16. Skye
“Iknow what’s going on.”
The ol’ ladies came barreling through the door like a horde of mama bears protecting a cub. It’s a sight to behold, but it sends my panic level even higher into the stratosphere. The last thing I want is for them to think I’m a thief. I consider them friends, but after this, they’ll probably wish they’d never met me.
“Violet, no. Get out of here before they hurt you,” I plead. “Jez, can you please make sure my grandma gets all the money out of my accounts? It’s not much, but she needs it.”
“What the fuck?”
“Hurt them?”
Malice and Rogue speak simultaneously, but it’s Violet who reacts physically.
She jerks back as if she’s been slapped. “They’d never hurt us.”
“Maybe not, but I’m not taking any chances. Please, go.”
“Skye,” Jez says gently. “I know they can be Neanderthals, but they wouldn’t hurt us, and they sure as hell aren’t going to hurt you without knowing all the facts.” She places her hands on her hips and glares at the men standing around me. “Will you?”
“For the love of all that’s unholy, someone tell me what the fuck is going on,” Rogue demands, stepping between my chair and the ladies.
Grim moves lightning-fast to put himself in front of Violet. He bares his teeth and growls as his hands fly with precision. Violet places her hand on Grim’s arm, and he steps back… marginally.
Rogue dips his head. “I’m sorry, Violet.”
“It’s okay,” Violet says softly. “I need to ask Skye some questions before I can explain.”
Rogue waves her forward. “Have at it. We sure as hell aren’t getting anywhere with her.”
Cece punches Rogue in the chest before Soul can restrain her. “Don’t be a dick, Rogue. You’re gonna be eating your fucking words soon enough.”
“Babe, you can’t punch my brothers,” Soul chastises as he turns to scowl at Rogue. “And I’ll fucking end you if you ever step up to my woman again.”
Rogue crosses his arms. “I wasn’t gonna touch her. I just want to know what the fuck is going on.”
“If you back off and give us some breathing room, you’ll get your answers soon enough.” Violet pulls out the chair next to me, and Jez hands her a piece of paper and a pen. “I’m gonna write something down, and I want you to answer the questions.”
I raise my brow in question but give her a moment to write. The room is so quiet, I swear they can all hear my heart pounding.
When she’s done writing, Violet pushes the paper over to me and gives me an encouraging smile. My stomach somersaults when I see what she wrote. Numbers line the paper, and I swallow back the bile climbing up my throat. I push the paper away from me.
“No.”
“No?” Violet asks, perplexed. “It’s okay, Skye. Tell me what you see or do the problems at the bottom.”
“No,” I repeat more forcefully.
“I suggest you do what Violet says,” Rogue says angrily. He leans over the table to look at the paper before I can turn it over. “What the hell is that?”
“Nothing. A bunch of numbers.”
Violet pushes the paper back to me. “It is but humor me. Please.”
Staring at the numbers doesn’t make it any easier to understand. I can’t count on my fingers in front of them, or they’ll really see what an idiot I am.
Why the hell is this happening to me?
I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later, working around money. Making mistakes is what I’m good at. I had no idea it would end up this bad though.
“It’s simple math,” Malice points out.
“Maybe to you,” I mumble.
“What was that?” Violet leans closer to me, and I repeat myself. “Let’s forget about this paper for now. Can you count backward for me from fifty?”
“What’s that gonna fucking show us?” Rogue paces behind me.
Counting backward is easy, but I still shut my eyes to concentrate and ignore everyone else in the room. “Fifty, forty-nine, forty-eight, forty-seven, forty-three, forty-four… I mean six-thirty, thirty-three, five-thirty…”
I keep going until I reach one.
When I open my eyes, everyone is staring at me with their mouths open. Violet reaches for my hand and holds onto it.
“I want to ask you one question.” She takes a deep breath. “What is twelve plus eight?”
Tears well up, but I blink them back as I figure it out in my head. “Ten.”
“It’s twenty,” Malice says quickly. “How do you not know that? You’re messing with us, right?”
“Shut up, Paul,” Jez sneers.
“What the fuck did you call me, Mary?” Malice growls.
Squeezing my eyes shut once more, I cover my face with my hands and do my best to drown out the arguing around me. A loud whistle halts all the commotion.
“If everyone would be quiet, please.” Violet pulls my hands away from my face. “I think you have dyscalculia.”
“What’s that?” I ask.
“What did you say?” Rogue barks, talking over me.
Grim smacks the back of Rogue’s head.
“What?” Rogue snarls at his brother.
Grim smirks and signs to him.
“Fifty dollars, asshole,” Violet says for my benefit.
“Explain what that is Violet,” Rogue demands, but his tone is nicer than before.
The stress of the day catches up to me, and a giggle escapes. Once I start laughing, I can’t stop. Rogue stares at me like I need psychiatric care, but I don’t care anymore. This is one fucked up day, and he can kiss my ass.
Cece moves beside me. “I think we broke her.”
Abyss grabs my other wrist and holds it in his hand. “Her pulse is too fast. Stress is getting to her.”
Why does he even care? They’re gonna kill me anyway for stealing. Wouldn’t having a heart attack make it easier to clean up?
I take a few deep breaths and yank my arm out of his grasp. “I’m fine, I’m fine.” Abyss doesn’t look convinced, but he steps back. “What is dyscal… whatever that word is you said?” I ask Violet.
“Dyscalculia,” she says. “It’s a learning disability. In Layman’s Terms, it means it affects your ability to do math or comprehend numbers. Basically, it affects the way you see numbers and how you compute math problems. Sometimes, counting backward can tell if a person is able to keep the numbers in chronological order or not. You did well, but you skipped around and moved numbers around. Were you ever diagnosed in school with a learning disability?”
I shake my head vehemently. “No, I don’t have a disability. The teachers never said I did. I got my high school diploma without anyone’s help.”
Barely, but still, I have one.
“I went back and watched the video of when you worked behind the bar,” Jez admits. “The only time you clamped up was when the systems went down or when you shut the drawer too quickly before you gave back change to a customer.”
“You’ve made your fucking point!” I yell, jumping to my feet. “I’m fucking stupid, and I can’t do math. Maybe I have some stupid disability I can’t even pronounce, which I don’t think I do, because no one ever gave a shit to test me.”
“Skye.” Violet’s voice drips with sympathy.
“Stop.” I hold up my hand. “I don’t want your pity.” I refuse to look at Rogue. I don’t even want to imagine what’s going on in his head right now. Instead, I swivel around to find Soul. “Please, take me back to the bar. I’ll give you everything I have. It’s not much, but it’s all yours if you let me go. If the books are short, it was an honest accident. I didn’t steal anything because I’m not a thief. I’m stupid, that’s it. I swear I’m just stupid, but I’m a good person. I’m a good person.”
My body shakes; the adrenaline coursing through me is finally fading. A tear streaks down my cheek, and then another. I gasp as a sob erupts, and nothing can stop the waterworks.
“Clint’s right. He’s the only one who’s ever believed in me.”
.