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I’d been through too much to finally start living on my own terms to settle for a man who made another woman’s comfort paramount to mine.
His daughter?
Sure, I’d gladly take a backseat.
Even his mother, and the mother of his child within reason.
But Nya?
Thatshit was a nonstarter.
“I don’t think he knows how to let people go.”
Kiara’s voice pulled me from my thoughts, and I raised an eyebrow at her, confused.
“Huh?”
“You know he was in the military, right?” She asked, and I nodded my assent. “After last time - the last deployment - he was different when he came back.”
“Different how?”
“Kinda… sad, I guess?” she shrugged. “He doesn’t really talk about it, and he’s a lot better now, but mama told me a lot of his friends died. Like hesawthem die. And I think that’s why he’s still friends with Nya. He doesn’t wanna lose anybody. Even when they’re annoying.”
I stood there, open-mouthed from that revelation as Kiara hopped down from the counter and returned her backpack to her shoulders.
“Anyway, thanks for the rescue. Sorry you had to out yourself.”
“Out myself?” I asked, following her to the door.
She looked back at me, wearing a self-satisfied grin.
“Yeah. As an assassin. Why else would you randomly have a blade to like…ninja slice somebody with?”
I laughed. “Well, there are these things called boxes, that sometimes need to be opened, and-”
“My dad told me what tattoo you got covered.”
Those words were like getting doused with a bucket of cold water.
“What did you just say?” I hissed, slipping quickly between her and the door.
She shrank back. “I’m sorry!”
“Tell me what the fuck you’re talking about, little girl.”
“Th-there were these…stories. It was on this site for fiction, but the author implied that it’s based on true stories. They’re all about like... espionage and murder and…sex,” she added, in a very, very quiet tone. “And one of the details is that, all the women have a rose tattoo.”
What the fuck…
“Show it to me,” I demanded, knowing she likely had a cell phone on her.
“I can’t,” she insisted. “It got pulled down, which made me think it must really be true! It was like a year ago, and I feel like it probably wasn’t one of the actual assassins, just someone who knew about it and-”
“Your mouth is gonna get you in trouble,” I interrupted her, as it suddenly occurred to me how incredibly guilty I was acting. “And your imagination too.”
Her eyes went wide. “I won’t shrink myself just because -”
“Nobody fucking said all that lil girl,” I snapped, moving away from the door. “I didn’t say you had to stop, I said it was gonna get you in trouble. So you should think about that. Instead of blurting made up stories to a woman you don’t know, but think might be an assassin.”
