Page 49 of Keeping Penny

“Yeah,” Penny said with a nod. “I love it most for Bowie. She’s never had a decent male role model. I want her to experience for herself what a good relationship is supposed to look like, so when she gets older, she won’t be like me and fall for the first man who shows her the slightest bit of attention.”

“This feels like a good time to bring something up,” Zita said almost somberly.

Penny braced.

“We’ve established that our men are good communicators, which means they pretty much all know what’s going on in each other’s lives. I’m more than happy that you’re my roommate, and truly think this is the best place for you and Bowie, and that you were meant to be here. But…can we talk about Colvin Jackson?”

At Penny’s surprised look, Zita quickly went on.

“Sage told me a little about him, that Pyro thinks there could be a chance he might show up in the States to get the money he thinks you owe him. And that’s why the extra lock was put on the door, why we have cameras at the front door now. Tell us honestly…are you and your daughter in danger?”

It took a moment for Penny to respond. She didn’t blame Zita for being concerned. She had every right to ask questions, to try to figure out if she was also in danger simply by living with Penny.

“I don’t think so. Pyro has talked to a friend he knows who’s trying to find Colvin. Apparently, he’s uber rich—Colvin, that is—which I didn’t know, and he has a ton of aliases. He left Gabon at the same time I did, but so far he’s in the wind. No one can find him. I have no idea why he’d come after me though.”

“Wait, wait, wait. Go back,” Mandy ordered. “I knew about this guy too, because Buck told me as well. But why can’t he be found? I’m assuming the infamous Tex is the one looking for him, since he’s amazing and apparently can find a specific grain of sand on a beach. But if he doesn’t have any idea where Colvin might be…that’s concerning.”

“And if he’s got a pile of money, why does he want yours?” Laryn asked, obviously also in the know about Penny’s troubles with Colvin.

“I have no idea what you guys are talking about, but I can’t believe anyone would want to hurt Penny. Or Bowie, for that matter. You’re, like…the sweetest people ever,” Jen added.

Penny was overwhelmed by their support. Unfortunately, she didn’t have any answers for them. She turned to Jen to explain.

“My husband borrowed money from this Colvin guy. And when John died, Colvin didn’t release the debt. He came after me for it. I wasn’t able to pay much, so he took most of my monthly salary, leaving Bowie and me to scrape by as best we could the last couple of years. It wasn’t anywhere near paid off before we were evacuated, and Pyro thinks there’s a possibility he could come find me to get the rest.”

“That’s stupid.”

“What a dick!”

“Again, why does he need your money if he has his own?”

Penny appreciated their support more than she could say.

“Wait, how much are we talking here? Like, hundreds of thousands?” Jen asked, looking confused.

“No way. More like forty thousand. According to Colvin, anyway. Which, of course, I don’t have. I’m not trying to get out of my husband’s debt, but Colvin didn’t care that taking money from me in Gabon was leaving me and Bowie almost completely destitute,” Penny said.

“As a said, what a dick. So…what can we do to help?” Laryn asked.

“Yeah, we need a plan if he ever shows up,” Mandy agreed.

“We need a code word. Or phrase. Something Penny can say when she calls us so we know she’s in danger,” Zita said.

“But why would this Colvin guy give her a chance to call anyone?” Laryn asked.

“I don’t know. She could say she needs to call her bank to preauthorize a withdrawal or something,” Zita said, a little defensively.

Before anyone could get irritated with each other, Penny said, “I appreciate you guys more than you know. Zita and I already know not to let anyone into the building who might buzz the apartment, and Bowie knows she’s not allowed to open the door or to let anyone in. I’ll call Pyro if anyone comes asking about me who I don’t know. He said he’d get his friend to look at the building’s security cameras and see if it was Colvin or not.”

“Bowie, Penny, and I have already practiced getting out of the apartment via the emergency exits, if necessary. Mostly because of fire, and with Bowie not being able to see, she needs to be familiar with where to go in an emergency. But also if someone manages to make it through security downstairs and tries to get into our apartment.”

“But what if he finds you when you aren’t here?” Laryn asked. “I mean, yes, you work from home and you can hole up here, but you walk Bowie to and from school, so there’s a chance someone could confront you then,” Mandy said.

“Then I’ll give him the money he wants, and Pyro will help me figure out what to do next. I’m not going to antagonize him. I won’t be confrontational. I’ll tell him I have no intention of skipping out on the debt,” Penny said.

“Will that work?” Laryn asked, sounding a little doubtful.

“I hope so. He once threatened to take Bowie from me if I didn’t pay. As long as I was giving him money, he didn’t seem inclined to have anything to do with me. So if he shows up, I’ll give him whatever he asks for. I’d rob a damn bank if that’s what it took to keep my daughter safe.”