafternoon, Tinker goes into town to check out the damage. When he returns, he tells us the earthquake caused so much destruction, most of the city is in ruins. He also speaks to his passport guy, who tells him that his equipment was damaged and it will take months to get replacements.