JINXED: (Karma Series, Book Two) (17 page)

He looked at me. “You know, for a bright girl, you can be
awfully
stupid.”

“I don’t understand.” What was Cutty seeing that I didn’t?

“I hope whatever this is between you two doesn’t fuck with the rest of us.” Cutty stood up and started walking out.

“That isn’t because of me, and it’s not my problem.” I almost added that his friend was a control freak and just didn’t like being out of the loop. If I did, I’d have to explain what loop he was out of, and I certainly didn’t want to go there.

He threw his hands up into the air. “I can’t talk to you if you’re going to be this much of an idiot.”

“Huh?” He just kept walking out. I pushed up off the bed to try and follow him. My head immediately started to swim and not from blood loss. Someone had taken perfectly good Maker’s Mark and spiked it on me.

Chapter 27

On my own.

The morning light was shining in my eyes, as I lay on Fate’s bed, alone. Looking next to me, I could tell I’d had company at some point. The spot beside me was wrinkled, like someone had slept on top of the covers.

I ran a hand over the wound on my ribs, which was freshly wrapped. I gave my lungs a try and got a fulfilling sensation deep in my chest. Well, deep might have been stretching it, but I could breathe, so who was I to complain?

The t-shirt I was wearing came almost to my knees and smelled of Fate. He’d already seen me naked, so it shouldn’t have been a big thing. And yet, it was. It didn’t help that my legs were a mishmash of bruises and cuts.

It shouldn’t matter. It couldn’t.

I shoved it from my mind with the force of a Mac truck barreling down a highway. I didn’t have room for softness or worrying about what Fate thought.

The only sound in the house was the AC churning out cool air and the distant pounding of waves coming from the beach. Empty. Good.

I needed to get out of here before Fate got back and the questions commenced. Swinging my good leg over the side of the bed first, I dragged the bad one after it and limped over to his dresser.

His top right drawer held a nice supply of sweat pants. I grabbed the first pair I saw and rolled them up to accommodate my shorter stature.

Still silent, almost too much so. Why wasn’t the phone ringing? Close proximity to Fate usually warranted a couple warning rings, at the very least.

I moaned. That might be because my phone was buried in a mud pile somewhere. Wal-Mart was going to get their money’s worth out of me in throwaway phone purchases, and I was going to need a raise from someone. Two different employers and I was still poor. Something was very wrong with this picture.

Realizing I had nothing else with me, my hands felt bare. All of my possessions had been left scattered in the forest last night. I was going to have to go digging around the condo complex for my stashed keys, not to mention I was going to have to limp to get there.

Peeking around the corner, the house appeared empty but a complete mess. Piles of glass sat under stains on the wall. A hutch lay on its face, shades torn from the windows. I tiptoed past the mess and was almost to the door when I heard him come up behind me. Not so empty, I guess.

My body froze but I didn’t turn around. The front door was only a few feet away, taunting me with the small distance. A couple of steps more and I would’ve been gone.

I should’ve known better. Fate never made things that easy. Everything about him was complicated. Even if it started simple, it didn’t stay that way.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m sorry, did you miscalculate how much you spiked my drink?” I said, sugary sweet as I turned to face him.

“Actually, I did. If I could’ve trusted you to rest for a while, it wouldn’t have been necessary,” he countered, clearly not feeling the least bit shamed by his actions.

“I’ve got a job.” I started walking forward, but I knew that wouldn’t be the end of it. I opened the door and he slammed it shut, leaving his hand firmly against it as he stood by my side. He was so close his chest pressed against my shoulder.

“Who are you working for today? You’re not going anywhere until we talk.”

I wanted to scream in frustration.
I can’t talk!
I kept my eyes forward and stared at where his hand was splayed against the rich dark wood. It might as well have been iron bars, under my current physical condition. He needn’t try so hard to keep me in.

My fake composure slipped on like someone else threw on a raincoat. Bracing myself for the suspicion I’d find in his eyes, I turned to face him. “Sure. What’s up?”

It was worse than I’d expected. He wasn’t just suspicious, there was worry in his eyes, and it threatened to chip away at the wall I’d erected around myself.

“You’re a mess. There’s barely an inch of unmarked skin on you.” He sounded almost violent when he said it, but there was something raw there too.

It made me think of the other day, in my condo, and my breathing sped up and my palms grew damp. When he was like this, my body responded to him without any consent from me.

Every line of him, the tilt of his head, the way his eyes stared at me; he was alive like no one I’d ever encountered. There’s no way that his life force could have ever squeezed itself into a mortal husk.

“What would you have been?” I slipped, not able to contain my curiosity. Instead of being mesmerized by him, I needed to get out of there. But the question was out now, and I couldn’t stop myself from hoping he’d finally tell me.

“You share and maybe I’ll do the same.” He looked me up and down.

Why
would
he tell me? I’d told him nothing and had no right to ask for anything in return. The wall between us that had slipped for a minute was right back up.

“I fell down the stairs at the condo. I’m horribly clumsy.” That had to be the lamest line I’d ever uttered. I needed to stop watching Lifetime movies. Still, it didn’t matter what I told him. He’d know it was a lie, and I didn’t have the strength to pretend I was being honest.

I couldn’t tell him the truth, and there was nothing else to be said.

“You’re in over your head. Can’t you see that?” He slammed his hand against the door.

I knew he was frustrated. Whatever his motivation was, he did want to help, and that made it so much worse. How many times would I be able to swallow back the words? I looked at him and got angry he even made me feel this way. Weak.

“How do you know what I can handle?” My voice cracked as I said it, angry at his assumption and worried he might be right.

His hand suddenly grabbed the edge of my t-shirt and yanked it upward violently, displaying my bruised and damaged skin underneath.

I didn’t mean to flinch, but I couldn’t stop the reflex. It wasn’t that I was afraid of him. We might have our differences, but he was probably the one person in my life right now that I would stake everything on not hurting me.

But natural instinct, born mostly out of the beatings I’d taken recently, made me. Get the shit kicked out of you enough and you’d flinch at the Mother Mary making the sign of the cross if her finger waved a bit too close.

I tried to play it off like it wasn’t a big deal. I yanked the shirt out of his hand and pushed it down quickly.

“Yeah, you’ve
really
got this under control.” His hands dropped to his sides, but he didn’t move away. The look in his eyes made me uneasy. “Why did you flinch? You really think I’d touch you like that?” he asked, roughly gesturing to where he’d just revealed my injuries.

“No.” I rubbed my hand against the back of my neck, and I was the one who couldn’t look at him now. “It was just…”

“Can’t you see you’re a wreck?”

Nervous laughter bubbled up, compounded by embarrassment. Of course I saw. I wasn’t blind; I was stuck. He was the one that couldn’t see. I’d been thrown in the deep end without knowing how to swim, but I was doggy paddling my ass off. I’d get out of this, even if I did it on my own.

“I’m leaving now.” Sensing a calm moment, I moved to open the door.

“Why should I let you?”

“Because unless you intend on keeping me here and guarding me night and day, you have no other choice. I am not your responsibility or your concern.” Each word closed the door a little more snugly, and made me more and more trapped, but this was the way it had to be.

Even still, as I took the last few steps out the door, my feet dragged and I felt like I’d stumble under the weight.

I was committed to seeing this thing through alone but not because I wanted to. Deep down, I felt weak because I wanted him to stop me, but asking him to was akin to killing Kitty by my own hand.

Chapter 28

Not so alone after all.

“Large iced coffee, please.” The cashier handed me the change from my twenty and I exited the shop and walked across the street.

The benches were fairly comfortable at the Murrell’s Inlet Marsh Walk. I angled my leg out along the length of one. It was aching but not as badly as it had been two nights ago when I’d ended up at Fate’s. I’d wrapped it tightly in anticipation of the job I’d be assigned tonight.

A gentle breeze blew the reeds across the wetlands. A pelican, perched on a wooden stump, gave me a condemning eye. There weren’t any pelicans employed by the agency that I knew of, so it was hopefully only my imagination that it was judging me. 

The time on my phone indicated Luke would be here any minute, unless he’d decided to mess with me and be late on purpose. I wouldn’t put it past him. Every move he made seemed to have some sadistic undertone.

The pelican took off from its perch and flew across the marsh but turned sharply to fly inward. He dipped over one of the bars that lined the outdoor area and right over where Fate sat on a stool, a drink in his hand.

He raised his glass to me. I just stared back. Why would I ever have imagined he’d just let me go along my own way? Had I learned nothing about him? A selfish part of me was elated for a moment. I couldn’t do anything with him in tow, which meant I couldn’t do the job tonight.

The relief didn’t last long. If I knew they wouldn’t torture or kill Kitty, maybe I could use the excuse that had so neatly fell in my lap, but that wasn’t the person I wanted to be. Every day had become a battle to overcome what I desired to do, for what I needed to do.

Decision made; even if I did secretly want him there, he was a problem nonetheless. I couldn’t meet Luke, or anyone else, until I got rid of Fate. My brain finally kicked into gear and I dug through my purse for the spare phone.

“We have to postpone our meeting for a little bit,” I said the second Luke answered.

“Why?”

He didn’t know Fate was here? They knew everything and usually immediately. Maybe he was too far away from me, or more likely, Luke did know and choose not to say.

Fate’s stare met mine again as he watched me talk on the phone. He tilted his glass back and waved over the waiter, not once losing sight of me.

“I got a call from Harold. I have to go in to the office,” I blurted out quickly.

“Tell him you can’t.” His voice was like a hammer, slamming away at my nerves.

“I think he’s having me followed. I don’t think we should take the chance.” He still said nothing about Fate. Why wouldn’t he know? They always knew. Was I going to pay for this later?

“You said you were careful.”

There was a dangerous edge to his voice and I felt a tremor go through me. Who was this person I was becoming, that trembled at some low life’s accusation?

“That’s what I’m being now.”

Fate got off his stool.

“Fine. Tonight.”

He hung up, leaving me to wonder what would be in store for me later. There’d be something.

I threw the phone back in my purse as Fate walked toward me in a determined yet calm manner, fresh drink in his hand. He sat down on the bench next to me like it was the most normal thing in the world for him to be stalking me.

“You’re following me.” It wasn’t a question. I was simply putting it out on the table.

He shook his head. “Coincidence. This is my favorite place.”

So now I was going to be the questioner and he was going to lie? Guess I deserved that.

“Good food?”

“Great drinks.” He held up his glass.

“Are you going to be staying a while?” I found myself enjoying this game more than I should have.

“Not sure. What do you think you’ll be doing?” He leaned back and smiled at me, daring me to do something about it.

I tugged my purse higher on my shoulder and crossed my arms. “Getting chilly out. I think I’m going to leave.”

“You know, I think I’m going to leave as well.” He placed his glass on a nearby table and waited to see what direction I’d walk.

My car was parked across the street
,
but I couldn’t leave with him following me.

The shops across the street called to me like a beacon. I crossed, with him following behind me. Stopping in the center, I searched for the perfect place for his downfall.

He didn’t say anything, just smiled as if this didn’t bother him at all. His torture started with the sound of tinkling bells on the door and the perfume of melting wax. Let’s see how well he stood up to the candle shop. If that didn’t break him, it would be the Christmas store, next. He had no idea who he was up against. He’d be begging to leave me in a few hours.

Four hours later and I’d gone to every touristy shop there was. I stayed in each one until the shop owners eyed me suspiciously. I was about to cry mercy as I watched him. How the hell could he look so interested in a collie shaped key chain?

And more surprisingly, I hadn’t received a phone call. What had started out as a joke was quickly wearing down my nerves to nothing. They had to know Fate was with me, by now. Why weren’t they bombarding me with implied threats and other such nefarious outcomes? Did they think Kitty’s torture had finally put me under their control?

Had they succeeded? It was a repugnant idea, but there wasn’t any chance I’d tell Fate anything after the last time I’d seen her. It hadn’t even occurred to me. It was the first time since this began that I was seriously considering the possibility that they were controlling my thoughts. But I was making the just choices, wasn’t I? What decent person would risk their friend’s life?

When Fate put the Collie down and picked up a German shepherd, I’d already lost a sizeable amount of my control.

“I’m leaving, and without you.” Hands on hips, I dared him to say otherwise. “I thought we’d reached an agreement the other morning?”

He turned and surveyed me, still holding the shepherd and not anywhere near as agitated as I was. “I don’t remember that.” He turned back to the key chains. “What about the golden retriever?”

“I told you I was fine on my own and you accepted it.” I took a step toward him and then back again, not sure what to do at this point.

He put down the golden retriever keychain and gave me every ounce of his attention. I wasn’t the only one who seemed finished with the games. “I think you misunderstood what conclusion I came to. I’ve come to the point where I’ve accepted you aren’t going to be logical or make sane decisions. So, now it’s going to be like this.”

“Like this?” I was tense before I even heard his reply.

“Yes. Me, you, all day, every day.”

All the lightness was gone from his voice. He meant it. My eyes darted toward the door and back to him.

He was getting to me and I couldn’t handle pressure from another source. It was starting to cloud my judgment. No, he was bluffing. He couldn’t stay with me all the time, not with our positions.

“And what about when you have a job?” I asked and I couldn’t help but infuse the question with a little bit of an,
aha, I’ve got you now
attitude.

“I’ll take you with me.” He shrugged.

“And when I refuse? What are you going to do then?”

He smiled but it wasn’t warm; it was chilling. “I wouldn’t do that.”

He’d knocked me out twice, since I’d known him, and attempted it another time. He wouldn’t hurt me, but he had no qualms about playing dirty.

Shit. He had me and he knew it.

I walked over to the restroom with Fate following me. He came within a foot of the door before I stopped.

“Even in here?”

He stepped around me, surveyed the bathroom, and I guess not spotting any windows, deemed it safe enough.

Shaking my head, I went inside and dug out my phone.

“I need a favor,” I said in a hushed voice. “And you little jerks owe me after locking me in that stairwell. You ever want to see another bottle of scotch from me again, you’ll do this.” I gave the Jinxes the details and hung up.

Fate was leaning against the wall outside the restroom when I walked out.

“So, where to now?” he asked, as he followed me out of the last shop in the small outdoor mall. “I think there might be a stand over there, way back in the corner, we might have missed.”

I looked around the mall area and stopped in front of a couple windows I’d already looked at before. The Jinxes moved quickly. They’d only need five minutes, they’d said.

After ten had passed, I turned to Fate. “I’ve got some things to do at the office.”

“I’ll drive you.”

“I’m not leaving my car here. You can’t think I’m going to outrun your Porsche?” I didn’t give him a chance to argue as I walked toward the parking lot. His car sat not ten feet away, and I wondered how I hadn’t noticed that when I’d parked here earlier. “Follow me if you want, but I’m taking my car.”

I got into my Honda and turned the key in the ignition, letting the engine wheeze to life just for effect. It must have been enough, because he walked away and headed to his own car.

Not bothering to wait, I pulled out of the lot. Looking in the mirror, his car was still parked. His Porsche looked to have stalled.