Karma (Karma Series) (9 page)

When I woke up at one in the morning, my head was pounding, but that didn't seem to slow the visions. Image after image
appeared, of a small woman being repeatedly struck in the face by this huge man. I watched him pushing her dead body off a cliff into the ravine below. I saw her falling, dark hair flying among flailing limbs.

They were in a dense forest with tall pines and maples all around. I'd never been there
, but I somehow knew exactly where it was.

But how was I supposed to get to Pennsylvania by three A.M.?

I grabbed my phone and dialed Harold, who answered on the first ring. It made me wonder if he was a night owl or simply didn't sleep. I needed sleep; if he didn't, what
was
he? Hopefully I wouldn't be around long enough to figure it out. Put in my days, take out a killer or two in the process and get out before I was stuck.

I explained every detail to Harold and then repeated it all over again when he didn't respond.

“It hasn't happened yet and I have to get there. How?”

“
Are you supposed to stop it?” he asked.

No. I wasn't. I'd seen the log he'd used for the final strike to her head. I saw it placed in his trunk. The traces of her blood I'd add to his clothes. I was supposed to make sure he got caught.

It was time to see how many details Harold had about the assignments.

“
Yes.” There was no way in hell I'd sit there and watch him beat that woman to death without trying to stop him. If he didn't know exactly what the job was, I didn't feel it necessary to inform him.

There was a pause, a long one. Maybe he did know? Maybe
he got a memo or something?

He finally spoke.
“Tell Fate. He'll get you there.”

“
I don't want to ask Fate,” I said but he'd already hung up. I knew he'd heard me but didn't want to answer. No, not Fate. Not again, especially not this time, when I was going to go off plan. If he knew this woman was meant to die, it could really mess me up.

So I did what any reasonable person would do. I called him again, and again. Then a few more times after that
, for good measure. Fifteen minutes later, and after an unknown amount of ringing, I conceded defeat and accepted that he wasn't going to answer and awaited my dreaded Fate.

Ten minutes of aggravated pacing in the bedroom later, I forced myself to go
and ask Fate. He'd been on my couch, feigning sleep, when I'd gotten home, so I knew right where to find him.

I walked out of my room and saw him lying there. He looked handsome, the perpetual scowl he always had for me smoothed away by sleep.

I sighed and meandered across the room, stopping to rinse a glass and put it in the sink.

“How long is it going to take for you to tell me?” I swung around, startled by his voice. He was still lying there with his eyes closed. Did he know I'd just been staring at him?

“
Why are you pretending to sleep?”

“
Having your eyes closed isn't a pretense, it's called resting.”

“
If you know, why do you need me to tell you?”

There was a quick upturn at the corner of his lip. A micro-expression
, it’s called. A small snippet of someone's true feelings that slip out sometimes, before the person realizes. I used to look for them all the time as a lawyer. He was amused, even if he didn't want to admit it.

I couldn't understand what he'd find amusing about this
, but he was an odd bird.

“
Your walls are paper thin. I heard you tossing around in bed, too. Not sleeping so hot, huh?”

Why would he even mention that? What was the point? He knew I was unhappy, why the reminder that it was affecting my sleep?

And I knew out of everyone I'd met, he was the most likely to screw this up on me. But how was I going to get to Pennsylvania? Harold would just have to send someone else here to help me.

Fate sat up on the couch and then stood, stretching his arms out and hogging my living room. He walked over and
leaned a hip against my table. He did that a lot. Leaned. As if he couldn't be bothered to exert the energy it would take to stand or something.

And he took up too much room
; not physically, but he just seemed to eat up all the space around him. Why couldn't he be one of those people you forgot were there?

Then there was the other issue he had
– he was too attractive and he knew it. Yes, he was good looking and well built, but so what? To put it nicely, he wasn't a nice person. He was the type of guy girls with issues would find attractive. I didn't have issues. I was a normal, healthy...

Shit. I kept forgetting I was dead. It didn't matter, I was still mentally healthy and that was all that mattered. No
self-respecting girl would date him.

“
I don't understand why it has to be you?”

I walked over and sat on my couch, t
rying to reclaim it. There was nothing left of my old life and I wasn't giving up anything else.

“
Even if you weren't under my direction, most of the things you are going to deal with tie into a person's fate. If I go, I might not get the full details you do, but I'll be able to get a general sense of how things are supposed to play out. Murphy, Luck, even Crow, none of them overlap as much as we do.”

“
I did the last one basically on my own anyway. Why do I need you to come? All I need is for someone to get me there.”
And I don't want you to know what I'm going to do.
If I'm going to be Karma, I'm making the most out the situation. If the universe thought it was fair she get beaten to death, it was obviously having slips in the system.

“
Your last job was the equivalent of riding a bike with training wheels on it. It was almost full proof.”

I didn't budge. I didn't want to work with him and I couldn't have him there. I'd take the risk of doing it by myself.

“I have to show you how to get there anyway.”

“
Harold can send someone else.”

“
But he won't. Don't forget, active participation. You start missing jobs and you aren't active.”

He had a point. Thank goodness they didn't say anything about how I decided to participate.

I couldn't get there without someone's help and Harold wouldn't take my calls. I eyed up his “look at me lean on things, I'm so cool” face.

“
Fine. But stop leaning on my stuff.”

I stood and grabbed my purse. He pushed off from the table and followed me toward the door.

“I'm sorry you have such an aversion to people leaning on your furniture.”

“
Not people. Just you.” If I annoyed him, he didn't let on.

“
I'll drive.”

“
I want to.”

“
Sorry, but I have an aversion to your driving.”

Yep, I annoyed him.

“You can't just dictate.”

“
Can't I? You can't get there without me so I think I can.”

Just as I was trying to swallow the bitterness of that tasty bite, I noticed the car he was about to get into. Now, for the record, I'm actually becoming accustomed to my broken down Honda. She gets me where I have to go, even if a little slow.

But a Porsche 911?
Are you kidding me?
The jerk gets a Porsche? And I'm Karma. Shouldn't I be able to fix this, somehow? The fact that I didn't know
how
was making me feel very inadequate.

I stopped in the middle of the parking lot and looked up at the sky.
“Seriously? I wasn't looking for you. You wanted me. Is this really fair treatment?”

Fate stopped and turned to watch me.
“You know, you're a little odd.”

“
Please, like you people have any room to talk.” I walked over to the car and got in the passenger side, not surprised in the least that he didn't try and get the door for me. He sped out of the lot before I got my seatbelt on and the way he whipped down the road made it hard to breathe.

“
Would you mind slowing down?”

“
Yes.”

“
Why are you so horribly unpleasant?”

“
You shouldn't be here.”

“
You are such a jerk.”

“
It's not just you, any transfer.”

“
I agree completely. You should do something about it. Maybe talk to the people in charge?”

“
Harold agrees, but he was being honest when he said he couldn't get rid of you until the thirty days.”

“
What about the old man? Maybe he can do something?”

His gaze swung to me.
“What old man?”

“
The old guy that recruits?” The way he was staring at me didn't bode well.

“
Harold recruits.”

“
Only him?”

“
Yes. Who are you taking about? Are you talking to humans? Did you tell a human about us?”

There was absolutely no way I was going to say anything else. He obviously didn't know the guy and the way he was looking at me, I didn't particularly feel like admitting to knowing about him
, either. When in doubt, say nothing.

“
I just figured there was someone above Harold.” He was so arrogant that I couldn't help but get a little joy out of him not knowing something I did.

“
No, that isn't what you meant at all.”

“
Don't tell me what I meant.”

“
Then why would you assume Harold's boss was an old man?”

“
I was being sexist.” The words tasted bad even as I said them. There wasn't a sexist bone in my body. My unlaughed giggles died a sad death in my chest, snuffed out by the false label of sexism. How short lived my glory had been.

“
You are so full of shit.”

“
Please, Fate, let's not pretend you're insulted over unshared confidences.”

He broke out into a deep laughter and som
ething in my stomach fluttered. The scowl erased, a wide smile replacing it. How could such a jerk look so inviting just because he was smiling?

“
Why are we at the office?” I asked looking to change the subject and get rid of the offending expression.

“
It was closer than my place and I didn't want to leave my car in your lot.” He got out and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.

“
Don't we need a plane or something?” I looked around searching for a hidden Cessna.

“
I'm calling for a door.” He held up a hand to me, gesturing for me to stop talking. “We're ready,” he said into the phone.

A door?

I spun around looking at the dark lot.

“
Shouldn't we get going?” I said to him. We did need to get states away and pronto.

“
There.”

Ten feet in front of us, a shimmering started until a set of doors appeared out of
nowhere. They looked like they were made of platinum, but what was even crazier were the two guards in full armor that appeared next to them.

“
I'm guessing that they would be the ones that stopped anyone trying to go through without permission?”

“
Yes.” We approached the doors and they glided open. On the other side of them, a forest appeared.

“
And we can just call these guys up? How did they know where to lead us?”

“
Yes. The number is programmed into your work phone.”

“
Why did I need you then?”

“
They don't always like new people, even if they are supposed to be here. It's usually better if you travel with someone they know the first time.”

Fate stepped aside to let me go first. I hesitated right before I crossed the thres
hold and felt Fate's hand on the small of my back. If it was someone else, it might have been a reassuring presence. Him? It was probably to push me through if I tried to stop.

And then I took the plunge forward.

I stood on the other side of the door as Fate came through after me and then it disappeared. Looking around, it wasn't so dissimilar to the forests of South Carolina, especially dark as it was. It was hard to believe we'd just crossed a distance that would have taken hours by plane in less than a minute.

“
What time is it?” I asked as he looked down at his wrist.

“
We've got about a half an hour to get to the locale.”

It felt so odd that I knew instinctively
where to go. If someone asked how I knew we had to walk north to find the couple, I'd ask them how they knew to drink water when they were thirsty. That's how natural and impulsive the urge was.

I took off in search of my job and Fate silently followed behind me. As we traveled in the dark in the middle of a forest, I wondered how I wasn't falling on my ass, tripped by a wayward branch or a boulder. Somehow, my feet always stepped somewhere sound.

I didn't falter until I heard the screaming coming from our destination. I only paused for a second before I took off at a dead run, knowing what was coming.

The hand on my arm jerked me backward.

“We aren't here for that.”

“
How do you know what I'm going to do?”

“
Because I'm not a complete idiot and I know their fate. You don't need to run to plant the evidence. We'll get there in plenty of time for that.”

“Get off me,” I said. The lawyer in me wouldn't admit to anything. I attempted to yank my arm loose but to no avail.

“
You can't save her. This is her fate.”

Instead of pulling away, I stepped closer and got in his space. I'd handled my fair share of criminals, bullies and all around scary bad asses. Weakness didn't back them down. The only thing that happens if you run from a predator is a good chase.

“Get. Off. Me.”

He didn't budge but held his ground. It was exactly what I'd expected of him but like I mentioned, I wasn't one to run.

Instead of letting go of my one arm, he grabbed the other and stared at me with an almost confused look. “How the hell did you think you were ever meant to marry that guy?”

“
What?” The question was bizarre in its randomness but no less painful in the remembrance. “Don't talk to me about Charlie.” The shock of the subject was quickly replaced by anger.

“
You're right. It doesn't matter. The point is I'm trying to help you.”

“
And I'm telling you not to.”

“
I guess some people have to learn the hard way.” He shrugged but dropped his grip on me. No sooner was I off and running again that I fell flat on the ground, face to the dirt and gasping to inflate my lungs. I turned to give him a dirty look, sure he was the cause of my fall but he was ten feet behind me.

I pushed myself up, ignoring the sting of nettle beneath my palms and took off running again. A
low-lying branch that I knew hadn't been there a second ago knocked me hard in the head. The blow had been so bad that my head spun and my vision dulled.

I moaned, now flat on my back as opposed to on my stomach. I felt a hand run over my forehead and looked up to see Fate leaning over me. His eyes were trained on my forehead where I was sure a large egg was forming and, for just a second, he looked softer, then his eyes met mine and they hardened.

“Are you ready to give up yet? It will just get progressively worse.” He stood up and crossed his arms. Standing in the same place from where he had just been squatting next to me

I stood up, a bit wobbly on my feet and without any offered aid from Fate.

“Are you done?” he asked after I wobbled slightly.

“
I guess I don't have a choice.” I brushed off the twigs from my jeans and started walking again. How the universe knew I was willing to stay within my neatly penned box I didn't know, but nothing deterred my progress now. The desire still burned within me though.

I didn't consider myself bloodthirsty, but I wanted it today. I'd seen what that man was capable of. The snippets of what the woman's life had been like. She was probably better off dead than with him but why should she be the one whose life was stolen? If I was Karma, shouldn't I get some discretionary power?

“
What if it's not enough? What if I don't agree?” I asked in a hushed voice as we approached their campsite. I could hear the screaming clearly now.

“
We don't decide what the job is, we just do it.”

“
This doesn't make sense to me. If the universe can stop me from killing him, why can't it do this itself?”

“
Some people are just born slightly out of reach.”

“
Of the universe?”

“
Yes.”

“
But why not have me kill him like the last guy?”

“
I don't know. Maybe rotting in a jail cell for fifty years is the way things need to play out.”

“
You're Fate. Is that what will happen?”

“
If you do this, then yes.”

Neither of us spoke as we walked the final distance. I knew exactly what was going to happen next. I'd seen it like a movie clip replaying in my head.

We stopped right outside their clearing and then Fate made a move to walk closer.

“
What are you doing? Is that safe?”

“
They won't see us because they aren't supposed to.”

Fate walked into the area, not far from where they had their campfire. He was as clear as day, the fire illuminating him in an alarming way but neither of the occupants noticed him. But their chocolate lab was staring right at Fate.

The dog definitely knew he was there. I could hear a low growl but he didn't make a move toward Fate. The couple was too busy arguing to notice something amiss with their dog.

Feeling more confident, I stepped out beside him.

He leaned his head down slightly to the side. “You can talk.”

“
How do they not see us or hear us? Are we invisible?”

“
We’re just as tangible as we were a few hours ago, just shielded from view.”

The man went back from arguing to screaming again. He was carrying on and on about her flirting with someone, all while she denied it.

The man was twice her size and loomed over the small brunette. Her hands were shaking as she cowered. He'd hit her before, even if I hadn't seen it, I'd know it. The evidence was there in her very stature, the pleading in her large eyes. She was scared.

I wanted to scream at her.
You knew what he was capable of. Why did you stay? Why didn't you leave before now?

I cringed be
cause I knew what was coming. His large fist connected with her stomach. I flinched with the pain she must have felt. And I also realized, whatever was going to happen, right now he didn't intend to kill her. He hit her somewhere that could be hidden and not on her face. So what was going to changed things? That part I hadn't seen.

I watched her bent over form, hoping the outcome I'd seen was wrong. Maybe it would be okay. She straightened a
nd I saw a look in her eyes I recognized. Something had snapped. The fear was gone.

Oh no, lady, this was not the time to get some balls. This was a time for her to cling to fear because it might save her life. Fear isn't always bad. Sometimes it's the lighthouse on the shore telling you to steer out of the storm.

Don't do it. “Please.” I looked upward.

Fate turned to me and I thought I saw regret in his face as well but he turned back to the scene quickly.

She straightened to her full height of a foot less than him. “You bastard! I'm leaving you and if you try to stop me I'll fucking kill you!”

His hands struck out and were on her throat. He actually lifted her from the ground just by her neck. She grasped at his arms and clawed at his face. Her feet kicked wildly but never hit their target. He was choking her to death.

I didn't think about what I should do or not do, I reacted. Fate lunged for me but missed. I caught myself before I fell over the log that appeared in front of me. I ducked a branch and then another one, somehow untouchable now that I was desperate. I leapt on his back before he even knew I was there, and with a knowledge I'd never had in my human life, sprang into action. I broke the man's neck with
a hard yank to the side.

He fell to the ground almost instantly and I fell on top of him.

The wind kicked up and loud claps of thunder boomed in the near distance.

Fate was at my side almost instantly pulling me off the guy but it was too late. I'd heard his neck snap and he wasn't moving. Nothing to be done now.

He knelt down next to me until his face was an inch from mine. “What the hell did you do?”

I looked down at the guy and then back at Fate.
“I think I just gave him what was coming to him before he could screw that poor woman up any worse.”

I motioned to the woman I'd saved. She was staring right at us, eyes huge. Uh oh, she was certainly seeing us now.

“How? You shouldn't have been able to.” He was now looking right at the woman too, even though he was talking to me.

The woma
n was on her knees, still gasping air back into her lungs. Her eyes never left us.

“
Who are you?” she managed to finally say with a raw voice, the marks on her neck already angry looking. “Are you angels?”

I wondered what type of religion this woman believ
ed in that murder seemed like a saintly act. The guy had been such a bastard, I wasn't sure I should fault her logic.

Her eyes darted back to Fate. But
if she thought he looked like an angel, she really had a screw loose.

“
No, we aren't,” I said.

“
Watch what you say to her,” he said quietly under his breath. “Unless you want her to end up dead after all your handy work.”

“
What's happening?” the woman said, looking from me to Fate.

I saw the minute he had determined the new way forward out of this. From his initial reaction, I knew I'd thrown a pretty big wrench into the plan so it wasn't a bad rebound time, all considering. It was better than mine anyway since I had no idea what to do now. My ideas had never gotten past taking out the big brute.

He turned to the woman. “Janet, you aren't going to tell anyone we were here. I know that's what you are planning to do right now. I also know the police will never find any evidence of us and you will land in jail.”

Fate had a strong presence by nature, but concentrated and in control as he was right now, I couldn't take my eyes from him. He was potent. I didn't want to admit it, but he lived up to every ounce of what you would expect someone in charge of people's fate would be.

“Do you understand me?”

When I didn't hear a response, I forced myself to look at Janet who was nodding.

“You will tell them that he was strangling you when he accidentally tripped.”

His presence was flawless but his logic was off. I cleared my throat to get his attention before I said,
“That'll never fly in court.”

“
I'm cleaning up your mess. You did your part, let me handle it now.” I held my hands up in surrender and let him continue.

He squatted down next to her.
“Repeat that back to me.”

She repeated it back to him verbatim. When she finished, he nodded.

“That is going to keep you out of jail. Do you understand?”

She nodded again and he seemed satisfied.

“One last thing. He's got money hidden. I don't know where, but it's there. You'll find it if you look. It's enough to keep you and the kids going.”

Again, just a nod.

“You're going to be okay.” He gently cupped her cheek, as he said it. Then he stood up and grabbed my arm like he was an uncouth animal, yanking me after him into the woods as rain started to pour down on us out of nowhere. The forest was lit with flashes of lightning.

What was that all about? Why could he be so sweet with her?

“I can't believe you did that.” He wasn't screaming but he was beyond mad.

“
I'm not sorry.” And I wasn't, not even a little. Murdering the guy didn't even seem to bother me this time. Maybe it would later? Could I just be in shock? Nah, it didn't feel like that this time. Much less traumatic the second time around. I guess you really did get over it.

I'd had clients tell me that but I'd never believed them. I also never thought I'd have the opportunity to find out either. Life's full of those learning moments.

I think my words pissed off Fate even more because his grip tightened and no matter how quick I walked, he seemed to up his pace just enough to have to pull me along.