Reckless Karma (Sinners & Saints #2)

by Chelsea Ballinger

  I look into his eyes and it’s like they tell me everything I need to know. That he understands me. I need him to understand me. My mom doesn’t. Anika doesn’t. I just need someone to. My eyes then settle on his. That one blue, one green iris is really hypnotizing me right now. Or maybe it’s just the wine and pain.

  “Your eyes are really beautiful,” I whisper. Before I can clear my mind, I lean in and press my lips against his. It’s the wine. The pain definitely. The guilt. Everything wrapped in more wine that is causing me to do something so stupid. I don’t move my lips; I just keep them on his and breathe. He doesn’t move or respond. He just lets me kiss him. He lets me release the need I have in me on him, and as I lean back I realize there wasn’t any point in doing that other than… I wanted to feel Gabriel. Pretty fucked up to want that through his little brother, huh?

  “I was a carbon copy for her… I won’t be one for you,” he says and gains not only my respect but also jealousy. Not just because of his stand with me but also because of the truth.

  “You really love her,” I say.

  “Yes.” He has so much proudness about him as he declares it.

  “Just promise me one thing,” I begin to slur. “Don’t let that destroy you… or her.”

  The room is spinning and my head slowly falls into his lap. He clears his throat and combs his fingers through my hair. I drift off and I think I hear him say, “I’ll try.”

  HUGO

  I walk through the door. I want nothing but to crawl in bed next to Juliet and just try to sleep.

  “Hugo darling, is that you?” Ms. Eleanor calls for me. I enter the living room to see her lying by a fire. She pats the pillow next her. “Come.”

  I sit next to her and watch the fire with her. She sips on a glass of wine. Not her usual Bloody Mary, which is surprising. Before I can ask, she speaks.

  “The last time I sat by a fire was on my honeymoon with my third husband. The fire began spreading in the fireplace and I was a little too close to it, but I was blinded by the risk. Blinded by love. Finally I got burned. It was very unpleasant, yet still I did not let it ruin my night. I’ve never let the burns and risk ruin me. I should’ve. Maybe if I did you children would not be in harm.”

  A single tear falls down Ms. Eleanor’s cheek. Her eyes strained on the fire.

  “If you hadn’t been the strange yet kind woman who freely opens her home to others… none of us would have a chance,” I assure her.

  “A chance of what exactly, darling?”

  “Of discovering who actually does care. Ms. Eleanor, you have nothing to feel sorry for. Blame is for the biological authorities whose only responsibility was to love us.”

  “Everyone is to blame, Hugo. Even the victims. Everyone sees the risks, but our desires are overpowering.” She looks at me and runs her fingers across my face. “One day, Hugo. One day that anger in you will go completely.”

  I don’t answer because I don’t believe her. Not because it is impossible, just because it is impossible for me. I stand up. “Good night, Ms. Eleanor.”

  “Goodnight, darling.”

  I go to my room and there she is. Sound asleep, making my bed look like heaven on Earth just because her presence is that much of a blessing. I take off my clothes and crawl in next to her. I don’t want to wake her, so I just look at her. I just want to enjoy this peace. My peace, because when I tell Juliet about the kiss, she is going to be pissed. Relationships are so annoying.

  9

  SCARLETT

  Charlie Webber, another former student of our old high school, is sitting at his station where high quality computer equipment surrounds him – four computer screens, a very large keyboard, two printers and other gadget shit I have no idea about. Charlie Webber was the kid to go to in high school. If you wanted fake IDs, grades changed, transcripts, anything, he was the kid to see. Especially when it came to people’s bank accounts and to guarding mine. I had recruited Charlie as my private beck and call when he was a fresh, pimple-faced scholarship freshman when I was a junior. Originally from Staten Island, he had risen to his own luxury loft in Lower Manhattan. He still had bad acne and wore thick eyeglasses, but due to my recommendations never lacked in experiences with women.

  “Charlie, what do you have for me today?” I ask as I sit on his red couch behind him. I look over to my right and see a half-naked girl sleeping in his unmade bed. “I see you’ve been doing good.”

  His fingers continue banging on the keyboard. When Charlie is wired in, there is no getting him out, so I’ve learned to be patient. He should be done in five… four… three… two… one.

  He spins around in his chair to face me.

  “Karlie Fairchild is a very wealthy woman.”

  “No shit. But when you texted me you got something, I assumed it would be something less obvious.”

  He nods his head and slides down his desk, grabbing something from the printer. He glides in his chair to me and hands me the information.

  “Basically Karlie Dale is still a saint.”

  I feel myself starting to tick. “Again. You are not pleasing me, Charlie.”

  “I know.” He gets nervous. “Which is why I dug deeper. Into some real high top secret shit and I dug up the will William Fairchild had created, which of course left everything to her. I mean, no dirt is found, but then I noticed something else. I hacked into the history of the Fairchild lawyers and there was this like vault, metaphorically speaking, for cyberspace and it was very hard to get into – like I could only get through five walls out of maybe thirty-two. That shit has never happened to me, but this system is good. In those five walls I found something interesting.” I look at what he gave me and I realize what I am reading.

  “Very interesting.” I smile.

  “Yes, it is and something tells me that this is only the cherry of the sundae Karlie Fairchild has created. I can keep working on it.”

  “You can do that… but I think I’ll have fun with the cherry.”

  JULIET

  “Well this is a pleasant surprise.” I wake up to see him sitting up staring at me, in nothing but his underwear.

  He sighs. “Karlie kissed me last night.”

  I sit up and I don’t know why I’m still fucking smiling. He told me it in a way he would say what color the wall was.

  “Usually I don’t know how to handle these situations, so… I figured we could have sex rather than talk about it.”

  “Oh, so you literally thought you laying here half naked would take my mind away from that confession?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, it hasn’t.” I hurry out of his bed and head into the bathroom, slamming the door and locking it. I lean against the sink holding on to my stomach, hoping the grim feeling goes away. Should I even fret about a kiss? I don’t really know, but I am. I am livid. My lungs feel so compressed with anger and frustration.

  A knock on the door comes along with a twist on the knob.

  “Juliet, be sensible,” I hear him.

  “Sensible?! We’ve only been exclusive—a title you decided to give us, for the record—for what? A few weeks? And already you’ve cheated on me.”

  “I did not cheat on you.”

  “What part of ‘Karlie kissed me’ doesn’t define cheating?”

  “Every part. She kissed me. I didn’t kiss her back.”

  “Did you stop her?”

  “No.”

  I scoff.

  “I just… I let her have her moment.”

  “Her moment?”

  “Her moment. She was down about Gabriel and she was drunk and sad… and last night was his birthday.”

  “Did you know that?”

  “No. It never even crossed my mind.”

  I sigh closing my eyes. “I’m sorry.”

  I hear him chuckle. “Why are you sorry?”

  “Yes, you are an arsehole for letting her kiss you, but… I’m sorry about the revelation that you realized that your dead brother’s birthday is not e
ven a factor in your life… that must really suck.”

  “See that’s another reason why I love you.”

  “What – that I’m sympathizing when I should be angry?”

  “I would never have admitted that. That I had a problem with that before I met you. I do, Juliet. It’s like there’s something inside of me that doesn’t work right. Something that needs to feel, but it doesn’t and I don’t understand it and it painfully bothers me. I don’t. I don’t grieve. I don’t have remorse for most things when I should. Or when people think I should.”

  I open the door before he says anything else and lean against the frame. “You’re just human.”

  “Am I?”

  I squint one eye. “Still might be debatable.”

  He chuckles again and pulls me towards him. “I let her kiss me. It was just a moment of understanding. But I can promise you it will never happen again.”

  I may be dumb, but I believe him.

  “I’ll leave it be for now… especially since you’re about to make it up to me by doing a lot of very naughty things to me.” He grins and leans in to kiss me, but I tilt my head back. “But you do realize this just adds to the reasons I am not fond of her, yeah?”

  He nods. “We’ll work on that after I make you scream.”

  “I don’t scream,” I whisper as he slips his hands into my pajama bottoms.

  He gets on his knees, tugging them down before pressing his lips against the cotton of my panties. He looks at me with that sexy, annoying smirk. “Yes. You do.”

  I no longer can argue with that.

  “Am I forgiven?” he asks still laying naked in his bed. I throw on his t-shirt and my pajama bottoms and head out.

  “Nope,” I say before slamming the door.

  Maybe he’s slightly forgiven, but I won’t tell him that just yet – not that he needs it. I head down the stairs to my room to check on Jaz. I stop at the sounds of a screaming Poppy.

  “Oh God! Oh God! Oh God!” My mouth drops. “Yes! Yes! Yes! MMMMHHMM rainbows!” My hand covers my mouth compressing the laughter. The door opens and I jump back as Poppy comes out in a white silk robe with an incredible amount of fuck me hair surrounding her face. She shoves it out the way and smiles brightly.

  “Um...” I clear my throat. “Poppy, you’re… glowing.”

  “I’m really glad you came here.” She wraps her arms around me hugging me tight. I look over her shoulder to see an equally glowing Jaz lying in her bed covered in nothing but her pink silk sheet. She lets go of me and looks back in her room. “I’ll be back, boo.”

  Boo?

  “Hurry back, boo!” Jaz yells as Poppy goes downstairs and I am just flabbergasted.

  I walk into Poppy’s room as Jaz chuckles.

  “Boo?” I ask.

  “It’s a term of endearment between my girl and I.”

  “Excuse me, did you say your girl?”

  “Yes, I did. Mate, she is perfection.”

  “Jaz… you really like her, don’t you?”

  “Hell yeah I do. She’s fun. She’s hot. She’s smart… well in her own way, and I think her pussy is made of rainbows.”

  I cover my ears in disgust. “Oh my God! Please don’t mention that again.”

  “She thinks my lil Hammer is made of rainbows too.”

  “Again, Jaz!” I stop. “Wait, you call your dick lil Hammer?”

  “Don’t judge, JuJu, but yeah. I like her. She likes me. Nothing complicated in that.” He shrugs.

  “Yeah, less complicated sounds nice right about now,” I say more to myself.

  “You don’t mean that. Simple things never were for you. That’s why we never dated.”

  I laugh and don’t disagree. People always saw Jaz and I getting together, but what we both wanted in other people was different from what we needed in a friend.

  “Well, have fun and don’t hurt her, best mate,” I say to him.

  “Same for you.”

  I feel my cell buzz in my pocket and pull it out hoping the text is from Jess.

  “Is that Jess?” Jaz asks.

  “No, which is odd. I’m beginning to worry…” My thought is lost when I see who the text is from.

  “You okay?”

  I look at Jaz and nod. “Yeah I am. I’ll see ya later, yeah?”

  I leave out the room and head to mine. Once in, I look at the text again.

  “Don’t do it, Juliet,” I say out loud to myself. “Don’t do it.”

  But I’m doing it. I’m responding back to the text. I’m taking the bait.

  HUGO

  In the kitchen sits a gloomy Cody spoon in hand, playing with his bowl of cereal.

  “Still sulking, I see,” I say pouring myself a cup of coffee.

  “I’m not sulking. Just pondering.”

  “Pondering on what?”

  “Whether I should take Anika back or not.”

  I chuckle and he frowns. “What’s funny?”

  I turn around, cup in hand and wisdom to spare. “You are more arrogant than what people think.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “You have a beautiful woman who for some reason finds you attractive and wonderful, yet you are so into your pride you dignify your reason for being petty to the first girl to hurt your feelings. Guess what, Cody, you got a long line of girls waiting to hurt and break your heart.”

  “This coming from the guy who breaks hearts. Whose never even had his broken.”

  “My mother. She broke my heart.” He doesn’t protest, feeling guilty, and I continue. “She was helping her sister.”

  He shakes his head. “I know,” he laughs a little. “She told me to man up.”

  “Then man up.”

  I take my coffee to go and let him ponder on that.

  JULIET

  I enter the rooftop lounge. I sort of love parties and restaurants on rooftops of luxurious buildings. In London I went to rooftop parties all the time. Got hammered and watched the skyline. This is no party though. This is a quiet spot with a lovely view and what smells like great food, but I can’t enjoy it.

  “May I help you?” A woman in a blue cocktail dress, who I assume is the hostess, approaches me.

  “Yes, I’m looking for a blonde evil bitch in heels and red lipstick?”

  The girl looks at me confused but suddenly points to the outside area of the lounge, and there she is wearing her black and white sunglasses, sipping wine and looking at her phone.

  I sit in the seat across from her wearing my own pair of shades.

  “Juliet. I’m so pleased you could join me.”

  “I don’t even know why I’m here.”

  “Yes, you do. I texted you that I needed to talk to you about Karlie, and something tells me you don’t trust her.”

  “I don’t trust her any less than I trust you. I thought you could fill me in on the past. You know, from the time you got her raped and ruined her life. Even going as far as killing Gabriel.”

  “Is that what Karlie thinks?” She giggles as she takes a sip of her wine. “That I killed Gabriel?”

  “I wouldn’t be shocked if it was.”

  “Poor Karlie, still hoping that love was strong enough to save the poor soul. Did I destroy their relationship and her innocence? Yes.”

  “The fact that you can say that without blinking still amazes me.”

  “I aim to amaze. As for killing Gabriel? No. Gabriel was sick. Karlie knew that or maybe she didn’t. She likes to think she knew him better than me, just like you like to think you know Hugo better than me.”

  “Maybe she did. Maybe I do.”

  “No. See that’s what you and Karlie have in common. You are still unsure of your connection to the Mandrake boys. If it’s as strong as you would like to believe it is.”

  “Hugo hates you.”

  “Maybe so, but his hate for me is sure stepping on that love of yours’ toes, isn’t it?”

  “You framed him for rape.”

  “I did
no such thing,” she smirks. “But weren’t the charges dropped? Isn’t he in the clear? Patrick is still out to get him, but that’s neither here or there. So why isn’t he getting on with his life? Starting on his new path of happiness with you?”

  “And let you continue to destroy others?”

  “Yes.” She shrugs. “I’m marrying Patrick soon. Here comes Karlie Dale with her vendetta all because she can’t get over the fact that she was stupid enough to trust us and that her boyfriend was a dumbass. She hasn’t let go, just like Hugo hasn’t.”

  “So what is it that you want to talk to me about?”

  “I decided to do my research on Karlie Dale. She says that all that money William Fairchild left was entitled to her. No it wasn’t. Turns out William Fairchild has bastard children lurking around.”

  “Why should I believe you?” Of course she pulls out a document and of course it is proof that William Fairchild left a fair share of his fortune to children that are obviously hidden, given that their names are deemed classified. “So what does this have to do with anything?”

  “Well, if she could steal an inheritance from two children who probably grew up in rough circumstances, then she could keep anything.”

  “Are you serious? You called me here for this?”

  “No. I called you here as a test. To see if my assumptions were right.”

  “And what is that?”

  “That I am not the only woman in Hugo’s life you’re threatened by.”

  I lean on the table and take off my sunglasses, chest tight, and courage awakened.

  “Let me be clear. Yeah, there is something about Karlie that is off… but get this, she has my respect while you have nothing. She has Hugo’s respect while you have nothing. This doesn’t help you, putting a doubt that was already there in my head. If anything, this proves my assumption. I’m not the only woman in Hugo’s life you’re threatened by… in fact, I think you fear her. That’s why you had a problem with me. You make a joke about the connection she had with Gabriel, and I with Hugo, but the truth is you saw it before any of us and that is your fear. That love is something you could never truly succeed in obtaining in that black, wretched heart of yours stepping on your fucking toes.”