"Please, I need them back." I had her right where I wanted her, and to highlight that I dangled one of the pouches in front of her. Her face went chalk white and her eyes nearly bugged out of her face. She knew the pouches were sealed and in no danger of opening, but she wasn't used to playing this close to the edge.

I tossed it to her, and she nearly passed out right there. "That one's free. You know my price for the rest."

"Please! This isn't just my professional reputation, this is, is... it could release a global plague!"

"Then it should be an easy decision," I said. I held out a pen. "Need my back to sign on?"

She glared, but she signed the papers. When she smacked them into my hand, she said, "Are you happy?" in a voice that could scrape paint.

"Almost." I gestured for her to open her car, then I pulled out a carrier. "Hey there, buddy," I said. Li'l Ben's meow gave me my first smile in days. It almost brought me to tears.

So I thanked her for the divorce and told her where to find the other pouches.