Page 36 of Keeping Penny

Penny winced and looked around, making sure no strangers overheard her daughter.

She also ignored the little voice in her own head that was echoing that sentiment. That she wanted to sleep with the man at their side.

Instead of getting upset with her daughter, Penny tried to find out what was worrying her. “Why do you want to stay with Pyro, sweetheart?”

Bowie stared off into space as she bit her lip. That unseeing stare used to make John uncomfortable, but Penny was used to it.

“He’ll keep us safe.”

“From what?”

“The bad man.”

“What bad man?” Penny asked, more concerned now. They’d stopped walking, because Penny wanted to give Bowie her complete attention. She was well aware that Pyro had stopped walking too, and he was listening to their conversation intently. But she didn’t mind. She liked having him there. Liked his quiet support.

“If the bad man comes for money, Pyro can make him go away, and you can keep your money and then you’ll have food too, instead of giving it all to me,” Bowie said quietly.

Penny’s knees almost buckled. She was devastated enough to realize Bowie understood what the visits from Colvin’s goons were about. But even more so that she’d figured out Penny was going hungry so Bowie could eat.

She’d thought she’d done a much better job of keeping all of that from her daughter.

She felt warmth along her side a split second before Pyro spoke. “Your mom will never go hungry again, Bowie-Bear. You’ll both have all the food you can eat. And I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure the bad man doesn’t bother you and your mom.”

Penny appreciated that he hadn’t outright said Colvin would never show up, because that wasn’t something he could control. But man did she hate that Bowie was old enough to understand Penny was afraid of the men who came to their door, or that they sometimes hadn’t had enough money to feed them both. That sucked.

“And just because you’ll be in your own apartment, with your own room, doesn’t mean that you aren’t going to see me again. We’re friends now, right?”

“Uh-huh.”

“And friends do things together. Like go to the park. Go out to eat. Play games. Read together. I’m still going to do all that with you.”

“Promise?”

“Pinky promise.”

“What’s that?” Bowie asked, with an adorable tilt of her head.

“It’s a very important vow. A super-promise. One that can’t be broken.”

“Ooooh, I like that.”

“Me too. Hold up your hand,” Pyro said.

She did. Then he linked his pinky finger with hers and moved their hands up and down in a little handshake. “There. Now it’s a pinky promise.”

Bowie beamed. Then she frowned a little. “I still want to live with you, Kylo-Pyro.”

“Your mom would be lonely if you lived with me and she didn’t.”

“She can come too,” Bowie said magnanimously, which made Penny smile a little.

“How about if I come over and help get your room set up exactly how you want it?” Pyro asked.

“How about if you make me a room in your apartment exactly how I want it?” Bowie returned.

Penny couldn’t hold back the smile now. Her daughter was too smart for her own good. She was blind, not dumb, as some of the kids in Gabon had taunted.

Pyro gave Penny a helpless look. She appreciated him trying to appease Bowie more than she could say.