Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
It was very different having a kid at the table while they ate.
Bowie talked nonstop, as if she was best friends with the adults sitting around her.
Pyro saw a few longing looks from other men and women in the chow hall, as if they were missing their own kids, which made him appreciate Bowie and Penny being with them all the more.
While he and his fellow Night Stalkers didn’t have children, it was a nice change from the usual small talk they engaged in while eating. It wasn’t a chore or a nuisance having Bowie around. She was funny, adorable, and actually very smart.
But it was the woman sitting to his left that had most of Pyro’s attention.
He was trying to figure out what it was about her that was so appealing.
Her calm demeanor, for sure. It didn’t matter what happened, she didn’t lose her cool.
From Bowie spilling her cup of water to being evacuated from a hotel roof… she took it all in stride.
Pyro had a theory, one he hadn’t told to many people because he didn’t think they’d understand, but he had a feeling Penny would.
When children had traumatic things happen to them growing up—deaths of loved ones, serious illnesses, homelessness, to name a few—they tended to cope better when shit happened to them as adults.
After all, a spilled cup of water was no big deal when compared to losing a parent when you were little.
The theory was certainly simplistic, and most likely could be debunked by people smarter than him, but he’d lived it. He was a good example. He simply couldn’t get upset about things that others freaked out over because of the shit he’d gone through as a child in the foster care system.
He saw that same…knowledge?…of shared trauma in Penny’s eyes. Having a child who couldn’t see had to have been a huge blow, and while he didn’t know how she’d coped with it back when Bowie was born, she barely seemed to acknowledge her daughter’s blindness now.
No, that wasn’t true. The dozens of little things she did to make Bowie’s life easier made it very clear Penny was constantly aware of her daughter’s disability.
She shifted her cup away from her wildly gesturing hands while she spoke, so it wouldn’t get spilled a second time.
She quietly told her where things were in her space, and explained things she saw around them without thought.
But she didn’t get upset or stressed or hysterical when things went wrong.
Pyro thought back to her reaction to people stealing some of her and Bowie’s things. She didn’t demand justice, didn’t yell or scream or cry about it. She and her daughter had apparently decided that whoever had taken their things, probably needed them more than they did.
Which was a joke. From his perspective, Penny and Bowie needed everything. She hadn’t mentioned family back in the States, and he had no idea what her financial situation was, but from everything she’d told him about their life in Gabon, he deduced that they had very little money, if any.
Which had him thinking about something else she’d mentioned. When he’d stupidly questioned her “we’re good” statement.
She’d said she was paying off her deceased husband’s debts.
He had no idea what that meant, but his gut told him it wasn’t good. Like the man hadn’t just run up a credit card or two. Of course, she wouldn’t be the first widow to have to take on unpaid debts…but he had a feeling her situation was more than simply sending a check to a bank.
She’d apparently lived in abject poverty, was honoring a debt that wasn’t her own, yet had done everything in her power to make sure her daughter was as safe and comfortable as she could make her.
The sacrifices she’d made were admirable. Something every mother should do for her children. But he knew better than most, because of his experience in so many different countries—and his own childhood—that simply wasn’t reality.
“Kylo-Pyro, are you done eating? Because I want to share my chocolate bar with you.”
“It’s not polite to rush someone to finish their meal, sweetheart,” Penny lightly scolded.
“How else am I supposed to know if he’s done or not?” Bowie asked with an adorable tilt of her head. “I can’t see him, so I have to ask.”
She wasn’t wrong, and Pyro didn’t bother to hide his smirk. His friends chuckled around the table.
Penny’s own lips moved upward in a smile. “Fair point, Bowie, but just because you’re dying to eat that chocolate doesn’t mean the person you want to share it with is.”
“Actually, I am done,” Pyro said, taking pity on both Penny and Bowie. “I’ve been thinking about that candy bar ever since you mentioned it.”
Bowie beamed. “Yay! Mommy, can we have it now? Please?”
“Thank you for using your manners, and yes, you may have it.” She unzipped the cross-body purse Pyro hadn’t seen her without since they’d met and took out the chocolate bar. Then she took Bowie’s hand in hers and placed the candy in it.
Bowie eagerly tore open the package, carefully taking out half of the Twix bar and holding it out to Pyro, who was on her left.
“Oh man, I love Twix! It’s the perfect mixture of chocolate to cookie to caramel,” Chaos said.
As soon as his friend spoke, Pyro knew what was coming. He scowled at Chaos, even as Bowie spoke.
“Oh, you do? Here, you can have my half. I ate a whole one all by myself yesterday.”
Chaos looked shocked at the little girl’s offer. He didn’t move to take the candy Bowie was holding out to him from across the table.
Pyro made a mental note not to say anything in the future that could influence Bowie to give up something she loved so much.
“I…no, I didn’t mean I wanted yours.”
“It’s okay,” Bowie said with a smile.
Chaos looked stricken. As if someone had punched him. He still made no move to take the candy, instead looking to Penny for help in turning down Bowie’s incredibly unselfish and generous offer. Especially since the little girl had obviously been looking forward to having the treat so much.
“He wasn’t hinting that he wanted you to give up your half, honey,” Penny told her daughter. “He was just making an observation.”
“I know. But I could hear in his voice that he wanted it,” she insisted.
“You’re sweet,” Chaos told her gently. “But I’m not going to be satisfied with only half, so when we leave here, I’ll go to the commissary to get my own candy bar. That way, I can be selfish and eat the whole thing by myself.”
Bowie giggled.
“You go ahead and enjoy that Twix, sweet girl,” Chaos said.
To everyone’s relief, Bowie did just that, taking a big bite of the candy and humming in pleasure.
Pyro looked down at his own half of the chocolate bar and felt about as horrible as Chaos had looked. He wanted Bowie to have it. It was obvious she didn’t get to have such simple pleasures all that often.
He felt pressure on his knee and looked down to see Penny’s hand on him. He met her eyes, and she gave him a small smile and a nod. “It’s okay,” she said softly.
“What’s okay?” Bowie asked.
Penny shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Nothing, baby. How’s the Twix?”
“Amazing! Yummy. Delicious! Chaos is right, it’s the perfect blend of cookie, chocolate, and caramel.”
Still feeling bad, Pyro took a bite out of his half of the chocolate bar. For some reason, it tasted better than any Twix he’d ever eaten.
“I’m glad whoever took our clothes didn’t find this Twix under my pillow,” Bowie said, as she munched happily on the sweet treat.
The mood around the table turned dark in a heartbeat at her words.
“What? Someone stole your things?” Casper asked in a low, measured tone.
“Uh-huh. Mommy put everything Kylo-Pyro got for us in this huge bag and stuck it under her bed. When we got back after exploring, some of our stuff was gone. But it’s okay, because Mommy carries everything that’s really important inside her purse.
And we have other shirts because Kylo-Pyro got us so much. ”
“What was taken?” Buck clipped, staring at Penny.
“Oh…it’s okay.”
“It’s not okay. I don’t care how much someone might’ve needed something you had, it’s never okay to steal. You hear that, Miss Bowie?” Obi-Wan asked.
“Uh-huh.”
“Good. Now, what did they steal?” Buck asked again.
“Most of the chocolate. A jacket in Bowie’s size, a sweatshirt, two T-shirts, and a pair of sweats,” Penny said. Then added, “But since Pyro was so generous, we still have plenty of things to wear.”
“My name’s Tate Davis,” Casper said, seemingly out of the blue.
Pyro frowned. He had no idea why his team leader was re-introducing himself to Penny. But he didn’t explain himself, just continued talking.
“My girlfriend’s name is Laryn Hardy. She’s currently pregnant, and she’s on this ship somewhere too, since she’s the head mechanic who makes sure our helicopters are running the way they should.
Buck’s name is Nash Chaney, and he’s also got a woman back home.
Amanda Rush, an elementary school teacher.
She’ll be in charge of a first-grade class at the beginning of the next school year.
Obi-Wan is Obadiah Engle, and he and Zita Darlington are together.
She’s a paramedic who just moved to the Norfolk area.
Arrow Porter, also known as Chaos, and Roman Aldrich, who goes by Edge, don’t have girlfriends.
All these men are as trustworthy as any I’ve ever met. ”
“Um…okay…” Penny said, when Casper paused. “It’s nice to meet you all. Again.”
“You have such cool names!” Bowie piped up.