‘No, thanks, I’m good.’ Jodie sat, suddenly nervous about what she was going to ask. Was it too much of a risk? ‘You said you’d do anything for love. Or more precisely, for the woman you loved. Is that still true?’

Rivka frowned and considered the question as if looking for a catch. ‘Yes, it is.’

‘I’m pregnant.’

Rivka’s eyes shot to Jodie’s belly. ‘Flynn’s, I assume.’

‘Yes, of course.’ Jodie leaned closer, fixing her eyes on her friend. ‘I love him. I’d do anything for him. It’s why I can understand you and Tasha. I mightn’t like it but I do understand.’

‘Good.’ Rivka’s frown eased a little. ‘Is that why you’ve come, to tell me that.’

‘No.’ Suddenly anxious, Jodie got to her feet and paced the room. ‘I need to tell you a story. You might be a little shocked.’ She sat on the sofa, closer to her friend. ‘Don’t judge me, okay?’

‘You’re worrying me now,’ Rivka said, shuffling away to put some distance between them. ‘You better tell me.’

Jodie did, and as she told her tale, she saw her friend’s eyes widen, her hand creeping over her open mouth.

‘Bloody hell,’ Rivka said when Jodie had stopped speaking. ‘You can’t seriously be thinking of keeping the baby. Have an abortion. You’ve plenty of time. I’ll even go with you.’

‘No, I want–’

Rivka stood and spun round to look at her. ‘You are crazy. The chances of the child being born with physical disabilities of some sort are huge. I can’t remember the statistics… look them up. You can’t take that risk. Anyway, bloody hell, your son’s child. That’s gross.’

‘No, it’s not!’ Jodie rested her hands on her belly and took a deep breath. ‘The baby is blameless,’ she said in a calmer voice. ‘And I’m going to keep it.’ She met Rivka’s gaze and gave a tentative smile. ‘The baby will be fine. That’s not the problem. It’s the world he’s coming into… at the moment, it’s not safe.’

Rivka frowned again. ‘What are you talking about?’

‘Victor. I need to get rid of him. I’ve come up with a plan but I need your help.’

‘Get rid… fuck, do you mean what I think you mean?’ Rivka backed away, shaking her head, her hands raised palms outward. ‘I don’t know who you are anymore. But if you think I’m getting involved in this, you don’t know me at all.’

‘I know you’re a woman who would do anything for the woman she loved, even to the extremes of cutting her best friend out of her life. What I want to do isn’t much worse than that.’