Chapter 140: Worth Saving
With a nod of his head, Tank reached down and gently took the toy out of the little girl’s hands. Carefully tucking it under his arm, he patted her head once again. "Deal accepted," he chuckled. "Go get your mommy, and we’ll head back now."
A woman, probably no older than 25, rushed forward and picked up her daughter. Clearly exhausted, Tank looked at the dark circles under her eyes. Survival wasn’t easy on anyone, especially when they had children to look after.
"Do you need to grab anything?" asked Tank, his face going back to impassive now that he was no longer speaking to the child. The fact that she looked like she could have belonged to him and Hattie had no bearing on him saving her.
"Nothing," replied the woman with a quick shake of her head. She was trembling as she stood in front of Tank, but her chin was up and her shoulders back. She had more grit inside her than Cameron had in his entire body.
"Are you really that low that you would take a toy from a child?" demanded Cameron, clearly needing to be the center of attention.
Tank glanced over at the child just in time to see her face falling at Cameron’s words. "Of course I would accept a toy as payment. It is the most valuable thing that she owns... and unlike you, she also understands that nothing in this world is for free. Her Teddy has now bought her and her mother a home with food, hot water, electricity, and anything else she needs."
Looking down at the ’hero’, Tank couldn’t stop the look of scorn on his face. "She has just ensured her mother’s survival... and hers," he repeated. He would have gone on, but that seemed to be nothing more than a waste of words.
"I have a Teddy," snarled a man, looking around the floor for something to give to Tank. Finding one of the other children nearby with a doll in her arms, the man snatched it from her and held it up to Tank. "Take me with you."
Tilting his head back with laughter, Tank couldn’t help but shake his head. "The Teddy was her sacrifice. Your head is yours."