1:05 am A Novel

Faith, Luck, and Hard Work

     "You fell into the ocean?" His eyes flipped back and forth over her. A deep "v" appeared between his eyebrows. That look gave Karma hope. It meant he must care for her. It was a good sign. "That explains a lot." He ran his hands back and forth through his red hair. As he did, his red locks stuck up like red flames dancing. "You could've died."

     He didn't want her dead. Another good sign.

     Karma didn't know what more to say. She wanted more than anything to assure him that her death wasn't her concern. Losing him was her only real fear. She needed to convince him she would stay here if he asked, but really, she didn't know how to prove to him she was a changed person. Even with the power to know when people were lying, Rea seemed like he didn't trust his ability.

     When they were younger, he never fully trusted his instincts, and now it was obvious that nothing about that had changed. Karma didn't think Rea would believe her if she told him she loved him. Maybe who she had become was so far away from the girl he knew that he couldn't care for her. He might not be able to think about her in the same way again. All Karma was really asking for was for Rea to let her stay and for them to get to know each other once again. She was sure that if they spent honest time together, they would be happy. She was attracted to Rea, and she knew he liked her. If only they could learn to trust and make peace with their past.

     "I don't think it's a good idea for you to stay, Karma. I don't know who you are now. We're both different people."

     Rea's words killed her inside, but she didn't let the hurt show on her face.

     "Right now, Fletcher is coming for you, and I can help you when he shows up. I don't want you hurt or killed. Fletcher made it clear you were still his hit, and if I got in his way, he wouldn't have any problem killing me as well. He shot me when I told him I wasn't accepting the job. I'm as marked as you are now. I'm not leaving until Fletcher is dead. I have a right to kill him for the simple fact he killed Tad. I may not have liked Tad much, but he was my stepbrother. I'll have the best chance of catching him here. Besides, I still have a little responsibility to the members of The Seemyah, and I'm sure he's doing this job without their approval."

     "So, this is about you being loyal to The Seemyah and your brother. Not about me."

     "Stepbrother," she corrected and then continued. "No, it's about my loyalty to you. Didn't you hear me? I don't want you hurt or killed. I'm loyal to you now, not them. You have my word." Karma gave him a sincere look to show him she meant what she said, but he looked unmoved. Rea offered her no encouragement.

     She didn't know what to say now.

     "Karma, you can't stay here. I can't trust you. You shot me." Rea came over to stand next to the bed, and he stared down at her. His look was frosty. Karma wished she could have him the way he was before she told him about her past.

     "And you punched me in the face and sprayed a whole roomful of bullets trying to kill me. I think we're even."

     "I knew that would come back to bite me in the ass." Rea put his hands on his hips. "You became an assassin."

     He wasn't relenting. Frustration rose within her.

     Karma glowered at him. "You became a doormat for your father to wipe his boots on."

     Rea's next look was so glacial Karma thought he could've started another ice era in his bedroom.

     She shivered and came up with a new plan. She didn't want to fight with him. She only wanted him to understand they were more than their pasts. She was more than hers.