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every penny.
    “ He still alive?” I ask.
    “ Of course, I would never rob this beauty of her prize.”
    “ Thanks again, Viktor, I’ll transfer the money—”
    “ I don’t want your money, I want your skills.”
    “ I’m not trading favors, I told you that. I’m clean after today.”
    “ What if I promise you the favor might be illegal, but for the right cause.” I raise my eyebrows at him. Only work I know Viktor does is kill people. Even if that someone is a piece of shit, I’m not doing this anymore.
    “ Something was taken from me,” he continues. “I want her back.”
    “ And this ‘something’ wants you to take her back?”
    “ She doesn’t know I exist, but she is mine,” he states, matter-of-factly. “She has been for a while. I’ve been waiting. Someone found out she meant something to me and took her.”
    “ And how can I help you with that?”
    “ I need your computer skills.”
    “ Viktor, I’m sorry man, I just—”
    “ Do you love her?” Jeanette asks suddenly.
    “ She is mine.”
    “ That’s not what I asked you.”
    “ If I am capable of such emotion then yes, I love her.”
    “ Then he’ll help you.”
    Viktor just stares at her for a moment. After a beat, he reaches behind his back, pulls out a Tokarev, and hands it to her. It’s an old Soviet handgun, but something Jeanette could easily manage.
    “ You see this gun? I killed my sister’s rapist with it. It took me three years to find him, and at thirteen I made my first kill with it. I give it to you. You get your revenge. I don’t care what anyone says, it will make you feel better.” With that, Viktor was gone.
    “ That’s the most I’ve ever heard that man say.”
    “ You’re going to help him right?” she asks me, looking hopeful.
    “ If you think I should, Mama, I will.”
    “ I do. I think he’s good…in his own way. What would you do if someone took me from you?”
    I nod my answer, understanding what she’s getting at. I would pull in every favor I had to get her back. Taking the gun from her, I pull the clip back, loading a bullet in the chamber, and hand it back to her. “All you gotta do is pull the trigger,” I say, and I can see her hand shaking.
    “ Mama, look at me.” She meets my eyes and I can tell she’s nervous. “On the other side of that door is a monster, and he still has a little bit of a hold on you. You’re going to go into that room and take it back so that monster won’t haunt you in the dark anymore.”
    “ I’m ready.”
    I push open the door and see Nick strung up by ropes, his arms spread wide, his toes barely touching the floor. The gag in his mouth is covered in blood, making me think Viktor might have taken a few teeth from him. It looks like he really worked him over good. I’d bet anything he gave him a taste of rape, but I’m not going to tell Jeanette that. She might have caught on to what he alluded to, but some things are better left unsaid.
    I’m not sure what I expect. I don’t know if she wants to scream at him or have it out. He raises his head, and he sees Jeanette. His eyes widen in shock and he tries to speak.
    Bam! The shot rings out in the room.
    I look over and see Jeanette tucking the gun into the waistband of her jeans.
    “ No point dragging it out. I was done with him a long time ago.”
     

JEANETTE
    It’s been a week and I’m finally ready to take the test. I want to be sure before I tell Saint. Lays knows for sure. She is going to bust into a pile of glitter before I ever get the chance to tell him. I swear to God, that girl has the worst poker face. I’ve just kept my pussy on Saint’s face the past week so that she wouldn’t give away the news before I knew for sure.
    So here I am, pacing in our bathroom, waiting to see what comes up. I stop and check the pregnancy test, and it’s as I suspected. Two pale blue lines stare back at me, and I feel a warm wonderful sensations grow in my chest. “I’m pregnant.”
    “ I knew