Grabbing my glass off the bar, I took a sip of Maker's Mark, but then pushed it to the edge, half full. I'd rather be home, working on my manual. Sitting here hiding was ridiculous. I had a deadbolt, and I knew how to use it.
By time the door swung closed, and I was walking out of the bar, Luck was already on the guy’s lap, fully engrossed.
I hadn’t made it more than a couple of steps when I spotted Murphy. He had just parked his car, an Audi. I liked my little Honda—I really did—but it burned.
Did everyone have a new car except me? Was it because I was a transfer?
“Is Luck in there?” he asked, as he crossed the pavement to talk to me.
“Yes, but she just found some amusement for the evening.” I didn't add good luck separating her from this target. It’s definitely going to be an all-nighter.
His face scrunched for a second, knowing her well enough to read between the lines. “Damn. I'll never get her to the casino tonight.”
Luck was Murphy's virtual ATM. She was occasionally mine as well, so I wasn't going to cast any aspersions on the man for taking advantage. Harold was as cheap as they came. Half the building relied on the Lady Luck cash machine.
I motioned him over to the side to let a young couple past us into the bar. He stepped aside but as soon as he saw them, his eyes lit up. Uh oh, I'd seen that glint before. Something was coming. I wasn't sure exactly what that something would be, but I’d find out shortly.
They were barely legal drinking age, younger than even I had been at my death. The girl, eyes watery and red, reached forward and grabbed at the guy’s arm as he tried to keep moving away from her.
“Kenny, you can't mean that!”
“I do. I want to see other people. I'm sick of your shit.” He yanked his arm away and she grabbed the banister to steady herself.
I wanted to turn away but I watched anyway. The banister broke loose from what looked like a solid support of cement, and the girl tumbled the five steps to the ground. It wasn't that much of a fall, and if there hadn't been a helping hand by the name of Murphy, she probably would have ended up with a couple of bruises.
But Murphy was around. She started wailing and the guy cringed. I’d like to think it was distaste from seeing her get hurt. Unfortunately, there was a certain edge to his expression that made me think it had more to do with the fact that he couldn't just walk away. There was a second's hesitation, but in the end, he headed down the stairs and knelt by her side.
Grabbing Murphy's wrist, I tugged him over toward my car.
“Did you have to do that? She was already having a bad day.”
He raised one shoulder up and tilted his head toward it. “It's who I am. Can't help it. The worse the day someone’s had, the more it draws me in. Can’t seem to resist.” He looked at my Honda and cringed. “This thing really is as bad as they say.”
“Who said that?”
“No one. I just thought I heard something but maybe I didn’t.” Murphy was also the worst liar in the office.
“Forget it; I know it's bad. I'll see you tomorrow, Murphy.”
“Night, Karma.”
He walked past the couple into the bar, and of course the guy's phone fell out of his pocket and smashed on the cement steps. Poor schmucks.
I dropped my purse on the passenger seat and almost missed the note.
52 Maple Lane Road
9:30 P.M.
Come or else.
Or else? I crumpled up the note and threw it in the back.
It wasn’t a job. I would’ve had a vision or a dream if it were. The ripped edge from a spiral notebook confirmed it. The Universe had better taste in stationary than that. The Universe also didn't bother with or else. The creepy feeling you got shooting up your spine when you stepped out of line already implied it.
Definitely wasn’t Fate. He didn't need an or else, either. Most people just did what he wanted, except me. I wasn't sure if he knew what an ultimatum even was, but I was pretty sure he might be trying to figure it out now.
No, this was one of Fate’s guys. They'd been hanging out with enough humans over at Lars’s tattoo shop to pick up on our—their—ways. I kept forgetting I wasn't human anymore.
I swung my car left—away from home—instead of right, hoping I’d have enough gas to make it there. The Honda’s gas seemed to constantly disappear somehow, and I wanted to make this meeting. It was time to have a chat with the boys. This stalker business was getting on my nerves. The longer I hung around, the more I was fairly sure no one was going to try and kill me. Bully me, harass me and who knew what else, yes.
It was just after nine thirty when I spotted the stucco building at the given address. It had a dingy sign hanging sideways that read Zombieplex. I pulled into the empty lot of the closed down arcade, weeds sprouting up between the cracks of cement, and turned off the engine.
Feeling underneath my seat, I grabbed the can of pepper spray hidden there. I'd feel bad nailing Lars in the eyes, but if he got too annoying, I would. He had threatened me with death at one point. Pepper spray wasn’t an overreaction. Retired or not, when Death threatens you with dying, you needed to come prepared, no matter what your instincts told you. Who knew what kind of mojo he still had going on?
The Honda's muffler had warned all of my arrival, so I wasn't surprised when the door was pushed open by Cutty. So, did that mean all the boys had decided to come out and play?
I'd found out that Cutty was named thusly for his favorite drink, Cutty Sark. They had all adopted weird names since they had never been human and given one by parents. Once they retired, they needed to call themselves something that was totally disassociated with the agency.
It's not like Lars could walk around being called Death. Then I thought of his long dark hair and habit of wearing black. Actually, he might be able to pull it off.
I wondered if all four of them would be here. Bic, named in honor of his bald head, and Angus, who had an affinity for red meat. I’d find out soon, I thought as I stepped into the building.
The lights were dimmed but my eyesight adjusted fairly quickly. A lot of things were better since my death. The Tooth Fairy had once described mortality as being covered in bubble wrap, everything around you muffled slightly.
It seemed plausible, since as time slowly crept by, my eyes became sharper, my hearing more acute and my limbs more nimble. The only thing that hadn't changed was my sense of taste. That was pretty much same ole'.
I took in my surroundings with my new and improved senses as I followed Cutty. An old Pac-Man video game was standing in the corner, with Donkey Kong right beside it. We skirted around an air hockey table.
I used to be great at air hockey. It was all about the angles. Just when your opponent got into a habit of blocking the sides, you shot the puck straight down the center, lightning fast.
“Hey, Cutty,” it was the first words either of us had uttered. “How about we settle this like civilized people, with an air hockey duel?” I wanted to add, because I'm going to kick your ass, but it was best to leave the trash talking off until he accepted.
Even in life, I'd loved a good trash talking. It was truly part of any healthy competition, if you thought about it. Well, maybe not, but it was a ton of fun if you were good at it.
He stopped and turned to look at me. “You really are one strange girl,” he said, then kept walking.
I took that for a no.
I followed him away from the table. It was probably for the best anyway. Those games were part of a past I didn't like to think about.
The smaller front room opened up into a larger back area that had been used for laser tag. I’d guess it was probably a transition from the arcade to something fresher, when the trend turned toward home units. Didn't look like it had turned out so well.
An empty chair sat in the center of the abandoned room with chipping paint and missing carpet. A light hung overhead, creating harsh shadows in the corners of the room, where I could see the barest outline o
f the others.
Now I really knew Fate wasn't here. He wasn't this dramatic; not on purpose, anyway. His was more of a natural gift, effortlessly stealing the show.
“Oooh, so spooky,” I mocked, and wasn't surprised when I was the only one laughing. These guys had no sense of humor. “Should I presume this is my seat?” I didn't wait for an answer but sat down.
“It's time for answers. Are you with us or not?” Cutty leaned over me, placing a hand on the back of my chair. “Think before you speak.”
These guys weren't a laughing matter; I knew this. And yet, I couldn't seem to work up any respectable level of anxiety for the situation. I didn't know what exactly Fate and I were to each other, but somehow I knew he wouldn't hurt me. And because of him, neither would his guys.
Maybe, like so many things in life, it's a matter of perspective. I'd recently gained some, by the name of Malokin. Him, I was worried about, and I had a really bad feeling he wasn't going away.
These guys might be bad news, but they weren't on the same scale. They'd threaten and scream but wouldn't actually do anything to me.
Malokin was different. If Paddy was nervous about him, he was bad. He wouldn't scream or threaten; he'd just kill me.
But threat or not, I really couldn’t afford to piss more people off. Perhaps I should try and pretend I was scared, to plump up their egos.
“Did you hear me?” Cutty screamed.
Oh no. I’d been so focused on my concern over Malokin I’d already blown the whole fear charade. I'd been drifting off as Cutty had been mid-scream. Now they certainly weren’t going to want to be friends with me.
“No, I'm sorry. I didn't.” It was a tad ridiculous to admit I’d been distracted when he'd been bellowing an inch from my face.
“Give me the duct tape,” Cutty yelled to one of the other guys.
“Are you going to tape me to the chair?” I asked, still not overly concerned.
“Yes. You going to listen now?” he asked mistaking the reason for my squirming.
“Actually, I need to use the rest room first, if this is going to be a while.” That Maker’s Mark was flying through my system at an alarming rate.
“Tape her up,” Cutty said.
“But she's got to pee?” Bic said. “If she pees in the chair, I'm not cleaning it.”
“If she pees in the chair, she sits in it,” Cutty replied.
“Do you know what that'll smell like? She smells pretty now. I don't want her to be smelly,” Bic said.
“I don't want to be smelly either,” I added to the argument.
“Give me the goddamn tape!” Cutty ripped the roll from Bic’s hand.
A noise drew our attention to the door where Lars stepped into the room. His hair was flowing free around his shoulders as he came to stop a few feet from me
“You’re late,” Cutty said.
Lars didn’t argue, but instead motioned for Cutty to go over to the side with him and then walked away.
“Don't. Move,” Cutty said before following Lars.
“Okie dokie, smokie.” I crossed my legs, trying to buy my bladder another few minutes and dug the nail file out of my purse. I'd chipped a nail earlier today and it was driving me absolutely crazy.
Cutty threw me his best evil eye and then walked over to Lars. They must have underestimated my senses, me being a transfer and all, since I could hear everything they said.
“I'm not sure that’s a good idea,” Lars said.
“Why? We can't kill her or beat her, but he said nothing about scaring her. The tape is all we’ve got left.”
I glanced up quick enough to see Lars make a face.
“He never said anything about scaring, and this needs to be done. She's either with us or against us,” Cutty continued.
“He's going to care,” Lars shot back. “Just don’t do the tape thing, and maybe we should let her use the bathroom, too.”
“Why are you acting like such a wuss? It’s not like she’s his. They aren't together.”
“Not technically, no. But if you saw the way he looks at her...” Lars eyes widened a bit. “I’ve been with them. There’s something there.”
The way he looked at me? I'd never noticed Fate looking at me weird. Intense maybe but that was just how Fate was normally. What was Lars talking about? He was making it sound like I was dating the guy!
“If he wanted her, he’d be with her. He’s not,” Cutty replied.
“I’m not sure what they are.”
Cutty took a moment to ponder it over before he replied. “He slept with her?” Cutty’s tone had quickly switched gears from arguing to gossipy.
“I’ve got reason to believe so. Plus, I’ve heard some things.” Lars was nodding like, can you believe they’re doing it?
Keeping my face as neutral as possible, I forced myself to sit there. Bic and Angus had taken a few steps away from me, and closer to them, clearly enjoying the gossip as well.
Lars looked over at me and I tried to pretend I couldn’t hear every word he said. I couldn’t decide if it was better to stop the gossip or pretend I didn’t know. Either way was equally humiliating, so it was a tough call.
“The story is they slept together and then he dissed her,” Lars said. The other three all made gasping noises at this new tidbit.
Holy shit, this could not be happening. The second I left here, I was going to track Luck down and beat her with every last ounce of energy I had.
“So he dissed her?” Cutty asked, completely engrossed in the intimate details of my life.
Lars shot another look my way and then lowered his voice a notch before continuing. “From what my source said, it wasn't an I'm not interested in you rejection as much as it's better for you if we're apart type.”
“What did she do?” Bic asked, he and Angus pretty much right on top of them now.
They were seriously going to stand there and gossip about me now? This just crossed every line I had, lines I didn’t even know existed until now.
“From what I've heard, she was pretty upset but pretended she didn't care. Then he was all I don't care either but he definitely does. I’ve seen them,” Lars added.
Cutty started nodding his head. “So what do you think is going to happen?”
Throwing my file down, I got to my feet. I couldn’t do a round of speculation, too. I marched over, forced myself in between the four of them and put my hands on my hips. “What has or has not happened between us is not for your discussion.”
Cutty looked down at me. Actually, they all did. Fate’s guys were freakishly tall, up close.
Cutty looked at me assessing and nodded. “Yep, They slept together.”
“I didn't say that.” I knew I shouldn’t raise my voice, but it happened anyway.
“You didn't say you didn't.” Cutty turned back to Lars. “This makes things much more difficult.”
“No shit.”
Cutty lifted the roll of tape in his hand. “We can't tape her to the chair, so what do you guys want to do tonight?”
“I'm not his girlfriend!”
They all looked at me and then decided to ignore me.
I poked a finger into Cutty's chest to get his full attention. “You tape me to that chair this instant!” I tried to rip the roll of tape from his hand but he wouldn't let go.
“No!” He yanked it back and held it up above my reach. “I won't do it and you can't make me.”
“Let's take a vote,” Lars said.
“What's the point?” the Bic said. “If she's doing Fate, what’s left to do?”
“Not about her, you idiot. Where we're going out tonight,” Cutty corrected.
“What about O'Toole’s?” Bic said.
“O'Toole’s is good with me. You two good with that?” Angus added in.
That was it? They were just going to leave? Probably to continue with the gossip over a beer. “I'm not good with that!”
“Karma, I'd like to help you out, but it's just not in the cards.” Cutty thr
ew his hands up in the air. “I'm sorry. Nothing I can do about it.”
Cutty headed toward the door and the other guys followed.
I ran in front of them and tried to block the door. “No. No one is leaving here!”
“Can someone else step in here? I just can't keep doing this with her when she won't take no for an answer.” Cutty stepped aside and Angus stepped forward. He put his hands on my waist, picked me up and then deposited me to the side.
“That's it?” I yelled out after them.
“Oh, yeah. Sorry. We're finished here. You need a ride or something?” Lars asked.
“I hate you all.”
“Are you sure he didn't dump her cause she's crazy?” I heard Bic say as they walked out without me.
Chapter Nine
Even a cat only has nine lives.
Luck was sashaying through the lobby, her five-inch heels clicking away, when I finally spotted her.
“Wait up,” I yelled, and hurried after her, wanting to catch her before she made it into the office.
Once I caught up, and she got a good look at me, the instinctive smile she naturally wore dropped into something closer to concern.
“What's wrong?”
“How much of the story did you tell people about what happened with me and Fate?”
She looked skyward, as if trying to recall all the details. “Well, you know I warned Murphy about the Cupid thing—”
“No, I mean about how it went down. Like the specifics of things said after the act happened.” Even though I knew the truth, I was still hoping she’d tell me she held back.
“Oh, yes. I told Murphy about that too.” She smiled, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
It took a second before I could get the word to unstick from my tongue. “Why?”
“Why what?” Her face was pure confusion.
“Why would you do that? Tell him?” The words flew out of my mouth.
“Isn't that what you're supposed to do? You were upset about it, so of course I got upset for you. Well, obviously then I needed to confide my emotional hurt. You weren't in any shape to comfort me, so I talked to Murphy. That's what besties do. I've studied them.” She nodded her head through this whole explanation.
JINXED: (Karma Series, Book Two) Page 6
