Robbie was well aware that Kit had entered the house. He sat with his face buried in his hands, waiting for Kit's response to the way he had acted towards Robyn. If the response was to be a violent one he was sure that the hurt he'd already inflicted on himself would dull any pain that the blows he was sure Kit would rain down upon him might cause.
He heard one of the others in the room move away and guessed it was the Network officer that had been with him, watching him as he had sunk to his knees as the force of the anger Robyn had bore the brunt of had burnt through him like an inferno and shame had crashed over him like a tidal wave. It was the same officer that had helped him up from the floor, wordlessly helping him back into his chair. He'd heard Robyn's shouts not long after and every 'no' she had screamed had sent the sharp barbs of realisation with the poison tip of reason tearing through his soul.
Despite the way he'd acted towards her, she'd still wanted to come back to him.
Feeling someone sit on the arm of his chair and wrap their arms around him, Robbie buried his face deeper into his hands. Kit was trying to comfort him.
"I just hope you're satisfied with what you've done," Robbie heard Kit whisper to him in a tone that was neither one of anger or disappointment but strangely tender, "She's been back three weeks and you've probably done enough for her to want to go away again forever now."
Muffled by his hands, Robbie's voice sounded hoarse as he spoke, "Why are you being like this? Why aren't you angry?"
Kit looked up and closed his eyes, sighing. "Don't you think we've all torn enough strips off each other already, Robbie? All of this fighting and hurt has to end somewhere and did you never consider that it was Robyn that was trying to stop it? You, me, Nine and let's be honest, most of the town – Robyn's stuck in the middle of all of it, all of the mudslinging against Sportacus. She's trying to find a way to move on and accept everything that's come out of the woodwork in the last few months. We might not agree with her choices but we don't have to, all we have to do is support her. If we keep fighting we're not doing that and things are only going to get worse. She needs our help, Robbie. Just because she's trying to let Sportacus back into her life, even by a tiny amount, it doesn't mean you have to be his best friend again or even be civil to him. You don't even have to forget everything that's happened or forgive him; you just have to be there for Robyn."
Robbie heard every word that Kit had said and they gradually began to sink in. He understood now why Robyn had brought Sportacus into their house and he admonished himself for allowing his deep seated rage overtake him and scorch whatever tenuous link he still had with Robyn. He ripped his hands from his face and shifted violently so he could look at Kit as what he'd said to him about Robyn possibly wanting to leave and for good came back to haunt him.
"Where is she?" He begged, his voice still hoarse.
"It's ok, Langford stopped her running off. He stuffed her in a car and took her somewhere. He was driving towards the tunnel but that's all I know. Wherever she is, I'm sure she's safe."
If Kit had known exactly where Robyn was going with Langford, he wouldn't have felt so sure.
They drove silently through the streets, two vehicles all filled with four men following a third one in which sat a man and a woman. Everyone in the vehicles scanned the scenery that rolled past them, rows of houses with no signs of life inside or outside of them, an eerie testament to a part of town that seemed almost frozen in time but had in fact been abandoned. Neither of the drivers in the two vehicles following the lead car knew when they'd been stopping but they were prepared for what had been forewarned may be a sudden halt.
"We're here," Robyn said suddenly, prompting Langford to flash his hazard lights twice and stop the car.
Following Langford's signal, the vehicle behind him did the same to alert the rear vehicle that they'd reached their destination.
Getting out of the car first, Langford let Robyn out of the car and watched her as she moved around the car to stand facing the imposing structure that stood before them. He could hear the other men exiting their vehicles and their footsteps as they joined Robyn on the pavement.
"Is anyone here?" One of the men asked Robyn, knowing that she'd be more aware of anyone's presence than they were.
Reaching out with her senses, Robyn scanned the house and shook her head in the negative. There was no one in the house or any of the houses on the street. They were alone.
Noting that Robyn had indicated that there was no one in the house Langford voiced a concern that had dawned upon him, "Is there any way that Lily would be able to hide herself from you?"
Having never thought of this before, Robyn couldn't answer him.