Page 17 of Vipers and Vendettas

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Jules

I can’t sleep so, around eleven, I throw on some clothes. They’re getting a little tighter now, I notice, but according to the maternity books, I think I have a month or so before I’m going to need to find the money to buy some new things.

I leave my apartment in the dark, watching for signs that anyone’s found me, but I make it the short distance to Jack’s without a problem, slipping in when Bruce opens the door.

I find Jack at his desk as usual, and I sit opposite him, looking at him expectantly.

‘You shouldn’t be walking around the streets at this time of night in your condition,’ he admonishes.

‘Touché,’ I chuckle, knowing he’s not talking about the baby at all but my frailhumanness.

He looks at me over the rims of the glasses he’s started wearing. He doesn’t need them, of course, but he thinks they make him look more professional.

He hands me a folder. ‘That’s everything you need. Take a look and give me your thoughts in the morning. We meet at eight Standard Fae Time tomorrow night.’

I nod, flicking through the folder in case I have questions, but it’s pretty self-explanatory and thoroughly compiled as usual. I take a cursory glance at the blueprints.

‘Could be a fae build. If it is, there’s going to be at least one floor not on here, and that’s where they’ll keep the good stuff.’

He nods. ‘Mark it up where you think it’s most likely to be and let me know.’

‘Fine, but if you want me to be a part of this, I want a link key,’ I say. ‘A good one.’

He raises a brow at me.

I mimic his expression. ‘Don’t look at me like that. After last time, can you blame me?’

‘The others didn’t request personal link keys,’ he remarks, and I roll my eyes.

‘I’d hazard a guess that none of them are in my situation.’ My eyes widen in mock surprise. ‘Or, have you begun a charity to provide work to underprivileged, pregnant human criminals?’

He sniggers, and I smile.

‘Besides,’ I remind him, ‘we both know I’m your favorite.’

He snorts. ‘Quite sure of yourself for an underprivileged, pregnant human criminal, aren’t you?’

But he stands and opens the box, tossing me a link key. I look it over with a critical eye to be sure it’ll actually work if I need it to.

‘You wound me, Vicki-bear,’ he says, putting a hand over his still heart. ‘As if I’d give you a second-rate item.’

‘You’ll get over it,’ I mutter as I stand.

I take the link key and the folder and leave the same way I came in. I return to my apartment and have to run to the toilet to throw up again as soon as I get in the door.

Afterward, I lay down to recover on the couch, watching more human TV. I curl up under a blanket and snack on more crackers.

As usual, my mind wanders to Krase, Jayce, Axel, Iron, Maddox, and Daemon. Tears come to my eyes when I think about what I did, the things I said on camera to make them not want to come after me. I hope Maddox tore up the contract I signed. I hope they’ve moved on. The thought of that makes me sob.

But I had no choice.

It’s not just me anymore; it’s Jellybean, too. I couldn’t bear it if they took him or her. I wrap my arms around my lower middle.

‘You make me feel like crap,’ I whisper through my tears, ‘but I love you, and I’m not going to let anyone take you from me. Not ever.’

I close my eyes, trying not to think about things that just aren’t possible anymore. I need to make a new life for myself and the baby, and to do that, I need money. I may not want to be a part of this job tomorrow. In fact, I definitely don’t. I have a very bad feeling about it. But there’s no other way to ensure we stay safe. I’m not going to be able to work at Spice once I begin to show, and Jack isn’t going to keep giving me conjures to stay hidden for free. He’s my friend, yeah, but he’s still a businessman, and nothing comes without a price.