Page 99 of The Echo of Violence

“It’s annoying how easily you read me.”

She grins. “I don’t think it’s easy. It’s more that you let me read you, letting your guard down just enough to let me in. Nobody else would have picked up on it unless you wanted them to.”

Her eyes drift to the test. “You think it’s been three minutes yet?”

I nod and reach for it. “What are you hoping for?” I ask, keeping my eyes on hers.

“I don’t know. I’m young. Too young, right? I haven’t really achieved much, and I’m worried I’ll suck at it.”

“You’re not that young. There are far younger mothers out there than you, and despite what the media portrays, a lot of them kick fucking ass at it. And don’t even get me started on the achievements thing.”

I glance down at the test and frown. “No plus sign means no baby, right?” I look up at her and see her shoulders slump.

“Yeah.”

“You, okay?”

She nods. “I didn’t know I even wanted a baby until you just told me I wasn’t pregnant,” she whispers.

“I didn’t say you weren’t pregnant.”

“What?”

“I was making sure I was reading it right. No plus sign means no baby, but this has a plus sign, so congrats, right? Why do you have murder in your eyes?”

She shakes her head and looks down, pressing a hand to her stomach. “I’m pregnant.”

“Apparently so. Though you have plenty of tests to make sure. I’m sure Scope, Wizz, and Kaz will—”

“You can’t tell them.” Her head whips up so she can look at me.

“Well, I wasn’t about to steal your thunder or anything. That would be a little weird.”

“No, you can’t say anything to anyone at all.”

“Mercy, what’s going on?”

“I can’t be locked up at the clubhouse. Not now that I finally have the center to get up and running. Once they find out, Scope will put me on lockdown. I’ll be lucky if he lets me pee alone.”

“He won’t be that bad.”

“You don’t know them like I do. Scope is…”

“Different?” I offer.

“I was thinking more unhinged. I’ll tell them, obviously. They are too in tune with me not to notice. But for now, I need some breathing room. I need to prove that being pregnant doesn’t put me in any more danger than usual.”

“Fine. I’ll keep my mouth shut on two conditions: the first is that you listen to me without question regarding your safety. If I say duck, you hit the floor. If I say run, you sprint like your name is Usain Bolt. If I think for one second you’ll stay to help me, I’ll burst your bubble so fast you’ll find yourself chained to Scope for the foreseeable future. I will not risk this baby.”

“I got it. I don’t like the thought of abandoning you, but I understand. If the shoe were on the other foot, I’d demand the same thing.”

“Good.”

“And the other thing? You said there were two conditions.”

“You keep my financial status quiet. I know it will come out at some point, but hopefully it will be later down the line. While I’m a prospect, there is an uneven power balance. I don’t like the thought of anyone using it against me. It’s bad enough I’m at a disadvantage because I’m a woman.”

“I get that, but how will we be able to keep the fact that we’re buying the property quiet?”

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