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Luckily, I woke up in Kingpin's arms. We were still in the dressing room. The lights had been turned up. Some of the women lingered around, but it’d mostly cleared out.
Kingpin smiled sideways. “You're okay.”
I rubbed my forehead. “That bitch cold-cocked me.”
“I heard you threw the first punch.”
“I did.”
Holding my hand up, I shook my wrist. It hurt too.
“There were plenty of witnesses,” he said
Kingpin let go of me, left me sitting on the floor. He stood over me like he was washing his hands with me.
“You sure all this fainting ain’t going to hurt the baby?”
I clutched my stomach. “I honestly have no idea. But this was your whore’s fault. She started it. Kingpin, I think I’m going to have to leave here soon. No matter how much you threaten me.”
“I've had words with Memphis about it.”
“Words? Is this how I'm going to be treated when I leave my house? You said I can't leave Royal Road. I have another doctor’s appointment soon. Are you even going to go with me?”
“I don't see why I would,” he said, breaking my heart more.
But he did help me back to Pagan's house. He paused on the porch.
“You need to go, get inside, and lay down. Gonna have Penelope come over here and have a look at you,” he said.
“Why do you care?”
I went inside and closed the door. Kingpin was on the porch for a few more minutes. He paced back and forth. I could tell he was thinking about coming in and talking to me, but he didn't.
Maybe Leo's plan was working.
Penelope came over. Like a grown-up Little Orphan Annie, she had ginger curly locks close to her head.
“Is this the only time this has happened since you've been pregnant?”
“No, I fainted a couple days ago, too. I have a problem with blood. If I see it, I pass out.”
“It’s called Vasovagal syncope. When triggered, your blood pressure drops.”
Having lived with it, I knew.
Penelope’s phone went off. She answered a text. I wondered if Kingpin was asking about me.
“It’s only Riff,” she said, disappointing me.
Breathing heavily, she seemed flustered all the sudden. I wondered what they were talking about. Sexting probably.
She continued, “When it comes to your baby, I’m no expert. I can check for a heartbeat. But if you fall, you really need to be seen by your healthcare provider. If I were you, I’d go to the ER and get checked out right away. I've seen too many women take chances and lose their baby.”
I sat up straight. “That’d be nice and all if I was allowed to leave Royal Road.”
“What do you mean you can't leave Royal Road?”
“You know how it is around here.”
