Page 5 of Keeping Penny

Turning at the sound of Pyro’s voice, she looked at him.

“If you or Bowie need anything…just ask someone to find me and I’ll see what I can do for you. Okay?”

It was a very nice offer. And while Penny didn’t understand why he was making it, why he’d singled them out over all the other women and children on the helicopter, she wasn’t going to question it.

Not that she intended on taking him up on his offer either. She’d learned the hard way that relying on others never ended well. Most of the time they expected something in return, and Penny had nothing to give…to him or anyone else.

She offered Pyro a polite smile and nod, then turned her attention back to Bowie and getting out of the chopper without falling on her face.

CHAPTER TWO

Pyro had no idea why he’d told Penny to let him know if she needed anything. He wasn’t one to get involved in the lives of the people he transported. He did his job piloting his helicopter, did it well, and went on his way.

But there was something about little Bowie that got to him. The girl had thought the maneuvering of the chopper to avoid the RPGs was fun. Not scary. She had a huge smile on her pretty little face, and even with the blank stare from her sightless eyes, she had a way of seeming to see into his soul.

Pyro gave a little snort-laugh at the memory of her saying Mullins-muggins. Of making a rhyme out of his given name and his call sign. She’d hit the nail on the head on why he was called Pyro. Well, partly. He had the nickname because it did rhyme with Kylo, but also because he was a bit of a hothead. Because he tended to get fired up about things that many others shrugged off. Things like people not being treated equally, or living in extreme poverty with no help from the government. Or more fortunate people who used their privilege for evil instead of good.

Deep down, he was a do-gooder, and he didn’t give a damn who knew it. He’d seen first-hand how unfair the world could be, and Pyro wanted to do his part to try to even the scales.

But it was Bowie’s mother who really intrigued him. The love she had for her daughter was clear. How she held on to her, smiled at the girl, encouraged and reassured her. As a foster kid, Pyro hadn’t experienced much of that growing up. Even in the midst of the stress of the evacuation and the uncertainty of her future, Penny was obviously taking things in stride.

The moment he’d taken her hand, he’d felt electricity shoot down his arm straight to his cock. Which was surprising and, frankly, kind of alarming. He’d never felt that kind of instant attraction toward anyone, and it was both terrifying and exciting at the same time. His heart was beating hard, but for a different reason than five minutes ago.

Yet, oddly, just being around her also calmed him, made the adrenaline that had coursed through his veins from their close call at the hotel ebb somewhat.

Pyro didn’t understand it, how he could feel so many things at once because of a stranger. And he didn’t like what he didn’t understand. His world was black and white. Good guys against bad guys. He didn’t have time for anything other than being the best pilot he could be.

But that didn’t stop him from telling Penny to ask for him if she needed anything.

It was out of character, which made him question what the hell he was doing. Penny and her daughter were nothing to him. Two people he’d met during the course of his job. He met hundreds of people just like them every year. They were no different.

Except they were.

Pyro couldn’t get the image out of his head of Bowie walking toward him on the hotel roof. Everyone was terrified, frozen in place, and yet that child walked across that roof as if she were strolling in a park. She was blind, and she’d come to him with no sense of fear. With the absolute certainty that she’d be okay. Probably because her mom had told her where to go and what to do.

That level of trust was something Pyro had only felt with five other people…the five Night Stalker pilots he worked with on a regular basis.

He felt a need to get to know Bowie. To see what else might come out of her mouth to make him laugh. To learn more about her and Penny’s situation…because it was more than obvious they didn’t have the kind of money the other women and children did. Their clothes were tattered and dirty. Their shoes had holes and were clearly several years old. Their hair looked unwashed, and they both had red dirt under their fingernails. Compared to the other women, who were all clean and wearing expensive clothes, their kids equally well-groomed.

Bowie and Penny had also been calm, not panicked. And Penny had been a huge help in getting the others on the chopper. And instead of freaking out, Bowie had apparently had the time of her life.

It was safe to say Pyro was intrigued. And while he had no expectation that Penny would actually ask him for anything, he found that he wanted to do whatever he could to make their time on the ship easier.

“Good job, man. That was hairy there for a while,” Casper said, slapping Pyro on the back as he headed for the door of the chopper.

“It always baffles me how and where ordinary citizens get their hands on fucking RPGs,” Pyro said with a shake of his head.

“Right? Someone’s obviously supplying them with the weapons. Probably those high up in the government who secretly oppose the current regime. Not that I can blame them. Gabon ranks right up there at the top of the list for human rights violations, and it’s a dictatorship. More money for the rich who don’t need more money is pretty much their main goal. They don’t seem to care if the poor stay poor and the hungry get hungrier while they live like kings.”

Pyro didn’t disagree.

“Thanks for not destroying this chopper,” Laryn said with a smirk as she walked toward Casper. She had a thin streak of grease across one cheek, and her coveralls were also smudged.

“Today was a little too close for comfort. We had to do some pretty extreme flying to dodge the shit that was being thrown at us,” Casper told her, reaching out and pulling her into his arms.

The hug they shared was intimate and heartfelt, and Pyro merely smiled at their public display of affection.

Laryn and Casper were madly in love and didn’t care who knew it. They’d danced around their attraction for years, and now that they’d pulled their heads out of their asses, they were living their best life. Laryn was the best mechanic in the Army, possibly in the US, and their Night Stalker team was lucky to have her working with them. But more than that, she made Casper happy. And that was enough to ensure Pyro and his teammates all adored her.