Crow glared at Gavin as the knight accused him of giving them another false lead. He wished the other man would just give up on fighting with him already. Why would he lead them astray again when they had already caught him speaking with Jaxon? He wasn’t stupid. His cover was gone, so if he lied again, he would practically be turning himself in as a traitor. Not knowing what Gavin might do to him in his anger, he wasn’t about to risk playing with that fire.

Besides the more logical reasons, he also desperately wanted to earn Penelope’s trust back. It pained him to see her look at him like he was an enemy. He knew he had messed up pretty badly when he had gotten caught working for Jaxon, but he was still the same man she had fallen in love with. His heart felt like it was being constricted every time she casted her cold and hurting gaze upon him, and he could practically see the wedge that was driving them apart. Even if he continued to be honest with her, there was a part of him that wondered if it would ever be enough to restore their relationship. In the situation as it was now, it seemed unlikely.

He lowered his gaze to the ground, wallowing in his heartache as the two knights continued to speak as if he wasn’t even there. He longed to speak to Penelope about everything that had happened, to tell her why he had been working for their enemy, but he knew it would have been pointless to try. She didn’t even trust him enough to give her a real lead, so there was no way she would believe everything else that had happened. The thought made him feel hollow inside as he wondered if she would even want to be with him after this. He was starting to think that she wouldn’t. After all, why would she choose a thief who had lied to her and let her comrades die? It didn’t make sense. He bit the inside of his lip as he felt his emotions threaten to overtake him again.

Crow was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn’t hear Penelope ask him her question. What did get his attention was Gavin’s loud voice that followed. “Hey,” the knight said sharply, making him flinch in surprise. “Answer the question, thief.”

Crow stared at the two knights blankly. “S-sorry,” he stammered after a moment as he realized he must have missed something. “…What?”

Gavin ground his teeth in frustration before repeating his comrade’s question in a growl, “Do those other thieves of yours know about all of this?”

“No,” Crow answered in a quiet voice, shifting his weight as the question raised another concern in his mind. His companions were another issue he had yet to deal with. They didn’t know about his involvement with Jaxon, but now that his cover had been blown with the knights, there was no more reason for him to keep them in the dark. He shuddered to think how they would react if they learned he had been working for the man they all loathed so much… especially Hazel. The image of her distraught face appeared in his mind, and he cringed. He couldn’t tell them the truth.

“I’m the only one who’s been working with Jaxon,” he went on after a pause. “The others don’t know I have been either, and I don’t want them to find out.” He forced himself to hold their gazes seriously. “They can’t know I’ve been helping that murderer, so please… don’t tell them.”