The diner Danny took her to was a 24-hour outside of the Bronx. The prices were reasonable, and the food wasn’t bad. But that wasn’t exactly why Danny had chosen it. The location was quiet and out of the way. There would be fewer questions, if any, at this hour. Better yet, he had never been there before, and he didn’t expect to return.

Once they were seated, he asked for coffee, and Jordan ordered a turkey dinner with corn and mashed potatoes and Pepsi for a drink. Danny didn’t mind. It was understood. Jordan had a chance for a good, warm dinner out. She would – and should – take advantage now. After all, who knew when the next meal out would be?

The food reached the table in record time, and Jordan wasted little time in scarfing down the generous portions on her plate.

Danny watched her gusto with a half-amused, half-concerned smile. “Don’t they feed you at that convent?”

“Yeah,” Jordan said against a mouthful of food. “Didn’t you see our ad? All the grade E meat and stale communion wafers you can eat.” At Danny’s raised eyebrows, she laughed a little before amending, “No, it’s not so bad. It’s not so good, but it’s not so bad.”

“They treat you okay?”

Jordan shrugged in a classic ‘whatever’ gesture. “They don’t keep us tied up to sewing machines in the basement with the rats and boogiemen, if that’s what you mean.” Her expression changed, and she chewed in what Danny took as a serious manner. “But no, they really take good care of Jason.”

Jason Coliandri was Jordan’s three-year-old brother, whom she adored above all things. Since their mother left them, the girl had taken it upon herself to be his guardian, sometimes to the point of irrationality. But irrational or not, it was a protective nature fueled by love, and Danny respected that.

He smiled as the image of the endearing toddler entered into his mind. “How is he?”

Jordan’s face lit up. “Getting big. He’s almost ready to enter into the preschool there.” She stared forward thoughtfully. “They really care about him, Danny. It’s a rare thing.”

“Well, just remember…” he told her. “He’s not the only one they care about.”

She snorted. “Yeah, right, they’re counting down the days ‘til they can get rid of me.”

Though Danny already knew that the treatment shown to her younger brother had been extended to Jordan too, there was a modicum of truth in her cynicism. The convent was funded by the Catholic Church, and while its intentions were admirable, the reality was – there was only so much to go around. The older a child was, the more likely they would be handed over to the government. At sixteen, Jordan probably should have left the convent years ago.

So far no one had made a fuss, and as long as no one spoke up, Jordan would have a place to stay. But the convent was running out of volunteers…and Jordan’s track record had not exactly kept her off of police radar…

“I’m more trouble than I’m worth,” she muttered. “You should know that best of all.”

As Danny watched her, he felt a familiar primitive instinct. He wanted to protect her. He liked the kid. But he knew – probably best of all – that in a world governed by administrative laws and regulations, that simple desire wasn’t enough. They would have to have a talk…not just now…but soon.

They ordered a dessert to go, and Jordan wrapped up what she hadn’t eaten, which including emptying the breadbasket to take along with her.

Danny left a tip and paid the bill. “You ready?”

“Yeah,” she said. She tossed him his keys off the counter with a jaunty flair. “Let’s hit it.”