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“I need you all to know that if you keep coming around me, you're making yourselves a target," she stressed.
"None of us care," Renly bit out as he looked up at Mykie.
"That's the problem. You're going to put yourself in danger without realizing it," she argued. "I'll feel responsible if something happened to any of you."
"If what you're saying is true, they've already seen you with me,” Renly said. “If they wanted to, they could have followed Dexter when he drove me home. If they already know where we live, we're already in danger. Isn't it better for us to stay around you, and make sure we're all informed about what’s going on?"
Mykie was frustrated. How could she make them understand that they should stay as far away from her as possible, even when that was the last thing she wanted them to do? In the last month, she changed her opinion that while Ryker could defend himself, these boys had no experience. They’d be better off if they stayed on the outside until the threat was dealt with. However, Renly was making sense. It would be worse to keep them in the dark and cause them unknown danger.
"Maybe you should tell Corbus?" Caspar muttered to Mykie. "It would be better to do it than talk in circles."
“Tell me what?” Corbus asked, looking between Caspar and Mykie.
Mykie sighed before she moved to sit down next to Caspar. “I’m not a Cantil Girl, Corbus. At least, not in the way you think I am…”
By the time Mykie was done explaining, she could tell that Corbus was speechless.
“I hope this doesn’t change anything,” Mykie murmured.
Corbus looked between Renly and Caspar. “And you both already knew this?”
"I found out when that rival gang tried to shoot at her in the restaurant," Renly explained before leaning back in the booth, his eyes on Caspar. "I didn't know he knew, though."
“Guess I’m just her favorite,” he said with a shrug as he leaned forward and set his hand on top of hers.
Corbus' eyes were drawn to their entwined fingers.
“I don’t have favorites,” Mykie said, slowly taking her hand away. “Don’t start any of that. I like you all the same, in different ways.”
“Why did you lie to me and say you were a Cantil Girl?” Corbus asked, his eyes piercing into her. “I just can’t see you as someone who would willingly hurt people.”
Mykie felt lightheaded as she looked at the black-haired boy in front of her. Was he not interested in her now that he knew the truth about her?
“I-I can’t explain it right now,” Mykie said, stumbling over her words, “but I didn’t lie to any of you. You just decided who I was supposed to be, in your eyes.”
She stood up quickly, hitting her leg on the table in her scramble to get up. “I need to get back to work, now. Jezebeth is going to get swamped if I don’t go.”
Just as she righted herself, someone bumped her shoulder. She stumbled, but a hand on her waist caught her and helped her regain her balance.
“Sorry about that,” Ryker said, as she looked up at him. “I wasn’t watching where I was going.”
The wink he sent her said otherwise. Without waiting for her response, he took off in the direction of the bar, an empty tray in his hand.
“Was that my brother?” Renly asked, his voice strained.
"Yes, he's a new recent hire, since Jezebeth hasn't been feeling great after her father's passing. He asked me for an interview that day after our meeting after he recognized me from Pearl's," Mykie explained, the lies pouring out of her lips. She may have to explain her background to her boys, but Ryker had no such obligation, especially his brother.
“I thought I told you to stay away from him,” Renly said.
Mykie leveled him with a look. "I guess neither of us is really listening to what the other wants."
Before he could give her a response, she took off toward the bar with an attitude in her step.
"All the tables should be okay right now," Mykie announced to Jezebeth as she sat down at one of the seats.
Jezebeth took the tray from her and continued to dry the glass in her hand.
She gestured with her chin in the direction that Mykie had come from. “How’d that conversation go? Loverboy angry with you about what happened at the restaurant?”
