1:05 am A Novel

Karma's Return

     He waited for Gears to say "I told you so." It never came.

     "I got to thinking about it, and if it had been my girlfriend, I'd have done what you did." Gears pushed up his glasses. "I had no right to judge you. Besides, I'll say this, you were happier with her here than I've ever seen you before."

     Rea didn't want to hear that. He wanted everything to go back to the way it used to be.

     Soon the training would be over, and then he would go far away. Someplace he wouldn't be able to remember Karma's name. Since she'd left, he'd talked briefly to Ken about the whole situation and the gap that existed with Gears. In the end, Ken didn't have answers, and he was still stuck on this water base. She haunted him in a way he couldn't explain.

     Rea gave Gears a curt nod and didn't say goodbye. He couldn't trust himself to talk. He wanted to yell and punch something. Instead, he spun on his heel and walked back to his room. He was so strung out. His body ached with the tension to hold it all in. His mind begged for sleep, and that was part of the problem.

     As he strolled along the corridor, Rea reviewed the events of his day. He'd been preoccupied at training, and one of the men had knifed him in the back of his leg. Ken had suggested he get some rest. He pointed out how absent he'd become at training.

     After Gears looked at his injury, Rea would crash. Maybe Gears could give him a sleeping pill to knock him out until tomorrow. Sleep that didn't have him dreaming about Karma seemed like heaven. It had been a hellish week, and a part of him screamed that she wasn't coming back. He asked himself if he wanted her to. No, he couldn't have her back in his life. She would make him love her. Karma would fill his life with her energy and spirit, and then she would leave again. He couldn't go through that a second time. It hurt. He didn't want her to come back. That's what he insisted when he talked to Gears, Ken, and himself.

     Rea stopped in front of his door. He dropped his forehead against the entrance instead of going inside. His hands refused to twist the knob. He couldn't stand looking at his bed and remembering how he held her. When he was all alone, he speculated on whether she was alive or dead. She was a killer. She was probably dead or killing people. Both were dark thoughts.

     He wished he could go back in time and figure out a way to keep her. He wanted to know who had turned her into an assassin. Who had made her do this kind of work? Did she want to do this?

     When he heard some of his men walking down the hall, Rea glanced up. He quickly opened his door and clicked the light switch for his overhead light. He frowned when the room stayed dark. He punched the switch again. The light above the bed flickered but didn't come on.

     He'd tried to fix it by himself last night, but the lamp was still busted.

     His mud-soaked shirt fought with him as he struggled to remove it. Finally, he tossed the garment to the floor. Walking to the bathroom, Rea flipped on the small light above the sink. He paused at the threshold of the bathroom.

     Something was wrong. He spun around to assess what was making him uneasy.

     As he turned, he found Karma staring at him.

     She stood next to his table by the front door. Her hand held a compact handgun. It was a different weapon than what she'd taken from him. The firearm was aimed at the floor. He didn't move, just in case she changed her mind and decided to point it at him. To be fair, the last time he'd seen her, he had shot at her. It had been more of a gut reaction, but still, he wouldn't be surprised if she aimed at his head again.