“The other choice,” Dewi continued, “is if you start to tell someone about all of this, no matter in what context or format—written, or verbal, or sock puppets, or any communication modality now existing or invented in the future—you will immediately kill yourself before you can get the information out.You will suck-start that gun or use some other sure-fireimmediatemethod.I don’t care how you do it.Jump off a building, stab yourself in the heart, throw yourself in front of a bus—whatever.Meaning you kill yourself and your baby, if you’re still pregnant, or just yourself if you wait until after you give birth.That’snotsomething a good Catholic girl would consider doing, right?”
“You are insane!I wouldnotkill myself!Ever!”
Dewi noticed Jacinta didn’t have the same qualms about killing other people, though.“Good.Then you’ll destroy the evidence?”
“Absolutely not!This is too valuable to destroy!”
Dewi silently groaned.“Lady, let me make this perfectly clear—this is an easy, either-or choice.A/B.Pass-fail.You can live the rest of your life and never again think about or pursueanyof this, and immediately destroy all information you have about it so no one else ever finds and uses it, or you die.”
Jacinta scowled at Dewi.“You are one of them!”
“One of what?”Dewi tightened her grip on the woman’s wrist but made sure it wasn’t hard enough to leave a bruise.“I’m just an old friend from college, that’s all.Pick any name, it doesn’t matter.What’s your decision?”
Jacinta’s jaw set in righteous indignation.“I willnotbe silenced!”
Dewi’s stomach rolled again as she poured the full force of her Prime into the woman.“This is aneasychoice to make, Jacinta.You have a good racket here.Rich, old hubby who’s gonna die soon.Hire a nanny who actually likes kids to raise the baby and live a good life.Profitable business.Whywouldn’tyou want to choose life?”
Jacinta’s gaze narrowed.“Because some things shouldneverexist!”she hissed.“And why not make money on getting rid of them?I’ll be famousandrich!And it’ll all bemine!Riches he can never touch or sign away to a baby!”
It was sooo tempting to just order her to destroy it all and then herself.This woman’s evil would likely find another outlet.
Except…
Jacinta was pregnant.
And no matter what Dewi saw inside this woman, she couldn’t force herself to outright kill her.It wasn’t like she’d murdered someone, yet, or raped a kid, or tortured puppies.And proactively killing someone who hadn’t even broken the law wasn’t a line Dewi could make herself cross.Not in this case.Wasn’t like Jacinta had access to nukes or sarin gas.
Maybe Jacinta would be smart and make the easy choice after having a little time to think about it.
Or at least wait until after the baby was born to do it.
Dewi also worried that, if she Primed her to forget it all right now, what would happen if there was another trove of data somewhere, and her Prime powers decided to be wiggy and Jacinta recovered her memories?
Or what if a reverse Hyacinth/Frannie situation happened with another Prime, willingly or unwillingly on their part, and they got hold of Jacinta and peeled the information from her brain?Dewi was no Callum, and she knew it.She had low confidence in her ability in that regard when weighed against the catastrophic potential if something went wrong.
Despite everyone’s assurances, Dewi still couldn’t get the incident with Malyah out of her mind.
How, after Malyah mated with Joaquin, all the memories that Dewi had tried to suppress for Malyah returned.About Malyah’s father and his creepy friends abducting her.Fortunately, that situation had a happy ending.
This one, however, had worldwide repercussions.And it wasn’t like Dewi could abduct her and take her somewhere for a detailed session with several Primes besides herself.Abundio Segura would hunt for her, and then they’d really have a war on their hands.Taking her hostage was stupid on multiple levels, but after what she’d already heard about the lab, she couldn’t bring herself to even think about doing that.
No, this was the best way.And it was putting control of Jacinta’s fate firmly in the woman’s own hands.
Meaning Dewi would feel guilty about this going the bad way, but at least she had a clear conscious that she gave Jacinta the choice and it was Jacinta’s decision to choose it.
“Thinkabout what I’m telling you, Jacinta.Think about itreallyhard.You can see I’m serious.Regardless of which choice you make, or when you make it, fromthismoment going forward, youdo notdoanymore research.Atall.None.I strongly suggest you think long and hard before you make a mistake you cannot undo.”
She wore a haughty sneer.“Who areyouto tellmewhat to do?”
Dewi got right into her face.She let her fangs slide into place and curled her lips at her.“Bitch, I am your worst fucking nightmare.”Jacinta gasped, but Dewi wouldn’t let her scream.“We arereal.You feel how I have control over you right now?If I wanted to, I could order you to join the defenestration society, and not a single damned person in this building could stop you.But I’mtryingto be nice, here.I’m trying to bereasonable, and if you knew me, you’d know that’s a huge fucking deal.All you have to do is choose tonotbe a greedy, evil asshole.That’sall.”
“You-youare evil!”
“Yeah, well, been called a lot worse by a lot better.Including my brothers.We’ll have to agree to disagree, a’ight?”
Jacinta finally processed Dewi was pregnant, eyeing her baby bump in horror.“And…you’rebreeding, too?
Dewi struggled and—barely—won the battle not to take Jacinta’s gun from her and shoot her right then.No, outright murder baaaad.“This is my second daughter,bitch.”
