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couples.
    They were almost back to the apartment. Scary had the papers in the back of his car, the ones he’d forge so they could move to another town and find another couple. Dave and Scary acted like it was their baby, but it was hers. She could give it to whoever she wanted. The plan had sounded good at first, but now, well, what was the rush? She could always do the whole thing again. Have another baby, sell it, make five or ten thousand extra before the delivery.
    By the time they got inside and sat down at the card table in the kitchen, Candy had her mind made up. As soon as the guys were sitting down she crossed her arms and gave a few shakes of her head. “I’m not doing it.”
    Dave and Scary were talking, but when they heard what she said, they stopped at the same time and stared at her. Candy wasn’t afraid of Dave, even though he did have a temper. She’d been at the receiving end of it a time or two, but she always bounced back. Dave was just a little high-strung.
    He shoved his chair back, jumped up, and came so close the 33
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    toes of his shoes were touching hers. “What’re you mumbling over here?”
    “I said…” She lifted her chin, looking him straight in the eyes. Dave hated when she did that; he liked it better when she showed a little “proper fear,” as he called it. Candy didn’t care. This was her baby. “I said, I’m not doing it.”
    “Not doing what?” Dave straightened himself up and puffed out his chest. His tone told her he was serious.
    “Get as much money as you can from that couple in the van— that’s fine.” She glanced at Scary. His eyes were as cold as a kitchen knife. “But that couple gets the kid. I told ‘em they could have her, and I wanna keep my wo—”
    His hand hit her before she could finish.
    The blow knocked her to the floor, dizzy and angry and more sure of herself than ever. He’d done this before, but never so hard. This time, the windup had come from nowhere.
    “That’s what you get for changing your mind.” He snarled at her and gave her shin a quick kick for good measure.
    “Oh, yeah…” If he wanted to be a jerk she could play, too. She struggled to her feet and steadied herself. Her face stung, and a dull headache worked its way up from the back of her neck. She heaved herself at him, shoving her hands into his shoulders.
    The jolt moved him back a step or two, but he was at her again as soon as he had his balance. This time he cocked back, and before she had a chance to turn around, he hit her square in the face, just above her left eye. The blow knocked the wind from
    her and left her sprawled across the floor, furious.
    “Dave, what’re you doing?”
    Candy heard .Scary’s voice, felt the floor move as Scary took heavy steps toward them, but she couldn’t see anything. Her hands were over her eye, and the area above her eyebrow was warm and wet.
    “It isn’t up to her!” Dave yelled the words.
    Candy shuddered. He was breathless, still raging from the 34
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    fight inside him, no doubt. Suddenly a new thought occurred to her. If Scary wasn’t here, how far would Dave go? Would he hit her again, even lying there on the ground? And something else…
    What about the baby?
    She pulled herself to the corner of the room and caught a glimpse of her white sweatshirt. It was covered with blood. From the corner of her good eye she saw Dave and Scary fighting, wrestling to the floor. They were shouting at each other, throwing punches, but the room was swaying. Worse than when she smoked dope all afternoon.
    “Help me…” Her voice didn’t sound very loud, so she tried again. “Help!”
    A sick feeling came over her. She grabbed at a breath, but it wouldn’t come. Not all the way, and she suddenly remembered what to do. Press on the cut; that would stop the bleeding. She’d done that one other time when Dave got in a fight at the bar and some guy lay gushing blood all over the floor. Someone shouted