The sitting girl chewed her lip.
The one protecting her with her tiny body looked toward the exit and then back to Benny.
He sighed. “Okay. Let’s start here. I’m Benny. You can call me Benny, Ben, Benjamin, or butthead.”
The sitting girl burst out laughing. “Butthead,” she repeated.
The other urchin narrowed her eyes and just studied him, obviously looking for a trap.
Benny didn’t move. The more still he stayed, the more they seemed to relax. “If you don’t tell me your names, I’ll have to give you names. And I’m terrible at naming people. I had a dog once, and I named him Freddy the Farter.”
Both girls laughed and then caught themselves.
“All right. I’m thinking Goat Nose and Frog Face.” He nodded as if satisfied. “Yep. Good names.”
The girl sitting slowly stood and moved to her sister’s side. “Those aren’t girl names,” she whispered.
Benny shrugged. “Oh. Well then, how about Girly Giggles and Girly Goober?”
The serious one lifted her eyebrows, obviously wondering which one was her name. “No,” she whispered.
Benny waited.
The other one reached down and took her sister’s hand. It was like a punch to the gut for Benny, but he kept his expression curious. “I’m Belle, and she’s Boone,” the girl whispered.
Benny smiled and pursed his lips as if thinking it over. The girls held their breath in unison. “All right. Those are very pretty names. We’ll go with those.”
Boone studied him. “Benny, Belle, and Boone. All Bs.”
He grinned. “Yes. All Bs. You’re a smart one, aren’t you? We’ll have to form the Huckleberry Pancake B Club.”
Belle perked up. “Club?”
“Sure,” Benny said easily. “Everyone needs a club, right?”
Boone frowned. “But you’re a warrior. We’re just girls.”
Ah, shit. He wished he could go back and bomb the Kurjan stronghold again. “Yeah, and girls are the strongest ones out there. Didn’t you know that?”
Both kids shook their heads.
He nodded solemnly. “Honest. Sometimes people tell girls they aren’t strong because they’re actually afraid of how strong girls can be. Do you feel strong?”
They shuffled their feet in unison, and hand to God, it was adorable. Benny sent healing cells to the ankle that was still bugging him. “Well, you might not feel strong because you haven’t eaten truly excellent huckleberry pancakes yet,” he said, trying to sound wise and not like his ankle was breaking. “But you’re both badasses. Totally tough. You survived a bombing last night. Definitely strong.”
Boone clapped a hand over her mouth. “You said ‘badass’.”
He winced. Swearing around little girls was probably a bad idea. He sucked at this. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have said a bad word. I’m very sorry.”
Belle’s mouth gaped open, and she turned to look at her sister, her eyes even wider than they had been before. “He said ‘sorry’,” she whispered. Boone shushed her.
Benny’s chest hurt, and he rubbed it. Maybe he should try a different tack right now. “Here’s the deal, ladies. I was in a battle last night, and my ankle hurts and my stomach is really empty. Huckleberry pancakes sound like a great breakfast, but I need help. Will you help me?”
Now they looked shocked. He didn’t want to awaken Karma, but he was at a loss here.
Slowly, Boone walked toward him, still holding her sister’s hand. “You’re hurt?”
He let his lower lip pout just a little and felt like a total dumbass. “Yeah. My ankle and my stomach. I think breakfast would help.”
Boone reached out and gently touched his arm, her body braced. “You gots hurt saving us.”
Benny held perfectly still so he didn’t startle them.
Belle grinned, showing two wide dimples in her cheeks. “We can help.”
Benny smiled. “Great. Grab the pancake mix, I’ll get the huckleberries, and we’ll try to figure out this stove. It looks complicated.”
Belle leaned over to her sister. “He really needs help.”
Boone nodded wisely.
It was like another punch to the solar plexus. They were much safer away from him and his life, right? But he didn’t want to let them go any more than he did Karma.
He sighed.
Boone patted him. “It’s okay, Benny.”
* * * *
If Karma’s heart hadn’t already broken the night before, it shattered into pieces as she listened to Benny and the girls making breakfast. He was sweet, he was kind, and he built them up with every sentence. From how smart they were to figure out the stove to how they picked the perfect number of huckleberries for each pancake. By the time they were sitting down and eating, the girls were chattering along in a way she’d never heard them do.
They were happy, and for once, they knew they were safe.
She joined them after a while, and the girls both looked shocked when Benjamin served her. She acted as if it was no big deal and accepted the pancakes, eating even though she wanted to cry. Then when Benjamin cleaned up the kitchen and all the dishes, and the girls looked on in surprise, she didn’t know how to thank him.
Now, hours later, she checked on them in the queen-sized bed, making sure their napping was peaceful. Benny looked over her shoulder. “They’re cute.”
She quietly shut the door, turning to look at him. “This is a mistake. You going on a mission this close to the last one,” she whispered.
He drew her away from the bedrooms to the crackling fireplace. “This is what I do. This is my life.” He looked down at his clothing. “Can’t you see who I am?” He wore black cargo pants, a dark shirt, and a black jacket with guns at his thigh, waist, and probably boot. A knife handle protruded from a sheath at his other thigh, and combat sunglasses perched on his head, even though a storm outside was now actively trying to destroy the earth.
“I see who you are,” she whispered, trying not to wring her hands together. Maybe it was Benny who didn’t see who he was or who he could become.
“Good.” His jaw hardened, and he looked every inch the warrior he claimed to be. God, he was big and dangerous. “Go through the papers Mercy left and choose where you want to live. I’ll have bank accounts set up for you and the girls, and we’ll make sure to buy the right house before you go.” Then he kissed her on the forehead and turned to stride out into the storm.