Kitty had offered me one of her kittens. Apparently, they weren't all naturally cut out for the work. I'd declined. I was having a hard enough time with a plant.
“You might be better off with a Jade. They don't need to be watered as much.”
I turned to see Paddy holding out one to me in the middle of the garden center.
I turned, making it obvious I wasn't interested in conversing with him.
“The guards are normally so good about secrets. That whole non-talking thing usually makes them perfect co-conspirators but they like you. I get it. I like you, too.” His face scrunched in thought for a second. “Or it might have been the compound. No one has ever given them a gift before.”
I was torn between being too furious to speak to him and wanting to beat him in between the ferns and the hostas. As much as I hated the idea of even acknowledging his existence, I'd never been good about walking away from answers.
“If you like me so much, then why did you do that? Why get me stuck here when you knew I wanted to leave?”
“Because I might need you.”
“With recruiting?”
“Okay, I’m not exactly a recruiter.”
“After what you did, do you really think I'd help you? I don't even know who you are.”
“If it helps, I didn't do it just for me.”
“You certainly didn't do what I wanted.”
“No, and you should be grateful for that. What you want usually turns into a mess, anyway.”
“You don't know that.”
“I've seen you do it enough. What you’ve got is a curse and a blessing.”
“What do you mean?”
“You're immune to the forces more than anyone I've ever seen. Each life you've led it's gotten worse. We try and steer you left and you dig in and go right. Over and over again, fighting your path. Wrong career, always the wrong guy. I mean, I'm not saying you have to nail it exactly and get your soul mate in the first few go-arounds, but you pick the worst men for yourself. Then you screw them up too in the process , because even if they aren't supposed to be with you, your sheer force of will railroads over them until they agree with you.”
“Maybe I botched my relationship but you can't say I wasn't a brilliant lawyer.”
“Yes I can. Half the cases you won were supposed to lose. You only won them because this thing you have, this force.
“I used to curse you for it. It took a while, but I eventually started to admire it, a bit. Now it looks like I'm going to need it.”
“If you wanted help, you should've asked. Not tried to force it from me.”
“I couldn't take the chance. I need you where you are.”
“I don't care what you need. You're on you're own.”
“You'll come around. You're going to have to.”
“Paddy, what the hell are you talking about?”
I turned around, ready to demand answers but he was gone. I didn't know who Paddy was, and I decided I didn't care. Not today. Today was about owning my situation and making the best of things. I checked out and didn't notice I had a Jade plant until I got home.
Chapter Thirty-Two
A week had gone by since I'd become official. To be honest, it wasn’t that bad. I was starting to find my place in the building. The Jinxes were teaching me to skateboard in the parking lot, Murphy brought me a fresh newspaper in with him every day. Even Harold was giving me fewer dirty looks—or maybe I was just getting used to them. It didn’t matter. I was realizing I could do this.
Luck had been the biggest help. Ever since the night in Vegas, I’d realized this job wasn’t going to be all death and torture. I could make people happy.
I also realized quickly that whether or not I was ready for a new best friend wasn't going to matter. She was ready, and she was tenacious.
But ever since the party, we'd found common ground and I really did enjoy her company. She was out there, did what made her happy and didn’t care what anyone else thought. In my opinion, she was fantastic.
So there I was, out with Luck that Thursday night. We'd just finished dinner, mostly filled with chats about her current boyfriends—she had quite a few—when her eyes shot to the door. “Uh oh,” she said.
“What?”
“Fate is here and heading straight toward our table.”
“He's here?” I hadn't seen him since the party and I knew it wasn't an accident. The time before that had been when he'd dropped me off at the hotel covered in blood. At this point, Fate and I were like a tricky tray of unresolved issues.
“What are you doing?” I asked as I watched Luck grab her purse.
“Did you see his face? He’s talking to you and there’s nothing I can do.”
“So you're just abandoning me?”
Fate was at our table before she could reply.
“I've got to head out to Vegas.” She made her eyes big when she had her back to Fate, clearly sending a signal, this should be fun. “See you in a couple of days,” she said and left.
He stood there for a minute and we both apprised the other. Fate still hadn't said a word and he took Luck’s chair. He stared across the table at me and I matched it. I thought not seeing him would help me, but it seemed to have only increased my awareness of him.
“You said you were leaving. You lied.”
“I didn't lie. I had every intention of doing so.” I sipped from my half empty martini glass.
“It’s not over.”
“I got my killer. I wish you and your companions luck but, for me, it’s over.”
“It's too late. You know too much.”
“Which I have no intention of repeating.”
He smiled as he stood to leave and I thought the matter was settled. But instead of walking out, he came closer and leaned down next to my chair, his mouth near my ear. “You can't escape your fate.”
He stood, turned and walked from the room.
Sneak peek at book two of The Karma Series.
A glass of red wine was placed in front of me and I turned to the bartender.
“I didn't order this.”
“It was sent by that gentleman.” He pointed to a man sitting at the other end of bar.
“Please thank him.” I wasn't going to drink it but sometimes a simple thank you was the easiest out.
My aversion to having to speak to anyone tonight spurred my energy and I grabbed my purse from the seat next me to leave. By time I looked back up, he was standing there next to me.
He was in his late forties and, in a Clooney kind of way, aged to perfection. Everything about him was well manicured, like he had all the time and money in the world. He was the type of guy that wouldn't have noticed me when I was human.
I still didn't want to talk to him.
“Just a moment?” he asked, not even waiting for my reply before sitting. His impeccable manners encouraged my own.
“Of course.” I settled in my chair as I tried to get a read on him. I couldn't figure out if he was human or if his karma was in perfect balance.
He pulled out the stool and settled in with more elegance than should have been possible.
Who was this guy? I hadn't met anyone in the building who looked like him but I knew there were still others that I hadn't seen yet.
“I'd like to offer you a job.”
Hands in front of him, fingers knit, he waited for my reply.
“I'm already employed but thank you.” He didn't even know who I was. He could at least ask a few questions before using a line like that to make it a bit more believable.
“Yes, Camilla, I know you do. And you could be so much more.”
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JINXED
Karma Series, Book Two
Donna Augustine
Copyright ? Donna Augustine 2014
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any format.
This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, people or places is entirely coincidental.
Strong Hold Publishing, LLC
For Donna Zink
Concrete proof.
Edited by Devilinthedetailsediting.com &
Express Editing Solutions
Table of Contents
Prologue
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven