Page 74 of The Syphon King

Her eyes closed and she faced away from her. “One of...the men have to.”

Sudden dread jerked her stomach. “Lucy, what’s going on? Do you have Harlow’s number on here?”

She nodded.

“Get it up for me. Please.” She intentionally left zero room for argument in her tone.

“I dialed it,” she said, handing it back to her with a look of terror that twisted Butterfly’s stomach.

“Hey baby, how you holding up?”

“It’s Butterfly,” she announced.

“Ohhh, hey...Lucy,” he said, as she got up from the couch and paced, hearing voices in the background. “Who’s with you? Where are you?”

“I’m in Pain’s room. Still.”

Panic slammed her. “Does he know? About me bleeding?”

“He does.”

“Oh God,” she whispered, covering her mouth. “Who all is there?” she asked.

“Uhhh, same as before.”

“So, Lucy knows whatever the hell you’re not telling me?”

“Yyyes,” he muttered with a defeated sigh.

“Is thatQuantumI hear?”

“It is. He returned when we told him you werebleeding,” he said quietly.

Her pulse hammered in her chest as she fought the need to be sick about whatever was going on. It wasn’t good, that much she knew. “I can’t do this, Harlow. Whatever is going on, I can’t do it. If you’re keeping something from me toprotectme, I’m gonna be so fuckin’ pissed. Is it about Pain? What’s going on with him? He’s been acting off and I’ve been thinking it’s just him worrying about the pregnancy.”

“Quantum wants to be the one to tell you.”

She paused her steps, confused. “WhyQuantum?”

“He just feels...it’s only right for it to come from him since...he feels responsible.”

She rubbed her shaking fingers over her forehead, back to pacing, only faster now. “You got me curious now,” she said, her voice shaking. “Do I need to go over there to hear it or is he coming here?”

“Please, you should sit in your condition,” one of the Sisters pled next to her.

“He wants everybody there for this.”

“Everybody? The Sisters too?”

“No, just us.”

No no no no. “Nah, I can’t do this. If I’m not losing our baby, then I’d like toprotect it if it’s all the same. Give the phone to Pain. I need to hear he’s okay.”

“Boom-Boom,” he whispered. “I need you to calm down and listen to me.”

She hung up the phone and headed out the door then paused, looking back over her shoulder, wiping her tears. “I’m going find out what’s going on. Would you all...come with me? Please?”

They nodded and flocked behind her. “We will be with you sister,” one of them swore. “No matterwhathappens,” Celeste assured next to her, wiping her own tears.

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