Though Spencer's gaze was aimed at the ceiling, he could feel Tony's eyes piercing into his skull, as if in search of answers. Yet even so, Spencer didn't immediately speak, continuing to stare blankly above as a battle raged inside his mind. He didn't know what to do.
On the one hand, he wanted nothing more than to divulge everything that was going on, to have someone he could talk to and to stop keeping it all bottled up where it was eating him alive. Yet there was also a part of him, a part overcome by fear, that was terrified beyond belief of the possible consequences if the kidnapper was ever to find out. The last thing he wanted was to put his daughter into jeopardy because of his actions, or at least even more than she already was.
However, as the silence dragged on, and the more Spencer thought about it, the more he realised he didn't have a choice. He had promised Tony he would tell him the truth. If he didn't, he was certain Tony would follow through on his threat to call an ambulance, something that would almost certainly lead to police involvement once they saw the bullet wound.
There was also the simple fact that, as Spencer finally turned his head away from the ceiling to the exhausted form of Tony beside him, he knew that he owed him. After all, while having a bullet yanked out of his shoulder hadn't exactly been the most pleasant experience to put it mildly, Spencer was sure it hadn't been easy for Tony either. From his drained expression and slumped position against the couch, it was clear Tony had suffered just as much, at least mentally.
'Who knows, maybe he can even figure out a way to get my daughter back.'
"Hello? Earth to Spencer? You going to tell me now or what?" Tony called out, waving a hand in front of Spencer's face to snap him out of his thoughts.
"Alright, I'll tell you." Spencer finally replied. "Are you sure you want to know?"
A question that was immediately met with a deadpan stare. "What do you think?"
Hearing that, Spencer took a deep breath to calm his unsteady emotions before finally beginning to tell Tony everything that had happened: how his daughter had gone to the zoo but never came back, the first call he received from the kidnapper, the state he found his sister-in-law in at the hospital, and, of course, what he had been forced to do the night prior. He told it all, throughout which Tony didn't utter a word. He simply continued to listen in rapt attention, his face morphing across a range of expressions as Spencer spoke.
"...Wow." Tony eventually uttered as Spencer finally finished retelling everything that had happened. "I don't even know what to say, mate. I hadn't even thought to wonder where Lily was."
"I think that's understandable, considering what you saw as soon as you walked through the door." Spencer joked, despite his eyes not holding even a hint of joy within them.
"Mate, you need to call the police."
"No! No way!" Spencer vehemently denied. "I told you what that fucker said! If he found out I called the police, I don't even want to imagine what he would do. I shouldn't have even told you, for god's sake!"
"So what?" Tony argued back. "You're just going to keep following whatever crazy batshit orders you get told to do, each more dangerous and suicidal than the last? And then what? Do you really think he is just going to give you back Lily?"
"What other choice do I even have!" Spencer roared, silencing Tony before suddenly breaking down into tears. "Do you think I haven't thought about any of that? That I haven't thought about it constantly these past couple of days? But what else can I do? The moment I go against him and stop following his orders, Lily is as good as dead! At least this way Lily is safe and there's still a chance I can get her back!"
In the face of Spencer's outburst, Tony didn't immediately reply. Instead, as Spencer let loose all the fears and emotions he'd been unable to share with anyone else, he simply placed a hand on Spencer's back in quiet support.
"Look," Tony said sombrely minutes later as Spencer eventually began to calm down. "I get that you're scared, that you don't want to jeopardise Lily's safety by going against the kidnapper and doing something rash, but, mate, you don't have a choice. If you don't do anything, then all that's going to happen is the minute you're no longer useful, then both yourself and Lily are just going to wind up dead."
"Then what am I supposed to do?" Tony muttered in pure exhaustion, his voice containing none of the strength or emotion he had previously shown.
"I don't know Spence." Tony sighed. "I'm just saying, you need to stop being so passive and start trying to find out who this kidnapper is and where they are."
"Passive? I don't think you can call any of the shit I did yesterday passive." Spencer scoffed.
"You know what I mean," Tony said as he slapped Spencer lightly on his arm, thankfully avoiding his shoulder injury. "You need to go on the offensive."
"And how am I supposed to do that, I mean, for god sakes, Tony, I'm a mail clerk, or at least I was. I have absolutely no experience or training in any of this. I couldn't even imagine how to attempt to find and rescue Lily."
"That's why I'm saying we should call the police." Hearing that Spencer was once again ready to launch into a tirade and vehemently deny such an idea, but before he could, Tony continued.
"Look, I get that you don't want to, out of fear of what the kidnapper said, but Spence, think about it for a second, how do you know what he even said about watching you was even true? For all we know, he just said that to try and scare you!"
"You think I didn't consider that?" Spencer snapped. "That the idea hadn't spiralled through my mind for hours on end while I sat beside Gemma at the hospital? I must have picked up my phone a dozen times, ready to call the police and explain everything. But every time I did, the same fear plagued my mind. What if I was wrong? That was enough to fill me with terror and completely abandon any idea of calling the cops. So, no Tony, no Police. I won't risk my daughter's life on a gamble."
It was clear to Spencer that Tony wasn't exactly thrilled with such an answer, but whether it was the serious expression he wore or the determination in his voice, Tony didn't argue. Instead, he merely let a large, heavy-set sigh before sinking further into the couch.
"Alright, fine. If you don't want to call the police, that's fine." Tony muttered in defeat. "But this still isn't something we can handle by ourselves. We're going to need help. Someone who might have an idea of where we can go from here."
Instinctively, Spencer wanted to say no, not wanting to get anyone else involved and further risk the kidnapper finding out. But the longer he thought about it, the more he realised Tony was right. At the moment, he had no hope in hell of finding Lily on his own, possessing not a single lead or plan. And so, reluctantly, he started to nod his head, ready to concede. At least he was going to, until he suddenly registered exactly what Tony had said.
"We?" He asked incredulously, his now puffy red eyes staring directly towards Tony.
"Yes, we! You didn't think I was just going to leave after you told me all that, did you?"
For a second, Spencer didn't know how to react. He was stunned, not having expected Tony to want to get involved with something this dangerous in the slightest. Especially, not after he heard the full story about the night before and saw the gruesome injuries he had received because of it. However, such silence didn't last for long.
"No, no way. I appreciate the thought, Tony, but it's too risky. You need to leave immediately. If the kidnapper finds out that I've told you, he will kill you!"
"Well, I'm not planning on telling him, are you?" Tony replied with a smirk, leaving Spencer speechless as he continued. "Mate, face it, you need help. And judging from the way you've been hiding away from the world these past couple months, I'm probably the best you're going to get."
Spencer stared at Tony, stunned into silence. He wanted to scream at him, tell him he was being completely moronic, that there was no reason for him to get involved. And yet, as he looked at Tony's smiling face, he couldn't help but be filled with a sense of warmth. Even after how poorly he'd treated him over the past couple of months, he was willing to risk his life to help him get his daughter back. It was something that left his throat tight and vision blurry as he fought to suppress the tears threatening to surface.
"Thank you." He eventually choked out, unable to say anymore while still keeping a lid on his volatile emotions.
Thankfully, if Tony noticed his emotional state, he didn't say a word. He simply flashed a cheesy smile, drawing out a much-needed laugh from Spencer.
"Alright then fucking Mr. Selfless. If you want to help out so badly, what's our game plan? Because like I said before, I have nothing. Not who the kidnapper is, where they are, or even what their bloody goal is."
At that, Tony just let out a wide-toothed grin. "Lucky for you, I know just the person for the job."