Page 133 of Myla: The Hawthornes

“And I got the cake,” I replied.

Gramps looked at my dad.

“Where’s the cake?” Dad asked.

“I dropped it.” My voice wobbled.

“Why’d you drop it?”

“Because there was a man in the yard.”

“What was he doin’?”

“He was just standing there.”

“Did he say why he was there?”

“He said he was looking for Richie,” I replied.

Cian’s hand tightened. “He was lookin’ for Richie?”

“I told him that Richie was dead, but he just laughed.”

“Then what happened?”

“He said he knew me. That I was the brother’s girlfriend.”

The hand on my shoulder disappeared.

“He said we could have some fun.”

“Lock it down,” my brother Mick ordered. I turned to see what he was talking about.

“Myla,” Dad said. “Eyes on me.”

I turned back.

“I told him to leave.”

“Did he seem like he was going to leave?”

“No, he came closer.”

“What did you do?”

“I told him to leave again.”

“Okay.”

“And then he just—” I gestured with my hand, holding it far from me and then back toward my chest quickly.

“He ran at you?”

“He wasn’t that far away.”

“He rushed you?”

“Yeah.”

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