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“Like you said, it’s time you turned legit. You’ve got a hot female in your life and a baby on the way. You can’t expect them to wait around for months each time you get in trouble. Ivy will be a MILF. Someone will scoop her and the baby up when your back is turned.”
“MILF? My translator has no clue what that is.”
Billy laughed. “That’s probably for the best. I don’t want you to punch me in a jealous rage. It’s a good thing. It means she’s hot.”
Karn gave Billy a mock snarl. “Starting over again will be tricky. My arrest this time was a one off. I never get myself in trouble.”
“How many times have you been in a holding cell?”
Karn counted on his fingers. “You might have a point. A woman like Ivy won’t be happy if I’m not around for six months of every year.”
“We can become legitimate spies.”
“There’s no such thing. We could look into becoming legitimate intelligence gatherers, though.”
“I like the sound of that.” Billy looked down at the place his arm should be. “Are you sure I’m good enough for this work?”
Karn nudged Billy. “Having both arms would be handy, if you’ll excuse the pun.”
Billy nodded. “I’ve got savings. Not much. I should have enough money in five years’ time. I can still work in the meantime, do the grunt work until I get my implant.”
“You don’t need to do the grunt work. Well, not all the time. Why don’t I help?”
“How can you help?”
Karn stroked his chin. “I’ve been looking into minimalism.”
“What’s that?”
“It means I have too much stuff. I need to streamline. I’ve got a few fancy wrist comms that will fetch a good price. There’s original artwork in storage. The painter is making a name for himself. I’ll get you the keys to the storage facility, and you can go through the lot and sell everything in there.”
“What do you want me to do with the money? Set you up in a place for when you get out? Buy a load of stuff for the baby?”
“Consult Ivy on what she needs for our baby. The rest goes toward you getting a cybernetic implant. If we combine our funds, it should be enough.”
Billy grabbed him in a one-armed hug. “Are you serious?”
“I’m only doing it for my benefit. I need you in the best physical shape of your life. It’s not just about you getting a new arm. You’re going to have a full-on, hard-core training plan, and you need to keep up with me.”
Billy pulled back and wiped his hand across his eyes. “No one’s ever done anything like that for me.”
Karn waved his hand in the air. “It’s nothing.”
“It’s everything.” Billy hugged him again. “I will pay you back by working so hard you won’t believe it. I’ll do whatever you need me to do.”
“Relax, kid. It’s just things. You getting what you need is more important than me having half a dozen wrist comms and six paintings I never look at.”
“Maybe I can get some upgrades.” Billy’s eyes brightened. “You know, lasers or blades that shoot out of my arm.”
Karn laughed. “Get yourself a working arm. We can upgrade later.”
The cell door unlocked again, and the guard looked in. It was the guard Karn had knocked out to escape the holding cell. Fortunately for Karn, he didn’t seem to hold a grudge. “Time’s up.”
Billy jumped up before turning and hugging Karn one more time. “You won’t regret this.”
“I will if you keep hugging me.”
Billy nodded as his face grew serious. “I’ll get everything sorted for when you get out. Don’t worry about Ivy. I’ll look after her.”
