“That’s Paddy. He’s upper management for the agency. He’s tight with Karma.”
Karma walked into Dead Ink shortly after. Faith knew it had to be her, as Fate walked in beside her, his fingers wrapped firmly around the dark beauty’s hand. She was earthy and sensual and everything Faith felt she lacked. And it was achingly clear Fate loved her.
Watching the way Fate was so protective of Karma made Faith look at Lars, and the difference felt like ice picks stabbing at her.
“Hey,” Lars said, as she watched him walk over to Karma and Fate.
Karma looked toward her and immediately started in her direction but Lars stepped in front of her. He dropped his voice so low that even with her better senses she couldn’t hear what was being said. It was probably instructions to Karma to get a read on Faith, try and out her as the horrible person he believed her to be.
Karma looked over at Fate, and Faith saw a look pass between them that she couldn’t read. Fate shrugged. Karma shook her head in response, as if her patience was wearing thin. All Faith could think of was how amazing it must be to know someone as well as they did each other. The man she’d just slept with didn’t even know if she was going to try and murder him tonight.
Lars was talking again. Every second he spent trying to convince Karma to do what he wanted, another dollop of resentment piled on.
“Yes. Now step aside. I feel like you’re a dark cloud hovering over me,” Karma said. They were the first words Faith could make out from their conversation.
Finally, Lars stepped aside, having gotten what he wanted, someone to vouch for Faith’s unworthiness.
Karma headed toward her, noticeably breathing heavier and looking annoyed with Lars. Faith didn’t blame her. She was annoyed too.
Faith fidgeted under the appraisal of this woman who looked like she could kick her ass and would determine what Lars believed of her.
Karma stopped in front of her but didn’t look like she was ready to condemn her. She held out her hand as she said, “I’m Karma. You must be Faith.”
“Hi,” Faith said, as she tentatively took Karma’s hand. Faith’s eyes darted to the men behind Karma, watching. “Can they hear us?” Faith asked.
“Probably. But I think the office is sound proofed,” Karma offered, surprising Faith and making her think maybe this woman could be an ally.
Faith gave a short quick nod as her eyes darted to Lars and back to Karma. She headed toward the back but before they could enter the office, Lars blocked Karma’s way, probably wanting a front row seat to the witch-hunt.
“Where are you going?”
Karma looked to Faith, and she knew what the woman was expecting. She thought Faith could back Lars off. What Karma didn’t understand was he wouldn’t listen to her. Nor did she feel like speaking to him at the moment.
“We want a minute to talk without all of you guys hovering,” Karma replied, when Faith didn’t say anything. When Lars didn’t move she continued, “We’re fine. Get out of the way,” she said, waving her hands and demonstrating she wanted a clear path with him out of it.
Faith took a step away from them, losing whatever patience she had, and walked into the office alone, not caring if she stayed that way.
Karma followed her in seconds later and closed the door behind her.
“How are you doing?” Karma asked.
Crappy? Shittier than I ever thought possible? “Getting by. I’d heard you were human first?”
She nodded but remained silent. Faith grabbed a pen from the desk and flipped it end over end. “Does it get better? I mean, it’s not bad, I just feel…”
“Lost?”
Faith looked at Karma and could see the understanding she’d been looking for. “Kind of.”
“It gets a lot easier.” Karma tilted her head towards the door that closed them off from the guys and gave them a thin layer of privacy. “I’m not sure if they start seeming less crazy or we get more so, but you’ll adjust.” She walked around and propped a hip on Lars’ desk. “You two involved?” she asked.
The way Karma asked led her to believe she already knew something. But to call them involved? Faith still was but she wasn’t sure about Lars. “I don’t know what you’d call it,” she answered, somewhat evasively.
“He’s very protective of you. I’ve never seen him act like that.”
“He also thinks I might have been the scum of the Earth in my mortal life, so I’m not exactly sure why.” Faith let out a laugh, even though nothing she had just said was funny. Sometimes it was easier to pretend things were a joke.
Karma stood up and took a couple steps around the small room. “There’s an easy fix to that.”
She knew exactly what Karma meant. It was what she had assumed; Karma could read whether someone was a good person or not. She sat down in Lars’ desk chair and let the idea sink in. Wow, was it tempting. One word from Karma and Lars would suddenly trust her. She could walk out of here and things could be completely different between them. But what a way to start over.
She shook her head, defeat surely written all over her as her shoulders slumped, knowing she was going to decline. “I know what you do. And I know if you told him I wasn’t a bad person, he’d believe you. But do you know how that feels? That he needs to hear it from someone else?”
“Why make this difficult? I can tell you care about him and that he cares about you. A handful of words from me and you two can get a—maybe not a fresh start, but something better than the place you’re in now.”
No, she didn’t understand at all. “And be with a man that can’t take my word? Can’t believe I’m a decent person unless someone else tells him so?” She shook her head. That wasn’t a relationship worth keeping.
There was a knock on the door before Fate yelled, “You almost done?”
Faith stood. “I’d appreciate it if you’d refrain from telling him anything.”
Karma nodded. Faith could see she had doubts, but she believed that Karma wouldn’t say anything.
Karma opened the door to find Lars looming close by and Fate looking impatient. Faith followed Karma out. She saw Lars staring at her as she walked by but ignored him and moved to the other side of the room.
She settled into a chair, off in the corner where she could survey the room without being overly involved, and watched the chips fall, waiting to see if Karma would speak of her to Lars or would respect her choices.
Lars hovered over Karma like she knew he would.
She couldn’t hear the words spoken but saw the shake of Karma’s head. Lars turned, and his eyes looked even darker and his mouth stern.
Karma walked away from where he stood, not looking very happy either, and then Fate was back at her side. Faith saw her features soften as Fate’s hand took hers.
There was a table set up in the center, along with a line of what looked to be surgical instruments. She wasn’t sure what they planned on doing to Karma as she lay on the table and tugged down the side of her jeans. Fate settled in beside her.
No, Karma didn’t need support from her. She had everything she needed wrapped up in Fate and he looked more than willing to supply it.
The old guy, Paddy, walked over to Faith, as she watched the other guys prepare by Karma. She didn’t pay much attention to him until he spoke. “You know, I was sending someone for you.”
“Excuse me?” Faith asked, not sure if he was talking to her or not.
He sat down beside her. “I was going to send someone to recruit you for the agency.”
“For what?” she asked, wondering if he was senile.
“Can’t you guess?”
She shook her head.
“What’s your name?”
“Faith?”
“It was Hope, the life before. There’s a reason.”
She almost snorted but pulled it back at the last second. Faith? Hope? Maybe once she was that girl. She didn’t know who she was now.
“You’ve been bumped around a bit but you’ll see. It’s still in there.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Then why are you here? Looking at him like that?”