Page 135 of The Echo of Violence

Absolute silence reigns before Jinx starts laughing. “What the fuck, Mercy?”

“I panicked. I was trying to figure out a way to defuse the situation, and it just exploded out of me like verbal diarrhea.”

“Motherfucker, you owe me fifty bucks.” Eightball pulls out his wallet and starts handing cash to Scope. Suddenly, cash is exchanging hands left, right, and center.

“Wait, you knew?” Mercy looks at her guys, who are all laughing.

“We know your body better than you do,” Kaz admits.

“I knew the second you missed your period,” Scope adds.

“Yeah, because that’s normal,” I mutter into Jinx’s hair as she laughs.

“You’re all happy about it?” she asks, her voice breaking a little.

“Fuck yes. I want a girl who looks just like you,” Scope orders.

“I’m not sure my womb is taking requests right now.”

“It will listen to me,” Scope states, making us laugh again.

“I was so scared to tell you. I had an IUD, you know, but the doctors couldn’t find it. I was worried you wouldn’t want this.”

“You want to know how much we want this baby?” Scope asks.

“Scope,” Kaz warns, but Scope ignores him, pulling out the necklace he was wearing under his T-shirt.

“Oh shit,” Jinx curses.

I stare at the ugly-ass thing as Mercy’s face bleaches white, and Megan gasps.

Mercy scrambles off Scope’s lap. “What did you do?” she hisses.

“What I had to,” Scope answers, looking confused by her reaction.

Mercy opens her mouth before turning and running.

“Shit.” Kaz stands.

Jinx groans. “I’ll go. Right now, she’s likely to murder you three. Of all the stupid ideas.”

“I’m still your president, Jinx,” Scope snaps as Jinx walks over to him.

“No. Right now, you’re just a stupid man.”

“What the hell is going on?” Grimm asks, looking confused.

Jinx reaches for Scope’s necklace with her finger and holds it up for us to see. “That IUD Mercy couldn’t find…”

“Well, fuck.” Grimm whistles.

“Couldn’t have put it better myself.”

“I’m going after her. See if I can talk her down. Scope, I’ll be late for my shift behind the bar.” She leaves before he can say anything else.

“I thought you mellowed, Scope.” Megan scowls at him.

He grunts at her.

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